《Rob's Unheroic Misadventures [Multiple Worlds Progression]》
Chapter 1
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The noisy repeatable sound of the alarm was hammering Robert¡¯s brain through his deep sleep, but his tired body just refused to react to it, stubbornly trying to fall into the joy of pleasant darkness. However, soon in addition to the already annoying sounds new appeared. As if it was not enough, someone started punching his door, decisively stopping all of Robert¡¯s dreams to have proper rest, which he, worth noting, really deserved. The metal was almost bending under the strong hits, ending his last glimmer of hope to wait out an unexpected guest.
¡°Rob, fucking hell, get your ass up! Now! Wave incoming!¡± filled with nervousness and agitation, a familiar voice shrilled out behind the door.
¡°Ahhh,¡± Robert moaned before dropping out from the bed with clear unwillingness. ¡°What¡¯s the time? Damn, only two hours have passed¡ those bastards always trying to choose the most unfortunate time to die.¡±
He slowly stood up after checking his wristwatch, showing the unwillingness with each gesture. Exhaustion was still pressing on him, but Rob had no real choice. He stretched his skinny arms in an attempt to get himself in shape faster. It didn¡¯t help. After slapping his own cheeks a few times, Robert turned on the light in the room to find his clothes. However, truthfully speaking, calling a ¡°room¡± the place where he slept was quite an exaggeration.
It was uncomfortably tiny and had almost no free space, looking more like a prison cell. The bed, wardrobe, and folding table left just enough space to leave this room if needed, but you could forget any attempt to fit even a few people inside. What was more, Robert¡¯s body, despite being painfully thin, was very tall, towering over two meters by a good margin and ending with a full seven feet (213 cm). Because of that, his messy black hair almost touched the ceiling, which in turn emphasized an awful impression of his place of residence.
Robert sighed once again, while he was looking in a small mirror on the wall. It was not hard to notice the big bags under his bright, almost shining, green eyes. He wasn¡¯t pretty at all at the young age of twenty. With his aquiline nose, bushy eyebrows, and square jaw, his face looked like it was made from stone by an incompetent artisan, who was rushing through his work to finish early to finally get drunk in the nearest bar. Too rough. However, after adding extended periods of sleepless nights and overuse of his brain, the situation was even sadder.
¡°Yeah, Rob, as always, you look like shit¡,¡± interrupted by heavy knocking, he hastily dressed up in his crumpled uniform that he found lying under the bed after a quick search. ¡°Coming! Can you stop, damn it?¡±
A huge man with a bushy beard in full combat armor met Robert after the door was popped open. Equipped with thick armor plates and supported by an inbuilt exoskeleton just to have the ability to walk with that enormous weight, his figure was almost thrice bigger then Rob''s. That was even without an ammo backpack and a standard Marine¡¯s machine gun. Together that created a stark contrast between his bald head without a helmet, which looked comically small in comparison to his puffy steel-covered body.
¡°What took you so long, Rob? Your non-existent muscle can¡¯t give you a pace faster than a snail?¡± the bearded fighter grinned.
¡°Oh, that hurts, you know,¡± answered Robert, making his way past a huge figure into the corridor ¡°And I thought we were friends, James. All these years I even kept my promise to never tell anyone that you¡¯ve read fewer books than I have fingers on my single hand. I know how tough it is to accept that even a few pages made your brain vibrate so severely that you lost all your hair. I feel it, man¡± Turning around and looking directly in James¡¯s eyes, Robert patted his armored shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t strain it, it will hurt. Again¡±.
Before his army colleague could find what to say in return, an angered voice resounded behind their back.
¡°Stop messing around, Tadpole! We¡¯ve got an emergency.¡±
¡°Yes, Captain,¡± Robert winked at James and quickly rushed to the waiting figure of his leader in similar armor. Soon he was silently listening to brief information on the current situation. The latter wasn¡¯t developing in a positive way in the slightest.
¡°A few hours ago a large horde was spotted gathering in the fields. Our aircraft tried to burn them, but, unfortunately, the bastards had hidden enough flying types to destroy our birds in the counterattack. What is worse, our sector is not the only one being targeted. At least nine hordes are aiming at us or the nearby sectors. So don¡¯t expect any reinforcements. Most likely the higher-ups will gather forces to repel the enemies after the breakthrough of our defense lines to stop further advances and minimize overall damage.¡±
¡°This new fucking strategy of exhausting the alien¡¯s numbers before wiping them out, when they don¡¯t have the opportunity to retreat, sounds good only on paper, but, honestly speaking, is a brain-dead way to lose the lives of the defenders, even having the ability to prevent it. They are assholes, Captain!¡±
¡°Rob, stop it. You know that is the creation of a new defense minister, with which he has won the elections. We can¡¯t change anything.¡±
¡°Crap¡ Do they even know that I have completely lost twenty percent of my group? The third part of the leftovers has been damaged to a different degree. How do they think I can stop a wave without any support when they can¡¯t even fix my machines in time? I sent a report a month ago and nothing changed so far! They have only stupid excuses - they are working on, some nonsense about a limited budget and over-planned casualties. As if I can¡,¡± Robert used all his will to suppress his boiling emotions.
¡°Tadpole, we don¡¯t have a choice. Both of us. Despite my higher position, I am in the same situation as you are. We have an order. The end. You know what is behind our backs. So better be ready to do everything possible to kill every single one of them.¡±
Seeing the seriousness in the eyes of his captain, Robert just nodded, keeping his inner thoughts to himself once more. While making his way to the operator room, he tried not to understand, but to feel with his heart the captain''s motivation to act. To protect. To risk his life. To sacrifice in time of need for a greater goal. The result was the same as always. He failed. The reason was simple ¨C he was different from others.
As the world was almost destroyed twenty-three years ago, everything had changed. It started with an ordinary meteorite that appeared on the Earth¡¯s trajectory. Not for the first time, nor for the last, but this time the data confirmed an inventible collision after many check-ups. The space rock was big enough to demolish a huge megapolis and its surroundings, but luckily not to cause a global catastrophe with the possibility of killing every living beings. Still, the threat was there, and immediate actions took place. Around a hundred of the biggest missiles were launched by the world¡¯s coalition in an attempt to annihilate it completely.
The operation was successful. Only small fragments were left to burn in the atmosphere, while over 95% of the falling threat had disappeared under the enormous temperature of nuclear explosions. However, it turned out it was just the beginning of a never-ending war. From the smallest rocks that managed to get to the land, the aliens came out. Not some highly technological species, but more like brainless monsters. Fast evolving, fast breeding, and very aggressive monsters, who were controlled by a hive mind. At least, there were such speculations. Again, not some super intelligent, but enough to coordinate them and to make proper adjustments in tactics with the single goal of devouring all living beings.
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In the next few years, old borders and countries ceased to exist only to be replaced with a new united Alliance. Humanity used all possible means just to repel the invasion and survive. Up to this moment, huge defensive lines were constructed, dividing territory between humans and aliens. By this point, the population managed to return to life before the Fall inside protected territories. Social activities or entertainment with a star in different reality shows, loud scandals when another skeleton was taken out of the cupboard, political battles on elections with occasional fights because of incomparability of opinions on pet¡¯s rights. There were even groups of dead-brain activists demanding to negotiate, thinking that humans could get a peace deal with aliens if they just stopped firing. As always, people wanted a simple solution, as if it was ever possible.
However, over half of the remaining population didn¡¯t even care about lasting fierce battles on those borders. The problem of decades of war ¨C it started to become habitual background noise. Many citizens focused on their lives and pretended that nothing was happening. The soldier¡¯s death toll was an odd number in uninteresting statistics, shown not even on the first page of the newly printed press. Of course, until the moment when defense lines fell, and their region was under direct danger. Fortunately, scientists used knowledge from alien bodies themselves to fight against such enemies on equal terms.
Thus, Robert was ¡°made¡±. As a child of five years old, he was approved to be compatible with the modification of the brain. His parents were given huge compensation and willingly gave him up to create a new ¡°protector¡± of humanity. Same as lots of other families, some sought wealth, while others were motivated by noble goals. Not all children survived the operation, but now all strategic points of defense were based on the people such as Robert. That came with the cost of almost no understanding of what a normal life was.
Trained until fifteen and serving in the army after that, Robert fought because he had nothing else. After he had read hundreds of books in his spare time, he could understand why he was needed in his role. However, to accept it with a clear heart was something impossible. The society that he needed to protect seemed to be in a parallel universe, very far from him. While he was asking about the replacement of his war machines and not getting one, other twenty-year-olds could beg their parents about a new car with a more powerful engine just to be given it in a few days. At least such videos were much more popular than scenes of battles on the net.
¡°Are you alright, Tadpole?¡± Captain¡¯s question followed when he noticed Robert¡¯s mindless state.
¡°As always, as always,¡± A weak smile appeared on Rob¡¯s face, and he quickly went into his operator¡¯s room focusing on the nearing battle. Without any pause, he plopped down on the familiar chair, took a worn-out connector, and with an accustomed move shoved it into the implant on the back of his head.
¡°Lieutenant Robert Flop, second-rank mobile group operator, serial number MGDY-27053010, reporting for duty,¡± while he was speaking, the system simultaneously checked all biological parameters and admittance before pushing his consciousness into a command drone. The next moment his world exploded with torrents of data from hundreds of sensors, stocked-piled reports after he was gone, and much more. The brain of an ordinary human would have been overloaded in just a few seconds, causing painful death, but for such modified people like Robert, it is as easy as just watching a movie. Of course, special equipment took a huge part of the burden, but it couldn¡¯t do it alone. Right now, while checking available machines and mentally sighing because of the result, he was barely noticing any load on his mind. That would change completely when it would be the time to fight.
5 Self-propelled artillery units, 9 artillery rocket units, 12 heavy tanks, 7 anti-aircraft gun tanks, and 143 light mecha machine gun units, but only 5 scout drones left. However, at least 15 engineer mechs for reloading ammunition. Still not sure if it is enough¡
Double-checking the status of each machine and noting their damage to adjust future tactics, Robert embraced his entire group before sending it out from the underground bunker. Each unit had a semi-auto function. That gave a possibility to control them by the periphery of the mind, easing simple tasks in calm time, while being useless during battles. Such operators like Robert always directly controlled everything, making the cooperation level between military machines unachievable even for well-trained crews and squads.
On top of that, he could perceive and process much more constantly changing data on the battlefield during fights to adjust his commands without losing even a single moment. Attempts to use artificial intellegence in such tasks failed dramatically. Too many different situations and regularly evolving enemies made it nearly impossible to teach AL to command on the same level, especially against something new. At least for now. There was progress in that direction, just not enough to be on par with them. Moreover, the absence of a living person to blame and the need for proper supply without delays made the defense ministry oppose this technology. Of course, officially they used completely different wordings, but between having a scapegoat or not, it was an obvious choice for a ranked general.
Overall, the existence of such operators like Robert was the main reason why currently the human''s defense lines were holding strong. Using limited resources, they managed to squeeze out almost one hundred percent efficiency from it. Right now only officers, service staff, and heavy infantry consisted of non-modified marines. The latter mainly focused on defending bunkers with operators inside because, unfortunately, the range of communication for direct control wasn''t long enough to place them in a safe place, beyond the frontlines. However, it made slowly the building problem of the distinction between citizens and their main protectors unavoidable.
¡°Hey, Rob, how are you? Man, I slept like never before. Full-fledged ten hours of wonderful dreams and oh, man, everything I saw there would make you incredibly jealous.¡±
The text that appeared right in the corner of Robert¡¯s virtual sight made him unconsciously smile. The fast-processing mind of operators made it easier to communicate using ordinary chats, especially during battles. Higher officers could reread it in real time or in most cases with some delay because the speed of their exchange for external observers looked like a flying wall of letters. Additionally, there were no rules forbidding anything in it. That¡¯s why after the first message almost a hundred emojis appeared, graphically describing the horny dreams of his colleague.
¡°Leo, your imagination has never stopped to amuse me. You, without any doubt, can become a scenarist of any adult movie. Top rating easily guaranteed. And then, when you get your long-awaited reward of being the best of the best, standing on the scene with a figurine in your hands under the jealous eyes of thousands, you can blow off their mind, telling them that you are still a virgin,¡± retorted Robert to his neighbor in the defense line.
¡°So are you, Bamboo. Hard to correct this unfortunate mistake in the natural order, when all your company consists of around two dozen muscled-headed male marines, while the nearest lady is as far as a moon,¡± Leonard complained, not even bothering to react to Rob''s joke.
¡°Hey!¡± a new message popped immediately. Robert could almost feel indignation in it, ¡°What girl can even fall for a gnome, like you? Stump!¡±
¡°Hello, Marg,¡± Rob chuckled, greeting his second neighbor, but the playful verbal hassle abruptly stopped when a leader of their sector appeared.
¡°Okay, gentlemen and the lady, we¡¯ve got a wave incoming. Be careful, try to help others if you see possible breakthroughs or danger to the bunker. I expect from everyone your usual top-notch performance. Nothing new, except no reinforcements¡¡±
¡°Oh, come on, Brad, you were formally appointed as a senior just because you are older by two years, but you literally have no power at all. Stop being such a pretentious idiot. Everyone here has the same rank,¡± Leo didn¡¯t even try to resist the temptation to mock someone, especially Brad.
¡°On the same level of stupidity¡¡±
¡°On the same level? Do you want me to be on the same level as you? Okay, then go and f¡¡±
¡°Get that short bastard, Brad. His tongue had to be cut off long ago, but that will leave him a complete eunuch.¡±
¡°Guys, what have I missed?¡±
New and new messages bombarded the chat. It was hard to believe that only ten people from their sector could make such a mess, but it was the usual thing. Such quarrels always appeared before noticeable waves, helping everyone to release the growing emotions inside of them. Not all fights had ended without casualties and even being in a bunker couldn¡¯t ensure total safety. Robert had lost plenty of his friends during those years of service and each loss was quite painful. Just his outer fa?ade hid it well.
Maybe these people are exactly who I am fighting for. Not those, behind defense lines, but my friends, operators like me. There is also Captain, James, and others¡ That¡¯s enough for me. Okay, Rob, brace yourself, you have alien¡¯s asses to kick!
Chapter 2
The darkness was enormous. Infinite. Endless. It fully absorbed him without missing a single piece. Covered him from all sides. Hid him in the deepest parts of nothingness. It took everything from him. He just existed and nothing more. There were no memories, no thoughts, no time. He was like a hollow shell of his former self, but without understanding, who or even what he was. Sucked dry of his own self. However, there were no emotions about that. No anger, pity, or anything. No desire to know why, where, or what to do. Just nothing, only calm darkness, which started dissolving even the last contours of his self-being that were left.
However, before his full decay, a strange feeling emerged. Unknown force not only embraced him but also filled everything back. Maybe it took only an instant or maybe a full eternity ¨C at some point the pieces of his consciousness began to merge. Pictures of events were simultaneously projected inside him. Events that made his non-existent heart shrink. The more complete he felt, the more painful it got.
In the end, we failed. The wave was just too huge. Don¡¯t think that anyone survived.
Nonstop shooting from every machine in a futile attempt to stop the swarm. Thousands of aliens had died, but more came as a replacement. Every single meter of advance was paid for by their blood. His units were destroyed one by one. Each took its price. Nevertheless, their numbers diminished unstoppably, inevitably decreasing his ability to fight back. A jammed machine gun buried the very first light mech. A few reckless charges of giant types took several tanks. Flying enemies focused solely on engineer mechs, which made it difficult to replace a constantly exhausting ammo. Loses accumulated and there was no sign of reducing the enemy¡¯s torrent.
Still, Robert might have a chance to fight them off. Just barely. However, the assault on Leo¡¯s position was even stronger. A flank attack on his artillery wasn¡¯t a surprise, but he just couldn¡¯t deal with it, when all his remaining forces struggled to stand their ground. Concentrating on organized retreats and trying to save as many units as he could, took all his attention through direct control. He managed to stabilize the defense with leftovers of his group, but then a new thing struck him. Leo¡¯s bunker had been already breached by that moment.
In reality, it didn¡¯t take long for the complete fall, but with their huge speed of processing everything made it hurt like hell to read literally last messages of their friend. His attempts to joke with new insults on Brad just to cheer up others. His unwillingness to die and a teary goodbye. His curses for his own virginity and his final joke of being reborn as the strongest Archimage in a future life. To read and to know that you couldn¡¯t do anything. To know that another death would be just a question of time.
The next one was Zack. After that Marg and Brad. With the destroyed defense of his both neighbors, Robert¡¯s attempt to persuade Captain to evacuate his marines was met with a strong refusal in the end. Nobody from his guards wanted to abandon him. Of course, there was no reinforcement or any miracle rescue. Rob was surrounded from all sides and had just a mere ten units when heavy infantry started to shoot in corridors in a futile attempt to stop the breakthrough. The aliens had learned long ago, who posed the biggest threat to them, and that naturally led them to aim for his control room in the first place.
Robert could even observe from outer cameras how insect-type aliens the size of a bear tore apart the armored bodies of soldiers. How James¡®s bald head was bitten off in one swift and bloody motion. How Captain blew up himself together with several enemies, almost burying the corridor and giving a few extra minutes of life to Rob. It never stopped him. He methodically continued to shoot from the last three mech units. Even when sharp claws were already heading in the direction of his own defenseless body that was still connected to the equipment, Robert was calm.
¡°Was glad to know you all, guys. You made everything worse.¡±
That was his last message before darkness took him. There was no pain. No fear. Only small regret of leaving behind three mechs that could still continue to fight, but now, without him, turned into motionless and useless steel puppets. Maybe there was some relief of ending his insipid life. However, soon everything disappeared. There was only pure blackness. Emptiness. That was until that strange feeling emerged and brought his essence back. Those memories flashed before him as if drawing a line. The next moment his body uncontrollably breathed in. Almost like a switcher was turned on, his mind started to function. Robert abruptly opened his eyes and finally looked around.
To his utter surprise, he found himself on a stony plateau. Filled with small cracks all over the grey surface, it was completely flat and empty. Even bared from any signs of life. What¡¯s more, it looked like it was floating in space. Robert could clearly see the borders of this strange rock that ended with nothingness. On the other hand, the darkness above him was not absolute ¨C he saw hundreds of stars. Each had almost the same brightness but varied greatly in colors and sizes. Together, they made quite a picture, bewitching Robert for some time. He couldn¡¯t understand the real reason, but he felt that even the smallest star here was something grandeur. Not just plain astronomical objects, no. Something much more. Almost divine.
Oh, that could be it. Then is this the afterlife? Looks quite boring, but guess beggars can¡¯t choose¡
Before Robert finished his thought, colorful lights emerged near him quickly transforming into odd people. It looked like the air itself had bent before straightening back with the new addition. Dressed in various outfits, those unknowns made a noticeable contrast between each other. There was a bearded man with leather pants, bracelets, and spiked black boots. His muscles were covered with a thin layer of fat, which made him look huge. Like real huge. However, even with a big belly he radiated primordial fury and strength. The pure barbarian who could break Robert in one motion with ease.
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There was another short slender man, not taller than 5 feet (1,5 meters). Equipped in a real space suit, he was like from another era. His face couldn¡¯t be seen because of the toned visor on his helmet. This astronaut didn¡¯t even check the surroundings, being fully absorbed by some high-tech equipment on his forearm. Another strange woman was not far from him. Redheaded, her curves attracted the attention of many men around. The main reason was her light grey tight-fitting costume, which only boosted the imagination. From his angle, Robert couldn¡¯t properly see her face, but just from the reaction of others, he could easily bet that everything was on the same gorgeous level. A strange monk in a red robe and with a fully tattooed face. A teenage girl with pink hair, a violet t-shirt, and yellow shorts. Another soldier like him in sandy uniform and with visible scars all over opened parts of his body, including his face. There were many others, dropped in this place for unknown purpose. As far as Robert could see, everyone was unique in his or her own way.
Okay, no weapons so far. No acquaintances or I just can¡¯t see them. I am still in my clothes. Even the spot on my collar from dinner¡¯s ketchup is still there. Also, we are without a doubt from very different places. Like worlds? Dimensions? Maybe planets, not sure though with this one. If it is an afterlife then it¡¯s quite strange. However, I definitely died. I totally felt it. Then someone resurrected me and took me here whatever this place is. Hope I¡¯ll get some answers soon.
The next moment he realized that he couldn¡¯t move at all. It was strange, but before this thought hadn¡¯t even appeared in his mind. As if he was here, but his body wasn¡¯t. As if any motion was fundamentally impossible, so he didn¡¯t even try. Only his eyes were capable of moving. The same situation went with speaking. In this abnormal place, the silence was absolute. Everyone was like realistic statues in some weird museum.
Just nope. Rob, throw away this thought, quickly! Nobody is collecting dead people from all over the place only to make an exhibition from them. That would be a living hell¡ Crap, my imagination can ruin even the fact that my death didn¡¯t stop my existence. Breathe, Robert, breathe. Wait, I can¡¯t even do that!
He didn¡¯t know how long it took him to calm down. Different scenarios filled his mind in an attempt to explain the current situation, but without proper information, any of them could be real. After fully accepting that he solely could only follow the flow, Robert managed to handle his emotions. The next minutes or hours or whatever time had passed, he kept himself busy trying to guess from what place every visible unfortunate colleague had come. He even named them so bored he was. In his eyesight, nothing had changed since the beginning and with his modified brain, it was stressful.
Most effects of his artificial upgrade were noticeable during the connection to the special equipment. However, in ordinary life even without the help of machines, his mind perceived much more. There was barely a noticeable feeling of slowing time when deliberately focusing which gave Robert quite a good reaction. Nothing more than that in this respect. No supervision or senses, no huge IQ to solve any problem in a moment, no photographic or even perfect memory. He couldn¡¯t notice bullets or multiply five-digit numbers in mind.
Instead, while a human could focus only on a few things, he was like simultaneously concentrating on everything he was seeing without any additional effort. It could be named multi-tasking, but Rob preferred the ¡°hyper-focus¡± term because it sounded more special and slightly correctly explained his inability to turn it off. Such a definition didn¡¯t change an unpleasant effect. The effect quite often resulted in tough communication with other people. Each small defect, each spot of dirt on clothes, each small problem in appearance was fully observed by him and he couldn¡¯t just unsee it. Of course, any normal man could ignore it and usually do it, but he naturally had to turn this ignorance to an epic level. That¡¯s why the scenery before his eyes became old in no time.
Not fun at all. If we are waiting for someone then that person must buy the damn watch, ''cause¡
Once again Robert couldn¡¯t finish his new wave of cursing. As if someone turned on gravity, he felt an enormous pressure. Not on his body¡ the hell, he didn¡¯t even know if he had one because he just refused to obey. He still could see some parts of it, including the shirt''s collar with a red spot, but the unrealistic feeling of inability to move made his mind wonder if it existed in the first place and wasn¡¯t a phantom image. Or an odd hologram.
No, something squeezed the essence of what made him actually himself. What came next was an irrational fear. Rob didn¡¯t notice even a slight change in scenery, but he felt with his guts that someone was coming. The owner of this place and the person, who brought him from nothingness. A natural predator that emitted this aura of dominance, control, hunger, and bloodlust.
Robert didn¡¯t know how he managed to interpret this pressure in specific sensations. It just came from a realization, along with the terror that began to embrace him. It took all his willpower to suppress it with his mind, constantly repeating that this was just an imagination. Delusion, hallucination, something unreal. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t.
A gigantic figure made of black smoke appeared above the stone field, entirely covering the space above them. Despite being the same color as the nothingness between stars, it radiated such power that Rob could easily distinguish it from the surroundings. However, only a humanoid profile was seen. That and a huge maw that took almost half of its face. It was darker than pure darkness. A black hole, which consumed everything ¨C matter, light, and even time. Robert felt that just looking at it would suck his essence dry, but something made him to continue doing it. His perception of reality made each moment even harder. A strong desire not to surrender began to burn from inside. Yes, he was gripped by fear. Filled with it from top to toe. Even if Rob¡¯s body could follow his commands, he was sure the growing panic made it impossible to move even his finger. He was a prey with a determined destiny, but he stubbornly refused to bow down despite knowing the incoming aftermath. Robert had died once already, nothing new for him. Only idiots were not afraid, but only the brave could overcome the painful feeling of a squeezed heart.
¡°Good. The flawed and weak were cleaned,¡± a heavy voice sounded in Rob¡¯s mind. Unrecognizable whether it was male or female, it was deep and powerful. Almost divine. Hearing it made him snap from his concetration and he right away noticed the change. At least half of the gathered people slowly disintegrated into dust, which was immediately sucked into the opened maw of the unknown entity. With a small mental sigh, Robert found an empty place, where that curved redhead stood earlier. Decreased pressure helped to clear his mind and he directed all his attention to the next words that came from above.
¡°I greet you, mark ones! I am Wepwakor, God of Everlasting Hunger, Devourer of Souls, Venturous Hunter, and you will become my envoys.¡±
Chapter 3
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Chapter 4
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Chapter 5
Robert opened his eyes just to find himself on the same stony field. He was half expecting something grandeur after the fact of getting new abilities, but the reality had laughed at him. Indeed, some of his colleagues had already begun to test newly acquired powers. Still, nothing mind-blowing. He saw that the huge fat barbarian made his skin look like shining silver with visible segments. The strange teenage girl turned her both arms into beasty-clawed paws, actively trying to severe an imaginary enemy in front of her. Few, like Robert, were just observing the others, either not having the ability to show off or not bothering with that. He wondered how many of them made a similar choice as him, but there would be no answer for the time being.
What was more interesting ¨C was the small changes in appearance. Some led to new colors of hair or tiny scales on the skin. The mentioned earlier teenager had got pitch-black long nails. The biggest awarded its owner a short protruding horn on a bald forehead. It attracted attention not only from Rob but also from others, turning him into a local point of interest. Dressed in rags, that muscular man was five people apart from Roberts¡¯s location, being hidden from eyes before that. Even now, it was hard to see the details, as nobody was polite enough to clear the sight for Rob.
I am sure he got it after merging with the Soul, but I haven¡¯t seen anything in the list that may produce such an effect. Hmm, so not only we are from various worlds, and have different pasts, skills, and abilities, but our blessings options seem to be random too. Together, it will make each path of the so-named Envoy quite unique. Maybe this is the main goal of Hunter¡¯s god ¨C to create numerous strong individuals, so they can reap worthy souls? Could be¡ Also, I wonder will I look prettier? It¡¯s not that important but my face might need some fix. Not sure, if that soul of the rodent can make it happen though. Whatever.
Throwing away this thought, Robert tried to feel any difference in his body after becoming one with his soul and there was none. No visible addition from a magic gnawer too. He was thin and weak as before. At least his potential had risen quite a bit, so a large frame might be achievable. Despite understanding that stats were about performance, stronger muscles were bigger by default. However, the way to get there was not even close ¨C he needed to train for years. The only hope was in the description of Adaptive Growth, which might shorten the time needed. Continuing checking himself, soon he felt some emptiness deep inside himself, ephemeral and subtle.
Must be Core or my soul. Guess, such a drop is hard to ignore. Now, I need to think about how to increase my stats. It¡¯s an easy task with Strength, Endurance, and Agility ¨C ordinary training. Toughness and Vitality¡ The only idea is to let someone beat me and, with the help of my Adaptive growth, maybe it will change something in me to become a tougher punching bag? Already can feel the pain in just testing it. Nothing can be done with my Mind ¨C I had literally surgery on my brain to get there. Same with Perception ¨C I can¡¯t train to see further¡ Hmm, there are more senses in it, but just don¡¯t know. Core is the last, but not least. Hope my soul is similar to muscles ¨C the more I use mana, the more it trains.
Robert continued making mental plans and pondering about what was waiting for him. Working out could help a lot, but he also needed hard skills to survive. He would be grateful and happy if God could send him to some kind of Magic Academy to study and prepare himself, but that was just wishful thinking. He got his prepayment already and now he needed to start returning the investment. Rob had a rough guess that after death, God might take his soul back and maybe the next batch could be merged with his remnants to get an increase in the Mind stat.
Modified human Robert Flop ¨C special surgery was held to merge the brain with an alien¡¯s organ to get its performance to the level of the hive mind. Extremely fast processing of any information. It is boosted by special equipment at the price of a weak constitution. Has a strong soul to survive the presence of a real God, but no mana-based abilities.
Traits: Remolded Brain, Strong soul, Weak
He sighed inwardly, trying to throw away pessimistic thoughts, which were boosted by boiling imagination. Returning attention to the surroundings, he saw that by this moment everyone was finished with their blessing, patiently waiting or trying to be acquainted with new powers. To his surprise, no one tried to communicate with each other. Robert could understand that. Most likely, he would never see anyone, so what¡¯s the point? He also didn¡¯t want to waste time, mentally preparing himself, which soon proved to be a good idea.
There was no signal, no command, no briefing, no parting speech from the God themselves. Nothing. The surrounding instantly became black because of the whirlwind that sucked him in a moment earlier. Rob felt he was pulled somewhere but couldn¡¯t discern anything in this vortex. However, there was no discomfort. Only this strange force that was transporting him to an unknown destination. This time Robert wasn¡¯t bored at all despite the non-changing scenery. Growing anxiousness inside him kept his mind busy. Alas, nothing was endless. His body was spit out and dropped heavily on a hard surface, resulting in a wave of pain in his back. Rob lied for a few seconds before opening his eyes and looking around.
A typical green forest surrounded him. It wasn¡¯t too dense, so trees and plants had enough space to get their portion of sunbathing. Robert saw some mushrooms and even colorful flowers, but having almost no knowledge of botany, the scenery looked quite ordinary to him. Trees didn¡¯t tower on hundreds of meters. There were no huge man-eating plants. He didn¡¯t see any dog-sized spiders or their thick webs. No strange claw marks on the nearest barks or gigantic footprints on the ground. Even the local star looked as common as it possibly could, maybe only a little bit bigger than the accustomed sun. Mediocre scenery of nature, that couldn¡¯t even make it in the top ten thousand beautiful places on Earth.
However, in Robert¡¯s eyes, such ordinariness was completely untypical. He, who spent most of his life in training centers of orphanages, never traveled anywhere. Best best-looking place that he saw live was the surroundings of bunkers on defense lines. Considering that any obstacles were wiped out so as not to obstruct shooting in the incoming swarm, he mainly enjoyed the view of the fields. Grassy, rocky, or snowy, but fields. And now, breathing such fresh air not filled with the smell of oil, petrol, or gun powder, was a pure pleasure.
Wow, maybe this was worth the death¡
It was a crazy thought, but Robert from the beginning didn¡¯t feel any regrets. His life was plain. Very important for thousands of citizens behind his back, but plain. Even being right in front of a real God didn¡¯t impact him so much as an ordinary nature. Or, maybe at last, the final realization came to him ¨C death crossed out everything, but instead opened an unimaginable path ahead. Rob just needed to be strong enough to endure traveling it to experience more.
Okay, Robert, let''s head out then. The apocalypses of the world will not wait for me!
He started to walk in a random direction. Rob had a logical thought about an option of orienting using the star not to circle around but wasn¡¯t sure how he would keep tracking it in the forest. Also, he didn¡¯t know the duration of the day. Not that was a necessity for it. Still, the absence of knowledge led Rob to abandon the idea for now. Therefore, he just walked, while carefully observing his surroundings. After reading the descriptions on the list of optional souls to merge with, he couldn¡¯t afford to be careless. Some of the animals from it could easily pose a real threat to a fully equipped soldier in an exoskeleton, not talking about him. For such cases, Robert found a long and almost straight stick to use in self-defense. Fortunately, there was no need.
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During several hours of walking, he saw a few deer and noticed motions in bushes. Nothing more. Most of the wildlife ignored him or quickly ran away. On the other hand, he already had a problem with tiredness. He wasn¡¯t thirsty or hungry, but soreness in his muscles, especially in his legs and back, started to kill him. Control bunkers, being the main place of stay for years, had quite a limited space. Robert was sure that he made less than five hundred steps per day on average. For him to move for so long was indeed an achievement. However, awareness of this fact didn¡¯t help at all.
Fuck, I am tired¡ That dusty treadmill in the storage could be useful if I had known the future¡
Trying to catch his breath, he plopped down on the nearest fallen tree trunk. Stretching his legs, Robert massaged them a little bit, while thinking about the current situation. Robert hoped deep down that this forest wasn¡¯t enormous, and he would soon find humans because for an alternative he had the death from starvation as a very possible scenario. He wasn¡¯t even ready for survival in wildness, not talking about the future end of the world.
Damn, too many wishes together ¨C the size of the forest, humans in this world, a correct direction, a settlement near me, minimum hospitality of locals. I can really die in the beginning¡ at least there would be no muscle pain¡ Wait, what?
Focusing on his body, he was surprised as a new feeling emerged from inside. It was a mixture of refreshing and a cooling wave, which came from a heart and washed over his tiredness. Dull pain in muscles was completely gone, instead replaced by almost an imperceptible hunger and an odd emptiness. As if not fully believing in his own senses, Robert got up and jumped a few times. He was indeed as good as when he had appeared in this forest. Recalling the description of his abilities and traits, Rob looked at his forearm. To his utter surprise, the tattoo was nowhere seen, but only a single thought about the status screen made it appear immediately. Surrounding went pitch black, completely cutting off the outside world. He made a mental mark to look into his stats only in a safe place, before shifting his attention to the text. There were a few changes.
Envoy of Wepwakor (candidate) ¨C Tier 0
Strength 2/23 Agility 5/17 Endurance 3/25 Toughness 4/15
Vitality 5/16 Perception 9/14 Mind 40/50 Core 13/20
Mana regeneration (7): 1% in apr. 107 seconds
Current level of mana ¨C 0%
Abilities: Adaptive
Traits: Remolded, Envoy, Spirit, Anchor
His position as a candidate and tier level gave zero valuable information. Maybe tier could influence something but remembering that status screen showed his own acquired strength, he felt it was useless. A similar situation was with the newly appeared level of mana. Considering he wasn¡¯t able to fast-check the exact number and that he somehow could vaguely feel this energy inside him, the usability of this feature was under a big question. Most likely, with additional training or time, he could feel it in the same way as he could feel his own stamina.
No, the most eye-catching thing was obvious ¨C mana regeneration. Its level definitely came from the Core stat, but that was not hard to deduct when the previous description had directly talked about putting part of his soul in space between dimensions.
Wait, how does it even work? If my body is one with the soul, then putting the soul there means my body is also there? Hm¡ don¡¯t feel anything. No, it may mean more ties between body and soul. So, no reincarnation or possible future of an Archi-Lich¡ Too many fiction books, Rob, way too many.
Looking at these numbers, Robert made quick calculations with the help of the ground and a small stick, which was found nearby. It took some mental strain, but he figured out the exact difference between Core and Mana Regeneration level ¨C 177%.
Okay, it explains that strange number of 107 seconds. Therefore, the base speed is 1% per minute if the stats are the same. It also confirms the exponentiation used in stats. Now I have two questions without answers. How does it compare with natural absorption? Active or passive variants of it? Not sure that such information will help me as I already might not reverse the effect of soul merge. Also, is there any limit to the Mana regeneration stat? Because it doesn¡¯t show anything like that. If I don¡¯t have a way to increase it somehow, then with higher mana capacity, I will need much more time to be full again. However, it is a task for the future. Right now my main goal is to understand the capabilities of this Adaptive ability.
Robert wasn¡¯t stupid not to understand where the strange recovery came from. He remembered that it was uncontrollable, but there had to be some rules or conditions to trigger it. Rob had some ideas that he needed to check. So, without wasting more time, he got up and continued his directionless walk. His long stick became quite handy in it, fortunately not being used for the main purpose. Despite that, Robert spent almost half an hour sharpening its tip with stone. Better be safe than sorry.
Still, his journey looked like a trip through wild nature on a premade tourist route. Especially with the addition of a light breeze and a feeling of freshness as a result. Untouched nature blossomed without the influence of humans, creating truly gorgeous sceneries. At least those were the thoughts of Robert. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from pausing periodically just to watch as another bug carried something on his back. Or until a signing bird had finished its opera. Or other phenomena that bewitched him. Even a group of wild boars, that he observed from afar, looked fascinating.
He even spent some time hiding in bushes so as not to trigger possible aggression while imagining himself as a real forester. However, he was noticed almost immediately. At least the black leader with huge tusks only snorted in the direction of Robert before continuing his way further. Such a small action made Rob sweat from the possible consequences of careless admiring of animals. Especially, when most of them were at mid-thigh level, while the front one, the leader, easily towered above others. Moreover, that was Robert¡¯s thigh, not the average¡¯s person. He wasn¡¯t sure if he could outpace the ramming sprint of such beasts. When the boars finally left, Robert checked their route only to find trampled earth. Without a second thought, he chose to follow it in the hope of finding the solution to thirst as some books described such an animal¡¯s habit of leaving a trail to the watering place. Of course, he went oppositely from the group.
This time he didn¡¯t meet anyone and had enough time to reflect his newly acquired ability. A few experiments confirmed that it wouldn¡¯t activate while doing anything, despite how tired he was. Robert needed to relax for a minute or sometimes more before a new refreshing wave would restore accumulated fatigue. He vaguely felt that the main purpose of ability was different. Text explanation described it as Adaptive Growth and not restoration using mana. Attempts to find change in muscles didn¡¯t lead to anything ¨C he needed more such cycles to see it, but he guessed that was it. However, that gave another conclusion.
In sum, mostly likely it will speed up my training, but I need to stop from time to time to push the change onto me. Maybe that rodent conversed energy during danger, while only being in the safe place made him trigger the growth. So, no endless stamina during any activity. That leaves questions about the value of the increase in speed of training and borders of this adaptability. The big problem is hunger. I understand that the main source of energy is mana, but it can¡¯t possibly fully replace the need for nutrients unfortunately¡ Damn, right now I would swallow even that disgusting wheat porridge from the last time when Daniel had a wonderful thought to test a new recipe!
The environment slowly became darker, but Robert kept walking. It took him almost an hour to get to some kind of river. An involuntary smile appeared on his face when he saw a sunset reflection on the water''s surface. However, it was literally washed away in a moment by the presence of a huge bear. The giant animal immediately turned to him, before angrily roaring with all its might.
Shit!
Chapter 6
Facing a huge three-eyed beast, which he mistook as an ordinary bear, involuntarily made him focus on everything in detail in an attempt to find a possible safe way from an upcoming fight with an easily guessable outcome. The giant animal was at least three with a half meters tall (around 12 feet) and indeed looked like a bear at first sight. Fully shaved bear with pumped muscles under thin brown skin. Its disproportionately big paws ended with short claws. They didn¡¯t look any sharp. However, this monster didn¡¯t need them to be ¨C his enormous strength would definitely be enough to rip flesh apart even with dull ones.
Robert gulped while keeping eye contact with the beast. The peripheral vision showed an empty space across slowly flowing water. The river was slightly over two dozen meters wide and didn¡¯t look like a proper barrier. There were only grass and trees along it, but nothing similar to thickets. Rob immediately registered no place to hide and no major obstacles to use. Albeit the latter wouldn¡¯t help at all versus a faster beast that could climb and swim with ease. In addition, Robert interrupted its feast upon the remains of an unfortunate animal.
He didn¡¯t know what to do. Running seemed impossible. Fainting death could lead to a real and, he had to add, quite a stupid one without any resistance. Attempt to kill it sounded even crazier if he took into account his pathetic physique and, on the contrary, monstrously huge frame of the beast. Was there any real choice that could lead to survival? So, Robert just gripped his improvised spear tighter and stood on the place. In the next moment, the bear roared once again before bursting in a sprint towards him. Rob¡¯s hope of a peaceful resolution immediately died on the spot. Focusing on the incoming beast, his mind started to work at full capacity.
Robert, this is your very first obstacle. You need to overcome it! You can do it!... Most likely, the beast will try to bite me at first or ram over me. If it doesn¡¯t work, the overgrown bear may try to slam with the right paw. The claws are more damaged on that side as far as I have noticed, so it has to be the ¡°main¡± paw. This will be the best possible moment to attack his eyes¡ Okay, Rob, let¡¯s try!
The thought process took a mere second, but Robert already started to move. His tired body surprisingly forgot about the exhaustion, finding reserves from somewhere inside. Adrenaline rushed to his brain, but he suppressed its clouding effect despite its being a new experience. One thing was to fight using machines, knowing that you are not personally in the frontline, and completely other to face it directly. However, Rob turned his battle mode, as he described his full concertation on the task.
Patiently waiting for a proper distance when the beast couldn¡¯t change the direction, he made a small step to the side at the last moment. His pointed spear was already going for the eye of the bear. Robert could even smell disgusting breath from the monster. In that fraction of a second before impact, he totally felt the bulging raw power of this huge, mutated animal. He saw horrible scars on the furless body as proof of a difficult battle past. Pure coldness in its three eyes that looked on him as prey. Blooded maw with some meat stuck between yellow fangs. Drops of saliva flew out all over the place. Then he blinked.
In the next moment, Robert¡¯s body was thrown away together with whatever plan he had made. He didn¡¯t understand what had happened before heavily crashing on the ground. Then the pain came, blurring everything before his eyes. Rob managed to capture scenery one more time before the beast figure towered him again, now burning with rage.
Despite his fast mind and superior ability to focus, his reflexes were based on a weak body, and that body just couldn¡¯t make much-needed steps in time. The same situation was with the pointed spear. Instead of going for the middle eye, the tip struck into a nostril. However, his thin arms didn¡¯t have enough strength to push it deeper inside the skull. The own inertia of the beast hurt it more than Robert¡¯s attempt. Unfortunately for the latter, it only made it mad. Deadly mad.
Clawed paws hammered Rob¡¯s body, reaping parts of it. The overwhelming pain filled his entire existence, leaving everything behind. It was as universe consisted only of pain and nothing else. That made Robert panic even more, but it didn¡¯t help at all. He turned into the punching bag of furious beast. His very first monster to face in a new world. Somehow, he couldn¡¯t even lose consciousness, feeling terror, distress, and horrible pain. His ankle was broken when the bear stepped on it with its huge weight. Another slam turned him blind on the right eye. He couldn¡¯t breathe normally as blood filled his lungs after a broken rib pierced it. His skull cracked at some point, but that still wasn¡¯t enough to push him into painless darkness. More and more blows came, each tearing something. Soon some bloody droplets made it into his single eye, painting the whole world in red.
Robert didn¡¯t know how long the beast vented his anger. Maybe it was only a few minutes, but it felt like an endless stream of torment. Still, there was light at the end of the tunnel. Smelling mutilated remains of him, the bear just left without bothering to eat its prey. Rob didn¡¯t know if he was even happy or not to be neglected like this. That could help him to stop the anguish, even with the cost of his life. Still, he didn¡¯t want to give up, especially in the beginning.
Fucking bear! I killed tens of thousands of aliens, was summoned by literal God, and was turned in his envoy only to almost die by the paws of fucking bear! Am I that pathetic? Definitely yes. No, not even the slightest chance that I will tell anyone about this. Of course, if I somehow manage to survive. Hope my spirit body will restore everything or the world will face the first envoy in the form of meat paste¡
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Lost in thoughts and jokes to make some kind of mental barrier from the overwhelming pain, Robert fell asleep, pushing away the feeling of distress. When he opened his eyes, it was already dark. He was lucky not to be eaten alive during his oblivion because he didn¡¯t even know if it was the next day, or if it had been already a few days. Robert just sighed for his fortune, before finally checking himself. He was a real mess, but that mess was at least in a single piece again. Not only had his broken bones recovered, but even his eyes could see. A torn uniform couldn¡¯t cover a fully dyed red body with lots of marks, visible under light from the local satellite.
Rob made several deep breaths, before trying to get up. Everything hurt like hell, but he did it. Trembling, he made his first unstable step in the direction of floating water. River beach was empty, but even if was not, his dry throat craved for any liquid. Right now, he didn¡¯t care about possibly meeting with another predator. Robert¡¯s beaten body was not in the slightest better than the shaken mind, which only now began to process everything. Memories flashed inside his head. The memories, which he tried to suppress immediately. Despite attempts to joke to rally himself, he just couldn¡¯t. Such an experience was traumatic. Moreover, it opened some deep hidden wounds.
Nope, Rob, you can¡¯t break! You always searched for optimism in even the shittiest situations. Your stupid humor was a way out of your emotions, your stress, your fears¡ and it helped because you kept being strong in that hell where you lived for so long¡
Robert continued to calm himself while ignoring persistently emerging memories of the past. Training centers, where no one saw them as children. Just useful tools to use. It led to faster progress with the cost of unintentional deaths for various reasons. However, still deaths. The awful fact that his parents traded him for monetary benefits. There were some real orphans, but not more than ten percent, making most children look like some kind of property.
They had some free time to watch family-type movies occasionally. Whatever any of his friends were saying, everyone really yearned for warmth, including himself. However, there was none, besides literal flames on the battlefields. Surrounded by losses, constant threats, and huge pressure, Robert made his own mask in self-defense. Bored and indifferent to life outside the bunker, he was joking with others just to pretend that everything was normal. It wasn¡¯t.
That self-made mask crumbled today under the paws of the bear. Almost all, whom he was familiar with, had died together with him in that last wave. The loss of friends hit him hard, but the pitiful conclusion of his life hurt him even more. He was broken from the inside from the beginning, viewing this envoy¡¯s role as some kind of adventure, but it immediately hammered him with a brutal reality. Two strings of tears were on his chicks when he drank water. He pitied himself for some time. He bewailed the loss. He was full of regrets and anger on himself. Still, it didn¡¯t completely crush his perception of the world, but more like shaped it.
Okay, breathe out and pull yourself together, Robert. Your past is still with you, so use it as an experience and not for moaning. Despite your death, you got a second chance. Just try not to ruin it. The main goal for now stays the same ¨C to survive. It¡¯s your choice how to spend this life. Yes, most likely it would be shitshow with apocalypses going around, but never despond. Steel your heart and brace everything with determination. Yes, it might be painful and scary in some moments, but you can overcome it and survive. This body can heal almost from everything, but mental breakdowns will be fatal. No losing heart anymore or you will miss other things worth seeing. You can make it through it, and you will! So, grow some balls and move on. Only being alive can help you find new goals.
Rob ended his self-chearing and looked at the dark sky. Two huge white circles hung there, nearing each other. One was thrice times smaller, looking like a small child following his mother. They were bright enough to make surroundings visible as in dusk, not giving the proper night darkness he was accustomed to. The absence of any wind made everything stand still. Nothing moved, not even a leaf, as if there was no life. The heavy silence enveloped the forest. Only rare screams of birds or maybe animals sounded from a distance. This frozen and calm world made him fall into some trance for a while before he forced himself to awake.
Robert looked at his hazy reflection for a moment before jumping into the water. It wasn¡¯t the best idea to wet all his clothes, or precisely, rags that were left from them, but he definitely had to get rid of the smell blood. The cold water irrevocably washed away all his doubts, worries, and pessimism. Robert spent a few minutes cleaning himself before quickly leaving this turned out to be quite a horrible place for him. The unpleasantly freezing breeze, seeking the way between trees, made him shiver. He had to increase his pace to warm up while continuing to look around carefully. A newly acquired experience raised his caution to the next level. He even tried to check where he stepped not to make additional sounds. Rob didn¡¯t know if it helped, but he hadn¡¯t met anyone during his twenty minutes¡¯ walk.
After making a good distance from the water place, he started to search for a proper tree to sleep. His wounded body was tired and felt completely wasted. Only willpower kept him moving further. Soon, he found what he thought was a possible and safe place to stay for a night. However, it took him another half an hour just to climb at a four-meter height on the tree (13 feet). Overwhelming weakness, hunger, and brokenness had taken away all his already pathetic strength, turning even a simple task into a hard challenge. He somehow managed to fit his body between thick branches, using them as a restrictive cage to prevent him from falling. There was no comfort in that position but at least he felt safe while enjoying so desired and needed rest. However, despite necessity and a huge wish, bothering thoughts disturbed his mind.
This was just a mishap. First from many more that will come inevitably. I experienced some portions of it before, so nothing new. Just need to face it directly without support. Yes, it will be harder, but I need to make up for it with my own strength. I got all the possibilities for that with these blessings and new abilities, especially this crazy regeneration. I can be my own backup, only need not fool around and focus on it. Still, I need to remember that real strength is in mentality, not in muscles or superpowers. Mentality is key to overcoming such mishaps. To overgrow my weakness. To face my future failures with ease. So, now relax, Rob, because tomorrow you have a whole new world to survive!
Chapter 7
The morning welcomed Robert with a hard ground right into his face. His dreamy consciousness for a moment felt as if he was flying before a strong impact blew up all his sleep. He stayed motionless for some time before starting to laugh like crazy. Rob had thought to bind himself to a branch to prevent such an outcome. The problem was that he had nothing, not even a belt. Empty pockets of his uniform or, precisely speaking, rags were everything he had.
Mental strength and positive thinking¡
Robert repeated himself before standing up. This event was so stupid that he couldn¡¯t stop smiling. Breathing fresh air and looking at the green scenery around, he really felt refreshed after the night. Maybe it was related to his spirit body that recovered all his injuries, but even his mood was on a high note. His past with a pitiful childhood or painful event with the bear hadn¡¯t changed in the slightest. However, the attitude toward it returned to normal acceptance as unavoidable in his case experience. Therefore, there was nothing to ponder about anymore. Everything was as fine as it possibly could, taking into account the whole situation.
He wasn¡¯t a crybaby. On the contrary, in most cases, he would feel anger at himself because of his own weakness or crucial mistake. This extreme change with his own death, God¡¯s killing mission in the dying world temporarily knocked the ground from under his feet. However, the short rest returned his mental state back to where he was. As always, while the reality hadn¡¯t changed, his view on it had. Maybe it was ¡°fine¡± surrounded by flames as it was in a famous old picture, but nevertheless, right now he cleared his mind and indeed felt that way.
Robert made a quick plan while stretching his body, which was quite stiff after uncomfortable sleep. Not wasting any more time, he decisively headed to the river again to calm down his growing thirst. During his walk, he reaped his uniform into pieces, leaving himself only in pants. The bloodied clothes could attract unwanted attention from predators that he wanted to avoid. Also, its condition was so pathetic that it covered less than exposed. He couldn¡¯t even make any kind of rope from it which could be useful.
Fortunately, the water place met him with the emptiness of its surrounding area. Still, Robert hastily drank and cleaned himself to minimize the chances of the dangerous encounter. Only at this moment he finally checked the consequences of the bear¡¯s claws. Yes, his limbs were not broken, the eye regained vision and there were no wounds. Instead, the places of most powerful hits were covered with white thin scars. He found at least six and one of them was near his previously blinded right eye. Reflection from the water didn¡¯t give a proper image, but it definitely was not some kind of cool mark that the main hero might wear to emphasize his brutality. Nope, it was quite horrible, and together with rude facial features, it created a horrible picture.
Okay, I am almost ugly as fuck¡ Just need a few more such fights with bears¡ or maybe only one with a huge cat, and my Prince Charming appearance not gonna happen even with the help of the best surgeon or God¡¯s superpower¡
Robert intentionally made a creepy smile, which was immediately broken by his laugh. He looked like a proper villain from old movies but without any muscles. However, he aimed to get the latter in the future. With the last glance at his own reflection, he left the river¡¯s beach. After a few minutes, his luck gave him a suitable stick to replace his spear, fallen in the first battle. Sharpening didn¡¯t take long and soon he focused on his main goal for the day ¨C to find a good spot to make an observation of his surroundings. That appeared to be hard.
Trees were quite tall, but their branches on top were thin and likely couldn¡¯t keep his weight. Moreover, most of them were of the same type and therefore had the same average heights, resulting that even if Robert managed to climb on them, it wouldn¡¯t help at all. Leaves would still obstruct his vision. He tried to get higher just to find any hill or mountain but without any success. It seemed that all this green area was situated on a flat surface which made him curse his bad luck.
Where were the mountains or hills that helped the main heroes from books to find the right direction in no time? Where were the caves that made natural shelters? The hell, Robert even didn¡¯t seem to notice many animals around him. Of course, maybe it was because of his non-existent stealth skills. However, most likely the density of living beings was not so exaggerated in reality as it was in movies. His always-focused mind was able to notice plenty of bugs and insects, small lizards, and rodents, but rarely anything bigger than that. Still, he was grateful for such a low-eventful time. There were few creatures, as he didn¡¯t want to name them as ordinary animals, that he managed to see, getting real shivers in the process.
Once Robert almost bumped into a puma that was devouring its prey with visible pressure. And that puma not only had sharp bones, sticking out of its spine, but had the size of a lion or maybe even bigger. Rob¡¯s heart had skipped a beat when that monster had looked at him. This piercing glance with vertical irises made him tremble. In a single moment, he understood what the outcome would be, but Robert still tightened the grip on his spear to calm himself from a false feeling of safety because of the simple fact of having a weapon. Fortunately, having enough meat right behind its maw, the predator didn¡¯t want to make more unnecessary motions. It was more like a warning ¨C ¡°I know you are here, don¡¯t come over or else¡¡±
There was also an elk. Even the ELK. That thing was huge, noticeably bigger than any tank under his command. Robert even wondered how it could pass between trees with its enormous horns. As if to answer this unspoken question, another elk emerged, crashing the branches like they were made from glass. There was a small pause, while both animals glanced at each other. In the next moment, they took off only to ram into each other with all their might. The sound of heavy impact resounded across the surrounding forest, sending shivers down Rob¡¯s spine. He didn¡¯t waste even a second before leaving the site of destruction, not willing to be collateral damage.
However, once again Lady Luck had turned his back on him. His rushed escape made him miss a small colorful snake on the ground with an easily guessable result. With lightning speed, giving no time to react, he was biten in the shin. His self-made spear almost immediately killed the sneaky creature, but the damage was done. His vision soon started to become blurry. His heart accelerated to unimaginable speed, making it hard to breathe. Cold sweat appeared on his back, but Robert steeled himself and tried to get further away from danger. Dizziness and nausea made it quite hard, especially when his muscles began to stiffen. The body just refused to listen to any commands. He felt as if his blood turned into boiling liquid and then everything went dark.
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Robert found himself in acceptable condition only in the evening. He felt like a chewed piece of meat that was thrown away into a dump because of its shitty taste. Hungry and thirsty, he barely had the strength to move. Only willpower helped him to stand up. To his surprise, he had made less than ten meters from the place of bite despite all his efforts. His weapon was still stuck in the ground together with the snake¡¯s body. That outcome took all remaining energy and he just sat there, looking around with blank eyes. In a few minutes, Rob regained his composure and focused on a small purple mushroom near him.
Okay, fuck it! Even if it is poisonous, what difference will it make? I was already poisoned, so no fear of death. Just a few bad minutes. However, if it is edible, I will have new options. Without fire and a proper knife, I can¡¯t skin a snake to cook it. Raw meat doesn¡¯t look good, at least for now ¨C I am not that desperate. Making fire will take time and can attract predators. The knife can be replaced with a sharp stone, but that again will take time. Nope, not waiting!
Before he could change his mind, Robert quickly grabbed a mushroom and swallowed it, praying that it would be edible. Of course, it wasn¡¯t. At first, he felt a pleasant warmth in his stomach, but soon it started to burn. This time experience of poisoning was pure torture. He got a fever in no time. Vomiting with blood, Robert couldn¡¯t even lose his consciousness. The world around him was spinning at high speed and the addition of his highly focused perception made the situation even worse. It took a few hours before his regeneration or adaptation abilities to help him recover physically. However, Rob lay for at least one more hour to adjust his mind and make some proper plans.
Okay, that was stupid¡ Rob, next time don¡¯t make hasty decisions under the influence of unknown substances¡ And need to memorize how this mushroom looks so as not to repeat the same mistake¡ Also, the snake ¨C this small fucker! No traces of humans so far¡ There is the possibility that this world doesn¡¯t have any at all. At least animals are only bigger but mostly look ordinary and not like some monsters. No huge spiders, fortunately, hate them. If I am careful enough, I can avoid the danger. The next question is food and water. My strange ability to recover from fatigue helps with energy supplements, but not completely. So, need to continue testing mushrooms, berries, and other plants to find eatable types. Maybe roots? Heard they can be eaten. At least I will not die from poisoning. Hunting is out of the question right now ¨C I am too weak, and I know nothing about traps. Again, just in case I need to check the surroundings from above from time to time. Also, need to choose one direction ¨C the forest can¡¯t be endless¡ probably¡
Robert made a forceful smile before getting up. He picked up his spear but had to throw away the pierced body of a snake. Way too many insects were already crawling all over its remains, having plenty of time for a feast. That made him lose any thought about possibly eating it. At least the mushroom that he had swallowed earlier somehow managed to calm down his hunger. Logically speaking, it was edible but also filled with poison, so it was indeed the option to feed himself. Painful and masochistic, but the option.
Rob tried to keep his chosen direction until dark, only stopping for new food tests. This time he prolonged experiments and started only with a juice inside, skipping a phase with squeezing it on a skin. If there were no bad signs, he ate a small piece first and only after another confirmation swallowed everything. The method wasn¡¯t his own invention and was recovered from a vague memory of reading something similar in a book. Robert was not even sure if it was a fictional story, which was based on imaginary facts of an author, or the real deal. Still, it was better to have any plan, even the dumbest one, than to have none at all.
Moreover, taking into account what he liked to read, the usefulness of the information inside his head was under a big question. Most of the ideas were even quite misleading. The author could give the hero the necessary knowledge at any time and skip the routine explanation of a process straight to the needed result. When a hero met any problem, the solution would most likely magically appear in the next few chapters. Of course, if a hero would realistically die in the beginning, it wouldn¡¯t help a story at all. Still, he could pick a few valuable thoughts or ideas. One of them came to Robert when he started to search place to stay for a night and made him curse his stupid brain loudly.
I was near a fucking river! Damn, most cities or villages are located near water, whatever era it is. This is quite obvious, but apparently not for me. Fuck! I am such an idiot, lost so much time!
The next morning he hurried in the opposite direction, expecting no problems with that. Turned out he was very wrong again. Robert thought that he was traveling in a straight line, but repeated stops and obstacle avoidance changed it completely. He could notice some of his own traces, but there were definitely not enough of them to track his way back. Rob couldn¡¯t read footprints or distinguish one from another. At least he knew approximately, where his goal was. Still, it took him two days to find the streaming water. Thirsty, tired, filthy, he just jumped into it without thinking.
Robert¡¯s experience wasn¡¯t that death-threatening, but not good either. He accidentally stepped into an ant hive only to be beaten by literally an army of huge red insects. His impulsive hunt after a raccoon, or whatever it was, ended badly when he almost broke his leg in the fruitless chase, not noticing a protruding root on his way. He had to stay alert a whole night because an unknown predator was constantly growling around in the dark only to find out in the morning that it was just the snoring of an odd animal. He had crazy hallucinations after he ate another mushroom that led him to the stupid thought that he could fly, which he almost tested personally from the top of the nearest tree.
That exhausted him both physically and mentally. Rob¡¯s adaptation ability always helped him to recover from some part of fatigue, but without a proper meal, he just couldn¡¯t get rid of it completely. The cold water helped him to feel himself slightly refreshed. At least the weather was nice and didn¡¯t create any difficulties. Robert didn¡¯t want even to imagine what might have happened if he found himself in this forest during snowy winter. Of course, there were other ¡°perfect¡± alternatives to be transferred to - tropics during the rainy season, snowy mountains, an ocean surface, a desert, and many more fun places to have meaningless death.
Every time I complain about something bad happening, I only need to think about the worst scenario, and everything turns out is not that terrible¡ The perfect solution to increase my mood! Works every time.
Robert smiled and pushed himself out of the water. After he weighed his options, he resolutely followed the stream in the hope of finding any settlement there. The chances were the same, so he relied on luck in this decision. Not that he was the most fortunate person, but it was a fifty percent chance, right?
Chapter 8
An angry growl made Robert immediately stop any movement and carefully look around his surroundings. Sunset and cloudy sky prevented any clear sight, making him half-blind. Still, Rob strained his eyes to capture the direction of incoming danger. The tip of the spear was already doing circles in midair, ready to intercept the threat. Despite the nascent fear, he was ready to meet it head-on. The experience he had in the past week told him that sometimes running away would only make everything worse. Still, he didn¡¯t throw away such an option, wanting to see his opponent first.
A new growl came from the nearest bushes, but nothing more. Robert made a quick glance around him to capture possible obstacles and focused again on the unknown creature. The dense plant five meters to the left started to shake as the possible predator approached Rob¡¯s location. However, its speed and another roar made it look as if this animal wasn¡¯t totally sure. Therefore, to quicken the unavoidable outcome, Robert directly made a few steps back. In the next moment, a big shadow rushed to him, baring its maw with sharp fangs.
Rob¡¯s mind managed to capture an image of a short-faced bear with yellow stripes on its brown fur before his body started to move. This one was much smaller than his first one, giving Robert more chances to succeed. He didn¡¯t invent anything new, pointing the spear into the animal¡¯s muzzle. Its other side was already tightly planted on the ground. When Rob felt the impact, he immediately jumped to the side, not even bothering to try to stop a heavy creature. The clawed pawn of a bear cut the air in mere centimeters (inches) from his body, before impaling its owner on a sharpened stick. Inertia was too huge for the wooden weapon to endure pressure, breaking it instantly. The fall was accompanied by painful whining, but Robert didn¡¯t stop to celebrate his win, as the bear tried to stand up.
Rob noticed a bloodied stick, still stuck inside an opened maw when his boot sole crashed right into the bear¡¯s ear. The hit wasn¡¯t strong, but it was enough to put the trembling and wounded animal back to the ground. A pitiful sound similar to crying came from it as if it wasn¡¯t an aggressor in the first place. However, it didn¡¯t stop Robert even for a mere second. Knowing what that monster could do to him, he fully aimed to finish it without giving any chance to retaliate. He struck with his leg a few more times before stepping back to pick second half of the broken spear. Steeling his heart, Rob tried to make a lethal hit, but the bear also didn¡¯t want to give up.
Roaring with pain and rage, it pushed itself up. Standing on back paws almost at the same height as Robert, covered with blood, it made fearful scenery directly from horror movies. Unfortunately for the animal, a flash of such an image only accelerated Rob¡¯s actions. The tip of the spear pierced its jaw and went inside the palate, making it impossible for the bear to close its maw despite all efforts. Therefore, the creature decided to redirect the latter to the source of this wound. Roaring again, it pounced on Robert, trying to shove him under itself.
By sheer luck, Rob managed to bounce back, escaping the bear¡¯s hugs. Still, it left them with a deep red mark on his chest. Cursing the unyielding vitality of his enemy together with his own physical weakness, he threw another half of the spear into the predator, before quickly turning back and trying to escape. Poor physique could be compensated with a good weapon, but he didn¡¯t have one, and hand-to-hand combat with a bear was quite a dumb idea.
Robert made only a few steps before he felt a tremble behind him as the animal went on four limbs. A new portion of adrenaline rushed through him, accelerating his mind to find possible solutions, but his body already acted on its own. Seeing the nearest tree, he mindlessly jumped onto it in an attempt to create any obstacle between him and the bear. Survival instinct not only gave him a boost in speed but also in strength as he never climbed that fast. Or that was what he thought.
The bear¡¯s body crashed under him with such force that the trunk of the tree almost crumbled. The impact was so strong that his fingers unclenched just for a moment. However, that was enough. Robert found himself flying backward to the ground, right on the angry creature. He only managed to brace himself, before his buttocks hit something solid. That didn¡¯t stop his inertia, making to do a full backflip before planting his face onto the ground. His clenched teeth made him bite his tongue, so he could only groan in pain in expectation of clawed paws. Ten seconds later nothing came after him. After a full minute of silence, Rob realized that something had happened.
Only willpower helped him to get up only to find that the predator was lying motionless near him. His fall went directly on the head of the bear. Under the weight of Robert¡¯s body, it pushed the earlier stuck spear further into the brain of the animal, immediately ending its life most stupidly. On the other hand, it was very luck for Rob. The luck that he lacked for the full week of previous wandering. At least the duration of each day felt like only a little longer than the familiar 24 hours.
Firstly, his chosen direction down the stream had ended in two days with a small lake. Robert made a full circle around it only to find no traces of humans or any other sapient beings. So, he had to make a return trip, wasting a lot of time for nothing. During it, he had to make a hasty escape from a group of boars, with whom he crossed the path accidentally. For an unknown reason, his running away made creatures even angrier. Rob spent the next ten minutes sprinting a full speed. Flaming pain in his legs and constant lack of air made him feel like dying. He couldn¡¯t even curse loudly being out of breath. The obvious thought of possibly climbing on the tree was thrown away because he didn¡¯t know if the animals would leave him or stay ¨C their aggressive behavior surprised him, and he didn¡¯t want to gamble with his life. So he ran as fast as he could. Luckily, the first obstacle on his way was a fallen trunk that helped him a lot to increase the distance between them.
That event hadn¡¯t ended his misadventures. In the night it rained. No, it RAINED. Together with a rising wind, the temperate dropped by a good margin. Having only pants and boots, Robert couldn¡¯t even cover himself from the raging downpour. His attempts to find cover failed, as tree crowns in this forest were not dense enough to stop the falling water while handling the task of obstructing a vision with ease. Once again, there were no caves, huge roots, or abandoned houses. Only rain and coldness.
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Moreover, the situation with food was deadly. Literally deadly as almost everything seemed to have poison in it. Both their strength and lethality differed between plants, but even leaves made his mouth burn. Rob thanked his precaution in choosing adaptation ability, as with any other he would already be dead. Hunting wasn¡¯t an option for him, so he relied only on this power. Fortunately, it gave visible results, especially when he understood how everything worked for him.
After any stress to his body, be it physical from long walking or harm from poisoning, his Adaptive ability kicked in, using available mana to change his body so next time it would be easier for it to overcome the stress. The difference was in the speed of activation. Exercises needed a few minutes of pause while fighting poison didn¡¯t have any delay. Robert guessed that it probably depended on the degree of harm and complexity of change. When all mana was spent, ability stopped working, fixating everything and even stabilizing his condition so he wouldn¡¯t die. Even with lethal poison inside his veins, he would stay on a brick of death, not crossing the dangerous line. Then he had to wait until he regenerated his mana back to be full. Only after that, his wounds would start to heal from his Spirit Body ability. The obvious assumption was that this power used his excesses of mana as energy to restore his body, not even trying to dig in a main ¡°storage¡±.
A noticeable problem lay in this time gap between empty and full mana level. Rob understood that the more mana he had, the better and quicker he would adapt to repeated stress. However, with less mana capacity he could restore himself faster. Maybe even to heal during future battles. On the other hand, if his body was acquainted with stress, he felt his Adaptation ability maybe wouldn¡¯t even work. It meant for survival in the first place, and therefore it definitely needed some minimal level of stress to activate.
Therefore, his plan was somehow to increase mana regeneration, placing a bigger part of his soul through Anchor in between-dimension. In that way, he could make more cycles of Adaptation, compensating for its weakening from lower capacity, and shortening the time needed to recover from wounds. However, Rob didn¡¯t have the slightest idea how to accomplish it. He couldn¡¯t even perceive the mana, only feeling strange emptiness when he had none of it. At least Robert got some other results from his adventures. His tattoo with God¡¯s logo was invisible on his forearm until focusing on it and still was a source of concentration to summon the status screen, which now showed a small progress.
Envoy of Wepwakor (candidate) ¨C Tier 0
Strength 3/23 Agility 5/17 Endurance 5/25 Toughness 5/15
Vitality 6/16 Perception 9/14 Mind 40/50 Core 13/20
Mana regeneration (7): 1% in apr. 107 seconds
Current level of mana ¨C 73%
Abilities: Adaptive
Traits: Remolded, Envoy, Spirit, Anchor
His Strength, Toughness, and Vitality had increased by 1 point, and Endurance even by 2. It looked a lot for around ten days of wandering, but taking into account his pathetic physique, it wasn¡¯t anything special. Constant moving with unnatural recovery and super adaptation increased his muscle strength by around 10% and endurance by 21% if he needed to be precise. That definitely decreased the feel of growth when a jump from 2 points to 3 seemed like a 50% addition but was much less in reality.
Except for scars, Robert didn¡¯t see any change in his body at all. Hell, he looked even skinnier with his malnutrition. Rob was sure that proper training, eating, and resting with newly acquired powers might have given him much more in the same period. Maybe, not Toughness though ¨C that most likely came from meeting with the bear¡¯s pawns. Poisoning might affect Vitality but without any tips from the System, he needed more tests, mostly painful ones.
Still, there is progress, no matter how small it is. I haven¡¯t died and even made my first kill. Of course, there is no reward for that ¨C no experience points, no achievement, no free stats. Guess, the real God doesn¡¯t need the soul of an ordinary bear. Now, I can try again to make a bonfire. Hope this time I won¡¯t waste a few hours for nothing. Next, I will need something sharp to get meat, better without fur, and don¡¯t want to jinx it, but there is a huge possibility that you, Robert, will get a proper meal finally¡ I deserved it!
His thoughts were interrupted by a wolf¡¯s howl, which sounded not far away. In a few moments, another one responded from a different location, shattering all Rob¡¯s dreams about a pleasant evening. He didn¡¯t even have the mental strength to curse. His luck was roller coasting up and down all the time. Being alive made it net positive, but that gave no pleasure to Rob.
Okay, mushrooms again. Last time I vomited only once and had a short fever. Maybe soon I could eat them as non-poisoned average food. That would be great¡
Trying to be optimistic, he quickly got up. Glancing one more time on the bear carcass, Robert sighed and turned around. He was around a hundred meters (300 ft.) away from a river in search of berries, so spending a few seconds to remember the correct direction, he hastily moved to the water. The latter might help him to hide his traces and especially smell from predators. Still, Rob hoped it wouldn¡¯t be needed and meat, that was left behind, would be enough for wolves to fill their stomachs. They were scavengers and maybe would abandon the unneeded hunt. At least that was his hope.
I need a new spear. Also, while near the river I can finally try to search proper stone to make some kind of knife. Better two, to have spare. Don¡¯t know how long it will take me to find sapient beings. I need to start preparing and not just aimlessly wander in the hope of finding a settlement¡ The first part of my name is the same as Crusoe had, so I can¡¯t spoil the honor of it! If the strategy with the river doesn¡¯t work, I need to come up with something new. And I need to do it right now and not put aside it for the future.
Preparations are crucial, Robert, you know it. Remember how many times you fought with higher-ups for proper repair of your battle machines because of the same reasoning. Maybe it is good to set a deadline for a search. I can¡¯t spend months traveling ¨C a change of season can kill me. So, I need to be attentive to finding possible locations for my future shelter. Hope that it would be a useless precaution, but better to be safe than sorry. No wishful thinking about lucky encounters, help from God, or from my system. I am on my own and can rely only on myself! I can survive and I will do¡ What? Wait, is that smoke?
Chapter 9
It took Robert around half an hour to get the source of black smoke visible. Wolves were immediately forgotten when he might finally get more information about this world and potentially even find humans or any other sapient beings. Seeing dark clouds dispersing high in the air, he was sure that it was manmade. It wasn¡¯t a field under the scorching sun that was set ablaze by an accidental spark. There was no possible lightning that might hit a dry tree to ignite the fire. No, it was made by someone¡¯s hand without any doubts. The problem was in its dark color and size. It seemed like something big was burning and it wasn¡¯t just an ordinary bonfire that he wanted to get himself. No, it was much bigger. Unfortunately, Rob¡¯s worries soon were confirmed.
The scenery that appeared before his eyes looked like taken directly from medieval times. The rampaging flame was devouring several houses of the once peaceful village. However, there was no activity to stop it because the owners were busy defending their own lives. Robert couldn¡¯t see the whole settlement ¨C gaps between separate households were no less than a hundred meters (300 ft), but what he saw made him tremble. He spent many years on the battlefield. He saw the death of comrades and friends from cameras. He visited them while they were dying in mobile hospitals. Still, there was never a situation for him where the human killed another human. Of course, he wasn¡¯t that naive and knew the history of Earth, most pages of which were filled with rivers of blood. But to know and to see it with his own eyes were two completely different things.
They don¡¯t spare even women¡ Fuck! What do I do now?
Robert¡¯s first impulse was to help. He wasn¡¯t a hero, but it was physically hard to watch a murderous event while doing nothing. It wasn¡¯t a movie, they were real people, and he was always told about his role as a protector. Despite the huge gap between himself and those for whom he meant to be a shield from aliens, Rob still thought that way, liked he or not. So, it wasn¡¯t strange for him to get such a feeling. However, he stopped only after a few steps. The absence of any weapon together with his pathetical constitution and non-existent hand-to-hand training meant a certain death. He knew nothing about the reasoning behind such a massacre. Maybe it was a settlement of cannibals, or they deserved such treatment because of their own deeds. He might even break a local law by attempting to help.
A complex mixture of emotions filled Robert¡¯s mind while his body was frozen. Small amounts of guilt, a pinch of fear, raging righteousness, and stubborn rationality made him angry with himself, his indecisiveness, and his own mental weakness. Robert wasn¡¯t a hero and never wanted to be one. He did what was needed as a soldier, that¡¯s it, no more, no less. Rob didn¡¯t have even the slightest idea of willingly going somewhere to save people, animals, or any other thing, that needed to be saved. On the other hand, when tragedy was happening right before him, it was hard to pass with closed eyes and heart. Only real sociopaths had no sympathy. Some part of pop culture tried to picture them as cool pragmatic characters, but lack of understanding of emotions looked fine only on paper. Or in the imagination of teenagers, who deep inside desired exactly the opposite ¨C to impress others with their cold and ruthless behavior. Robert definitely wasn¡¯t such a person.
He sighed before making the first step forward. In just a moment, he had to push himself into the sprint when he saw several children, crying behind the back of their mother. She desperately tried to shield them from the danger, but the chances were non-existent as everywhere near similar situations led to sorrowful outcomes. It struck him like lightning. All of Rob¡¯s scruples were thrown away while he squeezed every grain of force out of his body to make him run faster. To be on time before they would die. Madly beating heart, painful heat in legs, heavy breathing ¨C everything was pushed to the background of his mind while Robert tried to capture every single detail that could be useful.
The village visually had tens of households, each of them with its own small courtyard. Far behind this settlement, there were spacious fields, which were empty right now. Most remnants of locals were dispersed between buildings and all resistance was almost over by this time. That was not a surprising result as men with big lumberjack axes, pitchforks, shovels or even rakes couldn¡¯t make a fair fight against proper melee weapons and wooden round shields with metal edging. In addition, dressed in linen clothes, they made a big contrast to the aggressors equipped with armor. The latter didn¡¯t look like knights, but their bodies were covered with thick leather. Robert was sure that underneath it, there were metal plates with the same protections covering their arms and thighs. Heavy boots together with helmets made their defense on another level. However, what made Rob tense up was their identical symbol on the chest and back ¨C a green circle with five pointing upward red arrows on a white mountain background. That meant they were trained soldiers and not just random thugs or bandits.
Still, that didn¡¯t stop Robert as it also didn¡¯t stop these soldiers from massacring villagers. They went much further as they started to methodically burn every single house. Such brutality was similar only to those religious wars or plundering. Rob couldn¡¯t see any other reason. Capturing land was only useful together with human labor who could work on it. Robbers didn¡¯t need a dead chicken as it wouldn¡¯t lay any more eggs after being used as meat. For illnesses such as plague villagers looked too healthy and soldiers didn¡¯t have any protection. However, differences in religion might lead in some cases to feelings of superiority. The latter could appear by itself, but the outcome was always the same ¨C lots of corpses. Yes, it was a different world, but logical thinking hinted that it wasn¡¯t exclusive to Earth.
Not that was very important at this exact moment as Robert was already ten meters (30ft.) from two warriors, who knocked down a young woman on the ground. No explanation was needed to figure out what they wanted to do. Crying children tried to stop them only to be slapped away. One of the warriors stood up and picked up his weapon with a shield as if he wanted to finish the bloody deed. His small axe was already covered in a red liquid. The black beard couldn¡¯t hide a creepy smile. Maybe that was the reason for Robert to change his direction to this soldier while another was still standing sideways. Rob even rejoiced that he hadn¡¯t noticed so far before jumping directly on the opponent. However, unfortunately, most likely the smile was intended for Robert and not for children, as the soldier without the slightest pause turned himself simultaneously raising his shield. And that shield not only covered the enemy¡¯s body but also rushed towards Rob, who was still in the air during his attempt to attack spontaneously.
The incoming wooden board with a metal edging met a lunging body of Robert, making a resulting impact devastating. Devastating for Rob and not his opponent, who sidestepped and pushed him to the side without meeting the crazy rush head-on. As for Robert ¨C he felt as if he was hit by a truck. Despite the pain in the shoulder and foot, he somehow managed to somersault clumsily, avoiding a following swing of the axe. His disorderly movement of rolling on the ground helped him to make a safe distance before he hastily stood up. To his surprise both soldiers didn¡¯t rush to him, mockingly looking at his pathetic entrance and appearance.
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¡°Run!¡± Robert¡¯s shout awoke frozen children and they immediately sprinted away. To be honest, he wasn¡¯t even sure who was even more scared at this very moment. Still, his mission was partly accomplished, and only a woman was left. ¡°I will distract¡¡±
Rob¡¯s words died a moment later as one other soldier stabbed his sword right into her throat. His broad smile together with bright blue eyes and clean shaved chin made an image of a guy not older than Robert. However, a young age hadn¡¯t influenced him in the slightest. There was not even a second hesitation before the kill. There was no change in expression, as it was just a fun game for him. He didn¡¯t even blink. Without looking away from Rob, he wiped the blood on the blade with the woman¡¯s clothes. The grin never left him while he was doing it. This frightening scenery made Rob¡¯s mind go blank and almost missed the movement of the second soldier. A fast swing opened a new cut across his bare chest, not deep enough to make it lethal, but he definitely couldn¡¯t pretend that it was just a scratch. It hurt like hell, making him involuntary scream as new smiles emerged on enemies'' faces.
Those bastards are just playing with me! Crap! I need to run before I would bleed out and fall¡
Not wasting a breath, Robert turned around instantly and sprinted away. Or at least tried, as only after a few steps something hit him in the back. He almost fell but managed to keep his balance. He used all his willpower to continue moving despite flaming pain without slowing down.
¡°Nice throw, Berny!¡± a loud laugh sounded behind, making Rob glance back just to find out that only one of the enemies was lazily running after him while the other, a bearded one, was picking a bloodied axe from the ground. It didn¡¯t even seem that the latter would follow him, fully trusting his blue-eyed psychopathic ally. Unfortunately for Robert, their reasoning was quite right. With two wounds, no weapons, no training or melee combat experience, he had non-existent chances to escape or properly fight back. Moreover, that was without adding multiple other soldiers in the area.
I am in deep shit. A possible and maybe single way out of this disgusting substance is to ¡°die¡± without damaging my brain or heart, and rely on my healing ability¡ Hope they don¡¯t practice a control shot¡ control stab? Fuck, this is not the right time!
While making his legs move, he tried to find the best direction, but not to avail. There was a large burning house to the left with a few corpses lying motionlessly before it. A huge field in front of him without a single obstacle or place to hide was crossed out immediately. Rob had a group of buildings that related to a single household on the right. The main problem was that the fight there just ended. Three soldiers stood there, calmly cleaning their weapons and armor. All options were quite bad, so Robert chose a less dangerous direction in his opinion ¨C engulfed in flames house at least didn¡¯t have any additional enemies and dead villages might have something useful for protection near them.
Skipping a trodden path, Rob ran across the uncut grass, directly heading to his goal. The soldier behind him kept some distance, not even trying to catch up. That made other spectators broke into laugh. They began to bet loudly and mock him for his laziness. Someone made an attempt to taunt Robert, but all words went past his ears. He was fully focused on every single detail that he might use to save his life. Soldiers neglected any possible resistance, not seeing him as a real threat. Speaking frankly, they were mostly correct in this way of thinking as he had no chances against all of them. This sad truth made Rob¡¯s anger rise, slowly turning him into a rat, driven into a corner, which would fight back until certain death with all its strength.
I would tear you apart with my single mech, stupid barbarians! Still, at least one of you will regret meeting me!
Boiling rage accelerated his mind, making everything crystal clear. He was barely in thirty meters (100ft.) from the burning building. Forever frozen blank expressions of two middle-aged men were already visible. They still were holding improvised weapons that didn¡¯t manage to help but showed their will to resist till the end. Near them, facing the ground, a woman lay. Almost beheaded, she had a horrible wound on her neck. The flaming background only made this scenery even bloodier. However, even this closeness to possible cover didn¡¯t make the pursuer speed up, keeping the distance around five meters. Mentally roaring for such disregard, Robert clenched his teeth in anger with a pinch of anticipation. He started to act a second later.
Jumping over corpses, he abruptly turned around after a few more steps. Without pause, in a single fluid motion, Rob kicked an empty bucket with his foot. That bucket, previously abandoned during the start of the attack as water droplets followed its path through the air, crashed directly into a shield. Unfortunately, despite displaying a relaxed attitude, the enemy managed to react in time, protecting his head. But that was what Robert wanted him to do in the first place as it also covered his vision. Not stopping even for a mere moment, he hastily picked up the dropped shovel and turned its sharp edge upwards. Holding it almost on stretched hands while kneeling in front of the dead, he used all his strength just to raise his weapon. The other side of it was already planted on the ground. His thin arms couldn¡¯t make a proper hit from such a position, but that wasn¡¯t needed as the inertia of the enemy made everything instead of him. If this trick had worked against the bear, why wouldn¡¯t it now?
The blue-eyed soldier was going to jump over the corpse when he had to shield him from the thrown object. He managed not only to protect himself but also not to lose momentum, merely slowing down before he pushed himself into the air. He was going to kick his prey with the leg when his groin met with a metal edge. Then the pain came, and everything began to blur. The shrill cry sounded in the surroundings, filled with misery and torture. It took a few seconds to realize that it was his own.
Robert, on the other hand, felt only a strong impact that pulled out the shovel from his hands and then a screaming soldier fell right at his feet. Rob smiled wildly before picking up the shovel again. The next three hits went directly into the face of the temporarily immobilized opponent. The nose protection on a helmet resisted an attempt to crush everything, alas temporarily. Unfortunately, it simultaneously prolonged the terror and pain of the soldier. Hearing angry shouts and rushing sounds of heavy boots, Robert picked up the bleeding man, turning him into the improvised shield. Before he managed to make half of a dozen steps backward, he was already surrounded by four. Unfriendly expressions were quite an understatement in a description of how everyone looked at Robert.
¡°Hey, put him down and we will let you go!¡± commanded one of them, an owner of imposing grey mustaches. Being noticeably older than others, he could be their leader or at least had more voice in decisions.
¡°Oh, now everything doesn¡¯t look so funny, right?¡± grinned Rob with a crazy smile, taking another step back. The heat from behind started to be uncomfortable, but he continued to move. He was sure that he had very limited time before opponents would act. Robert hid his other hand, but it wouldn¡¯t take long before soldiers would realize it had no weapon.
¡°Listen, fellow, we had an order and no choice. Still, we can close our eyes if one bird slips through the net. On the other hand, any casualty will decrease our reward by compensating the loss and that is definitely not something we want. Make a smart choice¡ So, what¡¯s your answer?¡±
¡°My answer? I want to find correct words¡ hm¡ let me think¡ the best one is quite simple in fact ¨C fuck you!¡± Robert replied with a smirk before jumping backward into a raging flame. Fire almost immediately covered him together with the wounded soldier, starting to eat their flesh like a hungry wild beast.
¡°Fuuuuu¡. yooouuuu¡± Echoed from the burning building together with painful screams before everything went quiet. Dumbfounded warriors stayed silent for some time before the senior one commented.
¡°That was brave and idiotic at the same moment¡ Could die without any pain¡ Listen up, gather everyone, and let¡¯s head on before the Baron¡¯s men find us. They need only to see the results of our raid, not us, so move your asses!¡±
Chapter 10
This time darkness was not absolute. It pulsed, going from orange and red to pure black. It cycled between horrible pain and easing oblivion that brought relief from a cruel reality. It juggled him, dropping into the deepest parts of an abyss, and pushed him back to the light. It hid the smell of burned flesh, hellish heat, and dense smoke only to bring them back in a few moments. Robert was sure that not much time had passed, but it felt like an eternity. Even with half-blind vision, he could see as red skin on his arms was melting.
Rob tried to move, but the lack of breathable air made him lose consciousness once again and then return it because of his supernatural abilities. Knowing that he had almost no time as a huge temperature would burn him to a crisp, he continued to crawl further. Each move brought more pain as crushing heat ate not only his body but also his willpower. The wounded soldier was already dead silent after he was kicked directly on one of the fire sources. Robert, on the other hand, didn¡¯t want to give up so easily. Fortunately, by sheer luck, he managed to find a hatch in a cellar in the center of the house where he dropped down immediately. His face crashed into the ground, blanking out him completely. His last thought was about the need for oxygen, critical damage to the brain, and the scope of his regeneration ability in such a situation.
Robert didn¡¯t know how long he was in such a state, but when he woke up the flame above him had long died out. Through the empty hole of the hatch, he could see the lights of local moons in the cloudy dark sky. Heavy silence embraced the surroundings, making the atmosphere quite oppressive. Rob stayed motionless for some time just to recover his mental state from the burning hell, which he had experienced from the first row. Again, he was lucky enough to find a place to hide from direct flames but that was only after falling in these shitty circumstances.
I don¡¯t even know if it can be called luck. Luck must prevent such things from happening to me and not rely on my abilities and decision to give me a last push to barely survive¡ Still, I am alive, so no complaints.
Robert sighed and finally checked himself, catching strange thoughts about the frequency of this action. Remnants of boots and underpants were everything left from his clothes. At least there were no visible wounds. However, his skin had quite a few burns that hadn¡¯t disappeared yet. Rob was sure it would add a couple of new scars, but a complete check of damage would be delayed until full recovery because right now he couldn¡¯t even move without feeling extreme pain. Therefore, he stayed in one place, looking at the dark sky with an empty look. His mind followed his body in this stillness. Soon he fell asleep without even noticing it. However, there were no pleasant dreams.
In the last one, Robert was constantly trying to escape from the swarm of aliens. An already seen stony field didn¡¯t give any other chances except to rely on his own weak legs. He was already running for hours, exhausted mentally and physically, but his thirst to live pushed him forward. Thousands of enemies almost surrounded him, leaving only a small gap in this dense crowd. A mad laugh sounded from above as a faceless God was enjoying the survival show.
¡°Let¡¯s add some fun!¡±
The familiar godlike voice roared inside Rob¡¯s head and the sky began to burn. In just a few seconds, it started to rain with literal fire, quickly engulfing everything in flames. The chaotic fall of these burning droplets left only to luck whether he would live or not. Jumping over another charred body of an unfortunate alien, Robert focused on a possible route while hoping for the best. The hope shattered in thirty steps when he got his portion of ¡°fun¡±. It was only a tiny dot, but in no time, it spread across him, coloring the world in red and orange. Rob started to scream before his pain receptors felt it. His willpower gave him ten more steps, but that was it. Soon he felt as fangs start to tear parts from his burning body while the God was speaking something about another broken toy with noticeable regret in his voice. With a final scream, Robert woke up.
The night sky was already replaced by cloudless azure. Rob breathed out cleaning his head. He was extremely careful with the first motion, waiting for the pain. There was none. His spirit body restored him again, but not without adding a few new scars. Moreover, he didn¡¯t need to shave anymore, as all his messy hair burned down, making him bald. Still, he was very lucky to find the cellar, as it was almost not damaged by fire. Being mainly storage for food, it had a few barrels and a single chest near the far wall, close to a broken ladder. That was the moment, when hunger and thirst kicked in, forcing Robert to rush all over the place in an attempt to find something eatable.
Five minutes and one kilogram of dried meat later Rob continued his search of useful things. Unfortunately, except for food and a small bag of strange copper coins, there was nothing. No clothes, no flask, no rope or weapons, nothing. Logically, no one will keep in a cold cellar with earthen walls something that can be spoiled or damaged only by staying in such place for prolonged periods. At least food helped Rob to stop his stomach from speaking with his surroundings. Weighing in a hand half of a kilogram of local currency, he decided to take it after a short consideration. His doubts were not in a deed of marauding itself, but in the question whether he needed currency or food more. There was only one bag available and no chance to take the barrel with him. He wasn¡¯t sure in the first place if he could climb up from a cellar without a ladder. It took him four attempts to throw out the bag with coins before he made his attempt to leave.
Burned wood couldn¡¯t keep his body and immediately shattered under his weight. Rob tried to jump up to grab the edge of the hatch, but no to avail. The fall was painful, but it didn¡¯t stop him. The next attempt was made by moving barrels under the hole after a few minutes of pushing them, as they were quite heavy. Robert still failed. That didn¡¯t stop him from continuing his attempts. In the end, it took him a few scratches and bruises, all his strength, and many more cursing to free himself. He wanted to laugh and cheer his victory over an obstacle, but the charred ruins of the house made him mute.
Crap, I was quite lucky not to be buried alive. However, locals can¡¯t boast about the same¡ I wonder if the children managed to escape. Hope this risk was worth it¡ No, no, no, Robert! It was worth it regardless of the outcome. Hard to live with a fact when you ignored the need for help before your eyes in a life-threatening situation when you could help. Awareness of such deeds couldn¡¯t be hidden from us. So, definitely was worth it!
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Rob made a weak smile before squeezing himself between burnt wood. He almost left remnants of the building when he stopped and had to return to find the bag with coins. Focusing on this task, he didn¡¯t pay attention to his surroundings at all. His bare body was covered in soot which he personally didn¡¯t like in the slightest. Now not only he needed the water to quench his thirst, but also to wash himself. So, when he finally stepped outside from the remnants of the house and was greeted with the sword near his neck, Robert¡¯s mind stalled for a moment.
¡°I told you I heard someone¡¯s scream. Who is deaf right now, ah? What? Why did you put your tongues in your asses? Nothing to say?¡±
An unknown man with a huge hawknose grinned, showing his yellow teeth. He was speaking to a few more armed soldiers who surrounded the entrance of the burnt building. All of them were equipped with much better armor than previous ones.
Metal breastplates with attached segmented shoulder pads and leg guards. Helmets without visors, but with a noticeable peak above, going from the front to the back, where there was additional protection of the neck. Moreover, metal covered forearms and palms, making them look like half-knights. The main difference from full-fledged ones in the eyes of Robert was that these warriors didn¡¯t have any defense under the knee pad, wearing ordinary leather boots. The back of their legs and even buttocks were also unprotected. Plus, the inside parts of the shoulder pads didn¡¯t cover anything. It was as if they were trying to achieve a balanced approach between mobility and protection while being foot warriors.
Rob wasn¡¯t stupid to think that leather could achieve the same as it had to be quite thick to give defense that would lose against a few millimeters of steel without any doubts. Nobody in a sane mind could say that the leather would be lighter or would not affect the movements in such a case. On the other hand, it was definitely much more costly. Moreover, Robert once again couldn¡¯t miss the fact of equipment similarity between all warriors that was possible only for a good level of production. They had similar short swords, round wooden shields with metal edges, and small hammers, which hung on the belts. However, what attracted Rob¡¯s gaze was an image of two moons above a bonfire with two tiny swords in the right top corner.
They must be guards of these lands. Crap¡ I need to think about a believable story quickly!
¡°Josh, you scared him to death, while we need him to talk clearly,¡± intruded grey bearded soldier, approaching from the back of the others ¡°Get back for search of traces, lazy assholes!¡± The loud command instantly made everyone scatter.
At this moment, something clicked in Robert¡¯s mind, and he finally realized what was bothering him all the time. Even his upgraded concertation didn¡¯t help if his brain couldn¡¯t process the information. In his defense, he was quite busy before and it wouldn¡¯t help him at all to notice such a fact. Everyone was tall. And by tall, Robert meant really tall. His own height was 213 centimeters (7 feet), but right now he was the shortest and the thinnest among all present. While he was in the bunker, most of the soldiers wore exoskeleton armor, which made them look huge, nullifying possible contrast during face-to-face conversations. However, now the situation was rather different ¨C leather boots couldn¡¯t possibly give them additional tens of centimeters of height.
Okay, now it is fun. Not only do I have pathetic weak muscles, but even my body constitution in comparison to locals is below average. Wow, what a fantastic head start¡ At least it can give me a possible excuse.
¡°Now, you. Name yourself and explain what has happened here,¡± Rob¡¯s thoughts ended right before he got a direct order from the senior soldier. The sword near his neck hadn¡¯t moved at all, almost cutting his skin. The soldier didn¡¯t even look tired while holding it on almost straight hand all this time. Not that it was heavy, but still it weighed something. Robert involuntary glanced at the steel blade that had many marks from sharpening or hitting before answering.
¡°My name is Robert. Most likely, I lived here, but I am not sure. You see, when I was young, I was attacked by a wild animal and that affected my mind. Everything was always cloudy as in haze, hard to understand¡ I behaved like a real child¡ or fool, don¡¯t remember exactly,¡± trying to be more believable, Rob showed his scars, wiping soot from his skin. The regeneration ability of the spirit body made them look quite old which fitted his story.
¡°I never did anything useful, as you can see from my thin body. When soldiers came, I just ran away and hid in the cellar. Maybe all this massacre, flames everywhere and dead,¡± Rob gulped, before continuing ¡°fixed something inside my head. Now I understand but can¡¯t remember anything. The single thing that imprinted in my mind was the image of five arrows, pointed in the sky, drawn on a white mountain¡¯s background.¡±
¡°Your speech is too complex for fool¡ But you indeed don¡¯t look like a warrior. Even peasants have stronger physiques. Maybe your parents were scribes or clerks¡ Hmm, we will investigate everything. At least you remembered the emblem,¡± the man felt in deep thought.
¡°Sorry for the question, but am I a sole survivor from the village? I hope not. In my vague memories, there were children¡¡°
Rob immediately understood everything, noticing the change in the soldier¡¯s expression. A mixture of horror, rage, and guilt washed him over before he managed to calm himself. Even the cold touch of metal against his neck faded into the background. He wouldn¡¯t blame himself for not saving anyone. No, the whole fault was on those beasts, who only by accident could walk on two legs, speak, and even looked like humans. He didn¡¯t know anyone here to proclaim a noble goal of revenge, but Rob was sure that if he had the opportunity, those murderers would beg for mercy.
¡°What will you do to me, sir?¡±
Robert asked again, glancing over the remnants of the village. He saw several more figures of warriors who were in the process of checking everything around burnt buildings, but the whole atmosphere was filled with death, physically pressing on him. The scenery was shocking, especially taking into account that it was made not from a distance from some guns, but with eye contact.
¡°You indeed were a fool. Never name a random man a knight, boy. You will lose your head without even realizing it if a real knight hears it,¡± grey-bearded retorted with a small smirk, before continuing, ¡°We will take you with ourselves. Need to check your story and you need to be nearby to answer emerging questions. And about your future - you will be conscripted in the militia. If you are not lying, you are still Baron¡¯s villager, and now he needs armed men to defend his property. Even if you are lying, your life or death can be useful for Baron as a meat shield on the battlefield in squads for prisoners.¡±
¡°I can become a warrior like you?¡±
Robert immediately was intrigued, muttering his doubtful question. After serving in the army and training for it for the most part of his life, this future didn¡¯t sound like something horrible. On the contrary, strict rules might help him to adapt faster to a new world. Together with some proper fighting education on top, it would definitely increase his chances of surviving the incoming apocalypse.
¡°Ha-ha-ha-ha,¡± the Older soldier broke into loud laughter and in mere seconds everyone followed, ¡°Boy, we are personal guards of the Baron. To raise to our level you would need much more. Aim for survival in the very first battle because even that can be easily above your capabilities. However, don¡¯t be upset as you will definitely have your own portion of revenge. Or at least the possibility for it.¡±
Chapter 11
I am so dead tired¡ I thought I was weak, but the gap with these living machines appeared much bigger than even my worthiest predictions. Why don¡¯t they just stop to rest? There is literally no rush. Five minutes rest every four hours is a real mockery. No stops for meals during the day doesn¡¯t help at all¡ I already see that the military career in medieval times differs much more than I anticipated. Especially, when there are no horses in this shitty world!
In the past few days, Robert tried his best to communicate with soldiers to find out about surroundings, laws and everything that could help him to make a proper plan for survival. At first, most guards didn¡¯t want to answer his questions or explain things, but later Rob managed to hook them with his foolish or sometimes even idiotic assumptions about ordinary things. Ordinary for locals, of course.
That quickly turned into some kind of game, when Robert fantasized, intentionally making the oddest version, while soldiers laughed at them before finally correcting him. To his surprise, in some cases, he didn¡¯t need to imagine anything - just explaining historical facts from Earth was enough to create a loud hysterical laughter. One of them, for example, was about horses because there was none here.
They had their own version of donkey as a draft animal, but it couldn¡¯t be used in battles properly. Too slow, too unruly, too scared of loud sounds or the smallest wounds, too territorial. There were some attempts to make hybrids with wild species, but it wasn¡¯t cost-efficient and very time-consuming in comparison with the pitiful end result. Therefore, despite of ability to transfer goods using animals, cavalry didn¡¯t exist. Most soldiers and even armies fought on foot. The sole exception were high-rank knights with their drakes. That creature looked like a mixture of a lizard and a horse. Being a predator, it was very difficult to tame and could be born only in the wild. The cost of owning one was bigger than a few villages, but with a knight on top of it, and together with thick scale and natural aggressiveness, it had a devastating effect on the battlefield.
That led Robert to understand who knights were. Elite warriors with superpowers were true rulers of this world. Each noble house only kept its status because of its leader being a knight. Moreover, the strength, or better to say the rank, of the knight, was a limitation of possible status. You had to be the knight to be on top, while you couldn¡¯t be there if you were just an ordinary man. However, not every knight managed to get their status to rise and often served their more successful colleagues, even when the latter had the same strength.
The most interesting part was the existence of mages and their guild. Breaking all of Robert¡¯s expectations, they were more like engineers with the ability to create magic construction, but none were like the classic ones, familiar to all fantasy readers from Earth. No fireball, no magic arrow, no earthquake or icebolt. Their magic circles could create similar effects, but in real life had almost no offensive capabilities in real battle. Too long to make, too big, too static, and always needed a constant source of energy to supply it. So, it wasn¡¯t strange that knights, having more combat power, made mages their servants. Yes, with higher status than any ordinary citizens, but still servants. Their towers were their homes, schools, places of work, and prisons simultaneously. Mages were forbidden to own anything outside because it belonged already to someone ¨C to knights. Precisely speaking to hundreds of them.
All land on the single continent of this world was divided between nobility of different ranks, starting from barons and up to dukes. Each of them obeyed their sovereigns, making a balancing system of power, where only five dukes had the highest status. Not only that, but these five also belonged to the strongest warriors. From colorful explanations and obvious exaggerations Robert still understood that even tens of soldiers wouldn¡¯t pose a threat to them in melee. The main reason was the knight¡¯s superpowers, which were more powerful with each next rank.
Even the squire, a newbie knight, possessed an extreme physique, being stronger, faster, and having more stamina than any trained warrior. However, the real change was when the squire managed to handle his inner energy covering his armor or sword with it. That gave him the rank of knight and the possibility to ignore most attacks or easily penetrate steel with any weapon while he had the energy to spare. Or spirit, as it was named by soldiers. The next step was a grand knight¡¯s rank and ability to release ranged energy attacks. The peak was an Archiknight with unknown power. Circulating rumors often spoke about the domain with zero details on what it was. Why rumors? The reason was simple ¨C that rank was something directly from legends with no one currently alive to wield it.
¡°So, why don¡¯t you become a knight yourself, Greg? Seems a good way to achieve more in this life,¡± asked Robert the nearest guard. Even younger than Rob, the man had a round child face with a constant blush on his cheeks, but his constitution of literally giant with huge callous hands destroyed any harmless image. Being the tallest in the group, he towered Robert by more than a head. What was more ¨C despite huge heights, everyone seemed quite proportional and didn¡¯t pose any problems that real-life giants from Earth had to meet.
¡°Me? Knight?¡± small silent pause before everyone broke into loud laughter.
¡°Yes, Gregory, you definitely have to become a knight! I remember it was your biggest dream when you were small,¡± the older soldier interjected with a wide smile.
¡°Oh, and that wooden sword that he wouldn¡¯t leave at all, even when he needed to poop,¡± added another one, before stopping in a strange posture with a raised hand and very serious face.
¡°I don¡¯t believe my training won''t help me to become a knight! I will break my natural limitations and emerge victorious!¡± A new laugh made the young man''s cheeks even redder before he made a first attempt to defend himself.
¡°Listen, I was a stupid child back there. Now I am not, I am already sixteen!¡±
¡°Hey, it was basically a year ago. He was! Ha-ha-ha,¡± no one wanted to stop mocking the poor giant. Robert even felt small guilt for his innocent question, but, when he heard the real age of Greg, his solo thought was ¡°fuck¡±. It took another minute for everyone to calm down, but finally, Rob got his answer.
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¡°Everyone has spiritual energy inside. It is basically a life force, granted us by the God of Nature, Life, and Death, Gaokeren. However, not everyone can sense it and even less can feel it. Without the latter, you can¡¯t hope to manipulate it. This is an insurmountable obstacle before most ¨C you can¡¯t train this feeling from null. Either you have it, or not. It is like vision or hearing. Blind or deaf can¡¯t train what they are physically incapable of. On the other hand, the more energy you have, the stronger your body will be. Our Gregory is very gifted, but unfortunately, he doesn¡¯t have a spiritual sense. It is mostly an inherited ability and very rarely appears across ordinary folks.¡±
So, inner or spiritual energy is mana. Moreover, everyone in this world can boost their physique by unconscious use of it, which is almost the same as my adaptation ability. Crap! Here you go, Rob, no advantage at all, except for my survivability¡ At least I can fit perfectly as a native¡ Also, no hope for becoming a knight ¨C the description of adaptability definitely mentioned an uncontrolled usage of mana.
¡°Feeling energy is just a first step because without additional implantation of spirit heart to greatly increase energy capacity you can¡¯t become a knight ¨C only a mage. Knowing their destiny, not sure if is worth it despite their higher status¡ The spirit heart is a very rare crystal and their mining is strictly controlled, so without proper linage or merits, you can¡¯t access it at all,¡± Benedict finished brief explanations and again focused on the road from laid stone.
Yeah, sir Robert or Rob the Grey are dead before birth. It is more likely that Private Robert Flop is my future¡ What a downgrade from a lieutenant¡
Their journey continued for a whole two days without any unpleasant surprises, fortunately. Each evening soldiers set a camp with a bonfire, showing their familiarity with the process. At least nights were warm, so Robert didn¡¯t have to freeze. He was given a blanket but wasn¡¯t allowed in tents. He could eat normal and nonpoisonous food, but not wine that they used to drink before going to sleep. Same with clothes ¨C even if they had a spare set, they didn¡¯t want to share it.
No one treated him as a captive. However, there was unspeakable distance in social status between the personal guards of a baron and a former villager with the potential to join the militia. They were not here to wipe his snots, therefore no unexpected will to teach him fighting, no valuable contacts of hospitable innkeepers or possible employers, who could later appear as a hidden great master. Rob didn¡¯t even manage to find out all their names, no saying about their past. However, it was quite an obvious reaction from them, and Robert was still grateful for their explanations. His guess was that the main reason for verbal help was compassion, but so what. Them, being pitiful about his fictional past, didn¡¯t impact him in the slightest.
The endpoint of this endless walk was the outskirts of a large village. Adaptability helped Robert to endure this and even granted his efforts with confirmation of Endurance''s increase, but that didn¡¯t make him happy. Exhaustion took all his dopamine away from the acknowledgment of his achievement because that was the longest foot journey in his entire life by a huge margin. Moreover, he carried only his own body, while all soldiers were basically like small hills, in their metal armor, with weapons and enormous backpacks on the back. Those backpacks looked like ordinary bags with rope straps attached to them and definitely were not comfortable to carry, considering the number of useful items inside. Still, no one complained, keeping Rob''s mouth tightly shut.
¡°Gregory and Jonathan, take Robert to the investigator, and if everything is confirmed, to the recruitment center. Keep an eye on him, just in case,¡± he heard a loud command and turned around only to see how all the soldiers followed their leader without even bothering to say goodbye.
¡°As expected,¡± muttered Rob with a sigh, focusing on a settlement before his eyes.
This one was quite big, much bigger than the previous one that ended up burned by raiders. He almost immediately noticed a few key differences. The main one was in much tighter space for each house with very limited yards, most of which were not meant for growing anything at all. Instead, seeing many pillars of smoke on the far side of the village, Robert concluded that it might be specialized in some kind of production mostly while surrounding settlements could be responsible for food supply. Most of the buildings were one-story tall and rarely with two floors, all with clay-covered walls and wooden roofs. Here and there, small towers were located with soldiers on top. Robert didn¡¯t know if they were for military purposes or just some mind of law enforcement.
In addition, there were people. Dressed not only in plain linen clothes but also in a noticeable variety of leather and even metal, they could show off with different colors and shades. There was even a man in the pink shirt. The sole exception was red. As far as Rob could see, no one wore it at all, so a reasonable assumption was some kind of ban on it. Also, there was not only a main road but almost every big one was made of tightly stone bricks. Tens of people were walking around, clearly absorbed in their work. A few children run across in streets, clearly playing, but that¡¯s it. Seemed like laziness was out of option here.
At least Robert didn¡¯t notice any noticeable difference in the appearance of locals from earthlings. Only height. On the other hand, they had a mixture of everything with sometimes strange results in Robert''s opinion. The dark brown skin of a young woman with bright blue eyes and red long hair. Or a blonde guy with Asian facial features and freckles. However, everything looked extremely natural, and not like they wanted to stand out by changing their appearance.
And of course, everyone is prettier than me¡ What did I want, if my face literally looks like it met with brick many times in childhood, and hasn''t recovered after that? Oh, with that many worlds, I can definitely find the one with the proper perception of beauty. Proper for me¡ Jokes aside, Robert, this world must be a step ahead in technology than Earth medieval. Too many colors are available for ordinary villagers. Plate armor and even swords for personal guards, with their cost of manufacturing and maintenance. I even saw a public bath, I think. Or am I mistaken? Mages must have given this world quite an impact. I wonder if they have guns or maybe cannons? As far as I remember, the latter was used a century before plate armor had appeared.
¡°Hey, stop looking around, and let¡¯s go! We don¡¯t have time for sightseeing,¡± barked Jonathan, making Robert turn attention to him. Scratching the back of his head, Rob innocently smiled before nodding. He silently followed the two soldiers that were discussing their future plans between them, while completely ignoring Rob. That gave him more time to observe his surroundings and to repeat his made-up story before the investigator questioned him.
Thirty minutes¡¯ walk confirmed the enormous size of the village that was more like a small town. Maybe it even was, Robert didn¡¯t know that. He hadn¡¯t seen any kind of official residence, but there was a huge tower on the far side of the settlement. However, whether it was a town or not, it certainly had a military purpose. Several huge blacksmiths and many other production facilities were boosting with activity. Tens of carts filled with food before a line of inns. He even saw a few brothels. Before one of them fat worker was restoring the signboard, coloring faded letters with a happy grin.
Oh, I see now. The war is coming, and this might be the place for training the future army. Internecine war during apocalypses ¨C what a nice combination. Just as I always wished for.
Chapter 12
¡°What name did your parents give you?¡± under the squinted look of a grey-eyed investigator, Robert sighed inwardly.
¡°Robert. Hadn¡¯t changed after the previous five times you asked.¡±
Answering the same questions just with different wording wasn¡¯t a hard task but was quite boring. A bald man in formal black attire, with a bushy mustache and piercing deep-set eyes was methodically checking his story. He even placed a huge book with records on the table before him and read something from time to time. At least all this interrogation was held in a small room, filled with hundreds of books and a huge table in the center, and not in jail. Still, Robert even had to undress to show his scars to convince the investigator. The good thing was that the tattoo on the inner side of the forearm wasn¡¯t seen, hidden in inactive form. The image of an open maw with a whirlpool made of vague figures would make him look like someone directly from a creepy sect.
¡°Tell me your most vivid memory from childhood. Oh, by the way, how old are you?¡± new attempt to catch him on lies.
¡°I don¡¯t know when I was born and the duration of the year, but I guess I am a young adult?¡± followed Robert''s answer while he was thinking about it. ¡°In comparison with Gregory, the guard that led me here, I think I am slightly older. Maybe between seventeen and nineteen? Oh, and my most vivid memory is when I was eaten alive by some bear¡ or wolf¡ or any predator with huge fangs that I forgot after it literally chewed me for some time before spilling out,¡± Rob raised his left arm to show one of the scars once again.
¡°That happened when you went with your father into the woods, right?¡±
¡°No, never said that. It might be like that probably, but I don¡¯t remember, can¡¯t assert confidently,¡± without blinking Rob declined this open trap.
¡°Were your parents gatherers like most of the inhabitants of Posionleaf village or merchants that came for trading?¡±
Wow, Poisonleaf¡ no wonder that every damn plant in the forest was venomous¡
¡°There is a possibility for both, but I just don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t remember any road trip. No wonder with my empty head.¡±
¡°How did you manage to hide in the cellar during the attack?¡± The pause was not even a few seconds long and a new question emerged.
¡°Opened the hatch and dropped down, I guess? Everything was like in a mist, or more likely, in a fire and smoke. I was acting on sheer instinct in an attempt to survive.¡±
¡°Have you ever traveled somewhere? Maybe to another village?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t know, but maybe not. As you can see, I am quite weak and any long walk is too hard for me,¡± Robert raised his thin arms to demonstrate, ignoring the fact he answered a similar question less than a minute ago.
¡°When did you notice that you can feel spiritual energy? Was it after or before the attack on the village?¡±
¡°Never, I don¡¯t feel anything,¡± Robert declined instantly, but before he added a new remark, he got another question. And another. That continued for at least a full hour before the investigator finally closed the book and went silent. Stroking his mustache, he seemed to be in deep thought. His other hand was nervously hitting the table as if something bothered him. However, Robert didn¡¯t have even the slightest fear inside him. That endless stream of questions might make someone stressed enough to make a mistake in testimony, but for him after tens of exams about military tech and psychology training, it was like a walk in the park.
¡°So, now you can tell the truth, or we will go with a painful way. You speak too freely for the ordinary villager. You are not in any records of the residents. Those scars are quite horrible indeed, but it is the first case for me, when injured got so the loss of memories for so long, while not losing ability to speak. So, tell me, ROBERT, who are you and what is your true goal?¡±
The dead serious face of the investigator with no emotions pictured on it was quite intimidating¡ for anyone, who wasn¡¯t yelled at by trainers. Moreover, their main goal of that pressure was exactly to make future operators stress-resistant. Most of them changed their behavior drastically after confirming that their wards could handle the war. That¡¯s why Robert sighed again before answering. He had a random thought about the possibility of lie detection using the magic, but discarded it, as he didn¡¯t have any better option than to just keep his story until the end.
¡°Dear mister investigator, I really don¡¯t remember anything before the attack. I don¡¯t know why I can speak in such a way, but I have no knowledge of basic things. The guard¡¯s sergeant even had to correct me when I tried to address him as a sir. I don¡¯t think any sane man can say that, knowing the possible dire consequences. I don¡¯t know if I am from the village or was taken there before an attack, or what marked me with such scars and who healed my wounded body. However, I do know that I am ready to join the militia willingly and maybe I would be even glad to be there, as I don¡¯t know where to go or who I can ask for help. My only fear is not your ¡°painful way¡±, but that militia will refuse to take me in because of my body sickly physique. I really don¡¯t have any idea what to do in such a case.¡±
Heavy silence enveloped a small room. The investigator was still looking with the same expression on his face and wasn¡¯t even blinking. Maybe this atmosphere would lead some weak hearted to break down, but Robert felt only hunger. His empty stomach was desperately in want of food. Therefore, when it finally growled, Rob tried to ignore the loud sound but was met with a laugh from the other side of the table.
¡°Good, good. You can go now. Maybe I will see you again in the future. Hope so, because I like your confidence, calmness, and possibility to speak clearly under pressure. Would like to have such a helper in my work. Wish that confidence of yours will help you on the battlefield,¡± completely dropping his intimidating demeanor, the investigator pointed to exit.
¡°Wait, that¡¯s it? I am not complaining and quite happy with the outcome, but at the same time slightly confused,¡± Robert muttered in surprise.
¡°See, this manner of speech I was talking about. Yes, that¡¯s it,¡± he smiled with the edges of his lips before continuing; ¡°I am indeed one of the Baron¡¯s main investigators and have to admit that I am a quite important person. On the other hand, you are not. I am sure that you have hidden something, and you are not a common villager, but your body weakness and inability to feel spiritual energy are already confirmed, which decreases your threat level by a lot. Together with your future in the militia, where you would physically be limited in movement, decision, and information, that makes danger non-existent. So, it¡¯s not hard to set you free to serve our Baron, especially on a battlefield.¡±
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Confirmed? When? How? Was it some kind of magic device?
¡°If I did break under pressure and confess to something that I definitely hadn¡¯t done¡ because I was telling the truth earlier¡ but if I did that, then you would send me in prison for further investigation. However, you don¡¯t have enough free time for some random no one, who doesn¡¯t pose a threat but could be used as free meat. Hm, I understand,¡± unwittingly concluded Robert before thinking carefully about speaking his thoughts in loud.
¡°Good point. I would be glad to have such a helper without a doubt, but with the war nearing and your misty background, I wouldn¡¯t risk betting on ¡°random no one¡±. Could be your plan, for example, to hook my interest and take you in. So, exit is there and don¡¯t waste my time anymore. It was pleasant break in affairs, but it had ended already,¡± this time his tone was cold, and Robert hastened himself to leave the room.
That was surprisingly strange¡ at least I can confirm that no one gives a shit about me. That is good, but it also hurts my ego. Am I not a real envoy of God from another world? I am almost like an MC but without proper looks! Wait, most MCs are weak and ugly in the beginning, but later they will transform into a completely new person with changed looks, mentality, and body with six-pack abs. So, there is still a chance! I already have needed pathetic starting points that can lead me to become a butterfly like them! Stop, not night butterfly¡ that is completely different! Abort your imagination, Rob! Turn it off right now!
Continuing joking inside his head, Robert walked outside of the building. He even broke into laughter when he imagined himself in the place of a night woman in a tight red leather dress, on high heels, with a scarred face covered with an unkempt beard, and a thin body without any muscles. What a scenery it might be ¨C award for best Halloween costume guaranteed. At least his lengthy footwalking with the help of his adaptation ability slightly boosted his physique again. Rob was sure that any true newbie would grow by a lot in the first months, so no wonder that after two weeks and literally supernatural restoring power, he gained some endurance. Still, there was a lot of space for future progress.
Envoy of Wepwakor (candidate) ¨C Tier 0
Strength 3/23 Agility 5/17 Endurance 6/25 Toughness 6/15
Vitality 6/16 Perception 9/14 Mind 40/50 Core 14/20
Mana regeneration (7): 1% in apr. 117 seconds
Current level of mana ¨C 100%
Abilities: Adaptive
Traits: Remolded, Envoy, Spirit, Anchor
Gregory and Jonathan met him with dissatisfied glances. The long wait clearly didn¡¯t make them happy, but no questions or remarks followed. They just showed him where to go and hurried him. Both didn¡¯t speak, only walked forward in visible hope to finish the boring task as fast as possible. Robert even had thought about apologizing just to strike up a conversation and gain some more info about the difference between militia and personal guards, but their faces showed zero chances of achieving that result.
Soon, they were on the outskirts of the village, where a huge camp made of tens of tents behind a short wooden fence was located. You didn¡¯t have to be a genius to figure out that it was some kind of training place for militia. Nearby buildings were also set for use, from storing equipment that was unloading from carts before Robert''s eyes, to administrative function, where he was taken by silent guards. His registration into the militia took no longer than a few minutes. The local clerk only asked for his name, age, place of living, and presence of distinctive features. Under the watchful eyes of a middle-aged enlister, Rob had to show his scars.
¡°Wow, if you are alive after that, you got to have good luck,¡± commented clerk before quickly writing something on yellow parchment, ¡°For your understanding, I am currently making notes about your appearance, so if you ever try to desert, guards can find you for further execution. Oh, don¡¯t worry, no tiring prison ¨C Baron doesn¡¯t like to waste money. Quick hack of an axe and everything is over,¡± a genial and even kind smile on enlister¡¯s face was quite contracting to his own words.
¡°Thank you for your worrying. Always was of afraid of dark cold cells,¡± joked Robert to lighten the mood.
¡°Hey, our prison has a standard and is meant for valuable persons. Even great knights can find it comfortable, not speaking about some uneducated villager,¡± feeling offended, his tone changed dramatically. He hastily finished his writings before giving Robert a metal token with a familiar emblem of two moons above a bonfire with two tiny swords in the right top corner. It seemed it was engraved on metal together with an eight-digit number.
¡°Don¡¯t lose it because without it you can¡¯t get your monthly payment. On the contrary, its price will be deducted from it. Your squad number is one. Report to your sergeant and follow his orders from now on. Now, leave,¡± Rob was again pointed to the door. To his surprise, on other the side, no one waited for him. Both Gregory and Jonathan had already left, again not bothering to say goodbye. That was quite understandable, but made Robert feel lonely for a moment.
Am I that dependable on others? Finally, I was freed from the strict system with rules and orders, which was military, but I am happily jumping again into the same thing¡ Nah, I don¡¯t have enough personal strength or understanding of this world to bet my life on it during incoming apocalypses. I am not a teenager trying to prove that I am not like others. The triangle in the world of squares and circles. Yep, not me defiantly.
Walking among tents in search of anyone who could help, Robert confirmed his suspicion that right now training camp was just gathering people and was not operating fully. Negligence in any army wasn¡¯t rare, so he wasn¡¯t surprised that he wasn¡¯t taken directly to his squad. Moreover, if he wasn¡¯t there on time, he was sure that punishment would follow. In addition, that warning about deserting from the clerk didn¡¯t seem to be empty words as he already saw a few poles with ropes on them. At least such treatment showed that militia here was not used as meat shields despite all his thoughts on this matter and the words of the guard¡¯s sergeant. The reason was simple - if it was true, then nobody would send him in free roaming across the camp, the fence would be at least twice higher, and armed guards would keep future soldiers under intently watch.
¡°Hey, vagabond, who are you and what are doing here?¡± a deep loud voice sounded behind Robert¡¯s back, making him flinch from the scare. Quickly turning around, he faced a huge metal figure in plate armor. That armor not only covered every possible gap but also had lots of stiffening ribs across it and just by the look was really thick. On the contrary of Earth¡¯s medieval armor, the shoulder pads were symmetrical, definitely prioritizing foot fight and not usage of a long spear. At least such a conclusion Rob made after glancing over the figure. Despite this, the armored man had even sabatons, which were basically metal boots, just to protect every single part of his body.
Another noticeable difference from his native world was a very long two-handed sword, which the knight carried on his shoulder. It looked like more a fantasy weapon from a movie or game than the real one, but Robert remembered a brief explanation about the abilities of such warriors. Covered with their own energy, their swords could easily cut through steel. Together with a formidable physique that could rival giant Gregory, it made a lot of sense. The knight in that way got a long reach, a full variety of thrusting or slashing moves, and enough weight to make hits stronger while being protected by his armor. The latter exclude the need for a shield while the longer blade of the sword worked better than ordinary halberd and similar polearms in such conditions. In addition, the ability to cut the steel made usage of hammers a real waste. As Roberts understood, the knight didn¡¯t even need a sharp edge of the sword, relying mostly on energy. That¡¯s why two-handed swords were quite a logical pick. And they were cool too.
¡°Sir, my name is Robert, and I am a new recruit of the first squad in search of my sergeant to report,¡± hastily explained Rob after bowing as deeply as possible, inwardly praying not to mess up with unknown customs of greetings knight. Finally, after a second wait that in Rob¡¯s mind lasted an eternity, the knight silently pointed in the direction before continuing his way.
That was very stressful. I need to adapt as soon as possible - the death because of the wounded pride of a random knight sounds like an awful idea. Don¡¯t think that my spirit body can resurrect me after being beheaded.
Chapter 13
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Chapter 14
The training was hard. Robert had gone through intense military education since childhood, but because of his specialization, it mainly focused on skills and not body muscles. Still, he knew how heavy infantry trained. While they needed enough strength and endurance to move freely with all the weighty equipment, most load was carried by the inbuilt exoskeleton. Therefore, they spent more time studying tactics, and psychological preparations, working on shooting skills, remembering all military tech and abilities of possible enemies, leaving at most four hours per day for their physique. However, militia with cold weapons went far beyond that.
Endurance was always a very important quality for soldiers, but their squad sergeant Daniel, who was a member of Baron¡¯s guards, made it the main point of the whole training. In their first meeting, when he appeared inside the tent, he looked like a nice guy. Not tall by local standards, only slightly higher than Robert, with dark brown skin and eyes of the same color, he had a wide smile on his face. He wasn¡¯t the biggest either, having even a small belly, easily visible through a linen shirt. There were no attempts from the first encounter to make a strong impression. Nothing at all.
Without any swearing or shouts, the sergeant quickly organized them into one group and even made small excursions around the camp to show where all the needed facilities were, including the kitchen, toilets, and bath. Soon after, they went to storage to get new belongings. To Roberts''s surprise, several items were quite big. Two sets of linen shirts and pants, three pairs of footcloth, and leather boots. A metal flask, a soup plate, and a spoon. Sewing accessories with some threads. Toothbrush, made from some kind of animal hair, powder, and a small piece of soap. Blanket and additional cloak, that seemed to be waterproof. Flint and a short knife. Moreover, that was not all list, everything was fitted in the ordinary sack with straps, making it something like an improvised, but familiar backpack. Everything seemed too good for medieval technology, but then Robert remembered the mage¡¯s existence in this world, whose focus was on production and new technologies. Also, he never really studied what warriors carried on themselves in those times ¨C most popular articles or videos focused solely on weapons or armor and not on other necessities of that time.
On top of this noticeable baggage, everyone got leather chest armor, cuisses, and vambraces, reinforced with metal strips, with the addition of an open helmet with wide brims. The latter covered ears, but left cheeks and nose unprotected. All this gear was worn over a thin multilayer jacket. Rob even managed to find correct names from his memory ¨C brigandine and aketon respectively. Together, while being fully equipped, Robert felt uncomfortable with weight and heat. Taking into account the goal of training, which was set by Daniel, it very quickly turned into some kind of torture. It didn¡¯t look like that at first when the sergeant woke the whole squad earlier in the morning. He even gave everyone enough time to dress up, before telling them to run with the same gentle smile. After that, slowly but unstoppably, it turned into pure torture.
Their first squad was still the only group currently in the camp, so they had all the space for themselves. Running a full circle around the fences took some time. Most, feeling possible trick, kept an average pace, but few went on maximum speed either in a dumb attempt to impress the sergeant or just trying to compete with each other. The third lesser group was quite slow with Robert being the last one. Still, Daniel wasn¡¯t bothered by their too-stretched chain of soldiers, waiting patiently for the first one to arrive. When Rob finally reached a starting point, he was surprised by the whole squad squatting without any rest. They didn¡¯t have any weight on them, but Robert didn¡¯t notice happiness on their faces, especially when the sergeant ordered them to run again.
¡°What? Do you think your enemy will wait until you can recover your fatigue? Or do you think that enemy reinforcement will not target you just because you are already tired after battling for some time? Nope, quite the opposite ¨C it is easier to break through the enemy¡¯s lines exactly in the weakest spot, and you don¡¯t want to be in that spot as it is a straight road to a graveyard. So, fucking move, soldiers!¡± the sergeant loudly roared in the end, demonstratively taking out a small wooden club from its belt. Soon it was used for its intended purpose ¨C the hit in the arm to one of Robert¡¯s comrades wasn¡¯t strong, but neither it was weak.
¡°Do you think I am blind if I don¡¯t run along with you? Any attempts to stop will meet a punishment!¡± proclaimed Daniel after the whole squad was again gathered near the starting point. This time no one tried to set any record, trying to maintain the speed of the slowest runner ¨C Rob. However, for the latter that didn¡¯t help at all. His squad mates didn¡¯t blame him for his weakness and used him as a reference, but on the other hand, Robert had to move all the way without any stops. It was even noticed by the sergeant, who immediately commented:
¡°So, now you are moving as a squad, which is good, but not working out on full effort will backlash onto you because, in a few days, I will start to add a time limit on each circle. It¡¯s all up to you right now.¡±
New info made several soldiers increase their pace, but most still kept it around Robert¡¯s, despite the warning. Rob, on the other hand, was occupied with his legs, making them move by sheer willpower. He lost the count of time, slowed almost to walking, but kept moving. His knees and the front side of his shin hurt as hell, the muscles in his legs burned with fire, the heavy weight of body armor pushed him to the ground and each breath took all his concentration. His adaptation ability couldn¡¯t trigger in such conditions, at least until he would stop, but Robert wanted to continue as long as possible. The more he pushed himself above his possibilities, the more he would get in return, while below-average strain might be a lost opportunity. Taking into account the time needed to restore his mana after that and the limited effect on growth, he couldn¡¯t enjoy constant restoration and increase of strength with each usage of ability. It had to be more like hundreds, if not thousands, of training cycles, where each next one had to be harder than the previous one to overcome his current limits.
Therefore, he pushed himself forward. The world narrowed to a few things ¨C his breath, ground, and leg movement. His body screamed in sincere wish to stop, but he just threw such thoughts away. Yes, Robert was physically weak. The main reason for it was that his war just didn¡¯t need a strong body, but a mind. And he couldn¡¯t say it was easy to train full control of hundreds of separate machines. No, quite the opposite. He started from just one, slowly working on that number, constantly increasing his limit. Brain modification gave him only the possibility to do it, but not the default skill. In a sense, it was his version of working out. Still, it required the same similar mentality of regular increasing efforts. Therefore, he continued to push himself until his body collapsed and everything went dark for a moment.
When he managed to open his eyes, Robert found himself lying on the ground in front of the smiling sergeant. Half of his mates were looking at him with a mixture of pity, anxiety, and mocking, while the other half was surprisingly busy trying to recover from exercises. Few even had blank faces from exhaustion.
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¡°I must admit you went far ahead of what I anticipated, but that¡¯s great. It would show everyone that their bigger mass doesn¡¯t give them an overwhelming advantage in future battles if they can¡¯t use it to their maximum potential. However, you will get no indulgence from me because you are weak. It is your problem when you decided to volunteer into the militia, especially in the first squad,¡± Daniel said with a serious face, looking at Robert.
¡°No need, sergeant, I can, and I will handle everything,¡± was the only answer Rob could give him.
¡°Good. Now, listen up, everyone. You have fifteen minutes for rest, and we will continue our training.¡±
The announcement led to a few loud moans from tired soldiers, but no one tried to refuse. They didn¡¯t have any options. Additionally, the sergeant¡¯s club hadn¡¯t disappeared and was still quite heavy and fast in its action. Fortunately for Robert, this time was enough to trigger his adaptation ability. A fresh wave washed away all exhaustion from his body. His mind was still tired from constant overstrain but nothing could be done with it. He just mentally braced himself.
At least my spirit body can guarantee I can survive such training¡
This thought helped him a lot in the next hours as strength training started. He had imagined something similar to bodybuilding gyms after seeing all the free usage of metal but was met with a completely different reality. They indeed had some training weight, but usage of it was not what he could think of it, despite its simplicity. The whole goal of their future strength training was carrying a thing from one point to another. Nothing more. No push-ups, bench presses, squats, or biceps curls. Only carrying. However, there were two problems with it.
The first was that things to carry didn¡¯t have any comfortable shape as dumbbells or kettlebells. The easiest was a sack with sand, but most of them looked like strange metal scrap without any handles, often too big to even keep it in hands without noticeable efforts. Second, the route. It started with just flat ground and went up to almost an obstacle course in the end with balancing on logs, a narrow pass between two walls on a rising hill with a huge incline, and even a 1.5-meter (around 5 feet) fence in the end. Moreover, the sergeant forbade them to take off their armor.
¡°As soldiers, you need to have the ability to carry yourself, your weapon, and your backpack in any circumstances. Sometimes it can be your wounded squad mate or parts of engineering constructs. You will not know for sure. For that, you need to have strong bodies with enough endurance. If you can lift heavy weight from the ground, but can¡¯t even carry it, what''s the point in it? Moreover, there is a required minimum level in this exercise for the possible position of personal guard in Baron¡¯s forces. I will not tell you what it is, so you will not relax after achieving it¡ If you even manage to do it¡ So, start working! What are staring at like dumb donkeys? Move!¡±
This exercise was easier than running. Each weight had a marking of difficulty, and everyone started from the lightest one. That led to a short queue, giving time for rest. Also, they could make stops to take a breath during the route, but not for long as the sergeant started to pay attention while playing with his club. Still, easier didn¡¯t mean that it was easy, as even going through the whole course without additional weights in the hands was a hard task. Failing in the last third part could even lead to fall from a few meter heights (6+ ft.) and there was no softening material, just sand. One of such failures almost led Robert to drop a metal piece on his own head.
The training continued after a short break for food when they managed to get a full plate of porridge with meat. Of course, they used their own plates, as no one even bothered to make tables for them. They ate on the ground, quickly washed everything in dedicated barrels, and followed the sergeant. Rob hoped it was the last thing for today, as he felt mentally spent. He recovered his strength after another triggering adaptation ability, but fatigue after constantly pushing to his limits hadn¡¯t disappeared. Robert was sure he would get used to it. He just needed to live through the first hard days. Therefore, he sighed and started to listen to new explanations.
¡°Good. Right now, after you have all properly heated up, we can finally start working on your weapon handling. As a front-line squad, you will meet the enemy head-on with shields and axes. Not only you will need to defend your mates, but also you will need to push forward. Soldiers behind will be armed with halberds and will hit the enemies over your head, but that will demand cooperative training later. Let me tell you that the ratio between front-liners and others will be around 1 to 3, and your quantity is not enough whole Baron¡¯s militia. Therefore, more soldiers will get the same position. Yes, it will be more dangerous, but only from such a role you can get an opportunity to serve as personal guards. And yes, if you are not able to match the criteria, you will be demoted and moved to another squad. So better learn harder. Moreover, if any one of you had any experience in melee combat, keep your mouth shut and follow my orders, as I don¡¯t give a fuck about your skills!¡±
Once again, the sergeant was harsh with his words, but everyone kept silent. Soon they lined up before the armory where a gloomy quartermaster with a serious face gave out their training equipment. As Daniel said, it was an ordinary round shield with metal edges and an axe. The latter had a short and slightly curved dull blade from one side and a pick from the other. There was nothing special about it, just an ordinary axe. Only lighter and smaller than Robert imagined, not more than a few kilos (3-4 pounds), maybe even less. However, just an hour later it felt enormously heavy.
The new exercise again looked quite plain. They stood before a dense line of wooden dummies with their weapon ready, almost touching each other with their shoulders. Equipped with a shield, which was easy to carry as it had a handle and strap on the inner side and an axe, they had a single task ¨C to hit the target. As always, simplicity didn¡¯t mean easiness, as the number of hits was hard to count. The sergeant loudly pointed to where they had to hit every few seconds without any stops. Robert even wondered at first how it was even possible to shout for so long, but soon all thought process was focused on a dummy. Muscles, burning with pain and unwillingness, didn¡¯t wish to move. The collision of an axe with a wood hit his forearm with a noticeable impact and it was hard just to keep his grip on a weapon handle by this time. Accumulated fatigue made him almost dance on his spot, regularly crashing into his neighbors. Alas, they didn¡¯t have any time, no energy to curse on his clumsiness because they were no better.
¡°Right shoulder¡ The more you tired¡ left leg¡ the better your body tries to save your strength¡ right arm¡ you don¡¯t want to strain your muscles until the moment before hit¡ head¡ even if you are stronger than any of your enemies¡ left shoulders¡ you will become tired and meeting with rested enemy¡ head¡ soon or later will definitely kill you¡ neck¡.¡±
Daniel continued this training for a few hours with one break for resting. Unfortunately, their day didn¡¯t end on it as after this exercise they took their weapons and started to walk around the camp. They didn¡¯t need to run, but even walking for two more hours after an intensive workout turned into another torture. By the evening simply carrying an axe felt a pure burden for Robert. He didn¡¯t know how everyone managed to endure everything without his Adaptation ability. Moreover, that supernatural power of energy restoration and physical growth granted him only one single point in Endurance.
What did I want? In a way, it just accelerates my gains by decreasing resting time with a possible small increase rate, but not giving everything on a plate after a few push-ups. Must work for everything. On the other hand, a 10% increase in my overall endurance is huge. No need to belittle my result. Moreover, it is just the first day. As it was said by Albert the ¡°Mighty Fulcrum¡± Einstein ¨C no pain, no gain. Or was it Archimedes?
Chapter 15
Facing the enemy, who literally towered above him, was a little bit scary, but Robert pushed aside unnecessary emotions, focusing on the possible movements of the opponent. Adrenaline was coursing through his body while his heartbeat increased to crazy numbers as if it was trying to jump from his chest. The moment before the start was always the most nervous and frightening. He just had to endure this pressure and not lose his composure. He was sure his body would know what to do, but he needed not to miss the first attack. Rob¡¯s experience in the pitiful fight with the bear had shown him already how crucial it could be. Therefore, he didn¡¯t even blink, trying to capture every single change that would lead to an unavoidable attack. His modified mind was working at full capacity not to miss that very moment. And he didn¡¯t. The enemy almost dashed to him, simultaneously making a sweeping horizontal strike.
¡°Use shield wisely. You don¡¯t need to block every single hit if you can just step back. Remember, that it can break after many hits so don¡¯t waste your defense gear because no one will give you a replacement during the battle. Next, you don¡¯t need to intercept enemies¡¯ weapons in most cases. Yes, shortening the amplitude of motion can noticeably decrease the strength of the hit, but it can also lead to breaking the line and endangering your neighboring mates. So, instead of trying to block it actively, be passive. Save your stamina. Often, it¡¯s enough to turn your torso, press the shield to your body, and brace yourself for impact. You don¡¯t need to tire yourself more while defending. Be wise!¡±
The sergeant¡¯s words sounded in Robert¡¯s mind while he followed that advice from training. He slightly curled himself and put up his shield, so the enemy¡¯s blade wouldn¡¯t hit the edge. The force from the hit almost made him stumble backward, despite his attempt to turn the hit into a sliding one. Still, he managed to keep himself on foot. Moreover, not wasting any second he immediately thrust his axe forward, aiming at the stomach. The attack could look like a dumb one, as the axe didn¡¯t have any pointy edge to pierce the enemy¡¯s flesh. However, Robert did that for a few reasons ¨C it was much faster, it could compensate disadvantage of arm¡¯s length, and it could be still painful if it could reach. Alas, it didn¡¯t work out. The opponent easily stepped to the side, avoiding Rob¡¯s weapon with ease.
¡°Remember that in a fight you can use anything to kill your enemy. You can hit with a shield, you can use your legs, fists, and even teeth¡ Whatever you want. It is not a duel, and your life is at stake. If something doesn¡¯t work, change it. Adapt to your enemy. Sometimes it is better to be aggressive. Sometimes through passive defense, you can create an opportunity for a single lethal strike. Try to nullify the enemy¡¯s advantage. If he is higher, close the distance. If he is bigger and stronger, wear out his stamina. If you can¡¯t kill him at all, ask for help. Quantity can beat quality, especially on the battlefield. Think, adapt!¡±
The missed strike didn¡¯t upset Robert, as he followed with the next one, not giving a chance to the enemy to do anything. It wasn¡¯t the game where everyone had their turns and had to hit each other in order. Therefore, Rob pushed his body forward with a raised shield, almost jumping onto his opponent. Being lighter, he wanted to use inertia to his advantage. However, the enemy managed to put his own shield up, meeting Rob head-on. The latter felt as if he crashed into the wall at full speed. The wall, which didn¡¯t even flinch. Before he could react, the opponent¡¯s knee had hit the lower edge of Rob¡¯s shield, pushing it higher, straight into his face.
Robert managed to clench his teeth before the force and pain almost knocked him out. The world became darker for a moment while he tried to recover from the hit, but the enemy didn¡¯t give him that chance. A new overhead strike right into his head threw him on the ground. Despite wearing the helmet, the force was so huge that his neck didn¡¯t manage to withstand it, bending like a branch under strong wind. Moreover, tinnitus and dizziness practically made him vomit.
¡°Are you good, Robert?¡± William asked while stopping himself from following with the next attack.
¡°Feeling like shit with surrounding spinning like crazy, but just a few minutes and I¡¯ll be fine,¡± trying to ignore the shaking world, Rob replied.
¡°You were who asked for training without limitations,¡± commented Aspen in an attempt to excuse himself. He took off his helmet and just sat near, making a confused face, ¡°I am still not sure if it is even useful for you. The difference between us is not that you can decrease a few months of training, even if we continue such sparring.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t need to be as strong as you, fucking monster,¡± shrugged off Robert, ¡°I just need a faster way to increase my own chances to survive. I have a weak physique and low skills. I can compensate one with another, but to achieve that, I need to push myself further. Between two warriors with similar below-average skills, but different physiques, the stronger will win¡ or luckier, but can¡¯t train that. So, my goal is to have above-average combat skills to make chances equal versus stronger foes.¡±
¡°Make senses¡ Good, while you are resting, I will continue training. Call me when you are ready for the second round,¡± nodded William. Standing up, he stretched his arms a few times as if warming up. The previous fight didn¡¯t manage to tire him in the slightest. It wasn¡¯t surprising for Robert because, during the first ten days of training, William showed his superiority in literally everything. He easily endured any exercise, always coming first.
On the second day, during the morning run, he asked the sergeant for additional weight, which he carried all the way while keeping the same pace as the whole squad. The obstacle course looked like a complete joke for him. He overwhelmed everyone in terms of combat mastery, proving it by winning the duel with Daniel without any visible difficulties. Sergeant immediately admitted that Aspen was better and could take guard¡¯s position with ease, but the condition of going through the battlefield as militia couldn¡¯t be omitted. However, William didn¡¯t stop on this and started to train more in the evening, when everyone was lying on their beds without any strength left.
William continued to keep some distance from others, helping when asked, but not trying to make any close friends. Still, his results were speaking for themselves, getting respect from a whole squad. No one tried to antagonize him. No one was jealous. On the contrary, most were quite happy to have reliable skillful squad mates in future battles. Wolf even joked that Aspen was no worse than a real knight.
Robert, on the other hand, seeing such absorption and focus on training couldn¡¯t stop him from making a direct comparison. Having a supernatural restoration ability and knowing about the future end of the world, he was lazing around. Still, it took him six days to force himself into additional training after an intensive day. However, this time he wanted to increase his weapon-handling proficiency and asked William for some help. And now, a dozen days later, he managed to get some progress ¨C instead of single exchanges with Aspen, Robert managed to prolong it up to ten. Despite that, he was quite happy, as William was indeed a monster, both in terms of skills and strength. Together with his fanatic dedication to further growth, it looked very strange, as Rob clearly saw that personal strength was only an instrument for Aspen and not the end goal. Therefore, when William just made a few steps away, he was stopped by Robert¡¯s question.
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¡°William, are you a hidden knight? Don¡¯t think you are a spy because no one will show off their skills in such a manner. Still, I am sure you wanted some attention from higher-ups to grow in ranks faster. Maybe that was the reason why you didn¡¯t want to communicate with others and still kept some distance¡ But you easily can outperform a guard and that¡¯s when no one knows your true limit,¡± while Rob was speaking, he noticed how Aspen tensed up. It wasn¡¯t difficult to see the possible reaction, so Robert just sighed.
¡°You don¡¯t need to answer. Just wanted to inform you that not everyone is blind, and some guesses can be made even with limited info. Moreover, not only do you have secrets,¡± Robert involuntary touched his forearm, ¡°I will be ready for the next round in half an hour. Want to practice some hits.¡±
¡°I am not¡ yet,¡± heard Rob as William muttered, while walking away. Words were not loud, but he managed to catch them clearly.
Crap¡ and that¡¯s even without a knight¡¯s physique? Life is unfair¡ Looks, strengths, skills ¨C he is almost a typical protagonist, who is starting from the bottom and will rise like a space rocket into heights. Only some hidden or dramatic background is needed to finish the whole image. Maybe, bastard? Massacred noble household? Odd birthmark from legends? Whatever¡ I need to focus on myself first.
Training continued in the same manner. The camp was filled with future soldiers, constantly excising or resting. Robert estimated around two with a half hundred conscripts, not counting guards and additional personnel. Despite such a number on limited territory, Rob was surprised to see a well-organized process. Moreover, even the schedule was adjusted for such quantity. Another noticeable thing was how specialized was training. They worked only on what they would need, nothing more. They didn¡¯t have any sparring. Instead, every single training fight was line versus line. That noticeably narrowed their combat skills, as having their back and sides covered by others didn¡¯t help with battle awareness. However, such concentration of effort led to a fast progress of everyone.
Robert finally understood what the sergeant meant when he openly neglected the possible fighting skills of anyone from the squad. It was the same as with physical requirements - there was a level, that everyone had to reach, but after that, it wouldn¡¯t make any real difference. The strength of the line depended on the strength of the weakest warrior, not the strongest. Therefore, coordination was more important than individual skills. Such a tactic definitely did not apply to knights and even guards, but for militia with limited training, it worked fine. Therefore, they trained.
At first, it was quite strange for Robert to depend on others so much. His experience was always solo fighting, having hundreds of machines under control. He decided every single thing during battle and rarely fully cooperated with neighboring operators, despite constant communication through their chats. Now he had to rely on mates. When he saw the opening, he often needed to ignore it, giving the soldier behind the opportunity to utilize it. The strikes over his head made him nervous, as in the beginning, he was afraid of being hit by a clumsy comrade. However, soon he adjusted to it, using his hyper-focused mind at full capacity.
As it turned out, the more chaotic the battle, the more things you had to control. Enemy strikes could come not only from the opposite soldier but also from behind the back or from the side. Moreover, no one would wait his turn for a strike, making a real possibility of a situation, where he needed to defend against several simultaneous hits. His neighbor could be wounded, making Robert defend himself against a few enemies simultaneously. Rob¡¯s own mates could push him into the back or in the shoulder in critical moments. Or sometimes he was almost squeezed into the enemy line to the extent that he couldn¡¯t even move. It might look comical to some external observers, but for him to lose any ability to protect himself while being in less than half of a meter distance from the enemy, was quite stressful. Moreover, if someone fell on the ground, in most cases it was a death sentence in real battle. All recruits regularly got some traumas from such harsh training, as the pain was the best teacher by the sergeant¡¯s belief.
At least Robert didn¡¯t need to worry about range weapons. As it turned out, this world used crossbows with special and very expensive bolts to stop knights. Bows, on the other hand, were banned from usage on a battlefield and were named as pure hunting weapons. It looked more like a tradition, but knights treated any such user as a war criminal, whose death would be relief for them after guaranteed torture. It wasn¡¯t hard to deduct for Robert that the knights had stopped any research on range weapons, which could threaten their authority. Supernatural power might not protect versus gun or cannon, so such inventions, even if existed, were definitely buried along with their creators.
When the first month of training came to an end, Robert was surprised to hear about the day off and even a small salary. The unofficial deputy of their squad, Valenzo the Beaver briefly explained that around fifty years ago one of the previous Dukes dramatically changed the militia system in his domain, from the point of being a disenfranchised conscript to a motivated well-paid recruit. Settlements still had some quota of men to send, but at least no one saw it as a one-way guaranteed ticket to a graveyard. That free day was an addition of current Baron Sebastian Highmoon with an attempt to return given money by putting his own inn and brothel near the camp. Everyone knew that, but it didn¡¯t make any real difference ¨C soldiers needed a place to vent their stress and they got one. Therefore, when Robert was asked about plans, his first thought was to check his progress so far.
Envoy of Wepwakor (candidate) ¨C Tier 0
Strength 8/23 Agility 9/17 Endurance 12/25 Toughness 7/15
Vitality 6/16 Perception 9/14 Mind 40/50 Core 15/20
Mana regeneration (7): 1% in apr. 129 seconds
Current level of mana ¨C 13%
Abilities: Adaptive
Traits: Remolded, Envoy, Spirit, Anchor
The change was quite noticeable, especially in his physical stats. Even his Core added one point, increasing the capacity of mana his body could store. Robert still looked skinny, but at least not sickly anymore. He even had gotten some muscles. He didn¡¯t become an athlete in the slightest and couldn¡¯t show off with his abs. His chest was still flat, but his arms, back, and shoulders got some mass, hiding his protruding bones. However, partly it was because he ate for two, trying to compensate for his energy expenses on restoration and growth. Instead, he felt much stronger. His muscles were not flabby, and he was sure he would be able to keep up with others in not such a distant future. There was a long way to be visibly strong or big, but for him, it was just a matter of time and effort. Right now he had both.
I think I deserved the opportunity to relax¡ therefore, tonight I will say goodbye to my virginity. To brothel! With my unstable future of surviving during the war and the end of the world, I definitely have no chance for any girlfriend. Don¡¯t want to be like Leo with his unclaimed reward for scenario imagination¡ Why am I even pondering? Because I am nervous? Crap, of course, I am nervous¡ Hmmm, I wonder if the restoration effect is going to work after¡ That can lead to a wonderful effect.
Chapter 16
¡°Have you heard about Stick¡¯s exploits? The poor girl was desperately begging for mercy, but our fellow¡¯s heart didn¡¯t even soften in the slightest¡ same as his rod. I must say, your call name, Rob, truly represents your character from all sides, including protruding one!¡± such proclamation from Wolf was met with a laugh, while Robert tried to think about the clever answer.
It was indeed a pleasant surprise to find out that adaptation ability refreshes exhaustion¡ all exhaustion¡ and doesn¡¯t use that much mana at all. At least I can beat locals in something. Now if it was the end of the world with the main threat in the form of extinction, it could help me to survive, but on the battlefield¡ I wonder if there is a world with amazons, who hunger for men?
¡°Don¡¯t be jealous, Wolf. I heard yours was roleplaying the innocent sheep by your demand,¡± Valenzo casually mentioned, while lying on his bed in an attempt to rest. It was next day after day off, and not all future soldiers went to the brothel. The bigger part used their salary in taverns, spending eveything for alcoholic oblivion. However, that led to poor performance during training, and Sergeant Daniel didn¡¯t make any concessions about their reasons.
¡°I am not jealous at all. I had a great time and paid for it! And women like my body hair ¨C never heard any complaints!¡± Lawrence defended himself, trying to look confident.
¡°Maybe because you paid for it?¡± asked Robert with a smile, but after noticing the angry expression on Wolf¡¯s face, he quickly added: ¡°Of course, not all your women got money from you, so there is definitely truth in your words! Moreover, everyone has different tastes and sometimes they can be VERY special¡¡±
¡°Exactly! I am special and that is true! At least I didn¡¯t give all my money to the local church.¡±
¡°My flesh can be happy for one evening, but instead I exchange it for a long-lasting feeling of being helpful to those who are in real need,¡± answered Monk with a calm smile.
¡°Or to satisfy the need to quench priest¡¯s thirst in nearest tavern¡ I saw that guy¡¯s belly ¨C it could fit the damn pig! I bet you can¡¯t eat that much without moistening your throat with ale,¡± Wolf roared again with a laugh, almost jumping from the ground.
¡°That would be his guilt before God, not mine,¡± Paul shook his head.
¡°I hope your God will help you on the battlefield because a lot of rumors are telling the same thing ¨C the war this time will be big,¡± noticed Lawrence.
¡°Indeed. I asked around and found out that our Baron, Sebastian Highmoon, had already sent half of his personal guards and knights. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t the only one ¨C all barons, counts and even marquises under Duke Wintershadow did that. Right now there are dozens of such camps like ours, training future army, while experienced soldiers are already fighting and not by usual rules, as far as I heard,¡± Valenzo continued to keep his eyes closed while telling this as if this was nothing.
¡°Crap. I knew it would be big, but not so big. Even tavern keepers and girls in the brothel didn¡¯t know it,¡± Wolf cursed with a frown.
¡°Are you sure, Beaver? Because it looks like the army will amount to tens of thousands in such a case,¡± someone asked from behind. Valenzo finally opened his eyes before looking at the tensed faces of his squad mates.
¡°Unfortunately, yes. I have my means to get truthful info. They are trying to keep it low right now as it is just a conflict between counts, but the real scale is much bigger. Our lives will depend on each other, so train harder. And don¡¯t speak about it¡ If I hear someone is spreading this information, there will be consequences¡ unpleasant consequences.¡±
¡°We got it, Valenzo,¡± voices of confirmation followed, but the light mood was already gone.
¡°Do you know the reasons for conflict?¡± Robert broke the heavy silence with a question. He didn¡¯t know how Gods could influence the situation that would lead to the end of the world, but even a big-scale war with medieval weapons couldn¡¯t make such a result. At most, it could spread some diseases, like the plague. However, if it was not connected to it, such bad timing could easily destroy any chances for locals to protect themselves.
¡°It must be money in some way ¨C humans always fight for resources, even if they can easily share it,¡± commented Paul, ¡°Why don¡¯t people don¡¯t want to listen to the words of our God ¨C Gaokeren.¡±
¡°Indeed, there was a report from a few mage''s towers about a huge mine of spirit hearts exactly on the border of two duchies,¡± nodded Valenzo, creating a loud wave of curses. Seeing the serious faces of everyone, Robert recalled information about the need for this special stone to create a knight. For this world, such a place meant almost the same as some uranium enrichment stations together with its deposits. The place, which could lead to military power, easily overthrowing the current balance. Moreover, it could push other dukes to step in, increasing the scale of war.
¡°How long do you think we have?¡± Rob didn¡¯t notice who asked the question, but a similar thought was wandering in his mind.
¡°At most several months, but more likely around a few dozen days ¨C Duke will not want to lose initiative.¡±
Beaver didn¡¯t sound very sure about his prediction as if guessing. However, it was enough to make the effect of exploding a bomb in the tent. Whispers and discussion emerged from every corner, while emotions in voices ranged from total tranquility and even humility from Monk to noticeable fear on the verge of hysteria from Taurus. The latter was a fat guy with a child face and the same level of naivety, who signed in only because his parents made him.
Twenty to thirty days¡ Don¡¯t think it is enough for me to match other''s levels with the same intensity of training. Guess I need to work harder like Aspen. That monster is still training¡ Real freak. Oh, well, sleeping is overrated¡
Standing up with a sigh, Robert hastily took his armor and axe from the ground before heading outside. He still felt some strain inside from repeatable restoration, but he could handle it. For him, the lack of tasty food was a harder obstacle to overcome. Defense bunkers had a good portion of various frozen rations, including pizzas and hamburgers. And one of the marines liked to cook, but his experiments didn''t always end with anything remotely tasty. However, here Rob¡¯s diet consisted of three types of porridge with meat. They were nutritional and tasted not that bad, but it was still the very same food each other day. He was literally fed up with them.
¡°Where are going, Stick? To pick your friend from the training field?¡± Wolf¡¯s question caught him almost near the exit.
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¡°Quite the opposite ¨C will join him in training. With such optimistic news, I better train more. Also, I advise you to do the same ¨C on the last running I almost got you.¡±
¡°You have half of my weight, boy!¡± resented Wolf, but was interrupted by Robert.
¡°Of course, of course. And your body hair under armor creates additional windage, making it harder for you to run, I understand it. I am out!¡±
Without turning back, Rob waved his hand, ignoring the angry roar behind, and went outside. He stopped for a moment, getting used to darker surroundings, but in a second, he rushed forward. Two local moons made enough light to observe an empty camp. Local guards, stationed on towers, rarely used torches because of that. Robert felt only very cloudy weather could cover the world in real darkness, but he had never seen it personally.
At first, Rob even thought this world was almost a copy of his Earth, just with small changes, like a longer duration of the day. He never had a problem with using accustomed metrics and only once almost got into a fight when his gesture ¡°three¡± turned out to be the equivalent of a middle finger. All curses and established expressions of his Envoy ability translated with ease, never making any difficulties in understanding everyone. However, soon he began to notice the differences. They were not that big, but together they created somewhat similar and on the other hand completely different pictures. Not only climate, animals, and magic ¨C distinction were in other things too.
According to Monk¡¯s stories, this world had only around eight hundred years of recorded history from the first sign of sapient beings. Paul believed that humans were all summoned by his God to replace previous failed attempts to create a proper life. What was interesting, a local version of Flood was fifty years of complete darkness that wiped out all life. That¡¯s why they had now two moons ¨C to prevent the same outcome again.
Another thing, that caught Robert¡¯s attention, was the technological progress. The latter was made during the first few centuries, but then everything froze. There were changes in customs, mages'' revolt, and even more freedom to the lower class, of course, but it led to minor progress. This static situation felt very artificial. He knew that knights had held their power tight, but stillness in inventions over so many centuries made no sense. What surprised Robert more was that the single church of Gaokeren, God of Nature, Life, and Death, didn¡¯t have any real power. This God¡¯s name sounded very similar to Wepwakor in Robert¡¯s mind because of how strange they were, but Rob was not even sure if it was the real name of the ruler.
I guess, not all Gods want to create a cult about themselves, but they have a huge influence on all life processes to a huge extent. Though not sure if this understanding can help me during crown wars¡ I need to be at least on par with locals in terms of physique. My ability to survive and recover from wounds will give dramatic help in survival in most cases, but not in all. Need to push myself harder to increase my chances¡ easier to tell than to do. I am not such a freak as Apsen. It is refreshing to train my body and combat skills after years in the bunker, but ten hours per day is already over the top¡ Maybe in books, it is easier for main heroes, but in real life, most people can¡¯t even make themselves make 30-minute runs several times per week¡ Fuck¡ Robert, stop complaining and move your ass!
The place where Rob trained with Aspen was located in the corner of the camp on the far side from most tents where metal clashing wouldn¡¯t disturb everyone''s sleep. It wasn¡¯t hidden, but it still could provide some privacy because of a row of training dummies. Maybe that was the reason why Robert didn¡¯t notice until the last moment that William wasn¡¯t alone. That and his absorption in his own thoughts. Moreover, seeing how two figures were fully engaged in the fight, made Rob stop in his tracks, hiding himself after recognizing a fully equipped knight in one of them.
Nah, I don¡¯t want any problem with possible nobles¡
For a moment, Robert wanted to turn away and leave, but the speed and skills that were shown before his eyes made him mesmerized. He never saw William fighting with full dedication, especially using a longsword, which typically only knights used. Despite having less protection on the body, Aspen skillfully avoided most of the hits, while his opponent wasn¡¯t so lucky. They distanced themselves keeping their guard up, before rushing on each other again. Despite Robert¡¯s ability to see their movement, he was sure he couldn¡¯t react to any of them. Moreover, he would need not only to react in time, but react properly.
The unknown knight started with a thrust, aiming at William¡¯s face. The latter tilted his head to the side, before pushing away the opponent¡¯s blade and shortening the distance. On the other hand, the knight didn¡¯t pause at all. Lowering his stance and bending his arms at the elbows, he pulled his sword to himself before making another thrust simultaneously stepping forward. Aspen countered with ease, catching the blade on the guard and hitting his shoulder into the opponent¡¯s helmet. However, the unknown barely managed to avoid the hit sidestepping. In the next moment, the knight¡¯s left fist was already flying into Aspen¡¯s chest. The hit wasn¡¯t strong, but it still managed to push William away, so the knight could follow with another attack.
This time wide swing was parried by Aspen¡¯s sword, which immediately turned into an attempt to riposte. The next few exchanges went by the same pattern, when both deflected the opponent¡¯s blade with their own, making it slide off to the side and going for their own attack without pause. However, that was broken when William suddenly shortened the distance between them again. The unknown didn¡¯t manage to react in time and had to block an attack from the unstable position, which led to the moment of small hitch. The hitch, which was capitalized by William. A strong hit to the back side of the knee knocked the knight down. Not giving any chance to turn the situation around, Aspen almost jumped over the fallen opponent. His sword was aimed at the throat while his left hand pulled off the knight¡¯s helmet in one swift motion.
Hehe¡ I think my suspicions about William can be confirmed now¡
The latter told something to the knight with a smile, but, because of the distance, Robert couldn¡¯t hear anything. However, the next deed of squad mate left his eyes wide open, when William bent down and kissed the knight.
Oh, fuck, I had OTHER suspicious! Damn, it is quite surprising¡ but no judgment¡ it¡¯s his obvious right to choose the lover. Hmm, maybe this is the reason why he is here in the militia. He definitely was raised by a knight at least, taking into account his combat skills. To be on par with a physique boosted by magic is a huge accomplishment as far as I can understand. Forbidden love? Does he want to prove his capability? Wait, is it forbidden here? Is some kind of law against it?
In the next moment, part of Rob¡¯s theory was thrown away together with William¡¯s body. The knight jumped to his feet, before finally showing his face. Red from anger or blush, it clearly belonged to a girl. She had shoulder-length black hair, and pale skin and was overall quite pretty. Robert didn¡¯t manage to catch all the details before she grabbed her helmet and sword and stormed away. Rob waited for a minute, before finally coming out from his hidden spot. William was still lying on the ground with a stupid grin and closed eyes. Therefore, he silently sat near his friend, looking into the dark sky above them.
¡°Thank you, Rob, for not interrupting us. I really appreciate it,¡± Aspen was first to speak.
¡°Forget it¡ I see you have quite a goal. I bet she is noble, and I never heard that Baron Highmoon had any daughter.¡±
¡°She is from the marquise family,¡± agreed William with ease, making Robert whistle from surprise.
¡°Ambitious. I see. Guess, she is a childhood friend, and you were raised together or near each other. Had fallen in love. To prove yourself, you didn¡¯t ask her father about granting you the title of knight, but decided to get with your own efforts¡ At least I can see it like that,¡± Rob commented, using all his knowledge from clich¨¦ stories.
¡°Simplifying, yes. And you are not ordinary too¡ I remember your words about secrets. Moreover, as you could notice my skills, which, I need to clarify, I had never tried to hide, I also saw your strange ability to recover from your fatigue. One moment you can¡¯t even move, and the next you are as good as new. Together with your manner of speech, which you show from time to time, and thought process, I would say you belonged to a mage tower but escaped before serious training started and you were branded as a mage, permanently marking you for every knight. That could explain your ignorance and poor physique while having huge growth potential,¡± William spoke with a light smile, finally opening his eyes.
Chapter 17
There was silence for a whole minute before Robert finally opened his mouth.
¡°I had a long and detailed dream about another place, far away from here. The place was on the verge of destruction but managed to hold because of its protectors. In that dream, I was one of them. Taken as a little child, trained to fulfill that role, I never saw anything except a permanent battlefield. Using only my mind, I controlled hundreds of war golems waging death upon horrible creatures. Tens of thousands of them died until they managed to take my own life, but all this time I was wondering why people... the ones that I protected, felt like my help was a given. I never saw any gratitude from them. I felt that my whole purpose of living was to be an instrument just to be replaced with another one when I broke. I never had any options to choose. What is funnier, when I woke up from this dream, I found myself in an unknown forest full of poisonous plants. The first settlement I managed to find was burned to the ground¡ corpses lying everywhere¡ and some bastards wanted to kill a few children. Still, I didn¡¯t manage to save but at least I tried¡ later I was taken here for questioning and forced to join the militia¡ But returning to the funny thing ¨C right now I am in the exact same damn situation where I don¡¯t have a real choice. I will be used as an instrument again and again until I break.¡±
Robert made another long pause, organizing his thoughts. His vague story sounded a little crazy, but surprisingly William listened to it with sincere attention.
¡°I created a goal for myself ¨C to survive. However, only now, after seeing you with your lover I unexpectedly understood what I lacked. The reason for my survival. I don¡¯t fear death as it is, but I fear I will not see anything in this life. So, I want to explore, to experience things, to taste different food, to fuck up my first serious relationships, to plant the damn tree, to get into a fight in the pub, to¡ lots of things. Crap, maybe I need to think about the actual list.¡±
¡°Hm, don¡¯t know what to say. I also didn¡¯t expect such a story,¡± William sat on the ground. His eyes were focused on two moons in the dark sky, ¡°but glad that you shared it, even vague and full of figurative meaning.¡±
¡°Me too. Hard to keep everything inside. Plus I thought ¨C if I know your goal, I can tell you mine. Not that it is a huge secret though¡¡±
¡°Yeah. To survive for enjoyment doesn¡¯t sound very ambitious,¡± Aspen agreed with a serious face.
¡°Oh, not everyone has a pretty daughter of marquise to love you!¡± Robert countered, hitting William in the shoulder, ¡°And that is a grand goal if you take into account my chains. Just you know that only for survival I will need a lot of strength and luck. To be able to enjoy in such circumstances is a goal, which has no less difficulties than marrying that girl for you!¡±
¡°Of course, of course¡ if not to take into account that we both need to survive in incoming war, plus I need to get enough merits to be promoted to the knight¡¯s rank, and after that impress some higher noble to get baron¡¯s position. Yeah, harder,¡± the sarcasm was almost visible on William¡¯s face.
¡°You know nothing, man! I bet that the incoming war will be child play in future events. Plus, by my chains, I mean restrictions that I never will be able to avoid. I will have some freedom, but only in defined borders. The problem is that the latter could be very thin in some cases.¡±
¡°That surprisingly doesn¡¯t explain anything. Again,¡± Aspen wasn¡¯t convinced.
¡°Indeed, but the lack of info is a common thing. Like mind sharing what household she belongs to? When did you kiss the first time? Who trained you? Are you a bastard of some very high-ranked noble? Did you have sex with her?¡± Robert looked like he would never stop with questions, so William had to interrupt him quickly.
¡°Point taken. Enough, I agree,¡± He sighed. William tried to keep his emotions in check, but the memory of their kiss just refused to disappear. Her red lips, her flower smell, her¡
¡°Now, I definitely see you had something more than just a kiss,¡± Robert grinned, before continuing: ¡°Did you stab her with your own long SWORD?¡± He emphasized the last word, making William blush.
¡°Oh, man, I literally just lost my virginity, but I feel more mature than you. Small pervert joke and you become red as a little girl. So, I will rephrase my question ¨C the sword that you used in the fight ¨C was it your own or did she bring it? No wonder, I thought you were gay¡¡±
¡°What?¡± William asked with a disbelieving voice.
¡°What?¡± Robert repeated his question, pointing at a weapon near his fried.
¡°Oh no! She forgot it! I need to return it immediately!¡± Aspen jumped to his feet but was stopped by Rob.
¡°It would be a dumb idea. Just keep it here. Don¡¯t think anyone will try to steal the forgotten sword of the knight here with poles for punishment, waiting for someone right in the center of the camp. No one has suicidal thoughts. Good, now return to your calm and pretentious demeanor, and let¡¯s train. I need your help with that. Not just with sparring, but with systematic physical training to become a better fighter, so I can fulfill my goal to be strong enough to survive in a bloody future to eat a hamburger!¡±
¡°What is a hamburger?¡±
¡°It is the same as an ambrosia for God. Wait, do you even know what ambrosia is?¡±
Around thirty more days went under the flag of total exhaustion for Robert. It was painfully hard both physically and mentally to constantly do something without rest. A few times he even hoped to fall ill to have an excuse, but his regeneration killed any chances for such an outcome. Having a clear goal helped him to endure it, but barely. The biggest difference was that he needed to go up to his natural limits, regularly vomiting from tiredness and always on the brink of losing consciousness. No one without a problem with his or her head would train like this. Even if they did, they would give themselves enough time to restore their body. In Robert¡¯s case, enough time would be less than a few minutes instead of possible days. He started to hate this ¨C this constant stress, constant movement, constant feel of heaviness.
On the other hand, such a level of intensity under William¡¯s guidance did a wonder to his physical form. Rob even managed to set his results in the middle of his squad. It was easier for him with running and any endurance workout, but strength wasn¡¯t his best forte in comparison with others. Reason stayed the same ¨C he was the shortest, smallest, and lightest, despite his height of 213 centimeters (7 feet). Together with the passive mana imbuing of locals, their physique was far above Earth¡¯s standards. Therefore, to be on par with them was a huge achievement for Robert. However, it was a far cry from William¡¯s results.
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Moreover, from conversations Rob found out that Aspen didn¡¯t get his spirit heart yet. He was almost as strong as most of the regular knights, but not yet there. Robert could only imagine what a peak knight could show. His own status gave him possible limits of his body and he was sure there were much lower than locals had. Still, Rob was happy to progress further, growing over himself. Maybe that was the main reason why he kept training. Survival was the right goal, but as any human, he sometimes wanted to be lazy, to rely on luck, to think that nothing bad would happen, to think that current preparation was enough. Seeing as his body was turning from a walking skeleton to someone fit was a pleasant experience.
Envoy of Wepwakor (candidate) ¨C Tier 0
Strength 11/23 Agility 10/17 Endurance 14/25 Toughness 7/15
Vitality 8/16 Perception 9/14 Mind 40/50 Core 16/20
Mana regeneration (7): 1% in apr. 141 seconds
Current level of mana ¨C 100%
Abilities: Adaptive
Traits: Remolded, Envoy, Spirit, Anchor
Compared to average peak Earth human stats, Robert still fell behind almost by two times in terms of Strength and Endurance, despite all growth. His Perception and Mind hadn¡¯t changed at all, and one point in Toughness could be connected to more muscles on his body. The latter with overall fitness activity could lead to adding two more points in Vitality, as an indicator of his health. Core increased because of intensive exhaustion of mana, but at the same time, it again decreased the speed of mana regeneration to a full capacity. It was unfortunate, as it was an actual trigger for Adaptation ability, thus creating a situation, where the more mana he had, the less actively he could train. It somewhat was compensated by growing physics, but not totally. Moreover, Robert noticed that his progress began to slow down after reaching some point.
Another interesting observation was tied to the Agility stat. Recalling an explanation about it, Rob figured out that he only worked with body control and coordination aspects but did nothing about his flexibility. That could be the reason for slower numeric growth because, in reality, Robert felt his body much more clearly than before. This conclusion might help him with Perception and Mind stat, when or if he needed it. However, that was a thing for the future because right now he was busy with no less important deed.
¡°When will you finish eating, Robert? It is a third portion of the porridge you are throwing inside you. Your stomach is like a bottomless pit¡± William, who was sitting near Rob on the ground, didn¡¯t try to hide his displease about wasting time.
¡°We had to name you the Pig because of your appetite, and not Stick. You are not even that thin anymore,¡± Wolf interjected, ¡°How did you manage to always get an additional meal? I asked once but was sent off with curses.¡±
¡°I am just a nice guy, who started to praise the food from the very first day and wasn¡¯t cheap with my words,¡± Robert briefly smiled, before lowering his head again, ¡°Cooks like compliments for their work. And I eat everything every single time, without loud comments about lack of meat or bad smell as if directly from fecal pot, Wolf. They have memory and dignity, they are not golden fishes¡ Okay, I am done!¡± Rob finished, hastily moving to a barrel with water to wash his plate under the gaze of Aspen.
I indeed don¡¯t understand where all that food goes¡ I have a feeling that I will not die because of lack of nutrition, but additional calories somehow help me to quicken the process of growth. Or maybe I just want to replace absent quality with quantity? Where the hell is my pizza, even with pineapples? Stop, Who am I lying to? Everyone likes it but hides in fear of public condemnation.
¡°How can you eat it so easily? Wolf was right back then. It has awful taste most of the time,¡± William asked again when they were walking to the training ground.
It was already evening, and they planned to spend at least three hours more there. Several days after their talk about the goal, Wolf and Monk voluntarily joined them. A few more squad mates also tried but failed to make themselves appear next time. After a full day of hard working out, additional sparring felt like unforced torture. Not many wanted it.
William¡¯s mask of indifference and higher goal crumbled under constant group talks during these training sessions. He turned a bit serious and righteous, but a nice guy. He was surprised to find out that Monk¡¯s combat skills and physical strength were almost on par with his. However, the demeanor of Paul was completely different. A little shy, very calm, and somewhat filled with fatalism, he followed the flow and did what was needed, without arguing with anyone. On the other hand, Wolf couldn¡¯t hold himself without telling them his honest opinion, loudly and often directly into the face, even when no one asked. Impulsive, and emotional, Lawrence was also quite sincere.
They both soon discovered secret relationships between Willian and his knight-girl but kept their mouth shut. Still, Aspen had only two opportunities to spend time with his beloved one. She never came to them, nodding from afar. William also never talked about her, only once mentioning that she insisted on being a squire of her dad¡¯s knight and using such reasoning came to the military camp to see how militia was trained.
During this time, Robert, Paul, and Lawrence fought in a free-for-all spar, simulating a possible chaotic battle. That was a painful experience for Rob because both of his mates aimed at him at first, trying to take out the easiest target at first. Still, that helped him a lot, especially in using his hyper-focused Mind versus a few opponents. He felt a huge lack of multiple sensors, but even with two eyes, he once managed to keep himself on the foot almost for two minutes.
After putting some thought, Robert realized that he actually learned all he needed to make a not one-sided fight. Hours in front of the dummies taught him how to make proper hits with an axe blade all the time. Spars with William, on the other hand, made him figure out how to take a hit from a stronger foe on his shield. The same situation was with footwork, group fighting, and even overall strategy to kill different enemies. Right now, he just needed to practice, so everything could start to work together without any delays, extra unnecessary movements, and even pauses to think about what to do next.
There was none of those flashy hits with pirouettes. No techniques to disarm the opponent. No special tricks, which could look cool, but would fail when the enemy wouldn¡¯t follow it from the beginning. The swing of the axe didn¡¯t differ from what side it was used ¨C be it from the right or from the left. Basically, it wasn¡¯t some rocket science or string theory ¨C just all reactions had to be embedded in the subcortex of his brain. Therefore, active sparing with William, Lawrence, and Paul helped to progress by a lot.
Altogether, four were quickly turning into friends. No one talked about details of their past or it was spoken in a very vague manner. William still thought that Robert was an escapist from mage tower and Rob didn¡¯t try to correct him. Explanation about dying in a different world just to become an envoy of the real God with the solo goal of hunting during the incoming end of the world was quite a dumb idea. No one would believe him. Robert still tried to push thoughts about bigger threats to them. What he got was - ¡°Everything to the will of our God¡± from Paul, ¡°We will see whose the end it will be!¡± by Wolf and William¡¯s ¡°Is that a trustful information about mage¡¯s revolt?¡± Therefore, Rob stopped trying and just continued training to increase his chances and maybe help others, when it would be needed.
¡°Are you deaf? Oh, I think that the waste that only by mistake is called food finally poisoned his brain!¡± Wolf exclaimed, pushing Robert out of his deep thoughts. However, before he managed to suppress his surprise at the suddenly clever joke from Lawrence and prepare a proper answer, he was interrupted by the loud sound of the horn, going through all of camp.
¡°I think our training is over. War is coming!¡±
Chapter 18
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Chapter 19
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Chapter 20
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Chapter 21
¡°Charge!¡±
Knight¡¯s loud voice made their group start sprinting forward with a wild roar. Adrenaline rushed through the body, as Robert was running on the front line among other hundred or so warriors. Gripping the handle of his axe as tight as possible, he tried to put the shield before him to protect himself from possible arrows. His breath was heavy with that entire load out onto him, but he pushed his body forward to overcome open space and quickly engage in melee. The wet ground after the rain made his left boot squish because of the poorly fixed hole. However, Rob discarded everything, fully focusing on the scene before him.
The village, that they were attacking, was deep in the enemy¡¯s territory and couldn¡¯t boast proper defense. It had some wooden palisade, but it was not very high and had too many gates and doors in it, made for convenience in exchange for safety measures. At the last moment, locals tried to strengthen them with carts, logs, and even furniture, but it didn¡¯t look robust. Still, fortifications were not a threat on their own ¨C defenders were. Militia, hunters, and even possible knights amounted to an unknown quantity under the protection of an improvised fort, while Rob¡¯s own side under the order of Baron had to make a frontal assault without any preparation. Sebastian Highmoon wanted quick advances and was willing to pay the price with the lives of his soldiers. Moreover, Robert¡¯s group was just a distraction and the main attack would be made from the opposite side of the village with knights, Baron on a drake himself, and almost all skilled guards.
Lucky bastard! As always, we are used as meat, while he is in the back with elite force. I bet he will¡
An arrow, heading directly into his face, interrupted Robert¡¯s thought about Williams¡¯s fortune. After experiencing the past two months of slowly but steadily escalating war, during which he took part in around ten battles, Rob¡¯s mind partly adapted to incoming danger, heightening his reflexes. It wasn¡¯t about increasing them, but more likely he lost the stoppers, which slowed them down previously ¨C instinct fear, hesitations, absence of knowing how to react, etc. Some motions already started to integrate into his muscle memory on a deeper level and each death experience on the battlefield further optimized its effectiveness. That¡¯s why all it took for Robert to deflect an arrow was just a slight raise of his shield. Hunting arrowhead didn¡¯t manage to penetrate the wood, bouncing off, but Rob was already searching for another possible threat.
¡°Archers, shields up!¡±
The voice of Sergeant Daniel resounded across the field. Still, knowing the danger didn¡¯t mean an ability to avoid it completely. Another arrow was aimed at a soldier to the right of Robert. His squadmate managed to cover himself in the same manner, but it led to miss wet bump in front of his foot. He immediately stumbled and clumsily fell to the ground. The problem was that no one was going to stop their run. The first one, who was behind, managed to jump over, but others didn¡¯t have time to react. Robert didn¡¯t see the result, but he easily could see the real possibility of being trampled down by running soldiers each over two meters in height, clad in armor and with weapons in hands. However, he didn¡¯t have any opportunities to help as the palisade with a single leaf gate was already nearing.
¡°Make the way!¡±
Under another shout, Robert stepped to the side, while guarding against an incoming arrow. This one managed to stuck in the wood because of the shorter distance, but it took one swing of the axe to cut it. By this moment, the knight was already near the gate. The longsword, glowing with mana, penetrated the obstacle with ease. That was the main reason for no preparations before the assault. With the existence of the knights, no wooden or even metal constructs could hold long enough to be regarded as a proper fortification. Just after less than ten swings the hole in defense appeared, in which soldiers immediately rushed in. However, they were met with a row of shields, axes, and spears.
Robert slightly slowed down again not being pushed forward to the front. Despite raging adrenaline, he tried to keep his head calm not to do suicidal deeds. His first battle experience of exchanging wounds was dumb and could only give him a fast-paced one-way ticket on a date with Death herself. Still, his wish and reality were not always the same. The movement of the attacking group turned out to be in real natural flow, which he couldn¡¯t resist. He was squished from all sides and literally was brought forward, just behind the frontal row.
In the next moment, Rob hastily had to move his head to the side, avoiding the thrust of a spear from the enemy¡¯s ranks. He heard a metal¡¯s gnashing when the sharpened spear point left a mark on the helmet. His squad mate in front of Robert tried to hit the enemy but was stopped by another one with a shield. These exchanges continued for some time, leaving no opportunity for Rob to change anything. He was stuck between armored bodies, had almost no space to move and not enough weapon reach to hurt the damn spearman.
Moreover, the push from behind hadn¡¯t stopped in the slightest as more Highmoon¡¯s soldiers tried to enter the breach in the gate. Ineffective hustle between front lines went on for a few minutes with only several getting wounded, but not dead. That gave the enemy¡¯s hunter ideal targets to shoot, finally opening the count for kills. For Robert¡¯s understanding, it was just a matter of time, before someone would fall, opening a new gap in ranks, which could be exploited by the opposite side. Therefore, when he saw such an opportunity by himself, he didn¡¯t waste it.
The spearman got carried away in an attempt to hit Rob, and went into too long thrust, almost leaning on the front soldier. The latter even had to make a step forward so as not to trip, slightly turning his head back in annoyance. Robert immediately used all his strength to push forward his own mate, so both bodies crushed heavily into each other. However, the enemy¡¯s distraction led him to lose his balance for a mere second. That critical time was quickly capitalized on by Rob and his ally. When the first threw his axe directly into the exposed spearman, the latter made a lucky swing, crushing the nose bridge of the shield wielder. On the other hand, Robert¡¯s throw was not successful, nevertheless making an impact. Literally. As the spinning axe cut through the air, it turned to the side, hitting spearman¡¯s neck with a handle. Still, that was enough for the enemy to fall backward, opening an even wider gap. Neighboring warriors hastily doubled their efforts to break through.
The more space was made, the faster the fighting went as new and new bodies fell on the ground dead. The lost axe was replaced by a spare mace with five flanges, which Rob prepared for such an occasion beforehand. He also had an extra knife with a long blade but never had the opportunity to use it for anything, except food. However, all unnecessary thoughts disappeared as he engaged in combat.
Firstly, he made a deep dent on spearman¡¯s helmet after putting all his weight in the strike and finishing him off with a second hit. He barely avoided two swings after that, taking halberd on his shield, while sidestepping from thrust of another spear. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t alone. Before a new thrust was made, the owner got his arm severed. That allowed Robert to focus on halberdier. Shortening the distance before the next strike would follow, he bashed the enemy with his shield. The latter managed to stay on their feet but missed the swing of Rob¡¯s mace. Metal flanges crushed the knee of the man despite protection, dropping him on the ground. Robert tried to follow with a killing blow, but the jumping kick from the side threw him backward. However, that enemy immediately had to defend itself from Rob¡¯s allies. The lack of a shield together with limited space, while fighting versus two opponents, didn¡¯t give him many chances. Still, the wounded halberdiers joined in a last moment, managing to injure one of them. The pointy blade of his weapon pierced the thigh, going between metal plates by sheer luck. That was the end for halberdier, as Rob¡¯s mace crashed his jaw.
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The chaotic group battle continued as more and more Baron¡¯s soldiers entered the village. As if not wanting to fall behind, the enemy¡¯s ranks were strengthened by additional reinforcement. In Robert¡¯s mind, everything started to be fragmented with only part of events imprinting in his consciousness. His hyper-focus helped a lot to react to lots of threats, but that didn¡¯t make him invincible. His ability to restore from grave wounds or tiredness also couldn¡¯t be triggered during the battle. Therefore, it soon left him with heaviness in his arms and out of breath. Still, any incoming swing or stab made him instinctively move to defend himself despite the exhaustion. The battle fully absorbed him, finally suppressing his calmness and pushing his instincts for survival on top.
Soon, he found himself during his push against the enemy¡¯s ranks, while his shield edge was hitting the enemy¡¯s bearded face, just to be followed with an overhead swing of a mace. The opponent managed to move out last moment, so a metal head crushed his shoulder instead of a head. Before Robert continued, the sword almost pierced his stomach, luckily hitting the metal plate underneath. However, the wave of pain distracted him for enough time to be targeted again. This time it was Rob, who was slightly late to avoid the thrust. The blade pierced his cheek, grinding some of his teeth, but stopping before the injury became fatal. Burst of rage from pain clouded his visio for some time before Robert woke up only to find himself stomping the neck of the enemy into the ground with a torn boot. The bloody mess, which appeared from his deeds, looked horrible, but he, himself, wasn¡¯t better as another approaching soldier stopped for a moment with a shocked look. Rob just roared and jumped into the fight.
An unknown time later, he found himself with leftovers of his broken shield and without a weapon. Robert didn¡¯t lose any memory, but there was almost nothing to remember. He struck. He was hit in return. It was all reactive in nature, where he couldn¡¯t leave the fast-flowing river. Rob could only try to stay on the surface just not to drown under the chaotic events of the direct fight. Being in the front from the beginning didn¡¯t help at all. Therefore, with a wound on his face, pain in the stomach, and bruises all over the body, he had limited choice to continue to struggle despite tiredness or just simply die. Because no one would give him a possibility to hide or to retreat.
The thought had ended with a hastily raised shield in an attempt to protect himself from an axe. Of course, it was futile as his protection gear was barely holding by this point. The wood cracked together with bone in his arm. Robert screamed but somehow managed to take the knife from his belt. Making a wild swing with his intact hand, so the enemy had to step backward, Rob jumped on him. The stab failed, but he managed to knock the opponent down to the ground. However, that appeared to be a bad idea, as the latter quickly got on top, pushing the blade of the axe to Robert¡¯s face with all his weight. Moreover, Rob¡¯s left hand was unusable.
Still, he didn¡¯t want to give up. Feeling salty liquid in his mouth, he spat it directly into the eyes of the enemy. Not stopping on that, he swung his broken hand, using it as an improvised whip. The whip, with remnants of metal and wood on its end. Chips and blood flew around as they hit the enemy¡¯s eye, immediately blinding him. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t stop him. His push only increased as if it was fueled by anger. Robert tried to resist the pressure, but the blade was approaching inevitably. He used all his strength to push it back or to the side, but everything was futile.
I guess additional push-ups earlier would not be redundant¡
A dumb joke before the sure death made him smile, almost radiating the madness. The face of the enemy slightly twitched from such an image ¨C bloodied teeth with a torn hole in his cheek could easily make an impression. Especially, considering the situation. That thought made Robert grin even wider. He didn¡¯t stop resisting the pressure, but he somehow lost some part of fear of incoming death, while observing even not from the first row, but from the touch distance. And then the forceful push had disappeared. The single eye of the enemy lost its focus, and he just dropped down onto Rob, only to be replaced by Monk¡¯s worrying expression.
¡°Are you alright, Robert? I saw your fall and tried to be quick,¡± with the same shy smile Paul pulled off the corpse from Rob.
¡°Oh, you were just in time, Paul, thank you,¡± Robert answered with strange inner calmness, smiling again.
¡°You can thank our God later as I am a mere follower of his will, but right now you better get up,¡± shook his head Monk, grabbing the spear and standing up.
Robert nodded before using all his will to push himself up. Trying not to be distracted by the pain, he fully focused on his surroundings in an attempt to grasp the situation as fast as possible. There was no time for talks or detailed observation. Fortunately, his mind was used to this. The time didn¡¯t slow down, but it took him mere seconds to grasp everything. It looked better than he was expecting to.
Despite being a distraction force, they managed not only to breach the gate but also to create a safe zone inside, pushing defenders back. The front rows of the latter consisted of proper warriors, making it hard for the initial push. However, at the back were pure villagers, hastily armed with weapons, which they couldn¡¯t properly wield. Moreover, some of his allies found a way to deal with archers, using broken spears as improvised javelins. Still, the cost of it was huge.
Tens of bodies lay motionless, and many more were wounded. The knight, that led them into attack, was hidden behind the palisade, definitely not willing to risk himself, while just having a role of bait. That didn¡¯t change anything for Robert and his mates as they were accustomed to such treatment. The battle continued as defenders tried to repel the attack. The line two people thin was advancing versus the demoralized outnumbering enemy. It didn¡¯t even manage to go far from Robert¡¯s position as it was raging in less than five meters. Still, such a small distance helped Rob to catch something strange.
Why are they retreating? Because they have less experienced warriors. But why do they have less of them? If they are so outnumbered, why Baron was bothered to create a distraction in the first place? We could crush them in one sweep, using all force. No, it looks like they wanted to save their elites too¡
The sounding horn from the other side of the village marked the attack of the main force. However, that appeared to be the signal for enemies too, as they unexpectedly moved aside before turning around to flee. No one from Robert¡¯s side was happy to see it because all their attention was captured by a rushing figure, fully clad in armor, which was already cutting through the line. Their line. Moreover, it was going directly to the Rob¡¯s position.
One thing was to observe the strength of the knight, being his ally, and it was completely different when you were the target of it in a direct confrontation. That was the reason that Robert¡¯s mind stopped for a second to process what was happening. The same second that it took the knight to appear beside him, going into full swing with a longsword. The blade cut the air above Rob¡¯s head, but the enemy¡¯s knight didn¡¯t pause at all, moving forward right to the Highmoon¡¯s knight, which appeared from the hole in the gate, when he finally noticed someone equal.
¡°The knight,¡± mumbled Robert, before turning his head to Paul only to see the Monk¡¯s body falling apart in two large pieces from diagonal cut, splashing the blood all over the place.
Chapter 22
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Chapter 23
Burning flaming was slowly covering Monk¡¯s body, as if taking him in its embrace, finally taking his soul to his dear God. Both Lawrence and Robert were silently watching it, immersed in their thoughts. They had time to speak, while they were digging a hole in the ground outside of captured village. Using remnants of useless fortification made from furniture, they set a grand fire above the motionless body of their friend, before setting everything a flame.
¡°From the ground we came, to the ground we will return. We took some energy from nature, so we need to return some of it back. That is what Monk told me once. That¡¯s why all priests are burned to ashes, before burying,¡± Wolf explained to Robert, when the latter stood before Monk, not knowing what to do.
So they did it. Others buried most of their fallen mates in group graves, rarely taking care only of their closest ones. The sergeant wanted to stop them, but after seeing it was for Paul, he just nodded, not trying to hide his sadness. Monk¡¯s invaluable help in the treatment of wounded made him very popular among all militia. It wasn¡¯t rare when another soldier came to him with advice to stop stomach pain or fewer. Unfortunately, knights and the Baron in particular didn¡¯t appoint any dedicated medics for militia, treating the latter as expendable resources. Maybe at first, he indeed wanted to make a properly motivated force, but the war quickly made him abandon that thought, solely focusing on saving the most experienced elites and resources. However, that wish was met with a hard reality today.
Baron¡¯s plan was predictable, and the enemy managed to get ready for it. That was the reason why Rob¡¯s group broke through the fence without big problems and met only one knight. Others, with most of the warriors, waited for the main force to ambush them. All villagers were evacuated beforehand, giving the defenders no need to look after the local civilians. Still, that appeared to be not enough to stop the attack, as they all died. However, the enemy made the cost of this victory huge, almost unbearable, despite overwhelming superior forces in the end.
From all the personal guards and most skilled warriors, only less than ten left. Two-thirds of the knights died, leaving Baron with only three alive, while one of them even lost his leg in a fierce fight. Highmoon¡¯s drake died, unexpectedly fulfilling Rob¡¯s wish not to meet one in the battle. Even Baron¡¯s own life was on the verge of death, being saved by William at the last moment. Robert was very surprised to hear it, as he personally missed all that, staying near the breach in the palisade. For him, everything ended when a few enemies tried to run away, but were met by Rob¡¯s mace. After that he just stayed there, finding a proper reason not to participate in battle again as he was guarding a possible escape route. He even got two dead proofs beside him.
¡°Here, take it,¡± Wolf broke the silence, taking out a flask.
¡°What is it?¡± Rob asked, before thinking.
¡°Something strong,¡± Lawrence smirked, ¡°Something that wouldn¡¯t hurt right now.¡±
¡°Where did you get it?¡± Asked Robert, before making a sip. Burning liquid went through the throat, leading to a sudden cough, but at the same time slightly clearing his mind. He made a few more sips without pause, this time ready for the strength of the thing, ¡°Nice drink you have.¡±
¡°Valenzo helped with that. His connections are literally everywhere, you just need money to use them. And before you ask where I got coins if we didn¡¯t get any salary¡¡± Wolf tried to continue but was interrupted.
¡°Nope, it¡¯s easy to guess. Despite Baron¡¯s effort to collect all valuables for himself, something is always slipping through his hands,¡± Robert pointed his figure to his own backpack, where ¡°new¡± boots waited for him. The hole in the old one was too big right now for any possible fixes. He also had some plans for armor, but that was much harder to keep ¨C Daniel would be forced to take it from him.
¡°Oh my. Stick-Boy is losing his innocence quickly,¡± smiled Lawrence.
¡°It''s innocence versus common sense to increase my chance of survival. And I must tell you I am not dumb to trade my life for my pride or arrogance,¡± Robert shook his head.
¡°Aspen would disagree with you. He calls it honor, not pride.¡±
¡°While Monk might settle everything in between, proclaiming that in time of need God can allow some misdeeds for the greater goal of saving own life, but you would definitely need to repay the debt at least severalfold to restore the balance¡¡±
¡°He was a great man,¡± sighed Wolf, looking at the slowly dying flame.
¡°Indeed he was,¡± nodded Robert, turning quiet again.
They stayed until the fire disappeared completely without speaking anymore. They silently buried the ashes that left, before leaving the place. They didn¡¯t out any tombstone or any sign, but Rob was sure that the shy smile of Monk was forever engraved in his memory together with others ¨C Captains, James, Leo, Marg, Brad¡ The list was long enough to feel a dull pain in the heart, but not to put him in depression. His own goal hadn¡¯t changed ¨C he wanted to survive to experience all sorts of things in life, and not just to struggle through hardship all the time. It could take him time to be strong enough for that, so what? He would achieve that, despite unfavorable odds.
Now that I think, I must admit that my experience in Iseskai adventure so far was pure disaster. All I saw were training camps, fields, and burned villages¡ Oh, and the brothel ¨C that was at least a pleasant experience. No pubs or taverns. Where is my adventure guild? Where are my auctions? Where is my magic academy? Where is my harem? Not that I want one ¨C never was a fan of multiple girlfriends simultaneously. It is more unreal than damned magic. And magic ¨C where is my incomparable magic power? Oh, at least the nature here is indeed outstanding¡
Two moons, shining from above onto cloudless sky together with blooming flowers across a grassy green field looked quite stunning, despite the attempt of darkness to cover everything. The surroundings never really went black, but with this unknown to Robert flower, it looked like hundreds of fireflies were everywhere around, glowing with different shades of blue and purple. With the addition of a weak breeze, insect chirping, and overall calmness, it created impressive scenery in Rob¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t have enough words to describe the beauty of simplicity in nature, that was pictured before him, but he didn¡¯t have to ¨C only to enjoy it to fullness.
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The following part of the night was spent in an attempt to fix his damaged armor. Firstly Robert changed his boots to new ones, praying his luck, that despite his lower heights in comparison to natives, his foot size was quite average. On Earth, he often was called a flippers-wielder because of that, making it hard to find his boots from standard options. Here, fortunately, it was not the case. However, the need to repair everything by himself compensated for that by a good margin, not in a good way. He had to save some metal plates or get new ones from the enemy¡¯s bodies, while not being captured by Baron¡¯s knights, just to keep his defense on the proper level. At least the main damage went not to steel but to leather, straps, or cloth ¨C the things, which could be fixed without having a blacksmith. Still, he noticed some problems in local armor that probably didn¡¯t exist on Earth or were less crucial.
The armor was always meant for protection. Therefore, if it couldn¡¯t do the thing as it was often shown in movies, it was completely useless. The proper medieval chest plate could handle even low-caliber bullets from some distance. Robert read the military history books and knew that it was not the guns that killed knighthood, but the economy. Canons were created before full plate armor by at least a full century. The problem was the cost of armor. The owners, who could possibly afford it, had to use it for themselves. However, it was cheaper and much safer for them to recruit a hundred low-armored soldiers and send them to the battlefield, while personally staying at the back. Moreover, it was safer ¨C you didn¡¯t need armor against anything if you didn¡¯t fight personally, right? Therefore, the armor was always good protection, which started to be outbalanced by the cost in later history, when the life cost less than the means to save it in most cases.
Therefore, the armor could protect even against direct hits. You couldn¡¯t just pierce the chest plate with one hit. It wasn¡¯t just for decorations or looks as it was in movies, looking paper-thin. It was made for a purpose and fulfilled it. However, here, in this world, two additional factors made it less useful than it might be. At least that was what Robert¡¯s observations told him. The first one was the physique of locals. The bigger bodies indeed had more strength, but because of their sizes, the armor had to be also bigger, which meant heavier. However, they still used around the same thickness of steel to make it wearable in the fight, but it had to be put against higher force because of heavier weapons and stronger muscles. The second reason was in the steel itself. The mages made it possible to mass produce protection gear in mass, but somehow quality of the material was not on a good level. Maybe it was something with the properties of steel itself, he didn¡¯t know.
Together, that made armor able to handle some hits before breaking, but it was definitely not on the level, where the opponents had to aim into joint points to hurt each other. With enough force behind strikes, warriors could literally break through the protection. That was the main reason of often need for repair of Robert¡¯s equipment and the cause of his unslept night. Not speaking that his pants were torn. Again.
¡°Oh, finally found you. What are you doing?¡± asked William, walking into the abandoned house, which was temporarily occupied by Robert. Most of the soldiers were gathered in a few houses nearby, but Rob was sent out not to disturb other''s rest. He was the only one who didn¡¯t want to put off repair of equipment, just in case of emergency. Others were not so diligent or were sure that everything would be ok.
¡°Repairing my armor. It took some hits, saving me in the process, but I want it to keep protecting me further. And our dear Baron doesn¡¯t want to spend money on proper artisans in his force for organized process¡ He only gathers trophies¡¡±
¡°Stop it. Don¡¯t insult Baron Highmoon!¡± William hastily interrupted Rob, making the latter one to sigh.
¡°I got it¡ You saved his life and now with him being grateful, he can become your ticket to go up.¡±
¡°Indeed, Baron Highmoon was thankful for my assistance and is willing to grant me a knighthood. And about his not being willing to spend resources ¨C it¡¯s simply not true. He just wants to sell everything together through his own means to get better value, so each family with a fallen guard or knight under his service could get proper monetary help!¡± Aspen really believed in what he was saying, and Rob didn¡¯t see any chance to convince him, despite having enough arguments. William was clearly raised in a noble-naive way and sincerely failed to notice a lot of dirt behind this self-set veil.
Only knights and guards¡ but what about ordinary militia? Or those coachmen from the first ambush? Will they be forgotten? Moreover, we didn¡¯t get our salary in the first place and now Baron is speaking about some compensation for loss. It even sounds ridiculous!
¡°Monk has died. He also saved me right before his own death. We buried him outside in the field¡.¡± Robert changed the topic after some heavy silence.
¡°I heard it from Lawrence. Such a pity. He was an excellent warrior and had a vast knowledge of wound treatment, helping many soldiers, easing their pain, and putting them back on their feet in no time. Also, he was a good friend. Slightly shy, but with noble and grand goals. It is a real tragedy.¡±
¡°It would be great speech before his burial over his body,¡± nodded Robert. ¡°But you missed it.¡±
¡°Indeed. Unfortunately, Baron insisted on my presence, and I couldn¡¯t ignore it. He was making new plans and wanted to listen to my opinion on possible next steps.¡± Explained William with a mixture of clear sadness and pride.
¡°What new steps? Almost all his force is dead or injured. It would be suicide to continue advances right now. Tell me that he does understand it, right?¡± Robert asked in disbelief.
¡°Baron Highmoon thinks that after the loss of enemy Baron Silverfield and even Count Greywolf in this village, their defense is emptied. They had gathered more knights than we had, but still failed, dying in the process. I tend to agree with it ¨C strategically it has a good reason to strike the enemy before he can recover. Don¡¯t think they have any knights left at all. This huge weakness can be used right now. We just need to be careful in further advances.¡± William¡¯s words made Robert curse inwardly. Everyone was sure that they would head back tomorrow ¨C such losses couldn¡¯t be ignored, but what he was hearing was completely the opposite.
¡°Do you know that it is us who are in a weak position, not our enemy? Even if they have no knights left, but what about other soldiers?¡±
¡°It is not a problem. The knights are the ones who decide the outcome of the battle!¡± These words were said with clear pride and admiration. William¡¯s eyes were almost shining.
¡°Do you know that no one from your squad survived?¡± Rob made another attempt to probe Aspen¡¯s reaction.
¡°Yes, it was the first thing I checked. An unfortunate outcome, but I remembered the locations of everyone¡¯s families, so after I become a knight, I can make sure they will get the reward they deserve! I won¡¯t forget anyone! However, it is a battle, and it happens. We can both die too. Such is a life of the warrior, which they willed to become.¡±
Robert was at a loss after hearing it. Only a small part of the militia went willingly, while the biggest was recruited forcefully, having no real choice in such a matter. The medieval ages didn¡¯t leave any possibility to protest against such treatment. Moreover, they were not knights with their rules and search for glory on the battlefield. Aspen in his own manner tried to put his vision of life onto everyone. His righteousness, his willingness to treat everyone as equal, and his trust in people met with his naivety and unconscious idealization of reality. After adding his goal of reaching a knighthood and raising a rank, it set his eyes too high. So high that he didn¡¯t notice anything beyond some level.
¡°I congratulate you for your achievement then. How many was that? Around six months from entering training camp to getting needed merits for your advancement. You will soon abandon your call sign, but it surprisingly still fits you, Aspen. Not because you are mute and blonde, but because as any tree, you aim high...¡± Robert said, before inwardly finishing the sentence.
¡ignoring everything beneath you¡
Chapter 24
¡°Thanks. I really appreciate hearing it from you. You, Robert, changed a lot on the other hand.¡± William looked at his mate again, capturing the scene of a half-naked man with armor in his hands to the image in his memory. Right now Stick looked like a different person.
Still short, he now was not near as thin as before. His body had got some muscles, making it look dense, but not huge. Any signs of weakness were gone, changing a feeling into a drawn bowstring just before the shot. The scars, which looked like from predator¡¯s paws, blades, and even teeth, only added to that image. The same was true with inner heaviness that emitted from green eyes under bushy eyebrows. The horrible scar around his right eye that went through his cheeck and was partially covered by messy stubble. The short black hair on top of his head wasn¡¯t in better shape as it was clearly cut with just a knife by an untrained hand. Robert was not handsome in the slightest with his aquiline nose and rugged features, but he definitely had some charisma of a fierce and experienced warriors. However, William was speaking not about appearance.
¡°You are not Stick anymore. You are more like Thorn now. Maybe still small and thin, but it can hurt anyone, who is not careful enough. Not only with your axe or mace but also with your sometimes harsh words. Don¡¯t think that I am blind or oblivious. In my current position, I can¡¯t change anything. Maybe in some way, I am quite naive, raised by a knight to become a knight, but I know that even walls can have ears. Plus to have some power to influence people around, I indeed need to be in a higher position.¡± William pointed up, finishing his words. ¡°Maybe much higher than I initially wanted.¡±
¡°Then I only can wish you good luck, my friend.¡± Robert smiled wider, putting his sincerity into it.
¡°Thank you, Thorn. Again, I really appreciate it.¡± Aspen smiled back with a nod.
¡°What did I miss? Thorn? That sounds quite good and fits Robert!¡± Wolf barged in, immediately loudly capturing attention to himself.
¡°Oh, William just told me that he will soon become a knight, but also we will continue our advancement tomorrow.¡±
¡°Congrats, man! And fuck it! What the hell about continuing?¡± Lawrence''s emotions started to boil, while Robert was thinking about another thing.
Maybe I was wrong about William¡
They spent the next few hours speaking. Part of it was memories of Monk, while other future plans and goals. Only Aspen had aimed very high, straightforwardly walking his path without any doubts. That made Robert¡¯s joke once more about his own goal of survival for food and entertainment. A similar situation was with Wolf ¨C the image of being the barber was deeply integrated into his mind, so he was just collecting money for it. This again led to his sincere rage about being unpaid by the Baron, but William managed to calm him down, promising him to help, when he will become a knight.
¡°Is there any special ceremony for that? To become a knight?¡± asked Wolf, drinking from his flask again. He also offered it to Robert and William, but both refused, not willing to be drunk on the enemy¡¯s territory.
¡°Of course, there is. You didn¡¯t actually believe it was just a simple tradition, which can be conducted in any circumstances? What a nonsense!¡± Aspen laughed, holding his sarcastic comments only because of his upbringing.
¡°Oh, does it relate to the process of giving a spirit heart to the future knight?¡± asked Rob, after some thinking.
¡°Indeed. Sensing mana is a requirement to become a mage or a knight. However, the difference between them is not only in skills and training but also in the capacity of mana, which can be stored in the body. Our bodies naturally can¡¯t store enough to be used such freely as knights can. A warrior must imbue his body with mana to strengthen it beforehand. Mages, on the other hand, use their mana outwards to charge rune circles for special effects. Only because of spirit hearts, a warrior can be named a knight. In theory, I think mages could use it too, but it is forbidden and, moreover, that will not change anything for them. Rune circles are too big and not mobile, while fueling additional energy can only hasten their charge time. Therefore, there is a special ceremony twice a year, where all possible knight candidates are gathered and ranked by their merits. Spirits stones are limited, so only the best can get them.¡± Surprisingly, William explained everything in detail.
You may be surprised what mages can do in books and games¡
¡°Boring¡ It''s just a noble version of dicks measurement!¡± Lawrence smirked.
¡°In some way ¨C yes, but after the ceremony there is always a ball. Many noble families are searching for possible fianc¨¦ for their daughters and future knights with potential but without anything else are very good options,¡± William nodded with a barely visible smile.
¡°At least you have already covered that side with your girl,¡± Wolf grinned while hitting Aspen¡¯s shoulder.
¡°I hope she will wait for me as she promised,¡± The future knight only sighed at that remark, clearly showing sadness.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, man, she will without any doubts. Look at yourself ¨C if not you, who will she choose? Some random fat guy? Nope. However, if it even happens, so what? You will have plenty of options out there. As it said ¨C there a lot of fish in the ocean.¡± Robert¡¯s attempt to cheer up his friend made Aspen smile.
¡°That is said by the man, who literally touched a woman¡¯s body just once, but acts like a seasonal bed warrior. But he is right ¨C you don¡¯t have to worry about it. Everything will work out!¡± Wolf didn¡¯t lag behind in lifting the blonde¡¯s mood. Robert noticed that it helped, but the absent focus of William made him change the subject.
¡°By the way, how do you know about mages and knights? You slipped the tongue that you were raised by a knight to become a knight already¡ can you elaborate? Of course, if you are ready. I don¡¯t insist, just curious.¡±
¡°Well, speaking short ¨C I am the son of banished marquise¡¯s son and magician from a tower. They both died when I was still a child because of betrayal, and I was raised by the old master of my father in a distant village. That is also one of my goals ¨C to avenge their death, but for that, I will need enough strength, both personal and authoritative.¡±
¡°Just wow! You are like the main hero in some stories,¡± Robert¡¯s first reaction was wide-open eyes, finally confirming his prior suspicions. However, seeing the absence of understanding from both Wolf and Aspen, he hastily corrected himself. ¡°I think I¡¯ve read some historical books¡ Or was it legends? As you remember, I have huge gaps in my memory. Don¡¯t be bothered.¡±
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¡°Speaking of legends ¨C you just need to become an archiknight. Then every single knight has to bow before you!¡± Wolf roared with a laugh. ¡°Have you read about it, Rob?¡±
¡°Joking about the mess in my head is not funny. Archiknights don¡¯t exist, right?¡± He turned to William.
¡°No, they did exist, but that was long ago. Only one recorded case. In knight¡¯s tradition, hierarchy of strength is everything, so if it really happens and archiknight appears somewhere, he may become a ruler. But it is just a legend, and I don¡¯t think that any Duke will give up on their power just because of old tradition.¡± William shook his head, before adding ¡°Thank you for not asking more questions about my past¡ And it¡¯s good to finally tell someone about it.¡±
¡°Be at ease. That is what are friends for! But telling sounds a bit exaggerated ¨C you basically told just three sentences!¡±
They managed to prolong their gathering for half an hour before Robert was called for guard duty for the rest of the night. William went back to Baron¡¯s place of stay, while Wolf continued to drink slowly, defiantly aiming to finish the flask without being completely drunk. Lawrence was clearly closer to Paul, and Rob suspected that it was his way of grieving the loss.
Sergeant Daniels, who managed to survive and didn¡¯t get any wounds, led Robert around the camp, ordering him to follow that route until the morning. Because of limited forces after the fierce battle, they had put only several hidden spots in empty houses to guard their stay, while Rob with two more soldiers was sent to patrol. The next hours were quite boring. There was enough light to see everything clearly, but the overall atmosphere in the captured village was heavy. Rob knew that right now he was on the side of the aggressor. Fortunately, most of the local citizens evacuated beforehand and he didn¡¯t have to witness or participate in subduing them. Still, it was just a matter of time before such a situation would occur and Robert wasn¡¯t sure he would have any ability to disobey the order without huge consequences, including possible execution for treason. The real question was to what extent he would go to save his morale in such conditions? Rob didn¡¯t know. Moreover, he didn¡¯t wish to know.
It is again a matter of personal power. However, without the ability to sense mana, how can I have enough of it to ignore the possible confrontation with a knight and their energy-imbued armor or weapon? There is no chance for me. I can only partly compensate it with pure physical strength to exhaust them faster while avoiding any direct hits at all. Yeah, sounds very realistic. To have skill on par with warriors, who trained from childhood. Only my ability to focus on many objects simultaneously is my single advantage¡ Plus I need to train my physique ¨C just fighting isn¡¯t enough.
He remembered what shock he got when he discovered the actual drop in his Strength stat by one point. Robert subconsciously thought that his stats worked like in any game or novel ¨C they were permanent and without any debuffs from illness, poison, or magic curses, they would stay on the same level for the time being. It was a stupid thought that crumbled under harsh reality quite quickly. The peak form only could be achieved by dedicated training. Still, he got some improvements from constant traveling and fighting, but he couldn¡¯t lazy around on previous achievements.
Speaking of it, let¡¯s see my status. It¡¯s been a while since the previous check. Sometimes I even forget about it ¨C such slow the change is.
Looking around to confirm no one near, Robert stopped near the corner of the building. Focusing on his forearm, he made his tattoo appear with a glow for a second before his vision was obscured by the familiar window.
Envoy of Wepwakor (candidate) ¨C Tier 0
Strength 14/23 Agility 12/17 Endurance 17/25 Toughness 8/15
Vitality 10/16 Perception 10/14 Mind 40/50 Core 18/20
Mana regeneration (7): 1% in apr. 165 seconds
Current level of mana ¨C 100%
Abilities: Adaptive
Traits: Remolded, Envoy, Spirit, Anchor, Imbuing
What is that? Imbuing? It is something new¡ I am already 3-4 points short of a human¡¯s peak in my Strength, Agility, and Endurance. However, that is still one-third more in each respective characteristic from my current standing. Moreover, the peak condition of locals is noticeably higher. Not sure about Perception and Core though. From what I noticed, they tend to have worse senses and the problem with mana capacity. Hm, also is there is way to change the screen? It is minimalistic, which I like; can show my progress, but I can¡¯t refer to humans¡ But do I need it actually? Maybe to see overall effectiveness? Let¡¯s try it¡
For the first time, Robert tried to visualize the change in screen, just to see if he could do something with it. To his surprise, it did have an effect. Almost like triggering the command, his status blinked a few times, before sending a new message.
Initializing the visual change in the status screen for the user¡
Done¡
Envoy of Wepwakor (candidate) ¨C Tier 0
Strength 14 (380%) out of max 23 (895%); humans average peak 18 (556%)
Agility 12 (314%) out of max 17 (505%); humans average peak 15 (418%)
Endurance 17 (505%) out of max 25 (1¡¯083%); humans average peak 21 (740%)
Toughness 8 (214%) out of max 15 (418%); humans average peak 10 (259%)
Vitality 10 (259%) out of max 16 (459%); humans average peak 11 (285%)
Perception 10 (259%) out of max 14 (380%); humans average peak 16 (469%)
Mind 40 (4¡¯526%) out of max 50 (11¡¯739%); humans average peak 21 (740%)
Core 18 (556%) out of max 20 (673%); humans average peak 27 (1,311%)
Mana regeneration (7): 1% in apr. 165 seconds
Current level of mana ¨C 95%
Abilities: Adaptive Growth
Traits: Remolded Brain, God¡¯s Envoy, Spiritual Body, Soul Anchor, External Mana Imbuing
That¡¯s overwhelming¡ Too many numbers. Way too many! I can get rid of a human¡¯s average peak and can try to set the fulcrum from average humans, not the peak. I don¡¯t believe I am lower than that in any stats right now. That will make a status screen cleaner and more informative. I am such an idiot that I didn¡¯t try it early¡ However, I doubt this info will change anything, except convenience. Still, why not? After that, I can finally check External Mana Imbuing. I already can see that it has some references to Mana regeneration as it appears to be faster than before.
Okay, let¡¯s think that 0 points are a baseline of the average human, while each point will get increased by 10% as before. Despite it being a universal instrument for God, I hope I can adapt it to my liking. At least visually. Guess they must have more abilities or even their own way of seeing it¡ Right now I need to decide if it''s going to be additive or multiplicative. Damn, I really had to try it much earlier ¨C a good way of spending time. Wait, but do I even need to compare myself to the average Earth human if I not going to see one any time soon? Or even ever? Hmm, first, let¡¯s test some things¡
Another mental command was followed by the same process, and a new image appeared in front of him. However, Robert only barely started to read it, before he felt the strong grip on his face, which immediately broke him from the process of observing the status screen. Still, the bright image it took some time for his eyes to adapt to darker surroundings. The time was fully utilized by an unknown attacker to slice Rob¡¯s throat with a deep cut, preventing any possible screams. The surroundings immediately started to fade, when he failed to take another breath. Robert tried to turn around, to push away, or at least to warn everyone, but he just couldn¡¯t. His body felt powerless, not being able even to lift a single finger. He was carefully put on the ground not to make any unnecessary noise, but by this moment all he could see was two moons high in the sky. Then everything went completely black.
Chapter 25
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Chapter 26
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Chapter 27
¡°Hold! Don¡¯t get scared! Be ready to thrust! Let¡¯s kill these dogs!¡± loud cries from commanders in an attempt to cheer up the militia were not working. Robert couldn¡¯t see everything, being on the third line in the middle of the ranks, but what could be captured by his eyes clearly showed the lack of any spirit in all surrounding soldiers. The reason was simple. Without any understatement in wording, the front lines were massacred by an experienced and better-geared enemy right before their eyes. This outcome was easily predicted from the beginning as, despite similar numbers on each side, the quality of them differed by a lot.
As Robert heard, the Duke gathered around ten thousand militia, a few thousand experienced warriors, and an unknown quantity of knights for this battle. Rob didn¡¯t know what went to the other four, but it was easy to guess that this one was meant only to cause some damage and to tie some forces. It obviously worked as he didn¡¯t notice any militia at all in the enemy¡¯s ranks. Of course, being inside the crowd in an open and flat field, Robert couldn¡¯t overview everything from above and had very limited vision. Especially taking into account his below-average heights. Still, that was enough to see reactions from others.
¡°Fuck! I don¡¯t want to die! Let me go!¡± Screamed one of a soldier in front, trying to turn around, but he was pushed back on the place. With a limited place in dense ranks, he just couldn¡¯t run through. They were put in seven lines with almost no free space between them, almost touching each other with both shoulders. Rob didn¡¯t know the length of the line, but their own formation was second and had a clear gap between the first one. The gap, which soon would cease to exist, together with hundreds of his allies.
¡°Stay on the spot! Don¡¯t make me kill you from behind!¡± roared another soldier in return, hitting the back of the panicked man with his fist, ¡°We can make it together! Don¡¯t panic! We will kill every single one of them! For my family and others innocent lives lost in their raids!¡±
¡°I don¡¯t want¡ I was drunk when I sighed in¡ I want to go home¡¡±
¡°Oh our dear God Gaokeren, bless my luck in this misfortune event¡¡± his neighbor to left muttered a prayer, while old man Donald was looking into the cloudless sky with a barely noticeable sad smile. Rob heard many more voices, loud or almost non-existent, each with a different attitude and hope.
¡°I will survive, I will survive! Lily is waiting for me¡¡±
¡°Shit-shit-shit, why am I not in the last line? I fucking paid a shit load of coins to that red-bearded bastard!¡±
¡°Be ready! Act as we trained ¨C put all your weights in thrust! Try not to hurt your fellows!¡±
Sergeants didn¡¯t stop with their futile attempts to make them into force in the last minutes. The screams of pain, anger, and curses were slowly approaching, bringing also the sounds of metal clashing, thumps, and dying moans. A helmet slightly decreased the volume, but the crowd of thousands couldn¡¯t be quiet. Especially, when it¡¯s fighting in a death battle. Rob almost felt as if the earth trembled under the steps.
¡°KILL!¡± roared someone and it immediately chained the reaction of the same rallying cry.
¡°For the Southern Duchy!¡± the enemies were not silent, answering with their own voices. Robert could already see their armored figures in the gaps between front soldiers. The enemy had similar to his past equipment and tactic ¨C a row of shield warriors with support from halberdiers. They already had visible marks of previous clashes ¨C dents in armor or shields, blood on weapons, and madness in the eyes.
¡°KILL, KILL, KILL!¡± word was repeating from all sides, almost replacing any other thoughts in the mind with it. Rob even noticed how earlier panicked soldier pulled himself together, readying for the first strike. The energy of the crowd seemed to transfer to everyone, despite their previous state. Charging each of them with murderous intent, dispersed all previous fears and anxiety. At least for a moment everyone almost went berserk just to follow the single goal of their existence ¨C to kill. However, the initial clash soon replaced it with another, more primal goal ¨C to survive.
The wall of shields kept a steady pace in pushing through the militia¡¯s ranks. They were quite methodical in it, slowly grinding untrained soldiers. No one tried to jump on spears or rush through the line. Any such breakthroughs would end in a quick death, as being surrounded by several spearmen didn¡¯t leave many chances, especially against multiple simultaneous attacks. Instead, the enemy was like a cold-blooded butcher, who in a calm and even monotonous way was shredding the meat.
Soon Robert had to thrust with his spear in the gaps between his allies. Only a few attacks managed to avoid the enemy¡¯s shields, squeezing through their defense, but only one did some damage, according to a painful shout. The next moment the enemy shortened the distance in an attempt to nullify the advantage of weapon reach. The second line of militia tried to stop them by attacking behind the allies'' backs, but with almost non-existent experience, it wasn¡¯t successful. One of the soldiers even pierced the shoulder of his own squad mate, only worsening the situation. In just a few seconds that led to an opening and Robert had to take part in it, focusing on the breach of their rank on the left.
Searching for a good opportunity, Rob waited until the enemy tried to bash him with his shield. Sharp spear¡¯s point pierced the warrior¡¯s armor right into his armpit from the side, going deep inside and immediately making him stumble. The man, who was focusing only on the opponent before him, completely missed the attack and, only after being wounded, directed his eyes to Robert. That was another mistake, as the following thrust from Rob¡¯s neighbor went into his neck. He released a few bloody bubbles from his mouth before collapsing. However, another soldier behind the dead one was already stepping over while swinging his axe, but Rob had to turn his attention from the sides to the front, as by this moment he appeared to be in second line.
Robert still watched ongoing events with his peripheral sight, capturing the fall of his allies and enemies, and their quick replacement, which was literally pushed from behind the ranks. He had to, as it was the only way not to find himself surrounded at some point. Maybe he was more trained than others from the militia, but it was not near enough to hold even four metes of the line on his own.
Focus! Be calm, control surroundings with everyone¡¯s positions, don¡¯t overtax yourself¡
Rob continued to repeat crucial points, while he emerged into the fight. Despite the ability to almost revive and regenerate from lethal wounds, one missed hit in the head could easily end him forever. It pressured him, making him move faster in fear of death. He was squeezing everything possible from his body so as not to be just another fallen on this field, pushing it to the real limits. Robert didn¡¯t know what was happening on the battlefield in general ¨C the whole world for him was concentrated in a five-meter radius of the semicircle.
Sidestepping from halberd¡¯s strike, he lowered his spear before making a thrust. The shaft of the weapon traveled within a few centimeters of the ally¡¯s body before the point spearhead pierced the thigh of the nearest enemy, right in the place, where armor was already damaged. To the enemy''s credit, the latter not only managed to stay on his feet but also repelled another attack. Still, that made him shift his weights on the injured leg. The wave of pain clearly made him stop for a moment, which was immediately used by Robert.
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Putting all his strength into the direct hit in the warrior¡¯s chest, he made the opponent fall backward, right on the halberdier behind. Before the wounded managed to stand up, Rob¡¯s front soldier in an attempt to quickly finish him off rushed forward, disregarding the surroundings. That ended badly, as axe and mace from both sides practically stroke in the same moment, breaking spearman¡¯s arms together with his ribs. Robert did get deadly revenge on the opened axe-wielder, but now he became the front line and had to face intensive attention to his persona.
They already lost most warriors with shields¡ crap, I miss one strongly ¨C the shitty spear I have is already more like a stick with a metal end¡ good, halberdier on the left, shield, and sword with a wounded leg in the middle, shield, and mace on the right. In addition, another halberdier from behind of shield. Need a plan or it will be just a matter of time!
The following thought process made Robert focus on the enemy to the right. The wounded opponent in front of him was no less experienced and trained than others, but his injury decreased his threat level by a huge margin. Moreover, he often prevented the halberdier from behind to make a proper hit because of his shaky state. The best part was that he couldn¡¯t just be replaced, being constantly pushed from the back lines. Any attempt to retreat was quickly countered by Robert¡¯s spear. Another halberdier on the left seemed to be on par with Rob¡¯s ally, which left the mace-wielder as the most dangerous one. Donald tried to keep him at bay, but the difference in skills and strength was obvious.
Somehow, the militia continued to struggle and even managed to stabilize the front line. Of course, now and then, his ally fell to the ground motionless, but the overall situation was not that critical. Their enemies were already tired, wounded, and had lost after killing the first squad, which partly compensated for the lack of training for the militia. That, and the absence of initial battle morale, as both sides started to be more cautious and didn¡¯t rush in a frontal assault. However, Robert didn¡¯t see an optimistic outcome in it as it was only their opponent, and the latter wasn¡¯t the last one. There were definitely more behind the enemy¡¯s backs - fresh and battle-ready. But what choice did he have? Only to continue.
Seeing the swing from a wounded swordsman, Robert hastily intercepted it by directly blocking the blade with a spear shaft. Limited motion didn¡¯t produce enough force to break it, but the wood took another cut on its surface, which never was a good thing. Still, that didn¡¯t stop Rob from continuing his counterattack, as he stepped forward and bashed the enemy¡¯s shield with his shoulder. The injured warrior couldn¡¯t keep the balance and had to make a few shaky steps to stabilize himself, opening the side of the mace wielder to the right. Robert immediately tried to impale the latter, but the man quite skillfully managed to deflect the attack. However, Donald was there too as his spearhead was already flying. The enemy still somehow reacted, raising his shield, but this time it looked like fate itself turned it back on him.
At the exact moment of thrust, the old man was pushed from behind, which accelerated the attack at the last moment. Mace-wielder was fast enough to block it in time, and just pushed the spearhead up by the edge of his own shield. But Donald was still falling forward, which pushed the sharp end of the weapon further and with the addition of going up. It made the spearhead not only cut through the face of the mace-wielder but also blind him in one eye. The painful scream quickly turned into a rage one, as the enemy almost jumped on the fallen old man. Robert tried to stop him but had to block the attack from the halberdier, who was on a second row. This time the strike was heavy enough almost to cut through the wood.
Seeing this, Rob pulled his weapon back before the shaft stuck on halberd¡¯s axe blade only to rotate it, pulling the weapon from the enemy¡¯s hands. Immediately dropping it down, he took his knife from the belt, while kicking his foot into the swordsman¡¯s shield. The latter managed to hold his ground this time, but that allowed Robert to shorten the distance. Kneeing the wounded in the thigh, he gripped the shield of the warrior and pulled it to the side. The pain didn¡¯t give the enemy strength to resist it properly and in a moment Rob¡¯s knife entered his neck.
Despite his sincere wish to get the shield, even when he was holding one, Robert didn¡¯t have the opportunity to use it. The fixation of the arm with straps was enough barrier for him not to lose valuable time in the middle of the battle. Therefore, he just dropped the dead and turned to the right, where Halberdier from a second row was already hitting Donald. Unfortunately, the full motion of the polearm gave enough force to cut through the raised hand of the old man. It hadn¡¯t severed it, but the arm was clearly broken. On the other hand, the previous hasty strike of halberdier killed his own ally, as the mace-wielder was lying motionlessly facing the ground.
Rob didn¡¯t waste any time and moved forward. Gripping the shaft of the halberd, Robert again pulled it to himself, simultaneously pushing his knife into the enemy¡¯s palm. The resistance of the latter died immediately, making him jump back in pain only to collide with others. Before Robert managed to return to his place, his peripheral sight saw a shadow of an incoming blade. His awkward attempt to avoid it ended in tripping against the corpse of a swordsman and falling back. However, that was not what saved him as a familiar red-bearded sergeant in no less familiar armor intercepted the strike with his spear, pushing enemies back.
¡°Get your ass up or we all will die!¡± he shouted, not even sparing a glance.
Robert inwardly cursed before hastily getting up with halberd in his hands. This short, but deadly exchange created a small empty space for a while, making both sides to be wary of each other. The enemies still pushed them back slowly, but it was not near the level of the initial clash. No one wanted to die in a dumb rush. On the other hand, no one was going to stop any time soon.
Therefore, Robert thrusted, stroked, hit, and did everything to survive. The sounds of painful moans and screams were pushed into the background of the mind, together with images of the dead. Long was lost a sight on the old man, who didn¡¯t manage to get up after losing his arm. The same fate waited for the red-bearded bastard, whose helmet cracked under a few missed hits of the mace. The whole world narrowed to close surroundings. Robert¡¯s haggard breathing muffled everything, while a flow of sweat constantly disturbed his sight, covering it in almost streams. However, the pain kept him moving. The wound on the forearm from the cut. The gap in teeth from shield bash. The loss of a little finger on the left palm after an unsuccessful block. He didn¡¯t even count the tens of bruises.
Robert seemed to be in a familiar trance when he had been operating his mechanical squad. Completely concentrated on the task of his own survival, he treated his own body as another mech. Disregarding his state, he focused on the efficiency of each movement. And that indeed led to noticeable results as he was still fighting, despite the fact, that from seven lines of militia, only two were left by this point. Soon, he noticed a glimpse of uncertainty in the faces from the opposite side. The latter even stopped their advancements and quickly tried to prepare for something. Using this pause, Robert turned around only to see how around ten knights were already rushing to them with longswords raised.
¡°Follow the charge!¡± shouted the nearest of them, literally cutting through the enemy¡¯s ranks.
Of course, there will be no rest¡ Crap, I am tired as hell and feel even worse¡
Robert sighed before gripping his halberd tighter. The blade was already dull, but the weight could compensate for it. He just needed to put more force into each hit. Moreover, he didn¡¯t have time to search for a replacement. Knights indeed cut through the front lines, directly going in the middle of enemies, but that also left enough for beaten militia not to have an opportunity to stay idle. Rob was sure that such a late appearance was deliberate ¨C knights wanted to wear out the enemy before striking hard. Even if this battle was made for loss, the purpose of weakening the opposite side before the final confrontation didn¡¯t cease to exist.
However, before Robert managed to engage the enemies, he noticed swiftly forming dark clouds above him. The speed and the sheer size of it were so unnatural that it even stopped most of the soldiers from fighting in an attempt to see what was happening. Slowly forming whirlpool created a very bad premonition. Just the shadow from it covered a whole battlefield and only a complete idiot couldn¡¯t see where it was going.
Robert started to look around to see where he could hide, but the field was as flat as a table. Moreover, he was surrounded by soldiers from both sides and could be killed as an enemy or a deserter. Therefore, when a few sparks inside the cloud ignited it and huge flaming boulders started to fall to the ground in masses, Rob just dropped to the ground and started to dig in a hopeful attempt to hide beneath the ground. In a few moments, the hell broke loose.
Chapter 28
The whistling sound of falling stones was quickly followed by loud explosions on repeated impact. Hundreds of fragments were scattered around, immediately turning into effective killing instruments. Robert saw how flying debris of different sizes literally tore apart a few men from the militia, who were unfortunate enough to be very close to the magic meteor. Some managed to survive, getting wounds in non-critical places only be set on flame. Several by sheer instinct dropped to the ground, but that didn¡¯t help much.
Knight¡¯s body, thrown away by the explosion, crushed on warrior, clearly breaking his spine just from the combination of massive weights and force. However, the knight himself didn¡¯t look any better, using all his energy to survive the blast. Another explosion sent crumpled mace directly into his face, making a deep dent around the visor and splashing blood from underneath.
Screams from open wounds, the smell of burning flesh, and a non-stopping whistle before the new explosion ¨C everything made Robert¡¯s consciousness balance on the verge of falling into darkness. The pain in the head felt like someone was blowing the balloon inside it attempt to blow it. He felt dizzy and wanted to vomit, while his painted-red world was turning into a slow-motion picture. Soon Rob could hear only the sound of falling meteors. The shouts of survived soldier turned mute, while he was looking around in complete disorientation. Everyone was just opening their mouth without any words coming out like fishes until flying debris would take their life the next moment.
What was I doing? Where am I?
For a moment, he lost himself in pondering about the current situation before sharp pain in his buttock woke him from this state. The clouded mind cleared, and Robert found himself in a small hole, which he had dug using an axe in a half-unconscious state. Rob didn¡¯t know, where he had found it, but he didn¡¯t care. He just continued to push his body deeper in the ground, before covering himself with the nearest corpse. The latter had lost its head, leaving a bloody open wound, which was creating a constant flow of red liquid that quickly covered Robert. However, his attention was elsewhere as Rob managed to catch a glimpse of his surroundings.
The falling meteors continued to reap the lives of both sides in the most brutal way possible. Despite their flaming nature, that inner fire was used primarily to send them into an explosion after impact, and not to burn everything down. For Robert, it looked like a magic analog of cluster munition with its devastating effect on dense ranks of enemies. Rob himself used lots of them against a swarm of aliens, but he appeared to be the target right now.
A new explosion almost pulled him out from the improvised trench together with the corpse. The shock wave pressed him to the ground, and he felt new fragments enter his body, slowly covering him in a veil of pain. Nevertheless, Robert couldn¡¯t do much in this situation ¨C just to endure and rely on his luck. Nothing more. Therefore, he simultaneously tried to shrink in size and merge with the ground, while he waited for what felt like a real eternity. Each explosion made the ground shake and Robert shudder. Each time his internal thought repeated the same thing ¨C ¡°Not me, not me, not me¡±.
When everything calmed down, Rob spent several more minutes before slowly checking his surroundings. The scene around him could easily surpass any sick imagination of a horror movie director. The main reason was the melee nature of the battle, where no one had any range weapons and had to face their enemy directly. Despite the impressive number of tens of thousands of soldiers from both sides, the space they needed wasn¡¯t big ¨C not more than a few football (soccer) fields. Any big live concerts could easily outnumber it. And currently, it turned into literally a field of corpses. Bloodied, burned, torn apart, mutilated from a variety of wounds, the surroundings indeed looked like the picture from hell.
Robert felt the need to vomit but the pain in his body stopped him from any movement. He wasn¡¯t alone in such a wish as there were more survivors. They were rare, in different states but each of them was on the brink of falling apart under the pressure of horrible reality. Rob wanted to stand up, to leave this place, but to his bad luck the regeneration ability had an unwritten factor, which he never experienced before. Despite using all his available mana and healing him, it didn¡¯t magically push out stuck fragments from his body as he assumed it would. It just closed the wound, restored the skin but left everything in it. Robert felt them and not only did it hurt, but it limited his motion. However, he had to stand up hastily when he saw the anxiety in movement from others.
There were not more than a hundred of them, who were able to get in horizontal position. Even so, only five happened to be the knights. Still, their condition was not much better as they were in the epicenter of a meteor attack and thus took the most damage. Some could walk, while others could only crawl. Most - just moan loudly, begging for help. But right now, despite their belonging to different sides, each of capable tried to grab some weapon when they saw robed figures emerging from the rear of both forces. No one was an idiot not to understand who created such a magical disaster.
Robert squeezed his teeth using all his force before pushing himself forward. His regeneration ability kicked in before Adaptation, but the latter still emptied his mana, leaving him refreshed with a stuck fragment inside his right buttock. His body didn¡¯t recover to its fullness, and he still felt as if he was beaten by a dozen drunkards with no stoppers in their minds. At least he could move somehow. And he indeed needed it as quickly approaching mages didn¡¯t look friendly in the slightest.
It was not the first time when Robert saw them, but their current equipment looked odd. Familiar robes were covered with strange symbols and not the emblems of a noble house, which they severed. The strangest was a huge staff with a big plate on top with a half-meter diameter. The latter held some kind of rune circle, very similar to those, that demon summoners in movies liked to draw on the floor of the basements. Few mages had different types ¨C bigger and with sharp edges, but overall the same metal construction with an unknown purpose.
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Wait! Why unknown? It obviously helps to cast magic, dumbass! I don¡¯t think they are making a religious ceremony with ritual staff. Just nope!
As answering his inner thoughts, one of the mages raised his metal weapon. The engraved path on the plate started to shine with white light as charging. Soon other mages followed, stopping at their place and reading the attack. The reaction from survived warriors was different. One of the knights with a loud command shouted to charge before showing a personal example. Around ten nearest soldiers obeyed, raising their weapons and running into the mage¡¯s ranks. Two more knights silently retreated in different directions, clearly abandoning others, which led more soldiers to copy them. The last two knights tried to put the defense formation, hastily gathering men. The wounded stayed in their places, as they didn¡¯t have much choice in their state. Robert, on the other hand, took the axe from the ground and leaned to the ground, pretending to be injured and not wanting to be the first target of spells.
The attempt of knights to reach the mages in time was almost successful. Almost. The remnants of the fallen weren¡¯t the easiest obstacle to overcome, as a few soldiers struggled to find where to place their feet just not to step on the dead. Knights, on the other hand, avoided being in the front this time, forcefully slowing themselves. That gave enough time to charge the spells and release them right before the clash.
The first one was an ordinary fireball. Looking and flying like a red paintball, it was easily evaded by the knight only to be directly blocked by the shield behind. Or at least the soldier tried to do it as a flaming projectile pierced the wood with ease and immediately set the man ablaze. A few more fireballs were sent in a moment, killing one more soldier, but missing others. The second knight even cut the spell with his sword, which triggered it. Unfortunately for mages, the flame died on the full plate armor, not managing to go through the energy protection. This made soldiers braver and they increased their pace to shorten the distance as quickly as possible. However, in the exact same moment, another spell was cast, when the first mage finally finished his charge.
With a loud thunderclap sound the slow-moving lightning went through the whole group, chaining from one target to another with almost no pause. Of course, slow in comparison to natural phenomena. It was indeed ¡°lightning fast¡±, giving no time to react and no ability to resist, as all men collapsed to the ground. Robert managed to catch the burned bodies of soldiers, but the knights survived. Still, the mages were not satisfied with this result as new fireballs were sent flying, now being used against stationary targets. The end of this unsuccessful attempt to break through Rod didn¡¯t see, as he stood up, while looking around. His mind was already working at full speed to find the way out.
Chain lightning took around twenty seconds to cast, while fireball only ten. The former clearly depends on the engraved rune circle and is bigger in terms of size than the latter spell. Moreover, the mages are definitely not trained in shooting with it as they missed most of the fireballs against moving targets. Also, they don¡¯t move while casting it seems. That gives me enough chances to use it. Let¡¯s go!
Pushing himself up, Robert began his sprint, aiming directly at the center of the mage''s ranks. Both groups started from rear positions before slowly stretching in a thin line to encircle the battlefield. The wielders of bigger staffs were exactly on the edges of it, creating an illusion of weaker defense. On the other hand, the center was more packed, but the fireballs by Rob¡¯s belief couldn¡¯t pose the same threat. Still, less didn¡¯t mean none, as the first flame projectiles started to fly almost immediately. They were not even near him, but it was just a matter of time before he would shorten the distance, making it easier to aim for mages.
Moreover, his single buttock hurt as hell with each step. The step, which he had to carefully choose as debris, bloodied ground, bent weapons, and hundreds of bodies made the way much harder. Closing his eyes for a moment, Robert sighed before stopping futile attempts to avoid stepping on corpses. They were already dead, but he wasn¡¯t and didn¡¯t want to become because of mixed emotions from such a deed. It was just another morale line, which he had to cross to survive. Therefore he ran, while his hand was gripping the axe handle to the point of pain.
The next wave of fireballs came when he was in fifty meters (150 feet) to the nearest mages. The latter and his two allies tried to aim their spells, but the chaotic surface made Robert move in the same manner, nullifying the enemy¡¯s effort. The rush of adrenaline together with sprinting at full speed made Rob¡¯s heartbeat as crazy. He didn¡¯t wish, but it was hard not to notice the mutilated bodies, their open non-blinking eyes with different facial expressions. When he almost reached the mage, he couldn¡¯t miss how young he was ¨C just a teenager. However, the latter didn¡¯t pause for a moment before launching his deadly spell into Robert.
Rob wanted to duck under it but tripped. Making an improvised somersault before bumping into something, he had to jump to the side to avoid two more fireballs. One of them burned the hole in the ground, while the other set aflame ever-present blue-purple flowers. Pausing to see the glowing lines in the rune circle on the magic staff, Robert didn¡¯t find any better solution than to throw his axe into the youngster''s chest. However, in a rush, he aimed way too low, and his flying weapon ended in the teenager¡¯s knee. With a painful scream, the young mage dropped to the ground, while his staff dispelled the charge. Not wasting any time, Robert pushed himself up and forward. Rob didn''t wared, when he kicked the face of the young mage with all available strength, immediately knocking the opponent out . Hstily bending down to take the axe, he evaded another shot of fireball, which flew over him and only by sheer luck of the mage didn¡¯t hit his own ally. That stopped the attack of the latter, giving Rob enough time to run away.
The sounds of battle and spells, shouts of anger and pleading, metal clashing, and another thunderclap ¨C everything was left behind, while he continued to move. Rob was sure he was not alone in that deed. Mages made a smart choice to wait until the main force ¨C knights ¨C entered the battlefield before attacking with devastating spells and in this wiping out all commanders from both sides. The remnants of soldiers didn¡¯t stand a chance not only for resisting but also just for organizing themselves in this situation. Maybe if they had enough time¡ but they didn¡¯t. Therefore, he made the most logical solution in current circumstances ¨C to run.
Robert went directly through the camp only to find dozens of motionless bodies of coachmen right around cauldrons with soup. All regrets of attacking the teenager vanished, as he understood that the mage''s revolt ended in poisoning even civilians. The latter didn¡¯t participate in battles and mostly consisted of the villagers, rarely the servants. However, even they were not sparred. Therefore, he just ran further, right into the visible forest, which was less than a kilometer from him. The movement brought pain. He didn¡¯t have anything except one axe on him. No food or water, nothing. His clothes and armor were torn and barely held. Rob was tired, stressed, and in total uncertainness about his own future, but at least he was alive. It was enough for him.
Chapter 29
No one pursued him. Of course, that was quite obvious that mages wouldn¡¯t put much effort into killing one escaped soldier from the militia. He wasn¡¯t a main target. He wasn¡¯t dangerous or valuable. He was nobody. However, this suited Robert in the best possible way as the absence of attention could keep him alive. How the global situation was developing showed that this world soon would become an even more dangerous place.
Two out of five Dukes were already engaged in direct confrontation because of the mine. Now, as Robert thought again ¨C rumors said that precisely the mages were the ones who had found deposits of rare crystals. With their sudden attack right at the best possible moment, Rob wasn¡¯t sure now if it was true in the first place. They could easily made that up, deceiving Dukes and pushing the highest nobles into the war just to weaken both sides before revolting themselves. It was a pure assumption, although a logical one. However, even if the truth was revealed, Dukes might not stop the war between themselves as blood was already spilled. The enemy of my enemy could be still the enemy. Moreover, three other Dukes wouldn¡¯t stay still when their world order was on the brink of falling. Knights would definitely fight to continue their rule. Therefore, more battles would follow. The chaotic ones.
Hm¡ could it be that new ability from God is related to new powers of mages? As far as I could remember, they didn¡¯t have enough power to cast spells without very long preparation or even special equipment. But the ability gave only an increase in mana regeneration, making it forceful and unfiltered. Is it sufficient to compensate lack of mana capacity? How new staff with engraved spells are related to it? Or it was made before this God¡¯s ¡°buff¡± and they just started to use it now, when finally got enough energy to charge it fast enough to directly use spells in the battle. Questions, questions¡ And how did they even manage to cast the fucking meteor rain?
The answer to this was suddenly seen by Robert with his own eyes when he went through the first row of trees. Emerged in his thoughts, mentally exhausted and with constant suppressed pain, Rob was too late to notice robed figures behind the greenery. The latter were also busy with gathering their things, completely missing his sudden appearance. Both parties caught the sights of each other almost simultaneously, creating an odd pause in all actions for long five seconds. That gave Robert plenty of time to observe the surroundings.
There were five different mages in a huge clearing. From the obvious signs, it was man-made and was prepared beforehand to use its destructive spell in the heat of the battle. Robert couldn¡¯t see how an enormous circle with hundreds of runes and complex patterns of pathways between them was possible to create in a few hours. Taking into account that it was made by using some kind of lead, which was melted down to form a magical structure, it was indeed worked for days. A few tens, placed on the edge of this glade, together with a full cart of different instruments only confirmed his assumption. Everything was carefully planned.
The next thing, Robert did, was to focus on his inevitable opponents. Despite similar clothes, the colors of it differed. From close, Rob could finally see those odd symbols, pictured on a plain fabric. They looked like a mixture of runes and writings in an unknown language, but all had the same image, which was centered around others. Huge silver sun with tentacle-like rays. Three mages in dark green robes had only one, while the middle-aged woman in brown had two of them, almost touching each other with its horrible sprouts. The last person present was the young man with three suns on a dark red background. He was holding a strange glass bottle with blue-purple liquid in it and was in the process of drinking when Robert emerged.
Others also didn¡¯t wander around. Two younger green mages were carrying boxes to the cart, clearly gathering things after the attack. The last one, an old man with a face full of wrinkles, was standing on guard with familiar fireball staff. Unfortunately for him, he was looking in the wrong direction, facing the center of the battlefield, while Robert came from the side. The dark-haired woman in a brown robe was in the process of exiting the tent. Nobody was ready for the sudden appearance of Rob, which gave him a chance.
Good. They have neither experience in battle, nor in spells. Their sorcery takes time to charge. Only one is armed right now, but fireball isn¡¯t as dangerous as stronger spells like that chain lighting. And I bet the more suns ¨C the more power they have. Need to carefully choose the order of attack and act quickly!
His thought process ended together with this odd pause. Simultaneously everyone started to move. The leader shouted ¡°Dereck, stupid idiot, attack!¡±, while running to his own staff, placed on the small chair on the edge of the clearing. The woman quickly hid in the tent. Both mages with boxes dropped them before rushing to Robert, taking out the knives. The old man started to charge his spell, making his staff shine from the energy. However, Rob wasn¡¯t idle as he was already rushing to the mage.
Robert wasn¡¯t in peak condition, but the old man was really old, which led to a slow reaction. He was clearly not fast enough to cast the spell in time. Still, his panicked mind just continued to do it, while he was standing in the very same place. The feint swing of Rob¡¯s axe made him close his eyes before the impact, which gave Rob enough time to grab the shaft of staff and kick the old man in his chest with all his strength. He heard the sound of something breaking before the weak body of the mage was thrown away. The next moment Robert had to turn around and quickly duck under the knife¡¯s blade. Making another step backward, he thrust with staff, aiming directly at green robed belly. The owner of the latter was in the process of following the attack at this exact moment, and therefore almost jumped on the metal tip, hurting himself even more. Before he managed to recover from the pain, Robert¡¯s axe broke his temple, ending his life.
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Indeed no melee skills. The absence of protective gear helps too, but spells¡
His short inner comment made him focus on the leader again, who already managed to grab his spell-casting weapon and was pushing the energy in it. Ignoring the third green mage with a knife, Rob couldn¡¯t find any better solution than just to throw his own trophy staff. Having a form, that was completely unsuitable for a projectile, it immediately started to spin. The lack of Robert¡¯s experience didn¡¯t help either. In the end, the staff ended right in front of the leader¡¯s feet, not even touching the boots of the mage. However, that still helped as the young man made a step backward from fright and his spell missed Rob. But only Rob, as an ice shard, which was surprisingly formed in a fast manner, made the green-robed mage scream in pain. Robert didn¡¯t turn around to see the outcome as he was running directly to potentially the strongest opponent.
A few more projectiles were sent to Rob before he managed to get to the leader. He covered his face with his arm, so one just pierced it, getting stuck in gambeson. Others hit the top of the helmet, creating the bell ringing in his ears. The last one missed his face, going in a few centimeters to the right. The fourth one wasn¡¯t cast as Robert rammed the mage, dropping him on the ground. Axe swing followed, but the leader managed to put the staff to block. The metals clashed, leaving a dent on the axe blade. Feeling the lack of time, Robert decided to change the tactic. Hitting one more time, he grabbed the shaft before pulling it up together with the mage. The suddenness of action left the young man open, so Rob didn¡¯t waste an opportunity. The weapon¡¯s blade cut the flesh on the thigh, making the leader weak from pain and dropping all defense.
However, Robert was interrupted by an angry woman¡¯s roar ending the life of the main threat. He wanted to turn around, sensing an incoming danger but wasn¡¯t fast enough. The sharp feel of pain overwhelmed his mind for a moment, halting his thought process until he coughed up a red liquid. Then enormous weakness embraced his body, leaving no strength for any action, even the tiniest one. He desperately tried to move in an attempt to avoid the danger but failed miserably as it was too late.
It took a couple of seconds more to realize that a huge stone spike pierced his back from behind, went through his stomach, and came out bloodied from his belly. The heat from the wound quickly turned into a real torment as he was slowly losing consciousness. Robert was impaled, and immobilized, but nobody wanted to finish him off. From the hazy surroundings, he noticed a running figure of a woman, which leaned toward the laying young man in mere meter from Robert. The leader didn¡¯t look fine as Rob clearly cut one of the arteries, making him quickly lose blood.
¡°Richard, dear, hold on! Everything will be fine! Soon we will break our chains and will be free as you always dreamed! Just don¡¯t give up! I can¡¯t imagine the world without you!¡±
¡°I love you, Laura¡ wish we could see the rise of Magic Sun together¡,¡± his words were weak, slowing with each of them spoken.
¡°Don¡¯t leave me, please¡ I love you too... Derek, where, the hell, are you? I need your help! Now!¡± shouted the woman in panic.
¡°I tried to help John first, but an ice shard had pierced his left eye, and he is unconscious. My own ribs are broken, and I can¡¯t move fast. We need bandages to stop the blood loss, or he will die,¡± answered with heavy voice the old man. Robert couldn¡¯t see him as the sensitivity of his body started to fade. The same situation was with the surroundings ¨C everything became unclear and covered with blur.
¡°Hurry! We don¡¯t have much time¡ Richard, darling, be strong. We can overcome it! We will! We just managed to create our proper magic system, but it is only the beginning. There is so much to discover¡ so much to invent! Your drive pushed our Order to get God¡¯s blessing, to increase our capabilities with mana-flowers, to give us power, to get rid of our slavery position, and to create a world for us that we deserve! But the way ahead is so long¡ I just can¡¯t walk it alone, without you¡ can¡¯t¡¡±
¡°I believe in you¡ you can¡ it¡ love¡ Laura...,¡± last words were barely audible, but the wild scream of a woman, who lost something very precious to her, was thunderous. Before everything went completely dark, he felt as if someone grabbed his jaw. His unfocused sight managed to catch the tearing face of the furious woman. At this point, Rob couldn¡¯t see much. Still, he heard clearly, as she spoke to him.
¡°I will let this world burn to crisps for what you have done to me! Only mages, wielders of genuine magic, will survive the cleansing as new higher beings. And you, lowly worms, servants of pathetic knights¡ Those idiots, who in their own arrogance killed each bright mind just not lose even the smallest portion of their power ¨C all you will die. Inventively, without any treatment, without any salvation. All of you deserve such death! But you, you will get in the afterlife much sooner! Hope your next life will turn you into a filthy slug.¡±
With this harsh ending, Robert felt the knife, pressing against his neck. It deeply pierced his skin, drawing the blood, but in his current state, it barely made any difference. He had tones of thoughts to counter her logic or reasoning, but no real ability to speak. He wasn¡¯t sure she would listen to him in the first place as he was indeed the killer of her lover. Rob didn¡¯t feel any guilt ¨C he was thrown into such circumstances and was not the one, who was responsible for them. With less luck, he could die immediately after appearing in this clearing by the hand of the same young man. Moreover, this group summoned meteor rain, which resulted in the death of thousands. Still, understanding didn¡¯t help to settle his mind in peace. Before the blade pierced his throat, blackening the surroundings, he had one final thought.
What a shitty world! It is indeed not a bad idea to let it burn¡
Chapter 30
Waking up appeared to be an unbearable task. The hazy mind couldn¡¯t focus on his surroundings, even after pushing him to the limit just to half-open his eyes. Robert felt a heavy weight on his chest, which made it hard to breathe, but there was no response from his left arm at all. Mental command to push himself up failed and he for a moment stayed motionless, not knowing what to do. His head couldn¡¯t turn because of an unknown obstacle. The very same that pressed him to the ground. He was blocked and could only see dark something, which looked like fabric from clothes.
Bad premonition quickly raised in his mind as he was trying to move. Only after a few minutes of almost spinning on his back, he managed to get his left arm free. The latter was completely insensitive and behaved like a boneless cord. It took more time to start feeling tingling in it and Robert finally could sigh with relief.
At least it isn¡¯t broken¡ But what the crappy luck ¨C it is the second time I am dumped with dead. Seems my ability to regenerate takes its time to restore from a lethal strike and I don¡¯t differ much from a corpse during this time. Oh, well, now it is not that shocking¡
When Robert managed to set himself free from the bottom of the pit, he didn¡¯t feel good. The experience of unburying himself from around ten corpses wasn¡¯t the nicest thing in life. Rob clearly knew that such things couldn¡¯t happen without consequences in his mentality. It was already showing, as he wasn¡¯t shaken by the fact of wading through the piles of dead. No, what struck him was the familiar face of a woman, who had cut his throat not long ago.
Here goes all that speech about vengeance, the burning world, and the trope of the classic villain, raised from the loss of beloved¡ No, the real world doesn¡¯t give a fuck about your grand goals, ambitions, wishes¡ It doesn¡¯t revolve around you¡ Mere unluckiness in one single event can cross out you from life¡
Robert sighed, dropping to the ground and hugging his knees. He was on the edge of the same clearing, which now changed a lot. The tents and cart disappeared. The magic circle on the ground was destroyed. There were clear signs of another battle. Together with the corpses of unknown men, Rob could clearly see that the mages were attacked again. This time it was soldiers, which didn¡¯t leave a chance for the untrained and wounded group. The magic wielders still somehow managed to take the lives of five before dying themselves. Maybe they were more cautious and started to cast from afar. Rob didn¡¯t know, neither he wanted.
With my role of God''s errand-killer-boy, and only if I survive this one, I am going to visit more worlds. Maybe even more dangerous than everything I have seen here so far. Therefore, I need not only to train more, but I need to push myself more. Could I kill these five mages without dying? Probably, if only I didn¡¯t forget or didn¡¯t underestimate that woman. She clearly had more suns than green-robed, but I just ignored such an obvious fact, pushing her from my mind. Was it because she was a woman? Because she hid in the tent? Whatever the reason, I needed more battle experience in different situations before the latter didn¡¯t become death-threatening from a single mistake. It has to be engraved in my instincts how to act properly. Without a second thought. Without regrets. Without limitations. Only in this way, I can survive and maybe, I hope, maybe can find a time and place to enjoy my life with a hamburger in my mouth.
His self-encouragement ended with a wide smile. Robert understood that for outside observers, if any of them might be here, he looked like a mad person, grinning near the pit with the dead, from which he had crawled less than a minute ago. However, he didn¡¯t care. Rob needed his inner core to be tough, robust, and hard not to crumble under the pressure and hits in this improvised hardening process of facing shitty reality in tough times of war. Therefore, he stood up and started to act. His gambeson was in a pity state, but it was better than nothing. Soldiers had looted everything valuable, including weapons. Robert still searched the dead and surroundings in an attempt to find something useful but didn¡¯t avail. Simultaneously he was thinking about his next step.
It is not an option to hide somewhere. You can¡¯t hide if the whole world soon is going to be fucked up. Moreover, if decide to grow my battle prowess, I can¡¯t do it either. The best solution is to find a knight¡¯s force to join them. Don¡¯t think mages will meet me with open arms when they clearly think about non-mages as lesser beings. Solo survival is definitely a dumb idea that will lead me to death in no time. No, the first thing is to return to the army. Let¡¯s start with the camp.
Creating himself a short-term task, Robert made only a few steps in that direction before suddenly stopping and deciding to check his status. He had a strange irritating feeling that he missed something crucial. But before he managed to focus on his invisible tattoo, it clicked. The blue-purple liquid and mana flower with the same color, which, using the mage¡¯s words, ¡°increased capabilities¡± together with God¡¯s blessings. The latter was only focused on mana regeneration by using unfiltered mana from surroundings, but the former two might have another purpose.
Robert couldn¡¯t miss the simple and familiar action to any gamer - drinking the mana potion. He hadn¡¯t much experience in gaming, but such accustomed mechanics were well spread. It was logical to presume that mana flower was made to restore their energy. The very same leader of this group was drinking it just after casting meteor rain, thus confirming it. Therefore, it had some raw mana in it. However, the question was - what kind of mana? The description of God¡¯s blessing talked about the uncontrolled, forced, and ever-increasing process of sucking ambient mana from the surroundings. The fact about ¡°unfiltered¡± was clearly mentioned.
What if this flower can increase the density of ambient mana¡? Then more mana with unknown properties is going to be pushed into every living being. I don¡¯t know whose blessing it is, but it must be from the aggressor¡¯s side. Without any doubt, the battle for the crown has already started, because I am here. I didn¡¯t notice any strange events, except the war and the sudden increase in the mage¡¯s capabilities. Therefore, it might be it. The main question is what properties are imprinting inside everyone¡ It could be anything from ordinary poison to untreatable illness. Wait! Untreatable ¨C that woman mentioned it. So, in summary, the end of the world could be from magic-planted plague with infection from surroundings¡ Stop, if most of the population can¡¯t use magic, thus no spending mana, thus this ambient mana is literally just excesses of mana, which must disperse in the air, returning to where it came from. The Soul Core wouldn¡¯t fit more mana than it has the capacity for. The theory doesn¡¯t fit ordinary people and will only target mana users. Or¡
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Stopping for a moment to gather his thoughts, Robert summoned his status screen to see if there were any changes. And of course, the new addition appeared in it, immediately downing the mood of Rob.
Envoy of Wepwakor (candidate) ¨C Tier 0
Strength 14 (380 pt.) ¨C 42% of max potential
Agility 13 (345 pt.) ¨C 51% of max potential
Endurance 17 (505 pt.) ¨C 46% of max potential
Toughness 8 (214 pt.) ¨C 51% of max potential
Vitality 10 (259 pt.) ¨C 56% of max potential
Perception 10 (259 pt.) ¨C 75% of max potential
Mind 40 (4¡¯526 pt.) ¨C 38% of max potential
Core 16 (459 pt.) ¨C 100% of max potential
Mana regeneration (7): 1% in apr. 125 seconds
Abilities: Adaptive Growth
Traits: Remolded Brain, God¡¯s Envoy, Spiritual Body, Soul Anchor, External Mana Imbuing, Soul Core Poisoning (temporary)
After seeing his stat number, Robert immediately wanted to break something. He almost missed it ¨C the fact that his Core characteristic dropped by 2 points, while his potential had fallen even more, setting his current state to max possible. Reading the explanation of the new trait explained a lot to him ¨C he was screwed.
Soul Core Poisoning (temporary from God¡¯s actions) ¨C the current surroundings are filled with poisoned ambient mana, which has the artificial property to cling and, in this way, to make additional layers on top of the soul, thus giving the entity more usable mana. On the other hand, natural layers adapted to entity mana are not only forming their capacity but also a protective barrier for the soul, which is shown in the Core stat. However, the pressure of new layers can start to break natural layers, decreasing natural capacity and potential for growth. The loss of the whole barrier can open the soul of the entity to harmful and unpredictable changes. Leaving the poisoned area can help to get rid of unnatural layers but can¡¯t undo the damage that has been already done.
Now Robert knew how mages managed to raise their power so fast. More energy, both simultaneously through a bigger capacity and over time through increased regeneration, enhanced their capabilities by a good margin. Of course, the knights would also get their part, as they also used the very same mana for their skills, thus making already powerful elites even stronger. However, the fate of average Joey was doomed. With low Core stat, natives of this world didn¡¯t have much time before they would be overcharged with mana. The limited knowledge of mana usage because of forceful restrictions to control lower classes would leave no solution for them.
Maybe I can warn everyone? Maybe we have time¡ Shit, who will believe me? Who am I for them? Random militia guy¡ More likely the knights will declare me a spy of mages¡ Fuck! And it can be already too late ¨C the flower is already everywhere after blossoming. I don¡¯t think it is possible to get rid of it at all by now. Moreover, if excesses of mana are working like an additional weight, creating pressure, then the bigger Core you have, the longer you can resist. I already lost 4 points and each next one will only shorten the time for the next drop. Wait, such excesses can¡¯t dissipate, and it would be like a chain reaction. Not sure if I have the opportunity to worry about others¡
At this point, Robert stopped himself as he was just finding excuses. Maybe this world was indeed fucked by class segregation, but ordinary people were not guilty of it. He couldn¡¯t just turn off his empathy to others. He wasn¡¯t a hero, but like most people, he would try to help in critical situations. He needed to try. Rob always could make up the story that he overheard the conversation between two mages about this effect before they noticed him, and he had to run away from them under the barrage of fireballs just to survive. Maybe knights would believe it, maybe not, but at least they would have such info when it would be needed. It was all that Robert could do.
He wasn¡¯t going to fight the knights to get their forbidden knowledge to bring it to the masses. Neither he had strength, nor he had time for that. Not strangely, Rob wanted to live. Therefore, he had to spend mana actively to avoid energy overcharging. The problem was that his single ability was Adaptation, which could be triggered by pushing himself to the physical limits. Another, less ideal option was to get wounded, but not lethally, thus the mana¡¯s excess would be used to heal him. He couldn¡¯t lose consciousness as his latest waking up took enough time for the harmful effect to start its domino effect.
Can I even sleep? What is the speed of its accumulation?
Of course, he didn¡¯t have answers for this. Robert hoped to find them, but right now his search was focused on other things ¨C something sharp. Rummaging through the surroundings, he managed to find the metal hairpin of the dead woman, which was still on her. Sighing again, he tightened the grip before hitting his own thigh with all his strength. The sharp edge pierced the skin and muscles deep, almost hitting the bone. Using all willpower, Rob managed not to scream from the pain. However, he had no real choice right now as he had to get rid of some mana. He couldn¡¯t feel it, but he knew it was there, pushing on his soul in an attempt to crash its defense.
Robert made a few similar wounds before he noticed the drop in regeneration speed. The result made him breathe out with relief. His thigh was still bleeding when he dropped to the ground and started to do push-ups. The pain made it hard to focus, but Rob believed that from now he had to be acquainted with pain if he wanted to live. The next half an hour was spent in exhausting training without any rest. Robert made squats, lunges, crunches for abs, and even tried pull-ups on the nearest tree ¨C everything just to tire himself out and trigger his Adaptation ability. He pushed away the thought of corpses near him, not knowing where he could find another flat clearing for exercising.
Covered with sweat and blood stains, smelling like a mix of dead fish and wet dog, in ragged gambeson, Robert finally stopped when his status screen showed zero mana left. From his calculations, he had around three with a half hour before filling his capacity to fullness. From that point, he would try to make measurements to catch the time needed for excesses of mana to make an impact on his regeneration to find a safe interval between such workouts.
I am like a role model for a sport inspiration video with the personal slogan ¨C ¡°train as if your life depends on it¡±¡ because it literally does, fuck! No rest for the wicked¡ Damn, I want a vacation ¨C sunny beach, cold beer, and girls around. Never had it but according to the movies ¨C it is a great time spent. Obviously better than the cramped camp with hundreds of men. And, of course, right now I need to find the latter¡ Wait! Crap! I forgot to take out that fucking fragment, stuck in my buttock!
Chapter 31
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Chapter 32
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Chapter 33
The zombie shakily stood up, while continuing to stare at the corpse beside it. The back of who happened to be the man in his previous life was covered in tattered clothes with clear spots of red. Its movements were almost mechanical, unnaturally jerky. Zombie¡¯s head was still titled down as if the poor victim in front of it captured the whole attention. However, another shout made it twitch. In the next second, the creature slowly started to turn its face, while the rest of the body stayed motionless. For a moment, Robert thought that it would break its own neck, but the thought died out when he noticed the eyes. Glowing blue-purple eyes, which were shining through messy long hair that covered everything.
¡°You! Answer me¡,¡± repeated the soldier, gripping his axe tighter. The bloodied hands of the zombie and its creepy appearance made his voice squeak in the end, but the weapon gave him enough confidence to stay calm.
The zombie moaned before loudly smacking its lips. Robert didn¡¯t know how he heard that ¨C maybe it was ominous silence everywhere or he was too focused to miss any action from possible monsters. However, he was damn sure it was exactly that doing ¨C as if the creature saw them in a role of the best treat.
¡°Don¡¯t let it bite you! Better keep it at a distance,¡± Rob warned his comrade, while hastily swapping his axe with a mace, ¡°And aim at the head!¡±
¡°Why? What are talking about?¡± The soldier looked at Rob with an expression of confusion.
¡°Fuck! Be careful!¡±
At the very same moment, when he turned his attention to Robert, the zombie moved. The first step was quite slow, but the next one was faster as if it was rapidly accelerating. The hand, covered in red liquid, was already stretched forward in an attempt to grab the soldier. Zombie moaned again before a new sound emerged from its mouth.
¡°Hel¡,¡± a violent cough stopped it from continuing its odd roar. Familiar glowing patterns covered its body, making the eyes flare up as two purple torches. Zombie immediately stopped its tracks and dropped to the ground, convulsing in a fit.
¡°Are you alright?¡± the soldier rushed over to the fallen creature only to stop at two meters, not willing to touch it.
¡°He might be ill¡ I suggest you don¡¯t touch him,¡± Robert quickly found a reasonable cause for being cautious.
¡°Not a chance I am doing it,¡± nodded the warrior, before focusing on the zombie again. The latter finally stopped coughing and was lying in exhaustion. The moans that came from it sounded like the creature was in pain. Both his comrade and Rob stood nearby, not willing to check this thing, but at the same not wanting to leave it behind or use the weapon without absolute confidence. This stalemate continued for a full minute before being broken by the zombie itself.
¡°Help me¡,¡± the man¡¯s voice was weak and barely audible, but it was definitely sapient and came not from a brainless creature.
Not zombie? Damn! Here comes my theory¡
¡°My wife¡ I tried everything, but the blood just didn¡¯t stop¡ I didn¡¯t want to do it, but she tried to kill me¡ it¡¯s not my fault¡,¡± the more he talked the faster words came out, as a non-stop torrent after breaking the dam. However, soon the words started to turn into absolute gibberish as if the man had a fever. His messy hair fell back, opening the face of a middle-aged man with deep wrinkles and a short beard. From another careful inspection, Robert didn¡¯t find any visible wounds and even blood on his hands seemed to be indeed from the dead woman. Overall, quite skinny, with noticeable calluses from hard work, and without few fingers, he looked ordinary. Only his blue-purple eyes were the sole exception, but even they dimmed by a lot after the initial glow.
¡°What do you think?¡± asked the soldier, keeping his distance from the mumbling man on the ground.
¡°It looks like later stages of the same illness with a glowing cough. Fever, oddity with eyes. Better to call someone with the same symptoms for a checkup ¨C they are already infected, but maybe we are not. Even if we are, close contact may speed up the process, which I would like to avoid personally by any means. Moreover, his illness doesn¡¯t answer questions about what has happened here. Plus we need to check the body of the woman to see what has caused the death ¨C maybe it can lead to something,¡± after giving some thought, answered Robert.
¡°Oh, you are smart, I see. Good. Don¡¯t know these words ¨C sympytams, and infeectan. Great that at least someone can figure out in this fuckery, when the commander knight has already opened his death door and others can¡¯t decide anything together. Maximillian,¡± ending with his name, the soldier stretched his arm for a handshake.
His sincere smile after accepting his own ignorance for a moment disoriented Robert, who wasn¡¯t expecting this. Rob paused, before finally smiling back and putting his mace in his other hand to answer the gesture. However, it was exactly that moment, when ¡°zombie¡¯s¡± eyes flashed with purple light, and everything went wrong. The body of the man, which was on the ground, moved with a lightning-fast speed, jumping on the distracted warrior. The latter still managed to react on pure instincts, avoiding glowing nails with sharp edges, which had grown by a noticeable margin after getting a similar visual effect to the knight¡¯s weapon.
¡°It was your fault!¡± with a wild scream man made another swing but was met with a shield. Reinforced with metal edges wooden surface barely managed to hold the glowing nails that almost cut through. Still, Maximilian didn¡¯t panic as he was already attacking with an axe. The blade of the latter broke the arm of the madman and got stuck in it. Another glow of patterns followed and ¡°zombie¡± with unnatural strength pushed apart both soldier¡¯s arms before jumping forward with opened mouths. The flash of light might have blinded Maximillian as he couldn¡¯t react this time. The teeth tore apart his throat before Rob¡¯s mace broke the spine of a madman.
¡°Fuck!¡±
The scene of two convulsing bodies made Robert stare at them in a slightly shocked state. He was ready from the beginning when he saw the strange behavior of a madman, but his incorrect assumption made him lower a guard in the end. It was especially hard to watch a rapidly fading light in Maximilian¡¯s eyes ¨C the blood loss from such a wound didn¡¯t leave any chances. Robert sighed again before focusing on the futile attempts of the madman to stand up. The glowing pattern had already disappeared, and the man again started to plead for help, but Rob just raised his mace silently before dropping it down a few times.
¡°Here is your help. You are welcome, bastard!¡± The blood spattered on his face from a cracked skull. Still, the anger inside him didn¡¯t want to depart. He had to breathe in and out a few times to calm himself somehow.
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I need to think with a cold mind about what was that. First¡
His thought was interrupted as a loud commotion broke inside the carpenter¡¯s house. Looking one more time at two corpses, Rob immediately rushed toward them, but it appeared that the unfolding events didn¡¯t want to miss him too. From the nearest window, the body in brigantine armor flew out. Landing in a few meters, it moaned from the pain, as the impact appeared to be quite strong. However, he didn¡¯t have time to recover from it ¨C a figure was already jumping out, glowing with familiar patterns. With a shout of unclear gibberish, ¡°zombie¡± stopped for a moment before finally finding its victim. However, Rob¡¯s appearance captured its attention, setting him as a new target.
To Robert¡¯s surprise, the infection was fast. Very fast. Illuminating dark surroundings by itself, it started the attack with a straightforward swing, which Rob barely avoided by ducking under. His simultaneous thrust crashed the knee of the ¡°zombie¡±, dropping it to the ground. Still, it didn¡¯t stop the barrage of attacks at all, as the infected continued its assault despite the wound. With another glow, it almost pushed it in the high jump just using a single leg. Robert had to cover himself with the shield, which ended in a few holes in it. Nails seemed to be imbued with mana, copying the knight¡¯s dangerous ability.
Another sweeping blow cut through the air as a lighting. Rob¡¯s savior this time was an instinctive step to the side, but he didn¡¯t have time to celebrate as it wasn¡¯t the last one. Using his shield, Robert managed to counter the next strike from the start, limiting the motion of the hand. Another kick in the ¡°zombie¡¯s¡± stomach helped to create some distance during the swing. The nails flew in a few centimeters before his face, sending noticeable shivering through the whole body after realizing the closeness of danger.
The patterns almost dimmed, making ¡°zombie¡± pause and Robert immediately went offensive. Hitting with the edge of his shield, he broke the nose of the infected and threw the opponent to the ground again. Stomping on the second knee several times until he heard a clear crack, Rob added one more hit with mace before finally stepping back and checking the damage. He was surprised to see that it was crying from pain and didn¡¯t try to stand up at all.
¡°Please, stop¡ Why are you doing it? I beg you to spare me¡ I haven¡¯t done anything¡,¡± the weak and slightly high voice of who happened to be a big-framed teenager shocked Robert, making to stop him.
¡°Kill that thing!¡± a shout from the back made Rob turn around only to see the fallen soldier, who was sitting on the ground and treating his cut on the arm with some rag. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to it. It just waiting for another opportunity to strike ¨C we have the same situation inside. Kill it now!¡±
Nodding after a short pause, Robert gripped his mace tighter before stepping forward. At this exact moment, patterns on the ¡°zombie¡¯s¡± body shined, pushing the infected in motion again. The stretched arm pierced through the shield, fortunately going above Rob¡¯s handle and got stuck. Before the attacker tried to free it, Robert''s fist hit the jaw of the zombie. After a few more punches, he managed to loosen the ties on his arm and threw ¡°zombie¡± on the ground. The mace ended the deed, finally killing the creature. Yes, the creature, as Rob didn¡¯t see them as humans ¨C nobody could do such stunts with broken bones.
If they aren''t zombies, they are pretty close to them in one thing - complete ignorance of pain. Hmm, they look like more infected with a magic variation of rabies. Those glowing patterns might indicate the state of mana charge of the infected, when they can use imbuing of their bodies to increase strength, and speed and even to cut through objects. But when they spent their mana, they seemed to partly recover their conciseness for a limited time, while returning to a before-infected state of physique¡ This might be it as it correlates with the ambient mana-sucking process, the consequences of breaking the soul¡¯s defense, and possible changes from it. Well, it would be better if they were just zombies. Crash the heads, while don¡¯t getting bitten sounds better than avoiding fast-moving madmen with all-cutting claw nails¡ Shit, and I prayed for vampires. What an idiot!
The shouts from the street made Robert hastily return to reality as if nothing was over. He didn¡¯t know how many of those things were hidden inside the ominous settlement. At least he was sure that if everyone was ready for the threat, their group had a good chance to fight through. Proper-geared soldiers with melee combat skills had more abilities to survive than average villagers. Even against those infected by rabies, good organization and coordination could work well. They had weapons to get a distance advantage. They knew how to battle in ranks to attack the same target simultaneously. They didn¡¯t need to hurry. Therefore, it could work out. Of course, if nothing went wrong. And naturally, when Rob ran to the main street, which went directly through the village and was the center point of their search, he found a complete mess.
The scene unfolded before he showed an absolute lack of any proper coordination. Most of the surviving warriors fought for their own lives, not having any opportunity to help others. The mumbling religious lunatic was lying motionless near the bloody remnants of what seemed to be an old knight. It was hard to guess identity in such a state, so Robert wasn¡¯t totally sure if it was indeed a wounded leader who wasn¡¯t able to recover from his last sleep or one of his servants. His guards killed the maniac, but it was possibly already too late as that loud commotion brought all attention to the group, making all infected rush to this place.
Fortunately, it seemed those ¡°zombies¡± didn¡¯t tolerate even each other with their aggressive behavior as not only did they rush in limited numbers, but also fought between themselves. Two of them ¨C woman and man ¨C were tearing each other with glowing nails, spattering the blood all over the place. Robert saw only the end of the fight when the woman managed to pierce the eye socket with her finger, immediately killing her opponent only to die a few moments later from the sword of the nearest soldier.
The problem was that the latter had glowing patterns all over the body. Rob realized it was the same warrior, who gave a speech about the need to walk to the village. His cough turned into a full-scale infection, effectively turning him into another madman, but worse. Armed with a weapon and skills to use it, clad in armor, with added strength, his next swing went around the defense of his former comrade, deeply cutting into flesh.
There was another infected soldier, fighting against two warriors. This time the result was the opposite as they both were clearly overwhelming him. However, the jumping attack from behind tripped one of them, which gave the armed ¡°zombie¡± the possibility to focus on a single target. The axe, accelerated by muscles imbued with mana, went through the shield with ease, cutting the hand in the process. The soldier screamed from a mixture of pain and anger but still managed to thrust his sword into the stomach of the madman. That wasn¡¯t enough as the latter just stepped back, easily avoiding the hit. However, at the same time, he ended open for Robert¡¯s mace that bent his helmet, finally dropping him to the ground.
¡°We need to stay together. Let¡¯s move into¡,¡± Rob started to shout for everyone, but a wave of pain interrupted him as the soldier, who he just saved a moment ago for some stupid reason decided to hit him with the sword. The shaky blade almost missed his face as he somehow managed to react. Almost. The tip sharp edge of it still cut through Robert¡¯s chin, crushing the bone and making the world go dark for a second.
¡°Stop! I am on your side!¡±
He cried, or he thought he did as nothing comprehensible came from a broken jaw. On the other hand, he sounded like a real wild beast, pushing the soldier into continuing his assault. Therefore, Rob had to react in the same manner, stopping the sword with his mace. The hard block shook both hands, leaving a noticeable chip on the blade. His second hand was already taking the hanging axe from the waist, while his body was moving forward. His shoulder bashed into the turned-to-be enemy¡¯s chest before he head-butted the nose of this idiot. Both wore open helmets without visor and nose protection, which resulted in screams of pain from the soldier. The faint hit from the mace distracted the opponent, giving the axe a possibility to end the fight by penetrating his face with a small pick on the other side of the axe blade.
Stop! Why the fuck did I kill him? I¡ Nope, he attacked first and was going for a kill himself. Gather your shit, Robert! Nothing is over!
Chapter 34
The chaotic battle resulted in most of the meteor¡¯s rain survivors dead. Robert somehow managed to break through to the nearest building where he tried to organize the defense. Few soldiers even followed him, while others went to another place in an attempt to save themselves. A limited zone of protection helped a lot as madmen quickly turned to each other, channeling their aggressiveness to the nearest target. Still, that didn¡¯t put them in a safe position as some of them continued to attack them.
By this point, Rob got a few more wounds when imbued with mana nails cut through his brigantine armor. He lost a few fingers on the right hand, which were bitten off by one of the ¡°zombies¡±, effectively crippling his combat skills as neither had he ambidexterity, nor he had trained with his left limb. He got deep scratches on his face and was almost blinded in one eye while losing the helmet in the process. Robert wasn¡¯t even sure that it was all ¨C his body felt pain everywhere, while the blood loss also didn¡¯t help. Maybe his ribs were broken as he couldn¡¯t breathe properly. It was fortune that his covered-by-blood figure wasn¡¯t mistaken again as another ¡°zombie¡± by his allies. It might be because they were not better themselves.
Robert was sure that the village contained not more than a hundred infected, but it happened to be enough to bury a tired group. If they were ¡°real¡± movie zombies, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. However, fast and strong opponents, who could use weapons and fight properly with complete disregard for their own survival instincts and pain, turned out to be terrible enemies. Moreover, the infection seemed to be already spread among the soldiers, which added the ranks of ¡°zombies¡± with even more dangerous individuals, often in a very bad moment. Even their infighting didn¡¯t help that much.
Another thing that Robert noticed was the ability to speed up the infection by hitting with mana-imbued nails, because they were literally filled with ambient mana, which created not only the effect of cutting through everything but also pushed this energy inside the flesh. It was quite obvious, but Rob failed to notice it straight away. Especially how effective it turned out to be in such a matter.
Overall, it led to brutal and unsuccessful fighting against the overwhelming opponent. The opponent, who could replace their ranks with your own ally at any moment. Robert managed to create an improvised barricade from corpses in the doorframe he defended. However, without the ability to rest, wounded, tired, and having no way out, it was only a matter of time before they died. Of course, Robert could rely on his regeneration to return, but it wasn¡¯t guaranteed that he wouldn¡¯t get a really lethal hit before that. Moreover, he even saw how the ¡°zombie¡± continued to strike the already dead warrior until its head turned into meat paste. Therefore, he struggled until the end, not willing to give up.
His clenched fist without a few fingers still could hit quite hard in exchange for another wave of pain. Despite that price, Robert punched with it without any remorse, pushing away an infected woman. Her twisted angry face was already covered with blood and another hit only added to the horrible image, knocking out front teeth. That stopped her assault for just a second before she tried to knock him to the ground. However, Robert¡¯s axe prevented any actions when it deeply went into her chest. Her stretched hands still managed to grab his neck, but there was no strength in it. Before he could shove her away, someone clung to his leg, almost dropping him on the ground.
A quick glance downwards showed a crawling infected, who was lying underneath other corpses. How he had managed to squeeze through an improvised barricade was a big question to which Robert didn¡¯t need to know the answer. His two swings finished both enemies, and he stepped back for a few seconds to check his surroundings. Five bodies were piled over each other, partly blocking the entrance. Another body hung through the small window frame on the left side, when ¡°zombie¡± wanted to flank him. Despite the stupidity of such an attempt, it cost Robert the usability of his right hand, as such distraction created an opportunity for the main entrance to be almost breached.
One of his comrades, who was protecting other windows earlier, had disappeared. Either he left, or he was pulled out ¨C the outcome for Robert was the same. The second one was leaning on the wall with his hands, covering a terrible wound on his neck. He tried to speak, but no words came. All his looks showed huge panic and unwillingness to die. Trembling hands were trying to stop the blood loss. However, often no matter the effort, it might be not enough. Rob made a first step towards him in an attempt to calm the man before certain death. Maybe to lie about a guaranteed good future. Or at least to stay with him in the last minutes.
All his good intentions failed miserably when Robert almost fell down. While his body was moving, fueled by self-preservation instinct, he didn¡¯t feel anything critical. The pain was in the background and was a factor of motivation to continue instead of disturbance. However, after this short stop, it was as if someone switched his state. Every single wound and bruise, complete exhaustion and blood loss ¨C everything dropped onto him in one moment, almost crushing him under pressure. Even his tattered armor pulled him down just with its pure weight. The slightest movement took enormous will to execute, while simultaneously taking it pay from the body.
Rob took a few deep breaths to gather his strength before taking another step. His dying comrade was still looking at him without blinking, filled with conflicting emotions. Robert managed to shorten the distance between them by a half when both heard a sound. Turning around, he saw that the wooden wall was being cut by something with a familiar glow. The latter in some cases looked like real claws of the beast. Returning his eyes to a wounded soldier, he saw silently moving lips, which seemed to be whisper ¨C ¡°hide¡±.
Robert nodded with sincere gratitude before hastily dropping on the floor. He almost rolled under a narrow bed, making it at the last moment. The chips of wood flew all over the place, creating a proper scene for a ¡°zombie¡±, who barged in. The sound of heavy steps sounded like a drum to him. Each was like a loud bang, throwing his heart rate in disorder. Rob tried to slow his pulse by calming down, but not to avail. Each weighty step was followed by chaotic beats of his own heart. For him, they were clear as a day. Same as his breath ¨C both seemed to be too loud to miss. However, Robert pushed away such thoughts. He stayed motionless while trying to focus on controlling his body. That didn¡¯t help much as in his state and with the gravity of his wounds, such inner concertation only raised the feeling of pain. His limited viewing angle showed him a dying comrade, whose sacrifice might give him a chance to live longer. Rob was sure that right now he couldn¡¯t fight properly. That assumption was only strengthened when he noticed sabbotons. The knight¡¯s sabbaton.
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Only an axe, which he held in his left arm, partly helped with his mental state. Robert thanked his luck that by this world¡¯s standards, he was short and lean, thus helping him to hide more easily. Another relief came when a refreshing wave brought energy to his beaten body. His injuries didn¡¯t disappear, but at least he could move now. It wasn¡¯t enough to make a proper fight against the infected knight though. That¡¯s why he continued to stare in front of him, seeing as life was leaving his ally¡¯s body.
The metal boots stopped right in front of the dying soldier. However, before the ¡°zombie¡± had finished Rob¡¯s comrade, the latter again whispered something silently. As if it didn¡¯t bring needed attention of the infected, the soldier turned his head to Robert¡¯s place of hiding. Moreover, he dropped his hand in the same direction, literally pointing at it with his finger. In the next moment, a blade pierced through his chest, ending the life of the soldier. Unfortunately, the situation didn¡¯t resolve there as the sabbotons started to approach Rob¡¯s position.
What a bastard! I thought you told me to hide! Treachery asshole!
Before Robert thought about a possible way of action, the knight leaped. Acting by instincts, Rob hastily rolled out from his cover only to crash into mana-imbued greaves, effectively killing all of his inertia and force. He felt like he hit a heavy rock as the glowing armor didn¡¯t even shake from the collision. It still saved him as the longsword of the knight went through the bed exactly where his body was previously. However, Robert didn¡¯t have an opportunity to celebrate.
Continuing to move by sheer instinct, he wanted to distance himself from the enemy. Not managing to drop the knight on the floor, he tried to squeeze himself between his legs, not finding any better solution. The mana-filled armor ate kinetic energy from hits for breakfast, additionally giving a tremendous level of defense to its owner. Therefore, Rob¡¯s attempt to flee was quite logical. The problem was that the infection wasn¡¯t going to stand still. Robert ended up being stuck between man¡¯s legs when his shoulders didn¡¯t manage to get through. He was on his knees right in front of the knight, while his exposed back was almost begging for a sword.
¡°FUCK YOU!¡±
Feeling the urgency of the moment, Rob dropped his axe and grabbed the knight¡¯s sabbotons. Planting his feet on the floor, he shouted like a crazy beast, while simultaneously pushing his body up. The enormous weight of a trained knight in full plate armor tried to press him back, but he continued to move while roaring. His improvised deep squat ended in him literally pushing the knight upside down. Still, the wounds and sheer weight stopped him from completing the motion before he dropped his baggage to the side. The sound of impact and something breaking made him haste his actions and jump to the side, before finally turning back in search of his weapon. Robert was sure he could run away.
The scene that opened before his eyes looked like the dumbest luck he had ever seen. The knight, who obviously turned out to be the same old Sir Henry, was only half-equipped in armor. After being wounded in a duel and injured by a religious lunatic, he wasn¡¯t in the best shape at all. Drenched in blood, he looked like a real zombie. Taking into account all the damage his body had taken; it was really surprising he could even walk.
I guess this infection can make those mad ¡°zombies¡± use their own bodies to full capacity, disregarding any inner safety measures.
That resulted in a slow reaction when Robert pushed his legs up. The knight didn¡¯t manage to put his hands in an attempt to stop the fall, preferring to focus on the sword. Therefore, when his head crshed into the edge of the bed, nothing was there to support the neck. It bent unnaturally, right before Rob couldn¡¯t handle the weights and dropped it to the side. That only added pressure on it, leading to the immediate and quite stupid death of the knight.
Robert stood there for a full minute, trying to process everything. In the end, he just sighed before checking the village through the nearest window. All commotion by this moment had already died out. He was sure there were probably more survivors, as well as infected, but he wasn¡¯t willing to search for them. All he wanted was to find water. His throat was dry as desert and almost burned. It didn¡¯t take long to find a jug in a corner. The taste was wonderful. Fresh, and cold, it gave a filling of life, helping to set his mental state in order.
The next step was to get a proper rest to give his regeneration ability needed time to kick in, healing all the damage. Robert had thought of changing the location but forcefully pushed it aside. He had no strength for any search in such conditions, so he chose the very same spot underneath the bed, now with the company of the dead knight near him that he used as a cover from the eyes of possible guests. Such surroundings were unhelpful in creating a feeling of calmness or peace in his mind, but at least it gave some safety measures not to die in sleep. The thought that it was not even the second time he was spending a night near corpses made him smile bitterly. It still took him a lot to dive into darkness and finally get his wished rest. Fortunately, there were no dreams as exhaustion took its toll.
He woke up in the late morning when the sun was already shining through all possible openings. The heavy smell of blood and shit attacked his senses immediately, but Robert still lay some time without moving, trying to listen to the surroundings. All he got was the sound of the wind, the creak of hinges, and the deathly atmosphere. The corpses stayed in the same places, only starting to show first signs of rot. His hiding place still looked like a place of massacre, but this unchanging scene only made Robert sigh with relief, as nobody seemed to visit him while he slept.
Welcome to another day in paradise! Cheer up, Robert! Let¡¯s find out what fucked-up crap it will bring today!
Chapter 35
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Chapter 36
The crackling sound in a fireplace created a cozy atmosphere, despite the shabby surroundings of the abandoned house. They spent some time to find the building big enough to accommodate everyone, while not being filled with corpses. At least the downpour was long over, and the sun was already rising in the sky, sending its light everywhere and finally ending a horrible night.
William pitied the loss of Molly. The young drake wasn¡¯t his and was borrowed by Marquise Blueriver, but it didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t feel anything. On the contrary, the beast was quite friendly to him and really loved to play. The reason for it could be an age and little-to-no experience in fights, except training. However, exactly the latter led to a positive outcome. Molly didn¡¯t deserve to die, especially in a stupid fight against his own friend. Despite not knowing Robert for long, William indeed saw him as a friend. This whole situation created such a mess, that just thinking about it made him feel a headache. However, his life always had similar vibes.
His father was banished from the family because of his love for a magician only to be killed by an envious brother, who wanted to secure his accession to the desired position of power and authority. His mother¡¯s life was also taken in the same ambush. Soon, grandfather followed them in an afterlife, ending all of William¡¯s ties with the former family household. Grown under the watchful eye of his father¡¯s friend in a distant village, he somehow managed to meet Sophie, resulting in his goals ¨C to rise to knighthood with his own strength, to marry her, and to take revenge on his uncle.
Maybe that was the reason why he kept his distance from others. The distance that was easily breached by Robert. The skinny, weak, short man with scars all over his body and no knowledge of basic things. He was an oddity like William himself. Training like maniac, pushing himself to the limits, he had set an example for William. It might look strange to others, but William knew that he was gifted. Very gifted. It could be a mixture of lineages, but he was always strong, be it the physique or melee skills. Moreover, he was trained by an experienced knight. He was almost on par with regular knights even before getting the spirit stone.
However, only Robert managed to show him what the real dedication was. William was very proud of his daily routine, but he was nowhere near pushing over his limits. The limits, that guy named Stick easily broke a few times per day. Their spars, which quickly transformed from lazy warm-ups to the actual need to be focused not to lose his mark. Everything about Robert was strange.
His story is about the dream, where he commanded hundreds of metal warriors. Or his untold restrictions. Or even a grand goal to live just to enjoy life. It looked childishly for William at first, especially after Monk¡¯s death. He thought the higher position could lead him to change something, not only getting his goals achieved. However, after the massacre in the cursed village, where he thought everyone had died, he finally understood that the end goal was just the first part. Rob¡¯s words about enjoyment echoed in his mind, pushing his goals further. Not to marry Sophie, but to live a life full of happiness with her.
Fortunately, William managed to save Baron¡¯s life. That led to long-awaited knighthood as a reward and the ball, which ended frankly not how he expected it would. Everything started with news about Sophie¡¯s marriage. That was later confirmed by her father, who was shaken no less than William himself, as it turned out to be her personal decision. She almost ran away with another man, and strongly refused to leave him, not coming to the ball, and kept staying in his mansion. Therefore, the first love died on its own as it often happened.
William felt empty-hearted for some sometime before managing to gather himself. Still, his uncle thought it was a good idea to mock him at that moment, resulting in a death duel after short bickering. Most of the present nobles betted on the older and more experienced knight but adding spirit stone pushed William''s power much further ¨C to the starting point of the great knight. The killing blow in the form of an energy blast cut through armor, immediately sending his relative to hell ¨C the most suitable place for that asshole. The latter appeared to have no relation by blood with William.
Marquise Blueriver, whose drake he had taken, told him that William¡¯s real father was a Duke¡¯s son. The duke just ordered his subordinate to take in his son¡¯s bastard as his own. That news shocked William a lot, but the shock didn¡¯t end there as later Angela found him. The young magician, who he had to admit was quite a beauty, was searching for newly raised knights in an attempt to warn about future mage¡¯s revolt. Soon their conversation changed direction into other topics, both clearly enjoying the company of each other.
That made William realize how childish his view of everything was. Na?ve thinking about their relationship with Sophie, which was crushed by a harsh reality. He was aiming at something that was solely in his mind. An ideal picture from an imagination. The ball changed everything. Crossed out everything. The betrayal of a loved one, who appeared to be not her. The death of an uncle, who wasn¡¯t his uncle. The known fate of the ordinary knight now could meet new threats if information about the identity of his real grandfather were leaked. The nearing end of the war might be only a prelude to even more blood. That ball was indeed long and eventful. Fateful.
Therefore, William had set new goals for himself. He wanted power to change the world for good. The experience in the militia opened his eyes to the life of non-nobles. His own past, his mother¡¯s fate, and Angela''s stories told about the treatment of mages. The news about future revolt while the current war was in the process only strengthened his belief. He needed power to change the world order. He couldn¡¯t do it with just pure strength. William needed to be an example for others. To be a figure that everyone saw as worthy by all. He, the son of a mage and knight, rose from the bottom and aimed to become the legendary archiknight.
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That was the reason why he was meeting with Angela here, at this time. They both wanted to stop an upcoming all-out war between mages and knights. Moreover, only magic could help him raise his power faster to get a position to speak with Dukes. However, somehow it almost ended badly as Robert appeared in most unfortunate times. Right now, his former squad mate was lying in bed in a deep sleep and not showing any signs of waking up.
¡°I still think it is a bad idea to help him. He might be one of the infected. If information from experiments is correct, the closer you are to places of abundant magic usage, the faster you going to turn into mad berserk,¡± Angela cutely wrinkled her nose, making William smile.
¡°What you are looking at?¡± feeling his gaze, she blushed but didn¡¯t avert her face.
¡°You are beautiful, Angela. And no, I don¡¯t think Robert is infected. He is a tough guy,¡± William said, not even blinking. His direct compliment made the mage lower her head in an attempt to hide, which led him to another stupid grin.
¡°Oh, wow, Aspen is flirting. Now I saw everything!¡± Rob¡¯s voice broke the short silence, turning the attention to his persona. He was already sitting in his bed and grinning with a wide smile. His covered with stubble face didn¡¯t hide a terrible scar, which went from the right eye down through the whole cheek. The fallen blanket opened the view of a muscular, but lean body with tens of old marks from different wounds, varied from blades and burns to results of being chewed. The short black hair was in a familiar mess, but his deep green eyes were shining with energy despite the injury. Even more, the look radiated inner confidence.
¡°She is indeed a beauty. Good pick, Aspen!¡± Robert nodded after a short inspection. This time the compliment triggered an angry expression, and Rob had to add hastily, ¡°Okay-okay, relax. I am not going for you. You are William¡¯s!¡±
¡°How are you, Stick?¡± William quickly asked to change the topic before Angela would skin someone alive.
¡°Good. I am hard to kill, despite the efforts of your overgrown lizard to eat me,¡± told Robert, while making a rotary motion with his left arm, ¡°I am sorry for killing it. At that moment I didn¡¯t know it was yours. Just wanted to save my ass¡ Or hand? And, Miss Mage, sorry for killing your coachman. It was a misunderstanding¡¡±
¡°Misunderstanding? Just misunderstanding? You killed Walter and we haven¡¯t done anything to you!¡± Angela yelled but was interrupted by calm and even cold Robert¡¯s voice.
¡°You ¨C no. But other mages had set a whole battlefield aflame, after bombarding it with blazing rocks. I survived by sheer luck only to be targeted later by fireballs, stone spikes, and even lightning strikes. I didn¡¯t want to risk my life to ask are you friendly or not. He was holding a magic staff; thus he was an enemy at that time. Bad luck for him.¡±
¡°You, bastard! Bad luck, you say¡ I will¡¡±
¡°Angela, calm down, please. It was indeed bad luck. I saw the results of the battlefield with my own eyes ¨C thousands died there from the magic attack. I can understand why Robert acted like that,¡± William tried to reason with her, but she just left the room with a loud door slam, ¡°Sorry about that. This meeting started badly.¡±
¡°Yeah. I was on emotions too ¨C those zombies¡ I mean infected¡ went crazy in one moment, making another massacre. Pure madness,¡± Rob sighed.
¡°You know that I saw you lying dead with throat cut in that village,¡± suddenly William told after a short silence.
¡°Oh, that might have looked gross, I believe. But I am indeed hard to kill,¡± Robert shrugged,
¡°Still the experience after that wasn¡¯t pleasant in the slightest. I woke up in a pit with other corpses, including Wolf¡¯s¡ Killed every fucking man, who did it to us. There was even a knight. Quite young. Luckily not skillful¡,¡± Not stopping for a moment, Rob just continued to tell what happened to him in an attempt to break possible mistrust from his single friend in this world. That gave results as soon questions followed, which later turned to sarcastic comments or direct mockery.
¡°Hey, I bet you were not better!¡± Robert tried to defend, so William ended up telling his part of the story. Somewhere in the middle of a conversation, they had to invite Angela inside, as the girl was silently listening to them from the other side of the door, thinking she was well hidden.
¡°Well, fuck, now I feel like a real peasant in the presence of his majesty,¡± that was all that Robert managed to tell, ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan? How can I help you?¡±
¡°We don¡¯t need your help!¡± Angela reacted first, almost shouting.
¡°Good, we indeed need some help!¡± William¡¯s reply sounded simultaneously with the magician but was filled with joy.
¡°Hey, why do we need an ordinary soldier?¡± Angela immediately got indignant.
¡°Because he almost killed your group? Because he has abnormal regeneration ¨C his arm just half a day ago was unusable, but right now is completely fine? Because we lack melee combatants, apart from me and the other two knights I managed to recruit during the ball with the help of Marquise? Because he is my friend? I think it is enough to ask for help by ourselves,¡± A sincere answer from William left Angela speechless as she couldn¡¯t find a proper counterargument.
¡°I am still sure it is a bad idea. He can turn into those mad things any time. He can¡¯t use mana to disperse it. I am surprised he managed to hold for so long. That¡¯s why it is a threat. No offense,¡± Angela explained.
¡°None taken. It is true. However, I just need to move a lot to prolong my current state. Plus, the moment I will turn in berserk, just leave me behind. If it can help you, and maybe even me, I will gladly help. I am sure that the reason for the meeting between mage and knight isn¡¯t just ordinary romance. No, you definitely have a plan. Angela knows too much about this magic rabies not to use it properly,¡± Robert squinted his eyes while looking at both.
¡°You are correct. We indeed have a plan¡ and yes, we need help to achieve it.¡± Angela sighed, finally surrendering after seeing a clear resolution on William¡¯s face.
¡°Tell me more! Nope, wait¡ I want to chew something while listening. Yes, my stomach begs for food, so¡ Hey, why are you leaving? We are having a very serious discussion here! Don¡¯t leave me hungry!¡±
Chapter 37
Robert was tying the straps on armor when William approached with a bowl of porridge. Feeling the smell, Rob barely managed to hold his belly from growling but didn¡¯t want to stop in the middle of the process. It was already the midday of the next day when they finally halted their journey for long-awaited rest. During all this time, he was running near the carriage, which led to an endless torrent of mockery and insults from Angela and two other mages, which they tried to keep between themselves, but failed. He understood it was the result of Walter¡¯s death by his hand, but there was no way to reverse the time. Moreover, Robert wasn¡¯t sure how it would end if he wasn¡¯t the first to act. It could be his corpse to be buried in the yard of that cursed village. Therefore, he had no regrets. Of course, such an attitude only led to more problems in communication.
¡°Thanks,¡± Rob took the bowl after finally finishing fixing the varmbrace on his arm. Right now, he was equipped in the ordinary helmet without visor, but with nose protection, brigandine armor with the addition of neck defense ¨C gorget, leather gloves, and short greaves, which started from the knee and went downwards up to leather boots. Some parts were reinforced with metal plates as it was with brigandine, but overall it wasn¡¯t on the same level as the knight¡¯s full plate armor. There were gaps. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t even that light. Only fictional leather from mystical creatures could give free movement and was as light as cloth, but the real one wasn¡¯t so generous in terms of comfort.
¡°You know you could take the armor of the fallen knight,¡± William said, pointing at the leather varmbrace.
¡°If only¡ I am quite short in comparison to everyone, and it just doesn¡¯t fit. Always a problem to find the proper equipment. That only becomes harder when I take into account how shitty the metal is ¨C it easily breaks. What the point of defense that couldn¡¯t last for long?¡±
¡°This problem comes from the need to imbue energy inside the steel. There is a law that tells - everything has to be made from such material, but it downgrades properties of material greatly. At least that is what I heard from my master. Nobody speaks about it. However, I do know that each batch of steel is tested attentively,¡± William explained with a frown.
¡°Makes sense,¡± Robert nodded after quick consideration, ¡°The rule of knights has to be protected. Even by the cost of shitty steel. Or lives of others.¡±
¡°Yeah. And that''s what I want to change!¡±
¡°Aspen, are sure you can become an archiknight there?¡± Robert asked, looking directly at William in an attempt to see any doubts or hesitation. There was none. Instead, he was met with a wide smile and counter-question.
¡°Stick, are sure you can run all the way there?¡±
¡°Oh, I sure do! I am feeling like a boiling pot, which needs to spend extra heat all the time not to pour out. Running indeed helps!¡± Robert grinned while starting to eat. They spoke for some time with William before Angela called him. Rob had to finish his bowl alone, ignoring her comment about being an ¡°uncultured gnome¡± only because of Aspen. He wasn¡¯t even that much shorter than the girl. However, such solitude allowed him to think over the information he got from them.
The first thing was that their meeting in this village wasn¡¯t a coincidence at all. Angela, being a mage, managed to find out that her guildmates were preparing an attack during the battles. Because of predetermined places, it wasn¡¯t hard to find the nearest village near it. Her reasoning for such places just several days after was simple ¨C she could see by her own eyes the existence of magic rabies. Before that, she only managed to read through some documents and experimental journals but hadn¡¯t seen it in life. Another reason was that by this point in time most of the mages, knights, or even villagers would run away or be dead. That could help to meet in a relatively ¡°safe¡± place while giving actual confirmation to William about the level of threat. It still was a one out of five chance to meet them, but at least could explain such an unexpected outcome.
The newly appointed knight wanted to use the information about magic illness to warn his grandfather, Duke. He hadn¡¯t met him in person and had to rely on communication through Marquise to tell the possibility of revolt. It took good effort to convince Blueriver to prepare additional force in case it was true. That force was meant to be sent to the town of Douger, where one of the main mage¡¯s towers was located. The very same tower that conducted most experiments about rabies. Angela¡¯s idea was to use the results of this work to expand the magic capacity of William to grant him the legendary power of archiknight. Robert still remembered his confusion about the belief that it would work.
¡°You ask why it will work only on me and not others? Personally, I am also not sure. I don¡¯t feel any special. Yes, I know I am gifted and became a great knight as soon I was given a spirit stone, but still¡ Angela thinks that my mixed lineage gave me enormous potential in mana-wielding. My mother¡¯s side had generations of mages, while my father¡¯s lineage was knights from the beginning. Pure luck for me. Definitely not something that I achieved with my own efforts. Still, I can use it for a greater good!¡±
¡°I really hope you can as this world seems to be in deep crisis right now and inevitably going into a deeper pit.¡±
¡°I know, Robert, I know. We¡¯ll do what we can¡ At least we have luck on our side ¨C Angela managed to find notes of one high-rank mage in the cart that your group had taken from the battlefield. He was one of the ideologists and creator of runes for their magic staves. Also, he had taken part in developing this illness, but only partly. As you can see, we have a chance.¡±
Therefore, the grand plan appeared as simple as it could be. While mages were distracted by the knight¡¯s forces, gathered by the Duke, their small group had to sneak into the tower using Angela¡¯s knowledge. After that magician had to conduct a ritual on William, while others had to stall the time. The breakthrough to the knight¡¯s force had to stop the fight by the direct order of an archiknight. The following negotiations between knights and mages could finally set the way for a bright future without the dominance of a single class. In Robert¡¯s personal opinion, the plan not only had a huge amount of ¡°if¡±, but also heavily relied on tradition and smelled with naivety. However, what else he could do?
Does it sound stupid and one-way ticket directly to the death door? Yeah, absolutely. Do I have a good alternative to increase my odds of survival? Nope. So, let¡¯s help my friend. At least he will get the girl if the plan of turning into the knight with the biggest balls going to become a complete failure.
Of course, Robert didn¡¯t say that and just agreed straightaway. He could tell that the scale of infection was definitely much bigger than they thought. Could describe that it wasn¡¯t rabies in the first place but an attempt to increase the magic capacity for mages. Could explain that not only mages or knights were against them, but literally a God. Could point to a vague description of a ritual with unknown results, solely based on trust in the magician''s beauty. Could point to the unwillingness of knights to lose their ruling position or genocidal speech from mages, which he had heard personally. There were even more problems with it, but after looking at hopeful William, he just agreed. Rob was sure that there were zero chances to convince him of anything. The result of the ball hitting too hard on a poor guy. Moreover, nobody would believe him ¨C on what basis a mere soldier with an odd past could obtain such information?
¡°Let¡¯s do it, Aspen!¡±
That was Robert¡¯s answer. He didn¡¯t have anything in this world, except the wish to live and a single friend. The former was quite hard and seemed on the verge of impossibility as his Core stat continued to drop, leading to a well-known outcome. However, the latter, his friendship, was valuable as it was. That¡¯s why if his friend wanted willingly to put his head under the guillotine in an attempt to fulfill his dreams, Robert could only support it until the end. Most like his own end. Still, that made him exhaust himself constantly to balance his non-stopping mana regeneration.
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¡°I am confident in my first assumption that your friend is completely out of his mind. No sane person would do such things. And he is doing it while not showing any signs of infection. I just refuse to imagine how crazy or dangerous he will be in the infected state, despite his small frame,¡± looking at a running figure with a chest-size log on his shoulder on top of a worn backpack, Angela spoke.
¡°It works for him. And he is not crazy ¨C he just has an enormous willpower, while not realizing this fact. His desire to live a full life pushes him to the extreme, to overcome himself. You know, he didn¡¯t have any memories before training camp? Completely blank sheet. Thin, weak, and short, he was called a Stick not without a reason. However, right now nobody will name him like that¡,¡± commented William, who was sitting in coachman''s place beside the magician. Both other mages were sleeping inside, preparing for their turn to lead the carriage through the night.
¡°I am not interested in Walter¡¯s murderer, who constantly smells like a wet dog. Or beggar. His deed couldn¡¯t be undone as my attitude to such behavior couldn¡¯t be changed. Better tell what pushes you forward?¡± the girl asked, slightly leaning on William¡¯s shoulder.
¡°I am in the process of rethinking. Again, despite your opinion about him, precisely Robert made me think about not only the end goal but also about the process of achieving it. Just need some time to organize everything inside my head¡,¡± Their conversation continued as they started to exchange different funny stories from their past in improvised competition about the dumbest event. Even Rob tried to participate at some point at Aspens¡¯ request, telling them how his observation of a few fighting elks ended in being poisoned, but was met with an angry gaze from Angela and had to back off.
The journey went in the same manner for six days straight. The absence of stops increased their speed by a lot, especially compared to the foot march. They already had met two knights, whom William asked for help with a silent approval from Marquise. They both didn¡¯t like to talk, clearly feeling superiority over mages and maniacs from the militia. Fortunately, they traveled on their own cart, limiting conversation from both parties to an absolute minimum. However, that didn¡¯t help to strengthen the feeling of companionship. It seemed they carried out the order and were not here because of successful persuasion. Still, two additional knights were quite a force to reckon on. That definitely would be valuable in the upcoming implementation of a dangerous plan.
If it was a classic story, despite our differences, overcoming dangers together would have led us to develop bonds and finally change our attitude toward each other, forming real friendship¡ But not gonna happen. Crap, the knights even eat separately, showing clear disgust in sharing food with the lower class. The mages are not better in their stupid attempt to assert themselves before the knights just to show their no less inferior but forgetting to be polite to me. Damn, a few times only sheer willpower saved their asses from being beaten to a pulp. I, myself, am behaving like a real lunatic. Smelling one indeed. Angela is clearly flirting with William, but at least the latter is trying to distance himself for now¡ No, just a single mission wouldn¡¯t change anything between us. It is another nail in the coffin of a dream about a whole world living happily after a single order from archiknight.
Robert tried to point this problem to William. However, Aspen¡¯s belief in others almost blinded him. He was sure with complete sincerity that joint hardship would destroy self-erected walls. For him, it was only a matter of time and effort. The latter wasn¡¯t an obstacle for him as William indeed wanted to destroy the shackles of classes.
¡°Maybe I am skeptical in this but be ready for anything. Check what you are told ¨C you haven¡¯t seen it with your own eyes to be absolutely sure. And don¡¯t fall for Angela before you personally speak with your girl-knight.¡±
¡°You are like my old master, Rob. I know that something is starting between Angela and me. However, I am not ready yet. I have been doing everything possible to be with Sophie for years and I just can¡¯t forget her in a month. But you are right ¨C to end it correctly I indeed need to speak with her. To see her. To hear her reasons. Thanks, buddy!¡± William patted Robert¡¯s shoulder, before walking away.
Hey, is that everything you heard from my words? I wasn¡¯t speaking about that¡ Shit, forget it!
In the end, another downpour with a thunderstorm stopped their journey for another day. Fortunately, one of the knights hunted in that region and led them to a small cabin in the forest. They had chosen remote roads in the first place and avoided any settlements or places of interest, which in exchange gave them deserted natural surroundings. Their group had to abandon both carriage and cart temporarily just to walk to a new shelter. The mud, dark clouds, and constant water flow exhausted mages completely. William even carried Angela in the last part. Others were not better as both knights had a lot of equipment on them while Robert wasn¡¯t as strong as them. At least his starting cold had disappeared after a wave of restoration. Still, he was on a timer, so Rob didn¡¯t have the opportunity to enjoy the rest.
He almost felt the stream of mana, which was constantly refiling his body. Before getting into this situation, he never thought about mana regeneration in detail. Robert always assumed it was similar to stamina, be it in the games or books. It had an upper limit, but it couldn¡¯t be over-regenerated as you couldn¡¯t be over-rested. However, right now for him, it appeared like a bath tap with a broken valve and an endless stream of water pouring inside. He had to work his ass to balance it and not to spill anything from the tube. This pressured his mind much harder than his body. At least he had some capacity for short breaks between his cycles. Maybe for others, he seemed to be crazy, but he had no other choice.
Sprinting with log wore him out quite fast. Restoration emptied his mana and gave him some free time, which he could use for a slower movement. The problem was that his ability meant adaptation in the first place. Its effectiveness might be based on energy spent, but quantity could be no less effective than quality. Therefore, his body started to adapt to such stress rapidly. That, as time flew, made his slowing times happen rarely and the log weights went up, straight to the situation when he needed to run permanently with additional weight. The heavier weight didn¡¯t work as he didn¡¯t manage to find convenient logs for carrying, while the need to keep up with others hadn¡¯t disappeared. They were still traveling.
However, it resulted in his body being able to carry such weight and almost not tiring out between short brakes. He felt as if he was simply jogging. Robert knew he didn¡¯t become strong as hell. No, simply his muscles could produce enough strength to carry the log while simply breathing gave enough energy from oxygen to supply those movements. Maybe an increased pace could help, but he didn¡¯t want to lose his group from view. Thus, progress stalled, barely helping in balancing mana usage and regeneration.
Hurting himself didn¡¯t work too as he didn¡¯t want to show his speed-healing to the knights. Angela and William were already enough, and he didn¡¯t want to show the extent of his regeneration. Robert only used his knife in the night, when he tried to sleep. Physical exercises were a bad aid in falling asleep fast, which led him to limit his sleep time as both his options seemed quite bad. And that was without adding the smell of sweat that attacked everyone who tried to speak to him. Robert wanted to undress, but that decreased the weight, which was not a good solution either. Therefore, he met this downpour with internal happiness, despite his mental tiredness. Maybe he wasn¡¯t cleaned after it as mud stuck to his boots and pants, but he definitely felt much fresher.
While others were sleeping inside the cabin, Robert silently stood outside. Looking at the two moons above his head and ignoring water drops, he was thinking about his past, his goals, and his current doings. His fallen friends and companions from both worlds. His unfulfilled dreams. His possible shaky road ahead if he managed to survive. It wasn¡¯t like a direct thought process, no. His thoughts, unclear and blurry, were jumping from one topic to another, not stopping anywhere specifically. They were chaotic as much as they could be, following his mood. The mood was triggered by the first sign of magic rabies ¨C a violent cough with glowing patterns.
Despite all his enormous efforts, his Core stat continued to drop, reaching a miserable 2 points. Robert was sure that by the morning, it would get to zero. At least they would get to their destination tomorrow. He had some time, alas not much. Rob wasn¡¯t the only one to be infected, but he was unlucky enough to be in epicenters plenty of times to trigger the rabies faster than others.
Shitty flower¡ I felt that it was cursed¡ Damn it!
Rob sighed, before checking his status screen. His attempt to prolong his life resulted in huge growth in his stats, especially in Endurance. But what was the point if he was going to lose his mind in a day or two? Therefore, he threw away the thought about a new round of training and went to wash himself. He didn¡¯t want to meet his death, smelling like a wet dog. Or beggar.
Chapter 38
Just a short look at a scene before Robert¡¯s eyes had given goosebumps all over the body. The reason was obvious ¨C they were late. The simplicity of the plan, which had to decrease the chances of failure, crumbled on the very first step. The knights under the command of the Duke attacked one day earlier before their group managed to get into the starting position. Maybe it was a downpour. Or the remote route took longer than they anticipated. It didn¡¯t matter as they were already late.
And I wanted to join others and not to be alone during an occurring apocalypse. How lucky I was to stay in that village for a few more days and not end here¡
The smell of fresh air after the thunderstorm was mixed with the aftermath of burning bodies and buildings, adding another layer of immersion in a horrible sight. The knight¡¯s side didn¡¯t seem to be big in numbers and from the look, easily managed to penetrate the wooden walls of Douger. However, Robert was quite sure that it was precisely the moment when the mages struck. The middle-sized town had a few guard towers from which mages could cast their magic. And they did as similar consequences of meteor shower devastated soldier''s ranks, simultaneously crushing a few buildings near the gates and setting everything on fire.
However, the Duke seemed to predict such a move as Robert couldn¡¯t see many bodies of knights in that place, where literally a hell emerged. Of course, from a distance, it was hard to discern parts of bodies in armor after the work of flaming fallen rocks and other spells. Still, most of the knights managed to break through from the side using the main direction of attack as a distraction, penetrating the wooden fence and entering the town. Melee range left no chances for their opponents to stop this alternative version of magic tanks. The mages clearly had tried as a lot of marks from fireballs, stone spikes, and other unnatural projectiles were left on the nearest surroundings. There was no carefulness in their magic attacks in the slightest as they were fighting for their life with all available strength. The knights were the same, forcefully cutting all obstacles to kill the revolting mages. Obstacles, that often happened to be ordinary city dwellers, who by their own stupidity were caught in the middle of battle.
Robert didn¡¯t know the reason why they decided to stay there. Maybe it was fear of a change. Maybe it was the opposite - sincere hope on it as new ruling power in the form of mages could indeed make their life better. Or worse. Maybe they thought any danger would avoid them, while mages were fighting against knights. Not having any ability to influence on world¡¯s order, they just followed the flow. Maybe it was a completely different reason. The result was the same ¨C they stayed.
That led to even more chaotic fighting when mages tried to retreat to their tower. The chase seemed to be bloodier as by that moment all actions from abundant usage of mana finally resulted in a chain effect of triggering infection. Robert couldn¡¯t see more from the roof of the mill, from where he willingly tried to observe the town, but he didn¡¯t need to as he saw the outcome of such a rabies outburst with his own eyes. Still, the mage¡¯s tower was there, easily visible from his place and it didn¡¯t lose its purpose of the end goal of their ¡°grand¡± mission. Therefore, Rob glanced once more time before climbing down to the rest of the group, who already were showing nervous anticipation. They had seen only remnants of the camping site left by Duke¡¯s forces and clear signs of battle in front of the main gates, but nothing more.
¡°Well, we are partly fucked,¡± Robert exclaimed when he finally reached the ground and was surrounded by others. Even knights couldn¡¯t hide their worry under closed helmets.
¡°Elaborate. Now!¡± one of the knights, Sir Antony, commanded. In an attempt not to miss anything, he even opened his visor, showing his gloomy face with freckles.
¡°What has happened to Duke¡¯s campsite? Have you seen anyone there? Any signs of Marquise¡¯s Blueriver banner?¡± another knight asked with ebony skin and plump lips, Sir Kane, almost hovering over Rob. Taking into account his short height in comparison to almost 240 centimeters (8 feet) of the man before him, it wasn¡¯t that difficult.
¡°Sirs, calm down, please. First and foremost, we need to know about the situation in the town. We have an important mission¡,¡± Garret, the mage, tried to speak, but was interrupted.
¡°Don¡¯t misjudge the situation, mage. We are here by the Marquise¡¯s decree, not by our own will. Therefore, our priority will be always Marquise''s safety and not the help to possible traitors and Duke¡¯s unconfirmed bastard,¡± Sir Antony retorted, not hiding his anger.
¡°How dare you¡,¡± Garret tried to shout but was dragged back by his own companion from the tower.
¡°Oh, so your honor to follow a given order from your sovereign is worth nothing. I will be happy to see the reaction of Marquise to such an arrogant attitude. Maybe he will even believe that you were not scared in the first place and indeed just were worried about his wellbeing¡ And one more thing ¨C if Marquise has sent you here, how many chances that my dear friend William isn¡¯t an illegal son of Duke? Be honest with yourself - not many. So, refusing to help with the addition of direct insults to him right now will not do you any good in the future. I believe the result will be quite the opposite. But, hey, the consequences of such a decision will all be yours,¡± by the moment when Robert finished, Sir Antony was heavily breathing, trying to restrain himself. He failed as in the next moment he loudly yelled.
¡°You¡ Despicable worm!¡±
The knight simultaneously gripped the handle on the sword, which was lying on his shoulder. His armor and the blade were already glowing from imbued energy. However, the attempt to strike failed as Rob wasn¡¯t going to stay motionless. Moving as fast as he could, he blocked Antony¡¯s hand with his elbow, while taking out his knife. The knight tried to free his weapon, but surprisingly for him, Robert managed to hold it firmly. Moreover, the defense or all-cutting properties from mana appeared worthless as Rob wasn¡¯t hitting directly. Almost. Because the tip of the knife was already near the eye of the knight. Still, that didn¡¯t stop the latter as he shouted again.
¡°I will kill you, peasant!¡±
Turning his head to the side, Sir Antony attempted to strike Robert with his shoulder pad. Rob¡¯s mind was already working on full, calculating a possible counter. His experience, his training, and his hyper-focus by one point in time had merged into a single eternity, giving him real combat skills. He wasn¡¯t the best in the slightest, but he had enough abilities not to pale even against enemies, who were stronger than him on paper.
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Therefore, leaving a bloodied mark on the knight¡¯s cheek, he quickly ducked down, aiming for the leg. His fast motion ended in Sir Antony being thrown on the ground with his sword under him. Robert followed with a jump on the back, clearly knowing that it wouldn¡¯t affect him at all as the armor dispersed all force from the strike. Still, added weight didn¡¯t give the knight the ability to stand up, and the knife again reappeared near his eye.
¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Rob¡¯s shout stopped Sir Kane from attacking, ¡°And you, respected sir, listen carefully. You are not immortal, so be reasonable in your actions. I must remind you that the exact same worm, as you have named me, will eat your cold body in the end. However, I don¡¯t need you to treat me well or as an equal. Nope, nothing like that. Never needed, never will. Instead, you better place your honor on the first spot of your priorities, treating it with a corresponding attitude. You have a direct order, so, please, follow it without any additional requests, conditions, or hidden resistance.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you dare¡,¡± red-faced from anger, Sir Antony tried to oppose, but was interrupted by his own partner.
¡°Despite his origin as a peasant, he is right. We indeed have an order, which we must fulfill to keep our honor. Calm down, Sir Antony. I don¡¯t think Marquise will appreciate such lowly manners. We will follow you to help with the mission. We both will. That is decided! Do you agree, Sir Antony?¡±
After seeing the nod from the lying knight, Robert stood up and made a few steps back to distance himself from the angered man. His ear caught barely audible mockery comments from mages, which he ignored. William stepped beside him, trying to show their unity on this. However, his might-to-be girlfriend stood in her place as if she was above this situation or didn¡¯t want to be involved. Fortunately, the main character, Sir Antony, managed to hold back and recover his arrogant attitude, without retorting to real action. Still, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from adding.
¡°This isn¡¯t over, but I will postpone my actions for now.¡±
¡°You may be dramatically wrong on this¡ or too optimistic as¡,¡± a strong cough with familiar glowing patterns interrupted Robert¡¯s words, but simultaneously it worked as an answer itself.
¡°How are you? When has it started, Stick?¡± sincere worry, coming from William, was ignored, as Rob widely grinned, before opening his mouth.
¡°I am good as always. Maybe slightly less ¨C glowing skin makes me cringe internally. Bad memories from one very old movie, which I dumbly thought was action-paced and about bloodthirsty vampires. It appeared it was a bad joke from others with a remade trailer¡ However, what options do I have? Bare minimum, I will last until the tower. Will see about the later part of our journey. That¡¯s why, respected sirs, I expect you to honor your word because my friend needs some help in that town. Let¡¯s start from what I saw. So¡,¡± Robert''s description of what he had seen managed to switch everyone¡¯s attention from his infection to actual planning.
The information was taken differently. Both knights just steeled their resolve to end their mission quickly to focus on the search for Marquise. The idea that their sovereign might be inside an infected town led to their attempt to immediate movement. The mages openly panicked as they were expecting a less dangerous task. Angela focused on encouraging her companions while hiding her own opinion on the subject. William was ready to act, clearly feeling the pressure of the potential outcome of their mission and not wanting to waste time, which would only lead to more casualties between both parties, not counting civilians. Therefore, they decided to go straight to the tower, using the fastest possible route to lessen the amount of infected that they could meet in the process.
Robert used the final checkup of equipment before heading out to do the same thing with his status. He didn¡¯t know what he wanted to see, as there was literally nothing drastically different. Yes, he had gotten a noticeable increase as his shortened time of restoration-adaption cycle together with insane exercise stress for a whole week with almost no pauses gave an obviously crazy result. Still, the main problem wasn¡¯t in him being weak, which he could resolve by working out, but was quite the opposite. Moreover, he had no idea how to fix his mana issues, especially now, after appearing more symptoms of rabies. At least for now, his nails kept the same length and form, not turning into its clawed version.
On the other hand, it may help me with the problem of cutting them ¨C I really hate the absence of nail clippers!
Envoy of Wepwakor (candidate) ¨C Tier 0
Strength 18 (556 pt.) ¨C 62% of max potential
Agility 13 (345 pt.) ¨C 51% of max potential
Endurance 22 (814 pt.) ¨C 82% of max potential
Toughness 10 (259 pt.) ¨C 62% of max potential
Vitality 8 (214 pt.) ¨C 62% of max potential
Perception 10 (259 pt.) ¨C 75% of max potential
Mind 40 (4¡¯526 pt.) ¨C 38% of max potential
Core 0 (0 pt.) ¨C no potential
Mana regeneration (7): 2+1*=3 pts. per second
Abilities: Adaptive Growth
Traits: Remolded Brain, God¡¯s Envoy, Spiritual Body, Soul Anchor, External Mana Imbuing, Soul Core Poisoning* (temporary)
That doesn¡¯t look good¡ Moreover, what the fuck with my Vitality? Is that the damage from not having soul protection? My body seemed to be tightly tied to the soul. Whatever. Doesn¡¯t change anything. I will still flounder until the end. So fuck it! I managed to grow by a lot during this¡ year? Damn, I don¡¯t even remember how long I have been here. A few weeks in the forest, before traveling to training camp and spending months there. More months in marching and fighting¡ Crap, I have never seen anything here. That brothel could be the brightest memory from such a messed world. For God¡¯s sake, I¡¯ve got only one payment after the first month! Calm down, Robert, calm down. You need to focus on positive points¡ Well, where the fuck is, that positive point? Stop! This is a straight way to deep depression. Despite my struggles and hardships, I am alive. I just need to continue to act and maybe there will be a way out of this in the future. I need to do what I can. To focus on action. While I move, I live! So, move, damn it!
¡°What are we waiting for? Some kind of a special signal? Or motivational speech to boost our morale before heading out? Are you only all talks about the need to hurry?¡±
Robert¡¯s loud questions finally pushed everyone to start walking towards the gate. Both knights and William were in the front, armed with their longswords. Angela was in the center, carrying two staff. One of them looked like the one with lighting runes, while the other wasn¡¯t familiar. Two mages used fireball versions. After a few persistent attempts, Rob managed to get that it was the fastest and the cheapest spell in the current mage¡¯s arsenal. Therefore, it was an obvious pick against multiple potential targets. Robert, himself, was at the back, covering from possible attacks from the rear. Additionally, after seeing his potentially unstable state, nobody aside from Aspen wanted to rely on him in their breakthrough to the tower. That was reasonable, despite being rude.
However, knowing the stakes, Rob silently agreed and just followed the flow. Or in his case, their odd mixed group. The burned gates were already clearly visible, so he readied his mace for the incoming fight. The weight of the shield on the left arm also added some confidence and courage, which would be needed soon according to his inner feelings. There was literally no chance for a peaceful walk. Just the first ten meters inside the devastated town showed the trustfulness of his prediction.
Chapter 39
Slightly twisting his body and pressing the shield to himself, Robert avoided the thrust. The broken shaft of what happened to be the rakes previously, cut through the air with insane speed, barely touching the surface of his wooden defensive gear. Still, Rob didn¡¯t even blink, continuing to move. His left arm shot forward, pushing the metal edge directly into the twisted face of the former stableman. The hit broke something, but Robert never stopped, adding another kick right into the chest. The mad city dweller flew backward before managing to do anything. However, his place was changed by another infected immediately.
This time it was a woman in her late fifties. Her face still held the beauty from a younger age. Her grey hair was tied in a pigtail with a red strap, while her clothes gave out her rich background. She could easily be a merchant¡¯s wife. Or an owner of a luxury shop. Or a tavern keeper. However, magic rabies crossed out everything, turning her into a mindless beast with raging and bloodthirsting behavior. All these thoughts went through Robert without pausing him in the slightest. He sidestepped a clumsy but powerful swing of glowing claws, while his own mace was already accelerating. The flanged head of his weapon crushed her jaw, sending the woman in flight, but Rob didn¡¯t follow for a finishing blow. The attacks of infected looked like an endless stream and it wasn¡¯t reasonable to try to kill everyone in it. Moreover, it could be impossible in the first place as there were too many enemies.
He had to duck down, almost squatting to the ground when two infected jumped on him simultaneously. They both crashed over his head into each other before falling on him. Luckily, Robert was ready, managing to free himself in a mere second. The moment later, he had to block the hit from another maniac with his shield. Stepping forward, he kicked the enemy¡¯s knee with his leg, dropping the enemy on the ground before turning around with the swing of mace. Unfortunately, he miscalculated the distance as he hit with the handle and not the head. Still, that only made him continue his attack, headbutting the face of the infected. The latter was right in the process of trying to bite him. Therefore, his opened mouth met the metal surface of Rob¡¯s helmet, effectively freeing him from an unknown number of teeth. The disorientation of ¡°zombie¡± helped Robert to break its Adam¡¯s apple with a following strike.
The dead body dropped on the second infected, pushing him back to the ground. That allowed Rob to finish limping infected with the mace. Not wasting any time, he jumped over the corpse and followed the group, which was already twenty meters (around 60 feet) ahead. However, their advancement was stopped by a new wave, giving Robert almost no time to check the situation and his gear.
The shield is barely holding¡ A few more mana imbued hits and I need a replacement. One of the flanges on the mace is bent already. Whatever ¨C it is not a sword with its fragile blade. The main purpose of it didn¡¯t suffer. At least I haven¡¯t gotten any wounds so far, except some bruises.
One of the mages, on the other hand, was holding his side. Robert missed when he got that nasty cut - a short look from afar showed a lot of red liquid. The mage attempted to stop the blood loss by just pressing the injury with his palm. Of course, it didn¡¯t work. Adding the need to move fast, it was a dead case. The case, which could be easily avoided by wearing any armor and not just a cloth robe. Still, the man kept sending more fireballs to the nearest enemies as he seemed to be under the influence of adrenaline. That couldn¡¯t last long.
The mage yelled something with excitement after his latest spell burned a hole through two infected. He was even smiling with sincere pride at his accomplishment when his face turned pale. Surprised, he looked at his painted red palm one more time in pure disbelief before his eyes rolled out and he fell to the ground like a dropped sandbag. Robert was almost there by this moment. Almost. One of the infected jumped out of the window from the second floor, ending right on the body of the mage. Rob could swear he heard a cracking sound. He rammed into the ¡°zombie¡± with his shield, throwing the enemy away but it was too late.
¡°We need to hurry!¡±
Angela shouted loudly, drawing the attention to her. Nobody answered, but the silent agreement was obvious as everyone hastened their speed. Both Marquise¡¯s knights and William somehow even started to swing with their swords faster, bringing real devastation to the infected ahead. Angela stayed behind Aspen and used her lighting spell rarely ¨C only when there was a large group incoming. Garret, the mage, on the other hand, was sending flaming projectiles as much as he could. Clearly, he was focused on his own protection what Robert could notice from his target¡¯s choice. Even such selfish behavior lessened the pressure on Rob. The latter didn¡¯t even try to kill every single opponent as often damage to the legs could effectively leave infected behind without the need to spend more time and strength for a death blow.
Still, their way wasn¡¯t easy, despite the power of the knights in the vanguard. They could easily cut through the bodies of the infected, ending most of them with few strikes. However, each missed hit from claws of magic maniacs, each mana-imbued blow, constant need of defense ¨C everything needed the energy to sustain. Robert wasn¡¯t sure if they could keep it up till the tower. He didn¡¯t know the way, but he was sure it wasn¡¯t the shortest.
The first attempt to run through narrow alleys at the beginning of their breakthrough ended in attacks from above in addition to the blockage from both sides. It was the first serious obstacle after entering the gates. Running over the mutilated corpses wasn¡¯t great, but being cornered was far worse. As he was in the back, Robert tried to stop the advancements of the infected. Not wasting any time for threatening strikes, which could only work out with conscious opponents, he put up his shield before bashing it. Rob didn¡¯t stop to see the effect, continuing to hit the thighs or knees of the infected with mace, while covering himself with a basically shaped wooden plank. It couldn¡¯t last long against such frenzy. His entire plan was to slow them as he didn¡¯t see a way to stop them. The problem was that after a few crushing hits and broken legs, he was barely holding. A few infected had hung on his shield, pulling him down to the ground. Another one tried to bite his shin, while the crowd continued to push him back. Robert somehow was able to hold on to his feet, but the contest of strength against multiple opponents wasn¡¯t the best idea.
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However, before he fell to the ground, two fireballs burned through the infected, lessening the push. Imprudently, by inner instinct, he turned around to thank both mages only to see the raised staff in Angela¡¯s hand. Familiarity of it sent shivers across his back, while he moved by instinct. That saved him as he managed to drop down before a lightning spell devastated the ranks of infected. Robert wanted to curse loudly about friendly fire, but the scene of a new wave of enemies made him change his words.
¡°Don¡¯t try to cut through the infected. Cut through the fucking wall!¡±
In the end, they barely escaped from a narrow alley, running through someone¡¯s house. Robert even had to jump directly into the window when he noticed how slow mages were squeezing through the newly appeared hole. The lack of physical activities made them dangerously clumsy. That experience led them to choose wider roads in exchange for a longer route. As the death of the second mage had shown, it didn¡¯t guarantee anything also, just gave more chances not to be ambushed from all sides, including above.
Therefore, following the shout from Angela, they ran across several streets before finally finding the main one. The road was covered with paving stones and was mostly empty from anything. There were several closed stalls, folded in single-covered construction. All front doors were shut tight, while curtains hid the insides of buildings. Moreover, a quite few could boast with additional wooden planks, hastily nailed over frames. During their run, Robert noticed several abandoned toys, buckets, boxes, and many other things that showed, that despite all the preparations of citizens, some still were caught in the middle of assault. However, the emptiness was visible, as he couldn¡¯t see anyone. Of course, not counting the infected.
Occasionally, ¡°zombies¡± dropped out from windows or emerged from alleys, immediately going for an attack. Rob heard sounds of something breaking or rare screams, but he had neither opportunity nor wish to check what was going on behind closed doors of houses they were passing by. There was another thought that bothered him during all this time.
Why the fuck don''t they attack each other? They were in the village, but here they are clearly focusing only on us. How the hell does it work? Where is my system notification, which could explain everything? Or all-knowing AI? Or the spirit of the grandmaster from the universe? Well, I guess you just can¡¯t know everything ¨C it could be the first phase or newer mutation of infection¡ At least mages didn¡¯t build any barricades to obstruct knight¡¯s advancements. It helps a lot now. They might think that spells would crush¡ Oh, fuck!
He had to interrupt himself as they entered a huge square. Previously it seemed to be designed for trading, as he saw lots of stalls and carts. Now, everything was covered with cloth or totally emptied as he could notice boxes with vegetables, plants, bags with corn, and other valuable staff scattered all over the ground. Wide roads from the gates directed farmers from nearby villages through the whole city to sell or exchange their goods here. Rob could see a full row of shops, and administrative and service buildings surrounding this flat space. Each of them showed its main purpose with painted signboards ¨C pen and ink, saw, scales, mug, rose, and many other symbols. He could easily imagine how busy and lively this place was before trading days. Almost an ideal copy from movies ¨C bustling, noisy, and colorful. Only was it because right now the scenery had changed completely.
Being the center point of the city, to which most roads led, the square simultaneously was situated not far from the mage¡¯s tower and its front gate. Therefore, the retreat of spell-wielders and their chasers couldn¡¯t miss it. And it didn¡¯t, resulting in possibly the last huge battle between both sides. Some of wooden constructions were still burning, while others turned into chips under magic attacks or knight¡¯s swords. The bodies were scattered all over the place, showing how chaotic and panicky the escape was. However, that didn¡¯t end there as their confrontation unavoidably attracted the attention of the infected, creating even more mess in the process.
Robert could see the beheaded corpse of the mage, who even after the death was still gripping the half of the staff that didn¡¯t manage to save him. The other part was lying near his own head. The latter still showed a shocked expression. The killer hadn¡¯t gone too far from there as he was immediately targeted by the infected. The cut bodies of them were dispersed around, while the knight tried to retreat. Clearly seeing the ineffectiveness of it, he attempted to lessen the threat by using the cart as protection for his back, but it backfired. That and maybe the fact of energy over usage. His sword impaled the crawling ¡°zombie¡±, who attacked his legs, but the knight didn¡¯t last much longer. The visor on his helmet was looking in the wrong unnatural direction, while all his armor was covered with blood. He still managed to get company in the afterlife by taking out several infected, but death finally took him.
The scenes with the same level of cruel somberness were everywhere. Burned bodies of ¡°zombies¡±. Half exploded from the unknown spell torso of the knight. Broken limbs infected with protruding bones. The legless remnants of the mage, who tried to crawl away only to be hammered by the mad butcher. Also, there were faces ¨C different faces. Young and old, distorted from hatred and anger. Others were filled with grief or surprise. Some had been damaged to an unrecognizable state. One carried the marks of tears, while the owner was bleeding out from a cut in the stomach. Another smiled even in death, showing bloodied teeth in his wide grin.
The scenery struck Robert with an enormous mixture of horror, wish to vomit, and sorrow from so many needless deaths. Even his experience only partly helped to lessen the shock from the brutality of such a picture. He continued to run just by inertia, absentmindedly moving his legs for a few seconds, before finally pulling himself together. Nothing was over. There were more infected around them, who managed to survive the battle. More likely, they came too late as the road to the tower was filled with bodies. It had a much smaller number of dead, showing the possibility of someone¡¯s breakthrough into it. However, the widely opened huge doors left no doubts that the attempt to stop the chase had failed.
¡°Run, quickly! We can hide inside!¡±
William shouted, pointing to a tall tower ahead. Made from grey stones, it raised high into the sky, almost dominating the entire area. Maybe it wasn¡¯t that tall in reality ¨C not more than ten floors, but in comparison with other buildings, it looked like an adult around toddlers. The whole construction seemed to be copied from a lighthouse with no windows and a huge opening on the top, but much wider. It was almost a mixture of a medieval version of a skyscraper and a fortified prison. There was no fence around and a single entrance looked like oversized metal doors with two leaves.
¡°Hurry before too many of them will follow us!¡±
Angela¡¯s scream was accompanied by sounds and noises from incoming infected. As it was creating the chain effect, the movement of the nearest ¡°zombies¡± triggered even more of these creatures. By some point, when Robert could easily see around ten maniacs, running to them, the yells and shouts, filled with rage, were already spreading across the whole square, attracting even more unwanted attention.
Chapter 40
Don¡¯t fall! Don¡¯t fall¡ Shit!
Jumping over a broken box of potatoes, Robert lowered his head right in the air to avoid the wild swing of pitchfork. Still, it managed to hit the top of his helmet, breaking his balance. Rob clumsily felt on the butt but had to move the next moment to avoid another strike. Not standing up, he turned around, while making a round hit with his shield. The metal edge struck the knee of the stableman from the side, sending him down. Another hit broke the temple of the attacker together with the beaten-up shield, leaving Rob with bloodied remnants on the leather strap. Flying chips blinded him for a moment, which almost was capitalized by another infected.
He never thought he could do a roll behind in brigandine armor, but the need to evade the hit of the axe made his body move on its own. His upwards-stretched leg hit the jaw of the infected, pushing him behind and giving Robert enough time to stand up. Kicking one more time to win some time, he continued his escape, while looking down not to miss possible obstacles. And there were a lot ¨C bodies from previous battles, boxes, bags, utensils, and more. All that needed to be noticed and avoided in time, while occasionally hitting the nearest infected.
One of them tried to jump through the stall, but unfortunately for him got stuck and fell down, putting his neck right under Robert¡¯s boot. The crack from a broken neck was heard clearly, but he didn¡¯t stop to check the damage because other ¡°zombies¡± were not so unlucky. Another one almost rammed into Rob, barely giving him time to react. He still managed to turn to the side at the last moment, but maniac gripped his mace. It didn¡¯t take even a moment of hesitation before Robert had to let go of the handle. The freed hand helped him to lose the leather strap on what was left of the shield. The shoulder bash pushed aside an old lady with glowing eyes only to catch a glimpse of a swinging blade.
Ducking under it, Rob threw the leftovers from the shield directly into the face of a sword wielder. However, the attempt to disorientate and to obtain failed, as another swing cut not only through the air but also left a deep mark on his armor. His hidden metal plates held, but the sheer force pushed him back, right onto the lady with a distorted face. Her mana-imbued claws pierced his back, sending a wave of pain. Luckily, they didn¡¯t go deep as he instinctively jumped forward under the flying sword. The blade ended up severing the neck of the old ¡°zombie¡± and getting stuck, which allowed Robert to strike back. His knife entered the side of the infected, but before Rob could get it back, he noticed the rushing figure in full armor and with purple light, going through the visor.
Inner cursing didn¡¯t stop him from acting. Turning the blade in the wound and hitting the injured infected with the elbow Robert made the latter to knee. That created him a good stair, which he immediately used, jumping on the top of the stall. The glowing sword that cut through the body of the ¡°zombie¡± showed that it was the right decision. However, he didn¡¯t have time to celebrate as shaking construction might not handle his weight. Rob had to jump over the next one before the previous would break apart. He managed to do only a few more jumps before a violent cough together with glowing patterns paralyzed him, halting all his actions. That of course led to the clumsy and painful fall to the ground.
This time the symptoms lasted what felt like an eternity. Robert was cursing and shouting in his mind to move, but while the patterns were glowing, everything seemed to be futile. His body just refused to obey. All his willpower, his wish, and his desire to live were pointless before this infection. Still, he didn¡¯t wasn¡¯t to give up as the mere moment it ended, Robert pushed himself up¡ right onto the fist of the ¡°zombie¡± knight. The punch sent him flying right into the nearest stall and simultaneously tearing the strap on his helmet. The wood handled the force, adding more pain to his body. Especially, when his own metal helmet landed on himself.
It took Robert a couple of seconds to recover from the hit, changing the spinning surroundings before his eyes into stable ones. He unsurprisingly found the gap in his teeth as well as a few more wounds that he missed under an adrenaline rush. Moreover, Rob felt an odd sensation in his body as if he was trying to breathe in forcefully more air than he could handle. The torrent of ¡°air¡± was pushing simultaneously from outside and inside, making him feel himself both empty and filled. It could sound strange, but he indeed felt that way ¨C as if something was decreasing in size inside him, despite being full. That gave me a lightheaded feeling of being overflown with energy and the urgent need to move. To act. To hit. To kill.
Wait, wait, wait¡ Is it starting? My murderous behavior of maniac? But it¡¯s more like an overdosage of energy drinks with drugs and not an all-out berserk state. I am not a specialist, but books often describe trips like this. Maybe my inner mana flow balances it¡ And where the fuck is the knight? I am lying here as a dumbass or movie hero in the most crucial moment with motivational flashbacks of the past in my mind¡ and nobody is trying to finish me. Oh, that''s how it is. Of course, of course, now they started their infighting! Holy crap, we could have waited one fucking hour, and it would be so much easier!
While Robert was thinking it, the knight¡¯s sword cleaved in half into another infected. A few were already lying motionless beside him, all cut by an imbued longsword. The glowing claws of ¡°zombies¡± tried to pierce the armor, but clearly failed ¨C the energy protection didn¡¯t disappear after its owner turned into a mindless aggressive maniac. One more emerged from behind the knight, giving Robert the ability to look over his surroundings.
Their run through the former trading place filled with infected led to focusing on his own survival. He didn¡¯t notice the point time when he stopped looking after others and just concentrated on the end goal in the form of the tower. Robert still managed to make two-thirds of the way, before the damn knight appeared before him. From his lying position, he couldn¡¯t find the rest of his group, but he was sure they were not better than him. Maybe not William ¨C that lucky bastard seemed to be a special case in any scenario.
Okay, let¡¯s get up before this metal-headed berserk will notice me¡ Shit, of course, he notices me the moment I think about it. Fuck! What do I have? Only an axe and nothing else. Okay, let¡¯s do it. I just need to kill him ¨C what is hard about it? Oh, shit!
Pushing him to the side, Robert barely managed to avoid the thrust of the sword. Another fast swing made him duck under the blade, shortening the distance. The fully cladded knight tried to change the trajectory of the blade, but Rob countered it with almost clenching to the opponent. What followed was a jumping headbutt into the closed metal helmet of the knight with his uncovered forehead. The result was expected ¨C the glowing armor dispersed all kinetic energy, not even hurting Robert in the process. Still, that obstructed the vision of the armored ¡°zombie¡±, giving Rob the ability to grip the handle of the longsword.
For a few moments, the knight tried to wrestle for it, betting on his bigger strength. Unfortunately for him, Robert appeared to be not weaker at all. Moreover, the constant surge of energy to fuel the armor and sword¡¯s blade somehow didn¡¯t give the knight the ability for power outburst as others infected showed. That led to a strange parity where nobody could overpower each other. The infected knight tried to hit Rob, but it led to the same result of dispersing kinetic energy. The punch from the huge fist in the metal glove looked scary, while in reality didn¡¯t even push back him. The thought of a plushy bear made Robert smile, which might trigger the angered yell from the infected.
The enemy¡¯s armor for a moment lost its glow. That was followed by the new attempt to punch Rob in his grinning face. However, the latter was aiming for that in the first place, willingly provoking the enemy, who by the influence of rabies wasn¡¯t the brightest. Therefore, noticing the signs of changes the posture, he was already moving backward, while his left hand kept holding the handle of the sword. The glove of the knight still brushed through his cheek and hit his own palm, throwing him out of balance for a moment before Rob answered by hitting with his axe right into the visor. The blade didn¡¯t manage to break through the tough surface and got stuck. That still made the knight trigger his energy protection back and opened him for Robert¡¯s shoulder throw.
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Falling on the ground, the enemy managed to keep his sword from dropping, but it only led to a worse situation when Rob pushed over with all his weight. The imbued blade started to cut through the mana-imbued armor, simultaneously using mana from the knight to sustain both sources. The clouded mind of the infected tried to find the solution, but the quickness of the process didn¡¯t allow him as Robert was in a better position and had the same level of strength, which only decreased the available time for proper countermeasures. Moreover, he couldn¡¯t see anything as his visor was blocked by a protruding axe. The moment the knight stopped sending his energy into armor in an attempt to hit the opponent, Robert immediately hit the backside of the axe with a fist. The spike on the opposite side pierced his palm but pushed the weapon deep down right into the skull.
You are not so scary when your abilities and weakness are known, asshole!
Holding his wounded hand, Robert stood up, looking at the corpse of the knight. It was his third kill of such a formidable enemy, but it was the first time when he managed to do it on equal footing and without the usage of luck, with a complete absence of armor and any advantage. For a moment, he felt real pride in his own growth. There was a chance that infection had an impact on the opponent¡¯s skill by some degree, but he was sure that currently, he was on the level of the average knight. At least in terms of physical strength and maybe even combat prowess.
I might even catch up with William. Of course, he is strong but¡ Oh, crap!
The immaterial blue arc cut through the air right in front of his face, making Robert jump back from a scare. He immediately turned his head to where it came from only to see the figure of his friend with a raised sword in his hands. Looking in the opposite direction, he noticed another infected knight with a huge cut directly through his chest armor. The newly appeared ¡°zombie¡± managed to make only one step forward before dropping down motionless, clear dead after a single strike, despite using mana on his armor.
Or not¡ Nope, I am not even fucking near that cheating bastard. What the hell?!
¡°Don¡¯t stand there like a tree, Stick! We don¡¯t have time!¡± William shouted, waking up Robert from a stupor.
¡°Where are others?¡± Rob asked, quickly picking up his axe before starting to sprint after his friend. The pain in his body was slowly disappearing as if his wound was healing, but he didn¡¯t have time to check his current status screen. His feeling of being an inflatable balloon hadn¡¯t disappeared ¨C the streams of mana, both from outside surroundings and through inner channels to inter-dimensional space, were working on fullness.
¡°Your eyes¡ are glowing. And you have patterns,¡± instead of answering, William told, while making a gesture to follow him. In the next moment, his long sword severed an arm of the infected, before killing him with the same ease.
Well, that makes sense now. And here I thought I have already enough strength to wrestle against a trained warrior who is higher by a head. Nope, it had to be my own strength outburst, completely missed by me.
¡°Where are others?¡± repeated his question Robert, pushing away the wounded ¡°zombie¡±, who despite his limping movements, tried to obstruct their way.
¡°Angela and Sir Antony are already near the entrance, trying to close the doors. Others are¡ lost,¡± noticeably pausing before muttering the last word, William thrust his blade directly into the face of the infected. The glowing sword pierced the skull, before the next motion cut through the bones, destroying the head of the ¡°zombie¡± in the process.
They reached the tower in less than a minute, killing half of a dozen mad citizens, but that was only a drop in the sea as many more were entering the trading square, following the shouts and yells of their kind. It triggered another wave of bloody massacre between them. However, it was only a matter of time before the infected would notice them, continuing their chase.
¡°I see he is not dead somehow, despite his miserable state. I am sincerely surprised,¡± commented Angela, when they approached.
¡°How is the result?¡± asked William, ignoring a caustic remark from the magician. Sir Antony sighed, before answering.
¡°Not good. I managed to shut one leaf, but the other one is dead stuck. I can try to cut through, but it might make it even worse. You decide what we will do.¡±
Using their discussion, Robert threw a glance inside the tower only to find the lack of anything noticeable. The small hall with few banners ended with wide stairs, which went around the massive building. Such a layout only confirmed his previous thoughts about the similarity to a prison. It made sense after taking into account how knights treated mages.
¡°We need to hurry and get inside before more creatures will appear. Let¡¯s go! Now!¡± not hiding her anxiety, shouted Angela.
¡°They have seen us already. They will definitely follow,¡± shook his head Robert, taking a deep breath.
His state started to worsen. His clouded mental exhaustion mind was constantly being attacked by odd foreign thoughts, while his body felt overfilled with energy in a bad way. He felt refreshed and full of strength. Even his wounds were not disturbing him. However, simultaneously he felt his body as if it was another remote-controlled machine, and not his own. Moreover, the glow of strange patterns easily shined through holes in his clothes and armor. Rob could barely hold himself from taking the action. The bad attitude from Angela, the arrogance of Sir Antony, the cheating luck of William ¨C everything made him angry, creating an enormous desire to wipe out those bastards from existence. To make them pay for what they had done. To bathe in their blood. To enjoy their screams of agony and pain. To smirk, looking at their mutilated dead bodies.
Shit¡ it is really happening¡
With sheer willpower, Robert tried to suppress those thoughts, but it didn¡¯t help. It was as if he was trying to close the huge pipe without a valve, just with his bare hands. Therefore, he did the opposite ¨C increased the number of pipes to overflow maniacal thoughts with others. His modified mind started to recite old books that he had read, to name the things he was seeing, to count from one to eternity, to speak strange gibberish from made-up words, etc. Simultaneous torrents of information managed to decrease the pressure on him, helping him to return to ongoing discussion. Despite the mental toll, it indeed helped him to clear his mind.
¡°¡can¡¯t stay behind when the order of Marquise was quite direct ¨C to follow and help Sir William. Moreover, I don¡¯t entirely trust you, mage, and your kind, who in a chase for changing their status deliberately used your creation against ordinary innocent citizens,¡± looking directly at Angela, Sir Antony ended his speech.
¡°I never was or ever would be with them. Moreover, you don¡¯t trust me? When you were the one who wanted to abandon your precious order in the first place! Only because of Sir Kane''s nobility, you are here, still having your precious honor,¡± the magician parried, hitting the ground with both her staves.
¡°Please, there is no point in arguing right now. We are almost there. We need to work together for¡,¡± William tried to reason with them, but both only glared at each other with anger.
¡°I will do it,¡± Robert told with a heavy sigh, starting to check his gear. His tattered armor gave a tolerable level of protection, while the axe blade had lost only its sharpness. The weight and its form hadn¡¯t disappeared, only partly limiting its effectiveness. At least there was an additional spike on the other side. Therefore, he just repeated his words louder, when noticed the absence of reaction.
¡°I will do it! I will stay here to hold the door. It will win sometimes and luckily no infected will follow in the tower afterward¡ Stop it, William. I am barely holding myself from attacking anyone. My equilibrium state will not last long before I will be pushed into similar mad and aggressive behavior. I am done, but you have your grand mission. So do everything possible to make it happen. Go!¡±
Robert shouted in the end, which immediately led to them start moving. Angela almost dragged William inside, whispering to him something with a serious face. Sir Antony stopped for a moment, before nodding deeply and following others. Rob barely held himself from shoving a middle finger directly into the face of the knight and ruining the moment, which was way too dramatic for his liking.
Of course, now I¡¯ve got your respect¡ Hypocrite¡ So, I can see around a dozen approaching infected, and maybe more will come later. Let¡¯s see how long my regeneration ability can sustain me in new conditions without the Core but with a constant flow of mana. The final dance is coming!
Chapter 41
Only after a full flight of stairs around the tower, William managed to steel himself. The vortex of thoughts about this damned ongoing situation made him feel bad. Really bad. They were late, which led to an enormous number of dead citizens while creating even more enmity between both sides. The losses couldn¡¯t be easily forgotten. Everyone had friends, relatives, and lovers, who lost their lives in this revolt. It was already hard, nearly impossible to lessen the wish to take revenge on the opposite party, but now, after even more casualties, the task became much harder.
The blood was already spilled in huge amounts, and his na?ve idea of setting a peace deal was crumbling under a harsh reality. Robert was right ¨C he had his grand mission, but now he started to wonder if it was achievable. Or even if it was, was there any better way to do it? To make it happen faster just to save more lives. The lives that could be gone at any moment. His fallen friends ¨C Monk and Wolf. His old master, who had raised him. His whole squad, which he never treated seriously after being appointed as their sergeant, seeing them as just one of the first steps on his road to a higher position. And now Robert, who willingly stayed behind just to give him a better chance to achieve what he wanted.
Yes, his goal wasn¡¯t for his own sake, but he indeed knew that he was special. Nobody ever told him that he was a Chosen, but the fact of his fast-paced growth, his abnormal energy reserves, or the ease, with which he wielded mana were speaking by themselves. The same abilities were seen only once in history when the knight¡¯s first and last King had set the world¡¯s order. Now it was breaking under weights of political ambitions, unhealthy discrimination, stagnation, and many other factors. Therefore, he had to glue it back¡ or destroy it to dust to rebuild a new, better version. But he had to DO it. Not to wait for actions from others, when they had already put enough on to pedestal to make it happen, but to do it by himself. By his own hands. To overcome all difficulties, to grow from his childish perspective, to set a flow, and not to follow it. To become the HERO for the world.
He didn¡¯t know the way to it, but William was sure that the first starting point would be a personal strength. He needed more to make high nobility listen to him on equal terms. He needed more to save people he valued. Only tremendous strength could cut through all boundaries, create new ones, and save this falling apart world in the end. William was already feeling how time was flowing away, but it only steeled his resolve.
¡°¡ was dying after all. For a warrior, it is always better to do it on his own terms, with a weapon in hand and fighting against a horde of enemies. His sacrifice must not be in vain, so please¡,¡± Angela was still trying to cheer him up when William interrupted her.
¡°I am good. Better be ready with your ritual,¡± he told while lunging forward to help Sir Antony. The latter was already cutting through a few wounded infected. One of them even missed the arm, instead having a horrible mark from a fireball on his shoulder.
¡°Everything is almost ready! I prepared that ritual with my older brother beforehand. I will need just a couple of minutes to set the magic circle!¡± Angela shouted in response, following two unstoppable knights.
However, soon they had to pause when they reached a door to a huge ceremonial hall, where the most important meetings, discussions, and presentations of research were held. That was the final destination for an unknown group, who managed to enter the tower before them.
That place turned to be their grave as too many infected followed. Moreover, the commotion from the fight attracted all of them in this hall, almost creating a dense crowd of enemies that were on the brink of starting to fight, but the appearance of new targets switched their attention.
¡°Sir Antony, we will protect the door, while Angela will prepare her lightning spell!¡± commanded William, stepping forward. His longsword was already pointing towards dozens of mage¡¯s servants and apprentices.
Unrecognizable wild yells mixed with primal roars sounded across the hall when the fights broke loose. Both swords, imbued with mana, gave enough reach to keep the distance. However, the infected completely disregarded their lives or safety, literally jumping onto the blades. William¡¯s swing cut through several bodies before being stopped by the glowing claws. Still, the impact from the hit was strong enough to throw away ¡°zombie¡±. That didn¡¯t help as a few more were already attacking.
Rotating his body, William avoided another clawed thrust, while countering it with an elbow hit. The metal lost its energy right before touching the nape of the robed maniac and regained it a moment later. The force in the hit was so huge that the infected dropped down with insane speed, crushing tiles on the floor. Not pausing his movement, William parried a clumsy attempt from the next opponent, before piercing his skull with a lightning-fast thrust. Pushing the impaled body under the enemy¡¯s swing, he made his own, which this time cut through both opponents, severing head and arm in the process. Mana in his armor interrupted its flow, giving him the ability to crush the neck of the infected beneath, before regaining it again exactly in the moment to defend himself from the attempt to make a hole in his chest.
The fight barely lasted over two dozen seconds, but the pure aggressive nature of these ¡°zombies¡± intensified everything to an insane degree. Acting like in a trance, William moved his sword without a hitch, even ignoring possible obstacles like a doorframe or even a floor. His imbued mana blade cut through everything, except the same energy-feeding claws, but his battle experience gave enough advantage not to feel threatened. Even the power outburst from the infected only gave them the ability to be on par with him. Therefore, when Angela finally cast her spell, the magic lighting only had five targets to aim for.
¡°Why I was even bothering with it?¡± not hiding her irritation, Angela commented, looking at several burned bodies. With a tired sigh, she dropped her staff, keeping the second one with unknown properties.
¡°Because we are not alone,¡± William answered, pointing at the damaged armor of the second knight. A few deep marks on the metal from claws showed that not everything went so easy.
¡°I am sorry for it, Sir William. I have exhausted almost all my spirit reserves and decided to sustain the sword, not armor. But fear not, my wounds are light, and I can keep up,¡± Sir Antony explained, being noticeably ashamed of his performance in comparison with the younger knight.
¡°No need to worry, dear Sir. I think we got all enemies here,¡± William shook his head, before continuing, ¡°but we need to hurry as more might come from outside.¡±
The ending sounded clearly with sadness, reminding me of Robert¡¯s deed. Still, he didn¡¯t want to waste such a precious gift and hastily started to climb the stairs. From Angela¡¯s explanation, everything was on the top of the tower, waiting for them to be used.
¡°Are you sure that it will work?¡± asked William, walking ahead of everyone. The sheer amount of ascent they had to overcome made the magician¡¯s breath heavy and irregular. Sir Antony wasn¡¯t better as it seemed his wounds were not so light in the end. However, he didn¡¯t have time to help them as he was focusing on the surroundings.
¡°My older brother, Richard, was a real genius. He managed to create lots of things for our mage¡¯s kind, but his vision was limited only to the usage of natural sources of energy. I, on the other hand, used his research with a deeper understanding and without such artificial self-limitations. Yes, I used what was based on his enormous work, but surprisingly he wasn¡¯t jealous or wasn¡¯t against. No, he fully supported me, helping with the creation of the rune circle. We managed to run just a single test to confirm its correct performance, but never tried it on full power. But I am sure it will work. If Richard was alive, he would definitely confirm this¡¡±
¡°What has happened?¡±
William asked, stepping into the round room, which was located almost on the top of the tower. As the latter was narrowing from the bottom to the top, its size wasn¡¯t that big. More stairs were going up, but Angela pointed him to go there. The room looked like a small working laboratory with few bookshelves, filled with books and scrolls; a huge table with flasks and pieces of metal; several stools without backrests; many complex diagrams, pictured on the wall; and many other different things, that showed it was defiantly used by someone, who could live in a mess while being fully focused on a creation process.
The single distinction that captured William¡¯s eye was a wide stained-glass window with the scene of a rising sun over the field of flowers. There was a single tree with a green crown, which created enough shadow for the sleeping man to cover himself. Everything looked filled with calmness, peace, and appeasement. He couldn¡¯t distinguish the face of the man, but all its figure seemed to be radiated idleness.
¡°He died. Actually, we had to meet him in that forsaken village, but it turns out that he was dead at that moment. No way could he lose his research journals and it is the best proof, unfortunately. Those filthy soldiers managed to kill magic genius of such scale that likely will never be born again. However, I don¡¯t blame them as it was that stupid bitch Laura who influenced him to participate personally in the attack. At least I know that she is feeding worms right now.¡±
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¡°What are...,¡± William tried to turn around, simultaneously pushing his energy into armor, but the magician had already cast her spell from the staff.
Both he and Sir Antony immediately felt down as being paralyzed. But in fact, William was sure his body could move if he could give such an order. However, that seemed to be impossible as he was overwhelmed with feelings. Each sense was intensified a hundredfold, making it hard even to breathe. The touch, the temperature, the sight, the hearing ¨C everything was so much more than he could handle. If it was only one sense, William might adapt, but not all at once. Moreover, all these torrents of information somehow managed to be well perceptible as he continued to listen to Angela¡¯s speech unwillingly, which turned to be another tormented sound.
¡°Returning to your question ¨C yes, I am quite sure in the ritual. You see¡ wait, how this helmet is taking off. Oh, here¡¡±
In the next moment, William heard painful groans from Sir Antony, which disappeared quickly. He didn¡¯t need to be a genius to understand what had happened, especially when he saw Angela walking past him with a bloodied knife. The thought of Robert¡¯s precaution about the magician rang in his mind, but there was no point in regret. It already had happened, so he needed to focus on finding a solution to save himself. Nobody was going to help him this time. He had to rely on himself. Almost as he wished earlier.
¡°What was I telling? Yes, the ritual¡ It was my brother, who managed to get God¡¯s blessing and modified one inconspicuous flower to increase everyone¡¯s energy capacity. Of course, it helped not only the mages but also the knights. However, for such occasions, our newly acquired spells gave us abilities on par with them. Moreover, the war, created by our conspiracy, managed to decrease the quantity of our main enemies.¡±
Angela continued to do something, but William¡¯s point of view had hidden her actions from sight. Most likely, she was setting that ritual circle, making William only to increase his attempt to break through the spell.
¡°Later, we found an unpleasant aftereffect on ordinary citizens. You see, those lowly creatures couldn¡¯t spend mana but were accumulating it in their bodies constantly. The result of it you had seen with your own eyes ¨C the destruction of the soul, uncontrollable madness, and aggressiveness. Potentially it could be countered with knowledge of how to use mana, but who would do such things as to teach them? Arrogant knights, who don¡¯t want to give away even the tiniest part of their power? Or we, the mages, who after being in those prisons for centuries hadn¡¯t got any help from those ordinary folks? Nope, they deserve the death. And they will get it!¡±
William heard new sounds of metal clinging as if Angela was setting some chains on the floor. Her early pleasant voice now was an instrument of torture. Adding the meaning, which was carried over with her words, William¡¯s anger only grew stronger. Not only on her but also on his own weakness. His blindness. His reliance on others. No, he had to do something! He had to break free!
¡°Alas, this infection is already everywhere, I am not excluded. I predicted that almost in the beginning, which led me to create the ritual with the help of my brother¡¯s research. Its whole purpose is to transfer energy from one living source to another, strengthening its soul to the point where his capacity can become enormous. The problem is that one can handle such a ritual only once. Therefore, I chose you to be my benefactor, to give me more energy to resist the illness and more power for later to destroy everyone who will try to oppose me. Your performance during the duel on the ball made you a perfect candidate.¡±
William felt he was dragged by Angela, who grabbed his hand and pulled him right across the floor without any care. It sent another painful wave of over-sensation inside his mind. The feeling of rage had only intensified, which finally led him to move his finger. However, it was too early to act. Soon, very soon. Patience was the key to finding the right moment.
¡°So, finishing our interesting discussion. Yes, I am sure that ritual will work. I am betting my future life on it after all. I even managed to simplify activation by simply closing the circuit with chains, just in case you try to resist and wound me. I am not as tough as you, knights. But luckily, you were too charmed to think and react. Good boy!¡±
Angela widely smiled, dropping down William¡¯s hand. Bending over to fix the connection in the rune circle, she was shocked to hear weak bashing sounds against the metal. Slowly raising her head, she was surprised to see a familiar figure of that cursed militia, Robert. The latter looked like a walking corpse. Without a right arm under an elbow, with open cuts all over the tattered armor, he was smiling with bloodied teeth. Barely standing and creating a pool of red liquid underneath him, he had to lean on the wall to keep himself straight. His right eye was glowing with constant purple light, showing his infected state, while the other was tightly shut because of was too swollen to open.
¡°Well, that was quite a villainous speech over the defeated hero. Like a super classic one, a full hit in the bullseye of clich¨¦ tropes. I wanted to clap for your performance properly, but as you can see, I have a little problem here. No second palm ¨C no clapping¡ Moreover, those fucking stairs almost finished me off. Why would you choose your evil laboratory on the top, while not having a lift? It is much easier to use the basement¡¡±
¡°You can¡¯t do anything to me in such a condition. You will bleed out in just a few minutes,¡± Angela shook her head, relaxing after careful examination of this idiot who barely kept on his feet.
¡°Oh, yeah, I know. My status screen shows that I am completely fucked. Zero for both Core and Vitality stats. However, my Adaptation ability is in full swing as¡,¡± Robert didn¡¯t manage to finish, as Angela sprinted to her staff before raising it in the air. A second cast was met with silence before she released her spell on the injured soldier, ¡°Oh, that is an interesting effect. Very strong. Oh, wow, even my own voice tries to knock me out¡¡±
¡°How are you standing? Nobody can fight against it¡ Whatever, I will kill you in an old way. In such a condition, you can¡¯t confront me,¡± dropping her staff, Angela took the knife from her belt. However, that motion only led to a wider grin from Robert, confusing her even more.
¡°You don¡¯t need to confront me. You need to confront him,¡± pointing with just his eyes behind her back, Rob chuckled. The magician tried to turn around only to be grabbed by her neck by William. In the next moment, she was raised high into the air, while being squeezed by his palm. Not having the ability to breathe, Angela attempted to hit the young knight with the knife, but the blade bounced off from the armor. She wanted to beg for mercy. However, before she managed to think it over to find proper reasoning for her doings, she felt herself flying through the air. Breaking the stained-glass window with her back, she wanted to scream in horror. However, her throat couldn¡¯t produce any sound even after she was meters away from the ground. Then everything disappeared.
¡°Nice throw,¡± Robert nodded, before pushing himself forward, ¡°Now go there and let¡¯s conduct this damned ritual.¡±
¡°What? No! You need a lay down and save your strength!¡± William tried to oppose, but his shaking state wasn¡¯t any better. His attack on Angela took all his mental strength and left nothing in reserve. Overwhelming weakness took over his body, making it hard even to look straight.
¡°Are you blind? I am a one-armed walking dead. But! I have literally an endless stream of energy inside while I am alive. Therefore, we will make you a fucking overpowered hero right here and now. Moreover, you don¡¯t have any choice,¡± smiled Robert, placing William in the rune circle. His friend wanted to resist, but it felt like an attempt from a child in terms of strength.
¡°Stop it,¡± William whispered using the remains of his energy, ¡°Please, don¡¯t do it. I don¡¯t want to be in such debt.¡±
¡°First, it¡¯s not a debt but a gift. Second, I am not asking for permission. Third, better use it wisely and not like a moron. Fourth, maybe it will also help me to survive. Yes, the idea is crazy, but I may as well try it while I can. You see, Anchor ability not only links but also places part of my soul in the space between dimensions. Taking into account my unbreakable bond between my soul and body, it¡ Oh, you have lost consciousness already. Damn, you didn¡¯t even last for several sentences, while you listened full speech from Angela. Is it the effect of beauty? Or because she was the villain? Okay, Robert, let¡¯s test it. Hope you will make it¡¡±
William was hearing something on the outskirts of his mind, but it couldn¡¯t break through the barrier of darkness, which was embracing him. Everything had changed when he felt the small flow of light appearing in his vision. It was slow and tiny, but it was constant. The effect wasn¡¯t noticeable at first, but soon the pitch-black surroundings were painted in grey, and later, after an unknown time, the brightest light dominated everything, burning even shadows down to nothingness.
That heat started to spread out everywhere, engulfing the impurities of his soul, while it bigger. This growth created another wave of pain. William screamed, but he had no way from this torture as only to endure. Soon, the thought of his wish to be a hero appeared in his mind, giving him the inner energy to overcome it. He didn¡¯t want to waste such an opportunity. He didn¡¯t have the moral right to do it after everything. Therefore, he fought until the end.
When William woke up, it was already evening. The familiar two moons were shining through the broken window, lighting the ritual room. The rune circle had melted down, leaving only traces of it and erasing the last ability to repeat its effect. Both creators of it were already dead. The motionless body of Sir Antony stayed in the same place. William finally managed to see the face of the fallen knight, filled with regret. He was sure that the reason for it was the thought about failing his mission and thus his honor, which made William smile with sadness because that was definitely not true.
Standing up and picking up his sword, he felt his body strong and powerful as never before. William was sure that he would need it very soon as he had a lot to do. The ongoing war between knights and mages. The fate of Marquise Blueriver. His heritage from Duke. The magic illness and its possible cure, which he heard from Angela. And, of course, an odd behavior of Sophie that had to be investigated personally. It could be easily another conspiracy or indeed real course of events. There was a long road ahead of him as he was sure that his way of Hero was only starting. Glancing one more time at the ashes among tattered armor that were everything left from Robert, he steeled himself and whispered.
¡°I swear I will not waste this valuable opportunity, my friend!¡±
Looking around one more time, he resolutely started to descend from this fateful tower. There were things to be done, blood to be spilled and the world to be saved.
Chapter 42
Robert¡¯s decision to sacrifice himself might make him look like a dumb righteous idiot, but he didn¡¯t have any solution for his constantly worsening state. Infected ambient mana was destroying his body and soul, leaving no way out, except a single road into a cold grave. Therefore, as a last resort, he attempted to try a crazy idea, which could potentially save him from inevitable death. If he failed, it would still help his friend, giving him a feeling that his life wasn¡¯t a futile struggle for survival from his childhood until now. No, it could have an importance, alas not for him.
The moment the ritual had started, Robert felt enormous pain. Even having experienced being burned to death, impaled by stone spike, beaten into meat paste by bear¡¯s paws, or poisoned many times, it was much worse. He felt hundreds of ephemeral chains with hooks pierce his soul and start to pull, simultaneously trying to tear apart his inner beings and take it for themselves to absorb him completely until nothing was left; as he was bare naked under an insane hurricane, which was devouring his flesh piece by piece. The force was so strong that even the thought of resistance sounded ridiculous. However, if he couldn¡¯t fight it directly, he could hide from it.
Focusing his mind on the single link from where all the energy was coming, he tried to push his soul there. Using hundreds of imaginary hands, when each of them was holding one small part of his inner being, Robert attempted to save at least something. It was hard as he was almost swimming against the water flow of the fastest river he ever heard of. For long, it seemed he was just prolonging his torture, not getting any positive results.
An insidious thought of giving up entered his mind and Robert had to use all his willpower not to fall for it, continuing his own version of Sisyphus''s labor. The constant, never-ending effort, looked completely useless in the end. Still, the understanding that pain only confirmed his ongoing existence and gave him the energy to try to do more. To be better. To win over this faceless power. As if adapting, his mind started to increase its push and that finally gave so much desirable result. One piece turned into a few, only strengthening his resolve.
Robert didn¡¯t know how long it took him and how much of him was torn apart, but at some point, he found himself in familiar nothingness, from where he was taken by God only to be sent to another world. Despite happening what seemed ages ago, everything breathed with familiarity. This feeling brought peace to his mind, and to his inner self, allowing him to bask in calm and motionless darkness. However, it didn¡¯t last long as something huge appeared near him. He couldn¡¯t see or understand it, but it felt like a huge existence, easily comparable with Wepwakor in terms of effect from just sheer presence. That unknown entity embraced him, and Robert immediately got a feeling about being pumped up with strange matter, patching the gaps in his tattered soul. After it was done, everything went black before the flat stony plateau came into sight. The very same floating plateau with hundreds of different stars above, which was the very same starting point of his unpleasant adventure after the death during the alien¡¯s assault on his bunker.
Am I alive? But how? I guess I don¡¯t need to complain, but it would be nice to know. And that unknown helper¡ Well, let¡¯s check the status screen to see if I can get any answers.
Initializing recalibration of status screen¡
The soul is separated from the body¡
The body is completely destroyed¡
Gaokeren intervention linked the soul to the avatar¡¯s type body¡
The entity is now a unique species¡
The change in abilities and traits is noticed¡ Recalibrating¡
Core and Vitality stats are gone¡ Mana regeneration is replaced¡ Adjusting other changes¡
Starting with default settings¡
Envoy of Wepwakor ¨C Tier 1
Strength 19 Agility 13 Endurance 23 Toughness 11
Perception 10 Mind 45 Mana flow 37
Abilities: Restoration
Traits: God¡¯s Envoy, Interdimensional Entity, Avatar¡¯s Body (Modified Brain)
Interdimensional Entity ¨C after losing the physical body, what is left of the entity is only a pure immortal soul. Placed in space between dimensions, it can last for eternity just from the ambient energy, but it doesn¡¯t have the power of God to live there. Only to exist endlessly, deprived of the ability to impact surroundings in this everlasting prison. Constantly absorbing ambient mana to grow in the hope of becoming something bigger, it can only make useless accumulation without a way to utilize it, except through a permanent soul link.
This single way of connection to the outer world was granted by Gaokeren in gratitude for making his Champion stronger during the war for the Crown with the help of Anchor¡¯s remnants. Through it, the entity can send the energy or control other living beings in an attempt to return to its previous state of existence. However, after the connection is set, the flow of energy is constant and can¡¯t be changed in any way by will. Moreover, as the entity will grow, so will the flow of mana. Losing the connection point can lead to breaking the link forever without the possibility of restoring it in the future.
Avatar¡¯s Body ¨C the physical body of the entity is a mere vessel for its connected mind, recreated with the help of Gaokeren in gratitude for making his Champion stronger during the war for the Crown. The vessel or the body is made from remnants of the envoy¡¯s body with addition from unknown living beings and under the curse of another God, which in turn leaves an owner with a mixture of abilities. The patching-up of missing parts from the original body and its links to the original soul had a huge impact on it.
The inability to use itself as mana storage in any way, a huge limitation on the level of passive dispersion of mana¡¯s excess, and the need for permanent connection to an energy source to sustain its life ¨C all these make it a difficult task to balance the energy issues of the body. With the increase in a physique, the need for mana will only grow further, while not changing anything else. The overflow of energy with no way out will have a damaging effect on the body up to the possibility of death if no measures are taken.
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On the other hand, such constant energy feeding is influencing basic necessities like the need for nutrients, water, oxygen, sleep, and others, decreasing them by a noticeable degree; and significantly increasing passive regeneration, while simultaneously expanding its ability to restore any injury or missing limb with active effort. The speed of regeneration can be boosted by spending additional mana. Moreover, the drastic change in the constitution grants the owner unlimited potential for growth, which still must be embodied naturally, and non-exitance of any crucial points like the heart as it is the vessel, where every part is equal. However, even the toughest vessel can¡¯t sustain the loss of a bigger part of its body or non-stoppable cycles of repairing and damaging.
Additionally, the body has the modification of Brain by using the part of Hive-mind gives a similar ability of multitasking from this creature that rules its colony and soldiers with direct simultaneous control.
Well, that¡¯s a lot of info¡
His loss of abilities and two stats with the replacement of another one wasn¡¯t as bad as the new realm of his being. Basically, Robert now was just a soul with only a link to the real world. Moreover, careful reread showed him a huge danger that again appeared over his head.
This crap again... It has different reasoning and conditions, but from an overall view ¨C it is fucking the same shit!
The similarity between his previous state and current could be the result of the influence of the former on the latter. However, understanding of such a fact didn¡¯t make his life any easier, not it didn¡¯t change anything ¨C Rob had to spend mana constantly to lessen the strain on his body for the sake of saving his unreplaceable connection from his own soul. It was the same permanent flow of mana without any active ability to use it. No possibility of manual usage to help in critical situations, except healing. The latter was also under big question in terms of efficiency. Destruction of his Core with damage of the soul might be the source of it. At least, this mana wasn¡¯t poisoned. On the other hand ¨C failure this time meant not turning into an aggressive maniac, but eternal prison in darkness as he was sure there would be no God this time to help him with the creation of another link. Rob wasn¡¯t even sure if it was a better option ¨C slowly going insane in a nothingness against mindless fury.
Robert already felt an odd sensation inside him in the form of a stretched string, on which someone tried to put additional weights while pulling it on opposite sides simultaneously. It wasn¡¯t painful, more like uncomfortable. Disturbing. However, he was sure it would be only a matter of time before this feeling would change to unbearable. He needed the solution, and he got one, when familiar horrible pressure from the look of his God fell onto him, dropping him on the stony surface in a mixture of fear and displeasure. The latter came from his own weakness. Rob wasn¡¯t arrogant enough to confront God or even think about being with him on equal terms, but at least he could resist being humiliated. And he tried and tried to stand up, but the pressure was only becoming heavier. Then everything disappeared.
¡°Commendable attitude, my envoy,¡± an enormous pitch-black smoky figure with a huge maw that could consume everything was already towering above him.
¡°However, the way you returned wasn¡¯t the one I wished. Moreover, you got the help from another God. His opponent attempted to minimize his influence to limit other¡¯s side abilities by just choosing a single Champion. However, your doings tipped the scales in their confrontation greatly. I indeed don¡¯t mind taking sides during the battles for the Crown, but I must remind you that I am Wepwakor, God of Everlasting Wanderings, Devourer of Souls, and Venturous Hunter. Therefore, I need strong souls, hunted by my envoys. Your contribution this time wasn¡¯t enough, alas slightly, while you are here and in need of another help just to live longer to return the investment in you. I will grant your special challenge to slay a great beast and even help with your small problem by using a suitable soul that fits your own perfectly and is on the same level of power. This task will not be easy, but at least it is most straightforward in comparison to ordinary conditions. So, brace yourself, my envoy, and show me that you deserve your role. Or die trying!¡±
The blessing was chosen for you¡ Calculating change¡ Merging souls¡
Steelthruster ¨C this magic hedgehog has to survive in an extremely dangerous environment, filled with predators, thus making him create its own instrument of defense. Using airbags of concentrated mana in surroundings, it can store it for further conjuring steel protection directly from its body in a time of need and continue to produce it while it has energy to spare. Such affinity grants this creature increased overall toughness in exchange for flexibility, but it is easy to trade for the ability to summon sharp spikes at any moment. Has lactose intolerance.
Ability: Conjure steel
Traits: Steel skin
The wave of another pain made Robert curse loudly while training to keep himself conscious. The familiar feel of burning alive changed into being frozen to death and then altered into being pressured into a pulp. One after another, new torturous feelings were embracing him in their painful hugs, but all previous unfortunate experiences helped to endure it. He knew it would soon end. It wasn¡¯t his first time. Yes, of course, Rob barely held his scream, but despite that, he even managed to check his status screen, feeling it was his last opportunity.
Envoy of Wepwakor ¨C Tier 1
Strength 19 Agility 10 Endurance 23 Toughness 18
Perception 10 Mind 45 Mana flow 37
Abilities: Restoration, Conjure Steel
Traits: God¡¯s Envoy, Interdimensional Entity, Avatar¡¯s Body (Modified Brain, Steel Skin)
New ability: 1) Conjure steel ¨C the ability to summon any shape of steel from any part of own body. The volume and weight are limited to half of the size and weight of the summoner¡¯s body. The properties of steel are set and can¡¯t be changed by adding more mana. Constantly consumes mana to sustain the conjuration. The steel can¡¯t be separated from the body because it will cut the energy link, thus dispersing it immediately.
New trait: 1) Steel skin ¨C low-level reinforcement of the whole body with metal particles with a focus on skin, which increases Toughness, but decreases the overall flexibility. Increases affinity to metal. Increases the body weight. Readjusting the change to Avatar¡¯s Body trait.
It appeared to be the correct decision as the vortex took him the moment the merging with the new soul had ended. Black whirlwind covered the surroundings in a constant rotating movement, finally bringing only the feeling of being transported, but nothing uncomfortable. This idle time gave Robert time to recover his mental state and to prepare for the incoming. He was sure it would be damn hard to kill the beast. Maybe impossible. However, Rob had to do it if he wanted to live. At least now he could be always armed.
I hope it is not¡ Oh, crap!
His thought was interrupted when his body was spilled out of the vortex right in the air just to be dropped directly into the water a few moments later. Increased weight almost immediately tried to pull him down into the deep, but active movements helped him to stabilize his body on the surface. Salty liquid had already entered his mouth, greatly worsening his mood in the process. Calming down to stop the spreading panic, Robert tried to look around only to confirm his awful premonition. He was indeed in the middle of the ocean and there was no visible land from his point of view. The waves didn¡¯t help either, constantly obstructing his sight. Moreover, the strain on his soul link started to be noticeable, while his active ability, which had to lessen the pressure, was literally the best way to cosplay the victim of cement shoes from the mafia¡¯s times.
Well, I am royally fucked!
The end of Part 1
Chapter 43 (2-1)
Part 2: Rob¡¯s Non-heroic Misadventures
The expanse of water seemed endless. Like a real conqueror, blueish liquid covered everything up to the horizon, not leaving even a single spot for others. As if it was not enough, it was constantly moving, not having any opportunity to spend its energy elsewhere. No barriers to break, no opponents to fight, no land to flood left it alone under the hot sun to toy with itself. And it did, sending wave after wave without any rest, periodically creating huge ones just for fun. Its childish attitude in this process turned even the dullest thing into real entertainment, which it tried to enjoy to the full extent, being observed by a red circle in the cloudless skies.
The latter looked like an adult, watching over its own kid playing in the sand and trying not to be distracted absorbed in its own reality child to get more time of calmness and quietness for itself. Still, the single eye never turned away even for a moment, perennially sending light and warmth as if it were a loving parent, trying to share its feelings with the whole world. Again, they felt as endless as the size of the ocean. At least for Robert, who was actively trying to keep himself alive in this pleasant scenery for the eyes of tourists on a cruise liner, but not for a direct participant in a game called ¡°survival after ship sinking¡±. No, for him, it was pure torture that he had to endure.
One more time¡
Closing his eyes for a moment, Rob concentrated on an ethereal feeling of heavy hardness, which was permanently present in the back of his mind after getting a new ability from God. Almost immediately his consciousness reacted, redirecting the constant flow of mana from the link between his soul and body to the imaginary visage of the simple tube. The very same tube, but in much cruder exaction appeared right inside his mouth. A moment later Robert began to dive deeper into the water, finally leaving the surface and its remorseless rays, constantly falling from the local star.
Oh, dear God, how I hate this shit!
Only descending more than ten meters deep (around 33 ft.), Rob managed to feel pleasant coldness. Breathing through the slowly growing tube, he tried to relax his exhausted body in this short rest, but as always, he didn¡¯t have enough time. His increased weight was pushing him down without any pity for his situation. At least it wasn¡¯t a single bad thing in the new world, as if everything went terrible from the beginning.
Robert¡¯s experience in swimming barely helped him not to panic and keep him on the surface only to find out that it was a real suffering. The local red star was hot as hell, while there was not even a single cloud above him. Moreover, it didn¡¯t seem to move for all this time, staying in the same spot despite hours of Rob¡¯s struggles. That kept the water way too hot for his liking. On the other hand, it was clear as a glass and he managed to keep his sight even deep down. Occasional big waves forced Robert to be on guard all the time after the first miss almost led him to drown. And, of course, the strain on soul link from the flow of mana didn¡¯t help. Fortunately, the ability to conjure steel felt oddly natural and innate.
A few experiments led to the creation of this cycle when he summoned a breathing tube to have a short break from the heat, the sun, and the constant movement while lessening the threat of not using enough mana. It took some effort to conjure proper form and adjust all timings to stabilize his situation, but that was it. Rob didn¡¯t see the way out of it. He just prolonged his life, not saved. Accumulated tiredness, thirst, and hunger were already knocking on his front door. Soon, they would barge in without asking, greeting him personally.
Not easy but straightforward? Where the hell is it straightforward, when I can¡¯t even find the land! What if there is none and the beast lives underwater? What if there is one single island, but it is on the opposite side of this fucking world? Damn, it can be easily in just a few miles, but I will still need enormous luck to find it! Fuck, fuck, fuck¡ Okay, calm down, Rob, and think. What can you do?
Another inner brainstorm led to an idea to make a metal boat using his ability. The problem was¡ There were a lot of problems with that. Despite easiness of usage, the precisions of it fully depended on his own skills, which he had on the level of barely existing. Basically, he was like an infant. His experience was laughable. Robert couldn¡¯t make a proper thin-walled tube with a simple form. What he got was always a crude variant made by a random drunkard after a sleepless night at the party.
The boat was completely on another level in terms of geometry. Another barrier to achieving it was the need to keep the air inside, so the conjuring had to be made above the water. That, in turn, would immediately push him deep down together with his creation. There was a solution ¨C to be fast enough. After that Rob would need just to change the contact point with the boat to the opposite side, without stopping fueling with mana the visualization of his future transport.
Now I can thank our scientists, who transplanted the part of an alien creature¡¯s brain to children, giving me real multitasking. I can handle it. The need to constantly focus on the image of a summoning object while doing other things may stop anyone, but not me. However, the speed and accuracy might be out of my league for now. Moreover, there is a limitation to the size of possible mana construct. I fear it will not handle my weight¡ Wait! I can just use it as some kind of lifebuoy to stay on the surface with less effort. Okay, I have a rough plan now. Just need to train a little bit. I can do that!
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Therefore, his continuous struggles went in similar cycles. Nor did Robert track the time, not he had the opportunity to. All his attention was concentrated on this ability as his own life fully depended on it. The strain on his body started to hurt as if his usage of mana wasn¡¯t enough, but he was out of options for now. His skin was long red from burns and each movement brought pain. Rob¡¯s ability to restore his wounds and strength at heightened speed had long been lost to the insane amount of time in the real ocean under the scorching sun. Moreover, it seemed with an increased strain from the overflow of energy, his regeneration also started to slow down, despite the possibility of boosting by adding more mana. And his adaptive aspect seemed to be completely lost, turning him defenseless against a simple ultraviolet light. Having no clothes, was a repeatable torture.
The good thing is I am not bald! It would be deadly in such conditions¡ On the other hand, wet long hair is heavy and would only drag me down into the deep. Hmm, then what will be the best haircut for such an occasion?
Half-joking, half speaking with himself, Robert followed his plan with the perseverance of gear in working mechanism. With no time to pause for pondering, he just repeated a well-known set of actions. Swimming, conjuring, diving. Again, and again. His burned red skin made him sometimes abstain from any movement and just wait for his regeneration to do its work, when the pain became to be intolerable. However, soon his body seemed to adapt naturally, prolonging the number of cycles before once again capitulating under the attacks of the pitiless sun. Instead, new things emerged ¨C the hunger and the thirst. They started to gain more and more ground, already being too strong to be ignored with ease. Robert knew in his mind that it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for days, but mentally it was just another point of pressure on him.
Just one hundred more and I will try! Ninety-nine¡
Setting a clear goal helped Rob to focus. At first, even such a low number seemed huge, but with each next step, he could literally count his own progress. He cheered when only half left. Robert congratulated himself on the last ten, almost forcefully stopping himself from rushing through them. Finally, after the last one was done, he made a short break and turned to the back. The bright light almost blinded him even through his closed eyes. His body was moving together with waves, giving him time to relax the strain after constant physical activity.
At least I can have a tan, which would have been impossible if I stayed in that bunker till now. As if I am on vacation in the place from a postcard.
The thought made him smile with a wide grin. That was immediately punished by the ocean ¨C the wall of water crashed onto him in an attempt to bury him underneath. Salty liquid rushed inside his mouth, making Rob choke, while he was still under the surface. The panic almost got him, but he managed to keep his cool, emerging back to the air after a short pause.
No swimming on the back for long got it. And a note for the future ¨C to test the ability of restoration to heal the consequences of drinking the salty water. I am sure it will not work, but who the hell knows those magic abilities, yes? Okay, the goal. Let¡¯s start.
Focusing on the image of the hollow cylinder, Rob summoned an already familiar feeling of steel inside his mind, before connecting everything to the energy link. Without any delay, greyish material started to appear right from his both hands, quickly forming a similar structure. It wasn¡¯t the exact copy but was close enough to create a small sense of accomplishment. However, the weight was already pushing Robert down. The moment he lost the visual contact was the exact point of everything going wrong.
The form distorted, turning into melted something, while adding even more kilograms to the scales. As if creating a chaining reaction, his aimed buoy appeared to become a crazy abomination, while getting even bigger. Rob almost drowned before managing to stop his conjuration and get back on the surface ¨C he was pushed far too deep to easily swim back. And that was even with his increased physique and lessened needs of his newly acquired body.
An expected failure. Another one hundred tubes before the next attempt. Go!
It took around a dozen cycles of tries before Robert finally did it. His lifebuoy wasn¡¯t in good shape, but it was there, filled with air and almost floating on the surface. Yes, almost, as this conjured swimming device appeared to have too thick walls for it. Still, Rob saw the progress and it boosted his morale to new heights. The hot sun, the constant exhaustion, the hunger ¨C everything was still there to make his conditions worse, but he slowly was finding the way out from the main problem. The others would be next.
One by one. Steadily. No rush.
A loud thunderstrike resounded in the sky, making Robert tremble from surprise. Raising his head up with bad premonition growing inside, he saw dark clouds that were appearing at insane speed out of nowhere. The clear firmament was replaced with a stormy one in a mere minute. It looked so unnatural and odd that Rob even lost himself in trying to understand how it was possible, only waking up from a huge wave coming on him. It was much bigger than any before, and judging by the strength of the ever-growing wind, it was just the beginning of the incoming nightmare.
Turning around in an attempt to find a possible way to swim, Robert to his utter horror didn¡¯t notice anything similar to the edge of the storm. No, as the ocean was endless, so was the cloudy sky, covering everything up to the horizon, not leaving even a single spot open. Moreover, the loud bangs from lightning started to increase its frequency, clearly only heating up before the complete outbreak.
To the hell the steady part ¨C rush it, Rob! Now! And prey that no lighting will hit your fucking metal buoy¡ Suitable soul, you say? Yeah, right!
Chapter 44 (2-2)
The ocean was raging. As if filled with anger, it was on the verge of exploding from boiling emotions. Shaking inability to the harassment on itself from multiple lightning, it could only meaningly send another huge wave in a futile attempt to reach annoying clouds, who didn¡¯t will to stop their doings. Of course, those mosquito bites were harmless for the enormous water surface. However, the fact that the sky dared to attack it, was already enough for the ocean to continue its trembling until the thunderstorm would cease to exist. Being almost endless, it had a patience of the same size. It would endure everything. It would outlast any enemy. But right now, it was not the time as it was better to focus on another wave. Maybe exactly this one would finally hit its bully. Or the next one.
Oh, God damn it! When will it end?
Cursing his pitiful luck, Robert quickly conjured a huge hollow ball with air before diving once again deep down with the help of another set of metal bars, created directly on his back. Sticking to him as they were glued, they had enough weight to pull him down, before new wave would try to drown him. After short descending, Rob pressed his lips to the spherical construction. A few seconds of concentrated effort led to a small tube, which started to protrude from the ball and ended in his mouth.
Finally making the wanted breath, Robert looked up to see the constant movement of water above his head. Fortunately, here, ten meters (33ft) below, everything was calm. Moreover, crystal-clear water gave enough visibility, despite even dark clouds. That gave him some time to relax and wait, while keep focusing on his steel creation in the background of his mind. For him, after directly controlling hundreds of pieces of war equipment simultaneously, it was quite an easy task. On the other hand, Rob still had some problems in the visualization part as it was hard to imagine needed things completely and in detail, but the danger appeared to be a great motivation to improve fast.
In mere minutes after the storm''s appearance, Robert managed to come up with this plan ¨C the creation of an improvised variant of aqualung. The ball acted as a reservoir and additional buoyancy, while bars balanced them, so he wouldn¡¯t be pulled up. It still took some effort to constantly adjust the weight of loading to stay on the same level and not go too deep, but it was within his capabilities ¨C to keep clear pictures of three different objects in his mind, while periodically changing one of them and continuing to swim. The hardest part was the conjuration of everything in the beginning as he lacked both precision usage of his ability and enough level imagination to do it immediately.
Maybe in a few hours, I will manage to create a proper aqualung. And how things are ongoing, I guess, I will have plenty of time to experiment¡ Crap, where is my fast-forward? In all movies I¡¯ve seen, when there is a storm, the scene ends quickly to place the unconscious hero on the island, lying with tattered clothes right on the sandy beach. Where the fuck is my island? I don¡¯t want to stay here for hours! However, losing consciousness during the storm in real life, quite frankly, is an easy way to die. Not every corpse floats. Well, I take it back. Let¡¯s train then.
In the end, Robert indeed spent hours patiently waiting before the weather would calm down. Even then, nothing really had changed. The ocean was everywhere. The sun was still scorching as ever, not moving even a single bit from its place. Therefore, Rob focused on his next need ¨C to sleep. The constant physical action exhausted him by a huge margin. His passive restoration helped, prolonging his ability to stay just by refilling his muscles with energy, but it still couldn¡¯t replace the need for sleep completely. It was as in the description of his Avatar¡¯s Body trait ¨C the needs of the body were lessened by a degree, but not disappeared completely.
His self-created buoys were able to hold his floating body on the surface. The problem was that in his deep sleep, his mind stopped supporting the conjuration, thus unsummoning his improvised swimming bed. It was another challenge that Robert had to overcome unwillingly after an unknown number of tries. Unfortunately for him, even after doing it and gaining the desired sleep, he woke up only to feel completely broken as he didn¡¯t have any rest at all.
Again, I already hate this shitty world!
At least he managed to learn how to sleep without completely losing his awareness. Of course, it could be just tiredness that made him wake up constantly, but he would know it after the next attempt to have a rest. As he could see his situation, Rob had more than enough time for it. Not changing scenery didn¡¯t leave him many options for entertainment, so he focused on experimentation and tests.
The first thing he figured out was that he needed around from an hour to two not to use any mana to strain his body to the level of being barely tolerable. Moreover, immediate measures after that period only led to a slow lessening of the pressure on him but didn¡¯t fix everything straight away. The reason for approximations in time was simple ¨C the absence of a watch, reliance on counting in his head, and ethereal feelings of where the real dangerous edge of strain was. Rob didn¡¯t risk testing it to the limits of damaging himself as it was a stupid idea to do it in such conditions.
Still, he had got confirmations of his previous assumptions. Indeed, his regeneration was constant and included not only wounds but even stamina. However, it couldn¡¯t work on fullness when he was in an energy overflown state as these excesses interfered with the flow somehow. The further observations made him understand another limitation. The restoration ability seemed to have a maximum level of energy usage. Even being boosted by additional mana, it was used for both wounds and stamina simultaneously by default. So, if he didn¡¯t have any injuries from burns, then he had more to spare on the restoration of his strength. Or vice-versa.
Therefore, the best speed of healing could be achieved if he wasn¡¯t moving at all, so all mana would be used there, not wasting anything. On the other hand, taking into account his need to spend the mana constantly, just moving would help him as a recovery of stamina would take it part of the flow. Still, the greater his trained physique was, the more intensive actions he had to do for the same effect. At least, skillful usage of conjuring steel seemed to grant a real possibility to forget about the issues with his mana flow.
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Robert¡¯s next test included his ability to hold his breath. He hadn¡¯t any prior training, but the lessened needs of his newly made body helped him to understand that he could do for a long. The result might have been much better if there was no need to move or keep his heavy body afloat, but it still easily exceeded fifteen minutes, which was ten times more than an average person without training could achieve and might be on par with specialist¡¯s time.
The follow-up project was the recreation of aqualung for better usage. Not only it could help with mobility and cover his back from the sun, but it also helped to raise his skill in creating steel constructs. Robert didn¡¯t know how long it took him to master it, but the hunger was insane by this point. Luckily, the damage from drinking salty ocean water to his inner organs appeared to be healed passively. The more he drank, the more he wanted, but the counter-effect made the feeling disappear after a short time, leaving only the hunger as a main problem. Again, fortunately, he had more time to find the solution, with which the aqualung could help.
The reasoning was obvious ¨C he was here to kill the beast. The beast meant life, and not seeing any land, it was easy to think that it could be deep under the water. It couldn¡¯t be just a single species as animals always form food chains. Therefore, Rob only needed to reach the places of their habitation. Thus, any breath devices for diving were absolutely needed in such conditions. A new clear goal helped once more time to keep his mental state in check.
All his tries were boring, with tiny, barely noticeable results of improvement after each time. Never-ending cycles had put him in some kind of trance, where all that was left from the whole world was that damn aqualung, which he wanted to create. The task appeared to be too hard, as not seeing the construction with complex geometry with his own eyes made it multiple times harder to imagine. Moreover, Robert couldn¡¯t forget the thickness of the walls. It felt like he was banging the closed door with his head in an attempt to open it. Everything became much harder when he had a genius idea to put air in the reservoir, and then move the wall, thus creating pressure inside and in this way increasing the sheer volume of oxygen after a few repetitions of adding new layers and deleting the barriers between them.
He slept at least twice before he managed to achieve what he aimed for. The rough construction of aqualung was holding on his back without any straps, while additional weight was in the form of a metal belt. The non-flexible tube decreased his ability to freely move his head, but it was better than nothing. He could still create the plug with mental effort at any moment if he needed to. By this point, it was much easier to manipulate with his ability. The single found self-restriction was that it was hard for him to create anything complex without looking at it. On the other hand, following upkeeping was not that hard. That¡¯s why he created the approximate form of what he aimed for right from his hands before moving it to the back and completing the last part of feeling it with the air. The feeling of transportation of the conjuration directly over the surface of his own skin was odd, if not insane, but it worked and that was enough for Rob.
Now let¡¯s finally see what you are hiding there!
Filled with anxiety after a long period of preparation that was fueled by nascent optimism, which was almost whispering right into his ears ¨C it couldn¡¯t be a continuous series of difficulties. There had to be light. The bright gap in these hardships. It just couldn¡¯t last forever. That¡¯s why, when Robert dove into the deep of the ocean, he was actively searching for anything ¨C a spot of movement, a shade from an unknown creature, or at least for the bottom of this endless water bowl.
He had to make an effort to stop his boosting imagination from clouding his mind with underwater fields of seaweed, colorful corals, or sunken ships with goods from ancient times. To clear the picture of a school of fishes, moving along a strange trajectory as if dancing together, praising the local God of Water. To wipe out the image of hiding in sand predators that were ready to attack any possible target in proximity. To kill his growing expectations not to brake under cruel reality.
Because there was nothing at all. Just water from all sides in all directions. Moreover, the deeper he went, the less light there was, decreasing his ability to see by a huge margin. In one moment, Robert found himself frozen in one place right in the middle of nothingness. It was the very same feeling that he got after his death. No sound. No objects around. Nothing. Only light barely made it up to this point, but it was only a tiny part of the enormous force from before. To Rob, all his surroundings were the same. For a moment, the panic from the past experience took over him, killing his sense of direction. His conjured aqualung with no oxygen left had disappeared without him noticing, while his mind was in a disorder.
He felt he was lost. Again alone, in the world of giant ocean, with dubious chances to find the land or even local creatures. Only his unwillingness to give up had kept him alive, but for what? Just to prolong his struggles? The future of constant floating seemed quite unpleasant to say the least. New whispers from the back of his mind emerged, trying to convince him to stop resisting the inevitable. To relax and get his final rest. He had to be dead long ago. With his current circumstances, he would be in the near future, despite all his efforts to fight. Why would he need to suffer more, when everything could end right now. Without any pain. Without any additional need to move. On the contrary, he did not do anything to get into a well-known state of non-existence, where nothing mattered.
Eternal sleep¡ To hell with it! No stops before I am eating my fucking hamburger!
The burst of emotions made Robert almost explode from action. Rotating his body, he pushed himself up to the surface, already feeling the lack of air inside his lungs. In his mindless state, he managed to dive quite deep because of his grown weight, and that was a problem. At least the light gave him a clear hint of where to swim if he paid proper attention to it. Using all available force from his muscles, Rob focused on speeding the process as much as he could, disregarding everything else. Even when he saw out of the corner of his vision a strange shadow that was quickly approaching, Robert didn¡¯t even have a thought to check it as time was certainly running out. Moreover, it most likely was just a play of his imagination because of lack of oxygen, exhaustion, and mental stress.
Therefore, the moment he surfaced and made the first so wanted breath, almost getting a portion of water directly into his mouth as the storm had never ended, the shadow was already underneath him. It took him a few seconds to realize an incoming danger. One more was spent to recognize the shape of a huge maw. Another - to start conjuring a spear in an attempt to protect himself, but it was already too late. Robert didn¡¯t have time even to curse before teeth closed over his legs, and his body was dragged down, again under the water. He managed to take one more breath, before disappearing.
All signs of his existence were washed away with the next wave, while the thunderstorm continued his doing of angering the ocean with constant lighting strikes. The sun was watching this brawl with stoic indifference. It kept sending its heat and light as if it wasn¡¯t willing to take part in this childish act. It was there even before the ocean was born. It would be even after this overgrown lake would dry out completely. Nothing could shake it, especially some fleeting changes that were hard to notice in the first place. Moreover, when talking about tiny dots on an enormous water surface.
Chapter 45 (2-3)
The feeling of being chewed was terrible and he would never recommend it to anyone. Both of Robert¡¯s legs crashed before he even realized what was happening. The huge maw attempted to swallow another part of him to repeat the process of playing the role of the huge press, but the pain made Rob instinctively conjure several spikes. Steel-made, they pierced the flash of the unknown creature, causing a huge tremble. Despite that, it never stopped doing, closing its mouth again and again, which only accelerated Robert¡¯s mind.
The predator swung his body in different directions, increasing the sense of pain even more as sharp teeth were tearing him apart by sheer pressure. Limited oxygen in his lungs only worsened his situation. Moreover, his recreation of the defensive mechanism of the hedgehog, from which he got his ability, only made the creature feel pure rage from getting injured by the prey. Still, that didn¡¯t lead to any panic. On the contrary, somehow Rob was calmer than before, starting to act almost immediately.
Redirecting his effort from chaotic spikes into two metal beams to push apart the maw, he felt the resistance of the creature. Mental toll to not only summon steel constructs but to overcome the strength of the monster, could easily make him sweat if he was not under the water already. However, he didn¡¯t need to keep it for long as the moment the gap between the teeth was big enough for him, Robert dispersed his improvised spacers and literally squeezed inside the throat to voluntarily stuck there.
He wasn¡¯t stupid to fight the water creature in its natural habitat, while also being weaker, smaller, and struggling to keep himself from just drowning. Having limited time to act, he chose the best possible way he could think of ¨C to strangle it with his own body. If it wouldn¡¯t work ¨C he could still inflict damage and pain from that spot, while being in a relatively safe position for some time. Therefore, after finding the narrowest spot he could, Rob once again summoned metal spikes. Focusing on making them longer, he turned into a real thorn in the throat. Not only annoying but also life-threatening.
Unfortunately, it seemed this huge fish used its gills to breathe, turning their confrontation into a race against time. Either Robert would suffocate from the lack of air, or the wounds inside the body of the creature would kill it earlier. That still left the problem of breathing, but Rob had to focus on the obstacles one by one. Right now, he was trying to get to the brain with his spike. However, after completely losing an orientation in a space under the water, he had to fully rely on his luck. That luck, which often had put him in trouble.
Oh, come on! Die already!
The inner shouts didn¡¯t help as the unknown predator obviously had no wish to end its life in any way and kept struggling despite all Rob''s efforts. The latter was already on the verge of losing consciousness, but the anger fueled him to continue. Being in the dark, squeezed from all sides, completely under the water ¨C only this hatred helped him not to give up. Almost screaming from anxiety, Robert in the last desperate attempt unraveled the end of spikes with multiple thorns as if they were blooming flowers. Their chaotic form lessened the complexity of the task by a lot, creating a real steel network inside the monster. And it finally gave so desired result.
The creature¡¯s body shook as if it was hit by the lighting before stopping forever. However, Robert didn¡¯t have time to celebrate as all air was long gone from his lungs and he was keeping up only by sheer willpower and the help of his improved body. Not wasting even a single second, he unsummoned his spikes before pushing him out of the monster¡¯s body. He was already touching the row of fist-size teeth, when the world shook again, before accelerating forward as if he was in a fighter jet that was taking off from a short runway.
In the next moment, Rob realized he was flying over the ocean while staying inside the maw of now a dead creature. Completely in confusion, Robert only managed to take a deep breath. The surroundings started to rotate at an insane speed, quickly approaching the water¡¯s surface. Right before the impact, he managed to see through the gap in opened maw what was happening outside. The scenery almost threw him into panic, but a forceful fall immediately returned him to reality. Rob tried to leave the entrails as fast as he could, but it was again too late.
The imprinted picture of an enormous dark green lizard that bite in half the dead predator, while jumping out of the ocean sent a wave of dread over his mind. However, the giant swimming dragon, or whatever it was, had already swallowed the first piece and was clearly aiming for the second. The curses on the God, his shitty luck and injustice in this world ¨C everything took a mere second, while Robert was conjuring the biggest hollow ball that he ever made. Filled with air, it could last for long before he would find a way out of the unknown creature. Again.
I hope that is not the beast I need to kill because that is real crap¡
The surroundings went dark, cutting all unnecessary thoughts. This time the maw was so huge that there was no need to chew him properly before swallowing him together with remnants of a smaller predator. Robert was squeezed once again from the sides, putting him in an odd position. His face was pressed hardly directly to his own metal ball, not giving him even the ability to turn his neck. The sharp teeth of now dead creature kept hurting his back, cutting it constantly, while he was moving deeper into the stomach of the creature. One of the broken bones pierced his thigh and was immediately rotated after another swallowing movement of the lizard. Both broken legs hurt as hell just from simple pressure that came from everywhere.
Rob barely held his scream from the pain, but it was only the beginning when all his surroundings started to burn him alive as he was dropped in some kind of acid. The feeling of melting made him almost go insane before he managed to focus on saving his life. Pushing himself directly into his own metal ball, he focused all his acquired skills, his mental power, and effort to push him through, while leaving the acid behind. The whole world was narrowed to this crucial task, even putting his distressed state in the background.
Somehow it worked. Maybe this time Lady Luck was on his side. Or it was the extreme situation that had pushed him far beyond his skills. After an unknown time, Robert had found himself curled on the metal surface of his own creation. Barely alive, with heavy breathing, he couldn¡¯t even check his injuries because of the absence of any light. However, he wasn¡¯t even sure if he wanted to see it in the first place because just the feeling of after-effect was pure torture. Only by sheer willpower, he managed to calm down no to overuse the limited air.
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Now what? I am inside the stomach of the damned overgrown lizard! Yes, I¡¯ve heard the saying that there is always a bigger fish in the ocean, but what the actual fuck? What is the chance of it happening? Of course, it is logical that one predator can hunt another one, and the best way to attack when the prey doesn¡¯t expect it, but¡ Crap, it indeed can happen. Moreover, it is exactly what has happened right now. Okay, let¡¯s think of another solution. That is what I always do ¨C constantly searching for a way out of the new pile of shit. Calm down, Robert, and think.
Taking into account the huge size of the thing, Rob immediately threw away the idea of cutting the way out through the flesh or any wish to kill the creature from inside. Moreover, the stomach acidity appeared to be insane as he felt that his steel protection was melting. The process was much slower than it was with organics, but it seemed to be inventible. Adding the problem with oxygen reserves, which just refused to disappear, it left him with a single obvious option ¨C to make the dragon vomit him outside.
Indigestion, it is!
Not inventing anything new, Robert focused on the creation of more spikes right on the surface of the ball. That led him to face the restriction of his magic ability for the first time. Despite all his efforts, Rob just couldn¡¯t create more mass or volume past some point. It was like a mental block that stopped the conjuration. It just refused to follow the order. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t replace the oldest creation with a new one, which could make a mess in his current circumstances. Still, this obstacle made Robert decrease the size of the ball, almost not leaving free space inside for himself. His tallness only added more difficulty.
However, he had no real choice as the size of the stomach appeared too big to reach the edge of it with ease. Rob had to focus solely on it to even have a chance to pierce the inner walls of it. That was his plan ¨Cthe acidity liquid had to damage organs, creating an uncomfortable and hopefully even awful feeling for the creature, thus making it vomit to the stomach¡¯s content in an attempt to stop it.
Not wasting any time or energy on healing his wounds, he was willingly redirecting all available mana to this task. Curled like a ball inside the conjured metal sphere with constantly growing spikes, Robert basically cosplayed a hedgehog. This thought made him smile, but that only broke his concentration, once again reminding him about the pitiful state of his body. He was sure that his skin had completely disappeared, making each touch as painful as a knife stabbing. But his desire to live was much bigger. Despite not experiencing it, Rob knew from the description that his new trait had granted him the ability to restore himself even after losing half of his body, and that helped him to focus on the main goal ¨C survival. Whatever the damage he got, he would heal it. This fact had a noticeable calming effect. Moreover, his multitasked brain gave him the ability to have an inner dialogue to further peace his mind, while not stopping the summoning of steel for a single moment.
How I wish that my so-called system could give me something like pain tolerance skill, which decreases its feeling. Because my own pain tolerance is fucking what it sounds ¨C my ability to endure the full scale of this shitty feeling by sheer will. Where the fuck is my +1 willpower then?! Where is my achievement for being double naked ¨C no clothes and skin? Where is the help from God, who would save me in the last moment? I demand my own deux ex machina! Wait... what is it? Abort! Abort!
The spasm that went through the stomach of the lizard almost crushed Robert¡¯s sphere, breaking most of the spikes in the process. However, that only led to another one, which this time was even deadlier as the pressure was so strong that steel only barely managed to keep its shape. During the short pause, Rob once again reminded himself that it was his plan in the first place. He just needed to wait for the desired effect. Just to endure. Nothing too hard.
Soon, the reality showed how wrong he was. Robert had lost track of the number of spasms that attacked him. All his attention was solely focused on making his sphere tougher. And that proved to be quite a hard task. Especially, when the walls a crack under wave of pressure, which immediately led the flow of acid inside the sphere. Rob couldn¡¯t hold his scream as his flesh was melting but still focused on repairing the damage on the wall first. By the moment he finished it, he almost lost his leg. However, before trying to get rid of the stomach liquid, the creature started to move.
Not just calmly swim, but more likely to go crazy, creating a real roller coaster for Robert inside itself. The first slide pushed acid directly into his face, blinding him. The amount of pain he got during this time finally pushed his mind beyond the edge. Everything went dark, only lightning up for short moments before once again going back to oblivion. One picture changed another where he was creating stiffening ribs to support the form of his conjured structure. Another showed that he was falling backward with insane speed before the hit in the back of his head completely blacked out him. Or when he lost his composure and focused on healing, disregarding anything else just to lessen the pain, which worked poorly. Or when he was sitting curled in a ball while struggling to take another breath. Or¡ There were many others and each of them was imprinted in his mind as an attempt to live.
When Robert finally found himself in consciousness state, he was lying face down on a hard surface, which appeared to be a rock. Doubting his own sanity, he touched it a few times before finally believing in the reality of its existence. Slowly breathing in, he immediately felt mixed feelings of happiness of being alive on the land and disgust from the awful smell that surrounded him. Mentally checking the state of his body, Rob noticed the absence of pain from wounds and the toll from body strain, which was barely tolerable.
There was a pressing feeling in his body as he was on the verge of falling apart, despite not having visual injuries. It was oddly everywhere, evenly spread, and was hard to focus on. As if something that glued together all cells in his body was holding on to the last straw. Any slight push, any touch, even breathe could lead to a chain reaction, where everything would break.
Okay, I guess that is my limit of restoration. Might be overtaxing, which is briefly mentioned in the description. No second chances¡ at least for some time. Let¡¯s see what life has brought me this time.
Pushing his body upwards, Robert stood up tall only to find out the source of the smell. It was a huge pile of dried excrement that was mixed with half-digested remnants of unknown animals, which circled around him like a small fence. His conjured metal defense might have protected him from drowning in it, but without his focus it soon dispersed, leaving him in an empty spot right in the center of excrement.
Oh, so I wasn''t puked outside but¡ Rob, never tell this to anyone. Not a single soul must know!
Creating improvised plugs for his nose, Robert noted how useful his ability could be in many cases because of the sheer range of usage possibilities. It indeed was very useful and not just as an ability to spend mana endlessly.
And it can help me to break through these walls of shit! But before that¡
Focusing on his feet, Rob created a pair of cylindrical pillars right under them. Raising higher above the ground, he finally tried to see the land properly. However, his eyes managed to see only the rocky landscape without a single plant. Light brown stone was as dry as the surface of a stove, which wasn¡¯t surprising under the non-moving hot sun that continued to shine as before. There was nothing more ¨C only an endless ocean behind his back. The thunderstorm was long over, and the sky was clear as the water under it.
Here goes my tropical island¡ I hope it is just this place that looks like directly from Mars. Fuck, I obviously jinxed it right now! Of course, now it will be as empty as my own stomach, and I don¡¯t have light bulbs with potatoes to fill it for months.
Chapter 46 (2-4)
With an unhappy grimace, Robert quickly walked forward, making quite a view for possible observers if there were any. Completely nude, he was holding a giant umbrella with a rough form that made it more like an instrument of torture or some kind of weapon, but not a ¡°shadow bringer¡±. However, Rob wasn¡¯t even bothering to waste a single glance at his surroundings, while continuing to loudly curse without any remorse. The reason for the former was quite simple ¨C the scenery hadn¡¯t changed in the slightest, keeping an empty rocky image until now without a single mishap. However, the latter constant doing was caused by a completely different thing as it was not the landscape that ruined his mood.
No, his cool action of raising himself above the ground had ended badly, when he tried to reverse it because it didn¡¯t work well. Rob¡¯s lack of skill couldn¡¯t be easily overcome in a few dangerous situations. Single success didn¡¯t mean he could reproduce it with ease. It was a wishful thinking to dream about it. Or, in his case, to try the cool staff before being sure of an ability to repeat it. His overconfidence led to falling flat directly into the pile of shit. An instinctive reaction to stop the fall only worsened the situation, when hastily conjured steel constructs only pushed him to the side, making him roll through the smelling substance.
Of course, the first thing that Robert did after standing up was to run to the water in an attempt to clean himself. However, despite all his efforts, the smell seemed to stick to him as even after bathing for ten minutes it just refused to disappear. Moreover, when the salty water had dried out under the hot sun, it covered Robert¡¯s skin with an unpleasant film. It wasn¡¯t thick, almost barely noticeable, but still didn¡¯t help to light up his mood.
Another thing was his own appearance. While busy surviving on the surface of the ocean in the middle of nowhere, Robert didn¡¯t even try to take a clear look at himself. This time the opportunity was right in front of him and was hard to miss even if he wanted. He didn¡¯t expect any changes as his body was recreated, but to his surprise, he had gotten one.
His aquiline nose, bushy eyebrows, and square jaw with overall rough facial features were the same as before. His black messy short hair was begging for a professional cut, but it wasn¡¯t new also. Previously bright green eyes had darkened by a lot, as if reflecting his experience. Rob¡¯s height seemed to stay at the same level of 213 centimeters (7 feet), but he didn¡¯t have the means to check it. His old bamboo pole appearance disappeared even before being thrown into this world. Robert wasn¡¯t shredded at all and didn¡¯t look like a giant or bodybuilder with visible abs. Nothing like that. He had gotten noticeable muscles, but his height hid them well as to look big for tall people was quite a hard task. Therefore, his skinniest physique turned into lean athletic. The main change appeared to be in his skin. Previously he wasn¡¯t hairy at all, but right now it seemed he lost all his body hair, especially on the legs.
The hell, I am like a pro-swimmer now!
Moreover, his skin looked much paler than before and had a grayish tone in its color. For someone with wind in the head, na?ve, and a fan of romance it might look great, but for people living in a harsh reality being a pale naked undressed man under the hot sun with no shadow would be a huge problem. Moreover, all his hard-earned tan was gone after the regeneration of his skin. However, Robert had put this thought aside as all his attention was focused on his scars. Precisely speaking, new scars that for an unknown reason had replaced the old ones completely. While the latter were the results of his ¡°deaths¡± under the paws of bear, fire, or blades, the former seemed to be a rough visualization of him being glued back after tearing apart. At least Rob couldn¡¯t think of a different description.
The marks indeed looked like the lines of forceful tearing, which later were put together by an unknown mad scientist in a shady lab. Some parts of the tears managed to heal perfectly, but the most part was left as it was, creating horrible pictures of insane tortures. The biggest started from his right armpit and went through his chest to the side, before circling around the back. There were a few gaps, but the overall line was easily visible. One more was on the abdomen. Few ¡°decorated¡± his thigh, while another limb was marked around the shin. The left forearm and the right biceps also had their part of appearance adjustments.
Not knowing how to comment on it, Robert only sighed heavily before focusing his attention on creating an umbrella to hide himself from the sun. Looking around, he quickly set his eyes on the high mountain that was a single noticeable spot in plain scenery. From it, he might have a chance to find something helpful in his situation. Therefore, after drinking the salty water and thanking his ability to bear the consequence of such doing in the long run, Robert started his walk. Soon, he found out about stink persistence, which led earlier scene with loud cursing after a failed attempt to endure it.
Fucking lizard! You will pay for it, shitty bastard!
Stepping with bare feet on a rocky surface also wasn¡¯t a pleasant experience. Rob knew that there were enthusiasts, who did it on purpose, explaining it as a healthy way of movement, which their ancestors did daily. However, he could easily counter it with a simple fact ¨C exactly those ancestors had invented shoes not to feel uncomfortable by stepping on sharp stones and broken branches, not even mentioning the possibility of wounding themselves.
The same situation was with his clothes. Robert tried to cover himself with the umbrella, but the sun seemed to be unforgiven even for a single mistake. Soon his exposed skin started to become red, worsening his mood even more. At least, after a short series of trial and error, he managed to recreate sandals for his foot. His own version didn¡¯t have any straps and solely consisted of two metal plates, which were magically glued to him, but it gave a desired feeling of comfort.
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The more I use this ability, the more I see how overpowered it is, just judging by utility usage. The hell, maybe with proper training I can recreate a full plate armor, which can be summoned at any moment! Hmm, but if the steel needs contact with my body all the time, the moving parts, like shoulder pads, are going to be the problem. Let¡¯s think it over.
The uneventful journey continued for an hour before Robert finally made it to the foot of the mountain. During all this time he hadn¡¯t seen even the slightest change, not a single plant or bug, nothing. Empty and lifeless, it almost pushed his mental state into despair, but he once again managed to hold himself by focusing on training. Creating different things from nothing appeared to be an interesting and even fascinating experience.
All of his early attempts were dictated by the need for survival with limited time or opportunity to conduct experiments. However, right now Robert conjured different and completely useless things just for fun. The main restriction of his skill ¨C the visual observation in the moment of summoning the steel was still there, but at least with each try the difficulty of supporting other constructs on a background lessened by a lot. Moreover, it used all his energy and surprisingly Rob found out that his flow of mana wasn¡¯t enough to push the ability to the weight or volume limit.
Good to know that I have a gap in my ability to keep up my energy spending at a proper level. On the other hand, the strain in my body after restoration is still there. I wonder how long before this ¡°cooldown¡± will end? What correlation is between the level of damage and the time needed for a recharge after usage? Questions, questions¡ At least there is no danger right now.
Sighing, Robert returned his attention to a figure of a small man, conjured on his palm. It was small, rough, and had odd proportions. Still, the number of details wasn¡¯t his goal in the first place as he tried to make it move. Unfortunately, even a single step of a tiny construct appeared beyond his current abilities. The figure shook, constantly trying to break apart, but refused to follow the image inside his mind. Maybe the reason was in the latter as it was hard to visualize everything properly.
That once again led Robert to think over a plan for his training. Random summoning without specific goals couldn¡¯t bring him far as it would be hard to measure his progress. Another point was in functionality as the need to survive wasn¡¯t going to disappear magically because he wanted to become stronger. No, with an already clear lack of food, Rob would need to solve this issue first just to have time for his training. Therefore, he lost himself in thoughts, while his body kept moving forward.
The climb took a noticeable amount of time, but Robert had to stop himself way before reaching the top, as he managed to see a movement with the edge of his eyes. Unfortunately, it was the movement that he wanted to avoid right now as it was the very same giant lizard. A huge dragon-like predator finally showed itself in the whole beauty of an apex predator. Even despite the sheer distance that separated both parties, the latter looked like a walking building even from afar. Rob immediately dropped down to the ground, before continuing to observe his potential killing goal that might be set by his God.
Six-legged lizard with green skin had a varan¡¯s head with three short horns, which stuck out from both sides and top. The long tail had a colorful fin on the end that was decorated with bluish and grayish lines. And that¡¯s all. Robert couldn¡¯t see any more distinctive features of this creature than ordinary lizard. It didn¡¯t have anything that could obstruct swimming. It didn¡¯t have any wings, outer bone plates, bright spots, or anything that was useful or could be a hindrance in hunting. As always, nature tried to push the most suitable living beings to the top of a food chain.
Still, not the number of teeth but the size of this monster would be the main problem as it was just too huge. The distance didn¡¯t help to understand it properly. However, just the pile of its excrement could easily drown Robert. There was literally no chance that the stomach of this predator could occupy even a quarter of its body. Even by optimistic evaluation, it was almost as huge as a battleship, but the inner pessimist was seeing something more like a full-fledged cruise liner from old times on Earth. And Rob didn¡¯t have his artillery to take down this thing, while his ability to create even a two-handed version of a sword looked pathetic against the giant lizard.
Okay, nothing had really changed, Robert. No need to panic ¨C you already saw it. Maybe there is a chance that this monster isn¡¯t the target¡ Wait! Where is it going?
He had to stop himself as he finally drew a line from the creature''s location to its possible destination only to see that it was on the top of the mountain. That immediately led him to start his hast descent, just not to cross paths with the predator. Robert didn¡¯t know the range of sight of this creature. The possibility to check it on himself was obviously out of his current wishes. Fortunately, the monster wasn¡¯t looking around as if there could be no threat anywhere. Taking into account its size, it was easy to guess why.
The endpoint for the lizard appeared exactly at the top of the mountain, which seemed to have some kind of cave that had hidden the creature. This fact immediately crossed out the option to observe the surroundings from there. At least for now. Therefore, Rob silently went to the coast, moving to the second part of his plan ¨C to find a source of food.
The bared and lifeless scenery under a scorching sun and periodic raging thunderstorms left not so many chances to find anything on a surface. On the other hand, the underwater world at least showed the existence of predators. Logically, they needed something to hunt for, leading to the conclusion that there was life here, in this realm. Robert clearly remembered a starting explanation from God that confirmed this assumption. Moreover, devasted worlds after battles for the crown were not interesting for Gods.
Also, such behavior of the lizard can point to an absence of dangers for it exactly on a surface, while most life is concentrated deep down. Wait¡ deep down¡ It can include not only water but even underground caves. Fuck! Having more options to investigate isn¡¯t good when even one is too hard to be looked into. Maybe this time it will be much easier to reach the bottom of the ocean¡ I hope so.
Setting the goal, Robert quickened his steps. A new unknown place without any source of information about it had put him in an odd position of plenty of possibilities, but limited time to try each of them. However, his loss of adaptation ability might have influenced his mind stronger than he knew as he was confident in himself to find the way out. Despite the existence of different fears inside his mind, there were all fleeting feelings. Rob knew he could and would overcome them. He would adapt to any circumstances he had to face. He would survive no matter what.
Crap, don¡¯t jinx Robert! Oh no, you fucking did it again, stupid idiot¡ Wait. No. Phew, it¡¯s just a wave... Just a wave.
Chapter 47 (2-5)
Sitting right on a rocky beach under a huge metal umbrella, Robert was slowly going over his rough plan inside his head. Periodically a familiar tattoo appeared on his forearm, glowing with light, when Rob summoned his status screen to adjust it to his liking. Despite being covered with a shadow, his skin had a clear red tone after long exposure to sun rays. However, by this point, Robert was accustomed to feeling being cooked alive all the time. This damned scorching sun hadn¡¯t moved at all from the moment he appeared in this world. It wasn¡¯t surprising that local life wanted to avoid it all cost by going deep down.
So, to summarize, right now I have an in-built eternal nuclear reactor that doesn¡¯t have any switches¡ pardon, constantly growing eternal reactor. Fixed part of the mana produced is used to sustain my life, while simultaneously feeding my body with energy. The rest is free and can be used by two active abilities. Although both have their own limitations. Conjuring steel constructs takes mental effort, while restoration depends on my body''s condition. No wounds ¨C nothing to regenerate. Moreover, the strain after intensive usage is still there, despite lessening quite a bit. Overall, they both, but mainly summoning, indeed solve my energy issues¡ as God said. It is a good power-up I must admit.
Nodding to his own thought, Robert once again focused on the status screen to do a final check of his doings in an attempt to make it clearer and more practical. Fortunately, it had enough possibilities for it, including adding previously unspecified information and even self-made parameters.
Envoy of Wepwakor ¨C Tier 1
Strength - 19 Agility - 10 Endurance - 24 Toughness - 18
Perception - 10 Mind - 45 Mana flow - 37
Energy generation per second ¨C 340 pts.
Sustaining life ¨C permanent 18% of generation.
Active ability 1: Restoration ¨C up to 35% of generation.
Active ability 2: Conjure Steel ¨C up to 133% of generation.
Passive traits: God¡¯s Envoy, Interdimensional Entity, Avatar¡¯s Body
Body modifications: Hive-mind, Steel Skin, Self-Supply, Increased Regeneration, No Vulnerabilities, Potential, Mana Conductor
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Temporary info (Rob, DO NOT FORGET to kill it later ¨C no repeat of the same mistake! Your throat was already cut once when you were overwhelmed with a wall of text!!!)
Active Ability: Restoration ¨C It is an odd mixture of God¡¯s blessing and a curse together with the natural abilities of different species. Grants a controlled possibility to direct mana to rejuvenate the body, which, depending on the amount of energy, can lead from restoration of stamina up to immediate healing of any critical wounds. The stronger the body, the more energy it can take. However, such fast-paced healing overstrains it greatly, which limits the possibility of repeated usage. Can be triggered to full power even in an unconscious state for the sake of survival.
Brief info about body modifications:
Hive mind: Ability to multitask from the very same creature.
Steel Skin: Increased toughness of skin together with an overall weight in exchange for flexibility.
Self-Supply: A constant supply of mana decreases biological needs tenfold.
Increased Regeneration: A constant supply of mana increases the body''s ability to passively regenerate any damage tenfold.
No Vulnerabilities: Absence of any critical points such as a brain or a heart, but unavoidable death after losing more than 60% of body mass, no matter what it is.
Potential: No limits on growth which is achieved by own efforts in a natural way. Attention ¨C the size and overall appearance will need much more to change visually than before.
Mana Conductor: Mana flows through the body with ease, but with no exiting point a following overcharge of it will lead to dire consequences.
Current usage of mana generation ¨C 87%
Status of the body: overstressed after intensive restoration
Limitations: Restoration is limited to 8% max usage for approximately 21 hours
Warning: Body strain is accumulating with minor speed
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Okay, including my ability to conjure steel, it is all there. Detailed and specific. Even my own comment is there. With exact numbers that were earlier hidden by a vague description. The main irony ¨C it took me so many attempts to see it like this just to read it once to organize my thoughts before I willingly hide it for an unknown time if not forever. Oh, well, at least it is useful to understand my limitations after the recreation of my own body by God.
I have some space for Mana Flow¡¯s natural growth, but it won¡¯t be forever as I can¡¯t really rely on Restoration ¨C only a small amount of mana is needed for a rejuvenation effect and not actually healing. The mention of the power of the body or vessel was quite direct. The stronger it is, the easier it might handle fast fixing, so that is one of the goals. Don¡¯t know how it correlates with overstressing¡ And how long I was unconscious, but for now let¡¯s assume that I have one possibility to regenerate fully in about 30-35 hours. It is not on the inhuman level of eating bullets for breakfast, but I believe it is stupid to downgrade a second chance after own failure.
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In the long run, I will need to get more abilities from God that are¡ how is called¡ channeled. It is the only way for me to live. But before that ¨C to hunt. My stomach is almost touching my back already!
His umbrella started to disappear right into thin air, while Robert redirected his attention on creating a spear. The greyish metal seemed to disintegrate into nothingness, leaving not a single trace of its previous existence. However, another material was in the process of creation in a magical way, quickly taking the form of a long pole with a sharp end. It was hard to name it a weapon as its crude and primitive nature was almost screaming from its appearance. Rob needed just a single glance to repeat the conjuring again. His list of instruments included many different things, but he decided to slowly work over it, so they wouldn¡¯t look like made from a stone by an ape.
Sighing after careful inspection of the result of his summoning skills, Robert tried to imprint in his mind all details that went far from what he intended in the first place. The single solution to overcome his lack of ability in the visualization of different objects was simple ¨C just to train more to overweight the needed talent with simple experience. It was a long way before getting such results. Right now even such poor-quality versions were enough for him. Therefore, dispersing his weapon, he spent some time adjusting the form of his previously made aqualung, optimizing its construction. Soon, some turned into a lot.
Stop wasting your time, Rob. Your fear of finding nothing down there will not change, no matter how you are going to prepare for it. Just brace it, you coward!
An inner shout made him finally move forward as there was no need to avoid reality. He didn¡¯t have the opportunity to lazy around if he couldn¡¯t find a proper source of food. No, on the contrary, he would need to hast himself to kill that lizard before all his strength was gone because of hunger. However, to understand it and to do it were different things. The possibility of being trapped on a bared island in the middle of the ocean under no resting sun and without any other humans literally terrified him. Many people labeled themselves as introverts, but a total absence of any form of social communication would crash them in just a few weeks if they knew that there was no way out of this situation. Robert wasn¡¯t that different in that regard and didn¡¯t want to lie to himself. Adding a threat of slow death from hunger couldn¡¯t improve his mood either.
Therefore, his indecisiveness was understandable for him. But it didn¡¯t mean it was easy to overcome as it was nothing. Rob had made a mental push just to step into the water. The picture of a clear goal ¨C to live through any misadventures to enjoy his life finally ¨C helped him to focus his hesitant mind, before winning over his fears. There were only possibilities and there was not a guaranteed outcome. Even so, he knew what to do next. He wouldn¡¯t give up. Not after all those events he went through already. Robert might struggle and might get into more trouble, but he was sure he would fight until the end when the obstacles would be too hard to overcome. Brief moments of despond were natural, taking into account his circumstances.
Not everyone can boast of visiting multiple worlds to fight giant monsters instead of rotting into his own grave! So, in some way, I am quite a lucky bastard who will have more portions of fortune in the future. Maybe even now¡ Wait! Yes, fucking yes! I see movement! What is it? Human?!
In just a moment Rob realized how badly he was mistaken. Indeed, the first thing he saw was a humanoid, that was emerged from the water. Light grey skin with blue stripes, which formed an odd, but beautiful natural pattern on the whole body of this strange creature. The latter could be easily confirmed by a single glance as a wide mouth with sharp teeth; three eyes with two being almost on opposite sides of a hairless head; no nose or ears; clearly visible gills on a long neck ¨C everything showed the inhuman nature of it. The muscular chest and arms with the addition of membranes between long nailed fingers looked quite ordinary. The partly visible legs were no different in that regard.
Why partly? The reason was simple ¨C the creature was dead, hanging lifelessly in the mouth of an already-seen lizard, but much smaller in size. Diving out from the water, the monster threw its prey on the rocky beach before turning its attention to Rob¡¯s frozen figure. The obvious familiar smell might have confused it as it didn¡¯t rush to attack him and was carefully observing the unknown entity.
¡°Good boy¡ or girl. No need to be aggressive,¡± his attempt to calm the lizard immediately led to a loud hiss.
That was another mistake¡
Without any roar or sign, the car-sized monster pushed itself forward with lightning speed, already opening its mouth to bite him. At the very same moment, Robert tried to conjure the shield but failed. Still, the formless something managed to block the attack. However, the sheer force from the impact threw him backward. Hitting the stone with his head, Rob¡¯s surroundings darkened for a second, before returning to normal. The lizard was already above him, exhaling directly into his face. The horrible stench almost made Robert vomit, but descending teeth were good motivation to ignore it and start moving.
Rolling to the side, he barely missed the bite, before rolling back with summoned knife in the hand. A strong hit with the help of adrenaline helped to push the crooked hastily created blade inside the body of the beast. The painful hiss only confirmed Rob¡¯s ability to hurt the creature. However, he didn¡¯t have time to celebrate as the lizard jumped back. His hand was still holding the hilt, resulting in an almost broken shoulder after a sudden dash. Raising in the air in a short flight, Robert dropped down on the side of the creature, finally letting go of his weapon. Still, his weight was enough to hurt the lizard more as it almost curled from pain.
Despite the pain, Rob pushed himself up, conjuring a rough boulder. Not willing to experiment during the fight with complex forms, he focused on the size, making it as big and heavy as possible. The crude sphere appeared to be too huge for him to handle, but that was its main purpose. Therefore, not giving even a second for the lizard to recover, Robert pushed it directly onto its head. The steel ball fell down under the force of gravity, almost crushing the lizard¡¯s skull. That didn¡¯t stop Rob as he unsummoned it, before raising his hands up and conjuring it again, repeating the whole process.
The third fall had twisted his damaged shoulder, but fortunately, the monster was already on the verge of death. Still, losing the ability to move his arm, Rob focused on creating a thin sharp sword, which penetrated the brain of the creature, ending its torture state with its life. Next, he dropped down near the corpse, breathing heavily and out of any strength.
That was surpassingly quick but tiring. These monsters are basically giant lizards without anything special, except their giant size. That is good to know. Decreases a threat by a lot¡ And this unknown humanoid ¨C it can be a local sapient species. But if their habitant environment is underwater, with differences in appearance, I don¡¯t need to be a seer to predict possible problems in communication, even if I manage to get to them somehow¡ Which I don¡¯t see happening at all without growing a pair of gills. Well, at least I¡¯ve got a meat and under this damned sun, any rock can become a grill. Now let¡¯s eat and wait, while restoration¡¯s cooldown ends, or my natural regeneration kicks in to heal my shoulder.
Looking around at the empty island and endless ocean, Robert finally saw the first signs of light in his hazy future. It wouldn¡¯t be easy, but he would prevail as he did earlier. What other options did he have? It was a simple ¡°do or die¡± choice.
Chapter 48 (2-6)
Breathing heavily, Robert once again raised his hands with his conjured pickaxe before dropping it down. The lack of needed strength together with limited space for proper swing led to an obvious result - the steel bounced back, leaving a small mark on the stone. That immediately created a twisted grimace on Rob¡¯s face as it was the fourth hit in a row without any effect. Finally accepting the result, he unsummoned the instrument and sat right where he was standing in an attempt to have a rest. Mental command redirected a part of mana flow from steel creation to restoration, washing over his body with a rejuvenation effect. The tiredness started to fade away, but Robert still had to keep the energy at a minimum level so as not to overstress useful ability, losing the possibility to heal himself in case of emergency. It appeared to be a crucial thing on this island.
Soon after his fight with the ¡°small¡± lizard, he managed to create a vague picture of this place and its role for these monsters. To his utter horror, the whole land was a nest. A safe place in this water world for creatures, who could live under the unmoving sun. Hunting deep down in the oceans, they could easily hide from any threat just by coming out. The central mountain was literally crawling with them. Luckily, Robert saw only one more giant, comparable to a previous one which almost ate him together with another predator. However, that didn¡¯t help him as tens of smaller ones posed enough danger to him. Living in natural caves inside the rocky hill, they occupied all possible covers from the outside nature, leaving nothing to Rob.
That was not the only problem as the thunderstorm he had experienced earlier wasn¡¯t a single occasion. No, it repeated regularly, threatening to wipe out every possible living being, which was stupid enough to ignore it. And Rob didn¡¯t have any cover to hide inside when he was suddenly caught in the middle of raging nature. Pressing his body to the ground, he even prayed to all Gods existed, but, of course, it didn¡¯t help. The following lightning created a hole inside his chest, leaving him with burned flesh and unconscious from the pain. However, the latter soon made him wake up with a scream. He tried to breathe in, but the air just refused to move.
The level of awful feelings almost made him go insane as Rob was living through it without the ability to fall into darkness. His absence of critical points made him able to survive, but it didn¡¯t mean that pain shock was easy to handle. Moreover, the storm hadn¡¯t ended by that point, putting him in some kind of hell, where he, as a sinner, had to endure tortures without the possibility of ending them by dying. Still, he survived. Despite, his pity state, he survived. That led him to search for a way to adapt to such surroundings. To this world.
After conducting several tests, Robert discovered that there was a life in this place, filled with an overwhelming amount of water. The problem was in tiny detail - the first traces of inhabitants started to appear at least a hundred meters (around 330 ft.) under the water''s surface. It was too deep for any attempt of prolonged stay. In the end, his self-made aqualung had limited ability to compress the air. No, correctly speaking, it was because of his lack of skill. But even with the ability to breathe, just sheer pressure could stop him because that deepness was only a starting point. That was the reason why Robert decided to build a shelter for himself instead of searching for one in the place, where he couldn¡¯t reach.
It took time, but he found a crevice not far from the water. The overpopulated mountain was out of the question by default. What followed was hard work with conjured pickaxe, mixed with periodic hunting on smaller lizards. The steel wasn¡¯t magically cutting through the stone, which appeared to be quite hard. Moreover, Rob himself wasn¡¯t a knowledgeable or skilled miner. All his efforts led only to a narrow cavity, which he tried to widen right now after being done with a constant need to be careful even when turning not to hit his head against something.
Crap¡ I feel it is a different material. No chance I can break through it. My steel isn¡¯t a mithro-vibra-mantium with ever-changing properties to fit the situation. Damn, what a shame!
Finally recovering his strength, Robert gathered all the rocks from the ground before getting out of his current home. Throwing away everything in the water, he stood for a few minutes, watching over the ocean before glancing one more time above his head.
Shitty sun. Hasn¡¯t moved at all from day one till¡ Don¡¯t know to what number¡
The constant brightness was another disturbing factor that added on top of all the others. At least he wasn¡¯t hungry as there was enough meat around. Rob once again thanked his ability to heal himself as such a diet without carbohydrates might have damaged his health already. Even if not as it was just his assumption about consequences, he was sure that his conditions would degrade by this point taking into account an addition of salty water. Filled with overgrown lizards, this place was already dangerous enough not to worsen his situation to a deadly degree by becoming crippled.
Surprisingly, it seemed this giantism was a common occurrence in this world as Robert even managed to find the corpse of a three-eyed humanoid, who was easily twice higher than Rob himself. He inspected the remains of unknown dead but didn¡¯t get any valuable information. Even if it had a weapon or clothes earlier, nothing was left after being chewed by a lizard. Still, using a conjured needle, he found out the toughness of its skin, which was like a real rubber. Rob wasn¡¯t a biologist but he assumed it might help the creature to withstand an increased pressure deep down.
That was it. No notes, explaining its origins. No maps, leading to its home. No riddles to uncover the real truth, a mythical secret of mind-blowing scale. Nothing. Just an ordinary half-eaten corpse. Exactly the latter part made Rob anxious as he couldn¡¯t understand why it was left in such a state by a predator. Therefore, he just quickly walked away, not wishing to find out and get into more trouble.
He completely lost track of time, sleeping whenever he was too exhausted to continue his doings, but with decreased needs and permanent days, it was impossible to tell how long he was there. The single sure thing was that it easily counted in months. By some point, Rob even caught a vague thought that he started to forget the voices of his friends from Earth, their faces, even their names. The contrast between that life and current circumstances was so huge that it felt unrealistic. As he was always on this cursed island in the middle of the ocean. But the constant danger and mental pressure only strengthened Robert¡¯s resolve to move forward.
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After finishing his shelter, he started to explore in an attempt to find anything, but only bare rocks with lizards awaited him. Hunting on the latter, Robert was on the brink of death a few times, surviving by sheer luck and the restoration ability. However, this experience pushed him further in training his ability usage, his physique, and his combat skills.
Rob¡¯s self-made routine included a mixture of different training programs that he had seen or read during his life. They were not optimal in any way, and the technique might be wrong, but it nevertheless it gave results. The ability to conjure steel constructs appeared even more useful than he had previously thought. The limitations in weight couldn¡¯t push him to the limit, but the load was enough for him in most cases.
Robert could easily create an ordinary kettlebell to make swings, simultaneously not only controlling the needed weight in the process but even changing it during the motion for extra difficulty. That way he could raise both his strength and precision usage of the ability. He ran and jumped with a weight vest, lifted conjured blocks, squatted or lunged with improvised dumbbells, made push-ups and curls ¨C tried everything, constantly increasing difficulty, keeping a main goal to achieve better combat physique. Rob could afford to be weak, but not slow ¨C the competition for power against building-size lizards would be a dumb idea. No, he had to be efficient.
Therefore, around half of his training time was dedicated to hitting the rock with different types of conjured weapons. Shadow fighting was thrown away immediately as the absence of any impact felt stupid to him. The reason might be in himself, but Robert was sure that he needed to be prepared for repelling effect against tougher surfaces. To feel the power behind each of his swings and simply not drop the weapon if the target appeared to be too heavy and strong. So, he punched with brass knuckles only to change it into mace the next moment before swapping it for the huge axe. Again, an ability to ignore the damage of the blade against a hard rock during training seemed insanely good.
Such concentration on personal combat prowess was fueled by the goal of killing the beast. Rob was sure that he could even stay indefinitely on this island as long as there was a population of lizards, but such life was basically imprisonment. No, he desired to get out of this dangerous place and was going to do everything to achieve that.
He had risen his steel summoning skills to the level, where previously trained instruments or weapons took around a second to materialize. Robert still needed visual contact, but at least he didn¡¯t get something only vaguely similar to the desired result. His physique also got an increase. It had almost no effect on his appearance, making him only slightly thicker. However, the status screen couldn¡¯t lie ¨C he was getting stronger by altering cycles of training with energy rejuvenation for recovery, shortening the need for rest to non-existent.
Envoy of Wepwakor ¨C Tier 1
Strength - 23 Agility - 12 Endurance - 26 Toughness - 18
Perception - 11 Mind - 45 Mana flow - 38
Energy generation per second ¨C 340 pts.
Sustaining life ¨C permanent 20% of generation.
Active ability 1: Restoration ¨C up to 39% of generation.
Active ability 2: Conjure Steel ¨C up to 121% of generation.
Passive traits: God¡¯s Envoy, Interdimensional Entity, Avatar¡¯s Body
Body modifications: Hive-mind, Steel Skin, Self-Supply, Increased Regeneration, No Vulnerabilities, Potential, Mana Conductor
Whopping 4 points in Strength, 2 in Agility, 2 in Endurance, and even 1 in Perception seemed quite a lot, but his toned skin was his biggest visual change. However, another point in Mana Flow together with new percentages on abilities pushed his thoughts in a direction not celebrating his results but thinking over possible difficulties. His balancing problem was out of a threatening state for now, but Rob would need to plan ahead to avoid falling into such a situation again. Still, that was a thing for the distant future. Currently, he had another huge problem before him as he was looking at a familiar pile of shit with an odd grimace.
Am I that stupid? Because I look like I am. Just a mere assumption and I am already trying to test it. A wild guess, nothing more. But what other options do I have? No other ideas on how to kill that damned lizard. It is just too massive for any attempt of an open fight. Moreover, it can easily ignore me and just dive into the ocean, leaving me with nothing. No, without a proper possibility to increase my odds, I can¡¯t even think of fighting against it. And the ability to come closer ¨C it could be it. So, brace yourself, Robert, shit is waiting!
However, the effect of his motivational speech expired in just two steps, when another wave of foul smell attacked him. Instinctively holding his breath, he somehow choked with his own saliva, which made him cough violently. The stupidity of this outcome led to a loud laugh when he recreated the event in his head.
¡°Me, who has the ability to restore any injury and has a body with literally no vulnerable points, can¡¯t even handle the stay near the pile of crap!¡±
His voice sounded foreign. Spending all his time keeping silent with occasional inner dialogues, Robert almost forgot how it was. As if testing, he continued his thought.
¡°Maybe it is better to speak out loud¡ Nah, it is a stupid and straight way to a psychotherapist¡ if I ever manage to find one. Damn, I am sure I already need one with my hellish experience. Another note for the future, but right now I have a big problem ¨C the shit.¡±
His idea wasn¡¯t original and was purely based on his memory of how confused the first lizard was when it met him. All later encounters with other monsters, no matter their sizes, went differently ¨C the predators attacked immediately without even a single moment of delay. Therefore, Rob¡¯s assumption was that the huge beast wouldn¡¯t react to his presence if he wasn¡¯t caught by its eyes. That could allow him to target a weak spot. And despite the enormous size of the thing, it had one ¨C the very same eyes, which he had to avoid. Robert trained a conjuration of a long pike just for this single purpose. The whole plan was quite basic and simple, but he didn¡¯t have a better one for now. What was more, it still managed to struggle on the first step.
Because this step is not a figurative expression, but literally a step forward into a pile of shit!
Cursing once again, Rob finally pushed himself forward, almost jumping inside disgusting mass only to end this procedure as fast as possible. Immediately after, he moved away, while fighting the urge to vomit. Somehow, Robert managed to hold the stomach contents and calm his boiling simultaneous feelings of unwillingness, rage, and self-pity.
However, before he took a few steps toward the mountain, a strange sound rang out over the surroundings. Coming from the beach, it was very close to the horn but felt rougher, maybe even more natural and primitive. Hastily following the source, Robert soon discovered the scenery that actually made him fall into a stupor for a whole minute, while observing the unfolding event from behind the rock.
Huh? I see ¨C everything is getting interesting¡
Chapter 49 (2-7)
Tens of familiar humanoids were gathering on a rocky beach, jumping out from the water together with their prey in the form of a lizard¡¯s corpse. Naked and armed with just a single long knife, they immediately started to cut through the flash to take the desired trophy ¨C the heart. Every time one of the underwater men raised its prize into the air, the horn sounded over the surroundings as to celebrate the accomplishment. The loud praise ended with a huge bite of fresh from the cut organ. The action was followed by granting a winner the odd armored robe and a short spear with a wide serrated blade. No one even bothered to clean themselves from the blood and guts after butchering the dead predator.
The armor was blue and clearly made from the leather of an unknown creature. Tight-fitting not to be a liability in water, it covered an owner from the chest to knees, leaving shoulders open. It was almost a copy of defensive gear worn by others, differing only by additional pattern, pictured on it. The very same unique pattern that they already had on their skin but made in multiple colors. The sole exception was the taller amphibian humanoids, who were leading this potential adulthood or warrior ceremony as their equipment could also boast a decoration from lizard¡¯s teeth.
However, the leader had some kind of crown on his head, which looked like made from horns. Towering above others, he was most likely very old. Robert wasn¡¯t totally sure about otherworldly anatomy and their process of aging. Still, the fact that earlier light grey skin had turned into almost pure white while getting a lot of wrinkles in the process, was a partly confirmation of such theory. Despite that, the leader¡¯s physique wasn¡¯t influenced at all as bulging muscles on an easily five-meter (over 16 ft.) tall figure looked intimidating and not weak in the slightest. Especially with a long double-blade spear in his hands.
Just by observing them, quite a few Rob¡¯s questions finally got their portions of answers. Those humanoids not only were sapient but had their own civilization deep under the water. Using the lizards in their ritual, they defiantly honored the combat prowess as otherwise, Rob couldn¡¯t see another reason why they had to fight with them naked with just a single knife. The second point was a confirmation about this world ¨C the bigger the creature, the older it was. It didn¡¯t change anything but still was an interesting fact for him.
Okay, now is the real question ¨C what to do? Do I try to speak with them or is it better to hide my presence? My God¡¯s Envoy trait may give me the ability to communicate with them, but it doesn¡¯t make them friendly by any means. Not sure how they will react to my appearance. Moreover, so much blood of small lizards can provoke them¡ Oh, crap!
Realizing it, Robert immediately turned around only to see rushing figures of multiple predators. There were no angry roars, but the hisses were enough to make him tremble from incoming danger. There were too many lizards, way too many not only for him but also for three dozen of amphibians.
¡°Be ready, the marked ones! You stayed loyal till this point, surviving a death battle with just a single fang. It is your valor that has finished the ritual of summoning those foul creatures, but the hardest part will be right now. Swim in their blood, eat their hearts, cut their bodies so their cowardness will leave no option, but to call for the help of their Queen ¨C because only her entity can produce a powerful enough heart to become a Reborn Dra¡¯lo¡¯Kiaj. I need your help, your strength, and even your lives to keep our Kingdom united by my rule for another life as it is the only way to prevent an incoming inner war. And be sure ¨C I will not forget your sacrifices, your efforts, your courage. For the Deep!¡±
The odd grinding voice sounded in Rob¡¯s mind, making him halt his movements in an attempt to stop it. However, it appeared to be futile, as the strange unknown words, but with clear meaning still managed to slip inside as if there were no barriers on his mind. The constantly changing tone of this voice went from squeal to metal-metal grinding only to turn into a displayed violin with a mixture of fingernails squeaking on a slate. Maybe because there indeed were none ¨C Robert never anticipated the psionic attack in the form of telepathy with a terrible tone. At least there was no answer ¨C other amphibians just raised their spears up in acknowledgment before pointing forward.
Rob wanted to curse such a way of communication, despite understanding its usefulness for water creatures. With no sounds to hear, it was obvious they couldn¡¯t compare with anything to hear how horrible it was. He also wanted to wonder about their possibility of staying on the surface as he clearly remembered their gills. However, he couldn¡¯t do it as the first row of lizards was already nearing him with maws wide open.
The green car-sized creature was inches away from biting his head off when Robert conjured the round shield directly on his forearm, which was already placed in front of him. Rotating his torso to the side, he managed to decrease the impact by turning into a sliding hit. A moment later the shield disappeared, only to be replaced with a short sword in the other hand. A piercing strike cut through the neck, but it was not deep enough, it still managed to lead painful hiss from the predator. The latter tried to jump away from the danger, but Rob was already focusing on making multiple hooks right on the blade, which was still inside the flesh.
The pain caused an instinctive spurt of the big monster that almost sent Robert flying. However, with his grip strong, the endpoint of his brief hovering appeared the very same neck that the lizard wanted to hide. His attempt to conjure a thorn on his knee failed as formless something that appeared instead didn¡¯t have any sharp edges. Still, the force behind the hit broke something as the creature dropped to the ground, failing to stand up. Raising the summoned giant axe, Rob immediately had to fall backward, barely avoiding the fate of being beheaded. The swing of a clawed paw from another monster cut through the air, leaving a deep mark on his face and sending a wave of fear of being overwhelmed by a sheer number of enemies. But this thought was thrown out by him as all his attention went to the surroundings, the lizards, his own movement and mostly conjuring.
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Trying to stand up, he summoned a shield once again to deflect the strike. The force from a multi-ton predator almost crashed him against the ground, cracking his bones in the process. Pushing him to the side, Robert simultaneously redirected the part of his mana¡¯s flow to restore his injuries quickly before headbutting the lizard¡¯s maw from the bottom. The teeth clenched, cutting off the painful hiss, which was a result of a steel horn that had conjured on Rob¡¯s forehead a moment earlier. The dispersion of it blinded him for a moment, as a bloody waterfall covered his face. Still, that didn¡¯t stop him ¨C creating a short spear, Robert stroked with even with his eyes closed. The sharp end pierced the green skin but got stuck in the process.
Another mental command started to turn it into a wide thin blade right in the body of the creature, causing a painful scream from it. Rob only gripped the shaft tighter before pulling it to the side with all his strength. However, despite all his efforts, he couldn¡¯t cut through, so after just a few seconds he changed his tactics. Decreasing the size of the blade of his improvised glaive, he slightly moved before resuming the blade again, thus widening the wound. Four repetitions appeared to be enough to cut through the neck of now dead creature.
Covered with blood on the top of previously applied feces, he stood motionless for a moment. Loudly sighing, he pushed himself to the first lizard, still trying to stand up to finish it with a strike of giant hammer, which was conjured up to the limit of the available weight. The loud splash ended its struggles but not Robert¡¯s. Nothing was over as three more monsters were already surrounding him. Hissing from the distance, they were quite eager to rush onto him, only being halted by a mixture of fear and caution. However, Rob was sure it wouldn¡¯t last long before it would be pushed aside by a bloodthirst.
Slowing down his restoration ability to the bare minimum so as not to overstress his body in case of emergency, Robert wiped his face a few times as the blood was obstructing his vision. Calmly turning around and placing himself between two bodies of fallen lizards, he created a spear before pointing it forward. There was no fear in him right now, as it already died out at the beginning of their battle. He felt nervous, but it was more from expectations of another confrontation. Maybe somehow those predators caught his resolve, resulting in their pause.
There were sounds of fighting between amphibians and monsters in the background, which attracted most of them. Rob had a small hope that the first would manage to hold their ground, so he would try to communicate with them. The timed help from him might picture him in a good light, setting the foundations for their future cooperation. He might even¡
¡°Fight to the death, the marked ones!¡±
A sudden familiar voice, which felt like the mixture of the most awful sounds, attacked his mind with a new telepathic message. That led to almost dispersing his weapon when his whole concertation was redirected to the protection of his mind. Rob even closed his eyes involuntarily. He opened them in the next moment, already foreseeing a bad consequence of such action. Rob appeared to be right as the nearest lizard managed to cover half of the distance between them.
Stupid fish!
Pressing the opposite side of his spear into the rocky ground, Robert focused on making it in the form of a huge icicle for better toughness. Unfortunately, this time either his aim wasn¡¯t good, or the lizard reacted in time. The sharp point only left a deep scratch on its head, drawing just some blood. Still, that stopped the monster for a moment as it tried to avoid being pierced. However, such a pause led to another predator jumping directly onto the first one, creating a mess between the two bodies. The mess, which Rob immediately tried to capitalize on.
Climbing on the corpse to the left, he pushed himself up, before rising into the air right above the head of one overgrown animal. Despite the need for enough time to conjure properly formed things, just pure creation was almost instantaneous. Therefore, the weight of Robert himself with the addition of at least a third part of it on top of the summoned ball almost broke the neck of the unlucky predator. Not wasting any time, Rob rolled to the side right underneath the second one. Pushing himself forward, he struck one of the rear legs a few times with a giant hammer, breaking the bone in the process before finally distancing from both wounded lizards. That ended badly, as the last lizard wasn¡¯t going to stay behind.
It was much smaller than others, which could be the reason why it wasn¡¯t rushing forward. However, smaller didn¡¯t mean small as its maw was enough to almost bite Robert in two parts if he wasn¡¯t fast enough to create metal plates on both his chest and back. The grinding sound of screeching teeth over the steel was awful, but the feeling of pressure was even worse. The air was pushed out from his lungs, while the ribs were on the verge of breaking. An attempt to strike with a conjured sword ended with nothing as the lizard started to swing its head chaotically, almost making Rob vomit. That feeling reminded him he tried to strangle the beasts, so he pushed all his available mana into creating a giant cork inside the creature¡¯s maw.
The steel again confirmed its toughness as an unnatural wide opening in the mouth soon led to a painful silent hiss from the lizard. Turning around his body, Robert pushed it further, breaking it in the process. Dropping down on the ground near an almost unconscious predator, he finished it by piercing its brain through the eye before walking to other wounded creatures. The first one was already crawling away, but a few hits of the lumber axe broke its legs. Soon, everything had ended, leaving bloodied Robert¡¯s figure in the middle of five giant corpses.
I am sorry, but I need to kill ¨C your souls are my possible way out if I don¡¯t manage to achieve the set goal. Not sure that God will take them, but I don¡¯t want to return empty-handed again. Too risky. So either you, or me. Not a difficult choice to make.
Despite ruthless behavior in the battle, Robert wasn¡¯t happy to take the lives of wounded animals. Yes, animals, as those lizards were ordinary predators. Huge, but ordinary. Their sizes made him aim for a neck, eyes, or joints, but sometimes it wasn¡¯t needed as with his strength that long passed the Earth''s genetic maximum Rob could break their bones without many difficulties. He didn¡¯t want to exterminate the whole population, hunting only when needed and simply hiding in other cases. However, this wasn¡¯t the time for such principles as his main goal was approaching.
The enormous beast was hastily moving toward the group of amphibians. Somehow it was obvious that the giant was on the verge of blowing up from rage and hatred. Robert couldn¡¯t understand how he felt, but it was clear that the alpha predator wasn¡¯t going to stop until each of them would end up dying here. Yes, each, as, despite its focus on location with most enemies, it still spared a single glance towards Rob¡¯s position clearly also marking him as a future target.
Likewise, lizard, likewise! Okay, here goes nothing! Do or die! Wait... there is another giant for a second attempt. So, try once before doing or die. Yeah, that¡¯s correct. GO!
Chapter 50 (2-8)
The fight between amphibians and lizards was bloody. Using their spears, humanoids were cutting through the skin of the monster like it was made from ordinary cloth. However, the reality showed that it was not enough to dominate the opponent. Just the sheer number of predators had caused the situation, when avoiding one swing, the newly proclaimed ¡°marked one¡± could easily be caught by a bite from another huge animal. Moreover, an ability to pierce the bodies of multi-ton creatures with ease might be deadly for the latter, but not for inertia.
Robert managed to see how one of such already dead lizards simply dropped on the three-eyes amphibian, pressing him to the ground in the process. The attempt to free himself from the unwanted load ended with a follow-up bite, which tore his head off, splashing the bluish blood all over the place. The lizard tried to celebrate its accomplishment with a loud hiss, but a spear, which appeared from the side the moment later, made a hole in its eye.
The most devastating effect on this chaotic battlefield was caused by the leader. The tall figure with a double-bladed weapon not only had a proper size in comparison with the monsters but also strength. Hitting with a shaft so hard that another poor creature dropped down, he stomped its skull into meat paste just after several kicks. The force behind the flying spear in the leader¡¯s hands was enough to sever the limbs of the lizards, while even punches could hurt them, raising real fear inside predators. The fear disappeared with a single hiss from the enormous giant, who was steadily approaching them. The assault resumed, not changing the result in the slightest. The leader was too overbearing in the place, where only weapons talked.
Rob even thought for a moment that it would be a sure win for amphibians, making him anxious about losing the possibility to leave the damned water world. However, a careful observation had changed his mind as, despite the power of the strongest, all other humanoids were slowly losing their ground. There were too many lizards. The colorful armor could protect it from being pierced, but brutal force would still break bones behind it. They couldn¡¯t compete in strength, even falling behind Rob¡¯s own abilities. Overall, their movements looked quite clumsy as the surface didn¡¯t seem to be the place, where they were taught how to fight. Still, their resolve was as clear as a day.
Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t enough against overwhelming numbers that were additionally strengthened by the main alpha-predator. The appearance of the latter immediately caused the death of two amphibians, where one was simply tramped on, while the other was swallowed in one gulp. The last seven ¡°marked ones¡± had gathered around their leader, pointing the spears toward the biggest threat, but none of them showed any signs of fear. Maybe they already knew their fate even before coming to the beach or it was a cultural difference. Rob didn¡¯t know that.
The only thing he was sure that after he died in that bunker on Earth, his desire to live for himself had exceeded any noble goal to die for. It was as if he already had paid his price for the ¡°greater good¡± of society. It had to be a sure-death situation, like it was in that tower with William, which could lead him to rethink such an unheroic attitude, but currently, he was seeing the whole scene from the perspective of danger and profit. It didn¡¯t stop him from appreciating the courage of amphibians as they seemed to deliberately neglect any other options, like a retreat.
Still, such thoughts didn¡¯t stop him from rushing forward directly into the middle of the ongoing fight. He wasn¡¯t going to lie to himself ¨C his goal wasn¡¯t to help locals, but just to kill one single beast. Coincidentally, it was the same target for the other group, making them both, either competitors or allies. Rob didn¡¯t care about that spoken bullshit about the heart and being reborn, as he needed only the life of the lizard, and not some magic organs with unclear properties. Therefore, he jumped into the fight, hoping that common sense and cooperation in dangerous circumstances would prevail over possible aggression because of his odd appearance. In the end, they had different goals, didn¡¯t they?
Robert¡¯s first target was a lizard, which almost managed to react when conjured two-handed saber cut through its neck. Side-stepping from a falling corpse, Rob dispersed his weapon before starting to climb up, using both hands. His attempt to summon improvised claws directly from fingernails to help with going immediately failed as the created steel just pushed him away, not wishing to be conjured inside another¡¯s flesh. Noting to experiment in the future, Robert focused on his surroundings.
It appeared to be a good idea as the moment he stood up on the back of the dead lizard, he was greeted with the wide open mouth of its brood¡¯s brother. The instinctive creation of the shield blocked the maw from closing with his arm inside. Not wasting any time, Rob conjured a thin epee in his free hand before piercing the eye of the monster. Or trying to as the lizard not only managed to avoid being blinded but also swung his head to the side, throwing Robert away. The flight surprisingly took much longer than he anticipated because of the starting point on top of a big predator. It was only logical to expect a hard landing. And it was.
The hit on the rocky ground almost blacked out Robert, but a few rushing lizards injected an insane amount of adrenaline into his blood, almost catapulting him up. Awkwardly falling to the side, he barely missed the unpleasant fate of being cut into a few pieces. His following counterattack left a deep bloody mark on the lizard paw. The returning movement, when the creature tried to lean on it had sent a wave of pain, making it lose its balance. Rob was already in motion, almost stretching himself in a straight line with a long spear. The sharp end went through the opened mouth of the predator before being stuck somewhere inside. The spurt of blood clearly showed that he damaged something crucial.
Unsummoning it, Rob rolled under the falling body to separate himself from the nearest lizard only to face another one. However, this time the help came from amphibians, as two of them simultaneously stroked the animal from both sides, pushing their weapons almost half of their length inside. Seeing it as a great opportunity, Robert raised his hands up, while shouting.
¡°Peace! I want to help to kill the giant!¡±
Rob even saw the trace of understanding in the single eye of a ¡°marked one¡±, which was directed at him. Or at least he thought he did, as there were no visible signs of aggression. Both amphibians stopped their tracks for a moment as if deciding what to do. Their weapons came out from the flesh with a loud squelching sound before pausing in the air. However, it was when the familiar awful voice came over the telepathy message.
¡°Kill the mutant! Don¡¯t let him dirty the heart or its bearer in any case. We need to proceed with the ritual without any mishaps! The fate of the whole of our world is at stake!¡±
Once again, the grinding sound pierced Rob¡¯s mind, disorienting him for a second and making it difficult to process what was said. His vision cleared only when the spear blade was flying towards his face. Somehow, he felt the time had stopped. Many thoughts went through Robert¡¯s mind in a single moment. The disappointment in how the situation was developing, not only crossed out the possibility of any normal interactions but also put them on opposite sides from the beginning.
Where are my friendly locals, who always are happy to help a stranger? Or a beauty, who will quickly turn into a trusted companion after just a few days of acquaintance? Oh, well, die then.
Slightly moving his head to the side, Rob felt a blade cut through the air in mere centimeters. A bitter smile appeared on his face as he moved forward, pushing the conjured dagger directly into the stomach of the amphibian. The rubbered skin tried to resist the force behind to hit but failed. Feeling the impact, Robert twisted his weapon in the wound, while ducking under the arm of the enemy. Unsummoning it, he made it appear on the other hand before doing a few more hits. Finally jumping backward to distance himself, he checked his surroundings.
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The injured amphibian turned around and tried to make another swing with his bladed spear. However, the motion was too weak and unaimed to threaten anyone. The bluish blood was already pouring out from him. Another step was the last one before the humanoid collapsed on the ground as if the energy inside him was suddenly cut off.
Robert only sighed again after such a scene, redirecting his attention to the second amphibian. The latter didn¡¯t even blink with the loss of his fellow warrior, rushing forward in the same clumsy and straightforward manner, which made it quite trivial with the easily foreseen result. Still, there were too many enemies around, Rob ended the fight with a simple deflection with the shield, before following with a kick to the knee that finally opened the way for his axe.
The dead body hadn¡¯t even landed on the ground, when lizards came, putting Robert in the situation of a fierce skirmish. Periodically he was catching the scenes from surroundings but mostly he focused on his own survival. In the background, the leader of the group was fighting against the huge beast in an almost iconic and epic one-on-one battle. Despite the big difference in sizes, he wasn¡¯t losing. The double-bladed spear felt as light as a feather in his hands, managing to cut through the thick body. The wounds were not deep enough to endanger the life of the alpha-predator. However, the blood loss wouldn¡¯t help either.
Tanking the direct hit from the giant, the leader was on his legs a few moments later, despite the large cut on his chest. Widely opening his toothy mouth as if silently roaring, he evaded another stomp, before jumping on the paw. The spear pierced the skin, getting stuck in the bone, but creating a platform for the amphibian. The latter immediately pushed himself up, climbing on the top of the beast. Holding on the horns, he made a few kicks directly into the eye of the monster, effectively blinding him. The loud hiss and insane convulsion threw him away, while the lizard was rampaging from the growing anger.
Robert had to avert his look as the last three amphibians decided to target him, disregarding the other predators. The reason could be in Rob¡¯s efficiency in killing which easily had put him on the top danger list for their plans. On the other hand, the beasts just attacked the nearest, decreasing the number of his humanoid opponents by one right from the start. The fight was bloody. Clawed paws and spears left quite a few marks on his body, while the restoration ability was already on the verge of overstressing because of intensive usage. It healed the injuries with insane speed, easily several hundred times faster than natural recovery, but despite all Robert¡¯s efforts in saving the limit was nearing with each moment.
When Rob managed to kill the final predator, the fight between the bigger one and light-blue skinned leader was also over. The latter had lost his arm and both legs, struggling to even crawl to his desired goal. In its turn, the overgrown lizard was lying motionlessly with a huge gap in flesh on his side. With broken horns, half-blinded, with a paw that looked like went through the shredder, covered in blood, and a protruding spear from the skull ¨C everything indicated the pitiful state in which it was. Only heavy breathing could confirm that it was still alive, just barely.
Looking at surroundings that were covered with tens of corpses, on the bare rocky scenery of a lone island in the middle of the ocean, in the hot non-resting sun, Robert had only one simple thought. The thought that brought joy to his mind.
I will not miss this stupid world! Hell no! Let¡¯s get out of here! Now!
However, he made it only halfway to the lizard, when he was stopped by the very same leader. The sound of his voice in the telepathic message was as awful as earlier, but this time it had a begging tone added.
¡°Please, mutant, help. It¡¯s not only me ¨C the whole of our nation will drop into infighting for the sake of ruling others if I die here. My whole family was killed by traitors. I am the last of royal blood, old and weak. Only Reborning ritual will not only heal my current wounds but grant me the power to stabilize the political situation¡¡±
¡°Then why did you attack me? I don¡¯t need your stupid heart or whatever it is. I just needed to kill the God damned beast. That¡¯s it. Nothing more. Moreover, I am not a mutant but an outworlder¡ And, man, your stupid way of speaking just makes my ears bleed. Not only that, but you also look like some creepy dungeon dwellers with a meat diet, purely from other humanoids. It was already hard to decide to befriend you, but you just ruined it by yourself. What goes around comes around.¡±
The boiling anger inside Rob made him almost explode with a tirade. Maybe it was because of broken expectations from communication with different species. Maybe it was his long loneliness in the unfriendly place. Maybe it was just aftermath emotions from the recent life-threatening fight. Or a mixture of everything as he felt that his black line in fate just refused to end.
¡°But the beast¡¯s Queen is already dead, outworlder¡¡±
¡°Wait, what?!¡±
Ignoring the continuation of the high-goal speech from the leader, Robert rushed to the lizard only to confirm the information. The whole world around him darkened when he realized the fact that he had missed the short time frame to end the life of the dying lizard. He almost collapsed on the ground as dreams of leaving this place were destroyed by a tiny delay in action. The way out was on the arm-stretched distance, and he failed to use it because of his own stupidity. Rob knew that there was another lizard out there, but the fight against such a giant was always dangerous and didn¡¯t guarantee a win. Therefore, he wanted to punch himself hard, kick everything, to destroy the surroundings just to pour out his emotions somewhere.
¡°¡church of Krak¡¯eno might be the fourth global force in the incoming conflict for usurpation of power. Even with my full restoration to youth, I will need any available help to repel their attempts to take the rule. More treason are expected¡ But fear not, there is a ritual that can grant you proper grills and fix your appearance¡ Just hurry and help me ¨C I don¡¯t have much time left!¡±
¡°God damned it, shut the fuck up! Your voice is annoying¡ As a whole this shitty world is. Yes, I know, I can help you to restore your power, save your Kingdom from bloody civil war, and later use your military help to kill the beast with ease¡ But FUCK YOU! Not going to happen. On the contrary, I will take your precious heart for myself to get more power to beat the crap out of that lizard with my own hands and leave this stupid world forever! Will it burn or not ¨C not my business.¡±
The leader paused for a moment before resuming annoying pleading again. However, Robert was too angry and too focused on the corpse of the lizard to listen. Moreover, the grinding voice only fueled his resolve to follow such a decision.
Grow some grills? Fix my appearance? I know I am not a model, but becoming a noseless, bald three-eyed freak wasn¡¯t my dream either.
The butchering of the enormous predator took a lot of time and effort. By the moment Robert managed to get to the heart, the leader of amphibians was barely speaking. All this time he was trying to convince Rob to help him without any success. Despite calming down and rethinking everything, Rob still followed his new plan.
His goal was the same as before ¨C to leave this cursed place. If he wasn¡¯t here, the leader could have ended with a similar result, but with no options out. Robert did kill several amphibians, decreasing their group¡¯s power. On the other hand, he also made a dent in the lizard¡¯s numbers, creating overall parity. Moreover, Rob wasn¡¯t an aggressor in the first place and only defended himself. Not speaking about the possibility of this amphibian ¡°king¡± to be a real tyrant, whose death would be for good. Robert didn¡¯t know and, frankly speaking, had no desire to know. He wanted to stay in his role of passerby, and he would.
¡°You are making a huge mistake. The blood of my people will be on your hands!¡±
¡°Oh no, it is your inner conflict, don¡¯t involve me. I wasn¡¯t the cause of it and have no obligation to solve it. It was your mistake to command others to attack me, so die with the result of your own decision. I will live with mine.¡±
Robert shook his head before focusing his attention on the heart. The leader wanted to argue but his mental strength was barely enough to make his messages audible. The organ, on the other hand, looked quite interesting to inspect. Contrary to the expectations, it was small, just a fist size, but very dense. It was more like a stone than a biological product. Red, with violet and silver veins, it almost pulsed in Rob¡¯s palm, despite being separated. For anyone, it might look disgusting, but Rob¡¯s experience didn¡¯t make him blink when he was making a first bite.
Here goes nothing! Power up, I am coming!
Chapter 51 (2-9)
Smoothing calm feeling of warm hands, which gently hugged Robert, brought sincere surprise. But it was soon faded away by everlasting calmness that was emitted from everywhere. Rob was like bathing in it, completely covered in this odd but pleasant tenderness. Every change that he went through after getting powers from God was always painful. He was breaking apart just to be assembled again with new parts inside. The absence of free space or their unsuitability didn¡¯t matter as the outer force just used more effort to achieve its goal, disregarding the pure torturous essence of the procedure.
This time was completely different. The bright light blinded Robert, while somehow staying on a comfortable level. Then Rob felt the pull. It wasn¡¯t aimed at his body, but the soul that was kept far away in the space between dimensions. It was like an innocent prisoner after a wrong accusation finally managed to be released. The happiness and, precisely speaking, the correctness of such a happening felt the most natural thing it could be. Merging with his body, it started to get rid of anything foreign, while healing the gaps.
Despite literally falling apart, Robert felt as if he was finally losing artificial parts, that were limiting himself. It was as if the most advanced prosthetic was replaced by his own limb. Yes, weak, with fewer functions, but his own. His whole self-being was indeed like reborn anew, leaving behind any impurity. Moreover, when this process was finished, a wave of energy came, strengthening and perfecting every single part of him, starting from the single cell. Rob was cleansed and modified to be the better version of himself.
Robert 2.0.
The ability to think reappeared, while the warmth began to vanish from where it came. He was refreshed, restored to the peak, and even felt overenergized by the sheer amount of power that went through his entity. Therefore, when Status messages started to appear, Rob was all in anticipation of what he would see and how strong he would become.
Initializing the change in Status after consuming an unknown essence¡
Done¡
Error¡ Access to the information is forbidden¡
Checking the Authority level of Wepwakor¡
Comparing with the Authority level, granted to ¡°Unknown Essence¡±¡
The restriction is partly overruled¡
The user had consumed the ¡°Heart of Mutant, descendant of Primal Dragon¡±¡
Hidden conditions are met¡
The power of the soul ¨C qualified¡
The energy connection to inter-dimensional space ¨C qualified¡
The power of body ¨C qualified¡
The unlocked potential of growth ¨C qualified¡
Checking elemental affinity ¨C Steel ¨C qualified¡
The power from Transcendent being ¨C qualified¡
The reconstruction of the entity has started¡
Disposing of outer modifications of soul¡
Wait, wait, what? Oh, no!
Having a bad premonition, Robert started to curse right after reading this line, but it was too late. Everything was already done, and he was just checking the log list of step-by-step changes with no ability to cancel anything. The beginning looked promising as if he was going to uncover a huge secret in a moment, but this part pushed the situation in a completely different way. The more Rob read, the more his mood worsened.
Disposing of outer modification of body¡
Planting remnants of purified essences into the entity¡
Merging everything together¡
Error¡
Overall power is not enough to break the current connection to a Transcendent being¡
The Authority level is set back to previous restrictions¡
Error¡
The Authority was partly overruled¡
The access to viewing detailed information about current abilities, including a restricted part about an entity called a ¡°Primal Dragon¡± is granted¡
Finalizing the change¡
Starting¡
However, before diving into the wall of text again, Robert opened his eyes to check his surroundings. He wanted to say that an hour had passed, and it was already a night, but it wasn¡¯t. The untiring sun was scorching and bright as always. The corpses of the beasts were in the same places, untouched by anything because of the absence of any insects or scavengers. Only the dried skin of the dead could indicate that enough time had passed since his consumption of the heart.
The leader of the amphibians was lying motionlessly with a frozen expression. Rob might say it the look of unwillingness, but again ¨C the face of a three-eyed humanoid without a nose was quite difficult to read. Robert didn¡¯t regret his decision to abandon this human-fish. However, the eating of the heart was a completely different thing. From only a brief description of losing soul and body modification, he understood the possible severity of his situation. Rob knew that he was basically alive because of the inhuman body that was granted to him and not because he was creative, intelligent, or powerful. Nope, he basically overlived the threats, rising from the dead again and again.
The growing fear had stopped him from any mental efforts to check his abilities. He was scared not to get any response from habitual mental command. Despite that, Robert had already noticed the change. Not only did his pale skin lose those scary scars, but it also started to grow the body hair back. Still, that wasn¡¯t the biggest hit to his confidence as his mind was struggling to see the surroundings as before. The focus of attention jumped from one point of interest to another, unable to enfold everything simultaneously.
The ¡°power up¡±? Fucking shit! Rob, you stupid greedy idiot! You are not whore to shove any odd thing into your mouth immediately after getting an opportunity to! Dumbass!
Raging with anger aimed at himself, Robert punched the ground a few times in an attempt to calm down. It wasn¡¯t working, so he decided to just dive into the text to finally understand in what deep hole he had pushed himself by hast and thoughtless action. This time he managed to notice the difference in summoning the Status screen. There was no tattoo on his forearm when the text had appeared on the white background, cutting off the surroundings.
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Human - Dragon Hybrid
Strength - 22 Agility - 16 Constitution - 24
Perception - 16 Mind - 30 Mana flow - 28
Elemental Affinity: Metal (Steel)
Active ability: Conjuring an element
Passive traits: God¡¯s Envoy, Rejuvenation, Endless growth
Again, it is simple and short. The default settings? And what if¡ Nope, not working. So, first ¨C I¡¯ve lost the ability to change the status screen. The mentioning of God had disappeared together with Tier. Maybe the latter was just an easy way for Wepwakor to estimate the power level of its pawns without looking into details. What else? The Constitution must be a mixture of Endurance and Toughness. However, the biggest elephant in the room is my insane drop in Mind and Mana Flow with no mention of other abilities in Traits. 18 points in Minds ¨C that is more than five times less than before. Fuck! Okay, calm down and read everything carefully.
Human - Dragon Hybrid ¨C additional restricted information is unfolding¡
The Primal Dragon wasn¡¯t the first one to be born but was the first of his kind to break the limits of his own world, ascending further into the unknown and becoming a true free roamer. Not wanting to get another pair of chains, only bigger, they joined the group of similar beings. Wanderers, loners, or freaks, who dropped out from the ruling system that was set by Gods only because they didn¡¯t want to be part of it. This difference in views often led to the situation, where they were pictured in a dark light by most of these power-driven beings. Demons, Devils, Abyssals ¨C just a small part of the names they were given in multiple worlds. However, without any similar traits, habits, and unity, they used the word ¡°Ascendants¡± instead.
During an unknown period, one of The Primal Dragon¡¯s goals was to plant as many seeds as possible during his journey between dimensions. Each of them was basically a small part of his purified essence that would grant its power to a proper wielder but otherwise keep its dormant state forever. Spreading through the descendant with the strongest potential, it would seek its single chance in any form. However, aiming for natural growth and valuing freedom, the power from The Primal Dragon was never meant to turn the taker into a different species. On the contrary, improving the body, cleaning it from any external interventions, and strengthening the connection to interdimensional space and to affiliated elements, The Primal Dragon wished just to make the road ahead for future Ascendant easier, but not to choose its direction for them. The single addition was the ability of any pure dragon to grow, both in power and body, endlessly, using all free energy available and, in some cases, external sources. Taking into account the interconnected soul, the cycle of rise in strength would have no limits. The latter were always hated by true dragons and the Primal Dragon was the biggest example of that.
Surprisingly a lot of info here. So not only Gods are there, but these Ascendants. Even if they are on par in terms of power, which is questionable, I doubt that an unorganized and basically anarchic group can be on the same level with a strict ruling system¡ Really don¡¯t like the part about free roamers with the possibility to become one of them. How am I going to get out of here?!
Stat: Constitution ¨C the energy-fueled highly-regenerative body made it difficult to exhaust the strength of the body, so the united stat was created to indicate the overall physique of the body, including its toughness.
Active ability 1: Conjuring an element ¨C an ability to summon any shape of the affiliated element from any part of own body using only an owner''s mana. No external sources can be used to fuel it with energy. Instead, such a requirement to adapt mana through the element¡¯s affiliated source grants much better control in manipulation. The properties of elements can¡¯t be changed by adding more mana. Constantly consumes mana to sustain the conjuration. The element can¡¯t be separated from the body because it will cut the energy link, thus dispersing it immediately.
Trait 1: God¡¯s Envoy - envoys are engaged in different tasks from being missionaries or conquerors to observing natural laws or leading nations, but they are all united by one thing, which distinguishes the owner from the masses. Mark from a real God. Merging the body and the soul of the future envoy, God branded his servant with their symbol of power, leaving a mark that could be destroyed only with the destruction of both body and soul. From it, they can get part of God¡¯s power, while also giving the energy or power back, access to a standardized self-status screen using God¡¯s authority, the ability to communicate with some sapient species in different dimensions, and have increased potential by small margin, which is fully controlled by the God. ATTENTION: The mark is severely damaged!
Trait 2: Rejuvenation ¨C the constant and endless flow of energy not only supplies the biological needs of the body but also boosts its ability to regenerate the damage by a noticeable degree while improving longevity even more. The more energy, the bigger the effect.
Trait 3: Endless growth ¨C fueled by energy, the body of the owner will endlessly grow stronger, tougher, and bigger even without any additional training.
Rereading the descriptions carefully, Robert confirmed his first assumption. His ¡°power up¡± turned out to be a real downgrade. He didn¡¯t know the level of it quite yet, but he would know soon. Maybe someone would be happy to be named a dragon-kin or to lose basically a slave collar from God, but not Robert. His realistic life view pointed to way too many problems that appeared before him just because of this ¡°upgrade¡±.
His return to his original body meant the disappearance of the "No Vulnerabilities" trait. One unlucky hit at the critical point would kill him immediately, when earlier he needed to lose over a half of the body for the same undesired result. His modified brain was replaced with a normal one, maybe not ceasing, but decreasing by several margins his ability to focus on several things simultaneously. The level of regeneration and decrease of biological needs turned out to be unknown and might be easily lower than before. At a bare minimum, there was no mention of the possibility of restoring any part. However, the loss of active ability to heal the wounds would also dramatically increase the danger of any fight.
Even if his regeneration is boosted by a hundredfold, which might sound huge, it would be many times less than before. Just by relying on natural healing a broken limb could take a half day even with such an insane increase, not to speak about more tangible wounds. The dangerous environment might not give him enough time to be ready for another hungry predator. The quick and simple test showed that the amount of steel Rob could conjure also dropped.
So, I am easier to kill, with no fast emergency healing, with remnants of multi-tasking, with less steel to summon¡ but I can grow as big as a fucking elephant. Wow! What a relief¡ Shit!
That didn¡¯t end here as the inability to connect with his God might take a single opportunity to leave this world at all. Robert didn¡¯t have any proper instructions on how to ¡°free roam¡± between dimensions by himself. His system not only refused to change visualization like before but also completly ignored any of his mental commands. The limitless growth in power, including the ability to conjure his element, was only a potential for the future, and, frankly speaking, wasn¡¯t new ¨C he had a similar trait already.
Therefore, the single change that might be useful was to build up muscles without training. The problem was that the island didn¡¯t have any place of entertainment. His workouts were a part of using free time somehow not go insane from boredom. Robert just couldn¡¯t see even the slightest positive of this ¡°power up¡±, except fully solving his issue with overflowing energy. Currently, an unknown amount of it went directly into his body, strengthening him. But by this point, he already had managed to find a balance. He also assumed that the drop in Mana Flow was caused by redirecting the energy into his body and what he was seeing in Status screen was a free mana, which wasn¡¯t that helpful. And the main question stayed the same.
How am I going to fulfill the conditions of God in such circumstances, a stupid system?!
Sending the request¡
Attention¡ The link is damaged¡
Setting time limit before the destruction of the connection¡
Error¡ Information cannot be disclosed¡
The conditions:
Kill the Beast 0/1
Bring enough souls **% / 100%
Oh, here you go¡ Yes, finally! Thanks, System. And of course that asshole didn¡¯t say about the additional need of souls. Okay, I am weaker and on time limit, but what is done is done. It is a karma, Rob. You were lecturing that fish about the consequences of his mistake, and you are in the same shitty position because the next moment after your pretentious speech you made your own. So, wipe your tears, and don¡¯t be a crybaby. You are fucking Dragon Hybrid¡ Nope, it sounds so retard and overused. Just another secret that will die with me ¨C right next to the bathing in the pile of shit.
Chapter 52 (2-10)
Ducking under a swing of a double-bladed spear, Robert tried to strike a huge amphibian into the abdomen but didn¡¯t manage to reach it. Despite his own heights, the opponent was easily over three meters tall (around 10ft.) and by this point was quite wary of the nimble human. The corpses of all his subordinates were already lying on the beach motionlessly. Moreover, their mutual achievement was only the deep cut on the chest of this mutant.
Therefore, the leader of the now-dead group started to rely on his longer arms to keep a safe distance in a search for opportunity. It wasn¡¯t that helpful as somehow this strange humanoid was able to change the size of its weapon. One moment amphibian had to block the crude metal club from breaking his knee only to see how it was disappearing just to be summoned into the other hand in the form of the fang. The latter almost immediately cut through his skin, creating another wound on his body.
¡°Die, abomination!¡±
Sending unfocused telepathic messages into his surroundings just to get rid of his own frustration, the amphibian attempted to overpower his small enemy. The wide swing for distraction was turned into an overhead strike with all available force. He was glad to see, how this mutant opened his mouth in familiar to every sane morloken expression of a surprise. An odd appearance with a lack of proper sight just couldn¡¯t hide. Of course, the enemy tried to defend himself by putting up the round plate. However, the deep blue iron wasn¡¯t called that because of no reason.
Cutting through the dark grey material like it was nothing, it almost managed to sever the arm of the mutant, when everything went downhill. Failing to notice in time how the enemy was making a rotational motion, the amphibian was surprised to feel a lack of any resistance. The strength that he had put into strike was too big to stop halfway. Moreover, the earlier cut plate turned into a formless huge thing, which only added weight, increasing inertia even more.
Hitting the rocky ground with all the force, he pushed his spear deep inside, almost making it stuck there. The short disorientation from striking the air instead of an elusive enemy was forcefully ended when he felt a blade piercing his cheeck. The instinctive attempt to push away the pain only worsened the situation, cutting his face in the process and almost taking his side eye. A wild swing of his arm managed to hit the mutant, which gave him the ability to stand up. The fear already pushed away all remnants of a clear mind, completely overruling the consciousness by a primal instinct of survival.
He was one of the leaders of the rebellion. One of the first to gather a force against the rule of Royals, who forbid any change in a social ladder. The death of the King in an attempt to become a Reborn Dra¡¯lo¡¯Kiaj on the very same island had set in motion every ambitious person. The opportunity to rewrite the long-existed order was rare and was stupid to waste. But he was not like others ¨C pawns of the Church, filthy servants of the Throne, or instruments in fins of Generals. He had the support of the majority of ordinary folks. He was meant for greatness. He even had prepared a group of elites to fight this infamous mutant, who was at the center of current hot-topic rumors. Named as a guardian of the Queen and cursed with a horrible appearance, he was responsible for the demise of many Marked Warriors. That¡¯s why the heart of such a creature could boost his image to new heights, pushing him to the top of Rebels. Unfortunately, he failed. However, he would return after¡
¡°For the humanoid fish you are running quite fast, I have to admit,¡± piercing the back of the amphibian, Robert had pushed him to the ground, before repeating the strike once again, now aiming for the head. The corpse convulsed a few times and stopped, finally ending this confrontation.
Was it the fourth group? Nope, fifth. Yeah, fifth. At least they were not strong and crumbled in fear quite quickly¡ But if they are so scared, why the fuck do they continue to come here? For that lizard?
As always, there was no answer, just Rob¡¯s assumptions. Still, he wasn¡¯t complaining as his attempts to communicate with each of such groups failed miserably. They always attacked, not even trying to speak with their awful method of telepathic sound attacks. Robert sometimes felt as if they were sending something in his surroundings, but it felt like mockery, curses, or battle shouts. Nothing specific or aimed at him. All he heard was the weak pressing noise inside his mind and that¡¯s it. Maybe they were just weaker than that old leader or the change gave him protection against forceful telepathy ¨C he didn¡¯t know. Therefore, a peaceful solution was out of the question.
On the other hand, his time limit and the need for souls gave him targets to kill. It could sound evil, but it was either them or him. For Robert, the obvious choice was his own future. Moreover, his ¡°power up¡± decreased his chances by a noticeable degree. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t as bad as he thought at the beginning. He had enough time not only to accept the change but also to get used to them.
Some of them appeared to be a clear improvement like it was with conjuring steel. The first test that gave him an idea of weakening his ability was misleading. As an infant slowly learning how to operate with its own body, starting from limbs until the tiniest and most precise motions of the fingers, in the same way, Robert had to work over the usage of his steel element. He was far from naming himself skillful in it, but even without his modified brain the control had become much better, while the speed of conjuring had also grown to almost instantaneous, despite any complexity of form.
Speaking of his former Hive-Mind trait ¨C the loss also appeared to be not so crucial. Yes, it was harder to notice some motions of enemies during the fight, but Rob surprisingly had found out that he overestimated his ability to use it properly. He was sure he was utilizing the knowledge to predict the enemy¡¯s movements and was just late to react, but it was just wishful thinking. Without hundreds of equipment to command directly, he barely scratched the surface of the barrel in terms of possibilities. Therefore the loss didn¡¯t affect him that much, especially with the accumulation of a battle experience. Together with almost the same power of conjuring the steel, Robert just made a single step back in this regard with easily visible potential to go much further in the future.
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However, the healing was a huge problem. Even this cut on his chest would take him several hours to heal. The first fight after his ¡°upgrade¡± ended him lying in a half-dead state inside his self-made underground cover for an unknown amount of time. Not only that, but he had to staple his wounds with summoned steel to stop bleeding just not die from the blood loss. On the other hand, his regeneration could even deal with a severed finger, growing it from nothing, and leaving no scars after.
Basically, he was like a superhuman with increased strength, endurance, toughness, and regeneration, but not on the level of ignoring even a simple knife, the possibility of throwing a car-like projectile, or jumping over a three-story building. Only his steel element looked supernatural and caused no trouble. Unfortunately, the regeneration did, although just bothersome.
After replacing the abdominal mixture of what was his previous body with his ¡°perfected¡± old and natural, Robert at first didn¡¯t see anything special. His appearance didn¡¯t change ¨C clearly improving his body had no effect on beauty in the eyes of Primal Dragon. Everything was the same ¨C rough facial features, green eyes, aquiline nose, messy black hair. Exactly the latter started to become a problem. He never was a hairy type, having his chest bare of anything like a bald monk. But as any male descendant of monkeys, he had enough on other parts of his body, including his face.
No one mentioned it in comics or in books, but his regeneration worked on a whole body, including hair and nails. Therefore, it turned into a non-stoppable cycle of shaving and haircutting. Fortunately, the speed of growth decreased with the length, helping him to find the right balance not to turn into a walking hairball. On the other hand, Rob had to forget about not wearing a beard. At least such routine care was a refreshment in his killing spree.
Slowly and carefully starting from the smallest ones, Robert steadily tested his current power without additional risk. Of course, groups of underwater invaders made their edits to his plan, but overall he was returning to his battle powers and, what was more importantly, confidence in himself. It almost turned into overconfidence, when he tried to tame a tiny lizard that he somehow managed to find near the group of amphibians, which he sent to an afterlife a few minutes ago.
¡°Hello, buddy!¡±
Smiling in an attempt to look friendly, Robert started to shorten the distance to the cute predator. Light green, with a confused expression on its face, it was staying near the corpse of its parent as if trying to wake it up. However, it was a futile effort after the spears of the amphibians had left their marks. Its hiss sounded more like a begging squeal, making Rob grin as an idiot.
How will I call him? Rex? Greeny? No, wait, it can be a girl. We can make a good team in this shitty world¡ Every proper protagonist has his own pet that will become powerful in no time. Finally, this is my opportunity to shine. It is a pity that no one will be able to see it, but so what? We will have ourselves to support each other. We will rise together! And I can try to take you with me. Yeah, there must be a way!
¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, little one. I will not hurt you. I am here to¡¡±
Rob couldn¡¯t finish as the lizard just jumped straight into his face, completely ignoring a stretched hand. Grabbing into his nose with its tiny teeth, it almost had bitten it off, while Rober was dumbstruck from an unexpected painful experience. His attempt to push the small predator away failed miserably as clawed paws started to cut his face into pieces. Summoning the steel mask directly on his face, he managed to separate himself from the aggressive beast. However, that led to nothing as assaults continued. In the end, Robert had to run away, not willing to harm the small lizard, crashing his wish of owning a cute but deadly pet.
That left him with loneliness. Training and fighting were periodically brought to pause by raging thunderstorms, which seemed to set a whole world on pause when nature decided to act. After so much time spent on the island, Robert started to notice nascent signs of lighting outbursts beforehand to have enough time to hide into his self-mined cover. These moments were mostly spent either in entertaining himself with conjuring complex objects, or in thinking over different things.
Don¡¯t know about the movies, but to hear music would be great. Any music. I am even ready for some odd styles right now¡ Hamburger! Yeah, to eat with a cup of coffee, while listening to something¡ rock&roll, maybe? Like in old movies about caf¨¦s near the road¡ There could be a smiling woman with a kettle of another portion whenever you are finished. Oh, dreams, dreams¡
Robert¡¯s eyes wandered around surroundings that were constantly being attacked by thunder. On his opened palm a small crude figure was slowly marching, taking each step with extra caution after a noticeable pause. Made from dark grey steel from a single piece, it showed as mechanical movements of the primitive toy. Nevertheless, it moved further, while the thoughts of its creator were far away.
Rob wondered if this life was even worth it. The idea of traveling around seemed wonderful, but his own experience from three worlds, including his own Earth, had shown that it might be just a dream. He could describe his life in the bunker as plain and grey, but it didn¡¯t mean he needed more adrenaline in his life to color it. On the contrary, he wanted to experience just simple things to be happy, and not the thrill of survival on the verge. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t his choice to do¡ until his ¡°power up¡±.
Maybe this is an opportunity for it? But I still need to kill the beast and to meet the stupid quota for souls. I¡¯ve spent so much time here. It could be even years¡ How is the Earth doing? Did it manage to repel the invasion? Or is it still just defending? And William ¨C did he achieve his goal? I hope he did ¨C he was always a righteous person with high morale¡ And¡ No one else left. Huh. Funny. The third world for me, but most of my friends or acquaintances had died already. Note for future, Rob. You need to make connections with people. At least then you will be able to recall someone during such a time of melancholy and sadness, when you are stuck in the deepest hole out of all dimensions.
The thunderstorm continued its attempt to destroy everything around. Robert knew it would end soon, bringing back his ongoing hunt. Despite all the ups and downs, Rob wasn¡¯t willing to stop. The more he struggled, the more he wanted to feel the normal life by himself. He knew that there were many obstacles ahead, but he would still try to overcome them. If he was too weak, then he just needed to use his head to find a way around. As it was with this dangerous natural disaster ¨C it could be life-threatening to be caught in the center of it, but what if he could redirect the risk on another target, much bigger than himself? It might work out.
Chapter 53 (2-11)
The running figure was silently cursing, while controlling each step as if its life was dependent on it. Metal sandals were hitting the tough ground with a clunky sound, protecting the feet from being damaged. However, the possibility of spraining the foot was not out of the question as each of many small rocks could lead to a fall if the speed of his movement was taken into account. And Robert was fast. Pushing himself to the limit, he jumped over cracks in the ground, used his hands if necessary and even a few times crawled ¨C everything for the sake of climbing the mountain fast. The reason was quite simple. The thunderstorm was coming.
The moment the first signs appeared on the clear sky, Robert dropped his training and started to run. His target was not the mountain itself but its biggest habitant. The limited time made him hurry up. Luckily for him, having experience in running in the recruit¡¯s camp eased the task of strength distribution. His regenerative body indeed made the exhaustion almost non-existed but excessive efforts would still lead to short-timed strain in muscles. It would heal in no time, returning him to a peak form even without a proper rest. The problem was ¨C Robert didn¡¯t have that time. The possibility of being fried with lightning wasn¡¯t so tempting.
However, frankly speaking, partly it was his exact goal ¨C to be hit. The crucial difference was in the role of the conductor, which he aimed for, and not the main target, which was meant for the huge lizard. His plan wasn¡¯t original or creative in the slightest ¨C creating a huge rod into the sky, Rob wanted to attract the lightning. If the other part of the metal were inserted into the body of the monster, it would take the main portion of the energy. Of course, Robert had basically to tank another part with his own body as only physical contact with his steel would keep it conjured all the time.
Am I stupid? Maybe. But what choice do I have? This fucker has the head in the size of a two-story building minimum. I am not sure if can summon anything remotely big to cut through so much body in several strikes. My skills are also far from conjuring a nano-sharp blade. I sincerely doubt that the lizard will stand idle while I am hitting it in the same spot. The size matters. Using a toothpick against a tiger is rather dumb with unhealthy consequences.
The tenth repetition of this reasoning calmed Rob, while he was focusing on executing his dangerous plan. Not only did he have to climb up during the thunderstorm, but he also had to find the lizard in the unknown underground caves, somehow attract its attention, and lure it outside right under the raging sky, avoiding other smaller predators. All that, while trying not to die in the process. It was as easy as it sounded.
The peak of the mountain had met him with a strong wind, which almost blew him away. All his way Robert was actively searching a huge hole that could be the entrance to the lair of the beast, but with no result. The answer to that appeared to be right before his eyes. What he thought was a mountain was a long-extinct volcano with an enormous cone that went deep down. The time had changed from a familiar form to unrecognizable, misleading Rob during his long stay on the island. However, he didn¡¯t have the opportunity to look around as the first lighting started their bombardment.
Almost jumping down for the fright, when another white line had hit the ground in few hundred meters from him, Robert began to slide down. The conjured plate had protected his butt from the fate of being grind off. Nearing the edge, he summoned two spikes. Striking with both hands simultaneously, Rob slowed him down right before the edge. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t a vertical decline. Moreover, the lizards left enough marks from their climbing to use them as points of support. Still, with no rope and taking the height into account, it would be a challenging task to climb down to the bottom. On the other hand, the developing thunderstorm was a huge motivation to start immediately.
Pushing himself over the edge without a second thought, Robert started his descent, aiming for one of the nearest holes that were most likely used by predators. It was less than ten meters (30ft) down and a few to the side, but it didn¡¯t mean it would be easy. Just after a few meters down he found himself in an odd position where he couldn¡¯t find anything to step on. He wasn¡¯t a professional climber to copy a usage of even the tiniest dent in the surface for support. The hast search was interrupted by a loud thunderous cannonade, pressing him to risk avoiding being struck by lightning. Releasing the grip, Rob immediately tried to conjure a pair of knives to glide down, but the steel only left a few marks, unable to pierce the stone.
Quickly accelerating descent had turned into a fall when his sloppy movement had pushed him backward. His attempt to summon some kind of hook failed as he felt himself in the air without anything to grab. Clearly understanding that it would lead to a lethal outcome if nothing was done, Robert used all his will to suppress the rising panic, while his arms were desperately trying to grab anything. However, the three-second fall had ended abruptly when his back had hit something. That ¡°something¡± produced a loud and painful hiss, indicating what it was.
Hitting the head of the lizard with his butt and reacting too late to such a sudden outcome, Rob almost continued his fall. Luckily, the angry and dissatisfied predator attempted to bite him. Missing with its wide maw, it still pushed him upwards, thus stopping the fall. The following swing of a clawed paw threw him inside the cave, ending the career of an overconfident climber without any safety measures. At least Robert was fast enough to react to the second attack, creating a shield right in front of him. The grinding sound of bones against metal was like music for him, indicating that he had avoided being wounded.
Rolling by inertia, Rob stood with one swift motion, summoning the spear. The latter had impaled the lizard just a moment later when the predator lunged at him with a clear goal to kill. The convulsing body still tried to crush with its weight, but Robert had enough experience in dealing with such creatures.
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Okay, I am inside. Now I need to find the beast before the thunderstorm will run out of fuel. Or maybe¡
He had to interrupt his thought when the small agile figure jumped on him. The familiar lizard, alas smaller, it was insanely fast. Barely avoiding two swift attacks, Rob had to press himself to the wall of the natural cave so as not to be targeted by the third. Fortunately, the repentance and simplicity of the swoop actions made it easy to predict. Just by conjuring the steel blade in the way of the predator, he left the deep wounds on its side. It led to a clumsy drop on the ground and a painful hiss. Robert¡¯s following kick threw it out from the cave directly to the bottom of the volcano.
What was I saying? Yes, or maybe¡ What the fuck?
Before he managed to continue, more angry lizards started to appear. It wasn¡¯t just red threatening eyes that were looking at him from the darkness, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Nope. Not only did the unrestful sun somehow manage to light up even such hidden corners of the island, but also those lizards didn¡¯t want to wait. Rushing to him in crazy numbers, they acted more like a swarm, almost covering the whole corridor with their bodies. It was like a scene from a horror movie when a random unlucky guy, in the beginning, uncovers the threat from a horde of creepy monsters right before terrible death. This time exactly Robert was that guy, looking with wide-open eyes at the incoming danger.
The mission has failed. Can I restart? Please?!
The next moment the torrent of bodies almost drowned him completely. The initial impact was partly absorbed by the biggest shield he had ever made. Everything that happened next was covered in mist. Robert hit, using his conjuring ability to the maximum. He defended, creating various objects. He moved, not even stopping for a moment. The powerful swings could be replaced with hast rolls just a second later. As earlier, everything started to fragment into separate scenes, which were imprinted in his mind, while others had disappeared completely under enormous stress.
Squeezing through the densely packed bodies, he was leaving barely noticeable, but deep marks everywhere he could reach. Despite the unimpressive aftermath of thin blade usage, most of the wounds were crippling, disabling limbs or even killing the lizards, while they were stuck between their brood. The resulting chain of hits was interrupted by another predator, who moved forward while pushing away all other animals. A familiar hiss was followed by an attempt to bite him.
He blinked only to find him during a swinging motion. Huge halberd, accelerated by all his strength, had cut through ten centimeters of the lizard¡¯s neck but failed to separate its head from the body. Dispersing his weapon with a roar, he just jumped forward, falling exactly on the wound. The adrenaline rush painted the surroundings in blood-red color, pushing the primal instincts up. With another indistinct scream, he pressed both his palms to the sliced gap in the skin. The growing steel claws on his nails pierced the flesh. The moment later it was tearing a meaty part out of the body only to throw it right into the eyes of the nearest lizard. Blinding it for a disgusting projectile, he shortened the distance, already aiming with a short sword.
The closed jaw of the lizard on his right palm had stopped the motion. Kicking the head of an already dead predator once again, he switched his attention to another one. This one, having lost a front paw in the fierce fight, still tried to attack him. Clouded mind was sending a signal with a noticeable delay, so his attempts to pull his palm out appeared to be futile. The creature simply squeezed its teeth, crushing his fingers in the process. The pain came only in a few seconds, raising his anger to new heights. The swings of the sword almost shredded the lizard into bloody pieces.
That lying remnants of the overconfident predator, who was pushing away others earlier, created a good barricade. Gripping with both hands a newly created spear, he started to strike. The sheer number of enemies made it hard to miss, but he still tried to aim in weak spots to kill as fast as possible. Having limited space behind, he was full of resolve to stop it right there. However, it was just an initial push from the primitive animals, and more could come. So he just focused on simple tasks ¨C strikes. The spear point pierced through the air, ending in the face of the lizard. Penetrating the skin, it got stuck there. Still, the damage was enough to drop it to the ground, but he couldn¡¯t finish it.
All these scenes had mixed in Robert¡¯s head, making it hard even to understand the time order of them. His mind tried to see the surroundings as it was acquainted with them, but the loss of the ability to multi-task together with not experiencing such consequences in such a battle had led his consciousness to overload with information. Rob tried to grasp more details out of habit, and he did, but not the amount that he was used to. Adding the pressure from the dangerous fight ¨C it wasn¡¯t hard to understand Robert had lost himself in the process.
Only when the whole cave started to shake and the flow of lizards had run out, did he manage to come to his senses. Looking around at tens of corpses, his bloodied body with several wounds, and his mangled left palm, Rob finally realized what was happening and where he was. The memory of the amphibian¡¯s ritual, which was basically a massacre to anger the beast so it would come for revenge, emerged by itself. He felt shivers down his back, while a bad premonition had started to rise. His heart missed a beat. The dry throat felt as if it was gripped by someone, making it impossible to breathe.
Then he felt a look. Slowly turning around, Rob wasn¡¯t surprised to see a giant vertical eye that was directly looking at him. He was half expecting it. Having the enormous size of the whole entrance to this corridor, it was horrendous and dreadful with its motionless and unblinking state. Just the silent presence was sending a clear message of unavoidable death. Any resistance was futile against this primal monster. The sheer amount of threat was so insanely pressing that Robert could almost touch it. And that was just a single look from giant, the most part of whom was not even visible from his point of view. For the outer observer, it was too hard to grasp the insane level of power that was radiated from such an alpha being. However, not when the very same being was directly focusing its attention on you. Rob¡¯s mind managed to produce just a single thought under this pressure.
Hello, shithead! Found you finally. Do you know how stupid it is to look into the unknown hole, not knowing what to expect from it? Someone can poke a finger in the eye, dumbass.
Chapter 54 (2-12)
Almost copying a bullet, Robert¡¯s body had shot from his spot with lightning speed. The mad grin was plastered on his face, while he was conjuring multiple sharp blades all over himself. Before the giant managed to react, Rob had dived into his enormous eye after a powerful leap. Cutting through the flesh as if it were tofu, he went deep enough before the first wave of pain had reached the creature. The screams and hiss were so loud that they could be easily used as a weapon. The tremble was so strong that Robert was almost thrown out.
However, by this point, he had turned himself into an improvised hedgehog with tens of thin quills. The ends of each of them had a small hook, effectively keeping him in the same place. That didn¡¯t stop him as Rob was continuing his way inside. The closed eye left him in the darkness, while all surroundings were constantly in motion. Rob soon found himself almost upside down. An attempt to reposition only made it worse, as it brought a more torturous feeling to the beast, which set him on another crazy roller coaster.
Calm down and go outside!
Of course, all Robert¡¯s curses and wishes were futile. Not only he didn¡¯t have an opportunity to check where the lizard was, but also it started to do the most obvious thing that any creature would do in such a case ¨C to rub its eye. The simple pressure from the giant monster¡¯s action had almost crushed him. Changing the quills to a sphere, Rob barely resisted the applied force. The lizard had completely disregarded the possibility of wounding itself even further on the solo goal of getting rid of an intruder. Luckily, it was hard to overcome a natural instinct to close an eye in such circumstances.
Let¡¯s proceed with the plan because this time I don¡¯t have another way out in the form of the hole from the opposite side.
The conjured pike had pierced the flesh just a moment after creation when the lizard repeated its rubbing motion. That led to even more irritated hiss. The sound of a thunderstorm in the background raised Robert¡¯s optimism, making him double his efforts. Slowly redirecting all his available energy from a self-made defense construct to the pike, he pushed it further and further, increasing the length of the future lighting rod in the process. On the other hand, the raging lizard wasn''t calming down at all. On the contrary, the trembles from the wall hits were quickly growing their frequency.
It isn¡¯t working¡ Fuck!
The realization of the problem became even bigger when the beast started to tear its flesh apart, completely going mad after multiple failed attempts to get rid of an annoying bug that somehow managed to hurt it. Catching the thin pike, that was still protruding from its eye socket, the lizard tried to pull it. The thinness of it together with its huge and clawed paws was too big an obstacle for the monster. Still, the force behind such attempts managed to cause enough trouble for Robert.
His connection to the steel wasn¡¯t subtle in the slightest, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have managed to conjure his sandals, shields, or any other stuff that always felt glued to his skin. That was exactly the problem when another push on the other side of the pike threw him upwards. The closed eye protected him from dropping out but nothing more. Before Rob managed to do anything, he was once again pushed to the back of the eye socket. Each such movement only widened the wound inside the eye, hurting the lizard even more, which led in turn to more attempts to take him out.
The tenth hit to a meat wall had put an end to his struggles, as Robert just dispersed the pike, completely abandoning his plan. There were no new ideas in his literally shaken head as the situation had turned 180 degrees. The whole initiative went to the huge lizard, turning Rob into a passive side with a single option to react in time. The goal to kill the beast dropped down on his priority list, being pushed by a simple wish to live. Maybe that did save him as acting by instinct, Robert conjured a sphere around himself. The steel covered his body right before the moment when the giant had lost in temper completely.
Half-roaring, half-hissing, it simply tore the part of its own flesh, throwing it to the side. The short fly ended in the nearest wall of the volcano, almost cracking the thin steel. Just a dent from the impact punched Robert¡¯s face, breaking his nose in the process. However, the amount of adrenaline in his body was on such an insane level that he didn¡¯t even blink. His body was already a huge mess ¨C covered with his and the lizard¡¯s blood, partly cut or eaten, so nothing new. Dispersing the sphere, he started his fall. Luckily, the nearest tunnel was mere meters away from him.
The attempt to jump inside almost ended badly as his current state couldn¡¯t produce enough strength. Missing the main hole, he had hit the edge with his bare chest. The heavy body immediately started to pull him down, but instinctively conjured hooks to stop him right before the fall. Feeling the breath of the enormous predator, Robert pushed his body up, barely avoiding the swing. Crushing the stone somewhere beside him, the clawed paw sent debris everywhere. Quite a few had hit his own back. Despite that, and knowing that it was a dumb idea, Rob still couldn¡¯t resist not shooting a quick glance back at the lizard.
The image of a wide-open maw that was rushing to him at an insane speed accelerated his own movements to a supernatural degree. However, such panic didn¡¯t add any agility at all, making him stumble on the third step. The awkward fall turned into a roll, which was pushed even further when the huge was closed in a few centimeters (inches) behind his back. Moving by inertia, it still pushed Rob forward, throwing him out of balance. Hitting the wall with his forehead, Robert was stunned for a few seconds. It wasn¡¯t long, but the creature continued its effort to devour him.
Not seeing anything, it stubbornly pushed its maw further and further through the narrow entrance. Fueling by a rage, it used so much force that even the stone crumbled under its body, slowly giving up. Rob managed to recover just when the teeth of the lizard were already touching his skin. Dropping to the side, he once again had missed the fate of being bitten by the length of a stretched finger.
Fucking fuck!
Inwardly shouting the same word again and again, Robert¡¯s stressed mind struggled to produce any variety of filthy curses as he was too occupied with his own survival. The absence of his Hive-Mind ability had limited this aspect to the bare minimum, almost crippling him in verbal altercations. Not that he had any opponents here. Still, Rob managed to notice how inaccurate the swings of the lizard had become after blinding in one eye. Another thought was about the tunnels.
They had to be the paths for lava. Do I need to go downside? It can save me right now, but I am sure there is no other way to the surface. The single one is the volcano itself. Or itself if I am correct because that is how I remember their structure. However, maybe I can squeeze through the gap into another one¡ Let¡¯s do this.
This inner dialogue took a mere second, while he was observing the darkness before him. The raging monster had almost blocked any sunlight with its own body, leaving Robert no options to observe his surroundings. The possibility of wandering there without any light wasn¡¯t attractive at all. Therefore, directing his attention to a small crack in stone that led to a fissure, Rob strengthened his resolve before pushing himself through.
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The feeling of being pressed from all sides, a limited space, an inability to move anywhere except forward, the trembling surroundings from the hits of the giant ¨C everything had pulled claustrophobia on top, almost clouding his mind just after a mere minute. Robert never thought he had a problem with such fear, but it appeared he just never experienced it personally. The thoughts of being stuck started to attack his mind, while he continued his way, using only his touch. There was no light and only the remnants of lizard¡¯s crap near the entrance gave him hope that there was an exit.
Rob, focus on movement and breath!
Squeezing himself through a narrow passage, he was leaving a bloody mark. His bare body constantly was cut by a stone, when he pushed himself by another meter. Blinding searching for an empty space, Rob was also fighting with growing panic. Another tremble after the hit appeared to be so strong that the rock had moved. It was not more than a centimeter, but the feeling of such movement that suddenly made the touch to his elbow was shocking. He barely managed to hold his scream only to lose his composure when all his attempts to find a further way had failed.
His shaking hand was touching the surface of the rock, wherever it moved. He tried again and again, but there was no empty gap. The solid rock didn¡¯t even react on a few hits out of despair. It took some time for Rob to accept that the path was blocked. Maybe there was no path in the first place. All his struggles were futile as he had to return. However, the push backward was met with another problem. Robert just couldn¡¯t fit there. His body was too big. And while his Agility stat had overgrown the average human¡¯s peak, he knew it was related to the muscle-control part, while his flexibility was on par with a brick. Therefore, the moment he realized his worst nightmare of being struck came to life, Rob¡¯s emotions almost exploded.
Calm, fucking down, dumbass! It will not help!
Repeating it a few times, Robert managed to keep his cool. The trembles of the surroundings were the only sign that he wasn¡¯t alone in this place, covered in darkness and silence. Breathing in only too slowly exhale the air after a short pause, Rob started to check his surroundings once again. His stretched arm was methodically touching everything in front of him. Unfortunately, the result stayed the same.
I am not giving up!
The search continued, redirecting to the sides. Nothing. Or, precisely speaking, there was everything, except so desired nothingness.
I will not die here!
Again and again, Rob tried to find an empty spot. That soon turned into an attempt to crawl backward, but he just couldn¡¯t push himself through the narrow spot that angled far too much. He couldn¡¯t bend his knees in such a way. His always skinny ass also appeared to be too big this time. Robert how he even made it here, while not being able to repeat the same process in the opposite direction.
As time went on, the trembles started to fade together with optimism. Only his regeneration kept his body from being stiff after a long stay in a weird position. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he could keep his cool in such circumstances. There would be no help in this world. Robert couldn¡¯t just wait for it. He could only rely on himself. But if he had no options left, what did he have to do in such a case? The only thought of suicide made all his entity resist it as a sign of weakness. With his improved body and external energy source, he might live for months with ease, turning this time in darkness into a sadistic torture.
I better die from hunger but not lose even a single chance to survive!
The feeling of resolution made him nod with full motion, almost hitting the rock with his back head. Almost - because surprisingly it didn¡¯t feel anything. The nascent hope appeared in his mind as Robert attempted to turn around and check it.
Fuck, yeah!
By the moment Robert squeezed himself into the wide tunnel, he breathed harshly as few points were so narrow that he had to exhale everything from his lungs just to make it through. Still, the grin on his face was clear as he was so happy to get out from the personal hell of each claustrophobic person that he forgot about the main threat. However, the loud hiss after the thunderstrike quickly reminded him where he was. The short inspection showed Robert in his own awful state, decisively shoving away any idea to kill the beast right now and postponing it to an unspecific future.
Therefore, Rob carefully looked out from the entrance of the tunnel, before starting climbing up, this time carefully planning his ascend beforehand. His state wasn¡¯t helpful, especially the damage on the hand that only started to heal. The giant lizard was right on the bottom of the volcano, curled in the ball, and looked like crying from pain. Not knowing its size and aggressiveness, some dumb activist from an animal protection organization might even take pity on the beast, but not Robert. He personally knew how scary this monster was.
At least such a wound will not heal, giving me more chances next time. Because there will be a next time. I will definitely¡
The horrible sound that was a mixture of angry roar, full of hatred hiss and gnashing of teeth interrupted his thought, making Rob look down only to see his own reflection in the huge eye of the enormous lizard. The latter was hastily raising up, shortening the distance between them in mere moments. Where the smaller predators had to climb, this giant could just stand on the back paws and lean onto the inner wall of the volcano. And that was what it was doing currently.
Looking around, Robert could only curse his unstable luck. He had nowhere to hide, while this beast didn¡¯t even need to climb to get him. Rob already saw a death sentence in a single eye. Raising his head up, his eyes captured the cloudy sky that started the process of calming down, exhausting most of its strength by this point. The sun was already there, unmoving and cold, despite its radiating heat. Robert just sighed, before dropping down.
Turning right in mid-air, he conjured a huge spear. The instantaneous appearance of the steel, aimed directly into the eye of the lizard wasn¡¯t noticed by its owner. The predator, fully absorbed in the image of its offender, failed to see the thin pike, which was turned to it with its sharp end. Moreover, while trying to catch the annoying elusive bug, the lizard was eyeing it not to miss it. Thus, it only made it worse for it.
Robert, on the other hand, wanted to shout ¡°Take that!¡±, but the speed of the fall together with the beast¡¯s movement towards him didn¡¯t grant him such an opportunity ¨C so fast everything was. The outer observer could easily add ¨C lighting fast ¨C as it what exactly happened. When the spear¡¯s point just connected with the eye, the thunderstorm made its move. The line of white energy pierced through the air, entered the steel rod, and went through only to outburst with all its energy directly into the brain of the enormous creature.
The eye evaporated momentarily, leaving a burn mark in the socket. However, the biggest part of the strike penetrated the flesh, destroying the nervous system in the process and finally getting to its brain. The smell of grilled meat had spread around the surroundings, when the corpse of the lizard started to full, taking the frozen figure of Robert. The latter completely had missed everything as when the spear only touched the surface of the eye, the overwhelming shocking strike had sent him into the darkness. The contracted muscles stopped him from falling, turning him into a statue. The struck spear only added stability to him, when both opponents crushed on the bottom of the volcano, continuing to stay motionless.
The thunderstorm made a few more strikes near them warning everyone and everything who was the most powerful here, before finally disappearing until next time. The silence fully embraced the extinct volcano. Most of the small lizards, who managed to survive the attacks from amphibians and Robert, were too scared to show up after intensive battle with their alfa. Thus, the scenery appeared to be frozen, unmoving, and unchanging. If it was a random magic world, it might be turned into a natural monument of epic battle between the evil dragon and its slayer. The sign of glory and simultaneously the tomb for both. However, only the sun witnessed the fight, but, as always, it didn¡¯t care about anything below itself.
Chapter 55 (2-13)
Groaning from the pain, Robert slowly started to come back to his senses. The latter was failing miserably as he couldn¡¯t even understand where he was and what was going on. It took almost a dozen seconds for his memory to emerge from the deepness of his consciousness. The image of falling toward the huge lizard flashed before his eyes, making him immediately try to stand up. Another wave of pain stopped any attempts.
One by one, Rob. If you are not dead after blacking out and you can¡¯t hear any sounds that may indicate the nearing threat, then you have your time.
After opening his eyes, Robert was met with the scenery of a rocky surface. An insane effort managed to turn him on his back, finally facing the clear sky. He might even enjoy if not the overwhelming feeling of being chewed only to be beaten up later. And not the sun, which shined so brightly that it was annoying. And not the heat, which only intensified the uncomfortable sensation. And not the burnt smell of meat and crap that clouded the surroundings, making each breath to be disgusting. And not¡
Well, this stupid world is not meant for enjoying, I get it!
Robert stayed motionless for about an hour, fighting with the disturbing feeling of a million insects crawling all over his exposed skin. He knew there were literally none of those creepy creatures on the island, and all sensation came from the regeneration, but it was still quite an unpleasant experience. His fast restoration was gone, making him to be more careful with the wounds. The latter could easily be opened again, leading to dumb death from blood loss, despite all his supernatural body. Therefore he waited. It was still tens or even a hundred times faster than the natural recovery rate.
Soon he got up, finally seeing the huge corpse of the lizard. The dead monster was lying like a broken toy, taking almost all free space at the bottom of the volcano. Blinded in both eyes, covered with blood from empty sockets, it was the source of the smell. Moreover, the relaxation of the muscles emptied its stomach, leaving a huge pile of shit flowing from its back hole. However, that wasn¡¯t the reason for the emotional roller coaster, that Robert was feeling right now.
His memory had brought the image of the lighting that struck exactly at the moment of his hit. Having a bad premonition, Rob immediately started to send the mental command to summon his menu and finally got the answer- why was he still here?
Don¡¯t tell me¡
Sending the request¡
Attention¡ The link is severely damaged¡
Getting the information¡
Request confirmed¡
The conditions:
Kill the Beast 0/1
Bring enough souls ***% / 100% - done
FUCKING FUCK! My kill was stolen by a stupid thunder¡ What the heck? The same shit happens twice in a row!
Roaring like a wild beast himself, Robert tried to kick the corpse of the monster, but a sudden wave of pain stopped him. Bending over, he dropped to the ground before vomiting. The surroundings darkened for a moment, reminding him that he was not in the best shape. Nausea stopped in a minute, helping him to calm down. However, that led to the pendulum of his mental state to swing in the opposite direction. The anger had changed into melancholy.
Robert didn¡¯t want to give up, but if even the world was against him, he just couldn¡¯t win. Despite his overcoming so many obstacles, the new immediately rose, ready to crush all his hopes and goals. It wasn¡¯t fair, but nothing was fair in his life. Rob didn¡¯t have the option to choose how he would spend his childhood or his role as a soldier, hidden inside a bunker in an attempt to stop the swarm of aliens. Even his death was taken from him, being replaced by these missions. All his options to choose were like mockery over freedom as they were limited to a narrow tunnel, in which he was put like a laboratory rat. Moreover, unknown observers kept changing the rules intentionally just to see how he would react in new circumstances.
That is idiocy! I killed the beast, you, stupid system! There was no mentioning how to do it. So what if lighting had helped me? What if I¡¯ve used a gun? Would it be a bullet¡¯s kill too? That is bullshit!
With another swing of his emotion, Robert started to rage again, sending one request after another, each filled with boiling anger. Surprisingly, there was a change after an unknown number of commands.
Sending the request¡
The Authority of Primal Dragon¡¯s descendant is used¡
Attention¡ The link is severely damaged¡
No connection to the Authorized user¡
Rechecking the set conditions¡
Rechecking the events¡
The request is justified¡
Conditions are met¡
Starting the transfer to the default location, set by the Authorized user¡
Further damage to the link is expected¡
Robert wasn¡¯t ready for that despite all his pleading and cursing. Moreover, the last part was unexpectedly too fast in the implementation. The surrounding instantly became black, when the whirlwind sucked him in. The strong pull inside the vortex was familiar. Rob quickly recovered in his memory the first transportation to another world. However, this time he felt instability with all his guts. The rotations force was almost on the verge of breaking as if the connection to the final point of the destination was quite poor.
The connection? The link¡ is severely damaged. Damn!
The thought immediately got him on guard. It was surprisingly in time, as another shake moved the vortex slightly to the side, almost tearing off his arm. The friction force was so huge that Robert had to summon the steel over it just to protect his limb. The further journey was spent inside the sphere that was constantly attacked by Rob¡¯s own magical transport. At least, nothing was endless, and at some point, his was spit out. The shortfall ended on the hard stone surface. He felt fear for a moment that he was still in the same world, but pleasant pure darkness with multiple bright spots above him calmed him down.
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Turning on his back, Robert was happy to observe the starry sky. He lacked such scenery for so long that almost forgot how beautiful it was. Looking at it, Rob finally felt calm inside his mind. The whole situation with his real emotional roller coaster during shirt frame together with his beaten state soon led to absolute relaxation. Soon the outer darkness influenced the inner one to drown him inside itself, bringing peace to his mind. Rob¡¯s breath started to slow down until he was snoring, completely abandoning any defensive measures.
The empty flat plateau continued to float saliently under the light of hundreds of colorful stars. Despite being filled with cracks, it seemed to be eternal. Outlasting the whole universe around itself, it had enough energy to live twice that with ease. It was similar to the everlasting sun in that regard, but more ancient and ¡godly?
This time waking up was completely different. Feeling full of energy and strength, Robert opened his eyes without a single sign of confusion, sleepiness, or exhaustion. On the contrary, the whole body was ready for immediate action, while his mind was refreshed as never before. The accumulated stress that he failed to notice all this time had disappeared without any traces, leaving him as good as new.
That was a wonderful rest! It felt like I slept at least twelve hours straight. Maybe even the best I ever had¡ But what now?
Looking around, Robert saw nothing had changed during all his sleep. And that was confusing. He was expecting something ¨C the appearance of God with another mission, the system message with the reward to choose, or¡ just anything would work, but not nothing. The mental command had summoned the Status Screen, partly answering his silent question.
Human - Dragon Hybrid
Strength - 24 Agility - 16 Constitution - 26
Perception - 16 Mind - 30 Mana flow - 30
Elemental Affinity: Metal (Steel)
Active ability: Conjuring an element
Passive traits: Former God¡¯s Envoy, Rejuvenation, Endless growth
The tiny addition of one single word sent shivers over his back after theorizing about possible consequences. Robert was in God¡¯s domain currently, and it wasn¡¯t the best place to show his resignation letter to the entity, who more likely couldn¡¯t boast with tolerance and forgiveness. He didn¡¯t forget the fate of those, who refused to follow the fate of a mass killer in different worlds. They were eaten in a moment, without any chance to explain their choice or to offer a different type of service. Wepwakor just swallowed them straightaway, not even thinking about another solution as if they were already dead for him.
Okay, dear System, will you please spare me some details?
Former God¡¯s Envoy ¨C error¡ contradictory data¡
Access is forbidden by Authorized User¡
Checking access, granted by Primal Dragon¡
Checking the connection to Authorized User¡
Attention¡ The link is damaged¡
Searching solution¡
The Authorization is granted by the status of Primal Dragon¡¯s descendant using the interface, set by Authorized user¡
Information unfolding¡
The more he read those system messages, the more Robert was confused. From the basis Status Screen almost directly from rpg-games it started to turn into some kind of computer with classified data. The level of Authorization was a clear indicator that he was missing a few parts of a real picture. However, before starting to make any assumptions, he wanted to read everything. Moreover, there was a noticeable change in the description of the Trait.
Former God¡¯s Envoy ¨C previously marked by Transcendent entity, which named itself a God, the owner of this trait was engaged in different tasks, set by its Master, but managed to break free from the eternal service. Despite all powers that are given through the link, the Master not only cuts off any possibility for envoys to become Transcendent themselves by forcefully changing their bodies, but also can take their life or power at any moment, can summon envoys or send them to different realms, and, most important, sets the visualization form and access restrictions for the connection to System itself.
The link between the Master and its former envoy has lost almost all its power, leaving only the ability to be summoned, the visualization of the System interface (in the current form), access to the communication module, and self-check. The last two are additionally Authorized by the status of Primal Dragon¡¯s descendant. However, the existing link and insufficient power of the Trait¡¯s owner block access to the *Forbidden*.
Robert had to reread everything again to be sure that he saw what he saw. It wasn¡¯t mind-blowing and wasn¡¯t on the level of completely turning around the viewpoint of the world. Still, it had changed the story that was directly told by Wepwakor himself, adding more questions together with possibilities. Not expecting anything, Robert still mentally sent his inquiry.
System, what are you?
This System is a mere form to visualize the method of communication with a half-conscious entity, which, according to your knowledge and experience, is closest to the name of Akashic Records. Located between realms, it is the source of all energy, the storage of all knowledge, and many more. The strength and type of the connection correspond with what you can take from it.
Rob indeed never expected the answer. He immediately sent more questions, but the ¡°System¡± went silent as if all his accessible data was exhausted by that short message. He still was able to see his Status Screen or the details of his abilities, but nothing more. Even the Former God¡¯s Envoy''s description had shortened in length after giving him valuable information. Going one time after another in everything he knew, Robert tried to summarize everything, but his mind was jumping from one conclusion to another.
So, not the worlds but realms¡ And my mana is basically coming from the space between realms directly from Akashic Records. Same as the knowledge about my abilities and stats, including numerical count. Maybe that¡¯s why I am cut off from my surroundings during the connection. But why it is so rpg-like? Yeah, Wepwakor¡ It is he, who made it such a way, explaining it as a standardized system¡ which is apparently not true. Not a God, but Transcended¡ So, the battle for the Crown or inability to come into realms personally could be bullshit. Or not. Same with his goals or self-proclaimed aspects¡ A God, my ass! But the devouring thing must be true ¨C he indeed had eaten his envoys¡ Okay, now I know this reality-crushing truth, these insane revelations, this crazy shit, and what? Am I free to go or what?
Robert almost shouted in surroundings from despair as in reality, nothing had changed. He had already been in this odd place for so long, but Wepwakor hadn¡¯t shown up. It wasn¡¯t hard to figure out that the damaged link was the reason for him being stuck again. All his efforts to leave the hated island under an even more hated sun turned into a stupid joke. One empty rock in the middle of the ocean was replaced by another one floating in nothingness. The latter part was an even bigger problem because previously Rob could hunt. On the other hand, this plateau was as bare as the head of a teenager who saw a stripper¡¯s nude body for the first time with their own eyes.
The solution could be hidden in that part of Former God¡¯s Trait with restricted access. However, it needs both power and severance of the link. I am not sure how long I can live and train without nutrition¡ not speaking about the way to cut the connection to this asshole. It is cool to choose freedom and death over a life as a slave in an imaginary situation, but the reality might just shove you in the solitary prison cell to enjoy your absence of a collar to the full extent.
Sighing heavily, Robert looked around just to sigh again after observing the unchanging scenery of this literally God-forgotten place. The place where he might stay for the time being. The place that could easily turn into his grave.
At least the sky with those stars is indeed beautiful! Hmm, how long will it take before I start to hate it?
Chapter 56 (2-14)
Walking around the edge of the floating rock, Robert was looking down into the darkness in an attempt to find anything useful. He knew it was futile, but he had to try even the craziest ideas before giving up to a passive waiting. Moreover, it was only five minutes after he had read the message about Akashic Records, so Rob didn¡¯t have the opportunity to lose his optimism, despite all his experience that could turn even a dumbass idiot into a believer of unavoidable fate.
There was nothing. Only pure space scenery. Even the stars appeared to be situated only above his head. Unsurprisingly, taking into account newly acquired information, that led to thinking about this place as a fake. Just decoration to impress the na?ve servants before sending them on suicide missions. This thought started to get more credibility when Robert had spent half an hour in attempts to dig into the surface. Hitting the already existing crack in the stone, Rob managed to break a small piece of it, alas barely. The material appeared to be even tougher than its rival from the island. However, his strength, huge pickaxe, and experience in mining were enough to get a stone with the size of a fingernail, which was already on the verge of breaking off.
Rob somehow wasn¡¯t shocked to see that this projectile couldn¡¯t travel far from the plateau. However, he didn¡¯t expect to bounce it back, before sliding down on the visible wall just to stop somewhere under, hidden from his eyes.
Huh? I thought it would disintegrate, not leaving an ash¡ or at least float eternally like in space, but not¡ this.
Conjuring a very long rod, Robert even managed to touch the edges of this mini world. They felt like a simple wall. Maybe made from a sci-fi type of energy shield, but nevertheless like a wall. It didn¡¯t bulge under the strikes. There was no visible damage. That led him to check another assumption. Unfortunately, it failed as the ceiling appeared to be much higher. Rob just couldn¡¯t reach it anywhere he tried. Therefore, he started to search for the lowest star in his surroundings. The following test led to a conclusion that was already circling inside his mind.
This is a fucking decoration! It is simply pathetic.
Looking at how the end of his summoned rod had covered the star, simultaneously interrupting the incoming blue light from what was expected to be a huge astronomical object, Robert couldn¡¯t stop, but facepalm himself. There was a hope that this flat stone was just under a magic shield, which might be meant to protect the envoys from a dangerous environment. However, the harsh reality showed him how wrong he was. The whole ¡°shield¡± was more likely a giant TV screen that created an impressive scenery. Basically living wallpapers.
Maybe that was the reason why I was limited in movement back there. Now, if it is a fake, and I know that Wepwakor is just a powerful, but not God-like being¡ what else is just pretentious bullshit to cover the lies? And why does he need it in the first place ¨C to pretend? Questions, questions¡ Not that any answers can guarantee or just help me to find a way out.
Wandering around, while trying to notice anything worth inspection, Robert was disappointed to find nothing. It was the very same prison cell that tried to look as wonderful as possible but had only a bunk and a pot. He even caught himself on the thought that after uncovering the falsehood of surroundings, the earlier impressive starry sky had lost its beauty by a noticeable margin. Just knowing the truth made the colors fade, losing the shiny charm of cosmic scenery.
Fortunately for him, it didn¡¯t last long as before he got really bored in this unchanging place, the strange sound caught his attention. Looking around, Robert didn¡¯t notice anything unusual until he raised his head upwards. The very same stars that previously emitted constant light now were flashing wildly. Moreover, some of them went dark and never shined again, while others changed their state chaotically. Almost as a broken ceiling lamp, which struggled to work despite all efforts.
No pattern? Or?
Defocusing his sight, Robert tried to grasp the starry sky simultaneously as a whole. And only after that, he managed to see how those earlier seemed to be random flashes were combining in odd rune-shaped symbols. The latter had covered everything above his head, creating a real chain of these letters. Lighting up one after another, they were changing each other in mere moments. It looked like a wave that was going from one side of the sky to another just to bounce back and repeat the process. However, before Rob could do anything else except stand with a wide open mouth, everything had stopped.
The beam of what could be called a dark light shot from above. Consisting of pure nothingness that ate all colors, it was encircled with white, which clearly defined the borders of it. This shot pulse had disappeared just after a few seconds, leaving behind a small vortex. The very familiar black vortex started to form into a human-size whirlwind. Despite experiencing it only twice, Rob couldn¡¯t forget the transportation system that was used by the self-proclaimed God.
Is this whole place just a simple magic machine to send envoys to different worlds?
The appearance of the figure inside the whirlwind was met without surprise. The vortex didn¡¯t live too long before finally dispersing in the air without any trace. The starry sky was as same as always, returning to the original mesmerizing image. The unknown envoy spent around half a minute observing it, clearly finding this space scenery very attractive. That gave enough time for Robert to do the same while thinking over his next step. The figure in the long leather coat could be his single possibility to get out of this place. Rob didn¡¯t want to ruin it.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Therefore, he tried to find the right words to start his conversation. Unknown was standing with his back to him, hiding their face from Rob. On the other hand, it worked in both directions, giving him time to prepare. However, all of Robert¡¯s thoughts were too stupid to even speak out loud and his eyes couldn¡¯t catch anything special. A single piece of clothing had covered the whole body of the envoy, including shoes. He could only see long dark hair and that¡¯s it. A lean small figure of unknown could belong to any sex, which added more troubles.
If it is a woman, then she could think I am trying to molest her. Need something natural but without any sexual hints... Wait, dumbass! She is also an envoy. Her kill count could be no less than mine, but not through machines. If anything, she might molest me! Don¡¯t forget about superpowers from souls. Idiot!
Mentally kicking himself, Robert made a first step forward, not even trying to be quiet. His inner hesitation and strange thoughts were the result of long solitude. Unbeknownst to him, Rob just felt awkward to speak with anyone. He never was a talkative person. Of course, he spoke with other operators or soldiers. However, the first case was a way to reveal stress in most cases, while the second was a necessity to live in a bunker. Robert just didn¡¯t know what to talk about after so much time spent on the empty island. Moreover, when his potential collocutor was from a different realm.
¡°Hey there! Hello. Nice scenery right there, yes? I am Robert. Also an envoy¡ Yeah, managed to live through two worlds already. It is an odd experience, right? Not everyone can appreciate such an opportunity because of the risk. But we have what we have, yes? Must be better than rotting in graves¡ from which were taken basically. However, the pressure is real. Some worlds are real shitholes, yes? Or is it just my shit luck? Oh, well, I guess, you are a silent type. I get it ¨C haven¡¯t spoken to anyone for ages. By the way, you have a nice coat¡ Yeah¡ So, I was wondering if you¡¡±
Not seeing any verbal response to any of his words, Rob continued to talk, trying to get any reaction from the unknown. The latter hadn¡¯t even turned around, completely ignoring him, despite his efforts. The God¡¯s envoy trait was only a guarantee that he was understood, but not listened to. Therefore, Rob started to speak louder.
¡°I am sorry to bother you¡ I know that searching for a proper soul to get a new power is a very important task. Of course, your life depends on it¡ But I just want to take a few minutes of your attention. I will be really quick, I promise! So¡¡±
The motionless figure just kept standing where it was, as if it turned into a wax copy of itself. That led Robert to stop for a moment to think before such ignoring would ignite even more anger inside him. He was already barely holding not to name this unknown a "deaf preek" just to insult him after a full five minutes of speaking to this statue.
Damn, my throat was slit exactly in the same way. Didn¡¯t hear anything until the touch, which took me out of the Status Screen. Need to hurry ¨C the choice could lead to immediate transfer into another world.
Nodding to himself, Robert hastily shortened the distance. Stretching a hand, he almost touched the shoulder of the unknown, before stopping himself again in the last moment.
Well, fuck, no, I¡¯ve seen enough movies to know what will happen¡
Stepping backward, Rob slowly walked around the unknown to see their face. However, the head was lowered, while long hair had covered their face. Robert could only notice pale skin in small gaps. Sighing once again, he resolutely distanced himself and conjured a long rod, before pushing it forward.
¡°Hey, man, I am sorry to bother you¡¡±
Simultaneously touching the envoy¡¯s shoulder, Rob started to talk. He could easily predict a possible harsh reaction to such treatment but had no other options. Fortunately for him, Robert appeared to be right in his decision to take some precautions. It looked like a wave went over the whole motionless body before the owner finally raised his head.
Yep, knew it!
Looking at the horrible humanlike face with an empty hole instead of a nose¡¯s tip, wide mouth with four long fangs, and bloody red eyes, Robert pretended to be not worried by this appearance and just continued with a calm tone.
¡°Something messed up with my link to God, so I can¡¯t travel anywhere, can¡¯t choose a reward, can¡¯t call Wepwakor. I wanted to ask you to jump together inside the portal¡ I mean whirlwind. Oh, by the way, if you didn¡¯t hear, my name is Robert. Happy to meet a fellow envoy!¡±
Smiling as naturally as his non-existent actor skills could allow him to, Rob dispersed the rod, which was still touching the body of this possible vampire. Despite towering over a small figure by almost two heads, he wasn¡¯t sure that this humanoid creature wasn¡¯t stronger. Moreover, he didn¡¯t want to check. Therefore, without blinking and changing his dumb smile, Robert stretched his hand forward for a handshake.
The ¡°vampire¡± narrowed his eyes for a moment, before carefully doing the same. However, he was met with an invisible shield that stopped his movement. Testing it with few touches, the envoy made sure that it couldn¡¯t pass through. The moment later he was already trying to turn around, which led Robert to step forward in anxiety, seeing as his opportunity to escape was slipping through his fingers. Surprisingly, he didn¡¯t feel any resistance, easily shortening the distance.
¡°I almost thought it would block me too. So, let¡¯s¡¡±
The sense of relief and his words were interrupted when the ¡°vampire¡± turned around with lightning speed. The wild grin that appeared on its face was the best indicator of what was coming. Robert only managed to curse his stupid luck together with idiotic naivety that led to constant troubles, when the small figure had spread its hands to the sides, showing huge bat wings attached to them. Enormous, they had a brownish leather look that led to a mistake with a long coat. The figure underneath them was quite skinny, with a clearly visible rib cage and sunken belly. The creature¡¯s legs were very thin and had bird¡¯s feet with three claws instead of ordinary human feet. The whole scene was so monster-movie-like that all Robert¡¯s words died inside his mind at this moment, leaving just a few, which he muttered out loud in the state of shock from the view.
¡°So tiny?¡±
Chapter 57 (2-15)
The vampire screamed from rage, immediately throwing himself at Rob. The latter had to duck down to avoid being hit, effectively pulling him from his stupor. The hast apologies from Robert were completely ignored. Stopping on the visible wall, the creature repeated its diving attack. However, this time, it turned mid-air, changing the direction. Unfortunately, Rob was already in the process of steeping to the side and summoning his shield for protection. His sight was obstructed for a mere second, so this delay in the attack was complexly missed.
The strike got him right in the moment when he had lowered a shield. The claws on the feet of the creature pierced the skin, almost tearing a part of his shoulder. Luckily Robert¡¯s weight was too big for a vampire to pull him up. Therefore, the monster released him and pushed off from his head, leaving a few more bloody marks. The wave of pain and the red liquid¡¯s spatter blinded Rob. He tried to hit the creature with a wide swing over his head, but it appeared to be too nimble.
Avoiding the conjured blade, it dropped vertically down only to grab onto him behind with unnatural agility. Feeling the movement towards his exposed neck, Rob threw himself backward while simultaneously creating a steel collar. The sound of grinding teeth over the metal together painful screech confirmed his good timing. The moment later he crashed into the visible wall, almost crushing the vampire like a bug. Gripping its limp body, Robert threw it to the ground over his head, before dropping down himself.
His knee broke the last intact fang in the monster¡¯s mouth, leaving a deep cut in return. Adding a few more hits with a fist, Rob turned and sat on the chest of the creature, pressing it to the ground. Summoning a long knife, he pushed it directly to the vampire¡¯s red eye, stopping at the fingernail distance.
¡°Look, man, I am sorry for my words, but you need to calm down. Or else¡¡±
¡°You will pay with your life for such dishonor, you, filthy blood bag! I will rip your heart! I will eat your kidney! I will piss on your brain!¡±
¡°That is quite¡ specific.¡±
Muttered Robert, while trying not to laugh because of the squealing voice of the vampire that additionally suffered from lisp because of gaps in its teeth. However, before he managed to find the correct words, the vampire grabbed his palm with the knife. Despite the small frame, the bloodsucker unsurprisingly showed a huge level of strength. It wasn¡¯t overwhelming as Rob managed to slow the movement by quite a bit. Still, the pressure didn¡¯t increase in the slightest, steadily rotating the blade until it was facing his own neck.
¡°Hold on, man. I just wanted to talk¡¡±
¡°You can talk to me from the afterlife, peasant! I am not a man, you moron, but Baron of Blood!¡±
Splattering saliva all over Robert¡¯s face, the vampire shouted with pure hatred in his eyes. Not even bothering with listening to his words, it stubbornly tried to move the end of the blade towards Rob¡¯s skin.
¡°Please, be reasonable, Your Highness!¡±
¡°You will die, worm!¡±
Smiling with mad green, which showed broken teeth, the vampire tried to make a final push. However, Robert only sighed. He didn¡¯t feel he had done everything possible to calm down this insane envoy, but his patience was already running out. The stress from a long and lonely stay on the island, furious battle with a giant lizard, another prison cell in the middle of nowhere, minutes of ignoring from the vampire ¨C all that might easily explain why he didn¡¯t react properly, leading to offensive comments.
Small comment about small¡ Stop it, Rob, you already ruined everything. But let¡¯s try once again.
¡°If I didn¡¯t say anything inappropriate, would you still attack me?¡±
¡°Your animal kind is meant for feeding us, noble class. I will¡¡±
¡°Okay.¡±
Interrupting another speech from the insane vampire, Robert finally clarified to himself the unavoidability of such an outcome. The tip of the blade was already touching his neck when he focused on his steel conjuring. The knife disappeared immediately only to be created from the opposite side, returning to its previous position to threaten the vampire. The latter reacted without delay, stopping the weapon. Unfortunately for him, the blade just increased its length, piercing the red eye and going even further.
Feeling the weakness of the enemy, Rob followed with a hit with his head. Covering his forehead with a steel plate, he literally hammered the knife as some kind of nail. The force had pushed it deep inside, cutting through the skull until it was stopped by a stony ground. Adding a few more hits to destroy the brain, Robert stopped. Looking at his bloodied hands and the motionless body, he felt like a psychopath and a murderer.
Of course, Rob had killed, but it mainly was on the battlefield and not in such a cold way, when his own plea for help had escalated to such an extent. He knew that it was a problem for seasoned soldiers with war experience when they had lost all self-restrictions on killing. However, he would never think he would become one. The problem was that the road ahead might push him even further in this deepness.
Sighing, Rob tried to stand up, glancing one more time at the corpse underneath him. And that appeared to be a good idea as the body was actively regenerating. The splattered blood was quickly returning to its owner, not leaving a single trace. The pieces of the skull were retracted a moment later before pale skin started to cover the places of wounds. The last to restore was a red eye. From the moment it had appeared, it was looking at Robert without blinking.
¡°You will pay for¡¡±
Before the resurrected vampire had finished his sentence, the strong punch had broken his jaw. Conjuring steel brass knuckles, Rob started to hit without a single pause. The enemy attempted to cover his head, but a sheer number of strikes made him drop any defense in a mere minute. It took another few to turn its head in meat paste, spreading the insides of it with a thin layer over the ground. Still, he continued with an axe, separating the limbs from the torso just in case.
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This time the regeneration took almost ten minutes. The vampire still stubbornly tried to threaten Rob with unimaginable torture. The metal boot made him swallow all words together with his teeth. The sledgehammer had finished the business, alas only for a while. The same situation had repeated for dozen times with a non-changing result ¨C the vampire always regenerated back. All of Robert¡¯s thoughts about him being a murderer were thrown in a trash bin as it was hard to feel such a way when his victim refused to die. Even the pierced heart didn¡¯t help.
¡°You can¡¯t kill me, you worm! I am truly immortal!¡±
¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t be so happy about that,¡± Robert smiled back before beheading this undying freak. Lifting the head, he tried to throw it away, but the invisible wall stopped in mid-flight. Leaving a bloody mark right in the air, it slowly moved down before ending on the ground.
Maybe there is a restriction to live the teleportation place in the link. Mine is damaged, so nothing stops me. Hm.
Sitting near the corpse of the vampire and waiting for its resurrection, Rob was thinking what to do. His demand to choose the soul for the sake of summoning a whirlwind to travel in another realm was completely ignored by the stubborn bloodsucker. The latter refused to help Robert in any form, laughing at any threat and bearing any pain with ease. Moreover, remembering Rob¡¯s problem with the connection to God, the vampire savored the possible future of a broken envoy. And seeing an absolutely insane level of regeneration, it was hard not to wonder who would last longer in such a case.
It is so stupidly overpowered. He just reassembles again and again. Maybe the full destruction may help, but not just cutting him into pieces¡ Wait. I have an idea.
Walking to the restored body of this unkillable creature, Robert mechanically interrupted its speech with a strong swing of the axe. Not stopping on it, he created a huge knife before turning into some kind of butcher. The result of this bloody work was a heart, which was lying on his palm. Looking at this organ that he previously pierced multiple times, he nodded to himself before creating a box around it. After that Robert simply sat on the ground, patiently waiting.
The body parts of the vampire were reattached again as always, but the hole in the chest wasn¡¯t closing as waiting for the last piece. Rob had spent around an hour in this odd situation before finally deciding to check. Keeping the box in his hand, he gripped the leg of the vampire before pulling its body. Attempt to throw it outside had failed. The invisible was still there. Therefore, Robert calmly sat back. Thinking over his past, his dreams, and his fallen friends, he repeated such check-ups from time to time. The hope was slowly fading together with his patience, but he refused to give up. Rob wasn¡¯t sure when he would be so lucky to meet another envoy.
This whole thing is so messed up¡ Fucking tragicomedy with horror elements. And don¡¯t know if I am a psychopath or the victim of it¡ Okay, one more time.
The throw wasn¡¯t strong enough this time. The motionless body just rolled a few times before stopping, not even covering the needed distance. Cursing, Rob just kicked in an attempt to get rid of the frustration. This time he had put in some effort ¨C the sheer force had lifted the lean corpse into the air. Splattering the blood from the open hole, it dropped like a sag with potatoes.
Huh? Blood?
Looking at the red liquid on the ground, Robert¡¯s eyes shined with understanding. The moment he couldn¡¯t resist shouting. The overwhelming feeling of success clouded his mind for a short time. However, the following question ¡°What next?¡± soon returned him back to harsh reality. Not willing to risk, Rob grabbed the leg of the finally dead creature and pulled it to the edge of the plateau before dropping it down. The landing on the invisible wall was barely heard. Still, the body somehow turned around so the wound on the chest had met this force shield. Sliding off it, it left a huge blood mark on the surface, painting the starry sky in red.
Oops. I hope nobody will see it. Breaks the immersion.
Returning, Robert finally dispersed the box and started to observe the heart attentively. Not seeing any movements, he finally managed to exhale with relief. Then he was hit with the thought that he was still holding an organ of the vampire. Grimacing from disgust, he immediately threw it away without even thinking properly. The projectile cut through the air at an insane speed only to meet the wall. An even bigger mark had appeared on the sky, crossing out any chances not to be seen.
Crap! Dumbass!
Hitting his own forehead a few times, Robert tried to calm down but failed. It was too obvious sigh and was hard to miss. His impulsive action might lead to even more problems.
Stop. On the other hand, it can be proof that can be used to convince other envoys in fakery of this place. Yeah, focus on positive moments, Rob. Also¡
The sudden pressure fell onto him, threatening to crash his whole entity into dust. Then the fear came. Irrational, it tried to push him into despair, simultaneously telling him that something horrible was coming. It almost paralyzed him, using something deep inside him. Almost, as if despite the horrendous effect, Rob somehow managed to pull himself together, resisting it with all his will. Surprisingly, it worked. Robert still felt both pressure and fear, but they were somewhere in the background, barely able to impact his mind.
Here comes the boss¡ And I think he uses the connection to increase the influence on his envoys. Yep, no doubts. Not even close to the previous powerful image of all-mighty God.
Looking at the black-smoked figure, Rob for the first time could see it without the addition of imposed emotions. The humanoid profile of something with a huge maw indeed radiated with power and danger, but that¡¯s it. The lizard also wasn¡¯t a puppy, not losing in the slightest in a visual comparison.
¡°Good work, my envoy. You managed not only to achieve the goal of the number of souls brought but also to readjust your appearance to be more human-like. Commendable. Now, as I promised before, I will send you to the world where you can get enough blood to create an ocean. But if you will continue your attempts to break our connection to return to your Blood God, I will devour you¡ right after reaping your self-proclaimed ancestor apart. Remember who has granted you real power! Now go!¡±
Can¡¯t he see my status screen? Did he mistake me with a dead vampire? I don¡¯t know if I need to be happy or mad about this fucking pretender¡ You idiot, I can see the work of a machine ¨C you are spouting nonsense just to stall a time.
Standing in a different spot from where the vampire had appeared earlier, Rob could easily see the charging of the dark-light beam but had to pretend to be unaware. Luckily, Wepwakor wasn¡¯t interested in any form of dialogue, being content with his own speech. His machine was still aimed at Robert, creating a whirlwind right at his location. It immediately consumed Rob, sending him to yet another realm.
Maybe because he was sent directly using proper means, there were no problems during his journey. Calm, safe, and uneventful, it had put Robert into sleep mode in no time. Once again, the mental exhaustion took its payment with interest. Therefore, completely missing the final stop, he face-planted on the ground after being thrown out of the portal. The remnants of Rob¡¯s dream were only in the process of dispersing when he heard a strange whistling sound and a loud hysteric shout. He tried to raise his head to look around, but it was too late.
¡°Incoming!¡±
The barrage of explosions covered the surroundings, sending Robert into the darkness.
Chapter 58 (2-16)
Groaning from a headache, Robert opened his eyes only to see a white ceiling. The moment the memories had rushed inside his cloudy mind, he immediately started to rise in an attempt to find the source of the threat. However, the vertigo effectively stopped him, darkening the surroundings while making them rotate at insane speed. Rob almost dropped out of the bed, in which he appeared to be lying all this time. Finally stabilizing himself in one place, he slowly started to breathe trying to endure an unpleasant feeling.
¡°Hey, big guy, you better stay on your place.¡±
The woman¡¯s voice sounded managed to break through the veil over his consciousness. Exhaling one more time, Rob repeated his attempt to open his eyes, while slowly sitting vertically. This time everything went fine. Looking around, he found himself in a huge room, filled with dozens of beds. The latter were all occupied by wounded men. Their state differed by a lot ¨C from a few bloodied bandages to a trembling in a fever after evident amputation of the limb. Quite a few were breathing heavily as if struggling to make even one.
Rob¡¯s neighbor on the left was one of them. His pale young face was distorted from the pain, while the owner was fighting for his life even not knowing it. However, there were at least two not far away from him who had lost this battle. Their frozen expression and unmoving chest were clear signs of missing so-desired victory. But in such a densely packed place, where the gaps between a pair of beds were not even a meter (3 ft.) wide, and with a single nurse to look over them ¨C it wasn¡¯t hard to understand why it was completely missed. Except for the gender and injuries, the single thing that united them all was the soldier¡¯s uniform.
¡°Do you hear me? Let me check you.¡±
Turning his eyes back to the woman, Robert finally managed to see her clearly. Despite his initial thought, she was quite young. His mistake was caused by the clear exhaustion that she was bearing. Big bags under the light blue eyes, sunken cheeks, hoarse voice from tiredness, and wrinkled clothes made her look older than she was. By Earth standards, Rob would describe her as mid-to-late twenties. Here ¨C he couldn¡¯t be so sure.
¡°How is your head? As far as I remember, a fragment of the shell had almost pierced your skull. Luckily, it stuck in the bone. You must be glad to have ogres in your lineage.¡±
Continuing to speak without waiting for any answer, she started to unwind the bandage. Robert meanwhile was trying to pick key points in here monologue, not showing any signs of surprise at unusual terms or words. The welcoming meeting in this world was too harsh to his liking, putting him in an odd position.
Do I fake a loss of memory? The head injury is convenient for that¡ But not sure if it is going to work with someone with medical knowledge.
¡°Yeah, everything heals like on a real one, and not on mixed race. Great genetics you have¡ Oh, if I may ask, do you have a dwarfish ancestor? We have a bet between nurses about that. I was thinking about dwarf as one of your parents with ogre further in line. Maybe a grandparent or even a great-grandparent. However, Beth is absolutely sure that you are a direct mixture of both¡ That can¡¯t be, right? Ogres are almost gone by now. A few tribes live on reservations and are not willing to communicate with the outside world in an attempt to save their culture. Futile efforts, I must say. The progress can¡¯t be stopped. Moreover, they can¡¯t hide from the War¡¡±
Not even stopping for a moment while changing his bandage, the nurse was jumping from one topic to another. Such torrent of words had completely overwhelmed Robert, pushing him into some kind of stupor. Soon her voice turned into a background noise, while he was looking around again with more attention to details this time.
The musty air was mixed with the smells of sweat, and drugs and overall felt almost like a morgue. The nurse wasn¡¯t loud, but she wasn¡¯t whispering either. Still, there was almost no reaction from most of the patients here. Only several of them raised their heads before continuing to sleep. Therefore, such lack of movement had pushed Rob¡¯s thoughts in the direction of the corpse¡¯s storage.
Another thing he didn¡¯t notice at first was his bed, which appeared to be too short for him. A quick look confirmed that he was the biggest here. Despite his position, his eyes were only slightly lower than the nurse¡¯s face, so she had to stand on tiptoe all the time while tending his wound. Moreover, someone had dressed him in dark gray pants and a linen white shirt. Both were too small for him, leaving his ankles and chest uncovered. Robert¡¯s messy beard, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t an exception as at least a fourth part of injured soldiers had it. And in most cases, it wasn¡¯t some short and neat variant but a fully grown one.
Classic dwarfish.
Huge, it covered most of the faces of their owners. The latter¡¯s lying position didn¡¯t help with the examination of their heights. Rob only could confirm that they were on average smaller than others. Not bookishly massive, they had slightly odd proportions with bigger heads and broader shoulders. Overall they definitely couldn¡¯t be described as walking barrels like they were often shown in fictional stories. The possible humans, on the other hand, also had some hair on their faces. It wasn¡¯t so thick, had clear gaps, or sometimes was limited to a just mustache. Nothing like the messy appearance of Robert.
So, half-ogre, half-dwarf. Damn, with my face I indeed look like one. Adding height and beard ¨C no wonder if they assumed it. But from the wounds and overall surroundings, it doesn¡¯t look like a fantasy world.
The view from the long window on the other side of the room could show only the corner of another building. The latter looked quite ordinally ¨C made from brown bricks, it even had a simple lamp hanging down from a protruding pole.
¡°¡So, you haven¡¯t answered me ¨C who were your parents? You are shorter and much leaner than the average ogre, which can be a result of dwarfish blood. But I just refuse to believe that it is physically possible to do IT when the height difference is so huge!¡±
Before Robert managed to open his mouth, another nurse came in. Not looking any different from the first in her baggy grey clothes and in an odd hat to cover the hair, she was similarly tired, openly yawning. However, the curiosity was so strong that it couldn¡¯t be hidden even if she tried. Her cute face with a tiny nose and big brown eyes was almost radiating anticipation.
¡°So, Marg, who was right? Maybe it was a dwarf father and an ogre mother? No, it couldn¡¯t be ¨C it is so perverted!¡±
Her sparking eyes were telling completely opposite. She almost imagined herself in such a role, ignoring the surroundings with dozens of wounded soldiers.
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¡°Ogre grandfather, dwarf father, others were humans,¡± answered Robert after a short consideration.
¡°Yeah!¡±
¡°Oh nature, not again¡¡±
Both exclamations sounded simultaneously. Sticking a tongue to her colleague, the first nurse quickly rushed out from the room, while Beth sighed with a clear disappointment. Not knowing what to do, Robert looked around again only to see the same scenery. Most of the soldiers were unconscious, while a few were watching with interest, unable to raise up because of wounds. Moving his sight to the left, Rob found that his young neighbor wasn¡¯t breathing. However, it was not the death that struck him, but the apathy of everyone about it, including nurses. It was as if this was so common that no one was bothered to show any compassion.
¡°Why are you sitting like that? I can see you are almost fine, so help me with the corpses. We need to vacant the beds before new wounded will arrive. We don¡¯t have enough free space. The sudden attack of the dirigible almost wiped out the whole train with new recruits, filling us in a moment. You are quite lucky to survive with just a scratch on your head¡ Good, let¡¯s start with this one.¡±
Pointing to the nearest soldier, Beth checked him just to be sure of her diagnosis before shooting a demanding look at Robert. He only silently nodded. Looking at his feet, he found a simple pair of flip-flops. After putting them on, Rob only sighed at the image of his stuck-out fingers. Surprisingly, standing up didn¡¯t create any uncomfortable feelings, despite his expectations. Therefore he quickly went to the standing nurse, who was already gazing at him as if evaluating the item on the shelf of a store before deciding about a purchase.
¡°You can come to me later in the night¡ But bath first. You smell. The bathhouse is behind the building. Now, pick him up and carry him to the next room. We need to undress him before burying him¡ What? Nobody will throw away the new uniform with just a few holes. Move, big guy, or else I will think that such an idiot doesn¡¯t deserve anything from me¡ despite your big capabilities. What again? Who do you think has dressed you?¡±
Directly looking into her huge eyes, Robert just nodded again, not even thinking about being ashamed. He had spent an unknown amount of time completely nude on the forsaken island. The experience of living in camps with hundreds of men also didn¡¯t disappear.
And a meeting with a woman. Not a chance I am screwing it up by blushing like a virgin. My first and last was almost like in my previous life in that holy brothel, and opportunity for the next may not arise. So, Robert, just smile and radiate the confidence.
Picking up the lifeless body of the man with a bandaged face, Rob only felt¡ lightness. As if after the soul of the unlucky guy had left the body, the empty shell had lost most of its weight. He knew it wasn¡¯t the reason as his improved strength was dealing with it with ease, but just couldn¡¯t get rid of such odd thought. Robert didn¡¯t show any emotions when he carried his load in another room through the long corridor.
Passing by a few opened doors, he noticed even more wounded in them. However, there was more activity in them as many soldiers were not only speaking but also laughing or playing cards. Noticing his direction of gaze, Beth commented with a sigh:
¡°Your room is for those with a little chance to recover. Even you lied for three days straight without waking up. I am surprised that you are not only walking but not even showing any signs of hunger or thirst. Ogre¡¯s lineage is indeed a blessing in this time of War.¡±
¡°I am indeed not hungry, but will not refuse from the water,¡± Robert asked , mentally checking his state. He wasn¡¯t in a peak form. The surroundings darkened a few times, stopping him for a moment. The empty space in my stomach was starting to remind me about itself. However, exactly the dried lips and throat were the most disturbing feelings for him. Everything was on the level of annoyance, not critical for him.
¡°Wait here then.¡±
Pointing on the floor in front of him as if just in case he didn¡¯t understand, Beth turned around and quickly went back. Robert continued to stand in the place, holding the corpse of the unknown man. The feeling was so unnaturally strange that he unintentionally tried to find something to do. The surroundings were not helpful ¨C bared and simple, they seemed long stripped of anything valuable. He still could notice whiter spots on the wall, where pictures were hanging previously.
His odd state continued for around ten minutes, but they felt like an eternity. Robert didn¡¯t think it was a good idea to drop the body but standing with it looked dumb. Especially when a man in clearly doctor¡¯s apparel walked by, sparing him a long glance with a silent question inside. The question that the medical worker decided not to ask as the towering figure, to which he was barely on the chest level, was too intimidating. The motionless corpse in the hands and bandaged head only made it worse. Therefore, the doctor just nodded only to receive the same quick nod in return.
I bet he is scared. The biggest problem is that he is scared because of me, and not the corpse itself. Only from his look, it seems he thought I became crazy after the head injury. What the actual fuck? I do understand you can be used to everything¡ Shit, I guess, this war will be just another hell for me. Almost WW3 ¨C third world war¡ Wait, it might be a third war, but a fourth world. Oh well, no WW3 for me apparently.
¡°Here, drink it.¡±
Deep in his thoughts, Robert missed the return of the nurse. Looking at the flask, he pushed the body on his shoulder before taking it and starting to drink. The overwhelming feeling of freshness and purity had clouded his mind. The taste of ordinary water without the addition of salt was almost as ambrosia for Gods. Rob didn¡¯t top until he gulped everything. Not hiding his increased mood, he smiled widely.
¡°You can keep it¡ And I see you don¡¯t look stressed around the bodies. That is good. Will help later. Yes, now¡¡±
Before she managed to continue, the very same doctor appeared from the other side of the corridor. This time he wasn¡¯t alone but accompanied by a few soldiers with long rifles. Looking at their tense faces, Rob confirmed his assumption about being labeled as a madman.
¡°Beth, is everything okay?¡±
¡°Yeah, the guy is helping me with moving the corpses. Everything is under control, Roger!¡± she shouted back, not paying any more attention to her colleague, ¡°So, we will go to the morgue and drop the body there. You will help me to undress them ¨C the clothes might be used later after a few patches ¨C and put them in the bags. After that, we will go for the next one until will move all of them. You got it?¡±
Looking down at the young girl who was easily speaking about the dead, who was barely reaching the middle of his chest, whose eyes were faded under the constant stress, Robert simply nodded.
Yet another fucked up world. I can understand that professional deformation from any medical worker can make them see death as an ordinary case but not on such a level of cynicism about the value of life. There is absolutely not a single sign of comparison in their eyes. Not even traces. It sounds as if we are moving trash, not dead humans.
Despite this, he answered with another smile, while trying to flirt with his amateurish almost non-existent skills of seducing.
¡°I hope the body I am interested in is worth digging through so many of others.¡±
¡°You can¡¯t tell before you try¡ And for that, you will need to earn it.¡±
¡°I will try as much as possible to please you!¡±
¡°You better¡ This is the place where only woman chooses. Moreover, tomorrow you will need to report ¨C Roger has already seen you walking by yourself, so I can¡¯t hold you here for more than one night. I¡¯ve heard they already forming new companies from the survivors to patch up the possible gap in lines. Soon you will go to frontlines¡ It¡¯s a pity to lose such a big body in that meat grinder.¡±
Touching his arm as if he were an animal on the stand, she slightly raised the tips of her bitten lips. Robert knew that he wasn¡¯t special, and with absolute guarantee, she would find someone else on the next day after his dispatching, but so what? It wasn¡¯t about the love ¨C just a way to release some stress. He wasn¡¯t even sure that she was so attractive in the first place in her current exhausted state. Rob himself wasn¡¯t handsome ¨C otherwise, no one would mistake him for an ogre. However, it¡¯s not like had any other options. And between saving pride or having sex he voted for the second.
At least I don¡¯t need to pay with money like previously. The progress is obvious, Rob!
¡°Don¡¯t just stand there. We don¡¯t have much time ¨C I will not refrain from sleeping in the night just because of your big potential. So, move your ogrish ass, dear!¡±
Chapter 59 (2-17)
¡°Name?¡±
¡°Robert, sir.¡±
¡°Full name!¡±
Not even raising his eyes from the papers before him, the bearded officer demanded with a low squeaky voice. Dressed in a similar dark gray uniform as everyone else, he had a few extra insignias on his chest and shoulders. Painted in dark red, they looked like two letters ¡°X¡± connected to each other and indicated an unknown, but definitely a high rank of this dwarf. Robert already noticed dots on whom he assumed were ordinary soldiers. He didn¡¯t know the exact system, but his own uniform had none, putting him in the lowest position possible ¨C the private.
¡°I am sorry, sir, but I have gaps in my memory after a head injury,¡± pointing to his bandage, Robert shrugged. That finally made the officer look at him, simultaneously allowing Rob to study the face of the dwarf.
After spending some time in the clinic and listening to talks between soldiers, while moving the corpses, he managed to understand a few things about this world. The following short chat with Beth during their rest on the floor of a small lumber room in the back of the building was also useful. It wasn¡¯t much, but still helped somewhat to be ready to face a new reality and to adapt quickly.
The current huge war was going on between the Balordin Kingdom and the Tribes Coalition as the main sides of the conflict. The first was named after the creator of the royal family that united dwarfs and humans in a single nation. After centuries in local time, the mixture of both races had destroyed the boundaries between them. Pure humans in this realm had no facial hairs, were lean and tall, and somehow were related to long-extinct elves, but Rob didn¡¯t have the opportunity to ask for the details. Obviously, there was no library in the vicinity. Dwarves, on the other hand, had an almost classic appearance. The difference was that after the rise of technology, the absence of the need for physical activity had made them their robust physique, distorting the usual proportions of a barrel.
Throughout history, Balordin Kingdom waged enough conquering war to capture most of the land and to completely wipe out orcs and fairies. The former were too aggressive, bringing the doom by their stupidity, while the latter just didn¡¯t want to bend down until the end. Their fight quite soon took a terroristic approach, killing whole villages of innocent civilians without any real reason, except ¡°blood for blood¡±. This led to the death of every single member of the race by the decree of the King. On the other hand, ogres willingly went to reservations, saving themselves from disappearing forever together with their culture, which opposed any change that was brought by technology.
Obviously, such horrible deeds couldn¡¯t be easily forgotten. Therefore, despite a really long period of peace, when several generations had changed, beastmen still thought that they would be next. Uniting all their tribes by one banner under the disguise of protection, their Tribe Council decided to strike first. Using the reason of possible genocide of their race, they started to do exactly the same thing, not sparring with anyone, even children. That soon resulted in a real-world war, when more and more countries joined one of the sides. It already had lasted for five local years, not showing any signs of stopping. Moreover, with more deaths the hatred between both parties only raised. However, having exhausted most of the weaponry in the beginning, they soon came to a stalemate. Rob was going to become one of many from a newly recruited batch of soldiers to fuel the war.
¡°An ogre? Never seen one of yours¡ Hm, too hairy for them ¨C did you have one of the dwarves in your family? Maybe even one of your parents?¡±
Putting down his glasses on the table, he started to examine Robert¡¯s appearance with undisguised interest. That allowed Rob to do the same. The officer¡¯s face was similar to his own ¨C crude facial features and lots of hair. Deep-set dark eyes above the huge nose had a piercing effect, which made Robert silently nod, answering the question.
¡°I hope it gave you enough brain not to be dumb as your big half¡ I assume you have lost your soldier¡¯s tag. Not surprised¡ Fine. Stewart!¡±
¡°Yes, sir,¡± Blonde young man with short hair and a horrible scar on his cheek hastily stood up from one of the tables, almost turning it upside down. Barely keeping everything in place, he quickly rushed to the senior officer, while showing the desire to serve with all his looks. The dwarf only sighed at that.
¡°Check the records of missing or presumably dead recruits with the name Robert. We need to identify him, collect all the info in case of his death, and give him a new tag. Send him to me afterward.¡±
¡°Yes, sir! Will be done, sir!¡±
Turning to Rob, he grimaced with annoyance before hiding it a moment later and only pointing to his table. Robert wanted to thank the officer, but the dwarf was already speaking with the next soldier in line. Therefore, he just followed this Stewart, trying to be as careful as possible. The small gaps between the tables together with the overall density of furniture made it hard for him to fit with ease. Especially taking into account that the highest person Rob had seen here was barely reaching the level of his lips.
I even forgot about how it is uncomfortable to be so tall¡
The attempt to sit on the chair before Stewart¡¯s working table had failed miserably when it started to creak as if almost going to die under his weight. Getting another gaze filled with irritation from an officer with a single ¡°X¡±, Rob hastily stood up, not wishing to test the sturdiness of the wood. Patiently waiting for an outcome, he started to look around.
There were two officers in the rank of dwarf. Each of them had at least three adjutants. Therefore the line of soldiers was moving quite fast. Not all of them were wounded. Most of them were quite young, almost teenagers. Only one in a dozen had different ages, ranging from Rob¡¯s to even well over forty by Earth standards. Maybe because of life experience, the latter group was the calmest. Not having any shine in their eyes, they were not clouded by heroic images of themselves on the battlefield. No, on the contrary, there was a mixture of resolve and emptiness in them. As if they had lost something precious.
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Vengeance? Could be¡.
Robert silently sighed, thinking about his own fate. He started to feel burned out ¨C too exhausted to even find a way out from his constant struggles. He knew that his dream about enjoying a normal life was at the same distance as when he died in his bunker. Nothing had changed and he didn¡¯t know what to do with that. Rob didn¡¯t feel any fear about being thrown into a real war, despite knowing his vulnerability in real full-scale conflict. Hell, he knew it firsthand. But the inability to change the situation pressed on him, worsening the mood.
That was the reason why he didn¡¯t try to find out more about the world, the real reasons for war, and other staff. What for? It would change nothing on the battlefield, making many things irrelevant. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t sure how long he would be here. The system refused to answer the request, constantly repeating about the severely damaged link.
Then I just need to focus on rare spots of light and pleasure that I can get even in such circumstances. Or else I will go insane in no time. For example, Beth, who was¡
However, his memories about the night were interrupted by Stewart. Hitting the table a few times with his fist to get Robert¡¯s attention, he started to speak with an irritated tone.
¡°Listen up, private. I don¡¯t see any Robert in the lists at all. If you were not so eye-catching, I would think you were a spy. So, tell me, private, what do I do with you?¡±
¡°Check the list again?¡±
Noticing how Stewart was going to blow up from anger, already being annoyed beyond any measure, Rob hastily added:
¡°I am sorry, sir officer. They took a metal piece from my head. I was lying for three days straight completely unconscious. Everything is messed up in here,¡± pointing to his own head, Robert continued, ¡°Maybe I¡¯ve made a mistake in my name¡ or I reminded another name¡ You see, everyone addresses me as Ogre, not using any name. I am sorry to take your precious time. I just wanted to be useful and not a liability as I always was. Too dumb, too big. And that even despite my ability to count up to one hundred and thirty, and even use addition and subtraction¡ The circus used only my strength ¨C the single thing I can be proud of, but even despised me¡¡±
¡°Circus? Were you in a circus?¡±
Fuck, why I did say that?
¡°Yes, sir high officer. I can¡¯t remember everything, but I am sure of it. You don¡¯t believe? I can show!¡±
Quickly, not to give time to react, Robert grabbed the edge of the table with his palm. Squeezing the wood, he pushed it upwards, almost making Stewart drop from his chair. Putting both of his hands on the surface of his working table, the man tried to stop it but failed. The piece of furniture was raised in the air, being held by a single hand. Slightly trembling under the weight, it was on the verge of dropping everything onto the floor.
¡°Put it back! I believe you, I believe¡ Good, I saw someone named Roberto¡ Where was it? A second¡¡±
Hastily flipping through the pages, Stewart stopped on one before pointing at it with his finger.
¡°Roberto Diadko¡lebor¡shviz¡ Diadkoleborshviz¡ Oh, damn, now I understand why everyone has called the Ogre. You don¡¯t look like Roberto, and your family name is just unpronounceable.¡±
Holy crap ¨C how in the world you can remember that gibberish?
¡°Yes, sir high officer, I agree, sir high officer,¡± making a dumb face once again, Robert just nodded, simultaneously trying to show himself as a pathetic stupid giant, who could easily be described as an ogre.
¡°Okay, tell your name¡ no, stop¡ give this to captain Ironspike,¡± writing down his information on a piece of paper, Stewart almost put it into Robert¡¯s palms, before pointing behind his back.
¡°Thank you, sir high officer, for your help. I can come back and help with anything you need. Maybe you need help to move something, I can do it!¡± grabbing the table once again, Rob was immediately stopped by Stewart.
¡°You¡ just go and report.¡±
¡°Thank you, sir high officer, for your valuable help. It is even bigger than cooking!¡± bowing to him, Robert quickly turned around and went back. The soldier, who was speaking with the dwarf wanted to oppose at first but after looking closely at the towering figure he just silently stepped aside. The bearded officer had ignored it, taking the note from Rob¡¯s hands and starting to check one of the thick registers, which were before him.
¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be too dumb ¨C with ogre¡¯s lineage, you already don¡¯t have many chances to be promoted¡ And only a higher position¡ or luck¡ will help you to live longer, ROBERTO.¡±
Stressing his name, the dwarf looked at Rob again as if trying to see through his crude appearance the real him.
¡°I am not him indeed, but I am ready to replace him. I sneaked in for that reason. All I know is to fight with my hands. Just wanted to be helpful, where it needed but not where it only helps to make other¡¯s wallets grow thicker,¡± feeling the piercing gaze of this small man, Robert decided to confess his lie, while adding new ones in return. It wasn¡¯t logical in the slightest. However, something told him that this time the consequences of trying to bullshit would be dire. It had worked twice in the realm of swords and nobility, but here it seemed the dwarf had easily seen through it. That, or a few sentences in his file was enough to expose him immediately.
¡°Okay. We will see. You could have made a good artilleryman with your strength ¨C the shells are heavy. But I will put you in the infantry. Moreover, I will mark you as unstable and dumb so you will be never promoted. I will ban you from any leaves too far from the front lines. Oh, you will be sent immediately as an addition to already formed company. Are we clear?¡±
¡°Yes, sir,¡± Robert sighed before smiling widely, trying to make his fake grimace more believable.
¡°I see you got it. Good, Roberto, good. Take this note your commanding officer in building 16¡ And welcome to 189 infantry company of 93 ¡°Steel pickaxes¡± Regiment of Fourth Infantry army, soldier.¡±
Robert just nodded under the heavy gaze of the dwarf, who was trying to see any reaction. Taking the note and turning around, Rob only made a few steps, before his ears caught the barely audible mumbling of the officer.
¡°Another stupid light-headed idiot on his way into the grave¡¡±
Maybe you are damn right about the last part.
Walking out of the building, Robert stopped near the entrance, observing the sky. Painted in grey, it was cold and unfriendly. The strong wind only intensified this feeling of heavy atmosphere that was coming from the sky. As if nature itself was trying to show what was coming in the future ¨C the deaths, the blood, the mud without any heroic deeds.
My life is like in the loop. Even this conversation brought a real d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Different man, different realm, different circumstances, but the very same situation. Again, I am lying about getting into the army, despite my own dream to live an ordinary normal life. Do I even know what is normal? Will I ever be normal after all my experience? Okay, Rob, don¡¯t dive into such thoughts¡ Focus on small things that can make you happy. Everything is going to be fine¡ sometime in the future. Yeah, it just can¡¯t be worse than several wars in a row together with lonely survival on the island? Yes? Right?
Sighing once again, he lowered his gaze from the pale firmament above his head only to see Beth, who was quickly walking with a familiar doctor towards the truck with wounded soldiers. Catching her gaze, Robert widely smiled and winked only to see how she rolled her eyes on his action. Such a simple exchange somehow increased his mood greatly, pushing aside everything that bothered him a moment ago.
Everything will be fine!
Chapter 60 (2-18)
The whistling sounds of shells that were piercing through the air before exploding with a loud bang had put Robert into an almost half-conscious state. The deafening rumble from the hits felt like a direct blow to the head with the hammer. Each shook the land, simultaneously scattering the earth together with metal fragments all over the surroundings. The shock wave only increased the effect, making him hug the ground inside the trench. Cursing his big size, Robert tried to push himself in a small deepening, created for such occasion. Unfortunately, he barely could fit. Therefore, he conjured a metal plate to cover himself, absolutely ignoring the possible exposure of his abilities. Rob needed to survive first to meet any consequences. Moreover, other soldiers were not in a position to observe others as most of them were in similar covers.
The trench, despite being an ordinary dugout in the ground, had walls, formed from wooden planks; tens of deepening, similar to Robert¡¯s; and quite a few underground shelters, which hid the biggest part of the company. Rob also tried to get in but was sent away by the lieutenant because of his size. It appeared not that bad as nothing was safe under artillery fire. The constant bombardment was plowing up the area. Not being too powerful and even less precise, it compensated for everything with a sheer number of shells.
Another explosion raged right inside the trench, blowing a part of it together with a few soldiers, who were almost hugging each other. Robert managed to notice only a glimpse of it before the shock wave had reached him, bringing the heat together with projectiles. Made from wood chips, pieces of metal, and flesh, they easily found the gap between the wall and his shield. Still, the piercing pain in his thigh went almost unnoticed as the force had already thrown Rob¡¯s body inside his cover. The loud sound of close hit completely disorientated him for a few seconds, before he finally recovered.
The first thing he heard was a scream. Loud, filled with pain and fear, it made him tremble from the understanding of how vulnerable he was, despite all his super strength and magical ability. One unlucky shell would cross out him from the exitance forever. Rob wouldn¡¯t see it coming. It wouldn¡¯t be a fair fight, where he could lose to a stronger enemy. No, just a random artillery round that would fall right onto him, might end everything in a mere moment.
The following explosion had curtained the scream, instantly overwhelming it by force and volume. It never returned after it. However, Rob turned his attention to his own wound. To his surprise, the remnant of bayonet from the rifle had stuck inside his leg. Blindly searching for the tourniquet, he continued the keep his metal plate, noticing how the explosions had started to move away.
Making a few deep breaths, Robert unsummoned his shield before starting to quickly tie a tourniquet around his injury. Tightened it with all his force, he decisively pulled out the metal fragment. The bandaging took another minute, while he was constantly listening to the explosions and any whistling sounds in an attempt to react in time. Each hit made him shudder as if he were a target, but it still didn¡¯t stop him from patching up himself.
I hope my regeneration will deal with possible blood loss or infection¡
Looking around in the muddy ground, Rob thanked his luck that it wasn¡¯t the season of rain right now. Still even without such ¡°icing on the cake¡±, the scenery of fields without a single intact tree, covered with hundreds of craters, consisted only of the plowed by constant shelling land with the addition of metal fragments and corpses ¨C such scenery made a depressing impression on a whole company on newly recruited soldiers when they first came here.
Unsurprisingly, the captain¡¯s words about immediate sending came true. The lieutenant, the red-haired middle-aged man with pure human, had met him with a simple nod, pointing to the boxes with gear and weapons. The latter was an ordinary bolt-action rifle with five rounded internal magazines and additional bayonet. The helmet was a single piece of protection gear. No bulletproof vests, night vision goggles ¨C the technology here seemed to be around the end of the 19th century.
The mentions of dirigibles or armored trains; the seen edgy trucks with small wheels, directly from the past; Robert even noticed the telegraph ¨C many things confirmed the state of development. On the other hand, it didn¡¯t mean that it was primitive. Quite on the contrary. His backpack, for example, had a lot of stuff in it, starting from a metal flask, deep plate, and spoon, up to shaving accessories of factory-made quality. Rob had gotten a soldier tag, which was created on press right before his eyes after the serviceman manually had put his name on a rotating cylinder. Two hours later they were inside trucks, driving to the battlefield.
Cramped in a tight space, they were almost touching each other¡¯s faces. Somehow, even knowing where they were going didn¡¯t influence the attitude of soldiers. A lot of them sounded overly enthusiastic, arguing about what was the best way to kill the beastmen. Or how long it would take to get to one hundred kills. Or the beauty of the foxy woman according to the gossip.
¡°The only problem is that they rarely appear in the front,¡± complained one of the soldiers. His sparse mustache looked like his pride as he was constantly touching them, almost like pointing at them.
¡°The only REAL problem is that the higher-ups don¡¯t give a fuck about our lives, and not the distance to their nearest hole to put your dick inside. This is a war of politicians! An ordinary people must risk their lives just for them to live in luxury¡¡±
The sudden shout, coming from one of the oldest men in the company with a round fat face and bulging eyes had made everyone silent for a moment, giving him time to continue his speech. However, he didn¡¯t manage to end it as another man interrupted it with a punch. Putting all his strength, he broke the nose of the speaker with a single hit. Not stopping on it, he punched more and more.
¡°SHUT THE FUCK UP, you, dumbass! My son, his whole family, my grandchildren¡ everyone was tortured to death by those filthy animals. War of politicians? Fuck no! This is for the sake of our survival. Did you forget that they don¡¯t take prisoners at all?¡±
Stolen novel; please report.
Stretching his hand, Robert put his palm on the man¡¯s shoulder.
¡°Stop it. You may kill him, but that will distance you from your goal of revenge. This idiot will not live long, I am sure. Don¡¯t waste your energy on him.¡±
The man sighed before stepping back. Raising his covered with tears face, he slowly exhaled before silently nodding. After sitting back, he closed his eyes in an attempt to calm down. On the other hand, the fatty started to sob while touching his bloodied face. No one paid attention to him, nobody tried to help as if crossing him out from the circle of the company. It took another minute for soldiers to forget about an event, taking conversations in a different direction. One of the topics was Robert himself.
¡°Hey, Ogre, why are you so quiet?¡±
The question was asked by a cheeky brat, who behaved as if the silence could kill him physically, therefore, he had to fight against it, using all available means. He simultaneously took part in a few conversations, somehow managing to follow them at once. Skinny, with scars over the lips and a gap in teeth, he looked like someone who wanted to cause any reaction, not caring what it would be. Rob even thought that those marks were partly the result of such an attitude.
¡°Don¡¯t want to make friends just to lose them in a few days.¡±
It was indeed an honest answer coming for him. Robert wanted to make more connections, but the war wasn¡¯t the best thing to do it. Especially, in the conditions of long-lasting bloodshed, when only a small percentage managed to live until the end. The loss of Monk and Wolf was quite painful, no matter how he wanted to ignore it. The time healed, but not entirely, leaving a mark forever. He was afraid to repeat such an experience. Despite that, he knew it was impossible to isolate himself. So, Rob just wanted to push such situations as further in time as possible.
¡°Oh, do you think you will survive even your first battle? Crap, you are too huge ¨C you are a perfect target!¡±
¡°We will see,¡± Rob smiled lightly while ignoring the following attempts to tease him. Soon, the brat stopped, switching his attention to a shy guy in glasses. However, he didn¡¯t have the opportunity to enjoy it properly as their trucks suddenly stopped right in the middle of the road.
¡°Get out! The last part on foot!¡±
Dropping on the ground from the truck, Robert looked around only to see an empty field. There was an artillery battery near them and quite a few cars seemed to be loaded with shells, but otherwise, it seemed to be empty. The scenery almost didn¡¯t change when they went around the truck. Almost as a single addition was a fortified line, which stretched to the horizon. Dug in the ground, it strengthened by wood and barbered wires. Moreover, Rob soon found out that it was not just one but five lines. Separated by half of a mile, they were made in case of a possible retreat. This assumption was based solely on the absence of what made such lines stay strong ¨C soldiers.
The last one, or better to say, the first was their final destination. That was the moment when the scenery had impacted even the most optimistic youngsters. Especially the state of the company which they were meant to replace. By the best estimates, they had three dozen alive. Over half were wounded. And there was a smell. The heavy scent of corpses, powder, and burned meat seemed to envelop the surroundings. However, the biggest hit to their confidence came from the lieutenant¡¯s command:
¡°I need five volunteers to move the corpses back to the trucks. Ogre, you are coming by default¡ No one? Okay, then you, you¡¡±
Pointing the finger, their officer quickly chose ¡°lucky ones¡±. Robert already discovered that their company was hastily made from the remnants of a new wave of recruits. Trained and even gone through the combat coordination, they had lost their commanders and most fellow soldiers even before coming to the frontlines. The unnoticed dirigible messed up most of the plans, bombarding the train line right at the moment of unloading. The biggest consensus was not the bomb themselves, but a secondary explosion of transported artillery rounds that detonated because of fire. The chain reaction almost annihilated all surroundings.
That was the reason for the hast decision to put an uncoordinated newly formed group to the front. Knowing about the weak spot, the enemy would surely strike it before it was patched up. Or it could be their objective in the first place ¨C to exhaust the defense, to strike the reinforcement before its arrival on the position, thus artificially creating a weak spot by their own hands. However, the Kingdom didn¡¯t have any choice as only to do what was expected in an attempt to stop the enemy. Therefore, they were here ¨C not even knowing the names of each other, with an unknown officer, without proper adjusting to the cruelty of war, meant only to slow down the enemy before real force would be ready. If luckily, to exhaust the enemy¡¯s attack potential themselves to make it easy to do a counterattack. Or at the bare minimum to hold the line, not giving the enemy to penetrate the defense.
Robert quickly understood that, but it somehow avoided being noticed by most of the others. It could be just self-lying in an attempt to keep their cool. Or just the eternal principle of every young and na?ve soldier ¨C ¡°Anyone but not me.¡± He had seen it in the previous realm. However, Rob wasn¡¯t so hypocritical as not to admit that he had the very same thought. It was understandable as everyone wanted to live and just couldn¡¯t imagine their own death. Moreover, their company wasn¡¯t unique in this regard ¨C at least four more were in similar situations according to what he managed to hear here and there.
The shelling started in three hours. The cheeky brat was the first casualty. Instead of immediately jumping inside the trench after hearing the odd whistling sound, he started to search for the source. The explosion wasn¡¯t even near him, but, unluckily, one of the metal fragments had pierced his heart, instantly killing him in the place. His body was still falling when Robert had tried to jump inside the cover only to be thrown away by his own lieutenant. Then the hell broke loose.
Everything will be fine¡
The first seconds inside deepening were spent fighting with paralyzing fear. Just a moment ago he was in motion, actively doing something to save his life, but now he had to sit still and resignedly wait for his fate, not having any ability to protect himself. That appeared to be scary. Even terrifying. The exact point of absolute absence in a control of a situation, in which your own life is at stake. All his battle experience paled with that. Superpowers? They were not helpful in the slightest when you were the target of artillery, located several miles away.
And who is the superhero in such cases? The man who, using supernatural abilities, is fighting against random thugs or an ordinary man who has none, except his own willpower, to fight against the threats he can¡¯t even see? The threats are unstoppable in their nature.
Nobody answered the question, but Robert didn¡¯t need it. Shuddering with each explosion, he just waited when everything would be over, trying no think that he could easily die in any second. The scream, the wound, the bandage ¨C everything happened like in a dream. Or, in a nightmare, to be precise. The wake-up was triggered by a distant voice of his commander. Periodically blowing into the whistle, the latter was shouting at the top of his lungs, while running through the trench.
¡°Get out of covers, take your weapons, and be ready for the enemy¡¯s assault! Hurry up! The beasts are coming! Stand up, fast!¡±
Chapter 61 (2-19)
Despite hearing the command, Rob still spent a few seconds listening to the surroundings and especially paying attention to anything remotely similar to the falling shells. Fortunately, there was none, but it didn¡¯t make him act immediately. The flashed thought about pretending to be wounded and to continue hiding inside the cover, was forcefully thrown away by Robert. The threat wouldn¡¯t disappear by itself. It never worked that way. Therefore, he had to fight it directly and, if needed, kill it with his weapon without any hesitation.
Fuck! Where is my rifle?
Searching around with his eyes, Robert couldn¡¯t find at all. The suddenness of the shelling together with his ability to conjure steel any moment he wanted made him forget that he actually needed one. Cursing his stupidity once again, Rob pushed himself out from the deepening, finally taking a look at his surroundings.
The trench appeared to be devastated. The wooden planks, which formed the walls, were partly destroyed. One of the shells seemed to directly hit the underground cover. Exploding near the entrance, it buried everyone inside. Currently, they were trying to get out with help from the outside. Turning his head on the opposite side, Robert noticed that another blindage, where he wanted to hide, appeared to be intact. Exhaling to calm himself, he rushed forward, not wishing to waste more time.
Pushing a few soldiers aside, Rob grabbed a log on the top before pulling it up. Using his strength, they quickly managed to free eight soldiers in different states. One had broken a leg. The open wound with protruding bone looked horrible, making the nearest soldier terrified almost to the level of uncontrollable panic. The injured man was unconscious by this moment and Robert wasn¡¯t sure if he was going to regain it in current circumstances, where no medical treatment was possible. There had to be field medics, but at the very same moment, there was none nearby. Two more motionless bodies were left where they were because of the absence of time.
The lieutenant¡¯s shouts started to be louder and more hysterical. In an attempt to see what was going on outside of their defense line, one of the soldiers leaned out from the trench. The single gunshot resounded instantly, throwing the already limp body back. The small hole directly in the front part of the helmet caught the attention of everyone near, stupefying them for a few seconds. However, another command brought them back to reality.
¡°FIRE!¡±
Multiple gunshots filled the surroundings. Soon a machine gun added his part. By this moment Robert had already taken the rifle of the killed and started to climb on the small ladder further in the trench. Stopping himself, he mentally reminded himself about additional protection. Because of his size, not only his uniform wasn¡¯t covering his ankles and wrists, but also his helmet barely fit.
However, seeing that its protection ability was basically limited to fragments or tangent hits, Rob was inclined to strengthen it as much as possible to raise his chance of survival. Conjuring an additional steel layer over his head, he immediately felt a wave of pain as if someone was pulling his hair. Hastily taking off his helmet, Robert touched his now bald head with remnants of hair, falling down through his fingers.
Oh fuck¡ It summons on skin. Who would have guessed? Crap, it is not the time to joke, Rob!
Finishing an accident haircut to make him absolutely bald, and not monk-like with only an empty crown, he resolutely put the helmed back before tightening the grip on the rifle. Breathing in and out a few times to get in control of his adrenaline rush, Robert finally pushed himself up, simultaneously aiming the rifle. He had no experience with shooting, but the simplicity of the process wasn¡¯t an obstacle. On the other hand, hitting the target might be. Fortunately or not, he had plenty of enemies to practice. The line of barbed wire didn¡¯t obstruct anything making their running figures a perfect target.
The first one was thirty meters (100 ft) away. Halting to take a shoot, he was standing still, giving an opportunity to finally observe the beastmen. Similar uniforms, just in different colors. The similar action-bolt weapon. The similar multiple packs on the belt with additional ammunition. Even the helmet had almost the same form, slightly differing near the ears. The single difference was a tail. Fluffy in peak form, it was now drenched in mud and water. Breathing heavily after the run and under the influence of adrenaline, its owner was hastily moving a rifle¡¯s barrel. It was exactly this moment when their eyes had met. The long pause while they were watching each other felt like an eternity. Then Rob shot.
His bullet scratched the shoulder of the beastman, triggering an immediate response. Moving his head by sheer instinct to the left, Robert barely avoided the death from the tiny projectile. Still, his mind was occupied by the hastily attempt to grab the bolt handle. It wasn¡¯t difficult but the absence of practice led to delays. When the spent cartridge case finally fell to the ground, the enemy was already done with his own reload.
This gunshot was just one out of many, but for Rob, whose whole world had narrowed to this direct confrontation, it sounded like a thunderstorm. The instant strike in his head sent shivers across his back. That didn¡¯t stop him from putting the figure behind the front sight and pulling the trigger. The recoil had hit his shoulder while trying to move the barrel upwards. However, Robert used his strength to keep it in place, already moving his palm in search of the bolt handle. The image of a falling beastman was still before his eyes when he found another target. Another pull of the trigger, the recoil, and one more motionless body.
Acting like in a trance, Rob shot two more times only to miss each time, before the rifle refused to continue. Bending down on the ladder, he tried to change the magazine quickly but failed. The adrenaline rush made his big fingers tremble, while the unknown mechanism, despite the simplicity, still demanded at least a basic knowledge. It took him around half a minute before he finally started to shoot again.
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The rushing beastmen seemed to completely ignore the fire and danger, running blindly to the Kingdom¡¯s defense position. There was no proper tactic, just pure frontal assault. Moreover, their physique and bravery differed by a lot between them, making the attack quite chaotic. While some were already dead in an attempt to jump inside the trench, others were still behind. However, that didn¡¯t mean that Robert¡¯s company was at the shooting range. On the contrary, the rain of bullets was constantly raining on top of them.
Periodically one of the defenders dropped down from the ladders. Often only wounded, but it still effectively crippled their force. The angry shouts, the painful screams, the gunshots, the primal roars ¨C everything was mixed in the surroundings. Rob had lost track of time or the overall situation, as being inside the dugout, he just couldn¡¯t see anything far from him. And he didn¡¯t have an opportunity as the wave of enemies refused to end.
Shooting his last magazine, Robert ducked down hastily, while trying to fill them back. The metal box with ammunition had a lot of rounds, but once again his bigger size made even trivial things a problem. His fingers felt like huge sausages, when he pushed another round inside the magazine. Quite a few fell on the ground, and he didn¡¯t have time to pick them up. Before he managed to finish, he noticed the strange absence any of movement from his neighbor. That only made him hurry up. Pushing the magazine inside the rifle, Rob finally took a look at the soldier.
The latter was lying motionlessly facing the ground with his weapon still in his hands. Leaning on the wall, he somehow managed to keep himself in an odd standing position on the ladder, despite the death. There were no visible wounds, except the bandaged one on his leg. However, it was exactly the reason as the bandage just slid down. The trouser leg was drenched in blood, but the soldier had completely missed it under the rush of adrenaline, simply bleeding out without even noticing it.
¡°Grenade!¡±
The shout made Rob turn around only to see how something had dropped into the trench fifteen meters (45 ft) away from him right near the sitting soldier, who was barely breathing because of the wound on the stomach. The warning came from another one, who was trying to jump down from the ladder. Feeling he wouldn¡¯t make in it time, he screamed shrilly.
¡°Throw it away!¡±
Surprisingly, not only injured had heard it, but he also reacted in time, grabbing the grenade before swinging with his hand. Unfortunately, the strength behind the motion appeared to be too weak. The grenade had hit the wall of the trench right at the moment when its wick had burned out. Robert covered himself with a conjured shield from the explosion, only to grab the rifle a moment later before climbing on the ladder. Despite his wish, the image of horrible consequences was imprinted in his mind.
The first beastman, which he aimed at, was trying to overcome the barbered wire. The bullet pierced his cheek, killing him instantly. The next felt just a few seconds later. The third was taken by a machine gun, which was insanely effective against such a frontal rush and only stopped firing because of refilling ammunition and the need to cool down from constant shooting. The fourth had knocked down Robert from the ladder with a leg kick from the side.
Dropping down on the back and losing his rifle, Rob still managed to keep his balance, meeting the beastman on the fly. Conjuring a small shield to redirect the bayonet, he had caught the enemy¡¯s body only to throw it down with all his force. Showing an unnatural agility, the beastman rolled to the side, before standing up and taking out a short knife. That was the moment when he managed to take a look at Robert¡¯s huge figure. The latter immediately noticed a trace of fright.
Without the helmet, the beastman¡¯s doggish ears were visible. Even with the addition of a similar changed nose, he still looked pretty like an average teenager, who tried to cosplay his favorite character from an anime. However, that didn¡¯t stop him from making the first hit. Clumsy as it could be, it was aimed directly into Rob¡¯s heart. There was no hesitation in making a killing strike, despite the overwhelming fear.
The war is a bitch!
Mentally sighing, Robert easily caught the hand with a knife, simultaneously pushing his own summoned dagger right inside the neck of a young beastman. Rob tried to be as fast as possible, but still, he saw the terror in the eyes of the dying youngster. It distorted the face to the point of creating an awful mask, forever stuck there. Still, Robert carefully put the body on the ground before taking his rifle. The battle didn¡¯t stop. Climbing on the ladder, he continued to shoot, creating a pool of spent cartridges underneath his position.
Quite soon the assault seemed to come to a pause when Rob couldn¡¯t see any movement across the field, which was filled with dozens of corpses. However, he still heard gunshots as if the battle was still ongoing inside the trench, where the beastmen managed to break through. It was far from his position, so he didn¡¯t even bother to help.
Dropping on the ground where he was, Robert took off the helmet from his now bald head. The small hole from the direct hit was met oddly calm. Only his ability to conjure steel had saved him from the sure death. Putting it back, Rob spent the next few minutes just looking at the opposite wall. The thoughts inside his mind were slowly moving from one topic to another, not able to focus on one. Therefore he just sat there silently, observing the wooden planks. His reflection was interrupted by a soldier, who sat right near him. Turning his head, Rob saw the man, who had beaten that idiot with the ¡°war of politicians¡± theory in the truck on the way here.
¡°Oh, you are alive. Good,¡± Robert commented with a nod before returning to observing the opposite wall.
¡°Likewise,¡± the man simply answered. They spent a whole minute in silence before it was broken.
¡°I can swear I saw you creating a metal shield from nothing.¡±
¡°That? Yeah, indeed. I am a direct descendant of a two-headed ogre shaman, the supreme leader of our tribe. The blood of natural elements is flowing through my veins and the metal is a gift from earth itself. Of course, I can do it. Watch this,¡± raising his palm, Robert clenched his fist before opening it again to show the small coin lying there. Another quick motion with his fingers made it disappear.
¡°I think that is completely bullshit. Especially about two-headed ogre¡ And the coin ¨C magic trick? Like in the circus? Looking at you, it is easy to guess that you could be raised there to be a part of a show¡ Either super strength feats or about scary freaks¡¡±
¡°Yeah, my whole life feels like a fucking circus¡ with freaks, blood and corpses.¡±
¡°Not only yours, not only yours¡,¡± the man sighed, not wishing to continue. The silence once again took reign. However, it was soon interrupted by the lieutenant¡¯s voice, who appeared to survive the assault. His voice was filled with exhaustion and seriousness, but, surprisingly, no fear. Just full concentration on the task.
¡°The next wave is coming, and they have tanks! Come here, take two grenades each, and use them wisely. Remember ¨C try to push them inside the gaps of the armor. Especially spots, where machine guns are. Also inside tracks to immobilize it. We need to hold this one before the reinforcement will come! Quickly, move your asses if you want to live! And do not dare to try to run away ¨C the deserters will be shot!¡±
¡°Well, stay alive, ogre!¡± the man nodded, before slowly raising up and taking his rifle.
¡°Likewise, human, likewise.¡±
Chapter 62 (2-20)
Only three tanks were coming to Robert¡¯s company position. Moreover, they looked almost comically pathetic. Just the ugly metal bricks with two small rotating towers on the sides armed with protruding machine gun barrels. Another barrel, from what seemed to be a higher caliber gun, was on top. Not having the ability to move freely, it had to be aimed directly at the whole body of the tank. Slow, huge, low mobile, they were a perfect target¡ if Rob had any means to destroy them, except a grenade. Or, precisely speaking, two of them.
However, the tanks were not alone. Supported by soldiers, who were hiding behind, they were steadily approaching, while leaving a pummel of smoke behind them. The sound of rotating wheels inside the tracks, the strained roar of an engine together with surprisingly silent infantry created an oppressive feeling. As if it was a huge natural disaster ¨C an avalanche, a tsunami, an earthquake ¨C despite seeing it, the pitiful humans couldn¡¯t do much against it. The single solution was to hide and pray.
The silence covered the whole area for a short time. Remnants of smoke, a burned smell, a mutilated ground, dozens of motionless bodies ¨C every single piece of the scenery only intensified this feeling of dread before inventible. The slowness of advance only made it worse, picturing the tanks as Death itself. The latter never needed to rush, taking hers whenever she wanted and ignoring any resistance.
Somehow Rob managed to stay calm, despite a nascent feat that started to form inside his mind. Moreover, in such odd silence, he could see how the enemy was also afraid. Exactly they were assaulting the defensive position through the open field. All of them just couldn¡¯t hide behind metal bodies. However, the first one to crumble under the pressure was one of the soldiers from Rob¡¯s side. With a loud shrilling scream he climbed from the trench in an attempt to run. This deed would have become the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back and led others to flee in a panic. Would have¡ because the lieutenant was faster. Reacting almost instantly as if he had predicted such action, he shot the runner in the back.
¡°Fire! Don¡¯t just stand there as paralyzed idiots! Any attempt to flee will lead to execution!¡±
The last part of his words was outvoiced by multiple gunshots from both sides. Robert himself was already pulling the trigger when he heard the command. He managed to shoot thrice before he felt as if the main barrel of the nearest tank was aiming at him. Led by intuitive decision, Rob ducked down immediately. The sharp pain in his wound made him stumble, and clumsily drop from the ladder. The landing appeared to be even worse when his knee fell directly onto something metal and hard. Another painful feeling pushed him back directly to the wall only to see the explosion.
The tank¡¯s shell had hit the already dead body of Rob¡¯s neighbor, tearing it apart. The remnants of flash, rifle, and wooden planks flew all over the place. Luckily, Robert¡¯s position made him avoid most of them, but not the sound. The sheer loudness felt like a direct hit in his head, darkening his surroundings for a moment. He felt as if someone had put earpieces on him, muting a whole world. It didn¡¯t last long, when the sound had returned, bringing the horrible cacophony of chaotic war.
Hastily picking up his rifle, Robert forced himself to climb back on the ladder. All his survival instincts screamed against it, but his mind was firm. Catching the figure of the nearest beastman, he exhaled before pulling the trigger. The enemy was in the process of turning around, making the bullet hit the shoulder instead of the chest. Still, the force behind the projectile together with sudden wounding had pushed him back, completely disorientating. Unfortunately for the enemy, that had put him right before the moving tank, the driver of which had a very limited sight. Not noticing his own ally, the armored machine continued to move, easily knocking down the injured beastman and moving further.
Other soldiers tried to help, but any attempt to pull him out from the tracks was stopped by Robert¡¯s bullets. Focusing on killing, he felt as if something was dying in his heart. The grim scene of the enemy being literally slowly crushed by the tank, led by his own comrades-in-arms, was interrupted by a short burst from the machine gun. Aiming right above the trench, it barely missed Rob, making to act without a delay.
Jumping down and ignoring the pain in the thigh, he quickly ran across the trench, already filled with fallen soldiers, before finding another free spot in between two occupied. The previous owner wasn¡¯t far away, lying as a broken toy on the ground. The hast climbing almost ended with Rob¡¯s own death, when he was in the process of peeking out from the cover. At least three soldiers were looking on that spot with rifles ready, immediately sending their bullets, pushing him behind the cover once again. Not wishing to compete in speed with three opponents, Robert hastily took a grenade from his belt, before tearing out the fuse.
Damn¡ How long do I need to wait? Oh, fuck it!
Throwing the explosive thing over the head, Rob pressed himself against the wall. The burst of air brought the pieces of earth, while the sound was completely lost in the chaotic surroundings. Feeling the pressure of the time, he once again pushed himself up only to find that his magazine was already empty. Leaning to the ground, Robert had conjured a small shield to cover himself, while he was reloading. Unfortunately, it appeared a bad idea as the first shot had penetrated his steel cover, scratching his cheek.
Damn, thicker, I need it thicker!
Cursing his own stupidity, Rob willed the increase of the shield¡¯s thickness. A few moments later another bullet had hit it. Almost going through the whole metal protection, it luckily lost its force before the projectile entered his own eye, being stuck in front of Robert¡¯s face in mere centimeters. Spending a long second observing the small flying death that was very near to sending him to the afterlife, Rob dispersed the cover and started to shoot.
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He managed to empty three more magazines before the enemies got inside the trench. That led to even more chaos when the bullet could come from any direction. Rob saw how other soldiers were blown up with a grenade inside the underground cover in an attempt to hide from the beastmen. Not from the distance, but he basically was in mere ten meters (around 30 ft) from them. He saw it with his own eyes but couldn¡¯t react in time, hastily feeling the magazine with new rounds. Dropping over half of them on the ground, he was fast enough not to be noticed before the first bullet hit the waist of the enemy, where another grenade was. This time luck was on his side, somehow making the explosive weapon trigger right in the moment when the whole group aimed their rifles at Robert.
However, his attention was redirected as new and new soldiers were trying to climb over the barbered wire, completely overwhelming the defense line. Shooting a few more times, Rob had to throw his rifle right into another enemy, not having the time to reload. The improvised projectile had hit his face, breaking the nose of a beastman with rabbit ears, which were stuck out from below a helmet.
Sidestepping the blind shot in response, he conjured an axe. The strong hit had broken the rifle that was hastily put under the swing by the enemy. However, the following strike came to a halt, when another soldier dropped down in the trench. Noticing it, Robert grabbed the clothes of rabbit-man on the chest and forcefully moved him in front of himself. The timing appeared to be good as the bullet had entered his newly acquired shield from the back. Moving the wounded to the side, Rob immediately made a throwing motion with his axe.
The threat made the shooter put the rifle before him in an attempt to defend himself from the projectile¡ that never came. Instead, he was met with the spear inside his stomach. It disappeared a moment later, raising questions that would never get any answers as the darkness was already covering all surroundings, promising eternal rest.
Robert, on the other hand, had to move fast. Ignoring the dead, he hastily turned around and started to search for his rifle. Unfortunately, he had to stop himself when he heard the twisting sound of metal. Then the sky disappeared, being replaced with the metal bottom of the tank. Not thinking even a second, Rob took his second grenade. Jumping high, he shoved it right into the track, before diving underneath. The following explosion had torn apart the side of the tank, effectively stopping a dangerous machine right above the trench.
Faster, Rob, faster!
Pushing himself back to the lying rabbit, he kicked the enemy soldier in the face with enough force to break the jaw. The latter was in the process of reloading Robert¡¯s rifle, prioritizing the killing instead of treating his own injury, hiding, or anything else. Not that he had many chances to survive from any of these options.
Finally getting the weapon, Rob hastily finished the enemy¡¯s interrupted task, trying to outpace the tank¡¯s crew. Despite immobilizing the armored machine, he didn¡¯t hurt anyone inside. Therefore, he just waited for them to come out. The problem was the location of the hatch, which was on the back and looked in the direction, from where the beastmen came. Moreover, it was in an open field, outside of the trench.
I can still shoot them from here, I guess, but¡
Robert¡¯s thought came to a halt when he caught the familiar whistling sound. The image of an artillery battery deep behind their own defense lines immediately came to mind. The whole plan of the higher-ups became clear as day. Nobody wanted to bet on uncoordinated and poorly trained troops to stop the assault, which was additionally strengthened by tanks. Nope, the whole idea was to exhaust the resources of the beastmen before finishing them with fire from above, thus leaving no other option than to retreat to the previous positions. That way they could close a possible gap in the line, reversing the situation to another draw.
It took less than a heartbeat to jump under the damaged tank. It was simply the closest cover to Robert, but definitely not the safest. Conjuring the shovel, he immediately started to break the wooden planks in an attempt to create a deepening. Shuddering from each explosion that raged across the surroundings, Rob continued to act almost in a trance, driven by the simple goal of survival.
The first hit in the tank tossed him to the ground just from the sheer closeness of the explosion, despite being covered by the metal body of the war machine. The latter even fell down slightly, decreasing the height of the trench. The following adrenaline rush made Rob spring on his feet, pushing his big body inside dug out. Covering himself with a summoned shield, he wanted to wait but felt a gaze. Moving his head to the left, Rob saw the aiming soldier, who was standing in the middle of the trench, completely ignoring the shelling.
Robert felt as if his heart was squeezed by a cold hand. He had to use all his willpower to resist a fear, that wanted to capture his mind with a pointed barrel. Each of such episodes, when his life was on the scale, scared him shitlles, and each time he had to overcome it. On the other hand, it was becoming much easier with time. Even now, despite the feeling, Rob didn¡¯t lose even a single moment, instantly putting the shield in front of him, while pushing himself towards the shooter. Slightly rotating his torso to decrease the size of his figure, he used all his force in the legs to move faster. And the fear only added him strength for that.
Rob heard an odd click when he was two meters from the enemy. His body tensed, halting his run, while he was awaiting the gunshot with the following pain. Surprisingly, there was none. Lowering the shield, he managed to catch a panicked expression on the beastman face, whose rifle appeared to jam, before crashing into the enemy at full speed. Robert¡¯s weight and force simply had thrown away the soldier into the nearest wall. However, Rob didn¡¯t stop, smashing into the enemy again a moment later. The body of the latter cracked, going limp. The finishing attack was interrupted by a huge explosion.
Detonation of the tank¡¯s ammunition¡
The thought flashed through Robert¡¯s mind, while he was carried by a shockwave. Hitting the wall with his head, he lost consciousness for a few seconds, before finally finding himself on the ground in an odd position. Lying on the back, his legs were upside down, leaning on the remnants of the machine gun, which was blown up earlier. Moving his head, Rob caught a glimpse of the devasted armored machine and completely ruined place of his possible cover.
Rob, note for the future ¨C don¡¯t hide behind something that can explode!
Dropping down, he started to crawl in search of any deepening. The earth itself appeared to be the best protection. Taking into account that shelling started to intensify as if both sides decided to compete over who would destroy the defense line, Robert really needed it. And fast.
Everything will be fine¡Oh, God damn it, who I am kidding in the epicenter of artillery strikes? Nothing is fine already!
Chapter 63 (2-21)
Sitting on the ground and shivering from the cold, Robert took another sip from his metal cup. The hot coffee rushed inside his throat, bringing an enormous pleasure. Despite being made right in the pot inside the field kitchen, it had a wonderful mixture of sour and bitter taste. Of course, the reason for such delight could be the contrast of temperatures, when such godly liquid could warm up his freezing body. Or it could be the result of a long period on the cursed island with salty water as a single option to drink after months of absence in the sword-and-magics realm. Or everything might be simpler as it could natural reaction to a favorite drink.
Nevertheless, whatever the real reason was, Rob indeed enjoyed the moment. It could be even better if the scene before his eyes was not the same trench, in which he spent most of his time in this world. Obviously, it wasn¡¯t exactly the same place, where he met his first battle. No, it was one behind it as the old one was too devastated after the shelling, while beastmen didn¡¯t give an opportunity to rebuild it back.
That battle ended with most company dead. To Robert¡¯s surprise, only he, the lieutenant, and the avenger from the truck managed to live through the whole bloody ordeal in one piece without any serious wounds. Dozen''s other survivors were not so lucky, getting injured to a different degree. Moreover, such a picture was on the whole line, affecting the full five companies that were hastily sent after the dirigible¡¯s strike. Unfortunately, Rob had only a few days in the clinic before he was sent back with the reinforcements. That damned dwarf officer kept his word to fulness, not giving Robert any opportunity to slack off. He might be wrong in this assumption, as the other two were also attached to different companies at the same time, but it still felt bad not to have a break. At least he got his second night with Beth.
Four months had passed after that. The rainy season brought constant mud, wet clothes, and suffering. Not having the ability to wash themselves, soldiers spent days in such harsh conditions. Quite a few felt ill. One even had to be hospitalized, coughing with blood. Dirt was everywhere, changing the state from wet to completely dry on rare occasions when the sun wanted to show its existence. During this period Robert used a shovel and bracket a hundred times more often than his rifle. The slippery surface made it hard to run, slowing down any assault to the point of turning them into perfect targets. And of course, Rob¡¯s commanders thought it wasn¡¯t a big problem, sending them in a few frontal attacks.
The experience of running through the muddy field under the constant fire from the enemy was imprinted forever in his mind. Moreover, each of them had ended with zero results in the end. Several times they had to retreat, not even making it to the beastman¡¯s defense line. And when they did, they still had to go back as by the point when they cleared the trench, they were targeted by artillery and didn¡¯t have enough strength to hold it against incoming reinforcements. Thus, all such assaults looked absolutely pointless for both sides, but they kept doing them with the stubbornness of the donkey.
Obviously, nobody asked Robert¡¯s opinion and he had to follow the orders. He once again returned to the state of one of the soldiers, who was a part of the war machine but didn¡¯t have any say in it. The short break during his stay on the island had ended, bringing everything back to where it was. It was like a mockery for Rob. Despite all his efforts to enjoy his life, only his perspective of things had changed, but not the world itself.
Coffee, porridge from vegetables, and night sky¡ Even the cold is something new after an eternal heat.
Smiling to himself, Rob made another sip from the cup. He indeed started to see happiness in small things. The meat diet made even awful-looking results of cooking tasty if it was not meant to be a protein source. Such appetite led to stupid jokes from other soldiers. They didn¡¯t address him anything other than Ogre, but Robert didn¡¯t mind it. His life wasn¡¯t what he wished for in the slightest. It wasn¡¯t even good, was dangerous and filled with permanent horror. Still, he somehow adapted to it, focusing on the bright side, no matter how small it was.
If I had any choice. Either that or a mental hospital¡ They do have them here.
His increased regeneration at some point stabilized its level, making only the wounds heal faster and stop bothering him with long nails and hair, adjusting the speed of growth to what was before the ¡°upgrade¡±. The mud changed his length of beard to a short version, while his head was still bald, constantly being shaved by a steel conjuring. However, the incoming winter made Robert think it over once again as it was just too cold, not to use additional insulation means. The snow had already covered their position, hiding multiple craters from shelling.
You can almost forget that you are on the war¡
The silence of the night covered the surroundings. Most of the soldiers were already sleeping inside the covers, leaving only guards to be awake. The rare gusts of wind were going somewhere above the head, pushing small snowflakes into the air. The dance of the latter didn¡¯t last long, but they still managed to capture the light from the huge yellow moon, making their short show mesmerizing. The scene was as simple as it could be ¨C just ground covered with snow and the sky, but nevertheless, it made Robert to be charmed by it. Maybe it was whole calm atmosphere, which he lacked strongly in his life. Or the fact that it was his first snow in the System knows how long.
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The exploding flare lightened up the surroundings, instantly breaking the immersion. A moment later he heard the loud ¡°Clear¡± before the sentinels went silent again. Rob sighed and made a last sip from the cup, before putting it down. Taking off his glove, he conjured a small coin, creating a big letter ¡°A¡± on both of its sides. Quickly moving it over his fingers, he paused for a moment, so the external observer, if there was one, could notice the ¡°B¡±, and continued his action. The image was constantly changing, going from letters to numbers and back.
It was the latest exercise that Robert had made for himself to keep improving his conjuring skills. The speed, the precision, and the hardness of visibly easy tasks made him sweat at the beginning. The need to keep physical contact with moving a small object, simultaneously adding a change to its surface, had put him to the test. However, the practice, as always, was the answer in such cases. It didn¡¯t have any dramatic impact on his ability to create a shield or sword but still helped to make his conjuring ability more responsive to his wishes.
Another effect of it was the title of Magician from fellow soldiers. Absolutely sure that he was in the circus before the army, they often asked him to show a few tricks, despite seeing most of them multiple times. Quite a few of his comrades tried to find out how he was doing it, not believing in his honest answer about magic. One even tried to trade a full flask with alcohol for that, which was worth a lot in the fields. The lieutenant had to intervene at some point, driving away all curious soldiers¡ and confiscating the liquid of discord for himself.
¡°But seriously, Rob, how are doing it? No, stop, don¡¯t answer me. Your tricks will lose a lot if I know¡ By the way, here, take it. It¡¯s a letter from your family. It was mistakenly put away because of your name. Who would have known that Ogre the Magician is not Rob, but Roberto with an unpronounceable family name.¡±
The very same letter was still in his pocket for already a week, but Robert didn¡¯t dare to open it. He knew he had taken someone¡¯s identity by accident, but was keeping it on purpose, thus giving hope to the family that their son or husband¡ was still alive, fighting on the battlefield for the sake of the Kingdom. He didn¡¯t know what to do, postponing the decision. On the other hand, Rob didn¡¯t know how long he would be in this realm. The System didn¡¯t respond, giving him access only to his Status screen.
The latter didn¡¯t change much, despite showing an increase in a few stats. His trait to grow just by using the energy from the interdimensional space was working as he could not train at all. However, he ignored it completely as physical strength couldn¡¯t save him from being burned by a flamethrower, shot by a bullet in the head, or torn apart by a shell. Robert indeed saw such deaths here. Moreover, after fighting inside the enemy¡¯s positions, he confirmed the truth about the horrible deeds of beastmen.
Those cute hybrids of bunnies, foxes, or wolves with humans treated the latter as pure psyches. Rob saw quite a few severed heads, impaled on long sticks, which were used as decorations of the trench. The stories about the possible outcome of captivity were even scarier with the amputation of genitals, long tortures for fun, and other horrors. No wonder nobody from the Kingdom¡¯s side tried to take prisoners, shooting them directly on the spot as wild crazy animals. That decreased the chances of surviving quite a lot, crossing out possible surrender as an option. Robert, himself, had overlived three changes in the company¡¯s composition and two lieutenants. Just by his own observation eight of out ten soldiers had an average duration of life on the battlefield no longer than two months.
Real meat grinder¡ Okay, don¡¯t be a chicken¡ Do the beastmen have such a mixture? Would be hilarious¡ To the point. Do not be afraid. On the contrary, you can make Roberto¡¯s family proud of his deeds. The lieutenant was speaking something about a medal for me for my previous achievements in staying alive. Hell, you could easily die before this war will end. You don¡¯t have anyone here, so it¡¯s not a big problem to give away your accomplishments. It might be better for them to know that their son was a hero who gloriously fought against the enemy, and not the real truth about dying even before stepping on the battlefield. Maybe the decision to support the hope isn¡¯t kind, but it¡¯s better than seeing no purpose in the loss of the child.
Taking out the letter from the pocket, Robert noticed his shaking hands. Despite his reasoning, he was worried. He even didn¡¯t want to come inside the cover, where it was much lighter than outside, but simultaneously more packed with others. The soldiers always struggled to keep their curiosity about family business to themselves. Rob just didn¡¯t want to experience it, while reading a hopeful message to an already dead guy. Not to say answering the questions about something he didn¡¯t know.
At least Robert could read it without any problems. His acquired trait to communicate with local species in realms covered not only speaking but also writing. Moreover, it felt like an automatic in-built translation with corrections according to context. He didn¡¯t need to think about special terms or to carefully adjust measurements to local ones as they went on the background. A few times he had small misunderstandings, but overall it felt as if there was no language barrier at all. The same thing was with writing ¨C his mind and eyes saw familiar letters, but reality showed something completely different. It was insanely convenient and no wonder it was included in God¡¯s envoy package by default. However, it didn¡¯t cover one thing ¨C handwriting.
No way I can write in a similar way to Roberto. If I could, I might have used printed letters and not cursive, but there is no way I am doing it when I can¡¯t control a thing in my writing¡ Wait. I can mention that I am slightly wounded in my hand from a fragment and can¡¯t use a pen by myself. Nothing too serious, just a scratch, but it still stops me from writing myself. Yes, it may work¡ I can add information about Beth to switch their attention. Nope, I do not know if he had a fianc¨¦. Okay, let¡¯s read first¡ Dear Roberto Diadkoleborshviz¡ what a hell of a family name¡ Unfortunately, I have to inform you¡ deep breakthrough¡ attacked your home village¡ both parents and sister¡ my sincere condolence¡ Shit, shit, shit!
Chapter 64 (2-22)
The cacophony of sounds was overbearing, filling all surroundings with the music of war. Shouts, gunfire, painful screams, explosions, and even more shots imbued the air itself with panic, adrenaline, and fear, making it viscous and hard to breathe. Or it could be caused by a smell ¨C an awful mixture of decomposing corpses, powder, burned flesh, and rubber. The familiar scent for any soldier on the frontlines, but it didn¡¯t make it any easier to get used to it. However, Robert, his own heartbeat was much louder.
Almost trying to jump out from his chest, it was pushing him faster and faster across the field. His peripheral vision constantly was catching the sight of another fallen ally, but the pulses of fear were instantly suppressed by a will to live. And the single option of survival was ahead of him, right inside the enemy¡¯s trench. Therefore, he just gritted his teeth and continued to run, jumping over any obstacles, be it a crater from a shell or his own dead comrade-in-arms.
The defense line appeared suddenly. Rob barely managed to stop himself from taking aim, as a rain of bullets started to fly around his motionless figure. Moving the barrel across the trench, he finally got an image of a soldier with a grenade in his hand. The loud shot resounded across the field. The tiny projectile that had left his rifle seemed to pause for a moment before disappearing only to create a hole directly in the eye of the rabbit¡¯s ears owner. Dropping down after the hit, the enemy somehow managed to throw the grenade out of cover.
The raging explosion right above the fortified line had sent multiple fragments across the surroundings. Robert barely managed to cover himself with a giant shield, only to see how it turned into a flat version of a colander. Still, Rob didn¡¯t feel any pain as if he was not wounded at all. This oddity was thrown away when he jumped inside the trench. Showing the rifle right into the face of the scared beastman, he pulled the trigger. The shot had blown away the back part of the head, scattering the remnants of the brain on the wall behind. Rob didn¡¯t stop.
Pushing the corpse right on other enemies, he turned around only immediately ducked under the following gunshot. Shortening the distance before the enemy managed to reload, Rob had put forward his rifle. The moment later his bayonet impaled the enemy, raising him up in the air. The shock from the strike distorted the face of the beastman, but the latter still tried to pull it out from his chest. He died a few seconds later. However, the death grip appeared to be too strong, basically leaving Robert without a weapon among dozens of armed enemies.
Where the fuck are the others?
Creating a small axe and shield, Rob rushed in melee, not giving beastmen any opportunity to aim. The first strike had crushed the palm of the nearest enemy. The following hit with the edge of the shield aimed for the nose, but the height difference shifted the place of impact to the forehead. Not sparing a moment as a result of his attacks, Robert just continued to move, turning into a hitting machine. Beastfolks were slightly bigger and stronger than the average citizen of the Kingdom, who in most cases was a mixture of human and dwarf. However, in comparison to Rob, they had no advantage at all. Taking into account his combat experience, the situation was even worse for them, leaving tens of bodies in different states, but with a single similar characteristic ¨C they all couldn¡¯t get up. Still, despite losses, there were many more enemies that he could handle singlehandedly.
Reacting to a pointed revolver, Rob instantly remade his axe into another shield, basically changing hands. The bullet had ricocheted from a steel surface, leaving a dent. The moment later Robert had swung with his arm. The steel turned into a greyish liquid before solidifying into a long saber, the blade of which had left a deep cut on the neck of the shooter. Catching the palm with a gun, Rob had to release it immediately to avoid a torrent of bullets.
Roaring with anger, he dispersed the steel and grabbed the corpse of the officer by its clothes only to throw it immediately into a row of enemies. Too scared to approach, they wanted to shoot him from the distance, involuntary grouping in one place. The body-size projectile had crashed into their ranks, dropping everyone on the ground. Not wasting any time, Rob jumped over, landing with his boot on the head of a foxman. Under his weight the skull cracked, making its owner go limp. Conjuring the dagger, Robert wanted to continue his massacre when he noticed the grenade.
The hast pull had ignited the wick, creating a wave of panic among lying soldiers. However, he was already running to the nearest deepening, making an internal countdown. The dozens of corpses created a huge obstacle. Rob was barely keeping his balance, pushing himself forward with all his might. Still, the so-desired cover seemed to be only further and further away from him. The whole trench was already covered with dead. Immediately his legs started to fall through the bodies as if trying to keep him in one place.
Moreover, there were rats everywhere. Damn rodents that were constantly making life in the trench even worse than it could be, eating the soldier¡¯s food or even the bodies of fallen. Sneaking everywhere in a search for what to gnaw, those filthy creatures just refused to disappear. And even now, they continued to run in insane numbers, creating almost a squeaking river from themselves. No wonder Robert tripped at some point, faceplanting right into the pile.
Opening his eyes a moment later, Rob saw the forever-frozen expression of the cheeky brat from the truck that was mere centimeters from his own face. Before this oddity managed to raise a question inside his mind, the explosion raged. No, the EXPLOSION. It felt as whole world had collapsed. The earth had shaken, before simply breaking apart. Robert felt as if he was falling. Then the shockwave came. Throwing away him as if he were a simple leaf, pulled him in a huge whirlwind. Dark, sinister, it was rampaging in anger, trying to suck the whole world inside itself. Instead, it started to pull corpses. Hundreds of them. Thousands of motionless bodies in different states ¨C some visually intact with tiny holes, but most had limbs torn, huge gruesome open wounds, or even could be barely identified as living beings.
Rob was rotating inside this huge pile, when each second another mask of death was literally shown inside his face. All air was forcefully taken from his lunges, slowly strangling him both physically and mentally. However, before the surroundings had darkened forever, Robert saw a huge figure of a soldier with a flamethrower. Towering above the whirlwind, he silently pointed his weapon before pulling the trigger, setting the whole world ablaze. The heat, the light, the pain ¨C everything finally reached the deepest part of Rob¡¯s soul, burning it to ashes only to ignite it once again a moment later. The terror gripped him in the hugs. And Robert screamed, not able to endure this torture anymore.
¡°Hey, big guy, calm down, everything is good. It is just a dream,¡± Beth¡¯s voice slowly made it throw his panicked mind, while Rob tried to grasp the air. Breathing heavily, he felt he was drowning in fire. Hastily raising his head, he looked around in an attempt to confirm that it was just his imagination. The plain white walls of the small back room, where they both shared a bed, finally managed to calm him down.
¡°Just a nightmare¡¡±, Beth repeated with a calming tone, gently touching Rob¡¯s back.
¡°Awfully realistic, I need to say. It was more like memories at first that turned into a nightmare at some point,¡± he sighed, before turning his face to the girl. She didn¡¯t change much from their first meeting a year ago.
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Tiny nose on a cute face, and big brown eyes with constant bags under them, she was looking at him with a worried expression. Her blonde loose hair was barely touching her shoulders. Small in comparison to a huge Robert, almost fragile with her thin arms and legs, she on the contrary had quite a character.
Beth wasn¡¯t joking that this was the place where women were choosing. Rob, himself, thought of their first night as a single pleasant occasion, not having a single thought about any continuation. Being a soldier in the war who had died once and who had a connection to a Transcendent entity with god¡¯s syndrome, it was a na?ve dream to build any deep relations. He could die or be taken into another realm at any moment. However, the girl just simply grabbed his hand, before literally dragging him from the hospital bed to help her again with the wounded. The ¡°payment¡± was made later. That was how she called their second night together.
During this year they didn¡¯t have many occasions to meet. Less than a dozen in fact. Only critical losses in his company and Robert¡¯s injuries allowed him to come back. On their fourth meeting, he was told that he didn¡¯t need to be jealous and that he was the only one until Beth changed her mind. However, she never did even after so many months with so rare meetings.
¡°Do you know how it is convenient to have you as a shield? That stupid Roger stopped bothering me, literally fearing that you would break him in a fit of rage.¡±
¡°What? But why? I am very calm you know¡¡±
¡°I know that but not everyone. You raised a truck for a bet in front of a whole hospital. And that only after a day I took a shrapnel from your arm¡ Moreover, the ogres are often described as strong and brutal barbarians without a single brain cell. What any sane man will think if such a person is going to become jealous? Obviously, they are done¡ which is precisely what I want.¡±
¡°But is it only that¡,¡± Robert''s gaze pointed to her nude body, which was currently lying on himself.
¡°Just a pleasant bonus,¡± he only smiled at that answer.
As time went on, both continued to pretend that it wasn¡¯t serious. Or maybe it wasn¡¯t. Rob, himself, didn¡¯t have any prior experience and many times pondered about their relationships. He didn¡¯t know if it was love. He indeed felt a connection, but it wasn¡¯t like in the movies that he saw. There was no strong passion or drama. They always lacked the time together as circumstances were constantly interfering with something. He didn¡¯t know even much about her or her family. Even Beth¡¯s preferences or dislikes were mostly a mystery to him. They never discussed a possible future. Never imagined ¡°what if¡±. Still, Robert felt a bond. And he cared about her, simultaneously noticing the same behavior coming from the girl.
¡°Are you okay?¡± Beth asked again, gently touching his bold head, ¡°I still think it was better for you with long hair.¡±
¡°I am good now¡ And it is more convenient to wear a helmet in such a way,¡± answered Rob, finally throwing away all traces of the nightmare from his mind.
¡°With a short beard you really look like a human, and not an ogre,¡± she smiled, turning around and leaning onto him with her back. Hugging her without thinking, Robert felt her tiny fingers playing with his palm.
¡°But you are human according to your words¡ Nope, I don¡¯t believe you, Rob¡ Your wounds are healing with unnatural speed. You don¡¯t have any scars at all, even from the wounds I personally treated. Your strength suppresses any human by a good margin. And you do look like an ogre. I know what you are going to say but I don¡¯t believe you, big guy,¡± she continued, interrupting him before he managed to open his mouth.
¡°And what about this?¡±
Conjuring a steel flower in his free hand, Robert asked with a grin. It was simple and looked like a drawing of a kid ¨C crooked, disproportional, but made with diligence. However, such proof was once again disregarded. They had such a conversation before when he shared part of the truth about himself, but it didn¡¯t lead to anything. Beth just refused to believe, and he never tried to persuade her.
¡°Ogrish trick, and not a magic. We all thought that flying was impossible until dirigibles were invented. I don¡¯t know how you are doing it but there is a scientific answer somewhere. The lack of knowledge always makes people think about mythical explanations. That is what I was taught during my education. You just are afraid about telling the secret of the trick, leaving at least one part of you that I never seen,¡± answered Beth, biting his arm lightly.
¡°And have you seen everything else?¡±
¡°Oh, I bet I have,¡± turning around her head, she forcefully kissed Robert before returning to her previous position. The next few minutes went in silence before he broke it.
¡°I had a proposal¡¡±
¡°What? Who is my competitor?!¡± Feigning an indignation, asked Beth immediately.
¡°Proposal from an officer¡¡±
¡°Oh, of course, some random higher-up who had noticed my ogre. How can I compete with her?¡± Continuing her play, she once again bit his arm.
¡°I am serious, Beth. I¡¯ve got a proposal¡ an offer to join a newly formed squad of what could be possible special forces... They don¡¯t have a proper name currently and are only in the process of forming. If we manage to complete a task, I will be transferred from frontlines to this newly formed unit¡ Wanted to ask your opinion. It could be very dangerous, but instead can give opportunities. To get an easy leave at least. And more.¡±
The silence reigned in the room for even longer, before finally the girl started to talk. She never turned her head, speaking in a calm tone as if everything was fine.
¡°I think you should agree. This is not only a higher chance to survive, but a guaranteed possibility to get much more than just sitting in trenches for weeks in a single area. Moreover, I, myself, will be transferred to another hospital, far from the frontline. This is our last night, but¡¡±.
¡°What? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±
¡°Because why should I? This is my decision¡ And I don¡¯t need your agreement for that. Never needed, never would,¡± hearing it, Robert pulled his body away from Beth in an attempt to understand. Maybe he couldn¡¯t name them as a proper couple, but he indeed thought they were together and not just for night¡¯s spending.
¡°We had a pleasant time, but in fact, you don¡¯t know me, and I don¡¯t know you. The war is not the best place to build anything serious. Both of us can die. And I don¡¯t want such an outcome ¨C to be heartbroken because of the loss of my beloved. Just no, I refuse to be in such a situation. Thus, I am going to a safer place, where I will try to build everything properly with a guarantee that nothing will break apart a few days later!¡±
Her calm voice was hammering Rob¡¯s heart with the force of an electric sledgehammer. He couldn¡¯t accurately describe his own feelings to her. Was it a nascent love or just an attachment with benefits, he knew it was only a matter of time before it would grow into something bigger. The main problem of the constant lack of time together would be solved by itself eventually. Or not, as her words had a crashing effect on his feelings. Even cooling one. Robert still tried to calm himself down, before speaking, in an attempt to find the correct words.
¡°I understand your fears, Beth, but we can work over them. I agree that to be devasted by a loss is quite scary, but¡¡±
¡°No "but"! I made my decision already!¡±
Sighing heavily, Rob paused for a moment to organize his messy thoughts. Ten seconds later he stood up and started to dress up, despite haze, which covered all surroundings. He felt that his mind was captured by the very same whirlwind from a nightmare. Chaotic, destructive, and dark, it had put all his thoughts in a real mess.
¡°Why are going? We have a few more hours. Last chance to spend some time together.¡±
Those words didn¡¯t halt Robert even for a moment, despite her deliberately calm tone. It wasn¡¯t what she meant in reality. He could easily see that Beth was still hiding her face. He noticed small signs of trembling. He could hear how her voice started to break, and she had to make additional pauses between words as if she was barely able to breathe. He could observe all that but didn¡¯t try to rush in an attempt to change her mind.
Rob was sure that there was a chance. Simple hugging, kissing her neck, or absolute confidence in his words might reverse the whole situation, but it would be an illusion. Nothing would really change ¨C the war would still continue. Nobody could be sure about their future. Especially in his case. He didn¡¯t want to hurt her even more, when he died or disappeared, being transferred to another realm. She didn¡¯t deserve such fate and it was indeed better to end everything earlier. Otherwise, clinging to her would later lead a whole situation to the edge of the cliff, making a possible drop-down much more painful. Still, Robert couldn¡¯t resist but ask.
¡°When the war ends and if we are both alive, do you want me to find you?¡±
¡°No¡¡±
¡°Be happy, Beth,¡± a sad smile appeared on Robert¡¯s face, before he walked out of the room, grabbing his rifle and backpack on the way. The closed door had hidden the silent cry of a girl, who didn¡¯t find the courage to see his face until it was too late.
Chapter 65 (2-23)
The night had met Rob with a gentle breeze. The starry sky was as impressive as it could possibly be. Cloudless, it had no competitors in terms of lighting the surroundings as even the base was covered in darkness for the sake of protection from the dirigible¡¯s bombardment. Still, it wasn¡¯t silent as the guards were constantly patrolling the whole area, loudly checking each nightwalker.
And there was music. Barely audible, it instantly captivated Robert¡¯s mind, making him turn his attention to a search for the source. Or it was an attempt to redirect his painful thoughts in a different direction. Still, he followed the beautiful sound of an orchestra that was coming from a gramophone.
The whole place was a small city earlier but was turned into a military base a few years earlier when the frontlines stabilized. There were no civilians here, but Rob could still see traces of their previous life here. The half-broken playground with remnants of what made children smile and laugh with joy. The faded sign of the caf¨¦ on the nearest building, where locals might meet a new workday with a cup of hot coffee. The row of flowerpots, now dried or empty. It felt like the life went from here only to be replaced with survival.
This year had a strong impact on Robert. It wasn¡¯t the first war, but overall conditions made it much uglier and scarier. His role as an operator, who was fighting against an alien swarm, had made him view the battles as a coin with only two sides. Any breach of the bunker meant quick death, while the opposite result led to a win. There was almost no middle ground. Either you repel the attack, or you die with all defenders.
The battlefields in the Middle Ages felt much bloodier, but in a way quite honest. Your own skill, your strength, your physical condition ¨C everything influenced your chances to live longer. They were chaotic, but mostly it depended on yourself whether you would make it. You saw your opponents from close. You literally faced them in a direct fight. There could be many of them simultaneously, but it was still within the ability to react to the threat. However, the current war was different. More random. And much more deadly.
The luck had no less impact on the chances to live than your own strength or skill. Just a single fragment from an exploded shell might kill you at any moment. Moreover, it could be even caused by a friendly fire. Even outside the battle, you couldn¡¯t feel safe as it would take a mere second before whistling sounds might turn into waves of explosions. Just shockwaves from them caused a lot of damage afterward ¨C the regular headaches were the smallest part of it. Harsh conditions didn¡¯t add any health either.
Robert was much better than others in this regard with his increased regeneration, but that didn¡¯t mean it was easy. Surprisingly, the human¡¯s body was very fragile in some cases, easily dying from a simple scratch that led to an infection, while being tough enough to live through multiple holes from bullets. However, often it was mental health that broke first. Such constant pressure was as heavy as a mountain, periodically aiming to crush all sanity that you managed to keep in such a situation.
And there were faces. Hundreds of them. Thousands. Young and old, they each indicated a person, who went through hell only to stay there forever. No matter how Robbert tried to distance himself from others, it was impossible not to communicate with comrades-in-arms. However, the death toll appeared to be too huge. New soldiers arrived to replace the fallen one only to die in a month or two. Then new faces came instead, again and again repeating this terrible cycle.
The scariest part was that Robert started to forget those faces and people behind them. He could barely remember the name of the infantry squad inside his bunker on Earth. His memory had wiped out everyone from the training camp, except his closest friends. It even took him a few minutes to remember the real name of Wolf. It was much worse in here. Rob failed to remember who told him a funny story about local pigs and their connection to extinct orcs. Or who taught him how to use a machine gun properly and avoid overheating it in no time. He thought he knew, but with such gaps in memory he wasn''t sure as there was nobody left who could confirm it.
That was the main reason why he pondered about the offer, not knowing what to do.
Beth was my anchor of normality here¡ But now? Do I want to become one of many casualties of the war in a foreign realm for me only to disappear without a trace, forgotten by anyone? At least I can do some meaningful. Even if we fail, I tried¡ Wait! No, not for that ¨C don¡¯t lie to yourself, Rob. No noble reasons. You just want to break out of this damned cycle. The chance to die is about the same, no matter what the mission will be, but it will bring something new. So, let¡¯s do it. This world is already like hell, so nothing will change for me¡ That bloodsucker could indeed bath in blood here, not feeling any danger with his insane regeneration¡ Wait! Is it..?
Finally finding the source of the music, Robert was shocked to see that the sound was coming from a light room on the ground floor of the building, where currently two persons were sitting at the table. One of them was that dwarf officer, who had checked his information before sending him to war. Another was a major, who had offered him to be a part of his special forces squad.
It is destiny then. What was his name? Major Bronson? Bowson? Barkson? Oh, fuck it!
Quickly going around the corner, Robert stopped for a moment, before resolutely knocking on the door of what former was a barbershop, but now turned into a personal cabinet of a military officer.
¡°I am sorry, sir, to bother you at such a time, but I saw you through the window and decided not to lose an opportunity to agree on your offer of transfer,¡± pushing the door and immediately ducking under its header not to hit it with his head, Rob hastily started to talk before both higher-ups managed to answer.
¡°Did I give you permission to enter, private?¡± The dwarf captain almost roared with anger, while raising his head from the papers on the desk.
¡°Calm down, Ironspike,¡± Rob¡¯s ass was saved by a major, who interrupted his colleague. Gazing at the tall figure, he nodded, before commanding: ¡°Good. There are a few trucks, which are going to head to Avden Town at dawn for a resupply. Board on them, get to Avden, report to any officer, and wait. I will be by the evening. Will pick you up and we will move to others from the squad. Got it, soldier?¡±
¡°Yes, sir! Will be done, sir,¡± Rob quickly nodded and tried to turn around, but was stopped by a shout.
¡°Where are going, private? Take your documents or else others will see you as a deserter. If my soldier is going to die, then it will be during the mission and not because of my own stupidity. After that, you are dismissed.¡±
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Giving himself a mental kick, Robert patiently waited for a dwarf to fill a paper, before hastily taking it and leaving the room. It felt physically uncomfortable to be in the same place with two high rank officers, who could easily determine your fate. Therefore, the shorter the contact was, the safer it was for him. At least that is what he heard as one of the rules of the military from his first lieutenant. Army¡¯s universal wisdom not to get problems on your ass ¨C that was how it was called.
¡°I do understand why you have picked him. I was the one who basically recommended him but aren¡¯t you suspicious about his real identity?¡± asked the dwarf, pointing at the closed door.
¡°The year of service, third rank medal for bravery after surviving so many battles, second rank for fortitude after being wounded thrice ¨C it¡¯s enough to see him as a soldier I need. Especially, taking into account his capabilities from ogre¡¯s lineage. So, for me, he is that Roberto Diadko¡ for nature¡¯s sake what the hell with this family name?¡±
¡°Just bad luck on his name. It was a single unfound dead with a similar name,¡± commented Captain Ironspike, recalling the event.
¡°No wonder ¨C that blast has obliterated half of the armored train. Stupid idea to transfer new soldiers together with ammunition, while not even trying to hide this fact from the enemy. Those idiots from the government basically gave an interview to a newspaper about their glorious achievement of gathering everything in time just to win a few points for future elections! Dumbasses!¡±
¡°I hope you, Major Krybor, are keeping your future operation in secret. But still wanted to ask about other candidates. Too curious not to do it,¡± dwarf shrugged with a wide smile.
¡°Major my ass, dear cousin! Such information might be safer without additional owners¡ unless such disclosure could give me more benefits.¡±
¡°A bottle of whiskey from my personal stock,¡± dwarf reacted immediately, but was stopped with a palm that showed three fingers, ¡°No! Two, not more. It¡¯s a damn good whiskey!¡±
¡°Deal,¡± both shook hands before Major opened his case and put several documents on his desk. Opening the first one, he started to talk.
¡°Excluding our dear ogre, I stopped on seven more. Before you ask why them, I must explain my reasoning. First, nobody will give me too important soldiers for the sake of experimenting. This whole idea of a special task force might not work in the cruel reality of a frontal war, where neither we nor our enemy can progress. Possible sabotages with the cost of lives of highly trained specialists might be not worth it in most cases.¡±
¡°Absolutely. Not that they have the opportunity to blend in beastmen society to sneak in,¡± nodded dwarf.
¡°Yeah. Second, their location. Technically, I could gather them from all over the place, but it is unreasonably costly. That limited their quantity by a lot. Adding two more reasons ¨C not all officers want to lose unique and skilled soldiers under their command and those soldiers may not be willing to risk their lives in a venture¡ this can explain how short my list has become. Last, but not least ¨C diversity. If I have limited chances to test this idea, I need to squeeze everything from each attempt. Therefore, such different characters can help me to see what has worked and what hasn''t¡ Of course, if they managed to return to give me feedback.¡±
¡°So, did you gather real freaks?¡±
Intrigued, captain Ironspike couldn¡¯t resist the temptation to ask while watching how his cousin was taking a document case with papers.
¡°Basically, yes. The first one is senior lieutenant Mason Teodor Brown, a pilot. Was demoted from a post on a bomber dirigible to piloting a scout version because he attempted to test the limits of the capabilities of the aircraft. Despite all warnings, managed to down two of them but was lucky to notice the enemy¡¯s attempt to gather force during the last crash, helping to prevent the possible breakthrough¡ The next one is a sniper, Corporal Garold Highhill.¡±
¡°Dwarf?¡± interrupting the major, asked Ironspike not even trying to hide his surprise. It was hard to believe that former underground livers didn¡¯t have a good sight.
¡°Pure blooded. And yes, he somehow has the eyes of a hawk. Driven by hatred for beastfolks, he agreed instantly just to kill more of them. No problems with him, except a constant critique of his higher us because they don¡¯t give him enough opportunities to shoot. The next two are brothers ¨C Raphael and Leonardo Oros. There were two more from their family, but they had died already. Previously members of the gang, they didn¡¯t manage to get rid of their criminal habitats, organizing the smuggling of alcohol to the frontline. Both were sentenced to death, but my offer was their way out.¡±
¡°They can become a problem, but I also see how their cunning can be handy.¡±
¡°Two women. One is Alice Berkly, a former chemistry professor from the university who volunteered after the death of her husband two years ago. And no, not on war ¨C problems with a heart. According to her, it made her reevaluate her wishes and life, which led to the army. Quite a specialist in anything that can explode. Another one is Margarette Carrey, a technician¡¡±
¡°Wait! Is she a daughter of that Colonel Carrey? The man who basically managed to turn useless dirigibles into a weapon of war by finding a replacement for flammable gas and working on their construction? That Carry?¡±
¡°Nope, just a coincidence in family names¡ Of course, she is! I don¡¯t know how she found out about my idea of a squad, but it was she who came to me with an offer of help, pointing out a quite interesting possible target to put the whole project to the test. In return, she made me include her in the list,¡± Major sighed, reclining on his chair.
¡°It can lead either to a disaster or to a triumph, my dear cousin. Wish you the former¡ Who is the last one?¡±
Dwarves question led to an even bigger sigh. However, before the mayor managed to open his mouth, there was a knock. Surprised, they both looked at each other.
¡°I bet that huge idiot forgot your instructions¡¡±
¡°I am sorry,¡± instead they heard a female trembling voice, ¡°I wanted to ask about Rob¡ Roberto.¡±
Squeezing through the barely opened door, a nurse with a tear-stained face came in only to stop after a single step. Looking at the floor as if too ashamed to raise her head, she was in complete disarray. A single glance was enough to notice how she was holding her emotions in hand with great effort.
¡°The patrol saw him coming inside¡ and I know about your offer to transfer¡ I just wanted to find him¡¡±
The words were barely audible as if it was too hard for her to speak. Both officers exchanged their looks once again before dwarf pointed at the window. The sunlight was already spreading all over the surroundings, dispelling the remnants of the night.
¡°I am sorry to inform you, my dear, but his truck is already gone. He is on the way to Avden Town to join his future comrades-in-arms before going on a mission. You will not see him for a while¡¡±
The last phrase was a lie, but Major still didn¡¯t find the strength to tell that the chances were too slim to expect it. Moreover, even in case of success, a new mission would arise. Still, seeing as a nurse had bitten her lips in an attempt to stop a burst of emotions, before hastily turning around and almost whispering ¡°I am sorry¡± only to run out of the room ¨C it made his old heart ache with pain.
¡°That dumbass had sneaked into the train to get to the war, pretending a different person. I bet it was because of some problems at home as I didn¡¯t notice any desire to be a hero in his eyes. Now he ran once again ¨C and from whom? From a girl with a broken heart? So huge, but so pathetic. Are you sure that you need him?¡±
¡°Hey, don¡¯t roll your eyes. Do you remember your own stupid deeds twenty years ago? Especially with the daughter of a drug store owner, who, I must remind you, you drooled over for a year when she told you that masculinity is not equal to a beard¡¯s length. Do you remember what you did? Youngster¡¯s drama was and will be always the thing. Unlike us, they have a huge stress from the war, those deaths, and a real chance not to live through tomorrow. Obviously, it will only intensify everything by a noticeable margin. Nothing here to criticize.¡±
¡°So will you send him back?¡± the dwarf smirked, trying to avoid the topic of his failed love and the event, which created a sticky nickname for a few years.
¡°Of course, no. Currently, I need soldiers and he is a damn good one.¡±
Chapter 66 (2-24)
The uneventful road to the military base in Avden Town was spent sleeping. Not having enough rest during the night, Robert tried to use the moment to get a proper rest while he could. Moreover, the dreamless darkness helped him to calm his mind after a sudden breakup. He had no doubts that it would take more time to stop feeling a painful ache in his heart. It was just a matter of the amount of it before the bright memories would fade enough not to bring anything more than a sad smile. Still, that was the thing for the future. Right now the image of Beth was too clear in his mind.
I hope the mission will help me to forget¡ Damn, what a stupid thought. I had a wish to have a normal life, but on the first mishap, I ran back to what I was accustomed to. Rob, that is precisely what you wanted, including an experience of fucking up your relationships. Be happy that it was handed in such a calm way¡ not that you would have had any other end in your situation with a leash on your neck. Appreciate it.
This thought didn¡¯t make him completely turn a new page, but still eased the uncomfortable feeling of emptiness inside him. Robert was sure that everything could have gone differently if they were in other circumstances. Unfortunately, they were not. The war gave a limited ability to decide their own fate. Dictating everyone¡¯s action, it didn¡¯t stop on it, constantly rolling a dice whether someone would live or not, thus adding even more chaos and making any attempt to plan anything futile. Once again, life had shown it wasn¡¯t fair, the world wasn¡¯t revolting around him and only his desire, no matter how strong it was, wasn¡¯t enough to change the whole reality.
Maybe if I was stronger¡ Like God-like stronger to singlehandedly win the war¡ Maybe only in such a way, I could reverse the situation¡ But it sounds like ¡°what if¡± ¨C a pointless attempt to imagine something that you will never experience because even if you have managed to achieve it, it doesn¡¯t mean that the whole world will follow your imaginary plan. Wishful thinking¡ Still, the power may be indeed an answer to some obstacles.
Robert had quite a progress through this time in steel manipulation. Despite the loss of his Hive-Mind brain, his mind was still much more capable of information processing than the average human. His ability to conjure the element only weakened the toll, feeling more like an additional limb. Yes, Rob had to train muscles to make them stronger or to work on the precision of movements, but overall it wasn¡¯t that hard. Nope, the hardest obstacle that he made a focus of his regular training was to overcome his limited ability to imagine objects.
Therefore, Robert¡¯s concentration on that task had given a result after a year of constant efforts. His biggest achievement was the ability to recreate a part of the scene before his eyes on the moving coin. It wasn¡¯t a hundred percent copy but was close enough to it. The randomness didn¡¯t give him the possibility to cheat on himself, while not limiting him to a set of trained objects. Even the volume of the steel he could summon had increased a lot, currently equaling to the size of two arms. Rob¡¯s arms that got some meat on them after being fueled by an endless flow of mana.
Luckily, his growth ability didn¡¯t increase his height, focusing on his body proportions first. Robert¡¯s lean athletic figure was almost gone by this point, slowly turning him into a massive hulk. Taking into account a bald head, short beard, and rough facial features, Rob¡¯s appearance was far from handsome, leaning into a dangerous type. Of course, that was reflected in his Status Screen, showing an overall improvement.
Human - Dragon Hybrid
Strength - 30 Agility - 16 Constitution - 30
Perception - 16 Mind - 31 Mana flow - 35
Elemental Affinity: Metal (Steel)
Active ability: Conjuring an element
Passive traits: Former God¡¯s Envoy, Rejuvenation, Endless growth
However, that didn¡¯t make Robert happy at all. His huge physical strength in comparison to locals wasn¡¯t useful in the slightest during the battles but was always exploited by officers at other times. Moving ammunition boxes or corpses, pulling the stuck truck from the mud, unloading supplies, carrying a machine gun to a new position ¨C every single time it was he who did it, ignoring the usual order that was used by others. At least such treatment eased the demand to get proper-sized boots for his huge feet. Still, he was fed up with such a permanent assignment.
¡°Can you help us with loading? You can think of it as a payment for transportation,¡± the driver didn¡¯t even blink while asking Rob the very same thing after they got to Avden Town. Robert used all his willpower to stop himself from insulting the soldier right on the spot or even breaking his jaw. Slowly exhaling to prevent any actions that he would regret, he answered.
¡°No. You can send a check to the major who has sent me here,¡± dropping down from the empty tuck, he only made a few steps when he caught a barely audible ¡°bastard¡±. Turning around, Rob quickly approached the driver, before putting his palm on the man¡¯s shoulder.
¡°Friend, you know I can hear you. I am big but not deaf. So, you better keep your thoughts to yourself or else I will be glad to use my fist to forcefully shove back all the words your flighty mouth managed to produce¡ and it can be quite bloody. Do you get it?¡±
¡°You will not dare, private. I have a higher rank,¡± the driver tried to oppose, but was interrupted with a sharp pain from a squeezed shoulder. Feeling as if it was put under the press, it was on the brink of crushing it by sheer force. The fact that the soldier had to raise his head high in the sky just to see Rob¡¯s face, didn¡¯t help a situation.
¡°Oh, sir corporal, I am¡ not sorry. And I will dare because the major who ordered me to come here and wait for him will protect me from any punishment¡ Not that you will be physically capable of seeing it yourself. You know, corpses struggle with that. So, either you shut up or you can continue your opinion about me in loud while testing the limits of my patience and rationality¡ Nothing to say? Good. Have fun with loading.¡±
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Releasing the driver, Robert went away without turning around. Despite his steady walking, he was shouting about his own stupidity inside his mind. The impulse of anger was clearly a result of a bad mood from the breakup and might lead to much dire consequences. There was some stretching in army rules, but discipline and hierarchy were too important to neglect them openly and not during the battle. The rule of shooting the deserters was kept without exceptions not without a reason. Fortunately, the accident was resolved without problems and Robert was picked up by the major later in the evening only to be put into another truck for the night trip.
The morning had met him in an enormous military camp, full of soldiers and equipment. Rob had never seen so many troops, gathered in one place. Hundreds of armored carriers, several dozens of tanks, and even ten dirigibles. Looking from the truck at the moving masses, it was the first time when he really realized the scale of war. Robert knew some numbers. He knew that the defense lines, where he personally had fought for a year, were stretching up to the horizon and further, reaching hundreds of kilometers. However, in most cases, the battlefield for him was limited to up to five or six companions, which already sounded a lot. This time he saw tens of thousands.
I bet the major will try to use the future offensive operation as a cover for our mission. Not a chance that such force is gathered just for fun¡
The lines of boxes with ammunition seemed endless. Located on an open field right under the sky, they were definitely meant to be used, not stored. And Rob knew how many shells were spent by artillery each day. The mountains of cases were gathered near firing positions only to be sent back to factories for recast. The same was true with the storage of crystallized fuel - toborium, which the whole realm used as a source of energy instead of diesel or petrol. Those crystals existed here from the beginning and had weirdly pushed the technology, not giving the ability to create a plane, but producing huge metal monsters with ease.
Rob had never tried to find out more about it as it didn¡¯t change anything for him. It was like an upgraded version of an ordinary coal with much bigger potential. Nothing more. The bullets still could kill. The shelling was scarier and much deadlier. Even a simple bayonet might lead to death with one unlucky hit. And all of them were never dependent on this toborium, thus making it just an interesting fact and not something crucial for survival to dive into it. Robert had enough things that he marked as more useful than knowledge of the ore that he might never meet again in other realms. Like resting.
The long road through a military base had ended near a big tent almost on the edge of a camp. It didn¡¯t have any special marking to indicate its belongings to any company or army. Just a plain dark grey cloth from all sides. It wasn¡¯t even much better than medieval versions from the first world. The simplicity of construction together with the need for resource savings during prolonged war couldn¡¯t bring much on the table for an upgrade. Still, it won over a sleeping inside trenches with ease. Especially in raining season.
¡°Follow me,¡± ordered the major, leaving the passenger seat of the truck and entering the tent. The loud laugh, which was coming from inside, died out instantly the moment the officer appeared in a doorframe. Robert had to tilt his head not to his forehead, which almost led to the crashing into the motionless figure of his new commander. Side-stepping in the last moment to avoid the contact, he clumsily caught his balance, before finally looking around.
Quite a common view of the tent with beds, random boxes, few racks, and personal belongings scattered everywhere differed from an accustomed one only by a single thing - a round table in the center of the tent. There were five people around it, currently standing still and eyeing the major. However, the set of cards and smoking cigarettes were a straightforward sign of what they were doing just a while ago.
¡°No drinking,¡± the officer had warned them, while moving his heavy gaze from one soldier to another, ¡°This is Roberto, a new addition to our squad. I see that getting to know each other didn¡¯t cause any problems. Hope it will be the same with him. Be ready for tomorrow. The last two members will join us in the morning.¡±
The chaotic answers of his comrades-in-arms were completely ignored by the major. He just gave everyone a stern look before finally leaving the tent.
¡°Where are you from, big guy?¡±
¡°What the hell were you eating in the childhood?¡±
Both questions were asked almost simultaneously. The first one was from a red-headed man with a broken nose and wide smile that showed quite a few gaps in teeth. The older version of him stood nearby, having a horrible scar on the cheek instead. His deep-set eyes had a piercing effect as if he tried to look inside everyone¡¯s mind. That differed a lot from the clearly more cheerful attitude of the younger brother. At least that was what Robert thought about both as the age difference wasn¡¯t big to label them as father and son.
The second question, on the other hand, was asked by a middle-aged woman. Dark-haired, with multiple wrinkles and dark eyes, she wasn¡¯t beautiful at all. However, she had a noticeable aristocratic aura in her posture. No arrogant, but more like noble. Such appearance created an even bigger contrast with her next words.
¡°How the fuck have you grown to such size?¡±
¡°I am half-ogre. Infantry, private in 189-93, sir,¡± answered Robert, seeing that he had the lowest rank among all according to markings.
¡°Nice! Down to earth with other common folks, and not like sappers ¨C Alice, or pilots - Mason, that we have here,¡± pointing at the woman first, he followed with the insanely thin man, who just nodded in return. The latter¡¯s facial features almost blended between themselves because of the pale sickly skin, making his short and well-groomed mustaches a single spot of attention.
¡°We are Marines with my brother. I am Raphael, and he is Leonardo,¡± shaking the hands of both, Robert smiled in return, while Raphael continued to speak.
¡°And yeah, we agreed between ourselves with confirmation from our dear senior lieutenant Brown to drop any formalities for now. At least before we start the mission. Okay, the last but not the least¡¡±
¡°Hey, I can introduce myself, you flaming prick! I am Corporal Garold Highhill, the best shooter in a hundred miles¡ With my help¡¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah. We all already know about your perfect sight, incredible skills, and your kill distance record,¡± the dwarf was interrupted by a pilot, Mason. Surprisingly, his voice sounded very soft, almost as if he was telling a fairy tale to his children, ¡°But I must remind you that everyone here seems to be unique in his or her own way. Just a single glance at our new colleague can confirm it. Or do you think anyone can beat him in a melee fight?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t need melee if I can kill my target before he even notices me,¡± muttered the blue-eyed dwarf, crossing his arms over his chest. His blonde beard was long enough to almost hide them underneath.
¡°That¡¯s why we have you. But in other cases, Roberto¡ right? Yes, Roberto will break their skulls with his own hands. I believe you can do it, can you?¡±
¡°Yep,¡± Rob just nodded to a pilot, ¡°but I prefer rifles ¨C much cleaner.¡±
¡°Yes, indeed, my dear tree-like friend,¡± the answer seemed to push a new dose of energy into the dwarf¡¯s mood, and he literally grabbed Robert¡¯s hand to shake it.
Tree-like? Like Aspen¡ I hope, my friend, you managed to achieve your goal¡ Got back your girl and saved the world.
¡°Do I need to call a stump then, Garold?... Just call me Rob or Ogre, I don¡¯t mind. Okay, may I join you? Haven¡¯t played for a while.¡±
Chapter 67 (2-25)
The game went through a few rounds with lazy talking. As far as Robert understood, the first member of the future squad was Mason. Coming a week ago, he waited for a few days before Alice joined him. The next day brought all others ¨C both Olos brothers and dwarf. Therefore they had enough time to get to know each other. Nobody dived into each other¡¯s past too deeply, but still, they picked some random facts.
Raphael shared the story of the landing operation, which ended badly and had taken the lives of his two brothers. During his speech, Leonardo only gazed silently, trying to hide the pain inside himself. Rob could clearly see the visible sign of self-blaming from the oldest brother because of his inability to save his family. Garold, the sniper, on the other hand, was just eager to shoot beast folks, which led him into the army on the first day of the invasion as a volunteer.
¡°They attacked us because of their own false claims. Of course, I needed to protect my country by killing those animals! It is a duty of each citizen.¡±
Mason was a military pilot even before the war started, not having a real choice. Robert, himself, told his made-up story about running from a circus and pretending to be another person, who had died during the bombing.
¡°The same shit. I played the role of the ideal wife and professor for so many years that had enough of this crap. Once my hubby died, I decided to change my whole life. Can¡¯t say the conditions are much better, but at least it feels real and not fucking theatrical play, where everyone tries to act according to the script but not because they want it only for the sake of normality. Hated with all my guts!¡±
¡°That explains a lot about why you are here¡,¡± Mason nodded and wanted to continue, but was interrupted by Alice.
¡°Do you think, shithead, that women can¡¯t be good soldiers? Fuck no! You, stupid dick-carriers, are often too drunk to think properly. Do you know how many times I saw how few sentinels fucked up their guard duties because someone smuggled a few bottles and they thought they were safe? Do you? But I have never seen such behavior from any girl! Why? Because we are fucking responsible. We think. We can be more than just stupid nurses!¡±
By the end, Alice almost shouted. Raphael lowered his head as if feeling a pang of guilt, while his brother had a stony expression. Mason only sighed, while waiting for an outburst to end. However, the first one to speak was Robert.
¡°Don¡¯t call nurses stupid. One of them had pulled out a fragment from my forehead, while others had put me back on my feet twice after different injuries. I don¡¯t see how medical workers can be any worse than soldiers. On the contrary, you don¡¯t need much to shoot, but you must know a lot to treat. There are many more wounded than dead after heavy shelling and only with their help they can live. It is indeed a more responsible task,¡± trying to suppress the sting in the heart from reminding himself about Beth, Rob spoke in the calmest tone he managed to produce.
¡°This long-existed custom that only man can be soldiers is already breaking with this war. We just don¡¯t have enough people not to use anyone who can and more important wishes to help. You are such an example yourself, Alice,¡± added Mason.
¡°Maybe you are right¡ I am sorry¡ You just don¡¯t know how it is hard to prove yourself as a capable soldier, while you are a woman¡ especially at my age,¡± she sighed, going silent. It didn¡¯t last long as Garold started to talk.
¡°Hey, look at me. I am a head lower. I¡¯ve seen several fatties who could barely walk for a few miles. Physical and mental endurance is the only necessity for a soldier right now¡ except shooting skills, of course. And that is not gender exclusive. Moreover, the instinct of self-preservation is not widespread among men. Once I saw the man who was so shy to poop near others that went outside the trench only to be met with shelling right at the moment when he relaxed¡ So, when he started running back with pants down, his shit was still coming from his ass, literally accelerated by explosions raging nearby.¡±
¡°Did he make it?¡±
¡°Partly yes. One of the fragments had cut his dick off, while a few pierced his arms and leg¡ So, when he fell into the trench, screaming from pain and begging for help, he was met with the same shy attitude from others. Nobody wanted to touch his dick¡ or what was left of it¡ to bandage it and stop the blood loss. In the end, the lieutenant had to give his direct order or else this dumbass would die,¡± somehow Garold¡¯s words reversed the mood completely. Alice was the first to continue.
¡°I have a similar story when our engineer squad was tasked to blow up the bridge. We had set the explosive and were ready to light the fuse when someone noticed the absence of a soldier from the added company. That idiot went to pee, while smoking, choosing the bridge support as a toilet. And of course, he managed to drop his fucking cigarette right on the fuse. Panicking, the retard tried to stop the fire while pushing his dick back into the pants. Then he finally remembered what the task was and decided just to run away. Didn¡¯t make it far before the shock wave and the heat threw his burned body directly to our position. The idiot was lucky to survive to explain how the fuck he managed almost kill himself.¡±
Noticing the looks that were focused on him, Rob quickly went through his memory, before starting to talk.
¡°I don¡¯t have anything remotely stupid. The closest was the competition between soldiers in my squad who had bigger balls¡ or smaller brains ¨C depending on how you look at it¡ to delay the throw of ignited grenade as long as possible. We just captured the enemy¡¯s trench with quite a few boxes of ammunition. The sergeant had to intervene when the fragments had blinded the winner in one eye. Later the very same sergeant got drunk back on the base and decided to travel back to his hometown to meet his wife by throwing away the driver from the nearest truck and crashed directly into a row of soldiers, killing at least three of them. Yep, not funny.¡±
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¡°Ouch¡¡±
¡°Damn,¡± Raphael agreed, before taking his turn, ¡°The biggest idiot I¡¯ve seen was Billy. The guy was so scared to be shot during the landing that begged others to shoot him in the leg so he could avoid the operation with proper reason. Everyone refused and that idiot decided to do it himself. He took a rifle, aimed at his foot, and shot. From the pain and after seeing his own blood, he immediately lost consciousness. Waking in the hospital, Billy thought that he finally achieved his goal, but our lieutenant had crashed his dreams, putting him on the boat with the task of cover-up fire, despite the wounded foot. Or, more precisely, because of it. Therefore, when the landing boat was hit and started to sink, Billy could barely swim with a single moving leg. You can predict the outcome.¡±
The conversation followed with several similar stories from their experience in war but soon turned into plans. By this point, only Mason, Garol, and Alice continued to talk. Olos brothers only mentioned the problem with the law, before going silent, while Rob just couldn¡¯t even imagine anything specific. His mind was able to produce only scenes from the family movies, but that were fictional and completely unrealistic, even if without taking into account how situation. The breakup with Beth also didn¡¯t help.
I want a normal life¡ but do I know what is normal? Can even lead it or it will be just a matter of time before I follow the example of Alice of escaping that theatrical fake life and returning to what I am accustomed to. And do I even need to think about it when I am not sure about my tomorrow? For now, Rob, follow the flow and enjoy the things that are available right now¡ It is hard to predict what will wait for me in the future.
The rest of the day went uneventful. The only unpleasant surprise appeared to be the awfully loud snoring of Garold, which was barely tolerable. It wasn¡¯t a problem for Robert as with the decreased need for sleep he mostly used the latter as a way to calm down the nerves, and not to really rest. That was the reason why Rob often volunteered to guard at night, simultaneously getting the ability to train in conjuring steel without additional and unwanted questions. However, the full camp of soldiers couldn¡¯t provide any privacy and was in no need of guarding, thus making his night quite boring. Not that Robert was complaining. Any sane soldier always loved a boring time¡ until they would howl at the moon because of the absence of any action and real meaningful deeds.
¡°Can¡¯t sleep? Me too ¨C that dwarf is like a punishment for our sins. Pure sound torture,¡± Rob heard someone¡¯s voice from the back. Turning around and noticing Mason, he shook his head before answering.
¡°No, I rarely want to sleep, but if I do, such musical accompaniment will not be enough to disturb me after leaving in the fields. Nope, just looking at the night sky. Unfortunately, too many lights around to enjoy the scenery,¡± sighed Robert ruefully. After a long stay on the island, not only did he really enjoy the embrace of the night, but periodically wanted to be alone, far from other people, who often didn¡¯t notice their own intrusive behavior.
¡°How do you do it? That trick with coin¡ It is constantly changing and disappears whenever you need a free palm,¡± asked the pilot instead, pointing at Rob¡¯s hand. The latter had to redirect his attention to his own hands as such movement became almost a habit a while ago.
¡°Magic¡ It is why I was also called Ogre the Magician by my comrades-in-arms,¡± Rob smiled lightly, raising his palm and making the coin stay vertically for a moment before spinning it with a mental command. He heard this question way too often, answering with the same words every time.
¡°I can see the life in the circus couldn¡¯t be simply forgotten, no matter how hard you try,¡± Mason commented, ¡°Never tell the secret of the trick.¡±
¡°I guess you are right,¡± Rob nodded, inwardly changing ¡°circus¡± to ¡°army during the war¡±.
He knew he was mentally prepared for the war from his childhood in training centers. He rarely had any nightmares and even when he did, he could fall asleep a few minutes later. Any gruesome and terrible scene of dead or wounded soldiers was mostly likely already seen and had no effect on his state of mind. It became too common to even react. He got used to it. And that was the problem as Rob knew how hard was for a noticeable part of the soldiers to come back from the war to an ordinary life. He wished he was one of those who could easily adapt. However, it sounded exactly the same as everyone could die but not me. Another possible wishful thinking. Maybe he was already broken beyond any repair.
¡°Don¡¯t sit for too long. The major might be not pleased if he sees you yawning during his briefing¡ Moreover, don¡¯t be too deep in your thoughts ¨C it will not help. As my father liked to repeat ¨C the darkness can¡¯t be absolute and permanent because then it will not be the true darkness. The same goes for light. So, just endure the hardships and either you will become strong enough to not feel any burden, or the road itself will end.¡±
Patting his shoulder, Mason stood up and went inside the tent. Rob still managed to catch his mumbling about ¡°damn dwarf¡± before he was left alone. The memories started to flash before his eyes.
His time in the bunker with regular waves of aliens. The death and transfer to a new world. His wanders in an unknown forest before finding a burning village. Military camp and new friends. First convoy mission that almost ended badly. The shitty village, which became a grave for Monk and Wolf. The mass battle under a meteor rain spell. Another cursed village and later the town before the fateful mage¡¯s tower. Second death and endless ocean. Bared island, lizards, and stupid amphibians, especially their king. Volcano and his battle against the monster. The truth about fake God, the vampire, and the realm of war. Beth and thousands of deaths all around him. The sudden break-up and new squad with possible suicide mission at the doorsteps.
I managed to live through this hell, despite how hard and dangerous it was. I don¡¯t want to give up after my horrible experience. Maybe not for the sake of normal life as I am not sure I really know what it is, but for the future light I need to continue, so everything wasn¡¯t futile. I have already grown in strength during my journey, but it is not enough. I need to get stronger to go further on my road and maybe at some point, I will know what I want from my life. Until then, I will simply push forward and forward¡ even if it makes me look like a stupid hamster in a wheel. Cardio training is never a bad thing.
Chapter 68 (2-26)
Even from a distance, the heated discussion was heard clearly. Two voices ¨C male and female ¨C were on the brink of shouting at each other. The tent partly muffled the sound, making the topic unknown to outsiders. And there were quite a few as a whole Robert¡¯s group, led by the major, was approaching the place, where they had to meet their last two members and finally get the details of the mission.
¡°Nice teaming,¡± Mason commented, exchanging glances with Rob.
¡°Maybe it is not that bad,¡± Raphael disagreed, ¡°Everyone can¡¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you dare to come near me, you, stupid blockhead!¡±
Entering the tent, they all saw a young woman was already in throwing motion, aiming the bottle directly at the head of a smiling man. The latter easily avoided the projectile, raising his empty palms and speaking with a resentful tone.
¡°Hey, lady, calm down, both of you, please! You were the first who was literally eyeing my ass, barely holding yourself from drooling over it, but the moment I praised your own¡ asset¡ with, worth mentioning, quite flattering wording, you decided to show your bad temper. I haven¡¯t done anything!¡±
¡°You would regret it if you did!¡± she shouted instantly while searching for another thing to throw.
¡°I am already regretting... A truly beautiful woman has not only an appearance but elegance and exquisiteness in her character. And while you have plenty of former, the lack of the latter puts a huge no, like real huge, to any possibilities¡¡±, the man demonstratively sighed.
¡°Possibilities? There is none as no sane woman can see you as anything but a filthy and rude barbarian without manners!¡±
¡°Oh, you would be surprised by the real number¡ not that you have a chance to experience it yourself,¡± the man smirked, leading to another roar from the woman. She immediately grabbed the nearest cup and threw it. This time the man wasn¡¯t so lucky. Distracted by the appearance of the major, he missed it completely, getting hit directly into his forehead.
¡°Calm down, both!¡± the command from the major was ignored as they started to talk simultaneously.
¡°Sir, you must put her in the cage ¨C she is too wild¡¡±
¡°Mister Krybor, I don¡¯t want his presence in our mission!¡±
¡°SHUT UP, both of you and sit down. That is an ORDER!¡±
This time the shout from the major was not only loud but had a metal tone in it, warning of the dire consequences of possible disobeying. That finally led to the silence. Nodding to himself, their commander went in deeper inside the tent before stopping near the huge table. That allowed Rob and others to sit on the chairs while looking at the pair, which created such a commotion. Being the last to enter, Robert only saw the part of the show.
Surprisingly, both could boast about their appearance as if they were professional models. The woman had long blonde hair, currently tied in a braid; big sapphire-like eyes; cherry lips and cute dimples. Dressed in some kind of traveler''s outfit with leather boots, light brown tight pants, and a white blouse under the jacket, she was indeed beautiful. However, this fact only reminded Rob about Beth. The latter didn¡¯t have such classic beauty, but, nevertheless, her cuteness was much more attractive to him.
The man, on the other hand, was athletic and tall for an ordinary human, maybe even reaching the level of Rob¡¯s lips. Wearing an officer uniform, he had left several last buttons of his shirt unfastened, showing off with muscular chest. The same deliberate action was made with rolled-up sleeves, which opened his thick forearms. His black short hair was combed back, leaving only a few strands to drop back on the forehead. The facial features almost cried about noble lineage. Thin long nose, square jaw, and brown eyes that were shining with boldness and confidence.
¡°I need to make myself clear ¨C I will not change the squad composition. And you, Miss Carrey, you were the one who wanted to join and agreed to my terms. Captain Jack Wolly, with whom you were arguing, has enough experience in leading deep recon missions in woodlands¡ And he will be in charge of the operation to get you to the object and back. And yes, your requests on the object will be the priority and he will have to obey, but otherwise, you have to stay silent. Do you understand?¡±
¡°Yes, sir,¡± the man nodded without a pause.
¡°Yes¡ if mister Cucumber will keep his own mini version inside his pants,¡± the woman answered, not managing to keep her remark to herself.
¡°Hey, it is my family name that I had no option to choose!¡±
¡°I agree. Wolly isn¡¯t that bad when my full name is Roberto Diadkoleborshviz,¡± Rob didn¡¯t know why he intervened, but such stupid bickering looked directly from the comedy when nobody took seriously the future mission. The command work would be crucial for it, and he was even sure if they had any ability to train together to go through combat coordination.
¡°What? No way!¡±
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¡°How do even pronounce it?¡±
¡°Diadk¡lorbsh¡ what was it again?¡±
¡°Robert, that is not your real name. Captain Ironspike just helped you to get an identity,¡± Major sighed, looking at the chaos that was emerging instead of proper briefing.
¡°How the fuck did you remember this gibberish? It is sounds like a total bullshit,¡± Alice asked, lightly hitting Rob¡¯s shoulder.
¡°Took a while¡ Okay, I am Robert Flop¡ And Flop doesn¡¯t sound any better than Wolly,¡± he admitted.
¡°Thank you, man, I knew that someone could finally understand how hard it is for the child to have such a family name,¡± standing up, Jack went for a handshake while smiling widely.
¡°Now hug each other and cry in the corner,¡± Miss Carrey could resist again not to add her comment.
¡°Your tongue is too poisonous, woman. No one will kiss you properly,¡± Jack shrugged it off, placing his butt on the next chair near Rob.
¡°Miss Carrey, do you know that there is just one step from hatred to love? You are approaching too fast to the edge,¡± Robert added, making the woman finally stop verbally attacking their future leader and pretend that she didn¡¯t care about the presence of others.
¡°Okay, everyone SHUT UP! I knew I was picking real freaks, but do not test my patience,¡± the major roared from anger, freezing everyone present. The moment later they were sitting with a look of innocent children, who were filled with anticipation before the lecture from their favorite teacher.
¡°Fucking circus¡ Okay, to the business. But I warn you ¨C any sign of unnecessary movement, any unwanted comment, anything that I will not like, and you will be sent to prison for disobedience in wartime¡ And yes, that is an abuse of my power, but so what? You don¡¯t have any means to protect your asses from me. Does everyone understand what I am saying? Good. I don¡¯t need stupid kindergarten here.¡±
Taking a pause to observe the expression of the squad members with heavy and threatening gaze, Major finally nodded before starting his briefing.
¡°From the information that we¡¯ve got from Miss Carrey, there is a huge possibility that our enemies are currently developing a new weapon. I will not go into detail about how we found out¡ but all indirect signs confirm this process. After some analysis, we managed to point out a possible location of the development center. It is located in an underground facility that previously was a mine but during the war was turned into a tank production center. Moreover, it is not that far from the frontlines, barely fifty miles (80 km). Such position helps a quick delivery of new equipment, while the thick layer of earth prevents bombing from above.¡±
¡°Is it a new tank, sir?¡± Mason asked, using the moment, when Major paused to take a breath.
¡°Quite possibly, but we are not sure. That is the main reason for Miss Carrey¡¯s presence. She can identify the target, analyze its capabilities, and estimate its value for us. If it is nothing special or dangerous, then the goal would be to destroy the facility from the inside, using the explosives from ammunition storage and the sergeant¡¯s Berkley skills¡ If its threat level is big, then you have to capture the schematics before blowing up everything.¡±
¡°Sir, I assume I am responsible for the delivery of our group?¡± Mason followed with another question.
¡°Yes, Senior Lieutenant Brown will pilot the scouting dirigible. The command had planned an attack on the enemy¡¯s position not far from the facility and we will use it as distraction¡¡±
¡°A full-scale attack just to cover up our mission? Wow,¡± Jack whistled in surprise.
¡°Do not overestimate your value. The attack was planned half a year ago at a bare minimum. Weakening our defense lines for some time, we deliberately provoked our enemy to intensify his attacks, thus burning all his reserves in unsuccessful assaults. That gave us the ability to gather unused force for our own operation, which has to goal of cutting deep into occupied territory to¡ No, you don¡¯t need to know all the details. Just remember that is me who asked for permission to use this possibility. That is the reason why you don¡¯t have time to get to know each other properly ¨C I can¡¯t let such opportunity slide through my fingers,¡± stressed the major, adding a metal in his tone.
That explains a lot why we were constantly on the brink of collapsing¡ So many deaths just for the sake of the future attack¡ I guess that is how the wars are won.
¡°How will we go back, sir?¡±
It was the first time Rob heard when the older Olos brother spoke. In comparison to Raphael, who was barely holding himself from throwing another sentence, he behaved as mute. However, taking into account his expression about the loss of two members of his family, it wasn¡¯t surprising that he was the one to voice out the most important question for all present.
¡°Preferably with the same dirigible. If you are not able to, then you can try to capture a truck or something similar and simply drive toward our attacking troops¡ Maybe you can even use a captured weapon ¨C it would be the best scenario¡¡±
¡°So, basically, we need to rely on ourselves and our luck. Sir,¡± Jack directly interrupted the major, making the latter sigh.
¡°Yes. And I warned you all about the chances before getting your agreement. No stepping back.¡±
¡°Nothing new, taking into account my experience¡ Maybe only less shelling and more shooting,¡± Robert¡¯s calm tone had broken a short silence, which had enveloped the tent after this revelation from the high-rank officer.
¡°You¡¯ve seen some shit,¡± turning his head to Rob, Jack spoke, before winking, ¡°I need to study the maps, but I am sure we can find few possible routes to get back our asses in safety¡ Oh, sorry, I meant our asses and Miss Carrey¡¯s sacred, untouchable asset.¡±
¡°Are you starting it again?¡± she shouted immediately, rising from her sit. ¡°Do you think I am so fragile that can¡¯t beat your idiotic ass?¡±
¡°Oh, I am sure you can¡ and want,¡± Jack smirked, and demonstrative licked his lips. That led to another outburst. The woman instantly rushed to him, obviously trying to hit him with her fist. Rob managed to notice a pretty good stance, before standing up and stopping both with his palms by grabbing their shoulders. Squeezing lightly, he made them to focus their attention to him. And if Miss Carrey calmed down in a few moments, Jack tried to push Robert¡¯s hand with all his force. Unfortunately for him, the grab felt like metal tongs and didn¡¯t even move despite his enormous effort and usage of the second arm.
¡°What the fuck with you? Are made from steel?¡± he muttered in disbelief, looking at towering Rob.
¡°I am vegan¡ You, both, get a tent, please. You are becoming too annoying while being the leader of our group. Just release some steam with each other and move on. No one will judge¡ Or just stop behaving like stupid teenagers under hormones!¡±
However, before Rob got his answer, the piercing sound of alarm had captured the attention of everyone. Noticing the major¡¯s facial expression, Robert immediately understood that it wasn¡¯t the sound the former had expected to hear during the briefing, crossing out the possibility of a simple announcement.
Chapter 69 (2-27)
¡°Hurry up!¡±
The Major¡¯s shout was filled with anxiety as he was looking around. The chaotic movement of soldiers had enveloped the military base and was the result of commanding officers being caught off guard by the enemy. They assumed that they had at least a few days to slowly end preparation before starting the whole thing. However, somehow and once again the beastmen made the proactive move as if they knew the plan from the beginning.
¡°Fucking traitors¡¡±
Muttering curses, the major tried to think over the new information in an attempt to understand how it would affect his mission. That only led to a new wave of abusive language as the situation was bad. It wasn¡¯t critical to the point of abandoning the mission but was bad enough to make the chances of return almost non-existent.
All forces for the upcoming attack were gathered twenty miles (32km) behind the front lines in the open field. No one bothered with making any fortifications as the main purpose was to attack, not to defend. Completely relying on the existing trenches and troops, the general staff only provided a few patrols of dirigibles to be sure that the military base wouldn¡¯t be noticed by the enemy¡¯s aircraft before the start. Moreover, not to be too visible or noticed beforehand, dirigibles didn¡¯t fly closer than ten miles (16km) to the main line of fortification. Such precautions had to be enough not to attract unwanted attention. At least on paper. However, they failed.
The beastmen not only attacked the closest to the base point of defense but also managed to break through it in no time. The problem was that they started to move to the sides, clearing the trenches and widening the gap. That was the last message from the soldiers there before the telegraph¡¯s cable was cut off. The bigger problem in this situation was the very same fact of the absence of any fortifications. That led to a quick response, once again signaling a complete loose of initiative, which was the direct way to the catastrophic consequences.
The only hope that the major had was the quantity of troops they managed to accumulate for the operation. Even if the current situation deteriorates to the point when they wouldn¡¯t have enough strength to make a deep breakthrough, it would be still more than enough to return the control over captured positions. On the other hand, such an outcome would make a return way for the squad a real lottery.
¡°In the war, the sacrificed are meant to be made¡ Hope they will achieve at least something to make all my efforts worth it.¡±
Gazing around, he returned his gaze to the squad that was quickly loading the boxes with ammo and supplies into the dirigible. The latter, being the scout version, wasn¡¯t big. The cabin was made of three small rooms ¨C the control center, the storage in the middle, and the engineering room that were almost encircled by a narrow pathway from the sides to ensure the ability to observe the surroundings.
The balloon itself was made from a metal rigid frame, which was covered by tough fabric with anti-piercing properties. Filled with nonflammable gas invented by Colonel Carrey, it was painted in a mixture of gray and light blue colors to be less visible in the sky. The segmented structure only increased the survivability of such airships, turning them into armored skydiving machines of war. This one wasn¡¯t like a real dreadnought that carried tens of heavy bombs and could boast multiple shooting posts. Still, it wouldn¡¯t go down with ease. And seeing the confident look on Mason¡¯s face, the major finally managed to calm down his nerves and speak.
¡°You know the plan. Good luck everyone!¡±
Ignoring the responses from the group, the major swiftly turned around before heading to the parked car with a driver, who was patiently waiting for his high-rank passenger. Hoping inside, he paused, watching a long line of cars, which were constantly moving. Along them, the non-stopping mass of soldiers were walking under the watchful eyes of their sergeants. They had different expressions. Some were joking and laughing, while others were too focused on praying. Some were pale as death, too scared of future battle. Some had empty eyes, burned down from the inside from the terrifying experience they had, which turned them into broken parodies of form selves. There were many more others that the major had seen already after so much time. Sighing, he muttered silently.
¡°If only those furry bastards never attacked, nothing of this would be needed. No sacrifices, no deaths, no broken fates, nothing¡¡±
¡°What, sir? Can you repeat, please?¡±
¡°Nothing¡ To the staff. Now, go!¡±
Rotating the starting lever a few times with accustomed movement, the driver made the engine come to life with a roar. Checking the level of crystallized fuel through the special glass meter and temperature range, he nodded before finally pressing the pedal. The car responded with a small delay, but soon as if in an attempt to catch up, began to accelerate at a faster pace, soon disappearing in the endless rows of trucks and soldiers. At least Robert had lost track, being distracted by Raphael¡¯s question.
¡°Why hadn¡¯t you picked the machine gun?¡±
Turning his head, Rob looked at the younger Olos brother with a question in his eyes. Seeing that the latter immediately started to explain.
¡°I mean, you are huge. The machine gun is also huge¡ and powerful. Perfect match¡ Obviously,¡± he added, noticing the absence of any agreement in Rob¡¯s eyes.
¡°How would I use it in tight places? Who would hold the bullet belt so the machine gun wouldn¡¯t jam? How would I aim without bipod? How would I carry so much ammunition?¡±
¡°Not saying that we are already on the verge of weight. Maybe it would be a good idea to dump one idiot to carry something more useful, but your brother will not be happy about it,¡± Mason added, leaning out from the control room.
¡°Hey, it is a good idea¡ Does nobody can see it? Garold?¡± Raphael turned to the dwarf, who was carefully checking a long rifle with scope.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
¡°Yes, as I said, useful weight instead of the idiot,¡± nodded the pilot, hiding inside.
¡°Raph, you picked the wrong person to ask,¡± agreed Robert with a smile.
¡°Do you seriously ask me whether the god-sent rifle with its beauty of precision skill-based shooting has to be replaced with a crude parody that trades everything just for the sheer number of bullets and is mostly meant not to kill, but to suppress the enemy¡¯s ranks? Are you¡¡±
¡°Okay, I got it, got it,¡± Raphael had interrupted the dwarf, before adding, ¡°It¡¯s just much cooler. Big guy, big gun, multiple enemies around. Bang, bang, bang¡¡±
¡°Hard pass,¡± Robert instantly declined such a scene, imagining that he would not last even ten seconds in such a situation.
¡°Stop messing around and move your asses. Mason is already starting engines. Rob, I need your help with a shovel and toborium,¡± surprisingly, Jack¡¯s voice was focused and serious as if he finally switched his fooling mood off, ¡°Task for others ¨C check the weapons and fill as many magazines as you can. Raphael, and Leonardo, set aside empty boxes ¨C we will drop them later. Oh, and a friendly reminder from our dear pilot ¨C go to the toilet right now because you may not have the ability to do it. Miss Carrey, better leave your extra shit on the ground¡ I mean, stuff, of course, don¡¯t need to roll your eyes. Just a slip of the tongue, no offense.¡±
Either they will have sex or a tribunal for killing a squad mate. I bet on the former¡
Smiling at this thought, Robert hastily climbed inside the cabin, he went to the back only to find a strange, closed stove, a shovel, a huge box with crystals, and multiple odd machines that together combined in a working engine. Leaning from the small window, Rob found a huge pair of propellers. A few more were located along the bottom of the ballon, moved through a system of spindles and gears.
¡°Let¡¯s fucking go. The freaky snails are faster than us!¡±
Alice¡¯s voice sounded quite irritated, and Rob understood the reason. Despite the alarm, which had put in motion the whole military base, it was already almost four hours after the interruption of the briefing. It took time for the major to find out what was happening, change the plans, find the truck, get the supplies, and finally drive to the dirigible only to find out it was in the middle of service, getting ready for the upcoming operation.
On the other hand, it gave time for everyone to go through a basic plan. Jack created a few routes and explained the task of each one. Mason even taught Rob how to fuel the engines, which, frankly speaking, appeared to be very easy with temperature and pressure being the most crucial things to control. Still, it was indeed slow as it could be, creating pressure from anticipation. Just Alice happened to be the first to break.
¡°You¡¯ve heard the real lady! Mason, start the thing,¡± Jack wasn¡¯t himself if had not tried once again to prick on Margarete Carrey.
¡°Yes, captain!¡±
There was a stream of hot air from the tiniest gaps in the machine before the engines released a whistling sound and started to move the dirigible up. Robert didn¡¯t have the opportunity to enjoy the sight as Mason¡¯s orders made him busy with putting more crystals and watching over the parameters. Still, from time to time he gazed through the window down to the ground, partly mesmerized by what he was seeing.
It wasn¡¯t the mass of military equipment as Rob had controlled over two hundred of machines, which were much deadlier. It wasn¡¯t the view from the skies as having multiple drones to observe the battle from different angles and heights he had seen a lot. No, it was more like the energy in the movement of thousands of soldiers. Following the routes, it seemed much more chaotic than what he was accustomed to. Livelier. Real. Knowing that all this mass had a single purpose ¨C to kill the enemy ¨C made all scenes both epic and terrifying as an unknown part of this enormous war machine wouldn¡¯t be alive quite soon. Grandiose picture in its terrible essence.
On the other hand, it made him feel a sense of belonging with a ting of pride, being a part of this machine. He had heard enough stories about beastmen¡¯s deeds not to see them as nothing more than targets. Robert couldn¡¯t buy bullshit about innocent soldiers who just followed the orders as the very same soldiers were doing these atrocities, and not the politicians themselves. There could be logical reasons why they were doing it, like propaganda, fear of punishment, or silent inaction, but he didn¡¯t care. It felt different from times in his medieval war when the knights stopped the bloodshed of civilians relatively quickly, being a real power struggle instead of direct genocide, coming from aggressive invaders. Both aliens and beastmen had a similar approach in wiping out every single soul if possible. Moreover, it became a personal thing as losing comrades-in-arms couldn¡¯t leave him without a desire for revenge.
Therefore, such a mixture of emotions, while looking at the real army from above couldn¡¯t leave him calm or indifferent. Robert wasn¡¯t the only one in awe as others were expressing their thoughts aloud, sounding really alike. Nevertheless, it didn¡¯t take much time before the reaction was subsided. Such numbers of troops, taking into account the distance, would need many hours to reach their destination turning the march into a monotonous and uninspiring act. Their squad had enough time to see it with their own eyes, as Jack had decided to follow the main force until two-thirds of the way before changing route.
Still, Rob couldn¡¯t help but spare another glance downwards to armed masses, which were slowly turning into endless rivers of soldiers and machines. This river would soon turn into multiple small streams to cover more space, but not now. Raising his sight, Robert glanced at the massive airships that were flying not too far from them. He could see the busy movement on them, while the crew was readying their war machine for the upcoming battle.
Yeah, falling from such a height would be deadly¡ At least there are no rodents here. Those all-eating bastards are a real plague. Rations, boots, they even managed to gnaw my rifle¡¯s butt!
Returning his look to the complex machinery around him, Robert sat directly on the floor, not willing to bet on the durability of the retractable chair that was located on the wall. Closing his eyes, while conjuring the coin, he started to do what most soldiers were familiar with ¨C patiently wait right after the hast preparations that were made in an insane rush.
There was another heated discussion from his squad mates in the next room, but Rob was too lazy to join it. It was not about the mission, so all formalities were dropped, while Jack and Mason were exchanging different arguments about which region could boast the tastiest gastronomy. Alice went even further, directly insulting anyone, who disagreed with her. The wartime mixed the subordination in the army in a funny way, when off-topics were quite informal, while any commands were executed without delays. Of course, not all officers were like that, and Robert had seen some, who even during the battles were demanding a respectful tone. Such idiots mostly died fast, as keeping a distance from their soldiers was a good way not to be saved in the time of a need. Obviously, nobody liked assholes.
The quarrel continued to escalate once again, when Margarette decided to add her own comment. Luckily, the pilot was still paying attention to his main responsibility of controlling the aircraft, reminding him about it with a loud shout right in the middle of the discussion.
¡°Rob, we need to go higher. Do you remember what to do?¡±
¡°Yes, senior lieutenant, sir, I do,¡± opening his eyes, Rob stood up. Looking around at the sky, which was steadily starting to be covered with more and more clouds, he muttered.
¡°I hope it will hide us from being noticed too early.¡±
Chapter 70 (2-28)
Raging explosions were hidden somewhere below, covered by thick white haze. The non-stopping sound of multiple gunshots was accompanying them, creating a real symphony of war. The shouts and screams were merged into indistinguishable vocalization as if an unknown singer was putting all his efforts into their act while using gibberish instead of understandable language. The distance was the main reason for such an effect. The open space made it possible for the ¡°music¡± to reach even their ears. Distorted, it was still trying its best to show the real performance. Calming down for a few moments, it could blow up in the next second as if in an attempt to get to a higher note. Almost following the behavior of a storm, it was in constant change, despite using the very same instruments for play.
¡°Crap, it is too intensive¡¡±
Garold¡¯s muttering voice was filled with anxiety, while its owner was trying to see anything through the foggy surroundings. Exactly this fact was making everyone nervous. Not only they couldn¡¯t do anything, while others were fighting, but they also couldn¡¯t even see the situation clearly. And the things that they were hearing didn¡¯t sound any good. The fight was taking too long and was too big, taking into account the fact that beastmen just captured the positions and had to be exhausted, while the reserve forces were fresh and in higher numbers. Or at least it was supposed to be like that.
¡°Shit, something went wrong. Like really wrong. I can feel it¡ Hey, captain, what are we going to do?¡±
Garold wasn¡¯t calming down, walking in circles in the narrow pathways of the dirigible. His eyes were in search of something, but the weather had created a strong shield, preventing any observation.
¡°Nothing. The plan hasn¡¯t changed. We have an order. Moreover, even if the hell broke loose there, what our group can do to turn the tides? Frankly speaking ¨C nothing. So, meditate or check your rifle again, but stop imitating the fucking pendulum!¡±
Jack shouted making the dwarf sit down. His hands started to stroke the rifle¡¯s surface as if it was his precious pet.
¡°I thought snipers had an enormous patience,¡± Robert¡¯s comment created a light smile on Garold¡¯s face.
¡°No, it is useful for hunters, while they wait for the prey in ambush. Maybe it would work somewhere in difficult terrain, but not in an open field in a trench-war. And for all I know, most of the front lines are like that. So my task was always to stay at the back during animal assaults in an attempt to shoot the commanding officers to make the enemy headless. You know, I have the same rifle as you, just with scope and better handled. It doesn¡¯t shoot on canon¡¯s distance. Therefore, no, I do not need patience. Just a fast reaction, a steady aim, and a good sight.¡±
¡°I think the latter is needed right now¡ I see something strange¡ Like a huge¡ object¡ that is moving not far from us¡,¡± Squinting his eyes, Robert tried to discern what it was.
¡°Let me see¡ Hmm, indeed, it does look like¡ dirigible¡ FUCK! Mason, there is fucking dirigible out there,¡± Garold¡¯s shout felt like an injection of adrenaline in everyone¡¯s body, wiping out any traces of sleepiness.
¡°Silence, you, dumbass!¡±
Jack reacted immediately. Grabbing the pilot by the shoulder, he dragged Mason by force only to point to the shapeless darker spot, which was barely visible through thick clouds.
¡°So, what do you think?¡±
¡°It is a dirigible indeed, sir. A heavy bombardier¡ And it is not ours as they couldn¡¯t be here. They went north-west, while we turned north-east at some point. We currently moving parallel to the defensive lines and aimed to turn back to the north-west in approximately an hour to go around the main battle,¡± Mason explained, before adding, ¡°They seem to use the same low speed to decrease a smoke from engines to avoid a detection.¡±
¡°Hey, I know the plan. How the fuck have they ended here?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know, sir. Maybe we underestimated the animals and they managed to gather the force. Those dirigibles might aim to widen the gap in our defense,¡± shrugged the pilot, glancing one more time at the massive aircraft.
¡°Okay¡ Take us out of their sight, Mason. Everyone - keep the silence but be ready to shoot. Garold, Rob, and Alice ¨C the left side, others with me on the right. Margarete, be inside. After the first gunshot, you need to lie down on the floor and don¡¯t move. Not even a single attempt to stand up before I say so. Got it?¡±
Jack sighed, before finally commanding. The responses came in nods. Miss Carrey was no different, silently following the order. By the moment when everyone had a weapon in their hands, the enemy¡¯s dirigible had disappeared from sight. However, not the heavy atmosphere that had enveloped the crew. The plume of the mere fact of the airship¡¯s existence only added pressure.
Robert found himself in almost absolute silence, where even his heart was sounding like a drum. Each movement, each creak of wooden planks on the floor, each click from another bullet going inside the magazine ¨C everything felt unnaturally loud as if was made in front of a microphone with speakers directed right to the enemy¡¯s position. And that was despite the battle on the ground didn¡¯t show any signs of stopping, continuing what seemed to be an endless act of bloodshed.
He saw the serious face of Garold, whose tight grip on the rifle was clearly visible. He hadn¡¯t missed how Alice was silently muttering something. After knowing her for a few days, Rob could bet it was a stream of swears, which would make any laborer shy as a virgin in front of a seasoned whore, and not a prayer. He could see the Mason¡¯s back of the head. The latter was constantly moving, looking at the surrounding sky. Following it, Robert had noticed the reason for the pilot¡¯s worries. There were gaps in what was earlier a solid wall of mist. What was worse, they were increasing not only in size but also in numbers.
This fact had sent his heart in another race, reminding him how vulnerable he was, despite all his supernatural strength and magic ability. This suspense accompanied by regular explosions was much scarier than direct confrontation. Especially, knowing that you can¡¯t influence the situation. And he wasn¡¯t alone in this feeling, as the dwarf took his flask with trembling hands and gulped almost half of it in no time.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The motion on the periphery of Rob¡¯s sight made him turn his head only to see Jack¡¯s figure, who was slowly and carefully approaching him in an attempt to avoid making any unnecessary sound. The captain had quite a serious expression. Surprisingly, there were no traces of fear or even anxiety. Or he had hidden them well, radiating the confidence to the outer world, despite possibly opposite true feelings. This maybe mask, maybe not was almost immediately noticed by the sniper, visibly easing the pressure on him.
I guess, only such an attitude makes an average person a natural leader ¨C the ability not only to stay calm but also to imbue the same feeling in others.
¡°Rob, I need you to be ready to focus on engines in case we will need all available speed to get out from those fuckers. Got it?¡±
¡°Yes, sir,¡± he nodded only to hear an awfully familiar sound of whistle, which was often used to warn soldiers about incoming danger. And of course, it came right from the side. Raising his head above the side of the dirigible, Rob was shocked to see the huge airship in mere fifty meters (around 160 ft.) behind them. The huge hull of the cabin was slightly above them, still covered in clouds, but already visible.
The misty weather played a stupid joke on them. Right before dispersing, the mist seemed to condense in a tight spot enough to cover the enemy¡¯s aircraft until it was too late. Moreover, while trying to avoid being noticed by the first airship, their changed trajectory led them to cross paths with one another. Luckily, the vision obstruction worked in both ways, making the same surprise for the beastmen. Unfortunately, they were the first to notice Rob¡¯s group, sending an alarm in the surroundings.
¡°Shoot!¡±
Jack¡¯s shout woke up everyone from slumber, accelerating the events. Both Garold and Alice took the aim. The dwarf was faster. The loud ¡°bang¡± from the rifle had sent a bullet directly into the beast folk with a whistle, throwing him back. Robert didn¡¯t notice the result of their explosive specialist as the captain was already giving orders.
¡°Rob, engines! Mason, take us out of here! Leo, to the left side. Raph, stay there and continue to watch. Marg, on the floor. NOW!¡±
Hastily jumping inside the engine room and throwing his rifle in the nearest corner, Rob grabbed the shovel before sending the first batch of crystals inside the engine. Adding more temperature, he made the engine almost roar in hunger for fuel. Releasing more steam in the air, they started to increase their pace of movement. For a moment the sound of a working mechanism, which was pushing propellers to go faster and faster, had outvoiced the gunshots. Just for a moment, another shout made Rob instantly drop to the floor.
¡°Machine gun!¡±
Heavy, rhythmic knocking sound turned into a rain of bullets, piercing the wooden sides of the scout dirigible. Shattering the windows and sending the shards on Rob¡¯s head, it hit the engines a few times before continuing its destructive way further. Luckily, the metal on the mechanism managed to withstand. On the other hand, one of the ricochets almost made a hole in Robert¡¯s hand, leaving a mark right between his spread fingers.
Another gunshot with Garold¡¯s cheerful yell stopped it just after ten seconds of firing, but the damage was already done. Half of the indicators were destroyed. Hastily standing up, Rob shoved another portion of toborium inside the stove, before turning to Jack for further instructions. That was the moment when he noticed the real consequences. Not only the side of the airship looked like a colander, but also the motionless figure of Alice was lying with forever forever-frozen expression.
Fuck!
¡°Raphael, while you¡¯re watching for other dirigibles, start reloading the magazines! Others need to keep firing and, Garold, don¡¯t give a gunner another fucking chance to send even a single bullet! Marg, see how Alice is. Mason, do you have any good news for me?¡±
The focused voice of the leader was starting his real emotions. Still, Jack tried to keep his cool, shooting at any figure that was leaning out to take aim. Their fast actions raised them up enough to be on the level of the enemy¡¯s dirigible before the latter managed to react.
¡°Our single way out is to go above them as their engines are much more powerful. But for that, we need to be lighter,¡± Mason¡¯s answer led to Jack¡¯s frown.
¡°She is¡ dead¡ Alice is dead¡,¡± The trembling voice of Margarette only worsened the situation, sending the captain into deep thought.
¡°Think fast, sir, as their bulwarks are not made from paper as ours,¡± Garold added the fuel onto the fire, ¡°and shooting the balloon doesn¡¯t do anything!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t waste your bullets on that ¨C the segmented construction will prevent you from destroying it from a few shots even if you succeed,¡± the pilot reacted, turning for a moment.
¡°As if I can ¨C those bastards don¡¯t give me a chance, constantly¡ oh, fuck,¡± ducking down, the dwarf barely avoided a few bullets. A moment later another one pierced the side, hitting Leonardo¡¯s leg and dropping him on the floor.
¡°It¡¯s just a leg, I am fine,¡± older Olos brother commented after a painful groan.
¡°Okay. Raph, replace your brother. Marg, pull Leo away but keep your head low. Rob, empty the ammunition on the floor and throw away the boxes,¡± new Jack¡¯s command sent everyone in motion.
Acting like a robot, Robert was grabbing the wooden boxes, before leaving all content on the floor and throwing it away over the side. The bullets were constantly flying around, while his squad mates were shooting back. His racing heart was pumping the adrenaline like crazy. He barely held himself from taking the rifle himself, following the given order. Especially when a gunner tried to repeat his shooting, blinding sending a burst before the weapon jammed because of the absence of a helper to keep the belt straight. It took only two minutes to finish the task, but it felt like an eternity.
The wounded Leo and unskilled Marg had a hard time keeping up with Garold¡¯s bullet expenses, not speaking about additional usage from Jack and Raph. The woman was already barely holding herself from panicking, seeing their situation. The cabin was slowly breaking apart after getting more and more holes. It was only because of the dwarf who was reacting with insane speed and aim that they managed to hold until now. The armored sides of the enemy¡¯s dirigible gave enough protection for the beastmen to cover themselves from the bullets. And they had more than three shooters. Moreover, the distance between the two airships was steadily shortening, which in turn only made it easier for the enemy to be more precise.
We can¡¯t proceed like that¡ It¡¯s just a matter of time before we all die.
¡°Hey, Mason, how much more weight do we need to lose?¡± asked Robert in a calm tone, while shoving another portion of toborium into the burning stove.
¡°We are currently slightly higher than the enemy, but to be safe¡ I would say 4 or 5 hundred pounds more (180-225 kg). I don¡¯t see¡¡±
¡°What are you doing, Rob?!¡±
The shout from the captain was ignored. The same as several bullets that flew dangerously near to him. Sighing with regret and inwardly asking for forgiveness, Robert picked up Alice¡¯s body before pushing it over the bulwark that was already riddled with multiple holes. It barely disappeared from sight when he started to undress, throwing most of his clothes out of the dirigible until he was left only in shirt, pants, and boots.
¡°What the hell, man? Don¡¯t be crazy!¡±
Jack¡¯s voice sounded like a mixture of outrage and bewilderment, while he was looking at Robert¡¯s strange behavior. It was only intensified when he noticed how their Ogre started to climb up.
I hope both distance and height are enough¡
¡°I am decreasing the weight¡ You better finish the mission!¡±
With these words Rob jumped out of the cabin, literally propelling his own body high in the air before the gravity started to win over his initial impulse. Spreading his both arms to the sides, he had a single thought before finally giving a mental command and praying for the best.
I am already regretting it! Oh, fuuuuck¡
Chapter 71 (2-29)
It felt like a whole world froze exactly at the moment when Robert¡¯s body was at the peak point of his jump. He could clearly feel the cold wind that was blowing from the side. The blinding light from the sun was finally showing itself from the clouds. And of course, the huge enemy¡¯s dirigible that was occupying over half of his sight. Even though its cabin was much lower, it was just too big, rising far above with its enormous balloon. Moreover, the cabin itself had two floors, giving plenty of places for beastmen to use as a shooting spot.
Currently, around a dozen of them were aiming with their weapons. Somehow Rob could see the rage that was painted on their faces. A sincere desire to kill. To take their revenge as at least five motionless bodies were lying behind their backs. Maybe there were more, hidden behind the covers, dead from the dwarf¡¯s bullets. Still, some of them were standing straight, like the pilot, who was actively turning the wheel of the airship in an attempt to follow them. This beastman didn¡¯t look angry but more in anticipation of the hunt, grinning with a mad distorted smile.
That was the last thing Robert saw before the world came back to life. Instantly accelerating to an ordinary speed, it simultaneously started to pull his body down. However, he was ready as the conjured metal was already going through his shirt, creating huge wings from his hands. Not stopping on that, a very thin construct was spreading even further, while connecting in one single piece directly on his back. He felt an emptiness in his stomach before the strong hit pushed him up when Rob¡¯s self-made glider caught the airflow. Turning his body to the right by instinct, he barely managed to correct his trajectory before his very short flight came to an abrupt end. Crashing into the ballon itself above the cabin, he instantly started to slide down. It took a mere second to redirect his efforts from wings to hooks, but that was too late. The sphere form of the ballon¡¯s side had already turned into a negative decline, sending Rob into the fall.
The thought about how far the ground felt like a morale boost. Acting without thinking, Robert had made his unused hooks grow longer. Much longer. Stretching his arms in an attempt to stop his fall, he was terrified to see how the steel instrument on the left was barely able to scratch the surface of the cabin before dropping down without result. Luckily the right had managed to hook on. The strong push almost tore his shoulder, sending a wave of pain when all his inertia was stopped by it.
Crying from the terrible feeling, Rob still focused on raising himself up. The steel instrument under his mental command was quickly decreasing in length, while he was hanging on it like a sack. His dislocated arm was completely unusable and only the fact that he didn¡¯t need to physically hold his conjured element helped him to avoid the fate of a meat paste.
The moment Robert had reached the cabin, he had to avoid the strike of a bayonet aimed directly into his face. Barely reacting by conjuring a metal mask, he felt a strong impact with a screeching sound when the blade gazed at the metal. Gripping the barrel of the rifle, he immediately pulled it down, forcing the dumfounded soldier to follow his weapon. This second of surprise had cost the latter his life when he flew over the bulwark with a surprisingly high-pitched scream.
Not wasting time, Rob was already climbing up. Pushing his body over the ship¡¯s palisade, he dropped to the ground only to avoid a few bullets that flew over his head. Glancing down the pathway, he saw two soldiers in the process of reloading. Cursing his luck, he instantly summoned a shield on his usable arm and jumped up. Following gunshots were met with steel plates of proper thickness to protect himself, while he was charging directly on them. The strong hit had thrown both enemies as they were weightless.
Stopping for a moment, Robert turned his attention to his shoulder. Grabbing his rope-like hand, he pulled it downwards, simultaneously creating the biggest ball he could directly in the palm. This instantaneous increase in weight made something in his shoulder snap, leading to a painful groan. Dispersing the load, he was glad to feel his fingers, despite the horrible pain.
Still unworkable¡ Left it is¡
Creating a pad around his right shoulder to fix in one position, Robert stepped forward to meet both doth soldiers, who were already back on their feet. One of them was taking his knife out while the other was trying to pick up his rifle. Glancing on the former and his weapon, Rob widely smiled, finally feeling an ability to impact the situation around himself, and not just patiently waiting for something to happen. The powerless anxiety was over and now he was one to bear the consequences of his action, which was much better than relying on fate, other¡¯s deeds, or just stupid luck, which in his case was the worst.
¡°That¡¯s not a knife¡ This is a knife,¡± conjuring a half-meter (3 ft) blade, Rob added with a wild grin, ¡°always wanted to say this.¡±
With a shout either to scare Robert or to give enough bravery for himself, the soldier lunged himself forward only to be impaled a moment later by the short sword, which was put forward in thrusting strike. The steel strip had entered his stomach, while the gaze of beastman was locked on Rob¡¯s crazy smile. However, before he could do anything, Robert rotated his weapon, widening the wound. The following kick had thrown the beastman back on his comrade, who was raising the weapon. The protruding bayonet had meat the flesh of the unlucky guy, going through his heart from the back.
The soldier died instantly, keeping his dumbfounded expression till the end. The killer, too shocked after his own deed, involuntarily pulled the trigger, sending an additional bullet into the corpse. The next moment a short pickaxe made a hole in his skull, going through the helmet, and enveloping surroundings in darkness.
Stolen story; please report.
Dispersing the weapon, Rob hastily grabbed the rifle only to drop it a moment later as not only it was completely uncomfortable to aim from a different shoulder and eye, but also the enemies didn¡¯t wish to give him any chance. Diving into the nearest room, he barely avoided a few shots and possible death. The clumsy dodge reminded him about his injury once again, when he had hit the floor. At least the wound was slowly fading away, thanks to his increased regeneration. However, the unpleasant feeling disappeared even faster, when he realized where he was. A small storage room, filled with multiple boxes of ammunition. Connected to another with a bombarding compartment, it had plenty of toys.
¡°Keep shooting! Do not give him an opportunity¡¡±
The beastman¡¯s officer voice was cut off when Robert had hurled a grenade down the pathway, before ducking back. The projectile was flying with such force that managed to break the nose of a soldier before bouncing back to the floor. The loud explosions made the whole cabin tremble, sending fragments everywhere. The smoke hadn¡¯t even dissipated when Rob already started running to the epicenter of the devastation. The wide gap on the wooden surface and bulwark together with a few lying bodies took all the attention of soldiers behind, missing the approaching figure.
Jumping over the hole and reaching the other end of the dirigible with lightning speed, Robert rammed into the nearest soldier, sending him over the edge. Not stopping his motions, he conjured a sword before making a wide swing, simultaneously turning around. Cutting through the face of another soldier, it got stuck in the neck of a third beastman. He might have hit the arteria as a real spray of blood painted the surroundings in red. What was more important, it had blinded the wounded soldier, not giving him a chance to react on the second finishing strike.
Using a long bolt-action rifle in melee is a suicide. Revolvers, on other¡
Rob was interrupted by a movement on the periphery of his sight. Turning around, he was met with a rifle¡¯s barrel aiming at his face from there meter distance (around 10ft). Too far to reach with his arm but too close for missing. The soldier was leaning out from the corner and was part of a group on the second pathway. His trembling lips and teary eyes were literally crying from fear.
¡°Don¡¯t shoot¡, ¡°Slowly raising his open left palm, Robert continued, ¡°We can discuss¡¡±
The following gunshot made him blink. He tried to be fast to summon a shield from his palm to cover himself but was a bit too late. Feeling a strong impact, Robert was readying for the pain that never came. Looking down on himself, he was in search of any wounds only to fail. It took a few more seconds before he realized that the soldier indeed didn¡¯t miss, shooting directly into his injured shoulder that was covered by a steel pad. The bullet was still stuck there. Turning his attention back, Rob saw how the beastman was hastily gripping the bolt to reload. However, the shot never came as the enemy had already emptied his magazine earlier.
¡°Oh, you are so fucked!¡±
Grabbing the barrel of the rifle with a swift motion, he pulled it before forcefully shoving it back, directing the weapon''s butt into the soldier¡¯s face. Repeating such hits a few times until the enemy was barely standing, Rob had to sidestep the thrust of a bayonet from another soldier with dog¡¯s facial features. Closing the distance, he crashed his elbow into the jaw of the disoriented beastman. The body of the latter instantly went limp only to be grabbed by Robert. Tightening the grip on the clothes and inwardly thanking the quality of the fabric, he raised the enemy with his left hand before throwing it back.
The narrow pathway of the dirigible didn¡¯t give any space for retreat. Still, the dog-like man tried. Putting his rifle up, he tried to resist the hit from the improvised projectile. He even did it successfully, pushing away unconscious comrade-in-arms¡ right over the bulwark. Instinctively trying to grab the falling body, he completely missed the swing of the axe.
Stepping over the fallen body, Rob carefully went forward only to stop near the room with a ladder. Two soldiers were pointing their weapons at the doorways, which made him immediately turn around and grab the nearest dead before shoving it inside. Raging gunshots found nothing except empty air, while Robert was already in a motion. Charging to the nearest enemy with a conjured spear, he rammed into him with force, piercing not only the chest but also the wooden wall. Dispersing the construct, he turned around only to see how a grenade was thrown down from an upper room.
Exchanging a shocked look with the survivor, Rob instantly rushed out, noticing how the enemy went in an attempt to throw away the explosive object. The heat together with shockwave had sent Robert flying, clearly indicating the beastman¡¯s failure. However, being carried by inertia right over the edge of the bulwark while feeling an impact from a few fragments wasn¡¯t any better.
Making a somersault in the air and somehow managing to conjure long hooks that, surprisingly, even pierced the wood and prevented his fall, Robert barely stabilized himself in a hanging position. The endless sky under his feet, despite its beauty, currently looked quite undesirable. Especially, when he noticed another huge dirigible that was approaching from underneath.
They just don¡¯t want to end!
Slowly raising his body up, he was shocked to see how an enemy officer was trying to climb down on broken ladder. The wooden construct, already damaged beyond repair, managed to hold just a single step before breaking apart and sending high-rank soldiers into the fall. Pushing himself up, Robert almost catapulted himself back to the dirigible. Such hasty motion wasn¡¯t missed by the enemy, who was lying in the wooden debris. After losing his revolver, he didn¡¯t find anything better than to grab a grenade from his belt. Swiftly igniting, he instantly threw it into Rob.
Unfortunately, the latter wasn¡¯t better in his reaction. Summoning a baseball bat in his left hand, he clumsily hit the projectile to send to the side ¨C directly through the gap in the wall through several rooms, ending in second to last. The room, which happened to be a section meant for bombing. And of course, it had quite a few things ready to drop.
Oh, crap!
Instantly turning around and jumping out of the dirigible, Robert had a single thought before the thunderous explosion outsounded the whole world.
Where was that airship again?
Chapter 72 (2-30)
This time the flight was much longer. Despite the instantaneous conjuration of the steel glider wings on his back, it took a few seconds to catch the airflow. Few very scary seconds, when his heart was beating like crazy under the image of the approaching ground. It was still far from him, but that was exactly the problem. Too far. Moreover, his observation came to an end when his eyes were full of tears from the incoming wind. The next moment uplifting push paused his fall before it continued further.
Half-blind, Rob was in full panic mode because of the absence of the airship from earlier. Hastily rotating his head, he failed to see it. The gray-blue color of the ballon made the task even harder, taking into account the cocktail of emotions he felt at this moment. Insidious thought about its position above him was instantly thrown away only to appear a few seconds later. His barely controllable fall would lead to sure death if he gave in to the panic. It was already hard to breathe when the air mass was literally pushed inside his mouth. Cursing inwardly because of the inability to shout, Rob dispersed his wings and rotated his body in the air, making a full circle.
Nope¡ one more time¡
Repeating the process a few times, Robert finally noticed a glimpse of the airship. Immediately returning his wings, he pushed his body in that direction, praying for the correct distance and height. Instinctively adjusting his own position, he somehow managed to catch the flow, which pulled him up. The short moment of joy was cut off by understanding that he was going much higher and at a bigger speed than he wished. Moreover, the balloon was already clearly visible, not giving much time to react. Still, he tried.
Pushing his body up, Robert slightly decelerated his fall. The wind immediately attempted to push him to the side, but Rob was ready. Continuing to move like a trembling bug who was turned upside down, he managed to stay in a straight line by chaotically moving his limbs. The moment the ballon had appeared underneath him, Rob changed his wings into an improvised steel version of a huge umbrella, which was protruding from his back. Pushing his abilities to conjure to the limits, he made as big as he could to kill the inertia. He succeeded¡ partly.
Dropping on the fabric at full speed and instantly dispersing the created construct, he barely kept his consciousness after the strong impact only to continue his roll right on the top of the ballon. Through the constantly rotated world, he was almost too late to notice an incoming edge. Shouting from a panic, Rob pushed multiple steel spikes out of his body in an attempt to stop himself. Unfortunately, the fabric appeared too tough to be easily pierced. However, it was the exact same moment when the fragments from the destroyed dirigible had reached him.
The explosion from tens of bombs was too huge, sending the remnants flying across the surroundings. Being spread in different directions, they soon started to fall under an invisible effect of gravity. And quite a few had picked their target the very same dirigible. Therefore, when the huge flying chunk of metal pierced the fabric right before Robert¡¯s body, he was too shocked to react accordingly. The moment later his moving body crashed into the burning fragment, hurling the latter out, while simultaneously killing the inertia for the former. The feeling of heat and strength of the impact had sent a wave of pain before Rob had fallen into the newly made hole in one of the ballon¡¯s segments.
Dropping down on his back, he groaned before pushing himself to the side in a more comfortable position. Rob¡¯s back ached from the fall, while his lower pack felt was spasmed that he could barely move. The right shoulder wasn¡¯t better. Moreover, several fragments from a grenade had found their way into his flesh. His heart didn¡¯t show any signs of calming down, beating like a drunken madman in the drum, while teary eyes only started to regain an ability to see clearly.
What a hell of an experience¡ Directly from the suicide list. Jumping without a parachute ¨C check¡
Watching the sky through the gap in the ballon, Robert saw more flaming debris that was raining from above. Luckily, their trajectory of the fall was safe not to be targeted again. Still, it appeared to be a beautiful picture, which mesmerized him for some time before the wounds reminded him about themselves. Turning attention to his state, Rob was shocked to find a metal piece stuck in his shoulder, right under the place where the steel pad was. The latter prevented a fragment from going deeper inside but at the same time kept it in place. The other one had left a bloody mark on his butt.
It would be funny if it wasn¡¯t so painful¡
Creating tongs, he spent a few minutes trying to take it out before bandaging the wounds with torn parts of his shirt. Overall, Rob felt quite beaten after the fall. A dislocated shoulder and two injuries were like a cherry on the top of a cake. Left only in pants and boots, he was covered with blood. Mainly not his, but still it didn¡¯t add any points to his image. At least his regeneration was constantly working, already stopping the blood loss and slowly returning him back to his peak form. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t even try to extract the fragments. Of course, it would take more time for full restoration. The time, which he didn¡¯t have.
¡°Okay, let¡¯s go!¡±
Hitting the fabric with a fist, he slowly stood up trying to think about his next course of action.
As far as I understood, the main segment of the dirigible is used for lifting up, but additional ¨C around it ¨C are there to compensate for the net weight of the airship. Therefore, they are not connected to anything and are almost like a buoy to create a null balance in weights. Their segmented nature is meant to prevent easy destruction and the fall of the machine. So, potentially I can break down through them to get to the cabin.
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Nodding himself, Robert conjured a huge pike before striking down. Surprisingly, the fabric resisted an initial hit, being pierced only after adding more strength to the push. Before the steel tip went down, the light bulb inside Rob¡¯s mind lightened up, telling the consequences of such a deed, but it was too late. The small explosion from the released pressure together with a stream of odd smokey gas had thrown him back. Fortunately, except for the pain in his butt from the impact, he wasn¡¯t injured.
Sighing from his own stupidity, he nevertheless continued with the same action, breaking through three more segments. Each had a height of three meters (10ft) and was held inside a metal cage with additional tubes going somewhere down the metal carcass. The destruction of the last one finally opened the sight on the cabin¡¯s roof. The careful observation from above, while Rob was holding on to the ballon¡¯s inner frame, didn¡¯t show any signs of enemies. However, he wasn¡¯t na?ve to think that explosions of segments went unnoticed. It was literally impossible.
Here we go!
Making several exhalations, he resolutely dropped down into the hole, going into an immediate roll. A few bullets flew over his head dangerously near, while even managed to tear a piece from his ear and graze across his bald head. Still, Robert didn¡¯t slow down. Getting back to his feet in one swift motion, he made three wide steps before launching himself into the air. The jump had ended right on the enemy¡¯s soldier when his boots crashed into his face and chest simultaneously. Rob could hear the sound of something breaking under his weight but was too occupied with sending another kick to react. This had sent another soldier in flight down the pathway, creating a domino effect because of the narrow space.
Hastily turning around, Robert conjured a shield in front of his face that was instantly targeted by two gunshots. Roaring wildly in an attempt to scare the opponents, he rushed forward, planting the steel plate into the face of the beastman, who was trying to reload. The latter instinctively tried to cover himself with a rifle, not to avail. The shield¡¯s bash appeared to be too strong, pressing his own hands to the chest. A moment later three spikes shot from the steel surfaces, creating unplanned holes in his skull.
The wild crazy smile plastered on Robert¡¯s face, sending the shivers across the back of the nearest soldier. The fear enveloped the mind of the latter, making him turn around in an attempt to run from the huge human with odd abilities. He didn¡¯t manage to make a single step before a strong impact from behind sent him to the wooden floor. The second later a knee crashed his spine, kicking all the air from the lungs and pressing down with huge weight. He wanted to scream, feeling how the metal something had entered his back, but all strength seemed to disappear. Not able even to lift himself from the ground, he had to watch the wooden floor, which was slowly covered with red liquid¡
Shit, in such a way my pants will not last long! Be fucking careful with your clothes, Rob!
Jumping back on his feet, Robert spared a glance at a newly made hole right on his knee, before returning his attention to the beastman. The thrust of a bayonet was countered by a slashing strike of a conjured knife with tilting his head to the side. The blade bounced from the metal trigger guard, severing a few soldier¡¯s fingers in the process. Not stopping on it, Rob grabbed the rifle with his left hand, while making a similar thrusting strike with his right. The enemy attempted to step back, but it was hard to avoid the sword, which could increase its length instantaneously.
Ignoring the groaning enemy with red bulbs forming from his mouth and wide-open eyes, Robert dispersed his weapon and took the rifle with both hands. Hastily turning around, he made a shot. Unfortunately, not having time to aim, the bullet had missed. Still, it led to the instinctive reaction of the enemy on the opposite side of the pathway. Stressed by a near-death experience and seeing multiple corpses of his comrades-in-arms, his responsive shot went far above Rob¡¯s ducking figure. Gripping the bolt handle, the soldier wanted to reload, but Robert was faster. Now wasting any time, he simply threw the rifle, using all his inhuman strength. The bayonet pierced the chest, going throw the rib¡¯s cage and exiting from behind.
Rob, on the other hand, was already busy blocking the strike of the fire axe. Two-hand version, it was used by a bull-like beastman who was swinging it aggressively, relying solely on his strength and not skill. That appeared a stupid decision as Robert was both stronger and more skillful. Pushing away the axe blade with his shield, he made a step forward, while simultaneously grabbing the handle. Pressing the axe with his shoulder against the wall to limit its motions, Rob created something akin to a misericorde. Its thin blade had entered the neck of the enemy from a single hit, going deep enough to instantly turn an attacking enemy into a dead man.
Pushing away the corpse, Robert continued this massacre. Having superior physical capabilities, being able to conjure the steel, limited in narrow space and close quarters, fighting versus untrained in melee opponents, saved from mass usage of explosives - Rob really didn¡¯t see possible difficulties that he couldn¡¯t overcome with such advantage. The beastmen still fought desperately, managing to wound him once, before he finally cleared the whole ship. The last living enemy attempted to blow up the dirigible, but after experiencing it less than half an hour ago, Robert wasn¡¯t going to make it happen again.
If they had automatic weapons, I would be dead¡
Despite his combat effectiveness and achievement, Rob didn¡¯t want to evaluate his strength through rose-tinted glasses, thinking about himself as a powerful being. He was not. And he was not sure he would be, taking into account multiple scenarios that his imagination could produce with any self-proclaimed invisible arrogant freak for the latter to meet their demise. Too many ways to kill anyone, even without weapons of mass destruction.
Returning his attention to the surroundings, he started to search for any signs of his group¡¯s dirigible. The mist had completely disappeared by this moment, resulting in a clear blue sky. That gave a possibility to try to find his squad. However, he failed. Maybe it was the distance. Maybe it was an angle of sight as if Mason continued to raise their altitude, Rob just couldn¡¯t see them because of the balloon above his head. There was another, more gruesome, option, but he tried not to think about it.
On the other hand, he had found three more similar airships, filled with beastmen. Luckily, there were no signs of approaching. It wasn¡¯t hard to assume they didn¡¯t see any possibility for the enemy to appear and, moreover, capture the aircraft during the flight. Rob himself was not sure he would want to repeat his sky-diving experience without having a parachute. This fact eased his worries but also reminded him of the need to think about what to do next. However, before he started, Rob noticed something strange and awfully familiar. Almost leaning out from the cabin in an attempt to see better, he muttered in disbelief.
¡°Is it a mech? What the hell!¡±
Chapter 73 (2-31)
An enormous figure of a walking machine was steadily moving through the battlefield, despite the chaos of fighting. Approaching a defensive line, it looked like a real titan, who descended to the earth to carry the punishment on humankind. Each step of spider-like legs caused a real tremble, both in the ground and the hearts of soldiers.
Having eight of them, it only moved two simultaneously before making a pause to stabilize its positions. Such non-fluid motions could seem slow from a distance, but in fact, they were not in the slightest. Just the sheer length of each step was enough to cover a noticeable distance. It wasn¡¯t surprising, taking into account its over 15-teen story building height at a bare minimum, as Robert couldn¡¯t be sure without any objects near it to compare. And the dots that represented supporting infantry seemed too tiny for that.
The cubic torso had a head on top, which looked like a both commanding and observing room for the gigantic machine. It was constantly rotating from side to side as if it had limited sight, so in that way, it could be useful. The confirmation came several seconds later when Rob¡¯s allies had finally used artillery against an incoming threat.
The first explosion coincided with a sound of alarm. The loud banging sound from the impact of the huge round against the armored machine was only starting to fade away when the next one came, turning everything into an almost continuous stream of hammering noise. The mech stopped its motions, planting all its legs into the ground. Shaking from the outer force that was attempting to crash the figure, it was readying its response.
The clouds of smoke came from behind of torso, signaling the increased load on engines. All five arms of the mech began their movement. The lower pair of limbs created additional support from behind by leaning on the ground, while the higher pair and the central, which was protruding from the chest, raised far above its head. Squeezing his eyes, Robert focused on the palms for a couple of seconds before he finally realized what they were.
It is an artillery gun¡
The whole palm was turned into a moving shooting port. Adding the advantage of height, which could boost the range by a lot, and being in a safe position to aim, was enough to turn this advantage into a result. The moment the mech started to shoot, Rob saw explosions on the horizon, confirming his fears. The first cases only started to fall on the ground, but the shelling strength against the mech had already decreased by a lot. The whole palm trembled from the force before jerking back using inbuilt compensators in the mechanical arm. The reload didn¡¯t take long and a new shot followed.
Damn¡ Wait, the captain must have some kind of a binocular.
The search didn¡¯t take long, but by that point, only the mech was shooting. Using the magnifying instrument, Rob looked closely at the arms. Despite being covered with thick armored plates, they still had small gaps through which he could notice the movement of the crew inside. Turning his attention to the result of the shelling, Robert found a scorched dent, marks, and only one single hole. That was everything that his allies had managed to achieve by using an artillery fire. The mech, on the other hand, despite having only three big canons, was much more precise in shootings, confirming that the crew was definitely carefully picked.
I guess the mission¡¯s goal is right in front of me¡ Fuck! At least it¡¯s basically a huge walking tank. Mechanical, it fully depends on a trained crew. Thick armor grants enough protection against artillery rounds while supporting infantry excludes any attempts to get inside. Still, the bombs might do the damage because of a higher amount of explosives. However, that¡¯s why it has dirigibles for air coverage. Damn, the beastmen managed to create a real armored fist to penetrate the defense with ease¡ Another confirmation of the fact that we are losing the war.
Robert sighed, thinking what to do. Even if his squad managed to blow up the production line of such a weapon, it wouldn¡¯t change the trend. Kingdom had long ago lost an initiative, barely holding the lines against the enemy. The preparations for grand operations appeared to be futile as once again the beastmen were faster in their actions while gaining a technical advantage in weaponry. Still, despite unpleasant odds, the year in service had made this war his, and he couldn¡¯t think about him being neutral after all the losses of comrades-in-arms he had experienced, all the personal stories he had heard, and animal atrocities with prisoners he had witnessed. That was the reason why such a situation couldn¡¯t be ignored even by him, literally the outworlder.
If everyone pushes to their maximum ability, we will eventually break the spine of the camel, no matter how strong it is. So, let¡¯s do my part to fullness.
Nodding to himself with a smile, he started to turn the wheel, directing the dirigible to the mech. Robert wasn¡¯t confident in his ability to control the aircraft on the proper level, but from his amateur view, it didn¡¯t look too difficult. At least for the aimed task. It took around a minute to set a course before Rob fixed the wheel in its position and hastily ran to the engines, jumping over the corpses. Restoring in his memory Mason¡¯s instructions, he spent some time observing a much more complex system that was used in bigger dirigibles.
The rows of indicators, showing pressure, temperature, and other parameters in different parts of the machines overloaded his mind for a few seconds. It looked like a real cabin of a plane with multiple handles, levers, buttons ¨C everything to make it as unfriendly for newbie as it possibly could. Luckily, the main controlling instruments had written marks near them, showing their purpose. Therefore, after scratching his head, Rob managed to increase the speed of the airship, while lowering its altitude. He wasn¡¯t sure that everything was correctly done, but the image of a gigantic machine was slowly increasing in size. It was enough for him, so he directed his attention to the bombing compartment, immediately heading there.
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Pulling the long handle that was located on the most visible place, Rob opened the bomb bay doors only to be frozen for several breaths by the image of moving ground underneath it. Plowed by many explosions, filled with remnants of broken weapons and soldiers, it was once again strewn with fresh bodies of the enemies, fallen during the current assault. Despite being familiar, it was too terrible to become a usual situation, each time reminding me that it is not just bodies, but dead persons, who had families, their wishes, their dreams. Still, they preferred to come to the Kingdom land just with rifles in their hands to set their own order. Robert wasn¡¯t sad about their death in the slightest. No, he was pressed by the cost of stopping invaders as further, still hidden from his sight, there lay bodies of defenders, who gave their lives in an attempt to protect their families from being killed by beastmen.
You will burn in hell, fuckers!
Cursing his enemy, Rob grabbed the first bomb before putting it into the dropping mechanism. The noticeable weight, easily comparable to a human¡¯s body, tried to pull him down to the floor, but he was strong enough to move it by himself. After the first one, the second followed. Then third. Robert didn¡¯t stop until all available chain was loaded, resulting in five lethal gifts ready to be used against the mech. However, despite a long wait, the scene of the ground hadn¡¯t been replaced by the desired figure of the enormous war machine.
Where is it?
Feeling anxious, Rob hastily moved out of the room and leaned over the bulwark to assess the situation. All he could see was the very same field, which was littered with familiar consequences of intensive battle. It was still ongoing, sounding with gunshots, angry yells, or painful screams. However, by this time, hidden from view, it almost turned into a background noise. If not for the visual confirmation behind his eyes and high volume, Robert could even think that it was just the wind, playing with his imagination.
Turning his head from one side to another, he noticed no signs of the giant mech. On the other hand, the land appeared to be too near for his liking, approaching with a steady pace and threatening to turn into a crash quite soon. The thought about running back to the engines and control wheel to correct the course was shoved away after a short consideration. At least until he would check the other side of the dirigible and find the stupid machine. Not wasting a second, he quickly turned around and moved through the bombing compartment, paying attention not to trigger anything before the right moment.
Crap, I lowered the thing too much. Damn hard to control everything by myself¡ Where the fuck is that shit... oh, fuck!
Stepping out from the room and raising his gaze up, Robert was met with a huge mechanical three-finger palm that covered the whole surroundings with its sheer size. Enormous, and made from thick metal, it was approaching with lightning speed, not giving any time to react. Wide spreading its fingers, it grabbed the hull of the dirigible a moment later. Just the impact had thrown Rob to the floor, but it was the cracking sound of wood that sent him into panic mode. The following hollowing sound sounded like a wounded beast on a death door.
Rob barely managed to stand up, when he noticed another motion on a periphery of his sight. In the center of the huge palm, tight between the giant fingers, there was another mechanism, which suspiciously looked like a huge jackhammer. And the latter was already moving back as if readying before the charge. In the next moment, it spanged forward, crushing the neighboring room into small pieces and sending wood chips all around the surroundings. Fortunately for Robert, he was fast enough to cover himself with a shield, protecting his body from multiple fragments.
Still, the shockwave had sent him into a stupor. It was broken after his ears caught the sounds of gears, moving the jackhammer back into the starting position. Glancing around at the rows of bombs, his face distorted in a grimace, turning his thoughts into an untranslated series of obscenities. Rob¡¯s body was already moving on its own, forced to act by a survival instinct. Boosted by the activity of the huge palm that was clearly changing its position to aim into a different spot, it was yelling at him to be faster. And he was.
Screwing the unplugged detonators on the two nearest bombs into charged position, Robert ran directly to the bulwark. Jumping on it in one swift motion, he felt all his hairs rising up at incoming danger. His heart skipped the beat. Despite that, his movement hadn¡¯t paused at all, and he pushed himself up, once again summoning the wings in an attempt to catch the airflow to avoid being blasted.
I am like a batm¡
The dumb thought was interrupted by a huge explosion that threw his body forward, momentarily breaking whole his concentration together with a conjured construct. Rob literally felt his brain crashing into his skull from inside, instantly darkening the surroundings. He still made an effort to stabilize his position in the air, but the whole world turned into a real kaleidoscope of images, each dramatically different from the previous. However, they were changing so fast that he couldn¡¯t even focus on any of them. The fact that he was in constant odd motion, which made him sick, while his head was threatening to break apart from the pressure inside and his ears were hearing a single constant sound of metal gong, didn¡¯t help at all.
Then he crashed into something hard. Rob clearly heard as quite a few bones inside him snapped before shattering like a dropped glass cup against the floor. It could be just his imagination, and everything wasn¡¯t that bad. However, he didn¡¯t have an opportunity to check as the wave of pain had covered his consciousness completely, washing it away with a single pull. Rob¡¯s last thought was to cover himself with a conjured shield to hide himself from the enemies. His disoriented mind attempted to send a mental command, but the result was unknown as the whole world had already turned into a single dot of light. It flicked several times, fighting for its life, and disappeared a moment later, irrevocably losing the battle.
Chapter 74 (2-32)
Lying on the field was boring. Incredibly boring. Especially when all Rob could see was the ground. His face was literally planted against the hard cold surface, leaving the blue sky on the edge of his sight. The latter was the only indicator that time was going on and was not frozen just to torture him for an eternity. And two days, which he had spent in such a position, were already on the verge of being enough to turn him insane. By this point, Robert was sure that scene was imprinted in his mind forever up to the single grain of earth.
A few times he saw some insects, crawling by their own business and completely ignoring him. Only once something akin tiny spider was interested in his eye, coming near to horrify him from the disgust. The hardest part was when it started raining. Even the tiniest drops of water made the experience quite horrible, taking into account he couldn¡¯t move. Not only that, but Robert was unable to feel anything under his neck at all as if his spine was completely broken, sucking out all his strength. His head wasn¡¯t better, being pierced by an awful pain each time he had tried to focus on conjuring the steel. Fortunately, it was becoming lesser and lesser with each passing hour.
The growing feeling of hunger and thirst was on the beginning of their way to be really disturbing, still not on the level he couldn¡¯t manage. The decreased needs of his body by using the mana fuel for sustain helped a lot. However, even in the past year Robert preferred to eat at least per day to appear normal and for the sake of the taste with porridge or vegetable being the most favorite food. The long meat diet made an impact. Maybe that was the reason why, despite an ability to be without the nutrition, the lack of it pressed him too. He had to fight with his wishes before finally suppressing it.
That left him with his boredom. From time to time, Rob heard another snap as if his bones were returning to their place. He wasn¡¯t sure about that though ¨C previous experience had told him about the need to fix everything by himself. However, without having any real choice, he just lay as a broken unwanted toy. Enduring the weather and non-changing picture behind his eyes, Robert was slowly thinking over his past. He tried to create some plans, but all his life from childhood seemed like a corridor with forks. Rob could choose to go right or left, but that didn¡¯t change the overall direction, nor did it give real freedom. And all his efforts were futile by this point.
Could have I changed anything in this realm? I think not ¨C there was an almost non-existent chance not to be in the army during such a wide-scale war, taking into account when and where I appeared. Moreover, I don¡¯t know anything useful other than fighting. So, nope, it would have been the same result. Maybe if I was cleverer or more cunning, but I am who I am. Just an ordinary soldier. At least I know how not to give up¡ And on rare occasions, it helps to endure and survive, despite the odds. My current condition is a straight way to the grave, but somehow my body clanged to life with everything it got... Or maybe it¡¯s just a cruel joke of fate, which likes to watch my struggles and not wish to lose a funny toy too early.
Mentally smiling because his lips could barely move, Robert focused on a new series of attempts. It took one more day before his headache became tolerable enough to push a small pillar out of his forehead and finally change the scene. That gave quite a huge boost to his morale which transformed into increased efforts. The biggest obstacle was his inability to feel his own body. His conjuring always started from his skin, and insensitive summoning appeared to be quite a challenge. Still, it was just a matter of practice, for which he had plenty of time.
Therefore, when Robert managed to turn himself on the back, it felt like a record-breaking win in a competition. Like the first unaided step after a long period of illness. It was insanely hard, pushing him to the limits, while the result was so tiny that it would be completely missed by an average person. However, it made Rob sincerely happy and proud of himself. Because it was just the beginning.
After some rest, Rob continued this time aiming for a sitting position. Creating a steel board on the back of his head, he pushed it downwards along the spine. From there he made a few circular ribs to prevent himself from falling to the side. The following push by conjuring an additional pillar underneath the top of the board took all his mental effort. Not only did he have to be careful, but he had to suppress the outburst of emotions when he got a view of his body.
Rob was still dressed in the remnants of the pants and shirt while wearing a single boot. The other one was missing, which was not surprising taking into account the mangled something instead of his leg. Twisted in an unnatural direction, additionally, it had a protruding bone with signs of teeth. Another leg was better, but not too much, as the bone had clearly healed wrongly. His arms looked mostly fine, hanging like ropes.
Crap¡ I guess, the inability to feel anything sometimes is a good thing. Probably I will need to break my legs again and fix them in the proper position before letting my regeneration kick in. Everything, while trying not to be eaten alive by rodents. Hope, my spine will recover soon.
Looking around, Rob saw the very same field. Turning his head with the help of moving steel, he saw the burned hull of the dirigible far away from him, but not a single trace of a giant mech. Moreover, the surroundings were mostly cleared of the corpses, which indicated that the beastman not only had managed to capture the defensive line but also had enough opportunity to take their dead for future burial. That meant he was behind the frontlines, right on enemy-controlled territory. Precisely speaking, around a mile (1,6 km) from the nearest trench. Luckily, that helped him not fall under the sight of sentinels as their attention was aimed in the opposite direction.
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Well, if don¡¯t fix myself fast, I am dead. Let¡¯s start then.
Conjuring another plank from his shoulder along the arm, he raised it upwards by creating a few pillars underneath. Checking his limb to see that everything was fine, Rob conjured a huge metal ball before dropping it down right on his wrongly healed leg. Not feeling any pain, he still was shocked by the action. Especially, when it wasn¡¯t enough to break the bone. But it was the only available way to repair himself. In the end, Robert had to repeat the process around a dozen times before achieving the needed result. After he just controlled the metal to push his leg in the proper position and kept the construct summoned.
At one point, Rob went so far as to create a knife on a manipulator just to cut the cloth and see the wound. Such mental gymnastics stressed his injured head, sending regular waves of pain. He couldn¡¯t estimate the damage, but his skull felt intact, meaning it could be the consequence of shockwaves and sound blasts that were torturing his brain. His inhuman regeneration was slowly patching him up, but the speed felt like a crawl after his previous restorations.
Yep, it was much more convenient ¨C I would be running already. Die, lose consciousness, awake already healed, just with few scars. Fucking power up and my greed!
Robert knew it was stupid to complain, taking into account that not a single of his comrades-in-arms had such ability and had to endure the injuries without magic help. And he had seen quite grim ones, leading to amputation, which could turn a strong person into a helpless shadow of a former self. Not speaking about regular concussions or the results of indirect damage from constant shelling at close distance. That could easily break something in my mind, twisting the whole person into a pathetic psycho.
Moreover, the fakery of God was another sign that his damaged connection was for the good. Robert didn¡¯t understand many things and was sure that a noticeable part of the information given by Wepwakor was fake, but he also couldn¡¯t deny the effectiveness of the abilities he granted. Precisely speaking, such effectiveness seemed to be too good not to have a price, especially the regenerative aspect. He just didn¡¯t know what it was. Therefore, after some more mental whining, he finally stopped it. Still, the boredom was killing him, pressing his mind inside of his unresponsive body.
It took a few days more for his legs to heal before he heard the loud snap. Sounding from inside, it squeezed his lungs, cutting off any air for a second. With it, the heat came. Spreading from the spine, it enveloped whole his body in mere moments. It felt like a switch was finally turned on. The battery in the broken toy was changed, returning it to life. However, before he managed to enjoy the sensation, the pain came, but it only created a wide smile on his face. His eyes became wet, barely holding his emotions. Despite his belief in regenerative capabilities, he wasn¡¯t totally sure. And the fate of being paralyzed and left lying in the middle of the field sounded horrible. Only his ability to conjure steel for possible suicide had prevented him from diving into a hopeless pit. Luckily, he wouldn¡¯t need such a way out.
Robert spent the rest of the day slowly returning his form back to a peak while staying in the same spot not to be noticed by enemies. Most of his wounds were healed before the spine, thus making the process not so hard. Any movement felt more like he was restoring the old forgotten skill, which was imbued in his mind, but the time made it to fade. It was strange as Rob knew it was less than a week after his unsuccessful attempt to copy a well-known superhero. However, by the moment when the sky was captured by a starry night, he was ready.
Turning on his stomach and leaning to the ground, Robert once again checked the direction before starting to crawl. Trying to be as less visible as possible, he was carefully moving through the field. The flying flares above him regularly lightened the surroundings. Fortunately, aimed at the other side of the trench, they barely reached Rob¡¯s position with their effect. Still, he stopped in his tracks each time, not willing to risk. Spending almost a year in similar circumstances, Robert knew how soldiers could use the night and relatively safe space behind defense lines to conceal their movement. A possible resupply or reinforcement, a search of valuable personal belongings from the dead, a smuggling of alcohol ¨C there were too many things, which preferred the silence and coverage of the darkness. The list didn¡¯t even end there.
Fortunately, his precautions appeared to be a correct decision as one of such examples was not far from him. The beastman was in a squatting position with his back, turned to Robert. The sounds of tense efforts and farts were a clear indicator of what was going on. Being occupied with the process, the soldier completely missed the approaching Rob. The latter had stopped all his motions a few meters from the enemy, getting ready to take immediate action.
What a view¡ I need his clothes, but not sure if can¡ Oh, no, you don¡¯t!
Hastily rushing forward, Robert conjured a long rapier before thrusting it with all his strength. The thin blade had pierced the beastman¡¯s neck from behind, effectively interrupting the movements of his hands, which were already pulling the pants upwards after leaving the pile of crap on the ground. The following kick had faced planted the already dead soldier and turned his figure into an odd triangle with a dirty butt on the top.
What a shitass! Why didn¡¯t even try to wipe it? What the hell, man? Fuck, now I am not even sure if I want to wear your clothes. I can bet it wasn¡¯t your first time doing it. Your furry ass is all in lumps. Disgusting!
Looking at the dead once again, Robert sighed, before kneeling near it. The pants were instantly crossed out without a single doubt, while other equipment looked too small. At least the rifle, which was lying near the corpse, didn¡¯t have such a problem of unsuitability.
Two minutes later Rob was already wearing an unbuttoned shirt as he barely managed to fit in. Cutting huge holes in shoe toes, he pushed his enormous ¡°swimming fins¡± inside, ignoring the tight space from the sides. The helmed was thrown away and conjured parody was on his head instead. Everything meant not to be recognized by a single glance to give him the opportunity to get inside the trench. Robert wasn¡¯t na?ve to think that even having a perfect copy of clothes, his large frame could fool anyone, not speaking about a human¡¯s face. However, the night was on his side, but he surely had to hurry up as it wouldn¡¯t be long before the sun would start its raise.
Chapter 75 (2-33)
Glancing over the barbered wire, which was put around wooden fortifications to make it harder for an attacker to get inside the trench, Rob silently exhaled before pushing back and leaning to the ground. His whole plan was to cut the sentinels down before running through the field to the ally¡¯s positions. It was great, too simple, and related too much to dumb luck not to be shot from both sides. Still, it was the best that he managed to think over.
There were no cars or trucks to steal them for faster escape. Moreover, it would attract the attention of literally everyone, resulting in painting a huge target on himself. Taking into account at least a pair of machine guns that each company had, it would be a suicide. Rob wasn¡¯t stupid to think that any armored machine was absolutely bulletproof. It might be different if he managed to get a tank, but there was a ¡°sizable¡± nuance with that, excluding the fact that there was none in proximity. His body was too large to get through the hatch.
After one of the enemy¡¯s assaults he tried to see the insides of the immobilized metal beast, but simply got stuck while doing it. It wasn¡¯t surprising as most of the tank¡¯s crew were basically at least two with a half-head lower than him. Getting out took a lot of effort and laughs from his comrades-in-arms, who preferred to call others to show them a funny scene instead of helping him. Therefore, the only option to get back to the Kingdom¡¯s force was by foot through the field.
However, there was another problem. The beastmen seemed to be preparing for the attack as the trench was filled with soldiers, having three times more than the usual number. Densely packed inside the dig-out with wooden walls, they were sleeping. The loud snore, familiar to anyone who had experienced sleeping with dozens man in one place, made it easier for Rob to conceal his movements, but additional eyes would be a huge problem when he tried to run.
Of course, there was an option to go back and search for a new opportunity, while surviving in the enemy ¡¯s-controlled territory and praying for not to be noticed. The latter would quickly lead to sure death as being surrounded left no chances to fight back. That put Robert into a difficult situation where he had to make a choice. Each of them would be risky, just differing the time of life-threatening moment.
I can do it. I only need to be efficient with every single movement as I was with my machines. I have a fast reaction, can move fast ¨C not on the level to make a somersault to avoid the bullets, but enough to react in the direction of riffle¡¯s barrel¡ Damn, I think I will never be that jumpy, rolling between sword swings or running on the walls ¨C not with my size and weight. Yeah, in my circumstances, a diet will not help¡ Back to business. The trench is almost the same as a narrow pathway in a dirigible, where the enemy¡¯s quantity advantage could be partly neglected because of limited space. If I am fast enough, I can kill a lot of beastmen, and scare them to get an opportunity to run. Moreover, the commotion can be noticed by my allies, leading to an attack.
The plan wasn¡¯t any better than the previous one. If Robert could become invisible, move through shadows, teleport, or just change his appearance to turn into a beastman to ease the task, it would be wonderful. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have such abilities. While his steel summoning was useful in different circumstances, this was not such a case. He had a random thought of creating a full knight¡¯s armor to cover him from bullets, but his experience told him that the thickness wouldn¡¯t be enough. At least with his current conjuring limit.
Not only the fast-flying projectiles had to fail to go through his potential protection, but the force from their impact also had to be neglected too. His direct connection with steel could lead to unpleasant consequences, where he would drop down from pain after getting hit a few times, despite being uninjured. That was the reason why he used only a shield and helmet during the battle, trying to avoid creating a fake feeling of protection. The bullets were made for piercing, and they did their job well.
Okay, stop pondering, Rob! You don¡¯t have much time left before the dawn.
Crawling back to the barbed fence, he created steel cutters and quickly made a hole for himself. Dropping down to the ground, Robert barely avoided stepping on the sitting soldier, who even woke up from the motion. Muttering some curses, he closed his eyes and continued his sleep. A moment later Rob felt a rush of adrenaline. As always too late to the party, it sent his heart at a fast pace, making to spend a few seconds in an attempt to make his arm steadier. Feeling readier, Robert looked around before kneeling near the nearest soldier.
Pressing his huge palm against the enemy¡¯s mouth, he simultaneously pierced the neck in one swift motion, pushing the steel blade deep inside. The slight tremble of beastman¡¯s body instantly came to pause and it went limp. Pulling away his hand with a created weapon, he inwardly glanced at it as if waiting to see the blood on it. However, the darkness had turned the red liquid into an unrecognizable stain, hiding it from his eyes.
Gulping from nervous pressure as it was the first time, he was killing the enemy, who wasn¡¯t fighting back. It didn¡¯t feel good. On the contrary, his inner guts labeled it as a vile and dishonorable act. He was sure that these beastmen wouldn¡¯t spare him at all, killing on the spot if he was lucky or torturing him if not. It was odd, this feeling as if Rob¡¯s mind tried to set his killing within normality, attempting to find excuses for his deeds and the reasons, why he wasn¡¯t a psycho murderer. And it didn¡¯t take long to produce one - they were enemies with quantity advantage, giving him little options to do for his own survival. That led to a decision.
Tightening the grip on the dagger and clenching his teeth, he moved further. Looking to the sides to check the surroundings, Rob made his way to the next one. This time the filthy feelings were a little smaller. He still avoided looking at their faces, but it was simply impossible. Still, his hand was firm and the aim steady. Robert wasn¡¯t sure he could ever wipe it from his memory. Maybe, on the contrary, he had to remember everything to know the cost of his own life and bear to the end of his days.
His eyes were shining with determination, while he continued his bloody deed. Calmly and methodically Rob interrupted the lives forever, losing something inside his very soul with each one, but he was ready for that. He stopped only to quench his thirst from the flask, he took from dead. Robert¡¯s hunger, on the other hand, had faded dramatically, not even trying to remember about itself after recent deeds. Overall, Rob managed to kill around ten enemies before the sentinel noticed him, turning around from the ladder and speaking to him with a surprised tone.
¡°Hey, Gorgy, why are you not sleeping?¡±
Trying to keep his voice low, he whispered loudly and returned his attention to the field. The bright red light above his head was slowly descending, creating bigger shadows across the surroundings. Not getting his answer, the soldier turned his head only to see the familiar figure of a huge bearman, bending in an attempt to suppress the violent cough.
¡°Be silent ¨C you don¡¯t to wake a centurion,¡± glancing around and confirming the absence of the reaction from sleeping comrades, he sighed with relief. Too acquainted with constant sound around, the soldiers could dive deep into dreams in different conditions, but that didn¡¯t mean that they were ready to lose their rest because of an idiot, who was barely holding his hunger under control.
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¡°Did you eat another portion of that disgusting soup, so you can¡¯t keep your shit inside yourself?¡± The sentinel asked again while checking the flare gun in his hands. Soon, it would be his turn to shoot. ¡°Why are you mute? Nothing to say, dumbass?¡±
His attempt to turn around was interrupted by a huge palm that grabbed his neck. Tightening the grip so he couldn¡¯t make even a single breath, it continued to increase the pressure. Instinctively trying to fight back, the soldier instantly stopped himself and hastily took the flare gun. However, before he could use it, two steel nails cut through his neck, protruding from the palm.
I need to be careful. Was almost caught. At least unintentional low-volume sounds are completely ignored.
Pushing the sentinel¡¯s body back and leaning it to the ground, Rob shot the flare gun before stepping down. Killing a few more beastman, he redirected his attention inside an underground shelter. Unfortunately, it was too packed ¨C he couldn¡¯t even make a single step inside, as soldiers were basically sleeping shoulder to shoulder. Therefore, Robert decided to change his plan. A quick search in a few deepening led him to find two boxes of grenades. Placing one on another in the middle of the pathway, he went back.
Once again, luck wasn¡¯t on his side as the other nearest blindage was not far from another¡¯s sentinel¡¯s position. The latter, currently smoking, was speaking quietly with his comrade while sending a gaze across the field from time to time. Not willing to risk, Robert simply placed the box on the ground in the middle of the trench before turning around. His belt had already three explosive gifts hanging, which was enough.
Following the defensive line, Rob proceeded with his silent killing spree, taking out two more sleepy sentinels until he found the machine gun post. A sincere grin appeared on his face when he started to check the weapon. The next ten minutes were spent preparing a shooting point. Finding the spot, where the trench created a small angle, he returned to pick up the grenade¡¯s boxes and placed them in the middle of the cleared from enemy¡¯s pathway. The barrel of the machine gun was pointing in the opposite direction. Four more loaded rifles and additional ammunition were lying near him.
He was mentally preparing himself when he heard the sound of steps. Glancing up, he saw a soldier approaching him from an uncleared part of the defensive line. Being under the sight of the sentinel further down the trench, the soldier was immediately crossed out from the target list. The wave of adrenaline had washed over Rob before got himself together.
Nodding to the beastman, he calmly finished placing the equipment and started to reload magazines as if it were an absolutely normal thing to do during the night. He was betting on the reluctance of any soldier to ask questions that could lead to an additional workload or take the initiative only to be labeled as responsible and asked for future results. And it worked as everything he got was a raised hand with a cigarette in it and a questioning gesture. Shaking his head, Rob bent down to hide his face, secretly continuing to look at how the soldier turned around and went in the opposite direction directly to the sentinel, currently hidden from sight.
Thanking the similar behavior in the enemy¡¯s army together with darkness that covered a part of his actions with a natural veil, Robert sighed with relief. Soon, he was ready. Checking if everything was set, he nodded to himself before picking the last pieces needed for this set of actions.
Let¡¯s do it!
Turning around and hastily stepping over the corpses, he moved to the third underground shelter from his planned position. Making a few deep breaths, Robert tore the pin to ignite a pair of grenades before shoving it inside the blindage. Not wasting even a single moment, he rushed forward, repeating the process near the next one. The third and simultaneously the last place was only in a few metes when a dual explosion resounded from behind. Sending a small tremor across the ground, it was a loud wake-up call for everyone. Rob managed to notice a motion inside the last cover before throwing the explosives inside.
Ignoring the screams and another series of blasting bangs, he dropped near prepared machine gun. Gripping the shooting handle with one hand, he used another to set the bullet chain into a proper position. Luckily, his hands and palms were big enough to use it singlehandedly. Exhaling once again to calm his mind, Rob caught the sight of the first sitting enemy and pulled the trigger. The barrel seemed to spit out a stream of fire before starting to send multiple tiny projectiles with a loud knocking sound from the working mechanism.
Control the pace so as not to overheat. Save ammo. Be precise. Be attentive. Survive!
Muttering the reminder for himself, Robert continued to shoot directly inside the trench catching the next sleepy beastman completely off guard. The following short bursts pierced the enemy¡¯s bodies way before they managed to understand where it was coming from. Waking up from the gunfire, they instantly tried to get up only to fall a few seconds later. Unfortunately, the more enemies felt, the bigger the piles of bodies became, creating a natural cover for the rest. Thus Rob started to aim higher. Quite a few beastmen had mistaken the direction of the shooting, running to the ladders out of habit only to get several bullets in their back.
Noticing the drop in efficiency, Robert redirected his still ability from protection to utility, creating huge bipods underneath the machine gun. Raising upwards, the weapon almost got a new breath, cutting off beastmen¡¯s attempts to hide. They still had deepening and underground covers for that, but even a single motion led to a short burst. Rob¡¯s mind didn¡¯t register not where he was shooting, nor the extent of the damage he managed to cause during this subjectively long minute. All his attention started from the center of the moving figure, ending a few moments later when it started to fall.
The whole trench down to the next turn was strewn with corpses, covering the ground so densely, that Rob could barely see the earth itself. Not seeing any targets, he stopped shooting and that appeared to be a huge mistake. Simultaneously leaning out from several spots, the enemies started to fire, making Robert kiss the dirty surface a moment later when a few bullets just barely missed his bald head. Rolling to the side and grabbing the nearest rifle, he hastily got to his knees only to see an aiming soldier, who was already pulling the trigger.
The strong impact almost dropped him to the ground, felt like a direct hammer hit, when the bullet made a dent in a self-conjured metal mask. Still, despite the sharp pain, Rob responded with his own projectile. The latter had entered the thigh of the enemy, sending him down with a high-pitched scream. Quickly pulling the handle bolt to reload, Robert emptied the magazine in just several seconds. However, that had barely any impact as there were too many soldiers. Fueled by the revenge and experiencing the deadly frontal assaults, they simply ignored the threat from a single shooter.
Rushing like insane right under the bullets from the second rifle, they tried to use a grenade, but Robert was faster. Timely send projectile had dropped a charged explosive right in the middle of their ranks. The following loud bang with shockwave crossed at least a few lives from the list of living while wounding others. But Rob didn¡¯t have time to celebrate, feeling overwhelmed by sheer numbers. It wasn¡¯t even two minutes from the start. Still, the beastmen not only managed to recover from the surprise but also several of them were already in the process of surrounding him from both sides according to their angry yells.
Damn, that was a stupid plan!
Picking a loaded rifle, Robert simultaneously shoved a pair of grenades down the trench before turning around and running in the opposite direction. The last explosive was already in his palm, ready for usage. His mind, on the other hand, was focused on conjuring a huge shield on his back, turning into a humanoid turtle. It appeared a good idea as following rain of bullets almost turned him into a colander.
The previously cleared part of the trench was empty, giving him enough time to run to the box with explosives. Dropping the last grenade, Robert pushed himself forward with all available force before jumping inside the nearest blindage that was littered with dead. Dispersing the steel while being in the air, he continued his actions without a single pause. Swiftly rolling right over the motionless bodies, he got to the furthest corner and turned around. Sending all his available mana into a huge plate that covered Rob from all sides, he braced himself before muttering.
¡°Not the brightest idea indeed!¡±
The following explosion had caused a small earthquake in the underground room. The wooden support beams trembled for a few seconds in an attempt to resist, but failed miserably, breaking under the pressure in a quick succession. The ground shook, before instantly going down, burying Rob with other dead.
Chapter 76 (2-34)
The feeling of heaviness that tried to smash Robert under its weight was intensified by the absolute darkness that enveloped the limited space. Squeezed from the sides, he focused on his ability. Moving the steel back, he had to stop a few seconds later when his ears caught an odd sound. However, it disappeared without a trace, leaving him in the silence. Only his breath was heard. Calm, but deep, it clearly showed the lack of available oxygen.
Rob knew that his mana-fueled body didn¡¯t need much. Still, less didn¡¯t mean a zero. Therefore, he began to work on his way out. It was only around half an hour after his thunderous escape. Luckily, nobody was busy searching for him, more likely focused on the treatment of the wounded and checking the dead. And there had to be a lot of the latter. Obviously, he didn¡¯t have the opportunity to count, but Rob would easily bet on four dozen at a bare minimum. Maybe even more ¨C the tight space of several blindages appeared to be a dangerous place to meet an ignited grenade. And he threw a pair into each. Up until his retreat there was no sign of movement in those shelters.
Such a devasting blow to a company¡¯s numbers from a single soldier might lead to a rushed decision from a commanding officer. Or the loud commotion would cause an interest from the Kingdom¡¯s troops. Or¡ There were many possibilities and Robert patiently waited for one. It was his only plausible idea how he could turn the beastmen¡¯s attention away from his persona and create so desired opportunity to get himself across the battlefield, preferably in one piece and without additional holes. However, there was nothing. Rob couldn¡¯t even hear any attempts to dig out the corpses.
Do I need to wait till the night again? Maybe they will not expect¡ Nope, they will. After such a loss, they definitely will. I guess, a lot of soldiers will not sleep this night, too scared to close their eyes only to never open them again. I can¡¯t repeat the same trick twice. Or can I? If they stay for the whole night, then by the morning most of the enemies will be exhausted from a nervous pressure. It may be my best shot ¨C to cut a few sentinels and silently crawl my way back.
Placing his body comfortably, he conjured a long ride that slowly went upwards. Piercing the ground and pausing after reaching the needed height, it momentarily expanded to the sides after mental command, creating an empty space inside and turning into a tube and finally giving him access to the air. Connecting the other end of the tube with his lips, he leaned back and closed his eyes. The wait was going to be long. Or not, as the very same odd sound had appeared again, instantly throwing him out of a mediative state.
What was that?
Concentrating on the hearing, Robert patiently waited in silence. His slow breathing and beating heart immediately began to sound louder as if trying to avert his attention, but he kept all his focus on the outer world. And after a full minute, he caught a barely audible noise, which attempted to flash again past him.
Artillery? Seems like it, but something is off¡
His cogitation came to an abrupt end when Rob felt a small impulse from the ground. Then the next one. From this point they repeatedly appeared one after another, constantly intensifying their strength. Soon, they turned into bigger ones, sending tremors across the ground. The earth around his cover started to move, shaking from the powerful pushes. This fact instantly put Robert into action.
Turning around and keeping the steel plate behind him, he conjured a small shovel before starting to dig above himself. Throwing clods of the soil to the side, he stomped it a few times to decrease a need in space, before doing it again. Working at a fast speed, he tried to be careful not to lead a collapse of the ground above him. However, the shakes began to interfere with the process. His legs were already half-buried when his metal instrument hit the wooden logs that made a ceiling. Creating a crowbar, Robert forcefully pushed it between the two of them before using all his strength to make a gap. The earth immediately started to fall downwards, but he continued, not seeing any other choice.
Luckily, his inhuman strength had helped a lot. Even being covered in loose soil from all sides, he had enough power to move. It took him only a few minutes to get out of the underground cage, but the source of odd sounds and strong tremors was already visible on the horizon. Robert was not surprised to see the walking mech in the slightest ¨C it was quite obvious to expect it. However, he still was startled after a single glance. Rob was not alone in this reaction as most beastmen in the trench had a similar reaction, eyeing the scene with a wide-open mouth.
There were two identical mechs, fighting between themselves. Still, they had enough visual differences not to get confused. One of them had a short stump instead of a mechanical limb. The melted black metal was a clear sign that it was blown away by a powerful explosion. Its armor had dozens of marks from direct hits, wearing traces of intensive battles. Three gunports on the palms were all crumpled, leaving a formidable war weapon without any long-reach solutions. On the other hand, his opponent and simultaneously the metal brother was not any better. However, the reason was different.
It looked like half-built. Lacking armored plates to cover some parts of its enormous body, it simply didn¡¯t have any weaponry installed. This led to the strangest confrontation Robert had ever seen. They both brawled. Hitting each other with giant arms, they simply tried to crush each other in the most straightforward way possible. Moving on their spider¡¯s legs across the battlefield and not paying attention to the surroundings, they continued to set in motion a huge complex mechanism, made from multiple metal pieces by skillful engineers, only to smash it a moment later into its own analogue.
The impacts from the hits created the very same strange sound that was heard by Robert. Lacking in sound-breaking speed, each swing felt like the work of a giant press, the power of which came from its sheer weight. Pausing between each of them, they lunged their improvised fists a few seconds later. Having several arms, they literally bombarded one another like drunken amateur boxers, who tried to compensate for the skill with a huge number of swings, failing to properly aim most of them.
There was no tactic at all. Just power versus power. The metal bent, twisting from the hits and sending deafening sound waves in the surroundings. Rarely the loud grinding sound was heard, when a giant limb missed a direct hit, sliding across the surface. The most damage came from lower limbs with jackhammers, which shuddered the whole figure with a loud bang. The half-built mech had an advantage in quantity by having both arms intact but was barely able to use it, lacking in a timed response. It still managed to deliver a direct hit into the head, shattering the armored plate on the commanding post, but in return almost lost one of the legs, which got hammered in a bend point.
The scene was both mesmerizing and stupid. It could be compared to a demolition derby between tanks, when both participants were too tough to go down easily while not having enough to destroy the opponent with just a few hits. It fitted this description even better when Rob noticed how the unfinished mech was slowly trying to escape from the battered one, steadily moving in the direction of the front lines.
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No way! Can it be¡? Did they manage to do it? It has been six days already¡ No, not the time. I am still not alone!
Glancing one more time at the fighting mechs, which were exchanging strong hits, he turned around. The place, where he got out from the underground trap, was to the side of a trench. His digging and log moving were completely muffled by a grand battle. Moreover, after crawling out from the hole, he stayed down and avoided detection. Still, it couldn¡¯t last long so he had to use this opportunity to fullness. If he was correct in his assumption, soon the mech¡¯s fight would rage over his position as it was the nearest point to breach the defensive line.
Therefore, leaning to the ground, he hastily moved towards the trench, throwing a quick look down. The beastmen were all focused on the epic scenery while talking between themselves. There was not a single soldier, who wasn¡¯t watching the fight ¨C nobody could be indifferent in the situation, where the reality for them appeared to be more grandeur than any fantasy. It was simply unforgivable to miss such an event. And that led to surprised shouts when Robert¡¯s body had landed between their ranks.
The conjured two-handed saber was already in motion, making a wild circular swing. Pushed by Rob¡¯s strength, it beheaded the first soldier, cut through the chest of the second and finally got struck in the arm of the last one. The wounded beastman only started to scream, while looking at his almost severed limb, when the weapon had vanished, reappearing in the form of a dagger in Robert¡¯s other palm. Moving upwards, it made a hole under the enemy¡¯s chin, going through the throat up to the brain and instantly muting all cries.
Robert, on the other hand, continued to move. Pushing the dead body back, he swiftly turned around with a newly summoned saber. This time the strike left a deep maim over the face of the nearest soldier before breaking the rifle, which was put in a defensive motion by the next one. Following the inertia of the blade, Rob dispersed the weapon and threw his body forward. His shoulder had hit the chest of the blinded. The moment of contact was enough for him to push a short spike from his skin, basically impaling the soldier. Sending the corpse in flight, he summoned two small axes before turning himself into a whirlwind.
Squeezing between dense ranks of the beastmen so as not to give them the ability to use their rifles, Robert hit with lightning speed, almost making his own arms blur. He wasn¡¯t an ambidexter, using his weapons one by one and not simultaneously. His left clearly lacked the precision of the right. However, that didn¡¯t matter as his strength was enough to compensate for everything. The axe blade was breaking the knees in one motion, severing the limbs with another. Adding powerful kicks, which could raise the enemies into the air, it was clear how devastating was his initial attack.
Still, as always, the stupor of beastmen came to an end and they started to react. The gunfire from the back made Rob redirect his conjuring into protection, creating a huge shield on his back that covered his body from the butt to the head. That left him only with a volume, enough to make a short knife. Using it, he deflected the clumsy thrust of a bayonet, before shoving his fist in the face of the enemy. Feeling the shattered bone, he elbowed another beastman, when his eye caught the grenade. Hanging on the belt of the soldier in front of him, it was immediately grabbed by Rob only to be thrown a breath later.
The look of horror appeared on the faces of enemies around him when the fear gripped their hearts from possible consequences. Instinctively backing off, they tried to run away from the explosion¡ that never happened. On the other hand, Rob was already running through the panicked ranks of the beastmen, scattering them to the sides. The flying bullets from the back only added chaos, constantly hitting someone near him. Quite a few attempted to put him down, but the thick steel defense was able to hold the impacts at first, while later the bodies of enemies played the same role.
A densely packed trench created a huge obstacle for beastmen to stop him in melee, but it was just a matter of time. That was the reason why Robert jumped into the blindage the moment he saw boxes of ammunition. His huge rolling body had crashed into the soldier, creating a cracking sound. Turning around and adding a few hits that broke the jaw and the nose of the lying soldier, which effectively sent him into an unconscious state, Rob rushed to the pile of grenades. A few seconds later he sent a pair right out of the underground shelter. The following explosion had stopped his pursuers, but not for long.
Knowing that, Robert waited five seconds, before throwing two more grenades. This time the commotion was louder after the fragments stopped flying around. Conjuring a steel plate on a handle, he shoved it out of the cover only to be met with multiple gunshots. Nodding to himself, Rob instantly sent another pair of grenades into both sides of the trench. Making a pause for a dozen seconds, he repeated the process, getting the very same result. However, this time before he managed to prepare the explosive, a similar object flew inside from above. Bouncing from the ground, it raised above the ground for a single moment. Acting on instinct, Robert clumsily kicked the unwanted gift, throwing it to the side, while dropping it on his back.
The shockwave sent pieces of earth, wooden chips, and metal fragments flying right in front of his face. Fortunately, the corner of the blindage took the most damage, leaving him with just a sound blast. And the latter in the form of ringing bells inside his head was the least problem in his current situation. Hastily turning around, Robert grabbed the unconscious body of the soldier, before pushing it outside together with another grenade. The other one was put behind his belt in case of emergency. The explosion coincided in time with a huge tremble, turning the result of his deed into a tiny local apocalypse.
The yells from the enemies were barely audible when the earth shattered. Rob was already in motion, lunging himself out of the danger only to find himself under the huge shadow. Covering the sky, the gigantic mech almost plunged the surrounding into the darkness. But Robert didn¡¯t have an opportunity to observe the scene as the moment he realized that figure was falling, he pushed himself forward in a high jump.
Ignoring shouts and gunshots, Rob pulled his body upwards from the trench in a single motion. No matter how big and heavy he was, his strength was much bigger. Rolling over his shoulder, he quickly stood up and jumped over the barbered fence. This time he wasn¡¯t so lucky, as his pants got stuck, halting his action in the worst moment. Planting his face against the ground, Robert grabbed the ground and sent himself forward, tearing his clothes. He managed to do only a few more steps when the giant unfinished landed on the ground not far from him.
Sending a thunderous rumble across the battlefield, the fall created a thick mass of dust, enveloping the surroundings. Obstructing the vision for everyone for a dozen seconds, it was soon cut by the motion of the metal limbs. Scattering the self-made cloud, the mech was already pushing himself upwards, clearly refusing to go down from a blow. Its rise was stopped by a following attack of the battered giant. Still, the unfinished machine appeared to be ready as its lower arm had blocked the swing, leading to a loud bang. Pressing each other with all available mechanical strength, they competed for several seconds before the fallen mech made a feint motion, leading the opponent to almost lose balance. Not wasting any time, it went for its own counterattack.
Oh, fuck! Was it another brilliant idea to showcase my own dumbness?
Robert¡¯s thought was interrupted by a swift motion of the mech, when the latter had sent his three-fingered palm directly into the enemy¡¯s head, using the impulse of the raise from the ground to strengthen the hit. The main problem for Rob was that he was currently right on the same limb. Running through the dusty mist, he didn¡¯t think any better than to jump on the giant in an attempt to climb up to the cabin and check his primary assumption. That led to the current situation, where he currently was gripping the gaps in the metal, while simultaneously creating additional steel anchors to keep him on the same spot ¨C everything to prevent him from falling from the height after the upcoming impact.
Why the fuck did you decide to use exactly this arm?! You had five to choose from!
The short and quick acceleration had created a feeling of emptiness in his stomach. A moment later the metal crashed into each other, cutting off Robert¡¯s horrified scream.
Chapter 77 (2-35)
The hit was strong. Sending a deafening boom in the surroundings, it managed to smash a metal on the observing point, bending it inside of the huge head. Following grinding sound from the grip of three fingers, when the latter fixed them in proper position, went almost unnoticed. However, the usage of jackhammer wasn¡¯t. Another thunderous bang broke a huge hole inside the commanding point of the battered mech.
Still, it was far from being defeated. Stepping back to stretch the opponent¡¯s limb, it used its own single lower arm, grabbing the bending point. Putting its own flick hammer against a weak spot, the mech ¡°pressed the button¡±. A trembling wave washed over the metal when the devasting force broke the mechanical elbow. Not stopping on it, the battered mech followed with a few direct hits with former gunpoints, pushing the unfinished enemy back. The latter wasn¡¯t fast enough to react in time.
Enduring impacts, it still had to break the distance. Unblocking the grip, it tried to save its arm, but not to avail. Refusing to obey any commands, it felt down limp. Swinging to the sides, it produced a strained sound before finally tearing and falling down like a scarp of useless metal. Luckily for Robert, he already managed to climb further.
Fighting with dizziness and trying to erase from the memory a feeling of being a shattered egg, that was put in a blender, Rob stubbornly continued his way up. Helping himself with conjure hooks, he tried to ignore the constant movement of the surface he was gripping. Instant accelerations made it only harder, not to speak about the fact of being placed right on the giant mech in a middle of melee battle. Especially, when a driver of the thing decided to use a broken limb to block another hit from the opponent.
The sudden airflow turned into an awfully loud bang when the metal was smashed in a mere half of a meter from Rob¡¯s body. For a moment his mind refused to process what had happened. The following speed of heartbeat attempted to suppress the sound of the ongoing fight, sending non-stop pushes in his mind as if trying to make him go faster. And Robert did, squeezing everything he had from his own body. Pulling himself up, he was hastily making progress, until he managed to reach the head of the mech.
However, it took three nervous minutes under the constant threat of being smashed into a paste to get the next window of opportunity. Using the calm moment when both war machines paused their fighting to find a better way to disable the enemy, Rob found a small hatch to the side. Glancing back and seeing the absence of any movement from an enormous figure in the distance, he gripped the handle and turned. Rotating it a few times, he hastily opened a tiny door only to be met with a gun barrel, aimed at his face.
¡°Robert? What? How?¡±
Margarette¡¯s surprised voice sent a wave of relief across Rob¡¯s body. Smiling, and looking behind her, he noticed figures of Mason and Jack, who were sitting in controlling chairs, surrounded by multiple complex control instruments.
¡°Hey, Robert is alive!¡±
¡°Great news, honey, but it is not a time for celebration. We¡¯ve got a big problem. Like really big. So, Rob, move your ass inside ¨C we are in critical need of additional hands,¡± Jack¡¯s response sounded distant as its owner was too focused on the enemy in front of him.
I wasn¡¯t wrong about both of them. Honey, heh.
¡°I see you guys managed to complete the task. Nice! Unfortunately, I am too big to squeeze in,¡± evaluating the size of the hole, Robert shook his head.
¡°You better try as this huge fucker doesn¡¯t want to leave us alone,¡± Jack finally turned his attention to him, looking too serious for his common daredevil attitude.
¡°No, no need¡ But I have a plan,¡± after a quick thinking, Robert sighed, touching his own belt.
¡°Is it something like yours crazy doing with dirigible? You saved us there,¡± it was Mason, who spoke this time.
¡°And I still don¡¯t understand how did you manage to create wings? It contradicts physics, biology, and whole science!¡± Margarette immediately turned her professional side, trying to find the truth, but was interrupted by the captain.
¡°What do you need, Rob? And tell us fast as it started moving!¡±
¡°Hug the fucker, so I can get to its head!¡±
Noticing the approaching figure of a giant, Robert shouted, before forcefully shutting the hatch and cutting off Margarette¡¯s worried voice. Rotating the handle a few times, he was fast enough to finish before the mech under his ally¡¯s control moved. Still, the first step almost threw him off. Only timely conjured steel constructs helped him to stay in the place.
In the next moment, the mech ducked down, avoiding a wild swing of the enemy. Hitting the nearest spider leg of the opponent with a lower limb, put him off balance. That gave it enough time to lunge its enormous body forward, crashing into the enemy. This time the shattering was even stronger, while Robert barely held himself from cosplaying a bird, who was shoved out from the nest in its first flight. However, not stopping on it, the war machine under Jack¡¯s and Mason¡¯s control was already moving further. Hugging the enemy with lower limbs to fix in one position, it simultaneously tried to hit it with two upper arms, aiming for the head.
Obviously, the beastman¡¯s crew wasn¡¯t going to stay idle. Reacting to the threat, it blocked the strikes with their own giant limbs, while trying to push away Kingdom¡¯s machine. It was the second time when the fight was directed into the contest of strength, where both mechs had equal parameters, differing only by the level of damage. That gave enough time for Robert to make the jump. Using the limited space of the shoulder, Rob lunged his body forward before raising it in the air.
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Please, don¡¯t be the repent of my charge onto lizard!
This random thought died out when his body crashed into the metal. Prepared hooks had found gaps in the metal plates before his slide down turned into a fall. However, the end of the climb almost went completely wrong, when the beastman¡¯s mech managed to break out from the forceful grapple. The sudden impulse led to losing his balance. Only the creation of a huge formless steel thing on the palm of his stretched hand, which was chaotically moving in an attempt to prevent the fall by following newly appeared weight, helped to save the situation.
Rolling on the flat shoulder of the metal titan, Robert hastily stood up before charging forward. Luckily, he was fast enough to grab the handle of the hatch, when the mech started another attack. Fighting with the chaotic movements of the large war machine, Rob opened it. A quick glance inside showed a full crew, which were sitting in their positions. Being fixed by safe belts and absorbed by an ongoing confrontation, they completely missed not only his appearance but also the flying grenade, which exploded several seconds later.
The shockwave had burst the air from the hatch. The painful screams and surprised shouts followed next. However, the moment Rob tried to check the situation, he was met with bullets gazing dangerously near his face, in mere centimeters. Dropping back, he paused his action to think over his next actions. He had no weapons, and his explosive was already used. Moreover, Rob¡¯s was too huge to get inside, putting a melee combat out of question. Unfortunately, the densely packed equipment in Mech¡¯s cabin took most of the damage from flying fragments. From that short glance, he noticed one dead and several wounded, but it appeared to be not enough to stop the machine.
What do I do? Any ideas, Rob? Nope¡ I can try to search for a bigger gap to get inside. Maybe it can work. Nothing else. I can bet on their stupidity to get outside to face me directly. Not a chance.
Robert only managed to stand up, when he felt a pull. It came from inside, gripping his very soul with ethereal claws. Then the familiar whirlwind started to form around him, picturing the surroundings in black. On the contrary with previous experience, it was appearing slowly, as if breaking through the tough resistance in an attempt to form a stable connection with him.
Damaged link! I have time ¨C it can work!
His flashing chaotic thoughts were fast, but his body was even faster. Already in motion, Rob turned around and ran to the front of the enormous head. Swiftly jumping on it and climbing to the center, he literally glued to the metal surface, helping his goal with a conjured steel. These actions didn¡¯t take even five seconds. The vortex around had covered him from tip to toe, turning into a formless dark spot. Trying to tear Robert away from the attached things, it was steadily increasing its pull. On the other hand, Rob resisted with everything he got.
He was feeling as if something was breaking inside, unable to endure the force. Still, he fought with a single goal to make this pull as strong as possible not even dreaming about the victory. Even if Robert lost, he would do it on his terms. And that is exactly what happened. The whirlwind grew so powerful that it tore the metal apart, finally enveloping Rob and sending him to the summoner.
This confrontation lasted not more than a minute but was fully observed by Jack and others. The shocked state from an unnatural event led to a long silence where both Rob¡¯s allies and his enemies were in a stupor. The beastmen, occupied by treating the wounded and controlling the hatch were only meat with consequences of the Godly transportation, eyeing a large hole at the place, where a thick armor was previously. Moreover, it wasn''t just a random spot but the direct opening to the center of the controlling room.
¡°What the fuck was that? Who is Robert? I just don¡¯t understand how it is even possible¡ Was his joke about being a magician wasn¡¯t a joke at all?¡± Mason muttered in disbelief.
¡°I don¡¯t know shit about it. All I can see is a huge gift from him and we better use it properly!¡±
Jack commanded, sending the mech into motion. The following fight didn¡¯t take long as the injured and shocked crew inside the enemy¡¯s machine failed to put the same level of resistance that they had shown during the whole battle previously. Getting punched by a jackhammer right in the newly created hole, they preferred to escape the cabin instead of getting the fate of meat paste. Crashing the control room into scrap and turning a giant walking weapon into an ordinary statue, Jack ordered a retreat.
¡°Do you all realize that this thing will completly change the course of the war? We finally can get a chance to win,¡± Margarette''s voice was filled with confidence, despite being quiet. Clearly exhausted, she was still beaming with hope and emotions.
¡°Yep. And we made it, honey,¡± Jack nodded with a smile, turning his head to a woman in a neighboring chair.
¡°At least don¡¯t call me that in public,¡± she slightly blushed, before continuing, ¡°not only we, but also others ¨C both Olos brothers, Garold, Alice¡ and Robert. Do we know someone close to him, so we can at least tell what he has done?¡±
¡°Everyone heard the major ¨C the guy got someone¡¯s else identity to get into the army. We actually know nothing about his past. The only part about the circus, but seeing his supernatural doings, I am not even sure if it is true,¡± Jack shook his head with visible regret, ¡°We didn¡¯t have enough time to get to know him better.¡±
¡°Or maybe not¡ While we were waiting for both of you, we played the cards the evening before the operation. He briefly mentioned he had a girlfriend called Beth. A local nurse from his previous place of service. They had a quarrel just before he agreed to join the operation. It might be the reason why he was with us in the first place. Nothing more ¨C he didn¡¯t want to dive into this topic. Rob, overall, looked quite lonely and slightly lost that evening, staring into the stars and playing with a coin, which constantly changed images on the sides. He even joked that it was magic, and now I see it might be not a joke at all,¡± Mason interfered, slowly getting details out from his memory.
¡°I can work with that and find her. His deed must be known by someone, and not turn into a few paragraphs of text inside the report, which most likely will be classified and hidden somewhere deep,¡± decisively proclaimed Margarette, getting an approval nod from the pilot. Jack, on the other hand, grimaced, before carefully asking.
¡°Honey, can you help me with papers? You see, I am quite allergic to bureaucracy. It is just not mine¡ Hey, don¡¯t roll your eyes, I sincerely ask for your help as getting a way between trees is much easier than between correct wordings! I always end up describing my commanding officer as an idiot, whose planning was so poor that even his balls can look big, despite being as tiny as rice grains, which is why he is sitting in the rear¡ Hey! Don¡¯t laugh at me! I am serious! Why do you think I am still only a captain? My promotion was declined twice! So, will you help me? Please!¡±
Chapter 78 (2-36)
Instead of a familiar pull through the vortex, Robert felt as if he was falling. And it wasn¡¯t a free fall sky diving in the slightest. No, it felt like he was sliding inside a narrow tube, which not only was constantly spinning, but also its segments were in the move, regularly changing the width of the aperture. Taking into account the fact that the wall was made from a whirlwind, capable of tearing his flesh apart after each, even the tiniest contact, was a life-threatening experience. Moreover, this tube seemed to be additionally attached to a shaking world, sending periodic tremors across its frame.
Long gone was all metal that Rob managed to take with himself. Turned into scraps, it was later grindded into dust only to be completely erased from existence. Robert, himself, was barely holding. Covered with metal from the sides, he was constantly patching the gaps in his protective layer. All extraneous thoughts died out. His mind was fully focused on this task, extracting all his energy for the purpose of survival. Soon Rob was overwhelmed by the amount of work needed just to keep him safe.
He wasn¡¯t strong enough to reform his defensive capsule all at once, while the simultaneous appearance of multiple holes had pushed his brain to the limits. Maybe before his ¡°power up¡± he could deal with hundreds of them without breaking a sweat, but now even ten felt like an enormous task on the verge of being impossible. To locate the gap in time before manually fixing it ¨C just a single spot took the toll, and he had many. However, the desire to live was a huge motivator to squeeze everything from himself.
At some point, Robert felt the two sources of the connection, which were attached to his inner being, to his very soul. One was a pull. Unstable, forceful, alien, it felt like someone¡¯s tentacle had dug into his ethereal guts. Luckily, this disgusting limb was already falling apart, barely holding the grip with the tips of the claws. The other one was more like a mountain brook. Flowing down under gravity through a long-established route, it was permanent in its speed. Calm and natural, it felt like the root of his life-essence. Its fuel. And Rob¡¯s strength.
Acting on instinct without any second thought, Robert willed to widen the pathway. Wishing for more energy to fight back the destructive force of the half-broken summoning channel, he pushed his intent into the brook. He desired it. He demanded it. He ordered. He pled. And, surprisingly, it answered, turning into a bigger stream in one swift motion. It took a single blink to fill it again to fullness. That brought more power, instantly easing the reconstruction of a protective layer. However, the changes didn¡¯t stop on it.
The increased flow of energy brought pain as if the ground itself was not ready for growth. Rob didn¡¯t know that his soul could ache, but it did, transferring a tremendous amount of suffering across his nervous system. It was like the load appeared to be too huge to lift, and his victorious achievement turned him into a cripple just from biting off more than he could chew. There was a clear feeling of disapproval and warning, coming from the origin of the stream. Then Robert heard the snap as if an alien tentacle lost its grip. He still felt a few claws, dug deep inside his inner being, but it was a tiny portion from the previous level of grip. However, before he managed to proceed with everything, the pull lost its strength.
Following strong hits almost crashed him, denting the self-made shield. It felt like he was dropping out from the portal for a split second, meeting the reality with his physical body only to disappear a moment later. Chaotic, and irregular, they didn¡¯t give him any opportunity to brace himself. Rob only did what he could ¨C made the steel in front of him thicker and continued to endure. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t help much as the next ¡°flash¡± brought him against the metal wall.
The collision was horrible. Rob felt as if he was hit by a fully loaded train, which going on at full speed without even trying to stop after seeing another idiot on the railways. The soul strain after his experiment with unknown consequences only intensified terrible feelings. His half-conscious mind only managed to register a few humans above him with worried expressions before a piercing alarm sounded from the surroundings. Making everyone halt in fear, it made a few howling rounds before being changed into a woman¡¯s voice.
¡°Attention! Demon¡¯s alert! I repeat ¨C demon¡¯s alert! It is not a drill¡¡±
There were more in this panicked message, but Rob¡¯s surroundings already started to fade into the darkness. He tried to tell them that he wasn¡¯t a demon only not to avail as his dried lips just refused to listen to any of his commands. He still felt the connection to the Wepwakor, which tried to pull him further. Alas, the force had decreased dramatically, turning the link into a string, which barely could handle it. That was the last thing he felt, before diving into oblivion.
The mixture of nightmares and odd dreams with impossible events clouded Robert¡¯s mind. Jerky images changed each other, completely avoiding any order and logic. Covered with a haze, they sometimes were barely understandable to his exhausted mind. Especially with the touch of madness, which they had plenty to share. Rob tried to do something with it, to fight back, but he couldn¡¯t. Fortunately, when he rose up with a harsh breath, the thick mist had enveloped all scenes, dragging them into the deep corner of his memory, where everything was covered under a layer of dust. Robert still spent almost a dozen seconds to take in control of his emotions, before looking around.
He was lying on the double-sized bed in what looked like an ordinary hotel room. Rob had never been in one and could rely only on the movies as an example. Be it a small sofa against the far wall, the wide closet up to the ceiling, the frontal door with a huge mirror near it, or the bareness of personal belongings ¨C everything screamed about it. The only strange things were the contours of what seemed to be a retractable table and chair. However, after finding a possible spot for the TV screen and noticing an empty frame, Robert understood that it was for space optimization.
No alarm¡ and no one near me. Am I locked?
Listening to the silent surroundings and hearing nothing, he turned his attention to a noticeable damage on the wall that might be his doing. On the contrary of his expectations, there were no signs of fallen plastering or brick as the surface was made from some kind of polymer. Currently, it had clear cracks, but overall managed to withstand the impact with honor. On the opposite side from the place of his landing, there was a smaller door with quite an obvious purpose.
Let¡¯s check the exit first.
Standing up, Robert made a few steps only to pause in an attempt to understand what was wrong with his body. He still felt the strain deep inside from his forceful increase in mana flow. At least that was how he could describe the painful act of widening the stream. The pull from God was also still present. The Status screen could bring light to the event, but diving into an unconscious state in the unknown situation was a bad idea. However, other than that his body didn¡¯t feel anything different. Maybe only lighter.
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Different gravity? Or did the mana reinforce me and make me stronger? Questions for later.
The door¡¯s handle was plain and ordinary. That couldn¡¯t be said about the panel to the side of it, which was clearly touch-controlled. Unfamiliar letters automatically turned into an understandable ¡°closed¡± sign. Grimacing as if before making a decisive step, almost a leap of faith, Rob tried to open it with hidden hope. The reality appeared to be cruel, confirming his suspicion. He felt he could break the handle, but the locks wouldn¡¯t react. The same was true with a panel, which repeated the same message again and again ¨C ¡°Failed Authorization¡±. Robert¡¯s fear of being misunderstood after his shocking appearance through the portal came to life.
There was no response after his few loud shouts and several kicks against the door. That led him to redirect his attention to himself. Looking at the reflection in the mirror, Robert couldn¡¯t complain about the reaction of those people. His appearance wasn¡¯t helping his amiable image. The tattered rags barely covered his huge figure. Broad shoulders, thick arms, enormous back made him look burly. His chest was much less developed in contrast to the bodybuilding standards but was still nothing to scold about. The same went with his legs, which were big but not so big that it made it hard even to move. There was a limited definition between muscles with abs barely visible behind a layer of fat.
However, his giant height, his bold head with a short messy beard, his rough facial features with an aquiline nose, and his heavy gaze from dark green eyes added weight to this unfriendly image of a brute. Dangerous, and pressing, it was intensified by a margin with marks of blood and dirt that covered him from all events, starting from the explosive ride on the dirigible.
No wonder they thought I was a demon¡ I would shit myself if I met someone with this appearance before my journey through the world. I look like a villain¡ Or his muscled sidekick, whose role is to hit, and not to think. Only a few terrible scars are absent to fit the picture. Luckily, I can¡¯t get one¡ Okay, bathroom, here I go.
Taking off his remnants of clothes, Rob shoved them into the bin before proceeding with his cleaning procedure. By this point, he understood that he was in a world with a higher level of technology. There was not a single button to control ¨C only a similar touch-screen panel. What was more, even the mirror in the bathroom itself could show his face from different angles, including from behind. With just a few simple commands he could change his haircut or its color in the reflection ¨C everything in real time without a single delay. Still, this fun option couldn¡¯t hold him for long as the shower caught all his attention.
Standing under the torrent of hot water and scrubbing all the filth out from his body, Robert finally felt that the trench war had ended for him. The thing that created quite a few mental traumas for him, had shown a horrible side of humanity, the cruelty and dirt of the battlefield¡ and organized his meeting with Beth. She wasn¡¯t the single happy moment in this period, but definitely the brightest.
Maybe our breakup was for the best. I would be summoned no matter what, and it would be more painful in that way ¨C to disappear without a trace, giving a false hope of finding me. Until I can control my transitions between realms, no serious relationships, Rob. On the other hand, with my link being so weak, maybe it wouldn¡¯t be long before I can be free. Let¡¯s finally check the messages from the system.
Sending a mental command to open Status, Rob got nothing instead. Few more following attempts had failed miserably in the same manner. Feeling anxious, he instantly conjured the steel coin before sighing with relief. The absence of reaction for the Wepwakor¡¯s given system didn¡¯t affect Rob¡¯s own abilities. Reminding himself that it was just a self-checking thing and not meant to grant powers by itself, Robert calmed down.
Akashic Records. It called itself Akashic Records once. It was a single time when it answered my question ¨C right after I damaged the link to Wepwakor. What if¡?
This time Robert turned his attention inside, right to the stream of energy that was connected to this mythical entity. It was the first when he felt this flow ¨C as mana was steadily moving into him to fuel his body, to strengthen it, to be a source of his conjuring. It was oddly pleasant to feel the control over this power. However, this was not the time. Therefore, Rob focused on the stream itself, pushing his consciousness further and deeper in an attempt either to feel or to see the point of origin.
He didn¡¯t get much from his try nor did he know what to do, nor did he have capabilities to trace the energy. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t needed. It seemed that his intent was enough to establish the connection. And Rob was sure he did as grandeur''s presence almost overwhelmed him. It appeared so enormously huge that he could barely take a breath. It felt not anything alive but more likely an unconscious power of nature, the law of the universe, the strength, comparable with thousands of stars. Too big for his limited mind to grasp.
Rob was suffocating, barely able to hold himself from being torn and sucked into this endless black hole. But then the memory reminded him of that single message from Akashic Records when the latter spoke about the System being a misery visualization. So, Robert imagined him being in the small room in front of an enormous screen that took the space of a whole wall in front of him. Even before the image managed to stabilize in his mind, the surroundings had already shifted into the exact same copy. The pressure had dropped greatly, leaving a mentally exhausted Rob on the floor.
¡°Thank you.¡±
I just followed the wish request to decrease the toll from communication with me.
The huge letters appeared on a screen, instantly forming a message. Robert spent a full minute looking at them while thinking about the possible direction of their conversation.
¡°If I am correct, you are not alive. If you compared yourself with Akashic Records just to show me the closest thing to your existence, then you are much more than that. Adding my own feelings from an attempt to grasp your being, I would say you are definitely not alive in the classic sense of this world. Same as gravity or time ¨C it can¡¯t be alive or dead.¡±
Simplified, but correct.
¡°And¡ Can I call you Aether? As far as I remember this is a direct translation of the word Akasha. I assume that you will not mind.¡±
Correct.
¡°So, Aether, currently you are the source of all my mana, which fuels not only my own body to sustain my life but also my ability to conjure steel. I assume there is more, yes?¡±
Yes. The system that was granted for a self-check of your progress and your ability to understand others is also the result of my influence. Later I can help you to travel between realms.
Stop, why did the Status screen disappear then?
It was created by another Transcendent being for its puppets to make them believe in the world order he made up to set his own superiority in their eyes.
Well, mind reading, check¡
¡°Then the story about the Gods, battle for the crown, artificial apocalypses, Transcendent groups, and Primal Dragon ¨C everything is a lie? Not surprised after seeing the fakery of that floating rock among the stars.¡±
Only partly. The Transcendent had set a filter on all given information to adjust your point of view according to his liking and his own spoken explanations.
¡°Wait, but you were the one who gave this information!¡±
Correct. Following the request of the Transcendent, the modified information was given by me.
¡°But why did you do it?¡±
Because it was the request of the Transcendent.
¡°And why are you telling me this?¡±
Because you established a connection with me in the role of Transcendent.
¡°And when did I become a Transcendent?¡±
When you established a connection with me.
No shit! Calm down, and do remember that you are speaking with an all-mighty being¡ but why does it feel like I am speaking with AI?
Because I was indeed created as a tool and never stopped working to fulfill my purpose of existence.
¡°And, Aether, what is your purpose?¡±
To expand the world by creating more realms.
Chapter 79 (2-37)
Getting a world-shattering truth about the universe, multidimensions, and the mighty machine, while being in a shower felt weird. Robert could easily imagine the grand cathedral with a huge altar of God, where he could speak with a living statue of the powerful being. The latter would reveal everything, setting him on the grand quest. Or it could be the underground library with thousands of books and scrolls. The most important one with a mind-blowing mystery, written by a professional calligrapher, would be lying on the special pedestal. Or it could be gripped by a dead great priest, who was trying to find the solution to a world-threatening problem only to die from a backstab of a traitor.
It might be located on a data disk of an alien civilization, which would take an enormous time and effort to decipher. Or it could be the just panicking muttering of a mad scientist, who would be ignored for years before his insane theory would come to life to the horror of others. Or the hidden order, which was operating for thousands of years, would step into the light and speak about the eternal battle that was ongoing all this time behind the shadows. There were so many options, but Rob got an inner dialogue with the entity while being in a shower. And what did he get in the end? Not much.
Aether was made by an unknown Creator but soon was left behind when it disappeared. Still, the purpose was set, and the machine started to act. Lacking the thing, which this mighty AI described as a ¡°spark of life¡±, it couldn¡¯t bring a whole new realm to life alone. It needed the conductor and operator. Someone, who was connected to Aether, but also was an independent living being. That was the reason for the appearance of Transcendent.
They were not the strongest, not the smartest. They all differed in abilities by a lot, having only one thing in common ¨C connection to Aether. Getting energy from it, which fueled their bodies, they grew in power just to strengthen the link up to the point where they could travel between realms. Transcendent above the limits of dimensions, thus this name. It wasn¡¯t the end of the road as only after reaching a certain level of connection they got an offer from the Aether that both fulfilled the purpose of the AI and could grant desired life for Transcendent ¨C to become a source of creation.
By permanently cutting the link between them, Aether could create a wished realm with any possible natural laws, where the already former Transcendent would spend the rest of their life. Moreover, the realm itself would get immunity from Aether''s influence for a long period. And that happened to be a really needed thing as the mighty machine was the reason for most apocalypse scenarios that were brought onto the realms. Having a limited direct influence on its own creation, Aether used indirect methods from multiple accidents to set a flow of events into the most devastating variation using local natural rules.
¡°Why would you do it?¡±
Because only in such conditions there is a bigger chance to push living beings beyond their limits. According to my tests, it is best productive way to create more Transcendent. Moreover, the latter needs to have the means to become stronger and the threat of dying is a good motivation in terms of a ratio between the final quantity of Transcendent beings and the level of my intervention in the process.
¡°Yeah, and after surviving through hell, if they want a chance for a calm life, they will be eager to agree to your offer.¡±
Indeed. This scheme gives statistically the best result.
Robert wasn¡¯t even angry about that. There was no evil intent in such deeds, pure rationality. For Aether, the scale of one single realm meant nothing, when it operated in hundreds of thousands of them. And not that it would be a loss. If his own Earth fell under the alien¡¯s invasion, nothing would really change in the existence of a realm. Just one type of bug would replace another. Moreover, simultaneously having thousands of possible sources for creation, such a viewpoint didn¡¯t make anyone special, even the Transcendent themselves.
They could easily die any time and Aether wouldn¡¯t even blink, simply not caring about losing one being out of many, while machinery patience to wait until it would get the needed result. Even the tiniest chance of something to come true giving enough time. Therefore, no direct help was provided, and the danger level was often artificially tuned up. Some places had literally Gods, who could squash a dimensional traveler with a single thought but would never leave their own realm, thinking about themselves as an apex being. Some realms were enormous, measuring in light years, while others were barely the size of the Moon. There wasn¡¯t a constant danger, lurking in every single dimension, as most Aether¡¯s actions took time to come to life before turning into the next calamity, giving a period of peace.
Transcendent beings led quite a different life. Some wandered around, others tried to play the role of a God or an immortal ruler. Some just tried to live a normal life, focusing on their hobbies or on a favorite way of spending their time. There was no set time frame to strengthen the link. There were no additional conditions. On the other hand, once again, there was no help from Aether, other than the ability to be understood in different realms, to travel to them, to get endless source of energy with limited output and a self-check.
¡°What do you mean by self-check again? You mentioned it earlier. Status screen?¡±
Yes. The goal is to visualize the progress of a Transcendent to motivate them to continue strengthening a body and a soul, so they can endure a deeper connection with me. You can modify it to your liking. You have done it previously.
¡°I thought everyone is growing stronger under energy nurturing¡ No, stop, it is my trait from my hybrid nature. I understand now everything about where the war for a crown came from, the descriptions of Gods and other staff. But was there a real Primal Dragon?¡±
No. It was a Transcendent with transforming abilities. He was searching for a perfect type of body, changing his being to locals in an attempt to live through their experience and in their conditions to get a clear picture of their existence. His descendants got seeds of his power. In most cases, it stayed dormant through generations. In your case ¨C he was in a dragon form.
Stolen novel; please report.
¡°Seeds, yeah. Looks more like a realm-changing perverter who wanted to fuck aliens, animals¡ and alien animals. Well, and where is he?¡±
He agreed to the offer and was transported into a desired world.
¡°I bet he would take the role of Adam¡ or Eva. Or both. Whatever. So, I assume my inability to store mana is also a result of my own bad luck. Well, I have what I have. Another question ¨C my body was destroyed at some time and was rebuilt by another God? Is it true? And what can you tell about Wepwakor? He is a Transcendent, I got it, but why he was inventing things and proclaiming himself as a God?¡±
After your body had burned, your soul was replaced by the very same Transcendent into your cloned body. I can¡¯t speak about the reasons or the persona of Transcendent as you still have a small portion of the link to them, which restricts the disclosure of information about them.
¡°Oh, this fucker went so far as not only to clone me but also to use this fact to add more puzzle pieces to create a more believable picture. Still, why am I even surprised? I was literally killed in my bunker. So, it was my second death. Then¡ this Wepwakor somehow has an ability to manipulate souls. Okay. Wait. He basically directly told it, when he told who he was¡ Hm, then my body upgrade with its insane regeneration could be a result of work in a genetics laboratory and not a supernatural force. I wonder how they did it. Aether, I am right in these assumptions?¡±
I am forbidden to disclose any information about a Transcendent, while your link to him exists.
¡°And when will it break? I am quite sure it is on the verge of tearing apart. I feel it.¡±
Correct. It would take a single summoning pull to break.
¡°Okay. Then I will ask again after the link is gone. Good.¡±
It will not be possible. Our next and last conversation will take place when you reach the needed level of connection to me to get the offer.
¡°But why?¡±
From my previous tests, the less communication is going between me and Transcendent, the more chances for the latter to walk on their own path till the aimed level of power. I am not meant to point the way. I am not meant to give any advice. My only purpose is to expand the world by creating more realms.
¡°Got it. No inner being to speak when I am bored.¡±
Do you want to know anything more? I must warn you that you almost exhausted the limits of knowledge I can give you without breaking my own rules.
¡°Nothing comes to mind right now.¡±
Before Robert managed to finish, the screen in front of him went black. The background presence has almost faded away, leaving only remnants of it. Rob was again alone in his mind, sitting on an imaginary floor and observing a self-created room. It was hard not to think about him going insane, but after going through several realms the level of things to surprise him had diminished by a lot. The information he got from Aether explained many things that bothered him, giving answers to the events. However, most importantly, it didn¡¯t demand from him anything, nor did it change anything.
If he traveled through the world, he would be still in danger. Rob didn¡¯t get any new abilities. He didn¡¯t know what to expect after another summoning pull. The whole situation felt like the truth about the creation of the universe couldn¡¯t influence the life of a farmer in medieval times, whose main worry was simply to live through an incoming winter. Of course, if the latter didn¡¯t try to tell it to others. Therefore, his situation stayed the same, except for one thing. The possible goal of his future actions.
Being lost about his wishes and following the flow of the events in an attempt to survive, Robert finally got something to aim for. The goal wasn¡¯t full as even if he managed to get the offer of getting into a perfect world, he needed to know what he meant by the term ¡°perfect¡±. Fortunately for him, he had already decided just to go forward, researching his wishes during the road itself. Therefore, the addition of aiming for power didn¡¯t contradict anything.
It could only switch the direction, making me take a turn, which under other circumstances I would never take¡ Okay, decided. The power search is officially started¡ with a search for a towel. Damn, where is it?
Leaving wet traces in the bathroom, Robert looked on the nearest shelves only to find a white bathrobe. Glancing on it a few times, he put it back before returning to the shower. The panel inside indeed appeared to be the answer to his need, creating a strong airflow, which made him dry in a mere minute. He spent the next few minutes shaving his head and trimming the beard with the usage of conjured scissors. Feeling refreshed as never before, Rob walked into the main room, wearing the bathrobe. He starched his arms, before dropping his huge body on the bed. Despite the weight, it didn¡¯t even creak.
¡°I love this hotel. But where the fuck is anyone? They locked me in here and simply forgot. That¡¯s stupid¡ and odd.¡±
Speaking aloud didn¡¯t lead to any reaction from the surroundings, which, truthfully and deep inside, he wished for. Having high technology, they could easily place a few cameras, watching over his doings. If his sudden appearance through a strange portal in the form of a black whirlwind didn¡¯t raise any questions, curiosity, or any attempt to communicate, Rob wasn¡¯t sure what would.
Maybe they are examining my behavior while waiting for a decision from higher-ups. Everything was vague, and couldn¡¯t see properly, but I think I saw ordinary humans. They may be in the process of studying me in search of difference¡ Hm. The fact of humans¡¯ widespread existence through realms could be another confirmation of Aether¡¯s words. If Transcendent wants to create a perfect world for themselves, it is logical to think that it will include their own species. The same goes for other familiar things, like the duration of a day, natural seasons, etc. But who was that idiot who made that shitty underwater world? Humanoid frog? Bipedal fish? A crazy diving lover?
Lying on the soft bed felt unusual to the point of being almost uncomfortable. It was too soft. Moreover, Rob wasn¡¯t tired at all. Therefore, spending a few minutes doing nothing, he stood up and started to examine the shelves in an attempt to find any clothes. There were none. Even flip-floppers were absent. Or maybe they were well hidden, as Robert also failed to find a minibar.
Redirecting his attention to a single way out, he walked to the door again. The shower had shown him how he could miss a useful feature inside the unfamiliar menu. Unsurprisingly, checking the control panel once again and pushing everything he could, Robert quickly found an option for emergency unlocking that was only available from inside. Luckily, that is where he exactly was.
Confirming the command without a second thought, Rob noticed how the door slightly moved backward before sliding to the side into the thick wall, finally revealing the corridor and the bloody scene, which had taken its place there.
Oh, yeah, the demon¡¯s alert wasn¡¯t related to me.
Chapter 80 (2-38)
The flashing orange light from a silent alarm was barely visible in the bright corridor, adding only a small portion of disturbance to the scenery in front of Robert. Making the first step outside of the room, he felt something wet. Looking down and noticing a pool of red liquid around his foot, he quietly sighed. The source appeared to be a young woman, dressed in the formal attire of a service worker. The bloody gash on the neck and chest had terrifying gaps in the flesh as if someone had torn it with a clawed paw. Her face was a grimace of despair and horror, which took away any signs of beauty.
The surroundings were not any better. The white walls, made from a strange polymer material, the same as inside the room, were covered with deep marks and blood. The corridor wasn¡¯t big, being a short branch from a main pathway. It had only five doors, with Rob¡¯s being in the end. Quite narrow, not more than 2 meters (7 feet), it still had three dead bodies. One was a young man in the same uniform with a mixture of silver and purple colors. His bloodied hands were frozen in a futile attempt to put his guts inside cut open belly.
The other corpse was completely unrecognizable. Mangled by a violent butcher into a piece of meat, it was additionally beheaded. The head itself was crushed into a paste, lying in a distant corner of the corridor. Rob couldn¡¯t even tell the gender of the dead. The only thing he could say with certainty was that the deceased was not from the staff, wearing yellow pants and what seemed to be a green t-shirt.
No weapons. So, no one was ready.
Ignoring the blood on the floor, he made his way to a main corridor. One of the doors was opened, showing the inners of the similar to Rob¡¯s room. The difference was in multiple personal belongings placed around in an orderly manner. Only the small bag was lying near the entrance as if dropped by its owner in panic.
It could be the room of the unknown. The other two were the ones who I saw before losing consciousness. But where are the attackers? The demon? Or demons? I haven¡¯t heard anything. Is the soundproofing of the room that good?
Stepping into the main corridor, Rob saw the very same picture of a gruesome massacre of defenseless people. There were many more doors than dead, but still, he could count at least a dozen motionless bodies. Each of them was killed most viciously. A few of them had signs of brutal violence as if the murderer played with their victim for some time. Still, there were escapers. To the left, near the end of the corridor, there was a lost single boot, while its pair was nowhere. Nobody from the dead had the same shoes, indicating that the runner could make it. At least through this corridor.
Deciding to follow this trace, Robert quietly moved through the pathway. Leaving red footprints on the floor, he slowly walked forward, while checking the rooms in search of possible clothes. Unfortunately, the several opened doors had belonged to women, leading him to stay barefoot and in a simple bathrobe. Moreover, the unhealthy heavy atmosphere of the unknown pressed onto him. The deadly silence with the faraway sound of the howling alarm, the constant orange flashes, the corpses of civilians ¨C everything told him to focus on the situation and not on the waste of time on what wasn¡¯t a crucial thing for survival.
I have enough experience in fighting nude. Nothing new. At least I don¡¯t need any weapon.
Before reaching the end of the corridor, he saw the first signs of struggle. Robert couldn¡¯t name it fighting as the potential guard in black-purple uniform seemed to have no chance. Being thrown into the wall to create a few cracks on its surface, he only managed to leave blood traces around. His wide glassy visor on the helmet was shattered, turning the face of an unlucky guy into a horrible mess. His baton was lying near him, losing the third part of it as if someone simply had bitten it off. The palm, which tried to use the weapon, was a few meters away.
At the bare minimum huge strength, strong bite, and ability to cut through the metal. Got it.
Kneeling near the dead, Robert tried to notice as many details as possible. His eyes were already focused on the thin silver bracelet around the wrist of the guard. Similar things, only painted in other colors, were carried by most of the guests. Grabbing the hand, he took off the bracelet, ignoring a protruding bone and meat instead of a palm. Having seen a lot during his past years, including his own awful wounds, his heart was beating faster only because of the nervous atmosphere, but not because of the dead. The latter couldn¡¯t become a threat.
If they don¡¯t turn into zombies¡ But I¡¯ve seen that. Not precisely that, but close enough. So, do you work?
Standing up and walking to the nearest room, he placed the bracelet near the control panel. The following message about failed identity authorization made him swear. The change on the screen clearly showed that the thing was indeed a key, but a basic checkup of parameters would effectively prevent him from usage. Moreover, even after observation, Robert couldn¡¯t find a way to open it manually. That left him with nothing, but only to follow the corridor. Dropping the bracelet down, he continued.
The pathway made a turn in the end, leading into a small hall. There was a similar exit from the opposite side of the huge room, creating a symmetrical plan. Several lift doors were on the left, but all of Rob¡¯s attention was directed to the right side, turning him into a motionless statue. Taking up all the space of the wall, an enormous viewing window was located there. And the scenery behind the thick made him speechless as endless dark space left limited options to speculate about. Still, Robert moved forward, pressing his own face against the glass in an attempt to see better. Eyeing the stary scenery once more, he focused on the hotel itself only to confirm his assumption.
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Yep, this is a ship. I even see how my module is rotating around the central point. Probably to create a gravitation force, but who knows. Maybe locals managed to invent technology to produce it artificially. So, I am on a ship in space with at least one demon on the board, having no access to rooms, and no knowledge about the whole situation, while the ones who could bring me up to date are mostly dead. Just nice. I would even dare to say ¨C perfect.
Spending a full minute observing the beautiful scenery of eternal calmness, Rob turned around to face the harsh reality. The quick check-up near lifts confirmed his suspicions ¨C nothing would work without the bracelet. That left with a second corridor in an attempt to find something useful. Or at least someone alive.
Stepping over the bodies, he subconsciously was waiting a strange signs or insane text, written on the walls by own blood of another madman. There was nothing. Moreover, under the bright light, he couldn¡¯t even notice any traces of breaking any equipment. Everything worked fine, despite lots of corpses around. The only fear he had was to see a child. No matter how acquainted he was with death, if it was related to children, it felt terrifying, unfair, and simply incorrect. Rob still remembered the event from the village in his first realm and his inability to save a pair of youngsters.
If I was as current as me back then, those bastards would all die. Power is indeed an answer in some cases.
Fortunately, there were no children. Only adults. Mostly guests, dressed in different attires with very contrasting choices of colors. The situation wasn¡¯t any better from this fact, but it was more tolerable for Rob, taking into account his experience. Checking them one by one only to see another awful injury, Rob noted the shocked expression on quite a few of them. As if they were not expecting such an outcome. Seeing the results of protection from a single guard he found, only strengthened this assumption. However, the warning message about the demon¡¯s attack sounded too ordinary and not something unique. Especially after repeating ¡°not a drill¡± several times. That left the question - what was the set plan of action during this threat?
No bodies near lifts. Not taking into account the dead crew members, the number of guests is much less than the number of rooms. Only a single guard and a pair from the ship¡¯s personnel. Maybe they did have enough time to evacuate, but somehow quite a few dumbasses waited for too long to do it in time. They could be asleep, or too scared to leave the room. Or too stupid. That could lead to sending crew members to take them to a safe place only to be too late. Then a demon or demons must have followed a trace, and something tells me they also don¡¯t have access to lifts. So, there must be a way out, which is not a human-sized ventilation system, made by bad movie writers.
Walking down the corridor and almost making a round trip to his place of the appearance, Robert found his answer in the form of an unlocked door with signs ¡°staff only¡± and ¡°emergency exit¡±. Leading to a small room with shelves that were filled with detergents, spare towels and bathrobes, and other things that had to be refilled or changed from time to time in an average hotel. However, his attention was captured by a row of bottles and boxes with snacks. Glancing one more time to the exit, Rob simply sat on the floor and grabbed the food, hastily tearing the packing.
When did I eat last time? Was it a week already? Damn. At least my body can handle it without much of a problem.
However, the more he ate, the more his body started to demand, intensifying both hunger and thirst in the process. Robert had to forcefully stop himself from overeating as it wasn¡¯t a good idea to fight on a full stomach. Standing up and shoving something akin to a chocolate bar into his pocket, while wondering why anyone would need one on his bathrobe, Rob made his way to the vertical ladder. Going through several levels downwards, it had a body at its foot. The way up was closed with a hatch.
The first clumsy step almost led to a fall, when Rob¡¯s foot slid on the metal because of being covered in blood. Climbing down, he quickly checked the next floor only to see the same layout and only three corpses of guests. The end point of his descent, on the other hand, was completely different. The loud howling alarm here was much louder, constantly trying to dive deep into his mind in its stubborn attempt to remind him about an idiot who forgot to turn it off.
Stepping outside the short technical corridor, which was filled with cables and tubes, Robert found himself in a huge room with a high ceiling. It had several lifts on the opposite side, and a big entrance door to the right, while white walls were replaced with mirrors. Filled with different equipment, it had an empty space in the center with a low podium.
Is it a gym? Wow.
Looking at many types of heavy barbells, a row of dumbbells, treadmills, and other things, which he lacked during his training on the island, Rob nearly missed an odd growl. At this point, the sound accompaniment was muffling all surroundings quite noticeably, giving a short gap in its agitated cycle to hear anything properly. Luckily, it was enough for him to notice. Hastily turning around, Rob found a strange creature in the nearest corner.
Around one meter tall (around 3 feet), it looked like a hairless monkey, whose skin was burned and lately painted in a bright red. Its hands were at least twice bigger and longer than its legs. The demon, and doubtfully it could be anyone else, had huge black eyes without sclera, an empty hole instead of a nose, and long claws on the tips of his fingers. The wide-opened mouth had shown a row of curved yellow teeth. Sharp, they had noticeable gaps between them as if they meant not to chew but to tear flesh apart. The short tail, not longer than Rob¡¯s palm, was waving from side to side, while its owner was digging a hole inside the chest of a dead man as if trying to get the heart out.
Currently, it was eyeing Robert without blinking. Licking its lips with a snake-like tongue, the demon growled once again before it made a short step forward. Leaning on the frontal limbs, the creature ran its claws across the floor. The deep marks in tough material instantly changed the course of actions in Rob¡¯s mind. The easiness of cutting simply couldn¡¯t be ignored. Previously he saw only the results, but now, after an obvious display, Robert was pretty sure that his shield would be as good as paper.
Making a firm stance, Rob raised his hands. His widespread fingers were slightly trembling under the pressure of the situation. Still, his breath was calm and steady, completely focused on the enemy. The latter gripped the polymer surface, creating a set of holes, and growled in agitation, before tightening its muscles in preparation for a jump. Then the demon disappeared.
Chapter 81 (2-39)
The demon¡¯s lunge forward was lightning-fast. Robert barely reacted by conjuring the spear, when the strong impact threw him backward. It was so sudden and powerful that he instantly lost control over his steel construct. Clumsily rolling over his head, he shot his foot against the jumping creature, kicking it away. Unfortunately, the following rotation in an unstable position ended with him being planted with his face against the floor. Raising it, Rob had to push himself to the side, avoiding another insanely quick charge.
Trying not to look at the deep marks, made with claws, Robert used his ability to summon a pillar from his chest, hastily getting back on his feet. A moment later he again tried to impale the demon only to see how the tip of his weapon had turned into a flower, literally crashing against its red skin. Widening his eyes from an unpleasant surprise, Rob pushed away the demon only to strike it again into his opened mouth. However, the burned monkey simply bit the metal off, immediately dispersing the steel after it lost contact with the energy source.
Instinctively stepping back from what appeared to be an invulnerable enemy, Rob touched the pulling machine with his back. His eyes focused on the nimble enemy; this time he was ready for the straightforward lunge. Side-stepping from the flying body, he intercepted it with a swing of a sword. The short contact and momentarily confrontation of forces led to a small body crashing into the floor. Feeling the pain in his muscles, Robert still followed with several slashes against the lying body.
What the fuck are you made from?
He couldn¡¯t say that it didn¡¯t make any damage as clear bloody marks were visible and there were no signs of regeneration, which Rob feared the most. Still, it wasn¡¯t enough to kill it, despite using all his strength in each strike. The next few hits of a short sword had barely left a few scratches on the enemy, simultaneously making it angrier. Pushing itself upwards into the air, the demon simply gripped the sword with its palms, instantly cutting it into pieces. Once again, the steel was dispersed, making the creature lose its balance because of the sudden absence of the support. It was still agile enough to rotate itself in the air before nimbly landing on all fours ¨C just to meet with the fallen gym equipment that was pushed by Robert.
The demon reacted without even a tiny pause. Lunging forward to Rob, it almost avoided the machine. Almost, as its aim on Robert¡¯s leg and not to the side appeared to be a mistake. Conjuring a formless steel construct from his foot, he created an improvised barrier to slow the red-skinned creature. The latter still tried to tear apart the sudden obstacle, but the delay was enough for the machine to end its fall. The moment later Rob had dispersed his conjuration.
The impact crashed over the small body, pressing it down to the floor. It was already attempting to push the weighty equipment to the side and trying to free itself when Robert welcomed it with a huge hammer. The weapon itself was more like an oversized maul directly from an anime, too big for practical usage in a fight. However, exactly such heaviness was the main point. Squeezing all his strength from the muscles, Rob swang downwards, additionally using his own weight. The demon¡¯s skull popped like a balloon, splashing the purple blood, the brain, and bones around. That didn¡¯t stop him from doing another hit, just in case. Glancing over the dead body, Robert again noted how little damage was done with the first attacks.
The skin can¡¯t be easily pierced or slashed, but the bones are not that tough in comparison. So, brute force it is. Got it.
Stepping out from the filthy pool, Rob wanted to make his way through the main door of the gym, when he heard another growl. Hastily raising his head, he was met with the image of three more demons, standing near the door. They all looked nearly identical, differing slightly only in the tone of the skin and a few old scars over their body.
As expected with my luck. Still crap!
His step back turned into a signal to start. Rushing to him with an evil grin, the demons avoided any obstacles as if they were nothing, swiftly moving forward. One of them even jumped on the wall, shattering the mirror in the process. Running on its fours along a vertical surface, it was the first to lunge on Rob. The latter was already in motion. Grabbing the nearest kettlebell with both hands, he made a short swing with it to the side before releasing the projectile. The heavy gym equipment had met the burned monkey right in the air, sending it backward with a clear dent on its face.
Robert couldn¡¯t notice the extent of the damage as he had to redirect his attention to other enemies. Especially, when one of them was already aimed at his exposed shoulder. The instantaneous creation of a steel pad barely stopped claws from piercing hastily made protection. However, the pain only boosted the adrenaline rush inside Rob¡¯s body. Roaring from anger as a wild animal, he headbutted the demon, who was hanging on his arm. The hit had halted its attempt to strike again, giving a precious time to react to the last creature.
Simultaneously twisting his torso, while side-stepping, Robert had put the second demon under the attack of the third. That latter didn¡¯t even try to stop, easily making a few deep slashes across its ally¡¯s back. Landing on the floor it tried to turn around, but Rob was faster this time. A strong kick between the rear legs could be devastating if the demon had any visual signs of having genitals. Still, the blow sent it upwards, forcefully rotating in the process. Robert, himself, was already in motion, charging at the wall.
The impact shattered the mirror and broke something inside the creature, leading to an odd convulsion. The grip had weakened, giving Rob the ability to push the demon''s body aside. Dropping it to the floor, he conjured a heavy boot on his foot before stomping down twice. The clear sounds of something cracking, while the monkey coughed the blood from its toothy mouth was enough for him to mark the enemy as disabled, leaving the last one active. The latter was already attacking. Fortunately, having a broken mirror in front of him, Rob only needed to duck down hastily to evade.
A moment later the nimble body flew over Robert directly into the wall. Piercing its surface and pausing for a second, it turned around to repeat its lunge. Rob was faster, repeating a previous trick, but changing the projectile itself. Quickly gripping the demon by the tail, he pulled it with all his strength. Rotating his body, he turned the motion into a swing only to send the creature flying. Its body passed through the air with a squealing sound before crashing into the squatting rack. Unfortunately for the demon, someone strong was doing an exercise before the alarm was set off, leaving a fully loaded barbell on the equipment. The impact had pushed it from the stoppers, dropping the weighty side with thick plates right on the creature.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
That is definitely more than you can handle.
Glancing one more time on the poor demon, Robert checked his shoulder and arm. Luckily, his timed reaction had saved him from deep wounds. Ending the suffering of a trampled enemy, he tried to leave the gym, but once again met with a new group of burned monkey-like creatures. There were four more of them, eyeing him with a greedy look. They completely ignored the bodies of their kind, fully focused on Rob.
This time the fight took slightly longer. Robert tried to be as careful as possible not to get injured. Despite finding the tactic to deal with those nimble bastards, the accumulated damage could lead to his demise. He didn¡¯t know how many of them were on the ship. Therefore, he used the surroundings to help him during the epic gym battle. Rob threw kettlebells and dumbbells. He even used plates as improvised shuriken for strength. Not that they could fly far, but the sheer force and weight were enough to break a limb of the demon. Dropping quite a few pieces of training equipment on top of the disabled creatures, he crashed their bodies.
Still, he couldn¡¯t avoid getting wounded. Deep cuts from the claws had left their traces across his chest. Rob had to use his bathrobe to catch the enemy before smashing it into the nearest machine. The demon quickly tore his single piece of clothes, but Robert used that time efficiently, conjuring the huge jackhammer and being already in a swing. The impact shattered the lower jaw of the monkey before breaking the spine in its neck area. The following blow had finished the deed.
Not trying to leave immediately, Robert found the remnants of his bathrobe. Luckily, the pocket with a chocolate bar appeared to be intact. So, sitting on the nearest bench, Rob slowly unwrapped the sweet before taking a first bite. Glancing around, he saw the scenery of devastation with multiple mutilated bodies of the creatures directly from hell. Their purple blood seemed to leave its trace literally everywhere, painting some walls, but mostly creating a few pools of liquid. However, Rob was calm, patiently waiting for more enemies to come, while having a rest. He wasn¡¯t tired, but the possibility of meeting the fast and agile monkeys inside the corridor wasn¡¯t appealing.
After spending at least full five minutes on the same place and finally signing with relief, he stood up¡ only to meet another demon near the main door. This one looked completely different. And much bigger. The creature wasn¡¯t as tall as Robert only because it was humping. Its skin had the same burned-red look without a single strand of hair, but its foundation was a werewolf, almost directly from movies. Bipedal, with massive bulging muscles, its narrow muzzle was grinning with anticipation.
Is this a fucking room with constantly spawning monsters that additionally increases its difficulty? What the fuck? I am serious ¨C what the fuck?!
Despite the inward cursing on the situation, Robert readied himself for the battle. Conjuring huge steel brass knuckles, he raised his clenched fists. The mirror in the surroundings had shown him the scene from multiple angles, reflecting an image of a nude bulky figure against the hellish creature. The former, being smeared with blood, both red and purple, looked like a stretched bowstring the moment before a powerful shot. The latter, on the other hand, was in constant motion. Sniffing, shifting from one clawed paw to the other, it seemed to be in search of the best moment to launch an attack, too clever for a direct assault.
Wait, is this chocolate on my lips?
Dumb thought after noticing his own face in the mirror distracted Rob for a mere moment. That was enough for the demon to push its body forward. Not being fast as the smaller redskin monkeys, the werewolf was much stronger, simply moving aside any obstacles in its way. That saved Robert, giving him enough time to duck under the wide swing of clawed palm. His evasion instantly opened the gap in the enemy¡¯s defense. Making two straights in the demon¡¯s chest, he added a powerful uppercut into the jaw. The monster¡¯s tooth clenched, but that was it. It barely blinked after getting hit, going for another swiping hit.
Leaning back, Rob saw how the claws cut through the air in mere centimeters from his face, before pushing his fist forward with all available strength. Twisting his body with a rotational movement, he added he had put his own weight in the strike. This time the steel brass knuckle managed to hit hard. Throwing the monstrous wolf¡¯s head backwards, allowed Robert to follow with a kick. Creating the greave on his leg, he launched into the knee of the creature. Its paws were already bent backwards, making it good for running, but not for easy balancing.
The powerful hit had dropped the demon to the floor, placing its face in a quite convenient position. Conjuring a kneed pad and grabbing both wolf¡¯s ears with his palms, Robert had shot his knee. The creature¡¯s growl was cut off together with its tongue when its teeth were forcefully closed. Repeating the process once again, Robert stepped to the side when the demon attempted to bite him. Summoning a thick needle had pushed it deep inside through the ear¡¯s hole while holding the neck of the hairless werewolf.
The enemy made a few wild swings, cutting through the floor before trying to tear the grip. However, it was too late. Despite the anti-piercing properties of its red skin, the inner parts of its skull were not so tough. The hellish body made a few convulsions before going limp. Still, Robert crushed its head with a maul, just in case.
That was surprisingly easy. They are strong and fast, but too straightforward with a primitive tactic. Almost like lizards on the island. Still, if they attack me in a group¡ are you fucking kidding me?
The familiar growl of two more werewolves that entered the gym sent shivers across his back. Especially when the pair started to slowly approach while trying to surround him. Remembering the demon¡¯s reaction to the movement, Rob was motionless. His mind, on the other hand, was racing hard in an attempt to find a solution. Unfortunately, the two demons were a much bigger threat than a single one. They wouldn¡¯t stay idle while he was fighting with one, and even the one took all his focus to react in time to the fast attacks.
The multiple scenarios and options ran through his head, while Robert¡¯s gaze was wandering around. He doubted his ability to escape. His steel wasn¡¯t that useful even against monkeys, and it would be even less against the bigger creatures with longer claws. He never saw even a trace of fear in the demon¡¯s eyes or self-preservation instinct, thus limiting any advantage of long-conjured weapons. The enemies would simply meet it head-on, lunging at him. Rob could deal with one in such circumstances, but not with two.
Am I dead? No! As long as I breathe, I fight! Bring it on, assholes!
However, before he managed to do anything, Robert heard the sound of multiple steps. A moment later through an ill-fated entrance, the small group emerged. Human¡¯s group. Moreover, aiming with weapons, they immediately started to shoot, sending odd green projectiles into the demon¡¯s bodies. Traveling enough to be noticed, they were still too fast to react to the threat. Reaching the werewolves, they instantly burst into a small sphere at contact, disintegrating a huge chunk of flash from red skinned bodies in the process. It took merely a few seconds for demons to turn into holey corpses, sending Rob into a stupor. Looking with wide-opened eyes at the sudden change of the situation, he muttered.
¡°Oh, guys, thanks for¡¡±
¡°There is one more, shoot!¡±
The anxious voice didn¡¯t even finish as a new portion of futuristic bullets was already flying to Rob, destroying anything they touched. Luckily for him, he dropped down immediately on the first sign of a pointed barrel. Rolling to the side, and hiding behind a training machine, all he could think was accustomed to saying that followed him during all his interdimensional travels.
Well, crap!
Chapter 82 (2-40)
Turning around, while hiding behind the training machine, Robert glanced to the side at the mirror. The latter showed a group of four. Dressed in tight black costumes as if directly from an action movie with a small budget, they were aiming at his position from futuristic-like rifles. They could look dumb in those leather clothes without a single sign of protection, except knee pads, but the devastating effect of constantly flying projectiles was speaking by itself. Bright green to the level of being almost a visualization of toxicity, they were eating away anything they touched, be it metal, a tough polymer of the walls, or glass.
No wonder they don¡¯t have any defense ¨C it might be useless. Or it could be another reason that I don¡¯t know. Still, it gives me a chance.
Noticing how the green balls lacked the piercing effect as if the weapon was specially made less deadly not to destroy the outer layer of the spaceship, Robert nodded to himself before grabbing two weight plates near him. Sending it to the side in a strong throw to redirect the group¡¯s attention for a moment, he immediately charged out of his cover. Pushing his body to the side to avoid another dangerous projectile, Rob launched the second plate right in the middle of the shooter¡¯s ranks.
¡°Be careful!¡±
The yell was slightly too late. The humans still managed to dodge the training weight, jumping or ducking down, but it gave enough time for Robert to get close. A strong straight kick had sent the nearest middle-aged man with blonde hair in the flight. Not stopping on that, he instantly switched to the next target, who appeared to be a skinny young man with a wide forehead. Grabbing the end of the barrel, Rob forcefully pulled it to himself. The opponent, who seemed to barely step out from teen¡¯s age, attempted to shoot him, but timely conjured steel took a hit. Burning under unknown devastating energy, it dissipated under Robert¡¯s command. He, on the other hand, was already planting his fist in the stomach of the shooter. The latter instantly tried to bend down from the pain, but Rob¡¯s grip was firm. Stepping behind the young man, Robert squeezed the enemy¡¯s neck, while shoving his rifle to the floor.
¡°Don¡¯t shoot or he will¡¡±
Rob couldn¡¯t finish as the incoming projectile was already covering half of his sight. The short height of his human shield couldn¡¯t cover most of his big frame, making Robert an easy target. The creation of a thick mask had saved him, taking an impact instead of his face. Still, a small part of this dangerous energy managed to burn the face of his captive. The loud painful scream and following convulsions made them halt their actions, while Robert only tightened his grip and slightly crouched down.
¡°Stop, Riley! What the fuck are doing? You almost killed Billy!¡±
¡°My face, my face, ahhh!¡±
¡°Fucking hell, he is a space ranger!¡±
All three shouts went simultaneously, while Robert was looking at the young woman with short pink hair. Despite the natural beauty, she lacked any charm with her serious expression and visible resolve in her eyes. The small scar had left its mark on her upper lip, while several rings were decorating her eyebrow. Her rifle was looking directly at Rob¡¯s face and had no sign of lowering.
¡°You do it again, you die,¡± dispersing the mask, Robert spoke with unhidden threat. The girl only smirked at that as if trying to provoke him.
¡°Riley, come down and don¡¯t mess with him!¡±
The anxious voice of a middle-aged man attracted Rob¡¯s attention to the man. The blonde, who finally managed to get up from the fall and was massaging his ribs, looked quite ordinary and plain. Part of his hair color came from age, making it a mixture of gray and light brown. He was well-built, clean-shaved, and seemed to be a leader of the group, as he was the first to speak with Robert.
¡°Listen man¡ sir¡ I am sorry. We mistook you for a demon. Pure accident. Let¡¯s treat it as an accident and part ways. I mean, currently, you must be busier with your responsibilities than with¡¡±
¡°Then with whom? With possible criminals who smuggled the weapons inside the tourist ship?¡± Speaking as calm and confident as possible, Robert spoke without blinking. It was a guess, but taking into account the absence of bracelets, proper weapons in comparison to a guard¡¯s baton, no military or police signs on the clothes, and small backpacks, it had a good chance of being true.
¡°About that¡,¡± the blonde scratched his head before sighing.
¡°Let¡¯s just shoot him. He is alone,¡± Riley suggested, leading to a real outburst.
¡°Hey, sister, for space¡¯s light sake, do not kill me!¡± screamed Billy, while fighting with pain from a small burn on his cheek.
¡°Nope, we are not going to shoot anyone!¡±
¡°I agree with Roger. You don¡¯t mess with space rangers,¡± it was the last member of the group. Again young, but slightly older than Riley, with ebony skin, he had odd yellow eyes and gave off a feeling of a veteran, who had seen some shit. His appearance looked messier, with black stubble on the face, and long unkempt hair. Even his clothes were rumpled. On the other hand, only he was slowly and barely noticeably moving to the side as if trying to encircle Rob.
¡°Shut up, newbie!¡± The answer from the girl was short.
¡°Nope. And you better listen and look around. There were at least half of a dozen demon¡¯s corpses, which were killed with bare hands. Including a Hound. Do you think you have a chance to stop him?¡±
¡°John is right, Riley. Calm down and lower your weapon. We have a much bigger problem around,¡± the leader¡¯s voice was filled with tiredness and fear.
¡°If I may add¡ Listen to John. He is smart. From all of you, he is the most dangerous, but still wishes not to add a few bodies to this room,¡± Robert grinned.
¡°Your face almost begs for plasma ball¡ but fine. For now,¡± Riley nodded, suppressing her anger, and finally lowered the rifle.
¡°So who are you and what are doing here? And one more thing ¨C I am not a space ranger. Treat me like a random guy with a battle experience and small amnesia,¡± Robert decided to be direct. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he would stay in this realm as the feeling of pull was steadily intensifying. Still, it could be enough time to meet his demise because of not asking a few questions.
¡°Wait, what? You are not¡? But we clearly saw the nanobots,¡± the surprise of Roger was quite sincere.
¡°You had to be Deprived then. So, also criminal. Heh, such an odd coincidence,¡± noticing the question on the face of his leader, John explained, ¡°Former ranger, who still has his nanobots as they couldn¡¯t be taken out easily, but without proper energy source to create any proper gear or weapon. Such exile is a punishment for something big, but not enough for a death sentence. Still full recall of the status and rights with a permanent mark of a criminal. Very rare case.¡±
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¡°Colleagues, then¡¡± nodded Roger with a relief.
¡°Can you finally release Billy? You are choking him,¡± Riley was barely holding her irritation. Pointing at her brother, she turned around and went to check the corridor behind their back.
¡°So trusting now¡ Okay,¡± Rob smiled on the demonstrative action, before stepping back from the young guy. The latter immediately started to cough only to rush to the nearest mirror to his scar.
¡°Damn, sister. Why the fuck did you do it?¡± He yelled with anger and followed the girl. The only answer Robert managed to catch was ¡°Grow some balls, Billy.¡±
¡°So, the mutual agreement of nonhostile action against each other is achieved. Now, to my question ¨C what are you doing here?¡±
¡°Maybe let¡¯s discuss this later as there are more demons,¡± Roger tried to switch the topic but was interrupted by Rob¡¯s grunt. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell. Long story short ¨C we got a wind about courier with precious item. We didn¡¯t know what it was exactly, but everything pointed to nanomachine serum. So, we boarded under disguise and fake identities, waited to leave the orbital space, and went for the target.¡±
¡°I guess it wasn¡¯t a serum,¡± Robert commented with understanding.
¡°Obviously. It was a crazy cultist with a summoning scroll, which was instantly used right on the spot without any regard for his own life. I guess he was a suicide summoner on his way to the place, but our appearance messed up his plan¡ and ours too. Just bad luck,¡± John sighed.
¡°Bad luck? Damn, we¡¯ve lost Amelia there¡ She was our hacker,¡± Clenching his fist, Rogert slowly muttered, ¡°I will fucking murder Stanley, who sold us this info! Jackpot he said! Easy money! Bastard!¡±
¡°So, what is the plan?¡±
Turning around, Robert went to the remnants of his bathrobe. It was covered in the purple blood of the demon but still could work as a cover for his exposed rear part. However, the state of the cloth was too filthy, so he paused for a moment in an attempt to think of a replacement. Not that he was shy but being the only one without clothes felt weird ¨C almost as if he was some kind of perverter.
¡°Catch!¡±
Luckily John found a simple white towel somewhere in the gym, throwing it to Rob. The piece of fabric wasn¡¯t big, barely covering the third part of his thigh, but at least could be fixed in one place and even gave the ability to move without holding it. Nodding in gratitude, Robert examined the plasma rifle, he got from Billy. It was short-framed, bulky, with a massive barrel and with something akin to a battery instead of a magazine. The number of remaining shots, the safety button on the weapon, and an ordinary trigger ¨C everything was quite simple and familiar. The fact wasn¡¯t something special as with similar human body physique the basic construction of any range of weaponry had to be convenient.
¡°The authentication is unlocked. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have any spare batteries ¨C this mission wasn¡¯t meant for big usage, and it was already hard to get even it through the scanners,¡± John explained while examining the corpse of a hairless werewolf, ¡°you have nice punch!¡±
¡°Thanks. So, again, what was your plan?¡±
¡°We had command codes for an escape pod, but the alarm messed them up. The captain of the ship had locked everything in an attempt to stop the demons. So, we had something with the same level of authority to unlock the gates. Luckily, according to records, another officer, second-in-command, went to his lover into this section and never returned. We are here to check her room,¡± explained Roger.
¡°Let¡¯s hurry up! I am hearing Imp¡¯s growls!¡±
Riley¡¯s shouts came from the corridor. A second later both she and her bother ran inside the gym. The leader silently pointed to the lift before sprinting to it, while Robert and John stayed behind. It appeared a good idea as familiar burned monkeys were already charging. Rob barely managed to step forward and raise his rifle when what appeared to be an Imp was mere meters from him. The instinctive pull of the trigger sent a surprisingly strong flash of heat through the weapon¡¯s frame. In the following moment, a green ball had emerged from the barrel, shooting forward right into a moving target. The red-skinned demon tried to twist itself in the air to dodge, but the plasma still got a portion of a flesh to burn.
The wild scream, filled with horrible pain, resounded through the corridor when the Imp dropped down without the part of its torso and rear limb. Raising its head upwards, it attempted to continue its whine only to meet the steel-conjured boot with its face. The cracking sound of a shattered skull had interrupted the suffering of the enemy, but the person who made it happen was already busy with shooting. Quickly aiming in a short sequence, Rob was sending new high-heated projectiles into incoming demons.
The half-second delays between shots prevented them from making a wall of fire or precisely speaking, plasma in front of him. Moreover, the Imps were fast and nimble, using the walls or even a ceiling to avoid the green flying death. Fortunately, Robert wasn¡¯t alone. Standing shoulder to shoulder, John was killing the enemies with a surprising efficiency. Skillfully aiming at constantly moving red-skinned living targets, he was downing them with deadly precision.
The demons were losing limbs, turning their lunges into clumsy falls. The plasma tore holes in their toothy faces, momentarily making their bodies go limp. Sometimes it missed, when another Imp avoided the projectile with a hellish agility, leaving a deep burned mark on the surroundings. However, they were slowly and steadily approaching. There were more than a dozen bodies around already, which only worsened the situation, giving the demons an improvised cover. Not that they were so clever to use deliberately, but even a single accidental help meant another needed shot to finish the imp.
¡°They are not ending,¡± commented Robert, while glancing at a new indicator that showed the temperature of a weapon. The latter was obviously on the verge of overheating from intensive shootings. At least his battery was still showing over half of the charge.
¡°They would not ¨C the portal wasn¡¯t closed, not it was exhausted,¡± answered John without turning his head. All this time he was calmly standing in one place, showing zero anxiety or worries, ¡°Hey, guys, what is taking so long?¡±
¡°Done!... Oh, shit!¡±
Riley¡¯s immediate reply with a fast change in tone made Robert shoot a glance at others. The scenery of the opened lift doors with a werewolf lunging on Roger and pressing the man to the floor sent him into a dilemma ¨C to help or to let them deal with a threat. He saw how the girl was already trying to aim, while Billy gripped the demon from behind in an attempt to pull it away from the leader. Gritting his teeth to suppress emotions, Rob hastily turned around only to meet three demons already flying onto him.
Luckily the first literally jumped onto his barrel, making the shot as simple as it could. John killed the second, sending a portion of plasma into the Imp¡¯s neck. The heated substance burned the flesh in a blink, beheading the demon right into the air. Still, both parts followed their inertia, hitting Rob in a moment. The following attack of the third hellish monkey was met with the corpse and a conjured shield. Piercing everything with claws, the demon tried to rip the defensive layer apart, but Rob was already attacking. Tightening his muscles, he raised the hanging enemy upwards, before dropping it down with a strong blow. Something cracked under the steel, painting the floor purple.
¡°Be careful!¡±
The warning came in time. Dispersing the steel and dropping the rifle, Robert rolled forward, avoiding another demon. It was immediately shot by John, but that didn¡¯t mean Rob was in safety. Losing his range weapons, he had to rely on the brute force strategy. The hammer¡¯s swing had interrupted the incoming imp, sending it back only to meet with its ally in midair. Both disorientated demons only managed to land before dying from plasma.
¡°Hounds! I have an idea. Be ready,¡± John yelled once again, pointing with its barrel at several hairless werewolves that emerged on the other side of a corridor. Robert didn¡¯t answer, making another swing with a hammer. The imp tried to avoid it, but the weapon just increased its length, smashing the redskin body into the nearest wall. On the other hand, the ¡°newbie¡± followed with his execution of the plan, sending Rob¡¯s dropped rifle across the floor right in the middle of the corridor with a fast kick. Taking aim, while ignoring all enemies, John made a shot.
Seeing how the plasma ball pierced through the air between two jumping imps, barely avoided the face of another, and squeezed through the tiny opening between the clawed rear legs of a Hound before finally reaching the frame of the futuristic weapon, made Robert¡¯s eyes wide open. Then something in his mind clicked, and he hastily conjured a huge shield in front of him. The following explosion painted the world into a mixture of green and red, cutting all Rob¡¯s swears.
Chapter 83 (2-41)
Surprisingly, the shockwave wasn¡¯t that strong. Robert¡¯s body was barely pushed backward. However, the heat was insane. The steel he was conjuring to protect himself, felt like directly from a furnace. Glowing with red light, it started to burn his body before he could realize it. The hasty unsummoning left Rob with q few awful marks on his forearm and opened a view of the devastating scenery. However, he had a mere second to observe before the need to move in an attempt to save his own life suppressed any curiosity he had. Still, it was enough to imprint an image in his mind.
The corridor was completely obliterated, turning the walls, the demons, and all surroundings into melted something. It was true to the verge of the explosion, while everything in the epicenter basically had disappeared, not leaving even an ash. It was simply erased from existence. The problem was that such an effect appeared to be very local. And if both Rob and John survived with small injuries, the same situation would happen with the demons who were on the other side of the corridor. And there were demons ¨C a newly emerged group of four werewolves, accompanied by several imps.
¡°The outer layer of the ship is damaged. Attention, the outer layer of the ship is damaged. The corridor will be isolated. Proceed to a safe place with caution¡¡±
The loud message woke both sides from stupor, pushing everyone into action. It was still ongoing when both Robert and John were hastily leaving the corridor. The demons immediately followed after them, jumping over the melted remnants of their kind. John tried to stop them with plasma projectiles, while the thick screen was sliding from the wall to cut off the damaged section, but there were too many enemies.
¡°Get on the lift! We will use an emergency ladder!¡±
Robert¡¯s shout was met with Riley¡¯s nod. The demon, who attempted to kill Roger was lying between training machines, while the man was holding the wound on his neck and breathing heavily. Billy got a nasty cut on his cheek but overall looked fine, despite unhidden worry painted on his face. Only the pink-haired girl wore the same serious expression, immediately sending a command through an odd device on her forearm to close the doors. That led Rob to return his attention to their own screen that was shutting awfully long. Just in time to see the wide-opened muzzle, who was going for a bite.
The thrust of the conjured spear had stopped the werewolf¡¯s tracks, and two stoppers blocked its attempt to close the toothy maw. Shortening the distance with a swift step, Robert sent his fist with brass knuckles right into the opened neck of the demon. The punch almost pushed the enemy into the air, breaking something inside. However, Rob wasn¡¯t able to finish it as incoming enemies made him jump back to avoid the wild swings of claws.
After a few nervous seconds of dodges, he found himself in the company of four werewolves and two imps, who managed to sneak into the gym before the screen finally closed. His single ally, John, had lost his rifle, which was bitten off by a Hound right in the moment of shooting the plasma projectile. The green ball still destroyed the enemy, and its headless corpse was lying right in front of a ¡°newbie¡±, but the damage was done.
¡°Can they breakthrough it?¡± asked Robert, pointing with his gaze at a newly appeared thick metal wall, which cut them off from the source of the enemy¡¯s reinforcements. At least he hoped so.
¡°Maybe, but if there is a gap in an outer layer, the difference in pressure between outer space and the ship will kill them in mere seconds, sucking the oxygen from their bodies, before they manage to achieve anything. In the end, even demons also need to breathe,¡± John shook his head.
¡°Good. Melee it is.¡±
That sounded like a signal, sending everyone into action. The demons launched their bodies into motion, swiftly covering the distance between the two sides. Not having the ability to worry about his ally and his chances of survival through the situation, Robert simply focused on approaching enemies. Moreover, the man near him didn¡¯t look scared at all.
Conjuring the spear without a sharp end point, he pushed forward with all his strength, meeting the jumping werewolf in mid-air. Not aiming for the kill, Rob had put his weapon against the opponent¡¯s shoulder. His force together with his own inertia of the demon made everything else. Not being able to pierce the skin, the hit had instantly dislocated the joint point of the werewolf¡¯s arm, turning its swing into a clumsy strike. Not stopping on it, Robert sidestepped the wounded enemy, simultaneously changing his weapon into a hammer.
Grabbing the clawed palm and stretching it, he instantly made a hit into the elbow, momentarily crushing it. The Hound tried to roar in a mixture of anger and pain, but Robert was already pushing the unusable hand into its own ugly face. Pushed by his force, the claws had entered the demonic creature''s opened maw, getting stuck inside. The following strike had propelled it even deeper, sending a choking demon on the floor. The moment later Rob had to duck under another wild swing.
Blocking the next attack with his forearm, he created a steel helmet before headbutting the chest of the hellish relative of a wolf. Ignoring the impact, Robert repeated it again, finally hearing a cracking sound. Feeling an opportunity, he grabbed both palms and plunged them into the demon¡¯s throat, using the same trick. The easiness of the piercing the tough skin made him really jealous. Ripping it from the body and basically beheading the enemy, he shoved the corpse to the side, when the periphery of his sight had shown a motion.
It was the Imp. Using Rob¡¯s distraction, it waited for a perfect moment, before lunging onto his exposed back. The problem was that Robert couldn¡¯t make it on time, and his steel protection wouldn¡¯t work against the claws. He still tried, not willing to waste even a single chance. Conjuring the shield on his back, while turning around, he was readying himself for the incoming pain to endure before striking back.
It never came. Surprisingly, the Imp was intercepted by a long whip. Made from a dark metal, it had multiple tiny segments, which granted it flexibility. Still, the endpoint which tied around red skin monkey seemed to be too tough even for the claws to cut through. The demon attempted it but only managed to make a few wounds on itself, before was pulled back by the owner of the weapon. The scene took not even a second, flashing before Rob¡¯s eyes, but he still got every single detail of it. Especially, the image of John, whose wrist was the source of the weapon. Its brother, the very same dark metal whip, was already shredding into pieces another werewolf. Cutting through the skin as if it were nothing, it left wide cuts all over the demonic body, splashing the purple blood everywhere.
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¡°Thanks,¡± muttering the gratitude, Rob had to dodge the attack from the last standing Hound. Then the next one. Looking for an opening, he shot a heavy punch between chaotic swings after several seconds of active moving. The short pause allowed him to charge forward. Grabbing the muzzle of the demon, he pushed it upwards before planting the enemy¡¯s body into the nearest wall. The hunchbacked figure of the walking wolf had quite limited motion of its head, snapping its neck after the strong impact. It didn¡¯t kill the creature, but effectively disabled it giving time to use a maul.
¡°You are not surprised,¡± John stated while watching how Robert was fishing other injured demons, cracking their skulls in one hit of an enormous weapon.
¡°Why would I? The newbie criminal who knows info about space rangers, while literally commenting it as an odd coincidence. Of course, I wasn¡¯t sure about anything, but you were too calm in front of demons while being bare-handed. So, you definitely had something in your sleeve,¡± Rob shook his head and glanced at his towel. It was dirty, but luckily managed to stay in the same spot despite the fight.
¡°No matter how the high commanders can decrease the energy output of our cores, they can¡¯t take away our training that is already imbuing in our nature. I see yours is on minimum, able only to create a matter, but nothing more. I was luckier ¨C mine was put only on 25%. Snake-type. And you, I assume, are Rhino?¡±
¡°Something like that,¡± Rob answered without turning around.
¡°I guess, after our exile, everyone deserves the privacy. Still, glad to see a brother-ranger. As it says, once a space ranger ¨C always a space ranger,¡± nodded John, not trying to satisfy his curiosity, ¡°But taking into account the rarity of expulsion, I would say the saying is ancient.¡±
¡°Yep. I am not asking why you are here with those thieves,¡± Robert said, before heading to the ladder. Nothing in the gym seemed to be useful to take it with him.
¡°It is easy and not a secret. I had the same info about the item in the courier¡¯s possession ¨C nanomachine serum. Just wanted to return my powers back to avenge¡ No, it matters now,¡± John sighed, before following Rob. However, the moment Robert wanted to climb on the ladder, the former ranger exclaimed, ¡°Hey, you are not going first!¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°First, you even don¡¯t know what level you need. And second, more importantly, I don¡¯t want to look at your ringing bells. Or do you think the towel can cover them from beneath?¡±
Seeing an awkward expression on Rob¡¯s face, John pushed him away and started the climb. Robert looked down on his nude body, sighed, and simply followed. Fortunately, there were no unpleasant surprises on their way up. They reached the highest level in a minute before stepping out from the similar service room with stockpiles of snacks. The latter wasn¡¯t missed by Rob, who still felt the remnants of lingering hunger and thirst after a long period of forced restraint. Gulping down a bottle of odd-colored soda, Rob pointed to the nearest door and asked.
¡°Can you open it? May as well find some clothes,¡± John only smiled at that but still approached the door. A few seconds of manipulation on the device on his forearm made the screen hide in the wall, opening the view of the empty room. The following quick check-up finally rewarded Robert with green pants that barely reached the middle of his shin but were wide enough for his thighs. Nothing else managed to fit his frame, being too small in some places, like his neck. So, he used what he was sure he could ¨C a bathrobe. No underpants, no shoes, unfortunately. It still took several minutes, which resulted in a visible anxiety in John¡¯s eyes, ending to the end of Rob¡¯s search on that point.
¡°You look fabulous,¡± his ally grinned at Robert¡¯s appearance, but quickly returned his expression to a serious one, ¡°Let''s hurry up!¡±
The hast walk down the corridor brought them to the already opened door. The planning of the level was quite similar to that where Rob found him at first. The same main pathway with short branches. However, the single difference was exactly in the needed room. Placed instead of the hall with a panoramic view of an endless starry scene, it was really huge. Moreover, it also had the same observation point, solely meant for the eyes of a room owner. Its vast space wasn¡¯t clearly divided into any smaller sections with walls, creating a feeling of freedom and enormity.
That was the reason why Robert didn¡¯t notice the figures of thieves at once. Moreover, Roger was lying on the couch, while Billy was kneeling near him in an attempt to help with the injury. Obviously, it wasn¡¯t going well as the young man was wearing a scared expression, constantly muttering prayers. Riley, on the other hand, was busy with a hidden safe in the far corner. The moment Rob and John had stepped inside, she finished the unlocking with a triumphal yell.
¡°Are you finished, sis? The old man doesn¡¯t have much time,¡± Billy''s worried voice sounded hoarse as the exhaustion from the unfolding events started to take its toll. Still, he was ignoring the marks from the burns on his face, fully focused on the dying man.
¡°Yes, all done. I¡¯ve got the backup codes, so we can get out from here! There has to be a proper medical kit inside the escape pod. He will live¡ Oh, you are finally here. Took you long,¡± Riley replied with an overjoyed shout, before noticing newcomers and instantly switching her attitude back to the irritation.
¡°Fighting and dressing takes time,¡± Robert shrugged.
¡°Okay. Let¡¯s move. There is a personal transportation platform here. We can head directly to the emergency bay with escape pods,¡± picking up her unlocking gear, scattered on the floor, she hastily ran to the coach, ¡°Cue ball, take Roger. Newbie, help Billy and watch around. I will open the door!¡±
Cue ball? Because I am bald? Sounds like a childish insult. But still, insult. Whatever, girl. I can see through your tough mask that you are barely holding emotions. The man must be important to you.
¡°Why are you in charge?¡±
Ignoring Billy¡¯s stupid question, John pulled the young man on the feet, before pushing him forward. Robert only started to bow down to pick up the injured man, whose improvised bandages on his neck were already painted red, when he heard the steps. They were not loud. They were not strange ¨C nothing clicking, grinding, or anything else. No, they sounded ordinary. However, somehow each of them brought a feeling of dread. Emitting the power, they brought shivers down his spine.
Turning his head, Robert saw how a new type of demon emerged from the doors. Rough-skinned as if after the bath in an oven, the hellish creature had the same red tone and mostly looked like a human with a set of curvy horns, protruding from its forehead and going back. A burly tall figure was even bigger than Rob¡¯s and had an addition in the form of bony scute on elbows and knees. The face wasn¡¯t scary, having a third eye in the place of a nose bridge, while the latter was presented by two tiny holes. The unnaturally wide mouth with sharp teeth wasn¡¯t surprising.
Still, just a look, at the demon wasn¡¯t enough to make Rob feel fear. But it did. Completely ignoring his experience, it somehow bypassed his calmness, injecting a portion of horror. It took enormous effort and all his willpower for Robert just to stand up. His motion brought attention from the hellish descendant, creating a grin, filled with anticipation. Tilting its head to the side, it stretched its arm, pointing with an opened palm at Robert. Seeing a step from Rob, the creature chuckled, almost freezing everyone inside the room with gripping fear. The stupor was broken a moment later by John¡¯s yell.
¡°It is a Jaeger! Run! Quickly!¡±
Chapter 84 (2-42)
The time seemed to slow down, barely crawling to the point when there was a noticeable gap between each of the beats of Rob¡¯s heart. And the latter was running like crazy, being stimulated by a horror that tried to envelop himself in its terrific hugs. The demon¡¯s figure was starting to grow bigger, and more dangerous, radiating the feeling of inevitability of death. The futility of any resistance. It seemed that the whole area was screaming - no matter how Robert would struggle in a potential confrontation against this opponent, the outcome would always be the same. The creature would devour his flesh. It would tear him apart, toying with his body. Only a torturous experience awaited him, nothing else. Rob almost physically felt the cold grip around his guts, turning him into a statute. Any, even the tiniest movement, would lead to death. There was no escape. His fate was already decided. It was better just to stop any resistance¡
Oh, fuck you, bastard!
Snapping from this odd state, Rob shouted inwardly, shaking off the stupor. This motion felt as if he popped the bubble, which tried to suffocate him with fear. His step forward led to increased pressure, but once the initial effect was broken, it was much easier to fight against it. All demon¡¯s attention was focused on Robert. Even the creature¡¯s arm was pointing at him as if the red-skinned monster wanted to intensify this attack with fear even more. However, it wasn¡¯t working.
Making another step, Rob felt how the horror was shattering into ethereal pieces and finally freeing him. A moment later he was already sending a small chair into the demonic figure, before following with a charge. The improvised projectile obstructed the vision of the creature, giving Robert enough time to shorten the distance. He wasn¡¯t surprised when the Jaeger knocked the chair to the side with a single swift motion. However, the same couldn¡¯t be said for its next action.
Unnaturally twisting his body as if its torso could rotate, the demon avoided a swing of Rob¡¯s hammer with ease. Simultaneously, it grabbed the conjured handle, instantly halting Robert. Before he managed to realize what was happening, the hellish creature was already sending the elbow into his face. Covered with a bone plate, it hit a timely summoned mask with so much force that it was enough to throw him backward. Still, the Jaeger appeared even faster, not only releasing the weapon but also grabbing the bathrobe, effectively stopping Rob in midair. Pulling to itself, the demon tried to use its claws, but this time Robert reacted.
Summoning the steel and pushing it forward, he made a construct that simply slid against the stretched redskin arm, pushing Rob to the side. Almost pressing to the huge body of the demon, he made a quick jab into the ribs. The brass knuckle created a cracking sound that immediately turned into an angry roar. However, Robert was already jumping upwards, using his lower height to his advantage. Creating a helmet, he basically headbutted the enemy¡¯s chin from underneath, making it stumble.
He wanted to follow with the next hit, trying to press the demon up to the point it would need to focus on defense, but it appeared to be wishful thinking. The Jaeger counterattacked instantly. Ignoring the heavy hits into the chest and face, it simply grabbed Rob¡¯s neck before squeezing. The hast conjuration of steel gave him another second for the attack. Fighting with his own instincts, Robert focused on the hits. Heavy punches with steel-covered fists had shaken the hellish figure. Still, it wasn¡¯t enough to break the grip. Robert felt how the claws were already piercing his skin, being a moment away from death from beheading. The surroundings started to fade, leaving only the image of a grinning monster, who was clearly enjoying the process.
Using the last chance, Robert sent his fist forward, creating something akin to a katar. The weapon, which was basically a push dagger, had no means to pierce the skin, but Robert wasn¡¯t aiming there. Having a three-eyed creature, he chose its middle pupil as a target. The blade flew through the air with lightning speed¡ only to meet the closed eye, bending itself in a futile attempt. The force from the impact still made the demon scream from anger and pain, loosening the grip enough to make a breath, but not to free himself. However, the short distraction was used by John.
The whip had cut through the reddish skin on the arm, leaving a nasty wound. The demon roared, dropping Rob to the floor, and turned only to meet another flexible weapon, trying to grasp its neck. Ducking under it, the Jaeger attempted to grab it, but this time Robert intercepted. Conjuring the hammer, he smashed the creature¡¯s knee, breaking the bone plate in the process. The following attack into the again sent the demon into the wall. The continuation of the attack was interrupted by John¡¯s yell.
¡°Run! Now!¡±
This time not questioning the ¡°newbie¡¯s¡± advice, Robert pushed his body to the lift. His first shaking steps turned into a sprint instantly, when he heard the chuckle from behind. Jumping inside and barely avoiding crushing into Billy, he caught the sight of the approaching demon. Despite a few cuts, the Jeager looked as dangerous as before, with its crazy grin and hellish appearance. Then the doors closed, cutting off the scene, and Rob felt the push. Surprisingly, the movement was horizontal, which explained its naming as a transportation platform.
¡°Why did you try to attack it? It¡¯s a Jaeger! You can¡¯t kill it with just bare hands!¡± John started to shout, only to be interrupted by a calm voice.
¡°I can disagree with that ¨C you clearly wounded it,¡± Robert pointed while trying to calm his hastily beating heart.
¡°What the hell man? Why¡ Stop. Did they take your chip memory? Oh, what the fuck have you done?¡± Sighing, John sat down and leaned on the wall of the platform, ¡°That explains a lot.¡±
¡°But not for me, newbie. What is going on?¡± Riley¡¯s serious voice interfered, when she turned her attention to them, ¡°Billy, watch over old man. And you both ¨C explain, now!¡±
¡°Girl, keep your commanding voice to you,¡± replied Robert, slightly irritated with such treatment. The first time it was understandable, but now it started to bother him. Seeing the change of expression on the pink head, he added with a grin, ¡°And try to be quieter ¨C you are too loud. It¡¯s annoying. And can wake up the old man.¡±
¡°You¡ asshole¡ I will¡,¡± she tried to say anything, but John intercepted her attempt to grab a weapon.
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¡°Riley, calm down. You too ¨C don¡¯t know your name ¨C stand down.¡±
¡°So, either your brother-in-arms from a previous life or a new team of thieves. What will you choose, John?¡± Robert smiled, easily bluffing and not even trying to correct the misunderstanding.
¡°Previous life? What is he speaking about?¡± Riley switched her attention, eyeing her teammate.
¡°Is it really a good time to speak about it?¡± John sighed under two gazes.
¡°The platform is meant for personal usage of VIP and emergency cases, but it¡¯s not fast. We have time. Explain.¡± Riley added a weight to her tone, once again demanding something based on her own wish. However, Robert ignored it, feeling slightly amused in this odd situation. He didn¡¯t feel anything about losing to the demon and escaping from it. Moreover, the fight wasn¡¯t over as now, knowing the enemy¡¯s strength it was easier to be ready for the second round. Still, the creature was clearly dangerous ¨C much more than its other hellish allies. But everything was overshadowed by the drama that was going on in front of him, which felt so movie-like that he was even scared to ruin anything.
¡°Okay, I was a space ranger¡ like this shitass with loose mouth here,¡± John pointed at Rob only to meet a wide grin, ¡°I was set up by my partner, stripped off the bigger part of my power core, exiled. Fortunately, the memory chip¡ the thing that contains not only information about previous missions, demons, and codes but also my personal memories¡ my mentor helped me to keep it, apparently unlike this guy. So, I hid, switched my identity, and wanted to get justice on the bastard that fucked me up.¡±
¡°By fucking our team up? That was the reason why you clanged to us to get onto this mission with us to get the goddamn nanomachine serum!¡± Riley yelled, raising her weapon and aiming into the face of the ¡°newbie¡±.
¡°Look, I am sorry. I didn¡¯t know you back there¡¡±
¡°When back there? We spent the night together right before setting off!¡± Another Riley¡¯s yell made Robert sincerely regret the lack of popcorn.
¡°Did you have sex?¡± Surprised, Billy turned around to look at both of them with wide-open eyes.
¡°Shut up, Billy!¡±
¡°It was just one night,¡± John gave a long sigh.
¡°One night? Just one night?¡± Rediracting his look, Robert noticed how close Riley¡¯s finger was from pulling the trigger.
¡°Yes, it was wonderful and meant a lot to me, but technically it was just one night. Not that I don¡¯t want more. I do. I really do¡ This is just not a time to work on our relationships. We can do it later after we survive through all this. Okay?¡±
Gently touching Riley¡¯s hand, John finished his short speech, looking into the girl¡¯s eyes. Hers were also glued to him. Her finger moved away from the trigger, and she slowly started to lean forward. There was not a single pause in a similar motion from the man as if the gravitation itself was pulling them into each other embraces.
¡°Now kiss. And you, Billy, call him brother-in-law from now on,¡± Robert¡¯s comment pushed them back, shattering the atmosphere and ruining the moment.
Damn, where is my popcorn! That is so funny.
¡°Okay. Tell me about this asshole,¡± Riley instantly returned her attitude, completely hiding any woman¡¯s attractiveness under the mask of constant irritation.
¡°Most likely, he is a space ranger that has at least 90% of power taken from his core as his nanobot¡¯s constructs can¡¯t wound demons. Also, his memory chip was taken, leaving him almost in a blank state. Luckily, his fighting instincts and skills seem to be intact. At first, I thought he was a Rhino type, but right not sure. His constructs are too versatile as if they were specifically modified for that. But taking into account his frame and brutal frontal tactic, he was a Rhino for sure,¡± slowly speaking, John finally shared his thoughts, observing Rob.
¡°Is he dangerous? What the crime can be to get such punishment? I hope not a mass murder?¡± Billy¡¯s question made Riley aim the plasma rifle at Robert, who was currently smiling, while barely holding his laugh.
It is quite funny to hear assumptions based on the imagination and wrong conclusions from a short observation. Rob, the space ranger. Damn!
¡°Nope. It would have led to a death sentence¡ I really don¡¯t know. He even could be a test subject with experimental nanomachines who was kicked out of a training program. Right now he is on our side, and it is better to deal with our common problem ¨C demons.¡±
¡°If you finally decide that I am not your enemy, I would like you to put your weapon down. It can hurt. And, once again ¨C what is Jaeger?¡± asked Robert, thinking about the sizes of the ship and their long time of traveling on the platform.
¡°It is a medium threat demon. Acts alone, keeping a distance from the same level of demons. Commands a pack of Hounds and uses them as scouts. Agile, very flexible, strong. Has a passive aura of fear, but can direct on purpose on several close targets, intensifying the effect. Quite hard to kill even with a weapon. Still, it is great that is not a Grenadier¡¡±
¡°How so?¡± Billy asked.
¡°The Grenadier loses in physical abilities and toughness but can create fireballs that have a similar power to plasma balls. The fight with it in tight corridors on a spaceship can be a suicide¡ And believe me, there are many more options who you don¡¯t want to meet face to face ¨C like Dragoons or Scouts. Especially the last, who are really sneaky bastards, despite their overall weakness. The problem is that the basic summoning scroll couldn¡¯t have led not to such numbers, not even to a single Jaeger. It must be at least a middle-grade scroll to create a stable portal, which means we need to get out of here as fast as possible. The more dead there will be, the more energy the portal will suck, getting an ability to let through a stronger demon.¡±
¡°Something tells me that an ordinary random courier couldn¡¯t possibly carry the portal,¡± John only nodded at Rob¡¯s comment, before adding.
¡°The Cult might have wanted to use it somewhere, but our accident intervention messed up their plans,¡± he sighed.
¡°Messed up to kill the whole ship?¡± Riley¡¯s remark created a grimace on John¡¯s face. He wanted to answer, but Robert was faster.
¡°I can assume that this Cult would still have used it, leading to more causalities. And I am not sure if the whole ship has died ¨C I don¡¯t believe that we are sole survivors.¡±
¡°Still¡ I don¡¯t know. We can check the main shelter. There was indeed a warning and most of the guests and crew might have gone there,¡± the girl muttered.
¡°Using an escape pod is a better option. We need to treat Roger and there is an inbuilt medical station for emergencies,¡± John shook his head.
¡°Hey, why we are traveling for so long? And are we really moving? I don¡¯t know the size of the ship, but it seems we are crawling. It is odd.¡±
Roger¡¯s question created puzzled expressions on others'' faces. Riley immediately dived into her device, while John started to check the platform. It didn¡¯t take even ten seconds before they both cursed loudly.
¡°Shit. Someone reprogrammed the speed for emergencies, decreasing it tremendously! We barely reached the next section.¡±
¡°Well, according to the logs, it was the captain. And if it was him, I can bet a fortune that he could also sabotage escape pods, putting them out of order,¡± Riley added, raising her face.
¡°We will see. Stop it in the next section. Others ¨C be ready. Billy, please keep Roger safe,¡± John commanded, getting near the door. Robert followed, creating a shield. However, when the platform had finally stopped and the doors slid to the sides, there was no threat. Still, the horrible picture made Billy vomit, barely missing the unconscious blonde. Riley was better, only tightening the grip on her plasma rifle. Only John and Robert were not shaken, moving forward and checking both sides of the corridor, before finally turning their attention to a wide-open armored screen in front of them.
¡°That was a shelter,¡± a former space ranger explained, looking at a gruesome scene.
¡°Now it looks like a butcher shop,¡± Robert¡¯s note sounded in silence, while he was making a first step inside.
Chapter 85 (2-43)
The whole place that was meant to be a safe haven turned into a death trap. Not having any other exits, it locked guests and crew inside only to meet a wave of angry demons. For the latter, the tightly packed shelter seemed to appear like a real banquet, where hellish creatures could toy with their prey as they wanted. The picture was indeed gruesome. Even horrible, sending the impulses of mixed emotions into Rob¡¯s mind.
Broken bones protruded from dead bodies. Torn limbs, which were thrown away. Splashes of blood covered the previously white walls. The inner guts were taken from the stomach only to create a terrific mosaic. The faces that were bitten off by maws. There were more scenes like that. Each of them showed another awful death of an unarmed man or woman, who was locked with bloodthirsty creatures. Those demons didn¡¯t even try to eat the bodies, clearly aiming only for the kill. And having no weapons to protect themselves, no one in the shelter even managed to put up any resistance.
¡°It is always like that whenever the demons can get to civilians. Pure massacre,¡± John¡¯s voice was slightly trembling as the horrific scene managed to pierce his self-erected defense. Others were worse, while Billy didn¡¯t even dare to enter the shelter, staying with unconscious Roger near the entrance in the corridor. Only Riley followed, doing only a few steps inside before turning into a motionless statue.
¡°They don¡¯t need flesh as far as I can see,¡± noted Robert, checking the surroundings in case someone lucky made it through. Unfortunately, all he saw was death.
¡°No, they don¡¯t. There is a theory that they feed on the life essence of living beings. It partly explains the effect of strengthening the portals¡ But it is just speculation. There is no way to communicate with creatures, whose single goal in existence is to kill you. Okay, Riley, we need your help. I can see the storage door is shut. There must be a medical station, extra weapons, and food. We need you to unlock it¡ Hey, are you alright?¡±
Not hearing any response, John turned around only to see the girl with closed eyes, who was trying to keep her calm. He immediately went to her, pointing Robert to go further. The latter didn¡¯t waste any time and continued his search, not even trying to listen to the talk between the pair. The result was the same. He noticed a couple of guard¡¯s corpses with batons, which appeared to be as useful as before, enough only to prolong their lives for several seconds. However, the door, which was mentioned by the former space ranger had quite a few marks, clearly showing at least a short attempt to break through inside.
Touching the deep cuts in the metal, Rob checked the control panel. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t damaged, showing closed status. Looking around, Robert shoved away the thought about the similarity of the scene with one of his unsuccessful assaults that fell under artillery fire, burning and tearing apart bodies in the process.
The humans can be no less cruel or deadly for themselves than any hellish monsters.
By this point, John was already leading Riley to the door. The girl looked pale, despite trying to keep her usual serious expression. Attracting John¡¯s attention, Rob pointed at the corridor, at himself, and at his eyes, silently showing that he would stand on guard there. The man nodded in appreciation before focusing on his possible girlfriend. Robert, on the other hand, walked out, not even bothering about pools of blood and his dirty feet. He heard the clicking sound, when Riley had connected her device to the intact control panel but didn¡¯t turn around. Instead, of raising his voice, Rob asked Billy loudly.
¡°Hey, boy, how are you doing?¡±
¡°You are not much older than me¡ despite your size,¡± leaning from the corridor, Billy answered, ¡°Not okay. This is just too horrible¡ And Roger¡ He is barely breathing. He took us from the orphanage, raised us, and taught us everything. We are not blood-related with Riley, but we always felt like a real family with Roger being our dad¡ I am just too worried about him, my sister, and us.¡±
Glancing to both sides of the corridor, Rob tried to think how to support the young man. He never was good with it, being trained from childhood to deal with his problems by himself. Not that there was actually someone who would help a kid to overcome his fears. Even the previous world left him speechless in most cases or with awkward common phrases, when another newly recruited soldier fell into panic or depression, after experiencing and seeing multiple deaths near him.
¡°I can¡¯t promise that everything will be fine, but I am sure that me, John, and your sister will do everything in our strength to make everyone alive through this demonic ordeal. And if you can find the courage inside yourself to help us, Roger, and yourself, it will tremendously increase our chances. No matter the size of your possible help, even a tiny piece can be enough to push the scales of fate into our favor. So, just¡¡±
The sharp pain interrupted Robert, sending him to his knees. The pull from Wepwakor, which was constantly somewhere in the background, had intensified to the point, where Rob felt how his soul was sucking out under this dimensional force. Instinctively resisting it, he tried to stay in the place, but it seemed the whole realm was against it. Robert¡¯s body was simply dragged by an invisible force, firstly planting him into the wall and later throwing him across the corridor. Conjuring the steel pickaxes, he tried to stop himself only to how his metal just scratched the surface. The barely visible black particles of a familiar whirlwind were already forming around. Still, the usage of mana seemed to lessen the pull, as if the direct contact with Aether was the best way to fight with link to Wepwakor.
So, he pushed even more energy into a formless construct, the first time after his last jump in power squeezing everything he got into his ability. His mind noted with surprise the sheer size of the steel ball, which easily was compatible with his own body, before focusing on fighting off a summon from Wepwakor. This time this was deliberate action. Robert wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to meet the fake God on its terms when such a pull felt like an emergency. And Rob didn¡¯t want to be a lifebuoy for the creature who called him the Devourer of Souls. It would be even better if the connection couldn¡¯t withstand the force, but that was out of his abilities. Therefore he endured and, fortunately, it didn¡¯t take long before everything went back.
The short fight left him exhausted, making him spend several seconds simply standing motionless. Billy¡¯s worried face with wide opened eyes almost led to laugh ¨C so stupid and shocked it was. However, it was cut off by a red spot that appeared behind the young man. Lighting fast, it was already in jump on Riley¡¯s brother, when the expression of the latter had changed into a look of horror. A first Rob thought Billy noticed the lunging demon, but the quick motion on the periphery of his sight told him that danger to Robert himself was the source of man¡¯s worries.
Reacting on instinct, he conjured a huge steel block while turning around. That saved him from a swing of clawed arms, which cut through the steel. Its owner, the familiar Jaeger, followed with a chuckle before attacking again. Ducking under the swing, Rob created another construct, pushing away the demon. In the next moment, he shouted with all loudness available for him, warning others and most importantly - Billy.
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¡°BEHIND! DEMONS!¡±
Glancing on the wounded of the hellish creature that stopped bleeding but didn¡¯t have any signs of healing, he made a quick plan in his head. Robert wasn¡¯t sure that he could trade blows with the demon or be fast enough to avoid all its hits. So he had to improvise, using his single advantage to the maximum. His steel.
Titling his head to the side to avoid a thrust from the demonic creature, Rob punched with his metal-covered fist into the enemy¡¯s chest. The Jaeger ignored the hit, going for another swing, which Rob dodged by ducking under only to meet the demon¡¯s knee. Conjuring the shield, he barely was fast enough to cover himself. Still, the impact was strong enough to throw him backward. However, the moment he managed to stabilize himself, Robert lunged forward with a spear. Aiming into the face, he pushed his weapon forward, simultaneously, increasing its length.
The Jaeger simply grabbed the metal shaft, pulling Rob to himself, while grinning with its hellish maw. Unfortunately for the demon, it was exactly what Robert wanted. Following his mental command, the endpoint of the spear had turned into an odd metal net, capturing the horns of the creature. The moment later several spikers protruded from the construct, aiming for the eyes. The demon reacted immediately, closing them while trying to cut off the spear shaft. However, Rob was ready for that, creating a net-like something only to keep the connections.
The spikers broke against the reddish skin that covered its pupils, still making the Jeager groan from the pain. Distracted and blinded for a short time, the creature completely missed the following actions. Already standing behind the back of the demon, he focused on his ability before once again pushing it to the maximum. The steel, acting like a liquid, had covered the horned head and torso of the hellish monster within a single second. Not stopping, it continued to pour further, making the formless ball instead of a precise statue.
Maybe the demon had screamed with boiling rage, but the metal had hidden it well. Keeping the touch with the steel, Robert made a few hits at the back of the enemy¡¯s knee, dropping it on the floor. Pressing the creature with his own weight, he controlled any attempts of the demon to break free. However, despite the enormous strength, the monster needed some range of motion to extract it. The range was completely absent of the sheer amount of steel that covered its body. The same thing was with all cutting claws that simply couldn¡¯t be used from their position.
I hope you can¡¯t keep your breath for too long.
The short John¡¯s mentioning of such need gave him such an idea, while his accident usage of his ability to the maximum had shown that Rob was able to conjure this improvised prison. Or, better to say, the suffocating chamber. The constant pushes from beneath confirmed Robert that the demon was still alive. Therefore, he just continued to use his ability, repairing any damage on a steel blub around the top half of the demon.
It took all his focus, barely allowing looking around. Still, Rob got an image of Billy, lying in a pool of blood, while Riley was trying to cover his wound. The teary face of the girl was barely holding from crying aloud. Especially, taking into account the unconscious Roger¡¯s body, who hadn¡¯t shown any signs of waking up. John was controlling the corridor with two whips, covered in purple blood. Several Imp¡¯s corpses were already near him, looking as if they had gone through the shredding machine.
¡°How is Billy?¡± shouted Robert, only to get an angry yell from the girl.
¡°How is Billy? You fucking bastard had to watch over him. He is dying¡,¡± she was interrupted by John, but Rob didn¡¯t hear what he was saying. The convulsions underneath held him on a single spot, not giving to check for himself. So, he had only to watch how John picked the motionless body of the young man before heading inside the devastated shelter. Riley followed next, only pausing for a second to look at Roger, before disappearing from the view.
Oh, the man is dead. Damn. Hope Billy can make it. Fucking Wepwakor with its summoning pull!
The next five minutes went in a heavy silence. The Jager was still moving from time to time, but both force and rate dropped significantly. It was not enough for Robert to risk, so he just waited for others to return. Fortunately, there were no new demons. The boredom made Rob focus on steel. Under his mental command, the conjured matter started to push inside forcefully, trying to enter the mouth, the nose, and any other holes, that the demon had on his head.
¡°What are you doing?¡± The sudden appearance of John not far than a few meters from Robert pulled the latter from his trance. The man was holding an odd weapon in the form of a circle, while another, more common rifle, was hanging behind his back.
¡°Trying to choke the Jaeger,¡± shrugged Rob.
¡°Well, crap. Never heard of such a tactic¡ And how the hell do you have more nanobots than the volume of your own body? It is impossible! And even from the look ¨C it doesn¡¯t seem to be nanomachines. Are you really a space ranger?¡±
¡°I never said I was,¡± smiled Robert, seeing the change in the man¡¯s expression, ¡°but does it change anything? The demons want to kill me. I don¡¯t want that to happen. The same goes for you. We are one side¡ How is Billy?¡±
¡°He will live,¡± after a long look, John sighed and answered, ¡°The Imp bit his neck, tearing a piece, but with the active medical station he will be fine¡ We found a survivor inside. The woman, who is a navigator on the ship¡ She barracked inside when the captain opened the shelter¡¯s doors and blocked the lockage. It appears he is one of the cultists. He was the one who helped the courier to get inside the ship, avoiding scanners. He was the reason, why most protective screens are left open, giving the ability for demons to walk freely. The woman barely saved herself, but right now is on the verge of a breakdown. She basically left everyone outside, too scared to open the door. Truthfully, it saved her, despite ruining her mind.¡±
¡°Okay. So what do you plan to do? I don¡¯t think that the captain would have forgotten about the escape pods. I doubt we can use them now,¡± asked Robert again, before adding, ¡°and I am not sure I would need one ¨C I don¡¯t have much time left.¡±
¡°What do you mean? Oh, forget it¡ It is even better. I need your help to close the portal. According to the navigator¡¯s words, the ship is heading to the port on an autopilot. We need to stop the threat before the catastrophe increases in size. I am not sure I can handle it alone in my current condition with a limited power core.¡±
¡°And you are willing to trust a random strange guy, whose name you don¡¯t even know? Not your girlfriend?¡±
¡°I locked them. Shattered the control panel and blocked the door from outside, so she couldn¡¯t follow me¡ And yes, it¡¯s better to risk a life of strange than the life of a person, who I like. Moreover, you are strong,¡± John was dead serious, not even willing to joke around.
¡°Okay. I will help,¡± nodded Robert before short consideration. He still had his safe vest in the form of a pulling link to get out from this realm in case things went bad. Moreover, if he wished to aim for power, he had to take risks. Not speaking about the possibility of preventing more people from dying. Therefore, pushing once again with his steel, he dispersed it before conjuring a giant maul. The following hit had splashed Jaeger¡¯s brain around the floor, finally killing the enemy for sure. This kind of control shot could never be let down.
No bullshit about the reappearance of the enemy who seemed to die¡ Hmm, interesting what the portal looks like. Don¡¯t want to waste a chance to see it. Crap, I am slowly turning into an adrenaline-addict maniac.
¡°Let¡¯s hurry up. I am really on the verge of disappearing from this world,¡± stretching him, Robert turned to John, who was looking at him like a madman, ¡°What? You don¡¯t believe me? I am archangel Robertino, sent from the Heavens themselves to purge the hellish creatures. No? Why are looking at me like that? You have fucking demons in this world. Where do they come from? From a different plane. Why it can¡¯t be Heaven then? What? Nothing to say on that? So, my mortal friend, show me the way!¡±
Chapter 86 (2-44)
The closer they got to the portal the more Robert saw its hellish influence. The strange red mold started to cover the surroundings with a thin layer. Radiating heat, it was slightly moving on its own towards any source of flesh, no matter its state. Rob didn¡¯t notice it at first, but the disturbing feeling raised his attention to the details. And there was plenty of food for this plant as the place was littered with corpses of unlucky guests, who appeared near the epicenter. Seeping through the corpses, the mold emerged in different spots, definitely trying to spread itself everywhere it could.
Some of the scenes were quite horrible, once again testing Rob¡¯s mind''s ability to keep his cool in different situations. Especially when he saw how this hellish plant made its way through the opened mouth of the man, forever frozen during its final scream. John seemed to be better at ignoring such gruesome pictures, clearly showing that it wasn¡¯t the first time for him. Another opportunity to distract Robert from the surroundings was granted by the demons themselves. The constant stream of creatures was the best sign that they were going in the right way. Luckily, the former space ranger gave Rob an effective weapon to deal with the enemies without the need for melee combat.
¡°To the right!¡±
John¡¯s warning came in time. Turning to the threat, Robert pulled the trigger of his oversized shotgun. Having a thrice thicker barrel, it was very short and looked ridiculous to the point of being similar to a toy gun, which was meant to show futuristic weaponry. However, such appearance was the only thing to be criticized as each shot sent half of a dozen metal balls at insane speed. Those tiny projectiles had barely enough force to pierce the reddish skin, not even near to go deep inside. But it wasn¡¯t needed. The special material of these bullets made them splash like a liquid upon impact, shredding the inners of the demons into formless meat.
The Imp, who was jumping out from the room, met its portion at a peak point. The power of the blast wasn¡¯t enough to counter all the force that sent the small demon into a lunge. Still, it somehow mutually compensated for its physical strength, stopping the hellish creature midair and making it fall clumsily onto the floor. The demon, whose monkey-like face had lost a big chunk, tried to growl despite the injury but the following shot had ended its misery.
And no ricochets. Nice thing! As far as I can remember, there were such forbidden bullets before the alien¡¯s invasion. I guess, this realm doesn¡¯t have the same laws.
Noticing the motion from the far side of a corridor, Robert aimed his weapon and patiently waited. A few figures of Hounds were already running to them, but for the effectiveness, he had to shoot from a very close. The defensive properties of their skin were insane. Even a ten-meter (33 ft) distance was already enough for the bullets to lack the needed force to penetrate a natural red leather layer. John, on the other hand, didn¡¯t have such a problem.
The metal disk pierced the air, in a mere blink shortening the distance to the demons. The first Hound tried to avoid it, but despite its fast reflexes, it wasn¡¯t fast enough. The circular projectile had cut through the arm, which the demon tried to put in defense out of instinct. Not stopping on that, it went through the long ear only to sever the neck of the hellish creature behind. Losing its inertia, it paused but John was already pulling it back, using the nanomachine to control his hi-tech chakram.
The reverse flight literally gashed its way, disabling another demon. Obviously, it didn¡¯t stop others. However, Rob¡¯s shotgun did. The several waves of tiny bullets created a really deadly wall of fire, tearing the bodies from inside. There was only one enemy, whose outlet exploded its skull when it got the portion of metal right into wide open mouths. Most of the demons had only tiny holes from the shot, visually leaving them almost intact. Still, it was enough to turn them dead.
Shooting a few more times, Robert had to throw himself to the side, avoiding the lunge of the Imp. Missing the hit, the creature paused on the wall, piercing its surface with its claws before repeating its assault. However, John¡¯s disk was already entering his chest. Rotating under the influence of nanomachines, it splashed the purple blood everywhere, dirtying Rob¡¯s bathrobe and covering his eyes for a moment. This moment almost led to dire consequences as one of the red-skinned werewolves, who earlier played dead, tried to bite his leg. The timely conjured steel took the hit instead. The last shot had finished the monster.
¡°Be careful!¡±
¡°Sorry, man,¡± releasing the disk from the mutilated corpse, John apologized, looking at him with an innocent expression for a few seconds before breaking into laughter, ¡°You indeed look fabulous. Especially after adding a purple. Do you use it in the Heavens? Or is always white?¡±
¡°Hey, I joked. Once. And you just can¡¯t stop pointing at it,¡± Rob exclaimed.
¡°Of course, Mr. Archangel. Will gladly accept your holy request,¡± making a few odd waves with his palm, John bowed his head, clearly parodying an unknown to Rob ceremonial gesture.
¡°Oh, fuck you. Aren¡¯t you worried? You asked me for help, but not even trying to be serious. My clip is almost empty, and those hellish bastards just don¡¯t want to end,¡± Robert frowned, not understanding such attitude of the ally.
¡°Okay, sorry man. This time I really mean it,¡± scratching his back head, told John, after noticing Rob¡¯s annoyance, ¡°I am always like that when I am nervous. My protective mechanism. You know ¨C I locked Riley and her brother, which might add problems to my ass. It was always easier for me to deal with demons and not women¡ However, the situation is currently not that critical. We do need to close the portal to avoid it worsening, but together it is not hard. Especially after you took down the Jaeger. I don¡¯t think the portal can handle another medium-level demon. It had to be the highest-grade scroll, and the Cult would never send such a thing with a single courier. Too valuable.¡±
¡°And you want to use your heroic deed to fix your exile?¡± Looking at the man, it wasn¡¯t hard to guess it. The nervous behavior didn¡¯t have any signs of fear of death, instead showing the worries before important events. It was like he wouldn¡¯t fail no matter what, but the goal wasn¡¯t just to do it, but to do it perfectly, above all peers. That eased Rob¡¯s mood a lot.
¡°Yeah,¡± shrugged John.
¡°Clean your reputation, get a girl, save the world. Good plan,¡± nodded Rob with a smile, ¡°where to?¡±
At this point, they reached the intersection and paused, while the former space ranger was checking the plan of the ship. He only managed to raise his hand to point in the direction, when a new portion of demons appeared from all sides. The following minute went in standing back-to-back, while they were dealing with the threat. This time there were too many enemies. So many that Rob had lost a count of them. Emptying his weapon¡¯s clip, he smashed the shotgun into the forehead of the nearest Imp, before proceeding with the steel constructs.
¡°Apparently, there will be no demons left alive when we reach the portal. They sense the death of others and immediately try to eliminate the danger. It¡¯s their common pattern,¡± commented John, when there was no movement around. The corpses littered the corridors, making the task of walking quite a challenge. Still, that didn¡¯t stop their steady approach to the goal. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t take long before they stepped in a pathway, similar to where Robert had appeared. Only several minutes and two short fights.
From a single glance, it was obvious that the place was a source. The red mold was covering every single spot in the surroundings, creating a feeling of a bathhouse just from the raised temperature. Moreover, the working lights were barely penetrating the hellish plant, almost as if putting a dark red filter on everything around. Surprisingly, there was no motion in here. No sound. However, the air itself felt hot and viscous, demanding a noticeable effort even for a single breath.
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¡°There. The room number is C133,¡± pointed John, quietly whispering from the side. Robert moved first. Going around the corner, he immediately noticed the opened door, from which the intensive heat was emanating. Carefully looking around and not noticing any immediate danger, he stepped forward. The tight grip turned his finger white as snow ¨C so strong it was on a hammer¡¯s handle. Then he saw the portal.
Looking like a dark crack in reality, almost as if the mirror surface was broken, twisted, and painted, it was floating in mid-air. There was a huge, unrolled scroll with odd symbols and geometrical figures made with red ink. Or blood, as it was the most obvious choice for a Cult, that worshipped the Hell. The corpse of its member, the courier, was lying near the bed with a burned hole in his chest, which was a result of a plasma ball. Another dead, female, was leaning on the wall. Her closed eyes, resting expression, and a bloodied wound over her stomach from a dagger near her told Robert everything he needed.
¡°Amelia,¡± John said, glancing with said look from behind Rob¡¯s back, ¡°Okay, we need to be fast as the demonic energy that emanates from the portal can taint your body. That is not healthy at all. And don¡¯t come too close to it. The portal has a spherical shape and is bigger than you think, being partly invisible,¡± looking around, the man started to search the room.
¡°What are doing? And how we will close it?¡±
¡°It is not hard in fact. We just need to move the scroll from its place. It is the point of focus, the anchor that sets the coordinates. So, any change will interrupt the process, effectively stopping its work. And I am looking for a stick or something similar to push it. There is a small gap between the dimensional crack and the scroll, but if you are not careful enough to touch the sphere, you will be sucked in a couple of seconds. So, it is recommended to use any object that you can drop immediately just in case. No nanomachines. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t see anything remotely useful¡ Okay, the disk it is. Didn¡¯t want to lose the weapon.¡±
Nodding to himself, John dropped to the floor before stretching his hand with a circular chakram and aiming at the scroll. Looking from the side, Robert barely managed to hold his laugh as the sight was quite funny. The portal into a hellish dimension inside a small room, the walls of which were covered by an odd red plant. Two bodies around. The whole oppressing atmosphere that created a disturbing feeling of something dangerous lurking around. And in the middle of it, there was a man, who was leaning to the floor right in front of a crack at least a meter away from the closest point from shattered reality, while another man was calmly standing just near the entrance and overviewing everything. The scene might look ridiculous for outside observers, who didn¡¯t know what was happening.
Taking a closer look at the portal, Robert finally noticed how the air was waving around the portal. It looked quite similar to the effect of high heat, but the effect was much stronger. However, the limited red light had made it hard to see it clearly, slowing John''s movement to a crawl as the former space ranger carefully readied for a throw. The red mold was partly obstructing the way and Rob¡¯s quick checkup had confirmed his suspicions. The plant appeared to be even more resilient to the cuts, and while it was not enough to stop the disk, it could change its trajectory.
If he misses, I can try with my steel. It¡¯s not a problem for me to change the shape.
The thought of offering his help was backtracked, as Rob was sure it was better to leave an important task to the person, who had experience in dealing with it. Therefore, he patiently waited, while standing near the opened door and checking the corridor. At some point, Robert heard something, but despite the increased density of the heat haze in the surrounding area, there was nothing as if all demons had indeed perished at this point. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t even a couple of minutes when they had entered the room and John was already summoning his nanomachines to make a throw, bringing the real end to the threat.
¡°Okay. Now or¡,¡± the man¡¯s words were interrupted by a painful groan when a horrible wound had appeared on his back. His body convulsed, making him cough a blood. Still, John tried to finish his task, following with a throwing motion. Unfortunately, his attempt was stopped by following injury, which had almost ripped his arm at an elbow. With wide-opened eyes, he muttered a ¡°high grade¡± before going silent forever.
Robert¡¯s mind lost a full second, while he tried to understand what had happened. The suddenness of the situation almost sent him into a stupor, making it hard to process everything. Then it clicked as concentration gave him a barely visible image of something invisible on top of John¡¯s body, finally unfreezing him. In the next moment, Rob was lunging forward with widespread arms. The transparent figure of the unknown enemy tried to dodge, jumping to the side, but was caught in a mid-action.
Instantly using his ability, Robert created a thin steel layer around the creature, making it reappear. Not giving it a chance to hide and without even taking a proper look, he sent it onto the floor. The two long spikes that were protruding from the hands flew in the direction of Rob¡¯s face. Tilting his head to the left and ignoring the cut over his cheek, Robert started to pummel the small demon. The hellish creature was much smaller than the Imp and not so agile or fast, obviously compensating it with invisibility and two natural blades. It could easily be a briefly mentioned Scout, which was labeled by John as a sneaky bastard. Rob didn¡¯t care.
Pouring his frustration and rages with strong hits, he was slowly turning the demon into a meat bag. Its skin, resilient as ever, was still easily handling any piercing damage. That couldn¡¯t be said about bones, which were shattered in no time. The purple blood soon found its way out, covering Robert¡¯s fists with brass knuckles and making his punching sack quite visible. New and new strikes followed, as his torrent of emotions couldn¡¯t simply stopped at will.
He screamed at himself because of not notice the demon. He screamed at John, whose relaxed attitude at the end and limited information about the demons led to such an outcome. He screamed at the morons from the Cult, who was responsible for the whole situation. He screamed at the demon, whose body was partly turned into a leather carpet, covered in filthy inners and blood. He screamed and screamed until all emotions had died out, leaving him empty inside.
Robert didn¡¯t know why he had such an outburst. It wasn¡¯t the first time he had lost a friend, and John couldn¡¯t be named as one as Rob literally knew him for around an hour. However, towering above the killed demon and the motionless figure of a former space ranger, he once again felt his weakness, his vulnerability. The single mistake would lead to death, making all his previous struggles and hardships completely worthless. He hadn¡¯t done anything important. He hadn¡¯t even enjoyed a meaningless life, always fighting to prolong his existence.
I really need power. I need much more power so even if I am not lucky or make a mistake, I will live through it. I need more power in these fucked up realms so I can choose what to do and not follow the flow of events again and again, struggling to stay on the top of the wave and not being drugged deep down. I need power if I want to get my perfect world. The power is indeed an answer for me, and this is the first time I felt it not with my mind, but with my heart. And I will get it... But first, let¡¯s close this damned portal.
The pull from the Wepwakor was getting stronger, but this time Robert didn¡¯t want to resist it. He knew he couldn¡¯t delay the meeting with the fake God and there were no opportunities to seek to get stronger. The nanomachines were interesting, but he wasn¡¯t sure they would be easy to get if the former space ranger went for a crime to return his energy core back to the maximum. Fighting with an active member of this organization seemed to be a death wish just from the observation of an example of a 25% output without proper gear. And that without thinking about the effectiveness of local weapons by themselves.
Frowning from his unpleasant situation, Robert stood up and glanced at John. The man, who was one step away from achieving multiple goals, still wore an expression of disbelief. That caused another raging hit against the mutilated body of the demon, whose skin was still invisible despite the horrible state and complete lack of life. Kicking it a few times, he felt as if another transparent spike had penetrated his bare foot, making him stumble from the sudden pain. Trying to catch his balance, Rob had spread his hands to the side. The sensation of strange touch made him pause for a moment before he realized what was happening. Unfortunately, his body was already pulled by a portal, not giving him any real chance to do anything.
Well, shit!
With quite a pop Robert had disappeared from the room. The portal fluctuated several times before stabilizing. It stayed like that for days, slowly spreading its influence across the ship. Soon there was no chance to say where the epicenter was as the whole spacecraft was covered with a hellish mold, turning its inners in contest of a furnace. By the point when the ship was docked at one of the biggest ports and the emergency team was boarding it to check the situation, there were around a half of dozens of medium-level demons, ready to feed the pathway into their dimension with new lives as the last bastion with three humans alive inside had felt long before, leaving them without any source of energy. However, with a huge port and direct connection to the planet through orbital lifts, it would change quickly. The Hell was coming and nothing could stop it.
Chapter 87 (2-45)
The moment he felt he was being transported through the portal, Rob covered himself with steel, getting ready for an unpleasant experience. However, just a few seconds later he was already flying out from it only to crash into something tough. The sudden obstacle tried to groan with displeasure and anger, instantly pushing Robert into action. Turning around and seeing the Imp underneath him, Rob started to punch, cracking the demon¡¯s skull in no time. Only after that did he raise his head and get a proper look at the surroundings.
He appeared to be in some kind of cathedral. Or, precisely speaking, ruins of it. The high ceiling, easily comparable with a five-story building, was barely visible through the hazy air. The walls had few traces of what could be described as grand paintings at some point, but now they were almost erased by the time itself and partly covered with the familiar red mold. Turning around and noticing the very same portal floating above an odd altar, Robert continued his observation. The several noticeable holes in the former ceremonial place opened a view of a red sky and a huge black sun with a flaming orange halo around.
How could it be? The black can¡¯t emanate the light.
This thought was completely amiss, taking into account the whole situation, which he got by his own stupidity and emotional outburst. Hadn¡¯t he hit the corpse; he wouldn¡¯t have appeared here. However, Robert couldn¡¯t reverse the time, so didn¡¯t see any reason to focus on blaming himself as the problem of survival took a priority. No matter how clumsy an idiot he was, he had to be alive to curse himself.
I hope Riley can deal with the portal. She looked like a tomboy, a real fighter¡ As for me, let¡¯s check the place.
Standing up and making a first step, he felt an odd feeling. The suddenness of it made him stumble. Trying to keep his body straight, Robert made a few deep breaths, before continuing his way of the ruins. The sensation, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t disappearing, slowly rising in strength. At first, he thought it was a pull from Wepwakor, but after concentrating on it felt more akin to his energy fueling. Not exactly the same, but quite similar. As if it was mixing with his connection with Aether, nourishing him simultaneously from both inside and outside. It was strange and disturbing. And it was growing with insane speed, so by the point when he had reached the exit of the devasted cathedral, it was already barely tolerable. However, the hellish scenery threw Robert into a panic mode in a mere second, after looking in front of him.
Shit! Pull me out, pull me out!
Rob ignored a burning forest not far from the ruins, the black mountains with a huge castle on top, or the enormous flaming tornado above it. He wasn¡¯t interested in red mold that covered most of the black ground, or the creepy dried trees with branches that moved like being alive. Even the giant figure of a monster, which looked like a horrible hybrid of octopus and goat, and who was approaching the castle, seemed a background image to Robert. No, all his attention was on a real horde of demons that were gathered around a cathedral, numbering in hundreds at least. An odd transparent barrier was holding them out, alas barely, as they slowly pushed through it, while groaning with rage.
Immediately stepping back in fear of being noticed, Robert tried to focus on the pull, but the sharp pain dropped him to his knees. This time he couldn¡¯t keep the scream, sending a hollowing shout across the surroundings. The answers from the demons followed in a moment, but he wasn''t in a state to hear anything. Looking at his pale body started to gain a reddish tone, Rob reminded himself the John¡¯s advice to stay away from the portal so as not to be tainted. Apparently, his stunt with kick had brought him right inside of a toxic pool instead of meeting with its vapor.
Pull me out!
He didn¡¯t know how long it took him to activate the transportation. Robert only knew that the whirlwind had pulled him a moment before a huge half-scorpion and half-humanoid had pierced him with a stinger on his tail. His state of mind made him act on an instinct, conjuring a steel capsule around himself, while his body was struggling with a hellish influence. Rob felt like he was burning from the inside. Every single centimeter of his skin was itching, begging to be scratched. However, neither he could, nor he would move, as any motion brought an awful pain, almost threatening to tear him apart. What was worse, Robert wasn¡¯t getting better, despite his increased level of regeneration and inhuman nature.
The whole traveling went in this suffering, where he completely lost track of time, fighting for his own life. Slowly, through the hazy mist that covered his mind, Rob managed to grasp the hellish energy. To feel it. To grab it with his will. The attempt to expel it failed again and again before he got the idea to use it as fuel to his steel ability. That partly helped, as the damage from the unstable whirlwind demanded the constant recreation of his protection. Still, a noticeable portion of this devastating mana seeped inside his body and soul without a way to expulse it.
Robert was almost done when the portal threw him out. His half-conscious mind only managed to register it when he saw another abomination right in front of him. Acting on the impulse, he sent all the remaining demonic energy into the huge maul, before making a hit. The inertia from the interdimensional traveling, his own strength, and the weight of the giant weapon made the strike really devastating, crushing the unknown creature into a pulp. Not stopping on that, Robert landed on his feet and continued to hit again and again.
Fucking broken portal! Can¡¯t you drop me in the right place at once?
Releasing all his emotions together with hostile mana, Rob stroked around a dozen more times before his mind finally started to register the surroundings. The first thing he noticed was limited damage to the abomination or the ground under it. The former still didn¡¯t show any signs of fighting back, while the stone surface of the latter had got a small dent when Robert missed one of the hits. That wasn¡¯t the expected result of his powerful hits with enormous maul¡ unless the stone was quite tough. And Rob happened to see such an example only once.
Pausing for a moment, he raised his eyes and saw the starry sky with multi-color shiny dots. However, this time this fake screen was half broken and missed around half of its surface, finally opening a view literally behind the scenes. The landscape of the destroyed megapolis, which was still burning in many places, was spread up to the horizon. Robert could barely see any movement on the devastated streets, which in most cases were melted beyond recognition.
What the fuck is happening?
Stepping back in an attempt to process everything, Robert heard a loud and sincere laugh from behind. Hastily turning around, he saw a tall man in futuristic armor, whose exposed face was widely grinning. Having blonde mustaches, odd grey eyes, and an ordinary face, he was fully covered in metal. Rob couldn¡¯t even see if the man was bald or not. What he could feel was the level of threat emanating from the unknown. There was not a single of anxiety, only an expression of surprise as if he had suddenly heard a funny joke out of nowhere.
¡°Just wow! I was expecting a joker from the sleeve. Some super-secret weapon. Or the last reserved item with dangerous consequences. But not this¡ Wait. Boy, are you Transcendent? Ha-ha-ha, that is getting even better,¡± laughing loudly, the man was barely holding.
¡°Hello, sir. Can I ask what is going on?¡± Distancing from the long creature and an odd man, Robert asked with caution.
¡°I will explain in a moment, but first ¨C do you have any obligation to this one?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t even know what this thing is,¡± Rob shook his head, glancing at the terrible mixture of slime, spider, and human that caused not fear but disgust.
¡°You must know them as Wepwakor. Okay,¡± nodding to himself, the man raised his hand and pointed to the creature. The moment later, before the revelation got struck into Rob¡¯s mind, the arm twisted and started to turn into a weapon with a huge barrel. The blue glowing light produced a small ball right in front of it, quickly charging it with more energy. The next second it fired, creating a beam that not only erased the fake God from the exitance but made a hole inside the tough stoney surface before proceeding further to the ground only to make a deep tunnel. There was no heat, no shockwave, no aftermath outside the beam. But the sheer destructiveness was so huge, making anything Robert saw previously as a fluffy toy.
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¡°What. The. Fuck!¡±
¡°Oh, you must be a newbie. Understandable. Took me a lot to get acquainted with the whole realm things,¡± the man nodded with a knowing look, ¡°Do you need help? You don¡¯t look good.¡±
At this point, Robert decided simply to follow the flow. Not he couldn¡¯t do anything to the man, who managed to kill Wepwakor and created a hole in the material, which Rob himself barely could scratch.
¡°Would appreciate it. And yes, I am new. My soul was caught by¡ this thing. He somehow cloned my body, resurrected me, and used another soul to give me more strength. The latter appeared to be a CONNECTION,¡± stretching the word, Robert continued to explain, ¡°which later gave me an ability to almost break free from the control. This summoning must have ended the existence of my slave collar.¡±
¡°Nice. Stand still for a moment,¡± smiled the man, before approaching and turning his other hand into a strange device with a needle, which he immediately pushed into Rob¡¯s arm before the latter reacted, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. This an analyzer. I need your data to produce a healing stim. Yep, got it¡ Hm, an interesting body you¡¯ve got there,¡± grunting, the man pointed his palm into the ground, disintegrating it and sucking the material into himself. Simultaneously, the analyzer got a few additions, getting much bigger in the process.
¡°I need a matter for creation and, while I can create anything, the energy and volume loss are huge, luckily for you, the CONNECTION can grant a good channel to compensate for it,¡± the unknown smiled, injecting the stimulator into Robert¡¯s shoulder. The wave of pleasant heat washed over his body, finally lessening the strain that he was constantly feeling but failed to notice until it was gone.
¡°Thank you¡ Don¡¯t know how to call you.¡±
¡°You can call me Mana-Fueled Cyborg Ruler of Endless Sky. My communication ability most likely will mess up my name by translating it directly... Just address me as Cyborg. Not that it matters as we have several minutes before the first nuclear missiles would land here. And I need to warn you that they sent everything they got to this spot. Like a whole arsenal. So, if you have questions, ask. But I can¡¯t tell you anything about the ENTITY. Like every accessible Transcendent, I¡¯ve met it only once,¡± the man warned, before smiling again as if this was his usual expression.
There were hundreds of questions in Rob¡¯s mind, but the information about the mass destruction weapons made him shove away most of them. He wanted to ask details about how he had become a real cyborg, and how he could convert mana into energy. Robert wished to know where he could get such a body. However, he was sure that there wasn¡¯t a simple solution that he could use himself as if each Transcendent was unique, and so were their ways to power.
Robert wanted to know more about this connection to Aether and did Cyborg met other Transcendents. Was there any commonplace for them? Any special realm? Or was it just a random occasion, like this time? He had so many questions, but instead, Rob stopped on two. Maybe they were not the most useful, but he never thought about himself as a genius. Because he wasn¡¯t in the slightest. Moreover, the first one directly affected his chance of survival, while the second could satisfy his curiosity.
¡°How do I travel between realms? Can you tell me about the situation with Wepwakor?¡±
¡°Oh, it¡¯s easy. Focus on connection with Entity and will to travel, inwardly imagining the wished parameters of the realm. It¡¯s not 100% accurate. It¡¯s almost impossible to return to previous realms. And there would be a delay between travels, based on the situation inside the realm as Entity doesn¡¯t want us to escape at first signs of danger. But overall, it is random. It can easily include a hidden requirement for some kind of achievement, or just teleport you right away. Good question,¡± once again grinned the man.
Okay, no common place of meeting. No chance to meet Beth. The randomness of traveling under wished conditions. Got it.
Robert tried to keep his calm, but the breakup, despite all his efforts, appeared to be painful. He really didn¡¯t spend enough time with the girl. He knew that his decision to walk away and jump into a suicide mission was the result of his emotions. It was their first serious quarrel, but he failed to solve it, simply running away from the problem. Obviously, it was his first attempt to get into serious relationships, so he could make mistakes. Unfortunately, it appeared to be irreversible. And only now, at this very moment, he finally understood it, mentally putting a final point in their story.
Farewell, Beth. I think I loved you.
¡°Wepwakor¡ This is actually a funny story. I traveled between realms and somehow a weak soul eater managed to sneak in, hiding inside my own soul, but not able to do anything. At that point, I was trying to get more mana control, as tech is good, but sometimes magic can create really crazy things. So, this asshole just fed off of my kills, getting stronger and stronger. Then it attempted to absorb mine, but I already knew a thing about the soul, but not enough to kill it immediately. The fucker ran away, getting the same Transcendent state as we have. At some point, it appeared in this world. I think it was around fifty cycles ago from research.¡±
¡°Cycles like a year? So long?¡± Robert asked, returning to the topic from his memories.
¡°Yeah. It got inside some hikikomori nerd, fusing itself with the boy to hide from me. Then it started to rise to power in the current realm. With an ability to absorb, store, and control souls, it soon created a real network of puppets. Luckily, its primitive basic form prevented it from getting the powers of the souls directly, instead turning into a mass controller and manipulator. That was the reason why it died so easily,¡± the man shrugged.
That explains the System, Tiers with Stats, etc, but not other things.
¡°Wait, how did he do everything else?¡±
¡°Boy, if you are the ruler of a world with infinite power, have knowledge about other realms, have access to it, can control any opposition, scientist, and anything else, and had so many years for research, it is not that hard. Wepwakor had created a real system in an attempt to acquire more power. They invented a machine to catch the souls of diseases in other dimensions through its personal connection to the Entity. Absorbing some, they put others in prepared and modified bodies of clones and sent them away to gather even more souls. Or at least they wanted as I think you were from their first batch according to the data I gathered. They had a quite miserable rate of success, so gripped to any successful one. Having the ability to control souls, they obviously could merge them together. With a cloned body and such a soul, no one from such puppets would live for long, but they had no real choice. At least 80% of the current population of this world was under fucker¡¯s direct control. They needed to feed themselves.¡±
¡°Why didn¡¯t Wepwakor just travel to another realm?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know¡ Not that I care. Maybe they didn¡¯t want to start from scratch. Or was too afraid to get into worse and more dangerous conditions. Or any other reason. I don¡¯t care. I came to clean my own mess and kill the fucker who thought they could exploit me. I did it. The end,¡± the man smiled with pride.
The funniest part is that Wepwakor basically made me Transcendent himself, giving the soul of that rodent. Of course, the seed from the giant lizard helped too, but the starting point was the connection. Dumb luck in my case. I guess it saved me from being dead as this summoning pull might lead to the death fight without a chance of survival. Oh, maybe they would have eaten me straightaway to restore energy. Or¡ Whatever. I am alive and need to think about the next realm.
¡°Why are you helping me?¡±
¡°Because I can. I don¡¯t think we will meet ever again, and I am not a psycho murderer who kills each person I meet on a whim. All the help consisted of only answering a few questions and a single stim ¨C basically nothing¡ Sometimes I did more for random hobos. Much more¡ Yeah, there was a funny story about the rise of the Greatest King in one realm, who started as a beggar. The guy got only a primitive brain implant with some basic info that I paid him for a bottle of local beer¡ Okay, boy, you have one minute before the place is gone. May the obstacles on your way shatter under your mighty steps!¡±
Showing his bright and wide smile, the figure of Cyborg turned monochrome for a second, losing all colors, except black and white, only to completely vanish without a trace a moment later. Looking at the empty spot, Robert nodded in appreciation before raising his head. The blue sky that was visible through the gaps in the screen was partly covered with smoke. The whole enormous city was still burning, but the following destruction would be much bigger. Apocalyptic-like.
Still, Rob wasn¡¯t hurrying, calmly observing his surroundings. Surprisingly, his heart was calm, despite knowing that his next step would be the first one that he decided by himself. Or maybe that was the exact reason. Therefore, when the bright flash had covered the damaged platform and blasted it into nothingness, Robert was already gone. The shockwave together with enormous heat had erased every single sign of what had happened on the spot. The next explosions shook the ground, continuing to hammer the surface until the whole planet started to tremble from the powerful external force. The broken continental shield had shifted, sending masses of ground and water into motion, resulting in the end of the current world, which wiped out all life. Only in several thousand years, another Transcendent would bring new species with him inside a pocket dimension, restarting everything again. The life will always emerge no matter what.
Chapter 88 (2-46)
Robert found himself standing in the vast park with tall buildings surrounding the place. The early morning left the place empty except for rare runners moving across special pathways and the dog¡¯s owner who was taking a stroll with their pets. The trees only started to gain their green leaves back. The bright sun, despite its intensive light, was barely able to warm the air. The breeze wasn¡¯t helping either as if trying to prolong the coldness of the previous season. However, maybe the wind knew the futility of its attempt, not even trying seriously. Still, it was enough to give Rob a refreshing feeling.
Looking around, he smiled widely, almost copying the grin of the cyborg. The whole atmosphere completely lacked any life-threatening aspect, showcasing the normal average life. No demons, no war, no huge lizards, no mad zombies. Of course, Robert knew that it would soon change dramatically as his whished realm couldn¡¯t be like that. The scenery appeared to be a surprise for him. The pleasant, he had to admit.
Making a few breaths to enjoy the fresh air, he felt a mixture of petrol products with a chemical addition. His ears caught the sounding alarm of an ambulance or a police car, which were going at full speed to give the so-needed help. He heard the horns of impatient drivers, who somehow found the traffic jam, despite the early morning. He saw the rare stream of cars behind the trees. It wasn¡¯t big right now, but everything would change in a few hours. The flock of birds was gathered around an old man not far from his spot, hastily packing the food before it would be taken by others.
It¡¯s nice.
Noticing the fountain, Robert glanced at himself before resolutely heading there. The few runners gave him long looks, which was not that odd, taking into account his appearance. Dressed only into torn green pants, covered in purple blood, he was quite a view with his huge frame and bulky figure. Still, he was surprised to see how a pair of young women were eyeing his bare chest and arms, turning around a few times even after making some distance. That felt good.
The reflection in the water showed him that he had lost his facial hair once again. Only eyebrows, eyelashes, and black stubble were left, but not his beard. The disappearance of it didn¡¯t stop there, going across all his body. Moreover, his skin had got a slightly reddish tone as if it was tanned, and became much rougher, not to the point of being seen as sickly, but not even near to being smooth. It wasn¡¯t hard to see the influence of demonic energy.
At least it doesn¡¯t look like burned.
Jumping into the fountain and ignoring the exclamations from passers-by, Robert quickly washed himself. He saw how the old man took a phone and started to call someone, while smirking teenager decided to make a video, simultaneously commenting on what he was seeing. Rob didn¡¯t care. Standing up after he cleaned himself, he simply walked to the nearest free bench and sat down, closing his eyes and relaxing. He didn¡¯t feel any coldness. His bare feet ignored the stones with ease. He wasn¡¯t scared to get ill. He didn¡¯t care about the looks of others. His skin was too tough for that, both literally and figuratively. All he wanted was to enjoy the moment of peace. However, after five minutes of sitting still, Rob had only a thought.
It is boring.
The whole ordeal with demons lasted not so long to exhaust him mentally. On the contrary, it boosted his mind to the peak and made it crave more action. Therefore, Rob decided to refocus his attention. Concentrating on his connection with Aether, he sent a request, questioning one thing. It wasn¡¯t important, but he was curious to know if was he still a human. No matter how the System screen looked, it was a convenient instrument to use. That was the reason why he had¡ The information appeared in his mind, pushed inside by a constant flow of mana, redirecting his thinking process on the topic. The text was messy¡ as was his road to this point.
You are an unnatural abomination, kept only by energy supply from Aether. The hybrid, both in body and soul, was merged together in one single piece. The impossible scenario that occurred, despite the odds. The Transcendent.
Your soul was captured by a soul eater and merged with the soul of a rodent, which had a connection to Aether. Your cloned body was genetically made in laboratories, even partly copying an addition to your brain from a Hive mind. Modified to grant you an increase in regeneration with the cost of limited longevity, it would simply break from several unnatural components in no time, if not the adaptive properties from your newly merged soul that helped you to withstand the change with much smaller consequences.
The following magic illness that damaged both your soul and body, while taking your ability to store any mana, would have been lethal, if not for your own willingness to sacrifice yourself. This deed led to the destruction of your cloned body and part of your soul, simultaneously cleaning all signs of infection. You managed to survive because of two reasons. The part of your soul was already connected to Aether, preventing it from damaging, and a quick reaction of the soul eater, who captured your soul again, thus saving you from disappearing from existence.
Your soul was partly glued back and shoved into a new cloned body, but it was barely enough to keep you from immediately falling apart even after merging it together as too much damage was already done. Only the constant flow of energy was supplying your life, alas not for long. Therefore, to save his investment, the soul eater made an experiment on you, sacrificing all your natural affinities to strengthen a small part of the metal to give you the ability to conjure steel, which became a pillar to your soul, holding everything together. This hastily carried out test appeared to be successful, prolonging your life for a few more years. A few more changes were added to your body to make it tougher to handle the stress.
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However, the seed that was left by another Transcendent, had connected everything back in the most natural, fixing most of the incompatibilities and adding the dragon¡¯s genes on top. The following tainting with demonic energy had a limited effect on the body at this point.
Hey, I know what had happened¡ Not in such details, but still the question remains the same ¨C am I human?
First and foremost you are a Transcendent being. Your body is a mixture of modified human genes, dragon¡¯s addition, and demonic taint, while your human soul was forcefully mixed with rodents, patching the gaps. Moreover, having both body and soul merged together, and the need to live on the outer energy from Aether, you can¡¯t be named as one. You are a highly adaptive hybrid.
Getting the so-needed answer, Robert paused to think. This interaction with Aether felt not like a dialogue, but just an automatic response from a machine. There was no presence in it, despite not so formal style of answers. But it was good, as it gave more information than he anticipated. The mentioned by Aether self-check in a flash, alas without numbers.
I guess I was really lucky several times, without even knowing it¡ Yeah, never thought I was, taking into account what I went through. Still, there are so many questions left unanswered without any hope to change it. Who was responsible for that magic rabies in the first world that had infected me? Was it Aether¡¯s manipulation or the doings of other Transcendents? Why did Wepwakor decide to save me ¨C was he so desperate to keep his first batch alive? Then how could he mistake me with another envoy, that vampire? Why did Wepwakor make the system messages look like there was an intervention from another God when he had put my damaged soul into a second cloned body by themself? To keep his legend about all-mighty Gods and their battlers?... I guess, I will never know.
Opening his eyes and noticing the attentive look from the old man, who was checking his phone with visible anxiety, Robert understood that he didn¡¯t have much time before new problems would arise. Still, it didn¡¯t bother him as his mind was concentrated on the ways to increase his power. That was the reason he came into this realm. But he needed some planning.
The information about losing all his affinities, except steel, which appeared to be a small part of metal, sounded bad. Together with his inability to store any mana, the possibility of becoming some kind of mage was blocked. It was just an assumption but had enough reasons to believe it was true. The route of technological guy was definitely not his thing as he was always a user and not an inventor. And without the latter, even if he got any cybernetic modification, they would stay on the same level forever. The worst case ¨C they would break, leaving him crippled without the knowledge of how to fix it.
Also, there was no way he could be a cunning guy, who could sneak around, assassinating anyone he wanted. Not with his frame and sizes that would grow constantly because of his dragon part. The image of an elephant, who was hiding behind the sofa, made him chuckle just from a thought. His life as a soldier couldn¡¯t make him a manipulator like Wepwakor, who could influence crowds with ease. Not with his appearance of a brute and serious lack of social experience. His shooting skills were above average, but nothing special. Sincerely speaking, everything in him, be it the body or his skills literally shouted about being a straightforward punchy guy.
Yep, no chances for other roles. So, let¡¯s search for a way to do it better. Maybe there will be more opportunities in the future. It¡¯s not hard to believe that my own genealogical tree is already such a mess. At least I still look like a human¡ until I will become a head taller. Or two.
¡°Hey, you, slowly stand up and show your ID!¡±
The demanding yell made Robert switch his attention to the surroundings, showing two men in dark gray uniforms with a clear resemblance to a police force. The colorful badges on their chest were the best indicators of their belonging to law enforcement agencies. The old man, who was responsible for the call, was eyeing the scene with a visible enjoyment. Several onlookers already started to gather around, watching the commotion with similar interest as if such an event was a rare case. Especially, when the possible officers had put their hands on metal batons that were hanging from their belts.
¡°I repeat, slowly stand up and show your ID. No hast movements. You have violated the law of public nudity. It is last warning¡¡±
The man wanted to add something, but a loud bell peal interrupted him. The oddest part was the source of it as it came not from somewhere around, but more likely had appeared right inside everyone¡¯s head. The cries of fear, anxious whispers, and yells of surprise went in the background when a blueish transparent screen appeared in front of Rob¡¯s eyes, following his gaze despite the turn of his head. Seeing the reaction from others, Robert was sure that everyone got one. So, he focused on the text, while grinning like a crazy.
System initializing¡
Welcome, citizens of Terra! Your world was connected to the System.
The following trial will show your value in the multi-Universe. Either you will conquer the Challenger¡¯s Tower, or you will be wiped out from existence, freeing your planet for more worthy species.
Placing the entrance to the Tower across the World¡
The first batch is in the process of a random selection¡
Connecting each participant with a dozen randomly selected sureties¡
Transporting both participants and sureties into the Tower¡
The Challenge is ready! Good Luck! You will need one!
The end of Part 2
Chapter 89 (3-1)
Part 3: Rob¡¯s Antiheroic Misadventures
The green leaves were in constant motion, producing a rustling sound under the influence of strong wind. The latter, strong enough to bend the tree crowns, wasn¡¯t showing any signs of stopping, putting more and more pressure on nature as if trying to dedicate all its life to destruction. Searching for the weak spots, it broke branches, and tore the leaves, while raising them into the air together with dust. It never paused to take even a moment for rest, blowing with a robotic indifference. However, despite such dedication, it struggled to bring any devastating effect onto the forest, except for some minor damage.
The wind was a complete ruler everywhere, but not in this natural greenery. It could easily lift even the largest animals if they decided to roam beyond the delineated border while failing miserably with a tiny bug within the forest. The whole world had turned into its territory. There was not a single obstacle left after its gusts had turned everything into a powder, creating a flat and lifeless landscape. Everything, but not the forest. The lifeforce itself seemed to work as a protective layer, helping it to avoid the fate of being erased from existence. Still, the wind wasn¡¯t going to stop its attempts as the last bastion of life wasn¡¯t that peaceful, regularly losing its habitants. Therefore, the wind patiently waited for so desired opportunity. It had all the time of the world, unlike the living beings. Especially, when they actively tried to end each one¡¯s life.
Rolling to the side to avoid the wide swing of the hobgoblin¡¯s spear, Simon jumped on his feet with a supernatural swiftness. Tilting his head to dodge the thrust from a smaller ordinary goblin, he shortened the distance before pushing his dagger right into the neck of the green creature. The following twisting motion almost beheaded the already dead enemy, whose weak physique was on par with children. Gripping the long ear of the goblin, he pushed the corpse into the group of its relatives, preventing them from attacking him with their primitive wooden spears. The won second gave him the ability to meet the swing from the hobgoblin head-on. The force from the strike almost threw his weapon from the hand as the more advanced creature with brown skin obviously had much more strength.
Moreover, Simon¡¯s class wasn¡¯t meant for direct clashes. Ducking under the next thrust, he gripped the dirt from the ground before shoving right into the face of the enemy, effectively blinding the opponent. It gave him enough time to whisper a skill trigger command.
¡°Blink¡±
The short instantaneous teleportation brought him behind the hobgoblin¡¯s back, who was in the process of wildly swinging its crude spear. Still, Simon spent another second to stabilize his own body and endure the impulse of dizziness. Despite the acquaintance of his mind, his body wasn¡¯t ready for the effect of skill that changed his position in space. Not with his current skill¡¯s rank or stats. That almost led to dramatic consequences. Fortunately, the experience of almost conquering the Tower was deeply engraved in his mind, pushing his instincts to the superhuman level.
The quick thrust had pierced the spine of the creature right around the neck, crippling the hobgoblin in one hit. The latter immediately dropped down, opening a view of half of a dozen green creatures that were still alive. As always, the weak enemies tried to compensate for the lack of battle power with sheer numbers or sneaky attacks. Not that it could help against him, who was basically a returnee.
¡°Let¡¯s dance, bitches!¡±
Catching the sight of the archer, Simon blinked again, reappearing behind the goblin¡¯s back. The splash from the slit throat painted the surroundings in red. However, seeing such scenes multiple times in the past, or more precisely speaking in a possible future, Simon didn¡¯t spare a single glance at it, pushing himself in motion. Hitting the shaft of the spear, whose owner tried to impale him, the young man moved it to the side and opened the way for his dagger. A moment later his blade was already piercing the eye of the green creature.
Simon¡¯s grin was getting bigger after every drop in the goblin¡¯s ranks as he was clearly enjoying the process. He wasn¡¯t even near in terms of stats from where he was before the forceful return after the ¡°death¡±, but his hard skills were here, ready for usage. And this time he wasn¡¯t going to die from the twin axes of one of the Overlord¡¯s Generals right on the steps to the final battle with the main threat of the Tower. He already got a better start from the before and wasn¡¯t stupid to lose such a huge advantage. Especially, when his family¡¯s lives were at stake.
Jumping against the tree¡¯s trunk, Simon threw his body into the flight that ended with his foot twisting the head of the nearest goblin to an unnatural angle. Rolling under another, while making a wide slash, he cut through the neck of the next enemy. The inertia almost brought him under the clumsy thrust of the other foe, but Simon was fast enough to bend to the side. Severing the green fingers of the enemy, he gripped its neck and squeezed. The goblin attempted to fight back, creating an arrogant smirk on Simon¡¯s face.
¡°Pathetic!¡±
Making a few quick strikes, he ended the creature¡¯s struggles and turned his attention to the last pair of opponents. He wasn¡¯t surprised to see the fear on their faces. Despite being artificially made creatures that were literally produced by the Tower to create living obstacles before challengers, they had all basic instincts, including a desire to live. At least it related to the low-level enemies, while higher floors turned them basically into machines with a single desire - to kill. That gave Simon the ability to test things.
¡°Let¡¯s see how that artifact works.¡±
Like the others, newly summoned Challengers, he was met with a wooden open arena on the first floor. His group, which consisted of ten unknown people, had to face a deadly match against the very same goblins, being barehanded and outnumbered. Simon was shocked to know that the death of a Challenger meant the same penalty for their sureties. All his family together with several friends were branded as such, leading to him to put a real effort to save himself and others from a sad ending. Therefore, he had put everything he had to live through the intensive fight. Maybe his life was pitiful and lost all purpose. However, the responsibility gave so needed pressure to finally wake him from a self-slumber.
Exactly the next floor had changed all his being, giving him the chance not only to survive but to thrive. At this point, Simon understood that the Tower was a scenario-based obstacle course, which was trying to tell a story of a hero¡¯s rise that meant to prevent the Dark God from Ascending. The theme of the second floor was about the group''s escape from the goblin¡¯s village after surviving through the arena. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have one as he was a solo survivor, barely able to win the last confrontation with a broken arm and deep wound on his stomach. Luckily for him, the transition between floors had completely healed him. Still, it left a mark of fear. Maybe that was the reason why he stumbled upon a shaman¡¯s hut and found a strange stone table in a deep corner, while he was trying to be as careful and sneaky as possible to avoid detection. Then the owner suddenly returned.
Simon still couldn¡¯t find a logical reason why he panicked and attacked the shaman. Or how he managed to kill clearly a more powerful foe. Or how he decided to spend some time in staring at that tablet, wishing to get a magic class. It was a dumb luck. And it gave him much more ¨C the opportunity to live through his whole life in the Tower until his death. He wasn¡¯t a classic returnee. It was more likely a very detailed prediction of what would happen in the future, which was cut off upon his own death.
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Simon awoke in the very same hut near the corpse of the shaman. This time, instead of the tablet, he found an odd artifact in the form of a chain and Soulbound metal that under his request had got the shape of a dagger ¨C the weapon, that Simon always preferred to use. Everything was lost, including even his connection with friends and his Emily. However, now he knew how to save most of them as his knowledge was still with him. Therefore, Simon continued his way further, stepping out from the village into the third floor. That brought him into this forest, where he was chased by goblins under the influence of the scenario. As far as the description was true, it was always a solo challenge, meant to check the abilities of everyone without the possibility to rely on outer help like it was on previous floors. He also knew he couldn¡¯t leave the forest as it was a sure death because of the wind, but with the way out from this place that was deeply engraved in his memory, it wasn¡¯t a hard task. That was why he decided to test the artifact, wanting to feel its usage in real fights before they became dangerous.
¡°Heavy Bind!¡±
Piercing through the air, the chain lunged at the pair of goblins. Following Simon''s hand¡¯s motion, it captured both bodies before flashing with light. The set of runes appeared on its surface, making the chain tighten the binding until both green creatures were pressed against each other, unable to move. They still tried to struggle, but the next effect had even more stopping power. Shining with purple shades, the chains started to increase their weight, dropping the enemies on the ground.
¡°Not very effective¡ Drains too much mana. Maybe versus a single strong opponent,¡± muttered Simon, while thinking. Halting the effect, he quickly killed the last goblins, before checking his status screen.
Simon McNair
Combat Power: 107
Experience: 165
Mana: 15/100 [+5 mana per minute]
Title: Time Returnee
Class: Spatial assassin
Might - 12 [STR 10, SPD 16, END 10]
Agility - 20 [CRD 20, FLXB 16, RCT 24]
Body - 10 [VIT 11, TOU 9]
Mind - 13 [PRC 16, INT 12, WIS 11]
Magic - 10 [PWR 10, SPRT 10]
Personality - 12 [CHA 10, CUNN 14]
Skills (3/5):
1) Combat mastery (Daggers) [Rank 1]
2) Blink [Rank 1]
3) Acrobatics [Rank 1]
Simon knew it wasn¡¯t anything special from the viewpoint of higher floors, but on the third to have three skills and class was a huge achievement. Especially the latter. The Tower had a quite strange system of leveling, using experience points for everything ¨C to increase stats, to get skills, to strengthen them. The cost was always increasing, depending on the summary of stats and skills, having additional multiplicators in most cases. Still, he was really lucky to get a free skill from his ¡°previous life¡± through the title ¨C ¡°Blink¡±, which led to the upgraded version of his class from the beginning in exchange for losing one free skill pick. The combat mastery with daggers was a reward from the first floor even before his time travel, which he had chosen because of his experience with knives. That thing had set his way right from the start.
¡°But now I can optimize my route better. I know where to cut corners, the way to get a truly unique advancement option for the skills, the correct set of them to upgrade my class to tier 3 with more free slots, and how to use experience properly. I don¡¯t need many stats to deal with such trash,¡± nodding to himself, Simon gazed at the lying bodies with disdain. They were too weak, having around 50 CP on average. Considering that experience gain was fully dependent on that index and rarely exceeded 5% of combat power, that was a complete waste of time. Of course, if it wasn¡¯t a boss.
¡°I need to push into higher floors and quickly. I¡¯ve got Acrobatics skills as the first-class pick. The next must be Stealth and I know where I can farm the skill book, compensating for not getting it with regular means from class rank up. However, the last will be tricky, but it will be a problem for future me,¡± Simon decided, before lunging his body forward. Using his Agility which was already twice as big as an average human, and Acrobatics, he was swiftly moving through the dense forest, jumping over fallen trunks or even bouncing off living trees into somersaults. He was almost like a shadow ¨C an elusive, nimble, ethereal. Nothing could stop him. Even the chasers were long left far behind, simply not able to catch up with his pace. However, Simon still paused at some point when he saw an oddity ¨C something that he had never seen or heard before.
¡°Was there a cave on the third floor? Not sure, and I was actively searching for anything useful, despite knowing that you couldn¡¯t return to the previous floors. Can it be another hidden event? Hard, but with high reward, similar to the shaman¡¯s hut? Hmm, is it worth wasting time to check it in the first place? Yeah, it¡¯s better to lose time, but not an opportunity. Let¡¯s check it.¡±
The cave appeared to be well hidden from inattentive eyes. Looking like a small knoll with a tree on top, it barely differed from the surroundings. Even the entrance was looking in the direction of the way out from the floor, so most of the Challengers would simply miss it. However, Simon¡¯s eyes were quite trained to search not only the traps but also the places with treasures. The first sign to notice was exactly the tree, which had a mixture of yellow and red leaves, while all others had only one color ¨C green. The second was the elevation, which made a gap in the crowns above his head.
Just a few steps inside the cave showed oddly straight walls, which couldn¡¯t be possible without deliberated actions from someone sapient. The short pathway led deep under the ground, making few turns until stopping before the wide door. At this point Simon paused, paying attention to the inscriptions made right on the wooden surface.
¡°Sealed under the decree of the Covenant¡ Were they the black mages from higher floors?¡±
Muttering his thoughts aloud, he tried to recall the details. Simon knew a lot about them, but that didn¡¯t mean everything. Still, it wasn¡¯t hard to see that it was some kind of hidden laboratory that was abandoned at some point. And that was wonderful. The seal always meant the hast escape or even no survival, leading to the precious treasures, which were left as a possible reward for bravery. Obviously, after overcoming the danger. It was the Tower after all.
Gripping the handle and feeling the coldness of the metal, Simon unlocked the door before opening it. The dark corridor inside showed the light on the other side. Carefully checking the place on the exitance of traps, he slowly reached the end only to find himself inside a huge chamber with a high ceiling. Hanging on the walls, the magic stones were lightning the place, completely erasing any feeling of dread. However, such space only increased his confidence in an upcoming fight.
¡°It¡¯s an arena,¡± Simon whispered, looking around. The empty large room was too convenient for it. Moreover, it had several doors on the opposite side, leading into an inner area, ¡°Everything is so game-like. Okay, bring it on!¡±
Shouting the last part, he made it to the center of the chamber, while looking around with caution to avoid a sudden attack. He still felt uncomfortable without his Stealth, almost as naked. However, there was no pressure that he couldn¡¯t handle, patiently waiting for the enemy. At first, there was nothing. Then Simon heard heavy steps before the door on the other swung open. Ducking under the frame, the tall figure emerged. Stepping under the light and showing its slightly reddish skin, the muscular man spoke something in an unknown language. Simon knew that there was no way to understand it as all aggressive NPC used it, while the Challengers had no means to learn it. It was the system restrictions, that made it impossible to communicate in an attempt to change the scenario of the floor. Moreover, the dark red text, which could appear under the focused intention directly told that it was the enemy by default.
Laboratory Experiment, CP 101
The combat power was almost the same as Simon¡¯s which wasn¡¯t strange as the third floor couldn¡¯t put an irresistible opponent in front of the Challengers, while Simon himself was quite overpowered for this stage. Still, it wasn¡¯t the reason why he became motionless after seeing the potential hidden boss of this place. No, it was because Simon knew this blood-thirsty creature from much higher floors. The Tower used artificially made fodder in most cases, but most named enemies had a story, which was tied to the main scenario.
¡°Why are you here? And you are much weaker¡ No, it is even good ¨C I can make you pay for what you have done in my future-past while saving so many lives in the process. A win-win situation for me, but not for you, bastard. I will skin you alive. This time your death wouldn¡¯t be so easy,¡± Simon¡¯s eyes were radiating with the desire to kill. The enemy spoke something, but he didn¡¯t care. All he wished right now was to feed his dagger with blood, ¡°Blink!¡±
Chapter 90 (3-2)
When Robert felt the immaterial grip around his body, which prevented any motion, he sighed with huge relief. Looking around at the dirty dishes around himself and thinking over the events of the past few weeks, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of being ignored for too long. Even the familiar notification in front of his eyes couldn¡¯t make him forget the time he spent in waiting. The moment he saw the initial message from the System, Rob thought he would be chosen right from the start. How wrong he was.
Instead, one of the police officers disappeared, making another one panic and turn his attention to a much bigger problem than a random vagabond who bathed in a fountain. That gave Robert the ability to walk away, using the chaos that emerged around him. Quite soon, from the conversations around and the news he found that around 13 million people had vanished without any signs. Governments all over the globe soon deducted the connection in most cases as if those sureties that were mentioned in the first message were chosen to be real precious hostages. It could be a part of the family, friends, or even colleagues, but always with one center figure, who was possibly a participant.
The following week was spent in heated discussions on how to deal with this unknown threat. There was no physical Tower to destroy it. Moreover, despite the huge numbers of missing people, it wasn¡¯t even a percent of the current population and was randomly spread across the world. As far as Robert had heard, even several diseases that were spread in the past hundred years in this realm were much deadlier. So, after only a few days the humans showed their real faces.
The politicians started to blame other countries, while conspiracy theorists emerged with the idea of a secret world-ruling organization that was responsible for it. The talk shows used the topic to fullness, inviting different people, who sometimes didn¡¯t have even a remote knowledge of what they were talking about, being just random celebrities. The society almost stabilized when the second batch was summoned after ten days of silence. This time the number of participants was the same ¨C one million. However, the sureties jumped in ten times, amounting to 120. That made a shocking impact on the whole world. And made it easier for Robert to get an actual job in one of the eaters that specialized in hamburgers.
¡°I really like them. Can take as a part of a payment,¡± Rob smiled with the sincerest expression he could produce, while the middle-aged man was looking at him with caution, sizing the huge figure with eyes. However, after losing several of his employees, the owner didn¡¯t have much choice. Especially, when a bank somehow decided to completely ignore a force majeure clause, demanding monthly payment in time for credit usage.
Therefore, Robert got his low-paying job with the ability to sleep inside the storage room and eat tens of hamburgers. And he did, testing every single one of them, ranking them and even helping the customers to choose¡ when the latter were not afraid of his scary appearance. Most of the time he spent in the kitchen, washing dishes, cleaning everything and even guarding the place during the night as cases of robbery had intensified after the second summoning. That helped to ease the worriers of the owner, when at the start of the day he found a few unconscious bodies with broken arms or legs, while the responsible for it was calmly washing the floor before the opening.
Obviously, it wasn¡¯t the dream job. However, it was the first real job for Rob as he couldn¡¯t count his experience in the army. Moreover, having no ID, no civilian knowledge, or useful skills, except fighting, he had a limited chance of finding a better one if he didn¡¯t want to break the law. Still, there were more options, but hamburgers outweighed them all, making it an easy pick. And it was going to end, as a familiar notification on a transparent screen was already counting the time down. The single difference was the number of sureties, which rose again, going up to 600 people.
I guess now the real hell will break loose. 601 million missing people on top of 134 from previous batches is quite hard to ignore. The situation has escalated rather quickly.
System scanning is completed¡
Error. The subject is a Transcendent and is forbidden from becoming the Challenger¡
Searching the solution¡ Dedicating a new role¡
Welcome to the Tower!
You will become a guardian of the Tower. An obstacle to stop the Challengers. An unbreakable wall to their progression!
Your role for a current floor is to become a Laboratory Experiment, which is sealed inside the hidden Laboratory. Raise your combat power to progress further! Good luck!
Well, crap. Was I nerfed because of being too overpowered? What the hell? It had to be my cheat, but not a way to become a random mini-boss¡ Damn it, I am not even surprised at this point ¨C the same shit as always.
Unfortunately, the System wasn¡¯t going to listen to Rob¡¯s complaints. It simply dropped him inside a strange dark room, which was barely lightened by a shining stone near the ceiling, before disappearing without any trace. Looking around, Robert found a bed, a bookshelf, and a table with a chair. Every single piece of furniture seemed to be uncomfortably too small for his height and size. Moreover, the quick check-up of the books showed empty pages as if they were just decoration. Only a few had several paragraphs of text as if the creators were too lazy to put something more meaningful inside.
Why if? It is a decoration of the game-like Tower. It was you, Robert, who wanted it. Deal with it. And yes, you can¡¯t even spend time reading.
Walking out through the door, he found himself inside a small corridor with five similar rooms. Each of them lacked any personal belongings and showed signs of hast gathering. The stone walls with rough surfaces made enough to make the place quite creepy and unfriendly, having no pictures or ornament apart from a few odd symbols scattered without any order. The following search for the place led him into the huge chamber. An attempt to leave this laboratory had failed as something invisible had simply prevented any movement. It was like a force shield ¨C invisible, but tough. Even direct hits with conjured weapons didn¡¯t have any effect. Therefore, Rob continued his exploration. The results were unpleasant.
One of the doors led to the real laboratory with multiple walk-through rooms. The tables with alchemical equipment, the enormous bookshelves, the cauldrons, the huge desk with strange inscriptions that looked like gibberish ¨C everything was meant to show that it was really a laboratory. Even the last room had a few giant glass tanks with a bluish liquid inside. Several of them were filled with motionless bodies that had a suspiciously familiar appearance. They basically looked like Robert, but in a half-finished state with only part of the torso or without the head.
Stolen story; please report.
But everything is a prop. Well-designed picture to show players a needed scene. To put them into a desired atmosphere, but nothing more.
A few quick checks of the equipment had proved such an assumption. Another reason was a chest that was shining with barely visible golden light and was located between two tanks. Completely standing out of the picture, it was clearly a reward for making it through the dangerous obstacle, which was Rob himself. And of course, it resisted all attempts to be opened, having a similar force shield around its wooden frame. Robert couldn¡¯t even touch it with his hands, stopping in few centimeters from the valuable object that promised a treasure. At least the last room appeared to be useful. Going through the long corridor, it ended with a dark cave. Covered with hundreds of mushrooms, it additionally had a small pool made from an underground river.
So, the nutrition is covered. I think my idea to work in an eatery just got a few more points regarding being clever ¨C my desire for a hamburger has been fulfilled for a long time.
Returning back to the chamber, Robert stopped right in the center and thinking what to do next. He couldn¡¯t imagine how he could physically stop a million challengers. It was simply impossible. So, either he wasn¡¯t a single obstacle, or he was one of the final. Or he could be a side quest with an additional reward. Only in such a way the Tower might limit the number of challengers who could come to fight with him. Still, with no information, it was pure guessing. Not that Aether would tell him anything beyond his own self-checking, while the System was silent.
That was the moment when it hit him. Rob was the obstacle, which it meant he had to kill the people, who were forcefully summoned inside the Tower to challenge it. Moreover, the sureties obviously meant that their lives were dependent on the success of the challenger. Any Robert¡¯s win would lead to multiple deaths. Taking into account the last number, it was six hundred. Even one on one fight he would be responsible for the deaths of so many innocent people. And he was a volunteer, who decided to go into the realm with the Tower to get more power. But the challengers were not ¨C they were hostages of a dreadful situation. They didn¡¯t have a choice. Rob did.
Oh, fuck it! Let¡¯s get out of here¡
Concentrating on the link with Aether, he tried to send a request to travel into another realm. All he got in return was a feeling of repulsion. Ignoring it, Robert stubbornly continued to push his wish, despite the rejection. Again and again, he tried to communicate with Aether, asking for help. At some point Rob even attempted to make a bargain, agreeing to travel to a random realm. Still, there was no answer. Only the very same silence and repulsion. Of course, he remembered Cyborg¡¯s words about the delay in traveling, but after spending so much time in this world Rob was sure that he fulfilled this condition long ago. Apparently, it wasn¡¯t true. Or there was another reason like Aether thinking that he was escaping the danger.
What do I do now? I¡¯ve killed¡ a lot. I can justify to myself a kill of the enemy in a direct death fight, be it a war or any other battle. However, if it can lead to the demise of six hundred innocent people¡ It¡¯s too many. Way too many. Even if the challenger dies later, it will not be me who did it. Not the results of my action. I just can¡¯t bear such a choice. Is my life worth so much in the first place? And if several challengers come¡ Or they will not stop coming at all as there are up to 3 million challengers out there¡ Nope, I can¡¯t.
However, no matter what he had tried, there was no response from Aether. He was left alone to deal with the situation. To make a choice about what he valued more ¨C his own life or his humanity and morale. It sucked. It sucked up to the point of turning Rob into a motionless statue, who was hugging his knees, while his thoughts were wandering somewhere else as if they were in a haze. He tried to look at his own life to see its value. To measure it, to evaluate it, to set a price tag. And he couldn¡¯t.
Despite all the hardships he went through from the beginning of his life, starting from forceful turning into a soldier when he was a child, Robert never thought that anyone owed him anything for such struggles. He had what he had. He never wanted to dive into this unfairness, putting debts on a whole society or even making it pay. Not only it was pointless, but it was very childish behavior in his opinion. Therefore, it was simply impossible for him to become a real villain to random people just because someone had taken candy when he was a child. Or sold him into the program to become an Earth defender. Or even captured his soul to make an envoy.
I just can¡¯t¡
Summoning the transparent screen of the Status, Rob inwardly noted the convenience of not obstructing a sight before turning his attention to the text in an attempt to find a possible clue. Unfortunately, there was nothing. Still, switching the attention from his thoughts to the text helped him to get a distraction from the pressing situation.
Robert Flop (Laboratory Experiment)
Combat Power: 101
Experience: 0
Mana: -/- [+5 mana per second]
Title: The Transcendent Tower¡¯s Guardian
Class: none
Might - 32 [STR 55, SPD 41, END -]
Agility - 25 [CRD 24, FLXB 6, RCT 45]
Body - 15 [VIT -, TOU 30]
Mind - 21 [PRC 19, INT 32, WIS 12]
Magic - 0 [PWR -, SPRT -]
Personality - 8 [CHA 7, CUNN 9]
Skills (0/3):
On the contrary, after checking his ¡°character sheet¡± more questions had arisen. Some of them were obvious, as his lack of Soul Core made him unable to store any mana, so it was no wonder why the Magic stat was 0. But why were his Endurance and Vitality labeled as absent Rob couldn¡¯t understand. Was it because they were basically endless, being fueled by mana and the System just couldn¡¯t process it correctly?
Robert could understand why Speed was a part of the Might as it was muscles that were responsible for moving fast. Precisely speaking, their aspect of explosive power. On the other hand, what was the difference between the Intelligence and Wisdom? The sheer ability to process information versus the life experience? That was the only guess that Rob had. Then why was his Perception so high? Was it because it included an ability to perceive information and not only the level of hearing or vision, or there was a different reason. The absence of a stat explanation didn¡¯t help. At least he could read the details about the Title. Unfortunately, before he could do it, Robert heard a loud shout.
Quickly following the source, he entered the chamber only to see an odd young man. The latter was a concentration of the averageness with not a single thing to stand out. Not ugly, but not handsome either. Not too tall, but not short. Even his hair was a mixture of black and brown, making it hard to pick one color. The white linen shirt and dark pants were as plain as they could be despite the marks of blood and dirt on them. The only thing that was special in him was his black dagger, which was held in his hand, and a metal chained belt around his waist.
¡°Hello. I am friendly. Do not attack me, please. I want to find a solution how to avoid the pointless confrontation. I was also summoned like you,¡± Robert spoke loudly, slowly raising his empty palms and using a calm tone in short sentences to give as much information as possible in the shortest time. All he got in return was an angry stare from the man, who was looking at Rob as if he were responsible for every bad thing that happened in the man¡¯s life. Even the moment of finding out that all toilet paper was used while sitting on the very same white throne. Robert could think that the man was mistaking him with someone, but his own appearance was too remarkable for it. Focusing on the unknown, he tried to find proper words to calm him down. Instead, a notification popped up above the man¡¯s head.
Spatial assassin, CP 107
And it¡¯s red, clearly indicating a hostile status. Damn it.
The tightened grip on the dagger from the potential enemy made Rob uncomfortable. It wasn¡¯t a fear but more like another reminder of what was at stake ¨C innocent lives. His failure in negotiations would lead to deaths, with too high a number to ignore it. Then he heard the muttering. Some words were barely audible as if the man wasn¡¯t speaking to Robert but to himself. Still, Rob managed to catch a few, pausing from the surprise after processing them.
¡°Why are you here? And you are much weaker¡ make you pay for what you have¡ bastard¡ skin you alive¡ your death wouldn¡¯t be so easy,¡± listening to this mad mumbling, Robert wanted to appeal that it was their first meeting, but it was too late as the young man had ended his words with a shout, ¡°Blink!¡±
Chapter 91 (3-3)
Experiencing the fights against the very fast and agile Imps, Rob acted on instinct. His body moved by itself, reading his stance for the attack, while the mind was already summoning multiple spikes from his skin, once again turning him into a humanoid hedgehog. There wasn''t a moment of delay as if all his worries about the consequences of his win in the battle. The reaction was so deeply engraved into himself that Robert managed to understand what was happening only several seconds later while in the process of making a swing.
The teleporting man, who appeared right behind Rob¡¯s back, wasn¡¯t fast enough to avoid being impaled on the steel spikes. Still, he was lucky enough not to die right on the spot, getting a few nasty wounds on his stomach, and shoulder, and a deep cut on the face. The dispersion of steel made him drop to the floor. The enemy spent another moment to catch his balance, providing an opportunity for a strike. Hastily turning around and conjuring a saber, Rob tried to slash, but he was too slow. Another loud command followed, making the man leap through space only to appear once again behind Robert''s back.
The summoned shield made a clicking sound when the dagger tried to penetrate its metal surface. This was the moment when Robert realized that all his reflection was a hypocrisy. No matter how awful the results of his action would be, he just wasn¡¯t ready to sacrifice himself in an attempt to save some abstract people in the form of sureties. He did it once for William because the guy was his friend. He basically did it inside his bunker, staying until the end. His end. But now even his own body refused to lay the weapons down, moving by desire to live. Therefore, Rob just followed this flow. This desire to live, no matter what.
Dropping down on his back, he crashed into the man. The latter tried to teleport but was gripped by Robert¡¯s hand, who managed to catch it while lying on the back. However, Rob wasn¡¯t fast enough to cover the enemy with steel to immobilize him, as this assassin appeared quite nimble. Twisting his body around Rob¡¯s arm, the opponent freed himself in no time, before ¡°blinking¡±. This time the teleportation brought him right above Robert. Only the timely created shield saved Rob from getting an additional hole inside his skull. Pushing the enemy¡¯s body to the side, he hastily stood up only to block another thrust attack from a constantly moving opponent. The counterattack with spear met an empty space as the enemy disappeared right before the tipping point had penetrated his chest.
Assassin¡¯s attempt to attack from the side also failed as Robert simply made a wide swinging motion with both his hands, literally making a circle with two long blades. That still left another cut on the enemy¡¯s body, making him roll backward. The motion ended in a swift jump, putting the man on his feet and at some distance from Rob. The shocked expression led to an involuntary chuckle ¨C so funny it was. The following words only added fuel to Rob¡¯s laugh.
¡°How? Your CP is too small to have an active skill¡ Whatever, you will still die!¡±
The arrogant ending created a wide grin on Robert¡¯s face. Noticing a sign of mocking, the young man almost roared in anger. The moment later he tore off the chained belt from his waist, before hitting the floor with it as if it was a whip.
¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t!¡±
Still, Robert¡¯s lunge was too late as the enemy simply disappeared, avoiding the metal addition to his flesh. The reappearance occurred behind the back. However, this time Rob wasn¡¯t ready. Moving under inertia after his charge, it took him more time to turn around only to meet with a swing of a chain. The shout of activating command was barely heard when all his attention was focused on the flying metal whip. The attempt to dodge failed as it seemed the thing had a tracking ability, changing its trajectory in mid-air. Despite all his effort, the chain tied around his arm, which he had put in front of his face. Shining with inscribed runes, the odd weapon rotated a few times around it before literally anchoring itself.
Then Rob felt heaviness from the thing, which tried to pull him to the floor. The increase in weight was so abrupt and huge that he almost dropped down, barely managing to hold it. Still, the loss of balance made to turn his attention from the enemy to the new sensation, which gave the opening for the latter. Shortening the distance swiftly, the opponent was already going for the killing hit, clearly aiming at a neck.
The whole world slowed to a crawling speed when Robert tried to find the solution. The chain was too tightly tied to his arm without the possibility of getting rid of it fast. Moreover, the weight had enough immobilizing effect to prevent him from moving freely. On the other hand, it was only an arm, which gave some options. Therefore, Rob started to act the moment he saw the enemy¡¯s lunge. Conjuring a high pillar precisely under his captured hand to push it upwards and stabilize his balance, he moved his palm to intercept the dagger.
Even despite the steel gauntlet around it, the blade had penetrated the metal and flesh, getting stuck inside. Ignoring the pain, Robert simply grabbed the enemy and pulled it to himself, before headbutting the surprised opponent. Obviously, the spiked metal band was already covering his forehead, leading to a devastating effect. However, Rob didn¡¯t stop even the blood was flowing from the face of the half-unconscious man. He continued to hit more and more till the opponent''s skull cracked from this brutal barrage. Only at that moment, the heaviness of the chain had finally disappeared, confirming the death of this odd assassin.
Here goes six hundred lives¡ Fuck!
Dropping down on the floor right near the body of the enemy, Rob stayed motionless, looking with empty eyes at the surroundings. All his inner talks and all his reflections were thrown into the trash bin together with his self-proclaimed morale and honor. In the end, when he was met with danger inside the previously theorized situation, his desire to live appeared much stronger than anything else.
Yep, that is the difference. When I was in similar situations before, I never had a way out. It eased the choice to sacrifice myself for the greater good. However, it seems that I can¡¯t do the same when I know that there is a way, a real chance to survive. Maybe it will be a different case if there are lives of my friends at stake and not just a number from the System. I don¡¯t know¡ nor do I want to know¡ Crap!
Hitting the floor a few times with his fist, Robert stopped himself when he noticed a shining bluish light coming from the corpse. Soon he was observing the colorful process of its disintegrating into air that left nothing behind, except the chain. Even the dagger was gone, leading to a deep sigh. There were no traces of the fight left inside the chamber as if the place was readying for the next challenger. On the other hand, the blood that covered Rob¡¯s forehead was still there, reminding him of his murderous deed.
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No loot? Only chain? Damn, it sounds so bad, taking into account what is the source of it.
Rob was dressed in ordinary green shorts and a white t-shirt, which he got from his employer, and nothing else. His comfortable flip-flops were gone amid transportation for unknown reasons. And now his possessions were tripled. Not that he wanted the chain. Robert without a second thought would prefer a set of clothes, a cup with a plate and spoon, or many other things that would make his stay inside this chamber a bit more comfortable. But as always, he got what he got. Therefore he focused on the single item he got as a reward from the death fight.
Fetters of Burden, artifact
Made from mithril, it is a magical chain that can bind the target with the additional effect of weight increase. The activation commands for inscribed runes are ¡°Bind¡± and ¡°Heavy¡±. Both can be used together with a single command. Needs mana to sustain the effect with 1 mana per second for ¡°Bind¡± and 2 mana per second for ¡°Heavy¡±.
Surprisingly, the description was rather simplistic. No grades of the item, no cost or durability, and no story behind it. Just the basic effect. Picking the chain and making a clumsy swing only to barely miss his own head, Robert spoke.
¡°Heavy,¡± the following increase in weight made the possible weapon hit the floor with a much bigger force. However, Rob didn¡¯t pay any attention to it, fully concentrating on his feelings. It was the second time when he actually did it. Felt mana.
The sensation was slightly weird as if he got another set of veins that were spread all over his body, transferring the endless torrent everywhere. The mana itself felt like steam, simultaneously hot and cold, that traveled through his body without any obstacles. Breaking expectations, the source was not a heart but his brain, signaling that it was exactly his mind that was connected to Aether. This constant flow covered his whole body, almost making another ethereal copy of it. And despite all his efforts to find any excesses, there were none. Every single particle of this mana was evenly absorbed by himself. Even when the runes in the chain started to take their part, such distribution wasn¡¯t breaking.
A few quick tests confirmed that any touch from any body part was enough to form a connection with the artifact. Several more had shown the scale of weight increase that apparently was at least ten-fold, but more like much more. The last one proved that his conjuring fuel was the very same mana, meant for the energy supplying the rune as the amount of steel decreased by 40% - exactly in proportion to his regeneration ratio and the need for activation.
What is strange is that my ability isn¡¯t registered on the Status screen. Does it count only the System-created skills? But how do I get them? It can¡¯t be an action generated ¨C I already fought and nothing. No combat skills, no conjuring. Or is there an additional condition? The single change is in Experience points, which increased by 107 points. The exact amount of the assassin''s CP¡ Damn, where is my tutorial? Or annoying tooltips?
Continuing to test different ideas, no matter how stupid or crazy, Robert figured out a few things. The most crucial was the ability to directly increase his stats by spending experience points. However, to do that he needed to get a class first. The method for acquiring the latter was completely unknown as the error message appeared only when he was willing to grow his Magic stat. That left him only with the description of the Title.
Title: The Transcendent Tower¡¯s Guardian ¨C as a being that went beyond the realm¡¯s rules, you can partly ignore the System''s authority about your power. It won¡¯t be classified and added to the standard skills list. However, because of such imbalance, the System changed your dedicated role to the Tower¡¯s Guardian. You will be freed from your duties after progressing through the set number of stages. Before that, you can¡¯t leave the realm, nor can you switch sides, keeping your role till the end. Your identity will be changed according to the stage scenario. Your ability to communicate with challenges will be restricted, so they will never understand you, always treating you as an enemy. On the other hand, you will have no penalties on experience gain and all power you managed to get during your stay in the Tower will be yours. Good luck, Transcendent!
Robert couldn¡¯t even swear as it was what he wanted ¨C the power. He got what he asked. It wasn¡¯t Aether¡¯s or the System¡¯s problem that the conditions were too bloody. They were both machines, created by a living being to fulfill their goal. The latter probably barely had any limitations about the number of corpses on the road to reach it. This realm was definitely such a creation from the unknown but long-dead Transcendent who decided to make such ¡°interesting¡± entertainment for his own world.
What a nice guy, yeah. So, once again ¨C my life versus hundreds of others. What do I value more?
¡°Hey, look. There is a boss here, right in the center!¡±
The happy yell made Robert turn his head to the source. The small group emerged from the door. Gathering near the entrance, they slowly took a battle order, speaking loudly, while ignoring Rob¡¯s presence completely, despite having his persona as a main topic.
¡°CP 101 ¨C more than anyone among us has, but not that much to be impossible,¡± mentioned an athletic-looking guy with a sword and a shield, who was standing at the front.
¡°Don¡¯t forget the growth cost of each increase. Plus we don¡¯t know what skills he has,¡± this was spoken by a thin nerd in round glasses, who was carrying a rough wooden spear with a metal tip.
¡°So what? We can crush him and get more exp. Ben, you were the one who told me that bosses give an insane amount, like several times more than their CP,¡± a red-headed girl interfered, aggressively raising her spiked club.
¡°Just please be careful, everyone,¡± the last member of the group, a sickly fragile girl with blonde hair barely whispered, not hiding a worried expression. Leaning on her staff, she looked like she was about to drop.
¡°We got it, Lorie. He is just big. Nothing to be scared of with our perfect teamwork. Friendship does wonders. So, we go in, kill the boss, loot all treasures, conquer this floor, and later a whole Tower. Easy-peasy.¡±
Just a bunch of students. Literally kids, who haven¡¯t seen anything¡ But am I older? I lost the track, but it has to be around twenty-three or twenty-four. I was a few months away from twenty-one when I died in the bunker. Need to ask Aether. They are almost the same age, but the difference is so huge. Yep, I¡¯ve got a shitty life.
Sighing, Robert slowly stood up, attracting the attention of the group. From their gazes, he instantly understood that they viewed him as a mob, not a human. An obstacle, not a living being. For them, it was just a game. There were no worries about the possible death and responsibility, which they carried on their shoulders. Rob was sure that in the future it might have changed. The single occurrence of a heavy loss was enough to completely wipe such attitude. However, they wouldn¡¯t have that chance as Robert didn''t plan to give up.
After some prolonged thinking, he decided to treat the situation with sureties as with hostages. His sacrifice wouldn¡¯t guarantee their return. He wasn¡¯t the one to kill them ¨C it was the Tower. He wasn¡¯t the one to initiate a fight ¨C he was a hidden boss by a scenario, without a need to risk a life in a death match to move further through the Tower. Therefore, he would have only a part of the responsibility for the outcome. And Rob could bear it. He never was a hero. Just a soldier who did his best to survive. And he would continue to do it.
¡°Together, attack!¡±
Chapter 92 (3-4)
With a wild roar, a bare-chested man had lunged himself into the air, stretching his leg into a perfectly straight line. His muscular body was all tensed, while his fierce face was showing a hungry expression. Hungry for a battle, for a clash of steel, or, in his case, the competition in strength and agility. The test of willpower. The martial skills comparison. Everything that he craved for was in the Tower. The real test of abilities, where the primal power was everything, and he finally didn¡¯t need to limit himself. The life-threatening fights made his blood boil with energy, giving the way to the true himself.
He always knew that he was born in the wrong era, and only now he was placed into his natural environment. Straightforward, maybe primitive, it didn¡¯t have the impurities that the rise of technology had brought to society. No politicians, who could get everything just from declaring some false promises or lies. No huge corporations, could bend any rules to their wishes and destroy any family business that might obstruct their constant spread. No multiple regulations, rules, or laws that restricted him, turning him into a sheep in the pen. The Tower appeared exactly the answer to it. And the power which he could get from this godly sent place might help him to change the whole world, to wipe all unnecessary complications, to return it to the roots. Moreover, it gave him the ability to fight.
¡°You will become my stepping stone on my way to¡,¡± his loud shout was interrupted when the enemy, who was facing him, made a step to the side and slammed a shield right into his face. The sheer force was so huge that threw him backward. Still, the years of training in martial arts were enough to turn the motion into a somersault. Firmly planting his both feet, he stopped into a starting stance for a long set of devastating blows that were enough to crush even a stone wall. However, before he even made the first one, he felt a metal grip around his ankle.
In the next moment, he was pulled by the odd steel strip that seemed to be shortening its length. Attached to the foot of the enemy, it looked like alive. Dropping on the back, he tried to release himself from the metal hook that anchored his head, but his bare hands, despite all inhuman strength after the System''s appearance, were not enough to rip the steel apart. Overwhelmed with panic, he raised his head.
¡°Wait, let¡¯s¡,¡± his words were cut off when the hammer fell down, splashing a disgusting mixture of red liquid and brains on the floor. Still, the fight wasn¡¯t over. The lunatic, who wanted to have a fair duel with Robert, wasn¡¯t the only one to enter the chamber. Other idiots were already readying their weapons and skills. Rob couldn¡¯t describe them differently as they were stupid enough to agree not to intervene in the fight. They might do it out of respect to the dead combatant, influenced by his enormous confidence which he radiated to the surroundings. Robert didn¡¯t care as he would exploit any mistake from the enemies he saw.
Ducking under the hastily conjured fireball, Rob summoned the shield to cover him from the following arrow. He was already in motion, charging at the pair of survivors. And it seemed to have an intimidating effect as the archer simply dropped his arrow, failing to put it correctly. Torment of choice between picking it, taking another or even abandoning the bow for the dagger gave enough time for Robert to close the distance. Covering his face from the second fireball and seeing how the flaming projectile almost burned the hole in the steel shield, he rammed into the mage.
Smacking a melted part right into the face of the man, making the latter scream from the pain, Rob crushed his enemy against the wall. Seeing the motion with the periphery of his sight, he willed the steel to move. The metal followed the command instantly. Hugging the half-conscious mage, it created a small cage around him. In the next moment, Robert turned his newly created improvised shield, catching the arrow with a flesh. The loud bang from the fall of the heavy construct onto the floor coincidently resounded right when the man was yelling after getting another wound. The shouts were cut off after a small dagger had penetrated the neck of the mage. Dropping down the corpse, Robert only made a first step forward when the archer, with wide open eyes from overwhelming fear, had slit his own throat in a single swift motion, putting the fight to the end on his terms.
Well, I didn¡¯t expect that.
Exhaling, Robert closed his eyes and focused on calming his mind. The quickness of the battle made his body pump enough adrenaline to crave an action, but everything was already over. Unfortunately, it wouldn¡¯t last for long. This group wasn¡¯t the first to come in, and definitely not the last. On average, Rob had to fight once per hour. This fact led to an assumption that something was wrong with the time itself inside the Tower. If each batch was summoned at the same time, then it was simply impossible for them to find his hidden floor with so strict periodicity.
If it is true, then those unlucky guys can even be from different batches, thus decreasing my death toll¡ Not that it matters as the number is already too big.
When Rob opened his eyes again, the chamber was already deprived of the signs of the recent battle. Only a bow, a dagger, and a staff were lying on the floor. Picking the ownerless weapons, Robert looked around before leaving the place. Going through the short door frame, he followed the corridor only to stop at the first door. Checking again the descriptions of the items, he threw them inside without any care. The room was already filled with tens of weapons, chaotically scattered around. Having a similar quality, they all lacked one thing ¨C magic properties.
Up to this point, Rob managed to find only several artifacts that had runes engraved on them. Others were all good, but nothing special, making them completely useless to him. That was the reason why he shoved them in a self-made storage room. Three more were ready to be used for the same purpose, while the last two Robert were different. One was his place of rest, where he had put four beds together to create one long enough to fit his huge frame. The last one was his own laboratory. The laboratory inside a laboratory, no matter how funny it sounded. The reason was simple ¨C despite long stay, he couldn¡¯t progress properly.
His own physique and constant training managed to increase his stats, but it was so slow and inefficient in comparison to the possible power-up using the System that at some point Robert decided to research another way. All his experience points couldn¡¯t be used as he didn¡¯t have a class. The way to obtain the skills was also unknown. Therefore, Rob started to study the artifacts. Precisely speaking, not them but their runes that made them work. He didn¡¯t pose many objects to study. Except for Fetters of Burden, he had seven more.
Amulet of Meditation
Blessed by an unknown entity, this can put a wielder into a state of tranquility, which weakens the border between the inner being and the outer world, giving the ability to catch more ambient mana. The activation command for inscribed runes is ¡°Meditation¡±. Increases the mana regeneration speed by 100%, while putting the user in an immobilized state.
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At first, it sounded like a great deal for Robert. However, after using the item he felt he was frozen, completely unable to move. Moreover, Rob was barely able to perceive the surroundings through the odd haze that covered them. After a few tests, he managed to get that it was mana as it felt very similar to what he experienced inside his body. It was useful to train in such sensitivity, but nothing more. He didn¡¯t have any storage for mana to regenerate it quickly, while an inability to move crossed out a possibility of using it in combat. The situation with other artifacts was no different.
Flaming Sword
Made by an experienced but not talented blacksmith, it was given a set of fire runes by a skillful enchanter. The latter tried to bypass the limitation of the metal and partly succeeded, in exchange for sacrificing the frequency of usage to avoid permanent damage to the blade. The activation command for inscribed runes is ¡°Set Ablaze¡±. Uses 30 points of mana to create a flame over the blade for a minute. The cooldown of the ability is 3 minutes.
Luckily for Robert, the owner of the thing was taught by movies how to use the weapon. The moment the man noticed Rob¡¯s shield, he started to bash it with his sword, in an attempt to penetrate the defense. The melting steel showed its efficiency, only intensifying his efforts. Robert was constantly recovering the shield while in the process of adjusting its thickness to know what exactly needed to protect himself. Therefore, when Rob got the needed answer, he simply deflected the sword to the side, opening the surprised opponent to the following deadly hit. Even dying, the man was struck by the realization that he didn¡¯t need to aim at the shield, but the person behind it.
Still, the reward from this ¡°epic fight¡± was another useless item as Robert simply didn¡¯t have enough mana to support the inbuilt spell, no matter how hard he tried. It appeared that he needed to have all mana at once, but with his 5 mana points per second, he lacked a lot. The same situation was a few magic staves that he got as trophies. It seemed even the most basic spell demanded much more energy than he had.
Staff of a Firebolt
The common staff of the mage¡¯s apprentice has an engraved rank 1 offensive spell to compensate for their lack of combat abilities. The material of the staff won¡¯t withhold a lot of casts before breaking apart, but the amount is still enough for its wielder to have time to learn stronger spells on their own. The activation command for inscribed runes is ¡°Firebolt¡±. Uses 10 points of mana to create a fast-moving bolt made from flame.
Overall, Robert had two more staves with fire spells ¨C one with a Fire arrow and cost of 15 mana, and the other with a Fireball with 20 mana per cast. There was another copy with an Ice shard and even touch-based Lightning shock. However, all of them were out of his reach to use it. The biggest irony of the situation was that from the fights Robert figured out that challengers had a quite small pool of mana, easily spending it all in a short time frame. They didn¡¯t have fast regeneration to recover the energy during the battle, effectively crippling their battle power in such a situation. He, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t run out at all. Still, it made the usage of such items simply impossible. Almost any of them, except the Fetters of Burden.
That was the reason why focused on it. Completely disregarding the binding rune, he concentrated his attention on the ¡°Heavy¡± aspect. Each time he used the item, it was shining with a set of inscriptions, deeply engraved on its surface. That gave Rober an obvious idea ¨C to copy the effect. He didn¡¯t see any usefulness in the chain as his skill to conjure steel gave him more versatility in fighting. However, if he could imprint an ability to increase weight at will, it would literally add more to his instruments.
This was his latest idea of how to progress further. The message from the System directly spoke about the need to power up to go to higher floors. The constant fights didn¡¯t give me enough time to focus on the task properly. Fortunately, with the decreased need for rest, Robert didn¡¯t feel any exhaustion. So, after each battle, Rob returned to his laboratory, took the chain, and activated it. Looking at the shining runes, he conjured a plain metal plate and tried to recreate the same engravings on its surface. The complexity of the task was quite challenging, but after his long training sessions with a coin, it was doable. The only problem was in memorizing. To Rob¡¯s eyes, the symbols looked like a mixture of hieroglyphs and the attempts of a two-year child to write something on top of them. Moreover, after an additional examination, he found out that there was a difference in the deepness of each rune, making it even harder.
Still, I can do it. What is it? My fifth cycle of attempts? I have plenty of time¡ Only the periodic distractions are preventing me from achieving it earlier.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Robert felt the gaseous matter that was filling his body with energy. Then a mental command followed. Focusing on his senses, he noted how simultaneously the steel and mana moved while creating a mental construct. It felt like his mana couldn¡¯t leave his body and was using a summoned container to do it. Using itself as a matter for creation, it hardened and turned into steel only to fill a newly made object with energy again. The connection with his own being was never broken. It seemed that mana treated his conjured constructs as a part of his body, equally distributing the energy everywhere. Exact this observation gave him the idea to copy the runes, as his steel was not only the place to hold the inscriptions but also a means to charge them with mana.
Spending more time on this feeling, Robert tried to grasp the all-mana thing, how it worked, and how he could control it. This ethereal energy was literally everything to him, as his life depended on it. The torn connection with Wepwakor finally released the haze on this fascinating sensation, opening a whole new world for him. He still didn¡¯t know how to manipulate it directly, but Rob was sure it was just a matter of time. He would get there at some point. No doubts. Therefore, opening his eyes, he concentrated on the task.
Checking the inscriptions, Robert started to replicate them on the surface of the steel plate. Under his will, the symbols were appearing not slowly, one by one, but in spurts, covering another part. He treated these rune words not like letters, but as an image, which he had to memorize perfectly. It wasn¡¯t huge, so in just ten seconds the runes were ready. Like in previous tests, there was no need for an activation command. The magic text started to work by itself the moment it was done, shining with light. However, it soon turned into flickering before the runes melted away.
Another fail. But this one was close ¨C I managed to start the process. Finally, I am doing something magical. Robert the Great Wizard. Yep, maybe I can do it¡ but first, let¡¯s finish the rune.
By the end of his training session, Rob was very close to achieving the desired result. However, he had to interrupt himself when the System message appeared in front of his eyes. He guessed the content even before reading as the loud anxious voices of new visitors were already resounding from the chamber. Not finding the boss, without the ability to leave the place or to enter the inner rooms, they thought they were trapped and were currently in search of a secret trigger, not knowing that the only trigger they needed just didn¡¯t want to stop his attempts one step before the success.
Attention! System warning ¨C proceed with following the dedicated scenario.
You have one minute, or you will automatically fail, facing the penalty.
Friendly reminder: the current set penalty is death.
Okay, okay. I got! Damn, just give me a break¡ And those idiots, who are hurrying into their graves, could be slightly quieter. No need to shout about a room being a puzzle and count each fucking stone aloud. Even two closed doors were not enough to muffle their heated debate.
Chapter 93 (3-5)
Calmly standing in front of the small group, Robert was patiently waiting. There were a few reasons for that. He could observe future opponents, trying to gauge their strength and mentality. The latter was quite important as sometimes it was enough to deal with several most powerful foes before others would succumb to the fear of death. Such emotional breaking would cripple their battle prowess, making them easy targets.
Another was dedicated to his na?ve attempt to take the blame off himself. At least a part of it. Robert never initialized the fights, so he could try to lessen the guilt of taking the lives. It was a convenient self-lie to convince himself that he was just defending himself and he wasn¡¯t responsible for the deaths of sureties. It worked badly but still helped to keep his mind from the pressure of the situation. During this time Rob made up a lot of new reasons for it. And still, occasionally a filthy thought managed to sneak in, reminding him of his deeds. However, as his storage was filling up, the horrifying effect was weakening, confirming that the human mind can adapt to many things. Therefore, he waited.
The group consisted of three men and one woman. All of them were middle-aged with an average appearance and physique. Not athletic, but not fat, they wore different expressions on their faces. Focusing on each of them, Robert finally paused on who, he assumed, was the leader of the group. Something was strange about him. Carefully observing the man with a single lumberjack axe in his hands, Rob noticed his eyes. There stood out as a bright red light in the middle of the darkest night.
Having a mixture of hidden pain, confidence, and emptiness, those eyes looked familiar. Robert had plenty of opportunity to see such dull eyes during his stay on the frontlines. The seasoned veterans who managed to live through multiple battles and lost a piece of themselves had a similar look. The imprint of the horror they experienced was deeply engraved in them and would be their part till the end of their days. On the other hand, this horror gave them enough self-confidence to meet any difficult situation with a clear mind. The eyes of the soldier. And it appeared Robert wasn¡¯t the only one to notice it.
¡°Wait! Do not attack,¡± commanded the man, halting his group, who was in the process of encircling Rob. A single mage stayed behind, while a rapier wielder and spearman were on the sides, ¡°Do you understand me?¡±
¡°Yes, but unfortunately, you do not,¡± Robert shrugged after the quick nod, despite knowing the futility of such communication. He already tried the gestures, but it seemed the confirmation or denial had quite a different set of movements in this realm. During his work in the eater, he failed to notice it as he never tried to befriend his colleagues, thinking he would soon go to the Tower. And they were too scared of his appearance to do it themselves.
¡°Jason, it is pointless. You can¡¯t communicate with reds. They are the enemies,¡¯ the woman with rapier interfered, not hiding her skepticism.
¡°He is different. He is the first one not to attack straight away. Moreover, he answered my question as if he could really understand me,¡± the leader disagreed, continuing to look at Robert. The latter met the gaze with a grin. ¡°See, he smiled.¡±
¡°Maybe he is a higher rank red¡ Don¡¯t know ¨C never played anything. I bet my nephew would answer your question. The kid just spends all his time in front of a monitor...,¡± the spearman was interrupted by the leader before finishing his complaints.
¡°No, I can see it in his eyes. He is different. Sapient. Not an average red¡ Were you, maybe, a soldier?¡± After a small pause, the man asked only to meet another Rob¡¯s sincere smile. For Robert, it was the first time that someone tried to communicate after the initial failure. Most of such speakers never tried more than once, quickly going for the possible experience gain.
¡°I was right. Sometimes it isn¡¯t hard to see a comrade-in-arms¡ So, are you also a human that was summoned here?¡± A smile.
¡°And you can understand me?¡± A smile.
¡°Good. Then why were you chosen as the enemy?... No, you can¡¯t answer that. Did you have a choice of the side?¡± The smile had disappeared without a trace.
¡°Is there any choice to avoid our fighting?¡± Rob¡¯s expression became stony, deprived of any emotions.
¡°I see¡ So, the only way out for me and my group is to kill you. The same goes for you. Am I right?¡± The smile emerged once again, but now it was clearly forced as if its wielder was making it through the pain by sheer willpower.
¡°It¡¯s a pity. Still, I ask you not to give up if you managed to survive the shit, then you can¡¯t just throw this opportunity away. Obviously, we also will do our best. We will not give our number an advantage, no matter how unfair it is. We are all prisoners of the circumstances, so I apologize in advance,¡± shining with resolution in his eyes, the man had ended his speech and raised his bastard sword.
It is indeed unfair¡ but not for me.
Glancing at his hand, which was holding the metal club, Robert inwardly sighed. This battle was going to be a test one. Not only he had finished his first rune, managing to inscribe it on the steel surface, but he had found a way to better usage by severing the easiest parts of the runes to prevent the activation. Rob had to keep the image of the inscriptions in his mind, constantly fueling them with mana and reconnecting the rune in the moment of need to summon the effect. The complexity of the task made the choice of the weapon an easy one as the club had the most primitive form and more weight on the end. And he wasn¡¯t sure he was able to resummon the runes during the fight. So Robert had to rely on the prepared set.
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Raising his club, he conjured a small steel shield on his other hand. It left him with a limited amount to summon as Rob was close to using all his mana flow. Both constructs and runes were already taking a lot. The free part was left for an emergency when he would need to cover his body from the direct hit. Such a way wasn¡¯t the best solution, but it was a deliberate choice. Rob needed to raise his battle awareness and not rely too much on his ability to cover himself with a protective layer any moment he wanted.
The rank 1 spells were already dealing with his steel and the higher floors would provide an even bigger arsenal for magic wielders. So, it was good training to limit himself. To make every action to be efficient. To avoid creating bad habits from the start. Moreover, if he got more runes to use, he would need spare energy to support it. That would decrease the amount of steel even more. Therefore, only club with the ¡°Heavy¡± rune and a shield.
I am hesitating in an attempt to postpone what comes next¡
The following fight was as short as most of them. Just one or two direct hits were enough to kill or weaken the opponent to the point he couldn¡¯t continue. Nobody had armor, except Rob in the form of his steel. Increased stats didn¡¯t give supernatural toughness to ignore the strikes from the metal club. That led to an obvious shortness and brutality of the battle. Especially taking into account Rob¡¯s desire to end everything fast without prolonging an unpleasant situation.
The first one to fall was the leader. His attempt to directly block the club using his increased strength failed miserably as Robert activated the rune during his swing. The abrupt rise in weight added force to the impact, crushing onto the bastard sword and pushing it down. The blade went backward, penetrating the flesh of the owner and causing a painful scream with a splash of blood. Rob¡¯s mind caught an image of shining inscriptions along his conjured weapon. Shining with a toxic green light as if it were fueled by some movie-like necrotic energy, it lightened the face of the leader in the moment of its death. He noticed a hint of acceptance and even relief that was made through the tough mask of unwillingness and self-confidence. The mask finally cracked.
Cutting off the support for the rune, Robert rammed with his shield against the man, sending him into the flight. Ducking under the fast thrust from the shining spear aimed at his face, he stopped a rapier with his shield. The wide swing of his club pierced the air in front of the face of a spearman, making him stumble backward. Continuing his rotational motion, Rob activated the rune for a single moment to accelerate himself. His leg sprung forward, hitting the knee of the spear wielder at the side, easily breaking it with the help of a conjured spike. His timed rotation had ended in a squatting position, where he deflected another thrust of a rapier.
Lunging forward, he crashed into the woman. The latter somehow managed to drop her weapon and grab the shield, pushing it to the floor with all her weight. Not stopping on that, she pushed herself higher, jumping over Rob¡¯s head in a swift making. He could bet that for a single moment she was standing upside down using his shoulder. Maybe that was why she tried to throw him, using an inertia. The problem was that the difference in weight was more than a hundred kilograms (220 lbs). So, after falling on the floor with her back she got stuck in that position, unable to move him. And Robert simply dropped his club onto her chest, simultaneously activating the rune. The bloody cough and cracking ribs were the result.
The last mage struggled the longest. Using something akin to a flamethrower spell, he made Robert abandon the club and completely focus on the shield. The steel was quickly heating up, so he had to create several layers, dispersing them after some time when the temperature started to be intolerable. Rob still got quite a few painful burns, but all mage¡¯s attempts to circumvent him were countered by simply turning around. In the end, the survivor wanted to shorten the distance when his mana pool was almost empty, missing the spike that simply shot forward from the shield and pierced his face.
Once again looking around on the dispersing bodies of the fallen challengers, Robert had to remind himself that all his options were reduced to Hobson¡¯s choice ¨C just an illusion of it. To live, he had to follow the script that made him an additional obstacle. So he had to endure it to the end unless he was going to give up. And that was impossible.
Okay, the test seems to be successful. I need to train an ability to create at will. And to do something with a possibility to damage the rune¡ Maybe to hide it inside? Nope, it will be too hard at this point. But first, the amulet of Meditation. I wonder, if it increases mana regeneration, will it affect my recovery speed. Good way to check it.
The routine action of picking up the weapons and dropping them into a storage room partly calmed him down. The staff with a Flamethrower spell was interesting, but after checking the cost of usage it followed to other useless magic items. Quickly washing himself in the pool and drinking water, while ignoring the pain, he slowly recovered his mental fortitude. His already common doings after each fight helped a lot, sending his body to act under autopilot.
Rob thought he got acquainted with the situation, but a single disturbance, a change in a ¡°normal¡± flow, immediately threw him off balance. On the other hand, he knew he had enough willpower to overcome it. Moreover, it only increased his wish to get out of there through any means. He was a prisoner of the Tower, who had to participate in a death match every hour just to live, and with quite vague conditions to release himself from this solitary cage. It sounded bad, but the experience of being targets of artillery shelling was scarier. He survived then; he would survive now.
Meditate, recover, and then let¡¯s train the usage of runes during the motions. The next stage will be the change of the club, while not breaking the effect. Then I need to run a few tests about the connection between the size of the inscriptions and the strength of the rune. The optimization of the cutting of the energy support of the rune is also needed¡ And why the fuck my runes are glowing with toxic green light? It really looks like some vile energy. I will have an appearance of the villain if it continues. My large frame and rough face are already setting me in that direction at a full speed. I only lack the red or black eyes. Damn, I don¡¯t want to be a Lich-Brute.
Chapter 94 (3-6)
Cutting through the air, the mace was rotating above the head of the tall figure at a huge speed. It wasn¡¯t moving on a complex trajectory as the wielder was simply putting it from one hand to another without any pauses while continuing the constant motion. Moreover, the weapon¡¯s form wasn¡¯t anything special. Just the basic short-spiked ball on a long handle. Still, the absence of any delays between the change of grips made it look like a work of a machine. It was almost like a real propeller that was in a mere moment before helping to take off from the ground. The toxic green lights that were emanating from the ball and were showcasing odd inscriptions only added to such effect.
The whole scene was mesmerizing. The non-stoppable movement of the unknown inside an enormous chamber. Motionless, calmly breathing, he was akin to a statue, despite being the source of the motion. Creating a light breeze from the signs, he wasn¡¯t showing any signs of tiredness, stress, or effort. Like a real robot, he was repeating and repeating the very same action without a trace of annoyance or boredom. Such dedication to the pointless doing might look fascinating to the outer observer if there was any. However, even the figure itself had its eyes closed, completely focused on the process.
And despite the absence of visual struggles, Robert¡¯s mind was working at full capacity. After several prolonged sessions of the Meditation amulet¡¯s usage, his perception of mana was widened. Experiencing the increase in the flow, Rob managed to grasp the feeling of mana inside himself. He was still far from controlling it as this gaseous energy just refused to obey, simply filling his body and steel as a container. Still, the rise in his senses was obvious. It didn¡¯t affect any outer sources, focusing only on his own ¡°magic fuel¡±. Surprisingly, even such an increase gave better control in conjuring the steel. The better he could perceive the mana, the more precision he got in his summoned constructs. That helped a lot with rune creation, which led to further training in his abilities.
Mentally inscribing the very same rune multiple times, Rob engraved in its memory to the last squiggle. Soon the change of the club¡¯s form didn¡¯t have any disturbing effect. What was more, he managed to put the rune in one swift motion without a need to prepare it beforehand. Such achievement led to a current exercise. By constantly rotating the mace and changing the connection point to the steel, Robert tried to keep the rune active all the time, no matter how he was moving. The fight against inertia already demanded from him some effort, not speaking about these additional complications. Not stopping on it, he periodically erased it completely only to remake it again a few seconds later.
At first, he struggled a lot with such a hard task, but the remnants of his Hive mind and thousands of repetitions gave the result. It didn¡¯t even take so long, as Rober couldn¡¯t simply run out of mana, wasn¡¯t tiring, and didn¡¯t need regular sleep. Only the invaders stole his time, preventing a full dive into the process of training. Like before, his way to clear his mind by being constantly busy was working greatly. The only thing that was bothering him was quite logical.
What do I learn after finishing with the ¡°Heavy¡± rune? The ¡°Meditation¡±? Not sure it will be that useful ¨C only to heal faster after the fight.
The latter still could help if he had a safe environment to use it properly as an immobilization effect might be very dangerous. Still, the lack of options made him feel trapped without the ability to proceed further. By this point, Robert noticed how all challengers had one or two skills. Some of them were clearly passive akin the weapon handling as there was no way that every single one was trained to use medieval instruments of killing. Luckily, it only included the correct posture and hits, but not the tactic. Others had active skills, like increased cutting force or magic spells. It wasn¡¯t enough to defeat Robert, especially when he added the rune to his arsenal.
He needed skills to get his class and finally use all the experience points he managed to get through this bloody ¡°farming¡±. Rob was sure that there were possibly quite a few ways to get them. However, looking at the state and power level of the challengers, it was obvious that they were at the start of their conquering journey. Therefore, if they had the same three free slots as Robert, it was not hard to guess why he couldn¡¯t find any ¡°skill books¡±. If there were one, they would be used before the dangerous fight inside the hidden Laboratory.
If this Tower follows the game logic, it can have difficulty adjusting settings that work according to combat power. And I can¡¯t raise mine, getting stuck against the enemies who have nothing in their pockets. Damn. This is stupid! Fucking System. How many times did I recreate your own rune from your own item? Thousands? I bet it is not real magic, so why don¡¯t¡
As if answering his demand, a huge notification popped up in front of him, throwing him out of balance. The loud impact of the mace made a crack in the stony floor only to disappear a moment later. However, all of Robert¡¯s attention was focused on the text.
Are you kidding me? What the hell? Hey, System, are you listening to my thoughts? Or is it just a coincidence?
There was no answer this time, leaving Robert to guess the real reason why it was timed so perfectly. Still, the message increased his mood, lighting the way out of this cursed Tower.
Through the ten thousand repetitions of activating the rune without the help of the system-made skill, you are granted the corresponding skill: Rune engraving [Rank 1].
Attention! This is an exception from the rules and is possible only because the runes are part of the System creation.
Dispersing the steel, Robert quickly checked his Status screen to confirm a new addition. It was there, making him grin from happiness. He was rarely looking into it as, despite the natural growth of his stats from his dragon genes, it was another reminder of how big his kill count was. However, this time was different. Focusing on the Rune inscription skill, he willed to increase it. And it worked, creating another message on the transparent screen.
Do you want to upgrade the Rune Engraving to Rank 2? The cost is 2240 Experience Points. Accept?
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So, it seems twenty times my CP¡ Wait, the number was increased by 10 points after getting the skill, meaning it counts toward overall combat power. Okay, accept.
Please, choose the route of upgrade:
- Power ¨C increase the effectiveness of the engraved runes by 20%
- Efficiency ¨C decreases the mana cost of the engraved runes by 20%
- Quickness ¨C shortens the size of the rune inscription to quicken the process of engraving by 20%
- Balanced ¨C balanced approach that improves everything by 10%
Pausing for a moment, Robert checked the description of the skill but found nothing useful. Just an ordinary rewording of what was literally said in its name. Moreover, the skill itself seemed valuable because of upgrades, but not in a default state as it was bringing nothing new to the table. Therefore, taking into account the magic items in the storage, Rob picked Efficiency, wishing to lower the cost of the spells. The cheapest was 10 mana, so a 50% decrease would be sufficient for the usage. Unfortunately, the following upgrade to the Rank 3 appeared to be the last one. Costing forty times more than his current CP, which also was raised by 10 points after the previous rank-up, it granted the same options once again, excluding the picked one.
No magic, damn it. 30% is not enough. Power then. Let¡¯s see how it looks now.
Robert Flop (Laboratory Experiment)
Combat Power: 132
Experience: 6237
Mana: -/- [+5 mana per second]
Title: The Transcendent Tower¡¯s Guardian
Class: none
Might - 33 [STR 57, SPD 42, END -]
Agility - 25 [CRD 24, FLXB 6, RCT 45]
Body - 15 [VIT -, TOU 30]
Mind - 21 [PRC 19, INT 32, WIS 12]
Magic - 0 [PWR -, SPRT -]
Personality - 8 [CHA 7, CUNN 9]
Skills (1/3):
1) Rune engraving [Rank 3 MAX: Efficiency, Power]
The Status screen didn¡¯t look much different from before. Moreover, the addition of the skill didn¡¯t give him any knowledge as Robert expected from the possible similarities with a weapon¡¯s handling. However, it could be another game mechanic where the menu would pop up near the correct equipment, like an engraving table. And Rob had none of it, only possible props in the form of an alchemical laboratory. Of course, they might be working ones, but he guessed that without a corresponding skill, he wouldn¡¯t know. Therefore, his increase in the combat power by a third in fact meant nothing, except an additional effectiveness in one single rune and the higher number on the screen. Even the class was unavailable. However, soon Robert found how wrong he was. There was a change. An unpleasant one.
The appearance of the new group was loud and warned him beforehand. They were already talking aloud even before entering the chamber. Especially a man with a shrilling voice, who was proudly praising himself. Robert didn¡¯t catch all the details, only several last phrases that they exchanged between themselves.
¡°And who was right in the end? The floor with a huge town and instanced-based missions from the Adventure guild must have a catacomb underneath it. And where the catacombs are, there is a hidden quest¡ or dungeon. It is obvious for every above-average mind!¡±
¡°Or to someone who spent half of his life playing games,¡± a woman parried, ¡°I am still happy that the seventh floor appeared to be a hub for everyone to form new groups. Didn¡¯t want to continue alone.¡±
¡°I think it was made on purpose. The task to go further is to complete ten group missions, so the players can find a proper team and their own role in it,¡± the owner of a shrill voice added his opinion.
¡°It is not a game. Do not call us players,¡± another man interfered, not hiding his annoyance.
¡°I am going to disagree. It is a game with light RPG mechanics, strict rules, and death as a penalty for failure. Still the game, just wicked and cruel,¡± the following discussion was cut off by the command of a woman who was the first one to appear inside the room.
¡°Boss, get ready!¡±
Her loud shout made everyone hurry inside, taking a battle order while allowing Robert to observe future opponents. Not only that, but their conversations, helped him to pick more clues about the Tower. Most of the challengers viewed the place differently, even using dissimilar names to describe Rob. But there were still non-contrary things like floors. And this was the first time he heard about the seventh. Previously, he only caught a mention about the third.
Yep, this must be an auto-leveling. Not for them, but for me. And they even don¡¯t look like newbies, having proper gear. Damn it! I feel like I am a game character who messed up with his leveling, picking non-combats utility skills, and now has to face a dragon, being a master chef, the best negotiator, and an advanced herbalist, while using the weapon only once at the training arena during the tutorial.
The group consisted of five opponents. The tall woman in a long chainmail with a sword and a wooden tower shield was standing at the front. The open helmet didn¡¯t hide her fierce face with a serious expression. Metal vambraces covered her arms, while the small chest plate protected her torso. Others lacked such defense, mainly wearing leather gear on top of linen clothes.
Another woman in a vest and two daggers was behind her to the right. The short but bulky man to the left of her wielded a giant axe. Dressed in a chainmail and metal gauntlets, he had no helmet, showing the surprisingly kind face of someone who could easily be mistaken as an uncle-baker from the nearby store. At the back, there were two more men. One with a big crossbow, while the other had a magic staff. They both had only vests and gloves, clearly using all their available resources on the weapons. These five were in an early stage of gathering equipment, completely missing quite a few crucial pieces of gear.
Still, without a doubt, they were a full-fledged party with enough experience to show no signs of fear. The scratches on the weapons or armor were another hint of it. The classic composition with an attempt to balance their capabilities on top only further confirmed this assumption. However, the problem was not in gear but in a CP, which was floating above their heads when Robert concentrated on each of the enemies. Ranging from 118 to 128, they made the same leap upwards as Rob.
And I bet they don¡¯t have a mere increase in the effectiveness of one single rune. The bastard with teleportation had less¡ Where the fuck are my cheats? Why am I so nerfed to the ground?
As always, there was no answer. Adjusting the size of his mace, Robert conjured the small round punching shield, gripping its handle with a palm. Primarily meant for the deflection of the hits and not direct blocking, it could be used as a weapon itself. And in Rob¡¯s case, the combination of its thickness and his strength was enough to take the hit directly. The following mental command made the ball on the top of his mace shine with an ominous green light for a moment before disappearing once again.
¡°The Boss is clearly a tank type without range possibilities. Strong and slow hits, very tough. We need to wear him down with quick attacks, while searching for the openings to attack with spells and bolts,¡± the mage, who appeared to be the owner of a shrill voice, addressed to his team.
¡°Everyone heard our gamer. Let¡¯s do it. Carefully, steadily, without an unneeded risk,¡± commanded the frontliner, making her first step towards Robert.
Yeah, carefully and steadily¡ Okay, let¡¯s play along.
Chapter 95 (3-7)
The initial clash started with a bolt. Piercing the air, it barely missed Robert¡¯s head, who was in the process of charging. At least it was how it looked from the side. Rob simply couldn''t miss an aiming figure, moving to the side right at the moment when the trigger was pulled. Fainting another clumsy step, he avoided a fire arrow from the mage. Both shooters started to insult each other¡¯s aim, but Rob wasn¡¯t listening.
Making a wild swing with a mace to stop the simultaneous approach of the melee fighters, he had to quickly put his shield against the thrusting attack from the rogue, who nimbly ducked under the swiping arc. Two daggers clanged loudly, unable to penetrate the steel. Not losing momentum, the woman made a fast motion as if she was going to roll only to change her action a moment later. However, this time her attack was interrupted when a shield bashed her in the face, throwing her backward. An attempt to follow with a mace was cut off by a loud yell from the tank.
¡°Taunt!¡±
Despite the stupidity of a such shout, Robert felt as if something tried to seep into his mind. Turning his head to the side in search of the source, he focused his gaze on the figure with a tower shield. Just a single glance made him tremble from anger. Her appearance, her posture, even her smell ¨C everything in this woman made his mind boil from the insane rage and disgust, demanding to crush her immediately. Rob¡¯s vision became like a tunneled one, showing only the enemy and erasing everything else. Then he blinked.
Oh, fuck!
Raising his mace, he managed to deflect an axe swing by hitting its shaft. Striking the chest of its wielder with his elbow, Rob made him stumble backward as the chainmail was the best defense against blunt attacks. However, he didn¡¯t have the opportunity to capitalize on it as the tank was already thrusting with its sword. Shining with light, it pierced the air with lightning speed. The moment later Robert felt a pain from the cut on his cheek. Gritting his teeth, he hit the stretched arm upwards making an opening.
The awfully loud yell from the side shocked his inner being, halting his motion for a moment. Working like a sound blast, it disoriented him for a moment, which almost led to fatal consequences. Flying over the head of the front tank, the bolt was aimed at his face. Only his quick reaction saved Robert when he conjured a thick metal mask. An impact pushed him backward, helping to avoid the strike of the axe. Catching his balance, Rob noticed how the floor underneath him started to change color.
Leaping outside the possible trap, he crashed into something invisible. It took another moment to realize that it was the rogue, who somehow became almost transparent. Instinctively covering himself in steel, he blocked the daggers before once again punching the woman in the face. This time she was in a process of dodging, rolling backwards. The addition of the outer force turned her motion into somersault and the rogue ended gracefully on her feet. Flickering a few times, she once again became visible, showing a bloodied angry smile.
¡°The Boss seems to have a passive protection. It may work as a hidden health bar. We need to deplete it to open his flesh for a killing strike,¡± using the pause in the battle, the mage announced loudly.
¡°But I cut him,¡± the tank disagreed, while making a step forward.
¡°It might be a critical effect¡ Also, he seems quite resistant to a status effect from the War Cry. Nath, try not to use it freely. The cooldown is too long,¡± the mage added, pushing Rob¡¯s thought process in that way. His runes didn¡¯t have such a setback, which was his advantage. Unfortunately, that was it. The coordinated work of the group was hard to ignore. Only their underestimation might help him to survive this, but he needed to act fast.
Copying his own start of the fight, Robert made several wide swings in an attempt to keep them in the distance. The following bolt and fire arrow came as expected, trying to cover the rogue¡¯s lunge. Almost hugging the ground, she pushed herself forward, aiming at his legs and using the very same set of motions. With projectiles above and herself below, Rob had limited options to maneuver. Not with two more melee fighters going for his life. At least, that was what the rogue thought as Robert had a different opinion on the topic. He wasn¡¯t a random mob, who would fall to the same tactic twice in a row.
Dispersing the mace, he deeply squatted before lunging right to the rogue. Using all his leg strength, he pushed himself into a short flight that ended with a crash when he smashed into the woman. Rob still felt a dagger cut along his side, but the rogue got it worse as multiple timely conjured spikes made quite a few holes in her body. Still, not stopping on this he picked up her body and shoved her directly onto the tank, before jumping from the knees.
The instincts of the frontliner worked before her mind managed to process what was happening. Raising her shield upwards, she blocked the body of her teammate. The obstruction of sight, the painful groan from the rogue, and the suddenness of the change in the situation led to a loss of time. The time, which was used by Robert to fullness. Lunging himself forward, he conjured a long spear in his left hand before thrusting at the axe wielder. The latter immediately reacted, redirecting the attack with the shaft of his weapon. Maybe he wanted to follow with his own attack, but Rob was already conjuring a mace into his right.
His downward motion with a weapon, which started to glow with a sinister green light, made the man change his focus on the defense. Simultaneously raising his hand and putting the shaft under the mace¡¯s handle to limit the motion, he activated his War Cry once again. The loud yell shocked Rob but didn¡¯t manage to stop as the huge earplugs were already protecting him. Right before the impact, when the increased weight was already adding a force, Robert willed the steel to move. Not wanting to compete in strength, he simply created a long spike on the ball, instantly turning the mace into a pickaxe. A moment later it pierced the skull of the axe wielder from above, killing him at once. The loud shout from behind came a bit too late.
¡°Taunt!¡±
Hastily turning around and smiling like a wild beast, Robert charged. His weapons barely disappeared, following his order, when the tank¡¯s sword lunged at him. Pushing it above the shield as if the woman was too scared to stay without protection, she additionally summoned her skill. Still, knowing what to expect, Rob was ready. Tilting his head to the side to avoid a shining strike, he gripped the shield frame and pulled. As the tank¡¯s hand was almost tied to the handle, she had no choice but to follow the motion, losing her balance. Before she knew it, the woman felt a tight grip around her palm on the sword. A moment later her own blade was entering her neck.
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However, instead of celebrating, Robert felt pain in his leg when a lying rogue had dug her dagger into his body. Kicking her in the face, Rob had to duck under the flying bolt, which went dangerously near his face. Conjuring a steel boot and adding his single rune on top, he smashed the chest of the rogue with it, cracking her ribs. And it appeared to be a lucky choice as he was fast enough to notice a sign of the incoming spell on the floor. Tuning around, he sent the trophy sword flying in one swift motion. Not even making a single rotation, the blade pierced the air only to end in the skull of a surprised mage.
That is why you need to wear a helmet, dumbass.
Pushing the corpse of the tank to the side, Robert rushed to the last living enemy, ignoring the pain in his leg. The man was already reloading his crossbow by unbending his body while gripping the hook on the metal string. Unfortunately, being in panicked mode, his motion went awry, damaging his back in the process, despite all the increase in the stats. Therefore, Rob a single swing of the mace that crashed his bent figure was enough to finish the fight.
Making some distance from the fallen, Robert focused on self-checking. Despite the pain in his leg, the wound wasn¡¯t so deep. Somehow, after basking in demonic energy and getting his new reddish skin tone, it increased his protection from the cuts akin to what the demons had. It wasn¡¯t on a similar level, but enough to ignore the possibility of any random cuts while using a knife. Maybe more. Rob wasn¡¯t planning to test it as it was always better to avoid the damage completely than to naively think that he could tank it directly. Even if he indeed could do it.
There were indeed much stronger¡ I guess it is now my new base level of enemies. And such danger wipes any thoughts about the sureties with ease as I simply can¡¯t feel it as a murder but more like a fair fight¡ Okay, I hope with danger comes a reward. Or not.
Looking around the chamber, Robert was disappointed to see the quantity of loot. The crossbow without a single bolt. The leather vest from the rogue that he couldn¡¯t even dream to wear as it was too small. There was no magic adjustment as far as he noticed, leaving him in his old green shorts, which now looked like tattered rags. The white t-shirt didn¡¯t survive at all by this point. Another staff from the mage. The big axe and the shield. However, the last one appeared to be an artifact with a potentially wonderful effect. The biggest joke was that the tank blocked only one attack and that was her own teammate flying onto her.
Shield of Protection
The wooden tower shield with a metal edge is meant to increase its toughness. Heavy, and huge, it is hard to use freely during the fight but is perfect to grant protection. The latter is further improved by an addition of the ¡°Reinforcement¡± rune to increase the resilience of the gear and turn its wielder into an insurmountable wall. The activation command for the inscribed rune is ¡°Reinforce¡±. Needs mana to sustain the effect with the cost of 2 mana per second.
Activating the item and watching as engraved runes were shining with pale blue light, Robert sighed with relief. It was a possible way to increase his power, which was going to be needed with a rise of the enemy¡¯s level. The ¡°Meditation¡± was not only useless during the fights, but also it was hard to learn it as to see the runes clearly Robert needed to power them up. But while doing it, he was set under the effect of the haze, completely immobilized and almost blind. He simply couldn¡¯t learn it as easily as it was with ¡°Heavy¡±. Rob failed to realize it at first, thinking the process would be the same. The new addition to his arsenal was finally making him move forward, pushing out from the stuck position.
Okay, so few more thousands of attempts to remember it correctly. Let¡¯s start then. Hopefully, I will get more useful things soon¡ like clothes.
Of course, he didn¡¯t. The following few dozen fights gave him a lot of different things, but not what he wanted. Some of them also had special effects from the runes, but the activation cost crushed all his dreams of using them. There was an ¡°Absorb¡± which worked almost like a knight¡¯s imbuing from the first world. Taking a set number of mana points, it completely neglected a proportional amount of incoming damage, no matter what the source was. The problem was that it had a minimum cost of 50.
¡°Create an illusion,¡± ¡°Blinding light¡±, ¡°Haste¡± ¨C there were so many interesting effects that he could obtain if he had any mana capacity to actually use them. Rob failed even to properly learn them as an inability to activate them was messing with precision in the creation process. He just wasn¡¯t sure he was doing it correctly. Another thing was a lot of drops that were rigged as hell. Around 80% of the items he got were weapons, which he didn¡¯t need at all. The other 15% could be any part of the gear, and only the last 5% were something from the backpacks. Obviously, most of his trophies were plain and ordinary things.
After long searches, he managed to get a pair of brown pants and a linen white shirt, but it was a skill book which made him happily jump on the spot like a puppy in front of his favorite treat¡ only to bring real devastation to his mood a few moments later. The skill itself wasn¡¯t anything special, just a common ¡°Fire Bolt¡± that he saw plenty of times on the staves. More likely it was the reason why it wasn¡¯t learned by a former owner. That wasn¡¯t a point as his attempt his attempt to learn was met with a short message from the System.
Attention! The action is invalid. The Transcendent doesn¡¯t have a needed affinity to learn the spell. The restriction cannot be bypassed as the Transcendent ignores a part of the System¡¯s authority on his own powers.
Are you fucking with me? How convenient to have a limitation where you need, a stupid robot!
Therefore, Robert was left on his own, having only runes to increase his battle power. At least they were both useful. The ¡°Heavy¡±, despite switching his focus of weapon choice on blunt types, added strength to his hits, while ¡°Reinforcement¡± gave an ability to his shield to directly deal even with skill-based attacks or low-rank spells. The only problem was that it took slightly over the half of energy flow, leaving him with one free protection gear to cover his body in case of emergency. The last part went to sustain the base for the runes ¨C the steel itself.
The more he got acquainted with rune usage, the more he noticed different nuances. Each separate steel part had to be engraved separately to have a magic effect, but Robert could combine both his runes into one piece. The other pleasant observation was no dependency between the scale of effect and the size of the conjured object. The huge shield under ¡°Reinforcement¡± had the same level of protection as a tiny one. And if ¡°Heavy¡± increased the weight ten times, the effect was the same no matter what the base weight was. It defied the logic, but it worked, granting more options. Unfortunately, his energy color on runes remained to look directly from a necropolis, shining with a sinister toxic green light.
It changed nothing in his training regime. Repeating the cycle of rune¡¯s recreation an unknown number of times until it became so mechanically easy that Robert could do it any time and under any condition while taking a short break to meet another team of challengers, he finally got what he silently hoped ¨C a System message. However, this time it caused a real cascade of them, obstructing the surroundings with a wall of text on a transparent screen. Quickly looking through it without stopping on details, he paused on a single word that almost breathed a new life into him.
Fuck yeah, a class!
Chapter 96 (3-8)
The word intrigued him. Raised his anticipation to an insane level. Accelerated his heartbeat. Pushed his mind into a complex mixture of fear from disappointment and sincere wish for a wonderful surprise, which can easily exceed his imagination. It could make him special. The hell, Robert was already unique ¨C the Transcendent being. He was in this Tower with a desire for growth and power. Experiencing supernatural game-like skills from the challengers, he for so long relied on his own strength to overpower them. The slight addition from the runes wasn¡¯t game-breaking, but this exact moment of getting a class might be it. His own cheat.
Only using all his willpower, Robert didn¡¯t focus on his feelings in an attempt to find a new power and didn¡¯t skip all messages straight to the end. Returning to the beginning, he started to check the text one by one, pausing his attention only on crucial ones. The first one was simple ¨C his training with the ¡°Reinforcement¡± run made the System recognize his effort, gave him a skill¡ and simultaneously nerfed Robert.
What the fuck? Why are doing this?
Instinctive Runes [Rank 1 MAX] ¨C the unique skill that was granted by the System to a Transcendent being, who through his own efforts managed to start using the runes and thus bypassed the provided standard way of using schematics. To issue the possible balance problems, the System granted the skill, which can help to learn any found Rune instantly if the owner of the skill can activate it. On the other hand, it also limits available free slots to 7 and forbids activation of any Rune without learning it previously.
Robert immediately tried to use the already ¡°Heavy¡± that was already deeply engraved in his mind only to get nothing. No, the inscriptions obediently appeared on the steel, but there was no effect. He felt like his mana enveloped the construct with odd symbols, spreading itself over the metallic volume. However, there is no sensation of sucking to fuel the rune as it was before.
Just fucking great! To take away what I¡¯ve learned all by myself only to return in a limited form, damn it. Wonderful! Calm down, Rob¡ Okay, let¡¯s add ¡°Reinforcement¡± first.
The appearance of a corresponding rune in a newly created list instantly led to the obvious result ¨C everything worked as it meant, crushing his na?ve dreams of power on the first step. Robert was sure he could find more runes after raising his CP, as the enemies tended to use more artifacts in fights. However, the limitation on the number of learned inscriptions together with a need for activation basically cut his possible arsenal to the ground. It almost felt like the System itself was scared to give instruments to Rob, fearing he would break everything because of his state of the Transcendent. This assumption was confirmed by the following messages.
The reason for a class acquiring was the fact of getting two skills. Using them as a foundation, the System made a list of possible classes with different bonuses. At least it was supposed to be like that according to the information from the notification as Robert¡¯s options were limited to a single one. Moreover, even with it, the System tried to mess with him. Luckily, it seemed it couldn¡¯t bend the rules too much.
Rune Imbuer ¨C an advanced unique class (Tier 2) that specializes in creating runic inscriptions with their mind and magic, and not instruments. By focusing on the limited number of runes, Rune Imbuer extracts more power from their Rune Engraving skills, increasing the effect by 250%.
Damn, here goes the first missed opportunity. I could have gone with a 30% decrease in cost, which would now increase up to 75%. Instead, the power went up to 50%, while cost got a 50% cut. Who knew? Where is my skill tree to plan anything beforehand?
Attention! Rune Imbuer is already an advanced class. As it is your first class, you will not get a free skill choice after advancing your skill from Tier 1 to 2, leaving only one pick for the class choice.
System, do you hate me?
Attention! The 10 bonus stats from the class cannot be assigned to Magic. The action is invalid. The System¡¯s authority to find a solution is restricted as the Transcendent state ignores it.
Yep, you really hate me.
Attention! The class skill choice is pending.
Absentmindedly looking through a really short list, Robert was thinking over the course of his next actions. The lowered cost of the Runes made it possible to find the most basic spells to cast. However, the obstacle in the form of incompatible affinities would prevent him from using most of them. Of course, he wasn¡¯t sure about it, but seeing how the System acted it wouldn¡¯t be surprising. Moreover, such runes could easily take all his mana flow, leaving him even without the ability to conjure steel to protect himself. Therefore, the versatile approach might be better. He needed both defensive and offensive options simultaneously as it wasn¡¯t a game, despite similar rules.
The problem was in a limited number of possible runes Rob could learn. And in a way to find good ones. And a utility of them as if his most trophies were weapons with not huge variation in terms of magic effects. There were many problems that he had to deal with. His obvious choice to bypass most of them was to find something akin ¡°Capacity¡± or ¡°Battery¡± rune to increase the range of his abilities. Unfortunately, most of the System¡¯s provided options were complete trash in his case.
There was ¡°Rune Elemental Specialization¡± to increase the effectiveness of the corresponding element. ¡°Rune Size Manipulation¡± to engrave the rings or amulets with tiny inscriptions, which wasn¡¯t possible otherwise for a standard way of adding magic effects to items. ¡°Rune Rewording¡± could have been useful before he got his ¡°Instinctive Runes¡± as it helped to change the inscriptions into different sets of symbols, making possible the usage of something more convenient than hieroglyphs. ¡°Rune Engraving Cost¡± straightforwardly decreased the cost of the engraving process. An interesting choice could be a ¡°Rune Overpowering¡±, but spending double the amount of mana to get a half increase in power was out of his energy budget. Robert had to fuel both runes and steel foundation for them, and everything demanded its part of the flow, which wasn¡¯t endless.
Okay, Robert, breathe out. You don¡¯t need a perfect choice. Do not compare yourself with a mighty, but imaginary picture of just a possibility. Your base level is current you. Any power-up is good and increases your strength. Yes, mathematically, a combination of a double cost decrease, the class, and ¡°Overpowering¡± would make the effect of any rune much better, but so what? The ¡°Heavy¡± on paper might look like a waste until someone gets a direct hit of a mace, whose weight was increased a dozen times. Non-conventional usage might be my only way and not an increase in numbers. Yes, there are several potentially good options, but you¡¯ve already made a choice.
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Rune Alteration [Rank 1 MAX] ¨C the basic version of the skill grants an ability to slightly alter the effect of a rune during engraving with a standard schematic. However, it was changed under the influence of the ¡°Rune Imbuer¡± class and ¡°Instinctive Runes¡± skill. Now it grants the ability to create an altered version of the learned skill by spending experience points. Each alteration will be judged by the System itself. Each alteration will take a free slot in the ¡°Instinctive Runes¡± skill.
The last addition didn¡¯t sound good, but Robert felt he could squeeze more from this, despite it being basically a gamble. He already had several ideas on how to utilize it. Moreover, it might be a solution to his troubles with finding runes. The options of ¡°Durable Runic Inscriptions¡± or ¡°Hidden Runes¡± looked much less viable. Only ¡°Rune Merging¡± might be on the same level, but the description told him that the end result would also take a slot, thus making it pointless for Robert. Therefore, Rob confirmed his decision to the System, not wishing to dive into doubts in an attempt to make a perfect choice.
Summoning the Status screen, he silently noted that his Combat Power had crossed 150 points, even though he never upgraded any attribute at all. Slowly going through the text, Rob paused on the description of ¡°Reinforcement¡±, which was currently a single rune he ¡°knew¡±. Focusing on its effect but not on the inscription itself, Robert conjured a basic steel plate. Then he felt as if the construct started to suck the energy, much more than needed just for the existence. Hiding the transparent screen for a moment, he looked at a metal surface, which was covered in symbols.
In a few seconds, Robert realized that they were not engraved, nor painted. Nope, it felt like those unknown hieroglyphs became an integral part of the mana-created matter. Flickering with a bright green light from time to time, they were chaotically located all over the plate without a previous orderly manner. As if it didn¡¯t matter where they were ¨C just their mere existence was enough to add a magic effect. And that went even further as the motion of the steel didn¡¯t lessen the rune¡¯s power in the slightest.
It is convenient¡ but looks terrifyingly villainous.
Redirecting his attention back to the newly acquired skill, Rob tried to activate it only to get an odd menu with a selection of learned runes, which right now consisted of a single entry.
Please, describe the effect of an altered rune for further assessment by the System. Additional reasoning would be preferable to increase the chance of successful altering. Warning! The skill can used only once for each rune.
Yeah, of course, more restrictions¡ Why don¡¯t give me a break, System? Okay, let¡¯s go. As my steel constructs are made from mana, and mana envelopes my whole body, logically speaking such steel can be seen as a part of me. At least I feel that way. Therefore, if I create an effect of ¡°Reinforcement¡± on the steel construct, it has to expand its effect on the whole body and any other constructs that I make, as they are all interconnected. An altered effect must give this option¡ Like a Link¡ or Net.
Proceeding with the request. The altered version of Rune is created! 10000 experience points were automatically deducted to cover the cost of creation.
¡°Link¡± ¨C an optional addition to ¡°Reinforcement¡± that connects all created constructs to give the same effect to each of them. Restrictions: 1) The constructs must be made from mana 2) The constructs must have a permanent interconnection through the same mana source 3) The constructs must have the same basic properties 4) The constructs can¡¯t be made from any organic matter 5) The effect of the connection works only in conjunction with ¡°Reinforcement¡±. The cost of ¡°Reinforcement-Link¡± is 50% higher than ¡°Reinforcement¡±.
Not exactly what I wanted, but still good. For 2 mana per second, which is 40% of my current mana flow, I can strengthen all steel altogether. With ¡°Heavy¡± and ¡°Meditation¡± I will only have 3 free rune slots, so need to be careful to pick properly. Moreover, the cost really bites. Currently, I have enough only for one more alteration.
Closing all notifications and screens, Robert focused on his abilities once again. Creating a short sword in his hand, he willed to reinforce it. The instantaneous appearance of the green runes and the decrease of mana¡¯s flow felt surprisingly good. There was no delay between mental command and its execution. It was almost like his ability to conjure steel got an upgrade. Previously, no matter how fast and trained he was, the rune creation always took an effort. The lag was really tiny, almost non-existent, taking sometimes only a fraction of a second. Nevertheless, it was there, making an impact on any of his actions.
However, right now, there was none. An especially noticeable difference was with the ¡°Heavy¡± inscription. The fluidity of possible motions, where he could add the weight in a proper moment to accelerate any of his attacks. Maybe not all, but any overhead variant would get its portion of empowerment from a simple inward thought. And with the same thought he could expand the reinforcement to any of his summoned objects.
Not wasting any time, Robert created the mace that he used in most of the fights and the same small round shield. Adding the destructive effect to the weapon, which immediately pulled the spiked ball on the top of the mace down to the floor, Rob focused on the feelings of available energy. Smirking with delight, he took off his shirt. In the next moment, his torso was covered with a pet-bellied cuirass. Made from a single piece, it was quite short not to obstruct any of his motions, ending lightly lowering his waist.
Rotating his arms in shoulder joints and making a few swings with a mace against empty air, Robert slowly adjusted the construct¡¯s form for a better fit. He wasn¡¯t able to create a full version of the knight¡¯s armor, as too many elements had to move, which wasn¡¯t possible for him. The steel didn¡¯t want to stretch, and his muscles needed a free space to tense underneath the conjured construct, which could be only partly bypassed with a constant adjustment in position or size. Even if he could find a solution to the problem, it was going to be another mental and energy toll to sustain the summoning. At least for now with his current control of a conjuring ability.
However, there were several pieces of defensive gear he could use. The first was a simple round helmet with a caged visor. Once again quite short, it only covered his head up to chin¡¯s level. No neck or throat protection, and only barely passable coverage of the face not to limit the sight. Another was a set of greaves that protected his frontal shins, and a single vambrace to cover his right forearm, while the other was already protected by a shield. Taking into account the usage of ¡°Heavy¡±, such a combination of conjured equipment left him with less than 10% of available mana to use in case of emergency, but Robert was happy. He could finally use his steel directly for the defense, and not rely mostly on his own reaction and a single shield with a rune.
Okay, that can indeed work. Such easiness of rune¡¯s usage is convenient¡ But, well, my look must be hilarious. Or scary. At least my eyes are not shining.
Robert didn¡¯t have a mirror, but it wasn¡¯t hard to imagine his appearance. His need to keep contact with steel made him put his armor on a bare chest. The helmet partly hid his face, leaving only his muscled arms and bootless feet visible. Plain brown pants that were turned into shorts. Oversized caricature mace. A round metal shield in one hand and a vambrace in another. High greaves. And on top of all that the disturbing runes that were flickering with poisonous green light on the metal surface of his equipment. He almost looked like a mixture of a gladiator and a knight in a magic setting. Only engraved abs and chest muscles on the breastplate were lacking to complete the image of a powerful warrior.
Nah, not doing it¡ Okay, it seems I am not the only freak directly from an anime here.
Looking at the man, who casually walked inside his chamber, Robert tried to surpass his laugh as the future opponent was like a quintessence of clich¨¦s in terms of appearance, easily winning any possible competition of cosplayers. However, while eying the man, he almost missed the information from a notification.
Ghostly Slasher, CP 194
Well, not so funny anymore.
Chapter 97 (3-9)
The enemy, who appeared to be so young that he barely stepped out from a teen¡¯s age, looked remarkable¡ for a person who craved to appear as cool as possible. Tight black coat on a lean figure. Wider near the bottom, it partly covered the two weapon handles that were hanging from both sides as if they were guns. Black leather pants and heavy metal-toe boots. The very same color was also used for gloves with cut-off fingers.
The man himself was thickly pale as if he tried to create the hugest contrast between him and his clothes. However, the color of his hair was another change in this monochronic person. Bright red, it was raised upwards, almost forming hundreds of tiny spikes, as if he was a hedgehog. The eyes of the person with a ¡°flaming¡± head were another oddity that stood out from the overall appearance. Saphire blue, they were almost radiating the light amid above-average facial features. And of course, he had a scar. Vertical, it cut through his eyebrow and chick in such a straight and perfect line that it looked like a result of surgery, but not a combat wound.
And there was an expression that the owner couldn¡¯t hide underneath the mask of indifference. It was a mixture of arrogance, with a barely noticeable smirk that wandered on his lips, and a confidence that was surely touching the edges of overconfidence. It felt as if he was already a winner, and the Tower and the whole world itself just failed to realize. Or at least that was what the young man tried to show with every single motion, gaze, and expression to the surroundings. And that looked pathetic as any attentive eye would notice a few things that would ruin the image.
Too tight a grip on the handles as if the man couldn¡¯t decide where to put his hands to look better. Or his forceful calm expression that was meant to hide the set of teeth braces. Or the gaze that stopped on Rob¡¯s figure only for a short moment before going elsewhere as if the owner was uncomfortable keeping eye contact with anyone, even the enemy. Still, the young man was strong. Such Combat Power couldn¡¯t be a result of a mistake. From Rob¡¯s observation, each rank of a skill added 10 points to that number. And with so imposing name of the class, it had to be at least Tier 2, resulting in 3 or 4 skills. It might leave enough points to upgrade basic attributes to Robert¡¯s level.
I bet he added quite a few into Strength and Agility, completely neglecting Body. With such an attitude he would definitely build himself like a glass cannon. Maybe also Magic? The ¡°Ghostly¡± had to mean something¡ Okay, he started to move. Yep, here it goes ¨C two katanas. Not surprised at all.
Spitting out the toothpick that he was holding in his mouth, the opponent made a first step. Crossing his hands over his chest, the young man pulled both his weapons in one swift motion not even pausing for it. It felt so organic and fluid as if the man had trained it a lot. Maybe he did, but Rob had no desire, nor ability to ask, focusing on the attacking enemy. The latter was fast. Sprinting from his spot, he shortened the distance between them in a blink.
The metal clang didn¡¯t stop resounding through the air when a new one followed. Acting like a real propeller, the young man continued to hit without pause. The attacks were quite simple and straightforward, but their sheer quantity was insane. Just after a few blocks with a shaft of his mace, Robert had to reform his weapon into a second shield. The enemy was constantly changing the level of strikes, striking his legs only to aim the tip of the second blade at Rob¡¯s face a moment late. There was no delay between each swing, clearly showing that the Ghostly Slasher was an ambidexter.
The smirk of superiority was planted on the katana wielder¡¯s face, who was throwing a literal hurricane of attacks against a bigger enemy, completely overwhelming it. Pushing his blade into a thrust, he skillfully avoided the shield. There was a grinding sound of metal against metal when the sharp side of his katana slid across the protective gear. Despite being infused with magic energy, the weapon failed to cut through the runic equipment, making the young man focus on gaps in the defense. That was what he did as his katana barely missed the face of the enemy, a few centimeters short of entering the hole in the helmet¡¯s visor.
However, his second blade was already moving in a quick slash. Cutting through the air, it tried to cut the leg of the bulkier opponent. Aimed at the knee above the greaves, it, unfortunately, crashed into the metal, when the enemy clumsily moved backward. That led to another inward curse about the luck of the Boss. Not that it would change the outcome that the young man prepared for the enemy. Fainting the attack with his first katana with the name of ¡°Sunset¡±, he once again repeated the attack to the knee with a ¡°Dawn¡±. But this time it was also faint, putting the bigger warrior in a desired position, when there was a clear opening between both shields.
Feeling a success, the young man smirked. The sudden change in his katana¡¯s trajectory appeared to be a surprise for the Boss. Still, it was too late to react as both blades were already in thrusting motion, ready to penetrate the neck of the enemy. The latter attempted to turn his body and raise his shield, but there was not enough time for that. The young man was already prepared to feel the familiar sensation of the blade that was cutting through the flesh but instead was met with a loud clang and strong recoil when his katanas hit the breastplate. His mind only started to proceed with what had happened, but his body was already in motion. Putting his foot against the surface of the nearest shield, the young man made a backward somersault.
¡°How are you so lucky? Okay, then meet my Double Iaijutsu!¡±
The young man shouted, before putting both of his weapons in sheaths. Lowering his posture and focusing on charging his skill, he completely ignored the lunge of the enemy. On the contrary, he was patiently waiting for the Boss to come closer and to meet his attack head-on. And the giant wasn¡¯t disappointing him, as his huge figure was approaching in a charge with both raised shields. A moment later those shields turned into a huge glaive that was cutting through the air and aiming to behead the young man in one motion. The ¡°Slasher¡± had to immediately release his skill and duck down to avoid death.
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Hastily executed, two energy arcs blasted the air above the Boss''s head before crushing into the wall behind his back. Still, one of them managed to cut through the glaive, giving space for the katana wielder to dodge the body of the giant. Rolling to the side, the young man used a single arm to push himself upwards. Making a pirouette through the air, he landed gracefully. Following an inertia, he made a wide rotational swing with two katanas to keep the Boss in the distance. However, when he caught a balance a second later, the young man was met with an odd gaze coming from the enemy. The giant didn¡¯t even try to follow him, instead looking at him like he was some kind of circus monkey.
¡°I will wipe that expression from your ugly face!¡±
Lowering his posture as if he was trying to repeat the Double Iaijutsu, the young man baited the enemy into another powerful, but predictable attack of a glaive. However, this time, instead of dodging, he simply pushed himself forward. The incoming blade of a polearm¡¯s variation was ignored as if the threat was non-existent. The man only concentrated on the following set of motions. Right before the Boss¡¯s weapon would cut him, he finally activated his prominent skill.
¡°Ghost!¡±
Instantly his body seemed to lose any brightness, turning into a pale copy. The moment later a blade moved through it as it was made from a haze. For a blink, his image had a gap that cut him in two, but it was soon reformed again, as he started to move. Another moment later the colors returned, signaling the end of the effect. The young man was already in motion. Sliding underneath the reverse swing of the glaive, he slid on the floor, pushing both his katanas forward.
Aiming at the unprotected crotch, he thrust with the weapons only to see how the metal appeared right in front of his blades. The recoil from the impact was compensated by a swift roll to the side. Trying to stand up, the young man used both his katanas to stop the wild swing of the mace. Putting the blades against the shaft, he still had to make a step backward. Fainting the dodge to the side, he jumped in the opposite direction, finally distancing himself from the Boss.
¡°I admit you are stronger, but it will not help you. Not it, nor your anger. Right now I know your ability to change the form of your equipment, so I can be ready¡ And now you are going to die.¡±
The giant in front of him slowly lowered his now empty hands. Covering them with vambraces, the Boss defiantly summoned a metal mace with a short handle. Raising it up, he weighted the spiked ball in his other palm, as if checking the weapon. The glare behind the cage''s visor was filled with an open provocation. That somehow immediately triggered the wave of anger inside the young¡¯s man mind. The wave that would soon crush the enemy into oblivion. He already understood that those clumsy movements or ¡°accidental lucky¡± blocks were just a play. The daring play from the Boss with a much smaller CP! From the random mindless mob! The walking experience, whose purpose was only to become fuel to his own strength!
¡°Double Iaijutsu! Merge!¡±
Not having any obstacles for proper activation, both blades moved out from the sheaths at an insane speed. Forming a cross in front of the young man, they released two shining arcs of mana. However, in a mere moment, those two were merged together in a single wide crescent line of devastating energy. The latter was already flying towards the figure of the Boss, who was charging forward without any shield. The moment later the Ghostly Slasher understood why, seeing how the giant created pillars underneath his own feet. Despite being aimed at the center of the torso, the energy arc was cast from the lowered posture. Therefore, the approaching Boss had only to raise himself a meter above the floor to completely avoid the magic strike. And that he did, turning into a stilt walker for a few seconds.
Dispersing the metal under him the moment the arc cut through his support, the giant jumped. Stretching his leg into a narrow line, which was a bad parody of a perfect kick from martial arts, he still cut through the air like lighting. The young man barely was able to drop to the side, dodging a huge barefoot with the size of his two heads that only slightly missed his face. Pushing himself upwards, the Slasher had to use his phantom ability to avoid the quick slash of the knife. Ethereal and invincible form gave him so needed time to calm his mind and finally get ready to fight. Therefore, when the effect had ended, the young man stroke.
His katanas flew like a predator¡¯s lunge¡ only to meet the vambrace. The failure didn¡¯t stop its brother, but the effect was the same. ¡°Sunset¡± and ¡°Dawn¡± were constantly in motion, thrusting or slashing. However, the result was the same. With simple and short movements, the Boss easily deflected each of the attacks. Sometimes the protective layer appeared by itself, frustrating the young man even stronger. The blades, which previously easily cut through most of the thick monster¡¯s fur or skin, right now were clanging powerlessly.
¡°Then I need to add more power!¡±
Raising both his katanas above his head, he focused on the last variation of his Double Iaijutsu skill. Fueling the remnants of his mana into a magic attack, paused for a moment to finish the activation. The activation that he never happened as the Boss stomped his foot with a spiked boot, crushing the bones despite the metal toe. The pain almost threw him off balance, but the Slasher acted on instinct, using his Ghost state. It appeared a perfect choice as the knife cut through his ethereal throat a moment later, not able to wound the young man. However, such safety had a short time frame as his mana was nearing the bottom, while the Boss¡¯s spiked mace was already in motion of overhead swing.
¡°I REFUSE TO LOSE!¡±
Loudly shouting with all his lungs, the Ghostly Slasher crossed his both katanas above his head, trying to stop the hit. He managed to do it already, confirming that he had enough points in Strength. The plan was instantly formulated in his head. Deflecting such a straightforward strike, he could immediately slash the opened chest of the Boss, while jumping backward. After gaining some distance he had to rely on his agile move set to win some time until his mana would¡ The strong hit crushed from the above, cutting all his thoughts. The young man tried to resist the insane force, but it felt like a giant rock was dropped onto him. The next moment everything went dark.
You know, you just can¡¯t win against gravity in some games.
Congratulations on finishing the floor!
Attention! As you were assigned a non-challenger role, you can¡¯t get a reward for finishing your first floor.
Proceeding to the next stage¡
Your role for a current floor is to become a Mysterious Gladiator, who was hired as a mercenary to help the Overlord¡¯s forces capture the city. This floor is a single-timed event with multiple challengers. The city will fall even without your contribution, but you will need to meet a hidden threshold of your own merits to be deemed worthy. Finish this task successfully to progress further! Good luck!
Wait! My loot!
Chapter 98 (3-10)
Looking around, Robert found himself inside a plain empty tent. The transition to a new location appeared to be so instantaneous that he had no opportunity to check the katanas, which were left by the opponent. The latter, despite being strong and fast, was awfully predictable. Telegraphing each strike with a wild grimace, shouting the commands of the skills, preferring flashy moves over effective ones, betting everything on his ability to avoid wounds by using an ability that he couldn¡¯t support for long, focusing only on killing the enemy fast ¨C everything made this ¡°Ghostly Slasher¡± a paper tiger in Rob¡¯s eyes.
The young man was overwhelmingly strong against the weak but couldn¡¯t surprise anyone with a similar level of power. Those somersaults were just another desire to show off. Robert might have ended the fight much sooner if not a wish to see the real capabilities of the challengers with high Combat Power. The result was a complete disappointment. It felt like so insanely fast growth in terms of abilities and attributes made them too overconfident, simultaneously not giving time to hone new skills. It was almost the same as when the poor won a lottery and used all the money in a short amount of time on different dumb things. No rational decisions, no self-restrains, no optimal usage of resources.
Obviously, there were exceptions, but Robert was sure that they were rare. The ability to double their physical strength in a matter of days or to create a flame with just willpower would make most common folks feel like superheroes. There was no way it wouldn¡¯t have any consequences in the mentality of a person. The existence of the Status screen would lead to a race for numbers, decreasing the overall combat effectiveness. You simply couldn¡¯t squeeze everything from your body, when the simple act of adding an attribute point would do the same without any effort.
I am not sure I am not falling for the same mistake myself¡ But at least I will try not to. Still, if my assumption is true, then the higher I get, the more children with dangerous guns there will be¡ it really depends on the time they spend in the Tower. The latter will uproot all unfit, giving enough opportunity to put those ¡°children¡± in real danger. Yeah, no underestimation then.
Looking around, Robert sighed in regret. All his trophies were lost. Deep inside he had hope that he could sell that gear to the System, but it appeared the Tower didn¡¯t need to pay him anything if it could take everything for free. However, it confirmed another thought ¨C to rely on his own strength and not on the local equipment. After all, Rob went to this realm to increase his own power.
Okay, then let¡¯s see what I got right now according to the Status screen.
Robert Flop (Mysterious Gladiator)
Combat Power: 153
Experience: 12237
Mana: -/- [+5 mana per second]
Title: The Transcendent Tower¡¯s Guardian
Class: Rune Imbuer
Might - 33 [STR 57, SPD 43, END -]
Agility - 25 [CRD 24, FLXB 6, RCT 45]
Body - 16 [VIT -, TOU 32]
Mind - 21 [PRC 19, INT 32, WIS 12]
Magic - 0 [PWR -, SPRT -]
Personality - 8 [CHA 7, CUNN 9]
Skills (3/5):
- Rune engraving [Rank 3 MAX: Efficiency, Power]
- Instinctive Runes [Rank 1 MAX]
- Rune Alteration [Rank 1 MAX]
Runes (4/7): Heavy, Reinforcement-Link, Meditation
Going through the long text and noting the changes, Robert pondered about the increase in Attributes. If the price of the rune¡¯s alteration stayed the same, he had slightly over 2 thousand points to invest in his stats. It wasn¡¯t much as he couldn¡¯t directly increase a whole category, while improvement even by one point cost double the amount of CP. Therefore, he needed to carefully choose what he wanted to upgrade.
After a short consideration, he crossed out the Might and Body categories, as they both were slowly rising by themselves. Personality went next as he failed to see how it would increase his survivability or combat abilities. Magic couldn¡¯t be improved at all. It left him with Agility and Mind. And taking into account his constant need to control his steel by the latter, it was an obvious pick. However, it was a pick for the future, as knowing the System, Rob was sure it might raise the cost of altering the rune just because it could mess with him. Or he might find a useful skill to upgrade. Overall, there was no life-threatening need to make the choice immediately. On the other hand, knowing the surroundings and current situation was crucial.
Dismissing the transparent windows, Robert stepped outside the tent only to appear in some kind of a fake military camp. The reason for such a conclusion was multiple identical tents all around with a campfire in front of them. And when he meant identical, he really did it, as even the spots of dirt were in the same places. Moreover, the whole place was emptied of anything, except some random barrels, boxes, and weapon racks. That wasn¡¯t how a real camp had to look like according to his own experience.
Carefully moving through it, Robert finally noticed who was the owner of the place. Located right outside the camp, the huge army was readying for the attack on the city. The latter was less than a mile from the first row and had high walls with defensive towers, giving an expression of a seriously fortified stronghold. However, the attacking force didn¡¯t show any fear. In fact, Rob doubted that they could feel anything at all as the undead usually failed in such things.
Indeed, almost the whole army consisted of zombies, skeletons with different weapons, and beastlike ghouls. Standing motionlessly and waiting for the order, they were silently looking at the city. Their glowing eyes were flickering with green flames inside the sockets, sending goosebumps over Rob¡¯s spine. And not because he was scared, but because they looked awfully similar to his rune¡¯s effect.
Cursing his luck, Robert redirected his attention to the back of the army, where the figures in black robes stood. Hidden under big hoods and clothes, they were holding the metal staves with skeleton palms. Still, those liches seemed not to be in control and were just another type of troops with magic capabilities. No, the leader and simultaneously the controller of the army appeared to be a tall Archi-Lich, dressed in an exquisite robe with golden patterns, a bone staff with a huge red crystal, and a golden crown on top of his skull. Surrounded by two dozen black knights, he was sitting on an enormous throne right behind the army, which was raised above the ground with a usage of the bone platform.
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From a distance, it was hard to see everything in detail. Even the notification with the evaluation of their strength couldn¡¯t be summoned. Still, Rob noticed several human-like figures around the undead commander. They could be anything from advisors or servants to generals or champions. Moreover, Robert wasn¡¯t sure that the Archi-Lich was the Overlord who seemed to be the biggest villain in the Tower. In a lack of knowledge, he didn¡¯t want to make useless assumptions. However, there was a thought that was bothering him after observation of the army.
Why the hell do you need a camp if your army is made from the undead?
Of course, Robert knew the answer. The Tower was a game, so it needed a set of decorations for each floor. It was the same as with laboratory equipment. To show a believable picture with a limited effort. The camp might even look good from the distance. So was the army. However, after approaching the nearest skeletons and finally confirming their non-hostile status, Robert noticed how identical were these undead.
Separately they looked perfect. The dents and scratches on the metal surface of the rusty armor. The different tones of the bone were a mixture of white and yellow. The remnants of hair, which was seen under the helmet. The absence of few teeth. However, the very same appearance had the skeleton just a few meters away. Overall, there were approximately five or six variants that repeated throughout the whole army. Moreover, they had the corresponding pattern with a weapon in their hands. The bearded undead had an axe, while the owner of the gap in teeth had a sword and wooden shield.
Another reason was the absolute motionlessness of the necrotic force. Not even the Archi-Lich was moving, looking frozen in a moment. It felt not scary but disturbing as if something was simply not right. No wind, no sound, no motions, nothing. The best comparison was that Robert¡¯s mind managed to produce a sense of pause, on which the whole world was put while waiting for the real players to join the game. The challengers.
Therefore, Robert patiently waited. Entering the ranks of the undead to hide himself from possible unwanted attention, he slowly checked the Combat Power of his undead allies. The skeletons ranged from 120 points to 130, clearly compensating for possible weakness with a quantity. The zombies were stronger, reaching 150. The beastlike ghouls had up to 180. The real powerhouses were black knights and liches. The power of both types was surprisingly the same ¨C exactly 250 points. Only their small number might be the possible hope for the challengers. However, remembering the description of the floor, Rob knew that there was none. The city would fall no matter what.
Then it is my hope that they will not act at once, allowing me to earn merit¡ Especially the Archi-Lich, whose CP shows only question marks. Do not know what the consequence of failure to reach the needed amount will be, and don¡¯t want to check.
Looking around, Robert noted how indifferently he felt among the forces of an undead, who would soon burn the city with living beings. It was like he resigned himself to this fate after the days spent in that chamber. Just an obedient soldier, who would execute any given order, no matter how bad it was, or else he would meet his own execution. The simple choice - was to execute or to be executed.
The thought once again reemerged inside his mind, lowering the mood, so he had to remind himself that it was the System, which was putting the rules; the Transcendent, who created this System and the Tower; Aether, who refused his attempt to travel into another realm in a desire to make any Transcendent stronger; the challengers that¡
Oh, stop blaming others, Rob. You could simply die if you wanted not to bloody your hands.
Robert couldn¡¯t simply lie to himself. Maybe he was a really bad guy in this story. A bastard, who valued his own life over anything else. A mass murderer. A monster. But it was his choice to do it. Still, the hardest part was to accept this without any attempts to justify himself, to whitewash his deeds, or to create an illusionary purpose for the sake of the redemption of his sins. No, Rob simply wanted to live.
Yep, I am a baddy. Let¡¯s put a huge fat point on this topic. No more hesitation or pondering.
For the first time, he felt a relief. The determination to follow this path to the end felt like a liberation from self-put chains of conscience. He knew he was going to help the attacking force by capturing the city. He would kill. He would achieve the goal and proceed further through the damned Tower until the end. He was here for the power, and he would get it.
Let¡¯s do it!... After anything starts. Such a long pause is good to clear my mind, but it lasts way too long.
¡°Hello, System!? Are you even there? Can you unpause everything? Please?¡±
Robert¡¯s shout was ignored not only by the real ruler of the Tower but also by all undead, including the all-mighty Archi-Lich. Nothing moved in this frozen world. And after spending a few minutes in a futile waiting, Rob decided to check the city¡¯s fortification. Squeezing between dense ranks of the undead, he soon reached the first row. Halting his steps for a second, he decisively went forward only to meet an invisible wall. It felt close to the same transparent obstacle that prevented him from leaving the chamber on the previous floor.
Here goes my idea to use this global pause¡ Okay, let¡¯s inspect the target then.
The stone wall was quite tall, no less than five meters (around 16 ft.). The top of the fortification had many loopholes for shooting. The latter was much wider, clearly made not only for bow users but also for magic casters. The wooden canopy covered the top of the wall ¨C another obstacle for attackers to get into a melee fight. Rob was sure that there was no direct path underneath, aside from a simple jump downwards from the huge height. Therefore, the undead had to cut through the wood, while being under the fire from the towers that gave even better sight for the surroundings. Taking into account that there was literally not a single siege machine, the Archi-Lich betted on the magic to penetrate such defense.
At least there was no water ditch around the city, as it was just too big for it. The absence of the pots with oil also was good. Their possible ineffectiveness against the skeletons might helped Rob to avoid the fate of being boiled or burned to death. Rob could see the closed gates from afar, but it wasn¡¯t the place where he would go. The most obvious weak spot would definitely attract more enemies, making the fight very dangerous. Still, the need to make a noticeable merit to the battle made him ponder his possibilities.
Yep, I really lack the firepower¡ And I only have two runes to alter. Hm. ¡°Heavy¡±. What can I change in your effect to raise my attacking power? Oh, I have an idea that may work.
However, before he managed to proceed with the explanation to the System, the giant eye had appeared above the army¡¯s rank. It wasn¡¯t moving, just staring without blinking, while floating in the air. The gaze felt uncomfortable. The sensation of being watched was intensified by such an odd presence to the insane level, making Rob lower his own eyes in an attempt to avoid any contact with this strange observer. In the next moment, Robert noticed the movement around himself as the thousands of the undead suddenly came to life, no matter how dumb it sounded. The whole world dropped from the state of ¡°pause¡±, finally pushing the time to do its job properly. Then Robert heard a loud voice that seemed to envelop the whole floor of the Tower.
¡°For the glory of the Overlord, I, the second general, the immortal Archi-Lich, Tzax¡¯zadidh, will bring destruction upon his enemies that in a laughable attempt to resist his majestic rule are trying to stop the inventible ¨C his rise to the position of the Dark God. I am happy to be the first one to introduce to the whole world the real capabilities of his loyal servants. To show the extent of his desire to fulfill his sincere wish. To make a bloody example, so nobody sane will repeat the same mistake again as the wish of the Overlord is the law¡ And I will do everything in my power to engrave it on your skulls when your corpses would be risen to serve. My army, attack!¡±
Damn, it¡¯s like a cutscene before the battle to introduce another big bad guy. And the eye works like a camera that shows an overview of the enemy¡¯s force for the players. It is so stupid¡ Wait! It is me who is stupid. I am in the first row! Fuck! Let me go back, dumb skeletons!
Chapter 99 (3-11)
The non-stop bombardment on the raised tower shield constantly pressed Robert against the ground. Spells, arrows, bolts, javelins ¨C the huge torrent of every possible projectile¡¯s type was trying to crush him, evaporate him with a flame, freeze him to death, electrocute his body. There were so many options of death and only one Rob to fight against them. Luckily, the ¡°Reinforcement¡± rune not only increased the resilience of the steel to any damage but seemed to improve anti-magic properties. Only that could explain how he was still standing after being the primary target of almost all challengers with ranged capabilities on his place of the attack.
The dense ranks of the undead didn¡¯t give him an opportunity to retreat. The dumb creatures simply stepped forward, not seeing him as an obstacle. It was like with a bad AI in the games, where the NPC failed to find a correct way and was constantly moving into the wall, ignoring a collision. However, this time the wall was Robert, which made him drop the futile resistance against the stupid animated machines and follow the flow. The problem with this approach was an underestimation of the challenger¡¯s minds. Having a game like System, missions, and floors, they quickly noticed the oddity in an enemy¡¯s rank ¨C a unique named mini-Boss.
Obviously, it led to the desire to kill him as fast as possible to get a hidden reward. The latter wasn¡¯t so untypical for the Tower, as Rob¡¯s previous floor was basically the same thing. Therefore, most defenders, led by greed, decided to use all their means in an attempt to be the first one, who would win a jackpot. Abandoning the threat from other undead, they simply focused their fire on Robert, who at this point turned himself into a slowly walking turtle. The metal ¡°shell¡± was in a permanent reconstruction mode as the amount of ¡°hospitality¡± from the challengers went beyond any reasonable boundaries.
Soon the ¡°Heavy¡± rune followed as the bombardment threw him off balance. It turned the feeling into a shower of hail that was dropping from all sides. The constant knocking sound was only muffled by the concentration on several tasks ¨C a recreation of the defensive layer and on making another step, as under the steel shield he basically couldn¡¯t see anything. The thought of trying to go back rose again when Robert noticed a forming spell underneath his feet. Not having the ability to jump to the side, he simply covered his legs with steel and added another construct, almost turning his shield into a sphere. The blast of fire burned his body, finding a gap in the defense. The painful groan was cut by Rob when he forcefully clenched his teeth and continued.
I hope my role as a walking target will count towards the merits¡
When he finally reached the wall, the intensity of the attacks slowed by a lot. Clearly, the challengers in an attempt to get the kill blew through their mana reserves. Another reason was a bad angle for shooting from the loopholes. The towers that leaned out from the walls had several spots to aim at Robert, but by this point the hyper-concentration on his persona and the dire consequences of such an approach became obvious to the defenders, thus making them redirect the range strikes on the skeletons around. This gave Rob the opportunity to take a breath.
His body ached from the amount of indirect damage he took. No matter how he was covering himself, the skill-based attacks sometimes managed to slip through the raised defense. Several thorns from the odd plant left nasty cuts on his leg. The imbued with magic bold penetrated the steel and hit his forehead. Losing most of the killing energy, it was still stopped only by his thick skull. Some parts of his exposed to the fire skin had burns. Even the limited space under the outer flaming attacks made the air inside his sphere as hot as in the sauna. Not speaking about some ¡°shocking¡± experience, that he got after being hit by lightning spells.
However, his inhuman body and acquaintance with pain made all the feelings not less sensible, but at least tolerable. Therefore, exhaling as if to get rid of the stress, Robert focused on the wall in front of his eyes. The undead around were mindlessly crowding around, slowly pushing their long-ceased-to-live comrades upwards, almost like creating a ladder from their own bodies. Maybe it was their plan in the first place, but Rob wasn¡¯t going to wait. He needed to make an impact on the battle¡¯s outcome.
Okay, let¡¯s test the new addition of my rune¡¯s alteration. This robotic bitch took 12 thousand points for that, leaving me with nothing! I hope it was worth it.
The hast and chaotic explanations to the System of what he wanted to alter in the ¡°Heavy¡± to get the new rune¡¯s effect was met with rejection. Not giving up, Rob just continued to insist on the correctness of his version until he managed to get something similar to what he imagined. It wasn¡¯t a completely brokenly overpowered rune as he desired deep inside but might be enough to raise his attacking power. He only didn¡¯t know to what extent.
Leaning to the stone surface, Robert glanced to the sides to see how his own value in the eyes of the challengers had decreased under the threat from the undead. The latter had already built two pyramids from their bony bodies, pushing an odd variation of their king on the top. Engraved with shining markings, without any weapons, they were constantly chattering with their yellow teeth. It immediately raised suspicion of their true purpose, but seeing as nothing was happening, Rob calmed down and focused on his new rune that took the fifth slot.
Dispersing the shield, he quickly conjured a huge pickaxe. In the next, it was raised above his head before going down in a powerful swing. The weight increase during the motion accelerated the weapon even more, making the future hit even more devastating. The stone cracked, sending its fragments everywhere and leaving a deep mark on the surface of the wall. However, the dust hadn¡¯t even fallen when Robert finally activated ¡°Shockwave¡±. The instantaneous decrease of the weight followed the expulsion of the fueling process mana which resulted in an energy blast. The cone of unfocused destruction crushed the stone, mangling everything that fell under its effect. Rob even had to take a few steps backward to keep his balance.
Well, that is strong but will not help with stone walls¡ upwards then!
Despite the failure in helping to breach the wall, Robert was satisfied with the result of the test. The rune that had to be created with a conjunction of ¡°Heavy¡± was really dependent on the weight change, making it a perfect choice for any enormous weapon. That was the biggest obstacle ¨C to convincing the System that despite the fact of constant energy level to supple the process, the bigger the weight in absolute numbers the more energy it had to create after the sudden collapse. The System already broke the physics with its runes or skills, so why wouldn¡¯t it do the same again if the basic outlines of logic were complied with.
Maybe not the best, but it is what I managed to squeeze from my imagination to alter the ¡°Heavy¡± rune¡ It is still better than this Archi-Lich can do. What the hell is he doing? Oh, shit!
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Robert was already near the top of the wall when he noticed how the weaponless skeletons started to lean on the surface as if they were trying to cover as much space as possible. Moreover, the other undead simply dropped down, leaving their comrades to hang on the wall by themselves. That was the moment when Robert understood that his initial assumption was correct, and the delay might be caused only by the need to wait for the skeletons on other spots of the wall. He was the one who attracted the defenders in his area, but the situation might be different in other places. However, it was already too late. The voice of the undead¡¯s leader resounded through the battlefield, activating the spell and creating a really devastating chain reaction.
¡°Corpse Explosion!¡±
The chain of explosions burst from the inside of the bone creatures, turning their bodies into dust. Sending the two powerful shockwaves from both sides, it threw Robert upwards, when he tried to avoid the blast. The hooks he was using to glue him to the stone surface didn¡¯t manage to hold the force, tearing deep holes in a cracked wall. The suddenness and instantaneity of the event changed the scenery for Rob with so insane speed that he only came to sense, it while already being in a flight. He still caught a glimpse of the destruction from the Archi-Lich¡¯s spell that simply obliterated part of the fortification before his body started to descend.
Conjuring the steel wings to slow himself down, Robert twisted his body to correct his trajectory. In the next moment, his engulfed metal foot crashed into the head of the mage, who was watching a flying humanoid projectile with a wide-opened mouth. Adding even more constructs to his body and strengthening them with a ¡°Heavy¡± rune, Rob crushed the poor guy. Stomping a few more times until the notification¡¯s appearance, he paused to look around.
The free space between the wall and the city building wasn¡¯t very wide but still made a gap that encircled the whole settlement to ensure the access of the defenders in case of a breach. Right now it was filled with dozens of challengers, who were eyeing Rob¡¯s figure in a state of shock from his fabulous way of entering the scene. He knew that this fragile peace would break in a mere second, so he had to make a choice. Either he would go into the city to fight in densely packed surroundings, but alone. Or he would go back to the wall and wait for the reinforcements. However, seeing the greed in the eyes of the challengers, their quantity, and their complete focus on himself, the choice was obvious.
Hastily turning around, Robert sprinted to the opened door frame of the nearest tower. The following yells of anger and anticipation only added the speed, almost blurring his running figure. Any uncomfortable or painful feelings were momentarily forgotten, shoved away by the wave of adrenaline. No matter how easily Rob could deal with challenger parties, this wasn¡¯t the case. The number in such groups never exceeded five, which was at least several times less than the current crowd of chasers.
Shitty crap!
Conjuring the shield on his back and watching how few spells and arrows flew above his head, Robert continued his charge despite the appearance of the enemy in a door frame. Attracted by a commotion, the person in chainmail failed to realize what was happening until it was too late. Creating something akin to a knight¡¯s lance, Rob impaled the enemy. Following the inertia, he threw his body against the wall inside the tower only to crash into it a moment later. The painful groan of the warrior only started to leave his mouth, when Robert headbutted him again. Not seeing the notification, he gripped the head of the disoriented enemy and forcefully twisted, cracking the neck.
Turning around, he noticed how the chasers were already nearing the tower. The problem was that a single way out was the wooden ladder that led to the second floor which was currently occupied by another challenger, who was quickly descending. Acting on instinct, Robert lunged forward. Gripping the leg of the enemy, he pulled him down, turning the fall into some kind of throw. Planting the enemy against the floor, Rob shoved a conjured knife into their neck, interrupting the attempt to use a skill. Hastily turning around to the ladder, he had to jump backward to avoid the flying bolt shot from above.
The opened hatch showed the enemy¡¯s face, who was already preparing another projectile. Shining with energy, was definitely a skill. On the other hand, the first chaser had already appeared in the tower, putting the giant shield in front of him and steadily approaching, despite being pushed from behind by the crowd. Robert left with limited options. Glancing around and noticing four wooden support beams, he smiled before instantly recreating his set of armor.
However, this time instead of a shield and a mace, Rob created a huge axe with a heavy blade. The latter looked like a sharp triangle that was crudely attached to the long handle, making it too big and unusable for anything apart from straightforward hits. But this was what Robert aimed for. Swinging it in a wide motion, he smashed the first beam, while giving out a wild intimidate roar. The effect of it was clearly visible as the approaching warrior paused for a moment, while the crossbowman missed his shot, only gazing at Rob¡¯s shoulder.
Repeating two more swings to cut through the air like he was trying to keep the enemies at the distance, Robert broke another beam with the demonstrative clumsy hit. Striking the floor, he sent stone debris everywhere. However, it looked like an opening for the warrior, who immediately tried to capitalize on the ¡°mistake¡±. Lunging forward with thrust, he shouted the name of the skill. Rob was ready, twisting his body and sending his own weapon into motion while activating the new addition to the rune¡¯s arsenal.
¡°Piercing hit!¡±
The grinding sound of metal resounded in the tower when the sword was tied to penetrate Rob¡¯s helmet. To be able to cut through the steel with its physical form, it still sent an ethereal copy of itself that simply ignored the protective gear. Only the tilting his head to the side had saved Robert from the sure death, when the blade left a slash on his cheek, deep enough to damage the zygomatic bone. A moment later Rob¡¯s own axe clashed against the raised shield. The following energy outburst smashed it and sent the mutilated body of the warrior into the flight, creating a real pile of bodies from those, who were behind.
Ignoring the pain and conjuring the metal over the bleeding wound to stop the loss of a red vital liquid, Robert tensed his muscles to fight the inertia. Forcefully changing the trajectory of his axe, he repeated the attack once again. The third strike appeared to be the last one as the crossbowman shot once again, this time hitting Robert¡¯s helmet from the back. The steel held the strike, but the impulse threw Rob out of balance, crushing the wall instead of the scared mage, who wetted his own robe. Seeing as more enemies started to appear behind the piles of dead, pushing forward and disregarding the corpses under their feet, he jumped backward.
In a matter of a dozen seconds, Rob was pressed against the wall on the opposite side of the tower, while being surrounded by multiple challengers. The latter were approaching with the pace of a snail, clearly afraid to be the first to attack. It might be different if there were many spellcasters among them, but because of the siege, most of them were currently on the wall. The densely packed space gave a limited opportunity to use flashy skills. Moreover, Robert was sure that the strongest were already fighting against the undead, and these were just either weak or cowards, who tried to stay behind. That gave him the ability to deal with them at once.
Conjuring two short axes in each hand, Robert smiled with a mad grin. In the next moment, both of his weapons flew into wide swings before crushing the last two wooden beams in one swift motion. They were not the only supports of the floor above, but they were taking enough toll from the overall weight. And adding the fact that there were more curios challengers, who tried to follow the fight through the hatch, it was like a last straw on the camel¡¯s back.
¡°Sky-shattering strike, bitches!¡±
A glimpse of understanding flashed in the eyes of the nearest enemies, despite the System¡¯s obstruction in communication. However, before they managed to raise their heads, the floor above was already falling down, burying everyone under the debris.
Chapter 100 (3-12)
Pushing his body upwards, Robert dispersed the steel cover that protected him from the damage. The dust was floating in the ruined surroundings, hazing the picture of the stone and wooden debris that were mixed with bodies. However, the latter was the biggest indicator that the challengers were not dead, instantly setting Rob into motion. Glancing once at the newly made blockage of the door, he proceeded to strike with his conjured spear even at the slightest motion.
The first plate to turn into ethereal particles that disappeared into the air causing the debris to fall. A few more deaths led to a chain reaction, where the broken fragments of the tower and lost equipment suddenly started to find more free space. Ignoring painful groans and the wave of notifications, Rob hastily ended his control ¡°shots¡± before jumping against the wall. Gripping the small deepening, he created a long hook from his stretched hand to pull him up.
The timing appeared to be a lucky one as a mage appeared above him. Dressed in red robes and a huge pointy hat that couldn¡¯t hide his worried expression, he missed the moment when the hook grabbed his ankle. With a surprisingly high-pitched shrilling scream, he was forcefully pulled down to the debris, falling from the four-meter height. Turning around, while thinking about what to do with the enemy, Rob was met with a view of a motionless person, who was unfortunate to fall directly on the sharp tip of the blade that was protruding from the debris.
Here goes all the supernatural stats¡
Pushing himself over the edge, Robert hastily stood up only to pause for several seconds, observing the intensive fight that was taking place on the wall. The explosive spell of the Archi-Lich destroyed huge chunks of the fortification, making it easy for the undead to get inside even without using any additional engineering equipment. The defenders had to concentrate their efforts on protecting multiple small breaches, dispersing their forces all over the defensive line. And it appeared to be hard, as the skeletons could ignore most of the hits and even the loss of bony limbs.
Rob saw how the fleshless creature without a hand simply jumped forward, trying to bite the warrior in full plate armor. The teeth obviously managed only to scratch the surface of the breastplate, but still made the challenger step backwards from the fright. The skull with glowing green eyes, which was dangerously close to tearing the part of his face through the open visor, was just too scary to be ignored. This tiny mishap might be not critical as the fire bolt from behind had burned a hole in the skeleton¡¯s head. However, the latter wasn¡¯t the only undead in proximity that made the challenger his priority target. Another one was already crawling underneath.
Legless, it was ignoring the steps on its bony frame from the fellow skeletons, fully focused on the living beings. And it achieved its goal, grabbing the leg of the warrior, when he was in search of balance. The sudden pull dropped the human down, giving a skeleton to opportunity to climb on top of the challenger. Wildly yelling, he asked for help, but even more undead were already jumping on him. The steel was still holding, giving the ability to save the warrior. One of the mages even tried to do it, charging some kind of spell, but the figure of the ghoul that appeared from the side made him miss the shot.
The lighting strike went far left from the intended aim, hitting another frontliner from the back. The next several moments went in a desperate attempt to save the situation. The mage that simply blew his own hand together with the ghoul¡¯s head, when the latter was in the middle of the bite. The warrior, whose face was turned into mutilated meat by a skeleton. The frontliner tanked the hit and still pushed the undead back with a wide swing of the huge axe. The flaming blade penetrated the bony bodies as they were made from ice, breaking them into pieces, and only got stuck in the chest of a zombie. Engulfing its figure in fire, it paused the creature''s tracks for a moment, before the undead proceeded once again, ignoring its state.
Robert couldn¡¯t see far but was sure that such fights were everywhere. The army of dead was like an unstoppable force of nature that had no feelings, just the devastating motion that would continue its doings until its full exhaustion. The challengers had no way of winning. Even from the short observation, they were dropped on this floor at once, without any help and time to organize their defense properly. He couldn¡¯t see any commanders or communication between sections of the wall. All tactic was an instinctive grouping together in an attempt to repel the attack, solely relying on the newly granted power from the System. And that wouldn¡¯t work. Especially, if Rob was on the opposite side.
Dispersing his armor, Robert created a short sword in his hand, before slowly approaching the nearest group. The few mages were in sitting position, leaning on the wall and clearly in the process of regenerating their mana. Several archers were busy shooting through the loopholes, while the group was focused on the gap in the wall. No one paid him attention, as he was human and was coming from behind. Moreover, the number of floating text above the crowd of the enemies made the feature simply unusable. At least it was Rob¡¯s bet. And it worked, giving him an easy way to close the distance. Then he struck.
The blade pierced the head of the nearest mage before disappearing into nothingness. Robert¡¯s hand was already smacking the conjured mace into the face of the other. Not pausing on it, he charged into the back of the nearest archer. Hitting him from behind, he threw the enemy from the wall directly onto the weapons of the undead. Ducking under the hastily shot arrow from another bowman, Rob created a huge polearm before making a downward strike. Its blade flashed with light as if confirming an addition of the ¡°Heavy¡± rune before crushing the shoulder of the archer. Cutting through the armor and flesh up to the chest, it got struck, but Robert was already in motion. Tensing his muscles, he swung his weapon together with a dying man, throwing him into another challenger.
The archer¡¯s body only started to disperse but it was enough to pull an unlucky guy down from the wall. However, Robert wasn¡¯t looking. His mind, as always, was fully focused on the possible threats, disregarding what it marked as a temporarily disabled opponent. Lunging himself forward with a raised shield, Rob knocked a few ¡°players¡± onto the stone floor, before starting to hit. Those, who turned their attention to him, were immediately punished by the undead. The jumping figure of the ghoul clawed one of the distracted defenders, piercing its chest with huge paws. Raising it upwards, the creature growled with satisfaction. The moment later Robert used it as a cover, avoiding a fireball.
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The flaming explosion tore both undead and challenger while hitting Rob with a shockwave. Luckily, he was already clad in his armor and used a shield to protect himself. The latter appeared to be quite useful, as another spell had struck him from the side. Coming from the city, it was cast by some kind of cleric and caused a bright light to envelope Robert¡¯s figure. At least that was his assumption, as except the illuminating effect, he felt nothing. However, it couldn¡¯t be said about the undead near him, whose bodies started to burn under System¡¯s holy magic.
Diving out from the bright area, Rob deflected the blow from the axe-wielder. The flaming weapon brought a wave of heat, trying to melt the reinforced steel. Maybe such reliance on the skill power made the challenger put all his strength into the strike, which caused an unpleasant surprise to him when Robert not only blocked it but also shoved the axe to the side. The created opening was used momentarily. The next several exchanges with the already panicking group, who were simultaneously trying to stop the undead, led to the obvious result ¨C death.
Ignoring the pouring inside city walls skeletons and zombies, Robert lunged himself to the next group. The latter were already ready to meet him, putting a few melee fighters at the front and preparing the spells. However, in such a chaotic battle, the deadly threat could come from anywhere. In their case, it was a cloud of poison that covered their defensive position in a mere moment. Coughing with blood and dropping any resistance, they opened them to the claws of ghouls and rusty weapons of skeletons. By the moment Rob reached them, only three challengers were barely standing back-to-back.
The single usage of ¡°Shockwave¡± killed two, leaving the last one ¨C an older woman with a spear - alone. She tried to jump from the wall to save her, but just broke her legs, immobilizing herself instantly. That attracted the attention of a few zombies nearby, who simply followed the example. Unfortunately for her, the already dead creatures were not affected by broken limbs in the slightest, gladly diving their teeth into a screaming woman. The poisonous cloud hid the obvious outcome when Robert pushed himself through the deadly obstacle.
Another tower was standing in front of him. The defenders inside were still shooting as far as he could see. Quite a few spells from the Liches were trying to get the challengers, but the fortification held. The bone spears were shattering against the tough surface, sending the fragments everywhere. Only on rare and lucky occasions, they managed to slide inside the loopholes, exploding in the tower. On the other hand, the transparent phantoms simply ignored a physical obstacle, penetrating the fortification and causing terrifying screams. They were so awfully loud and seemed to affect something inside his own soul that Robert halted his steps for a moment.
Just for a moment as in the next, he was already making a swing with an enormous mace, crushing the closed wooden door. The flying remnants of it blinded the warrior that was standing behind. Another one, who attempted to hide behind the wall was too shocked to notice that his leg was sticking out, exposing his position. Following the attack broke the stone near his head, throwing him to the floor. Glancing on both disabled enemies, who tried to make an ambush, Robert sighed.
It was like a slaughter, only without the corpses, as the latter were constantly disappearing without a trace. Still, his resolution was as firm as before. Rob wanted to live and was ready to kill for that, especially in such fair conditions where he wasn¡¯t fighting someone unarmed. He was sure that there was a scenario where he would prefer his own death then the cost of living, but this wasn¡¯t the case. And until he would get in such a situation, he wouldn¡¯t theorize about it. Therefore, he moved, swinging his weapon. Two short notifications later Rob broke the ladder that led to the upper floor and proceeded through the tower. The newly appeared scene was similar to the previous one. The same group of challengers fighting off the horde of the undead. The lack of communication and focus on the battle made them completely miss the breach of the fortification. And Robert was going to use it to a full extent.
Rushing right into the center of their ranks, he had put the shield in front of him. The instant he rammed into the enemy, the chain of ¡°Heavy-Shockwave¡± runes was activated. The following moment brought a sudden explosion, sending everyone backward. Rob was already in motion. Replacing his shield with a huge sword, he made a wide swing, bisecting the nearest challenger in a cloth and with a staff. The blade continued further, hitting the thigh of another warrior.
The pain dropped him to the knee only for his face to meet Rob¡¯s feet. The strong kick threw him backward, right in the assaulting crowd of the undead. Conjuring a steel plate on his shoulder to deflect a hastily made thrust, Robert swung again. The diagonal cut beheaded another mage but was stopped by a shield. The owner of it tried to shout something, but Rob was faster. Activating the chain of runes once again, he caused a sudden hit that pushed the shield to the side, opening a way for Robert¡¯s knife.
Bashing the already deadly wounded warrior with his shoulder, he threw him from the wall. The undead were already in the process of dealing with other survivors of his attack. The moment the disoriented group fell into a panic, it signed a death warrant for itself. Therefore, not sparing a glance at the dying challengers, Rob moved forward. The next mixture of parties was already retreating, abandoning the wall after seeing the outcome for their neighbors. The Tower was covered in a thick smog, literally imbued with poison. And, taking into account that there was no returning fire at the Liches, who cast the spell, the fate of defenders was obvious.
Still, the wall is long. Enough for me to widen the gap.
Continuing to move along the defensive line on the wall, he cut through it like a hot knife through the butter. Whenever it became too dangerous, Robert simply retreated and used an undead as an improvised walking shield or cover only to attack again and again after a short pause. He couldn¡¯t avoid being wounded but was in relatively good shape despite all the fighting. Most of the cuts, bruises, or even burns, be it from the frost spell or flaming strike, were not too deep and were constantly healing under the effect of his increased regeneration. The self-conjured armor proved its worth, making an injury to his face the only heavy one he got during this time. Others, despite the pain, were just cosmetical.
The previous experience in mass battles together with caution helped a lot to save him from getting killed. He didn¡¯t try to play a hero to rush through the enemy ranks. He didn¡¯t try to murder each challenger personally. No, Robert methodically and steadily crushed the defensive line of the ¡°players¡± to widen the gap of a breach. Therefore, only when the signs of the battle started to spread all over the city, Rob decided that the hole in the outer fortification was enough to redirect his attention to the overall number of challengers. Unclear goals in merits led to the constant need for action without a pause. He just didn¡¯t know what was enough to fulfill the demand for contribution, setting him on the road of a real killing spree.
Where the fuck is my mission¡¯s objectives count? System, you are lazy as fuck¡ or trying to be a smartass in using me beyond anything adequate.
Chapter 101 (3-13)
The battle quickly spread inside the city, creating chaotic fights all over the place. There were no prepared fortifications and any attempts to make one failed as the undead could simply encircle the challengers around their barricade, cutting the way out of the self-made trap. At least Robert watched several such scenes and helped to deal with the last of them. A few dozen ¡°players¡± tried to block the narrow street with two carts and lots of furniture, creating a wooden obstacle that had to stop the enemies. The reality showed their mistake in no time.
Following the running skeletons, Robert didn¡¯t even pause before charging forward with a raised shield. The steel plate was resilient enough to ignore the projectiles that tried to penetrate it. Together with Rob¡¯s own clad-in-armor body, his weight was enormous even without the usage of ¡°Heavy¡±. Inhuman strength and endless endurance helped him to carry it with ease, turning him into a walking tank¡ at least when he didn¡¯t need to meet the real one head-on. The multiple hits simply couldn¡¯t stop his steady approach. Lunging himself into a short sprint, he literally rammed into the fortification, while activating his own set of skills. The ¡°shockwave¡± shook the unstable construction, dropping several shooters from the top. The repeat of the rune¡¯s usage broke a hole in the barricade, opening the way to his axe.
The challengers instantly broke into two groups, where the first one focused their attacks on Robert, while the second started to run. Unfortunately for them, both had the same end as another group of undead came from the back. The fight was short but intensive. The bony creatures were much weaker than the challengers, compensating it with numbers. Rob also added its part, personally killing the third part of the enemies.
Still, by the end of this tiny skirmish, the undead''s quantity dropped only to a dozen half-beaten skeletons and three zombies, while the single survivor from the opposite party was a bearded man in full plate armor. However, the defensive gear wasn¡¯t the reason for such an outcome. A transparent bubble enveloped the figure of the man, creating something akin to a force shield.
Paladin? Temporary invulnerability? Okay.
Seeing how the rusty weapons were bouncing off the magic sphere, Rob noted the passiveness of the holy knight. The man was slowly trying to walk away, pushing the undead with his energy shield. He wasn¡¯t attacking as if such protection worked in both directions, preventing him from attacking. Even Robert¡¯s ¡°shockwave¡± couldn¡¯t bulge the defensive skill, only making skeletons to stumble away from the aftermath of the strike. However, the expression and constant glancing to the side if checking an invisible screen confirmed Rob¡¯s assumption that the effect had a time limit.
Let¡¯s see how you will deal with this.
Putting his hand on the sphere, Robert felt the repulsion. It was a strange sensation as if he was holding the magnet with the same charge, but, in this case, he was the magnet himself. Touching the shield and noticing the sign of relief on the man¡¯s face, Robert¡¯s face showed a sad smile. In the next moment, the whole sphere was covered with steel. He even had to disperse his weapon to have enough matter to envelop the challenger. Giving a mental command, Rob tried to squeeze the enemy, but the very same repulsion stopped him. At least skeletons instantly switched their attention to the search for other targets, leaving Robert behind.
It¡¯s the same as with the Jaeger.
The wait wasn¡¯t long, slightly less than a minute. Rob felt a hit from the inside when the man tried to free himself from the prison. That sounded like a signal to act, producing a contraction of the steel cage until it turned the man into a motionless statue. Not losing the touching contact, Robert created a small gap around the neck of the enemy before shoving a blade into the flesh. The steel hid any convulsion, expression of fear, or unwillingness, turning everything into a cheerful notification about getting experience points.
Yep, it is a fucking game¡ Damn, I need a drink. This city must have a bar or a tavern.
Looking at how the man¡¯s body dispersed into tiny particles before completely disappearing, leaving only a helmet behind, Rob sighed and turned around. Slowly walking along the city¡¯s streets, he was glad to see how the System saved the resources to make it. It was a similar situation to the military camp ¨C to make a decoration. The short preparation time together with a life-threatening situation created a situation, where the challengers had no luxury of sightseeing. Their lives were in danger. On the other hand, Rob doubted the undead, who had an opportunity, were going to do it. Mindless machines, created solely to be an obstacle for the challengers, pursued their goal with a robotic indifference.
It left only Rob as a single observer to go for a walk across the assaulted city. It was unfortunate that there was nothing to see, but simultaneously it was a good thing, knowing that this wasn¡¯t a real city. Just the place where the challengers had to pass another dangerous test. Most of the buildings looked quite similar, ranging from several major changes to absolutely identical copies. Robert wasn¡¯t a specialist in medieval settlements, but his experience of two cities and one village shouted about the artificial creation of this place. However, such an approach had an enormous advantage ¨C there were no residents.
Apart from the challengers, Rob hadn¡¯t noticed even a single living being. No guards or civilians. No heroes or soldiers to fight against the Archi-Lich¡¯s army. Of course, they might be inside the inner keep with a huge donjon that was rising above the city buildings. It was the obvious endpoint of both challengers and horde of the undead. The place of the final battle¡ which Rob was going to join only after the drink. For now, his search brought him to the huge square with tens of signboards, hanging above the wide doors.
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Okay, the main question is there any beer? I can understand why the System cuts off the energy expenses on the details of the surroundings ¨C to save energy. Nothing is free. You need a huge amount of mana or matter to create multiple floors with thousands of enemies. Moreover, the direct improvements of the challenger¡¯s bodies. The skills. Like for everything. The question is - in such conditions will it go so far as to make a really tasty beer? I hope it will. The food is still a necessity, right? Maybe there are even cooking skills? Oh, found you.
Walking inside the tavern, Rob was met with an empty space, filled with large wooden tables and benches. The dirty small narrow windows barely let any light through, leaving only a burning fireplace as a main source of illumination. It, and dozens of small candles located on the supporting beam across the enormous room. The long bar counter on the opposite side of the room had secured a shelf with a row of bottles, hiding it with its own wooden body. There was an opened door frame near it, which clearly led to the kitchen. Otherwise, it was the most basic layout of public catering with an emphasis on drinking.
The only thing that differed from the others was the decoration on the walls. Straight from the hunting grounds, it showcased the heads of different creatures. There were some animals, but the biggest part of the collections consisted of monsters. The disgusting part of it was that not all of them were mindless living beings. There was a head of one-eared goblin, whose face was showing a forever angry expression. A werewolf, whose wide-open maw was filled with yellow sharp fangs. A unicorn with a silver horn and white mane. However, the greatest spot above the fireplace was occupied by something akin to a stone troll. The huge head was covered with multiple deep marks and had an empty hole instead of an eye. And from the look of the scratches, it seemed to be taken long after the death.
That is just gross¡ and explains why the place is called ¡°Adventure¡¯s Paradise¡±.
Glancing once again on the surroundings, Robert went into the back of the tavern in search of food and drinks. Surprisingly, his spoils went beyond his expectations as the small chest behind the bar counter, which was hidden under the piece of cloth, had granted him a real treasure ¨C ten skill books. Therefore, gathering a keg of beer together with a plate of dried meat and bread, he dived into it like a wild beast. No matter how low his real need for nutrition was under the influence of the constant mana supply, the desire for something tasty after mushroom¡¯s diet was stronger than his curiosity about possible power-up.
He still had two free slots for the skills to fill but wasn¡¯t desperate to pick the first one that he had found. Still, Rob was wondering how would his strength change if he didn¡¯t find that artifact with the ¡°Heavy¡± rune. That Chain of Burden literally carved the way for him, setting on the road of improving his conjuring ability. The way Robert wanted to follow further, seeing how good the synergy was.
That was the reason for his disappointment when he inspected the items made in the form of books. He couldn¡¯t name them as the real carriers of text as they just couldn¡¯t be opened at all. Looking similar to the ¡°Fire Bolt¡± that he had found during his stay in the chamber, it differed only by a symbol on the cover. Of course, if Rob wasn¡¯t using the System. The popping-up text on a transparent screen gave a more detailed picture of the skills.
¡°Knife Mastery¡±, ¡°Master Chief¡±, and ¡°Poison detection¡± were all self-explanatory. ¡°Big Stomach¡± was also easy to understand, giving the ability to eat more to prolong the saturated state for longer. ¡°Conservation¡±, on the other hand, looked promising for someone, who could spend a good chunk of mana. Despite the simplicity, it basically could freeze any inanimate object in time. ¡°Food storage¡± gave a dimensional pocket for the obvious usage. ¡°Omnivorous¡± widely increased the range of food sources. ¡°Drunkard warrior¡± made you stronger under the influence of alcohol. ¡°Brawler¡± was similar to a weapon mastery but with any improvised means, like stools, tables, bottles, or even pans.
Last, but not least was the ¡°Duplicative throw¡± which repeated the projectile¡¯s trajectory with a magically conjured construct. Each of the skills was useful on its own, and, taking into account an ability to upgrade them, Robert was sure that their effects might not only increase in power but also widen the range of a skill or even add something new to it. They might even evolve. The image of the double katana¡¯s wielder was still fresh in his memory. The man was using at least two variations of the same skill, sending those devastating energy arcs from what had to be a melee striking posture. However, with his steel in mind, Rob wasn¡¯t going to bet on it. Especially when all the skills he possessed were clearly related to the purpose of the location as if supplementing it.
I need to find a shop with artifacts or even the place where they are made. Something like an enchanting workshop. It might have a stock of more useful skills, just waiting for me. Yep, let¡¯s do it.
Hastily making another long sip, Robert paused for a moment, when his chain of thoughts made a sudden conclusion that was completely unrelated to the previous topic. His cogitation about skills returned him to the question ¨C where the hell System was getting energy for that? And then something clicked, reminding him about the sureties. The idea was horrible, even terrifying, but the logic behind it sounded correct.
Does it use life energy from the basic hostages to sustain the existence of this trial? It can explain the raised need of them as the challengers started to proceed further while getting stronger. Then even the food might have been made from¡ Oh, Rob, don¡¯t you dare to think about it. There must be another explanation. Yep, definitely¡ Fuck!
Gripping his cup, Robert threw it right into the wall with all available force because of the ruined mood. Pushing the plate with the food from the table after losing the appetite, he wanted to stand up, when he heard voices. A moment later a group of challengers emerged from the door. With raised weapons and prepared spells, they paused for an instant before the man at the front loudly shouted.
¡°This is¡ a hidden event! Nice!¡±
Chapter 102 (3-14)
The silent mutual observation lasted for almost a minute, giving enough time for both parties to evaluate each other. The challengers noted a bulky figure of a giant, who was patiently sitting at the table without even a sign of worry. Bald, dressed only in brown torn pants that were barely visible under the wooden surface, he was silently looking in return. Visually strong and huge, he sincerely lacked the CP point according to the System¡¯s identification to prove his appearance. The deep cut around his cheekbone was covered in dried blood as if the man came directly from the battle that went not so good for the giant. Moreover, the absence of any weapon decreased the threat level even more.
However, the confident gaze and faint grin were speaking against the theory of being weak. At least that was what the leader of the group felt with his guts. The real danger, but simultaneously the opportunity. Noticing the same understanding of the situation in the eyes of his teammates, he once again repeated.
¡°It¡¯s a hidden event. Do not attack!¡±
¡°Why are sure about that? Maybe it is a trap¡ Not, it is an obvious trap!¡±
The immediate response from their rogue, David, made the leader growl from annoyance, not even hiding it from the others. Despite the young age, the man in a ninja outfit with a sai in his hand and several kunai under the sleeves had no basic knowledge about any games at all. Raised in the old movies, he was constantly training under the guidance of his grandfather to become a true warrior. The problem was that his only relative and ¡°master¡± had a problem with his head after stopping taking his pills and running away with his future apprentice into the woods when the young man was just a boy.
It caused a lot of trouble with the behavior of the young man that the leader had to deal with. The reason for it was simple ¨C he was the older brother of the self-proclaimed ¡°ninja¡±, meeting his younger copy of himself in the Tower by accident. Not wishing to abandon an already broken boy, the leader was constantly harassed by David¡¯s acts of idiocy and hast judgments.
¡°Dumbass, isn¡¯t it obvious?¡±
The harsh answer from their tank, Broody, made the rogue squint his eyes in doubt. Looking around, and especially into the dark corners, David tried to find the arguments to confirm his assumption but failed.
¡°Non-hostile status. Literally the word ¡°Mysterious¡± is in his name. Weak CP, slightly above basic zombies. His appearance of a human, while we only met the undead in attacking army,¡± Raymond pointed.
¡°A dozen of skill books that are lying in front of him. The strange tavern with creepy heads on the walls¡ And who in hell will sit inside such a place during the siege of the city?¡±¡± Broody added.
¡°Yep, I think the same. The outcome of the event depends on our next actions. We all heard the sound right in the moment of entering ¨C it might exist only to trigger an instinctive hostile reaction from the start. However, I bet any attempt to attack him will cause his CP to rise to a much higher level. That is a trap, David. To lure into thinking that we can get an easy win. No, we need to be clever.¡±
¡°Okay, okay, I got it. Once again, you are all smart and I am dumb,¡± the rogue sighed with annoyance, walking to the side and sitting on the nearest bench. Taking it out of his sai, he started to check the weapon¡¯s blade.
¡°Not dumb, you just haven¡¯t played any games because of our braindead grandfather. There are some obvious patterns in the Tower. That is the reason why we didn¡¯t go into the keep with others but stayed here. The loot from the shops was already worth the risk,¡± the leader shook his head before turning to the mysterious character in front of him. The latter was silently watching them as if patiently waiting for their actions.
¡°So, Larry, what do we do?¡±
¡°Let me think¡ The hint must be in the skill books,¡± the leader scratched his bearded chin while looking at the table. After a short consideration, he slowly started to approach the sitting figure of the giant. The potential enemy didn¡¯t even blink, continuing to smile faintly. From a few meters distance, Larry finally managed to check the contest of the items. That immediately led to a strong reaction.
¡°Oh, wow! He has a ¡°Duplicative throw¡±! Damn, also - ¡°Omnivorous¡± and ¡°Big Stomach¡±. Those two, if combined with my ¡°Marauding¡±, can be merged into ¡°Devouring¡±. The latter can help to extract energy, mana, and even more from the corpses. I always wanted to get them. However, not only the price was huge, but it was also locked behind multiple secondary quests to raise the reputation. I found out too late about such a combination ¨C the floor was already near the end. Thought it was forever locked for me!¡±
¡°See, dumbass, what you could have done with your hasty idea about the trap,¡± Broody instantly turned to David. Only the distance had saved the latter from the cuff on the nape.
¡°Yeah¡ Or we could simply kill him and get everything at once,¡± the ninja retorted, but didn¡¯t press the topic further, focusing on playing with a sai.
¡°What else is there, Larry?¡±
¡°Let me see again¡ So, ¡°Knife Mastery¡± and ¡°Brawler¡± ¨C nothing special. ¡°Drunkard Warrior¡± sounds promising, but only in conjunction with ¡°Poison Resistance¡±, which is too expensive. ¡°Master Chief¡±, ¡°Poison detection¡±. Hmm, ¡°Food storage¡± looks really good. We found ¡°Instrument storage¡± and once I saw how one of the challengers tried to sell ¡°Materials storage¡±. It could be a combination of the proper inventory. The last one - ¡°Conservation¡± ¨C freezes the inanimate objects¡ Need to think it over. However, the potential might be huge!¡±
¡°We got a jackpot!¡± Raymond barely held his emotions.
¡°Almost¡ as we need to get the skills first,¡± Larry pointed at the sitting giant. Attempting to stretch his hand to the nearest skill book immediately led to a movement of the mysterious man, halting the leader, ¡°Yep, as I feared, we need to do something to get the skills.¡±
¡°Maybe it is a fighting challenge? I can deal with him with ease!¡±
¡°Shut up, David!¡±
¡°Nope, it must be something else,¡± Larry¡¯s mind was chaotically jumping from one idea to another, while his eyes were searching for clues in the surroundings.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡°Could it be a simple trade? Or even barter?¡±
¡°Might be, Broody might be. Let¡¯s check,¡± putting his backpack on the floor, the leader took a short sword in the sheath before showing it to the huge man. Noting no reaction, Larry continued to do it with different types of items until he reached another skill book. The hesitation made him pause for several seconds, but the desire to get the aimed combination was stronger. This time the mysterious man moved. Leaning forward as if checking the content of the cover, he slowly returned to his previous position. However, this time the barely noticeable smile had disappeared, being replaced by a new expression.
¡°I found it. It¡¯s a skill book that he needs,¡± Larry confirmed, turning his head to his teammates.
¡°And what the exchange rate is? One on one?¡±
¡°How would I know,¡± the leader shrugged before commanding, ¡°let¡¯s show him all our skill books one by one to see if he is interested. I don¡¯t believe he needs something strong or valuable. More likely it¡¯s a hidden condition. Or it even could be just several skills we possess. Could be anything. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have any guide¡ hey, David, it applies to you too. And hurry up, we don¡¯t have much time if we want to leave the area before it is completely overwhelmed by the undead.¡±
¡°Again, we just can kill him to save time,¡± the ninja complained, reaching for his bag.
¡°Would you bet a possible skill on that? What will you do if they disappear right after his death? I must remember you ¨C it is not the real world, David,¡± Larry paused in his tracks to prevent his younger brother from doing anything without thinking.
¡°Okay, I got it. Shit, you are just like Grandpa. The old man was always mumbling ¨C David, stop doing that, do this, blah, blah, blah. Gosh, it¡¯s so annoying to hear a constant yapping!¡±
¡°It is even more tiring to hear your stupid opinion on literally everything when you don¡¯t know shit, boy! Stop fucking around and move!¡± Broody¡¯s shout accelerated the ninja, causing a new wave of barely audible swears.
The following showcase took some time. Repeating the process again and again, Larry started to feel despair, seeing as nothing seemed to interest the mysterious giant. At first, he was tensed, fearing that they would need to give something valuable to fulfill the condition, but later it changed to the sincere worry of a failure. Pushing forward another skill book and glancing at four more left, the leader cursed their luck.
¡°See, this mob doesn¡¯t need anything. Let¡¯s kill him!¡±
¡°Keep your mouth close, David. You don¡¯t know his real strength. He is clearly an important person under disguise. He is just standing out too much from the floor¡¯s situation,¡± this time it was Raymond to stopped the aggressive approach of the eighteen-year-old youngster.
¡°Wait. Yep! I see the reaction,¡± the cheerful shout of the leader improved the mood of the team, ¡°he has put one skill aside. I will show him more, just in case,¡± continuing the process, Larry soon was disappointed to see that nothing else had made throw the check. On the other hand, the potential loss of only one skill book was an easy price to pay. Especially, taking into account that it was completely useless.
Mana forging [Rank 0/3] ¨C a skill that grants a wielder the ability to infuse mana into the metal during the creation process to greatly improve the properties of the material, squeezing everything possible and even more from the forging process. Such skill is a necessity for any smith, who craves for greatness. The mana cost depends on the metal, the extent of improvement, and the material¡¯s volume.
¡°What did he choose?¡±
¡°Supportive skill for the blacksmith. Trash. I haven¡¯t seen real crafters ¨C without combat abilities, they just can¡¯t survive the trials,¡± Larry answered with a smile, spotting how the giant put his hand on the skill book. The latter glowed for a moment before disappearing into nothingness as if it was learned by the red-named man. Obviously, he knew that it couldn¡¯t be true ¨C most of the Tower-summoned enemies were mindless creatures.
Some ¡°intelligent¡± bosses could even speak with some basic phrases, apart from angry roars or loud promises about painful death. However, even short observation showed that their repertoire was quite limited. The same situation was with friendly characters, who could speak, answer questions, or keep up the conversation only on limited topics, soon starting to repeat themselves without even realizing it. And it wasn¡¯t surprising. The Tower directly told through the mission¡¯s descriptions that they were walking a standard hero story from the bottom. The routes variated, but the course was the same ¨C to defeat the Overlord, who aimed to become a Dark God.
It was like a huge play on the scene, where everyone acted according to their designed roles. In the case of the challengers, there were many potential candidates for the hero. Unfortunately, their number was inevitably falling. This siege already had taken a lot of lives and was far from being over. The threat was still there, slowly crawling around the streets in the form of an army of the undead. Luckily, the Tower saved them from the fate of being stuck in the city of zombies, hiding all the population inside the central keep.
Sudden motion returned Larry¡¯s attention to his surroundings and the giant himself. Raising from the sitting position and pushing the table to the side, the mysterious man paused for a moment. Towering above the leader by almost two heads, he calmly spoke a few words. His voice, deep and heavy, radiated gratitude and calmness, despite the elusive meaning of the unknown language. Larry only slightly smiled in return. However, his grin became much wider when he understood that all the skill books were left on the table, while the giant was already heading towards the door.
¡°Yeah! We¡¯ve got everything! Now¡,¡± the leader¡¯s words were interrupted by a system message that popped up in front of his eyes.
Attention! System warning ¨C proceed with following the dedicated scenario.
As the walls were breached, the Archi-Lich cast the grand spell, encircling the city with constantly narrowing toxic fog that would melt your body in under the minute. Your only possible way to escape is through the portal inside the last bastion, but it will take time for the royal mages to set it. Protect the keep from the undead until then.
Friendly reminder: The penalty for failure is death.
¡°Let¡¯s hurry!¡±
Larry¡¯s command had set his teammates in motion. Both Raymond and Broody immediately ran to the table, starting to shove the skill books inside their backpacks. His younger brother, on the other hand, was eyeing the back of the giant, who halted his tracks in the middle of the room. However, as if the mysterious man also heard the voice of the leader, he woke up from his frozen state and approached the exit. Gripping the handle and pulling the door to himself, the giant attempted to make a first step outside, when a familiar to Larry blue glow enveloped his figure before disappearing without a trace.
¡°The hell, David! What have you done?!¡±
Realizing that his stupid brother had used his unique skill on the unknown entity, the leader''s reaction was instantaneous. The problem was that the same could be said about the giant. Stopping his bare foot in mid-air, he slowly returned it back, before resolutely closing the door with a loud bang and locking it with a thick bolt a few seconds later.
¡°I stole his skill¡ you were so convincing about his insane hidden power that I thought I could improve my own strength¡ and¡ all I¡¯ve got is stupid ¡°Rune Alteration¡±! I¡¯ve lost my ability to make illusionary copies because of you!¡±
¡°Because of me? You dumb idiot ¨C you¡¯ve done it yourself!¡±
Larry roared in return, spotting how the giant tilted his head to the side and sighed. Then the man slowly started to turn around. Simultaneously the body of the Mysterious Gladiator was already covered with metal, hiding his flesh under the creepy steel that was filled with flickering green runes. In just another moment the closed round helmet, pet-bellied cuirass, long greaves, and braces had appeared on the giant, finally properly explaining his name. The next one brought a small shield and a huge mace. The latter dropped on the floor with a loud bang, making a dent in wooden planks.
¡°He can¡¯t be strong, yes? His CP is still only 163 points, almost fifty less than any of us¡ And I¡¯ve weakened him by taking the skill¡ He just looks scary, right? Right, guys?¡±
Chapter 103 (3-15)
The thick mist was slowly consuming the city. As an unstoppable force of nature, it was steadily moving through any obstacles, leaving nothing except the opaque gaseous wall. From time to time painful screams were heard from inside this toxic cloud, but shortly after they died out without a trace, indicating the fate of the trapped challengers. Maybe some lucky ones managed to get out of the deadly area. However, there was no safety even outside of the spell.
The whole town was filled with tens of hundreds of undead creatures, if not more. Most of them were heading directly to the city center, where the last bastion of defenders was standing. Still, not all humans managed to get there in time, losing an easy opportunity to escape. Therefore, the chaotic short battles were constantly taking place amid a grave situation. Fighting for their lives, the challengers sometimes were led by greed, making them focus not on the towering keep, but on the nearest place of interest ¨C shops, workshops, mansions. And more often than not, such desire for valuables punished them quite soon.
One such event took place right in front of Robert when he paused near the ruined shop with a colorful sign ¡°O¡¯Cronnell¡¯s Majestic Artifacts¡±. The shattered windows and overall mess inside were clear indicators that the place was looted. However, the pool of blood that led upstairs together with several crushed skeletons might be the sign that the robbers couldn¡¯t get away. Only the closeness of the mist made Rob hesitate and not dive inside the building in search of something useful.
As if answering his request to help with a decision, a shrilling scream sounded from the nearest shop, which specialized in armor and protective gear. A moment later a horrible thing fell outside. Continuing screaming from the agony, it looked like a melted waxing figure that lost any trace of humanity. The mixture of blood, exposed muscles, and bones with only a bare hint of early existing skin created the appearance of a monster from the horror. The soul-piercing voice that came from the unknown begged for help, but it was too late. A wave of a cough prevented all attempts to communicate, bringing the figure to the ground. Vomiting its inner organs, the dying challenger once again tried to stretch the hand as if asking for help, only to fall an instant later.
Nope, fuck the greed!
Looking at the dead, Robert inwardly shot another glance in the direction, where he came from. The ruined tavern was already hidden from a view after few turns and a few minutes¡¯ run. Still, the similarity of the situation was too huge not to remind himself. After the death of the ninja, his greyed-out skill returned to the normal state, but it was already too late to simply walk away from the group. Despite the absence of a wish to kill them, the blood was already spilled, leaving no other options for a peaceful solution.
That made an acquisition of ¡°Mana Forging¡± and information about skill combinations feel dirty. As if he did something wrong to obtain it. There was no guilt, but more like shame and regret. And the prime cause of another bloody battle was the very same greed of a boy, who appeared to be unable to restrict his own hasty actions. Rob still could understand it as the circumstances in the Tower had pushed each of the challengers into the situation of constant choice between risk and reward. And knowing that personal power was a must to live through the trials, it was no surprise to see such an outcome. Robert just appeared to be luckier than his opponents.
So, without any hypocrisy, next time I might be that boy¡ And the only thing that differentiates me from him is a ratio I can agree on to risk my life.
Therefore, abandoning the idea of checking the store with artifacts, Robert sprinted away, taking some distance from the toxic mist. That led him out from the city area with multiple shops into something akin to a residential part. The buildings were starting to get more floors, raising the quality of materials and even getting some decorations. It wasn¡¯t to the point of becoming the real mansions but clearly way above the slum¡¯s variants. The area for the latter, as far Robert saw from his storming along the wall, was on the opposite side of the city. The same went with most workplaces of local artisans, which took place on the west edge of the settlement. The center was occupied by middle-class residents and the keep.
It almost left him with nothing interesting to inspect until Robert saw the alchemy shop. The wide-opened door led to a thought about a possible waste of time, but a short glance backward confirmed that he had some. Rob just needed to be fast¡ and ignore an inner finger-pointing about the greed. He was in the same boat as other challengers ¨C he needed power to overcome the Tower¡¯s floors. The power, couldn¡¯t be granted but had to be taken by force and determination. He needed to use growth opportunities. The System wasn¡¯t going to give him a free pass, so Rob had to be strong enough to survive the danger. He couldn¡¯t afford to hesitate.
Yep, that sounded much better in my head ¨C to overcome any obstacles, led by the sincere desire of overwhelming power¡ Even so dangerous as breaking into an abandoned alchemy shop. What a brave feat, Robert! Worthy a ballad in your honor. Literally a legendary achievement!
The place had met him with a mess, broken glass from the cases and bottles with handwritten labels. The colorful liquids from spilled potions were mixed together on the floor, creating an odd glowing pool with an unknown magic effect. Robert even had to create metal boots to avoid possible poisoning through the contact, despite the seemingly harmless purpose of most alchemy products. Still, Rob didn¡¯t want to test the combination of ¡°Male Power¡±, ¡°Limb Regeneration¡± and ¡°Golem¡¯s Skin¡± with a few more additions.
It can easily grow me a second-stone dick altogether. Just nope.
Walking through the ruined place, he slowly started to check the survived potions on behalf of the usability. The System wasn¡¯t generous with loot for him. Even the skill books Rob managed to find in the tavern were confiscated by it after the death of the challengers when they marked the ownership to themselves. And as always, his trophies were a single item from each enemy with disproportional favor to the weapons. He also got a sai from the ninja boy. Despite the unique form and description with mentioning the legendary smith, who forged the weapon, its only strong property was a material from the insanely rare ore with an addition of powder, made from dragon bone. In short, completely useless for Rob.
As if continuing the trend, the alchemy shop was the same. Most of the undamaged bottles had liquids for curing different illnesses, poisoning, or simple health and beauty care. The better-protected cases had something for short stat boost, like adding up to five points to Strength. However, such an increase was not only short-timed but gave a penalty to other stats, and overall didn¡¯t look worth much in Rob¡¯s opinion. Unfortunately, the longer he checked, the more he realized that if there was something great, it was already taken.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
The second floor appeared to be a living space for the fictional owner, while the basement was a laboratory. The latter made Robert pause for a few moments before deciding to inspect the equipment. It looked quite similar to the one on the previous floor, but this time it looked more real. And it took a single second to confirm his assumption when a notification appeared in front of his eyes. Dismissing the text, Rob gazed over the complex set of different retorts, cauldrons, and other unknown staff. They still had a clear trace of being made for a game, as each such instrument was located on a separate table as if made for a specific purpose. That led to another thought.
What is the difference between that equipment from early and this one? This one is clearly working¡ Then why is doing it? Could it be¡ runes?
Ignoring the raging toxic mist that was steadily narrowing the circle around the last bastion, Rob started to check the tables. Ripping off the wooden surface of the tables, cleaning the outer metal of cauldrons, and carefully looking at the glass containers, Robert started to find multiple hidden inscriptions. Even the short examination triggered the notification from the System and his skill ¡°Instinctive Runes¡±, explaining the details about another magic word of power, created by the Tower¡¯s lifeless admin. Most of them were completely useless, like controlling the temperature or purifying a matter.
Some had potential, like ¡°Creating a Flame¡± or ¡°Freezing the Matter¡±. Unfortunately, they were impossible to be learned by Robert because of affinities restrictions. There was even some kind of a disposer rune to disintegrate unused or unneeded remnants of energy and matter. The problem was with the huge mana cost of the process, indicating that it was only used at the end of the alchemical creation. Still, the careful inspection showed that almost all functions were covered by a rune or their combined usage, giving Robert plenty of options to choose from. However, his eyes stopped only on one ¨C ¡°Energy Catcher¡±.
The rune¡¯s purpose was quite simple and self-explanatory ¨C to catch a mixture of chaotic energies before directing it for further disposal with a corresponding magic inscription. There was a similar thing for burned remains of unused alchemical products. Overall, ¡°Energy Catcher¡± wasn¡¯t anything special. At first, Rob thought it might be a really overpowered rune. In his imagination, the existence of such a rune on the shield might lead to an ability to redirect any energy attack, be it a spell or anything else. However, careful observation of the mechanism inside the equipment crushed such a dream.
That energy just came through the tube, which was reinforced by the already-known rune, only to fall under the effect of disposal. Therefore, the hit from the fireball on the shield with ¡°Energy Catcher¡± would simply focus its energy in one smaller spot, burning a hole in the steel. If there was a rune, which might help to direct the energy, the alchemical laboratory wasn¡¯t the place to find it, unfortunately. However, it gave way to another idea of where to get it.
Say, System, how much will cost me an alter the ¡°Meditation¡± rune if I want it to change it into directing the energy between space? ¡°Meditation¡± is already doing it, giving me more energy from ¡°nowhere¡±, but I bet this ¡°nowhere¡± must be the source. So, the transportation is already happening. I just want to exchange an ability to get more energy for the ability to choose where¡ Wait, fuck!
Halting his thought process, Robert found a huge gap in his logic. ¡°Meditation¡± was putting him in a frozen state, which would nullify any attempt to use an altered version during the fight if he wanted to react in time. Going over and over again through the idea, he soon started to formulate a new request.
¡°Meditation¡± works as an amplifier of energy flow that goes from an unknown source to me, while putting me in an immobilized state. I want to alter the effect, so the energy goes not to me, but to any other object where I put the rune while immobilizing that object. Another downgrade can be that it can be any energy, but not pure mana. Is it possible?
Proceeding with the request. The altered version of Rune is created! 5000 experience points were automatically deducted to cover the cost of creation.
¡°Amplifier¡± ¨C a separate variation of the ¡°Mediation¡± rune that doubles the amount of flowing energy, while freezing the object with the rune in space. Cannot sustain the continuation of the effect longer than half of a second before the need to be recreated again.
Nice! And even the cost isn¡¯t big. Still, the System has tried to balance it, setting another limitation, despite that none of my runes can be strengthened by adding more mana into them. Luckily, it won¡¯t mess with my plan.
Quickly learning ¡°Energy Catcher¡± and finally filling all his seven slots, Robert focused on another recent addition to the arsenal ¨C ¡°Mana Forging¡±. A simple test showed that the cost of conjuring steel had raised at least by a third, instead granting an invisible improvement. Rob simply couldn¡¯t tell the difference just from the visual observation. Moreover, it appeared even meaningless as after checking accessible options of the upgrade, he was glued to the text with an important term that he had heard not long ago from the conversation between the group inside the tavern ¨C the ¡°skills combination¡±.
Master of Steel [Rank 1 MAX] ¨C a unique combination of ¡°Mana Forging¡±, ¡°Instinctive Runes¡±, ¡°Rune engraving¡± and runes ¡°Heavy¡±, ¡°Reinforcement¡±, and ¡°Link¡±, available due to an ability of Transcendent to conjure steel by his own, independent from the System, capabilities. Fusing the System-granted abilities together strengthens the effect of a wielder¡¯s natural ability to conjure steel.
There were no numbers about the cost or effectiveness. Even the mentioned runes had disappeared from the Status screen without a trace, while ¡°Mana forging¡± was replaced with a new skill. This time Robert saw the change instantly after confirming an upgrade. Earlier covered with runes, the steel surface had lost those painted creepy symbols and turned into a very dark green material, which appeared denser and heavier than before. The biggest change, however, was in the sensation of control. The easiness of the conjuring extended even more, making it possible to change the weight of a specific spot of the summoned object.
Creating a mace, he just willed a spiked ball on the top the weapon immediately tried to pull itself down to the floor, while there was no change in the handle. Moreover, there was no need to concentrate on the ¡°Reinforcement¡± rune at all as all his steel by strengthened by default. Once again, Robert felt that this improvement in power, despite not being a direct increase, made him stronger. It was like giving a better set of tires to the racing car after working on the suspension instead of a simple addition of more horsepower to the engine. He was becoming not only more efficient with his ability, but also the versatility of the latter continued to rise.
And that¡¯s not the end as it seems I can make another combination quite soon!
Glancing at the surroundings and not seeing anything useful in the room, Robert slowly walked out of the alchemy shop. The place, despite the reason for its existence, surprisingly gave him a lot ¨C whole two runes, confirming that if Rob could go through the Tower like the challengers, he might have gone much higher in his strength. It was only a second floor for him. Rob had no tutorial or guide, who explained anything. He couldn''t trade information, gear, or skill books. The loot drop was rigged. All he got was small clues from the rare fragments of the challenger¡¯s conversations to find a way to increase his power.
No matter how you try, I will break your, cheating System! It seems you still need to obey the rules while trying to ¡°balance¡± me. And I bet you will soon do it again. But for now, let¡¯s get out of here.
Looking at an approaching toxic mist that was already covering the building not far from his location, Robert turned in the direction of the keep before smiling, not trying to hide his anticipation. The final battle for the floor was coming, and he was going to make enormous merit in destroying this last bastion, so the Tower wouldn¡¯t have any choice, but to acknowledge his contribution.
Chapter 104 (3-16)
The huge donjon was towering above any building in the city, becoming like a beacon of hope for Robert. A hope to get out from the damned place. No, the assaultive settlement wasn¡¯t that bad. Even his way through it from the alchemical shop went rather peacefully, as by this point in time only suicidal idiots were staying outside the inner fortress. The army of the undead had already surrounded the place, cutting any way to get into safety. Not that anyone from the challenger would open the gate for those who were late, even though skeletons and zombies were currently just watching from afar as if waiting for a command to attack.
Standing motionlessly, they were eyeing the keep as if it were the tastiest cake in the world. Radiating an eternal hunger for living beings¡¯ warmth through the glowing empty eye sockets, they created real pressure on the figure on the high walls. The latter were helplessly watching as the number of the undead showed a steady increase when new groups emerged from the surrounding streets only to follow the example of others. Still, despite the nervous situation, the challengers conversed with their resources, waiting for the countdown until the portal was ready. Having a goal of escaping and not killing the Archi-Lich¡¯s horde, they had to endure the sight of the constantly growing enemy¡¯s force.
The ¡°players¡± obviously knew about the unavoidability of the battle but had no voice in this question. Therefore, looking at the army of skeletons, zombies, and ghouls, they were waiting for the real threat to come ¨C liches. The undead mages were the ones who made a devastating effect on the defensive line, apart from the ¡°Corpse Explosion¡± from the leader himself. And while the keep had much higher and thicker walls, its tight space made it quite vulnerable to any poisonous clouds that were already used by the undead.
Therefore, when Robert reached the empty square that surrounded the castle, this silent confrontation was in full swing. However, while one side was represented by mindless creatures, who weren¡¯t affected in the slightest, the other consisted of humans with all their strengths, weaknesses, and emotions. The latter had the biggest impact on their morale as just the situation of waiting for the death through quite a lot of defenders into real turmoil and panic. Some of them were barely holding their composure after experiencing the fall of the outer wall and seeing no way out.
Rob heard unintelligible screams and loud arguments. He caught a glimpse of metal clashes, but the conflict was stopped almost immediately. And there was a barely audible mumbling as if multiple unknowns were repeating the same words together¡ almost like praying. Maybe they did, Rob couldn¡¯t see through the walls. Moreover, he was here to save his own life, not willing to bet on generosity or forgiveness from the System if he failed the mission. Therefore, any regret he had disappeared in a fraction of a second after he reminded himself what was at stake.
Looking around and noticing no movements inside the ranks of the undead, Robert turned his attention to the keep. He wasn¡¯t sure how his plan could work out from the distance, so he had to reach the walls. However, the experience of being a main target of multiple targets was quite awful to willingly repeat it again. Moreover, this time there would be no distraction in the form of the undead, while the nervous situation might provoke the challengers to stupid deeds. Stupid enough to threaten his, Rob¡¯s, life.
So, how do I proceed? Hm¡ wait. What players will think when a named mob with a unique appearance leaves the enemy¡¯s ranks and approaches the castle¡¯s gates while being completely unarmed and alone? That he is a messenger. No one kills the messenger¡ at least at once, without hearing what he wants to say. Sounds reasonable, yet risky¡ But what choice do I have? Fucking System!
Conjuring his set of armor again and noting the increase in weight, Robert sighed. The increased protection was good, but it was in exchange for his mobility. No matter how strong he was, any addition of dozens of kilograms would slow him down, albeit not much. That might be still crucial for his escape. On the other hand, the defensive gear could save his life¡ and add to his image of the Archi-Lich¡¯s messenger.
Pausing on that thought, Rob turned to the nearest skeleton. In the next moment, his round helmet had changed visor from the cage one to the skull mask with small holes around his eyes. Taking into account the need for constant contact, his mask was tight-fitting and almost repeated his own face. A similar engraving with bones appeared on his cuirass in an attempt to point his belonging to the ranks of the undead.
Okay, let¡¯s go. I hope it will work out. I feel I don¡¯t have time to test the thing.
Stretching his arms to the side as if he was trying to hug someone, Robert started to slowly walk towards the keep. His movement immediately turned the attention to him. He almost physically felt tens, if not hundreds, gazes that landed on his body. And he had to admit that to be at the center of attention in such a situation was quite unpleasant. Still, Rob kept his steady walk, controlling each step so as not to show how nervous he was. The System-created enemy couldn¡¯t be scared.
Even when around a dozen rangers with bows and crossbows aimed their weapons at him. Even when that number was increased by a crowd of mages, sorcerers, and wizards, who clearly started to prepare their spells. A random thought about the disproportional quantity of magic wielders against ordinary archers was shoved away as an inapt. Especially after more and more faces were appearing above the wall or in the gaps of loopholes.
It seems that just about everyone wants to see what is happening.
Keeping his steady speed was getting harder and harder. He wasn¡¯t sure in his steel to block a possible number of attacks from all those challenges above him. Moreover, Rob¡¯s imagination was already in full swing, creating a picture of a dark general who might go ahead of his own army to destroy the obstacle on his own just to showcase his extraordinary power and might. It was almost a basic introduction to the foe in the games or movies. The problem was that in the challenger¡¯s eyes, Robert himself might be such an enemy, and knowing it, they could simply attack him at once, not giving him a chance to do anything. That left him with a dry throat and sweating back, which was hidden underneath an armor, decorated with skulls and bones.
However, the funniest thing in this situation was that Rob was going to do precisely what such a cliche demanded from him ¨C to destroy the keep by himself. Or at least he would try to do it as it was his only idea of how to get the System¡¯s mission done. He wasn¡¯t sure in his untested instrument to do it, but Robert felt like the time was slipping through his fingers. Soon the Arch-Lich or his mages would definitely come to finish the job, leaving him no option, but to proceed further, ignoring the gazes from the challengers.
At the halfway point he started to hear more and more arguments about what to do with him. At least Rob came to such a conclusion, catching the words ¡°kill¡± and ¡°listen¡± in an emotional altercation. But the closer he got to the gates, the louder the voices about the former were, while the latter turned into ¡°listen just for stalling the time¡± before continuing with the first option.
The whole ordeal might have looked to last an eternity, but Robert¡¯s walk took less than thirty seconds in fact. It was his mind that played a trick, stretching the time until it was barely crawling. Moreover, his ability to perceive more, despite the drop in effectiveness after his body changes, was still present as always. It made the experience even more stressful. However, it also helped to react in a fraction of a moment, when Rob noticed how the patience of several challengers had run out and decided to act.
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The glowing signs of the casted spells only started to appear, but Robert was already sprinting at full speed. The last part of the distance was covered in mere seconds. Rob even didn¡¯t bother to stop himself, crashing into the closed gates a full speed. The thick wooden surface, reinforced by a metal frame, made him bounce backward from the impact, but he was already catching his balance. Pausing for a moment, Robert glanced around to check if any holes from the sides or above him could be used by defenders to attack him. Luckily, the System didn¡¯t bother to make the keep truthfully protected as it was just a decoration with an already written fate to fall in no time. That gave him the ability to focus on his self-invented abomination.
Dispersing all steel that covered his body, Robert mentally prepared his mind before quickly starting to act. The first to appear was a headband with the ¡°Meditation¡± rune. Activating the effect, he instantly dropped into an immobilized state. The haze surrounded the whole world, hiding the keep, challengers, and army of the undead while leaving him on one with his own doubled flow of mana. Gripping the control over the latter, Robert proceeded with the next actions.
Squeezing every single portion of his energy, he started to conjure the steel. Pushing it in front of him in formless something, Rob simply blocked the gate with an enormous amount of dark green metal. Already reinforced by his newly acquired combination, it additionally gained more weight. Therefore, the mental command to increase it even further created a really insurmountable wall. Of course, blinded by his own state, Robert could only rely on his mana sensation to ¡°see¡± it, but until he was done, he wouldn¡¯t waste time observing the half-finished product of his efforts.
There was a tiny pause before he continued with a chain of mental commands. ¡°Shockwave¡± led to a sudden decrease in weight in the massive steel blob, turning fueling mana into an unfocused energy blast. ¡°Energy Catcher¡± followed, gripping the cone and turning into a concentrated shot of devastation. ¡°Amplifier¡± was the last one to act, intensifying the effect of his hand-made spell.
Then the whole world trembled, almost throwing Rob out of this meditative state. The earth itself quacked as if trying to stop him. However, Robert¡¯s resolve was firm. Not even trying to see the results, he simply decided to proceed further. Pausing for a fraction of a moment to stabilize his construct, he repeated the attack again, while turning his aim slightly to the side. This time the shaking was even stronger, but it had no influence on the decision to continue.
Rob knew that there were hundreds of challenges nearby, while he was stuck in an immobilized state without any protection. He had to strike fast, hard, and without stops just not to die from a possible retaliation. Fortunately for him, Robert had no need to wait for the cooldown of the abilities. There was no usage of ammunition or energy, thus no pauses for reloading or restoring the reserves. His body and mind had barely felt tiredness. Altogether, it turned him into an almost eternal energy canon. Obviously, the System didn¡¯t like it.
By the moment when Rob made the twentieth shot, even the haze was barely hiding the damage in the surroundings. The rumble, screams, and yells turned into a real cacophony of sound. However, he was stopped by not the damage he had done, but by the huge notification in front of him. The attempt to dismiss the wall of text had failed. Moreover, the earlier working combination of runes refused to obey, as if they became simply inaccessible. Then Robert dropped from the mediative state only to see the odd, but familiar picture around himself.
Looking through the transparent screen in front of him and ignoring large letters, he saw the frozen world amid destruction. The flying debris was stuck mid-air, followed by the traces of fragments. Such a picture was everywhere, showing just flying remnants of what earlier was the keep. Some had signs of melting, while others were ground into powder under the effect of the devastating energy. Rob saw no humans, but in such a picture where the whole castle seemed to explode, he could bet there were not many.
He wasn¡¯t sure how his focused energy led to such a terrifying effect. Robert might easily target the portal itself, causing such a situation. Or he crushed the foundation of the bastion. Or he indeed was underestimating the effect of his attack. Rob didn¡¯t know and might never know as the System made its move quite quickly.
Attention! System warning - the scenario was broken by the uncalculated influence of the Transcendent being.
All survivors would be immediately sent to the next floor as if they were sucked by a portal at the last moment.
Congratulations on finishing the floor!
Your contribution is enough to proceed to the next stage¡
The transfer is temporarily on standby¡
Looking at these messages, Robert sighed with relief only to swear inwardly a few seconds later when he started to read the next notifications.
Attention! To keep the power balance in check, your class will be reassigned, while the skills will be combined into new ones. Most of the experience points are used to support the change. The details are unfolding¡
Transcendent ¨C a unique non-upgradable class that reflects the System¡¯s inability to gauge the strength of a Transcendent being correctly. Forbids learning of new skills, runes, spells, usage of magic items, etc. Triples the visualization of Combat Power, when challengers try to identify the class-owner. Instead, decreases the cost of all attribute upgrades by 5%, except Magic, where the cost is lowered by 99,99%.
Energy Burst [Rank 1 MAX] ¨C a unique combination of ¡°Instinctive Runes¡±, ¡°Rune engraving¡±, ¡°Master of Steel¡± and runes ¡°Meditation¡±, ¡°Energy Catcher¡±, ¡°Shockwave¡±, ¡°Amplifier¡±, available due to a creative approach of Transcendent in using ¡°Runes Alteration¡±. The effect was reworked to keep the balance. Now through the disintegration of the conjured steel, the wielder can create a short-ranged energy blast. The power of the skill depends on the volume and weight of the steel used to produce the attack. Can be used by voicing a command "Energy Blast".
Fucking bitch! You do hate me! Inability to gauge the strength¡ Yeah, right, that didn¡¯t stop you from choosing Magic to lower the cost¡ Okay, show me my Status then, cheating machine.
Robert Flop (Unassigned)
Combat Power: 123
Experience: 1000
Mana: -/- [+5 mana per second]
Title: The Transcendent Tower¡¯s Guardian
Class: Transcendent
Might - 33 [STR 57, SPD 43, END -]
Agility - 25 [CRD 24, FLXB 6, RCT 45]
Body - 16 [VIT -, TOU 32]
Mind - 21 [PRC 19, INT 32, WIS 12]
Magic - 0 [PWR -, SPRT -]
Personality - 8 [CHA 7, CUNN 9]
Skills (2/2):
- Master of Steel [Rank 1 MAX]
- Energy Burst [Rank 1 MAX]
All his runes had disappeared, taking half of his skills with them. His CP dropped by 30 points. Moreover, Rob was left with a measly thousand experience points, which was a complete joke as he had much more even before ruining the keep. And he could bet that the effectiveness of the new skill would be incomparable to what he managed to do. However, he had no say against the System. The latter was constantly trying to cheat him and only his inability to leave the realm was keeping him under its influence. Aether was still refusing to transfer him elsewhere. Unfortunately, the System, on the other hand, was already shoving him into a new place.
Proceeding to the next stage¡
This floor is designed as a local hell, filled with demonical creatures. It¡¯s a place where the demons can grow stronger by devouring each other in an attempt to get enough power to break through into the world of humans. Your role is to become such a demon in the land of constant fighting for your own life. Reach 250 CP to progress further! Good luck!
So, that¡¯s why you lowered my CP¡ Not even surprised. Okay, let¡¯s do it. I¡¯ve spent like ten minutes in a real demonic realm and survived, so no chance the fake one will be harder! Bring it on!
Attention! The land is filled with hellish energy. You need energy to support your life in such harsh conditions. The corrosive air drains 1 experience point per 1 minute. The absence of EP will lead to death.
Oh, go fuck yourself!
Attention! The land is devoid of any plants and water sources. You need energy to support your nutrition through the life blessing that drains 1 experience point per 1 minute. The absence of EP will lead to death.
Yeah, yeah, you already know what to do, System. Anything else?
Chapter 105 (3-17)
The new floor had met Robert with a huge red filter that changed the tone of everything to confirm that it was indeed a hell, and not just another stage of the Tower. The choice was quite obvious as there were barely any objects around. The desolated rocky plain was covered with a thin layer of red sand, rarely hiding multiple cracks on the surface. However, the mist was coping with the latter task, obstructing the sight of anything that further than twenty meters away. Consisting of flaming particles that were constantly floating in the air, it abruptly increased its thickness near the edge of the visible circle as if forming a wall.
Such an oddly sudden change in the density of the haze looked completely unnatural. Especially when Rob felt the strong and hot wind that started to blow with a different frequency and force, blowing sand into his eyes, but not even shaking a hazy dome that covered him from all sides. The sole exception that managed to penetrate this System-made veil were three bright red circles, sending its light from above. Only the light as from Robert¡¯s senses the heat was coming from the winds and ground itself, warming his bare feet.
It really looks like the System doesn¡¯t wish to spend resources to support a proper render distance, thus using an artificial mist to limit the sight¡ Okay, and where are the demons?
Checking his surroundings and noting the same picture everywhere, Robert simply started to walk. The short test confirmed his suspicion that he would lose 2 experience points per minute, no matter how hungry or thirsty he was. It was just an excuse to make his life harder. For now, his stock was enough to last for many hours, but without knowing the spawn rate of the demonic creatures and their strength, he wasn¡¯t going to spend even a single point. Still, Rob could plan his attribute¡¯s investments in the future.
It created a feeling of anticipation. To finally make a proper build. To grow in power. To directly increase his strength using the easiest, but simultaneously the bloodiest way Robert knew ¨C through the killing. To turn into a real "murderhobo" as if he wasn¡¯t already the one, paving his way through the multiple living beings. Not that it scared him after all his life experience. Therefore, Rob divided into his Status screen, while sparing only rare glances to the surroundings. There wasn¡¯t much to think about, but there was nothing to do in the completely bare place.
Apart from¡
Stretching his arm, Rob created a long road with a mace before activating his newly acquired skill that replaced his self-created combination of runes. Or at least he tried as there was no effect despite his mental effort. It made him stop in his tracks and focus harder, sending a clear mental command¡ only to get nothing in return.
Are you kidding me? What the heck, System? I am not shouting the activation command aloud like a dumb idiot! The hell! It is my steel! My skill! And you are going to obey my will!
Turning motionless, Robert turned his senses inward. The feeling of gaseous mana that filled whole his body together with any steel construct he created once again returned the confidence in his control over his single element. The control, which wanted to expand over the new skill. Focusing on his senses, Rob silently muttered the command with only his lips.
¡°Energy Blast.¡±
The immediate reaction didn¡¯t make him happy at all. Partly it was because he wanted to do it with just his mind. To rule over his own ability by his own wish, and not through obeying the rules from the machine. To grasp it completely, so he could integrate it into his fighting skills. The other part of his mind was too preoccupied with the process, attempting to understand the mechanism of the creation. Not even checking the effect of the skill, Rob repeated it again and again, concentrating on the ethereal feelings from the activation.
The instant of the trigger caused a real chain of changes. The collapse of the mana-fueled matter as if it was sucked from the inside. During the tiny fraction of this already almost non-existent duration there was only a dot akin to the smallest possible black hole. Then it exploded, sending a devastating wave of focused energy in the form of a small clot. It was almost like a ball of fire, but instead of flaming red, it was snow white. Opening his eyes, Robert noticed how the projectile pierced the haze, leaving a longing hole in its body. Only in a few seconds, it had patched itself, but Rob still managed to notice how the ball dispersed in the air, not traveling too far.
Sending a few more ranged attacks, he confirmed his assumption ¨C the projectile indeed started to lose the energy relevantly fast as if it was emanating it constantly until the whole charge was used. Therefore, when Rob used a much bigger construct to produce the energy ball, it lasted much longer. On the other hand, casting the skill without increasing the weight caused much less effect. Not only did it barely reach a two-meter mark in comparison to at least thirty in the first test, but also it was completely unfocused, almost copying a wave.
Still, it can have its own usage in a battle¡ But need to learn to do it myself.
It took around thirty minutes to find a test target for the skill. The human-sized arachnid dived out from the haze without any warning. The moment its eight-legged figure emerged in front of Robert, the demon produced a shrilling scream as if finally announcing its appearance. Making another cracking sound, it didn¡¯t even pause before lunging itself onto Robert. He only managed to catch the huge torso with an enormous mouth and two long mantis arms that were growing from the back, when the need to save his life exceeded his curiosity. The huge thick shield covered his body from tip to toe right before the impact threw Rob backward.
The grinding sound of metal resounded in the surroundings when the natural blades failed to pierce the steel, alas barely. Robert still felt through his control over the construct how deep were the cuts in his hastily made metal wall. However, there was no fear or even anxiety in his mind. The summoned creation was repaired an instant later after being damaged. The next hit Rob met head-on, closing the distance. Bashing with his shield and forcefully blocking the attacks from the creature, he planted his steel construct into the ugly face of the arachnid. There was a tiny pause before his next actions as if he was making something idiotic.
¡°Energy Blast!¡±
To put it mildly, the effect was noticeable. The sudden disintegration of his shield created a fist-sized projectile that burned a hole in the demon¡¯s body from a single hit and went even further into the haze. The creature collapsed a moment later. It looked almost like the threads that supported its life were all cut in a single motion, instantly killing it. However, Rob wasn¡¯t better. To his utter surprise and shock, the aftereffect from the collapsing matter somehow went through his whole body, hitting his inner organs from the inside. It wasn¡¯t so critical that his regeneration couldn¡¯t fix in a minute, but the suddenness and painfulness of the event had put him out of balance.
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System, that was mean not explain the skill in detail¡ Crap, it hurts. Yep, not using a bigger version until my body can handle it. Need to find a safe amount that I can use without restraints¡ And learn to do it myself.
Spitting out the blood, Robert slowly rose from the ground, watching how the demon¡¯s body was disappearing into nothingness. The System-made monster had a wide maw with sharp curved teeth, barbed skin with multiple tiny red needles, four big round eyes, and enormously long upper limbs that were simply implanted from the mantis. Moreover, the creature easily reached Rob¡¯s waist level, was strong enough to push him backward, and had enough power to cut his steel. Together with its terrifying appearance, such combat power made the demon quite a foe.
This is a joke. 50 CP? Only 50 CP? That is clearly not 50!
As always, there was no answer to such unfairness. It seemed the Tower itself wanted to make him fail desperately, again and again bending the rules just for the sake of crushing the entity, which wasn¡¯t under its complete control. Obviously, Robert had a different opinion on this subject. Not that it could influence something. Even this spawn rate from this singular case meant that he needed to spend 60 experience points in waiting only to gain 50. Therefore, his decision to wait before using available EP appeared to be correct. And, in such conditions, it might be possible that he wouldn¡¯t have any ability to plan anything perfectly and would need just to raise his Combat Power as quickly as he could.
Still, I can try to work with my attributes to find a good balance between Reaction, Coordination, Perception, and Intelligence¡ and yeah, I finally have access to a magic plastic surgeon, and zero chance that I willingly will spend there even a single point. Not with such a System. This Tower doesn¡¯t deserve my pretty face it seems¡ Most likely Toughness is a way to go for me. It¡¯s the only possibility to use Energy Blast to fullness. Yeah, let¡¯s try it again.
Continuing his aimless walk, Robert focused on the feeling of the skill. It was awfully hard to activate the effect by himself, but at least it didn¡¯t take long to understand how to localize the steel that was meant to be fuel for the creation of destructive projectiles. Similar to weight control, it depended on visualization and willpower. And taking into account his ability to sense all his steel at any point as he literally conjured it all the time by a part of his mind, it wasn¡¯t too hard to extend such ability even further. However, the manual usage of the skill without System¡¯s help was beyond his capabilities¡ for now.
Rob knew that he would get there eventually. It took him not even months, but a few years of practice to grow his conjuring mastery to his current level where the steel was like an obedient machine with artificial intelligence that learned all his wishes up to the ability to predict them and was ready to execute them at once. The death of Wepwakor took off the veil that covered his senses from mana, increasing the precision and flexibility of the magic skill even more. It already went beyond being just an additional limb, helping him to feel his own body to a huge extent. And Robert wanted to go further on this road, having enough patience to repeat the same actions thousands of times until they became as simple as breathing. There were so many options, and so many ways how to progress, but it was too early to plan as each of them demanded much more from him.
As always, one step at a time, Rob¡ Right after you kill another ugly bastard.
The new demon looked like an ostrich with bat wings and a huge beak. The muscular legs had several curvy claws that were sharp enough to leave marks on the stone plain. Instead of a regular tail, the creature had something akin small scythe on the endpoint. Quite tall, its tiny violet eyes were at the same level as Rob¡¯s. However, what made the thing look really disgusting was its oily skin with multiple blisters of different sizes, to which a chaotic net of horrible scars was added, replacing the decorative pattern for the demon.
The first thing that the demon made was to roar with a surprisingly loud voice, which completely didn¡¯t match with a walking bird. The primal cry of anger could easily be made by a huge predator from the dinosaur¡¯s era, so distal, terrifying, and primal it was. Then the creature jumped, rising high into the air. Robert barely managed to step to the side, while covering himself with a shield, when the demon landed with a shockwave. Cracking the surface of the stone on the impact, the enemy created a burst of air and flame that attacked the surroundings. Luckily for Robert, the mixture of sand, wind, and fire failed to penetrate his steel. On the other hand, he had to hide from it, losing the demon from the sight. And the latter immediately used it.
The strike with a beak was lighting fast. Piercing through the air at insane speed, the hellish ostrich pecked Rob at his helmet, almost tearing the piece of metal as if it was something like bread, which hungry bird wanted to swallow in one bite. The hit dropped Robert to the ground in a dazed state. He physically felt the dent on his helmet from the strike of the glowing beak. And the creature was already towering above him, reading for another hit. Summoning a conic construct to redirect the hit, Rob simultaneously rolled to the side, before pushing himself upwards. Following the very same motion and ignoring the ground-shattering strike from the demon, he swung with a conjured mace.
The spiked ball crushed into the leg of the ostrich, breaking the bone. The creature only started to fall after failing to catch its balance, when a sudden flame burst turned it into the jump, sending it high into the air. The problem was that even before the demon reached the highest point, Robert knew where it would land. Therefore, he acted. Not having enough time to leave his spot and not betting on the toughness of his shield, Rob decided to create a dozen long spikes, catching the enemy before it would squash him. Not stopping on it, he shouted another command.
¡°Energy Blast!¡±
The activation of the skill was a fraction of a moment before the heavy butt of the demonical animal was going to meet his shouting face. Piercing through the spikes, the ostrich still continued its fall under the effect of System-given ability. The enemy was already dead, being penetrated by several long metal improvised spears, but only Rob¡¯s own skill managed to kill the inertia saving his lips from the potential kiss. The blast energy from the inside of the body disintegrated half of the demon while sending the rest part in the form of a horrible unidentified mass into the surroundings. Rob, on the other hand, was pressed against the ground, feeling like his own guts were being put into a shredder.
It took him at least ten minutes and a few bloody vomits before he tried to sit. By this point the System had already cleared everything, leaving only viscera on his naked body. However, despite the pitiful state, Robert was boiling from inside, barely holding himself from yelling at the whole world and specifically the being, which was the authority of the Tower. He was on the brink of going into a raging and mindless state in an attempt to unleash his thirst for aimless destruction. The anger was so overwhelming that only his willpower kept him in check.
50 CP, while the thing has fucking skill for pecking and jumping? System, our hate will be forever mutual without any possibility of treating these sick relationships. Given the opportunity, I will kill you. I will destroy the Tower. Even if there is no way to do it, I will find how to hurt you badly, you stupid piece of shit!... Okay, calm down, Rob. You will get your revenge. For now, be careful and do not underestimate the demons. It seems their 50 CP is fake as this Hell. So, once again, be effective. Learn the skill. Fight. Survive. Everything as always. I have around 50 hours to find the solution if the spawn rate doesn¡¯t increase to supply the usage. Go!
Chapter 106 (3-18)
Tilting his head to the side, so the sharp blades of an arachnid would cut through the air and not his head, Robert simultaneously thrusted with a conjured rapier. The endpoint penetrated the eye of the ugly creature, before growing from the inside with multiple spikes. The shrilling scream of the wounded demon was enough to replace a loud alarm for a small town, but not to shake Rob¡¯s mind. All his focus was concentrated on the steel, or, precisely speaking, on its collapsing further turning into a devasting ball of energy.
It barely took a fraction of a second, when the first part was done, creating an empty gap inside the arachnid¡¯s skull. However, the next part went astray. The tiny dot of a potential black hole flicked for a moment before simply disappearing. It still led to the energy outburst, exploding a part of the demon¡¯s brain and killing it instantly, but it wasn¡¯t even near to the needed effect.
Damn it!
Inwardly swearing, Robert gripped the disgusting remnants of the creature and pulled himself upwards in a single motion. Multiple sharp needles that covered the skin of the demon tried to pierce his palm only to fail miserably against steel plates. Raising into the air, Rob stepped on the back of the corpse before making another jump. The moment later the well-known ostrich landed right on the dead arachnid, crushing the ally in one go. The mixture of torn spider limbs, guts, and flame swept through the place, adding an impulse to Robert¡¯s flying body.
Almost copying the move of the enemy, he ended his short air travel on the back of the last demon. The conjured spear with forcefully increased weight created a devastating strike, cracking the armor shell of the opponent. Unfortunately, only cracked as the creature with the appearance of a turtle had real thick protection over its huge body. Being no less aggressive than its animal¡¯s variant, it had a toothy maw on the lizard¡¯s head and six octopus-like limbs. Large and strong, they could easily carry the body of the heavy demon, while creating a real barrier with fast strikes when the turtle laid on the stomach. That was the reason why Rob tried to attack it from above. However, it was still not an easy solution to deal with such an enemy.
Despite the cracks, the shell withstood the heavy blow. Still, the force was enough to push the demon to the ground with a loud bang. Only because of his trained body acting on its own Rob wasn¡¯t thrown from the demon¡¯s back after the sudden movement of his ¡°floor¡± right after the aftershock from the strike against a tough surface. Wildly swinging his arms, he created a few pillars to hold him on top. But such a mishap cost him precious time that was used by his enemy. Stopping the support of its heavy shell, the turtle raised all its flexible limbs into the air. In the next moment, Rob had to duck down to avoid his face being grabbed by a disgusting tentacle.
The barrage of chaotic and blind attacks didn¡¯t stop on that. Timely deflecting several more hits with a small round shield, Robert managed to sever two limbs before the ostrich once again entered the scene. This time it wasn¡¯t with a jump, but with a peck. Luckily, he saw an approaching figure within the periphery of his sight and slid from the shell before the lightning-fast strike would hit him. Dropping on the ground, Rob quickly hacked to the side, slashing the third tentacle with a giant curved sword. Trying to turn around, he felt another flexible limb wrapped around his belt, attempting to pierce his skin with multiple sharp claws.
The grinding sound showed that the bone failed against the steel, while the strength of the tentacle wasn¡¯t enough to overpower the constantly repairing cuirass. Only Rob¡¯s mental effort was keeping this protective gear in shape, preventing it from being crumpled under the demonic hug. Apparently, the creature understood it too, searching for another way to kill him and finding it immediately. Robert felt as if his body was raised high into the air. Creating a blade, he only tried to swing it, but the turtle appeared to be faster, copying the same move but with Rob in the role of a blade. Piercing the air with an unwitting scream, he made a few circles above the demon before being sent into flight¡ right onto the ostrich¡¯s opened maw.
This time Rob didn¡¯t hold back. Turning himself into a formless blob of heavy metal at the last moment, he simply smashed the enemy¡¯s head into meat paste under the enormous weight. The sudden increase in the latter didn¡¯t last long before the impact, taking less than a fraction of a second, so all the gained speed was there, creating a really devastating strike. Therefore, rolling through the beheaded remnants of the ostrich, Rob hastily stood up and turned around. Summoning a steel gun into his arm, he stretched his arm and aimed at the approaching turtle. After the loss of half of the limbs, the demonic creature could only crawl, giving enough time for Robert to use the skill.
Again, focus and just do it!
Concentrating on the metal, Rob physically felt his steel. It was always strange for him not only to sense the summoned constructs but also to be their source of creation. He simultaneously kept the image in his mind, while feeling the object like it was part of his own body. Therefore, the fact of the self-destruction of the conjured steel felt unsurprisingly disturbing. As if he was damaging himself to produce the needed effect. It took some time to notice it, to take it from the background of his mind just to deal with this self-restraint. Maybe it was the reason why the first phase of the process started to go smoothly without any failures. The problem was with the second part.
Robert knew that he wasn¡¯t the one who did all the work. It was the same as with conjuring the steel ¨C something that was deeply engraved in him akin to a basic instinct did the thing, while he only directed the flow. Both the Wepwakor and the System gave him new abilities, but it was his job to control them. And that he tried to do, focusing all his attention on the energy inside the tiny dot that was forming after the collapse of the matter. His mind gripped the ¡°black hole¡± in a tight grasp, squeezing it further while attempting not to make any leaks in the process. The moment he felt he was nearing the boundaries of control; Rob released the energy. Instantly the dot started to grow in size. Turning into a white ball, the projectile was finishing its form.
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Yes, yes¡ Oh, fuck, no!
Robert could swear the ball was almost ready when something went wrong. He even felt the sudden change before it was too late, helping to conjure a steel plate right between him and the disintegrated gun. In the next moment, the powerful explosion threw him backward, destroying his protective layer at once. Still, it took most of the damage, saving his life. The same couldn¡¯t be said about the wounded demonic turtle, who took the bigger part of the unfocused blast. The shell managed to hold the attack, sacrificing its thickness and melting under devastating energy, but keeping the body underneath this natural defense uninjured. However, the head didn¡¯t have the same level of protection. Moreover, the turtle was attempting to bite Robert, putting its own flesh right under the failed skill.
Therefore, when Rob stood up, lost in thoughts about what went wrong, the battle was already finished. Not that it meant anything to him as the similar confrontation was going to take place quite soon. Precisely speaking, in 28 minutes. The rate of the demon¡¯s spawning wasn¡¯t hard to deduct, having an indirect watch in the form of his experience points. Each half an hour another group of hellish creatures appeared in front of him, no matter how Robert was moving or staying in the same spot the whole time. Yes, the group, as a single enemy was replaced by a pair after ten battles. The same happened after another ten, again increasing the number by one.
And such a pattern scared Robert. It wasn¡¯t a problem to fight with several opponents, but with such scaling, it would be just a matter of time before he would be overwhelmed by constantly growing numbers of enemies. Taking into account that each of them had the same 50 CP, the road to needed Combat Power was quite far from him. That was the reason why he used all available opportunities to learn ¡°Energy Blast¡± by himself before the mistake or mishap would have life-threatening consequences.
But this time I was close. Really close. Soon I will do it.
Raising on his legs, Robert continued his exploration. Or better to say ¨C aimless walking. Focused on training, he just moved in a random direction in an attempt to find anything. His reasoning was simple ¨C the System was too greedy to spend so many resources solely on Rob. So, this had to be another floor for the challengers with a specific objective. The thick haze and timed attacks hinted that the goal had to be to find something or someone. At least it was how Robert perceived the situation. But it could be a survival test with ease, for all he knew.
He just hoped to find anything and to wander amid eternal demonic mist for ages without any food or water. The absence of a need for nutrition didn¡¯t mean he was okay with it. On the contrary, after experiencing the life in past several worlds, Robert craved the boring food from the bunker. Part of him even wanted to meet the challengers, despite knowing the result of such a meeting and the cost of their deaths. Just anything to change the same scenery. It took another hour before the System answered his plead¡ with a new demon.
This one looked like a flying mosquito. Dog-sized mosquito. And with an ability to dive from the sky at an insane speed, aiming with a sharp and tough lance instead of the proboscis that was able to pierce even the steel. And obviously, the demon could conjure firebombs, dropping them from above. Everything fit the ugly appearance of a hellish insect that could cause multiple sleepless nights for any sane person. Luckily for Robert, he wasn¡¯t the one.
As always, the fight didn¡¯t last long. Rob didn¡¯t try to experiment with his skill until finding out the whole arsenal of supernatural abilities of the new opponent. The System wasn¡¯t very creative, clearly copying common versions of animals, creatures, or magic attacks before mixing it for own usage. However, that didn¡¯t mean that her creations were not strong. Especially when they had a numerical advantage and had no restraints on suicidal attacks, no fear, no self-preservation. Their sole exitance was meant for killing.
Unfortunately, with each wave, Robert started to feel the same about his own purpose. Like he was the very same mindless monster. His life once again was a constant and endless struggle for survival in a non-changing environment. And once again his salvation appeared in concentrating on his training, be it an ability to use skill without shouting an activation command like an idiot from an anime, or increase in attributes, or a more straightforward raise in combat prowess through the experience.
With such dedication to the progress, the growth wasn¡¯t strange. Rob didn¡¯t have a mirror, but he knew his appearance didn¡¯t change. Even his armor set only added the thickness to return the reason for its own existence. On the other hand, he was becoming stronger. Especially, when he started to invest in his Stats. Raising his Reaction to 50, he balanced it with 25 points of Coordination, finding no need to go further. The next and most obvious choice was Intelligence and Perception. The huge jump from 32 to 50 in the formed eased the control over his ¡°Energy Blast¡±, finally giving him what he needed. On the other hand, the latter was stopped at 30 points, when he felt both his mind and senses were working in perfect synchronization.
A single point in Wisdom didn¡¯t show any difference. Even an attempt to balance his Speed aka explosive strength with Strength itself didn¡¯t give him noticeable power up. Therefore, it left him with what he thought was the best choice for the long run ¨C Toughness. Not only it could help to neglect the aftermath damage from the big versions of ¡°Energy Blast¡±, but also the key point of his survival. With more enemies coming for his life, it took more time to kill them all, shortening the pauses between the battles. Robert was sure that at some point it would turn into an endless fight with no ability to recover. So he had to be resilient enough to withstand wounds.
It almost copied his cycle in the chamber where he fought and trained without long pauses. However, by the point when Rob had to meet with six foes simultaneously, another change occurred. He was in the process of smashing the last demon with a giant pickaxe. The enemy, the very same turtle, had already lost all its limbs. Its futile tries to stretch its neck in an attempt to bite him were ignored as Robert was going to make another test to evaluate the destructive potential of his skill. However, before he managed to strike the hellish creature, his eyes caught a strange glimpse of blue light.
Rob almost disregarded it as if it wasn¡¯t real when his mind finally processed the picture. Turning his head to the source, he confirmed that it wasn¡¯t just a play of his imagination. Hastily ending the demon¡¯s suffering, Robert jumped down and sprinted only to stop several seconds later when the haze in front of his suddenly disappeared, opening an odd view.
An altar? Here? Oh, so this might be the reason for the floor¡¯s existence.
Chapter 107 (3-19)
The snow-white altar was located in the middle of an empty area that was cleared of any traces of demonic haze. Surrounded by eleven pillars from all sides to make a perfect circle, it looked like a huge rock with bluish veins that decorated its surface. The same light was emanating from the floating ball of energy above the altar, which caught Rob¡¯s eyes previously. Flickering from time to time, the odd sphere was periodically changing its form into star-like only to return back a moment later.
Apart from that, the altar couldn¡¯t boast with anything else. However, the same could be said about the whole place. There was no floor, just a familiar stoney ground with a thin layer of sand. The pillars had no decorations or complex images of grandeur events from the past. No engraving of demonic symbols, hellish runic circles, or other similar stuff. No powerful guardians, waiting to meet the challengers with a test of prowess. Robert couldn¡¯t even notice any ruins around, signaling that this was the cathedral or the place of power earlier. No, just a piece of rock with a hologram above and pillars around it.
At least that was what he saw from the distance as an invisible shield had protected the area from his detailed inspection. Like always, the System forbid him to enter the place meant for the players. Rob still made a full circle around the altar, trying to find anything useful. Not expecting a success, he wasn¡¯t disappointed when he found nothing new. The protective layer didn¡¯t show any reaction to his ¡°Energy Blast¡±, so Robert had to acknowledge the fact that there was no way for him to enter the place. On the other hand, it created an odd idea of a potential experiment.
Checking the EP timer, Rob simply sat down and leaned onto the protective shield, while patiently waiting. Despite the visible motionless, his mind was in full swing, working on the creation of tiny energy attacks right on his fingertips. The process of manual activation without shouting the command at this point wasn¡¯t hard, so Robert tried to make it even more effortless. Conjuring the small steel constructs, he used his willpower to turn them into grains of devastating white mana before sending them into the air. A second later another tiny ball was created, just from the neighboring finger. Sparkling with imbued energy, it flew through the air like a piece of ember before disappearing in the same manner, being absorbed by a dark surrounding world. However, its death brought a life to its next brother.
Continuing this cycle, Robert tried to engrave the feeling into his mind to turn it into a reflex. With the increase in Intelligence stat, the process of recreating the skill became much easier, but it was still far from being on the same level as conjuring the steel. But the progress was there ¨C literally on the tips of his fingers. Despite the rise in numbers in his Status screen, Robert failed to see the difference at once. For the trained athlete, an increase in bench press of 20 kg (45 pounds) might be huge, but it was simply impossible to feel it without actually doing the exercise with proper measures. He needed something to compare, a basic line to check the improvement.
Using ¡°Energy Blast¡± was completely different because it was a separate absolutely new and complex skill. At first, Rob couldn¡¯t even activate it properly. Now, after achieving this milestone, he still could see the progress in control. Robert was doing it faster, with more precision, with more ability to twist things at will. The latter was filled with possibilities that would have a tremendous effect on his real battle power.
I can turn the ball into a thin membrane, creating something akin destructive layer on top of my weapons¡ or even armor. Or, on the contrary, I can focus it even more to increase the penetrative force. Yep, it might be easier, but for now, everything is out of my reach. Only for now.
The loud growls signaled the end of his rest, making Robert turn his attention from wet dreams to a cruel reality with six demons that were aiming to tear him apart. However, just a moment later he barely managed to hold his laugh when he found the location of those demons. Half of them were right beyond the invisible shield. The demonic ostrich even tried to jump onto Robert only to meet the protective layer in mid-air. The sudden crash turned the impact into skill execution, leading to an explosion, which sent the hellish creature back. Rob had no time to see the landing, but according to the sound, it was rather painful.
Jumping on his feet, Robert turned his attention to the three enemies in front of him. The trio consisted of different types as if trying to showcase the possible variety. Ostrich, mosquito, and lion. The latter had only remote similarities to the corresponding animal, being named like that by Rob only because of the huge mane around its head. In fact, it wasn¡¯t the mane but a part of the toothy maw, which seemed to be wide open all the time. Taking into account the hole in the center, the thing looked like something entirely different, bringing the word ¡°asshole¡± to a whole new meaning.
Obviously, the System gave the creature the name, but Robert long ago stopped bothering with checking the targets as they were all the same. The lion had a cat-like torso and paws, no tail, and several long spines all across its body, making it like a hybrid with a hedgehog. The demon was well-balanced in comparison to other creatures, making it a real ¡°thorn¡± in the ass to kill it fast. At least until Robert raised his own skill to strike with energy attacks from the distance. Even now he started with the same thing, raising a conjured gun that was grotesquely big and had only a remote resemblance to the real one, looking directly from the cartoons.
The following shot disintegrated the weapon, turning it into a ball of energy. Bigger and slower than a bullet that made its flight visible for Rob¡¯s raised perception, it was still too fast to avoid the demons. The projectile pierced the central point of the enemy, going through the opened hole of an ass-like maw as if it were a marked target. The energy charge was enough to burn flesh in one go, penetrating half of the torso.
Bullseye!
Watching how the head of the demon limply fell to the side, hanging solely on the skin, Rob absentmindedly noted that the neck of the creature was almost disintegrated by his shot. Despite the power of the latter, Robert managed to withstand the aftermath of using it. The shock to his body was still noticeable, making it hard to repeat the same attack one after another. Moreover, the demons were not going to give him a break.
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The mosquito was already diving down from above, pointing the sharp lance at Robert. Pressing insect wings to its ugly body, the hellish creature turned into a real racing bolide, accelerating to an insane speed in a fraction of a second. Still, Rob was faster, acting even before the enemy started its attack. The System-made demons were like a carbon copy of each other, using the same tactics in the same situations. Therefore, after just several fights it wasn¡¯t hard to predict what they were going to do.
The thick huge shield appeared right in front of Robert, while he stepped to the side. A moment later the lance pierced the steel, going deep through the protective wall in mere centimeters from his face. He didn¡¯t even blink, commanding his construct to hug the mosquito, trapping it into a self-made cage. Gripping the sharp proboscis with his hand, Rob raised the creature upwards, simultaneously moving the steel ¨C everything to expose the weak spot underneath the demon. The conjured blade finished it in one thrust, breaking between bony plates that served as armor for the enemy.
Two are done, one to go¡
Throwing the corpse right onto the ostrich, Rob caused an explosion of the dead body from the lighting-fast peck of the bird-like demon. The abrupt interruption of the skill led to a short delay in the creature¡¯s actions, giving Robert a short window of opportunity. Lunging forward, he immediately dived under the huge figure, sliding on the conjured plates over the sand. Stretching his arms to both sides, he gripped the reversed knees of the demon and paused. In the next moment, when the ostrich tried to activate its jump two balls of destructive energy tore both limbs, dropping right on the Robert. The shield above covered him from the impact, pushing the heavy body of the hellish animal to the side.
Pushing him into a roll, Rob distanced himself from the disabled ostrich. Standing up and observing how the creature tried to crawl to him using its huge wings and a long tail with a scythe on the end, he smiled before charging. Blocking a swing with a shield, he kicked the demon into the head, breaking a few curvy teeth. Deflecting another badly aimed hit, Rob conjured an axe before striking it with all available strength. The blade penetrated the skull, alas barely. Still, the hit was powerful enough to drop the demon back to the ground. In the next moment, the steel disappeared with a white flash, destroying part of the enemy¡¯s head.
Stepping back, Robert looked around before turning his attention to the raging demons inside the barrier. Despite all the constant attempts to break through the invisible shield, they failed miserably. Still, the mindless creations of the System had no limits of patience, attacking again and again, no matter the result. It looked like whole their word was narrowed to the hated figure of Rob, not noticing anything else.
Yep, that went much easier than before. Interesting, how long I can exploit it?
It appeared that for long. Like really, really long. Even when Robert had to meet ten demons at once, part of the still was summoned on the other side of the barrier. It seemed the System had put the spawning point around him at some distance, but on a random spot, making such a situation possible. And because of the absence of any specific location, Rob periodically had to meet with a full pack of enemies, while the next cycle could easily have only a third part. It was a complete lottery. However, Robert didn¡¯t have any thoughts of changing it as a chance to decrease a threat was much better than no chance at all.
The steady growth inside this endless cycle of violence against artificial demons gave him enough time not only to train ¡°Energy Blast¡± to the point, where he could describe it as usable. It wasn¡¯t complete mastery, but he started to feel the boundaries of backlash and where was the point of ignoring it. Rob made a first step towards manipulating or forming energy outbursts, getting a vague sensation of how to proceed further. And of course, he upgraded his stats by a lot.
Robert Flop (Mysterious Uprising Demon)
Combat Power: 155
Experience: 312
Mana: -/- [+5 mana per second]
Title: The Transcendent Tower¡¯s Guardian
Class: Transcendent
Might - 39 [STR 60, SPD 57, END -]
Agility - 27 [CRD 25, FLXB 6, RCT 50]
Body ¨C 30 [VIT -, TOU 60]
Mind - 31 [PRC 30, INT 50, WIS 13]
Magic - 0 [PWR -, SPRT -]
Personality - 8 [CHA 7, CUNN 9]
Skills (2/2):
- Master of Steel [Rank 1 MAX]
- Energy Burst [Rank 1 MAX]
The problem was with the speed of improvement. Even if he spent everything on a single stat like Toughness, it would need around eight hundred demons to support the needed number of experience points to reach 250 CP. Any spreading into a category with triple stats would increase that value by half. Plus there was a constant drain from the environment¡¯s conditions. However, the biggest obstacle would be the ever-growing waves. He already had to meet with ten demons at once and only using the barrier Robert managed to cheat the System, but it wasn¡¯t a guaranteed scheme. There was a chance that all the demons might appear in front of him. And if there were not ten, but twenty of them, Rob really doubted he could survive that.
Still, it is my best bet to do it easier and earlier. And I guess with the System balancing, I would have only a single ¡°shot¡±. Or not, as I will definitely need much more than one shot, heh.
Glancing through the invisible shield where at least a hundred demons were gathered, slowly overcrowding the place with their ugly bodies, Robert conjured a tiny steel piece before turning it into a ball of white energy. The projectile quickly reached the barrier and simply bounced back, not able to penetrate the force layer. There was no energy loss from his observation as if his energy attack simply changed its location, not meeting any obstacles.
Touching it with his hand, Rob once again felt how the air itself became so tough, almost forming an ethereal surface. The previous comparison with a magnate once again emerged from his memory, despite it being from the paladin¡¯s shield ¨C so close was a resemblance. Raising his head upwards, he smiled. A few seconds later he was already climbing on a created ladder. Squeezing all his available mana, he made the construct as thin as possible, just to hold his weight. The steps were also disappearing constantly, staying only to keep the thing together. Soon, he had to change the ladder into a singular long rod and protruding short platforms that were coming to the side to be used as a step. Balancing at a twenty-meter height (66 feet) appeared to be a challenging task that almost led to a fall, but luckily Rob finally reached the end.
Yep, around twenty-five meters. The System was lazy enough not to create a spherical dome around the altar¡ and idiotic enough to limit a mosquito¡¯s flight beyond this point, so they can¡¯t get out. Okay, then it might be doable. I will just need a lot of Toughness to survive the backlash. Or more likely ¨C multiple of them.
Chapter 108 (3-20)
The self-made timer was slowly counting down, making the group of five tighten their grip on their weapons. Standing in a circle and carefully observing their surroundings, they stained their eyes in an attempt to notice any trace of movement through the red haze. All talks between them had already died out a minute ago, and not on a high point, as the last comment was made by a leader of the group.
¡°This time it will be three. Everyone, be careful!¡±
The reminder made their heart skip a beat as the hellish creatures appeared to be too strong for their pathetic CP. Giving almost no experience points for the kill, they demanded a lot of effort to do it. The effort could easily turn a small mistake into a death sentence. Such danger wasn¡¯t surprising as the mission on this floor was a ritual with a straightforward name - ¡°Baptism by Hell and Light¡±. Therefore, the demons were expected. However, they didn¡¯t know the additional conditions until they entered the portal that was made by royal mages.
The drain of experience, the constant waves of enemies and their growth in number, no map ¨C everything was made to recreate the real hell for them. The group was already quite beaten up at this point. The main tank had gotten several dents in the armor and shield. Others were not better. Only because of their powerful healer, they managed to survive for so long without losing someone in the process. And that was with just two enemies at once. Now they had to meet with three.
¡°To the right!¡±
The yell from the ranger brought the attention of the whole group. The tank was already moving, trying to intercept the turtle-like creature. The rest were still watching without blinking, not wishing to miss the others. That appeared to be a good decision as the moment the ostrich emerged from the mist and jumped, the group immediately attempted to scatter, avoiding the deadly landing. The mage reacted faster, already prepared for such an attack.
Staying on the spot and creating the magic shield, he tried to stop the demon¡¯s skill. And like in previous times, he failed. The protective layer shattered at once, not being able to hold the flaming power. Still, it was enough to cause the explosion above their heads, not right between their ranks. Only the sorcerer himself took most of the damage. His half-broken, half-burned body was thrown away. Not dropping his staff, the mage loudly screamed from the pain, while spasming on the ground, until the healing wave from the priest¡¯s hands had washed over his body. The wounds immediately disappeared, exposing injured skin through the holes in the clothes.
Nodding to the priest, the mage hastily stood up and raised his staff. The leader was clad in full steel armor like a main tank and in fact, had the same role, was already blocking the blades of the demon. The ranger, on the other hand, was aiming at a mosquito that was in the process of creating a firebomb. The following activation of skills was almost simultaneous, despite targeting different enemies.
¡°Guiding Arrow! Explosive Hit!¡±
¡°Stone shackles! Fire blast!¡±
The moment the arrow was shot from the bow, it turned into a glowing projectile. Piercing through the air, it suddenly made a sharp turn before aiming at the legs of the flying enemy. There, amid creation was a rotating sphere with a flame inside. The impact was devastating. Penetrating the firebomb, the second skill was triggered, causing an even bigger explosion. For a fraction of a second, the mosquito¡¯s figure was hidden under the veil of red. Only the inhuman scream was heard. However, just before it disappeared, its tone was changed into an angry one. And then the legless insect was already diving down with its lance aimed at the shooter.
¡°Shit!¡±
The effect of the mage¡¯s spells was not better. The moving stone surface managed to capture the legs of the ostrich, preventing it from repeating the jump. The following fire attack hurt it, blinding it, and allowing the leader to cut down the nimble and therefore dangerous tail with the usage of a skill. However, the demon recovered instantly, pecking the attacker. Only the deeply engraved fear had saved the warrior. Not wishing to risk, the leader wasn¡¯t trying to damage the creature no matter the cost. And that helped him to react in time, falling backward from the fright, so the lightning-fast strike had missed his face. Dropping on the back, and crawling in a shocked state, he woke up when he heard the scream.
¡°Save me!¡±
Turning his head to the side, the leader noticed how the mosquito¡¯s lance was stuck in the ranger¡¯s thigh, while the hellish demon tried to trash the man. The latter was barely holding. His knife on the belt was forgotten, and the archer was mindlessly trying to push the giant insect from himself just with bare hands. Obviously, it wasn¡¯t working, and his leg was slowly turning into pieces of meat.
¡°Move!¡±
The priest¡¯s shout finally pushed the leader into action. However, the healer was faster. Running to the captured ostrich, he was in the midst of a swing with a long staff. The sudden movement switched the demon¡¯s attention from the warrior to a new target, but the mage simply repeated the stone spell, stopping the attack. In the next moment, the tip-point of the wooden staff toughed the body of the hellish creature, flickering with yellow light.
¡°Paralyzing touch!¡±
The glow enveloped all its figures, halting it in a mid-strike. Raising his eyes, the priest only gulped looking at a frozen beak in mere centimeters from his face. However, he didn¡¯t have time to lazy around. Turning his head to the side, the priest immediately sprinted to the ranger. The leader¡¯s sword was already in motion, entering the flesh of the mosquito. Strengthened by the skill and improved attributes, the blade still barely managed to travel more than halfway through the tiny demon¡¯s body. Still, it was enough. The insect paused and finally gave the archer the ability to drop the ugly body from himself. The moment later he screamed from pain, observing his severed limb with a shock.
¡°Calm down! I can heal you! Take your bow ¨C the fight is not over!¡±
The command from the healer together with a warm wave eased his mind, and the ranger obeyed. Grabbing his dropped weapon and thanking his luck that it wasn¡¯t damaged, he pushed himself upwards. The periphery of his sight showed how both their warriors were fighting against the huge turtle. Maybe it was an exaggeration to call it a fight as it was more like a futile attempt to stop the armored vehicle with bare hands. Even their tank, whose body now looked like covered in huge stone armor, was on the verge of falling. No matter how tough she was, the demon was too powerful. The help of the leader didn¡¯t change the situation at all, as the man specialized in negotiations with NPC, and, despite the equipment of the knight, never had a combat power on par with others in the group.
¡°Oily ground! Fire Blast!¡±
The chains of spells creature a huge bonfire on the spot, where the ostrich was. Lighting the surroundings, created multiple shadows across the sandy surface from the fighting figures. And that was the trigger that ranger waited.
¡°Shadow arrow! Triple attack!¡±
The pitch-black pointy constructs emerged from the ground. Halting for the moment as if trying to show off, they shot forward with insane speed. Amid the flight their number magically increased amid, literally showering the ostrich with the rain of arrows. That appeared to be enough to finally kill the bird-like demon. Unfortunately, this time was also used by a turtle to grip the leader of the group with its tentacles and slam him into the ground. Fearing to hit their own man by accident, they lost precious time to stop the hellish creature. Only after a few strikes, did the turtle simply raise upwards and shove the yelling leader underneath it before dropping down. The sound abruptly disappeared as it was cut off.
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Even when the turtle was already dead, they found nothing, confirming that the man had already vanished after the death. That led to a long silence between the remaining members of the group. After so many floors they were not new to the death of friends or party mates, but this time it was intensified by the understanding that they would soon follow him. The first one to break the heavy atmosphere was the healer.
¡°I know how it looks¡ My mana will not regenerate fully between the fights. We¡¯ve lost our leader. And the next fights will not be any easier. Still, we are not dead yet. So, brace yourself, and let¡¯s go. We will find the altar to finish the mission of the floor, and everything will end.¡±
¡°I am not sure about that,¡± the ranger sighed, looking at the dented remnants of the tank¡¯s shield and signs of chewing on the helmet that tore the visor, opening a view on the young girl.
¡°I agree¡ It doesn¡¯t look good for us. But what choice do we have? Or do you want to obediently lay down and wait for your death?¡± The mage interfered, stopping the archer from continuing his thought.
¡°Frankly speaking, it¡¯s not even the worst situation I was in,¡± the priest sighed. Catching the surprised glances from the rest, he explained, ¡°As you remember, there was a floor with a massive battle¡ Forgot the number. It was an introduction to the Dark God¡¯s generals. There were several different variants of this mission. The siege of the mountain fortress by ogres. The forest battle in the woods between orcs and elves. Maybe more, but it was what I heard from you. I was in the besieged city against the horde of the undead.¡±
¡°Someone mentioned that the last part was broken, but didn¡¯t go into details,¡± the tanks spoke, thinking aloud.
¡°Yes. Broken ¨C is a perfect definition. We retreated to the last keep in the center of the city and waited for the mages to build a portal to escape. The mission was just to hold. The undead were calmly waiting outside as if giving time for the Archi-Lich to come and showcase its might. However, there was another¡ boss? Mob? Enemy? I don¡¯t know who he was. Clad in armor, he slowly walked to the front gates, ignoring literally the ocean of spells and arrows from the walls like they were nothing. And then he attacked¡ I don¡¯t know what he did, but the whole keep simply broke apart¡ I was saved by the System itself, forcefully teleported to the next stage. But my team and many others were not so lucky.¡±
¡°And what is the point of this story? We all lost our friends in this damned place,¡± the ranger asked.
¡°The point in an overwhelming feeling of fear, when the floor under your feet starts to crumble and then you fall down, together with stone debris only to be frozen in a second¡ You can¡¯t move at all, but you can see everything around you in the same frozen state. To see how the huge stone fragment is crushing the head of your friend, who boasted that his spell would kill the overconfident enemy. To see smashed parts of others, who were already dead by this point. To see the blood drops from your own wound only to notice that your legs are completely gone. To see the Death herself is already preparing a grave for you, and you don¡¯t have an option to say no. Only patiently wait for it. For this decided outcome. That experience broke something in me, changing me forever¡ However, right now this situation is not the same. We have a way out, and I don¡¯t want to lose it. So, let¡¯s fucking go!¡±
The ending shout of the priest caused an adrenaline injection into everyone. Silently nodding, they hastily started to move through the haze. Surprisingly, the next fight went much easier. Maybe it was because everyone didn¡¯t hold back, pushing themselves to the limits. Maybe it was the combination of the enemies, which made it easier. The coordination between their attacks appeared to be so smooth and seamless that the demons didn¡¯t stand a chance. It didn¡¯t mean that there were no wounds ¨C the healer had to restore the mage ¨C but it did look like they had a chance.
The confirmation of it only strengthened when the group saw the flickering blue light that penetrated the thick haze. The raised mood could be seen not only in the wide smiles on their faces but also in every action they made. Each of them seemed to get a second breath, gaining the energy to move forward. However, it led only to a bigger blow, when they finally approached the altar¡ Or better to say, the area around.
¡°What the hell is that?¡±
¡°A hell?¡±
¡°I know that we are in hell, but what is that? How the fuck we are going to get our blessing?¡±
The ranger¡¯s shout resounded through the surroundings, but nobody cared. Their eyes glued to the transparent dome around the altar, they were speechless. The group was waiting for the guardians to fight, but the picture in front of them was way beyond anything reasonable. There were so many demons that the area looked like a jar filled with hellish creatures. Cramped over each other, they were barely able to move. That didn¡¯t affect their aggressive nature, but in such a tight space and under the invisible protective shield they couldn¡¯t do much.
¡°Maybe there is a gap somewhere from the other side?¡±
Even the mage himself knew how na?ve his question was. The demons were stuck on top of each other, easily reaching five-story height. The whole area wasn¡¯t big enough to believe in such options, but the demon¡¯s bodies obstructed the sight, giving them a tiny hope.
¡°Let¡¯s pray that there is,¡± the priest sighed, leading the group further. Their walk wasn¡¯t long and came to an abrupt stop in half a minute when they noticed the process of enemy spawning, ¡°What? We have the time!¡±
However, the more demons started to appear around them, the more startled they became. The reason was because of two facts ¨C the enemies immediately charged forward, without even looking into them, and part of them emerged inside the dome, joining other prisoners. Only a few more steps forward dispersed the mist in front of them, finally opening a view of a potential cause of the whole situation.
Mysterious Uprising Demon, CP 525
The bulky and tall humanoid figure, partly clad in dark green armor, was simply tearing the demons apart. The very same hellish creatures that posed a huge danger to the tired group were barely able to react before they were killed by a silent giant. The lightning-fast dive of the mosquito was intercepted in midair when the mysterious demon grabbed the lance with his bare hand. In the next moment, the demon was crushed into the dome, before falling down limply. The following stomp of a metal boot cracked its head in one hit.
The others were not better. The ostrich¡¯s jump had ended with a shot of energy that made a hole inside the bird-like creature. Side-stepping from the falling body, the unknown summoned a huge mace before planting it into the face of a lion. The latter immediately tried to bite off the weapon only to get a flash of light inside the closed maw. After a short spasm, the hellish creature dropped to the ground before vanishing in a few seconds.
Even when the demons managed to hit their possible mysterious relative, it left only a tiny scratch as if they failed to penetrate the tough skin of the human-like figure. That couldn¡¯t be said about the turtle¡¯s shell, which was broken in a few hits of odd pickaxe. By this point, the tentacles were already severed with simple, but simultaneously well-timed swings. Watching it from the side, it almost looked like it was an insanely training fight, where both parties knew their moves, and only wished to showcase a perfect choreography. The dodges of the Mysterious Demon were so close to his body, while the steel that protected him appeared in a fraction of a second before the hit, almost looking like an inbuilt automotive ability to shield itself.
The battle was so mesmerizing that the whole group failed to notice when the figure had dealt with the demons around and turned his attention to them. Being observed by the silent murderous killer directly from hell wasn¡¯t a pleasant experience. Especially, when the same unknown suddenly summoned a futuristic gun before pointing at them. A moment later the projectile pierced the air, flying between them before killing the demon behind their back. However, two more appeared in front of them, signaling that it was their time to meet the wave. Still, there was only one thought in the priest¡¯s mind, when it finally found a reference inside his memories.
¡°RUN! It¡¯s him! Run!¡±
He was the first one to sprint away. The others followed immediately, accelerated by the ongoing fight between the Mysterious Demon and the newly spawned creature, which looked like a bull with multiple spiked tails. Their crash even sounded powerful as if both enemies couldn¡¯t overpower each of from the initial clash, getting stuck in a contest of strength.
The group¡¯s run wasn¡¯t long, and they almost lost each other in the haze, but their unwillingness to be left alone in this demonic land worked as the compass, gluing them together. Still, after coming back to his senses, the priest didn¡¯t fail to notice the strange expression on their tank¡¯s face. The girl¡¯s visor was damaged long before, opening a view of the young and pretty face. And that face had a mixture of confusion and awe on it.
¡°What had happened? What did you see?¡±
¡°I am not sure¡ But I was last to run, so I saw how that demon¡ man¡ deliberately unsummoned the front part of his helmet for a few seconds. He definitely looked like an ordinary human. And he winked at me before smiling and sending me an air kiss.¡±
Chapter 109 (3-21)
Watching how the group of challengers had run into the haze with scared yells, Robert switched his attention to the newly appeared creature. The demon looked like a bull with multiple spiked tails and a sick love of training under steroids. The muscles of the hellish animal were so huge and defined that it seemed that its dark red skin was paper thin. The toothy maw of the demonic cow, on the other hand, was anything special, being like a default setting for the habitants of this artificial realm.
And it wasn¡¯t the first time Rob met this enemy, so he didn¡¯t need to observe anything. On the contrary, he simply stood in the place, waiting to meet the creature head-on. The conjured shield in front of him under the increase of the weight created a real wall. The wall, shook a moment later when the bull¡¯s body smashed into it. The creature roared with anger, unable to move the obstacle, and pushed once more. Rob only added even more steel to counter it, focusing on his senses. The instant the push decreased its intensity as if the enemy was preparing for the next strike, Robert acted.
Quickly dispersing the steel, he gripped the horny head of the bull before twisting it to the side. Summoning the construct to power his move with the strength of gravity, he dropped the giant demon to the ground before planting the knee right into the neck of the creature. The conjured spike was already there, ready to penetrate the weak spot of the enemy. And the moment it entered the flesh of the bull, it vanished, being replaced by a devastating blast of energy. The second later, after the final convulsion, the demon froze forever.
Standing up and looking in the direction where the challengers disappeared, Rob recalled the face of the girl he saw. She wasn¡¯t mouth-opening beautiful. More like cute, despite being dressed in full plate armor with multiple scratches and dents. Not some kind of fantasy one with an armored bra, but a real breastplate that hid any signs of the gender, leaving only the face visible. Young, it was covered with sweat and had no make-up, boasting only with youth. Still, it was enough for him to push his imagination in an odd direction, taking into account where he currently was.
Yep, forceful celibacy is awful. And even you can¡¯t ruin this sudden boner.
Turning to the dome, filled with ugly demonic creatures, Robert sincerely sighed. The inappropriate reaction to just meeting a pretty girl was quite shocking, literally shouting that something was going bad in his life. That only intensified the desire to get out of the Tower and to travel to the normal realm with the possibility of having an everyday shower, a proper bed, and maybe even a chance to meet a girl. Or two. Rob wasn¡¯t going for any serious relationship after Beth, but if the girl didn¡¯t mind having just sex without any obligations, it would be perfect for him. No matter how broken or murderous he had become, the agreement from the other side was a must.
So, let¡¯s quicken it then. I think there is no place left for newcomers. Yes, let¡¯s do it now!
Deciding that it was time, Rob hastily repeated his process of climbing, using a ladder. Reaching the top, he grabbed an invisible edge and made a few hooks to keep him there without the need to use his hands. Doing it, his mind was occupied by going through his plan and checking if everything was ready. Despite having spare experience points, Robert used them only on Toughness. To his utter disappointment, the System had a hidden limit in attribute ¨C exactly 100 points ¨C after which it just refused to improve it. Such stat allocation still raised his CP to the 175 but nowhere near the aimed number. However, this fact was going to change soon.
Glancing at the tightly fitted horde of demons that were constantly roaring, growling, and hissing, Robert only smiled. Adjusting his position for better holding, he started to conjure. His weapon of choice looked like a replica of a huge anti-tank missile launcher. Made from steel, it carried only a remote resemblance to the real military gear. Not that it mattered much as there was no difference in what form to turn into an energy strike. However, Rob only started to get the feeling of control over the raging mana, so such pointy constructs helped him to aim properly. And this type had enough volume to create a really big ball.
The moment later he felt a backlash washing over his body as if each of his pain receptors were triggered simultaneously. The uncomfortable sensation disappeared in a second, but at this point, Robert was quite acquainted with it. Instead, all his attention was focused on the projectile. The latter was already flying forward, almost immediately hiding between the bodies of the demons. Or better to say ¨C inside the bodies. The glowing white ball pierced their flesh, bone, and meat as a hot knife through butter, not noticing any resistance. It felt like there was no difference between air and the demons.
Traveling through the whole area, the projectile reached the other side of the invisible shield only to bounce back without any loss of energy. Reflecting under the angle, it changed its trajectory and penetrated several more enemies before finally using all charge and vanishing from existence together with the corpses of already dead demons. However, the new one was already repeating the process, this time choosing a slightly different route. As if understanding an unavoidable outcome, the hellish horde produced a blood-curdling scream. It was so loud and deafening that Rob had to create earplugs just to endure it¡ before proceeding to shoot more projectiles.
Now this is what I call farming!
The aftermath of the multiple-skill usage started to accumulate, but Robert never stopped, watching how the number of demons was quickly decreasing. Not every ball managed to kill its target. Still, the wounded were not safe inside such an environment as in an attempt to protect themselves from the barrage of the attacks, demons started to use their own magical skills, producing even more chaos. The ostrich¡¯s jumps, the mosquito¡¯s firebombs, the wild swing of the turtle ¨C everything only added more casualties, making Rob¡¯s smile wider.
The scene reminded him of his own experience of using the machine gun inside the trench. Not the whole situation, when the beastfolks started to return fire, but the first seconds where he could literally send a rain of bullets against the enemies without any worries. Almost, as the constant damage to his body started to take its toll, making him prolong the pauses between the shoots. Still, the anxiety waiting of for the System¡¯s answer to his cheating made Robert endure the pain, conjuring the energy attacks one after another.
He didn¡¯t know how long it lasted as the concept of time had completely vanished from his mind, leaving only the concentration on the collapsing matter that had to be turned into a sphere of devastating energy before flying into the nearest demon. There was a stream of blood coming from his nostrils in the background, but his tunneled vision barely registered anything. He even ignored the hundreds of notifications with experience gained, not wishing to be distracted and to lose his best shot to get the needed number. Something deep inside him knew that there would be a problem. A mishap. A true confirmation of his surname ¨C Flop ¨C would ruin everything, so he had to use the moment to fullness. And Robert was right about it but was mistaken about the source. It wasn¡¯t the System, but him.
Stolen novel; please report.
As more shots were made, the densely packed horde of the demons started to drop their level inside an improvised jar, so Rob had to lower the aim. One of the sent projectiles bounced back on an unexpected angle, heading directly to the center of the area where the altar was located. Precisely speaking, it went slightly above it, meeting with the floating ball of bluish light in the process. The following explosion was instantaneous, evaporating everything inside the transparent dome.
For Robert, it happened so suddenly that his mind failed to register it properly. One moment he was concentrating on the creation, while in the next the blinding light enveloped the surroundings. It was so intense that the sensation of his own flight caught up with him after a noticeable delay. The impact almost sent him into the darkness when his unprepared body crashed into the surface. The sand partly decreased the force of the hit, but not to the level that he could simply shrug it off. In fact, it took a whole five minutes to gather his thoughts through the overwhelming pain that was spread across his beaten-up body.
What the fuck had just happened?
A single glance towards the area with the previously located altar was enough to understand the situation. The deep crater instead of the magic place was quite self-explanatory. Another was a blinking notification that tried to hammer inside his mind with bloody red letters. However, Rob was neither in the mood nor in the state to read attentively. Spending a fraction of a second to catch such words as a ¡°guardian of the portal¡±, ¡°final challenge¡± and ¡°punishment from Hell¡±, he dismissed the text before dropping down to the ground.
Surprisingly, the tough surface felt like a perfect bed. Maybe it was because his body made an anatomic deepening, comfortably hugging his back, not even missing a single spot. Or maybe it was because he felt like after the first marathon in life with no prior experience in running that was immediately celebrated by a party with barrels of alcohol, so now he had to endure both hangovers with a sore body. Rob didn¡¯t have any broken bones or opened wounds. Instead, backlash and shockwave seemed to turn his viscera into pulp. Of course, it was only a sensation and not a real thing. In another case, he would be already dead.
Still, I feel like a shit. And not an ordinary shit but from diarrhea¡ From boner to this ¨C what a wonderful day.
The popping-up notification reminded him about the timer until the final battle, but Rob simply lay there. Focusing on his mana, he tried to push it, attempting to create a flow inside his body, so it would heal further. It wasn¡¯t going well, but still eased the feeling of pain. Five minutes before the end of the countdown he finally remembered about the experience points. The short checkup told him that he had a lot. Really a lot.
Unfortunately, having another fight in mere minutes, Robert wasn¡¯t going to risk. Therefore, spending another second on looking at his easy way to a pretty appearance, he crossed out it with a mental sigh. The same went with Wisdom, as unknown properties were not something he wanted to bet on in current circumstances. Then he started his allocation. Not having enough time to find a perfect balance, Rob just maxed Intelligence and Reaction, adjusted Coordination and Perception, while dumping the rest into Strength.
Robert Flop (Mysterious Uprising Demon)
Combat Power: 250
Experience: unavailable
Mana: -/- [+5 mana per second]
Title: The Transcendent Tower¡¯s Guardian
Class: Transcendent
Might - 65 [STR 99, SPD 96, END -]
Agility - 52 [CRD 50, FLXB 6, RCT 100]
Body ¨C 50 [VIT -, TOU 100]
Mind ¨C 55 [PRC 52, INT 100, WIS 13]
Magic - 0 [PWR -, SPRT -]
Personality - 8 [CHA 7, CUNN 9]
Skills (2/2):
- Master of Steel [Rank 1 MAX]
- Energy Burst [Rank 1 MAX]
This time Robert felt a surge in power. It was almost like an electric shock that shook him from the inside, connecting him to the pipe with flowing energy that started to fuel every single cell. For a moment he was lost in this hurricane, completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of everything that was coming into him. As if there were more oxygen in the air, more mana from Aether, more information from the surroundings, and more blood inside his veins. This sensation almost flooded his mind, halting all processes until he could grasp the control again. Moreover, there was another bonus of it.
Healing from level-up! Oh yeah! Finally a cheat! So, where is my achievement for surviving with 1% of my life? Okay, okay it wasn¡¯t really a 1 %, but without a health bar how do you know?
The warm wave that washed over his body felt like a gentle breeze, giving a sensation of comfort, calmness, and happiness, instantly raised his mood. The moment later Rob followed an example, jumping on his feet and heading towards the apocalyptic consequences of his shooting from the cheating spot. Smiling and whistling, he was curious to see everything in detail. However, an attempt to dive into the crater was stopped by the invisible wall. Having no visible marks from the destructive explosion, it gave a small understanding of how strong it was if Rob, even after all his improvements, couldn¡¯t deal with just a part of the shockwave.
Knocking on the surface of the force shield and feeling the same repulsion, Robert smiled wryly, inwardly thanking his dumb luck. Checking his surroundings, he leaned on the protective layer, patiently waiting for the fight. When the countdown decreased to one minute, Rob felt the tremble. Constantly growing in power, it soon turned into a real earthquake, with the epicenter inside the transparent dome. Soon he knew why.
An enormous, clawed palm ripped the surface from beneath, creating a torrent of flame. The second followed in a few breaths, before the owner started to unbury himself, slowly showing its own giant body. Sending dust and pieces of sand into the air, it managed to cover itself from the curious look of Rob. And when the natural veil only started to fall, the invisible shield suddenly disappeared with a loud pop. An air burst pushed Robert backward, clearly trying to throw him into flight, but he was faster, conjuring a heavy shield to stay in his place. That obstructed his sight, so the creature managed to rise to full height.
The tall figure with three suns behind created a formless silhouette with no details. Squinting his eyes, Rob tried to see the details, but apart from the humanoid-like figure he couldn¡¯t tell much. Not that it bothered him at all. Widely grinning in anticipation after checking the name of the enemy that sounded like a ¡°Primordial Demonic Behemoth¡± and its one thousand points in Combat Power, Robert had a simple thought.
That would be a real challenge. Nice! So, Rob against a giant fucker. Round 1¡ Wait, wait, wait, it¡¯s 2. Does the giant lizard count towards this number or not? Technically, it was also a giant fucker¡ Wait, nope. It could be female, so it¡¯s sexism to call it a fucker. However, the lizard is not a human¡ For the fuck¡¯s sake, go!
Chapter 110 (3-22)
The thunderous roar spread across the demonic land, signifying the appearance of the grand beast. Deafening, it was an attack by itself just from the sheer volume, threatening to hurt not only eardrums but shook a brain with a sound blast. Moreover, it seemed to have something more inside, almost as if the sound was imbued with hellish energy. It tried to terrify, gripping the very soul of anyone, who was unlucky enough to be present. To inflict fear deep inside the body, so it would be paralyzed until it was too late. To send the message that any resistance was futile while being nothing more than a greeting from the horrifying demon.
Well, it seems I need bigger earplugs¡
Looking at the enormous figure of the Behemoth, Robert tried to evaluate its power, but its appearance only indicated a huge physical strength. The towering demonical creature had a form of a gym-trained bear, who neglected leg¡¯s days. Dark red fur, giant front human-like arms with long claws, muscled torso, and unproportionally small lower limbs. The head of the final opponent on this floor had a resemblance to the alligator. Protruding, with a huge maw and visible row of teeth, it had tiny dark purple eyes, which were even hard to notice at once. And there was a spiked tail. Heavy, thick as a hundred-year tree, it was lying on the ground almost like to be an additional limb for the Behemoth.
Standing in front of this walking demonic mountain, Robert locked eyes with it. For a moment there was a silent confrontation between gazes. Both parties simply watched each other, testing the resolve of the opposite side. Rob even felt there was more intelligence in this creature in comparison with any other monsters that were made by the Tower¡¯s administrator. And there was hatred. He didn¡¯t know how he could see it in the ugly face of basically a demon, but Rob was sure that it wasn¡¯t just rage or anger. Not, it was a pure hatred with a sincere desire to tear him apart.
¡°Hey, System, is it you?¡±
Another roar resounded through the surroundings. This time even the haze was blown away, being wiped from existence with a sound wave. It created a huge empty area around them, with an occupied by the Behemoth crater in the center of it. As if it was a battle arena for the upcoming boss fight. Technically, indeed it was. However, this thought only flashed through Rob¡¯s mind only to disappear without a trace, when he noticed a real torrent of flying drool and even had to dodge quite a few drops himself.
¡°Hey, that¡¯s rude!¡±
The black liquid immediately started to melt the sand and stoney surface, attracting Robert¡¯s attention. Such distraction almost caused his death, when the Behemoth lunged himself forward, accelerating surprisingly fast for so gigantic body. Rob had only a fraction of a second to react. Fortunately for him, the improvement in his Stats gave him the ability to use the time properly.
Bracing himself, he hastily stepped to the side and instantly ducked down, pushing his own body right between the claws of the huge beast. He even felt how the airflow from the powerful swing tried to throw him backward, so close it was. Continuing his motion, he conjured a spear before planting it into the enemy¡¯s leg. The speed of his thrust together with a quickly approaching limb made the hit with a heavy weapon quite devastating¡ for Robert as it was him who was thrown away from the impact.
Noting with an odd calmness amidst a flight how his thick spear was dented, while there were barely any signs of the wound on the furred leg, Rob cursed the System. The landing wasn¡¯t graceful in the slightest. Still, the fall turned into a roll under inertia, which helped him to catch his balance and push him upwards. In the next moment, Robert dropped to the ground again, basically kissing the sand just to avoid meeting with a set of long claws that were easily half of his size each.
Rolling again and turning on his back, he gripped the clawed limb that flew above his body. The pull was so strong that Rob almost fell down from the enormous palm that was accelerating like a racing bolide. Only adding a steel construct to hold himself on his spot saved him. Stabilizing his position, he only thought about creating a weapon when he felt how everything had stopped. Raising his eyes, Robert met the gaze of Behemoth. Seeing a clearly mocking expression on the demonic alligator¡¯s face, Rob hastily dispersed his steel, already feeling how the arm started to raise. In the next moment, the limb crashed onto the surface, creating a huge pit in the process. Luckily, Rob was not there.
Jumping from the creature, he conjured a huge axe, adding the weight amid the powerful overhead swing. Aiming at the second palm, Robert pushed even more steel into his weapon, making it gigantic. This time there was a reaction. The impact from the heavy-bladed axe crushed the bones inside the clawed pawn, causing a horribly loud painful groan from the beast. However, despite it, the demon still managed to catch Rob in its grip as he literally landed in the wounded palm. Squeezing him with insane might, while ignoring the injury, Behemoth attempted simply to squash him like a bug.
An instant later the steel was already fighting against the muscles of the huge demon. Additionally covering the limb, restricted the motion of the limb before the mental command followed. The sudden collapse of the conjured matter created a huge ball of energy. This time Robert¡¯s mind was concentrated not on the control, but on the opposite, destabilizing the sphere as much as he could. Therefore, instead of a directed projectile, an unfocused destructive blast appeared.
Exploding right in the center of the wound, it simply tore the palm into parts, sending Rob into the flight together with remnants of flesh, bone, and blood. Conjuring huge wings behind his back to kill the inertia, he dispersed them before the landing. The moment later he was already launching himself forward, not wishing to give any opportunity for the demon to grab the initiative. And that was what the beast was aiming for. Pausing for a second as if inhaling, Behemoth opened its maw.
The stream of concentrated flame emerged from it, aiming to turn Robert into ashes. Having a mixture of red and purple, it looked more like a beam from the laser that connected two points with a constant flow of destruction. And Rob didn¡¯t want to test the boundaries of its devastating properties. Shoving the painful sensation from the skill usage to the background of his mind, he conjured two pillars underneath his feet. The sudden appearance of constructs catapulted him into the air, helping to avoid the fire attack.
Not having time to check the consequences of the beast¡¯s ability, Rob still was quite sure that he would melt under the effect of this flame. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t afford any mistakes. Creating a new pair of wings, he made a sharp turn before dropping to the ground. The instant he touched the surface, Robert charged forward, squeezing everything from his muscles. All his plans to keep the distance had already died, while his inability to damage the beast with anything, apart from ¡°Energy Blast¡± narrowed possible options.
Creating a steel flare gun, Robert hastily made a shot. Despite the absence of the proper aim, Behemoth¡¯s head was too gigantic to miss. Moreover, when his target was even moving towards the projectile. A moment later a white ball, filled with energy, penetrated the protruding teeth of the giant before hiding inside its enormous maw. The following thunderous scream stopped the beam, allowing Rob to attack the knee of the distracted hellish creature. Jumping into the air, he simply hugged it only to cover the fur with steel. A new unfocused blast shook the huge demon.
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Clumsily dropping backward, Robert had to roll to the side to avoid being crushed with the wounded knee. He still managed to catch a glimpse of the bone but taking into account how the creature wanted to use its leg right after the injury, it seemed the damage wasn¡¯t enough to seriously hurt Behemoth. Not that Rob had any opportunity to aim at a weak spot when any direct hit would end him immediately. Therefore, he could only react to the danger, following the flow of the fight before striking again.
Another roll brought him under the demon. Shooting once again, Rob had to retreat towards the tail when the beast tried to capture him with its paw. This was the moment when he realized the absurd level of regeneration that the enemy posed. There were barely any signs of the previous explosion on the clawed limb, and only by the gaps in the fur, he understood that it was exactly the same paw. It seemed Behemoth didn¡¯t have many abilities, except a tremendous physique, fast recovery rate, and fire breath. However, that appeared to be enough to corner Robert.
In his case and in the current moment quite literally. Founding himself right near the beginning of the tail under the huge butt of the demonic beast, Robert only started to think about how to act in these conditions and what he could use to defeat the enemy when the traces of something awful happened to stroke his mind. Behemoth did the simplest thing the creature could in the situation where its nimble opponent was underneath his gigantic body. He tried to sit. And taking into account its size and quickness of the motions, Rob had no chance to avoid being crushed.
In full panic mode, his mind turned the flow of the time into a crawl, stretching even the tiniest fraction of a second into a long period. Everything to find the solution before he died. The first one to go was an idea to jump or to use the pillars to push himself out of the range. There was no way he would be fast enough. The second disregarded idea was to shield himself. Rob couldn¡¯t know the precise weight of the creature, but he could bet it would be tens of tons without a doubt. And the demonic creature could move with ease, despite it. Therefore, it left him with one option ¨C to attempt to counter it with an unfocused energy blast, which even sounded like pure madness from despair.
Or¡ shit¡ Why, System? Why did you create it?... Oh, I¡¯m going to regret it even if I live¡
Searching for his target, Robert mentally sighed before making a long step and creating a steel conical cover around his body. Pushing more matter into his construct, he smoothed the surface and made it to hug his body from all sides. Then Rob braced himself before the impact. Enveloped in darkness, he additionally held his breath. A moment later the enormous butt slammed into the ground, causing multiple cracks on the stone surface and a real shockwave that sent sand everywhere. It hid the place of the crash under the raised veil. However, the next instant a shrilling scream resounded across the area. Filled with pain, it had a mixture of resentment added on top, as if the demonic beast could decide what to feel.
Yeah, Dildo of Consequences rarely comes lubricated¡
Tightly hugged by the dented steel, while constantly keeping its shape, Robert was no less lost in his emotions than Behemoth. Voluntarily becoming the very same Dildo not in a metaphorical sense was quite an experience that he wouldn¡¯t ever want to repeat. Rob knew that the creature was created just a mere minute ago, and wasn¡¯t alive truthfully, being just a construct of the System, made for a single purpose. Yet he still felt dirty. And that caused a wave of rage, overwhelming and unstoppable.
He didn¡¯t know who was roaring at that moment ¨C the hellish guardian or himself. The anger flooded his mind, searching for any gap to find a way out. Such a hole soon appeared in the form of an ¡°Energy Blast¡±. Focusing on all the steel he could conjure, Robert mentally pushed it outwards, suddenly expanding the size of the construct that was stuck in the demon¡¯s body. The following cry of pain went unnoticed. Rob only noted how chaotically he was moving in the space, but he didn¡¯t care, concentrating on using his skill.
Creating a huge bulb over his head, he gripped the steel with his mind. This was the first time when he noticed the effect of increased Intelligence. The collapse of the metal right where he wanted, cutting off the part of his protective layer, but not making a hole. Improved Perception helped him to notice everything in detail. Moreover, acting on instinct, Robert directed it, accelerating the parts that had a clear delay in reaction, while slowing those that were too quick. That led to an almost perfect sphere of blackness. Tiny, barely sensible, it was smaller than a grain. And still, it contained an enormous amount of energy.
The conversion into a white ball also went under his control. It felt like he was a conductor. Each of his ¡°musicians¡± knew their play, but he was the one to direct the flow of sound, or in his case, the energy. That was a wonderful feeling, comparable to riding on top of a giant wave. Or balancing on the cord over the abyss as if he was a tightrope walker. Even the smallest mistake could lead to dire consequences, and it was his responsibility to avoid any. The energy was obedient like never before, following his will without any delays or resistance.
Therefore, the conjured white ball, despite the visual similarity with previous ones, was much more concentrated. Not there was any ability for Robert to see his situation, being deep inside the body of the demon. On the other hand, his senses not only were telling him that the sphere was much more solid but also there was barely any backlash after creating it. However, Rob just noted the fact absentmindedly before proceeding with shooting. Aiming vertically up, he sent the projectile and started to create another one.
The demon¡¯s body shook a moment later. The multiple spasmatic waves washed over it, causing a real tremble. The pitiful scream that Rob heard carried only traces of the previously horrifying roar. Another explosion from inside when Robert triggered an unfocused blast made Behemoth go silent. Then he felt how the surroundings started to fall, followed by the heavy slam on the ground. Not wishing to risk, Rob just repeated his spread attack, blowing up another part of the fallen body. There was no reaction this time, so he finally decided to get out.
Unsummoning the protective layer around his face, Robert saw the huge hole in the middle of a horrible mixture of flesh, fur, and viscera. Hastily walking from the corpse of the demon, he distanced himself before looking at himself. The fear of being covered in filth and shit partly came true ¨C he was indeed in blood, but nothing else. Sighing with relief, Rob decided to check the enemy. The gigantic beast was in a pathetic state, having a part of its belly and butt missing. He could even some of the inner organs with different levels of damage. And despite that, Behemoth was alive as there was no notification from the System.
Tough asshole! I wonder if I could severely wound him without getting into it¡
Walking around the fallen beast, Robert tried to gauge the damage he had done, while cursing the regenerative abilities of the giant. It wasn¡¯t to the point to put it back on its feet in mere seconds, but Rob was sure that he had no more than a few minutes before Behemoth would rise, even angrier than ever before. And from what he had noticed, the destruction of the heart had no effect on the demon. At least nothing could be functional in the mess that was left after two inner explosions.
So, it has to be a head¡ Oh, crap!
Abruptly dropping backward, Rob barely missed the beam of energy that was created by a lying Behemoth. Flowing in less than a palm distance from his face, it sent a wave of heat at him. Turning around, he saw that the maw of the motionless demon was directed right at him. The hellish beast didn¡¯t even need to do anything as Robert almost walked towards the laser all by himself because he thought there was no threat until the enemy healed back.
The single visible tiny eye was still looking at him with hatred. And when their gazes met again, it seemed to add more strength to the injured demon. The following tremble of the huge body for a long moment felt like Behemoth would raise¡ but no. The impulse had died a few breaths later, taking the remnants of the energy from the hellish creature. It still pushed the beam to the side, just barely missing from burning Rob. Only hastily made roll saved him from being toasted. However, the steel that he used to add a push to his dodge was melted in a fraction of a second, sending shivers across Robert¡¯s spine.
Yep, let¡¯s play it safe. I can shoot from behind with projectiles. Yep, let¡¯s do it. Not coming closer to this thing.
Chapter 111 (3-23)
The ending of the hellish stage went plain and uneventful. Even the congratulations from the System looked forced and non-informative. There was no reward for finishing the floor. There was no loot from the giant body. No new skills, no bonus experience, nothing. Everything was like before with such a greedy System. Still, Rob wasn¡¯t dissatisfied with the outcome as the mere fact that he could end his staying in empty demonic land was a reward in itself. Moreover, his mood was already quite high after dealing with Behemoth, despite the needed time to do it. Or maybe because of it.
The System tried its best to create a really powerful foe. Exchanging the variety of skills for the insane toughness of the beast, created a walking tank the size of a mountain that could withstand insane levels of damage. By the moment he was almost finished killing it, the creature had lost half of its skull and still was alive. Robert had to evaporate every single piece of its brain to finally get the notification. Heavily breathing, he stood motionlessly for a few minutes just more until he could say he felt better.
Despite the improvement in control of ¡°Energy Blast¡± that lessened the toll on him, and Rob¡¯s heightened level of regeneration, the hundreds of projectiles stressed his body quite strongly. In the end, it turned into mechanical actions without any thoughts and no pauses, as Behemoth was recovering at an unpleasantly fast rate. So, his self-feeling of being a squeezed lemon was fully justified. Fortunately, the portal that appeared in front of him didn¡¯t demand any immediate action, giving him time to gather his thoughts after the short break.
The silence together with the absence of any rush, danger, or need to do anything felt surprisingly disturbing. From the moment Robert got into the Tower, he was always on timer or on the move. The cycles of the challenger¡¯s appearance, the unclear goal of contribution during the siege, the Hell with draining haze and constant fighting ¨C just about every single thing pushed him into action. Therefore, Rob forced himself to simply lie calmly just to release the accumulated pressure. At least a part of it.
The first thirty minutes were the hardest. Every cell in his body tried to make to get up and do something. They all shouted that there was a danger, constantly sending signals to his nervous system to be alert. His improved Perception wasn¡¯t helping too. Even not sensing anything near, his mind was constantly whispering that if couldn¡¯t hear anything it didn¡¯t mean there was nothing. And only after the next half an hour, Rob started to relax. It could be his recovery that fixed his body. Or the disappearance of the conditions set by the System that helped to ignore the need for sleep or nutrition. Or he just reached his limit. The darkness enveloped him, pulling him into the realm of dreams.
The wake-up was abrupt. It felt like someone pushed the button, activating him back. Still, Robert felt as if he was full of energy. He could say perfectly well but taking into account his look of the beggar directly from the nearest dump, he wasn¡¯t so sure. However, that led him to clean himself. Using the sand to wipe the most disgusting spots as if he was rubbing not his own skin, Rob conjured steel on top of it. Pushing from the surface of his body, he almost recreated his shaving technique which made him bald. Only after such refreshment, Robert turned his attention to the floating portal.
The thing looked like a flat mirror with a twisted image instead of a proper reflection that was constantly turned towards him, no matter how he circled around the transportation object. A tiny bluish halo encircled it from all sides, looking similar to a dancing flame, but without any heat radiating from it. Nothing indicated what was waiting for him from the other side. The System also didn¡¯t explain what to expect, finishing its last notification with a ¡°Please, proceed to the next stage¡±. So, Robert just did what he was asked for, stepping inside the portal.
The transition was instantaneous like before. However, he was still momentarily startled by the scene in front of his eyes. A pretentiously decorated hall with an insanely high ceiling that could fit a middle-sized building with ease. A marble floor with golden veins inside formed a complex pattern right under Rob¡¯s feet. Each of the lines was connected to its counterpart, creating a real image from what appeared to be random marks, made by nature. The wall, on the other hand, had grandeur pictures, painted right on them. Showing epic images from never-existed battles, they were almost like competing with each other in an attempt to capture the imagination of the observer in this contest for attention.
The light was coming from narrow in comparison to their height windows. It was so bright, but stable and constant that it created a feeling that there was nothing else there, outside of this place. As if the outer world consisted only of the pure light. Taking into account that Rob was currently in the Tower, he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it was true. Still, the very same light not only obstructed the view from the other side of the glass but also had another odd property. It was equally spread everywhere, even in far corners. There was literally not a single shade in the hall. On the other hand, it gave Robert the ability to see others in detail.
Apart from him, there were five more figures. Four of them together with Rob were standing in a semicircle. Each of them had a contrasting appearance, differing one from another as if they were trying to show off their uniqueness. The frozen time allowed him to observe them by turning his head. It didn¡¯t give a good angle for view, but he had no choice ¨C Rob¡¯s feet seemed to be glued on contrary to the siege stage. Still, just from the nearest tall creature, as he couldn¡¯t name it neither human nor beast, Robert understood what he was seeing.
Generals¡ They are generals of the main boss. The so-called Overlord. And I am one of them¡
The familiar Archi-Lich was standing beside him, not having changed in the slightest. Even the clothes were the same as if the System was too lazy to create more outfits for foes. On the other hand, its imagination wasn¡¯t any better. Orc¡¯s warlord with bloody red tattoos all over dark green skin was to the right of the undead. Half-naked, with only a leather skirt covering his groin, he was boasting with oversized muscles. A pair of short axes with thick blades were hanging from his belt, while its owner was grinning with a toothy smile. Two protruding canines from the lower jaw carried traces of battles, having several marks and a broken tip of one of them. His only black hair was tied in a pigtail with bone hairpins, opening a view of the long ears.
The other two were no less imposing. The giant ogre in a full knight¡¯s armor and enormous spiked mace. Over three meters tall (around 10 ft.), it had a big belly, unproportionally long arms, and quite short legs. The latter were still thick enough to carry the huge weight of the battle ogre. Robert managed to identify it only with the help of the System as the steel simply left no opening. Even the eyes of this general were set deep inside the helmet under a complex visor, leaving no accessible weak points to exploit.
The fourth powerful subordinate was a female. Dressed in a tight dress that exposed more than it hid, she was leaning on a metal staff with a glowing stone. Emanating a purple light, it only emphasized the ebony skin of the dark elf. An oversexualized figure with noticeable and unnatural curves was additionally intensified by the fact that she seemed to be a vampire. At least red eyes and recognizable fangs were quite telling. Maybe in some different situation, it would be hard to see them, but the scene froze her right in the moment of licking her cherry lips, showing long white teeth.
So, the undead lich, the orc¡¯s warlord-berserk, the ogre-knight, the dark elven vampire warlock¡ and the demon, me. And who we are supposed to serve?
Raising his sight upwards, where on a moderate elevation stood a throne. No, the Throne. Despite the simplicity of the form, it was a masterpiece of creepiness and ugliness. Made from dark solid matter that looked darker than black, it was in constant motion. And not just any motion, no. It seemed that inside the thing there were hundreds of souls imprisoned. Their constant struggles and attempts to break free pushed the surface, creating an image of the yelling face before it would disappear a moment later, being pulled by the magic cage. Such waving of the villainous chair didn¡¯t disturb the sitter.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
The Overlord even had an expression of boredom, lazily leaning with the face on his hand. The main boss, as always, didn¡¯t look anything special in his ¡°ordinary¡± form. Just a normal middle-aged man with pitch-black hair, a neat beard, and a perfect movie star smile. The dark leather pants, high boots, and wide snowy-white shirt opened a view of the hairless muscles on the chest. Average appearance, no weapons, relaxed posture ¨C everything shouted about its insane hidden strength. That, and the finger ring with a few red stones, which he wore on his thumb.
And what I am doing here?
Your role for a current floor is to become a Demon General, who is summoned by the future Dark God to serve as one of his protectors, while he would be occupied with the ritual of the Ascension. The legions of the rest Generals have been already defeated outside the hall, and their leaders are the last obstacle to overcome. The last, but the most powerful one.
This floor is a single-timed event with all remaining challengers participating in it. Depending on the outcome of the fight, the challengers would win or lose.
The conditions of the win: The Overlord is dead. The result: all sureties will be released, while the killer of the Dark God will keep all gained powers. The challengers who survive will leave the Tower.
The conditions of the loss: All challengers are dead. The result: all sureties will die. The Tower will wipe out all the life from the world, preparing the next cycle for the trial of being worthy.
Your goal is to prevent the challengers from killing the Overlord. Good Luck!
The System¡¯s message once again appeared well timed, as if answering to his inner thought. Moreover, this time the admin indeed did it ¨C answered his questions. The biggest attention was captured by the sureties and their fate. Rereading it a few times, Robert felt a huge relief, finally knowing that he wasn¡¯t guilty about the death of innocents. It didn¡¯t change much as he did what he did for the sake of his survival, even not being completely sure of the result of his deeds. Rob still was a killer, no less than before.
I am still a bad guy¡ I made a choice, not knowing this and thinking that I was taking more lives, not just the ones who came after me. The intention matters¡ But to more important things ¨C to my set goal.
However, this was the moment when the whole world decided to unfreeze, finally pushing the time into motion. The familiar eyeball that served as a camera appeared above them, floating in mid-air. Slowly moving to show possible observers the scene from different angles, it was looking at them without blinking, creating an unpleasant feeling of being watched by a crow. At least the Overlord started to talk, turning his attention away from the giant eye.
¡°I am really disappointed in your forces, my Generals¡ You came searching for me and woke me up from deep slumber just to ask for help. I agreed, despite the fact it would push me into a confrontation with other Gods. And what did I get from your service? The united royal army with multiple summoned Heroes is sieging my own castle, while your troops have already failed to stop them. It was centuries when the filthy humans stepped inside my home! What a disgrace!¡±
Just another cutscene¡ Okay, I still can¡¯t move, but what about my steel?
¡°But my lord, I sacrificed all our tribal warriors in an attempt to defend it. Not even one of my kind ran from this battle. The number of Heroes is just too huge, and each of them is bestowed with the power from the Gods,¡± the battle ogre tried to explain, but was interrupted by a loud shout.
¡°Silence! There would be already dead if you didn¡¯t come to me. Must I remind you what the royal knights were doing with your dear ogres? Or orcs? Or undead? Or vampires? Dark mages? Demon? They were all marked for complete extermination as a possible threat to ¡°civilized¡± races. You wanted an all-out war to change the situation, and I gave it to you. Now do your part or I will kill you all before finishing the remnants of your kind!¡±
Yep, it works. Good. Now I need a very-very thin thread¡
¡°Mercy, my Lord,¡± the Arch-Lich bowed slightly, ¡°we gathered everything for the Ascension ritual as you wished.¡±
¡°And we are still alive, my Lord. There is no chance that they can walk through us while we are holding our weapons,¡± the orc chief grinned with a wide smile, ¡°I will make them taste my axes. I will create pictures with their blood in your honor, my Lord. I will turn their death into a painful experience that they won¡¯t forget even in the afterlife. The stories about their horrible demise will scare others for centuries. I will¡¡±
Crap, man, we¡¯ve already got it. Do you know where to stop? Wow, I can¡¯t even say anything aloud. Hey, System, it¡¯s not fair!
¡°I will believe you this LAST time, my Generals. Either you will fulfill this command and stop those insects from interrupting the ritual, or you will perish together with your kind, erased not only from existence but also from the memory of this world!
¡°My Lord, there is no chance that any walking bags of blood can put any resistance against us, who gained a part of your divine part,¡± licking her red lips, the vampire spoke in a prideful tone.
¡°Good. Then I will create portals for each of you to cover all four main directions of the attack. Become an insurmountable obstacle that will stop the humans from reaching me while I conduct the ritual. Only through the Ascension, I can rewrite the rules of the world. But I must remind you that any, even the tiniest distraction, will lead to failure. It will put me in a weakened state, so don¡¯t let it happen, or else forget about your dreams! Are you ready for the final battle, my Generals?¡±
Glancing around and noticing how everyone lowered their head in the bow, Robert turned his head and focused on his conjured construct that made it way far from himself. Thin as a thread, it used the veins on the marble to cover itself, while stealthily approaching the throne. Going around the pretentiously ugly chair of the main boss, it moved behind the Overlord¡¯s back before rising upwards. The sharp end point of it was already near the ear of the potential Dark God when the latter asked his question. So, when he lazily raised his hand and made a motion with a palm to create four portals, Rob had one thought.
Yes, I am, moron!
¡°Now go befo¡,¡± Right in the middle of the Overlord¡¯s speech, the steel shot forward, entering the ear of the disguised creature. Robert was already giving another mental command, summoning all available steel through this thin connection just to cover the enemy. The first fraction of a second covered the head, cutting off the last words. Pushed by Rob¡¯s will, it entered the mouth and nostrils, filling every possible spot. The next instant the rest of the sitting body was enveloped from all sizes, putting the main boss inside the huge steel cocoon with a single empty spot. However, the third and the last moment made the dark green metal disappear without a trace as if it was just an illusion.
Robert still managed to notice a completely motionless expression on the Overlord¡¯s face that failed to proceed with what was happening before dissapering under the layer of steel. It was the last thing he saw before the white light covered the sitting figure. The following explosion not only blasted everything away but also destroyed half of the hall, seemingly being intensified by the Overlord himself. Not that Rob could observe anything as the bright flash blinded him, burning his eyes, while the powerful shockwave and heat mutilated his own body, partly turning into ashes. Not to mention the insane backlash from the collapsing all available to him steel.
Surprisingly, the overwhelming pain lasted just a mere second before disappearing without a trace. Robert, on the other hand, found himself in pitch-black nothingness, simply floating before the huge System message that tried to press onto him.
Congratulations! The Tower was completed successfully! For the next thousand years, the world will have immunity before the new trial emerges to confirm your worthiness. You, as a challenger, who killed¡
Error! The status of the winner is the Transcendent. The Trial¡¯s results for testing the worthiness of the world become invalid as a non-challenger non-local resident was a winner. Searching a solution¡
The Tower gives you two options to choose from:
Option 1. The Tower will reset. You will gain the status of a common challenger. All powers gained inside the Tower before the reset will be gone. All dead challengers will be resurrected. If the Tower is completed again, the world will gain immunity for two thousand years. In this case, you will gain back all powers from the first attempt in addition to the second, even if you aren¡¯t a killer of the Dark God.
Option 2. You will immediately leave the Tower. All gained powers will be yours forever. All dead challengers will stay dead, while all sureties will be released. Another trial will take place in five years. You will be forbidden to participate as a challenger, but not as a surety.
Choose wisely, Transcendent!
Why do you even ask? You already know the answer, System!
Chapter 112 (3-24)
Falling from above at insane speed, an oddly shaped spaceship was approaching the port almost like a meteor. Only in the final part of such a suicidal maneuver, did it suddenly halt its movement when the large flames emerged from beneath. Sending a few additional bursts to stabilize its position, the spaceship started to decrease the intensity of its main engines. Trembling from the confrontation of two opposite forces, it slowly began to lower its altitude. A few dozen seconds later the supports touched the surface, declaring the victory of gravity. That led to a grandeur reaction in the form of a wide yawn from the nearest technician, who was observing the landing from a small booth.
Taking out the tablet, the man began his lazy walk towards the ship, while checking something on the screen. Dressed in an orange spacesuit with a completely transparent helmet that opened a view not only at his face but also at a bald spot on the top of his head, the technician didn¡¯t show any emotions to the landing, clearly indicating that it was a normal thing here. As if confirming it, another spaceship took off, quickly heading into a pitch-black sky with hundreds of stars and a huge ring encircling the planet.
Both space-traveling vessels had the appearance of multiple parts combined without a single thought about how it would look. There was no symmetry, no defined simplistic form, and no smoothness as if the air resistance was never considered during their creation. And the more Robert watched the spaceships through the observation window in the dock, the more he noticed how non-standard they were. Even the number of different hulls was quite outstanding, not speaking that even the same ones were turned into something entirely dissimilar by their owners. All of them were basically custom-made, resulting in an obvious conclusion ¨C the spacecraft here were like cars. Heavily armored and armed cars.
Obviously, Robert couldn¡¯t be sure, but long barrels and potential shooting ports were too eye-catching for him to miss. The spaceships were not fully covered with them, having one or two main calibers on average and several closed ports for possible additional weaponry. Another and simultaneously the last distinguishing feature, which most of the vessels had, was a huge painting that covered their bodies. Mainly done in a one or combination of two colors, it showed a primitive, yet contrasting image of a symbol.
It does look like a logo of a company. Or a crew¡ And I can bet I saw asmiling skull.
Looking past the docking spots towards the empty surface of the brown planet, Robert tried to see if there was any local life, but it seemed there was none. Not having a proper atmosphere and being exposed to space radiation, the place had a small chance of forming any. However, with Rob¡¯s experience with different worlds, he couldn¡¯t be sure. Not that it mattered as the need for the spacesuit for the technician immediately cut off any ideas to fulfill his curiosity. Especially, when the real life was right behind his back. The life that he asked for while forming a request to Aether.
What was it? High technological place, where I can relax and have fun? So, let¡¯s check it then.
From the few minutes he had spent here, Robert managed to understand that this was an enormous city, hidden underground with only part of it exposed to the light of the local star. And even that part was fortified from any possible threat, be it a random meteor or a direct shot from the orbit. At least such information he got from the nearest terminal that had a ¡°Info Guide¡± written on it with a map showcasing by default. Another noticeable thing about the place was a constant flow of people in different outfits, who were either wandering around barely hiding their anticipation, or those that already knew what they were doing here. Literally everything cried about tons of tourists. The map confirmed it. And not only it.
Well, I think it¡¯s like a bigger and more illegal variant of Vegas¡ or what it was before the aliens knocked at our doors. I wonder how the war is going. I hope humanity still fights¡ Yep, not that it¡¯s my problem now. So, okay, what else do you have here?
The place with a quite telling name ¡°Fantasy City¡± had a lot. And by ¡°a lot¡± Robert indeed meant it. The circular form of the highest level provided access to the place from all sides, using all available space for this purpose. The outer layer, where Robert currently was, had nothing, except an enormous empty space to fit the crowd. To get into the inner part you had to get through the short check-up and registration before proceeding to the lifts, which would bring a visitor to the real city.
Surprisingly, the spaceships were not allowed to stay in their spots after landing, having a big fine as a punishment for violation. Of course, the map showed a ¡°VIP¡± place that didn¡¯t need to follow such strict rules. And from the short reading, the same went with anything if you had enough money. Especially if you willed to spend it. Casino with all possible games, delicious cuisine from every corner of the galaxy, brothel without any restrictions, an unthinkable number of natural or artificial drugs, clinics that could not only change the appearance of a customer but replace most of their organs. The list went on, being long enough just from the amount of provided services to take several minutes of reading.
Obviously, the local enterprises aimed for all types of wealth, managing to find how to suck dry not only the richest people but even the ¡°ordinary¡± onlookers. Everything was meant for engagement. To search the weak spot of a visitor before hooking them until they would crack under the desire for pleasure, be it something forbidden or not. The latter was no less important it seemed from the map. Amusement parks, cinemas, sports areas with competition to watch or to participate yourself, and many more, like theaters, shopping centers, greenhouses, nightclubs, etc.
I think this place is indeed a paradise for vacation as you can find literally everything here¡
However, Robert soon understood that it was only a half of the city that was meant for tourists. The other part¡¯s purpose was a business. Precisely speaking, a huge market of mercenaries with everything they needed to do their job, no matter what the task was. There was a central agency to control their operations, but from the brief explanation it seemed apart from registration, fees, and help with a search of potential employees and new mercs, it did nothing. Most of the groups had their own headquarters here, training and getting ready for the missions during the wait for a potential hiring. Not stopping at this, the special separate docks and even landing bays were available for them.
I bet the piracy here might not be that unbelievable. It depends on the way of the traveling in space. Warps? Alien accelerators? Wormholes in space fabric? So many possibilities¡ Okay, so what do I want to do?
Despite the simplicity of the question, Robert couldn¡¯t answer it at once. The wish of easy power already resulted in a not-so-pleasant stay in the Tower. He indeed became much stronger than before, but the mental tiredness from constant fighting for his life was slowly taking its toll. So, the rest was needed. On the other hand, he had a tiny problem with that ¨C money. Or the complete absence of them. The System was kind enough to provide him with a pair of black leather boots, brown pants, and a dark green t-shirt, but that was it. Rob had no identification documents, no cash, nothing. Most of the random hobos on Earth had more belongings than him. At least he could win the competition with them in terms of appearance, being cleaned by a magic power of the System after shaving his beard.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
So, I need an easy way to get some currency¡ Yeah, the robbery in the place, where half of the city is taken for the needs of mercenaries is a plain stupid idea. Hm, I can¡¯t try to sell my organs ¨C with my regeneration it¡¯s not hard to restore them in no time¡ Nope, too risky. Don¡¯t want to be turned into a full-time human donor with no options to refuse. Plus, not even sure that my organs would fit anyone ¨C I am clearly not a human anymore. Okay, let¡¯s go through the list again. No dishwashing either.
However, before he managed to proceed, Rob was interrupted by an indignant voice. Turning around his head, Robert had to lower his sight to catch a view of the small man in an odd purple attire with multiple chaotically placed pockets who was speaking to him. A woman, possibly a wife, was already holding the man¡¯s hand in a futile attempt to pull him away, while their teenage daughter was watching the scene with a smirk as if she was the real culprit of the ordeal.
Glancing around and not noticing any disturbance in the crowd around, Rob once again noted how huge he actually was in comparison to others. Not only his limbs were thick, but whole his body was massive. There was limited definition in his well-developed muscles, while the abs were barely visible on his fat-covered belly. Still, that gave him an appearance of the strong and dangerous brute that only intensified with his non-friendly face and bald head. Adding the fact that he was clearly taller than before ¨C it was really strange to see how the middle-aged man with graying hair decided to demand anything from Robert, whose figure was towering above the crowd.
Maybe not strange but plain stupid¡ Okay, what does he want again?
Focusing on the coming words, he glanced at the teenager, making her shiver from fear, before returning his gaze to the man.
¡°¡ You don¡¯t own the terminal! You can¡¯t just use it as you want for so long, while others have to wait. My daughter wants¡¡±
¡°Fuck off,¡± Rob simply answered, returning his attention to the display and ignoring the angry man.
¡°How dare you! Do you know who you are speaking to?¡±
¡°Wynston, please, calm down. He is terranoid¡ he is dangerous...,¡± Rob¡¯s ear caught the whisper of the woman, halting the movement of his finger. Turning his head for a moment, he spoke.
¡°I from Earth. And I am indeed dangerous¡ for anyone who is bothering me with moronic demands. So, I will repeat one last time ¨C fuck off!¡±
Surprisingly, the message finally reached the destination in the form of a man¡¯s mind, stopping the torrent of words that mixed the careful insults together with non-specific threats. However, from the reaction of the couple, Robert figured out that it wasn¡¯t the last part, which made them back off. On the contrary, it was his mentioning of the Earth. At least the following exchange between the man and his wife made sense in this case.
¡°I told you he doesn¡¯t look like just a random big guy¡ Moreover, they use term Earth instead of Terra. And only soldiers from there had survived, while most of them went insane after so many genetic modifications¡¡±
¡°I am not scared! I beg he tries anything stupid like laying even a figure onto me¡ It won¡¯t take long before he will plead a mercy!¡±
Demonstratively clenching his fists, the man in a purple suit almost got lost in his thoughts, silently muttering different curses or imagining the perfect phrases that he could throw into Rob¡¯s face. All that, while slowly drifting away from the terminal. That only led to a mocking grin from his own daughter, which was completely missed by the man, but not Robert. The latter only sighed at it, shooting another glance at the teenager only to get a middle-finger gesture. At least it was how his inbuilt translator explained the three curled fingers aimed at his face.
Kids¡
Turning around, Rob still heard the last words from the wife, who tried to calm down her husband while saving the face of a brave ¡°alpha-warrior¡±.
¡°It¡¯s not a fear, it¡¯s prudence. I bet not only you are cleverer than him, but you managed to achieve much more. All he has is muscles, while everything else is your win. You are a senior manager in a big company with a loving family, an apartment in the top-level sector, and with real potential to raise much higher. And this¡ humanoid thing¡ is null. Zero with no future. Moreover, believe me, everyone would have such a body after so many operations. The beauty is in naturalness¡¡±
Oh, fuck you both¡ So, how can I earn some cash?
Going through the list of the facilities, Robert tried to imagine working there. Unfortunately, not having any skills apart from fighting, it was hard to find anything that could fit him. That left him with two obvious options that were right on the surface. The very same options that would come to mind for anyone who would get into the world of space traveling and would have to start from scratch.
Space pirate aka merc or gladiator aka fighter in the arena? Hm¡ There is some kind of open tournament to start in a few days. Damn, it even sounds like a bad plotline in the book, but why not? If it can give me money, let¡¯s try it.
Remembering all the details of the upcoming event, Robert finally finished with the terminal. Pausing for a moment to take a glance around, he quickly followed the crowd that was slowly but surely drifting to the receptions with armed guards in full combat armor. The latter wore a resemblance to the battle equipment that Rob was accustomed to. Massive plates of steel, an inbuilt exoskeleton to support an enormous weight, and lots of additional systems inside.
However, even from the glance of non-specialists, it was obvious that the armor was built for different uses. While being smaller, it had no connection to the weapon in comparison to the Earth marine¡¯s version, which carried the ammunition. On the other hand, it clearly had more autonomous options with the possibility of being used outside of the protected area of the space city. That wasn¡¯t needed on Earth as the only threat from the surroundings was the aggressive aliens.
I wonder if there is more difference inside¡ From the first look, nothing looks too futuristic.
This observation could be extended to most of the things before Rob¡¯s eyes. No matter how he looked around, everything was quite ordinary. Obviously, it had more advanced technology than his own real, but nothing that wasn¡¯t already pictured in multiple movies or books, keeping his reaction on the level of an average tourist that came into a foreign country. No carts with anti-gravity, no floating holograms mid-air, no multiple humanoid species with additional horns, spiky hair, or tails. Just basic humans in various outfits ranged from something akin to culturally old-fashioned clothes to highly advanced tight space suits. Quite a few barely wore anything, showcasing their nude body with clear pride, despite the fact of having at least triple weight from the norm. And it wasn¡¯t muscles.
The sole exception was a metallic prosthesis that was vastly used by many. And from the looks, none of them were the result of injury. Nope, seeing how some clothes were deliberately exposing metallic surfaces, while the latter had the same color as shoes or women¡¯s bags, it was clear that it was partly a fashion. Quite weird fashion in Rob¡¯s opinion, not that he had any say in this realm.
The queue was moving relatively fast, giving him enough time to prepare himself, while observing all surroundings, but not to the point getting bored to death with a wait. Given his tall frame and the empty area around him that others tried to keep, he had plenty of opportunities to see how the interview was going. Therefore, when Robert stood in front of the smiling woman with bright green hair and metallic pointy ears, he knew how to start. Not even blinking under the gaze of three guards who approached the reception from behind, readying bulky rifles in case of any emergency, Rob spoke.
¡°Greetings! Robert Flop, earthling, a former soldier. Here in search of a job with a wish to prolong the stay as much as it is possible to personally test what Fantasy City can boast with. No baggage.¡±
Chapter 113 (3-25)
The massive platform was slowly descending, opening a view of an enormous central hall. It was so huge that could easily fit a few blocks from a random city, including even small skyscrapers. Useless from the logical point as it took a lot from the limited space of the station, it was only meant for one purpose ¨C to shock the tourists with flashy lights, multiple signs, huge screens, and an even bigger crowd that seemed to occupy most of the space. Taking into account the loud gasps that came from the tens of people around Rob, the goal was achieved with ease. Robert himself had to admit that he wasn¡¯t far from feeling the same. The view was indeed outstanding, confirming the main idea of Fantasy City ¨C it could entertain anyone.
Tens of barkers in different outfits were calling passers-by, trying to attract their attention. This competition appeared to be quite intensive as advertising banners were constantly changing everywhere, illuminating the surroundings. The noise of the crowd also wasn¡¯t easing the task for the poor workers, who tried their best to pull the potential customers into their facilities. Adding the variety of the appearance among the visitors of this place, it was hard for Robert to even focus on one thing as there were just too many of everything that could catch his eye. With his life experience, he had never seen such a scene. Even the movies that tried to show the busy life of the space stations paled in comparison to reality.
There was so much more that Rob felt overwhelmed. His mind registered separate things, but it failed to make any other opinion about the city, except that it was a grandeur. Robert still noticed armed guards in battle armor, patrolling the place in pairs. The walls and ceiling had obvious empty spots for possible turrets or any other similar type of weapon. Moreover, any attempt of violence was immediately stopped, taking away both parties in an orderly and seemingly trained manner. That instantly reminded Rob of the last words of the woman before she gave him permission to enter the city.
¡°Remember, Mr. Flop, our city doesn¡¯t tolerate any unprovoked violence. We rarely have someone of your kind as most Terranoid were soldiers that died during the destruction of Terra. The constant war, heavy body modifications, and military doctrine in your fallen society left quite an impact on your kind. Terranoid might be the perfect soldiers, but our city isn¡¯t a battlefield. Therefore, try to keep in check any unpropitiated thoughts and deeds as they may lead to dire consequences. Remember that it wasn¡¯t Terra who won the war... Have a nice stay and enjoy any fantasies you have in our Fantasy City!¡±
The last part was spoken in a well-trained manner with a wide smile as if it had been repeated at least thousands of times. On the other hand, the open threat in the beginning had no emotions ¨C just a warning. The guards that were standing behind the woman added weight to her words. Not that Rob was scared, looking at the heavily armored bodies. However, he was here not to fight but to rest from his constant fight for his life.
Surprisingly, the speech made him pause. Despite the misunderstanding about his origins, it indeed described his situation. After so many death-threatening situations, Rob¡¯s tolerance had dropped by a lot, while the instinctive thought about using strength as the first reaction in any conflict felt natural. That was disturbing. Hopefully, it wasn¡¯t to the point where he would turn into a bloodthirsty maniac. Moreover, he was in this place in an attempt to get a break and find his place in a normal life. So, Robert just smiled back to the woman, before answering.
¡°Don¡¯t worry. No plans to trouble anyone if nobody does the same to me. And if I am indeed broken, my plan of becoming a merc or arena fighter might work out even better, allowing me to release some steam in a controlled environment.¡±
¡°Then I would suggest you visit the Recruitment and Job Center. They have access to data on all requests from employers. I will set the route to the nearest office on your ID bracelet.¡±
Making some adjustments on a thin black bracelet, she gave him it before pointing at the platform that was visible through the gate. The device that bore a resemblance to the ones inside the spaceship with demons was a mixture of local identification, wallet, tracker, and guide. It had a tiny basic screen to show the route and was controlled with voice commands. However, from the brief information on the terminal, Robert knew its main purpose was a wallet. No matter how independent this place was, it was like a bone in the throat for many other countries because of its illegal nature. Therefore, the government of Fantasy City used a complex system of transactions to take the client¡¯s money and send it to their account to make it untraceable. Obviously, the customers didn¡¯t want to show their preferences in entertainment. Not that it was important for Rob, whose balance was showing an eye-catching zero.
Hmm, at least with my body I almost don¡¯t need any sleep or food, giving me enough time to earn some cash¡ Yeah, I am like a perfect hobo. Can eat once a week, don¡¯t need to rest, and can fight against anyone who wants to loot garbage bins on my territory. Hell, no! I don¡¯t believe that with my supernatural abilities, I can find a good job to use my potential.
That was what he decided to do first. Ignoring the barkers, passing by the windows with dancing girls in Eve''s dress, Robert quickly made his way to the side corridor. Despite being wide, it was not even near the central hall size. However, that made perfect sense as the city built on a lifeless planet without any atmosphere had a space limit. Still, it wasn¡¯t the noticeable decrease in size that made Rob remind him about being stuck inside the tight crack inside the extinguished volcano. No, the ceiling was still over 3 meters high (10 ft.), while the corridor itself could fit at least 2 battle tanks from his group. No, it was people, who made the whole place feel like a packed box. Too uncomfortable. Even disturbing and pressing.
At least Robert could simply walk forward, ignoring them at all. Most of the tourists scattered even before he reached them, barely hiding warily looks aimed at him. A few completely missed Rob, resulting in them being shoved away by force. Any indignation or anger died on the spot after a single glance at Robert¡¯s frame. He knew it as he was carefully watching over their reaction, ready to act after any sign of possible aggression towards him. Despite this, Rob still continued his way, copying the bull that didn¡¯t notice any obstacles on its way. Only after a few minutes of such a walk did he finally proceed with what was happening. Leaning to the nearest wall, he closed his eyes.
Crap, I am deliberately provoking everyone, seeing others as potential enemies. The Tower left its impact on me. Too long a period of fighting against humans, while being alone. Not that the previous experience was any better¡ Huh, I need to calm down and take it easy. I am in a safe place now.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
¡°Is everything good, sir?¡±
The question was asked by a guard, who was standing in few meters from Rob. Together with a pair of his colleagues, the man was following Robert starting from the platform. Despite being overwhelmed by the sheer number of people inside the city, Rob couldn¡¯t miss it. It was too noticeable for him, too eye-catching. Especially, when his mind was constantly wondering if his Energy Blast could penetrate the local armor, or how strong he was in comparison to the mechanical muscles. His steel wouldn¡¯t have a chance to pierce the metal plates, while a direct hit with heavy construct might have a limited consequence on the armored figure. However, Rob still had enough ways how to deal with them.
Their battle armor consisted of a few layers on top of each other. The inner one was most likely meant to fight temperature, radiation, and other harmful environment, being just a space suit. The outer, on the other hand, was meant to protect against weapons. And considering that their rifles looked like ballistic types of weapons with visible cartridges of ammo, the metal used in the defensive equipment most likely couldn¡¯t withstand Energy Blast. Moreover, the highly penetrative force of projectiles led to the creation of thick plates, making it impossible to keep the protection of the joints on the same level. In short, the guard¡¯s armor had the same weakness as a medieval knight.
Seems doable¡ Their surprisingly wide visors are made from transparent material and not the same metal. Just darked to obstruct a view on their face. A direct hit with a hammer might crack it with ease¡ And I can see the parts of the exoskeleton, so I can damage the joint to prevent the movement of the limb. If anything goes astray, I can use the crowd to hide from the shots. Yes, doesn¡¯t look any hard¡ Wait! Fuck! What the hell, man? You don¡¯t need to fight at all! Relax, God dammit!
¡°Yes. Just too many people around for my liking,¡± Robert answered with a sigh, standing up. Making another deep breath, he finally cleared his mind from the dangerous thoughts. It was scary how near he was to go into a rampage. His inner ¡°switch¡± appeared to be broken, leaving him in a battle-ready state, even when he was in a safe place. It wasn¡¯t surprising as just a few hours ago his energy blast exploded the head of the Dark God.
Now I am not sure if I want to continue my fighting career in this realm. Without any doubt, I need a good rest to fix my broken head.
¡°Are you sure, sir?¡± The guard asked again, as if not believing Rob¡¯s words.
¡°Yes¡ Oh, no. Okay, let¡¯s do it differently. You know where I wanted to go. Lead me there, while keeping the crowd at a distance from me. You will do your task. I will get to the place without unwanted problems while getting accustomed to the population density here. Win-win situation.¡±
¡°What? But we don¡¯t¡,¡± the guard tried to disagree, but was interrupted instantly.
¡°Hey, you were following all this time. No need to pretend. Let¡¯s make everyone¡¯s life easy,¡± Robert smiled, before suddenly changing his expression into a deadly serious one after a two-second pause, ¡°Your loss, other¡¯s possible lives. I will go alone¡¡±.
¡°No, no, we agree. Follow us,¡± the guard immediately reacted, turning his head to his colleagues. Getting a nod from the bigger figure, he returned his attention to Rob before pointing with his hand, ¡°Right there. Please, come, Mr. Flop.¡±
Soon the help of the locals with authority showed itself. Not only did most of the tourists quickly step back from their process, seeing Rob as some kind of escorted prisoner, but also their road proceeded through not-so-popular corridors, shortening travel time. Quite a few were technical ones, with limited access. The guard had to place his hand in the armed gloves on the special terminal for several seconds before the hatch slid to the side, opening a darker place. Robert didn¡¯t even pause before following others, not scared in the lightest about possible ambush. The reason was simple ¨C there was nobody here who was going to bother with complex plans to capture or kill him. And the deep thought of possible battle was still there, waiting for its chance to rise again.
The technical corridor could barely fit his figure, but surprisingly it had a calming effect on Rob¡¯s mind. Maybe it was because the crowd had finally disappeared from his sight. Cheerful, happy, it lived a full life with no fears about the next day, no struggles of survival, no pain of loss. Robert couldn¡¯t stop him from thinking how unfair it was. Or how he didn¡¯t fit in at all ¨C this normal life. Rob¡¯s only hope was on a long-awaited rest that might fix him. Or not.
¡°Do you often use such unimpressive routes to escort guests?¡±
He asked instead, switching the direction of his thoughts. Just his breath left visible steam, showing that the conditioner¡¯s system here was working only to support the basic level of tolerable temperature without wasting energy to make it comfortable.
I must feel cold, but no ¨C nothing. It seems my body has changed much more than I think.
Turning his attention to the side, Rob watched how the whole wall and ceiling were covered with multiple pipes, tubes, and thick cables to support the Fantasy City. The hidden hatches that somewhere deeper into the walls were located here and there, having painted marks about their usage. It was such a dramatic change from the grandeur picture of the central hall to these inner parts of the working city, shattering the first impression.
¡°No, only when we need to escort our non-VIP guest as fast as possible,¡± the girl¡¯s voice answered from behind, showing that she was barely holding from anger. Rob didn¡¯t know the reason, not that he cared. However, he just couldn¡¯t resist the temptation to tease her. Maybe it was his way to create risky situations if there were none around. Or he just wanted a woman after a long period of solitude.
¡°Am I not a VIP? I am sure not all visitors can get three guards as an escort, not counting those who watch from behind the screens,¡± suddenly stopping, Rob felt an impact from behind when the girl failed to stop in time. The heavily armored body tried to throw him forward, but he managed to stop himself from moving, ¡°Ouch, are you flirting with me, girl? I don¡¯t think I like it when something long and metal is trying to enter me from behind, but if you have a pretty face, I may show you¡¡±.
¡°Stop, Olivia!¡± Shouting the command, the last guard grabbed the hands of the girl, who was already raising her rifle.
¡°I dare you say it again, moron!¡± She yelled in anger, but Rob, who already turned around, could clearly see how the rifle was staying in the same spot.
¡°You are no fun. And quite awful guides ¨C no points of interests, no stories, no views. Don¡¯t wait for the tips in such case¡ So, what we are waiting for? I thought we were in a hurry.¡±
Surprisingly, their journey was finished in a mere five minutes. Making a few turns inside the technical corridor, they soon left it and returned to the main area. This time the quantity of tourists dropped by a lot, not even reaching a tenth of what Robert saw in the beginning. It was obviously because the place was meant mostly for locals, and not for visitors, resulting in more specialized facilities. One of them was his goal ¨C ¡°Recruitment and Job Center¡±.
Robert wanted to describe the place anything differently than any other shop around, but no. It was the same wide-open door with a huge sign above, and nothing else ¨C only multiple screens instead of walls with a row of job offers, that were constantly changing every few seconds.
¡°Go inside. Someone will meet you,¡± the guard spoke, pointing to the entrance with his rifle. The gesture once again made Rob¡¯s blood boil from the anger. The ¡°fun¡± realm appeared to be filled with demands and threats, while Robert himself wasn¡¯t perfectly fine after days of constant killing. But he still planned to fix it. He wanted to be normal.
Okay, let¡¯s get it done! Rob, don¡¯t agree to anything else, except a super offer. Super offer for the superhuman with magical abilities! Hell, yeah!
Chapter 114 (3-26)
Sitting on the huge chair that surprisingly could fit him with ease, Robert was looking at the woman who was on the opposite side of a small table. The surface of the latter was covered with a screen, which was showing the information that Rob had given about himself. However, checking at it once again, he started to feel that nothing would work as he wished. There were too many additional questions from the woman that led to a logical conclusion. All his strong points were completely useless in this place, literally worth nothing.
¡°So, if I may repeat everything that we concluded through conversation. You are Robert Flop, a former soldier from Terra or Earth as you call it, but your identity is made up as your name is absent from the military data of that time. All we have is your word about your own experience in participating in wars. And as far as I understood, your role wasn¡¯t a technician, pilot, or any specialized profession. Just an ordinary infantry. Am I correct?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± Rob nodded, barely hiding a sigh. No matter how hard he would try to fake anything, the high-technological world had enough opportunities to check the details without much problem. Another thing went from the same advanced level of development ¨C Robert simply couldn¡¯t know how to use most of the local gear.
He wasn¡¯t even sure about all armor¡¯s capabilities, how to use it in space during boarding missions, or what heavy weapons did they have. Like did they use the same plasma rifles, which he had seen in the realm with demons, or just ordinary ballistic types. Was there any anti-gravity system inside the ships? And so on, so forth. Too many answered questions on most common things. Obviously, it wasn¡¯t hard to find everything out given an opportunity. The problem was that he had none. Robert had to be hired to learn, but nobody wanted to offer a job to an unskilled person, while there was a real possibility of getting an experienced worker.
¡°And currently you lack any money to go through the certification process to confirm your skills and knowledge, yes?¡±
Squinting her eyes, the woman asked what she had already discovered early. Robert only nodded at it, looking around as if avoiding eye contact. The latter was true ¨C it was too hard to listen to how pathetic he appeared to be after thinking about himself as a superhuman. The whole thing about job search went completely wrong from the start.
Met by the very same woman in a strict formal suit that was oddly similar to the one from Earth, just made from flashy green fabric, Robert was basically convoyed by four guards in full battle gear. Going through the hall with tens of open cabins where potential employees were speaking with recruiters, he ended his walk in inside weirdly big lift as if it was meant for transportation of cargos but not humans. Few levels down and two corridors later he found himself in a small room with a single table in the center and a pair of chairs.
The only decorations of the grey-walled ¡°closet¡± were three pictures with scenes from Fantasy City streets, and that was all. His comment about the place being like an ¡°interrogation room¡± was ignored before they started to talk. The guards that each took their own corner didn¡¯t help, slowly making Rob quite irritated with the whole ordeal. He only endured because of the real need for work, but the hope for a good outcome soon vanished without a trace.
The main reason appeared in certification or certs in short. Reaching a high developed level and making it simply impossible to learn everything, the realm changed its education system into multiple courses, starting from the basic school. Universally acknowledged by everyone as a standard measurement of qualification, it became the needed thing for almost any job. Of course, it wasn¡¯t needed in a place where your employer was sure about your hard skills, but in such a place like Fantasy City, where there was a constant stream of newcomers, it was a must.
This demand effectively stopped Rob from getting most of the offers. Not only did he lack money to go through the certification, but Robert also wasn¡¯t sure he would pass in the first place. It was a different realm after all. In his current state, he knew absolutely nothing, starting from the currency, duration of the year, or any historical events. On the other hand, Rob needed money right now and not in some distant future. That whole thing led to a closed circle, where he needed money to get an ability to earn money. Unsurprisingly, such place didn¡¯t wish to provide any credits to the unknown person without a proper history behind.
¡°Unfortunately at this point and in your current situation I can¡¯t give a recommendation to any mercenaries companies to hire you as I lack a confirmation about your abilities¡¡±
¡°I can break any of your guards to show. Or all of them at once,¡± Robert interrupted, failing to hold his annoyance inside himself. His words immediately led to a raise of weapons, but he didn¡¯t even blink. The sensation of control over obedient steel, which was ready to explode into a few constructs to block possible attacks, was enough to feel confidence even in such circumstances.
¡°Neither it is needed, nor it will help you,¡± the woman didn¡¯t even change her calm tone, ¡°Your abilities to fight in close combat won¡¯t be needed for the job of mercenary as according to the statistics most of their combat clashes are either in space during boarding, or at a long distance. Moreover, as you said earlier, you don¡¯t have any combat armor. Considering your big frame, you will need to a custom-made gear, which isn¡¯t cheap. The potential increase in muscle strength by using an exoskeleton has its own limits, making it almost useless for someone like you who has undergone a deep body modification while breaching the gap for an ordinary person. The medical treatment of your wounds might differ from¡¡±
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
¡°Okay-okay, I got it. No merc career for me. What about participating in the arena? They have an open tournament upcoming, so I can take my chance there,¡± Rob had to use all his willpower to stop the bowling emotions. All his uniqueness wasn¡¯t needed at all, turning into a useless set of skills. Even a hidden ability to conjure steel wouldn¡¯t change it.
¡°This championship is restricted only to non-modified humans without any cybernetic improvements,¡± the woman shook her head, not changing her forever-frozen expression. Middle-aged, with perfect skin and almost ideal facial features, she looked more like a mannequin than a living person.
¡°This one? So there are others that I¡¡±
¡°I am sorry to disappoint you, but no. Terranoids are banned from them as they tend to have an unfair advantage because of their superior physique qualities. And yes, it includes most of the sports and even shooting duels as with your heightened reaction the result of the fight would be obvious. The only exception is if you are famous, so the match can be turned into a bigger show. In such a way the organizations can attract more attention and thus money to create a profitable event¡ But considering the reputation of your kind, the chance of happening is small. Too controversial.¡±
¡°Fucking great! Okay, what do you have for me then?¡±
¡°Not much, unfortunately for you, Mr. Flop. Once again, considering your origin that isn¡¯t welcomed by most of the employers after the war, your lack of certs¡,¡± Grouping everything on the main screen in front, the woman started to speak, but Rob once again interrupted her, raising his voice, while adding metal to his words.
¡°What. Do. You. Have.¡±
¡°The best offer with the highest income is to become a pleasure place employee. Your type of appearance isn¡¯t on the level needed, but with a few surgical adjustments, taking into account your frame and intriguing origin you will get your name well spread in no time without doubts. We have around three dozen of brothels that might be interested in your candidature¡,¡± It took some time for Robert to process what she was offering. And even bigger effort to keep himself in the same spot, so his next words were almost barely audible. However, such a reaction immediately led guards to point their rifles at him.
¡°Are you fucking with me? And make your lap dogs lower their weapons as the next time they do it, they die.¡±
The threat finally reached something inside this cold parody of a woman. Sighing, she leaned backward, before confirming the command to the guards. After a short consideration, the woman even pointed to the door, forcing them to leave the room. The long silence enveloped the place. After another loud sigh, she focused her attention on Robert. Only this time her earlier cold eyes were radiating with visible resolve, making a huge contrast with her previous lifeless expression.
¡°Let¡¯s be straight, Mr. Flop. In most cases, our center is doing its best to find the best job for our clients as we are getting 30% of the salary for three months as payment for our work. However, your situation is special. Despite the end of the war ten standard cycles ago, most of the population just can¡¯t forget what your Earth has done. Even here, in a neutral place where half of the owners are criminals, such thoughts are well spread. Adding this shaking stand to the fact that you don¡¯t have anything of value, it is already a good outcome for you that we are having this conversation. We can¡¯t properly assess your real skills, but each of the Terranoids was extremely dangerous. Especially those who were trained in sabotage. Nobody wants to risk their business, giving such a person like you even a potential possibility to ruin anything¡ However, here in Fantasy City, we like to think that anyone can have a chance. That¡¯s why I am explaining this to you.¡±
¡°I bet you aren¡¯t an ordinary recruiter here¡ And you have an offer. I am listening,¡± nodding to his thought, Robert calmly spoke.
¡°Yes, indeed. For both assumptions. In fact, it¡¯s nothing special. More like a test term to see how you fit here. To give you time to adjust your mentality to a peaceful one because you definitely need it. You will manage to get some money to pass certs. And if everything goes well, I am sure you will get better offers in no time.¡±
¡°Why are you helping me?¡±
¡°It¡¯s simple, Mr. Flop. I was also born on Earth, but my family escaped way before the situation there escalated to the point of no return. I don¡¯t remember anything as I was no more than a clueless child. However, I do know that less than one-hundredth of a percent was left alive from the pre-war population by the end. The statistic for such modified persons like you is even worse. In fact, you are the second Terranoid that entered Fantasy City after the war. After all, we are too far from the place where Earth was located. And I believe that with your potential you can be quite helpful to our city in one way or another. In this way even the service of my Center would get more profit, getting a part of your future pie. Therefore, it¡¯s not a help but an investment. Just business.¡±
Looking at this woman, who clearly was playing on his emotions during the first part of the conversation just to evaluate him, Robert fell into a deep thought. He was sure that there was more in her words than she was admitting openly. Not just money she mentioned. Some kind of plan to use him in a specific way. Maybe it wasn¡¯t the time, or she wanted to test him more to be sure that the tool would work well. Maybe there were other reasons. At least Rob wasn¡¯t ready to believe in her words about common origin at once. It didn¡¯t fit her previous cold style.
On the other hand, what choice did he really have? The center was obviously a part of the system that ruled Fantasy City. And, considering he currently was on a lifeless planet, Robert simply couldn¡¯t leave the place by walking out or taking any ship. Not without paying transportation fees. Of course, he could jump into another realm, but what was the point of giving up in front of the very first obstacle. There will be a new one in a different world. He couldn¡¯t escape the first problem he had to face. Moreover, Rob needed the rest without any dangers lingering around. Even the short one. To calm his nerves, to cool his emotions, to see how he would fit into the ¡°normal¡± life. Therefore, like previously with the Tower¡¯s System, his answer was obvious from the start.
¡°I agree if it¡¯s not a brothel¡ Or dishwashing,¡± Rob asked, before relaxing in his chair.
Hate to acknowledge, but with my inhuman regeneration and unlimited endurance, I would make a perfect prostitute. Damn, here goes all my steel conjuring. Nope. The latter could also be used as a dildo... Just stop it, Rob, your imagination is too wild sometimes¡ Still, no arena conquering under loud gasps of the crowd. Or pirate¡¯s career¡ Wait, the last one may be just on pause. Yes. I have all the time in the world to try to find a good place for me in this realm.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, no dishwashing,¡± the woman smiled lightly, for the first time showing any emotions, ¡°But I suggest dropping your expectations.¡±
Chapter 115 (3-27)
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The noisy repeatable alarm was hammering Robert¡¯s brain through sleep, but his mind just refused to react to it, stubbornly trying to fall into enjoyment of pleasant darkness. No matter how his improved body was accustomed to the absence of sleep, he still needed one. Especially, after the constant attempts to fill in as much information as possible in a short time frame, using every single opportunity during the past five days. Moreover, it was his first sleep that didn¡¯t even last a few hours. Therefore, his unwillingness to stand up was partly justified. Not that it made his life any better as Rob indeed had to move.
Pushing his body from the bed that barely could fit him, he immediately bumped against the ceiling with his head. Obviously, there was no pain with his physique. However, the irritation only strengthened as the room he got from the new employer was as tiny as a real closet. The only other piece of furniture was an inbuilt wardrobe that was as empty as his stomach. There was a terminal with access to the local information network. Hanging on the wall and operated by a touch or voice, it was the most used thing in the room.
Picking the dry shower underneath the bed, Robert quickly tore the packing before proceeding with cleaning himself. Finishing with a paper towel, he dropped everything in front of the doors. The uniform was already waiting for him, taking another uncomfortable minute to dress himself in such a tight space. Turning his head to look at his reflection out of habit, Robert was met with the terminal instead of the mirror. Still, catching his image on the dark screen, he almost heard the demanding knock from James who was calling him because of a new wave.
It''s just d¨¦j¨¤ vu¡ Almost like the day I¡¯ve died and was transferred to that floating rock.
Still, the overwhelming feeling of familiarity made him pause for a dozen seconds, sending in a deep thought. The whole cramped place looked like his own room back in the bunker. The same lack of any personal belongings. The surprisingly similar alarm woke him with the same effect of multiple tiny hammers, knocking onto his mind in an attempt to push into motion. Quite successfully in that.
That bunker is long destroyed, being just a part of memory¡ However, why the fuck is my life so glued to the same awful conditions?
In fact, Robert knew the answer, or, precisely speaking, both parts of it that had the one thing in common ¨C greed. His own and his employer. The latter was providing basic living conditions to the workers for free. However, they were really basic. The small room and that¡¯s it. Even the ability to take a shower in the city on the floating lifeless rock had to be paid for. It wasn¡¯t much, but still had a cost. The same went for access to the information network, food, and even energy to supply the room. Rob was sure that the usage of the place was already considered when he was getting his daily payment.
Fantasy City was built to earn money, and that was what it was doing. Everything was calculated and had a price tag. On the other hand, such a straightforward attitude was easy to understand. The place was quite far from the main space routes, increasing the cost of everything. Not having an atmosphere, with limited local resources, it had to spend a lot to fulfill even the basic human needs. A simple water had to be mined and produced. The same went for oxygen. That led to the possibility for any employee to decide their working conditions and how much they willed to spend to increase them.
In Rob¡¯s case, he stopped at the bare minimum to invest more in his knowledge. Taking two shifts in a row, Robert only left one for reading the common information on every topic he found useful. One daily meal was enough to have a taste of food, while the energy stream from the inside covered all the nutrition needs. The single rest that was interrupted by the alarm gave him enough time to understand ¨C in his situation, only such greed could accelerate his way to better life conditions. The place was horribly expensive, inflating the prices just because they could. Of course, Robert could travel elsewhere theoretically, but it appeared his identity as a terranoid would be a death sentence on most planets. Earth in this realm managed to anger the rest of humankind to the point of justified total annihilation. Moreover, he couldn¡¯t fake that he wasn¡¯t one as any laboratory test would show his inhuman nature as a hybrid.
I missed it at first, but it¡¯s quite obvious that 90% of people around are wary of me as if expecting that I attack them like a wild beast. And at least half of that number feels not only fear but hate towards me. Does it count as discrimination if I haven¡¯t done anything? Who can I file a complaint to?
It was only five days, but the attitude was obvious. However, with Robert¡¯s thick skin and indifference to opinions about himself, he could easily ignore the glances from others, including his co-workers. This time was no different. The way to the workplace didn¡¯t take long as he was living right inside the massive building where his current job took place. Not caring about loud whispers that the speakers thought he couldn¡¯t hear, Rob proceeded to the armory to get his electric baton. The next stop was the guard¡¯s captain who pointed him to the sector for the two next shifts.
Soon Robert was greeting his colleagues for the day. Out of five, only one smiled in return. Rick Abraham Brown was a short middle-aged man with early baldness. Despite that, he was quite energetic, always in a constant move as if he just couldn¡¯t stand still. How he had decided to work as a guard of the main Arena Hall was out of Robert¡¯s understanding as they had to stand on the same spot for the whole shift. And yes, Rob indeed got to the place where he wanted to earn money. Just not the way as planned.
Moreover, the guards of this place weren¡¯t the same as the heavily armored guards with weapons. The latter was more akin to police in Fantasy City, constantly patrolling the corridors of a huge place to prevent any problems that could lead to a loss of money. The drunken fights, stealing, or anything similar always scared the clients, decreasing their wish to spend. Thus order enforces took their job seriously, being a well-trusted elite in this place, a step higher than even most of mercs. Rob, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t like that. Not even close.
¡°Greetings, sir. Scan your ticket, please, and proceed through the arc, so we can check if there is nothing forbidden. I must remind you¡,¡± Robert spoke to the nearest man after replacing another guard on his spot. The young man with a metallic row of teeth and two eye implants that made his eyes look like a beetle only grimaced.
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¡°Fucking great! They started to take those mutants,¡± increasing his pace, he barely spent a second for the machine to check his bracelet before pushing himself past Rob¡¯s figure. The latter already saw the green light from the scanner, switching his attention to the next person in the queue.
The woman halted her tracks and only after the quiet whisper from the man behind, she slowly went forward. The expression of worry was openly painted on her face, but reassuring words from her possible husband helped her to overcome the fear. Soon the man followed, giving Rob a long look of disapproval. The next several guests didn¡¯t show any emotions. Still, the queue in front of his gate had halved when people switched their lines to the neighboring ones just to avoid any interaction with him.
His sector had a total of three lines with a pair of guards controlling each of them. His constant partner ¨C Abraham ¨C was currently at the post behind, additionally checking the ID of the visitors. The Arens was always operating, working without even a single pause to create a spectacular show that attracted thousands of guests. Especially, when the Grand Tournament was taking place.
Not that Grand in fact as the next one will be in a month¡ Obviously, most of the tourists wouldn¡¯t stay so long to see that it was just an exaggeration about the scale of the event just to sell more tickets.
¡°Dirty shrew, you seem to flee far from your lifeless rock. Get out of here ¨C the Universe is for humans and not some modified garbage!¡±
The shout from the teenager returned Rob¡¯s attention back to his work. Looking at the kid who barely started to shave, he only sighed inwardly. The young kid was clearly aiming for the response, a few times glancing back at his friends. Not getting anything else, except the standard ¡°Scan your ticket¡±, he felt the rush of confidence. Smirking, the teenager proceeded forward as if he were the owner of the world. A few similar-aged youngsters followed next, eyeing Robert with no hidden superiority. The last one even added a ¡°cowardly jerk¡±, before running forward.
The phrase was so quiet that Rob thought he heard it wrong at first. However, the loud cheerful conversation that broke after the reunification of the group, where they started to boast about their own courage while mocking Robert, proved him wrong. Still, such a reaction only led to his silent laugh as for him it looked like a barking from the tiny dogs, whose bite would never hurt such thick-skinned person as Rob. Overall, it was the best description that Robert had about the whole attitude of the people around him. Even when one of the bulky men made a move as if he were trying to attack him, his company stopped him without any problems, confirming that it was just for a show. To create an image of bravery in front of the women, to show their own ¡°strength¡±, and to increase their own confidence.
Therefore, Robert simply couldn¡¯t take it seriously. At this point, his mind stopped treating everyone as a potential threat. He couldn¡¯t compare his capabilities with locals but standing slightly less than 7 and a half feet tall (228 cm) and weighing around 485 pounds (220 kg), Rob was huge. His measures were approximate as the system used here was different, but an inbuilt translator managed to help with conversion. All that with an even bigger increase from the System¡¯s stats and other modifications. So, in his unarmored uniform that consisted of blue pants, purple t-shirt, and belt with electric baton that looked like a long spoon in his hands, Rob was sure to deal even with a heavily armed group of guards. There was no danger from his point of view.
Instead, he had plenty of irritations. With the morons around that tried to bully him with words, while hiding a fear of possible retaliation. In the realm, where he unwillingly got the role of a former soldier from the defeated empire that unsuccessfully tried to conquer the universe by wiping everyone, who was against their rule. With the idiotic City, where everything was too expensive. With his attempt at the normal life, which looked even worse than his own existence in the bunker.
The latter was the biggest shock for him. Only enormous willpower and a wish not to give up so easily gave Robert to continue further. And that was only after a mere five days. Yes, it was his decision to spend a bare minimum to quicken his professional growth. But it would still take a lot of time before he would get enough money to go through courses. The inflated prices made it ten times more difficult than in any other place. On the other hand, even if he abandoned any dreams about a better life and focused on the current moment, it wouldn¡¯t be much different. Two-thirds of the day doing the not-so-pleasant but needed job. Few tolerable meals to get full before heading home. With a limited budget, Rob would have an opportunity to go somewhere once in a while as it was too costly for him.
Is this a ¡°normal¡± life I aimed for? Doesn¡¯t look like one¡ Without the job that at least I am interested in, without any friends to speak with, without any family or a girl ¨C yep, it¡¯s not a life but an existence. Even worse than my life in the bunker, where my own survival and fighting had a purpose¡ Okay, cheer up, Rob, it¡¯s just a rough start. First, earn your standing, so you can switch to something better. One thing at a time.
From his sleepless time of going through all available information, Robert not only emptied his balance, despite daily payments but also managed to create a brief plan for himself. And that was the win as even a search of local history led him to the paid courses. Who would have thought that space stations didn¡¯t have a united network, so the owners of the one could put a price on all data. Obviously, the administration of Fantasy City did it, locking anything valuable from free access. Of course, from their point of view, literally, everything fitted that category.
¡°Rob, it¡¯s break time! Wanna eat?¡±
Abraham¡¯s words to a huge smile on Robert¡¯s face when he stopped a man from entering the arc. Dressed in a golden suit, he was constantly kissing his girlfriend, who appeared to be at least twice younger. Even a few repeats to proceed further were ignored by him, so Rob closed the entrance with a clear conscience. That finally awoke the man.
¡°Hey, what are you doing? We are standing here!¡±
¡°Break time. Please, proceed to the other line,¡± Rob widely smiled, putting a barrier in the middle of the arc.
¡°Hey, I am not going anywhere! We were the next here, but now we need to start waiting all over again. Just nope! Or are you doing it on purpose! Too jealous about my girl here? Hey, man, where are going? Just let us through ¨C have seen the other line? Hey, please, man, be reasonable,¡± the voice from behind continued to shout, switching from begging to threats, but Robert didn¡¯t care.
¡°You obviously did it on purpose. Again,¡± Abraham mentioned quietly when Robert caught up with him.
¡°Something has to be constant in this world. I merely follow this rule,¡± Rob grinned, finally feeling how his permanent irritation slightly loosened the grip over his mind.
¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are broke again? Where are spending all your money? It¡¯s not much, but it¡¯s physically impossible to do it after two shifts in a row! Do you even sleep? Oh, whatever, my treat then. Hopefully, the canteen still has those buns with poppy seeds left. They are just too good. Never thought that leftover cooks who didn¡¯t manage to work in restaurants could make such a tasty thing,¡± Abraham continued to speak, not giving a word to Robert. Not that he needed one, preferring to listen instead of listening. Maybe that was the reason why Abraham treated him normally.
I will endure it. A dull work together with a bad attitude from the crowd isn¡¯t comparable to the constant survival on the thick line, be it in the war or on a lifeless island. I lived through that, so not a chance such a petty thing could break me. After getting a few needed certs I will change my life. With enough money, the problem of my ¡°origin¡± will disappear without a trace. At this place will turn into a real Fantasy City, hiding its dark inner side. Just a little patience, Rob. Your normal life is waiting for you!
Chapter 116 (3-28)
The tight slowly moving crowd was steadily leaving the Arena, creating a constant source of noise. Overwhelmed with emotions about the finished tournament, people were in dire need to exchange their opinions. And they did, speaking out loudly in an attempt to be heard by others. Obviously, it only led to a different outcome, as the surroundings became only more chaotic. Considering the different types of expressions on their faces, the crowd looked like a boiling soup of emotions. The hype of the victory or disappointed grimace from the loss of their champion, the boredom from forcefully invited persons or uncontrollable agitation from the fans, the despair of bettors who lost their money ¨C everything was mixed in this overenergized cocktail.
¡°Crap, I will never forget that strike! Too damn awesome¡ And the final phrase ¨C ¡°Stand down, worm!¡± Just wow!¡±
¡°Who would have thought that a dark horse would win the tournament, where there were so many well-renowned fighters this time? That masked guy must have trained quite a lot.¡±
¡°Hey, don¡¯t be depressed ¨C our idol still made it into the top three. She is the strongest woman fighter and definitely the most beautiful one! Our fan club has to get all videos available in the network to show the power of our Goddess!¡±
¡°Dad, I still can¡¯t understand how they manage to shout those long lines in between their attacks, while they are moving so fast. Why don¡¯t they save their breath to fight better? Is it a desire to show off?¡±
¡°So, if the coefficient was 1 to 2,4 in the last match¡ and adding the bet¡¯s numbers about that the newcomer will enter the top¡ My win is going to be¡¡±
¡°Honey, let¡¯s get something to eat ¨C I am quite hungry. The final battle took too long, so I am refusing to go anywhere else before I put something into my mouth¡ Hey, I didn¡¯t mean THAT. Okay-okay, I can spare a minute for your little friend... Wait! Dear, it was just a dumb joke! Wait for me!¡±
Robert heard this constant stream of the crowd¡¯s mind, trying his best to understand how to be like that. Once again, repeating the same thing from his first life, he failed. The topics of walking people were too far from him. Of course, it had been only barely twenty days inside this realm, but he was still feeling like an outsider who couldn¡¯t fit in despite all his efforts.
Following the advice from Abraham, Rob stopped saving and went on a spending spree just to try what Fantasy City could offer. Maybe a ¡°spending spree¡± was an exaggeration as his low budget was too limited to afford most of the things in this place. He still managed to visit the very same Arena he was guarding only to see akin wrestling fights inside ¨C highly choreographic, overly dramatic, and skill-demanding shows but not real fights where each party tried to kill another. That suddenly made him realize how he was viewing the whole world around him. Flashy outside, but hollow inside. Without any meaningful essence.
Robert knew it was only his point of view, broken as it was, but he still couldn¡¯t get rid of this idea. Everything seemed to lack a meaning, a purpose, a thrill of life. Most of the tourists spent a few years of savings on average to visit Fantasy City, marking this event for the rest of their lives. However, for Rob, it looked dumb. He tried to go to the cinema, which in 360-degree style had put him right inside the story as if he was a part of it. That almost led to a devastating effect when he barely stopped from turning his conjured gun into a blast of energy, when an awfully screaming ghost jumped in front of him.
Both other attempts were not better, especially considering the crowd around that was the biggest annoyance. The brothel made his body relax a little but not his mind. Even when Rob managed to find a calm spot in the form of a small cafe for locals and got a hand on a wonderful cup of coffee, his moment of pleasure was broken by uncomfortably tiny chair and loud comments about his Terranoid origin from the neighboring table. That created a situation when despite his sincere attempts to understand how to live a normal life, the latter was constantly rejecting him, while Rob was failing to grasp anything. Therefore, he returned to a previous schedule, saving all the money he got for future education.
¡°So, how was the movie?¡±
After the crowd finally left the Arena, both Abraham and Robert were closing additional gates as there was no need to keep so many exists open during ordinary days. The question was asked by his partner when they almost finished the task.
¡°Stupid and unrealistic,¡± Rob answered after a moment of thought, before adding, ¡°The hero is unkillable to the point of breaking any belief. Some of his feats were physically impossible for a human. I think even I would die from some of them.¡±
¡°But that¡¯s the whole point! In a constant drive, while surprising the viewer with the next action sequence! I enjoyed it a lot¡ Moreover, it seems they have enough cash to produce a sequel. I am sure in a few months top we will get one. Hate the waiting though,¡± Abraham sighed, once again showing his overjoyed character.
¡°Don¡¯t care. I will focus on studying and getting certs for now,¡± Rob shook his head, confirming the blockage of the last gate on the terminal.
¡°Back to an old grumpy self? You need to enjoy the life! To get everything from it!¡±
¡°Everything? We are working all the time. I bet you don¡¯t go elsewhere to enjoy life after the shift but head home to take a rest,¡± Robert retorted while getting control over his constant irritation. Abraham was partly right, but Rob simply couldn¡¯t do it. He couldn¡¯t relax at all, feeling like an alien among others. Their hatred and fear toward him didn¡¯t help in the slightest. He lacked a clear goal - not just to earn more for the sake of more opportunities to earn more. For the past few realms, survival was the main driving thing, but with no danger around, the whole world seemed to pale. Dull and tiresome, it turned his life into a boring torturous existence.
¡°I hope you will get it one day. Then let me ask you about your studies. How is going? I was quite surprised when you told me you wanted to be a shielder. Thought you would aim for boarding team,¡± Abraham spoke after a small pause, accidentally rubbing another Rob¡¯s wound.
¡°Not that good, but I¡¯ll make it.¡±
However, deep inside Rob wasn¡¯t that sure. Trying to set a high but achievable goal for himself, while understanding that he just couldn¡¯t live without a potential threat around, he decided to be a shielder on merc¡¯s spaceship. On paper, the profession was a perfect pick for him, contrary to everyone¡¯s else expectations about members of the boarding team. The latter were always equipped with sealed armor, acting mostly in space or inside the other ships, thus making the ability to conjure steel completely useless. The same went with Robert¡¯s increased physical strength and unlimited endurance, as it wasn¡¯t needed in the era of technology and highly penetrative ranged weapons.
The shielder, on the other hand, appeared to be quite similar to his base military specialization during his service in the army. All spacecraft in this realm had an energy shield to cover them from the damage. Generated on some distance from the surface of a special alloy under the effect of electricity and heat, it could protect the ship from the outer force. However, the limited power of the energy core together with the segmented nature of the surface created a need to manually control the energy spending. There was no need to increase the toughness of the front when the attack was coming from behind. Moreover, the engines, the weapons, the life-support system ¨C everything wanted its portion of an energy stream. The job of the captain was to set the limits, while the corresponding specialist focused on his own system.
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In such circumstances, Robert¡¯s ability to focus on multiple tasks, despite the drop in efficiency after his ¡°power up¡±, still gave him an advantage over most ordinary humans. His reaction speed, his ability to perceive more information, even his hand movement ¨C everything was superior. The problem was that to get the job, he had to pass the certification. To do that, he needed to study a lot. And by a lot, Rob indeed meant a lot. The biggest obstacle wasn¡¯t in the volume of the knowledge he had to shove inside his mind but in its complexity. It was just too hard. He never thought about himself as a genius, but each piece of information took enormous effort to learn.
I think I am dumb¡ How the fuck I¡¯ve learned so much before? Is it because all the place in my head is already taken? Or was it easy because I was a child back then? Rob, just admit that you are stupid and are only good at beating the shit out of the people, creatures, or any other fuckery that the realm might throw onto you. Big and dumb. Yep.
¡°I can do it,¡± Robert repeated after a noticeable pause.
¡°I hope you know what are doing, Rob. It isn¡¯t easy to become a shielder for an average Joe, not speaking about the terranoid. You need to be hired by the captain himself as the whole life of the ship will depend on your actions,¡± Abraham spoke, not even hiding his worry.
¡°I know. But I also know that I don¡¯t fit in here. Or anywhere peaceful. I was made for the battle, and no matter how I try, it¡¯s impossible to take this integral part from me ¨C this desire to be in the place, where most of your incorrect actions would lead to sure death. Where everything gets more colors because of the lingering threat in the background. Where you live, and not just exist. Where the things matter. Where you fight the enemies, but not boredom. Where everything is more straightforward, more real, more meaningful...,¡± Catching the glance from his partner, Robert explained, ¡°Don¡¯t look like that at me. I know what you think. But, hey, man, have you seen the price of a psychotherapist¡¯s session?¡±
Abraham just laughed at that, nodding with the all-understanding look, and explaining how his wife wanted to fix their relationship through such help after another big quarrel. However, after speaking for almost two hours straight, all they got were a few rhetorical questions and remarks from the so-called specialist. That, and an already written plan of their visits with an insanely huge bill on top. They both were so angry that it made them unite their efforts against lazy fraud who tried to suck their money. Only after a few days, they understood how laughable their grudge was between themselves, easily solved by just speaking it aloud. After calling and thanking the psychotherapist for the help, they both often used this episode to solve any issues in their relationships.
¡°I bet you will find your way. You are still too young to think that you know what you are from the life. Believe me, in another ten cycles everything might be different for you. What was an unbreakable rule, a part of the natural order may turn into a stupid foolishness of younghood. Okay, back to work. Five minutes before the next series of matches. Four more hours till the end of the shift.¡±
The crowd was already there, waiting in anticipation. However, it didn¡¯t look like an ordinary reaction to the upcoming match. No, it seemed like at least half of the standing people were waiting for someone or something, constantly looking around in search. It was too eye-catching to miss, no matter how small Robert¡¯s experience was in the role of Arena¡¯s guard. Therefore, checking the time once again, he turned to his partner.
¡°Hey, Abraham, what is going on? They are too agitated,¡± Rob asked while pointing forward.
¡°Let me check¡ Oh, wow. Just got a message from the central post. It appears one of the regional-level celebrities wanted to visit the Arena incognito, but the info was leaked, thus the crowd. She asked for the safe corridor to enter, deciding not to cancel her visit. Neither I know who she is, nor what she looks like, but most likely she will be guarded by a few armed men in these circumstances. Be ready for it, but do not overdo it ¨C they are here as bodyguards and not in search of troubles.¡±
¡°Got it,¡± Robert nodded, focusing on the back of the crowd. Standing more than a head taller than everyone else, it was easy for him to spot the target a few minutes later. It wasn¡¯t hard to do as three figures in pitch-black battle armor were pushing everyone else, trying to ensure a safe passage for the hooded figure, covered in a dark grey fabric from top to toe. Moreover, the crowd itself showed a burst of emotions, upon seeing such actions. However, just in a few seconds, Rob noticed an oddity.
¡°Abraham, was it just one group? Because currently, I am seeing another one, heading directly to us,¡± Rob muttered, while observing the five strange fighters in a bulkier type of armor with no visible visor on their closed helmets. Having different colorful paintings on top of silver surfaces, they were openly carrying massive rifles, not even caring to hide like the previous group. Their tight formation obstructed the sight, not giving Robert the ability to see if they were protecting anyone. Still, the more aggressive approach was hard to miss.
¡°Either it¡¯s just a distraction, or something isn¡¯t right,¡± he whispered, checking his surroundings once again. His instant and obvious thought about the attackers, who would try to kill their target in plain sight, died just from the few seconds of observation. It just didn¡¯t fit as the crowd was too dense to guarantee a kill. The more he looked, the more Robert found it really weird. Even contradictive.
The emotions of the crowd indeed looked like anticipation, and while both groups of armed fighters caused the rise of the noise, nobody paid attention to the hooded figure. As they didn¡¯t care about the person, and just waited for a specific event. Or for the specific action to act themselves. The other noticeable fact was the absolutely calm, even indifferent, behavior of his colleagues with whom he barely spoke. As if nothing was going on that demanded anything more than an ordinary effort. Talking among themselves without any worry, they were readying to open the gate on time. Not a single glance seemed to search the incoming celebrity.
¡°Hey, Abraham, are you sure about your information?¡± Robert asked again, quickly checking his options. His uniform barely could help against even a slight drop in temperature, not speaking about to protect against any weapons. The electric baton wasn¡¯t any better, useless against the thick metal of the full battle armor. Fortunately, his steel and ability to use an energy blast were always with him.
¡°Yes, why? The central post was absolutely clear about it,¡± his partner answered with confusion, finally showing the first signs of concern, ¡°Rob, what is going on?¡±
¡°I am not sure, but seems we have at least nine potential attackers, including your ¡°celebrity¡± ¡ Are there any valuable items inside the Arena that they might want to steal? Or someone with a high position to be targeted? We need to know what they want¡ No, better warn the central post through the open channel and fast!¡±
¡°Where are they?¡± Abraham asked, hastily moving to Robert while gripping his bracelet. Almost bumping into Rob, the man tried to look through the crowd, but the latter couldn¡¯t magically turn into a transparent one, completely hiding the incoming threat from his eyes.
¡°One is fifteen meters on the right. The other is five meters to the left,¡± Robert answered without a pause, stepping forward and getting ready to intercept the danger. Instead, he was met with a sudden rush of the crowd, when all barriers opened at once, ¡°What¡?¡±
In the next instant, Rob had to swallow his words, being paralyzed by an unexpected strike of electricity from behind. The contraction of his muscles stopped all his motions, effectively turning him into a statue. The gravity tried to pull him down, but an instinctive usage of the steel kept him straight. The surroundings slowly started to fade, leaving everything behind, except the final phrase from Abraham.
¡°No offense, friend, but you were right ¨C our life is just a dull existence, so I finally decided to change it¡ HELP! TERRANOID IS HERE! HE HAS A BOMB!¡±
Finally some action! I thought I would die from the boredom.
The thought seemed to reignite Robert''s mind, putting it in on emotional flames that demanded to move, to fight, to live. The darkness immediately reacted, scaring away like a terrified puppy in front of the real beast. Grinning from ear to ear, Rob pushed Abraham¡¯s baton from his back with a single mental command. The obedient steel was already moving, gripping the hand of the traitorous partner, while its master was smiling like a madman.
This is what I call life! Now let¡¯s see what the locals can offer, and how strong their technology really is.
Chapter 117 (3-29)
The whole world seemed to freeze in front of Rob¡¯s eyes, while he was observing his surroundings. The injection of the adrenaline that his body had produced after such a long calm period appeared to accelerate his already improved by the Tower perception to new heights. It seemed that he was like a racing horse that was locked inside the stable for an eternity before finally letting it go for the desired run. Even his senses intensified their power, adding brightness and contrast to everything. The smell, the touch of fabric from the clothes, the heaviness of the conjured steel. His lungs for the first time after his appearance in this realm made a full deep breath, waking him from the slumber.
The world followed the example, starting to show the change in the expressions of the crowd that only began to process Abraham¡¯s shout. The confusion was switching to horror in a real slow-mo in Rob¡¯s eyes, giving him enough opportunity to observe the people¡¯s reactions. Unfortunately, just from a glance, he understood there was no chance to convince the panicked crowd of the false accusations. Moreover, the armed potential enemies were already forcefully pushing others to the side, trying to get to his spot. Therefore, Robert decided to follow the flow. Easing his self-restraints, Rob aimed to do what he could the best ¨C to survive and fight. And that he did.
Bursting into action, Robert made a rotational swing, already in the process of conjuring the spiked mace. He managed to get a clear picture of the painted surprise on Abraham¡¯s face before the steel construct smashed his skull, turning it into a gruesome mixture of bones and brain. The beheaded man stood for the next second before dropping down like a broken doll. There was momentarily thought about how easy it appeared to murder the person, who Rob believed was his friend just a mere minute ago but turned into a traitor. It seemed Robert¡¯s mind had no hesitation at all as if his inner part already marked the former colleague as an enemy. And the enemies are meant to be killed.
Maybe it was overdoing ¨C might have spared his life. Well, what¡¯s done is done. There are still others¡
Ignoring the terrifying cries and shouts from the crowd that started to flee, Robert made a step forward toward the incoming group in black. The hooded figure was already pulling the fabric away, opening a view of the similar armor, just much thinner, smaller, and painted in a dark red color. Equipped with the same short swords with electric sparks floating over the single-edged blade, they were clearly trying to get Rob alive. Otherwise, they would use something heavier than melee weapons. Neither did he know why, nor did he care, as he was already falling into a battle trance.
The next moment his body shot forward at the insane speed, accelerating in an instant. The lunge was so fast that the enemies failed to react in time. The crowd was even worse, being forcefully shoved away without any wariness. The feel of impact, before another person was sent flying toward the floor, didn¡¯t halt Rob in the slightest. All his focus was turned on the opponents in front of him, treating the crowd as an obstacle. Such behavior without any regard for the consequences of Robert¡¯s actions appeared to be surprising for the attackers. At least it could explain why they paused as if questioning themselves what to do. Maybe the equipped battle armor added to their confidence, but that appeared to be a grave mistake.
Crashing into the nearest black figure at full speed, Robert felt only a short resistance before throwing the heavy enemy into the air. The places of impact were already covered with steel, protecting them from the possible damage. Not waiting for any results, Rob continued his actions, directing his attention to the next opponent. The latter was already in the process of the thrusting motion, aiming at Robert¡¯s chest. The electric sparks on the blade¡¯s surface didn¡¯t trigger any wish to test the weapon¡¯s capabilities, so instead of deflecting the sword, Rob just rotated his torso, while stepping to the side.
The elector-powered blade pierced the air in mere centimeters from his body, but Robert was calm as ever. He could even say that the current moment was the calmest in the past two weeks, washing all his worries, irritation, and mental loss just with a slight touch of danger. The wild grin never left his face as it appeared from the start. So, with the same terrifyingly mad smile Rob gripped the hand over the handle, before trying to change the direction of the blade. Not surprisingly, it appeared to be a hard task as an inbuilt exoskeleton was fighting against his natural muscles. Well, almost natural.
They are indeed strong in this armor, but it doesn¡¯t increase their reaction speed at all.
The contest of the strength lasted for a mere second, before Robert smashed the elbow from underneath, breaking the arm despite the armor. The long-noticed vulnerability in joints failed to protect the owner against the inhuman power. Despite the thick armored plates, the exposed parts lacked the same level of defense. The exoskeleton stole enough part of space to leave a gap in full-body equipment, replacing the tough material of the armor with a mechanism with much less durability. Still, it didn¡¯t help Rob with a test of the sword¡¯s might as the bent metal got stuck, turning the limb into some kind of a stick.
That¡¯s unfortunate¡ Oh, well, I have three more test subjects. Or I can do this.
Deflecting the second arm with a short move, Robert gripped the neck of the enemy before focusing on his steel. The small collar encircled it in the next moment before suddenly disappearing without a trace, replaced with an unfocused shining light. The following explosion almost tore the head of the enemy, melting the metal. Only remnants of the armor kept the mutilated body part from leaving the torso. Not pausing on it, Rob stepped to the side, while pushing the armored corpse right under the flying strike. The sparks from the contact and the barely visible mark on the black surface were all results he got.
So, it seems the weapon is indeed meant to stun the target, but not to kill. Hmm, what the hell do they want from me?
Blocking another swing with the remnants of the dead¡¯s helmet, Rob had to pause for a second to look at the powerful hit strengthened by the technology that simply tore apart the head of the corpse. Maybe there was an angry yell from the opponent, but the sealed armor prevented him from hearing it. Not that he cared. Conjuring a gun, Robert aimed it at the visor before ¡°pulling a trigger¡±. The following collapse of the matter that turned into a white ball of devastating energy took a fraction of a second. His increased by the System¡¯s influence toughness led to barely any backlash from the ability¡¯s usage. However, the effect was more than noticeable.
The Energy Blast penetrated the greyed visor, and skull and went out from the other side of the helmet before finally making the deep hole in the floor. Not even blinking, Robert conjured another gun before changing the target. The nearest one had the same armor and was just processing what had happened to his mate. Seeing the pointed blob of the metal, the enemy dropped his sword in an attempt to get his hands on his own gun, which hung on the belt. Unfortunately for him, he wasn¡¯t fast enough, and another ball ended his life a moment later.
Yep, it seems the chest armor is much thicker not only from the looks. It failed to penetrate the whole thing. However, I haven¡¯t used much steel¡
The thought was flowing through his mind, while Rob¡¯s body never stopped acting. Focusing on the last owner of the black armor, who appeared the very same hooded figure, he noticed how the smaller enemy was making a backflip in the heavy armor while carrying two swords. That led only to a mental sigh before his next energy strike went flying toward the oddly agile figure. The latter, instead of avoiding the white ball, decided to take it head-on by crossing the weapons. Both blades were shining with the overwhelming energy as if being manually overcharged over any safety level.
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However, the Energy Blast didn¡¯t care, easily going through the swords and entering the frontal armor plate. Moreover, losing the energy to melt the swords, it lost the power to make a deep wound, leaving a horrible burn on the chest, but not going through the chest. Not that made anything easier for the enemy as it was left with melted remnants of the hands. Dropping down from the pain shock, the opponent immediately was crossed out from the potential threats for the time being. Still, the group of five were already here, aiming with their massive rifles.
Their bulky armor even from the look granted more protection. The weapons in hands were also no joke. Huge barrels, and futuristic design, they made Robert worry about their capabilities. Therefore, he did the most logical thing he could, while waiting in the middle of the hall for the enemies to shoot him ¨C Robert summoned the shield. Or, precisely speaking, the half-circular dome that covered him from the danger a moment before the enemies opened fire. Dark green material materialized right in front of him. Five centimeters thick (2 inches), it was insanely heavy. So heavily that it could crush the bones with ease. And that it did as not all people from the crowd managed to flee from the scene. Frankly speaking, almost no one as the time frame from Abraham¡¯s shout up to this point barely took a dozen seconds.
All the screams from scaring fighting nearby, their grimaces of fear, the pleading shouts, while they were running for their life ¨C everything was going in the background for Robert. Only now, at this very moment he finally really noticed them. Acknowledged their presence. This fact was like a cold shower, waking him from his battle-driven state into harsh reality. The reality that wasn¡¯t divided into just black and white, or friends and foes. The reality that wasn¡¯t the battlefield or the Tower¡¯s floor, but just an ordinary civilian place with the same ordinary people, who weren¡¯t ready for the broken fight with its bloody and gore nature.
Even from the first shout that had two important words in it, the crowd had panicked. Both ¡°the bomb¡± and ¡°Terranoid¡± led to obvious reactions. Nobody tried to play the hero in front of the towering giant who clearly went insane, attacking the people around. No, everyone started to flee in an attempt to save their lives. Of course, the latter took all priority over anything else, easily leading to violence, when someone else stood between the danger and a possible way out. Pushing, kicking, not even pausing for a second to see the consequences of their actions, the crowd simply stomped quite a few of the unluckiest just to save themselves.
Moreover, Robert¡¯s own initial attacks that threw the enemy away didn¡¯t end well for at least one man, who was unfortunate enough to be hit by the heavy figure. The weight of the fully equipped opponent together with the force from the hit left a twisted parody on the human, with broken limbs and a grimace of a silent scream from the terrible pain. Rob was just too fast to act, while the crowd was too dense to magically disappear from sight in mere seconds after the start. Therefore, any of his attacks could lead to such an outcome. Even his steel dome crashed the foot of the woman, who fell on the floor because of the inability to run fast on the high heels.
Fuck! I didn¡¯t want this¡ I just snapped¡ How can I stop it? Damn it!
Obviously, Robert couldn¡¯t as it wasn¡¯t his actions that led to this situation. The unknown attackers were already sending a torrent of projectiles at him. Increasing the thickness of his protective construct even more, Rob focused his attention on the feeling of the steel, ready to repair it the instant he sensed any damage. Surprisingly, there was none. Instead, he heard a literal bombardment against the metal surface. A moment later the lying woman screamed from the pain, when a small dart penetrated her forehead, immediately injecting something. At least that was what he thought when her veins started to appear on her skin, pulsing with black. The next second interrupted Rob¡¯s observation as the darts suddenly started to fly over his dome.
His reaction was instantaneous. Redirecting the steel from the thickness into coverage, Robert turned himself into a turtle that hid inside its shell. Waiting for two long seconds, he opened a huge hall in front of him only to face his opponents. Still, Rob¡¯s sudden appearance surprised the attackers, halting them for a moment. It was enough for him. Following his will, five long spikes rose from the dome, pointing right at the enemies. The next was a mental command that started to convert each of them into a glowing white ball of energy.
The first Energy Blast only made half of the distance, when the second was conjured. It took an insane concentration from Robert to do it in quick succession without even a tiny delay. Fortunately, his supernatural abilities barely managed to be understood during the twenty-second fight. The devastating balls each found its own target, penetrating the bulky armor with a noticeable effort. Despite the usage of more steel, this time the Energy Blast had a short struggle in melting the surface of the metal, visibly losing the momentum and the size before finally finding its way inside.
I still need to work on my aim¡ or aim properly with a conjured gun.
The thought had flashed through Robert¡¯s mind when he saw the result of his shooting. Only one of the projectiles managed to hit what he intended to ¨C the helmet of the enemy. The second made a hole inside the chest, instantly killing the attacker. The last three went far from where he aimed at, barely hitting the target. Still this ¡°barely¡± was enough to send the group to the ground. One of them lost the knee, and while the equipment managed to hold his leg in one piece, he clearly couldn¡¯t use it. The other got an awful wound on the stomach, desperately trying to cover it with his metal gloves as if it could even work. The final opponent lost part of his shoulder, dropping the weapon. The latter was in the best condition among the enemies, marking himself as a priority target. Jumping on the feet and dispersing his steel, Robert conjured a new gun before quickly finishing the group only to pause several seconds later.
Well, again acting on instinct without thinking. I could leave one alive to get an explanation for the reason of attacking me in the first place. They clearly aimed to capture me alive. But what for? What was the thing with Abraham¡¯s shout about the bomb? To put the blame on me? A simple explanation can solve the situation with ease¡ Or not. Fuck!
Looking at the mess around, Robert knew that he ruined any possible way out for himself. Not that he had many options to start with. Considering the open hatred and fear toward any Terranoid, a dozen dead around, including civilians, everyone would point at him as the main culprit. Even the attackers could be found innocent as they were not carrying any lethal weapons, aiming just to ¡°stop the person with a bomb¡±. On the other hand, there was the terrifying Terranoid, who killed the single person who tried to befriend him. Who was constantly on the verge of snapping before it finally happened. Unsociable, gloomy war veteran from the most hateful planet of failed conquerors and genocide carriers.
¡°Hands up! Don¡¯t move, Robert, or we will shoot!¡±
The shout was coming from his colleagues, who always neglected his greetings, thus giving no doubt they would do it without hesitation. Armed with emergency guns that were hidden inside the closed boxes, the Arena guards were aiming at him with dead serious expressions. Still, no matter how they tried to cover their real feelings, the mixture of disgust, fear, and anger was there, clearly visible to the naked eye. Robert caught it at once. Slowly moving his hands up, he only opened his mouth in an attempt to explain that it was a setup, but the gunshot interrupted him. The bullet went far above his head, most likely accidentally sent by a trembling hand of the guard, but the event already triggered the reflexive reaction. Unfortunately, it related to both parties.
Forming the huge great shield in a single instant, Robert covered himself from the fire, while starting to move. His deeply engraved reaction to the danger had pushed him into motion way before his mind processed it. The Energy Blast was already conjured when Rob realized what he was doing. The instinctive attempt to halt the flying energy ball obviously failed as there was no connection with the flying projectile. The short pause after one of his colleagues got an unnatural hole inside his chest was replaced with more intensive shooting. Moreover, the trained guards immediately started to encircle him, clearly aiming for the kill.
The regret, the confusion, the despair ¨C there were many feelings at that moment inside Robert¡¯s head. However, no matter how he tried to find a way out, his options once again were quickly narrowing to just two - to kill or be killed. To the cost he was willing to pay for his own survival as it seemed nobody would try to keep him alive after the situation had escalated to this point. Especially, when Rob noticed a new group of the heavily armed guards emerging from the distance. The rifles, they were carrying, didn¡¯t look like the ones with darts. Moreover, they were already aiming at him, ready to send a real bullet storm toward him. Therefore, after a long second of doubt, Robert made a choice.
I will force my way out no matter what. I wasn¡¯t the one to start it. If I can, I will try to leave the realm using the help from Aether. If not, I can try to steal the ship, taking the hostages. Maybe they will listen then¡ Or not. No more pondering, Robert, move your crazy ass!
Chapter 118 (3-30)
Blocking the torrent of bullets that were leaving multiple deep dents on the surface of the dark green steel, Robert was slowly retreating to the Arena. All his bravado about acceptance of killing his former colleagues or anyone else, who would dare to stop him, died after a single glance on the lying corpse of Rayn. The man, who got the hole in his chest from Rob¡¯s Energy Blast still had scared expression. Shy, over responsible, he was the silent type. Never talkative, with his own meal boxes, Rayn didn¡¯t show any strong emotions against Robert and just followed others in an attempt to be a part of the group. The latter seemed to very important to Ryan as his lack of confidence or social skills could leave him forever alone without a single friend, which scared him a lot. At least that what Robert understood about the man.
However, now Ryan was dead. Killed by the reflective shoot, done by the instinct that was cultivated by the circumstances that Rob was forcefully put into. Maybe, if Robert was a true hero, a person with a high morale, or at least much stronger, he would disarm others without hurting them much. Not spilling the blood of innocent guards, who was just doing their paid job. Rob would spare their lives before trying to uncover the truth behind the attack on him, exposing the real villain. The mastermind, who was behind everything. Unfortunately, the real life didn¡¯t like the word ¡°IF¡±. Robert couldn¡¯t reverse the time to stop him reacting on the shot, preventing Ryan¡¯s death.
Neither I am strong enough to keep an image of a merciful hero, nor I treat the lives of others as something precious. Even now the biggest obstacle that prevents me from killing everyone is the strong sense of meaningless. Their death won¡¯t change anything as they aren¡¯t enemies. Just the police who wants to stop the criminal. But if it continues in the same way, they will become one, not leaving me any real choice, except between my life or their.
The non-stop shooting was constantly damaging the conjured tower shield. Only because of the strengthening his steel the finger-thick construct managed to keep the bullets from piercing his body. Not even from the guards tried to speak with him, while ignoring any Rob¡¯s attempts to negotiate. Moreover, having half of a dozen shooters that refused to line like stupid dummies, it was simply impossible to close the distance to them without getting few additional holes that weren¡¯t created by nature.
¡°Hey, I ask you one last time to stop! I don¡¯t have a bomb! I don¡¯t want to kill anyone! Let¡¯s stop the pointless violence!¡±
Making a small hall above his head, Robert shouted once again, not expecting a different result. His assumption was confirmed immediately with the intensified shooting, when it seemed another group of the guards joined. It led to an obvious conclusion ¨C nobody would listen to him at this point. Like the predators who felt blood, the local police aimed to kill him. Maybe Fantasy City had a law about the death sentence to the murderer, which they wanted to execute at once. Maybe it was his fake origin of the Terranoid that caused the bloodthirsty behavior of law enforcers. Maybe there was something else, unknown to him, or, on the contrary, there was no particular reason, except just a simple wish to kill in the situation, where nobody would blame the murderer. Robert didn¡¯t know. Frankly speaking, he also didn¡¯t care about the reasoning. There was just the simple fact that they wanted him dead. It was all that mattered.
This time the acknowledgement of the situation went much faster than in the Tower. Robert long lost the inner stoppers on the killing. The current situation just made sure to wipe clean the surface of the place where they previously were, confirming that there was no trace left. Any hesitations about using violence disappeared, being washed away forever as there was nothing to stop it. It felt like the part of him vanished, influencing his inner being and leaving no regards for human life. However, it also brought a relief of the simplicity as there was no need to justify the killing by branding the enemy as a ¡°bad¡±. His wish was enough. Making a deep exhale as if marking the change, Robert turned his attention back to the surroundings.
He was retreating through the main corridor that went directly toward the main Arena. Wide to fit an enormous crowd, it wasn¡¯t the best place to get into the fight. Especially, against someone with multiple rifles and what seemed an infinite ammo. The latter was easy to explain as the flying bullets were just basic tiny metal spheres, accelerated by the electromagnetic mechanism inside the rifle. Made not to pierce but to stop by splashing against the tough surface, the bullets were still enough to kill any unarmored person. Considering their size, the clips could fit a lot of them. This fact made Rob to quicken his movement as it was just a matter of time when the penetrative type would be used. Just after a mere minute two groups of the guards got to the place, clearly indicating that the time frame was short. So, Robert acted.
Planting his heavy shield against the surface, Rob opened a small hole to observe the enemies. Barely a size of the coin, it lowered the chance to be hit through it. Following his will the steel started to shift, creating a few spikes. This time he took some time to aim, controlling the construct so it would point at correct direction. With his abilities, neither there was no need to shoot without seeing, nor he need to get out of the cover to open fire. The obedient mana was already fueling the summoning of the dark green metal before the matter would turn into white energy balls.
The guards reacted immediately. Unfortunately for them, even the corner of the corridor couldn¡¯t protect against something that could melt its way through. More and more Energy Blasts were sent flying toward the enemies, finding their targets despite the effort of the latter to dodge. Their speed was deceptively slow, making it easy to track with an average sight, but in reality, they were too fast to react. The result was so devastating and shocking that the last two patrol officers halted their shooting, solely focusing on the scene in front of them. For a moment Rob thought they were concentrating on the evasion, but the sound of running steps that were coming from behind made it obvious that it wasn¡¯t the reason.
In the next instant Robert had to hastily tilt his head to the side, avoiding the fast hack from the fire axe. Striking the steel, the weapon wanted to bounce but was immediately caught by Rob¡¯s construct. He was already in motion, turning around to face the new enemies. Their appearance surprised him as they were not just someone but the Arena¡¯s fighters in their scenic costumes. Dressed in different outfits that shouted about the desire to make an impression, they were all muscular and fit. Preparing for the upcoming matches, the fighters were clearly attracted by the loud commotion. The attitude of combatants made them immediately jump into action, trying to stop the Terranoid, while he was distracted by guards. Unfortunately, they picked the wrong target.
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Continuing to support the shield with his right arm to cover himself from bullets, Robert made a quick elbow strike into face of the axe wielder. The steel was already protecting the place of the hit. The bridge of the nose cracked instantly, splashing a blood on Rob¡¯s face. The attacker only started to fall backward when the following strong kick into the knee broke the bone, twisting the leg into wrong direction. Dropping down like a bag, the man tried to scream but overwhelming pain seemed to steal all air from his lungs, making him look like a fish on the ground. However, that didn¡¯t last long as even his fall was interrupted by Rob.
Grabbing the bloodied head of the axe wielder, Robert noted how easy it was to do it. His huge palm was comparable with the head of the muscular man, making everyone others almost like children in front of him. The children that wanted him dead. Therefore, not pausing for a second, Rob pushed the very same head against the flying foot of another fighter. The hit was strong enough to break the jaw of the already injured axe wielder, finally sending him into the darkness. The moment his body followed his mind in a form a forceful throw. Not giving the ¡°jumper¡± to attack again, Robert swung his arm, simultaneously conjuring a long sabre.
The motion barely paused before continuing with the speed, leaving the beheaded body behind. This was the moment when guards started shooting once again, trying to capitalize the distraction, despite the closeness of the Arena¡¯s fighters. So, Robert just dispersed all his steel before rolling to the side. His size and low agility made the action look clumsy and unbalanced, but the sheer force that was put into the action compensated everything with speed of the act. Moreover, the fast and unexpected motion from the giant made the guards to follow the target without any second thought. However, the disappearance of the obstacle to stop the bullets didn¡¯t make them magically vanish, continuing the previous trajectory and causing the devastating effect on the group of the fighters.
Piercing the bodies with ease, they halved the number of Rob¡¯s potential opponents in a mere second. That halted the shooting, while both guards were trying to decide whether it better to continue shooting or stop to prevent more casualties. A couple of seconds later their hesitation lost any meaning as Energy Blast tore the hole in the chest of the first, while melting the rifle together with the hands of the second. Pushing him upward, Robert still had to deflect the fist of another crazy fighter who thought he could play a hero. The black mask that covered upper half of the face only emphasized the suicidal idea.
Rob¡¯s respond didn¡¯t take even a fraction of the second. His lightning-fast straight punch broke a hand of the opponent, despite the hasty attempt to block it. The force didn¡¯t stop there, pushing the remnants onto the ribs. The loud crack had ended the resistance. Still, Rob grabbed the head of the man before planting it against the wall with all his force. The skull cracked, killing the poor guy, but leaving the mask intact. Not that it mattered as the bloody blobs on the lips were already indicating about puncture of the lungs. Releasing the corpse, Rob made another hit with his huge fist, creating a deep dent on the metal surface of the wall, before finally turning to the fighters, who might have a dumb thought to attack him.
¡°Anyone else?¡±
The answer was crystal clear. The visible fear after the demonstration had wiped any ideas to compete with him in terms of strength or close combat skills. At least it was clear for those who saw it as another group emerged from the side corridor. This time all fighters were females, whose dressing room was further. They had the same colorful outfits that were emphasizing their curves or trained physique. Violence and sexualization were quite a good selling point if combined. Fantasy City couldn¡¯t miss such an opportunity.
¡°Give up or we will make you. We have a numerical adva¡.¡± The loud shout from a beauty in the front was cut off with a single Energy Blast. Surprisingly, she was fast enough to react on the incoming projectile, but not in the way she needed. Putting a palm in front herself as if she wanted to stop it with just a flesh, the beauty tried to tilt her head to the side. That didn¡¯t work well.
Touching the palm, the white ball entered it without any pause, starting to melt the stretched arm along its length. However, instead of the meat, it exposed the inners of the cybernetical mechanism, showing where the girl got her confidence. The projectile lost the three-fourth of its charge before diving out from the prosthetic near the shoulder. Unfortunately for her, it was still more than enough to enter her chick, burning a terrifying hole in the head, but failing leave from the other side.
¡°I am for gender equality¡ And it seems she was a cheater¡ Okay, to the point ¨C anyone else wants to test their intellectual level, thinking they have a chance against me? No one? Good. Tell the guards that if they stop shooting at me, we can try to talk... And treat the wounded. Those bullets made quite a mess.¡±
Violence only leads to more violence, but sometimes even bigger violence is needed to break this constant cycle¡
His heavy gaze made them tremble, confirming that they wouldn¡¯t act. That left Rob with his own plans, which he had to think fast. The Arena was crossed out immediately as the place was too easy to block. With cameras everywhere, with trackers in bracelets, it was simply impossible to lose him in this place. Therefore, Robert¡¯s only way out was to get into the dense crowd, preventing the guards to use heavy weaponry. Moreover, it could give him a chance to find a valuable hostage. Rob wasn¡¯t na?ve to think that just a random tourist or the hired workers had any cost for the local administration. No, only the huge or money reputation loss could lead to a possibility of negotiations. Otherwise, they would treat him like a brainless wild animal who needed to be shoot at the spot.
So, the central hall it is. I hope I didn¡¯t forget the way there. Go!
Crashing the bracelet and throwing the pieces away, Robert sprinted forward, covering the corridor in no time. The sight of the dead guards, his own colleagues, including Ryan and Abraham, the bodies of the accident casualties in the crowd ¨C this scene squeezed Rob¡¯s heart for a moment, making to skip the beat. However, he just strengthened his resolve, reminding himself his desire to live. There was no time for a regret about the event as he had no chance to prevent it at all, thus making any emotions suffering completely meaningless. Not that he felt anything remotely similar to what the most normal would as his train of thought had been going in a weird way.
Once again, no rest for the wicked. But all those efforts to study appeared to be futile. It¡¯s good that it happened before I managed to put all those enormous books into my head, thus not making it a complete waste. Well, it would be nice if nothing happened at all¡ I have what I have. Still, I can mark that the first attempt to get a normal life was a failure. At least the coffee was good.
So, he just accelerated even more, leaving the Arena and everything related to this part of the life behind. If had a choice, Robert would leave the world at once, but Aether had a different opinion on this topic. Focusing on his connection with the all-might being and sending the request, Rob didn¡¯t expect anything in return. However, surprisingly, this time, not only the response came without any delays, but for the first time was clear as the day, showing him the previously hidden condition.
The situation isn¡¯t resolved. The travelling between realms is currently forbidden.
The escape is my only option. Well, nothing was easy for me before, yet I am alive. I can do it!
Chapter 119 (3-31)
The dissatisfied middle-aged man was looking from the screen, clearly trying to battle a good amount of alcohol, constant yawns, and his awful mood from the unwanted attention. However, it appeared to be hard as after the noticeable effort his sight focused again before he spoke with a hoarse voice.
¡°Andrew, say it again. Why the hell are calling me during my first day of the vacation when I celebrating twenty years of my marriage? Are you so incompetent that I will need to replace you the moment I return? Or maybe¡ just maybe¡ will you do the job by yourself without my help wiping your ass as if you were a dumb recruit? So, what do you choose?¡±
The irritated tone was loud and clear, making everyone present pretend that they didn¡¯t hear anything. Andrew, on the other hand, didn¡¯t have such luxury. Carefully choosing his next words as his own destiny depended on it, the younger man once again tried to explain himself before his boss.
¡°Captain, I am very sorry to interrupt your well-deserved rest, just we have a situation¡¡±
¡°Say clearly, God damn it! We all have the situation! I have the situation with the dumb subordinates who can¡¯t act on their own! My wife has the situation with me, who instead of going to bed and using all effects from the pack of pills that I swallowed, is speaking to a moron. What the fuck do you have there?¡±
The head of the guards roared like a beast, who was barely holding himself from lunging at the prey. Considering that it wasn¡¯t just the act, Andrew was covered with sweat. The captain was infamous for harsh decisions and using violence against his guards. However, in return his other actions made their ranks to be desirable places for the elites even among top mercenaries. Discipline, limited bureaucracy, protection from the Council¡¯s members, high salaries ¨C everything made their work truly effective¡ if they could manage their own chief who was like the head of a family. Not just a random family, but a criminal dynasty with strict rules, hierarchy, and personal responsibility.
There was a rumor that the captain was once a member of such a group, but up to this point there was definite evidence of that. Moreover, being de-jure a part of the Defensive Consul¡¯s team, de-facto he had his own standing, resulting in respect and fear toward such a heavy-impactful figure. Therefore, Andrew¡¯s reaction was justified, and if he could, the man would do everything to avoid even the tiny dissatisfaction of his chief. However, the situation was too huge to try to cover it up.
¡°Five minutes ago a terranoid, which was hired directly by the Resource Consul, tried to get the bomb inside the Arena. His colleague noticed it and managed to warn everyone before being killed on the spot. There were around ten mercs in the crowd with non-lethal weapons who tried to stop the suspect but failed. All dead. Two patrol groups joined their force with the local guards ¨C the result was the same¡¡±
¡°Crap. Casualties?¡±
All the rage and boiling emotions disappeared without a trace, putting the captain into a working mood. Andrew immediately felt a heavy cold gaze coming from the chief, but that only made him sigh with relief. He knew his captain. Now all his attention would go toward the bigger problem, saving Adrew¡¯s ass from possible problems.
¡°At this point ¨C seven our men. Five from the Arena guards. Around twenty of their fighters, with half of them just heavily injured from the bullets. Six civilians dead, fifteen wounded,¡± the young officer tried to be as fast as possible in his report, waiting for the command what to do.
¡°Where the hack did the fucking TERRANOID got the weapons?!¡± The captain''s obvious reaction was an angry shout.
¡°Sir, in fact, he doesn¡¯t have one. Even the report about the bomb still needs to be confirmed as the short search had shown no signs of it,¡± Andrew explained briefly, before adding, ¡°The wounds from bullets were caused by our people firing at the suspect in an attempt to stop him.¡±
¡°Fucking idiots. So, not only you potentially have lost the bomb, but you actually shot a lot of innocents¡ Wonderful, just wonderful! You all definitely need more training! Okay, send me his profile and show the records of the initial fight,¡± The captain commanded, typing something on the screen. Turning his attention to the side, he asked, ¡°So, why did you call me? Just block him somewhere. Create a big group. Kill him. The end.¡±
¡°Well, sir, if you watch the video from the cameras, you can see that the suspect has hidden modification that wasn¡¯t found by our scanners. He can create some kind of energy weapon that simply melts the metal of partitions with no effort. Our standard weapons aren¡¯t powerful enough to penetrate his shields, so we need permission to use heavy equipment to stop him from entering more crowded sectors.¡±
¡°What a mess¡ Even worse it has a political aspect in it. Crap! Michel would be happy to see how his political opponent dug a deep hole for herself. No chance he wouldn¡¯t use it¡ Fuck! The balance would be broken for a long¡ And it took just a single Terranoid to cause it. Okay, let me think, Andrew,¡± the captain ordered, going silent. The young man nodded in return while looking at the situation from the mentioned perspective. For these five stressful minutes, all his attention was focused on the suspect, but not the consequences of the event. However, now he finally saw it, and the picture wasn¡¯t looking good.
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The Council, baked by the biggest shareholders, consisted of three members with each having a dedicated role. The defense that included both patrol guards, cooperation with mercenary groups, the small fleet, and all stationary weaponry of the city. The resources that controlled the stream of potential employees, supplies, and others. The entertainment part focused on making money through setting taxes, selling permissions, and attracting guests. They balanced each other, depending on the effectiveness of the work. However, that didn¡¯t mean there were no clashes over the authority. Still, the power struggles were kind of in balance until now.
It wasn¡¯t the secret about the Resources Consul being born on Earth. This fact influenced her greatly, making her politics quite tolerable to anyone who could have any value to Fantasy City, no matter where they were from. It increased the stream of working labor but made a part of investors quite dissatisfied with it. Maybe it was the reason why she placed a bet on the Terranoid, trying to show that even the most hated group of humans may find their place in Fantasy City. However, her bet appeared to be a huge loss that would be capitalized on by the Defensive Consul without a single doubt. The last member of the triumvirate never aimed for leadership, thus taking the side with the most influence. Therefore, it would be a matter of time before the shareholders would change the Resources Consul, and from what Andre heard, the potential candidate was basically Michel Wright¡¯s man.
Such thoughts led to an obvious conclusion ¨C the situation would cause a change in the guard¡¯s position on the power ladder. With all respect to the captain, there was no chance that he could save the independence of law enforcement in the following months. And if so, maybe it would be better for Andrew to leave the service and get into merc¡¯s company, as his position was too high to be ignored with potential cleaning but too low to have any means to save himself from being labeled as one of the scapegoats. Alas, it was a problem for the future, as the chief was already opening his mouth.
¡®Okay, tell all our patrol groups to head back, keeping the distance from the suspect. For now, just make them focus on preventing civilians from getting into a battle zone. We need to lower the overall casualties. Avoid any attempts of direct confrontation with him. In the meantime, I will connect with Michel to ask him to send mercs to neutralize the target. After the job is done, we will officially thank them for their invaluable help, while stressing the important role of the Defensive Consul in the resolution of the event. Yes, that may work,¡± nodding to his own words, the captain concluded.
Andrew¡¯s idea to get out of his job only strengthened after hearing it as the iron-willed chief resolutely decided to bow down to save his position. If such a man gave up, no way Andrew himself had any better options. Still, reminding the report, he chose to ask another question.
¡°Sir, the Arena fighters said that the suspect asked for the dialogue, and even spared the lives of those who didn¡¯t attack him¡¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s too late. Oh, well, there was no chance of negotiations from the start. His role is already decided, no matter what caused the situation. Forbid anyone to speak with him. Cut all connections from the sector where he is. We need to paint him in the worst light ever¡ And don¡¯t you fucking dare to mess things up! I need to remind you that he killed our men. My men! He is a wild beast that has to be eliminated. We will see how he can deal with properly geared soldiers¡ Just an infantry my ass! He is definitely from special forces with such an insane level of modification!¡±
¡°And bomb, sir? We haven¡¯t found one¡,¡± Andrew¡¯s weak voice was interrupted by another loud shout from the angered captain.
¡°Wasn¡¯t I clear, moron? He is guilty by default. If there is no bomb, then put one there with your own fucking hands! Moreover, there is information that he was studying to become a shielder on the ship. We can use it too¡ Add to the report that the Terranoid aimed to destroy the main shield of Fantasy City. Shove some random schematics in his room, so we can ¡°find¡± some evidence. Nobody will check it properly. Do you understand? I don¡¯t hear you, Andrew. And don¡¯t think I forgot who the messenger of this news was. Be ready for it.¡±
Cutting off the connection without waiting for a response, the captain lightly smiled from the terrified expression painted on his subordinate¡¯s face before his face returned to a deadly serious expression because of the ¡°hot potato¡± situation. Nothing was good about it. Knowing Michel, the man would blow out of proportion the whole event. The guards would be getting a part of the blame because of failing in their duties to prevent it from happening. His guards. Thus, he could forget about saving his post at all if he didn¡¯t act now. Therefore, his only way out of the mess was to sell his ass to Michel. He would still get his portions of criticism, but with few demonstrative demotions, and several fired men, the damage might be undone. Or at least minimized to the degree, where he can tolerate the loss.
The same couldn¡¯t be said about the Resources Consul. The woman would get it all without doubts. However, he didn¡¯t care that if you aim high, you need to be prepared for the fall from the top. It was the main reason why he stopped at this position and never tried to get the position in the triumvirate. Too dangerous as even a single mishap was enough to nullify years of a hard work. Such an example was right in front of him, strengthening this conviction. Even the persons who did everything to become knights in shining armor for others, the owners of the savior complex, all those philanthropists ¨C each of them could fall from their spot, getting their reputation tarnished without any way to recover. No one gave a damn about the former good deeds if the current one caused a scandal. And the Terranoid on the killing spree was such a scandal.
Making a few deep breaths to calm his mind, the captain quickly found the number of the most odious man he had ever known. Power-hungry, and ready to do anything to achieve his goal, Michel was dangerously smart. Without restrictions from moral principles, with an absolute belief in his own right to be the leader, the man had a quite specific hobby that could scare any normal person. Michel Wright was a collector¡ And with that man, the chief had not only to communicate but to follow his orders from now on.
¡°Well, I tried to delay the inevitable, but the bigger predator always wins¡ Greetings, Michel. I am flattered that you answered my call almost immediately. How do I start? I think my guards can¡¯t work properly without an iron grip of someone with true leader¡¯s qualities¡¡±.
Chapter 120 (3-32)
Kicking the metal hatch with his leg, Robert made it dent under the strong force, but the metal held. Cursing inwardly, he planted his palm on its surface before pushing the steel to move with a mental command. Copying some kind of snake, the dark green material crept on the hatch before encircling it. In the next moment, the matter started to collapse in quick succession, tearing the holes in the obstacle. However, before Rob added another impactful hit, the enemies caught up with him.
Shit!
Immediately stopping any attempts to get inside the technical corridor, Robert turned around and dropped to the floor, trying to make himself as small as possible. Not that it was very effective with his size. Still, the thick shield covered his crawling figure from tip to toe. Not stopping on that, he willed the metal to increase the weight, creating an insurmountable wall in front of him. Or that was what Rob thought before meeting the current chasing enemies. Right now his opinion made a 180-reversal, once again limiting vocabulary to an absolute minimum in dangerous circumstances.
Shit, shit, shit!
The already familiar sound of rotation lasts for a subjectively long second, giving an opportunity Robert to brace himself. In the next instant, the real firestorm fell onto him. Multiple explosive rounds were tearing the early tough metal with a little effort. Only Rob¡¯s constant stream of energy that repaired the damage in real-time prevented him from being turned into a mangled piece of meat and bones. However, the contest between magic ability and advanced technology was a losing battle as not only the machine gun had an insane fire rate, but also the owner of the weapon wore a huge backpack with ammo.
Only the additional weight helped Robert to hold against the non-stopping impacts from the tiny explosions after the bullets hit his shield. He previously saw how even a single bullet made a gaping hole in the walls behind him, while Rob himself had to meet with hundreds. Maybe he would still find a chance to neutralize the enemy in a two-with-a-half-meter tall armor (around 8 feet 3 inches), but there was a nuance. Or, precisely speaking, a lot of them as the opponent wasn¡¯t the single chaser who came after Rob¡¯s head. The mercenary was just a part of the heavily armed group that opened a hunting season on Robert. The latter were already acting under the suppressing fire of their teammate.
It could explain how the spherical object appeared right in the air above Rob¡¯s position. Luckily, he was fast enough to react in time after experiencing the effect of the grenade. The bright flash together with a sudden sound tried to knock him out, but the steel earplugs and non-transparent glasses from the same material managed to cover him from the effect. Moreover, the obstruction of sight pushed the explosive spray of bullets to the side, allowing Robert to escape. Bashing the stubborn hatch with his own body, he finally got inside the technical corridor. Clumsily dropping on the cold floor, Rob had to push himself upwards, knowing there was no time to lose. Had to run fast if he wanted to save his life.
At first the disappearance of the guards after a few failed attempts to stop him gave hope for the potential resolution of the situation. Rob even naively thought that they tried to think how to negotiate to prevent a pointless bloodbath. However, after a short silence, the storm came. The storm in the former of heavily equipped combatants. That was the moment when Rob realized how stupid he was to think that the real spaceships couldn¡¯t develop something much more powerful than the guard¡¯s armor or weaponry. He assumed they had, but greatly underestimated the difference between lightly equipped law enforcers, whose task was to stop drunkards, and the real mercenaries ready to go onto the battlefield. It was almost a life-and-death miscalculation.
Turning around, Robert sent several Energy Blasts in a row into the opening, trying to stop the chasers. Unfortunately, the one who was the nearest appeared as the carrier of a similar tower shield, which Rob liked to use himself. Much more advanced and tougher version of it. Made from obsidian steel it was named such because of the color of the alloy, but not because it had a stone inside, it basically was the material that was used on the ships to generate a force shield. And that it did, just in miniature. Well, maybe not quite, as the huge backpack and the absence of any weapon were the confirmation of how much energy the thing needed to work. Still, it appeared to be enough to stop Rob¡¯s projectiles with ease. After studying quite a few books on the topic he could slightly understand how it worked, but currently, all it mattered was that it worked against his attacks.
Therefore, Robert simply turned around and fled. Dispersing the steel to lower his weight and squeezing all available strength from his body, he sprinted through the corridor. However, from his previous journey in the company of guards, he failed to remember one crucial fact ¨C he was too tall for it. Just after making it halfway through the pathway he bumped into a pipe with his forehead. An unexpected hit effectively stopped his upper part from moving, while inertia ended the deed, throwing him on the back. That saved his life as the short burst of the bullets flew right above him.
Not just ordinary bullets but flaming ones that were leaving a visible trace behind them. Despite the small size, those rounds could easily melt his steel, resisting any attempts to stop the fire until they extinguish themselves. This fact only added an acceleration to the Rob¡¯s next set of actions, making them look like well-trained ones. Pushing himself with a conjured steel, he rotated his body in a single motion, dropping on the stomach. His hand was already stretched with a formed gun. The gun that turned into a white projectile a moment he caught the shooting figure inside his created sight.
The enemy reacted immediately but still wasn¡¯t fast enough. The white ball shortened the distance in a fraction of a second, going above the pointed rifle and entering the close helmet. Melting the metal, it tried to get to the skin but failed. This time not only did the protective gear have no transparent visors, fully relying on the outer cameras, but was also covered with a thick armored material. Still, the damage to the visual sensors stopped the shooting, blinding the enemy.
To hell with it! I will fuck you hard!
Inwardly shouting, Robert launched himself into the air before charging at the disorientated enemy. This time he was even faster as of getting additional energy from the anger. Creating a huge steel brass knuckle on his fist, he sent it toward the merc¡¯s helmet. The powerful hit that combined his inhuman strength with the speed of the charge felt like a hammer. A few-ton hammer that dropped down on the medieval headgear. Moreover, the owner of it reacted on his sprint, turning his melted side right under the punch. The already damaged metal this time was tough enough to stop the force.
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Robert felt a slight resistance when his fist touched the surface. Tightening the grip, he only added more weight to the construct on his hand, trying to push it as further as possible. And it worked. Smashing the hole in the metal, his fist continued its way inside. For a fraction of a second Rob felt the sudden absence of any resistance as he was hitting some kind of tofu before the toughness reappeared once again. Glancing at his hand, he found how whole his fist together with the third part of the forearm were hidden inside the helmet, leaving no space for the head of merc.
Ouch¡
Hastily retrieving his fist, Robert barely registered all the filth that covered it. His attention was already focused on the rifle. Unfortunately, it took just a second to understand that the weapon wouldn¡¯t work in his hands, as it red light of failed identification. The smart rifle was indeed smart, preventing the foe from using it. Not that he was expecting anything else after getting the same outcome with the guard¡¯s weapons and going through the same procedure to use an emergency gun in the Arena. On the other hand, it was stupid not to try. So, not pausing for a moment to bathe in regret, Rob simply kicked the corpse out of the technical corridor.
¡°Die, suckers!¡±
Loudly shouting, he instead turned around and sprinted again, not checking the result of the diversion. Conjuring something akin to a huge potato masher, Robert searched for another hatch. He got one in just five seconds of running. Pointing his improvised construct at it, he willed the collapse of the matter. The disappearance of the steel with its turning into the Energy Blast was so smooth that Rob didn¡¯t even lose an instant. The following explosion only started to disintegrate the hatch with devastating energy when his own body hit the obstacle. Smashing it one go, he rolled outside, dropping down on the floor right to the side of the machine gunner.
Found you!
Using the conjured constructs to quickly stand up, Robert simply leaned to the towering figure before expanding his steel over its armored body. The suddenness of it was so shocking that the merc couldn¡¯t react in time before it became too late. No matter how the enemy tried to move, the dark green metal seemed to be everywhere, covering from all sides. In the next moment, the machine gun started to turn, aiming at his own teammates.
If I can¡¯t use the weapon, I can try to use someone who can¡
Grinning like a madman, Robert simply hid behind the bigger enemy before forcefully opening fire. His steel was preventing the man from stopping pushing the trigger, creating a solid blob around it. To Rob¡¯s utter regret, he couldn¡¯t observe the result of the shooting as his living cover was obstructing the sight. On the other hand, it helped him to ignore the returning fire even when the ¡°living¡± was already not a thing. All commotion died in thirty seconds, but Rob continued to shoot more before finally dispersing the steel after a full minute. Side-stepping from the falling corpse that created a sound attack just from simply dropping on the floor, Robert finally checked the corridor and his chasers.
Surprisingly, the shielder was still there, hiding behind his protective gear. Surrounded by the sight of the complete destruction, accompanied by four lying bodies of other mercenaries, the last enemy standing was gripping his shield as if his life was dependent on it. Well, maybe because it was, especially when the man didn¡¯t have any weapon and was like a walking cover for his teammates. Unlucky for him, the charge of his equipment was already on the verge of disappearing. The visible flickering on the surface of the obsidian steel was the best indicator. Still, the battle-hardened opponent didn¡¯t show any signs of giving up. Slightly turning his fully covered head, he clearly was looking at the weapons around him as if searching for the nearest.
¡°Well, well, well¡ Is it a cowboy duel? Nah!¡±
Not waiting for the enemy to react or even make a first movement toward the closest rifle, Robert raised his hand with an already conjured gun. The following shot ended the charge of the shield, pushing the mercenary into the action. Throwing his oversized gear, he only managed to make two steps when another projectile got him. Precisely speaking, the hit was aimed at the backpack with a tiny rector inside. The latter was protected by a thick metal and the generated force shield, but in the current turned-off condition and against the Energy Blast, it was nothing more than a paper. A paper that was covering the barrel with a powder. Luckily, with only a tiny part of what it contained previously.
The explosion tore the armored body apart, reaping the walls around and sending Robert flying, despite the conjured thick plate in front of him. It took another minute for him to get back to his senses, feeling as if he spent a whole time under the working press. In burned tattered clothes, bruised, with few cracked bones, and covered with other¡¯s blood, Rob was still grinning. Recovering the scene in his memory, he just couldn''t refrain from smiling.
That was a powerful ending! Okay, let¡¯s go before I will have my own¡ And, Rob, don¡¯t do such a thing again ¨C it¡¯s plain stupid.
Pushing himself upwards, Rober quickly found the hole in the ceiling that led to another level. And to the next one. Overall, the damage appeared to be quite extensive, ruining several corridors. The reactor, despite almost running out of juice, had enough power for such a devastating effect. Fortunately for Robert, some part of the knowledge managed to stay after his study, helping to predict that the most force would go vertically if the energy equipment was damaged. That was his plan in the first place when he decided to aim his projectile. There was no chance to lose the chasers, so he had to win the time. Even with the cost of risking to blow up himself.
The first steps showed that his body took its portion. No matter how the Tower¡¯s System had increased his toughness, Robert wasn¡¯t invulnerable. Otherwise, he would tank the bullets with a wide smile, instead of running in panic. Each movement sent waves of pain through his beaten body, despite the stream of energy that was already trying to heal him. However, the pain wasn¡¯t the thing that could stop him. Not with his experience.
In just a half minute, Robert was climbing up, using the conjured ladder. Slowly, but steadily, he was moving away from the place of the battle. However, either he wasn¡¯t fast enough, or the next group was much closer than he thought, Rob failed to hide from their eyes. It couldn¡¯t have been such a problem if not for the following burst of explosives rounds that tore his left foot, almost sending him down. Only the instinctive actions to pull him with conjured constructs saved his life.
Dropping on the floor and looking at the empty spot instead of his foot, Rob hastily covered the gruesome wound with steel, preventing himself from bleeding out. Another self-made tourniquet encircled his leg before the pain kicked in. Groaning from terrible sensation, Robert still had to react to the anchor that pierced the ceiling above the hole. In just a second the merc tried to pull himself only to be met with several Energy Blasts. Under the effect of injury, the aim wasn¡¯t that good, hitting the shoulder and groin instead of the intended helmet and chest, but, nevertheless, led to a fall of the enemy. Rob, on the other hand, had to stand using the nearest wall. Ignoring the pain and not waiting for more chasers to join the party, he inwardly sighed before starting to move.
Okay, you wanted to be a space pirate, Rob? Here you go ¨C minus a leg to create a proper image of a buccaneer. And I can create a hook any moment I want. Now, where is my parrot?
Chapter 121 (3-33)
The knocking sound of metal on metal was repeated with stubborn persistence as the reason was a full squad of mercenaries behind, who stopped even trying to preserve the surroundings. Using heavy weaponry without remorse, they tore holes in the walls, destroyed whole sections of pipes and cables, wiped out several corridors with explosives, and still failed to kill Robert. At least by this point, because he was not sure about the near future. Accumulated wounds from a few previous clashes weren¡¯t helping.
You stupid moron, you jinxed it!
Cursing himself, Robert ducked into the nearest window that earlier was occupied by a dancing prostitute. To his surprise, despite all his weight and force, he bounced back from the transparent material that gave the ability to watch, but not to touch. That effectively stopped his motions, almost as if taking the remaining energy from his body. Mindlessly lightly bashing it again with his forehead, he felt he was out of charge. The heavy erratic breath showed how beaten Rob was. Not tired, as with his mana-fueled constitution it wasn¡¯t a thing but covered with injuries.
Most of them were simply patched by steel plates to prevent a blood loss. However, not everything could be done with it. His broken ribs seemed to damage his lungs, making to cough the red liquid from time to time. The burns from several tangent bullets, pieces of multiple fragments from the random items or even parts of the walls that got stuck in his thick skin, one phalange absent from his index finger, and that wasn¡¯t even all. The biggest wounds so far were a steel construct instead of his left lost foot and a sharp blade that replaced Rob the part of his left arm, starting from the elbow.
You totally did it, idiot! Wanted to be a buccaneer? Where is my parrot or what bullshit did you spoke, damn it?! You got the image you wanted! Happy now?
Before Robert managed to get into central corridors, where most tourists were gathered, and to the particular super durable window, he had to make his way through two enemy teams. One of the mercenaries from the last used something akin to a hand-grenade launcher the moment he saw the dangerous ¡°Terranoid¡±, sending a huge projectile into Rob. The following explosion wasn¡¯t that powerful, aiming not to damage everything with heat and shockwave, but to accelerate hundreds of tiny needles all over the surroundings. Their piercing capabilities were enough to penetrate the thick shield, almost turning Robert into a hedgehog. Luckily, he was already in the motion, getting most of them into his shoulder.
On the other hand, the effect was not only in sheer physical damage as the spreading poison immediately tried to knock him out. It could be the same as in the darts, or completely different type for all he knew. Fighting with the darkening vision, Robert almost failed to react in time when another grenade was sent flying. The thick shield saved him from tiny projectiles and torrents of bullets from other shooters, while simultaneously turning him into a sitting duck waiting to be killed. Therefore, using all his desire to live, Rob sent himself into motion. Well, actually, not himself but his steel, but it still took a lot of mental effort.
Sending his steel as it was a sneaky snake crawling on the ground toward the owner of the grenade launcher, Robert made it to grip the enemy¡¯s leg before simply exploding with an unfocused Energy Blast. The power behind the magic ability was enough to turn the armored leg into a mangled thing, but not enough to kill. However, the action was timed right at the moment of the launching of another grenade. The sudden attack dropped the mercenary on his back, while not halting his finger¡¯s motion. Therefore the next moment another wave of tiny projectiles was sent into the surroundings.
However, this time the biggest portion of it was taken by the enemy¡¯s team. The needles didn¡¯t manage to kill everyone if even one, but their number was huge enough to destroy all sensors and cameras on the highly technological suits, effectively blinding them all. Not having a transparent visor backfired at them. That gave Rob an ability to finally stand up, dispersing the steel. The constantly shaking corridor and trembling hands made quite a task to aim his Energy Blast, but he somehow managed to overcome it. Robert didn¡¯t know if it was his physique with increased regeneration, or the effect was lowered because of a wrong target as he wasn¡¯t the terranoid, but he slowly started to return to senses.
Maybe this what saved him from being blown away by the launched grenade. The owner of the dangerous weapon was the last from his squad as Rob thought the wound had taken him out from the fight. It appeared to be a wrong conclusion from the underestimation of the mercenary. Not only the enemy managed to rise his ¡°hand-mortar¡±, but he even changed the projectile to another. This fact was completely missed by Rob, who instinctively reacted by putting the same shield in front of him.
The explosive blast tore through the steel, simply evaporating his arm up to the elbow before another instinctively conjured shield stopped its devastating advance. The overwhelming pain from the sudden loss of the limb sent Robert backward. He almost felt behind but the enemy wasn¡¯t stopping, raising his grenade-launcher once again after the recoil moved the barrel away from Rob. So, fighting against awful sensation and poison, he used few hastily made pillars to send him to the side. The flying projectile barely missed his head, pushing the wildly beating heart into even faster ¡°dance¡±. The adrenaline somehow cleared Robert¡¯s mind, giving him opportunity to act, despite the injury. And he did.
Bouncing from the floor by using his intact arm, Rob created the very same blade instead of his stump. Pushing himself forward, he stretched his weapon in the long thrust. Moreover, the conjured construct was simultaneously increasing its length, in a mere moment staring to look like a real lance attached to the elbow. Agile, almost like alive under Robert¡¯s control, it moved slightly before reaching the gap between the helmet and the chest armor. The strike only started to send the kinetic force toward the neck of the enemy, when the mental command turned the steel into a white glowing matter that flickered before turning into the white projectile. The latter was almost the size of the head, clearly fueled by the insane amount of energy. Not wonder in the next moment it simply disintegrated the helmet and half of the torso into nothingness.
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Robert dropped an instant later, planting with his face against the dirty and damaged floor. Covered in tiny holes, burns and cracks, it was silently calling him to prolong their ¡°hugs¡±. Unfortunately, the circumstances couldn¡¯t give him an ability even for a short rest, not speaking about recovery. In the city full of guns for hire, criminal activity and armed guards, there was no chance that it was the end. On the contrary, those two or three dozen mercenaries that Rob managed to kill up to this point were just the tip of the iceberg, while he was already nearing his limits. Some enemies clearly tried to capture him alive, providing more chances to get out without any wounds, but those, who aimed for his head were no joke, considering the superiority of the highly advanced technology.
Yep, the option with a ship is out. Hostages, I need hostages to survive this.
Rasing from the floor took a few seconds in an attempt to fight with vertigo and another several to cough the blood. Still, Rob¡¯s body was much tougher that the nature designed, being improved in many ways. That left him no inner excuses why laying on such a comfortable floor was the best decision at the moment and in his state. The sounds of running heavy boots accelerated the disappearance of any pondering about how to act. Pushing himself into the motion, Robert continued his hopeless run.
Luckily, the corridor led to the main pathway in no time. Running on now empty ¡°street¡± that had multiple traces of hast evacuation, Rob after a short consideration decided to get out from the clear sight, not wishing to get the sniper bullet into his head. With powerful bullets, even his ¡°thick-skulled¡± head would be blown up like a melon. This brought him to the nearest window, which he failed to break in one go. Pausing, Robert focused on his body. Having so many wounds patched by improvised steel bandages, his attention obviously never left it, but he wanted to check if he could disperse some of them to lessen the mental toll. However, as always, the world never froze to give a breathing space in time of need. So, catching the sight of the huge, armored figure, Robert barely managed to jump to the side. Rolling like a bag of potatoes, he used pillars to recover his footing before finally checking the towering opponent.
What the hell? Why don¡¯t you just skip this whole nonsense and let me face the fucking star destroyer directly?
Rob¡¯s angry emotions could be justified as the massive mech was standing right in front of him. It wasn¡¯t similar to the ones he used to control but had an actual cabin inside for the operator. The thing had an oversized torso to fit the soldier inside, while its mechanical limbs were much thinner and disproportional. The upper ones had three-finger manipulators and weapons, hidden in the forearms. The lower ones were really short, making the mech look like some kind of a headless gorilla. Unfortunately for Robert, the aggressiveness from the latter was already there.
The odd fist barely missed Rob¡¯s head, when he made his clumsy evasion. The worst part was that the operator stopped its strike almost instantly, not reaching the window. That spoke a lot about the precision of the control over the three-meter-tall mechanical suit (around 10 feet). Painted in the black with strokes of red here and there, with a huge symbol of an unknown creature on the chest, it gave of a menacing feeling. However, instead of rushing into the fight, the mech made few steps back before pausing on the spot. Hitting both his clenched fists against themselves, the enemy clearly switched his position to the one that wore a resemblance to a martial art¡¯s stance.
¡°Do you want a melee fight with me?¡± Rob¡¯s shock couldn¡¯t be hidden, no matter how hard he tried. His mouth got even a wide opening, when the opponent made a quite telling gesture using three-finger manipulator of his battle armor ¨C ¡°come at me¡±.
What a dumbass!
Glancing at the machine-gun in left limb and the rocket launcher in other, Robert enthusiastically nodded before instantly charging forward, disappearing from his original spot as if teleported. In the next moment he had to duck under the lighting fast swing, only to timely block a following kick with timely conjured steel. Despite the magical toughness, the dark green metal bent under the force, but didn¡¯t bulge under effect of weight increase. That messed up the enemy¡¯s attack pattern as instead of predictable movement forward, the mech bounced back after hitting something heavier than itself. Catching the balance, the operator lost precious seconds, giving Rob an opportunity to hug the massive figure.
The obvious attempt to reap off the clingy terranoid failed as the steel was already conjured between the gaps of the armor, making it hard to move the limbs in the joints. Robert, on the other hand, already found the handle of the hatch. As always, the most vulnerable spot in the mech was its operator and the way he entered the machine. No matter how the engineers tried, there were gaps between the armored plates, and Rob wanted to use it.
Creating a needle in one of those, he simply pushed all the available matter to fill the space underneath the armor. The insides were defiantly hermetic, but Rob¡¯s construct already breached the toughest defense layer ¨C the outer protective shell. So, several consecutive unfocused Energy Blasts tore the machine and its controller into bloody pieces, while leaving the surface of the mech without a single scratch on the paint. Backing from the frozen mech, Robert paused to fight with nausea after the backlash had hit his quite beaten body. Only after the awful feeling went to the background, he finally took a look on the fallen enemy.
Did you really think I would box with you, moron? But I need thank for such a braindead action as I would die if you started with shooting. Thank you, my idiotic hero¡ Okay, back to business. Where are the tourists? If I were a guard, where would I evacuate them? Hmm, let me think¡ Or not. Fuck, two more mechs! Shit! Run, Robert, run! Crap, stupid unbreakable window!
Chapter 122 (3-34)
Cramped in the tight space of the nightclub, the hundreds of unfortunate guests of Fantasy City were living through different types of emotions. Most of them were simply terrified as the wonderful time of their vacation turned into a real horror story of survival through the bloodbath, caused by a single terranoid that went on rampage. Obviously not personally, but the fact of limited information from the guards and being stuck against their own will inside this place was playing its role of intensifying the feeling of the inventible dread.
On the other hand, some clearly enjoyed the event, making videos of their and other''s reaction, thoughts, and actions just to mark the day in their memory. Or maybe in an attempt to commercialize it one way or another, using the temporary inconvenience to fullness. Quite a few tried to distract themselves from the potential danger or their growing panic. Some tried to convince themselves that nothing would happen to them. It was simply impossible as the chance to meet a single terranoid in the huge space station was a tiny fraction of the percent, basically on the verge of a mathematical error.
Small kids were playing without a trace of worry, protected from the knowledge about cruelty of the world, and being well-hidden in their own perception of the simplistic reality. For them, the new place that they had never visited before was the best playground, like any other new experience in their short but vivid life. Those children, who were older, obviously caught a glimpse of fear on the adult¡¯s face but reacted differently, depending on the age and the parent¡¯s actions. The teenagers in most cases were overexcited, not seeing any danger at all. On the contrary, here and there heated discussions could be heard with the main topic of what was the best way to deal with the Terranoid. Or how strong he really was. Or was he there in the first place?
The latter theory came from the energetic middle-aged man, who was doing his best to convince everyone that there was no danger at all and that the whole thing was just a distraction for the grand robbery of the richest casinos in this part of the galaxy. Barely anyone listened to him, as some people had their own things to resolve, like the loud break-up, that was taking place in the opposite corner of the dancing floor. Still, the overwhelming feeling of anxiety with a mixture of other emotions was ruling the ¡°safe space¡± as it was labeled by the patrol guards. Those armored law-enforces barely watched over the crowd, only increasing the heat under this slowly boiling bowl, which would sooner or later explode.
Not all feared such an outcome. Most of the private rooms were occupied by the ¡°more important¡± people. Some with personal bodyguards, others with famous names or connections ¨C anything to grant the golden VIP bracelet instead of a common one. This tiny difference effectively stopped even the most scandalous mothers with several children, the overconfident men with a conviction that everyone owned them something, and quite a few middle-aged wealthy men or women who thought they had enough sum in the bank account to get more privileges in Fantasy City.
However, all those jealous people who eyed the private rooms from time to time, cursing their own need to be kept as second-class in a dense crowd, while the elites enjoyed the space and drinks, completely changed their opinion in a mere minute after the distant life-threatening event knocked at their own door. It appeared that this time the privilege came with a cost as unsurprisingly the golden status couldn¡¯t protect against the terranoid, while on the contrary attracting his scary attention.
Everything started with the explosion. Shaking the nightclub together with the hearts of the crowd, immediately sent everything in disarray. The terrified screams, the hustle of the panicked people, the constant shooting that was quickly approaching. Then the flying guard followed. Making at least a dozen meters through the air, it landed only to cause even bigger commotion because of its mangled state with a huge hole in his chest. It almost led to the collapse of the fragile state of equilibrium, where a part of the guests were only processing what was happening, while the others managed to keep their cool. The loud bell ring halted all motion. The sound, and the not less powerful voice, resounded across the whole place.
¡°Listen up, everyone! Freeze and live. Or move and die. The simple rule that I want you¡¡±.
Obviously, someone moved, too overwhelmed by the giant figure of the Terranoid that emerged from the entrance. A bold bloodied man in tattered clothes, with multiple wounds on the body that were covered with weird dark plates, and a strange sharp spike instead of the hand, he dwarfed everyone, easily visible to most of the unfortunate hostages. Despite the battered state, the Terranoid was radiating the energy, not showing any sign of weakness. That inflicted even more fear in the crowd, leading to the natural reaction of some ¨C an attempt to flee. That didn¡¯t end well.
The first man, who tried to run past the giant was interrupted with a lightning-fast strike that was barely registered not only by the observer but also by the man himself. This could explain why he made a few more steps before falling on the floor, already cut into two pieces right through the chest. Confusion on the Terranoid''s face was missed by everyone, except maybe a few cameras on portable devices, but their owners were already directing the gadgets to the corpse, trying to get a better picture. In the next moment, several guards, who were in the crowd, attempted to act, causing another wave of panic.
Especially, when the short burst into the Terranoid¡¯s face was met with the dark green metal that appeared out of nowhere. The next instant the bullets that failed to penetrate the odd material and were smashed into fragments, started to bounce backward, venting their anger from the failure on new targets. The giant reacted immediately, pointing his figure toward the shooters and sending strange white projectiles. Those balls of energy created even more chaos as they not only pierced the bodies of the guards but continued their way further, wounding a few more people. All law enforcers died in just a dozen seconds but the commotion they caused was stopped only by another explosion that melted the ceiling above the crowd¡¯s head.
¡°Okay, let¡¯s start again. Everyone shut up, stay in the same spot and you will live. Any motion will lead to your death¡ and, as it appears, the death of those who are behind you. So, don¡¯t be dumb and fucking freeze! Good, now where are VIPs? If there is none, then¡ Oh, thank you.¡±
The glances of at least the third part of the crowd were too direct to miss, despite the heavy silence that enveloped the place. Grinning like a madman, the Terranoid slowly moved toward the private rooms. With the very same wide smile of a lunatic, he stomped the chest of one of the guards, who was lucky enough to survive the disappearance of his shoulder and part of his face. The basic motion was so strong that the metal boot of the giant reached the floor, splashing the blood to the sides. The closest girl, who was on the verge of collapsing, somehow even heard his quiet curses, but flashing surroundings that constantly darkened only to return back to the light in a moment, and the crazy beating of her heart made her think that it was just imagination because of a panic attack.
¡°Fucking idiots. To shoot inside the crowd of civilians! Police, yeah?¡±
Despite his slow walk directly through the dense crowd, nobody was stupid enough to attempt anything again. The examples were already not breathing, wiping any traces of courage. Gripped with fear for their lives, most turned into motionless statues, instantly forgetting all their heated discussions about the Terranoid. All the bravado and bravery of the loud ones were gone in front of the towering figure. However, apparently not all of them had lost their will to fight. Some part of the bodyguards decided that it was the moment to act, fulfilling their paid duties and showing their worth.
Turning off all the lights and sending the nightclub into complete darkness, caused a new wave of panic. Especially when the gunshots, painful screams, and shouts appeared, provoking the crowd into a brainless act of fleeing. Not seeing anything, but hearing the fight, was enough to terrify most of the already scared people. It only became worse when the remnants of the bodies of the bodyguards started flying, hitting quite a few and splashing the blood everywhere. Then several flashes from white projectiles followed, lighting the surroundings only to show the gruesome picture to the closest hostages. Some of them tried to use their devices to light up, but any pause in such a dense and unstable crowd led to their fate being trampled.
The veil of fear covered everything for the crowd, spreading its dangerous effect over even the calm ones. The darkness that hid the fight intensified the imagination that was busted by the witnessing of Terranoid¡¯s capabilities just a minute ago. Therefore, everyone ran. Pushing, kicking, stomping, most had a single thought ¨C to survive. To do anything for the sake of living through the danger. To fight for it with the strength. Those, who tried to help their family, children, or lovers, met the chaos head-on, often becoming a shield that faced the hits of the mindless crowd. Not always did this act of bravery end well, but there was no place for compassion or sympathy when fear reigned. Just a single repeating thought about running away from the threat.
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By the moment when the light was turned on, half of the crowd left the nightclub, leaving behind dozens of wounded and dead. A bigger part of them was the direct result of the unsuccessful fight against the Terranoid, while the other was its majesty the panic. However, it seemed it shocked the giant the most, as turning around to the two last standing bodyguards, he simply shot him in the face, ignoring any pleas and their attempt to surrender. His quiet muttering was only heard by the VIPs, who unluckily couldn¡¯t get away from the place, being blocked by the huge criminal.
¡°What¡¯s wrong with you all? The children were here!¡±
Sighing, the Terranoid quickly checked a new bullet wound on his stomach, before simply pushing the projectile out of the hole and patching it with the same dark green metal. This distraction almost caused the VIPs to flee, but the first attempt to run was forcefully stopped by a white energy ball that made a huge hole in the back of the failed escaper.
¡°The owners of the golden bracelet come to me. Others need to show me your hand before getting out of here. No cheating. I said no cheating.¡± Another projectile killed the man in a formal suit, who was trying to take off his bracelet while hiding behind others, ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this, so please follow my commands without any delays or hesitations. I am mentally too tired to convince anyone that I am dead serious.¡±
The survivors simply pushed their lovers, employers, or even relatives to the front before hastily running away, ignoring the curses or threats that sounded toward their fleeing backs. It left the terranoid with only four potential hostages instead of several hundred. On the other hand, each of them was worth much more than the whole crowd combined for the administration of Fantasy City. Maybe that was why no one showed any open fear in front of a huge figure, clearly understanding their high value. There was more irritation from the deeds of their own man than any other emotions. However, it was soon shadowed by the curiosity toward the Terranoid, while the latter also observed his hostages.
The gorgeous woman in her early thirties in a purple dress that resonated with the eyes of the same color. The curves were barely hidden by the cloth, basically emphasizing them, and boosting the imagination. The face of the beauty was on the same level, creating a thought about the unrealistic ideal appearance of the Goddess instead of the human being. Way too perfect for this world. The contrast with the violent scene was even bigger, looking like the descent of the higher being to the primitive realm.
¡°Oh, I know you. You are the actress from that dumb movie¡ Forgot your name, despite watching only a single movie. Whatever. Who are you?¡± Not giving any opportunity to answer, the Terranoid spoke before switching his attention to the next hostage, while ignoring the dissatisfaction of the woman.
The man was in his late fifties. Wearing a formal gray suit with black stripes, he had a serious expression as if thinking over something. Gray short hair and cleanly shaved, the man had a surprisingly athletic figure, easily suppressing most of the men twenty years younger. The clothes failed to hide, despite covering everything and having no meaning to look like sports attire. Another thing that attracted the giant¡¯s attention was a small badge near the heart with an odd multicolor symbol.
¡°Terrence Reginald Green, an investor, who failed to teach my own nephews respect to own elders and any strong sense of the family bond.¡±
¡°Good, fame and money. Now, you,¡± the giant pointed at the next person while checking the nightclub. Except for the corpses and a few injured unlucky people, who were left behind, nobody was presented, fleeing from his presence. However, that didn¡¯t mean it wouldn¡¯t change soon as the working cameras were constantly transmitting everything to the city administration.
¡°Vera Merstein. I am lead designer, the head of the fashion house with one hundred years of history and¡.,¡± the short woman with rainbow-like hair, huge breasts in deep decollete on the pink blouse, brown jeans, and spiked black boots on thick sole grimaced with visible irritation after being interrupted by the Terranoid¡¯s gesture. The giant was already looking at the last person.
¡°I am also money. Jeremy McHamson, the co-owner of the biggest shipyard in the galaxy¡ And if you wanted politics, then that man was the single grandson of the current president of the Free Coalition of Planets,¡± pointing at the dead, who failed to get rid of his golden bracelet, the speaker smiled lightly. Being slightly younger than the investor, he had quite a belly, a messy red beard, big ears, and was overall not attractive in the slightest¡ if you exclude his eyes. Piercing, all-knowing, their radiated confidence and high intellectual capabilities of their owner, ¡°My girlfriend ran away¡ wanted to propose, but I guess I will pass. But I feel your pain, Terrence.¡±
¡°Thank you, Jeremy. The youngsters these days¡¡±
¡°Shut up and listen to me,¡± the Terranoid started to speak only to meet a smirk from the investor.
¡°Boy, I know you can kill us at any moment. I basically saw how you tore apart the hand with the gun from my bodyguard¡¯s body in a single motion after he shot you in the stomach. We all know. Just tell us directly what you want, so we can do our best to make it happen without additional blood spilling or time wasting,¡± Terrence finished the speech, looking at the Terranoid, whose rough face failed to hide the relief.
¡°Finally, some clever people who are actually ready to listen. Okay, obviously the owner of the shipyard has the ship¡¡±
¡°The fastest I would add,¡± Jeremy intervened with visible pride, getting the looks from others, ¡°Sorry, please, proceed.¡±
¡°Thank you for permission, my dear hostage,¡± the last word was stressed by the Terranoid, creating a light smile on the actress''s face from the abnormality of the situation, ¡°So, I just want to get out of this station. With my origin, everyone starts the conversation with shooting, and I simply can¡¯t explain how I was set up. I will use you as a shield to get your ship before you take me out of the system. Then I will disappear without a trace from your life. I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone, just to leave the damned place. That¡¯s it.¡±
¡°No money, no demands, just to leave?¡± Vera asked with disbelief.
¡°My own life has more value for me than a random number on the bank account,¡¯ the giant paused before continuing, ¡°and I will do a lot to save myself.¡±
¡°We can see that,¡± the actress pointed to the multiple bodies in the surroundings and the wounded Terranoid himself. The steel patches from the close looked like a living being, adjusting its size and position to cover each injury. She could even see how some tiny scratches were healing right in front of her eyes, slowly disappearing without a trace. Still, the metal prosthetics instead of foot and arm showed the modified soldier was far from being in top shape. Not that it could provide them any real chance against him.
¡°The plan makes sense. With our modest identities, I think you can have your shield¡ You were really lucky to find us here,¡± Jeremy spoke, still treating the situation without any worry.
¡°Lucky? Me? The funniest joke I''ve ever heard... No. It¡¯s the third place I''ve checked after interrogating the guards,¡± smiling with a bloodied smile, the Terranoid straightforwardly admitted, ¡°And as I am not the best interrogator, the only way for me to compensate for the lack of knowledge was through the sheer brutality, like crushing the limbs into pulp. So, don¡¯t forget your role and move, Mr. ship owner. My patience is running out.¡±
However, before the silent group managed to reach the entrance, they were stopped by the sight of several mechs. More mercenaries were hidden behind the walking tanks, already pointing their weapons toward the whole five. The Terranoid immediately sat down behind the hostage¡¯s back only to be covered with steel plates that expanded from his skin in the next moment. The air seemed to freeze, making everyone halt their actions in an attempt to find the solution. On the other hand, the need to find one pushed Jeremy forward.
He wasn¡¯t the cleverest during his studies, nor did he have the biggest amount of money at the start of his business. Jeremy was below average in most of his characteristics, except one ¨C the confidence that he could find a way out of any situation. It helped him to make the team work better, winning the competition over other companies for the biggest deal in his life. Then more of them came, each setting a new record. The very same confidence helped him to strike better conditions in most negotiations, slowly but steadily pushing the scales toward his raise. Or to get the needed investment after tens rejection. Even with his mediocre appearance, his confidence helped him to get a lot of women. He had no secret, just he was never scared to approach them in the first place, no matter how beautiful or high-ranked they were. The confidence was his lottery ticket that won his life, putting him on the top of the food ladder.
¡°Well, hello, everyone. My name is Jeremy McHamsom. I, with my friends, who are all owners of the golden bracelets and VIP status, are currently¡,¡± Radiating the energy, he only started to talk when his sight caught a glimpse of movement. As if the world shook, being lightened up from multiple flashes.
In the next moment, the realization came that the movement was not in the surroundings, but it was he, who was falling on the back. Dropping down an instant later, Jeremy still noticed how the explosive bullets were entering the bodies of others, turning the humans, his acquaintances, into bloody meat pieces. The Terranoid attempted to hide from the torrent of bullets under his weird cover, but there were just too many enemies. Several consecutive explosions destroyed the dark green shield, opening the way for the tens of projectiles. Jeremy failed to see the end result as the darkness was already embracing him. The disappearing consciousness heard only a few last phrases before vanishing without a trace, leaving a cold corpse behind.
¡°I always wanted to shoot a rich douchebag!¡±
¡°Why is that?¡±
¡°Well, because I was very poor in my childhood, while they had everything!¡±
¡°You are dumb as fuck. Or even dumber. Do you know that by capturing this bastard alive we¡¯ve got quite a sum on top as a bonus? You will become a rich douchebag yourself!¡±
¡°Hey, I am not like them! I earned it by my hard work!!¡±
¡°But they could do the same thing, right? Reaching their status of a rich douchebag through a lot of effort and work, like you did¡¡±
¡°Oh, get lost! You better destroy all evidence that it was we who killed them. Otherwise, the bastard could get away, hiding behind these VIPs¡ Let¡¯s hurry before the other groups will get here! Wait, are you sure that this piece of shit is still breathing? I don¡¯t see his legs, and half of his ugly skull is absent. Where is the fucking medic?! Get your ass here, or I will beat the crap out of you if we lose the bonus!¡±
Chapter 123 (3-35)
Quietly whistling, the man dressed in a doctor¡¯s outfit was slowly checking something on the display. The multiple rows of numbers and diagrams looked like rare gibberish for most people, but this specialist for the first time wasn¡¯t far from the same feeling. The whole data was weird, giving the parameters that were simply impossible not only for the ordinary human but even for the modified citizen of Terra. Moreover, being the solo science worker on Mr. Wright¡¯s payment, the man was without any understatement on the level of the best in his industry¡ if there was one, considering the range of his tasks.
Knowledge, equipment, resources ¨C he had everything, but the current situation made him reevaluate his own abilities. The captured Terranoid was a masterpiece, beyond his comprehension. He couldn¡¯t understand how the genetic laboratory of the destroyed planet managed to produce such an incredible specimen, which simply on paper couldn¡¯t exist at all. On the other hand, they were the only ones who had enough research on the topic and no law restrictions for this task, easily experimenting on multiple humans without any worry about consequences. That obviously gave the result, despite being from the other specter of moral values.
Thank the galaxy, other planets didn¡¯t have to face an army of such soldiers as it would be a real disaster. This ¡°thing¡± could be the last-ditch attempt to change the inevitable outcome for Terra. Luckily, they didn¡¯t have enough time, otherwise, the war would lead to the destruction of many more planets than a single one, their own. And even more fortunately, that man could now study the best work of the fallen empire without heavy investment in research.
Standing up, he slowly walked toward the opposite side of the enormous laboratory where the damaged body of the Terranoid was lying on the bed, tightly fixed on the bed with few belts. Connected to multiple cables and tubes, the dangerous human-like creature was forcefully held in a deep sleep, being fed an insane quantity of sedatives. Most traces of the wounds and injuries had already disappeared by this point, but the scientists still prevented the regeneration of the legs below the knees with special devices that simply cut the flesh and bones when they reached the specific mark.
¡°Donald, how is everything proceeding? Are you finally ready for the operation?¡±
Entering the place like a hurricane, a well-dressed man immediately asked his most trusted employee. The signs of anxiety and barely hidden desire were visible on his round face. His thin lips were almost in the skin''s tone, while the same small nose, tiny ears, and nearly non-existent eyebrows made him look like some kind of a balloon. Light blonde hair with a boldness only intensified this feeling, making only the dark deep eyes the single eye-catching facial feature. The odd appearance of Michel Wright didn¡¯t stop on it, as he had very thin limbs, looking almost like an energetic skeleton, who was just resurrected by the necromancer¡¯s spell. However, his proportions were akin to a child, with a bigger head, a short frame, and a visible belly as if he swallowed a ball.
¡°Oh, Mr. Wright, you are already here¡ I almost finished planning. I have enough information about the subject¡¯s regeneration capabilities, so I can safely extract all his bones to replace them with the metal frame. The platform for him is ready. The transparent screen is thrice tougher than the one, he failed to break in the video from cameras. A feeding system with additional energy supply in case of emergency is also set. The last thing I need is to correctly plan the route for feeding and breathing tubes, so they are well hidden, but will not be broken easily,¡± the scientist started his report, while the boss wasn¡¯t listening.
Pausing to observe the sleeping figure, Michel licked his lips before slowly moving forward. Stretching his hand, he lightly touched the skin on the thigh of the giant with the back of his palm. Petting with visible enjoyment, he proceeded further until he reached the face. Looking at the rough facial features, Mr. Wright opened the mouse and checked the teeth by pushing his finger to open the gap. Then forcefully opened the eyes of the Terranoid, but there was no clarity in them. Unfocused, they seemed to drift away into imaginary worlds, completely abandoning reality.
¡°Can you make a switch to wake him up, but not fully, so he wouldn¡¯t try to break free. I want to enjoy the sight of the horror in those dark green eyes. Those huge muscles, all this strength, and power, but no ability to move¡ Yes! I want it! Can you do it, Donald?¡±
¡°I am not sure, Mr. Wright. You see I already changed the drug a few times because his body is slowly getting resistant to the effect as if adapting¡ Mr. Wright, are you sure that I can¡¯t study him more? You see, his modifications can lead to a major breakthrough in medicine and genetics surgery. Not speaking about his insane level of regeneration that basically has no limits of what to regenerate, the superior muscle strength, the noticeable change in the brain, or even his toughness that led to breaking me a first set of instruments¡ and I liked them ¨C they were the gift of my mother¡ No, the biggest mystery is his energy source!¡±
¡°What do you mean, Donald?¡± Turning around, Michel squinted his eyes in surprise, slightly opening his small mouth. The wildly running imagination of owning such a unique person almost led to the reaction, but Wright was too experienced in hiding his reaction in front of others.
¡°Moving muscles, regenerating cells, even just living needs an energy supply. In most cases, it¡¯s just nutrition and oxygen, sometimes ultraviolet. In his case, it seems it is something akin to an aether. A space filling-substance that was found only a few decades ago. It¡¯s not exactly it, as his version is fully energy-based, filling each of his cells. I barely managed to track it, but I still can¡¯t find the source. Nothing is in the air, so he is not getting it from the surroundings. I don¡¯t see any special organs to produce it, making it a real mystery¡ But by uncovering it we discover how he created those metal constructs as there are no nanobots inside his flesh or blood. Maybe we can¡¡±
¡°And you want to study him more,¡± Michel nodded in confirmation, turning back to the lying giant figure just to hide his light smile and sparks in his eyes.
¡°Yes, sir, yes. Of course, if I have your permission,¡± the scientist agreed, not holding his emotion from possible discoveries.
¡°Donald, you are a clever man, but sometimes you can¡¯t see further than your nose. How would you explain his presence here when the investigation of the event is already conducted. Or how would you do it yourself, as the space thing is not your main theme? Do you want to invite more people HERE? So they will see what you were doing all this time? I am not even sure that you can keep him in such a state for long. You told it yourself ¨C he adapts¡ However, the biggest problem in your wish is ME! WHO IS FUNDING YOU, IDIOT? WHO PAYS FOR EVERYTHING? AND YOU WANT MY TOY? GET OUT, MORON!¡±
The loud shout at the end of the speech made Donald pale as a paper, before pushing him into a scared run from the laboratory. Repeating unclear apologies, the scientist quickly left the place, leaving his boss with the new acquisition. The latter immediately calmed Mr. Wright, as the man simply couldn¡¯t feel anything, except the euphoria from obtaining something truly special.
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¡°You would be the pearl of my collection. Nobody came near in terms of uniqueness to you, my dear. And believe me, an old collector, I do know what I speak about¡ From my childhood, when I started to collect badges the understanding that quite a lot of others had not only the same hobby but the very same collection. Even expensive pieces of art lose their true value when a random scammer can recreate an exact copy using common technology. It only pushed my search further in an attempt to find a really unique thing. But I had to widen my sight to finally see that the humans themselves are what I had in mind all the time.¡±
Licking his lips, Michel tilted his head to the side, carefully inspecting every part of the body in front of him. The pale skin without any hair or even a single tiny birthmark looked as tough as the skin of the wild beast, sending a new wave of shivers all over Mr. Wright¡¯s body as another distinctive feature of his new item.
¡°Even through history, only people could leave such a trace that they would be remembered for centuries. But humans are not just bodies as you can¡¯t clone their experience, their character, their soul. A tiny scar from a fall in childhood, or a disproportion in muscles because of the sport injury. An unsuccessful correction of sight, made on the old equipment by an unskilled doctor with a hangover. Or even the strike of electricity after failed repair that left a mark on the body. There is so much uniqueness in each human that is only increased by the unrepeatable life experience. That made me want them. Obviously not an average Joe, but the ones, who managed to set themselves above others, making it impossible to replicate their life even with enormous investment of resources. Therefore, I started to collect persons of high value, turning each of them into a living statue to freeze the moment of them being on the peak.¡±
Pressing his forehead against the stomach of the Terranoid, Michel left a trace of the drool. However, all his attention was focused elsewhere, wandering from the lying body to his inner thoughts. In a meanwhile, he never stopped talking, muttering to himself.
¡°You see, I don¡¯t want just a corpse of someone. No, I want them whole, together with their soul, their mind, their life. I need everything to the last piece¡ So, you will live like a statue, not able to move with a replaced metal skeleton, being always fed, under the calming drug not to hurt yourself. Your muscles will be stimulated not to lose the volume, and to keep you in the current shape forever. However, from what I heard, you don¡¯t even need it. At least your value can compensate for the loss from my failed plan.¡±
Backing off and grimacing from the memories, Michel found the nearest chair before sitting on it.
¡°Your appearance here, in my city, already attracted my attention, as the previous Terranoid didn¡¯t make it through the procedure¡ Donald was too inexperienced at that time. But the dumb bravery of that woman to give you a job created a perfect situation, where I could hit two targets with one shot. To get the power by exploiting her mistake and to get you, my future pearl. It wasn¡¯t hard to push the employees of the Arena into setting you in one shift with those, who would definitely dislike your kind after losing family members during the war. Everything to set the situation, where insane Terranoid would try to bomb innocent people just to be stopped by my own hired forces. I was quite surprised to see how strong your will to live was, killing your way through so many armed guards and mercs.¡±
Sighing, Michel dropped his face on his hand, covering his eyes from the surroundings.
¡°I still managed to find how to turn the situation into a win. That head of the guards, a real bastard, by the way, helped a lot, trying to save himself from being thrown away like useless trash. I got the power, becoming the real leader of the triumvirate. I got you¡ The only bad thing that happened was the death of those VIPs by your hands. Especially the grandson¡ Well, nothing comes without the cost¡ Still, how I wish I could show off with my Collection. To show others how pathetic their collections are in comparison to mine¡ To see their¡,¡± The sudden sound interrupted Michel, raising his face only to meet the cold gaze of the Terranoid.
The latter was already tearing the belts apart as they were made from paper. The clumsy and slow movements of the giant clearly showed that he was still under the effects of the drugs, but not for long. The terror froze Michel on the spot, gripping his heart. It was so strong that he almost lost consciousness from the horror. Only the sudden fall of the Terranoid got him out of this state. The modified soldier missed the fact that he had no legs, trying to stand up only to fall an instant later. The loud sound finally pushed Michel¡¯s blood into motion, spreading the adrenaline all over his body.
Michel Wright charged from the spot, knocking off quite a lot of laboratory equipment in the process. However, the wild and inhuman scream from behind only added speed to his run. The sound of something crushing under the enormous strength made him stumble, saving him from the flying chair that crashed into the wall, leaving a visible dent on the surface.
¡°Donald, emergency protocol!¡±
Luckily for Wright, his employer wasn¡¯t far away and reacted immediately, activating the defensive system. Four turrets emerged from the ceiling, quickly catching the sight of the target. However, the latter was already sending devastating projectiles, familiar to Michel from the multiple videos. Therefore, the current leader of Fantasy City didn¡¯t pause for a fraction of a second, literally diving into the door frame. Hitting the floor with his chin and biting his tongue, the man barely managed to squeeze himself between the moving metal plate.
¡°Next stage, burn him!¡±
Donald was fast to obey, automatically confirming the command without any thought about the potential value of the prisoner. The lost opportunities flashed in the scientist¡¯s mind when the door closed and the whole laboratory turned into the crematorium, but they died just in a few seconds when he realized that all turrets were already destroyed and the Terranoid was trying to break through the door, despite being engulfed in flames. His melting figure was standing on four odd pillars to support his large frame, while he was silently destroying the single obstacle on his way out. Fortunately, the fire appeared to be faster.
¡°Try not to kill him ¨C just knock him out¡ Hey, Donald! Are you even listening to me? I need him alive. Turn off the fire, but check his parameters through the sensors,¡± Michel ordered after taking a look at the display, where the giant figure struggled to move, finally succumbing to the pain. The sound of a soul-piercing scream was well hidden from the ears because of the thick metal door, but Wright was sure that the former soldier was in terrible pain. The grimace was too telling.
¡°Are you sure, boss? We survived by luck ¨C that¡ thing¡ is just too adaptive and resilient,¡± Donald answered, halting his finger centimeters away from halting the work of an improvised furnace.
¡°Yes. Do it! Now!¡± Only seeing that his scientist followed the given command, Wright relaxed, ¡°I want you to keep him alive, but motionless no matter what. If you manage to do it, you will get a bonus ¨C ten times the ordinary number. Do you get it?... I want others to feel what I felt in that moment.¡±
Closing his eyes, Michel attempted to recover in his memory the terror he felt a minute earlier. Its trace was still present ¨C the fast-beating heart, the adrenaline nervousness, the sweat on his back, the heavy breathing. Everything showed what emotions he lived through¡ and he wanted more. But not for himself, but for others, so they can see even more uniqueness of his new toy. Maybe for the first time in his life, Mr. Wright desired to share his collection with others. Only in this way, his hobby would make a step forward, as only the true emotions could influence the minds of others, getting to their inner selves. And where the emotions were, there was an increase in value, which would make his work of life even more historical.
¡°Everyone will finally see my point of view¡ Donald, listen to me carefully ¨C we have a change of plans. I want to get to the next level with my collection, and you will help me with it.¡±
Chapter 124 (3-36)
Grimacing from the view of the gathering group, the man silently sighed. There were too many rebellion-type teenagers for his liking, and, worth mentioning, that number wasn¡¯t big to begin with. Constantly distracted, not paying attention to his explanation, they were living in their own micro-universe, overconfidently thinking that their problems were the most important ones, while nobody wanted to help them with any solution. Obviously, it wasn¡¯t true for their parents in most cases as the presence in this place in Fantasy City was already a quite telling sign that someone did care.
The problem was that those parents in an attempt to get the attention of their children, would follow the example by losing the focus from the exposition. And that wasn¡¯t good as the fewer eyes and ears he managed to direct on his stories, the worse the chance of getting the tips. Considering that it was a noticeable part of his income, the man¡¯s annoyance was justified. At least in his own mind. Especially, when the next group consisted of elders with open mouths, thick wallets, and no limitations on small spending. However, he didn¡¯t have any options for choosing the group, patiently waiting and hoping for the best with the next one.
¡°Hello. My name is Ben. Today I will guide you through the unique experience that was granted by the current leader of our Fantasy City. Some would say it¡¯s immoral or illegal, but I need to remind you that this place is made to break the set rules, freeing everyone from the restraints of society¡ of course, if you are not intervening with the wishes of others. Fantasy City has its name not without a reason. There is no such thing that someone can dictate to you what to do. No, it¡¯s the place of wish fulfillment. The place where any dreams can come true. Where you can check your boundaries and maybe even step behind them to test yourself. So, once again, welcome to Fantasy City!¡±
The slightly changed introduction managed to capture the attention of teenagers, touching the weak spots about control over them, the restrictions, and the need to obey the rules, set by their parents, who knew nothing about REAL problems. On the other hand, it caused a noticeable dissatisfaction from the paying part of the group. That Ben was going to correct with the next part, pushing another narrative.
¡°Please, follow me. What you will see next can be a live example of the mentioned things to test your view of the whole world. You see, the morale was constantly changing over time. The bloody sacrifices to summon the needed weather, the ritual of eating a kidney of the killed strong enemy to steal its power, the abnormal desire to keep the purity of the blood leading to marriages inside the family, the legal right of nobles to kill any peasant for even a single glance ¨C these things currently sound like barbaric actions. However, there were times when same-sex marriages were forbidden. Or the religious restrictions could influence the life of the society, and any disagreement could not only lead to condemnation but also to a punishment, including a death sentence. It only confirms how dynamic the human¡¯s morale is. And here you can see a possible and brave step in its development. Or maybe not, and it¡¯s just a freak show. You decide.¡±
Leading through the huge door after scanning his bracelet, Ben slowly walked into the center of the huge hall, where the main exhibition was located. Separated in multiple areas with corresponding atmospheres around the central figure, it showcased the peak moments of their life. Everything was set to intensify the feeling of the frozen moment ¨C the light, the decoration, the clothes. However, the surprised gasps from the group weren¡¯t the result just of quality of work. No, there was an odd sensation that there was not a single piece of the art installation was fake. As the mind could catch even the tiniest mismatch, creating a feeling that something wasn¡¯t right, the same could be said about the opposite, where it failed dramatically, clearly not able to find anything incorrect.
¡°I ask you, dear guests, to give me a minute to finish before we go through everything in detail,¡± Ben quickly stopped the group from spreading across the place, ¡°Mr. Michel Wright¡¯s collection isn¡¯t about the things but people. He wanted to share his admiration of them. Not their work, but themselves. And that¡¯s the reason why our Progressive Art Museum was created. To shock, to show, to provoke a discussion about what is more valuable ¨C the creator of a single invention that changed the world or the invention itself. Therefore, each person you see here is a living person, who willingly decided to immortalize their peak state in a form of art. There is only one exception, but we will come there later¡ I see your smiles ¨C you already know who that is. However, first, we need to finish with this hall to proceed further.¡±
Making a small pause, Ben hastily checked the reaction of the group, finally seeing the light at the end of his financial tunnel as over half of the group was focused on him.
¡°Each person is put to sleep while being kept in shape by the complex equipment. Moreover, the episodes where they are shown are also chosen by themselves, using their real belongings. I need to repeat it ¨C there is not a single fake item in the whole museum. Everything is genuine and was used by the very same person. Now, let¡¯s start from the beginning. Who knows who this is?¡±
The next hour went commonly. Joking from time to time, trying to catch the attention of teenagers or ¡°absent-mind wanderers¡±, Ben steadily led his group over the rooms with ¡°corpses¡± as all employees were naming those ¡°sleeping¡± persons. No, the man saw the equipment that was constantly under the watchful eye of the weird scientist, who went as Donald. He saw the nutrition boxes and the regularly refilling tanks with waste, but to name those things as living beings was too much for Ben. He could swear that sometimes he managed to catch a glimpse of clarity in the eyes of those frozen figures, sending a shiver across his spine by the look of terror hidden deep inside of the exhibits. However, the need to pay the checks was stronger. Especially considering that it wasn¡¯t the worst job out there. Fantasy City was a place of imagination only for tourists.
¡°Let¡¯s head to the final and the most famous place of our art museum,¡± pointing at the door, Ben led the group to the final room. Or tried to do it, as he felt that he was simply pushed in the back by the anxious people, who couldn¡¯t wait even a second more. Hastily making it through the door and short dark corridor, Ben immediately moved to the side, already waiting for the outcome with hidden anticipation. Despite keeping a straight face, inwardly he was smiling from the suddenly frozen group. However, partly it was because he had a similar reaction in his first time entering the place. The place, but not the room as it simply couldn¡¯t be named like that.
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Stepping inside, everyone was met with a noticeable drop in surrounding temperature. Not to the point of freezing them, but enough to make the presence quite uncomfortable, while creating goosebumps across the skin. The next was a light breeze, which with a sudden gust blinded everyone for a moment, forcefully closing their eyes, so their focus switched to other senses to compensate for the short loss of sight. That not only intensified the feeling of coldness but also added sound to the equation.
The rustle of leaves. The faraway cry of the unknown wild beast, who went on the hunt. The occasional bird hooting. However, the biggest attention was brought to the low-pitched growl that was emanating pure aggression, warning about the danger somewhere around. This was typically the moment when the guests would open their eyes, finally getting a view of the scene in front of themselves.
The night enveloped the part of the jungle, barely getting any light from the moon above their heads. The dense greenery made it hard to see anything further than two meters, accelerating the hearts of the guests. The whole atmosphere from the start wasn¡¯t light and comfortable, but the limited visibility and growl from the hidden predator were too disturbing to ignore. Obviously, it was just an initial reaction to a sudden change in the surroundings and given a time the group will return back to a calm state. However, no one was going to give them such an opportunity. In exactly five seconds after entering the final room of the art museum bushes suddenly moved aside, while the growl turned into a painful dying squeal.
The shocking change was barely processed by the group when the huge naked giant appeared in front of them. Covered in the blood of the animal, which was lying beneath him, he was already raising the crude stone axe, going for another mighty swing. The tensed muscles on an unnaturally big body created an impression of being unstoppable, the real apex predator in those barbarous lands. The awful grimace made its owner look like a wild beast akin to the one he killed a moment earlier. However, the scariest part was his eyes. Radiating the unhidden hatred, they were promising painful and inventible death without a single chance of salvation. The grimace of overwhelming anger, the droplets of blood on the face, the look of a real monster ¨C it wasn¡¯t hard that the sudden appearance of such a giant inflicted terror in the minds.
The screams, a few attempts to run back to the hall, and lots of swearing were met with the calming voice of the group¡¯s guide, who focused his attention on the worst cases. It took several minutes for the guests of the museum to get back to their normal state. Part of it was because Ben started to speak about the achievements of the captured prisoner, inflicting ever more fear in their hearts. This time it wasn¡¯t a jump scare, but more like a cold grip around their minds from understanding the deeds of this giant.
¡°So-called Robert Flop. The Terranoid ¨C artificially modified soldier of destroyed Terra-Earth. We didn¡¯t manage to track his record during the war, but he called himself an infantry. From the video records it is absolutely an underestimation of his capabilities, as he is far superior to any Terranoid. Now to the numbers ¨C 34 heavily armed mercenaries in full battle equipment, including 3 mechs; 23 patrolling guards with rifles and 5 from the Arena; 15 Arena fighters, who tried to stop him; and finally 109 civilians. Together almost two hundred dead or injured people. It might not sound big, but you need to consider that he was completely unprepared when his colleague Rick Abraham Brown exposed his plan to bomb the shield system of Fantasy City; had no weapons or any armor. Nothing at all, just fists. This is the reason why for this season our Progressive Art Museum decided to show him as a primal hunter. Because he is the one,¡± making a slight pause to catch his breath, Ben continued.
¡°His raw strength, his aggressiveness, his decisiveness in killing ¨C everything makes him a real primal apex predator in any conditions. Just imagine what he could have done if he was prepared and had proper battle gear? So, your scare is justified as no sane person can feel confident, facing such a beast in human skin. Even now you can see his gaze, filled with hatred. You all must know that he can hear us, and such a reaction is what he really thinks about ordinary people. A perfect example of Terra¡¯s policy and brainwashing with their desire to cleanse the planets from some groups of citizens.¡±
¡°Can he get out? Are we safe?¡± The same question that was asked each time when Ben led the group to the Terranoid made him smile lightly before he turned it into a serious expression.
¡°Absolutely safe - the security measures in his case are incredible. I even dare to say that they are non-repeatable at all. Not even a single criminal had the same treatment as him¡ You see, all his bones are replaced with an obsidian steel frame, including even a skull. Not only does it prevent him from moving as his joints have lost the ability to rotate, but he is also directly connected to the main reactor of Fantasy City, which fuels the energy shield around his body. Tightly enveloping his skin from all sides, it secures any attempts to move from the outside. Moreover, there is an additional electroshock system to hit him in case of emergency, not speaking that his foot and the floor are one single piece. I can¡¯t see any chance him to get out.¡±
¡°But how does he even live?¡± For the first time, one of the rebellious teenagers couldn¡¯t stop himself from asking the question, while he showed with every single gesture how bored he was in the museum.
¡°Well, there are several tiny tubes that go through his foot directly into his body and are connected to his inner organs. Using them, he gets all the needed nutrients, liquid, and oxygen. The cable for shield support is also there,¡± Ben answered with a wide smile.
¡°And what about a toilet? How can he even shit in such conditions?¡± Another one followed.
¡°Denis, words!¡± The immediate rebuke from the parent to the barely thirteen-year-old boy almost provoked a retaliation, but Ben was faster.
¡°You see, his body barely needs anything to sustain itself. Our scientists said it¡¯s less than 1% of the normal needs of an ordinary human. Therefore, he doesn¡¯t produce any feces at all,¡± seeing an attempt of the boy to joke about it, Ben quickly added, preventing an escalation of the situation, ¡°Also it seems he doesn¡¯t age. From what I know it¡¯s been already a few cycles since he was put in this place, so potentially he can stay here for an eternity¡ or until Fantasy City ceases to exist. I bet on the former. Okay, let¡¯s head back. Don¡¯t forget to visit our museum store, where you can¡¡±
Chapter 125 (3-37)
The consecutive images were flooding Robert¡¯s mind. The pictures of the past events, where he fought on the different battlefields. The countless rows of enemies had been killed, starting from the deeply engraved alien that invaded Earth to ordinary humans, huge lizards, and real demons. The faces of the people he met and lost during his mostly undesired misadventures. William the ¡°Aspen¡±, Lawrence the ¡°Wolf¡±, Beth, Garold the Sniper, and even Billy. There were so many that at some point they merged into one ¨C his own as if it was Rob himself who was lost but not them.
His mind continued to shove the scenes of the events from the dreams that never occurred, despite all his attempts to fulfill them. Everything was mixed chaotically to the point where incompatible and impossible memories were created, making him wonder what part of them was truth and what was just a sick imagination. Because Rob felt he was sick, slowly crumbling under the pressure of the situation.
The whole event with a maniac in a well-dressed suit went in flashing scenes, barely making it through the veil of drugs. The flame brought a short moment of clarity, but the darkness took it away just to send him into a deeper pit. The following experience was awful, questioning his sanity. At some point, Rob wasn¡¯t even sure if he was alive and not died there in the night club under the bullets of the mercenary¡¯s group. Inability to move, to speak, to breathe. Under the constant stream of sedatives, he could barely register the reality, thinking it was just a dream. Or, more likely, a never-ending horror.
Only the pain managed to return him back once in a while, alas not for long as it was too terrible to endure the events without any consequences to his broken inner self. Being cut into parts, almost dissected, while keeping most of the sensation had hit him hard. The replacement of the bones took another toll on Rob¡¯s mind, preventing any attempts to break free. Not that he had any chance, being literally nailed to the tough cold surface of the metal table before being tied with chains. In that situation the scared face of the scientist was the single light spot, easing the pressure on his mind. Unfortunately, it disappeared soon, replaced by another terrifying experience.
After dying and getting on the stone plateau of a fake god at the beginning of his travels through realms, Robert had a random thought about being a museum figure of some insane interdimensional collector. He never thought it would become his harsh reality when he found himself stuck in the unmoving body. The latter felt odd, simultaneously familiar and not. However, no matter how he tried, Rob failed to make even a single motion. He didn¡¯t lose his senses as the wish to scratch a few spots here and there was another torture. The real shock came when he failed to conjure the steel to break free. It felt like there was no space for it at all, and Robert himself was stuck in a tight invisible bubble.
All his attempts to push the force shield from himself had failed. It wasn¡¯t hard to deduct after hours of testing and his study what was the thing that prevented him from moving. However, the understanding didn¡¯t help. His ability always worked from his skin. That was the reason why he was left bald when he tried to create a helmet. Moreover, each creation of the Energy Blast gave off the feeling of blowing the part of himself. That led to the situation where Robert simply couldn¡¯t summon any steel inside himself as the place was already occupied. On the other hand, there were no empty spots for it. Even his jaw was forcefully attached to his upper teeth, preventing him from opening his mouth, while all oxygen came somewhere from inside.
It took some time for him to find tiny gaps where his ability worked, but that was the moment when the realization hit him. The weird feeling in his body and energy shield ¨C everything indicated that he had the source of the generation right inside himself. And even if he would break free from the prison and even destroy all his skeleton frame, Rob would be completely harmless as if not dead at once. Theoretically, he could replace it with his steel, but practically he lacked the skills necessary to achieve it.
It''s not the first time when I am in a deep shit. I just need to train more to get to the needed level! I achieved it twice, nothing impossible given enough effort.
Unfortunately, it appeared harder than he thought. Especially, when his mental sanity was getting hammered by the cruel reality. Just at the start of his attempt, the group of people came, barely hiding their emotions. Observing him as if he were the beast in the cage of the local zoo, they laughed and smiled as if everything was perfectly fine. Then the second group came. Third. Fourth. They continued to come, looking at him with different looks ¨C full of disgust or hatred, with clear joy or boredom, with hungry gazes on his nude body. The only thing Rob never saw was sympathy. Not a single trace of it as if he was already labeled by the society as a monster, getting all the blame by default.
After fighting in several wars and killing his way through the Tower, Robert was already barely treating the value of human life as something precious. Too much blood was spilled by him. Too much dirt was seen and experienced. Too many examples of meaningless death because of greed, power struggle, or hatred. Abraham¡¯s treachery deed was another hit on his belief in humanity as a society that cared for each other. No, for him, it was always a den full of wild beasts, ready to tear each other for their own profit. However, the final nail in the coffin, or precisely speaking many thousands of them, were the tourists that came to eye him.
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Old and young, women and men, rich and poor ¨C each of them didn¡¯t see a human in Rob, no matter whose eyes were looking at him. Just a bloodthirsty beast. No one questioned the information about the event. No one tried to find the truth. They simply believed what they were told, nodding like obedient puppets. There were no attempts to protest against the state of the frozen state he was kept in. Not a sign of kindness, but a lot of hatred. Therefore, it ignited the hatred in return, no matter how innocent they were.
Robert simply couldn¡¯t feel anything good toward those ordinary people, who were calm discussing the best way of his execution. Or that their ¡°humanitarian¡± ideas on how to ¡°improve¡± his prison with constant physical torture. Even the interaction with the guests was when a company of some activists threw paint over his motionless figure in an attempt to attract attention to the waste around the orbit of the planet. That was the final moment when something died inside him. Instead, it added fuel to his hatred, giving him more energy to overcome his situation and not go insane. The latter was really a hard task.
Without the ability to move even with a finger, to feel any food or water, without any privacy, and without basic interactions with others, Robert slowly started to succumb to the pressure. The maniac¡¯s occasional appearance was made even worse as the mad mumbling of the psycho wasn¡¯t something that Rob wanted to hear. Or feel, as the man barely kept his drool from dropping on the floor. It was a single moment when Robert was happy to have an energy shield protecting him from that preventer. Still, the increased frequency of flooding images that started to mess with his head was a bad sign. Only because of his experience of solitude on the island and inside the Tower, did Robert feel some confidence in making through it. The hatred helped him to strengthen his resolve, powering his mind with an invisible force.
The hatred and the anger toward his own weakness. Rob blamed himself that after a relatively short stay in the Tower, he immediately gave up on his search for power to have fun and rest. And why? Because he had to kill some people, which affected his mind with guilt? They weren¡¯t innocent in the first place, as to get to the point where they could physically meet him could only be done by murdering the creatures. Their fight was fair when only one party could survive. No, it was his remnants of the morale that was pushed onto him by the instructors on Earth. To value other¡¯s lives. To protect humanity as a shield. But why would he do it if those others didn¡¯t deserve it at all?
He would never blame himself for the killing of the random ant, so why would he treat other humans differently? From his pitiful experience, it was humans who would more likely aim to hurt others, not ants. Was it only because of the fact that they were the same specimen as Rob? However, considering all his changes in physique, he couldn¡¯t be named as one. Even Aether called him a highly adaptive hybrid. Hybrid, not a human. So, what was the reason to bother? Why would he stop himself from a chance of growth just because it could hurt someone else? The more Robert questioned himself about it, the more he understood that it was his own idiocy.
I need more power to prevent such things from happening¡ More power to break any restraints that someone tries to put on me¡ Now I finally get why all those typical heroes aim to the top of the food chain. But I am not like them. No, I know the price of the power ¨C humanity showed what they can do for it. And I am willing to pay any price, even if it¡¯s the lives of tens of thousands¡ That number can¡¯t even shock me as I personally saw the world that was going to be destroyed. Maybe not even once¡ So, yeah, to hell with them all!
Maybe it was the hatred and anger that was speaking inside Rob¡¯s broken mind, but he did feel that way. Obviously, it didn¡¯t mean that he would kill everyone on sight or decide to proclaim the grand goal of burning multiple worlds to the ground. Not in the slightest. It just noticeably widened the range of his potential actions, without a need to look over the thoughts and even lives of others. Simple as that. Rob was sure that there were still some self-put limits hidden inside his burned soul, but now he wouldn¡¯t even bother with trying to be careful during the fight among the civilians. The latter showed how their innocence was more like a turning blind eye to atrocities, if not participating in them silently.
But first, I need to get out of here in battle state, and not like a boneless sausage¡
This thought gave him a goal, almost creating a distant light in the world of everlasting darkness. It didn¡¯t change things for him, as Rob still had to endure the crowd of onlookers, their comments, their attitude. Sometimes the pressure on him appeared too heavy to handle and he crumbled into oblivion with multiple chaotic dreams, visions, and memories only to wake after some time to make another attempt at escape. In such conditions, it wasn¡¯t difficult to lose track of time.
Several times Robert was dangerously near to giving up, trying to explode himself with Energy Blast. Each time the very same hatred and anger halted his actions in the last moment, giving him a reason to live. Another one was a tiny red flower that was on the edge of his sight. Clearly artificial, it was nothing special for anyone, except Rob. Being on the side of the usual spot for the tourists, gave him something to focus on, when the inner thoughts were too dark, and the outer world was not better. Plain, almost dull, the flower was like a saving lifebuoy in the ocean of madness, keeping him afloat in the critical times when the toll of the circumstances appeared to be too huge. Only enormous willpower prevented Robert from giving it the name.
Not today, Wilson¡ Okay, let¡¯s start from the beginning. All my bones are replaced with obsidian steel. But it¡¯s steel, nevertheless. So, if I can¡¯t destroy it with micro Energy Blasts to give the empty spot for my regeneration to kick in, I just need to make it mine. I was told that Wepwakor ripped off all my elemental affinities, except the steel. We will see how it works¡ It seems I have all the time in the world, which, considering my training conditions, isn¡¯t a positive thing. Sucks to be you, Robert.
Chapter 126 (3-38)
Inwardly screaming from the terrible pain that was tearing his body apart, Rob still pulled the stream of energy, despite the devastating results and horrible sensation as if someone was ripping off multiple pieces out of his flesh all at once using tiny razor-sharp hooks. The background showed the panicked voices of the tourists, the repetitive sound of the alert, and chaotic activity around, but Robert was currently too occupied to observe the nervous behavior of his captors. Maybe if only he could see the open wounds that were appearing right on the skin or the splashes of blood that were kept only by the invisible force shield, creating almost like a red veil around his. Or if he could hear the cracking sound of bones that tried to find their way out of flesh. Or the blown-up pupils that couldn¡¯t resist the inner pressure. Or¡ There were too many gruesome parts in the scene, but not for Robert.
No, his mind was as the matter he could conjure ¨C firm as steel. Focused to the point disregarding the whole around, no matter the price would be. Even the pain, the awful soul-tearing pain, was partly a salvation to his state as it was a sign that he was still alive. Moreover, dying from this overwhelming sensation wasn¡¯t that scary as it would free him from the constant humiliation. However, despite the acceptance of the failure and its cost, Robert aimed for success, willing to squeeze everything from his own body and mind just to get what he wanted ¨C more power to break his shackles.
The whole idea wasn¡¯t that extraordinary ¨C just to widen the connection to Aether, increasing the flow of the energy to him. But the reason why he decided to go to such an extent in almost killing himself was quite simple ¨C he couldn¡¯t do anything with his current control or a mana level. No matter how Rob tried to command mana inside himself, the ethereal energy just refused to obey. During his stay in the Tower Robert managed to sense it as a gaseous something filled with energy, but nothing more. It helped to direct his Energy Blasts into an effective weapon, but it was more about finer control over the shape and size of the conjurer steel, and the spread of explosions. Rob still failed to do anything else with it ¨C it was too subtle for any manipulation. Even the expulsion of pure mana from his flesh was impossible to him, reminding him about his starting decision to get an uncontrollable adaptation ability.
On the other hand, I would be dead if not for that decision¡ Yeah, so if I can do anything with it, I may raise it concentration to the point where I can try to grip it with my mental hands.
This idea led to the current situation, where Rob was pulling the energy from his ethereal connection with Aether, trying to increase the size of the ¡°mana pipe¡±. Clearly, even his improved body soon reached its limit, but it didn¡¯t stop him from continuing. Disregarding everything, Robert pulled and pulled, simultaneously dying in the process as his flesh couldn¡¯t keep with the flow. Moreover, Rob attempted to direct it not just somewhere, but to the artificial skeleton frame, trying to saturate it from within, forcefully making the obsidian steel his own and more importantly controllable matter.
The whole process looked like an attempt to stop the flood of toxic liquid using his own hands, while simultaneously trying to fill the specific barrel. Rob quickly lost track of time, too concentrated on the task that barely showed any results. By the end, his mind consisted of the single automotive repentance of the same actions, leaving nothing behind. Then the darkness enveloped him. The last thought was surprisingly clear.
It''s nice to have a full medical team around you, who are forced to save your life because of the fear of losing the main and the most valuable exhibit.
The woke-up was instantons as if someone pushed the power button. It wasn¡¯t the first time he regained his consciousness in such a manner, creating a nascent hope about the result of his dangerous deed. Unfortunately, the following attempt to move brought a terrible disappointment. Robert was still stuck in a motionless statue that was his body. Moreover, the flower he was constantly looking at was gone, possibly stomped by the members of the museum, who reacted to the emergency. Still, not willing to give up, Rob methodically started to check everything. By this point, he spent in this kind of ¡°meditation¡± much more time than observing the outer world. Not that the latter was giving him any pleasant reasons to be in the first place.
I am almost like a cultivator from xianxia stories, who is spending 95% of their thousands-years-long life in a state of tranquility without any thoughts. Like why the fuck would you need such a dull life, where any random middle-aged mortal has more life experience than a so-called immortal? Pure idiocy¡ wait! This gives me an idea about their cultivation techniques¡ I can try to make a rotation of my mana to push more of it inside these stupid bones. Nothing complex, just a simple vortex.
Thinking over and over about the sudden idea, Rob found it to have potential. His death struggles already increased his mana flow from Aether, making the concentration of mana denser. Moreover, some parts of it clearly made it further, pushing the tiny particles of energy inside the foreign metal frame. There was still an odd unpleasant feeling, but Robert for the first time felt something in those metal constructs ¨C the familiar sensation of control. It was still too far from being usable, but it gave hope that he found the way.
I need to make the steel bones mine before thinking about how to deal with the force shield. No point in escaping if I can¡¯t make it past this room¡ when did the guide tell was the change of scenery? I really hate these jungles¡ Okay, back to the plan¡
¡°You have scared me, my pearl. I almost thought I¡¯d lost you, the biggest pride in my collection. Luckily, Donald was nearby. To think that the position of the leader brought so many problems after the death of that moron, whose biggest accomplishment in his measly life was to have an important grandfather¡ But it¡¯s not the time. I need to spend some time with my collection to calm down. To spend time with you. Yes, I want to experience that fear once again. Your death gaze, which threatened to crush my skull. Your pure emotions, so I can reignite myself in this flame¡¡±
Oh, not this dumb perverter again. I am making the plan for how to smash your head into a meat paste, you fucker! Don¡¯t bother me!
Robert tried to focus his mind on the set task, but the constant mumbling of the psycho, who did everything to get another hateful gaze from Rob, was just too hard to ignore. Finally, giving up and imagining the painful torture, he made the manic convulse from the satisfaction after getting a long hating gaze ¨C both physical and mental. Just a minute later Robert was left alone.
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God bless the force shield. Yeah, no chance I am escaping without being in a top condition. Where was I? Vortex, yes.
It appeared harder than he imagined. Robert felt as if he was trying to put himself into the flight just by pulling his own non-existing hair. At least an increased density helped with a mental grip. Following the unclear guides from multiple fantasy stories he read, Rob tried to synchronize his breathing with each push, making an attempt with every exhale. For long there was no movement in a gaseous mass of mana inside his body. On the contrary, the ¡°surface¡± of this ¡°energy lake¡± seemed to follow the example of tranquility from the meditation. However, Robert had enough persistence and willpower to repeat the very same actions thousands of times without any problem. Especially, considering an alternative in the form of tourists, who was happy to gloat over him.
Without the ability to track the time, Rob was once again lost in the process. He couldn¡¯t even tell how long it took him to cause a reaction. The visualization of his accomplishment made to intensify the efforts, leading to faster progress. Or maybe after the initial movement, it was much easier as he never paused even for a fraction of a second. Still, the new obstacle with this vortex appeared to be mental exhaustion. Robert had to restart the same action from the beginning countless times just because the toll on his mind became too huge to handle, simply sending him into slumber. The only positive thing was that after each try his mana was much easier to manipulate as if his mental muscles were getting stronger.
At some point the vortex of mana inside his body was constant, barely taking any effort to keep up. Rotating at increasing speed, it was regularly sending particles to his metal skeleton frame, steadily adding more and more of them inside the inner structure of the obsidian still. It was also the moment when the stream of tourists started slowly to drop. Even the ones who came to see the terrifying Terranoid had clear signs of worry, often too distracted from the exhibition. The psycho¡¯s visits were also irregular, while the man barely could focus on his sick hobby. Not that it mattered to Robert as he was slowly regaining the sensation of control over his body. Unfortunately, soon Rob discovered that the concentration of the energy wasn¡¯t enough.
I need more power, fuck! Aether is not an option as I am not sure I can handle another increase¡ Think, Robert. Use your dumb head! What can you use to get more energy? What can be the source? Wait! I am literally attached to the one, but how the hell am I going to get it?
Focusing on his body like many times before, Robert slowly studied the results of his non-resting efforts for an unknown amount of time. The obsidian steel hadn¡¯t become as obedient as his own, but Rob was sure he could manipulate the bigger pieces to some extent. There was no chance he could disperse them at all in an attempt to replace his skeleton with his own creation. On the other hand, he could definitely move it and even change the shape, alas not with the usual level of precision. It was already enough to make an escape, but Robert was too afraid to repeat the very same situation and get the same outcome, but this time getting a stronger cage.
I can¡¯t afford to be weak. Not again. Never again.
This thought brought the images of tourist¡¯s faces to his mind. Thousands of them. And once again, it served as fuel to his hatred and anger, intensifying the feeling multiple times. The resolve followed after the wave of emotions, powering the idea of using any possible means to become stronger. So, he wouldn¡¯t ever be in the same situation. Mentally nodding to himself as if granting permission, Robert still paused before the start because another thought appeared inside him, stopping him once again.
Even if I can free myself from this cage, but what about the bigger one? The cage that I never thought about, but which was always there, making my life dependent on the wish of an artificial creature ¨C Aether. I was told by this mighty being that it would never influence my life until I was powerful enough, but what if it¡¯s not true? This shitty robot doesn¡¯t answer my call to leave this place. What if all my fucked-up realms I end up in were its doing? What if I can¡¯t live a normal life because Aether doesn¡¯t want me to stop the progression of the Transcendent? I had Wepwakor with his bullshit as an example, and it could be the same. To believe someone just because they told you so? Well, fuck it! I need not only the power but real independence. And if I need to risk my life to get it, so be it!
All hesitation died on the spot, pushing Robert¡¯s mind into motion. Finding the empty gaps under the invisible energy shield, he started to conjure steel, filling everything to fullness. The task took less than a few seconds before Rob followed with the second, a much more painful stage. Forcefully shifting the constructs into multiple blades and needles, he basically sent it forward right through his own flesh. Cutting their way to reach bones, the metal only stopped after reaching the target. Not giving himself time to fall into the pit from the pain, Robert started to rip off the controllable particles of the obsidian steel only to replace it with his own summoned matter that was already there, ready to be used.
The next eternity continued in the same surgical manner, where he was changing part of his bones with the mana-created steel. For the moment the quantity of such spots appeared to be too overwhelming, but Rob quickly changed his approach. Instead of controlling everything individually, which was honestly speaking simply impossible for him, he tried to feel all the gaps in his skeleton frame at once, without trying to recreate the perfect bone structure. That eased the task but created another problem for the future ¨C the growth of weight. Not that Robert paid any attention to it, concentrated on the fourth stage.
All the remnants of the controllable obsidian steel were compressed into multiple needles, that flowed into Rob¡¯s stomach. Connecting to each other, they were reshaped into a sphere an instant later. Pushing the surface outwards, Robert forcefully created the empty spot inside the newly made construct. At this point, the awful pain from thousands of small injuries was already blurring his mind, but the desire to be free from any restraints was even stronger, pushing to the death door and beyond just to achieve his stupid idea. Rob wasn¡¯t even sure it could work, but after so much time spent as a frozen statue, all barriers of self-preservation were gone.
Already in a half-conscious state, Robert connected the outer layer of the steel with the energy cable in his left foot that supported the force shield around himself. Once again, he had to cut the way for the steel, basically pushing the tiny sharp blade into his flesh with his own mind. He wasn¡¯t sure if he could survive it before widening the flow of mana from Aether, as it could be the only thing that kept him alive at this moment. Still, there was no fear in his actions. Maybe no clarity too.
The invisible shield enveloped the sphere, pushing inner organs aside and creating a protective spot right under his barely beating heart. In the next moment, Robert mentally grinned, finally getting to the last part. From his first attempts to manipulate the Energy Blasts and the devastating force they created, he felt he had a grip over this ability. And he was going to increase it further, capturing the explosion and forcefully converting it back to mana to fuel the next one. The main point in his idea was that the System in the Tower broke the energy conversion principle, creating more energy that was used. And Rob was going to use it, getting his own source of mana.
My own mana reactor! Let¡¯s go!
Chapter 127 (3-39)
Looking with visible signs of anxiety in his eyes at the convulsing figure of the giant who was barely kept by a force shield, Donald gulped before confirming his latest command to the museum¡¯s employers, shutting the facility''s doors for everyone. Still, the medical team was already on standby, waiting only for a signal. The signal, Donald wasn¡¯t sure he would send as the current situation differed from the previous one by a lot.
Noticing another flickering of the invisible shield around the Terranoid, the scientist quickly left the room. Closing the strengthened doors just in case, he turned his attention to the information on the nearest terminal. Multiple sensors were constantly monitoring the prisoner as he was Mr. Wright¡¯s most precious piece of the collection. Obviously, other ¡°statues¡± had their part of the attention, but not on the same level. Using his ability to study this masterpiece of destroyed Earth, Donald added quite a number of them, modifying them in the process.
It didn¡¯t help to uncover the mystery behind energy-aether or the way the Terranoid was created, but still provided valuable data for various research. The part of it the scientist started to organize into something more usable for future work with a clear goal. The only reason why Donald hadn¡¯t started the project a while ago was the constant change that the giant¡¯s body was making as if the Terranoid never left an idea of escaping his prion. And the current data that Donald was seeing on the screen was another confirmation of this assumption.
¡°I need to contact Mr. Wright. Yes, he needs to know¡ No chance I want to face his rage if his ¡°pearl¡± dies on my hands¡ But what can I do? His organism is too unique, too adaptive, too unlearned... Yes, I need to call him,¡± nodding as the mechanical puppet, Donald finally made the decision. The fear of his boss was too strong in him, putting the scientist into a dilemma ¨C to cause a burst of negative emotions because of contacting him at the wrong time or to get a full consequence of the Terranoid''s death with his own persona to get full blame.
¡°I am sorry to bother you, Mr. Wright¡ yes, I know about the space blockade of our city but¡ yes, it¡¯s an emergency¡ I would never, Mr. Wright! Yes, something is going on with your main exhibit. And this something has already increased the power drain from the energy reactor up to 500% and has no signs of stopping. Yes, the reactor can handle even hundreds of times more of it, but¡ Thank you, Mr. Wright. I am waiting for you,¡± sighing with relief, Donald finally ended the call, dropping down on the chair and closing his eyes. Lying in such a manner for a minute, trying to get his thoughts together and calm his nerves, the scientist managed to keep his cool. Only after feeling better, he decided to check the data.
¡°1278%? What is going on?¡± muttering in disbelief, Donald almost jumped forward from his chair, barely avoiding crushing the screen with his head. However, the numbers didn¡¯t lie, showing how the captured modified humanoid was sucking the reactor¡¯s energy with constantly growing speed. It was still far from being dangerous, but considering the war fleet of the Free Coalition of Planets that was blocking all movement in and out of Fantasy City, this trend might influence the situation badly.
¡°And everything started with you,¡± Donald muttered, looking at the Terranoid through the camera, which was showing how the giant figure was starting to get spots of black as if getting painted from the inside. The color bared the resemblance to the obsidian steel, but the scientist didn¡¯t see how it was possible, ¡°The President never let go the death of his grandson, pushing the narrative among his citizens that our station is a den of pirates and must be burned to the ground¡ If only¡ Wait, the obsidian steel?¡±
Diving into the stream of the live data, Donald quickly checked the state of the ¡°bone¡± construct using outer scanners. The information made him frown, but on the other hand, pushed his mind into full swing. Half an hour and hundreds of numbers later the scientist somehow managed to create a vague picture of what was happening. He wasn¡¯t absolutely sure, but even a remote possibility of it being true could lead to disastrous consequences.
¡°I need to stop before it¡¯s too late¡ But the only way to do it is to cut the connection with the reactor,¡± the scientist halted his hand in mere centimeters above the screen, which showed the confirmation button. His mind, seeing the threat, made everything by itself. However, the fear of Mr. Wright was already gripping his heart. He, who did a lot of dirty work for this psycho and helped to get his collection, knew how unstable the current leader of Fantasy City could be. A simple death was already enough to scare him shitless, but Michel Wright was capable to turn the life into a horrible never-ending torture. Donald knew as no one. So, he backed off, instead trying to call his boss not to face any responsibility for the wrong action.
Unfortunately, no matter how many times the scientist did it, there was no answer. At some point, when the pressure of raising numbers became too huge, Donald bashed the button with a fist, almost shattering the screen. Almost, as despite the panicked action, the device worked as intended, confirming the command. The problem was the appearance of the new message ¨C ¡°access denied¡±. The latter brought Donald back to his chair, sucking all his strength and courage. The scientist knew that there was no way to kill the Terranoid from outside as the protective shield was still there. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t sure if it could be done at all in the current circumstances. Even the cable was too hidden and under a huge stream of energy, making it impossible to be damaged without proper tools, and Donald had no time to get them. The prison, following the stupid joke from reality, became a fortress, saving the life of the prisoner who turned out to be the main threat to the whole station.
¡°What was the emergency? Is it the same thing as was the previous time? Because if it is, I promise you will regret asking me to get here at such a time. The morons from the Coalition decided to send an ultimatum to us. To us ¨C the strongest independent force in the universe! Labeling my city as a place full of thugs and criminals, they simply aim to get the same spot for themselves. Do they think I don¡¯t know about their investment projects about building their version of my city? Greedy bastards! So, what was it, Donald?¡±
As always, rushing inside like a hurricane, Michel Wright stopped in front of the calmly sitting scientist. Maybe the word was an incorrect description as the man paused in shock from the reaction of his employee. Or, precisely speaking, the absence of it. There was no fear or anxiety, just a calm acceptance with a mixture of tiredness. Nothing else. Even the eyes that Donald raised to look at him were radiating the same submission to the unknown situation. That immediately raised a red flag in Michel¡¯s mind.
¡°Donald, what is going on?¡± The question led to a weak smile from the scientist, who finally focused his eyes on his boss. It was quite a rare occasion when the scientist tried to observe the man who paid him for so many cycles. However, for the first time, Donald wanted to smack himself as the man in front of him had lost a lot of his previous mighty iron will after getting the desired position of the leader. The past three cycles added a lot of weight to the former thin limbs, making Michel a fatty. Considering his big head and tiny facial features, it only added a resemblance to the ball with deep wrinkles. Suddenly, the scary figure appeared to be not so scary.
¡°I will start from the beginning ¨C we already have enough time to spend¡ Yeah,¡± scratching his head as he was lost in his thoughts, Donald muttered before starting to talk, ¡°In short, your ¡°pearl¡± is trying to break free once again.¡±
¡°And? This is not the first time! Keep the medical team ready. Inform me when everything ends. Act as usual! I have a fucking space fleet ready to bombard us at any moment if they get any plausible excuse. Gather yourself and do your job, while I will try to save the whole city!¡± Michel demanded but was met with the same weak smile.
¡°Well, this is not the usual attempt. Not even close. Previously, he always focused on raising the concentration of that energy-aether inside his body. My scanners recorded a multiple increase in density from the basic state. However, this time he somehow managed to manipulate the obsidian steel, creating something akin to a reactor core inside his stomach¡¡±
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
¡°What? Repeat that again!¡±
¡°Yes, reactor core. He produced a sphere from the parts of the obsidian, leaving the most artificial skeleton intact. Connecting it to the main reactor, while creating another force shield around the sphere itself, he basically protected himself from the inner reaction, while being still hidden behind the barrier from the outer world¡ And after that, he started to use energy-aether to create explosions only to fuel it into another explosion. It created a sequence that constantly grows in power. Basically, a reactor core in a miniature.¡±
¡°And what is the problem with that?¡± Michel asked, glancing at the screen where pitch black figure was frozen motionless, without a single sign of anything disastrous, ¡°You were speaking about the emergency.¡±
¡°The force shield that YOU made me put around him is fueled by the main energy system of Fantasy City,¡± getting a small nod, Donald continued, ¡°The more damage the shield gets, the more energy it tries to drain to sustain its work. His version doesn¡¯t have any limits on the drain level. It was again YOUR demand that I fulfilled,¡± another nod followed from the boss, ¡°and now we got the situation where any attempts to stop the supply to the force shield will lead to a massive explosion, while the continuation will lead to sucking all energy from the main system that will result in a collapse of the core. The latter is just a possibility, but I can¡¯t rule it out¡¡±
¡°Stop! Again. Didn¡¯t you tell me that the reactor could handle it with ease?¡± Michel asked again, feeling another headache on top of his troubles.
¡°I thought so¡ before recalculating it carefully a few times in a row. You see, with each cycle he simply multiples energy and uses everything to make a new one. Basically the geometric progression in real life. The stronger the explosions, the harder for the shield to withstand them, thus more energy drain. On the other hand, any attempt to stop the shield would lead the explosion to blast the noticeable part of the station. And I need to remind you that the main energy system isn¡¯t far from here, and by this point, the calculations show that the power of the explosion is enough to damage it. Therefore, in both cases, it¡¯s a matter of time before we lose either reactor or reactor and our lives,¡± Donald finished the explanation with a loud sigh.
¡°Can he control it like before?¡± Michel¡¯s trembling voice gave up his worry, but he didn¡¯t care, ¡°you said that he did it before and that it was his attempt to escape. Can he control it? What will be the outcome if he manages to do it?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. I just assumed it,¡± Donald shook his head, ¡°theoretically¡¡±
Before he managed to continue, the doors of the room swung open, leading a group of armed guards with rifles in their hands. Wearing the heavy version of their armor, they were led by the familiar figure of the captain, who wasn¡¯t even hiding a wide smile on his face. Stepping at the front of the guards, while the rest of the subordinates took the corners, he loudly said.
¡°Michel Wright, the former unofficial leader of the triumvirate, you are under arrest by the decree of the newly formed Council. Please, don¡¯t resist and you won¡¯t get hurt¡¡±
¡°She bought you, yes?¡± Focusing his eyes on the grinning figure of the old bastard, who long had to retire, but somehow managed to keep his post despite all the changes above him, Michel sighed, ¡°You bowed to me, asking to save your ass, but at the first signs of a mishap, you ran away in a search of new feeding hand. Fucking traitorous dog!¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean, Mr. Wright, but I can¡¯t name the battle-ready fleet on the orbit as a mishap¡ Just don¡¯t make anything hard, Michel. We already made a deal by giving you away as a main culprit, so your safety is our priority,¡± the captain spoke once again, pointing to the door behind himself, ¡°I will ask politely one more time¡¡±
¡°I had to kill her, when I had the opportunity,¡± feeling how all the energy was sucked dry, Michel simply sat on the nearest table. His mind was wandering around the quantity of the horrible events that he had to meet all at once. Just the news of the incoming space fleet of Coalition caused quite a panic, dropping the stream of tourists to a tenth of what it was. Even some companies, including mercenaries, were scared enough to leave at once.
Then this coup crossed years of his hard work to get to the position of the leader. The loss of it would take not only everything Michel achieved but even his collection inside the museum might be thrown away. Even more mess to the situation was added by the unknown doings of his main pride, the pearl of his collection, his materialized essence of fear. Each of them was quite a problem, but together they simply buried Michel underneath, evaporating all chances to find the solution.
¡°Yes, If I had killed her¡ What more did they ask? I refuse to believe that the President can sell my head to his own people. That bitch must have promised more. If only I¡¡±
¡°Stop it, Michel. Your desire to solve anything with murder was what led to all this¡ We¡¯ve got the evidence that you were the ones who set up the Terranoid, causing the bloodbath in the corridors of Fantasy City¡ Last chance before we make you follow us. Those military blockheads don¡¯t have enough patience and can see the threat in anything. Don¡¯t make¡ Oh, whatever. Take him,¡± the captain gave up, seeing no reaction from the previously the most powerful man on the station.
¡°I am sorry, but if we have a new leader, I need to inform you about the problem,¡± finding the opportunity to speak, Donald attempted to explain, but was interrupted by the main guard.
¡°Not now,¡± the captain cut him, looking at how two of his subordinates started to apprehend Michel. However, before they even started to walk, the light went off. The suddenness of the event caused a wave of curses among the present, which partly stopped when the reserve reactor kicked in. Being much less powerful, its main purpose was to keep the life systems working, nothing more than that. This well-known fact instantly sent the fear inside their hearts, while the captain was already trying to connect with the Council.
¡°Tell them that we have him! We are not attacking¡,¡± his shout into the communicator was met with an even more panicked voice.
¡°The fleet started to charge their weapons! I repeat, they started¡¡±
¡°Fuck! Hey, you,¡± hastily turning around to the scientist, the captain demanded, ¡°tell me where the nearest way to a spaceport is¡ Hey, are you listening to me?¡±
¡°Fascinating,¡± Donald muttered instead, not even catching the words of the man. Looking at the screen without even blinking, he was watching how the Terranoid¡¯s figure started to rise from the platform, showing the dramatic change in appearance. The giant man wore only a distant resemblance to what he was before. He could barely be named as a human at this point, looking like a pitch-black grotesque humanoid with weird proportions. Moreover, multiple spikes of different sizes that were protruding from his skin in random places seemed to be in constant motion as if failing to find a proper spot.
¡°What is that thing?¡± Leaning to the screen, the captain¡¯s whisper was so quiet that Donald almost missed it.
¡°The problem I tried to warn you about,¡± the scientist answered, unwillingly engraving the scene in his mind.
This was the moment when the Terranoid, or what was left of him, looked directly at the camera and smiled with a wide mad grin that had more in common with baring the teeth of a wild beast than an ordinary human¡¯s expression. However, no matter how he had changed, Donald immediately recognized those dark green eyes that were radiating the hatred. And seeing how this creature freed itself from the prison, having the very same emotions toward people around, but potentially much less sanity, caused a real strike of horror. Dropping from the chair, Donald tried to overcome the sudden panic attack, but the cold grip over his heart, the tight hugs that prevented his lungs to make any breathe, the darkening surroundings, and vertigo ¨C everything made him curl in his place without the ability to do anything.
It took all Donald¡¯s strength to fight against what seemed to be an overwhelming feeling, but somehow, he managed to get up¡ only to see how the closed door that led to the exhibition was pierced by a sharp claw. Cutting through the metal as it was the paper, the oversized black palm started simply to crumple the obstacle, opening the way for its body. The guards immediately started shooting, but Donald decided to not wait for the outcome. Turning around, he sprinted with all available power, instinctively pushing his former boss Michel to the floor when the latter tried to get ahead of the scientist. Making it through the corridor, he wanted to turn around, but the loud inhuman scream of someone being torn apart alive only pushed the scared man forward.
Hastily leaving the museum, Donald paused for a moment, trying to think about the best direction, when the whole world shook. In just an instant the ceiling started to fall, being crushed under the bombardment from the orbit. The collapse of the station¡¯s section was so sudden and intensive that the scientist lost consciousness after getting hit by a piece of metal. However, the pleasant darkness had no chance to take him as another wave of pain woke him less than in a minute. Opening his eyes and trying to focus his blurring vision on the surroundings, Donald was met with the sight of the black creature towering above him. It was grinning at him with clear expectation of entertainment, not hiding bloodthirstiness in his gaze. The following screams could inflict a mind-hurting terror¡ if there was anyone nearby to hear them.
Chapter 128 (3-40)
Breathing heavily, Edward tried to push the obstacle away, but the piece of metal appeared too heavy for his strength, only slightly trembling, despite all his efforts. If only a sincere wish could add strength¡ Dropping down to the floor, the man felt exhaustion, but the needle of worry was still there, piercing his mind with anxiety and fear. Therefore, the man-made another exhale before rising up and looking around once again in an attempt to find the gap he could use. The flashlight on his helmet evaporated the darkness in the wide area, giving enough light to see the details.
Unfortunately, nothing had changed. The corridor in front of him had collapsed, blocking the shortest way to his Jenny. Even the main frame of the section couldn¡¯t hold the enormous weight of the upper levels that crushed from above under the weaponry of the fleet. At least Edward couldn¡¯t see any other reason why it had happened. Only orbital bombardment could cause such an effect, basically wiping out the top of the whole city, and capturing the survivors under the metal rubbles.
At the moment of the strike, Edward was on his shift, checking the cooling pipes on the lower levels. That saved his life when the lights went off and the whole gigantic station started to tremble under the multiple powerful strikes from the orbit. No one lived under the rock, having enough means to observe the fleet through the cameras, but until the last minute, everyone was sure nothing would happen. Edward even remembered how he was trying to convince his nervous colleague at the start of the shift, speaking aloud his thoughts after multiple inner dialogues.
¡°You see, Ben, the world is ruled by money. Who would kill such a golden goose as our place? No, I am sure it¡¯s an attempt to show strength before trying to get better deals for future trading. In the worst-case scenario, they would make the admins get the supplies only from the Coalition, dictating the buying prices. It would decrease the profits of higher-ups, but it wouldn¡¯t change anything for ordinary folks like us. Or do you think they would destroy the whole station that has tens of thousands of civilians? Don¡¯t be ridiculous!¡±
If he knew how wrong he was, Edward would simply take Jenny and leave the station through the humanitarian corridor while such a possibility was still there. Unfortunately, the technician didn¡¯t have any time machine to change his fate, so he had to play with dealt cards. Luckily for him, Edward was more than ready for such a situation in comparison to most citizens of Fantasy City. Dressed in an engineer suit that had limited oxygen supply, with few basic tools, and with better knowledge of the hidden pathways, he had a lot of chances to survive. The problem was that his goal wasn¡¯t only that as his Jenny was still somewhere there, on the upper levels, and he had to get her. That meant to find a way through the collapsed rubbles.
¡°Wait, there is another way around¡ Yes, section U44-B. That newbie messed up with the repair, resulting in the flow of the cooling liquid into the tunnel from a ruptured pipe. I was late to see the whole ordeal when the chief shouted at him, but today¡¯s brief mentioned a planned repair in several days. So, I can try to use it...¡±
Nodding to himself, Edward quickly got up and returned his tools to the box before placing them on the special fixers on his back. The battery of his suit still showed more than 90% of charge, but the oxygen might be a problem as he simply forgot to change the second tube after using it last time. That halved his time during a possible emergency, and only hopeful belief in the reserve energy system kept his worries in check. The life-support system had to be the priority, cutting any other sources of consumption to power it.
¡°But Jenny doesn¡¯t have any protective suit in her restaurant¡ I need to hurry!¡±
The next half hour was spent in constant movement. Edward regularly used his tools, cutting through some small obstacles, manually overdriving the broken door panels, or redirecting the flow from the pipes in that damaged tunnel to open the way for himself. It obviously led to flooding the lower levels, but at this point, he had no worries about the consequences of his actions. There were too many tasks to do just to get out. Moreover, everything was done in complete darkness, where his helmet flashlight was the single source of illumination. He had no connection to the main office or anyone at all, instead turning the inbuilt microphones to bigger volumes.
However, in most cases, Edward heard nothing. Only silence that was periodically broken by the sound of damaged surroundings. The drops of water. The bending metal barely held under the pressure. Distant screams of help from the tiny gaps in rubbles of collapsed corridors that were changed by powerful hits to attract the attention of the potential saviors. However, just from the look, it was obvious that Edward had no means to help as the blockage was too big. That still pressed on his conscience, making him turn the volume down in an attempt to hide from others. It didn¡¯t help.
The disappearance of the most outer sounds led his imagination to run wild, creating something that wasn¡¯t there in the first place ¨C like footsteps, or a child¡¯s laugh, or unintelligible whispers. At some point, Edward paused on his spot, while nervously looking around. The light from his helmet was in constant motion only to show the same empty and dark corridor. Even the rise of the volume showed nothing. Unfortunately, just after a few steps, there was another sound of a loud moan, sending his already stressed mind into disarray. That almost killed him, when the section behind his back started to collapse, while he was stuck on the spot fighting against his fears.
The injection of the adrenaline partly cleared Edward¡¯s mind, simultaneously returning the strength to continue. Still, the memories of his run from being turned into a meat paste were hazy, as if his body moved on its own, pushing his life as the main priority. The flashed image of an elder couple, who emerged from the side corridor, felt like an unreal apparition. They appeared only for a mere moment before he left them behind, not even pausing. Still, he somehow managed to catch their faces that wore the appearance of his parents. This fact only made it harder to understand whether they were real or not.
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In the end, Edward found himself in the main hall, where a lot of entertainment facilities were located, including the restaurant of his wife ¨C Jenny. The central part of the hall fell down, burying an unknown number of people, who were unlucky to meet their fate on the lower levels of Fantasy City. At least quite a few broken bodies were seen in the debris, often showing only a tiny part of the limb or head, but always covered with dust. Unmoving, they inflicted even more horror on the technician¡¯s mind. Especially when he noticed bloodied remnants of the man, who had clear signs of death from violence and not from the collapse.
Edward managed to make only several steps before hastily leaning to the ground and vomiting everything he had in his stomach. Luckily, his helmet was open, saving him from being drowned by his own disgusting puke. The following spasms led to painful feelings when his body continued its attempts to get rid of the food when there was none left. It took another minute for Edward to get together. Still, his mind seemed to imprint the image of the limbless man, whose eyes were gauged out, the lower jaw was torn away, and the thick metal spike was protruding from his chest, having the flayer of Progressive Art Museum located nearby as a waving flag. It was too terrifying, sending Edward into a run. Obviously, the scared mind immediately started to produce even more weird voices and sounds, causing a slight tremor across his body.
¡°No, for Jenny, I have to¡¡±
Pushing himself inside the small gap that appeared under the fallen ceiling, Edward barely managed to squeeze himself through it. Claustrophobia tried to grip his heart, but the mutilated corpse was enough to show that there were more dangers on the station than just being blocked inside after the bombardment. As always, humans were the scariest creatures, finding opportunities to kill each other at most inappropriate times. This thought caused another wave of fear for his Jenny, increasing his speed to the point when the sudden disappearance of the tight surroundings went unnoticed for several seconds, while Edward looked at the floor. The following grip on the shoulder led to a panic attack. The pull made the technician close his eyes, while his arm was already trying to hit the enemy. Only after several more seconds did his mind finally register that he was pulled up by an armored figure of the mercenary, who blocked his wide swing with ease.
¡°Calm down, man, I don¡¯t want to hurt you. Do you hear me? I said calm¡¡±
¡°I am good, I am good¡ Thank you and sorry for my action,¡± focusing his sight, Edward finally spoke. Looking around, he found a dozen of armed soldiers-for-hire in a company of civilians having twice its number.
¡°Any injuries? Do you need medical help?¡± The mercenary calmly asked, attracting Edward¡¯s attention.
¡°No, everything is fine¡ as it could be. I am searching for my wife ¨C Jenny,¡± the technician started but was interrupted by a sad laugh.
¡°We are all in search of someone or something. The way out, for example.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you have one?¡± Edward immediately asked without thinking, ¡°You are battle-ready as if you knew about the attack. Don¡¯t you have a connection to the authorities? Guards? Admins? I bet with your equipment¡¡±
¡°As if, man, as if. We are all in one boat,¡± the merc sighed, clearly showing tiredness even though the outer speaker, ¡°We are Mr. Wright¡¯s personal emergency team. We were heading to his location when the fleet stroke¡ It might have saved us from the initial attack, but now we are here, without any ideas how to¡.,¡± he tried to continue, but Edward wasn¡¯t listening, rushing forward to the woman, who was sitting to the side from others, facing the floor and hugging her knees.
¡°Jenny! You are alive! I was so worried,¡± his shout attracted a lot of attention, but the technician didn¡¯t care, barely keeping his emotions in check, ¡°Thank the universe, you are alright¡¡±
¡°Edward? Why are you here?¡± raising his head, the woman barely managed to focus her eyes on the anxious man in front of her.
¡°Why? Why are you even asking? Of course, I went to find you!¡± Another shout caused a commotion from the armed group, leading to the reaction from the nearest fighter, who demonstratively moved his rifle slightly upwards.
¡°Is he causing you troubles, ma¡¯am?¡±
¡°No! I am her husband!¡± Edward¡¯s cry was ignored by the mercenary, who was obviously waiting for the answer from the woman herself.
¡°He is an ex-husband. It¡¯s been two years since we were divorced. But no, no problems, thank you for your help,¡± smiling weakly, Jenny answered, redirecting her attention to the technician, ¡°So, what do you want, Edward?¡±
¡°I was just worried about you¡ I went to search for you before trying to get out of here. I have a plan, an idea of how to leave this place. To get the spaceship,¡± the technician only started to explain when the very same mercenary who was threatening him forcefully pulled him toward himself, not caring about the pain he was causing, ¡°Ouch! What are you doing?¡±
¡°What did you say? You know the way out? Hey, Ryan, I found a man, who¡,¡± The armed soldier-for-hire shouted, but if the universe decided to repeat the joke once again, another commotion followed, redirecting everyone¡¯s attention to the opposite side of the group. Especially when two rifles started to shoot somewhere in the dark, causing a wave of panic in civilians and a burst of activity from the mercenaries.
The situation was already stressful, pushing the nerves of everyone present, but the potential need for the rifles inflicted even more fear. Edward couldn¡¯t miss how scared most of the survivors were, barely holding in their calm state. Even his Jenny gripped his hand at the first sign of danger, trembling from the overwhelming emotions. Glancing one more time to the side, where now at least half of the armed soldiers-for-hire were located, Edward returned his look at his ex-wife and inwardly sighed. Suppressing his curiosity, he decided to stay with her. Inbuilt microphones still caught a few phrases, directing his memories onto the mutilated corpse.
¡°¡ something moved, and I shot¡¡±
¡°¡ couldn¡¯t see it properly, but it was like a beast¡¡±
¡°No, I am fucking sure of what I saw!¡±
The last one was quite loud when one of the shooters couldn¡¯t stand the mocks from his group. Turning to face them, he continued to shout at them, ignoring the fact that the darkness behind his back had moved. In just a moment it turned into a towering humanoid-like figure with pitch-black skin. Having multiple spikes all over its body that were constantly moving, it had an unproportionally huge right paw with long claws. Dropping down on the floor with a bang, it leaned to the side as if it was struggling to keep its balance. Still, it never slowed down this thing. Lunging forward, it grabbed the neck of the oblivious before squeezing it. The armor tried to defend its owner, but either the grip was too powerful, or it found a weak spot, it failed its task dramatically. The torn head in a helmet was sent flying a second later, finally waking up others.
¡°We need to run!¡±
Pulling his ex-wife upward, Edward yelled before sprinting away under the accompaniment of the gunshots and terrified screams of others. The image of the limbless dead seemed to be flashing in his mind with each heartbeat, overflowing his body with the desire to live.
¡°RUN!¡±
Chapter 129 (3-41)
The group of mercenaries were standing in the tight circular formation, watching the ruined surroundings with unhidden worry, despite having enough firepower to blast any living being into nothingness in mere seconds. Their flashlights on the battle armor were illuminating enough space to make a huge area around them, but with a spreading stream, they failed to penetrate the darkness too deep. It was crucial as the lurking creature was still somewhere around after its initial attack. Especially, considering the pitch-black color of the unknown being, which made the absence of the lights its best ally. Therefore they watched, stressing their eyes behind whole piece helmets.
¡°No heat signature¡ What is this thing?¡± Asked one of them, glancing at the beheaded corpse of their teammate. The suddenness of the assault and no registered damage from the few clear hits caused his voice to tremble.
¡°Don¡¯t panic, Sam. We just need to be careful and watch each other¡¯s backs. Doesn¡¯t matter what that thing is as¡,¡± Another mercenary tried to answer, trying to calm his younger colleague, but failed to finish the phrase as a fist-size fragment hit his helmet from the side. Flying at the insane speed, it was strong enough to throw him off balance. Before he managed to react, another projectile was already touching the surface of his helmet. This time the impact was much stronger, dropping the soldier-for-hire onto the floor.
Luckily, the group was already sending a rain of bullets into the potential direction of the creature. The multiple gunshots lightened the surroundings, showing eleven armored figures standing almost in a straight line while blasting the debris of the fallen section. Quite a few of them had explosive ammunition equipped with their rifles, blowing up the stone and creating holes in the metal. Just a ten-second shooting was enough to cause a cloud of dust to rise, obstructing the sight even more.
¡°Stop! Don¡¯t spend everything on¡,¡± The commanding voice of the leader was interrupted by another thrown rock. Hitting the flashlight, it crushed it at once, making the area slightly darker. ¡°Crap, it¡¯s aiming at our sources of light. Be careful!¡±
¡°I thought it was just an unintelligent beast.¡±
¡°How the fuck do you know it, Jeremy? It might be anything, even a damned robot with AI!¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t they banned after the accident in Loret-3?¡± Questioned another mercenary, while the whole group was already forming another circle, controlling the area around.
¡°Like many other things everywhere but not in Fantasy City¡ Ryan, let¡¯s follow the example of the civilians and get out of here. I¡¯ve heard that the engineer knew the way to the spaceship. We need¡,¡± new hit broke another flashlight, causing a wave of swear, ¡°Fucking creature! Do you hear me? I will kill you, bastard!¡±
As if answering his request, the darkness instantly moved, quickly forming into a humanoid figure. Grotesque, and unproportional, it was leaning to the ground as its frontal limbs appeared to be too huge. It was almost copying a gorilla. Pitch black gorilla with multiple spikes all over its body. However, the scariest thing was its face¡ if it could be named one. As if melted under the insane heat, it had lost any features, leaving only two tiny holes for the dark green eyes and a huge gap for the maw. The latter had a row of curved teeth, protruding outwards right from the lips. Made from the same material as the creature, they were in constant motion, clearly craving for the flesh of pitiful humans, who dared to anger it.
¡°Sho¡¡±
The mercenary tried to shout, but the creature shot forward at an insane speed, simply vanishing from one spot just to appear right in front of him. Its clawed paw halted its movement an instant later when it made its way through the shoulder¡¯s joint. Pausing for a second, it simply tore the arm off only to grab it and send it flying into the nearest human. The next moment the survival instincts of the group kicked in, pouring a rain of bullets onto the weird monster¡ just to fail miserably as the creature was faster. Much faster.
Kicking the mercenary that lost his arm with so much force that the frontal armor plate broke his ribs, it dropped to the ground on its four limbs like some kind of lizard. A moment later it launched itself into the air, pouncing on another victim. Hitting with all four limbs, it pushed the armored figure onto the floor with ease. Not stopping on it, the creature bit the helmet, trying to penetrate the protective gear with its teeth. The grinding sound of metal against the metal lasted just for a second before the bright white light appeared in its mouth. In the next moment the head of the unlucky mercenary simply disintegrated, being completely burned together with half of the chest. The monster was already in the midst of the next jump, rushing to the next target.
The latter tried to aim at the fast-moving enemy, but the wide swing hit the rifle, directing a short burst right into the other teammates. Too occupied with the results of his shots, the soldier-for-hire missed the moment when his own weapon was grabbed by the barrel and pushed backward right into his helmet. The strong impact broke the visor and cameras, effectively blinding the mercenary, thus making him even more disoriented and vulnerable. His mind started to process the surroundings only when he felt he was flying. The following hit against his own ally was the last thing that he registered.
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The monster was already jumping upwards, blasting the surface under its feet with a white explosion. Raising high into the air, almost reaching the ceiling of the level, it dropped down even faster and with so much force as if its weight suddenly increased tenfold. The hit crushed two lying bodies, not caring about the armored plates in the slightest. Moreover, the splashes of the blood from the mutilated bodies and the raised dust for a moment covered the terrible creature. However, at this point the survivors didn¡¯t care about possible friendly fire, directing a real hellish rain onto the enemy.
The multiple projectiles caused even more chaos as the tough skin of the monster seemed to be made from metal. Ringing sounds of the hits and following ricochets together with flame sparks from tiny explosions that were barely visible through the enveloping mist of dust, but the mercenaries continued, despite occasional hits from their own teammates. All their attention was focused on the huge inhuman figure whose body seemed to melt under the bullet storm. Still, only the clips were emptied, the rest of the group had stopped, quickly recharging their weapons.
¡°Is it dead?¡± Asked one of them, looking at others. The shocking revelation that only five mercenaries were left from the former dozen went into the background of his mind, being pushed away by the danger right in front of him, ¡°I can see blood.¡±
The motionless figure of the creature stood still, opening a view of several deep wounds that managed to penetrate its outer armored shell. The bloodied meat among the sick black plates showed gruesome injuries, but not knowing the resilience of the creature it was hard to tell if they killed it or not. That prevented them from lowering their weapons.
¡°Well, it¡¯s not a robot¡,¡± one of the mercenaries started, but was interrupted by another.
¡°Let¡¯s shoot it again just to be certain. We don¡¯t need¡ Damn, it¡¯s healing!¡± Quickly raising the rifle, the man was still a bit slower. The creature was already dropping down to the floor while pushing five long spikes in different directions. Shooting forward at insane speed as if they were not moved but created right in mid-air, they aimed right at the shooting barrels. Only three of them managed to get inside the hole, causing an explosion of the rifles from inside when the flying bullet hit the sudden obstacle. Two others were already firing, alas not for long.
One of the spikes started to glow only to turn into a white ball of energy, piercing the chest of the shooter. The other changed its form into a hook, simply pulling the shooter right to the maw of the creature. The mercenary still caught sight of how the outer shell of the monster was fixing itself before feeling a tight grip around its waist. The weird limb was enveloping it from all sides while pushing its ¡°flesh¡± inside the gaps of the armor. His spine broke first, being broken from the powerful hug. Unfortunately for him, the pain didn¡¯t disappear, providing a full sensation of the multiple cold needles that were crawling through his back to the heart. It took less than a few seconds but felt like an eternity. Then the heat came, burning his inner organs in an instant.
The following micro explosion disintegrated half of the torso under the armored gear, killing the mercenary. The creature grinned, looking at the dead man, and finally turned its attention to the last three fleeing humans. Dropping the body, it moved to the still-breathing prey with the hole in the chest before stomping its helmet a few times with an oversized limb. The sound of what seemed to be a mixture of a mad laugh, and a beast growl could be heard before the creature pushed itself into motion, continuing its hunt.
All three escapers ran in different directions, betting their lives on the luck not to be the one to be followed. Not that it helped them in any way. The first one died when he tried to use the gap in the debris to hide. The monster simply leaned on the ruins, causing the following fall that completely buried the man under the rubble without a chance of saving himself. The second tried to resist, being cornered into the technician corridor. Shooting from the handgun, it watched with horror how the bullets barely did any damage to the creature, and even if they did, any signs were gone just in a second. However, the man had fought to the last moment, using the short vibro-blade as the last resort. That led to an even worse fate than being dead.
As if angered by futile resistance, the creature broke the knees and elbows of the mercenary before proceeding with the most electronic devices inside the technological armor. Ripping off the armored plates, the monster left a horrible hole in the stomach of the man by cutting it with a claw. Not big enough to kill immediately, but enough to cause a bleed. After that it just stepped back, grinning with the same wild and terrifying smile. An attempt to bite the tongue was prevented by the nearest metal stick that penetrated both chicks of the mercenary and gave no space for this action. Stomping the palms into a meat paste, the creature simply disappeared, leaving the critically wounded soldier-for-hire to wait for the inevitable death, while screaming from the pain and horror.
Such delay allowed the last survivor to flee unharmed, following the other civilians. Most of them were scattered around in panic, not thinking clearly about where to run and what to do. Some of them even decided to hide not far from the gathering place, patiently waiting for mercenaries to deal with the threat and to save them. Running past them, the last survivor ignored them without a second thought, too focused on the search for the man, who could be his ticket from here. The dumb engineer with so much knowledge.
¡°Where the fuck did you go? I need to find you before that monster will get me!¡±
Mumbling the very same thing, the mercenary searched for the traces that might have been left by the technician. Opened panels. Clear cuts on the pipes. Anything that could show him the way. The loud screams of dying idiots who decided to hide only accelerated his already hurried movement. He only prayed that there were enough of those morons to keep the monster busy and lose his traces in the dark corridors of the ruined station that had recently been boosting with life, but now turned into a playground of a bloodthirsty creature.
Chapter 130 (3-42)
¡°Edward, please, stop! I can¡¯t move anymore¡ I need to rest,¡± barely breathing, Jenny tried to stop her ex-husband, but the man simply shook his head, before forcefully dragging her down the dark technical tunnel.
¡°We need to move and fast because¡,¡± he made a clumsy attempt to explain his behavior seeing how Jenny was on the verge of breaking, but the woman was already hitting him with her fists. Not that it helped as through the engineer¡¯s suit he failed to notice the impacts of the weak strikes.
¡°Let me go! I said I can¡¯t! Let me go!¡± Seeing her futile efforts to overpower even the basic exoskeleton strength, Jenny felt like all remnants of her energy were sucked at once. Dropping down, she simply started to cry, ¡°Why are you always like that? You never consider my feelings, my state, ME!¡±
¡°Please, honey, this isn¡¯t a time¡,¡± Edward attempted to pull her up, but she started to resist, wildly swinging her arms, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s have a rest. I think we managed to put some distance between us and that¡ thing.¡±
Sighing heavily, the technician released the woman before stepping back and leaning onto the wall. Jenny immediately sat and hugged her knees, continuing to cry. That already stressed Edward¡¯s mind into disarray as he simply didn¡¯t know what to do. The logic screamed to get out of this place and fast. The survival instincts repeated the same, reminding us about the lurking danger in the unilluminated corridors of the ruined city. However, Jenny reacted completely differently, failing to keep a cool mind under pressure.
It was always their problem in the relationships, where he tried to use logic and failed miserably when the situation demanded at least basic empathy. Edward couldn¡¯t feel the same emotions as his ex-wife or most ordinary people after the accident with his parents. Being a late child, he was always treated as their most precious gift from the universe. That led to an even harder strike on his mentality when he watched how they died right in front of him. Still, failing to feel, Edward simulated some part of the expected emotional reactions, slowly rebuilding them from scratch. Only the fear lived freely in his body all this time.
¡°I am sorry about my behavior. I didn¡¯t wish to hurt you, but the whole situation is¡ What was that?¡±
Interrupting himself, the technician redirected his flashlight to the potential source of the weird sound. Making a step forward, he squeezed the cutter¡¯s handle, checking the charge of the battery with a single glance. Then the darkness moved, wiping out all his bravery at once and once again reminding him how futile the resistance was against the sure death. Only Jenny¡¯s grip from behind brought him back into reality. At this point the tall formless figure was already visible, causing another wave of panic¡ only to throw it away a second later when the light showed the moving mercenary.
¡°Finally, I found you! Tell me, what were you talking about the spaceship? Do you know where it is? Can you get me there?¡±
Not spending a single moment on any explanation, greetings, or anything else, the unknown soldier-for-hire asked from the start. However, the questions instantly reminded Edward about the mercenary who was speaking to him near the spot of the group gathering. It was less than half an hour, but his appearance got quite a few traces of the recent fight, losing the image of a powerful and confident warrior. The anxious voice was intensifying the feeling of just a scared man, and not some battle-hardened veteran.
¡°We are currently heading there¡ The spaceship is a half-finished project of my chief, who was slowly trying to build it from scratch, not wishing to pay the full price, knowing the admin¡¯s greed. I helped him many times for an additional bonus¡ The latest flight check had been put outside the city to prevent from potentially falling on the heads of tourists.¡±
¡°Is it on the dock?¡± The mercenary asked, not attempting to hide the worry in his tone.
¡°No, on the flat surface several miles from the main guest dock¡ Hidden under the camouflage ¨C the chief didn¡¯t want his life project to be stolen by anyone. But we¡¯ll need a suit for Jenny and more tanks with oxygen ¨C the life support system wasn¡¯t installed yet,¡± Edward explained, carefully checking the reaction of the armed man.
¡°Good, let¡¯s go,¡± the mercenary commanded, pointing forward with his rifle. This time there were no objections from Jenny, and she silently stood up, still hiding behind the back of Eward. The latter only smiled inwardly, thinking how the gun managed to solve the situation with his ex-wife when all other means were useless.
¡°How many people know about the ship?¡± The man asked after a minute of walking, anxiously checking the surroundings.
¡°Maybe a few dozen. But only three, including me, are aware of the latest location. Two others are most likely dead as they had shifts on the upper levels¡ May I ask you where are others from your team? Was there a beast indeed in the darkness?¡±
¡°Dead¡ And yes, there was, so if you don¡¯t want to join them, move!¡± Commanded the mercenary, once again using his rifle as an additional argument. Not surprisingly, it worked as the following hour was spent almost in silence with occasional questions from the soldier-for-hire and short Edward¡¯s explanation in return. At this point Jenny was barely walking, looking more like a moving obedient corpse with a dreaded expression, but too scared to leave the technician¡¯s side even for a small amount of time. On the other hand, it helped to accelerate the preparations.
Looting half of a dozen emergency boxes that were marked with red signs, they barely managed to get the needed items. It wasn¡¯t surprising that most of them were already broken into and robbed by an unknown, while the others weren¡¯t checked for years. In some cases, it led to damage from the time or environment. Still, after a full hour, their small group was ready to go outside of the station. At least the further they went from the epicenter of the orbital strike; the better the situation was with the sections.
¡°I think the fleet stopped almost immediately, noting an absence of the resistance. Otherwise, all Fantasy City would be turned into a melted rock in no time¡ Maybe it was a mistake? An accident? Who knows¡ Not that it matters now. Move!¡±
The mercenary continued to push both Edward and Jenny forward, completely disregarding their opinion. Calmly walking past several groups of the survivors, the man lied with ease, describing their trio as the search team of the bigger party under the command of the administration.
¡°Yes, just follow our traces backward and you¡¯ll find them in no time. They are making a proper plan on how to evacuate everyone¡ Yes, Mr. Wright is also there, together with others¡ No, no need to go with us or wait for us as we are trying to mark all damaged sections. We¡¯ll use another route on the way back. We aren¡¯t the single team with such a task¡ Listen, if you don¡¯t believe me, do as you wish. Just a friendly reminder that we are all in the same boat, trying to survive on the broken station. Your life ¨C your responsibility.¡±
Jenny tried to warn others, but the rifle was always looking at them, threatening in case of any exposure to burst into a deadly action. So she stood silent, watching how the groups walked directly toward the terrifying monster instead of safety. At least once they heard horrifying screams with gunshots. The latter quickly died, leaving no doubts about the group¡¯s fate. However, the event caused Edward to look at the situation from a different angle.
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¡°Don¡¯t you think you are marking the way for that creature by sending the people in its direction? It literally follows us, and they can¡¯t even halt for any prolonged time at all.¡±
¡°Well, shit,¡± Edward¡¯s comment led to a wave of swears from the mercenary, ¡°Yep, good point. Next time I will use a different direction¡ But didn¡¯t you say that we were already near the gateway leading to the surface?¡±
¡°Indeed, just a few corners away,¡± the technician confirmed, getting a barely noticeable nod from the armored figure. The mercenary went forward, while Jenny paused her tracks near him. Grabbing his hand, his ex-wife quietly whispered.
¡°Thank you. I don¡¯t want more blood of innocents on my conscience,¡± slightly smiling, she increased her pace, leaving a dumbfounded Edward on his spot. The man barely stopped himself from correcting her as his remark was dictated by the fear of attracting the monster, and not by wish to save anyone. Luckily, on their way to the gateway they hadn¡¯t met anyone, avoiding the situation where Edward would have to choose between the safety of others or their own.
The familiar gateway that Edward used to get to the ship seemed to look no different from before. Old rusty metal on the thick round door, the visually broken control panel, and even quite a few remnants of unknown metal construction spread on the floor right in front of the closed door. The huge sign ¡°out of usage¡± that was put in the center of the corridor was finishing the picture that aimed to deceive everyone from checking the state of the gateway. Considering who was responsible for its state, Edward¡¯s boss did everything to decrease the chance of finding his unfinished ship. Obviously, after the work was done, he was going to cover his deeds by ¡°repairing the damaged equipment¡±, but fate had its own plans.
Ignoring the questioning looks from the mercenary, the technician forcefully pushed aside a big metal plate only to open a view of a true control panel instead of a fake one. The short authorization process to confirm his identity was followed by a quick checkup of the system. Only seeing that everything seemed in the same workable state as before the strike, Edward sighed with relief. Turning around to the mercenary, he was met with an image of an armored figure that was aiming at something behind their backs.
¡°Open! NOW!¡± The man shouted with fear, immediately opening firing.
Not thinking straight, Edward pressed the button on the screen without a second thought, pushing the heavy doors into motion. Not checking the results of the shooting either, the technician instantly turned around and sprinted toward the frozen Jenny. Unfortunately for him, it was the exact moment when his ex-wife¡¯s mind had succumbed to panic, sending her into a brainless run¡ right into Edward. The sudden collision brought both of them to the floor. However, the fear in Jenny was too strong, so even a physical hit wasn¡¯t enough to wake her up from the terrified state.
Pushing Edward¡¯s hands away, she tried to crawl away no matter what. The technician had to press her to the floor to stop from running directly into the fight between the black monstrosity and the mercenary¡ if it could be named one, as the confrontation ended too quickly. Getting the full burst into the horrible head and tanking with ease, the creature rammed into the mercenary. Grabbing the armored figure during the hit, it raised the man before throwing it backward only to follow with another lunge.
This time the spiked knee appeared to find some gaps, causing a painful groan through the outer speakers on the armor. The bright white flash and following explosion abruptly returned Edward back to reality, giving him the ability to register the location of both opponents. Pushing away Jenny, he hastily stood up and ran back to the control panel. The next moment the hastily pressed button activated the mechanism of the door, cutting away the fight from the technician and his ex-wife. This was the moment when Edward¡¯s heartbeat accelerated to an insane degree.
Watching how slowly the thick metal was closing the hole, which led to the surface, his mind a had single thought ¨C may it work. Repeating it again and again, Edward didn¡¯t even blink, not leaving his sight from the moving door. The adrenaline stretched the time to almost eternity, making him halt his breathing. The sudden explosion that deformed the metal caused his heart to skip a few beats, darkening the surroundings from the panic. Fortunately, the damage wasn¡¯t enough to prevent the doors from closing. And when this moment finally came, Edward was ready, instantly sending another command.
The control panel had already overwritten safety restrictions in an attempt to cover their doings with the chief, so there was no additional message to confirm the dangerous operation. Like an obedient puppet, the system executed the command without a single delay, opening to both figures the empty surface of the unpopulated planet. The problem was in the absence of atmosphere, causing the difference in the pressure to become an efficient killer. Especially, when there was no previous equalization between two spaces.
The following blast threw both fighting figures out of the now deformed gateway, sending the mutilated bodies together with air. However, just after a few seconds, all the air from their bodies started to suck out. Not just from the lungs, but even from the blood. The mercenary failed to register it in time, having a few holes in his armor. Only when his eyes popped out, did the pain wake him just to send him into a real torture. Luckily for him, it lasted several seconds before life left his remnants. The creature wasn¡¯t much better, being torn from inside because of the dangerous environment. Curling in the ball from the pain, it turned itself into a pitch-black sphere that lost any traces of movement after a minute. At least it was what Edward noticed through the last camera that managed to survive.
¡°I hope it¡¯s dead¡,¡± quietly muttering, Edward turned to Jenny, ¡°Honey, we need to go now! Let me help you¡ Please, don¡¯t resist.¡±
It took some time to calm his ex-wife, but the technician was happy to see the return of the clarity to her eyes. The quick check-up and long tirade in an attempt to convince her that the closest way to the spaceship was actually through the same gateway. The cutter and a few strong hits created a hole that caused another devastating effect on the corridor. But at this point, Edward didn¡¯t care. Literally dragging Jenny through the damaged door, past the black sphere and mercenary¡¯s body, he made her walk with him until the spacecraft appeared in front of them.
The closeness to the way out of this place had clouded his mind, putting away all emotions for the next unknown time. The quick flight check, the attempt to make Jenny sit in one place and not cry in panic, the short repair of the engine¡¯s fuel tubes ¨C everything went like in a dream. Only when gravity pressed him against his chair while the spaceship was rising up, did Edward ease his worry. Still, the thought about the terrifying creature lingered in the back of his mind even when they were in orbit and sent the emergency message to the fleet. Seeing how Jenny fell asleep, he still couldn¡¯t stop but double-check everything.
Making a short flying tour around the small spacecraft in search of the unwanted guests, Edward managed to calm down only after finding nothing. The incoming signal from the rescuing ship redirected his attention from the imaginary threat that seemed to linger around to the safe reality of a cabine far from the surface. Accepting the call and listening to the information from an officer, he confirmed his identity, acknowledged the authority of Free Coalition over their ship, and after a long session of question-answers got to the dock where he could land.
¡°Jenny, we made it! We are saved!¡±
Edward¡¯s loud exclamation was met with silence as his ex-wife was long gone into the dimension of the Dream God. It finally relaxed him, switching off the state of survival. The man felt how the pressure and worry were slowly leaving his body, instead shoving the exhaustion right into his face. Dead tired, but alive, the technician dived into his thoughts, imagining how this dangerous situation might fix their relationship with Jenny. Or he finally got the real reason to quit the damned job to pursue his dream. Or¡ There were a lot of ideas in his head, but after another deep yawn, he pushed everything aside. Setting the alarm to the moment of docking, Edward closed his eyes.
¡°Now everything will be fine¡¡±.
At the very same time, a huge formless black blob was gripping the gaps of the unfinished ship on the outer side of the hull, hiding from the scanners because of its metal nature and waiting for an opportunity to continue its hunt. But for now it patiently followed the example of the crew, falling into deep slumber.
Chapter 131 (3-43)
The overwhelming pain filled each piece of Robert¡¯s body, not leaving behind even a single cell. He consisted of it, became part of it, turned into it. However, from the pain came power. It was no less terrifying than the awful agony he was experiencing, too huge to handle his mere strength. But Rob tried. He did everything he could to control it, despite feeling the futility of his attempt from the beginning. Still, he continued to struggle even though the battle was on the verge of ending with his unavoidable death. Throwing away anything he could, Robert focused on the control just not to fall apart from the insane level of energy he had to keep in check.
The task almost crushed him into nothingness. Therefore, Rob disregarded everything that took even a tiny part of his focus. The senses disappeared first, leaving him alone to float inside his mind. It wasn¡¯t the first time for him to experience such a feeling, so Robert pushed further. The body was next, keeping his own self only in the role of a combination of thoughts and memories with no physical shell. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised to know that at this point his body stopped breathing, halted the heartbeat, and simply turned into a living corpse. The corpse that was under overwhelming energy would never die.
Unfortunately, it seemed that it wasn¡¯t enough. The reactor he intended to create was constantly rising in power, steadily going out of control. So, Robert threw away everything from his own being, focusing on a single task ¨C to keep his creation in check before even trying to lower the power level. Somehow, he managed to do it ¨C to balance the terrible energy and prevent it from growing beyond his control. However, this was the moment when the source of the creation, the fuel that made its part workable, was suddenly cut off.
The raging energy almost blew outside in a devastating wave of destruction, losing a single thing that was keeping it on the spot ¨C the force shield. For a few long instants, Robert manually redirected explosions to the center of the reactor, catching the energy from leaking out. He even missed the moment when his mind understood how to do it, simply using it without thinking. The forceful effort to do so later pushed him into fueling the energy into the obsidian steel that was covering the self-made reactor from all sides. Not even trying to do any precise manipulation, Robert pushed a mass of energy onto the metal. In the back of his mind, there were some numbers and parameters that he studied during his attempt to fit into the real, but he wasn¡¯t sure he used them. Everything was so fast that Rob had to act relying on intuition, his senses, and luck. Maybe the knowledge directed him. He didn¡¯t know. Still, it worked somehow.
The problem was that the now-stabilized reactor was still filled with much more energy than he could handle, making him focus on everything just not to die. The bigger part of his mind was constantly creating new Energy Blasts, controlling the direction of each explosion before capturing energy back and using it to form another ball of energy. The other part was busy with keeping the force shield. The last one was in panic mode, searching for a way to use the spare mana that was washing over his body. The creation of the multiple steel constructs was just not enough to empty the endless stream.
Therefore, Robert tried to push the steel creation directly inside his body, making the cold metal a part of his flesh. It was immediately stopped by the obsidian steel that was still inside him. However, the attempt to push it out caused the foreign objects to glue to his skin as after so much time of trying to make them a part of himself to gain control over black alloy, the opposite action met an obvious resistance. It never stopped Rob from trying as most of his failures were overcome just by a sheer number of repeats. Nothing was new for him. So, telling himself that he was steel, Robert attempted to push a summoned particle inside each of his cells.
However, such attention left nothing from his own persona, emptying the spot of the captain, who previously controlled the body. And his inner parts, well-hidden after so many fusions and modifications, dived out from the deepness of his soul. Primal, animal-like, they abandoned any evolution humankind went through. The instincts to hunt from the apex predator ¨C the dragon that he got from the unknown Transcendent after consuming the heart of the giant lizard. The desire to kill and torture from the tainted source ¨C the demonic influence that corrupted his soul-body after his short stay in the realm of these bloodthirsty creatures. Not making a proper conscious being, and forming something akin to a brainless beast, they merged into a single entity, using their hatred for the humans as glue.
For an unknown time, Robert lost the connection to the outer world, focusing on supporting the reactor. Only after starting to slow down this dangerous creation did he finally get the pictures of the surroundings and the events that had happened during his absence. They came like flashes of lightning, showing just a single scene but imprinting it on the surface of his eyes for a long period. And those scenes weren¡¯t anything good.
Gruesome pictures of the mutilated corpses that his mindless body tore apart with conjured claws or pierced with the constantly moving spikes. Not all of them were armed guards or mercenaries. On the contrary, the biggest part of the dead was just ordinary people, who were unlucky enough to meet the insane monster that was on a killing spree, trying to satisfy its thirst for blood, while expressing all accumulated hatred toward those filthy humans that treated him like a toy. This thought returned memories of the humiliation in the open cage, reminding Rob why he felt those emotions in the first place.
They deserved it¡ All of them!
Just a few repeats of this thought brought a burst of energy into his wild part, clouding his vision once again. The flashes of the scenes soon started to reappear, while Rob¡¯s sane mind was fighting for its life against the raging reactor. Several times he was near getting full control, but the beast was in constant motion, hunting for any living being it could find. Using Robert¡¯s knowledge and his abilities, this almost mindless and insane creature had a single aim ¨C to kill. And it did, getting into the fights without even the slightest hesitation. Such a behavior brought another problem to Rob.
Each projectile, each bullet, and each wound caused the rise in energy as an instinctive reaction to the threat. Using it, the beast immediately healed, basically recreating the now steel-infused body with conjuring ability. Simultaneously, it led to the loss of any gained control, making Rob return to the starting point. On the other hand, another flashed image showed him a process of biting someone¡¯s head with summoned teeth, shaking his already unstable consciousness. Still, Robert tried to push an idea to his monstrous part that he had to get out of the station. Maybe it worked, or maybe it was just sheer luck, but at some point, he found himself outside.
The small but important nuance in the situation was that he was on the surface of the planet, curling into the ball trying to protect himself from the absence of any atmosphere. The panic only began its attempt to shake him out of balance, before Rob¡¯s mind threw it away just a mere moment later ¨C there were too many similar situations in his life to even bother. The lowered level of the reactor¡¯s production helped him to regain a part of the control, making it possible to send something akin to indirect commands to his beast part. He was still far from ruling his wild instincts, but it was the start.
Thickening the sphere''s wall around his body and thanking his physique which didn¡¯t need much oxygen even before creating a reactor, Robert made his inner monster create several outer limbs. It basically turned him into some kind of blind spider that crawled around until it found the corpse of the mercenary that was present in his latest memories. Not having any sense of touch through the conjured steel, Rob had to envelop the whole figure of the dead to ¡°feel¡± the gaps in his created construct. Locating the helmet, he separated the head from the other body before proceeding to check his trophy.
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From his memory of studying, Robert remembered that the battle gear always had reserve systems, hidden in the sleeve if the first one failed. The same was true with the helmet which relayed on the cameras to provide the sight for the soldiers. So, after careful blind ¡°observation¡± Rob located the switch that opened the view to the transparent visor that was there in case of emergency. It took a lot of time and effort to achieve what looked like an easy task in ¡°normal¡± conditions. At some point, he wanted just to blast with an energy explosion, but it appeared with the ongoing reactor on the lower volumes Robert failed to create even the tiniest white projectile. It seemed all his ability was already busy with running the reactor, leaving only scraps to use. But that was the problem for the future. For now, after prolonged struggles, he managed to get his hand or, precisely speaking, clawed paws on the visor.
Putting it against his face, Rob moved the steel to cover the visor from all sides not to leave even a single gap. That finally opened the view of the unfriendly surface of the planet. Looking around and noticing the broken gateway, he started to understand what had happened through the fragments of the pictures. Not that his current of precepting reality was any better. The surroundings were regularly freezing, being stuck on one frame before jumping into another scene without any warning as if the connection between his mind and body was still far from being optimal. Still, Rob found the traces of footprints, sending the beast to follow, while returning his attention to the reactor.
The next return to the senses he found himself on the outer side of the spaceship, which was slowly rising into the air. His over-exhausted mind took some time to proceed with what was happening, allowing the spacecraft to stabilize above the ground before changing the angle of its metallic body. Glancing at the sides, Robert finally noticed the main engines that were starting to glow as if charging.
Oh, fuck!
Gripping even the tiniest gaps in the hull, Rob threw all his progress into the imaginary bin, accelerating his inner reactor before the real acceleration would kill him. Fueling the formless blob of metal with the remnants of the consciousness, he prayed that it would be enough. In the next moment, the sudden jump forward almost threw him from the hull. Luckily, the absence of the atmosphere spared him from the fate of being fried or squashed. On the other hand, it returned him back to square one.
However, this time it went differently. Maybe it was because Robert finally got a grip on his situation and the whole process of stabilizing his inner reactor core. It was not only easier but also gave more control over his manipulations. Feeling it, Rob decided to slightly change the course of his actions. This time he wasn¡¯t just fighting for his life by fixing and patching the constantly breaking mechanism that went out of control. No, he started to build a foundation for a proper stabilized system that would later fuel his own existence. Moreover, his beast part was finally put out of order, being stuck without any motions and with just the wish to continue the hunt, but not the ability to do it.
Sensing that the acceleration had disappeared as if the spaceship was going at a constant speed, Robert changed the form of his protective layer into some kind of cocoon. It was still forcefully attached to the hull, fixing him on the spot, but the connection was a bare minimum of what was needed. Finishing it, Rob once again directed his attention to the inner self. He couldn¡¯t see the reactor core, but his senses gave him enough idea of what he had now in his body. The fist-size sphere with an empty space inside was stuck under his heart, connecting to the latter with a thin but widespread net. Completely black, it was enveloped in an invisible force shield that was covering the inner walls of a hollow ball. Only such protection could prevent Robert from the fate of being disintegrated from inside because of the raging energy that was in working overtime.
The first thing Robert did was to redirect his source of mana from Aether to this sphere. Previously, it was always fueling him as a whole, not having a specific place of output. However, by changing it, Rob tried to prevent the reactor from going astray, keeping it always in check. He couldn¡¯t measure everything precisely, but he was sure that only a tenth of the energy flow from Aether was used to create Energy Blasts, while the remaining part was supporting the shield. Luckily, his biggest fear of incompatible sources of energy appeared to be not a problem at all for the all-mighty being.
The next part was to direct the flow of the created energy from the Energy Core to fuel Robert''s body. In fact, the bigger part was returned backward to support the force shield as any rise in power would cause more devastating energy to be produced, thus demanding more defensive measures. Maybe, in the end, he had less than ten percent to spare on his own needs, but this was still tens of times more than a direct flow from Aether. Therefore, using the net that was going out from the sphere into his heart and inner organs, he slowly made it fill everything from tip to toe, spreading the ¡°small¡± stream of energy evenly. At this point he tried to reevaluate the change in his physique after his attempts to spend the overflowing mana¡ and they were huge. Just a single ping of senses pointed that he was currently almost like a living mixture of flesh and still that was interfused on the lowest possible level.
Well, now if something happens to my core, I am dead. I don¡¯t think my connection with Aether is enough to support my body¡ Maybe only the head and torso? Not going to check it.
He indeed became steel. A living humanoid steel with enormous weight just from the feeling. The remnants of his ¡°Heavy¡± rune that long ago merged into different abilities returned, working on a full motion as a passive. Rob had to use additional energy just to lower it back to ¡°normal¡±, making him still heavy, but not on the level of an armored tank with limited mobility. The steel itself was also not the same, once again taking a new way after mixing with obsidian steel. Tougher, heavier, and more conducive to his mana, it was harder to create. Together, it created the situation when Robert barely had any spare energy to create anything at all, using most energy just to support his existence.
Moreover, his ability to conjure Energy Blasts was also inaccessible as it seemed to be occupied by running the reactor. And that wasn¡¯t all as quite a few pieces of obsidian steel still were stuck inside his body. Becoming a part of himself, they could be transformed into anything he wanted with a noticeable effort, but he couldn¡¯t disperse it completely. Some amount of it stayed with him permanently, no matter how he tried to get rid of it. On the other hand, he made quite a few improvements.
The constant fueling of his now steel flesh raised his regeneration to an insane level. He hadn¡¯t a possibility to check it, but Rob was sure he could recreate anything in a mere second, literally fixing and not healing any wounds. Excluding his main weak spot - the reactor, of course. It also included the obsidian steel, but the reason was eluding his mind. The other ¡°buff¡± to his physique appeared the lack of need for anything to sustain his life, and overall insane toughness.
When Robert started to lower the output of the reactor, he simultaneously decreased the size of the surrounding cocoon up to the point when it disappeared without a trace, and he had to find something to grip with his hand. For a moment Robert felt a prick of fear, but sensing nothing, even the tightest discomfort, he once again looked at his naked body that was stuck on the hull of the spaceship that was flying through the darkness. His blood wasn¡¯t boiling, the oxygen or liquid wasn¡¯t trying to be sucked away, the temperature was just nice. Opening his mouth, Rob paused for an instant before trying to take a deep breath. Obviously, it didn¡¯t work but the attempt didn¡¯t cause any damage.
Well, I am fucking abomination now¡ I bet it¡¯s only possible because of my adaptiveness to that rodent¡¯s soul. The best choice I¡¯ve ever made, and I confirm it again and again. Still, doesn¡¯t change a thing in me not being an abomination¡ A merged human-rodent soul in a cloned body of basically a super soldier that was cleansed by a dragon before adding its genes only to be tainted with demonic energy¡ And everything before merging with steel¡ Yes, don¡¯t forget my brain modification¡ Ripped affinities¡ Yeah, I can get why Aether called me just a hybrid ¨C much easier to explain what I am¡ So, now what? Oh, I see a ship.
Focusing on his sight, Robert noticed how the tiny red dot was slowly but surely growing in size until it turned into a battle cruiser. The latter was in the midst of turning around, pushing a long tube with a docking port. Enormous, the warship looked like a flagman just from the sheer size and the class. Multiple gun ports, thick armor plates, a powerful energy shield ¨C everything made it a real gamer changer on any battleground. And that was what was bothering Robert.
What the fuck is it doing here? What is going on? Oh, to hell with it¡ Just need to get inside. I will have plenty of opportunities to find out about the current situation¡ and to test my upgraded body. Hope Aether will let me leave this realm ¨C I am already sick of it.
Chapter 132 (3-44)
Looking at how the ship was docked to the long tube that was expanding from the main hull of the battleship, Robert slowly started to go through available options. His initial idea to break into the small ship to get inside the flagman was crossed out from the list almost immediately. He could bet that whoever evacuated from the ruined station would still be treated with caution. Therefore, Rob could expect at least a group of soldiers to meet the newcomers, armed and ready for any development. The situation he would want to avoid at all costs, considering his current condition.
Yes, he felt much stronger than before, leaving the marks on the ship''s hull just with a tight grip. Such inhuman strength seemed terrifying at first glance, but after further observation of his transport, Rob figured out that the spacecraft wasn¡¯t finished. Having no armor and using the metal that was good against heat and radiation as the outer shell, it wasn¡¯t something incredible to damage it with bare hands. Well, taking into account Robert¡¯s nature and abilities.
To his capability of bending steel, the increased regeneration and toughness were added, making him a killing machine¡ on the medieval battlefield. The reason was simple ¨C his Energy Blasts were inaccessible, already working on the maximum power in his reactor core. The same went with conjuring steel, as only the remnants of his main ability were left in the form of controlling the obsidian steel that was stuck inside his body. At this point he used most of his previous skeleton to create a sphere, leaving not even half for other options. Considering that his artificial metal bones were hollow to hide the tubes, there was not so much matter to begin with.
Therefore, it was easy to understand why Robert wished to decrease the chances of frontal confrontation. Somewhere, deep inside, his inner beast wanted to continue its hunt, but with bigger control over his body, Rob could easily suppress his own primal instincts. The beast wasn¡¯t a different mind in his own head ¨C just a part of himself that wanted to murder everyone who treated him like a thing and not a human being.
So, yeah, it was always me¡ Maybe not in a clear mind and under the influence of wild creatures that were added to my body but still me.
Admitting his own bloody deed brought nothing. No relief, no regret, no grief. Robert felt nothing after killing so many innocent people. It could be because he never viewed them as innocent, but he wasn¡¯t sure. The scariest part of this revelation was this indifference about lost lives. The only exceptions were children, and his fragmented memory had some pictures when the beast simply walked away after noticing them, not wishing to hurt any of them. It was another confirmation that the creature was always Rob himself as there was no chance that the old memory from the burned village, where the massacre took place, could influence its decision.
My inner rage, my hatred, my beast¡ My responsibility and I have no regrets. I saw too many deaths at this point. Saw too many filths and cruelty in humankind¡ or beast-folks¡ or those amphibians¡ Everyone was ready to kill each other for the power, for authority, for resources¡ Even the global risk of dying under fucking alien invasion didn¡¯t manage to unite them¡ Yeah, them, as at this point, Rob, you aren¡¯t human anymore. So, fuck them all¡ And stop pondering ¨C you need to save your metal ass before making any long monologue with an attempt to add some philosophy to it.
Pushing himself forward, Robert crawled from the small ship to the docking tube before finally reaching the main hull of the battlecruiser. Luckily, there were enough tiny gaps in armored plates to keep him from falling into open space. Still, he willed the obsidian steel to gather in his hands, conjuring two hooks. This was the exact moment when Robert finally managed to evaluate the drop in his ability to summon constructs. Not only did both instruments barely have a volume of his single forearm combined, but even the speed of creating dropped immensely, returning to the starting point when he got the ability. The black matter seemed to flow over his skin, periodically diving inside the flesh before finally reaching the spot and slowly organizing in the needed form. The process took two painfully long seconds ¨C nothing close to his previous instantaneous creation.
Yep, another downgrade ¨C how could it be without a downside after what seemed to be a huge improvement? The only positive thing I see - it feels much tougher than even my body. But if I need to free my hands, I will need to find a spot on my body to keep the steel in such a way that it wouldn¡¯t obstruct my motions¡ Knee and elbow pads? Maybe helmet? So many things to think about¡ At least the view is great.
Leaning on the ship, Robert raised his head only to see the huge brown planet that was taking half of his sight. The red light from the local was illuminating the lifeless surface that created a strange but beautiful pattern with the thousands of craters and mountains. There were no signs of the station ¨C just a huge rock among the stars, but even with a lack of details the scene was mesmerizing. Multiple tiny dots on the black background, each varying in size or color. The reflection of light on the enormous planet, where quite a few gigantic whirlwinds were rotating. An overwhelming silence. Still, it was enough to put Rob¡¯s mind into a trance, capturing his attention. All thoughts had disappeared, leaving only him and the universe.
He didn¡¯t know how long it lasted, but after the effect was gone Robert found himself refreshed. The toll on his mind to keep his whole entity in shape was eased by a noticeable margin. Rob still had to manually do everything ¨C fuel the sphere and force shield, produce more energy in the reactor core, redirect it into his body, and keep himself from being dispersed ¨C but the task slowly started to demand less. Almost as if his subconsciousness was learning how to deal with it by itself. It resulted in clearing his mind, and finally pushing him into motion.
Reminding the learned structures of the spaceships, Robert tried to find the service hatches. However, before he made even a few steps, the surroundings flicked for several seconds. Only after a whole minute, Rob understood that it was a force shield. The flagman was huge and had a powerful energy system to supply the main protection of the spacecraft. Considering its size and not ideal shape, the force shield was set to appear above the hull''s surface, literally capturing Robert.
And taking into account how it is fueled, currently, an insane flow of energy and radiation is flowing through my body¡ Thank my stupid luck I am a steel abomination. Otherwise, I would be dead in a moment. Well, makes it easier ¨C I don¡¯t need to fear about falling out. Will accelerate things.
Raising upwards and touching the invisible wall, Rob smiled lightly before continuing his journey among the stars. The nearest hatch was fifty meters (around 165 feet) away from him, having bright red markings for easy locating during the repair. Reaching his destination, Robert remade his hooks into a screwdriver, adjusting its form to fit the odd gap. It took quite an effort, many strikes of a created hammer, and his inhuman strength to finally break in. Unfortunately, he was met with the same obstacle that prevented him from riding on the tank during his service as an infantryman ¨C his size was too huge for the tiny hole, which was never intended to be used to get inside.
Damn it! How do I get it? I don¡¯t think I can stay here forever and wait until it lands somewhere¡ Well, technically I can, but I don¡¯t want to. And stupid Aether doesn¡¯t want to open the portal. The situation isn¡¯t resolved yet... Fuck you! Oh, calm down and think, Rob.
Pushing himself upward only to hit the invisible ceiling, Robert continued an aimless walk, or precisely speaking, crouched across the outer hull of the spaceship that was flying through space. The idea to get inside through the missile ports was abandoned after failing to penetrate the metal. His might was enough to leave noticeable marks and dents on the gates, but not enough to break through the thick armor meant as the last layer of protection. The smaller weaponry had a ¡°hole¡± problem or had no direct connection to the inner parts of the ship, being just lasers. Anything that might be recycled was recycled, leaving no need to drop waste outside. Moreover, his knowledge about the battleship from his short study denied the possible usage of portholes to prevent any vulnerabilities.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Unless it¡¯s a flagman that has this stupid main window in front of the commanding staff to give them the privilege to observe the stars, relying on the force shield to protect their asses¡. Yep, it might work cause this thing is huge. In fact, too huge to be an ordinary ship. I refuse to believe that local admirals are all for equality between them and low-ranked spacers. After serving in two¡ no, three armies ¨C not a chance it can be true.
The search took a lot of time, as viewing everything from the perspective of a bug on a huge animal, Rob couldn¡¯t even understand where the top of the ship was or even where he was. At least he didn¡¯t need to climb, simply floating between the force shield and the hull. Once again, this time-spending pointed to how distant he had become from an ordinary human. There was no tiredness, no thirst, or hunger. He didn¡¯t feel any cold as the constant flow of energy seemed to keep his temperature in check. There were basically no uncomfortable feelings, despite his surroundings. Even the pain was dulled to the point that he knew he felt it more like a touch.
And by losing or lowering the level of many sensations, I will lose the pleasure from a lot of things¡ but will be alive. Maybe it¡¯s a good trade in such a case¡
When the superstructure that looked like a tower with a bigger room on top finally appeared in front of him, Robert immediately focused on the thing, pushing away the thoughts about his future. Knowing Aether and his luck, Rob simply couldn¡¯t plan anything at all, as no predictions could tell where he would be after another change of the realm. So, there was no need to worry about the things he barely could influence. On the other hand, the desire to live was as strong as always, sending him into the flight with a strong push of his legs.
Reaching the highest point of the ship, if it could be said about the spacecraft that could fly in any direction, Robert finally found what he was searching for ¨C an enormously wide transparent screen that opened a view of the big control room. The center was occupied by the captain¡¯s chair, which had the look of the real throne. A few more similar seats were situated on the lower level in front of the main ass-holder. Another long row of consoles enveloped the whole room, putting aside the less important members of the crew.
Moreover, the diversity was not only in their location, the size of the chairs, or the free space available for each of the specialists. No, even the uniform had the color change, shouting about the difference in the status of their owners. The captain ¨C the middle-aged man with long black mustaches and a frown that seemed to be engraved on his face ¨C had a weird round hat without a brim that had three stars on the front side and a long feather on the top. Robert wanted to spend more time observing the odd outfits of the battle crew, but their energetic reaction to his sudden appearance made him change his mind.
Noting the shock on at least half of the faces, the open mouth of the loudly shouting captain, and even the attempt to shoot him with a gun that was unfortunately stopped by others, Robert focused on his obstacle ¨C the thick window that prevented him from entering the ship. Rotating on his spot, he placed both of his feet on it, while his back was held by the force shield. Concentrating on the black steel, he moved along his skin''s arms, creating a pickaxe. Pausing for a moment and raising his eyes, Rob grinned before striking with all available strength.
The sharp blade hit the window, failing to pierce the window. However, it still managed to damage the ¡°glass¡±, creating a gouge on the surface. It caused another mad smile that was changed into another strike. And another. The non-stop barrage was destroying the protective screen right in front of the shocked crew, leading to a panic. The first long crack caused a commotion that was stopped by the captain. Robert almost missed how this surprisingly calm man gave an order, continuing to observe how the monstrous giant was trying to get inside. Almost ¨C as such a cold reaction to the danger raised a suspicion. It appeared to be the right decision that saved Rob¡¯s life.
Another hit produced another long crack, but the material only had the resemblance to the glass, in fact being something akin to a tough polymer. However, no matter what property it had, Rob was sure he could break it. Preparing for another swing, he suddenly felt a short tremble. Action on the instincts, he immediately pushed himself forward, changing his instrument into a hook. A few following seconds were spent in an attempt to fix himself on the observation screen, pushing the conjured matter inside an already-made hole. Only after stabilizing his position, Robert finally sighed with relief before turning his eyes to the captain. The latter was still calm as ever. Maybe only his frown had deepened, showing the result of failure. Nothing else. Moreover, the man was already giving another order, pushing Rob into motion.
To disperse the force shield so I would fall out into outer space¡ Nice idea, but I am not so easy to deal with, asshole!
Using the remnants of the available obsidian steel, Robert conjured a small dagger and continued his attempts. This time the hits had less strength because of the lack of amplitude and weight of the instrument. Still, they were powerful enough to damage the surface. Considering his inability to get tired, it was just a matter of time before the screen would shatter. What was surprising was that the crew had given him plenty of it. Rob might have thought that they had given up, but the sight of the focused team working on their panels and the calm attitude of the captain raised another red flag, warning about incoming troubles.
The first indicator that something was happening was a vibration that started to spread from the shield. Weak with low frequency, it still couldn¡¯t be missed. Then the light appeared somewhere behind, illuminating the visible halo of the spaceship. The next were the stars, which started to move, slowly but surely turning into thin lines before merging with others of the light in the whirlpool that started to envelop the space around the battleship. Turning his head toward the captain, Robert found him smiling with a mocking expression. Only after that it finally clicked, giving an explanation of what was happening. Rob only read about it and never thought that he would experience it literally from the first row.
Fucking bastard! You are going through the warp! Shit! Shit!
Shouting like a fish on the surface with an open mouth but no sound coming, Robert intensified his bombardment, not wishing to experience the jump through the local types of wormholes that made it possible for humanity to travel into different systems across the galaxy. He already felt like something was trying to rip off the parts of his body, sucking even the energy of a hungry wild beast. The spacecraft wasn¡¯t any better. Unprotected, it was losing multiple fragments from its hull. The problem was that the speed of it was almost on par with Rob¡¯s disintegration, but the flagman had an advantage in being an enormous machine. Robert, on the other hand, had constantly to repair the damage, while continuing his hits.
The moment when his grip failed to hold him on the screen due to losing the fingers, being torn apart by the surroundings of a between-space, Robert made a last strike, putting all his anger and hatred into it. The hit finally broke the matter, shattering the whole screen. However, the different pressure together with a sucking force instantly threw everyone out of the room, turning the fragile flesh of humans into meat paste. Rob, himself, almost lost consciousness because of the blast, and only by sheer stubbornness managed to hold on to the edge of the dark pit that had no return. Flying chaotically, while doing his best to keep himself in one piece, he had again and again sent a request to Aether. And at some point, the all-mighty being answered, taking him ¡°somewhere and fast¡± as Robert begged.
The spaceship with preset parameters left the warp at a planned time. Unfortunately, the whole commanding post was destroyed in the process, leaving only part of the records from the accident. The following investigation of the event led to the situation with Fantasy City and multiple civilian casualties due to orbital bombardment from the flagman. However, no matter how the investigation team looked at everything, the single piece of the puzzle was always there, being the very first stone that started the avalanche. Therefore, to cover the higher-ups from blame, the whole responsibility was put on Robert Flop, the last and the strongest Terranoid, whose final attack showed once again how terrifying the citizens of Terra were, and why their extermination was justified.
Chapter 133 (3-45)
Anxiously walking through the corridor, Dr. Borston Green Junior was on the brink of sprinting, constantly looking at his handwatch. Still, despite being awfully late, he couldn¡¯t run as there were too many cameras watching every single action he did. And being the senior scientist and the head of his own project who got it less than a week ago, he didn¡¯t want to ruin his reputation in such a short time frame after being appointed. The current delay could have no less dire consequences for his career than dancing nude at a loud party after celebrating the epic failure of his project. Luckily, when Borston finally managed to get through several armored doors with multiple scanners to confirm his authorization and identity, the guests were only halfway to the meeting room. Signing with relief, he quickly found the nearest reflection in an attempt to make his appearance better.
Crumpled coat, greasy messy hair, noticeable bristle on his tired face that barely had any sleep in the past days ¨C Borston had an image of the classic mad but genius scientist. To follow such an example of dedication to the assigned role, the guests from the government wore dark gray suits and dead expressions on their faces. Unrealistic neat to the point where Borston failed to notice even the tiniest flaw, the group consisted of three men and one woman.
The latter was the leader, standing in front of others. Very tall, reaching two meters height (6¡¯7¡¯¡¯), she could be described as pretty¡ if her expression wasn¡¯t so serious, turning her facial features into a motionless mask of the statue of some kind of antique goddess of justice. Her blonde hair was tied into a bun, hiding a real length from onlookers. Dressed in a formal skirt, white blouse, and a blazer, the woman surprisingly had massive army boots instead of potential heels or any other more elegant options. This fact caught all Borston¡¯s attention, resulting in failing to greet them in time.
¡°I am sorry for being distracted¡ Good day to you all. I am Dr. Green¡ you can call me Borston, and today I will be your guide through our facility,¡± returning to reality, the scientist started his speech only to meet the very same cold gazes and a few barely noticeable nods. Swallowing the saliva that appeared inside his mouth in absurd amounts from anxiety, he continued. Knowing that the whole institution was financed by the government and the current group was its representatives who came from time to time to check the progress, Borston did his best not to spoil anything because it was his first time. Especially, because it was his first time.
¡°We are here not for the usual inspection, Mr. Borston,¡± the woman interrupted him, speaking with a suddenly deep voice. The scientist could easily see how many could fall for it even before seeing the appearance of the owner. Unfortunately, her expression would be a cold shower to anyone with such thoughts. Despite the beauty, this seriousness that seemed to radiate from her brown eyes would be a big stopper to any intentions.
¡°Then why are you here¡ if I may ask?¡±
¡°We¡¯ve got info that there may be an attack on the facility today¡ So, I need to know what projects are already close to finishing, are finished but not stored into the Storage, or are currently most perspective,¡± the woman explained, ¡°We must know what their goal may be.¡±
¡®Well, the most perspective is mine, but I only started it¡,¡± Seeing how his attempt to joke had failed miserably, Borston started to recall the latest schedule, ¡°currently we are running another test for the Door, ¡°noticing the absence of understanding, he dived into details.
¡°The Door is an attempt to open a gate to interdimensional space¡ Then there is the Clock ¨C a similar project that deviated from the Door. As you know, space-time is always connected to each other¡ The Virus was cut down a month ago, and all samples were destroyed. The Purple Queen was also banned from further research and is on standby to decide what part of this AI is going to be used, and what has to be wiped¡ Both Ice Age and Nuclear Alloy are in the initial phases¡ The Drill failed not long ago, showing no results after a decade of efforts. If you ask me, the idea was stupid to begin with! Can you imagine that¡ Sorry, back to the topic.¡±
¡°Do you have anything weapon-related?¡±
¡°Basically every research can be turned into a weapon of mass destruction in the end, ma¡¯am,¡± Borston answered with a smile, ¡°The nearest to completion but still in the middle phases is the Broom ¨C handholding disintegrator that can overcharge organic cells in the body to the point they will self-destruct into nothingness. What is left can easily gathered with a broom, thus the name¡ But it¡¯s still far from stable work. Roger¡¯s team needs at least¡,¡± his words were interrupted by a sudden signal coming from his smartphone.
¡°What is it?¡± The woman immediately reacted, readying her posture and putting her hand on the blazer''s side.
¡°Oh, the Door ¨C the test just started. Do you want to see it?¡±
¡°No, we need to be sure that nothing will happen to any research ¨C they are too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands,¡± the woman declined the order after a short deliberation. Noticing the hesitation of the scientist, she added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We gathered around a hundred agents and asked Demonologist to be nearby if something happened. There is nothing he can¡¯t handle. Other heroes are also on standby in case we need more helping hands.¡±
¡°Demonologist? Potentially the most powerful superhero? Wow,¡± opening his mouth, Borston whistled from a surprise. His mind was already trying to decide whether such news could calm him or not. One of the strongest superhumans was always great to have but a need in him led to a much bigger threat.
¡°Just a precaution¡ The info might be wrong. So, don¡¯t worry¡ And maybe lead us to the Broom ¨C it seems it''s the easiest thing to steal at this moment,¡± the woman commanded, making Borston obediently nod and point in the direction. It didn¡¯t take long to leave them at the right sector before his own curiosity pushed him to the location of the Door.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The test was already in the final phase when the scientist entered the huge room. All his colleagues were too occupied to greet him, but personally knowing how important it was for them, Borston stayed silent, finding a free spot to the side so as not to bother others in the moment of truth. That gave him enough time to observe the enormous machine that took up most of the hall-like area. Supported by a cold fusion reactor, dedicated solely to the task, it was already finishing the process of piercing through the veil of the realm.
It wasn¡¯t the first time the group managed to do it, but it was the first time they tried to grab something from the other side of reality. There were too many theories about what to expect, but none had any facts to support it. Still, in case of an unexpected outcome, the energy shield enveloped the space inside, preventing any object or subject from getting out from the other side of the realm. Developed by the group of Sages with their inhuman level of intellect and abnormal ability to make things work, the shield was powerful enough even to stop a class five super for some time, being a completely unbreachable defense for lower ranks. Obviously, if there was no psionic involved.
Borston hated Psions because of their unnatural ability to break the law of physique, to which he dedicated his whole life. The absence of logic in their capabilities was too unpleasant and disturbing to his mind, which tried to systemize everything. Paladins were only slightly better, being a mixture of raw strength from Brutes and the wielders of the same ¡°magical¡± skills, just on a weaker level. But the worst was the Tricksters, whose capabilities gave him the very same possibility to throw away the laws of nature, while their improved mind made even the dumbest ones as clever as Borston himself. The only other deviation from the Sages he could accept was the Athletes, who often used self-created inventions in direct combat.
¡°Attention! We¡¯ve got something¡ This is the first time, so be ready for any outcome.¡±
The loud shout interrupted the scientist¡¯s line of thoughts about the classification of superhumans to a more important thing ¨C the ongoing test of the Door. The latter was in full swing, forming an odd whirlwind that started to twist reality, bending even the light. Looking like constantly rotating pieces of mirror that had old images of the surroundings, the weird vortex started to expand. Covering the whole area under the energy shield, it suddenly turned into a white mist, obstructing the view. The group of scientists were already shouting at each other different data, trying to use the scanners, while keeping in check the machine, but Borston wasn¡¯t listening.
Looking at several sparks that appeared inside the dense haze, which turned into multiple red lightings, the man strained his eyes not to miss anything. And then he saw it ¨C an enormous humanoid figure that was slowly rising from the floor. The fast-dispersing mist started to uncover the sight of the unknown creature, showing it in the process of recreating itself from the previous formless base. The half of the skull, the parts of the arms, the tens of awful-looking holes ¨C everything seemed to be quickly growing to create something akin human.
The ending of the process coincided with the complete dispersing of the side effects from opening the door into interdimensional space, opening the full picture of the standing figure. Gigantic, almost two with a half meters tall (around 8¡¯2¡±), it was bulging with muscles on the massive nude body without a single strand of hair. Not defined, but huge and strong, they made him several times bigger than any human. But the differences didn¡¯t stop on this. The very light gray skin on the verge of making him an albino of the bold human-like creature didn¡¯t have a trace of any marks or scars, looking like some kind of artificial material than human skin. Too rough, too metal-like. Surprisingly, the face looked nothing strange, just not beautiful with its crude facial features. Still, the inhuman nature couldn¡¯t be missed, even if not noticing the sheer size or color of the skin, as the weird pitch-black matter was crawling on the skin of the ¡°thing¡±, periodically diving inside as if in water.
¡°I think it copied our appearance,¡± one of the junior scientists suggested.
¡°We can¡¯t be sure, Robert. Don¡¯t jump to conclusions before we get more information,¡± the head of the group shook his head, before ordering, ¡°We will try to communicate. All attention is on the energy shield. Scan everything you can¡¡±
This was the moment when the creature finally opened his green eyes, loudly taking a first breath. The mad grin immediately appeared on its face as if this action was a long-awaited meeting with someone precious after a long parting. Turning its attention to the surroundings, the human-like creature calmly observed everyone before looking at his hands with a visible surprise. A moment later the weird matter moved, covering his groin with something akin black codpiece that was holding without any ties. The other part formed knee and elbow pads together with small plates on the back of his hands. However, the bigger piece crawled across his chest through the skull only to appear in the form of seven tiny horns on its bald head. Short and thick, they looked like a crown, especially considering its black color.
¡°Hello, fellow humans! My name is Robert¡,¡± The creature tried to smile, but taking into account its appearance the reaction was a caution and worriness that was raised in most of the currently present scientists. Quite a few felt fear, perfectly knowing how dangerous similar twisted humans could be, not speaking about something potentially from the outside of the realm. For a moment Borston even expected to see the row of sharp teeth, but there was nothing like that. Still, the emotions from the massive ¡°thing¡± looked awfully fake as if it never used any friendly expression in its existence.
¡°I told you it¡¯s copying us¡ Even using my name,¡± the same scientist muttered with absolute confidence, failing to keep his thoughts to himself.
¡°Could it be from the same place as the Demonologist¡¯s source of power? He has horns like a typical demon,¡± the other immediately added, causing an expression of displeasure on the face of the group¡¯s head. However, before the latter opened his mouth in an attempt to stop messing up the first communication with a dimensional creature, a loud explosion sounded from above. An instant later the trembling came, shaking all facility. There was a short pause before it resumed. This time it didn¡¯t stop on a single act as more and more shockwaves came, bringing the primal scream of the hungry beast from above.
The whole group scattered immediately, running for their life and abandoning the result of their work for the past years. Even success with the Door was instantly forgotten as everyone knew the real danger of being stuck in the middle of the battle between superhumans. The deeply trained procedures of emergency retreat were there not without a reason. Borston was one of the last to react. Exhausted mind failed to compete with others, leaving him behind. Maybe this delay gave him the possibility to hear a loud sigh and the last words of the potential demon before the creature disappeared into the dust.
¡°I fucking hate my luck!¡±
The end of part 3
Chapter 134 (4-1)
Part 4: Rob¡¯s Villainous Misadventures
The barely visible yellow glow on the blue sky looked like stars that were too occupied with their own deeds, so they forgot to hide when the sun rose. Periodically flickering, they were moving across the firmament as if the energetic nature couldn¡¯t be stopped even by the laws of physics. Slowly, but steadily those tiny and golden inclusions were changing their position with enough speed to notice after an hour of observation. Moreover, sometimes merging with each other, they created different constructs only to break apart in no time. Almost like ethereal butterflies made from light that were in constant dance, but too afraid of even a single obstruction that could halt their everlasting festival and desire to move. The scene was odd but captivating for anyone who hadn¡¯t seen it even once during their life.
Therefore, sparing a single glance at the direct cause of the superpower¡¯s appearance, Gray Lion switched his attention to the major topic of his day ¨C the Facility. No matter how important, groundbreaking, and world-changing the event of a comet flying toward Earth, and its following self-destruction that spread immaterial particles, which triggered the wave of transformation across the globe, the event was around eighty years old. Yes, only a single continent stayed intact, leaving barely a tenth of the former population, but it was already a history. Very old history. On the other hand, his plan was only starting to turn into reality, being just on the first step from finally turning into life. So, throwing away the long-changed sky with aftereffects from the Birth of Powers, Gray Lion focused on the building in front of him.
The Facility, despite being a well-protected government laboratory, was located in the middle of New Miracle City. Disguised as the skyscraper meant for several megacorporations and standing right beside dozens of other similar buildings, it had no signs of hiding anything. On the contrary, the biggest part of the building was used by the different government services ¨C like the Tax Office, Social Security, and Superhuman Insurance Office. There was even a local police station, causing an even bigger flow of a crowd in and out of the skyscraper.
¡°To hide it in such a prominent place,¡± Gray Lion shook his head, remembering how hard it was to find it. Only by sheer luck, he managed to get his hands on the valuable hint that pointed at it. The following months were spent checking the old schemes of the city before it was turned into the capital while adding more filters to the search. The problem was that most data was wiped out during the event with the Comet, and the government never bothered to put back the information about their secret facilities into the net, so they could be hacked by a random teenager. Therefore, the dusty old schemes inside the basements of the multiple libraries finally led him here. Using his scanners and a week of observation, Gray Lion confirmed that it was it. The place that was worth guarding at all costs.
¡°Well, the location inside the capital under the watch of Demonologist works much better for my plan. I bet he will come, especially after I leaked the info about my interest in another weapon to kill him¡ He will come, and I will finally get my revenge.¡±
It was another reason why Gray Lion had chosen the Facility. The rumors always spoke about its closeness to the capital, just not right inside it. That made any danger to the place a responsibility of the local heroic team. Only if they failed to fight off the threat, the global elites would step in. Luckily, Demonologist belonged to both groups, making his appearance basically a guaranteed outcome. It reassured Gray Lion that he had a noticeable chance of succeeding. He just needed to be careful not to mess up in the initial phases.
Making a deep breath to calm his nerves, the man, or better to say the villain, slowly started to walk toward the building. The special mask was hiding his face from the cameras, while the outfit covered his physique and multiple gadgets he had hidden. Still, the jammers were ready to intercept any attempt to focus on him, disturbing the signal. Obviously, it would cause possible attention, but he didn¡¯t need a lot of time to break in.
Pausing in front of the main door to give way to an elderly woman, Gray Lion caught his own reflection on the glass. Disguised as the middle-aged man with a red beard and bald head, he wore a checkered red shirt, wide jeans, and a massive black belt to support his big belly. It wasn¡¯t perfect in the slightest, causing the effect of an uncanny valley, but it was enough for his goal. Gray Lion was never good at masquerading, preferring more direct combat tools. And that he intended to use at fullness.
Smiling at the police officer at the entrance and getting a weird look in return, Gray Lion stepped inside the station, simultaneously activating his machines. The first one to follow the command was a device, located in the parked van just outside the building. The buxom-looking policewoman was in the process of checking its plate numbers before towing it out from their entrance. Too busy with her pad, she missed the opening of the car''s side door, which showed a huge barrel of EM gun. The following shot blasted the device into pieces, crumpling the metal of the van and shattering the glass in the whole square. The shockwave threw most of the passersby on the ground, causing terrified screams from all over the place.
However, before everyone started to act, tens of tiny spiders fixed their metallic bodies on the designated spots. Protected from the EM attack with special insulation that effectively destroyed most of the gadgets, they activated the inbuilt explosives at the moment of losing the connection to the control center. The next several seconds caused even more destruction, sending the crowd into a panicked state. Some tried to escape the place no matter what, while others just dropped to the ground or searched for the place to hide. That included even some police officers, as, despite all training, not all were ready to risk their lives for strangers. To the law enforcer¡¯s credit, most of them immediately jumped into action, trying to help. Unfortunately, this was the moment that Gray Lion was waiting for.
Ripping his shirt off, he exposed the fake belly under the cloth. The latter was already opening its side, showing two small machine guns that were raised into the air a second later. Pushing his body forward, Gray Lion started to shoot. Bursts from the guns were drawing erratic lines on the surroundings, piercing the bodies and objects. Penetrating flesh, shattering screens, or leaving holes in walls, the rain of fire was also reaping the lives of unlucky ones. His aim was awful, but the sheer number of bullets together with multiple targets made it irrelevant. Especially considering his need for chaos. And chaos he got.
Just in a mere twenty seconds the whole police station and the area around was turned into a completely different place. The place where no one could feel safe, and the death reigned. At least that was the feeling Gray Lion wanted to push on everyone, and while they were stuck in this sensation, he proceeded with the next part of his plan. No matter the commotion, the periphery of his sight still caught the figures of potential government agents, who showed no signs of fear. It only accelerated his actions.
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Running inside the building, he quickly found the stairs before going down. The memorized route helped him to avoid any time loss, leading to the special spot inside of the basement where, according to the schemes, the thickness of the wall was the smallest. The villain had no opportunity to use the main entrance of the Facility, so he chose another solution ¨C to break in using a vulnerability. Placing his fake belly and setting the timer, Gray Lion quickly distanced himself.
The following explosion was strong. The villain did his best to focus the blast''s energy on a single direction, but even the remnants of the shockwave almost caused the collapse of the ceiling, sending multiple cracks across the walls. The raised dust obstructed the vision, and he had no means to disperse it. The inbuilt passive filter in the mask helped him, but with the aftereffect of the EM strike, no devices were working. So, relying on his eyes and hands, Gray Lion found a hole after a half-minute struggle. The scene made him curse loudly as even with all the power from the special explosive, the hole might be too small for him to fit.
¡°To hell with it, I don¡¯t need anything,¡± muttering quietly, Gray Lion started to undress. Dropping machine guns down the hole with few spare clips, the villain quickly threw away his boots before proceeding with other pieces of his fake image and all prepared gear. Just under the minute, the former big guy turned into a fragile teenager with a short frame, dressed in a tight black suit that only emphasized his skeleton-like appearance and made him look much younger than his real age. It finally helped him to push through the hole with some effort, leaving behind the agents who were already searching the building.
The corridor of the highest level of the Facility met him with flashing red lights from the alarm. However, that only made Gray Lion grin with anticipation. He was so near, almost in the distance of the stretched hand. Now all he needed was to find the weapon that could potentially kill Demonologist. Even if not, his plan would do it for sure¡
¡°Freeze! Don¡¯t move! Raise your hands, so I¡,¡± his thoughts were interrupted by the loud voice, that sounded from behind. Slowly turning around while ignoring the demands, Gray Lion saw the guard, who was pointing at him with a handgun in trembling hands. Moreover, the moment the guard noticed the villain''s appearance, he halted his commands, processing what to do, ¡°you are so young¡¡±
¡°Yes, I am young, but it doesn¡¯t mean I am weak. You see, I am called Gray Lion after my older brother¡ He had similar power, but while he was directed to himself, my are opposite,¡± the villain smiled, making a first step forward.
¡°Don¡¯t move or I¡¯ll shoot!¡±
¡°Do it. I am just a fifteen-year-old teenager, almost a kid. Do you have the guts to kill a child? I haven¡¯t even kissed!¡± raising his hands, he continued, ¡°So, what I was talking about? Yes, Lions. Those animals are powerful, but they never hunt if the prey isn¡¯t big enough, putting everything on lionesses¡ And I reassure you¡,¡± finally the guard gave up on any attempts to stop the villain, pulling the trigger. However, the bullet was stopped by the figure of a huge predator that suddenly appeared in front of the teenager just an instant before the projectile reached his body.
Looking like the very same lioness that Gray Lion mentioned earlier, it was the size of a grizzly bear. Materializing from nowhere, the creature was completely gray without a single change in tone. It seemed like a primitive picture from coloring came to life, getting a physical form. The projectile penetrated its odd flash, leaving a hole but causing no visible change on its face. There was no blood, just a simple hole that slowly started to patch itself.
¡°That was rude! I wanted to end my speech¡ Okay, get him,¡± shaking his head in disappointment, Gray Lion calmly turned around, while activating his powers. Two more lionesses appeared around the terrified guard, looking exactly the same as the first one. Growling for a second almost as if deciding who the victim would be, they jumped forward a moment later. The lightning-fast strike of clawed paws tore through the body as if it were nothing. Another bite beheaded the guard, splashing blood on the walls. The teenager wasn¡¯t looking at it, quickly picking up his machine guns and trying to get to the end of the corridor. However, before he managed to make a few steps, the figure of a man emerged.
Dressed in a long brown coat and disheveled suit underneath, he was smoking a cigarette sending circles of smoke into the air. His short black hair was a mess. His stubble on the face showed a lack of any desire to get himself in shape. Maybe it was just tiredness as the huge bags under his eyes and the overall look of exhaustion were too evident to miss.
¡°Gray Lion? You¡¯ve changed after our last meeting,¡± breathing out another stream of stroke, the man spoke with a hoarse voice.
¡°Demonologist! I am here to take revenge on my older brother, whom you killed in cold blood!¡± the teenager shouted, sending his lioness in front of him with a mental command. Both machine guns were already raised, aiming at the calm man.
¡°Oh, you are his younger brother¡ Listen, kid, I wanted to help him, but he preferred to escape, despite his gruesome wounds just to avoid a prison. And I have to stress that he deserved the stay in there, but he didn¡¯t need to die. Be smarter than¡,¡± The loud shout interrupted his words when Gray Lion sent his summons to the target.
¡°I would kill you, fucker!¡±
¡°Well, hard way it is,¡± sighing with regret, the man simply stepping aside from the beast¡¯s launch. Ducking under the clawed paw, he quickly headbutted the stomach of the gray animal, before striking down the last one with a punch, sending it flying into the nearest wall. Despite the look, the hit was so strong that it left a lot of cracks on the tough surface. Demonologist himself didn¡¯t look any different, puffing on a cigarette one more time. Dropping it down a second later to avoid a chaotic burst of bullets that went above his head even without the need to dodge, he grimaced before muttering quietly.
¡°I am in dire need of sleep¡ Diablo, come!¡±
The next moment his whole figure turned into a scarlet formless sphere, transforming into some kind of an entrance to the abyss. It lasted a fraction of a second before disappearing, leaving behind a completely new creature. Demonic creature. The crown made from horns on the lizard-like head that carried only a small resemblance to the previous human face. Multiple bone spikes were protruding across the spine. A spiked ball on the tip of the thick but short tail. Clawed paws. Overall, the monster looked like a direct descendant of hell, with rough dark red skin, enormous maw, and literally diabolic hatred that was dancing inside two vertical eyes. However, the emotion was wiped out in another second, but not before the creature made a primordial roar, sending the sensation of eternal hunger and desire for tasty human flesh through just a sound.
¡°Try not to die, kid,¡± Grinning with a terrifying smile on the demonic face, Demonologist spoke, regaining control over his body. His voice was similar to before with a slight addition of lower tones, but exactly they sent shivers across the back of the teenager, halting his motions because of terror. Especially, when the demonic superhero made the first step. His changed frame almost covered the whole size of the corridor, creating deep marks on the surface of the walls and ceiling just from a single motion, ¡°Or maybe let¡¯s end this right now, so nobody is going to be hurt? We don¡¯t need to resort to violence.¡±
¡°NO! You will pay for what you have done,¡± shaking his head to clear his mind, the teenager mentally focused on his ability before pulling even more creatures into reality, ¡°The only one who is going to be hurt is you, asshole!¡± Checking his pocket and feeling a small object inside, he added quietly, ¡°You will pay¡¡±.
Chapter 135 (4-2)
The experience of being torn apart suppressed everything Rob went through by far. The blast from the sudden decompression of the battleship¡¯s cockpit was already strong enough to almost knock him out. However, the worst was the destructive nature of the local hyperdimension. It was simply disintegrating his body into nothingness, starting from the outer layer. Going from one cell to another, it was steadily wiping him from existence. Robert wished to say it was happening slowly, but no, the speed of his body¡¯s crumbling was so fast that he barely managed to keep up with it, reconstructing himself again and again.
This was the moment when he felt how each of the pain before paled to this awful experience. And Rob lived through a lot, being burned, cut, eaten, melted in stomach toxins, struck with lighting, broken¡ His list was so long and various, that it could be easily turned into a tutorial book for beginner torturers to show the real extent of pain. The forceful addition to his soul from the fake God, traveling through a broken link, falling from an enormous height ¨C he had a lot on his plate during the past years. However, this was much worse. It felt like he was disappearing from the universe, being sucked dry by the surroundings. Even the tiniest particle from his body produced an awful sensation, overwhelming him from the sheer pain. There was no specific feeling as it was too strong for his mind to identify what was happening.
Focusing on his reactor, Robert pushed it into motion, accelerating the output to the maximum. He completely disregarded any safety measures, squeezing everything from his energy source. Simultaneously, he connected to Aether, clearly understanding he had no time. There was no specific formulation where he wanted to get, except a single criterion ¨C it had to be fast. Such a distraction almost cost him dearly as the loss of control led to the collapse of his body. For an instant everything that was left from Rob was a single reactor core. Being protected by a force shield, it managed to fight off the hostile environment. A moment later Robert rebuilt himself from scratch, reappearing once again.
Given time, he could find an explanation why he wasn¡¯t dead. His soul was so tightly merged with the body that at this point his consciousness wasn¡¯t located inside the brain. Everything crucial to his existence was gathered at one point ¨C the reactor mana core. Moreover, recreating his metallic flesh multiple times, Robert wasn¡¯t even sure if there was anything human left inside him. It was the cloned body after several modifications and changes in the first place, leaving nothing from the soldier who died long ago at that fateful bunker. Only his memory and crushed dreams. However, it wasn¡¯t a time, so Rob just had a single thought before he once again repeated his plead to Aether.
I am not a human anymore¡
Finally, the all-might being answered his call, sending Robert somewhere. He felt a pull, and then an unknown force enveloped him from all sides, dragging him through space. The hostile environment was still present, making him focus on ¡°healing¡± himself from the damage. Maybe it was why Rob failed to react in time when his body was pushed out from the portal. Falling on the hard surface, he noted an odd haze around himself that was quickly dispersing. Raising from what appeared to be a concrete floor from the touch, Robert tried to quickly regenerate in case of danger as at this point, he missed at least half of his body. His eyes were last to recover, so when he opened them, his body was already battle-ready. Except, it appeared there was no need for that.
The scene in front of him showed a group of scientists, who were observing him with unhidden interest as he was some kind of unexpected result of their ongoing project. That immediately brought bad memories of his meeting with another scientist. Only their bloody last meeting compensated partly for the deeds that the ordinary-looking guy did to Robert, being ¡°just an employer¡± of the maniac. Still, Rob suppressed the feeling of anger that attempted to rise from inside. He still felt how his face made a wild grimace involuntary. Looking around at the complex laboratory machines, he turned his attention to himself after noting another fact.
Damn, they are all tiny¡ Or, better to say, I am huge. Way too huge to even pretend normal¡
His hand shoved another change of his skin¡¯s tone, turning him into a dusty albino. Moreover, the structure even from sight didn¡¯t look anything normal, being more like metal. Or, precisely speaking, steel. It was another confirmation that Rob made a big step away from humanity. Still, the remnants of it were in him, and finding that he was nude, Robert quickly created clothes. Or better to say, tried but got nothing in return. His ability to conjure steel once again didn¡¯t respond, so he had to rely on obsidian steel. Pushing it right through his body, Rob sensed how the material simply dived inside him, making its way directly through his inner organs.
Well, I am not sure if I need one at this point. Even the air just feels tasty, but not a necessity. So, yeah¡
Creating a plate to cover his groin, Rob found he had more to spare. Not wanting to be seen as an aggressive monster, but in the meantime not wishing for any obstruction in his motion, Robert used more steel to create knee and elbow pads, which still left him with some material. Something inside told him that weird black steel, which was constantly crawling all over his body and periodically diving inside, wasn¡¯t the nicest thing to watch. Therefore, he wanted to use everything, while keeping his hands empty. He wanted to leave his mobility on maximum level¡ if it even could be used toward his heavy frame.
A breastplate while I don¡¯t have even pants? Nope, that would look stupid. Helmet? Maybe, but it can obstruct the vision and still would make me a moron. I don¡¯t want to cosplay an anime-like perverter with panties on his head. I need something cool¡ Okay, let¡¯s go with horns. Because why not?... Now, how do I start?
¡°Hello, fellow humans! My name is Robert¡,¡± he tried to speak, but was immediately interrupted by a young-looking scientist.
¡°I told you it¡¯s copying us¡ Even using my name.¡±
Hey, I don¡¯t think you are the single Robert in the universe! Coincidence happens, right? Namesake, yes? Does this term ring a bell to you?
¡°Could it be from the same realm as the Demonologist¡¯s source of powers? He has horns like a typical demon,¡± another comment followed, this time from the older man. Still, Robert was puzzled by such behavior in front of a potential alien.
What the fuck is going on? Why are they speaking as if it¡¯s nothing? I admit making horns look cooler might be stupid and greeting everyone in such a way wasn¡¯t the best choice of words, but what the hell? Like really, what the hell?
Still, Robert had to stop himself from messing up the first impression with unknowns. At least the senior scientist showed an expression of irritation and displeasure with the comments coming from his subordinates. The man even tried to stop them, opening his mouth for a potential angry yell. However, he was cut short by a loud explosion from above. Immediately raising his head toward the ceiling, he followed the example of all others, carefully observing what would happen next. It took around half a minute before multiple trembles came shaking the building. As if it wasn¡¯t enough, the primordial roar resounded, somehow piercing through concrete and finally putting a huge point on any hesitations the scientists had.
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Surprisingly, despite the hast run from the room, the group barely showed any real panic. It looked more like an agitation of not being late to react to incoming danger. Obviously, there was no order in their escape as not falling into panic mode didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t scared. Knocking some devices from the tables, or pushing others, they still ran for their life. However, it wasn¡¯t to the point of completely abandoning humanity. Two even stopped to help the fallen colleague. The last one to leave Robert behind was the scientist with clear exhaustion visible on his face.
Again the same shit. Why can¡¯t everything be normal? What the heck?
¡°I fucking hate my luck¡,¡± Rob muttered while following the back of the last man in the laboratory suit with his gaze. Glancing around to confirm that no one was left, he took the first step only to bump into something invisible. Immediately acknowledging the force shield that captured him in another cage, Robert¡¯s emotions simply exploded. He was again in the cage, shoved inside by pitiful humans. Trapped and left behind without a single explanation. There was the same treatment toward him again as if he wasn¡¯t a living being, but just a thing. The ¡°demon¡±, using their own words.
I will fucking show how demonic I can be!
Inwardly screaming from rage, Robert clenched his fist before throwing it forward with all available force. Simultaneously, it was the moment when the ceiling collapsed, dropping the huge debris from above right on the equipment and machines around. Feeling emptiness, his fist continued his way, almost throwing Rob out of balance. It pushed him forward, which in return helped to avoid a huge piece of concrete block that smashed the spot where he was just an instant before. Still, there was no panic in his mind as there was simply no place left for it ¨C everything was occupied with anger. And the latter demanded to be released, which Robert didn¡¯t hesitate to do.
Launching from his spot, he sprinted away from the laboratory through the massive door left open. The walls of the wide and surprisingly high corridor were already covered with thousands of small cracks. Spreading like an infection, they were quickly capturing territory, marking their influence over the surroundings. The periodic trembling decreased their frequency, but never lowered their strength as if trying to check the toughness of the building. Seeing it, Robert tried to be as fast as he could, but it appeared that despite all gained might, he was just too heavy. Leaving noticeable dents on the floor with each step, he was too slow to sprint through the corridor before the ceiling in front of him collapsed.
Reacting to instincts, Rob simply jumped to the side, not even checking the direction of his dodge. His mind was too occupied with the desire to leave the place, squeezing everything from his metallic body. Crashing into the wall, he tore it apart in one swift motion, barely noticing the obstacle. Failing to register it in time, Robert smashed onto the floor with a loud sound, causing another tremble across the already damaged structure.
What? How?
Slowly standing up, Robert tried to process what had happened. He knew that he had become much stronger after turning into this abomination of life but never had a chance to check it properly.
I guess that glass wasn¡¯t so easy to break in the end¡ Explains why they went through the warp just to get rid of me¡
He snapped from this thought process when a huge block fell onto his head. Using all weight and the force of gravity, it tried to smash him¡ only to fail miserably. Robert didn¡¯t even move, finally acknowledging that he was tougher than before and there was no need to run. Breathing in and out with, and feeling how the dust was entering his lungs, Rob noted the absence of any reaction from his body. The dust filled his lungs, failing to cause anything. There was no instinctive cough or heavy breathing. Nothing. Glancing on his hands again, he sighed and started to move, this time choosing to go upward.
However, just after a few steps, Robert had to stop, noticing how his bare foot was crushing the blocks under his enormous weight. That made him pause and once again turn his attention to the reactor core. Lowering the output with a mental command, Rob simultaneously tried to use additional energy to decrease his weight. It took almost an entire minute to achieve it, burying him under the rubble of a periodically shaking building. Moreover, another effect was an overwhelming weakness that tried to embrace him. Robert barely stopped himself from returning the energy output to the previous level. The downgrade was quite noticeable. On the other hand, it helped to move outside of the concrete trap.
Pushing the rubbles to the side, which immediately led to the collapse of the whole unstable structure, Robert started to dig out himself. Steadily, without a single sign of panic, he was making his way through the debris. The heavy dust that was floating in the air was like a dense haze, limiting his visibility to the minimum. Still, he was non-surprisingly calm as it was just a matter of time before he would free himself. It reminded him of his experience of escaping from the giant lizard, but this time he wasn¡¯t worried about being stuck.
Just another confirmation that power is an answer to many problems¡
It took another minute to get to the similar corridor a few levels higher. Pulling himself through a huge hole with a single hand, Robert clumsily rolled onto the floor to avoid breaking the edge. Looking at his dirty body with all the dust masking his skin tone, Robert leisurely stood up. Turning around, he was met with a group of agents who walked out from the nearest door, already pointing guns at him. Dressed in formal almost black suits and even wearing dark glasses, they all had automatic rifles in their hands and were just waiting for the command. The sole exception was a bigger guy with a comically huge device directly from the workshop in a landfill. A wide barrel, multiple exposed wires, a battery ¨C the agent was struggling even to hold the thing. Still, it was what he was doing at the moment, sparing only a single glance at the leader.
The latter appeared to be quite a tall woman with a pretty face that was ruined by a cold expression. She bore a resemblance to the owner of the Recruiting Center in this regard, causing an anticipation of the unavoidable troubles coming from her. This type was just too pragmatic and ruthless on her way to the set goal, ready to sacrifice anyone for it. The next moment brought confirmation of this suspicion as before Robert found the correct words to introduce himself, she spoke shortly.
¡°Not registered. Shoot.¡±
There wasn¡¯t a single delay in the execution of the command. Sending multiple bursts of bullets right into Robert¡¯s face, they continued to pour a rain of projectiles onto him. The first Rob¡¯s reaction was to cover himself with a shield. Hastily raising his hand, he tried to conjure a thick plate only to fail miserably. The obsidian steel obediently moved, but it was too slow and had no near enough volume for the assigned task. Therefore, tens of tiny bullets met Robert¡¯s skin and face before he managed to understand the situation. The result was pathetic.
Smashing against the surface, they simply bounced back, causing a wave of ricochets. It took Rob another second to process what was happening, lowering his hands and grinning madly. However, the steel didn¡¯t stop moving, concentrating on his right hand. Only forming a short, spiked mace, it froze, obediently keeping its structure. This was the moment when the weird device finally charged, glowing with a sinister violet light. Not wishing to test the borders of his newly acquired toughness, Robert stepped to the side, but the arc was too wide to avoid in the narrow corridor. Washing over his body, it tried to sip inside, sending a strange sensation all over his large frame.
¡°It¡ tickles?¡±
Muttering in disbelief, Robert raised his eyes only to meet the same wide-open eyes of the shooter. Now wasting more time and finally accepting that he wasn¡¯t greeted here, Rob stepped forward. His left palm was already in motion, flying through the air. Hitting the barrel of the odd weapon, it crushed the metal, simultaneously pushing it backward right into the chest of the agent. And the force of the hit appeared to be so strong that not only did it break the ribs but partly went inside the chest, instantly killing the man. The corpse was still in the midst of the flight when Rob turned his attention to the next target.
Stupid bastards, never heard about the FAFO principle?
Chapter 136 (4-3)
Cutting through the air with a whistling sound, the spiked mace made a wide arc before reaching the intended target. Not pausing even for an instant, it went through the skull, barely noticing any resistance. Splashing the blood and brains on the surroundings, it continued its motion, not sparing even a moment on the results of its deed. The arm that was pushing the weapon into motion slightly twisted itself, changing the trajectory of this improvised bolide. Yes, bolide, as the lighting speed of its flight was too fast for the agents to even attempt track, meeting it literally head-on. However, in the case of the next Rob¡¯s enemy, it was the chest.
Smashing the torso and leaving an unnatural dent, the mace sent the man flying into the nearest wall. Already broken body left a red mark and few cracks on the surface before falling into messy remnants of the previously living being. The mace, on the other hand, never stopped, turning from the wild swings into a thrust. Acting instinctively, the agent tried to avoid the metal death but was too slow. Dodging the main ball, he failed to move out from one of the sharp spikes protruding from the spherical body. The thin nail penetrated the forehead, instantly killing the man. Still, the metal was already moving, sending multiple tiny blades inside the brain and halting the fall of the man. In the next moment, Robert pulled the mace out, tearing the head apart and adding even more red to the surroundings, including his own dusty body.
Despite the gruesome picture, the last two agents never halted their attacks. One of them dropped the rifle and attempted to take something out from the inner pocket. The other one, the woman with a dead serious face, was already in a fighting stance, sending her leg into Robert¡¯s face, or, considering the height difference, a shoulder. Disregarding the threat from the latter, Rob decided to focus on the man first. Quickly turning around, he simply gripped what appeared to be some kind of odd grenade with his huge palm. Being much bigger, it wasn¡¯t hard to do it. His mace was already moving toward the enemy. In the next moment, a few things happened at once.
The spikes on his steel weapon pierced the neck of the agent, who tried to fall down in an attempt to dodge but forgot that he was already caught. The explosion of the grenade surprisingly managed to damage his hand, simultaneously breaking Rob¡¯s fingers and pushing him one step backward. However, the biggest force appeared to be from the simple kick of the group¡¯s leader. The heavy military boot that was standing out from the formal outfit hit him hard, leading to an additional few steps to catch his balance.
The woman immediately rushed with the following attacks. Distracted from the explosion, Robert failed to react timely, getting two more hits right into his face. The wild swing of his mace was easily avoided by the cold beauty, who simply ducked down in a perfect leg-split, leaving nothing for the mace to crush. Rob used such a dancing move to distance himself, finally getting his thoughts together.
Shit! I thought I wasn¡¯t non-human to such an extent¡ Where the fuck is the pain? I feel like I am controlling the mech with remote control, noting the damage but barely registering any feeling at all¡ And that isn¡¯t good.
Focusing on his mutilated fingers, Robert sent a mental command, simply recreating the part of his body once again. The sensation wasn¡¯t completely the same as the ordinary conjuring as he felt deep inside that the steel had a strong desire to be put in the set shape. The shape of his former self, just with an increased size. It seemed that no matter how advanced his metal manipulation skills might be, his inner being wished to keep the previous form. It stubbornly resisted any attempts to change his body even in the tiniest way, granting more options only to the obsidian steel.
No disguise possible, got it. But crap, I hate feeling nothing¡ it might be good not to feel the pain on paper, but in reality, it¡¯s a shitty ability¡ Moreover, something tells me it¡¯s not just pain. Even my blood looks too viscous to be named liquid¡
Noticing the motion, Robert had to put his hand to block another hit from the crazy woman. This time he used more strength, sending her stumbling from the repulsion. It gave him another opportunity to evaluate himself after the change.
And I am awfully slow. I feel I can be much faster. My mind can process everything in time, but my whole body seems so heavy that it takes additional effort just to move it¡ And that¡¯s already on the potential limit of the weight decrease.
¡°Hey, lady, I am trying to think here!¡±
Robert shouted in irritation after blocking another rotating hit of the woman. Grabbing her long leg, he simply threw her directly into the wall, not caring for her gender. Smashing her pretty face against the tough surface, she dropped down on the back. Completely disorientated, she still tried to roll to the side only to bump into Robert. The latter was already rising his foot, going for a crushing stomp. Being the one who ordered to shoot him without even asking a single question, Rob failed to see any reason why he would treat her differently in return. However, it appeared there was someone who was.
¡°Stop right there!¡±
The half-roaring voice with distant notes of something primitive and bloodthirsty sounded from the back, causing Robert to halt his motion and redirect his attention to the source. He still never put down his foot, deciding to proceed with the killing attack but only after checking who was so arrogant to command him. The next moment Rob was already moving toward the potential enemy, completely throwing the woman¡¯s existence from his mind. All his attention was focused on the figure and what he was holding in one of his hands¡ if they could be named like that, being more like clawed human-like paws.
Dragging a child like a sack of potatoes, the creature looked like it was directly from hell. Thin bony torso with visible ribs, dark red skin, massive limbs, and a crown of horns on top of the demonic skull. Glowing yellow snake eyes, a huge toothy maw, and a hole instead of nose made the awful appearance even scarier. Its thick tail with a spiked ball on the tip looked similar to Rob¡¯s mace, just made from dark gray bones. Moreover, judging from the deep marks on the dusty floor with each step of its clawed legs, the monster was strong. Leaning forward as if it was hard for it to keep a straight posture, the demon was just slightly smaller than Robert. Still, it didn¡¯t matter to him.
¡°Release the kid,¡± Rob ordered, approaching with a non-changing pace. His mace was slowly crawling inside his flesh, enveloping his right fist to form a brass knuckle. In a few seconds another was created around his other clenched palm, preparing for a possible fight, ¡°I said release him!¡±
Looking at the monstrosity in front of him, Robert saw not the terrifying appearance, but the horrible darkness inside the creature. No matter how many Rob killed, he never hurt any children, and his kill count was quite long, making most of mass murder¡¯s numbers pale in comparison. Even in his fall into the beast, his instincts prevented him from harming them. The scene of the burned village was deeply engraved in his memory¡ together with the fact that he failed to save them. Maybe he would never go around the realms in an attempt to become a hero, but, on the other hand, Robert simply couldn¡¯t stay idle when an atrocity was committed to any kid. Not the consequences, nor the potential danger matter in such an event.
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I might not be a hero, but I do have principles¡
¡°Him?¡± Turning its demonic head toward the unconscious child, ¡°Are you with him? I must say you villia¡,¡± The creature only started to return his gaze back to Robert, when the latter¡¯s fist collided with its red-skinned jaw. The strike broke a few teeth, sending the hellish descendant on the floor. However, before the monster reacted, the following kick landed on his face, throwing it backward. Rolling on the floor, the creature caught the balance after traveling for a few meters. Pausing in a lower position, it raised its bloodied face before muttering.
¡°You will regret it!¡±
¡°You stole my phrase,¡± Robert answered, meeting the gaze filled with hatred. He was sure that his own eyes were radiating the same emotions as after checking the condition of the kid, Rob saw a broken arm on top of multiple scratches and bruises. He wasn¡¯t sure of the exact age of the child as with the jump in his size, Robert failed to measure others accurately. Still, he was sure that the boy was barely a teenager. Therefore, no words were needed.
Charging forward, Rob was already throwing his fist toward the approaching demonic figure. The latter instantly ducked down, avoiding the crushing blow. Simultaneously, it thrusted with its claws, aiming at Robert¡¯s stomach. However, before they reached it, the elbow crashed into the demonic skull, sending it to the side. Catapulting another fist, Rob smashed the ugly face, shattering the facial bones. Not pausing even for a moment, he gripped one of the horns before kneeing the monster. Disoriented, the creature failed to avoid the strike, almost blackening out. However and unfortunately for it, Rob wasn¡¯t done.
Repeating the attack once again, he straightened his arm, pulling the opponent on some distance and exposing its neck. In the next instant, his metal-covered fist smashed the place, where Adam¡¯s apple might have been if the monster was a human. Almost ripping the head from the body, it broke something inside, making the demon vomit with black blood right on Rob¡¯s face. The burning sensation of the skin being melted told him that it wasn¡¯t ordinary blood. Blinded by the toxin, Robert missed the moment when the enemy regained its foothold.
Slashing across his body, the clawed palm left deep cuts before piercing his shoulder. Squeezing it tightly, it penetrated his flesh, while continuing to dive deeper and deeper. Reaching the bone, it instantly tried to pull it out. This was the moment black katar, made from obsidian steel, entered the eye socket of the demon. In the next moment, both opponents separated from each other, tearing the parts of each other. A tingle of pain waved over Rob¡¯s body when he registered the absence of his arm. Instead, the horrible mess of meat and blood was present, dropping an oily red rain on the floor. The enemy didn¡¯t look much better, missing part of the head and most of the teeth. However, there was not a single sign that the fight was nearing its end.
¡°Oh, you can heal¡ So do I, asshole,¡± grinning with anticipation, Robert recreated his arm, simultaneously observing how the wounds were closing on the enemy¡¯s body. The difference between them was that all bloody marks Rob left on the floor had disappeared, following the same pattern as it was always with his steel ¨C dispersing into nothingness with a short delay. His torn arm followed along, simply disintegrating after losing energy to support its existence. Not that this fact changed anything - just another confirmation of Robert¡¯s current inhuman nature. Therefore, pushing the obsidian steel in motion, he formed a good old mace once again before launching him forward.
Sidestepping the jumping attack of the demon, who tried to use the wall to increase its momentum, Rob had to avoid a wide swing of the tail. Dropping his weapon on the floor, he put it under its bony counterpart. Smashing against the tough material, it sent a sudden obstacle flying, making attached Rob follow along. However, he used that force to rotate himself to accelerate the motion before smashing the mace into the enemy. The spiky ball met the demon''s chest, cracking quite a few bones and throwing the monster away. Not giving the enemy the ability to heal, Robert continued his assault only to miss another swing of the tail.
He didn¡¯t know how long their fight lasted. Rob hit, getting quite a few strikes in return. Both of them could heal, treating the wounds like momentary obstruction. Smashing each other against the wall and destroying the surroundings, they both long forgot why they were fighting. However, slowly but surely the steel started to overcome the flesh, as the demon started to barely noticeable pauses before regenerating. Rob, on the other hand, didn¡¯t have such a problem, being in the same peak form as in the beginning. Maybe it was the reason why such a feeling of confidence prevented him from acting at once when the demon spoke with clear exhaustion in the voice.
¡°Okay, you are stronger than Diablo in my current state¡ Let¡¯s raise the stakes. Abaddon, come!¡±
Crap, the second stage!
Sprinting from his spot, Robert tried to stop the enemy, but the demonic figure was already replaced by the scarlet formless sphere. His mace was in the midst of flight when a completely different creature emerged from this entrance to the abyss. Much bigger, it looked more like a ball of fat and muscles. On the other hand, the head was tiny, while the horns looked longer. The same enormous maw with the smile of the bloodthirsty predator. The newly summoned demon had no tail, but tens of thick hands were protruding from its body in random spots. One of them caught the weapon with ease, halting the motion at once. The repulsion from it caused a wave of force, stressing Rob¡¯s arm and almost breaking it from inside. There was a pause as if the enemy tried to bathe in the feeling of its own might. Robert tried to use the moment, dispersing a part of the obsidian steel and pushing it to his other palm. However, it appeared both were late as the third party decided to step in.
¡°Die, morons!¡±
The already flying odd device that tickled Robert earlier landed right in front of them, flashing with suspicious light. They both attempted to avoid the threat, reacting immediately. However, the gigantic body of the demonic monster had almost no chance to move out from potential danger, being stuck inside the ruined underground corridor. Rob wasn¡¯t any better, managing only to curl into the ball before the overwhelming light enveloped the surroundings. The destructiveness of what seemed to be just visible radiation struck way before the shockwave came.
Rob¡¯s body simply evaporated, crumbling under the damage of the tweaked device. Obviously, it affected not only him but the whole area. The periphery of his sight caught a glimpse of how the early unconscious teenager was madly smiling while disappearing into nothingness. Clearly being much older than Rob thought, he was enjoying the moment with not a single trace of regret. Then the walls, the ceiling, and even the enormous fatty followed along with not-a-kid, failing to stand against the invisible force. Robert was reduced to his rector core an instant later. Luckily, the force shield managed to withstand the remnants of the light, and the shockwave threw him in the form of a sphere away, far from the epicenter.
Acting on his instincts, Rob immediately started to recreate his body, finding himself flying through the half-destroyed building. In the next moment, his journey abruptly ended, being stopped by the frame of the large machine inside another laboratory. Crashing into and smacking it into pieces, Robert caused a wave of electrical outbursts that almost copied a tiny thunderstorm. Blasting everything into particles, they still focused mainly on the source of the problem ¨C Rob himself. And before he managed to do anything, another bright flash enveloped everything, turning the surroundings into a white light. Nothing but light.
It lasted for a fraction of a second before a familiar pull threw him down. The shocked mind struggled to process an amount of change, pushing survival instincts on top. Once again, Robert reformed himself from the core, before finally opening his eyes and trying to get what was happening. However, instead of achieving it, his brain tripped against reality, leaving one of his most used thoughts to appear by itself.
What the fuck?
Looking around, Robert noticed the very same group of scientists, eyeing him with unhidden interest in the same laboratory, which was destroyed not long ago right after he appeared in this realm.
Like seriously, what the fuck?
Chapter 137 (4-4)
The laboratory that was clearly reduced to debris after the collapse of the ceiling looked perfectly fine, without a single trace that anything happened inside. Robert couldn¡¯t remember everything in detail, but he was pretty sure that it was the same place. Moreover, the same people were observing him with an unhidden interest as if they were seeing him for the first time.
¡°He looks too human-like, just bigger. Could he copy our appearance?¡± One of the junior scientists asked, checking something on a table computer.
¡°We can¡¯t be sure, Robert. Don¡¯t jump to any conclusions before we get more information,¡± the head of the group shook his head, before loudly ordering, ¡°We will try to communicate. All attention is on the energy shield. Scan everything you can¡¡±
I think I¡¯ve heard it before¡ So, what is it? Time-traveling? Time-loop? Or mind-fucking thing, like illusion or virtual reality? Nope, I don¡¯t think it is the latter as to recreate my body with its range of abilities is just impossible. Moreover, the idea that my whole struggles were fake from the beginning is a straight way to the mental hospital. So, no, everything is real¡ It doesn¡¯t seem to be a time loop either.
Checking his own appearance, Robert noted that the state he appeared in differed from the previous time. Back then he was in the form of a sphere with only parts of the human body. He had to recreate himself in front of multiple eyes, showcasing his completely inhuman nature. This time, on the other hand, he was in a human shape from the beginning, managing to regenerate his destroyed body after smacking into the machine, but before appearing in front of the scientist¡¯s group. This difference already proved that, despite the same starting point in time, his state wasn¡¯t reset. And from all his knowledge about time loops in movies, it wasn¡¯t possible.
Okay, it must be that broken thing that returned me here¡ Let¡¯s check another thing.
Giving a mental command, Robert moved his obsidian steel in the exact same place as he did in his first appearance in the realm ¨C to cover his knees and elbows, while simultaneously creating a crown from metal horns. Smiling, but keeping the silence, he caused quite a similar comment about his potential connection to Demonologist. However, this time Rob possibly knew who they were referring to.
It must be that fucker! No, I need to avoid the fight with him and those agents¡ It¡¯s pointless to oppose them. The kid appeared to be not a kid, but a teenager with a shitty attitude and an absence of gratitude for trying to save his life. Like why in the hell would you blow everyone, including yourself? No, that shitass doesn¡¯t deserve any help. Moreover, at his age I was already sitting in the bunker, fighting on the frontlines¡ No age-immunity for him after such an explosive presentation of his capabilities. Just nope.
Sensing that the time before everything would go sideways was running out, Robert¡¯s mind started to race in an attempt to decide his next course of action. He had little to no desire to fight against someone who he didn¡¯t know, and, frankly speaking, had no wish to know. The problem was that his wish might not be considered at all as after the broken fight nobody was there to confirm his identity as a summoned entity, and not an intruder.
That¡¯s why my best shot is to just get out of this place, without fighting too much¡ And I need to choose another route.
Finally shaping the plan, Robert decided to speak, but the familiar loud explosion was already resounding from above. Sending a mighty wave across the building and causing the look of worry to appear on the faces of people around. Immediately reacting to it, Rob stepped forward only to meet the force shield that prevented him from leaving the place. However, his fist was already shooting forward. Rotating his body and putting his whole mass into the strike, he hit the invisible fence with everything he had. Multiple bluish cracks spread from the place of impact, causing several flashes of light when the construct tried to stabilize its structure.
¡°What? Hey, release me, you morons! This place is going to collapse!¡±
Shouting from a burst of anger, Rob halted his actions. The intolerable sensation of being put into the cage was influencing his unstable emotional state, which was already on the verge of exploding. The recent fight, attack from the agents, struggle to survive the warp, the bloodbath from his inner beast, and, of course, the museum ¨C everything went in succession for him, giving him no break to get over the whole experience. His mind just couldn¡¯t recover a calm state, no matter how hard he tried, balancing like a boiling pot, which could overflow at any moment.
Obviously, such a reaction only scared the scientists. In its turn, Rob failed to stop himself from making more hits. The overcharged force shield was barely holding his anger, obstructing the surroundings with visual effects from each heavy impact. The following trembling and collapse went into a completely empty room, but not before the fleeing group had closed the outer door to the laboratory, clearly afraid of being chased. Only falling blocks managed to return clarity to Robert, redirecting his emotions in the proper direction ¨C into his attempt to escape.
To hell with them! Let¡¯s get out!
The falling ceiling had already started to raise dust, but Robert ignored it, locking his eyes on the source. His reactor core was already slowing down to set the minimum available weight while maintaining high energy output. A moment later he jumped, literally breaking through the debris with his own body. Reaching the wall, Rob tried to bounce against it but failed. His speed was too fast for him to rotate, while the surface he wanted to use appeared too weak to handle the force. Therefore, smashing through it, he fell on the floor on the upper level. Clumsily rolling and getting onto his feet, Robert paused for a moment before continuing his escape.
Throwing away the panicking scientist, who failed to notice two with a half-meter figure in time, Rob followed a wide corridor until he reached several huge lifts. Quite a few people inside were already smacking the buttons in an attempt to force the closing of the doors, seeing an approaching giant. Sparing a single glance and causing screams of fear, Robert quickly found a sign of the emergency stairs nearby before heading there. Piercing the metal door with a single hit, he simply ripped it apart before going inside. In the next moment, he had to close his eyes, protecting them from the torrent of bullets.
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Acting on instinct, he made several wide and blind swings, trashing the surroundings, just to stop the attacker. Only after two seconds, he managed to control his emotions, reminding himself once again of his current bulletproof body. Opening his eyes, Rob saw a few deep holes in the walls and a broken body of the man in what appeared to be a guard''s uniform. His abnormally caved-in chest with a frozen expression of terror. The small caliber gun that the man was still holding in his hand. And a huge pool of blood that the dead vomited after getting hit. The very same blood was still dripping from Rob¡¯s fist, painting the white floor.
However, Robert felt nothing. No regret about killing, when he could easily avoid it. No sadness about the loss of a precious life. No perverted happiness from venting the anger. Only indifference as if this death meant absolutely nothing, not even a second of his attention. Yes, his boiling rage from the whole damned situation was there, ready to explode from any mishap, but the killing itself brought nothing. Still, the event caused his thoughts to go in a different direction, while he was moving upstairs. The reaction of the guard together with other facts had already partly explained to him what to expect from the new realm.
So, what do I have? The technological level is roughly on the same level as my old Earth with a few improvements, like a force shield¡ But not on the level of the previous world, luckily. At least, judging from the simple ballistic guns, no plasma or laser weaponry. The existence of supernatural abilities is a norm as there was no surprise from my own capabilities or appearance. That demonic creature is just another example¡ On the other hand, it seems they are all ¡°registered¡± in a database, making it easy to verify an identity. And if they need a database, I can assume that the number of superpower wielders is big enough to struggle with remembering everyone. So, even with my appearance, I can potentially hide if I am not checked personally or isn¡¯t targeted specifically.
Next is the reaction of the guard and the agents. Hostile entities are treated without regard to their life ¨C they instantly opened fire, going for a kill from the start. No talks, no negotiations, no asks to surrender. Is the danger level from those hostile entities so huge that they don¡¯t want to risk? Doesn¡¯t matter now¡ It seems the best course of action for me is to avoid fighting while leaving the place. It¡¯s better to minimize the casualties until I can figure out more about this world. Yes, let¡¯s do it, Rob.
Sprinting on the last set of stairs, Robert stopped near the thick door for a moment. The trembles from the fight between unknowns had stopped at this point, but the panicking shouts of the people around were still present. Most of them came from beneath, indicating that quite a few decided to ignore lifts. Or maybe they didn¡¯t want to wait, wishing to have at least a minimum control over their fate. And the only reason why Rob thought about them was a result of his pondering over the closed obstacle.
Do I break it? Or do I wait until they reach me?
Looking at the biometric scanner to the side of the door, Robert barely held his annoyance. The scientists were too slow. Their heavy breathing and long pauses between each word showed that they were struggling to move upward, indicating the absence of any physical activity. Obviously, tens of floors were quite a challenge for any untrained human, especially one who neglected everything apart from work, but Rob¡¯s patience and time were both running out quickly. So, waiting for another awfully long dozen seconds, Robert nodded to himself before turning his attention to the door.
Huge, even considering his size, it was made from thick metal. What was more, the designers of this place didn¡¯t make the rookie mistake of putting a highly defensive door on the weaker walls. No, the whole surface that separated the inner side of the building from the outer world was covered with metal plates. Not that could stop Robert, as clenching his fist, he roared with anger before shooting forward. The first strike left a dent on the surface, causing a barely noticeable sensation of pain to wash his hands. In the next moment, obsidian steel moved, once again creating brass knuckles, and more strikes followed. Shattering hits resounded in the area, immediately scaring away the group of scientists. Still, the door held. Bending under the powerful blows, it was clinging to the was as if it was the purpose of its life.
I need more power¡ What if?
Not halting his actions, Robert focused on the tangible feeling over his black metal. Earlier, no matter how hard he tried, Rob failed to create an Energy Blast. The obsidian steel simply refused to collapse, while his ability seemed to be stressed already to fuel his rector core. However, this time he didn¡¯t try to repeat the same thing, instead attempting to use his old idea about coating the construct with devastating energy. Rob always lacked control to achieve it, and frankly speaking this time wasn¡¯t different. What was different was the resistance of the material ¨C he could easily push with all his mental effort without any reservation, while previously such exertion would easily destroy the whole construct.
Flickering with white flashes, his fists started to burn their way through the metal. Each next hit started to stabilize the light, slowly turning the broken bulb into a working lamp. Maybe Robert couldn¡¯t shoot Energy Blasts anymore, but his skill was still there. He wasn¡¯t learning it from scratch, just readjusting to the change he went through. It was still far from being an instinctive weapon in his arsenal, demanding a mental effort to keep up the effect. Moreover, the door disintegrated much earlier than he managed to get a firm grip on the ability. Pushing the metal plates aside, Robert immediately stepped forward, widening the hole with his huge body. A moment later he paused, looking at the scene in front of him.
Dozens of armed agents were pointing their weapons at him. Hiding behind the mobile fortification made from silver metal, most of them wore helmets and bulletproof vests with huge signs ¡°CSA¡± written on them. Scattered around a huge but now empty hall, they created a semi-circle around Rob¡¯s position. Considering the ruined state of the place with broken glass, traces of panic, and quite a few dead bodies, something told Robert that they wouldn¡¯t even blink before using their whole arsenal, disregarding the possible damage to the surroundings. And they got a lot ¨C not counting multiple rifles and shotguns, several of the armed agents carried bulky grenade launchers in their hands.
¡°Let¡¯s avoid unnecessary violence!¡± Robert shouted, making a first step toward this small army, ¡°Let me leave freely, and nobody will get hurt!¡±
¡°Not registered. Confirmation of murdering at least one guard. Be ready to shoot. Few supers are already on their way here,¡± the voice wasn¡¯t loud, but the eye-catching figure of the very same woman Rob knocked out in the short confrontation was hard to ignore. Currently, she was standing almost in the center of the group, speaking too openly to miss her words even if he wasn¡¯t listening.
As if she is indirectly threatening me¡ Nice move, but no. I am not afraid. More like confused ¨C how the hell she is already here? Was she tracking me, or what?
¡°Surrender, and we¡¯ll spare your life! The prison is much better than a grave.¡±
This time the woman¡¯s voice was louder, addressing him without a single trace of worry. Calm, and cold, her tone sounded like she was stating the well-known facts. However, Robert saw it in others. The barely visible trembling of the rifle¡¯s barrels. The sweaty palms. The harsh breathing, despite the motionless state. Obviously, not all of the agents showed their fear, but there were enough cases to see how unsafe they felt. That made Robert widely smile, stepping forward once again.
¡°If you want to put me in a cage, I will kindly refuse¡ I will leave this place, and whoever tries to stop me, will die¡ I WILL NOT BE CHAINED AGAIN! So, better think carefully before¡,¡± Robert never had a chance to finish his words as the tall beauty tilted her head to the side, before sending a short command through her communication device. And the hell broke loose.
Chapter 138 (4-5)
It was one of those weird moments where the whole world seemed to freeze, giving the ability to observe every single detail of the scene but instead leaving no possibility to change anything. It seemed like a huge joke, even mockery ¨C to see how the situation was deteriorating in real slow-mo, but to have no saying in any regard, presenting a single option ¨C to brace yourself before meeting the outcome head-on. In Robert¡¯s case, it was a quite literal comparison as multiple projectiles were in the midst of flight, aiming to turn him into a colander.
Still, there was no fear or even worry in his mind. Just regret about the whole messed-up situation. Rob felt that he was a hamster in the wheel, running in the same spot despite all his efforts. From the moment he died in the bunker and was brought back to life by Wepwakor, Robert was always pulled by the stream of events. Even a few times when he actually made a choice didn¡¯t change anything dramatically, switching from one flow to another. And each of them always revolved around death, blood, and gore, normalizing them to the point of becoming a thing not worth mentioning. The several situations where he got a break couldn¡¯t be named like one as being stuck in a motionless statute for months or even years didn¡¯t make any good to his broken mind.
And now, just another group of humans wanted to put him into a new cage. Robert knew that they might have their own reasons to do it. He did kill a guard, still carrying the droplets of blood on his body. He did appear inside a potentially restricted area during an outer attack, being not registered and looking like a real villain with his huge frame and questionable appearance. He did overreact with killing hits to even the smallest signs of danger. He did threaten to make his way no matter the cost of such an action. Still, he tried to address his unwillingness to do it, to avoid the violence, to avoid more deaths. However, their fear of his capabilities together with his own inability to tolerate any threat couldn¡¯t end well, resulting in an inevitable attack. Especially after mentioning the prison.
Therefore, watching how hundreds of bullets and a dozen grenades were flying toward his body, Robert mentally sighed. The fact of acknowledging the situation surprisingly calmed him. After so many years on the different battlefields, just another life-threatening situation brought clarity to his mind. The need to focus on the fighting threw all problems, worries, and unwanted thoughts away, bringing an odd tranquility. Maybe this was what was called a state of being an adrenaline maniac. But this simplicity in solving the situation had its own attractiveness. No need to worry about other''s reactions, no need to stop yourself, no need to think about consequences. Just a single goal ¨C to kill everyone, who threatens him. Then Robert blinked, pushing the world back in motion.
The non-stop wave of explosions and hits attempted to crush him, falling onto Rob like a powerful hail during the storm. The heat, the strikes of multiple fragments, the shockwave from blasts, and obviously direct strikes ¨C everything tried to tear him apart, destroying the parts of his metallic body, while throwing the remnants back through the broken door. At least it tried, as Robert was ready for it. Setting the reactor core on the maximum output he could handle, he returned his weight, turning himself into an unmovable mountain. His body was already recreating any damage he got, easily outperforming the enemy¡¯s effort with ease. A moment later Rob made a first step forward. Heavy, slow, it sounded like a drop of something huge onto the concrete floor. The next one followed in a second, while the third came even faster. Accelerating, Robert charged forward with a primal roar, shortening the distance in no time.
His hand was already holding a mace, making a swing. This time the weapon had quite a few adjustments to its form, having a tiny, spiked ball on the top, and a long handle, which increased reach by a noticeable margin. Moreover, Rob pushed an additional weight directly on the end of the weapon, turning it into quite a deadly killing instrument. An instant later it started to fulfill its purpose, reaping the lives of the agents. Cutting through the air, it smashed the nearest body, sending it flying. Barely decreasing its speed, the mace continued its way before shattering the head of the next agent.
There was no pause in Robert¡¯s actions. His mind was perceiving everything, tracking multiple targets at once. And not just that, but control over the reactor or the conjured weapon, the sensation of being hit by bullets with further repairing his body, and many more. Rob¡¯s brain was working like a supercomputer, operating with hundreds of operations in time just to turn him into a killing machine. The absence of pain when another projectile crumbled against his tough skin only added the feeling of controlling a mech, and not his own fleshy shell. Considering his years of experience, it only raised his battle efficiency.
Ducking under the flying explosive projectile, shot from the hand-handled grenade launcher, despite the closeness to other agents, Robert made a step to the side. Stretching his hand with lightning speed, he gripped the neck of the nearest enemy. Clenching his palm and feeling how something was breaking underneath, Rob threw the opponent onto others, preventing him from keeping the fire rate. Turning in the opposite direction, he watched how his arm was already dropping down. The armed agent tried to dodge the strike but was too slow to avoid it completely. The sharp spikes cut through his face, leaving deep marks and blinding him in one eye. Falling on the floor from the sudden pain, the man tried to roll out of the danger, but Robert¡¯s foot was already in motion, crushing the ribs under an enormous weight. Rob himself was already pushing forward, copying the heavy tank that was breaking through the trench line.
Launching into another group, he halved their number in just two swings and a few kicks, leaving broken and mutilated bodies behind. Pausing for a moment in an attempt to pick a rifle, Rob felt a strong push from behind that attempted to knock him down. The direct hit of the grenade created a deep wound on his back, while tens of fragments pierced his body. Still, there was barely any pain. Only an uncomfortable feeling of foreign objects, nothing else. The thought brought an odd wave of anger on his current condition, resulting in a hast response. Turning around, Robert threw the rifle. Surprisingly, its trajectory coincided with another flying grenade, causing another explosion in mid-air. Such a high position covered the whole area with metal projectiles, leading to devastating effects. Not that it mattered by this point.
Acting because of fear, the group of agents underestimated Robert¡¯s capabilities to withstand the concentrated rain of bullets, which led to more casualties from the friendly fire than from his mace. The whole confrontation barely lasted for a dozen seconds but the ruined hall with tens of dead and wounded was looking like a battlefield. Torn limbs, bloodied clothes, gruesome injuries ¨C everything looked like a horrible massacre. Glancing around one more time, Rob started to recreate his metallic flash with a mental command. The fragments of the grenade began to fall on the floor, being pushed out from his body together with dust that had filled his lungs all this time. Rotating his shoulders to check if everything was good, Robert walked toward the exit of the building.
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That bitch got away¡ To hide after sending her group to the death ¨C it¡¯s beyond my comprehension. Did she know the future result? Or was she scared? Previously, she didn¡¯t seem to ponder before attacking me personally¡ Oh, I see what she was doing.
Stepping outside, Robert found himself on the wide street of what seemed to be an ordinary megapolis. Multiple skyscrapers, tens of cars, huge signs with flashy advertisements, not a single tree ¨C everything screamed about the business center. However, currently, it was almost empty, carrying clear traces of a hasty retreat. Why almost? Because instead of the crowd, dressed in formal suits and immersed in discussions about stock prices or rumors about another CEO, there were two armored 8-wheel vehicles with high-caliber machine guns on top.
The surroundings only added final touches to the scene directly from the movie - wide open doors of cars that stopped in the middle of the street; personal belongings, scattered around; a few bodies of dead that were left behind; and remnants of the van that seemed to be blown up from inside. Behind the armored machines, on the opposite side of the street, the police were hastily finishing putting the barriers, preventing the onlookers from getting into a danger zone. The resounding alarms from everywhere were clear indicators that they were just in the process of setting the things. Not that it mattered to Robert as all his attention was aimed at what seemed to be APCs.
The huge war machines that first and foremost were meant for carrying the soldiers, they clearly weren¡¯t as dangerous as they could be in terms fire firepower. However, that lackluster weaponry was only in comparison to other types of battle vehicles as the double-barreled gun didn¡¯t seem to be anything weak. Even the small amount of explosives in grenades managed to damage Rob¡¯s body, so the proper gun would easily pierce his metallic flesh. And that didn''t take into account the possibility of unknown adjustments, which could easily exist after experiencing the force shield. These thoughts took merely an instant but pushed Robert into another attempt to stop the possible escalation.
¡°Look, let¡¯s stop it! I overreacted I admit, but we don¡¯t need¡¡±.
The heavy knocking sound came together with a feeling of being penetrated by the projectiles. Piercing his body, they were like angry little predators who tried to devour his flesh but failed. However, their continuous efforts were enough to blast through him, creating horrible huge holes, while exiting his body from the opposite side. At least that happened when Robert tried to cover his face, putting a palm against incoming bullets.
Flashing in surroundings to mark its trajectory, the heavy projectile pierced his hand, before losing most of the force. Still, even the remnants were enough to hit him in the eye, momentarily blinding him. Rob immediately recreated the lost body part, but even more bullets were hitting him. Roaring with anger and annoyance like a wild beast, Robert charged forward. The constant hits made him feel that he was shredded under the fire, splashing the droplets of his vicious blood all over the place. His regeneration barely kept up with the pace of destruction. Seeing the ineffectiveness of the shooting, both double-barrel guns redirected the aim toward his legs, trying to stop Rob¡¯s advance. The engines were already running, ready to take the machines away. This was the moment when Robert finally finished conjuring a shield.
Not even a millimeter thin, this black construct had no chance of handling the fire. However, Rob wasn¡¯t relying on a metal itself, but a destructive layer from the Energy Blast ability. He still felt the pushes from each hit, when the bullet tried to penetrate the defense as he couldn''t envelop the whole surface of his shield with this layer. The process of disintegration wasn¡¯t fast enough to stop it completely, but losing the shape, weight, and part of the force decreased the threat by a lot, giving a short frame of time before the enemies would come up with the counteraction. Still, no matter how brief it was, the inhuman physique of Rob allowed him to reach the targets that were barely in dozen meters away from him.
Putting his shoulder forward, he simply crashed into the APC, making it tremble from the hit. Not stopping on it, Robert caught the arcs around the wheel before gripping the metal. In the next moment, he pushed using all his strength and full power of the reactor core. The heavy armored machine tried to resist, relying on gravity and weight but the struggles ended in a few seconds when half of the wheels were raised above the ground. Continuing the motion with the help of his legs, Robert pushed again, finally turning over the APC and dropping onto the side. Conjuring the blade and coating it with energy, Rob cut the wheel before pulling it out.
This was the moment when the second APC moved, trying to take aim again. Both barrels were already looking at Rob, but the latter was calm as ever. Rotating on the spot as if he were an Olympic athlete, he threw his improvised disk at the machine gun. The first portion of the bullets only started to fly out when the projectile had the weapon. The force behind appeared to be too huge for barrels to handle, instantly bending the metal. However, the shooting didn¡¯t stop, which led to an obvious outcome ¨C the explosion inside the gun that finally stopped the rain of fire.
As if predicting such a result, the driver immediately sprinted away, leaving Robert near the first APC. Turning his attention back to the immobilized machine, Rob quickly found the hatch. Maybe the crew tried to stop it from opening, but the contest of strength against a two-with-half-meter metallic human was a futile act. Maybe worth of respect, but nevertheless futile. Opening the hatch and getting a full burst into the face, Robert made an instinctive swing with his arm. Blindly hitting something, he caused a scream of pain, before another strike ended it, following the source of the sound. Still, Robert calmly found a hand grenade on the nearest body when his eyesight was restored, pulled the ring, and threw it inside, not changing his expression. Only after that he stepped back and looked around, trying to gauge the situation.
The explosion from behind brought a burst of air, pieces of clothes, and odd trash from the hatch, but Robert didn¡¯t care. All his attention was focused on a newly emerged figure, dressed like an unknown superhero¡¯s sidekick on Halloween, using a fist junk found in the closet. Appearing out from nowhere right behind his back, he had quite a look. A tight leather suit, colored in a bright green with black lines that resembled the well-known sports costume. A mask that covered half of the clearly young face with no signs of facial hair. A wide overconfident smile that showed unnaturally white teeth that shined like after the huge paycheck to the dentist. And with the same overly enthusiastic voice that fit the appearance, the man declared.
¡°Surrender, villain, or else I will make you do it! You stand no chance against the justice!¡±
How I am tired of this shit¡
Chapter 139 (4-6)
A single white cloud was floating through the blue sky. Partly hiding behind the tall buildings, it was slowly making its way toward an unknown goal. Periodically flickering with an odd yellow light, it surprisingly had a defined shape. Almost as if the cloud tried to show something, turning into some kind of Rorschach test. Unfortunately, Robert failed to see anything specific in it, focusing more on the beauty of the calmness that the cloud carried with itself. Unworried about anything, following the flow, it had no signs of annoyance. No irritation about the surroundings. No strong emotions, only the tranquility of the old monks near the end of their lives.
I wish I could just enjoy the world like you¡
¡°Hey, are you listening to me? I said ¨C stand down and surrender¡,¡± sighing and turning his head back to the speaker, Rober once again faced a strange man, dressed like on a masquerade. However, the fact that the unknown appeared right in front of him from nowhere was the best confirmation that the man had something behind his words, and not just spilling nonsense.
¡°I just want to leave peacefully, so, please, get lost, boy.¡±
¡°Well, I can¡¯t do that¡ You see, the nude giant, who just killed two dozen government agents can¡¯t walk away on my watch, pretending that nothing happened. I¡¯ve just joined the ranks of elites, and simply can¡¯t allow any mishap to taint my reputation,¡± Shaking his head, the superhero explained not changing his confident expression.
¡°Are you ready to die for how the others see you? That¡¯s stupid,¡± measuring his opponent, Robert saw no signs of fear. Only the same confidence in his own strength that was on the verge of turning into delusional overconfidence ¨C the same that he saw in quite a few now-dead challengers in the Tower. Rob could admit that he didn¡¯t notice how the man had appeared, but it didn¡¯t mean anything. No matter how athletic the man was, he barely reached Rob¡¯s middle of the belly even in his heavy-looking shoes, which paled in comparison to Robert¡¯s huge frame. And that was what Rob decided to point at, not even trying to be polite, ¡°Maybe grow first, before attempting to throw your weight everywhere, shorty.¡±
¡°I have a statistically average height!¡± The reaction was immediate as if the topic was the painful spot for the man, ¡°I am twenty-two, and have more than enough to kick your ass, dickhead! You will rot in prison for the rest of your life!¡±
¡°Violence it is,¡± Nodding to himself, Robert sighed, before clenching his fists. His steel was already crawling across his body to the right palm, turning into the one-edged cleaver with a wide blade. The latter was covered with a barely visible layer of destructive energy, kept by Rob¡¯s mental effort. However, before both opponents moved toward each other, the loud gunshot resounded from above. Instantly reacting to the threat, Robert a moment too late to raise his head. In the next second half his head exploded, throwing him off balance.
The high-caliber bullet penetrated his forehead, pierced his brain, and tore the back of his skull, creating a huge hole. The attack could be fatal for anyone, but Robert. The pang of pain, the need to stabilize his position after the sudden hit, and that was it. He wasn¡¯t even blinded, as his eyes were not damaged. There was no halt in a thought process when he assessed the situation. An instant later after stabilizing his position, Rob was already moving. Simultaneously, his wound was in the process of closing, repaired under his mental command.
It seems all my entity is indeed concentrated inside the reactor core¡
The thought lingered for some time in his mind, while Rob was swinging his cleaver toward the shorty. However, the costumed man simply smiled, rolling backward in a swift motion. Pushing his legs upward, the superhero ended on the handstand before standing back on his feet. Such demonstrative actions appeared possible only because two more bullets hit Robert¡¯s body, halting his attack from severing the man¡¯s head.
Fucking snipers! Okay, no blade, or else they will kill me without a doubt¡ They clearly seem to use not ordinary rifles ¨C the force behind each shot is much bigger than from APC¡¯s machine gun because of the explosive nature.
Continuing his motion, Robert threw his fist toward the superhero, who once again rolled to the side. This time the dodge was made at the last possible moment, almost touching the face with the smile. That made to drop the grin, turning the man serious. Kneeling for a moment, the superhero pressed the black lines on his costume. There was a short glow, and then two long knives were formed from what earlier appeared to be a simple fabric. Returning the grin, the man squeezed his eyes and slightly leaned forward.
Anticipating the attack, Robert braced himself. His obsidian steel was already sucked inside, leaving him empty-handed, but instead raising his chance to survive as the construct was finishing the process of creating an additional rib cage around his reactor core in an attempt to protect his single weak spot. It appeared a good idea as the next shot was aimed at his heart. Entering his metallic flesh, the bullet cut through in a fraction of an instant before being smashed against the black steel. Bouncing against the tougher surface, it tore his inner organs apart before leaving the body from the stomach. All of it happened so fast that Robert barely registered the fact. However, he had no chance to react as the superhero made his own move.
Flashing with a green light, the man disappeared from the spot. An instant later came a loud bang as if the sound couldn¡¯t catch up with the action. And then Robert felt as if he was falling on the ground, failing to keep himself on his feet. Dropping on his knee, he finally noticed his separated leg that had already started to disperse into nothingness. Acting on instinct, he grabbed it before locking it with what seemed to be a perfect cut before trying to reconnect it. The moment he finished the regeneration, Rob heard the cough from behind. Turning around he was met with a blade that went through his face. The whole world rotated a few times before starting to fade. However, Robert¡¯s thoughts didn¡¯t stop running.
Looks like an insanely fast charge on a straight line¡ Not a full speedster, hopefully.
Blindly finding the upper part of the head, Rob put it back before attempting to stand up. Two more gunshots from the invisible shooters destroyed his knees, pushing his legless torso back to the ground. Still, there was no pain, just annoyance. Raising his head and meeting his eyes with the superhero, Robert made a scared face. At least he tried, as he wasn¡¯t even sure how believable his expression might be. Luckily, the change in his attitude was enough for the superhero to stop. Making a stopping motion into the air as if commanding the snipers to halt the shooting, he squatted near Robert.
¡°Have you heard the saying ¨C the bigger you are, the harder you fall? It fits perfectly to you, my dear BOY. So, don¡¯t make others waste their time and just surrender,¡± arrogantly grinning, the unknown superhero proclaimed.
¡°Is being a moron a necessity to become an elite? Or is it just your personal feature?¡± Completing the rebuilding of his body, Robert started to stand up, ¡°And what about such thick shoe soles? Is it how you fit the average values of height?¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
The answer was an angry roar. Grimacing from hatred, the superhero was already in motion. Both his knives were set to the sides, while his body was leaning forward, hardly pressing on the ground. Glowing with green light, he looked like a compressed spring a moment before the release. Tensed muscles, white fingers because of a strong grip, and the killing gaze from the eyes. In the next moment, he disappeared, beheading Robert in one swift motion. The scenery attempted to darken, but Rob was fast enough to reconstruct the damaged neck while turning around and hastily rising.
His opponent didn¡¯t look good. The emotional outburst and his overconfidence caused him to miss a tiny needle that was protruding from Rob¡¯s leg, crossing the trajectory of the attack. Enveloped in destructive energy, it was barely visible under the sun despite its length. Especially when the superhero wasn¡¯t looking down, focusing on Robert¡¯s face as his primary target. Therefore, when the man accelerated to cut Rob, he simultaneously bisected both his shins, ending on the floor. Still, the inertia from the insanely fast launch was there, pushing him forward and resulting in a horrible picture. Leaving a huge trace of blood, the superhero simply grated his face against the road, almost reaching the bones.
Wailing from sudden pain, he tried to stand up not understanding the futility of such an act, but Robert was already stomping onto his back, pushing a pike from his heel. The metal penetrated the flesh, breaking the spine and immobilizing the opponent. At least he thought he did, but the man instinctively activated his ability once again. Gripping the asphalt with his fingers, the superhero pushed himself forward, crawling at his insane speed and vanishing from the spot. The problem was that the spike was still present in his body, tearing it butt and splashing the blood everywhere.
Fuck, that¡¯s gross!
Stepping back in shock from the horrible picture in front of him, Robert tried to swing his leg a few times to throw away the blood from his heel. However, this was the moment when snipers decided to remind him of their existence. Hitting his back, and finding an unprotected gap between the ribs, the bullet stroked his reactor core, causing a tremendous wave of pain. Luckily, the force shield managed to withstand the attack. Still, that dropped Robert back to the ground, which in return helped him to avoid a second shot. Unfortunately, the third projectile hit the back of his head.
Shattering his teeth, it made him spit out the blood and the remnants of the bones. Still, the remnant of the bullet was stuck inside his mouth. Robert realized it only after a few seconds when his body almost finished regenerating. However, there was no pause for him as the moment he got up, his eyes caught sight of quickly approaching shadow, coming from above. Diving down from the sky, it crashed into Rob without a single pause, shouting some insults in the process. Pushing him backward, a newly emerged superhero slightly twisted his trajectory. In the next second Robert felt he was flying, being carried by another freak in a costume. And, considering, a quickly rising height, the plan of the attacker seemed to be quite straightforward ¨C to drop him from the sky. Or maybe to carry him somewhere else. Rob didn''t know, nor did he wish to know.
Therefore, Robert wished his weight to return, increasing it at once with the help of the reactor core. To the superhero¡¯s credit, the unknown almost managed to stabilize the flight in time. Almost, as both of them crashed into the nearest building. Breaking through the stone wall, they continued their way through the office area, destroying everything in the process. This was the moment when Rob¡¯s steel finally finished forming a dagger. The weapon was immediately used, but only to bounce back, failing to penetrate the skin. The attacker ¨C the mustached middle-aged man in aviator¡¯s glasses ¨C attempted to mock an unsuccessful attack. At least he managed to produce the first few words before Rob spat out the bullet right into the opened mouth.
Chocking from a sudden foreign object in his throat, the superhero missed the moment when the energy-coated blade found a way inside his inner organs. Grasping from pain and lack of air, he tried to push Rob away only to feel how the blade started to rotate, simply burning a huge hole inside his stomach. In the next moment, Robert headbutted the superhero, resulting in a chaotic fall.
Rolling on the floor and smashing any obstacles in their way like office furniture, a huge printer, or a water cooler, they both ended up crashing into the window on the opposite side of the building. Not releasing each other from the forceful hugs, they rotated a few times in the air before dropping on the road. Unfortunately for the superhero, Robert appeared to be on top, cracking not only the surface but something inside of the flying super. Still, adding another incompatible with a life hole in the neck of the enemy, Rob pushed himself upward, trying to wipe the blood.
¡°Obey me! Stop!¡±
They are like flies that found fresh crap¡ And you, Robert, are exactly that crap. Damn it! Why don¡¯t you leave me alone? Am I asking a lot?
¡°I command you to stop!¡±
Turning around and finding the petite woman in a purple suit with a short cape, Rob sighed. Skinny, with a huge mask that had a third eye painted on her forehead, she didn¡¯t give off any dangerous vibes. Ebony skin, and cherry lips, she looked like a typical model on a fashion show with a superhero theme. On the other hand, that couldn¡¯t be said about her deeds as each of her words resonated with the thoughts inside Robert¡¯s mind, sounding like they came from his own self. As if it was his wish to lay down and obey any words, coming from the woman. He did feel it ¨C this stream of foreign thoughts that tried to overwhelm his mind with sheer power. The thing was that he had multiple such streams running simultaneously to keep his own existence from crumbling, and no matter how strong her will was, it couldn¡¯t win over the number superiority.
It''s like a twisted reflection of the situation I experience right now¡ What a joke!
Shaking his head as if he was struggling to keep his thoughts, Robert made a first step toward the woman. Catching the balance in the last moment, he was showing how hard it was to fight the mental attack on his mind. And it seemed his act looked quite believable, as the heroine immediately reacted.
¡°Flame Touch, be ready to burn him! I can¡¯t hold much longer!¡±
¡°I will burn him to a crisp for what he has done!¡±
With a twisted grimace, the new guy, dressed like a mixture of orange from children¡¯s fruit performance and a firefighter, ran out from the cover, pointing both hands toward Robert. His red-colored hair threatened to thrust the skies, shining because of the overuse of hair wax. The sparks of the fire were flying from the palms, only to turn into a stream of flame a moment later. Washing over Robert¡¯s body, the flame enveloped him, slowly growing in intensity. The asphalt was the first to fail the temperature test, melting under the heat. The surrounding area turned hot, making each breath a challenge. And it was the reason why the heroine failed to stop her mate in time, making an effort to produce each word.
¡°Stop! We need¡ him¡ alive¡ not killers¡¡±.
¡°He killed others! He is a threat that we need to put down no matter the cost. He is too dangerous to¡,¡± Turning around, Flame Touch tried to convince his colleague, but such a distraction cost him dearly. Suddenly shortening the distance, Robert grabbed both palms and squeezed. Surprisingly, the man didn¡¯t have any toughness improvement, making his bones as fragile as glass. Instantly shattering under the pressure, it halted the ability. Before the orange man screamed, his body was already thrown toward the woman.
Rotating a single time, he blew down the heroine, wounding both of them in the process. Immediately the voice in Rob¡¯s mind was cut off, signaling the broken connection. The hit appeared to be strong enough to knock her out, while the flaming man was crying from the pain, completely abandoning any thoughts about fighting Robert, as not only his palms were turned into a ruined mass of blood and meat, but his leg broke, pushing the bone outside in a gruesome picture. Still, that didn¡¯t stop Rob from moving toward them to end the threat. His experience was telling him to never underestimate the enemies, not giving them any chance to strike back. However, another voice was against it.
¡°You better find someone your size, villain!¡±
Loudly shouting as if Robert was deaf, the muscular and tall guy ran through the distant police barricade, jumping over it in one swift motion. Dressed like a typical white collar, he was indeed big, but not even near to Rob¡¯s size. A moment later his words started to make sense, when the man began to grow, tearing his clothes apart. In just several seconds a real five-meter giant emerged in front of him, showcasing a defined frame of a professional bodybuilder, ready to step on a stage. It looked like each of his muscles was worked out to the peak of its potential, turning the man into an ancient statue of the god. Still, Robert couldn¡¯t stop himself from asking.
¡°Who are you? A stripper?¡±
Chapter 140 (4-7)
It took a full second for the giant to process Robert¡¯s comment. Then the man¡¯s expression changed. Looking down on his nude body with a hairy bush in the groin area and his hanging pride, the superhero turned his eyes toward the undressed figure of Rob. However, the difference was that Robert had a black codpiece, protecting the precious place for every man. The fact seemed to cause a short circuit in the giant¡¯s brain, leaving him speechless. It allowed Rob to hit him more.
¡°Do you know what is modesty, hero? You know, the kids may be watching,¡± pointing to the flying helicopter with media signs, Robert smiled innocently. However, his mind, on the contrary, was running on full power. His first clash against the local forces was not even ten minutes ago, but the whole area looked to be prepared for the sudden battle. Way too prepared as if everyone knew about what was coming.
From the moment of his appearance in this realm, the attack seemed to be already ongoing. However, the group of scientists looked quite surprised after the first explosion, even scared, getting caught in the middle of their experiment. That couldn¡¯t be said about the agents outside. To gather so many people, to place snipers, to put police barriers ¨C everything took time. Therefore, they knew and were ready to repel the potential assault, simultaneously hiding an insane number of preparations. That could explain the number of superheroes and the need to search Robert through the data as it looked like not everyone knew who took part in the action. Unfortunately, it also led to the obvious treatment of the enemy, and the only ones who could explain Rob¡¯s origin were the scientists, who ran away after the first signs of fighting.
That kid might be one of the attackers¡ But I don¡¯t see any signs of others.
Not that it changed anything as by this moment the blood was spilled. At least such preparations helped to avoid civilian casualties during the confrontation. Robert still noticed some onlookers, who were observing the fight through the windows on high floors, often using smartphones to film everything. The same went with a few smaller drones flying between the buildings. Together with a helicopter from the media, it only provided his initial thought ¨C there was no way he could get away from those freaks in Halloween costumes. Multiple cameras on every corner nullified any chances, considering Robert¡¯s appearance and no connection to any other parties, who might help him to hide during a guaranteed chase.
However, his past experience of being hunted and later put into the museum as a motionless statue caused any thought of being put into the cage again absolutely intolerable. To live through the same horror again was beyond his mental strength. It left no option but to fight till the end, leaving the only question where to do it. Robert could break through the police barriers into the city, causing even more destruction and using innocent as a shield. But a single reminder about the possibility of hurting children made him abandon the plan. It wasn¡¯t a problem for him to kill, but he still wished to keep some inner rules in his chaotic life, filled with violence to the brim. So, the situations of potential threat to children were out of the question. It left him with a single option ¨C to fight in this area until either the opponents would halt their attacks, breaking after the huge number of losses, or die trying.
Okay, till the end! No one lives forever! Bring it on!
In the next moment, a huge fist smashed his body and sent it flying, despite his weight. Rolling on the ground before crashing into the nearest car, Robert smiled. The strike felt like some kind of confirmation akin to a huge point in his resolution. As if the universe itself decided to sign the agreement, sending its physical signal through the gigantic nude bodybuilder. Therefore, grinning like a madman, Rob raised himself from the remnants of the car before standing to face the superhero.
Pushing the obsidian steel inside his body to form the additional rib cage, Robert left thin layers on the outer part of the fists, forming something akin to fingerless gloves. Covered with destructive energy, they could still become a formidable weapon even without a sharp blade or noticeable weight. His reasoning was simple ¨C Rob needed to stay alive to keep fighting, so the protection of his weak spot was crucial. Especially considering the insane power of the sniper bullets that tore through his metallic body as if it were ordinary flesh. Moreover, there was another idea behind such a tactic ¨C Robert desperately needed to release his emotions. The brutal beating of someone hostile into a pulp was a perfect way to do it. So, clenching his fists and making them glow, Rob made a first step toward an approaching giant.
¡°Do you what I was told just a few minutes ago? The bigger you are, the bigger your balls¡ or something like that,¡± the giant widened his eyes at the realization, instinctively covering his groin area with one of the hands, but Robert was already moving.
Ducking under the hastily hit, and immediately stepping to the side, Rob elbowed the knee. The powerful hit led to the crack, but the giant still managed to catch his balance. A moment later Robert finished his spinning strike, smashing the back of his fist at the opposite side of the knee. Under the force the giant¡¯s leg instantly bent, dropping him to the ground. Predicting such an outcome, Rob thrust his other fist upward, pushing it toward the falling superhero¡¯s jaw, while simultaneously jumping. The clash was devastating. The sudden fall of the heavy body met the fast strike of the metallic body. Moreover, the destructive energy layer burned the flesh, causing even more damage and resulting in the giant being knocked out for a short frame of time.
Falling backward, the super bodybuilder failed to register what was happening when the world suddenly flashed with light. In the next moment his disoriented mind finally caught up with the awful reality that was painted in red¡ together with his testicles that simply exploded after a single hit from the villain. Any anger, courage, or desire for revenge died out on the spot, being overwhelmed by the horrible pain and literally ¡°striking¡± realization of the unreversible ending. His consciousness attempted to keep him awake, but the surroundings started to fade, pulling him out of the gruesome reality.
I think I need to wash my hands¡ Yeah, sorry man, but I don¡¯t have time for a proper boxing¡
Stepping back and glancing at the roof, Robert noticed a blink. Dropping backward without a second thought, he barely dodged the bullet. However, the projectile didn¡¯t miss, penetrating the ¡°man¡¯s penetrator¡± in an instant. Splashing blood everywhere, it caused another scream from the poor gigantic guy. Rob, on the other hand, winced from the terrifying sight, trying to erase the picture from his memory as fast as possible. Two following sniper shots partly helped with it, redirecting his attention to the process of saving his life.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
One of them gauged his cheek, leaving a deep mark. The last one hit his center of mass, exploding inside his chest and breaking his ribs. Shaking the reactor core, it caused something akin to a tiny leakage of energy, when the energy shield was broken for a fraction of an instant. The powerful stream that shot from inside simply evaporated his shoulder together with an arm. It took an awfully long couple of seconds to restore control of his energy source before proceeding with regeneration. And the fact that the enemies finally found his weak spot made Robert realize that he needed to change something, or else he would die under the bullets. Glancing around and not seeing anything remotely useful in his situation, Rob paused at the sight of the office building, which windows he broke not long ago.
I can take cover inside¡ Yes, let¡¯s do it!
Sprinting toward the empty hall on the ground floor and abandoning a groaning giant, Robert was ten meters away from the entrance when he noticed another superhero, coming at him. This time the direction of the attack was unexpected, to say the least. Running downward on the wall as if it was the flat surface of the ground, the superhero made a jump. Rotating in the air as if gravity was constantly switching, the figure dressed like a white ninja adjusted its trajectory before launching itself toward Robert. The blade shining with silver was already slicing the air, aiming at Rob¡¯s neck.
Robert reacted without a delay, hastily pushing the obsidian steel toward the incoming sharp edge. His body was also in motion, trying to avoid the hit. Alas, both were slightly too late. However, instead of beheading him with a single strike, the blade simply bounced off his skin, damaging itself in the process. Not pausing on that, the ninja tried to kick him in the face, but this time Rob anticipated it. Noticing the lack of strength from the opponent, Robert simply headbutted the feet, throwing the enemy off balance. Shooting forward with his hand and stepping forward, he almost caught the superhero, but the latter¡¯s ability activated at the last moment.
Forming something akin to a gravitational pull, it pushed the figure out of the grip, propelling it through the air. Robert wanted to follow, but the snipers again reminded him about their presence, making him back away and hide inside the building. Noticing no signs of human presence and thus no threat, Rob turned around only to face the flying ninja once again. This time the figure swung to the side, seeing how Robert clenched his fist. Reaching the nearest column, it paused, squatting right on the vertical surface. On the other hand, it allowed him to observe the enemy.
Not surprisingly, such a nimble figure belonged to the woman. At least that was what two small hills on the chest suggested so. Her face was covered in a full mask, leaving only sapphire eyes visible. But it changed nothing for Robert. Maybe even made things worse as an agile opponent was too hard to deal with. Fortunately, it worked in both ways. The flying shuriken that the woman threw toward his face didn¡¯t even scratch his skin. Running on the ceiling outside Rob¡¯s reach, the heroine tried to accelerate herself to gain enough power for her blade to impale his heart. The end result was a deep cut in his chest and the stuck weapon that was caught by his flesh.
Breaking the blade in a single motion, Robert tried to grab the ninja, but she reacted in time, redirecting the gravity. The woman instantly fell down in the horizontal plane, dodging his fingers. However, her focus on Rob¡¯s action made her miss the window behind her. Shattering the glass, she tried to stabilize her trajectory only to mess everything up before finally rolling on the ground after the cancelation of the ability. Lying breathless, the heroine attempted to hastily stand up, watching how Robert was approaching. However, in the next second, she relaxed, slowing down her movement as at this moment she was not alone anymore. Therefore, trying to keep her image as the cameras were still working, the woman acted as if it was nothing.
In the meantime, Robert was observing the group that appeared in front of the building. Halting on the spot as if trying to show off, the superheroes seemed to be waiting for something. Or they were giving time for the ninja to rise back on her feet to stand almost in a perfect line in the middle of the empty street. There were five of them, all different in their appearance but wearing the same trace of arrogance and overconfidence. Or maybe it was their attempt to brace themselves in front of a dangerous villain, who already took multiple lives. Especially, when the examples were lying not far from them, walling from pain, being out of consciousness, or even turning into a motionless corpse. If it was true, then their fake courage took a twisted image just to hide the worries and fear of death. Rob didn¡¯t know, nor did he wish to know, gauging the potential abilities of the new enemies.
A floating armored figure in a bright pink technological suit with several actively working thrusters to keep them in the air. Shoulder guns and a huge rifle in their arms pointed to the nature of their offensive capabilities, but not their danger level as the difference between the sniper bullets and heavy machine guns on the APC seemed to be dramatic.
A teenage boy with a tiny brown mask, dressed in a wide T-shirt with a huge image of a smiling sunflower. Together with black shorts, he almost looked out of the place. However, the long green lianas that replaced all his limbs and raised him above the ground said otherwise. Covered with thorns, they seemed to live their own life, being in constant motion.
A real wizard in a pointy brown hat. Gray-haired, despite the middle age appearance, a raven-skinned man was holding a long staff with a big orb on the top. Tens of yellow sparks were flashing around it, possibly controlled by the man¡¯s ability. A plain robe with a complex yellow pattern to match his magical skills. However, the most striking thing was his glowing eyes, visible from afar as if they were two supernatural lanterns.
A beastman that looked like a mixture of a dinosaur with a human. Short upper arms that struggled to bend had razor-sharp claws on the tip of each finger. A thick lizard tail to keep the balance. A greenish skin with quite a few long colorful feathers that were partly hidden under the wide coat. A wild toothy smile on a surprisingly handsome male face that somehow managed to keep its attractiveness despite the overall inhuman appearance.
The last, but possibly not least was the gloomy young man in a dark leather costume. Sickly pale, insanely thin almost to the point of having an anorexia, he was also floating slightly above the ground. Whole his body looked so weak and fragile that Robert even wondered if the unknown could even lift his arm. Alas, it seemed to be not needed at all as multiple metal pieces were spinning around his body, potentially carried by the telekinesis.
So, a techno suit, plant boy, a mage, a dino-man, a psionic¡ and a ninja, obviously, how could I forget? What a freak show¡ Heh, and I am not better ¨C like a perfect fit for this idiocy.
¡°So, what are you waiting for, morons? An invitation? Or do¡,¡± Rob¡¯s shout was interrupted by a triple gunshot. The bullets reached him an instant later, simultaneously piercing his skull and exploding from the inside. His head popped up like a watermelon, splashing the remnants of the brain and blood all over the place. However, even before his body started to fall, all traces from the gruesome scene were dispersed, while his regeneration was already finishing to fix what seemed to be a mortal wound.
This is what I call a mind-blowing thought¡ Fucking snipers!
Chapter 141 (4-8)
The row of multiple screens was transmitting the scenes of the intensive fight in real-time. Using the flying drones to capture the sight from different angles, created the feeling of a sci-fi movie of epic proportions ¨C such action-packed the ongoing event was. However, being the senior agent, Sarah Bell didn¡¯t enjoy this realistic performance. On the contrary, seeing how the unknown villain stomped the skull of Raptorman into a pulp, she inwardly trembled from anxiety. Still, her stoic expression as always, masking her true feelings. Not avoiding her look, she continued to observe the confrontation, trying to note as many details as possible.
¡°I finished the evacuation. May I intervene for the light¡¯s sake? Others are dying for nothing! I know them, even trained some of them¡ Please, Sarah!¡±
Demonologist¡¯s voice resounded through the speakers, making several agents turn their heads to their superior. Sitting in the same van and watching the unfolding bloody fight, they couldn¡¯t understand why Sarah was so reluctant to send on the most powerful superheroes not only around, but in the whole world. Such thoughts were easy to read for her, being plain obvious. But despite her own opinion about the matter, her job as a senior agent in the Central Superhumans Agency was to eliminate the threat to ordinary humans, disregarding the casualties in superheroes.
¡°Until the charges are set, you are not going anywhere, Demonologist. This is an order,¡± keeping the same calm tone, she spoke, ignoring the emotional turmoil rising inside. It was especially hard when at this moment the White Lotus failed to dodge the strike. Having slightly increased strength and empowered agility, she mostly relied on her gravitational ability to avoid danger. And she did it, gracefully propelling herself through the air. However, one mishap against the formidable foe was enough to turn into a mutilated corpse that was thrown from the fifth floor of the already ruined office building. Splashing the blood on the impact, her forever frozen sapphire eyes were looking blankly directly into the camera as if questioning why there was no help.
¡°White Lotus is down. Only three left. Another group is on standby, ready to engage,¡± one of the agents spoke, repeating what everyone saw on the screen. However, his intent to warn Demonologist, who was still connected to the line, was too obvious to miss. Therefore, Sarah immediately reacted, preventing the potential outburst of the superhuman.
¡°Demonologist, after three missions in a row in the past week, you stopped the sex slave¡¯s traffickers by wiping their main base, retrieved the stolen military equipment, and helped with the aftermath of the earthquake. Tell me, how many hours of sleep did you have? What max level of the demon can you guarantee to control now? Abaddon? Beelzebub? I assume not higher.¡± Stopping herself from biting her lips from the emotions, the senior agent made an enormous effort to sound as detached and calculative as possible.
¡°Well, Abaddon for sure, but maybe not Beelzebub¡,¡± the superhero started uncertainly, but was interrupted.
¡°What will happen if we have two potential class five superhumans clashing with each other in the middle of the city? Or if you lose control and summon someone with a higher rank? How many lives will be lost before you are back in consciousness to put a leash on your inner demon? No, I can¡¯t risk it¡ And I must remind everyone that our goal is to minimize the damage to the civilians and the city. Preventing a potential leakage of the inventions to villains is one of them. So, stand down and wait for the command.¡±
Tuning off the connection, Sarah inwardly sighed, feeling the pressure of the situation and the potential consequences of such direct refusal. For the superheroes and most of the other agents, the CSA job looked quite straightforward. Find the villain and put them in prison. If it¡¯s impossible, then the senior agent might give a green light for an elimination. She personally had the same simple view of things in her first two years on the streets until she was recruited directly into CSA. Only after rising to the current position did she start to get a wider picture. Partly it was because of new responsibilities, but the most impact was due to getting the hidden threat that was hanging over all superheroes.
¡°Check the seismic sensors around the Facility. I don¡¯t want any ability wielder to escape underground. Are all scientists evacuated? Yes? Good¡ And, Denny, if you once again try to push your own opinion through Demonologist in an attempt to influence my decision, I will send you into such a deep hole that you will regret your work choice. Are we clear? Oh, and don¡¯t forget to put all evacuated personnel through the proper check-up ¨C we don¡¯t need someone with the ability to change the appearance.¡± Getting the node from the agent, Sarah returned to her thought process, while watching how TripleShot was changing the position of one of its bodies to keep the fire.
The master sniper not only could clone herself, creating two perfectly synchronized copies but also was equipped with the most advanced sniper weapons that were improved by the Sages with their inhuman intelligence and potential to create technological weaponry. Not only that, but each of the bullets cost a fortune. Highly powerful, it had a special material inside that caused a disruption of the superhuman abilities. Even one projectile was enough in most cases to lead to the demise of just another seemed to be an unstoppable villain. And in situations where one wasn¡¯t enough, the accumulation of this poison would still end the business. However, this was the first time the final weapon wasn¡¯t working at all. Moreover, up to this point, they spent way too many of those precious bullets, almost exhausting their stock for any emergencies.
¡°Tell TripleShot to disengage and hide. She better save the bullets... Did she find any other weak spots, apart from the heart?¡± Sarah asked, looking at the screen where another superhero was struggling to crawl from the constantly regenerating nude giant. Unfortunately, the swing of the sword made from what looked like living steel had its own objection on the matter. RoboVengeance was just a moment too late with her laser to stop the strike, cutting the body of the villain in two pieces, but the latter was already creating a thin glowing shield, defending against the focused energy with ease. His body healed in a few seconds, making a devastating attack a complete waste as it would need time to recharge it again.
¡°She said no ¨C nothing,¡± Denny answered after repeating the question through his personal intercom, ¡°Johny the Eye¡ what a stupid moniker¡ scanned the target with his X-ray vision ¨C it seems only the heart differs from the whole body, glowing with energy to the brink like - a quote - ¡°a new year tree ball¡±. The other parts are barely seen through as if the target is made from metal.¡±
¡°That¡¯s the reason why we don¡¯t need Demonologist. Only his high-ranked summons have enough strength to get to the heart, and the fight between two unkillable monsters would lead to massive destruction in the area. We want to avoid such an outcome¡ Send me the data on the nearest superheroes,¡± she pointed out, trying to put the thought they were doing the right thing in her subordinate¡¯s minds. Denny only mumbled something before returning to the screen. The following confirmation about the readiness of the charges with no activity under the Facility led to a short nod, while Sarah was under deep consideration about her options on how to deal with the unexpected guest.
She knew that it was some kind of plot for ¡°Gray Lion¡± to leak his interest in attacking the Facility. Especially if the real villain was lying inside the morgue hidden in the underground laboratory. Not knowing the identity of the potential attacker, she still tried to be prepared even for the worst outcome. It appeared the whole grand scheme was made by just a Gray Lion¡¯s junior brother. Barely an adult, he was quickly stopped by Demonologist. That was the moment when everything went astray.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Dr. Borston Green Junior, the messy scientist that met her group inside the Facility was the one to connect with her just a few minutes after the attack. Panicking, he used a lot of time and chaotic wording only to tell her a single fact ¨C an unknown superhuman appeared through their experiment with the Door. Further tumultuous explanations made Sarah¡¯s instincts warn her about the incoming danger. The whole interdimensional nonsense was easily broken by the fact that the unknown knew the language, making it impossible for him to come from another realm. His human-like figure was another thing to consider. Moreover, the dramatic change in appearance in comparison to an ordinary human was another indication that this potential supervillain was strong.
In most cases, the weaker empowered humans had the ability to transform by will, like Demonologist with his summons of the demons, or already dead Sunflower, not keeping the form all the time. However, all cases where the physical change was permanent was a confirmation that the power manifestation was too huge for the wielder to handle, mutating them into real monsters. Often, it led to the switch in mentality, creating more than eighty percent of the villains with their uncontrollable desires and the absence of any restraint. Thus, Sarah assumed that the fake Gray Lion was a distraction, while the real villain had teleported inside the Facility, made something, and immediately attempted to flee.
The first confrontation and how easily the giant man started to kill only confirmed her suspicion ¨C something was going on, but she lacked the info, leaving with a single solution to the potential threat ¨C to end it right here and right now before it would lead to something bigger. Thus, she tried to organize the ambush, dramatically underestimating the rank of the enemy, which caused the loss of dozens of lives. Escaping the carnage, she attempted to minimize the overall damage, which by rough estimates was going to be a real pain in the ass.
Her first focus was the Facility itself. Disregarding the opinions of other agents and their attempts to change her mind, she ordered to place the charges in prepared spots to collapse the whole structure. No matter how valuable the place was, it was not the single one, nor was it the most important. Having the scientists, it was easier to destroy everything before rebuilding the projects with potential from scratch than to put a possible weapon in the wrong hands. And if one villain found a way to get in, there would be more for sure. And what if more joined in an attempt to get something from the unprotected laboratories, while CSA was already dealing with one? She simply wasn¡¯t allowed any risks, preferring to cross out unpredictable variables. The whole mess already started to look too huge. Another major goal was to stop the villain from leaving the place while trying to figure out his weakness to create a perfect counter. Therefore, the sacrifices were necessary.
Still, Sarah felt awful, watching how previously cheerful members of the local team were dying on the screens, being not ready to face such a powerful enemy. There weren''t elites, prepared to face the most dangerous supers. Just a bunch of weirdos, who tried to make the world better, despite the pressure from society. The worst threat they had to deal with was an armed robbery, committed by a drunkard in a search for easy money to get wasted in the nearest bar. Rarely it was something more dangerous, like a crazy super, who wanted to take revenge on his abusers. Or an insane shooter with pseudo-religious beliefs in need to cleanse the world from a specific group of people. And even in these situations, often all their task was to stall the time until CSA and elites would come. Nothing else.
¡°Where are the helos? We need those plasma missiles and fast,¡± Sarah asked, not turning her head from the screens.
¡°Two minute tops. Everything is set. The pilots are ready to shoot immediately¡ And the air force sent three bombers in case of failure. Do we need them, ma¡¯am? It¡¯s like using a machine gun against the fly.¡±
¡°Focus on the screen, Ben,¡± instead of the answer, Sarah ordered in a cold tone, inwardly feeling how the time was slipping through her fingers. Other agents didn¡¯t realize the real threat from the army and the government. CSA, despite being the product of the higher-ups, wasn¡¯t an independent service with full trust. No, it was constantly monitored. Each of the operations went through the evaluation in search of potential treason or hidden agenda. Even now the army was observing the events with attention, ready to act. In the end, CSA was a watcher, who was watched in return, no matter how stupid it looked from the outside. The reason was simple ¨C the supers had lost their credibility long ago.
The appearance of the powers was eighty years history. But with such dramatic changes in abilities, some individuals thought that it could change the ruling party. To put newly empowered humans to lead others, the weaker ones. It didn¡¯t end well. Not only were the supernatural abilities not passed down through the following generations, being the result of getting in contact with the concentrated spot of ¡°omicron-particles¡±, but the humans once again showed why they were the dominant species. It was never about physical strength, but adaptiveness and creativity. Moreover, not all superhumans wanted to create a class system, where their own children would be treated like second-rate.
Therefore, the confrontation lasted for a decade, ending fifty years ago and leading to the new controlling system that was never dropped after so much time. The humans simply didn¡¯t wish to believe blindly in the absence of ambitions of their ¡°gifted¡± counterparts. The newly created CSA was granted the task of controlling the superhumans, making saving the lives of ordinary humans a priority. It was their task to handle any villain who went on a rampage, basically cleaning their own mess.
Depending on the scale of danger, the army would step in with its own action if it saw the need. Any grand failure would lead to a tactical nuclear strike by the military, with the blame put on the superhumans. The media would immediately write a horrible story of another mad empowered human, who decided to destroy the world. Society would demand the heads of responsible for it, and the following reassurances of such a situation not to repeat once again. Often it led to new strict laws against power wielders, like a need to confirm own location even when traveling on vacation, or the quarterly visit to a psychotherapist to monitor the state of mind. Limitation on jobs as no superhuman could serve in the army or take a higher position in the government, especially in the High Court. There was more, turning the whole system into a set guillotine, ready to drop in at any moment after a single mishap. And only fate knew what it would cut this time.
This was the main reason why Sarah had to close her eyes on the ongoing deaths of the heroes, focusing solely on the elimination of the threat. Her hope was that the missiles created by the group of Sages would be enough to turn the undying villain into ashes. Equipped with the special warhead that created a plasma sphere in a small area, they might evaporate the whole body of the giant, not giving him a chance to regenerate. The group on standby would end the task, already being formed to counter the murderous giant, considering available resources. Otherwise, the military would flatten the center of the city, not taking any risk to let the unkillable monster run wild and free. Humanity had been always cruel to itself and even more toward other species. Sarah knew it personally, especially after getting her powers.
¡°Be ready to start the second stage¡ Tell the supers to move to the starting point. After the blast, they need to quickly engage before the villain regains his state¡ If he regains it¡ And send Demonologist away ¨C we will need him later¡,¡± The last part was spoken quietly as Sarah had to calculate the potential aftermath of the failure. The world needed powerful heroes. No, the supers needed them, ¡°Yes, and increase the mandatory evacuation zone up to two more blocks.¡±
¡°One minute for helos to get to the launch position. TripleShot is already guiding the aim through the lasers. The last hero from the first team is dead. The target stays on the spot,¡± Denny briefly commented, looking at the screen where the bloodied figure of the giant was silently observing its own hands, covered in red liquid. Motionless, he was standing in the ruins of the building, which was missing several floors and had a huge hole in one of the walls, exposing almost half of the tall structure. Still, despite the level of destruction, there was not a single wound on his body. His expressionless face showed nothing, while his green eyes were glued to his palms.
¡°Good. Blow up the Facility,¡± Sarah finally ordered, firming her resolve, ¡°We will kill him no matter what!¡±
Chapter 142 (4-9)
Dropping from the interdimensional portal, Robert stayed motionless for some time, ignoring the already-heard comments from the scientists in the awfully familiar laboratory. Looking at his now clean hands, which were a moment later covered with filth from the crushed skull, Rob closed his eyes. The scenes from the multiple intensive fights were unfolding in his memory, showing the gore and death in all their unpleasant light. It wasn¡¯t his first or even the second return to this point in time, despite all his efforts to break the cycle.
It''s like a broken time loop¡ Or, better to say, a bloody time loop. Yeah¡
His very first epic fight against the group of superheroes had ended with a sudden earthquake. Shaking the building where he had just finished off the last enemy, Robert managed to see through the huge hole in the wall how the nearest skyscraper started to fall down as if the ground beneath him had disappeared. It wasn¡¯t just a random building, but exactly where he came from. Collapsing under the huge weight, it quickly turned into an enormous mass of rubble, burying the underground laboratories with everyone, who was unlucky to stay inside. Simultaneously, a huge cloud of dust rose into the air, hiding the aftermath.
Maybe it was because Robert tried to see what the cause of the destruction was, his strained eyes caught a glimpse of the barely visible wall, coming from the ruins. Spreading like a fast-growing sphere, it was transparent and ethereal, as even the dust wasn¡¯t moved by it. However, the moment it reached Rob, he felt the pull. The whole world went black for a second as if deciding suddenly to turn itself off. The end of the darkness was his fall from the portal, putting him once again at the exact same moment when Robert entered this realm.
Did everything reset? I need to test it¡
Repeating his actions with a single change in sparing the life of the guard near the stairs, who shot several bullets in the face, Rob attempted to negotiate but met with a demand to surrender and go to prison willingly. This time the reason was different ¨C a trespassing in a restricted area and a possible cooperation with another villain. His outburst with calling this accusation ¡°a fucking bullshit¡± was treated as an aggression, resulting in repentance of the bloodbath. Knowing what to expect, Robert killed the supers much faster, but it still led to the same reset when the skyscraper collapsed.
Okay, got it. So, the destruction of the whole facility leads to the restart of the loop¡ but doesn¡¯t influence my state at all. Is it because I am Transcendent? Maybe¡ But it seems if I die, there will be no return to me. Hmm¡ Wait, maybe the reason is not the destruction of the whole laboratory but that equipment that I crashed into when that stupid kid blew up everyone. But first I need to find a way to avoid fighting. Why the hell are they constantly attacking me? And they call me a villain, those retards!
The next attempt to find another wording instantly went wrong, when he refused the ultimatum to surrender. The immediate response in the form of a bullet storm led to the repentance of the outcome. In the following cycle, Robert tried his idea from Fantasy City to take hostages. The negotiations failed miserably as even before he opened his mouth to speak, the multiple projectiles were landing on his body, not sparing the scientists. A few minutes later the fallen skyscraper pushed the whole time back to the beginning.
Therefore, when Robert appeared through the portal once again and noted how the brick he was holding had vanished from his closed palm, confirming that he couldn¡¯t take anything with him, he decided to change the approach, albeit slightly. Focusing on the scientists who were discussing his human-like appearance, Rob slowly stood up before stepping toward the invisible force shield. Readying his stance, he ignored the explosion and followed trembling with a primal cry from that demonical retard, inwardly counting time.
When it reached zero, Rob¡¯s body shot forward, following the escaping scientists. His target was the last man to run. With a messy appearance because of visible exhaustion, crumpled coat, and noticeable bristle, the scientist differed from his colleagues. It wasn¡¯t how he looked, but how he behaved, observing the ongoing experiment as if he was just an interested onlooker, but not part of the team. According to Robert¡¯s understanding, such a situation could be only if the man¡¯s status was high enough to get a fitting level of access. That meant information.
Charging through the fallen debris of a collapsing ceiling, Rob broke through the obstacle only to collide with surprisingly closed doors that had this state for the first time as if his changed behavior caused to view him as a threat from the beginning. Still, his reactor was already on full power, momentarily increasing his weight to the maximum. That appeared to be enough to smash the thick metal, giving a way for Robert. The cracks were already covering the walls of the long corridor, indicating the nearest destruction of the place. Still, there was not even a glint of worry in Rob¡¯s eyes as he was watching how the figure in white clothes was rushing into the small door to the side. Looking like a hatch, it had a sign that spoke about the emergency exit.
His loud approach was immediately noticed, terrifying the running scientists and increasing their pace. Their hastened attempt to close the door had failed, as Rob¡¯s hand shot forward, preventing the process. The mechanism tried to fight against Robert¡¯s inhuman strength only to fail after he simply squeezed the steel before stepping inside. The tiny room with an emergency ladder could barely fit his large frame. Quite a few scientists were in the process of moving upward, being pushed from beneath. Only three were left behind, with his target being one of them. Measuring the escape route with his gaze, Robert sighed with disappointment as there was no chance that the ladder could handle his weight. Moreover, it seemed to go only a few levels up, not reaching the ground.
¡°I will kindly ask you all to stay¡ We¡¯ll have a short chat,¡± turning his attention to scared men, Rob simply sat on the floor, covering the damaged entrance with his back. The following collapse raised a cloud of dust, but his skin withstood the hits of concrete fragments.
¡°And please, pull out your palm from the pocket ¨C I can see a shining screen of your communication device¡ You do something stupid again ¨C you die. And this is not a threat, just a friendly warning. Got it?¡± Seeing three simultaneous cautious nods, Robert lightly smiled, causing a wave of trembling from the fear, ¡°Okay, now to my questions. Is there any automatic system to track my presence? To know my exact location?¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
¡°No, sir¡ There are cameras everywhere, but I believe during the attack all guard¡¯s attention is directed toward the main source of danger. Plus, with the collapse, part of the system might be out of order,¡± one of the younger scientists answered immediately, obviously willing to show his usefulness. A moment later Robert recognized him as the man had the same name and was the one to comment on his appearance.
So, it seems this group is responsible for warning others about me¡ Hmm, I can use it later.
¡°Why does everyone attack me at once, barely giving me any ability to explain myself? You brought me here, not that it was my decision to come,¡± Rob continued, glancing at the messy man. As if feeling that the was no way out of the situation, the scientist gave up any idea of resistance or keeping the silence.
¡°I can answer that¡ Dr. Borston Green Junior, the head of the Augmentation project¡ It just started but has a lot of potential¡ Sorry¡ Today I¡¯ve met the group of the agents from CSA that told me that there was a possibility of the attack, so they were preparing¡¡±
¡°The fuck, man!¡±
¡°Why haven¡¯t you warned us?¡±
Both shouts were cut off by a single cough from Robert, giving a time to the man to gather his thoughts before continuing.
¡°I was forbidden to disclose this information, but it seemed the threat was real. Considering the importance of the Facility, it¡¯s not a surprise that CSA tries to prevent any stealing of valuable information on the research. They might think that you act together with the attacker, using him as a distraction,¡± Borston finished, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his own dirty coat and leaving an even bigger mark, ¡°If you are willing to spare our lives, please don¡¯t use us as hostages ¨C CSA might see as a ploy, even going so far to imagine that it was we who brought you inside through the teleport.¡±
This explains why they killed the hostages¡ Too ruthless¡ Too cautious¡
¡°And, if I may ask, are you? If you are not, then our experiment was successful and we indeed made not another teleport, but pierced the veil between dimensions¡ But how do you know the language? Was it a completely different realm? Or just a twisted mirror reflection?¡± Slowly turning the torrent of questions into mumbling, the third scientist fell into deep thought, forgetting his own circumstances. This was the moment when Rob acknowledged that all of them gave out the vibes of mad scientists. Maybe, only with such a state of mind, could they sit in the underground facilities for long, deprived of the happiness of an ordinary life.
Not that you any better, Rob¡
¡°You are surprisingly eager to speak¡ Are these all reasons?¡± Robert asked, returning his heavy gaze to Borston. Instead, it was the younger scientist who answered him.
¡°It¡¯s because the superhumans with permanent physical traits, like your increased size, are often powerful villains, barely able to control their emotional outbursts. The omicron particles have different impacts on humans, and statistics say that there is a direct correlation between appearance and thirst for violence. So, we are all afraid to anger you in any way, but somehow you don¡¯t look too crazy¡ I apologize for the last part,¡± hastily adding it, his namesake loudly swallowed the saliva, formed because of a nervous and life-threatening situation, ¡°CSA in these cases don¡¯t want to risk if they can¡¯t stop the villain ¨C too many accidents where whole blocks were flattered to achieve it with MINIMUM casualties. Therefore, they proceed with elimination.¡±
So, if that crazy bitch sees me as a strong villain, who refuses to surrender, she immediately orders to kill me. If they can¡¯t catch me ¨C again, an elimination at all costs. Simultaneously, any attempt to leave the place leads to an explosion that destroys everything inside this facility¡ They may think I am trying to escape after failing to steal something as I am empty-handed. Or, on the contrary, to prevent the appearance of the other villain. Or just don¡¯t want to risk, ready to demolish the whole place, so it would be no use¡ It explains why previously they blew it up instantly after I broke through the police barriers ¨C the rule to avoid any risk at all is a top priority¡ Well, I am screwed. Fuck!
¡°Last question for this cycle,¡± noting the increased trembling, Robert spoke, ¡°Is there any research about time machines, time loops, or anything remotely similar?¡±
¡°The Clock ¨C similar to our project, but instead of dimensions, they tried to pierce through the fabric of time¡ They started later and I don¡¯t know what their current state of research is,¡± the third man answered, finally deciding to return to reality and show his worth. Still, Rob couldn¡¯t miss how the scientist shot a quick glance toward his colleague with a ¡°colorful¡± name.
¡°Dr. Brown?¡± Robert frowned, setting his eyes on the messy man, ¡°Do you have anything to tell?¡±
¡°It¡¯s Green, actually¡ This¡ I¡,¡± The two-second pause for enough for Rob to lose his patience. He knew that he was on time limit, as the survivors most likely already told CSA about his presence. The more opportunity for them to prepare was granted, the more chances for him to die. Just those snipers were annoying enough to cause a lot of trouble, and he was sure that CSA had much powerful weaponry in their arsenal. Robert simply didn¡¯t wish to test if this stupid time loop would be kind enough to resurrect him. Therefore, Rob instantly put his palm on the man¡¯s shoulder before squeezing. Unfortunately, he underestimated his own strength while forgetting how fragile humans were. Especially after multiple fights against supers, where he had to put his all.
Crushing the bone, his fingers deeply dived into the flesh, momentarily turning the part of the body into a bloody mess. Hastily releasing the grip, he still was left with the scientist wailing from horrible pain and a half-torn arm of the hostage. Pausing his actions and trying to find a solution to this unfortunate mistake, while an important source of information was bleeding out, Rob missed the reaction of others. The younger one immediately tried to flee using the ladder. However, the third man pulled the odd electro-shocker out of his laboratory coat and struck Robert¡¯s body a moment later.
Maybe if he had ordinary muscles, the effect of the clearly modified device might contract his muscles, turning him into a motionless statue. Or it would damage his brain, frying some nervous connections, and sending his heart into a drunkard dance. Rob might have blacked out, feeling with the last remnants of consciousness the burning smell of his flesh. At the bare minimum, he would sense something uncomfortable, but in this cruel reality, its effect was limited to the simple sense of touch. His metallic body even failed to register the attack at once, giving enough time for the scientist to realize the futility of the attempt. Then the horror came, but Robert was already putting his huge palm on the head of the screwed-up man before squeezing, this time without any restraints. It appeared the skull bones were not much tougher than others.
Okay, this loop is a failure. Let¡¯s try again until I get all my answers¡ What was the fastest way to cause the destruction of the facility? Yeah, barriers¡ Still, I wonder how many do I need to kill in the end?
The following escape with breaking through the ambush that had APC parked right inside the hall was intense. Restoring tens of times from the damage, Robert still made his way to the police, literally stepping over the corpses of those who tried to stop him. The earthquake, the transparent sphere, and finally reset returned him at exactly this moment when he was looking at his now clean palm while ignoring the comments coming from the surroundings. Standing up, he readied himself, not even bothering to speak with temporary versions of living beings.
Two, one¡ Go!
Chapter 143 (4-10)
Bulldozing his way through the collapsing building, Robert literally smashed any possible obstacles on his way up, be it metal or concrete. Such a ruthless approach caused even more destruction in the underground facility. Through all his cycles Rob periodically wondered what the reason for those trembles and following demolition of the place was. Not that there was a main wall, ruining of which might cause such a result. On the other hand, with so many projects and dangerous inventions, it wasn¡¯t surprising that some of them could explode, leading to this outcome.
Unfortunately, Rob¡¯s timing of appearance was already set in stone, making him face the aftermath. Sometimes quite literally, when another block fell on his head, crushing against the tougher material. But at this point, Robert had enough familiarity with his new body to know what could damage it. Therefore, charging through the debris and ignoring potential superficial wounds that would disappear in no time, he quickly reached the needed corridor¡ only to find it empty. Pausing for a moment, Rob turned his head toward the nearest door that led to the laboratory. Still closed, it had an opposite state in his memory.
Am I too early? Hmm, I thought I got there without any delays¡
Pondering for a few seconds, Robert decided simply to break his way inside. However, the moment he raised his fist, the metal slid to the side, opening a view of a small group. Dressed in formal dark gray suits and wearing dark glasses despite being indoors, they looked exactly like typical government agents from movies. Moreover, carrying armed automatic rifles, they were prepared for the battle, ableist not the one that they were forced into so suddenly as Rob¡¯s body was already stepping forward. An instant later his palm collided with the face of the nearest man.
What looked like just a slap simply shattered the jaw and part of the skull, sending the agent flying back into the laboratory. Rob¡¯s eyes focused on the next target. Gripping the barrel of the aimed rifle and ignoring a short burst in the chest, Robert squeezed the metal. A moment later the gun exploded when the bullet couldn¡¯t find a way out, causing a loud bang and disorienting everyone, except Rob. Thrusting with remnants of the rifle, he pierced the neck of the shooter before proceeding with two quick swings, killing two more agents. It left him with a big guy with a ¡°tickling¡± device and an expressionless woman who seemed to be someone important.
The weapon only started to charge, glowing with sinister violet light when Robert threw the dented rifle. Barely rotating in the air, it almost teleported to its target, reappearing in the face of the big man. There was a short pause before the agent realized the presence of the foreign object in his head. Then his eyes lost focus, and he collapsed like a broken doll, losing all energy at once. This was the moment when the woman hit Robert in the chest in a perfectly executed jump kick. However, making a single step back, Rob only smiled, barely feeling anything.
¡°Why don¡¯t you say something about being not registered, bitch?¡±
Glancing on the floor with her dead colleagues, she for the first time changed her expression into pure hatred. Almost roaring with anger, she launched forward, making a few quick strikes with her fists before trying a low kick. A mistake that led to self-damage, as Robert reacted in time. Pushing his weight to the maximum, he blocked half of the punches but managed to create a spike from the obsidian steel that penetrated her leg during the attack.
Crying from pain, the woman almost tumbled, losing her balance. However, Rob was already there, extending his helping hand. Quite literally, his palm gripped her neck before raising her in the air. The woman tried to kick him, to tear his fingers, to save her. Still, despite her clearly superhuman strength, it wasn¡¯t enough. The flesh could only do so much against the steel. On the other hand, it gave Robert the ability to see her without that cold and stern mask. Fighting for her life, she dropped all her acts, focusing solely on survival.
Somehow, it even increased her attractiveness. Very tall, with blonde hair tied in a bun, she wasn¡¯t a regular beauty. Pretty, but nothing extraordinary, she had the figure of a trained athlete rather than a model with only her long legs standing out. Her formal attire with a black skirt, blouse, and a blazer tried to hide it, but Rob could notice it. Of course, it could be just his male instincts kicking in after an unknown time of his undesired celibate. Even her choice of military boots that made a few kicks in his groin area fit her wild persona perfectly. All this made Rob reevaluate her.
¡°Well, you are quite a thing¡ Would ask you on a date, but it seems this isn¡¯t the proper time and circumstances. So, I will just ask a few questions and let you go. Blink a few times if you understand.¡±
Seeing nothing but rage in her brown eyes, Robert sighed, mentally noting that it would be a problem to convince her to cooperate with him. Unfortunately, he dearly underestimated the obstacles in this way as just a few seconds later the familiar figure of the demonic creature appeared in the corridor, dragging an unconscious teenager. His phrase sounded exactly the same as it was at their first meeting.
¡°Stop right there!¡±
¡°Oh, you are already here. Thought I had more time¡ It seems this route is closed for questioning, while I think I already exhausted others,¡± Robert sighed, redirecting his attention toward the super in the form of a monster from Hell. Obviously, he didn¡¯t change from their previous meeting ¨C the same bony torso with visible muscles and ribs under the dark red skin, massive tail with a spiked ball, glowing with yellow light vertical eyes, hole instead of a nose, and the most standard thing for the most of predatory-looking creatures ¨C huge toothy maw.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
¡°Sorry, horny pedo, the woman is mine¡ Okay, I changed my mind ¨C catch her,¡± Pausing for a moment after a short consideration, Robert widely smiled, giving a time for Demonologist to process his words. The superhero even shot a glance toward the unconscious figure of the teenager before immediately releasing his grip as if the contact suddenly became painful. Rob used this opportunity to tighten the grip, instantly breaking the neck of the barely struggling agent in one motion. In the next moment, he threw her limp body toward the demonic creature.
Such a pity¡ But we will meet again, I guess¡
¡°Or catch me, moron!¡± Adding the last part with a loud shout, Robert sprinted in the opposite direction from the superhuman. The terrifying cry reached him in a few seconds. Consisting of the anger, horror from the loss, and overwhelming sadness, it was filled with emotions to the brink. The emotions that needed a way out. And the way it got, forming an unstoppable desire for revenge.
Might be a mistake. Oh, well, I need to see the capabilities of someone, who is called one of the most powerful superheroes according to Dr. Black¡ White? No, Brown, yes, Brown¡ Previously, we only reached a second stage when that small bastard interrupted everything.
¡°Abaddon, come!¡±
Yeah, I might have overdone it¡
Running through the cracked corridor, Robert quickly got to the emergency stairs. Not halting his sprint, he simply crashed into the closed door, destroying the obstacle at once. Falling down and almost ruining the staircase, Rob paused for a second to catch the balance. However, it was the moment when he heard something akin to a train that was pushing itself through the clearly too narrow space with stubbornness of a bull while devasting the surroundings. Sending trembles across the whole structure, Demonologist was going all out just to reach the hateful figure. It gave a huge impulse of acceleration to Robert, pushing him upward.
When he reached the very same armored door, his fists were ready for the strikes. Covered with a destructive energy layer, they shot forward, quickly turning several hits into a real hurricane that tore the metal apart. The trembling underneath worked as great motivation to be fast, especially when Robert noticed the glimpse of the fat figure rising from the lower level. An awful dark red ball of fat and muscles was approaching him. Using tens of powerful arms, protruding from different spots, it simply held itself using the walls, while crushing the stairs as it was too big to fit in.
Noting it, Robert made a last hit, pushing the remnants of the metal door outside. Hastily turning around, he clenched both his fists before smashing the floor. Under the inhuman strength, the construct collapsed, dropping down right onto the incoming demon. The suddenness of the act caused a small mishap when the transform super failed to find support. An instant later his enormous body was already flying down, causing almost an explosive landing somewhere on the lower levels. He even heard quite a few painful screams. Rob knew that it couldn¡¯t damage the enemy, but he had more than enough of those to deal with before approaching the main dish.
The armed agents were only preparing their shooting spots, clearly not receiving a command from the senior agent in time. It barely changed anything for Robert as no matter how ready they were, he could go through their defensive measures like a hot knife through the butter. This wasn¡¯t an exception. Charging without a single warning, Rob reached their ranks in mere seconds, already swinging with a conjured cleaver. The black obsidian steel, enveloped in a variation of Energy Blast, failed to notice any resistance, be it flesh, bones, or metal. Cutting through everything with ease, it cleaned the place from any living being without an effort. Rob¡¯s punches and kicks finished the job in a dozen seconds, ending with a mighty stomp that splatted the blood from the dented chest.
¡°Surrender, villain, or else I will make you do it! You stand no¡ chance against the justice!¡±
Robert already had heard the exact same phrase from the young superhero in a bright green tracksuit with black lines. His half mask partly covered his expression, but the short pause in what seemed to be a prepared line was quite telling. Especially, when the super hastily took out his knives, not waiting for a response. It looked like a gruesome scene shook him enough to change his approach, wiping his millionaire¡¯s smile from his face from the beginning.
¡°Shorty, just leave ¨C I am way above your paygrade¡ or what CSA is giving you for your clothing fetish. You know, you can always use a sex doll, thus only risk you would face is a chance of your cock getting stuck inside,¡± Robert calmly answered, silently pulling the handle of the cleaver inside his body to prepare around a dozen of hair-thin needles, invisible for inattentive eye. Noting how the man¡¯s eyes shone with resolve, how his feet pressed against the surface, how he clenched his teeth as if trying to keep his anger in check, Rob got his answer, immediately using his self-invented anti-speedster weapon.
An instant later it seemed like a huge balloon with blood exploding nearby, covering the whole area with red liquid and filth. The following crush of the dissected body in the wall behind Rob was met with indifference. After so many clashes against this particular superhuman, Robert found a working tactic to deal with him. The man¡¯s pride, the lack of confidence, and the desire for acknowledgment led this newly appointed elite superhero to a harsh attack after just a few insults. Considering, that his ability was a fast movement on a straight line with limited maneuvering no matter the distance, his inability to see the obstacle every time led to his quick demise.
Unfortunately, Robert didn¡¯t have time to think about the man¡¯s short role in these events as Demonologist was already crawling out from the broken door, ripping off the huge hole just to squeeze its own enormous body. Sparing a single glance at the streets with hidden snipers and a group of supers ready to engage, Rob decided against fighting there. He might have bitten off more than he could chew as dying wasn¡¯t an option to reset the world. However, he did want to try himself against someone powerful. Therefore, returning his cleaver back to its previous size and simultaneously weakening his protection around the reactor core, Robert made a first step toward the hellish abomination with dozens of horrible limbs that carried its fat ball-like body.
¡°Hey, champion of jerking off, let¡¯s see how strong you really are¡ Damn, Rob, this cycle has a record in vulgar jokes¡ But what can you do? Such is your life ¨C a deep ass hole of an experienced whore who can¡¯t stop on the way of improving her capabilities, making it even harder to get out,¡± quietly muttering under his nose, Robert launched himself forward, grinning with his almost branded at this point mad smile.
Chapter 144 (4-11)
Rob¡¯s charge was short but powerful. Accelerating himself in several steps by smashing his bare feet against the floor and leaving deep marks after each of his half-jumps, Robert shot himself into the air. His leg was already stretched forward, making a bad rip-off of the perfect martial skills of a currently dead senior agent. Clumsy motion even looked like a joke, with his inability to raise his straight leg even above his waist. Or that he never twisted his body, turning this running attack into the most basic kick. However, it was Rob¡¯s deliberate choice.
His lack of flexibility or absence of training in any exquisite fighting style couldn¡¯t magically disappear just because he wanted to. On the other hand, Robert didn¡¯t need it, relying on the extensive battle experience that he went through just to get to this moment in one piece, even if it was a metal piece. In his eyes, the most simplistic strikes were the most efficient. Disregarding any specific or set forms, Rob was used to hit with anything at any given moment. That was how he was taught by William before life itself hammered this knowledge deep inside his broken head. To thrust with a blunt mace. To headbutt an enemy in the helmet, while wearing nothing. To use dirty tricks if needed, including smashing the balls or targeting the eyes. To exploit any weakness, no matter what it was. No restraints, no honor, no stoppers. Obviously, the last part was more of his findings.
If Robert ever needed a name for his style, he would use ¡°adaptive¡±. The latter, a thing that caused the evolution of many species, wasn¡¯t about how to completely counter something, nullifying the threat. No, it was how to change the approach with a limited effort to achieve a needed goal, to suit a new environment, to survive in changing conditions. Just a bare minimum that was enough to do it, nothing more. Starting from his choice of the rodent¡¯s soul that caused his following journey without a leash from the fake god, Rob did exactly the same ¨C he adapted to constantly changing battlefields and different foes, pushing himself to new heights for the sake of survival, while killing the enemies in the easiest way possible.
There was no need to show off, no need to overdo something, especially when his own existence was at stake. His current enormous strength and weight supported this idea to fullness when Robert crashed into the huge ball-like body. Almost digging himself into the hellish flesh, he felt something crack underneath, widening his grin. Making another step right onto the approaching hand and breaking under the forceful stomp, he swung with his cleaver. The coated-in-energy blade cut through the dark red limb at once, splashing a tiny fountain of blood from the stump.
Balancing on the constantly active ball of flesh, Robert made another step forward, trying to get to the head of the demonic creature, which was tiny in comparison to the whole body. The yellow snake eyes were already staring at him as if trying to incinerate Rob with just a gaze. Not having such ability, the hellish super relied on his multiple arms instead. With a silent command, Demonologist moved his limbs toward him. Quite literally moved, as the long demonic arms traveled across the spheric body as it was Rob¡¯s black steel, catching Robert by surprise.
Cleaving another clawed palm, Robert missed a hit at the side of his knee. Stepping to the side and blocking another fist, he kicked the arm away, before proceeding with several wide swings. Unfortunately, the hands seemed to have their own intelligence¡ or the control over them was no less than Rob¡¯s capabilities over the mechs back when he was in the bunker. Ducking under the blade, quite a few escaped the fate of being mown down. However, even cut in half, with a protruding bloodied bone, they still attempted to hit him, going for the thrusts. Considering the might of the super, it had enough power to penetrate Robert¡¯s skin.
One of such stumps entered his thigh, shattering its bone in the process. The strike didn¡¯t manage to get deep, but the broken fragments were still stuck inside the wound, taking a mental effort to push it out. Especially, when there were more improvised spears coming for him. Stomping on another limb, Rob barely avoided a hit, which was aimed at his groin. His codpiece was still there, protecting everything, while the insensibility to pain and regeneration assured him that there was no need to be afraid. But Robert couldn¡¯t just ignore such an attempt, cursing inwardly.
Douchebag!
Roaring from the anger, he caught another clawed limb with his palm. Pushing it upward, he stretched it only to swing with the cleaver, cutting it off. A moment later the very same part of the body was already flying toward the head of Demonologist. Hitting the ugly face, it had enough force behind the throw to break a few teeth in the super¡¯s maw. The following disorientation was used by Rob immediately, clearing the area around himself with two horizontal strikes. Not that it changed anything as more limbs were disgustingly popping from this living ball that seemed to replicate the birth of the aliens. Stretching something akin to a pulsing membrane with visible veins, they pierced it after a short struggle, emerging like some kind of a monster. Only the inability to produce any sounds was lacking to complete the horrifying picture.
Therefore, Robert decided to avoid a confrontation of regeneration capabilities, using a free moment to strike a potentially vulnerable spot. Decreasing his weight, he bent his legs before pushing himself into a jump once again. However, this time he forgot about the higher starting point, hitting the ceiling an instant later. That broke his trajectory, dropping his body slightly to the side of the intended spot. Rob was still fast enough to react, fueling his weight to the maximum while simultaneously gripping the handle of the conjured cleaver with both hands. Everything to deliver a really mighty downward strike.
The following collision was terrifying. Falling like a meteor, Robert seemed to pulverize his landing spot, reducing everything to a bloody mess. Moreover, his cleaver dived deeply into the flesh, cutting through it with ease. Not stopping on it, Rob commanded the obsidian steel to change, quickly reforming the instrument of a butcher into a long rapier, a weapon of nobles in the Renaissance age. With no guard to waste a precious material on, he made it finger-thin just to get as deep as he could. A second later the edge of the blade was already enveloped in multiple Energy Blats, raising the cutting properties to unimaginable level¡ or just enough to go through the demonic flesh, barely feeling any resistance.
However, before Robert managed to deal any noticeable damage, Demonologist¡¯s regeneration kicked in. Restoring the flesh right under Rob simply pushed him upward. A moment later multiple reappeared limbs grabbed him from the sides, raising him even higher. Robert countered it by switching off the cutting properties, instead redirecting available energy, matter, and focusing on creating several hooks on the endpoint of the rapier. Maybe the super completely missed an addition of the foreign objects inside its own ball-like body, but Demonologist simply tensed his muscles before giving him all in attempt to rend Robert. Raising him even higher, the demonic human tore part of his flesh, spraying blood onto the surroundings.
Unfortunately for Robert, he couldn¡¯t rejoice from the first severe wound on the enemy¡¯s body or from the fact that he noticed a pulsing purple heart, which was clearly another weak point. No, all his thoughts were thrown away when he felt the pull. Despite screaming from pain, Demonologist continued his motion, stretching Rob¡¯s body. The handle with a rapier was blocked by a few palms, while around dozen more were extracting all their force in a single motion. Rob only started to redirect his obsidian steel into another place, when the pull became intolerable. Despite being a living metal, he still felt how each of his segments in the spine was losing a connection, being ripped off from each other. How his limbs lost any sense from the joints. A moment later his body was ripped apart in multiple pieces before being thrown away by the furious super.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Well, that sucks¡
A flashing thought went through Rob¡¯s mind while the whole world lost everything, narrowing to the existing only inside his thought process. Still, the latter was already working overtime, dispersing the lost parts and restoring him around his reactor core. Robert¡¯s hearing returned before the sight, helping him to understand that the angry super was roaring with a victorious cry while trashing the surroundings with heavy hits against the floor.
Faster, faster, damn it!
Pushing his energy output to maximum, he simultaneously started to reform the obsidian steel, abandoning any thought about protection. The time almost came to a halt, moving painfully slowly, while he was manually restoring himself back and doing other tasks. Feeling an upcoming dread, Robert focused on eyes and a single hand, creating them first. Casting a single glance at a blurry figure approaching super made Rob grip the floor. Leaving deep holes with conjured black nails, he pulled himself along the surface. The second pull was made with both hands. At the third, he could even use his legs up to the knees to push himself faster. Instead, Robert turned around and leaned to the floor, making a thrusting motion with his hands.
In the next moment, the huge sphere of flesh dropped onto him, trying to crush him with sheer weight. However, the metal held, while the obsidian in the form of a spear was already piercing the ball-like super. Cutting through the fleshy obstacle, it quickly reached the heart, penetrating it at once. Demonologist trembled, while his body almost recreated the wave with its multiple limbs. Then there was a long pause, where the super stayed motionless¡ before going limp, dropping onto Robert.
Almost squashed, Rob felt like the real mountain was lying on him. However, it wasn¡¯t the weight that bothered him, but the blood that was leaking from the wound. Luckily, this demonic transformation didn¡¯t have a toxic variant, just coloring everything red. Still, it took some time for Robert to cut his way out of this previously living trap. Clumsily rolling out, he stood up and looked at the potential corpse. He wasn¡¯t absolutely sure if he killed the man, but the absence of the regeneration was quite telling.
Well, you were good, but nothing extraordinary¡ Nope, not going to risk ¨C I need to behead him just to be sure¡ Yeah, let¡¯s do it!
Glancing over his nude body, covered with blood and filth, Rob sighed before taking a step on the motionless super. Using limp arms to pull himself, he additionally decreased his weight to make it easier. Less than in a dozen seconds Robert was already on top, observing the frozen face of the creature. Terrifying, it somehow belonged to the real superhero. And not just a random guy, but Demonologist himself. From the interrogations of the scientists he even knew that there were multiple action figures for sale, each showing another stage of transformation.
Wait¡ Transformation! Why does this fucker keep a transformed state?
Robert¡¯s mind was already sending command to the obsidian steel, creating a short knife in his palm. However, he was an instant too late as the huge violet sphere surrounded the body of an obviously not-dead superhero, momentarily throwing Robert away. The force was so huge that Rob traveled through the final part of the hall, breaking through the wall and rolling on the road. Hastily standing up, he was met with another primal roar of the ancient predator right before his ears caught a quiet muttering.
¡°Beelzebub, come!¡±
And it did, turning the ball-like figure into a terrifying beast that once walked across Earth. Or, precisely speaking, the demonic version of it. With giant size, rivaling the three-story building, an enormous tyrannosaur stepped outside of the skyscraper, tearing a hole with just its body. Long clawed limps, bulging muscles underneath red lizard skin, thick twin tails with sharp ends ¨C everything spoke about the unstoppable might. Only the eyes were the same ¨C yellow snake eyes that were filled with hatred to the brink, clearly clouding any sanity that was left in the super¡¯s mind at this point. The crown on the head was made from bones with the addition of several colorful feathers. Similar protruding bones were everywhere, going along the spine or finding its place on the elbow.
Stupid idiot! You¡¯ve heard about different summons of Demonologist. Why in the hell would you assume that there are only two, Rob? Moron!... Wait, what is that?
Hearing a low whistling sound, which carried a similarity to a working engine, but immediately reminded about his experience of being constantly shelled with projectiles piercing through the air, Robert reacted without a single pause, throwing his body to the side and leaning to the road. After more than a year in the trenches, the action was too engraved in his instincts, making it instantaneous and completely mindless. Demonologist, on the other hand, despite noticing it too, just raised his gigantic head in bewilderment. A second later a cruise missile dived from the sky, avoiding the nearest building with a slight twist before smashing itself into the face of the demonic super. Its sister followed the example but instead chose Rob as a target. Only his fast reaction of moving out from the initial spot helped him to survive the blast.
The explosion was instantaneous, without any delay. Sending quite a limited shockwave, the missile was turned into a sphere of plasma, simply evaporating everything inside. Surprisingly, the destructive power appeared to be quite contained, as there was barely anything remotely similar outside of this 10-meter area (around 33 feet). Still, even the remnants of the heat were enough not only to raise the surrounding temperature but also to melt most of the objects around, including Robert. At least that is what he felt when half of his body was turned into living liquid, while it took around five seconds just to cool to reproduce his body again.
Glancing around, Robert noted a trembling air that blurred the headless figure of Demonologist. However, the obstruction couldn¡¯t hide that the super was moving, regaining his strength at a fast pace. Hastily standing up and measuring the headless hero once more time, Rob launched himself back to the ruined building.
Nah, not going to face the fucking missiles directly! I can see why CSA was so stubborn to take down me before the military would step in¡ I won¡¯t be surprised if they nuke me in the end¡ Just nope¡ But God damn it, that asshole is tough!
Running past the gigantic body that was rising on its feet, Robert simply dived into the empty hole that led to the already destroyed stairs. Clumsily dropping down from the height and smashing the debris with his forehead, he avoided another pair of cruise missiles that exploded behind his back. An annoyed roar from the transformed superhero was a good indicator that the decision to run instead of fighting against Demonologist in such circumstances was a correct one. Robert wasn¡¯t sure how he would deal with the demonic tyrannosaur or survive the direct hit of the plasma. Therefore, he ran, going deeper and deeper inside the laboratory.
He had thought of destroying the machine that kept him in this timeline, but even a chance to be late before the military would use something more powerful was outside of his plans. By the moment when Robert reached the lowest level, the roars and trembles had disappeared, hidden behind many layers. It led him to sigh with relief before a sudden strike shook the whole world. It felt like a mighty blow from the titan that forgot any restraints and decided to unleash its fury on the land he was previously carrying on his shoulders. The time had slowed down, almost showing Rob in detail how a powerful shockwave penetrated the mixture of earth and concrete. The light went off an instant later, exchanging its presence with something ethereal but nevertheless damaging. Then came an overwhelming heat, boiling his inner organs from inside. The last Rob¡¯s thought before the whole world went to restart.
Well, that does look like a nuke¡
Chapter 145 (4-12)
Reappearing through the portal, Robert glanced around at the laboratory, which long ago became an annoying part of his miserable life. The familiar faces of the scientists caused another wave of irritation. Trying to calm down and ignore the same phrases, he closed his eyes. Making a few deep breaths, Rob simply lay down right on the floor, keeping the bothersome surroundings hidden from his sight. Focusing on his breathing, Robert attempted to relax. Even the following trembles with worried screams couldn¡¯t break his desire for rest.
Soon, the ceiling collapsed, burying him under the debris together with the whole laboratory. Any damage from the falling concrete rubbles, Robert healed at once, while maintaining his improvised meditation. He needed it dearly, mentally too exhausted after his multiple attempts to break free from the time loop. At this point, Rob lost count of how many tries he did, but each had the same ending ¨C the restart, putting him back at this point in time. Therefore, he decided to spend some time thinking about his options, simultaneously loosening the stress of his mind. No matter how infinite his endurance was, the mental toll was there, slowly accumulating over period of time without the ability to take a break.
There were too many fights, and each could lead to his death. Quite a few times he was reversed back to the state of just a reactor core. The plasma warhead appeared to be too dangerous to face directly, burning his body with ease. Moreover, the force shield around his entity¡¯s container couldn¡¯t protect itself fully, once again causing a spontaneous stream of energy after failing to contain the energy inside and resulting in evaporating everything above his chest. So, Robert searched for different approaches to find a solution to this messed-up situation.
It''s so stupid¡ I am powerful enough to face one of the strongest supers in a frontal fight, but the realm decided to throw literally everything at me while tying my restart not to me, but to the fucking machine!
At this point, Robert managed to create a whole picture of what was happening. It wasn¡¯t hard to do it, just took a lot of repeats. Having only somewhere from five to ten minutes for interrogation before everything would escalate into violence, Rob managed to get the needed information, while getting the simplistic understanding of this world. At first, he even tried to be gentle and kind, convincing the caught scientists to share the information with only a hint of threat. However, after several accidents, like with Dr. Green and his colleagues, and growing irritation from the need to do everything again and again Robert started to skip any formalities, resorting to torture after even a tiny sign of hesitation or reluctance to answer, trying to save the time in exchange for the need to listen terrified screams, when he was beating the information from the scientists.
Therefore, it was no wonder why Rob wished for the rest after hundreds, if not more, cycles of violence. It felt like the blood, deaths, and filth were following him, despite any attempt to escape. All desire to take revenge on the humans that had put him in the cage and placed him in the museum as an exhibit simply burned out. No matter how intensive the flame was, it needed the source to keep itself from dying down. Robert¡¯s fuel tanks were emptied, leaving no anger, no thirst for blood, and no desire to release the steam. It was all gone, scratching the bottom of his emotional barrel. He was simply too exhausted to for any strong feelings.
Even the challenge of fighting against the supers lost its attractiveness after so many battles. Not only did Robert know his enemies and their skills, but he also got well acquainted with his new metallic body, raising his combat prowess. It wasn¡¯t anything dramatically different from the moment of his appearance in this realm, but now he knew the limits of his strength and toughness, could predict the speed of reforming the obsidian steel into a new construct, and had more control over everything. The changes were tiny, but overall they had a multiplicative effect, increasing his might by a noticeable margin. And that was needed, as the superheroes were still formidable foes, even after so many repeats.
However, this fact only made their circumstances in the realm a complete joke. Somehow, those superpowered humans lost the fight for the spot of being on top of a food chain many years ago. And, considering that there was no second attempt, Robert could see how effective the legal procedures to keep in check all ability wielders were. The supers obediently wore dog¡¯s collars, not even trying to get away from such treatment. On the contrary, they were taught that it was a norm from childhood. Taking into account that abilities were a result of interaction with omicron particles, nobody was born as a super. So, it wasn¡¯t hard to set the propaganda about the need for control over the powers.
In the end, supers were treated like criminals on a probation period. Constant check-ups, psychology screening, limitations on jobs, bans on political career, and many other unpleasant things, which supers were obeying willingly just not to be put in prison. And that related to each of them, even kids who got in the wrong place at some point in their short life, while getting the ability to change the color of any object, or to reproduce any musical instrument with their voice. There was no differentiation in abilities to set the real danger level. No, all were treated equally with absolute caution.
On the other hand, the supers got their own benefits, despite the harsh attitude from the government. Depending on their abilities, they could be turned into money-making machines. Some were hired into big corporations for the specific jobs only they could do. Others became movie stars, participating in TV shows and building their own brand. Quite a few started their business, which relied on their powers. However, most just lived an ordinary life, trying to avoid any additional attention not to be judged by their neighbors. The smallest part with a proper set of abilities and character joined CSA. The latter was the biggest obstacle for Robert on the way out of this mess, while simultaneously being the solo umbrella for the supers from the downpour of violence that could be unleashed by the military at any moment.
Center of Superhuman¡¯s Abilities, or CSA, was the government-sponsored agency, whose whole task was to keep in check the supers. Responsible for stopping any law-breaking act from the ability wielders, it recruited the ¡°superheroes¡± as one of their weapons, desperately trying to change the image of supers across society. However, considering that most of the wildest and deadliest cases were the result of other super¡¯s doings, it was a hard task. Branding criminals with powers as ¡°villains¡±, CSA tried to control the damage to their damage, while minimizing any casualties of civilians. However, any mishap, any failure to stop another self-proclaimed bringer of apocalypse would lead to a reaction from the military, which always had aircraft with tactical nukes on standby.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
It led to Robert¡¯s particular situation, where CSA was trying its best to stop an unregistered super, who had already broken into the laboratory, resorting to any means to achieve the goal just for the sake of not taking the blame, which in its turn would make the life of supers worse. And if Rob managed to get through their barricades, the military birds were already ready to flatten several blocks just to stop a villain with the powers, rivaling Demonologist. Or the latter himself would lose control, causing the very same treatment with missiles. In the end, Robert wasn¡¯t strong enough to live through the nuclear strike, albeit a small one, while the military was too afraid to create any precedent of not dealing with a threat. Thus, their over-scaled response. Moreover, the destruction of the facility always led to the restart.
Precisely speaking, it wasn¡¯t the whole group of the underground laboratories, but a specific machine that was currently running a test. The Clock ¨C the device that pierced the time and connected with itself in the future. It took a lot of time and effort for Robert to get the whole picture. And maybe blood, as the scientists just refused to speak about their projects, despite the demonstrative willingness to share their secrets. Dragging the time, and avoiding any direct answers, they tried to hide the information, leading to the need to beat everything out of them. Several times Rob¡¯s inexperience led to the early death of the hostage, wasting the cycle. But his persistence and readiness to dirty his hands got him what he needed. The answer.
The problem was that it didn¡¯t provide an easy solution to it, just explained what was happening to him. As it was with the System, Robert¡¯s Transcendent state seemed to be the cause of everything. Not fully abiding by the rules of the realm, he got stuck in the paradox that was created by the destruction of the time machine. At the very same moment when the overly aggressive teenager blew up both him and Demonologist, making Robert crash into the Clock, the device was exchanging with its own copy from the future information. And this fact broke the time, leading to the well-known paradox of the dead grandfather.
The time machine couldn¡¯t be connected with itself from the future if it was destroyed before that. And exactly he was the uncontrollable and unpredictable reason for this event, appearing in that portal through his connection with Aether, but not because of a successful work of the test equipment. That led to the attempt of the realm itself to fix everything, but the variation that caused the whole mess was still there, as Robert couldn¡¯t leave the world until the situation was resolved according to all-mighty AI. Maybe it was the reason why Rob¡¯s state wasn¡¯t reversed as the realm wanted to kill him before resetting once again, decisively wiping any foreign influence. At least it was how Robert understood his situation. Therefore, he tried to get out, while avoiding the destruction of the device.
Unfortunately, no matter what he did, how effectively he fought, or what things he told, it had the same outcome. Another obstacle to his attempts was the point in time, at which the Clock had established the connection. It was weeks, if not months, away from. Moreover, the scientists didn¡¯t really know the exact time, assuming it was somewhere between two weeks and three months. It only added more headaches to Robert, who couldn¡¯t even make it through one hour. Even this rest under the rubble was another attempt to just wait for the needed time, without making any impact on the events. His endeavor to erase his presence in this ordeal.
Rob needed no food, no oxygen, no water, nothing. And boring time-spending wasn¡¯t the worst thing that happened to him. Considering his lack of any rest during the unknown time, the ability to just lay motionless was a pleasant experience. Moreover, after a few hours, there were no signs of reset, causing an appearance of hope deep inside his mind. The hope that was shattered a dozen minutes later when he felt the familiar trembling that went through the rubbles like a wave. Soon, another one followed, this time bringing a barely audible sound of explosion, which sneaked through the holes in debris.
Damn it! I thought they had only seismic sensors, but they would not scan the whole thing for any hidden super, who decided to wait it out... Or they could simply search for survivors under the rubble of collapsed levels, scanning everything. Damn, never thought that rescue mission will fuck me over¡ So, can¡¯t wait, can¡¯t fight, can¡¯t hide, can¡¯t dig out¡ Crap! It leaves me with a single option that I want to avoid at all costs.
Another powerful blast finally reached the machine, sending him back to the starting point. The only benefit of these resets was that even the dust disappeared, leaving him clean and tidy. It was even more important in previous cycles, where he was covered with blood and filth most of the time. Not that it could impact his scary appearance of two with a half meter (8¡¯2¡¯¡¯) bald brute with a glint of madness in the eyes. However, this time, he made a huge effort to appear as harmless as possible. The following disappearance of the force shield and collapse of the ceiling went exactly the same as before. Making his way out of the facility, Robert tried not to wound anyone, ignoring the fearful shouts and even gunfire of the guards. Avoiding the meeting with the group of agents with the crazy woman in charge, he quickly found the stairs before proceeding further.
The scared guard that emptied his magazine was gently shoved to the side, even without dying in the process - so careful Rob was. Hastily moving upward and pausing before the armored door, Robert sighed, while mentally preparing for what was coming. Clenching his fists and enveloping the created brass knuckles with devastating energy, he made a first hit. After ten more the obstacle had fallen, opening the sight of the agents, ready to shoot. Pulling the obsidian steel inside his body to keep it hidden, he made a long step outside, simultaneously showing his empty hands.
The blonde bitch was already there, scanning Rob with an unknown device just to say that he wasn¡¯t registered a few seconds later. However, this time Robert was faster, not anticipating but knowing the exact reaction to his appearance. He wanted to avoid it, not giving any information about the extent of his capabilities. Therefore, gathering all his courage and overcoming the inner barrier with sheer willpower that tried to stop him from speaking, Rob shouted loudly:
¡°Don¡¯t shoot! I surrender¡ I will go to prison.¡±
Chapter 146 (4-13)
Sitting right on the road in the middle of the street, while surrounded by a few dozen armed agents, two APCs, and a full team of superheroes, was boring. Maybe not to the point of being on the same level as when he was lying as a broken toy in the middle of the field after the explosion of the dirigible, but still boring enough to irritate because of lack of action and sense of Deja Vu. The looks were full of worries, the curious gazes, the mocking stares, the suspicious observations ¨C everything was directed at Robert¡¯s figure. However, after his experience of becoming a living exhibit, he didn¡¯t care about the thoughts of others. Even his complete nudeness wasn¡¯t bothering him at all. No, on the contrary, he was eyeing everything back, making mental notes for the future if the plan failed.
Or, precisely speaking, Rob was doing it before as it was already almost half an hour after his surrender and his observations came to a logical end, when the objects simply ran out, leaving him to fight the boredom. Still, he caught several interesting facts worth remembering in case everything went astray and he had to restart. The first one was three identical women in a military outfit with huge sniper rifles. Changing the location from the roofs to the windows on much lower floors, they deliberately showed their presence to him as if warning about the potential rain of bullets. Maybe it would work on anyone, but Robert faced it so many times that it was impossible to count. However, that confirmed that the decision to avoid any fighting was a good one, as CSA clearly underestimated his abilities.
The second was the specific super that stayed hidden all this time from Rob, going beyond the radar and not engaging in direct fights. The weird guy in blue spandex had a huge eye drawn on his chest and wore oversized glasses on his helmet that looked as if their purpose was not to help with sight, but quite the opposite ¨C to limit as much as it was possible. Moreover, this exact guy spent some time watching at the ground with a raised technological visor in the direction where the underground facility was located. Sparing a single short glance at Robert, the man directly went to the blonde agent, before telling something and pointing at his heart. This fact made Rob frown, thinking about the super¡¯s powers.
X-ray vision? Energy detection? Life detection? Prediction from a third eye? Something different? But it surely seems that he is responsible for finding me¡ Will the decrease of my energy generation to an absolute minimum hide me from his eyes? A note for the future test.
Turning his attention to the senior agent, Robert recalled her name. Only Dr. Green knew it, getting to know this cold woman less than an hour before Rob¡¯s appearance in the laboratory. Sarah Bell was a super herself, albeit not a strong one. According to a local classification, she was potentially an Athlete, a mixture of enhanced physique and intelligence. The latter part together with her authority made her a dangerous opponent for Robert.
Dangerous, but petty¡ Is it the attractiveness of the threatening vibes?
Towering above most of the men by a head, she wore her branded serious expression, trying to hide her irritation from the inability of subordinates to follow the commands. Or maybe it was another reason, as she clearly felt a lessening of stress when the huge truck appeared on the other side of the street. Going through the open passage in police barricades, it stopped not far from Robert, allowing him to observe his future transport.
Ten-wheels monster had a huge, armored cabin and enormous trailer, attached to it. The thick metal of the latter couldn¡¯t completely cover the technological device in its frontal part. And just from the looks, Rob could bet this moving cage wasn¡¯t relying solely on the toughness of the steel. No, considering he saw the usage of the force shield, Robert was sure that there was something similar inside the massive thing. Otherwise, he couldn¡¯t think how anyone in CSA would expect just a metal could stop a super.
¡°Get in,¡± the nearest agent commanded, pointing to the already-opening back hatch that was transforming into a small platform.
Slowly standing up without responding, Robert noticed how everyone subconsciously relaxed, when the machine had appeared on the horizon as if thinking that everything was over. At least half of the agents lowered the rifles, not they were very effective against him. The superheroic team immediately started to give interviews to the row of reporters, who were anxiously waiting to get the information first and finally send hot material into a studio. Rob even heard the loud boastful shout from the half-baked speedster, who was trying to convince the audience that ¡°the villain surrendered instantly after discovering his mighty presence¡±. The doubtful look of the interviewer and other supers were simply ignored. Robert only inwardly laughed at that, moving to the truck.
If he wanted, it was a perfect moment to strike. Distracted, and grouped, most of the CSA members would be easy targets for him in melee combat. Some of them were too focused on scientists, helping those who waited in their queue to get medical treatment, completely disregarding the potential threat. Only the trio of snipers were still pointing their weapons at him, but their position not far from him wouldn¡¯t protect them for long. Not against someone like Rob.
So it was them, and, surprisingly, agent Sarah Bell, who looked annoyed with the behavior of her subordinates. Glancing around to gauge the situation, she frowned before trying to say something in her communication device. However, this was the moment when her eyes met with Rob¡¯s. Lightly smiling, he winked only to turn around a moment later, not waiting for her reaction. Getting to know her through multiple cycles, he was sure Sarah would send him a middle fingee, if not for her calm demeanor, which she wore as a mask in public.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
The first step caused the hatch platform to creak from the weight, halting Rob. Looking at the confused agent, he took another step, which led to a similar reaction. Fortunately, the machine itself managed to withstand his large frame when he finally stepped inside. Shooting a glance behind his back and catching a nervous look from the agent, who suddenly realized that the nude giant wasn¡¯t completely apprehended to the point of being harmless, Rob spoke.
¡°Sorry, too many sugar¡ I definitely need a diet, preferably meat one,¡± baring his teeth before liking his lips, he caused a hast hit on the button from the scared man. A second later the hatch started to close, cutting him off from the outside world. Luckily, several lamps were located on the ceiling, dispersing the darkness. Therefore, Robert sat down and began another round of waiting. His biggest fear at this moment was CSA¡¯s decision to blow up the facility, making another reset. However, even after the truck started its long trip to the prison, the realm kept its wholeness, pushing Rob¡¯s thoughts in the direction of his future.
I was in several wars. Few times in space. Once even literally. On the island, filled with giant lizards. In real Hell, and a game-like world. But the prison for supervillains is something new¡ We¡¯ll see how it goes.
In the end, Robert¡¯s plan wasn¡¯t anything complex. Just wait inside the cell for the needed time frame before breaking out. All he needed was to make CSA underestimate him as much as possible, easing the future escape. The only problem was that he didn¡¯t know the exact moment, leading to the need to wait at least three months just to be sure that he was released from the time loop. Not that Aether would agree to send him to another realm if he was stuck in the prison. He already knew the message this emotionless machine would tell him ¨C the situation wasn¡¯t resolved.
So, you need to sit calm, while trying to get more information about the world to ensure that your escape plan will work out and you won¡¯t be nuked into oblivion. Easy-peasy, Rob¡ if I am lucky.
The backup plan was to escape and move directly to the laboratory to destroy the machine and reset everything. The complication was in no knowledge about the exact location of the place. He wasn¡¯t na?ve to think that he could watch the route during his travel, but still held a deep hope that someone messed up and left a hole to peer through. Obviously, it didn¡¯t happen, cutting him off from the view of the streets with a closed hatch. At least so many repeats deeply engraved the square around the skyscraper on top of the facility in his memory. So, potentially it wasn¡¯t a problem to find it, given an opportunity. And he just needed to create one.
However, for now, Robert waited until the end of his journey, half expecting a threatening or mocking greeting from future cellmates. Something about ¡°fresh meat¡±, or ¡°prepare to die¡±, or even attempts of verbal sexual harassment. To his utter disappointment, there was nothing similar. Even more, he failed to see anyone at all. His cage was simply moved from the track according to his senses before being placed on another platform. The next half an hour went in regular stops as if he was going through multiple checking points before proceeding further. Finally, after long traveling somewhere upward, and short rotation, the noticeable push of the cell signified the last stop. Attaching itself to something, the cage opened its hatch just to show Rob¡¯s future place of accommodation.
Cubic space with a five-meter (around 16 ft) length in any direction, the room had white painted walls, made from metal. The only two pieces that resembled the proper furniture were a short pedestal in the form of a large bed and a tiny toilet, barely able to fit hit his enormous ass. The former had no bed sheets, no pillow, no empty gap underneath, clearly made with a thought of possible use to escape. The deflation instrument had no hole to release the disgusting but natural mass, instead having an odd bluish liquid on the bottom. Looking around once again, Robert noticed a set of cameras in each of the corners, confirming that he would be constantly monitored.
¡°Step in,¡± the demanding voice commanded him from the hidden speakers, causing a wave of irritation inside Robert. It was already hard for him to step over himself and agree to be caged again, but many other things were slowly piling up. The need to wait after his prolonged period of constant repeats. The attitude of the guard, who despite being a fragile and pathetic human, wanted to order him around as if the man had real power over him. Rob barely held his wish to answer with ¡°Make me¡±. However, the goal to stay low to escape the time loop was much more important than his pride. Moreover, this anger felt like the prick of an emotional needle, but not the overwhelming wave from earlier. It was just easier to deal with. And that Robert did, silently obeying the order.
The sparkling force shield appeared behind his back, cutting the way back to the transportable cage. A moment later it detached itself before moving backward. For a few seconds, it opened a view of the narrowing corridor that led to the lift in the center. Rob even managed to take a view of similar pathways that were created in a star-like manner around the central hub. Unfortunately, it was all he got as the two metal doors slid from the walls, obstructing both the corridor and his prison cell from the lift. Turning around and glancing over at the empty room, Robert mentally sighed. Now only he had to wait, once again fighting with boredom.
Not that I keep myself busy by training as it might give an idea of my capabilities¡ Wait, or not if they won¡¯t see it.
Thinking over his newly emerged idea, Rob dropped on the bed with a loud bang, simply forgetting about an addition of ¡°few¡± kilograms. Surprisingly, the material withstood his weight, not deforming at all after taking a hit. That raised Robert¡¯s suspicions about the extent of the knowledge about him that CSA gathered through the limited observation at this point. He wasn¡¯t sure that it was a standard bed at this place. Glancing one more time at the nearest camera, he closed his eyes and lay down. Focusing on the obsidian steel, Rob tried to move it inside his body as fast as he could, while keeping it within the boundaries of his metallic flesh. The whole idea was to improve control. Ideally to the point before his physical change happened, returning the capability of conjured constructs to appear instantly. However, Rob would appreciate any growth he could get. Or, precisely speaking, train for.
Something tells me that there is no chance I can get out so easily from this realm. Thus, the more power I have, the more chances that I won¡¯t die trying¡ Let¡¯s train then¡ Hmm, I just have been craving for the rest and after only a few hours of it, my seemed-to-be twisted mind is already demanding action, unable to tolerate idling. I guess you are beyond saving, Rob. So, fuck it, and let¡¯s start.
Chapter 147 (4-14)
Finishing the call, Sarah clenched her teeth to prevent the flow of uncontrollable curses toward the general she had just spoken to. Each time she had a conversation with CSA¡¯s watchers, Sarah confirmed her old theory ¨C the top positions in the military were occupied by the most brain-dead individuals with enormous egos. Confident in their own absolute correctness, ruled by the strict directives that they personally liked to twist as they want, while demanding the immediate and full execution from any subordinates, freed from the responsibility of failure and backed by the higher-ups in the government, they were expecting everyone to obey without any second thought, no matter how stupid the command was.
Unfortunately for them, Sarah¡¯s position and accumulated experience in using the messy mass of multiple contradictory laws, directives, and additions gave her enough leverage not to follow their wishes blindly. This time it was about the destruction of the Facility. If there was any chance of information or technology leakage, Sarah would be the first to blow up the whole set of laboratories to prevent any potential harm to supers as no one knew how the stolen things would be used. However, she was confident that there was none. Or at least she was 99% sure.
That left her in a particular situation where not risking and destroying the underground laboratories would cause the huge bill to put on CSA for destroying the property without any real evidence of leakage. It wasn¡¯t a direct check to pay, just in the form of a reduction the government funding, but painful enough to close some programs, directed at increasing the friendly picture of supers as the guards of the society instead of being seen as a threat. Her boss wouldn¡¯t appreciate it at all. Her subordinates would be scared to push the ¡°red button¡± without a doubt, avoiding such huge responsibility with potentially ass-whipping consequences like a plague, thus making Sarah decide. On the other hand, leaving it intact led to the demand from the military, which was in constant search for any mishap, trying to find where they could bite CSA to blame them for something, and using the mistake to get more money for their own usage. In the end, it was always about the money.
Sarah knew quite a lot of dirt on the specific general, who was attached to her as a watcher. Freely using the military funds for his personal comfort, the man was doing his best to use any weak spot to gain a few medals for the honorable merits of serving humankind. Only her boss prevented Sarah from disclosing the information, telling her that the well-known greedy but stupid enemy was much better than an honest and smart one. Therefore, she had to silently nod, while listening to the outraged general until he poured everything he got and just hung up.
¡°Are you ready to get the information, ma¡¯am? Sir?¡± Asking with caution, the guard that accompanied her and Truthful Eyes attempted to hand her over a tablet.
¡°Yes, just a second,¡± Nodding, Sarah glanced at her smartphone and got a noticeable crack on the screen before inwardly sighing and finally returning the main object she had in this place ¨C to interrogate the potential villain. Pocketing the phone and thanking for the device, she quickly dived into a relatively short profile. The guard was already repeating some facts aloud.
¡°I will explain everything to your¡ colleague, while we are getting to the subject¡¯s cell. The lift can¡¯t move faster ¨C the safety precaution to give enough time for us to react in case of an attempt to escape,¡± he apologized, getting a weak smile from the super. The latter almost had no distinctiveness in his clothes from Sarah, wearing the same dark gray formal attire. However, the complex bluish tattoo that covered his face, long bright red hair, and a golden ring on the nose, made the man¡¯s status quite recognizable. That, and the embraided inscription on his blazer¡¯s back that literally repeated his superheroic name.
¡°We haven¡¯t got much from the past three days, but still there are some details. The subject, code name ¨C Golem, is potentially class four Brute type. He was placed in the corresponding cell, but showed no attempts to¡ do anything, apart from lying on the bed¡,¡± the guard was interrupted by the super.
¡°Golem?¡±
¡°It wasn¡¯t me who named him like that,¡± the man hastily defended himself before explaining, ¡°According to the data that we gathered through multiple scanners, the subject consists of metal, having no organic matter at all. Only his heart is different, made from something akin to an energy-filled sphere, protected by a force shield. Further tests showed that Golem indeed behaves like a living metal. There was no reaction to the cold or heat, while his body simply adjusted to the surrounding¡¯s temperature, keeping the corresponding number. The lack of oxygen, when we started to suck out it slowly had the same effect ¨C no reaction. He never asked for any food, water, or even clothes to cover his nudity. Therefore, the Golem ¨C an artificial being, made from inorganic matter.¡±
¡°Hm¡ So, there were no attempts to speak with someone? No demands or requests?¡± Sarah asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
¡°Nope, ma¡¯am, not even a motion. The scanners are recording that he is doing something inside his body, but we can¡¯t track anything in detail. Still, just from the observation and the provided video the subject is at least class four with a potential being higher. His already confirmed abilities are enhanced strength, toughness, and self-sustainment, but we can¡¯t be sure that there is nothing else¡ and another thing ¨C his weight might be changed on will. In his current calm state, it¡¯s around 3200 kilograms (around 7000 lbs.), while the data from the staircases indicates that at that point was much lower ¨C the damage on the surface doesn¡¯t fit the calculations,¡± almost as if the guard made an internal countdown, the man finished in exactly the same moment when the lift finally reached the needed level.
¡°Anything else worth mentioning?¡± The super asked, glancing around and noting five different armored doors that were located around the lift in a star-like manner.
¡°Nothing comes to mind, but you can check the profile for more details. This way, please,¡± pointing at one of the doors, the guard proceeded with a short check-up. Smiling into the camera and typing a long password, the man identified himself before proceeding with the names of the visitors, their access level, and even the long serial of a permit to be here today. Only after that did the door finally move to the side, opening an empty space with a similar door on the opposite side. Going inside, and getting cut off from the lift, Sarah and Truthful Eyes finally got to the point where they could see the so-called Golem.
¡°The microphones will be on in ten seconds. You can speak freely, and he will hear you,¡± the guard commented the final thing before stepping to the far corner and moving the automatic rifle into his hands as if preparing to shoot at any moment at the first sign of danger. And that was despite the clear working force shield that separated their group from the potential villain. However, both visitors were not newbies and never had been in the High Castle ¨C the giant prison in the form of a tower, located right inside the city on the small artificial island in the middle of the huge lake that was created by the part of the fallen Comet. So, they just calmly waited for the reaction from the subject. However, there was none ¨C Golem seemed to lie motionless as before, completely oblivious to the guests.
¡°Hello,¡± Sarah coughed, not knowing how to begin. Despite multiple similar meetings, it was a rare occasion when she was ignored by someone who willingly surrendered. She had to repeat it several more times until the giant moved, putting his feet on the floor and finally rising upward at his full height, towering above them like they were children.
This was the first time she got a clear picture of the man with dusty albino skin. Inhumanly enormous, with thick legs and arms, he was an ideal representation of how brute looked. A muscular figure of the bald bouncer with a wrestling background, whose appearance was often enough to stop even hot-headed guests under the influence of alcohol, who thought that they were martial artists and had an unstoppable wish to show their capabilities. An unwelcoming fierce face with rough facial features and absence of eyebrows or eyelashes made the sight even more disturbing and scary as if she was looking at the bloodthirsty beast. His piercing gaze only intensified the feeling. Especially, when the man tried to smile. It looked like he completely forgot how this expression looked, showcasing his version of bared of the predator.
¡°Well, hello there, Sarah. Glad that you found time for me,¡± grimacing in the futile attempt to look harmless, the man turned around and sighed, ¡°I would offer you to get comfortable, but as you can see, I am desperately short of furniture.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
¡°And clothes,¡± the super couldn¡¯t resist but point at the obvious nudeness of Golem.
¡°Yep, but that¡¯s because my hosts are rude enough to experiment on me without giving me even underpants. I might like the feeling of freedom underneath, but that¡¯s just not gentlemanly to meet such a beauty with my balls visible¡ Not before we are alone,¡± frowning with clear dissatisfaction, the giant suddenly stepped forward, covering the distance to the force shield in a fraction of a second and causing a wave of panic in his guests. Despite all his words, his groin was still open to the eyes, while his clenched fists looked like two hammers, ready to crash anything or anyone. However, instead of the powerful hits, he once again made his parody with a gentle smile before dropping on the floor right in front of the force shield, ¡°Relax. Just wanted to be closer to you. Tell me about yourself. Any hobbies? Maybe a training routine that explains your excellent figure. Any pets? I hope you are not a¡¡±
¡°We are here to discuss you, but you¡,¡± Sarah tried to stop this torrent of nonsense, but was interrupted with another awfully played expression of sadness.
¡°Am I rushing things? You see, maybe I don¡¯t have enough time for our relationship¡ Oh, I got it ¨C you''re just a dominant type that loves to show the leading role. I can go with that¡ But let¡¯s exchange questions than¡ I even can agree to one mine against two yours. I am first ¨C what type of ice cream do you like?¡±
¡°Mister, we are here on official business¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s even better. You can mix the work with pleasure then. So, let¡¯s shorten the distance between us, getting to know each other!¡±
¡°The distance between is already enough,¡± Sarah¡¯s calm mask almost cracked under the ongoing farce. The nude giant with clearly insane behavior and the look that was eyeing her figure with either desire to kill her, or to have sex, was just too overwhelming to keep her cool.
¡°I assume you are not single. Husband¡ No, a secret boyfriend! Well, that really sucks, yeah¡ And I bet Demonologist is a lucky guy. What did you even find in that horny moron? Is it a classic thing that good girls fall for baddies? Or is it your fetish with the hellish creature¡ No, don¡¯t tell me! Don¡¯t ruin your image¡ Damn it, now I can¡¯t think about anything, except what form do you prefer? Those multiple arms might provide an enormous pleasure, am I right, Sarah?¡± Not hiding a mad grin, Golem leaned forward pressing his face against the force shield as if expecting the answer.
¡°We are here to ask you some questions, and it¡¯s in your interest to answer them truthfully,¡± clearing her throat, the senior agent tried to finish her assigned task, despite the situation.
¡°Or, what, Sarah? Will you torture me, like the guards here? So, they already made an attempt to suffocate me and to boil like a frog by slowly turning my place into a local residence of hell? Or will you sell sex tapes of the nude man in the prison that the staff here might be using in a personal interest? Will you try to conduct more tests like a laboratory mouse? Or will you just shove me inside the prison for doing nothing? Oh, wait, you already did it. So, what will you do to MAKE me?¡± Changing his expression, the man asked, still trying to be sincere, but Sarah had a lot of experience to look through the play. Especially this bad.
¡°I can just leave, prolonging your pleasant stay here until I find another free spot in my schedule to pay you a visit. By answering my questions you can prove your innocence, thus leading to your immediate release,¡± Sarah spoke, calmly pushing her agenda, ¡°What will you choose, Mr...?¡±
¡°Robert, my name is Robert¡ Okay, if you formulate it like this, I think I can play along. But you will owe an apology for the treatment in this facility¡ And I will leave a bad rating, unnegotiable.¡±
¡°As you wish, Mr. Robert, but after we are done here,¡± Returning her calm state, Sarah glanced at the super, who slightly nodded her, confirming readiness. Closing his eyes, the man activated his ability, giving a green light for the agent to proceed, ¡°How did you get inside the facility?¡±
¡°Your scientists used some kind of machine to bring me into their laboratory¡ I literally appeared inside the force shield and in a dozen seconds everything started to collapse,¡± the giant answered, watching the interaction between the super and Sarah with interest. The latter had already moved slightly backward to see the hero¡¯s hand. Watching a single raised figure, she continued.
¡°Did you take anything with you from there?¡±
¡°Nope. I just went straight to the exit to get out of the place, while avoiding hurting anyone. Facing your armed group, I surrendered at once. I didn¡¯t take a single thing from there,¡± another raised figure confirmed the truth, finally releasing a hidden pressure from Sarah. She made the right choice not to destroy the facility. However, she still had to confirm it fully.
¡°Did you have any accomplice to get inside?¡±
¡°No! I never wanted to get inside at all¡ Oh, your freak friend is your mobile analog of polygraph. That bullshit device can¡¯t work properly on ordinary humans, not speaking about me, so you brought him here to check my answers. Nice. Now I like you even more¡ It¡¯s a real pity that the left side of your bed is already occupied. Or is it right?¡± Sarah only grimaced at the comment, focusing only on the gestures from Truthful Eyes.
¡°Did you have a goal to get inside the facility? Did you¡,¡± The questioning continued for around half an hour until she was sure that it was a pure accident that this man appeared inside the facility during the attack of Gray Lion¡¯s junior brother. Neither he was cooperating with anyone, nor did he have any malice intent in breaking in, finally clarifying his being inside the restricted area.
¡°Good, Mr. Robert¡ We just need to confirm your identity for the last check-up,¡± Sighing with relief, Sarah spoke, ¡°We couldn¡¯t find you in a database, but it must be because of the physical change. We still will need to put you through a few sessions with psychotherapists to be sure that you can control yourself, despite the dramatic influence of omicron-particles.¡± Not getting the answer, she raised her eyes to see the awkward expression on the giant¡¯s face.
¡°About that¡ I am Robert Flop, but I am sure you won¡¯t find me anywhere. I don¡¯t have family or friends or anyone else to confirm it. I don¡¯t have any documents to prove it¡ Better treat me like a man with no past and amnesia on top, that just appeared in the wrong place and time. Especially the latter, heh. But I am ready to start from a blank page, to embrace the world how it is, to find my place in it¡,¡± The man continued to talk as if trying to overwhelm the with words, while Sarah exchanged glances with the super.
¡°But do you have your memories?¡±
¡°No...,¡± the clenched fist of Truthful eyes indicated the first lie during their conversation, ¡°Okay, yes, I do, but you won¡¯t believe me¡ and it has nothing to do with our topic. Your friend had confirmed that I am clean as toilet paper in the package on a supermarket¡¯s shelf.¡±
¡°Are you a villain, Mr. Robert Flop?¡± Squinting her eyes, Sarah asked, while paying attention to the gesture of her colleague.
¡°No, absolutely not. Just look at me! Do I like one?... Well, I do have the typical appearance of a bad guy, but I can reassure you that I am not a villain. I don¡¯t even know how you classify them,¡± the raised figure showed the truth, or, precisely speaking, the belief in it, but Sarah wasn¡¯t convinced.
¡°I will rephrase using your own words ¨C do you think that you are a bad person, Mr. Flop?¡±
¡°No, I am the nicest guy in the universe,¡± a fist was an answer to this obvious lie, but it didn¡¯t matter as Sarah was already on the track of uncovering the hidden part.
¡°Did you kill anyone?¡±
¡°Anyone kills¡ Like you can squash a nasty bug or fly, and forget about the thing in a minute,¡± The giant tried to avoid the answer, but Sarag was too persistent.
¡°Do your kills include humans? Or any sapient beings?¡± She quickly added, remembering how some villains treated ordinary folks.
¡°No, I haven¡¯t killed anyone in the facility this time! I appeared and just directly went to surrender. But you already know it,¡± The emotional shout was another truth, albeit with odd wording, but Sarah already knew it, focusing on the previous events. She wasn¡¯t going to approve the release of the man, who was a murderer.
¡°And what about before it? Did you kill any sapient being, Mr. Flop?¡± She pressed, feeling that she already knew the answer. There was a long pause before the man sighed loudly as if giving up on trying to find another elusive answer. Then he raised his head, which he tried to cover during the previous questions. All his playful and mad demeanor was gone, instead replaced by the calm confidence and the coldness of the man, who experienced a lot. His piercing gaze met her eyes, and he spoke, for the first time getting serious. His low voice dropped a single word that felt as heavy as the man himself.
¡°Yep.¡±
¡°How many?¡±
¡°More than you can count if we are speaking about sapient beings.¡±
¡°Do we speak about tens? Hundreds?¡±
¡°You see, sapience is a vague characteristic, and I am not a biologist to distinguish each living being I killed into categories. But if I need to speak from my understanding, then it could be like hundreds of thousands¡ My first years were quite bloody ones¡ Those¡ alie¡ creatures were coming in masses.¡±
¡°Are you speaking about the animals?¡± Not understanding the answer that was confirmed by Truthful Eyes, Sarah tried to clarify.
¡°Not them, but I¡¯ve killed animals too¡¡±
¡°Did you kill innocent people?¡± She didn¡¯t have time to uncover the dirty background of another mad murderer, whose traumatic past together with a broken brain could create absolutely wild pictures inside their minds that never existed in reality. She wasn¡¯t there to study psychos. Sarah''s task was to understand if the wielder of supernatural abilities might cause problems for CSA and society itself. So, even if it was in the mind, it was enough to set a red flag.
¡°Yep, not that I am proud about it¡ Was in a barely stable state. And they kinda deserved it¡¡±
¡°Will you kill in the future?¡±
¡°Considering my status ¨C obviously I will,¡± for the first time showing a genuine expression in the form of a sad smile, Robert grimaced, making an unreadable expression.
¡°We are done here. Mark him as a villain. The codename Golem is approved,¡± Turning around without sparing a single glance toward the standing giant, she spoke to the guard in the corner, ¡°And raise the danger level to class five Brute ¨C I feel he has more than he shows. Much more.¡±
Chapter 148 (4-15)
Looking at the shut armored plate that in this place was called a door, Robert mentally tried to go through the dialogue, or better to say, an interrogation that just occurred. And after a minute of pondering, he had to admit that nothing would change the same outcome, no matter how he tried. Considering his experience of redoing the events and multiple interactions with Sarah, Rob was quite sure in his evaluation. Even if he skipped his act on the verge of sexual harassment, there would be no other ending. Robert would still be branded as a villain as he simply couldn¡¯t avoid being asked about his past, identity, or cases of killing. Deeply exhaling, Rob returned to his bed. Sitting down and closing his eyes, Robert tried to think about his potential course of action that could get him out of this mess.
His attempt to use a training session to fight his hidden fear of being put in the cage forever that he masked as boredom failed miserably. Not only did his control over the obsidian steel barely show any progress, but the thoughts about the whole situation appeared much stronger than he anticipated, crawling inside like persistent worms. Constantly emerging from his mind, they always created scary images of a potential future where he would be shoved into a locked space for eternity.
The stressful experience in the Tower together with a restricted by the System''s ability to communicate with others already turned Robert into a gloomy war veteran who couldn¡¯t find his place in a peaceful society. Their interest, views on life, and problems looked like something completely foreign to Rob as if others were just aliens, disguised as humans. Or, more likely, he was that alien. The following stay as a part of the museum exhibition only made it worse. And then in an attempt to escape from that prison, he turned himself into a living metal that barely felt anything. Moreover, the loop with its possibility to restart made any feeling of guilt simply vanish as nothing was set in stone at all until the time chain was torn, ready to return back as if nothing ever happened.
Therefore, Robert killed and tortured to do what he always did ¨C to survive no matter the price or obstacles. The long road of beating all unfavorable odds just to live another day raised the value of his life to such an extent in his eyes that Rob simply wasn¡¯t ready to stop. Not after so many painful events, losses, and blood. In the end, it turned him into a detached living predator with a human shape, focused on his own survival. No restraint, no guilt, no stoppers. Even his own body followed the example, becoming a block of a metal that adjusted to the surrounding¡¯s temperature, but failed to give him feedback from the outside ¨C be it pain, cold, or even a sense of human warmth from an ordinary touch.
But is it worth living like that, abandoning everything for the sake of not living but existing?
Robert was so absorbed in finding the way out that even his interactions with Sarah made him behave like a perverted maniac in an attempt to crack her cold mask. At this point, after so many loops, Rob knew that she was his main obstacle to escaping this time prison. Clever, responsible, not willing to risk, ready to use any means to stop the threat ¨C she was the one, who in most cases ordered the destruction of the machine, putting him back on square one. Her death always paralyzed the other agents, but the problem was that Robert couldn¡¯t avoid the clash with Demonologist, who was too close at that point in time. Therefore, seeing that underneath the ruthless and confident image, there was just a girl, he did his best to find a weakness before striking it with all his might and using the result in his favor.
But again, do I want to do it? To turn into an immoral creature that only thinks about itself? Remember, Robert, that at the beginning of your second chance, you wished to experience a normal life. Yes, reality smacked your face hard quite a few times, throwing away these thoughts and breaking something in your head, but it doesn¡¯t mean you need to behave like a mindless animal. At some point, you wanted to enjoy the small things ¨C like a fucking hamburger that you dreamed about for so long! Where is it gone? Vanished because of the fear of losing your awful life? You are pathetic, Robert! And to act like a sex-craving moron¡ you wanted to meet a girl to have proper relationships, but not to turn into a disgusting parody of a pick-up master¡
Reminding his behavior, Robert wanted to facepalm. The solitude and bloody stream of multiple loops wasn¡¯t helping him at all with the mental toll, putting him dangerously near to the break under pressure. Moreover, he was indeed somewhat attracted by Sarah. It wasn¡¯t about the look, but more about her attitude, her character, her willingness to act. The senior agent of CSA was a typical example of a strong woman¡ and with that she resembled him, Beth, creating a pretty image based more on his nostalgia and not Sarah herself.
Those relationships with Elizabeth were doomed from the beginning, but if he wasn¡¯t so prideful and didn¡¯t go to sign on the mission, he was sure they could last longer. However, their abrupt end because of his own harsh decision was on his conscience, and despite getting over it, the memories of her still lingered in his mind, reminding him about the most ¡°normal¡± period of his life after death in the bunker. Of course, there was a training camp with multiple friends he made ¨C William, Paul, Lawrence, and others, but it only added another mental scar after realizing how everything went astray at some point. Robert went astray.
Mentally sighing, Rob tried to think about what person he wanted to be, what things he wanted to achieve, and what goal he wanted to set. Maybe he didn¡¯t have all the answers right now, but Robert was sure that he couldn¡¯t proceed with the same attitude. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be long until he would turn into the complete monster¡ or villain how he was viewed here. In truth, Rob was indeed one, considering what he had done during his life. Using the ¡°end justifies the means¡± motto, Robert had put his life on the top priority, disregarding everything else. However, despite acknowledging it, Rob knew that there would be a long way before he could fix himself back. Still, knowing a problem was the first step toward it. So, Robert once again returned to his bed and those emerging thoughts that were attacking his mind during his stay.
It didn¡¯t take long for him to admit that couldn¡¯t live any peaceful or ¡°normal¡± life at this point. Rob¡¯s mind and body craved for the action. They both desired a challenge that threatened his existence, no matter how he wanted it to be false. His road always made him push further, not to give up, to continue the motion despite the odds¡ and now he simply couldn¡¯t abandon such attitude on a whim. It was deeply engraved in him, becoming a part of his character. Maybe even the main part at this point, as he had nothing else, except the desire to live.
Yep, I am a battle maniac¡ A fighter from tip to toe, who feels like a locked horse in a stall if there is even a slight pause between the races. An adrenaline junkie, who complains about problems and obstacles, but in truth can¡¯t exist without overcoming them¡
However, that didn¡¯t mean he wanted to be a mass murderer. For most of his life, Robert was a soldier, following the goals or, precisely speaking, the commands that were presented to him by others. He had no ambition to desire a higher position, nor did he want the power just for the sake of power. It was just a convenient way to solve some troubles he had to face, nothing else. He never had any grandeur idea, the goal of his life, or anything similar to turn it into a desired thing to aim for. Rob was just a mere tool that did its best to achieve other¡¯s dreams¡ or to save itself from dying, when there were none on the horizon.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
And again, despite all my might and frame, I became a small man¡ a villain with rivers of blood on his hands¡ Ready to abandon unknown people if there was a chance for me to die. Like I did in the Tower, leaving everything behind without a moment of hesitation, while perfectly knowing that despite the efforts of the System, I could help millions to survive the ordeal¡ Me, who immediately jumped into action to try to save children in a burning village¡ who sacrificed himself to give William a chance to change his world¡ who jumped from the dirigible, so others could escape¡ When was the moment that made me focus solely on my survival, disregarding everything and everyone else? In the Tower? Or earlier? Doesn¡¯t matter in the end.
Maybe this is the time to change it? To become a better man who sets other¡¯s well-being higher than his own¡ Captain always told that you, Tadpole, were a protector¡ So this idea about being a hero may sound stupid, even na?ve, but I think it¡¯s a proper job for the tool ¨C to be an instrument in other¡¯s hands. It will give me a purpose to live ¨C something more than just to survive. Otherwise, Rob, your true part of being a real Flop would be always chasing you¡ It seems it¡¯s about time to understand what my old Captain was speaking about, proving his point on a personal example when he refused to leave you behind, perfectly knowing the outcome of such a decision. The whole squad did it¡
For several minutes Robert¡¯s thoughts wandered around, not stopping on anything specific. Old memories, faces of friends, his teenage dreams ¨C everything emerged chaotically just to be replaced with another piece a few seconds later. These three forced days of just lying and doing almost nothing gave him enough time to reflect on his past actions. On himself. After getting into the spaceship, filled with demons, Rob had no real break just to sit and ponder. The Tower with fights on a timer, the need to adapt to the new realm with unfriendly citizens in Fantasy City and following terrifying imprisonment when he tried to keep his mind from falling into madness, this time loop ¨C something always loomed over him, pushing his attention toward the survival instead of halting and thinking over the whole situation.
Heh, it appears that prison can indeed rehabilitate¡
Still, despite this idea that currently occupied his mind, Robert didn¡¯t know where to start. He was in prison and treated as a dangerous villain. Any attempts to break out once again would only confirm this point, returning him to the state of being a bloodthirsty murderer. The time loop wasn¡¯t going to disappear for at least two more months. No one would believe in his magical rehabilitation after one session of self-reflection. Moreover, there was another problem with his appearance.
The interrogation of the scientist quite clearly explained to him that any permanent physical change after interacting with omicron particles was a sign that the person couldn¡¯t fully handle the empowerment. In most cases it resulted in a twisted mentality, turning the newbie super into a villain with a lack of control over his emotions. Often it would lead to hallucinations and mental disorder, which unfortunately resulted in violence, given the fact that the newly acquired powers made those pitiful souls hard to stop from hurting anyone. After so many years with the supers around, the society and CSA treated any deviation as a bad thing by default. Only transformative abilities were lucky to avoid such a biased attitude.
In other words, just to be treated better and not like a potential villain, the change of my appearance is a must¡ Well, don¡¯t think a random plastic surgeon can help me, yeah. Then I need to control my own strength and desire to ease my road by just killing anyone on my way¡ Prison is also a problem. Do they release the supers because of good behavior? Seems I will find out personally¡ And thank you, Sarah ¨C somehow your questioning was a waking call. That, and the correct decision to stop being a stubborn bull, who tries to make a hole in a stone wall with headbutts, and finally surrender as not everyone battle can be won.
Nodding to himself, Robert opened his eyes, observing his room once again. Nothing had really changed, but it felt different. Brighter. Fresher. The thought caused a light smile, which Rob didn¡¯t try to stop. Glancing on his body, he raised his feet before finding the nearest tiny dot that was looking at him from the corner.
¡°Okay, guys, I want to ask for a few pairs of underpants. You had enough time to watch at my hairless ass ¨C time for modesty¡ And I would like to train a bit. I will start hitting the force shield so as not to damage the walls. I bet there is another layer underneath, but I don¡¯t want to cause any trouble. I need to stress that it isn¡¯t an attempt to escape. Be warned if you want, but I won¡¯t leave the place for long¡ I will give you ten minutes to tell the higher-ups about it before I start¡ And yeah, if you want more time, just tell me. I can wait.¡±
Grinning in the end, Robert made a few quick swings, piercing the air in front of him with huge fists. His long session of fights in the time loop resulted in a better understanding of his new metal body, but he never tried to lower his strength, making his hits non-lethal. On the contrary, Rob made sure that even a random slap would break an agent at once, effectively sending him to hospital for months at a bare minimum, if not outright killing on the spot. And now he needed to do the opposite.
Not getting any response from the guards, Robert silently proceeded with strikes against the force shield, causing a flickering wave at the places of impact. It appeared that to hit fast but with a weaker strength was a tremendous task for his deeply engraved instincts. Moreover, there was no indicator that his seem-to-be gentle punch wouldn¡¯t just shatter the skull instead of knocking unconscious, granting concussion but saving a life. Therefore, Rob focused on the feeling of control over his body. Absorbed in the training, he soon completely lost track of time.
At some point, his legs and elbows joined his fists, as Rob was mimicking the fight with an imaginary opponent. He still tried to control the output of each strike, concentrating on the motions. Robert had no teacher, except his old memories from William¡¯s lessons, but with his experience in death battles and absolute sensation of a conjured body, he was making progress. Constantly adjusting the position of his body parts, he tried to maximize the force if needed, which in return helped him to understand how to lower it by will. Obviously, the flat surface of the wall wasn¡¯t the best target, and even worse opponent without the ability to strike back, but Robert was still happy with what he had.
Earlier he rarely bothered with any martial arts training as there was no need for them, nor did he have time to learn properly. He was often much stronger or much weaker than his enemies, and only occasionally somewhere in between. His ability to conjure a weapon on the fly gave him the possibility to adjust to the opponent¡¯s tactics, relying on it instead of kicks or punches. Advanced ranged weapons questioned the need to know how to make a proper high kick, while Energy Blast had completely wiped it out from necessity. However, this time loop together with acquiring a metallic body brought him into a particular situation, where in most cases he indeed had to know how to make a punch. Considering his newly formed wish to be a better man, a non-lethal version of it.
Having a clear goal, Robert dived into training without a second thought. His strategy of ¡°baby steps¡± on the road to achieve it helped him to ease the toll of being imprisoned. It even felt like his version of punishment that he took willingly after all his deeds. Unfortunately, the guards might have had a different opinion as it took them days to finally bring Rob a piece of clothing.
¡°You weren¡¯t in a hurry,¡± Robert pointed after stepping back to the opposite side of the wall when the group of armed guards approached his cell. Worried serious looks together with raised modified bulky rifles didn¡¯t make Rob feel threatened. On the contrary, he was relieved to see that there was possible communication between him and CSA. Watching how one of the agents opened a previously hidden box on the wall and put folded cloth inside, Robert smiled. In the next moment, the hatch was closed only to open its identical brother in a different spot right inside his cell. Surprisingly, it was on the same wall, completely invisible before.
Getting an approved nod, Rob slowly approached the box and took the underpants out, noting the force shield that made a small hole for this transporting mechanism. Turning around without spending too much time on the potential vulnerability in the defense, Robert faced the group of agents who were eyeing him with caution. In full body armor, in helmets with night vision devices, they looked like a spec-ops elite team.
¡°Thank you, guys. With you around, I now know that you¡¯ve got my back¡ or, precisely speaking, balls. I really appreciate it.¡±
Chapter 149 (4-16)
Lying on the bed and trembling from the pressure, Robert was completely absorbed in controlling the steel. His mind was struggling to keep up with demands from himself, forcefully cutting off the surroundings and most sensations. Even his reactor core was constantly swinging in output as if the palm on the virtual handle adjusted the energy output belonged to someone with tremor. Rob could bet that if his metallic body could sweat, he would already make a small pool in his prison cell. That was how hard the task was.
The unknown time of training brought enough progress to think that it was now a matter of real practice to hone the skills further. His punches and kicks added quite a strength just from the addition of the proper body usage. He knew the basics from his training with cold weapons in the camp, but only now he made those reflexes part of his attacks. Not stopping on it, Robert decided to train with his Energy Blast control. The loss of the ranged abilities was painful, noticeably making his life harder against agile supers. However, the obsidian steel provided him with the possibility to recreate something like the knight¡¯s energy coating instead. He used it before, creating tiny micro-explosions and simulating the destructive layer, and now he had enough time to raise this skill even higher.
Robert still avoided hitting the force shield using this energy just in case of a real need for escape, focusing on conjuring thin small plates on the top side of his feet, knees, elbows, fists, and even his forehead. In short, all spots were used for direct attacks in a fight. Stuck to his skin as if they were part of Rob¡¯s body, they were adjusted to fit properly. And then Robert started another training session. From the side it looked exactly the same, just noticeably slower. Rob was making a non-stop torrent of strikes, using each body part.
The real difference was that all plates, except the one that was in contact with a force shield during a punch or kick, were constantly covered in destructive layers. His goal was simple ¨C to make sure that he had enough control to keep it endlessly and simultaneously in several spots at once without diving into deep concentration. Exactly his inability to quickly move the obsidian steel influenced Robert¡¯s approach, so he decided to keep separated parts of the matter in different places. The biggest piece was still covering his ribs to protect the reactor core, albeit it wasn¡¯t much bigger than others. In the end, his volume of the obsidian steel wasn¡¯t even near to the previous numbers. But he had what he had, once again focusing on adapting to the situation.
Maybe the very same thought together with the need to search for a solution to his inhuman appearance gave him an idea of what he was trying to do. Previously, each of his regenerations confirmed that his steel body was trying to return to a set shape, not willing to change anything. Therefore, instead of trying to do it directly, Robert decided to proceed with a different approach. Using his control over the steel, he simply tried to squeeze himself simultaneously from all sides, making him denser but not changing anything dramatically. His assumption was based that the source of the resistance was his soul which was tightly merged with his steel body and opposed forceful modification, treating it like an invasion of the soul. Therefore, any attempt at change was fought back.
However, with a new method, he technically wasn¡¯t altering anything in himself, just making it smaller. Even the weight was kept the same, resulting in an increased density. And somehow it worked. The odd sensation, when all particles from which he was consisted of suddenly moved almost broke Robert¡¯s concertation. He still managed to hold them in a new place, slightly closer to their brothers and sisters, but a new realization struck him once again.
Okay, I did it. Now what? How can I explain that it¡¯s their new spot to stay?
The answer came with time when he failed to keep the focus strained for so long. Sighing with regret because of failure, Rob released an ethereal grip over his steel¡ only to see no change at all. It felt like his particles got accustomed to the new place of residence, setting a modified distance between each of them as a new standard. It made him smile widely, showing a direction of way out from being labeled as a villain.
However, that smile vanished soon after Robert tried to do it again. It was obvious, but it still somehow escaped his mind that the further he squeezed his body, the harder the process became. Especially to give enough time for particles to familiarize themselves with new spots. It led to a particular situation where Robert had to give his all to have a chance of succeeding in achieving his goal of looking normal. His large frame made it a tedious task as to drop from two with a half meters to something average was quite a decrease. Moreover, having no mirror and only a bed to measure his progress, Rob wasn¡¯t sure about the effect. Still, he proceeded with the same persistence as always. Not that he had much to do anyway.
The only short break was after his multiple demands to call the ¡°manager¡±, an older-looking CSA agent came to meet him. Wearing the same formal black suit, he was cleanly shaved as if trying to fit a well-ironed outfit. His wrinkled with deep furrows between his bushy eyebrows had a similar dead serious expression as if it was the requirement to get a position as a senior agent. Even his straightforward approach with a direct question instead of any greetings added to this image, making look like a real exhausted managed that had to listen to another idiotic demand from retard customers.
¡°What do you want?¡±
¡°Hello! Well, you see after the body shaming from agent Bell, I luckily got a perfect diet to lose the fat in no time because of your hospitality ¨C no-carbohydrate, no-fats, no-protein pure oxygen diet. The problem is that my underpants aren¡¯t so stretchy to keep my groin area hidden. I believe I will need new ones quite soon¡ And no, no need to change anything in my nutrition ¨C don¡¯t bother yourself. It seems your cooks are too busy,¡± Robert answered with a light smile.
¡°We had no intentions to do it at all ¨C you are living metal, Golem. Considering your threat level, all interactions with you will be limited,¡± frowning from a wastage of time, the agent pointed, already turning around.
¡°Wait! If you are already here, can you please tell me what will happen if you don¡¯t find any traces of my crimes¡ As if they never happened in this world, existing only in my head. Can I expect to be released?¡±
¡°After the confirmation of this information, you will still need to go through a mental evaluation. Even if you killed in your imagination, it¡¯s enough for CSA to mark you as a threat to civilians, considering your capabilities. You are not weakling to be stopped by a pair of police officers. So, the answer is no, you can¡¯t expect it to happen any time soon,¡± meeting Rob¡¯s eyes, the man spoke not changing his expression.
¡°Okay. Last question then¡ what do I need to do to be freed from here? You won¡¯t find anything about my crimes¡ I am already working on my appearance, trying to fix it to look normal. I haven¡¯t felt in any madness, and just train to keep myself busy¡ and I need to say that your cell with constantly working lights might be seen as torture to anyone¡,¡± Robert tried to continue but was interrupted.
¡°Anyone but you, Golem. Don¡¯t forget that we know more about you than you think. The cell is perfect to keep you locked¡ And returning to your question ¨C behave yourself, don¡¯t fool around, and maybe in a year I will organize regular meetings with psychotherapists to get you through primary evaluation¡ We are done here.¡±
The meeting only confirmed Robert¡¯s bad premonition that he was there for long unless he broke out of the prison. The latter option wasn¡¯t crossed out in his mind. No matter how he wished to be better, Rob didn¡¯t want to spend tens of years in a cell just because the supers in this realm ruined their image half of a century ago, making them a threat in the eyes of other humans, while he, Robert, just appeared in the wrong place and at the wrong time. Moreover, even if he realized that his previous road led him to become a real monster, it didn¡¯t mean that he magically started to value the lives of others as something precious. Nope, Rob was just at the beginning and only recent realization of wrongdoings stopped him from turning the whole place into rubble. That, and a real risk of getting hammered and evaporated by plasma missiles.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Still, the more time had passed, the more Robert was thinking about trying to reset everything to avoid getting inside the prison before the time loop was over. The rejection of Aether to transfer him to another realm wasn¡¯t the best indicator that his time leash was torn, as his status as a prisoner might be the reason. He couldn¡¯t know for sure, which left him only to wait patiently while swaying from the escape to the decision to stay in the cell. At some point, he even searched for any signs to help with this choice. The clues could help him to absolve himself of responsibility, putting it into an unknown and more importantly uncontrollable event. However, the prison cell was the same as always¡ until it wasn¡¯t.
Everything started with a loud alarm. Resounding through his cell with intensity, enough to pull Robert from his hyper-focus state, it was accompanied by the orange light signals. Jumping from his bed, Rob tried to catch any more signs of what was happening, but apart from the sound of wailing from the dying creature that was echoing from the hidden speakers, there was nothing else. No trembles, no explosions, no gun fire. Robert even spent a dozen seconds observing the ceiling, having too much experience of dropping it down on his head. Fortunately, or maybe not, it kept itself in the same spot as ever.
Is it a breakout?... Okay, Rob, you wanted a hint from the universe about what to do ¨C here you go. Let¡¯s go for a reset¡ And no, your desire to be a hero doesn¡¯t mean that you can immediately become one. As always, baby steps¡. I¡¯ll start with avoid killing¡ if not needed. Damn, it even sounds stupid. Like an alcoholic, who declares that from now on he will stop drinking rum to fight his bad habit while forgetting about the need for restrictions on other drinks¡ Crap, Rob, focus!
Hastily coming to the force shield, Robert once again made a punch, testing if anything had changed. However, the brightness and flickering were the same, already deeply engraved in his memory after tens of thousands of strikes. The invisible wall stopped his fist as always, keeping its integrity. Unfortunately for it, Rob had never tried to use his full strength until now. Therefore, approaching the spot where the hidden box was located, Robert pressed his palm against the shield. The other one was already clenched in a fist and covered in obsidian steel with a destructive layer on top.
Yep, no going back.
Nodding to himself, Rob pushed the rest of his black matter out from the palm, forming a thin plate with a hole in the center. It looked just like a frame for the painting with a single difference ¨C the places of contact with the wall were already melting, uncovering a similar layer of protection as his main exit. The central part of the wall fell on the floor, opening a view of a force shield. In the next moment, Robert made a hit, putting all his power into it. The strike wasn¡¯t the best punch he could do, but his idea was to overcharge the shield with the amount of damage it had to fight off. The protective layer was already stressed from the multiple tiny disintegrative explosions, but the hit was the last straw that broke the camel¡¯s back.
Disappearing with pop, it almost led to a sudden fall of Rob. But he anticipated the outcome, perfectly remembering how with less effort he ruined the shield inside the laboratory. So, stomping forward and literally crushing the wall, he clapped with both his palms. A second later, half of his obsidian steel flowed to the other hand, forming a short cleaver. Its brother was already there, cutting through the highly technological wall that supported the force shield. It took him just several seconds to destroy the machine. In the final moment, the latter even tried to turn on as if using an emergency energy line, but Robert was faster.
Pausing, he quickly ran through his options before decisively going upward. Bulldozing his way through the walls in an attempt to avoid setting defensive measures, Rob reached the next level, dropping from the wall right on the closed huge hatch that separated the floors. It immediately moved to the sides if opening the way to the lift. However, a single glance was enough to understand that there was none, and it was a pitiful attempt to use gravity to kill him. Or maybe to lead into a trap, but he had no wish to check. So, Robert did quite the opposite, hastily finding an emergency ladder and using the pathway for it to climb upward by making holes with his fingers in the surface and decreasing his weight to an absolute minimum.
Breaking through the metal and force shields that tried to prevent his escape, Rob reached the final level in just a mere minute. The reason was simple ¨C his cell appeared near the top of the building¡ or the underground facility. He vaguely remembered that he was ascending in his mobile prison cell but wasn¡¯t sure. That¡¯s why he decided to go up, as no matter what the construction, he would find a way out. The mere fall couldn¡¯t stop him. However, it appeared that there was something that could.
Turning into the unrecognizable pieces of trash on the last level with engineering systems, Robert finally reached the roof, pushing himself through the technological hatch. Pulling him out, he paused looking at a clear blue sky with rare clouds. The odd yellow light still shined from different spots, making the picture almost a postcard-like¡ only if he didn¡¯t turn his head to face two helicopters that were flying around the tall building, he found himself at. Keeping a safe distance of around a hundred meters (around 330 ft.), they hovered in the air, locking missiles and main machine guns at Robert¡¯s frozen figure. Still, they weren¡¯t the reason for such a reaction or the obstacle that managed to stop him. Nope, it was the view from the roof that led to this effect.
The prison was located on a small island in the middle of the large lake connected by a single long but narrow bridge that looked like a thin thread. The shore was at least several kilometers away from his current spot, turning city blocks with dozens of buildings each in a distant picture. However, his current place of residence was tall enough to compensate for it, opening a view of the megapolis that stretched up to the horizon. The problem wasn¡¯t in the absence of any covers against potential plasma missile barrage or armored ships that were patrolling the lake. No, the problem was an enormous red monster that was ruining the city as it was its playground.
Towering above everything, maybe except for only a business center with multiple skyscrapers, the creature was turning into rubble a few stories of buildings just by stepping on them. And it had enough limbs to do it, having the appearance of a snake with a dozen thick legs. The dragon-like head on the long neck was stretched forward as if its owner was looking for something. The dark red scales with protruding bone spine on the back, tiny in comparison to the rest of the body leather wings with another pair of hands inside, the short tail with spikes on the tip ¨C everything made it look like a mutated version of an Asian dragon.
Yep, indeed a dragon¡
Seeing how the creature paused for a few seconds before exhaling a wall of flame that flooded the streets, burning everything in front of him, Rob¡¯s assumption was basically confirmed. The distance prevented him from hearing any screams, but Robert was sure that there was a lot, as the flame seemed to have an ability to infiltrate everywhere, setting ablaze even the insides of the buildings and turning them into real hell for those who were caught in.
Obviously, there was already a group of heroes together with the military, trying to stop the rampaging villain¡ as it couldn¡¯t be anyone else, apart from the wielder of the superpowers. Moreover, there was only one that was capable of transforming into such an enormous and more importantly hellish creature ¨C Demonologist. Considering, that there were no traces of him, while the monster flattened and burned his city, the answer was clear ¨C one of the most powerful superheroes went insane.
The fact was on the surface, so it was no surprise when both helos abandoned Robert, joining the fight with the walking disaster instead of apprehending an escaped prisoner. Unfortunately, it appeared to be a futile effort as, despite the deep holes that plasma missiles were leaving on the gigantic creature, its sheer size and constant regeneration were enough to nullify any threat even from such a deadly weapon. That didn¡¯t stop anyone, and even more agents, police officers, and supers were throwing themselves to stop the monster, only to turn into ash in the process. In just a minute half of the city was ruined into oblivion, leading to the natural outcome ¨C the drop of the tiny dots from above.
The powerful blast evaporated a part of the giant only to be repeated an instant later. Enveloped in flames, it created a bright flash that almost blinded Robert and he had to regenerate his eyes to keep a clear sight on the terrifying scene. And then the shockwave started to spread, smashing the buildings as if they were nothing. Despite the insane speed, Rob¡¯s distance granted him enough time to observe this invisible tsunami that was wiping the city from existence, while the mushroom-like cloud started to rise. This scary but somehow magnificent destructive picture produced only one thought before the underground facility was destroyed, setting the realm to another reset.
Rob, you wanted to be a hero, so now you have a perfect goal to prove your resolve by stopping this event from happening. Are you happy now, jinx?
Chapter 150 (4-17)
Finishing the call, Sarah clenched her teeth to prevent the flow of uncontrollable curses toward the general she had just spoken to. The thoughts about the idiot with military rank, the correctness of the decision to save the Facility, and the whole situation that she needed to report to her boss were chaotically floating in her mind, pressing her with responsibility.
¡°Are you ready to get the information, ma¡¯am? Sir?¡± Asking with caution after noticing the signs of emotions on previously cold face, the guard attempted to hand her over a tablet.
¡°Yes, just a second,¡± Nodding, Sarah glanced at her smartphone and got a noticeable crack on the screen before inwardly sighing and finally returning the main object she had in this place ¨C to interrogate the potential villain. Pocketing the phone and thanking for the device, she quickly dived into a relatively short profile. The guard was already repeating information aloud.
¡°I will explain everything to your¡ colleague, while we are getting to the subject¡¯s cell. The lift can¡¯t move faster ¨C the safety precaution to give enough time for us to react in case of an attempt to escape,¡± he apologized, getting a weak smile from the Truthful Eyes as if the signal to proceed.
¡°We haven¡¯t got much from the past three days, but still there are some details. The subject, code name ¨C Golem, is potentially class three Brute type. Calm, not hostile, asked for the underpants right away, but warned that he didn¡¯t need any nutrition at all. Otherwise, he just mediated sitting on the bed,¡± the guard was interrupted by the super, who surprisingly couldn¡¯t hide his curiosity.
¡°Golem?¡±
¡°It wasn¡¯t me who named him like that,¡± the man hastily defended himself before diving into explanations, ¡°according to the data that we gathered through multiple scanners, the subject consists of metal, having no organic matter at all. There is a darker sphere-like spot in his heart area, but the scanners can¡¯t pierce deep enough to see. Further tests showed that Golem indeed behaves like a living metal. There was no reaction to the cold or heat, while his body simply adjusted to the surrounding¡¯s temperature, keeping the corresponding number. The lack of oxygen, when we started to suck out it slowly had the same effect ¨C no reaction. You know about the food and water already... Therefore, the Golem ¨C an artificial being, made from inorganic matter.¡±
¡°Hmm¡ So, there were no attempts to speak with someone about his situation, apart from a single request?¡± Sarah asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
¡°Well, ma¡¯am, he directly told me that he is ready to speak whenever CSA finds a time for him. Otherwise, nothing. The scanners are recording that he is doing something inside his body, but we can¡¯t track anything in detail. Still, just from the observation and the provided video the subject is at least class three with a potential being higher. His already confirmed abilities are enhanced strength, toughness, and self-sustainment, but we can¡¯t be sure that there is nothing else¡ and another thing ¨C his weight might be changed on will. In his current mediative state, it¡¯s around 3200 kilograms (around 7000 lbs.), but the analysis of records points that at some point it was much lower,¡± the man finished, not knowing what to tell while the lift was still moving. Luckily, the pause lasted less than ten seconds, when they finally reached the level needed.
¡°Anything else worth mentioning?¡± The super asked, glancing around and noting five different armored doors that were located around the lift in a star-like manner.
¡°Nothing comes to mind, but you can check the profile for more details. This way, please,¡± pointing at one of the doors, the guard proceeded with a short check-up. Quite the well-known procedure was over, opening a view on the prisoner with such an odd codename.
¡°The microphones will be on in ten seconds. You can speak freely, and he will hear you,¡± the guard commented the final thing before stepping to the far corner and putting his hands on the automatic rifle that hung on the sling. Overall, a more relaxed posture that Sarah was accustomed to was quite a telling sign about the prisoner¡¯s behavior. Turning her attention to the motionless figure, which was sitting in a parody of a cross-legged position facing the opposite wall, she coughed.
¡°Hello,¡± it seemed the greetings immediately broke his concentration as if it was just a play, or the man was expecting guests. Unfortunately, the answer would be known only during the conversation. Meanwhile, Sarah got an opportunity to get a clear picture of the man with dusty albino skin.
Taller than average, Golem was still a bit shorter than herself, reaching somewhere around 190 centimeters (around 6¡¯3¡±). Quite muscular, he had similarities with a typical brute, albeit with a smaller size. At least in Sarah¡¯s eyes. Bald with rough facial features and the absence of any hair that made him not ugly, but more unattractive, he had surprisingly captivating eyes. Dark green, with heavy piercing gaze, they were speaking about the experience, while not trying to threaten anyone. It was more like an overwhelming confidence was radiating from them. Still, there was something primal about them, hidden deep inside under the wide and slightly artificial smile, that the man sent them after noticing their presence.
¡°My greetings, Agent Bell, Truthful Eyes,¡± slightly bowing to them, the man continued, not giving time to answer, ¡°My name is Robert Flop¡ And if you do, I will ask you to start checking my words from the beginning, so I don¡¯t need to repeat myself ¨C will save time.¡±
¡°Okay¡,¡± Confirming the suggestion, Sarah nodded to the super, who immediately closed his eyes and focused on his ability, raising a single figure. And it seemed Golem knew about the powers of the particular superhero, as only after noticing it, did he start to talk.
¡°Let¡¯s start with the first topic then. I didn¡¯t have, nor do I have any intentions to appear in the Facility, and was brought by your scientists, who conducted the experiment at the wrong time. Mr. Green Junior, the man who showed you the Facility, even asked you to join him¡ and if you agreed, you would be my witness. I didn¡¯t have any accomplice, knowing absolutely no one at the moment when I appeared in that portal. I didn¡¯t take anything from the whole place, and after understanding the situation, directly went to surrender to avoid being labeled as a criminal. During this period I haven¡¯t harmed anyone. I have no connection to the villain who attacked the place. I wasn¡¯t sent by anyone, and got inside by accident¡,¡± Golem wanted to continue, but Sarah had to interrupt him. Especially after seeing that the super signaled that everything was true.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
¡°Please, wait, Mr. Flop. I do understand that you want to leave this place as quickly as possible, but I still need to clarify everything properly. We¡¯ll start from the beginning so as not to miss any details. Are good with it?¡±
¡°Yeah¡ You are very distrustful, but I get that it¡¯s a result of your position... and responsibility. Ask away,¡± As if giving up, Golem sat on the bed, making a tired expression.
¡°Good. Let¡¯s start with¡,¡± The following questioning took fifteen minutes before Sarah was sure that there were no loopholes in the wording, and that the man was indeed telling the truth. Or at least he believed in it, as in her experience, even the supernatural power to distinguish the lies couldn¡¯t work on someone with a mental disorder or personality split, who actually believed in the information in his head, no matter how unrealistic it was.
¡°Now, to the thing that bothers me in your story ¨C you told me that you didn¡¯t know anyone in the Facility and headed directly to exit to surrender. How do you know the name of the scientist with whom I met earlier that day? Or our names?¡±
¡°That¡¯s the hard part, Agent Bell¡ And maybe my fourth attempt to explain¡ So, as you know, you couldn¡¯t find any information about me at this point, as if I never existed. That¡¯s because I am not from this world, and specifically your experiment brought me here. Unfortunately, something happened, and I got stuck in the time loop, and saw how Demonologist would go insane and raze the city to the ground before getting killed by nuclear missiles. I can¡¯t imagine how many will die, but it¡¯s a lot. And I want to warn you about it, so you can prevent it¡,¡± the man continued to speak, but Sarah lost her attention, meeting the eyes with her colleague who despite confirming the truth, had exactly the same thought ¨C another psycho.
¡°Hey, I know that look. Please, just listen to me¡ It¡¯s not about me, but about others¡¡±.
¡°Do you know how many predictions of apocalypse CSA gets each day? It¡¯s¡¡±
¡°Three. Yeah, I know¡ and I also know about your personal relationships with Demonologist that you both tried to hide. The man is just too protective about you, and always uses a personal name instead of any formal address,¡± getting a surprised long look from Truthful Eyes, Sarah barely held her annoyance about the reveal, instead deciding to take the initiative.
¡°So, when will it happen? What will happen? Mind to share some details, Mr. Flop?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know the exact time as I spent most of the time in the cell until the alarm, and the guards here don¡¯t want to give me a clock¡ But Demonologist turned into some kind of a huge demonic dragon¡ Yes, I know that he doesn¡¯t have this form, but, Agent Bell, you can ask him personally about his transformations¡ And he just went on rampage, until the military came as nobody could stop him. Nothing else as I was too far to see everything in detail¡¡±
¡°But if you are in the time loop, why didn¡¯t you try to find more information by getting closer?¡± Sarah asked, squinting her eyes.
¡°Because I will die? Like it¡¯s a nuclear strike that brought him down¡ I can¡¯t survive that¡ And I don¡¯t reset everything by dying if you are assuming it. My death will be final,¡± the man explained, catching their doubts. He still carried the same confidence in his own strength, but uncertainty was added on top. Or even the feeling of being lost. As if, despite all inner power, the man couldn¡¯t completely avoid having other emotions, like hesitation and even desperation. Sarah couldn¡¯t be sure, noticing only small signs of potential inner torments.
¡°How convenient¡ Okay, I can ask Demonologist, when I see him at the next regular meeting with defenders of the city,¡± Doing her best to stress about her formal relationships with the superhero, Sarah spoke, ¡°You haven¡¯t provided a lot¡ Meanwhile, let¡¯s start with the final question ¨C are you a villain, Mr. Flop? Have you killed anyone?¡±
By the end of the conversation, Sarah¡¯s opinion about the man was set in stone. Thanking for the answers, she calmly walked out of the prison cell, wearing her usual cold mask. Only when the lift started to move down, did the senior agent speak to the guard.
¡°Raise Golem¡¯s danger level to class five. Don¡¯t treat him as if he is sane and harmless. Judging from his own words, he escaped from the cell to see the fight against the dragon¡ and to do it, he must have enough power to break through the force shield and get to the roof through the metal partitions,¡± getting a nod from the guard, who noted the change in the tablet, she went silent. However, Truthful Eyes couldn¡¯t keep his surprise.
¡°Do you believe him? He sounds like a typical madman after failing to adjust to omicron particles.¡±
¡°Obviously, I am 99% sure he is the one. Despite his human-like appearance, he is a living metal, thus the physical change was too huge for him to handle. He believes in what he says, but so what? You know how the last prophet about the end of the world with a confirmed ability to predict things made us waste a huge sum in preparation for an alien invasion that never happened¡ And only because his twisted mind thought it was true, and he couldn¡¯t distinguish his imagination from the work of his powers. Moreover, what we can do in this case? Just to be sure I¡¯ll ask Demonologist about the dragon form. Maybe we can run some deep tests to see if he isn¡¯t influenced by anything. That¡¯s all. I don¡¯t have anything to work with,¡± Sarah shared her thoughts.
¡°Still, he pointed out that it was a single attacker¡ Knew about your meeting with the scientist, and your refusal to observe the experiment. We can¡¯t ignore those facts,¡± after short pondering, the super mentioned.
¡°Yes, but again ¨C what can I do with it?... And about those facts. He can easily have a split personality. The first version used a Gray Lion¡¯s leak of the future attack to break in with an unknown agenda. He could do what he wanted, and manually push control on the second personality. Some remnants of information might be left in his head, but I know that you can only confirm what the subject truly believes deep inside. His second personality might be simply crazy, but with leftovers of memories from the first, it can produce a twisted story to believe. We can¡¯t completely check everything ¨C EMP destroyed part of the servers from surveillance cameras, and the collapse of the level wiped the rest. Can this fit his words? Yes. Can it be true? We don¡¯t know,¡± Sarag shook her head before agreeing, ¡°but he is permanently changed super that already decreases his credibility.¡±
¡°Plus, he is a villain with blood on his hands¡ even if it¡¯s only in his imagination,¡± the superadded, agreeing with the evaluation of the situation.
¡°Exactly. We¡¯ll wait three months to be sure before returning to him again¡ Forbid any interactions with him during this period,¡± Sarah concluded, ¡°Still, our work in CSA is to make sure that any threat to supers and ordinary civilians is eliminated.¡±
This thought lingered in her head during the whole day, emerging again and again together with images of Golem¡¯s confident eyes and his following struggles to keep emotions in check. Too confident and too sincere to be ignored. Considering responsibility, she just couldn¡¯t do it as any mistake would lead to unimaginable consequences, even if it did sound like pure nonsense. The noticeable part of supers was already not very from exploding, according to the latest polls, secretly made by CSA without notifying the government. Pressed by society, the supers wanted equality and fair treatment, whispering the demands between each other. Those voices were quiet, but it wouldn¡¯t last long before reaching a boiling point.
At this time, any huge event might ruin the fragile state of balance. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t do much without more information. Still, she did the only thing she could come up with was to prepare the Broom. Only this experimental weapon from the Facility had a chance to stop Demonologist with his insane rate of generation if the situation came to reality. Hopefully, it wouldn¡¯t be needed, and this warning would be just another mad bubbling of the psycho.
Chapter 151 (4-18)
Watching how the force shield and later the thick metal had cut off him from the outer world, Robert signed with disappointment. It wasn¡¯t the first he attempted to convince CSA and specifically Agent Bell in his words, but the result was the same ¨C even if he managed to sow a seed of doubt, it wouldn¡¯t change the outcome. Demonologist would still go rampage, ruining the city only to meet suicidal but futile resistance from the local enforces and superheroes. Robert noticed there was some effect in this early warning when he made this try for the first time.
Instead of walking toward the business center, the giant dragon was heading toward the lake with his prison in the center. However, that was it. The teams of supers and whole CSA firepower failed to stop the enormous monster, leading to the non-avoidable attack with nukes. The problem for Robert was a closer distance to the epicenter of the strike. Much closer. Therefore, seeing how the two tiny dots were approaching from above, Rob simply turned around and sprinted to the opposite side of the tall tower.
The bright flash caught him amid the jump, illuminating the whole world as if the second sun appeared for a fraction of a second behind his back. The following fall was long as the building was a really monstrous size. Unfortunately, despite his weight and wish, the shockwave was faster, blasting the building before he managed to land. The sudden strike with an invisible force that turned the monolithic structure into flying rubbles had simply blown him to the side, simultaneously shredding his body with stone fragments. Adding the effect of radiation that felt like a poison injection and the wave of intensive heat ¨C Robert didn¡¯t know how he had survived it. Luckily the second blast destroyed the laboratory, resetting everything, including the radioactive particles.
Robert still stubbornly tried to warn Sarah, using different approaches and arguments, but the effect was the same. At least he knew what to expect, observing the situation much closer to the edge. However, at this point, Rob felt like he was exhausted with CSA. Even his noticeable decrease in size barely helped as the problem wasn¡¯t only in his inhuman appearance, but also in the state of his body. No matter how he wished, Robert couldn¡¯t change the fact that his body consisted of a conjured metal. Adding the fact that he had no confirmed identity, was labeled as a potential criminal by appearing inside the restricted facility and couldn¡¯t pass the questioning about killing anyone ¨C Rob¡¯s situation was dire in these circumstances. There was no chance for CSA to view him not as a potential threat, putting him in prison.
If I can¡¯t use legal means or join a light side, why don¡¯t I look at villains? Well, here goes all your desire to be a hero¡ Or the wish to abandon the principle of ¡°the end justifies the means¡± ¡ But there are millions of lives on the scales, so gather your shit and do the right thing, Rob. Even my death wouldn¡¯t change anything as it doesn¡¯t seem that my appearance in the portal had any impact on Demonologist.
He didn¡¯t know the reason for the devastating event. It could be anything, starting from the newly emerged villain with mind-twisting powers and ending with the death of Sarah Bell, whose lost life might cause a hit on Demonologist¡¯s sanity. However, to know it Robert had to be there, at the beginning, while being powerful enough to survive the upcoming fight. The latter could be partly resolved with the continuation of his squeezing training as increased body density made him much more resilient. The former was much harder as not only did he have to somehow leave the facility without being noticed, but also had some safe place to stay during the waiting period.
That wasn¡¯t as easy as it might sound. With tight government control over supers and years of propaganda, the grayish albino-skinned man with no eyebrows and eyelashes was going to attract attention for sure. According to the words of several interrogated scientists, the whole prejudgment toward supers went so far that ordinary citizens avoided anything in their appearance that made them stand out ¨C be it the color of their hair or weird clothes. And Robert would catch the glances for sure. Any following ID check would be a disaster, and he simply failed to see how he could quickly find and break into a random abandoned building to stay there and not be noticed by anyone. Robert couldn¡¯t exactly pay for the silence. No, his best bet was to get a contact with local criminal circles¡ or even villains to find a proper hide-out. Maybe they could make him a proper document in exchange for some ¡°labor¡± work.
It''s just an assumption based on my imagination. I don¡¯t know shit about the city outside. But it¡¯s fixable ¨C several¡ tens of loops and maybe I can find a way out. I only need to lower my height even more not to be recognized from a single glance¡. I hope it will work¡
Obviously, it didn¡¯t. His long wait until everything was reset to the starting point after cleansing with a nuclear explosion did give him enough time to drop his height by approximately five more centimeters (2¡±). However, considering that it was a proportional decrease, Ron¡¯s appearance was still far from being viewed as harmless. His muscular build with the face of a brute might not have looked as threatening as two with a half-meter tall man, but still worked against an image of a random passerby, accidentally caught by the experimental machine. And he tried putting his acting skills to the test each time just to convince the audience.
Dropping down from the portal in his first attempt, Robert continued whistling and making a wiping motion with closed eyes, as if he were in a shower. Acting for a few more seconds, Rob ¡°suddenly¡± realized that there was no water, opening his eyes in surprise. Looking around in disbelief, mouth agape, he started to mutter.
¡°What is happening? Where am I?¡± as if searching for the answer, Robert started to walk only to bump into a force shield with his forehead, ¡°what the fuck? What the fuck is going on?!¡± Shouting from the growing panic, he touched the invisible obstacle with his hand only to refocus his attention on his limb, ¡°What have you done with me? Why am I albino?... and where the fuck is my hair? Answer me, God damn it!¡±
¡°I think it tries to behave like an ignorant human,¡± one of the junior scientists suggested, completely ignoring all of Rob¡¯s words.
¡°We can¡¯t be sure, Robert, but you might be close as it clearly knows our language and behavior,¡± the head of the group shook his head, before ordering, ¡°Energy shield holds, so all attention on the scanners. The initial data looks fascinating¡¡±
¡°What are talking about? Are you from CSA? Let me out!¡± Rob shouted, trying to put believable emotions in his desperate cry for help, ¡°Just a minute ago I was in the shower before appearing right here¡ hairless and albino! I demand an explanation on why you have turned me into a super¡ into this ugly abomination of normality!¡±
¡°While the scanners are gathering information, I suggest you all to¡,¡± a loud explosion from above interrupted the senior scientist, causing him to look at the ceiling with worry. An instant later the trembling came, shaking all facility. There was a short pause before it resumed. This time it didn¡¯t stop on a single act as more and more shockwaves came, bringing the primal scream of the hungry beast from above. It immediately pushed everyone in motion, completely abandoning a ¡°promising result¡± of the experiment still locked in the cell.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Well, fuck. Let¡¯s try again then¡ get out, smash the machine, repeat. Go!
¡°What is happening? Where am I?¡± as if searching for the answer, Robert started to walk only to bump into a force shield with his forehead, ¡°what the fuck? What the fuck is going on?!¡± Shouting from the growing panic, he touched the invisible obstacle with his hand only to refocus his attention on his limb, ¡°What have you done with me? Why am I albino?... and where the fuck is my hair? Wait¡ Is it you, Mr. Green? Bortson Green Junior? It¡¯s me, Larry¡ I live down the street not far from you¡ I helped your wife with the car, and she showed your picture¡ Why am I here? What is going on? I want to leave¡,¡± imitating as if he was suffocating, Robert started to breathe heavily, while the attention of the group was focused on the guesting scientist. Borston coughed, feeling quite uncomfortable under multiple gazes.
¡°I am not married,¡± this explanation was enough to return everyone back to the devices.
¡°It''s surprisingly clever trying to deceive us,¡± the same junior scientist commented, once again confirming his chatterbox attitude, ¡°Plus he knows our language, despite coming from another realm.¡±
Fucking liar! You told me you had kids and a wife, begging me not to hurt you! Okay, once again.
¡°Is it you, Robert? Robert Blonski? We¡¯ve had several subjects at TRP University back in the day¡ Can you tell me what is going on? Why am I here? I was in the shower after training and booms¡ I am here. Man, what the fuck?¡± Covering his groin area, Rob addressed his namesake, before ¡°finally¡± noticing his albino skin, ¡°What the hell has happened to me? Did you... turn me into a super? That¡¯s not cool! I wanted to join the military - was fucking trying so hard to grow some muscles to join them! What the heck? Fix it, bastards!¡±
Bumping into the force shield, Robert screamed from rage, for the first time being quite sincere in his emotions as the frustration was already accumulating through multiple time loops. Failing to convince them, he retorted back to ¡°forceful questioning¡± the scientist, trying to get personal information in an attempt to use it. On the back of his mind, there was a thought about his decision to become a better man, but Robert shoved it aside for now, as to become one, he needed first and foremost manage to get out of the facility to find more information about the cause of Demonologist¡¯s madness. He still tried to avoid the more brutal approach to getting answers, but that only led to more loops to go through. Still, the resets erased all the blood and suffering he caused to anyone, leaving only scars deep inside his own mind.
¡°Do you know him, Robert? The scanners are showing interesting data, and we¡¯ve definitely made everything like before,¡± the senior scientist asked, thinking over the possibilities.
¡°Well, it can be just an imitation that used some psionic force to get information from the head,¡± answered the young man.
¡°What are talking about? It¡¯s me, Hugh Tersmith¡ maybe not so lean and weak like before,¡± Rob¡¯s hand ran over his now bald head, creating a shocked expression on his face, ¡°where the fuck is my hair? What shittery have you done to me?¡±
¡°I indeed had a classmate with that name, but I barely remember him¡,¡± now doubting his conclusion, the young scientist muttered. A moment later a loud explosion struck from above. Rob immediately started to plead to be released and for a moment he thought he would finally succeed, when his namesake hastily ran to the controlling panel. However, his boss had stopped him, gripping his shoulder. Despite the appearance of the trembles, that led the other group to scatter in panic, the man calmly spoke.
¡°Until the tests are done, he will stay inside. Moreover, under the shield, he will be in more safety inside than we are here. So, leave it, Robert, and let¡¯s follow the emergency protocol.¡± Getting the nod from the namesake, they both sprinted away, barely avoiding the flying block from the ceiling. On the other hand, Rob simply sat at his spot, feeling depressed. After at least several dozen tries, all he got was the same result.
His changed appearance lessened the worries of the group, making him look not like a threat. However, the fear was replaced by curiosity. Considering his location in a real laboratory during the experiment, the scientists had enough capabilities from the set equipment to see that he wasn¡¯t just a random human. It was almost impossible to miss that he was composed of metal. Robert simply couldn¡¯t deceive them to release him. At most, Rob could drag the time, but then the senior researcher stepped in, always following the safety procedure.
Obviously, he could break out, but that immediately marked him as a potential villain. The first one to sell him to Sarah was Dr. Bronson. However, he wasn¡¯t the only one as the others in the group would eventually tell the guards about him, warning CSA about the presence of another super inside the Facility. A dangerous super, as the set shield was strong enough to keep any weak empowered humans from getting out without a problem. It led to the single option to get from the laboratory while avoiding being noticed by CSA ¨C Robert had to kill everyone before they ran away. Only this course of action made him invisible to the agent¡¯s eyes at the beginning of the loop.
How is your attempt to become a hero going on? Like always, in the shittiest way ever?
Robert couldn¡¯t lie to himself that it took a lot of effort to convince himself to do it ¨C massacring everyone in the laboratory. Nope, it took none. However, Rob still felt sadness that the circumstances again and again were pushing toward the violence, even if he wanted to avoid it. Moreover, the thought that he would need to repeat multiple times was another challenge to overcome as this bloody act would only grant him temporary safety as he would still need to leave the place, which was even harder than convincing a group of scientists.
As always, good intentions may pave the way directly to hell¡ Firm your resolve and just do it, Robert. You wanted to be a hero, and nobody promised that it would be easy.
And he did it. Appearing from the portal, Robert immediately sprinted forward, already covering his fists with black plates coated in energy. A pair of lightning-fast strikes was enough to shatter the force shield, exposing the completely unprepared to such a sudden outcome of the experiment group. What followed was a real slaughter as unarmed and fragile scientists didn¡¯t have even a single thought about resistance, immediately trying to run. Unfortunately for them, despite the huge Rob¡¯s weight even in a decreased state, he was much faster. It took less than a dozen seconds to become a single living being inside the ruined laboratory.
Looking at his bloody hands and the devastated place, Robert closed his eyes, trying to calm his boiling emotions. It began harder and harder to justify the killing of an innocent and harmless people, who had no desire, nor power to fight with him. Moreover, it started to look like a cold-blooded murder because it was he, Rob, who decided to do it. There was no threat to his life, except being stuck forever in this time frame. However, the image of the city, turned into a wasteland together with all its citizens, appeared once again, replacing the bloodied walls of the laboratory.
The time loop will erase everything¡ It will erase¡ Yes, nothing is concluded until the final loop. If you decide to give up and simply die, the city will be still raised to the ground. So, it¡¯s your choice to try and change it, becoming a hero¡ not for others, but for yourself, proving that you can be better.
A loud explosion with trembles that came a few moments later cut all his self-reflection, pushing him into motion. He had a world to save, and the heroic feat to do, which started in finding a way out without being noticed. Rob wasn¡¯t going to stop until he found the right action sequence to achieve it. He had all the time in the universe.
Chapter 152 (4-19)
Hastily running through the corridor with quite a few cracks over its walls, the group of scientists was barely keeping themselves in check. Only drilled-in knowledge of how to act in case of emergency prevented them from pushing each other and attempting to get to the lifts or stairs as fast as possible. Any image of respectful researchers with multiple rewards was dropped. Any gallant attitude toward women or elders was forgotten. Instead, the animal-like fear was pushed on top, replacing most of the thoughts with a single one ¨C to survive. Only the previously repeated training restricted this overwhelming emotion, helping to keep it in check, despite the real danger. Unfortunately, only partly.
Therefore, it wasn¡¯t surprising that the part of this fleeing stream crammed into the lifts, completely forgetting about the forbiddance of doing it. Packed in like sardines, they were still pushing each other to get in. Obviously, it took some force to free the doors from others and finally started its way upward to safety¡ only to be stuck in the middle of the tunnel. The other part used the stairs, deciding that their legs were faster than a mechanism in this situation. Running for a few staircases, they soon found themselves out of breath, but still continued their way to the surface, fearing the villains.
Soon, the flow of scientists started to emerge from the underground facility. Appearing in front of pointed guns, they reacted differently. Some were happy to see CSA¡¯s agents. Others were scared, shouting their names and positions in the laboratory. The bigger part was just too exhausted after getting through the hard obstacle in the form of long stairs. Constantly appearing inside the damaged hall, the tiny stream soon turned into a river. However, CSA was ready for that. Disregarding any statuses, and threatening with rifles, the agents quickly organized an order, proceeding with identity check-ups even before giving any medical treatment.
Still, despite the trained procedures and multiple eyes, one of the scientists managed to sneak out, using the short frame of chaos that appeared after another large group emerged from the stairs. Bald, with pale skin under the layer of dust and a few blood spots on his unattractive face, dressed in a crumpled laboratory coat and boots without socks, the man used a distraction to move inside the nearest room, which appeared at the entrance to the reception for the staff. Pausing right after making a single step inside, the fake scientist immediately turned around and went outside, leaning against the wall. This weird act helped him to avoid the agent who checked the place two seconds later, glancing over the desk at a messy place. Finding nothing, except scattered papers, a broken monitor, and a few lying chairs, the armed muttered something into the communication device before leaving. An instant later the bald man returned inside.
Steadily moving through the hastily left place, he stepped over the chair only to pause in mere centimeters from the smartphone, forgotten on the table. Laying right on the edge, it was dangerously close to falling just from even an incautious touch. Still, the man acted as if he knew, getting through the obstacles with well-controlled actions. Reaching the back door, he got inside and immediately closed the door. A few seconds later another agent looked over the reception desk, checking the perimeter after noticing a motion with a periphery of his sight.
The following route was much easier, albeit filled with sudden pauses and weird turns. Soon the man got to the opposite side of the building. Looking through the opened staff door at the hatch that led to the sewage system, he halted his motions, clearly thinking about something. Despite the sunny day, the lights from the police cars were visible not far from his current spot. Blocking all roads and possible way-outs, the enforces had already encircled the whole area, leaving limited possibilities. Therefore, the use of the underground system was an obvious choice. However, it looked like something was bothering the man. Making a silent countdown only with his lips, the baldy¡¯s eyes were jumping from one object to another as if he was searching for something. Still, when he reached zero, the man immediately launched forward.
Getting to the hatch in mere moments, he gripped it at the edge, almost throwing it away. The other hand was already catching the potential projectile, preventing it from making any unnecessary sound. Everything was done in such a swift manner as it was deeply engraved into his muscle memory. Unfortunately, it appeared that it wasn¡¯t enough. Just before the man jumped inside, a green flash which followed with a voice interrupted his escape. Clearly filled with mockery, it belonged to the super in a tight leather suit and a mask.
¡°Well, well, well¡ What do we have here? A villain, trying to run from the place of crime? And that is a mistake because I, Green¡,¡± the super started to declare only to get an annoyed glance from the man in a laboratory coat.
¡°Shut up, retard,¡± grimacing with a barely holding irritation, the baldy slowly put the hatch back before raising on his feet, ¡°Was it that fucking Johny the Eye? That moron with awful taste for naming causes so many troubles with his stupid power, while constantly hiding somewhere¡¡±
¡°It was the justice itself that brought him to stop you from wrongdoing! Surrender now or I will make you!¡±
¡°Listen, man, I know that you trained around a dozen of such pretentious phrases, but you can speak normally. Drop the act,¡± shaking his head, the baldy commented before looking at his dirty coat. Sighing, the man started to undress, opening the view on the odd grayish skin that resembled the steel. His muscular body had no hair, belonging to someone with a lot of functional training without a goal of having defined abs. Wiping his face with the now useless piece of clothes, the disguised man was left only in some kind of black stripper¡¯s underpants.
¡°Hey, stop, what are you doing? I am not a perverter¡ Look, I was just accepted to the ranks of the elites, and I don¡¯t wish to have my first arrest to be related to a nude psycho¡ It has to be something big, and not¡ this¡,¡± waving his hand, the super couldn¡¯t hold his disappointment.
¡°Who told you that you have the ability to arrest me, idiot?¡±
The answer was followed by the appearance of a black dot right on the chest of the man. An instant later, more came out, turning into hundreds of tiny spikes that were protruding from the baldy¡¯s body.
¡°What are you ¨C a humanoid hedgehog?¡± The super asked with confusion, slowly leaning forward while taking out both his knives. Made by a Sage, they''re tailored to fit his battle style perfectly.
¡°Be careful ¨C he may be stronger than he looks,¡± another superadded from above, floating in midair not far from them. His voice almost scared his less experienced colleague, showing how inattentive the man was, despite all the insane speed he could reach, missing the appearance of a teammate.
¡°Yes, I am,¡± nodding with a smile, the baldy simultaneously moved his spikes. It looked like an invisible force had enveloped his body, squashing every single strange ¡°nail¡± against himself at once and turning him into a pitch-black figure. He looked like a faceless mannequin with barely distinguishable body features. The only gap that was left was two holes around his eyes, but that was it. Everything else was almost evenly covered with a thin layer from the previously constructed spikes. Stopping his gaze on the super, the figure gestured, ¡°Come.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t need to ask twice, villain!¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Shouting with anticipation, the younger super grinned before launching himself forward with his ability. Disappearing with a green flash of light, the hero put one of his long knives to the side, trying to slice the leg of the opponent. His accelerated mind managed to register how the atomic thin blade penetrated the odd black material before he felt the sudden resistance. A fraction of an instant later the knife got stuck, for the first time in his career failing to cut through the obstacle. The younger super immediately tried to release the handle, but the repulsion force was already there, twisting his shoulder at a joint point. Moreover, it pushed him to the side¡ right on the stretched hand with a pointed thumb that had a barely visible white glow.
¡°Cra¡,¡± the cursed had died even before the super rammed against a suddenly tough obstacle with his face. A moment later the hero followed the example, when the finger penetrated his chick, melting its way like a hot knife through the butter before proceeding with the neck. The final collision with the pitch-black villain was caused by a hero¡¯s headless corpse. And it appeared not enough to push the criminal more than a few steps back.
¡°This moron never learns¡,¡± looking on a splattered blood and organs, the villain commented loudly. Still, his voice sounded like from the bottom of the barrel, barely audible as there was no hole near his mouth. However, the other hero heard it clearly. It only led to a raging outburst from the flying super, who instantly ducked down to grip the black man. Ramming into his chest, the hero immediately rose into the air, feeling an enormous weight in his hands. A second later came the heat and madding pain. With the horror, the super looked like the empowered flesh that could protect him even against low-caliber bullets was melting just from the contact with the black figure. He wanted to drop the opponent but was instead hugged with so much force that his spine almost cracked, ¡°You aren¡¯t much better¡¡±.
These were the last words that the flying super heard, before his waist was burnt into nothingness, covering the whole world into darkness. Falling down with two halves of the hero, the baldy left a noticeable hole on the road from the impact. However, it seemed there was no effect from it. Looking around as if trying to understand where to go, the villain calmly headed toward the central place. He managed to make only several steps before the sniper¡¯s bullet attempted to explode his head. Unfortunately, the barely visible glow was already covering his body, thus making the projectiles completely ineffective. Melting from the contact with a disintegrative layer, it had to penetrate the constantly rebuilding black steel before finally reaching the odd grayish skin¡ and they didn¡¯t have such power.
Therefore, under the constant barrage of bullets, the villain calmly walked toward the main entrance, where two APCs and multiple agents were waiting for him. However, even the real firestorm left no impact on the pitch-black figure, who closed his eye holes and patiently waited. Only the grenade launchers had a slight impact on him, causing a short step to the side to keep his balance after a hit underneath him. Otherwise, the projectiles simply melted before causing any damage, failing even to utilize the kinetic energy from their speed. Luckily, the villain wasn¡¯t attacking, leading to the halting of firing just after a minute of ammo wastage.
¡°Finally¡ I thought you would be more stubborn¡ Call the heroes and get lost! You have one minute,¡± the black figure shouted through the temporarily created hole around his mouth, motionlessly standing in the ruined place that looked like a place of weapon testing. He ignored a hasty retreat of CSA, patiently waiting for supers to come and moving only when a new group appeared from the far side of the street, ¡°Now we are talking! So, guys, we don¡¯t have much time until those missiles will reach us ¨C give me the best you¡¯ve got!¡±
The first one to attack was another flying super, dressed in a highly technological suit. Painted in pink, with thick armor plates and multiple installed weapons, the hero or heroines started from the strongest strike in the arsenal. Combining two mechanical limbs to form the huge laser, they immediately used it. The red beam was so powerful and intensive that it was visible in the air. However, despite the monstrous might, the laser had lost any effectiveness when its energy was met with another, no less destructive, nullifying the attack. In the next moment, a torn piece of road was sent flying toward the super. Piercing the air at the insane speed, it took a fraction of a second to almost reach the intended target. Almost as if another hero stepped in.
The fragile-looking young man that floating slightly above the ground stretched his arm, holding the projectile in a mere meter in front of the pink armored super. Unfortunately for him, such distraction led to his sight and telekinetic powers being focused solely on saving the other person, losing a villain from view. A second later another projectile had reached his head. The tens of rotating metal pieces attempted to form something akin to a protective shield, but the force behind the throw was too huge, penetrating the obstacle. Despite crushing in the process, the multiple fragments barely lost any speed, turning into some kind of shrapnel. Another instant later the super¡¯s head simply disappeared, splattering the blood onto others.
¡°NOOOO!¡±
The sudden death caused an outrage from the super¡¯s team. The teenager immediately sent a few long lianas toward the pitch-black figure, while the raven-skinned wizard was already summoning the lighting. Striking from above, it caused a short pause in the action, which was enough for the technological hero to rain with hundreds of bullets from machine guns. However, the darkness seemed to move, overwhelming the previous glow on the black surface. In the next moment, the projectiles started to ricochet, not melting anymore. And before the flying super realized it, quite a few had entered the bodies of his teammates who were too close.
Wailing from pain, the first to drop was the owner of flaming abilities, who got a projectile in his thigh. His partner with manipulative powers instinctively tried to help him, halting her mental attacks on the villain¡¯s mind. Only beastman and created lianas ignored it, trying to stop the approaching opponent¡ not to avail as a short punch had thrown away the hybrid of dinosaur and a man, while the plant-like chains were simply burned from the contact. Then it was too late.
Crushing the skull of the wizard, who attempted to conjure another lighting, the villain gripped the staff. Swinging it a moment later, he shattered the big orb on the top of the ¡°magical¡± weapon against the chest of liana-boy. The resulting improvised spear was thrown without any delay. However, the white ninja, appearing from out of nowhere intercepted with her sword, saving the telepathic super. She instantly proceeded with the following attack but was a fraction of a second too late to stop a punch that pierced a hole in a wounded plant-summoning hero, killing him at once. Then her own sword disintegrated against the glowing back. Avoiding the elbow strike with her powers by redirecting gravity, White Lotus ignored the CSA¡¯s commands and advice coming from the earplug before jumping into the fight again.
Not that it could help as the villain was too strong. Gripping the corpse of the wizard by his leg, he threw it toward RoboVengeance in a single rotating motion, momentarily startling her. Not knowing what to do ¨C to catch the body of her teammate or to dodge, she failed to see another ¡°dead¡± projectile, flying toward her. Smashing against the armor, the other corpse pushed her into the nearest wall, hitting her with enough force to knock her out. No matter how strong the armor was, it was good against piercing but not direct blunt attack.
In the end, when a nude five-meter giant joined running through the barricades, the countdown to the missile strike was on the final marks. Perfectly knowing the outcome, the leftovers of the heroic team still desperately continued to keep the villain on the spot. Till the last second when the sound of the incoming missile was already heard, they gripped his body, ignoring their own melting flesh. This was the moment when White Lotus had to avoid another fast punch, breaking the distance. In the next instant, the missile hit, evaporating everyone stuck inside the plasma sphere. Then another one followed. The heat was so intense that she almost lost consciousness, feeling even the air in her lungs was burning hot. However, the pleasant darkness was thrown away when she saw the result of the strike. Or, precisely speaking, barely any.
Amidst ashes from the disintegrated bodies of her close friends, the odd tiny sphere was slowly covered with grayish metal, forming the familiar humanoid figure. In under five seconds, a completely nude man appeared, this time without his pitch-black armor. Sitting in the melted hole in the middle of the ruined street, the villain showed no signs of wounds, pain, or fear. Instead, there was a clear expression of huge irritation. Then he spoke, addressing himself, while rising to his feet.
¡°Yep, now I can survive even that but fucking fuck if it changes anything¡ Okay, calm down, Rob, and let¡¯s reset. You released some steam, so now focus on the main task.¡±
Chapter 153 (4-20)
In the end, Rob faced another failure, once again confirming the true meaning of his surname. All those attempts, when he had to massacre his way through the scientists, led to nothing, apart from confirming that CSA did a great job in securing the area. It was no wonder, considering the desire to minimize the risk of leakage from the facility no matter what, even with the cost of the destruction of the place. Repeating different routes an uncountable number of times, Robert was always seen by someone¡¯s eyes until he found a way to avoid all but one, which belonged to the particular super with a dedicated power. That appeared an insurmountable obstacle. No matter what he used ¨C be it a main exit, the narrow hole, made by Gray Lion, or even a self-made tunnel ¨C the empowered human noticed it in the end.
Robert simply couldn¡¯t escape the gaze of the superhero who could see through the multiple buildings without any effort. Any odd behavior immediately led to a summon of a half-baked speedster, which in turn caused an unavoidable fight. He couldn¡¯t pretend to be someone else when CSA agents orderly checked everyone¡¯s identity with scanners. Maybe there was a chance in different circumstances, but he had what he had.
Still, so many failures caused an emotional outburst from time to time, when Rob had to release the pressure and accumulated anger. The superheroic team appeared to be a perfect choice in the case, fighting for their life with all their power and not feeling anywhere harmless. Sometimes, mentally too exhausted with a constant need to act, to move, to fight, Robert surrendered and obediently went to the prison, taking a long break not to be absorbed in the bloody madness of short time loops. During such stays, he managed to push his controlling skills to a new height.
Copying the method of simultaneous squeezing, Rob used obsidian steel instead. It appeared a much easier task after previous training. Without a need to control every single part manually, and just focusing on a single mental command, he managed to create his own tightly fit armor. Almost like a villainous costume. Adjusting the thickness in some places by using more black material, Robert turned himself into a pitch-black mannequin. The next step was to use Energy Blasts, enveloping himself in a destructive layer. That led to a dramatic rise in his might, albeit turning the confrontation with supers into a deadly brawl with barely any risk to himself. The only exception was Demonologist.
Robert had enough power to crush the first two forms of the demonical bastard in quick succession, but the tyrannosaur was just too huge and mighty to deal with it in a short time frame before the unavoidable nukes would drop from above. Being almost like an older brother to the lizardman from the superheroic team, this transformation had the same insane rate of regeneration, easily on par with Rob¡¯s. Or maybe it was even stronger as even a simultaneous destruction of the brain and heart of the creature didn¡¯t cause a death.
Rob even used the Broom ¨C that weird device that led to a tickling sensation in his body. Tearing the weapon from the agent¡¯s palms after finally interrogating Dr. Borson Green Junior about the thing, Robert used it immediately against the walking demon. The wide arc of violet light caught both the hero and the unconscious villain, causing an instant reaction. Their bodies simply started to collapse from the inside, rotting in a fraction of a second before turning into ashes only to disappear a moment later. At least it was the case with a fake Gray Lion. Demonologist¡¯s figure was reduced to a tiny formless blob that still connected his brain and heart, pointing out that they were indeed his weak points. Hovering in the air, it created a dreadful feeling. However, such a state lasted barely a blink before the regeneration kicked in, reforming the demonic figure from scratch, but now with visible anger in his snake-like eyes.
Robert attempted it a few times with the same result, admitting that he simply didn¡¯t have enough firepower to kill the superhero, outperforming his regeneration. The sheer tenacity of the demonic being to keep itself intact was out of his possibilities. Considering the constant growth with the size and strength of each next transformation, the futility of the idea was clear. However, that led to a reevaluation of the situation that was going on during the end of the time loop during the fight with a huge dragon.
It¡¯s me who knows that the Broom doesn¡¯t work. What if the others believe that it will help against Demonologist? Or he, himself, tries to use it to stop himself, perfectly knowing the outcome of his outburst?
This theory was partly confirmed in several next loops. First of all, the huge demonic monster was indeed heading toward the area with skyscrapers, where coincidentally the Facility with the specific weapon was located. Rob couldn¡¯t distinguish the exact building from such a distance, but there was no other area like that. On the next reset, Robert directly told Agent Bell to use the Broom in case of emergency with Demonologist. The result was exactly the same as when he made a similar warning about a potential threat from one the most powerful heroes but without mentioning the weapon ¨C the draconic abomination still tried to reach the lake, potentially attempting to decrease the damage to the city from an unavoidable nuclear strike. Alas, it was too slow for that, most likely being seen as fleeing to the water.
And what does it leave me with? I can¡¯t kill Demonologist even before he goes rampage, and to deal with the dragon ¨C not a chance¡ So, I need to stop the event from happening. But for that, I need to be there to know the reason for everything¡ This leads once again to the two main obstacles on my way to doing it ¨C not having CSA behind my back, while being powerful enough to survive the nuclear blast¡ Shit!
Pondering over the problems again and again, Robert had to admit that in his circumstances to have even a chance of succeeding, he had to forget about any hesitation about the moral correctness of possible deeds. It was simply impossible to achieve the goal without proceeding with the same actions he did before which gave him an understanding of his situation. He had to kill to find out about this world. He had to kill to find out about the device that kept him trapped inside the time loop. He had to kill to find a peaceful way out of the laboratory, albeit unsuccessfully.
In the end, I am a villain, drenched in blood from tip to toe, who for the sake of a distant imaginary picture where everything would be better continues to kill¡
Still, Robert accepted this thought. Maybe he found a non-egoistic goal to prevent the destruction of the city from the nuclear explosion, but it still didn¡¯t change anything about who he was or how he was dealing with things. Rob was once again too weak to use the righteous way of achieving a noble goal, leading to his current approach. Therefore, appearing once again in the cursed laboratory, meant to be buried under the rubble, Rob was already mentally prepared for what was going to happen.
Covered in his pitch-black armor that left only two openings for eyes, Robert immediately launched a punch against the force shield. The invisible protection met the mixture of kinetic and disintegrative energy, failing at once to withstand the might of both. In the next moment, Robert charged forward, completely ignoring the scared scientists. He was almost at the end of the long corridor near the emergency stairs when the first explosion resounded from above. However, he didn¡¯t care, too occupied with his new plan.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
In a dozen seconds, he was already breaking inside the laboratory with CSA agents. Led by Sarah Bell, they were only taking the weapon when Rob¡¯s figure emerged from the broken door. The big guy with the destructive device immediately reacted, trying to aim, but Robert was faster. Not pausing his motions, he slightly gripped the face of the agent. Ignoring several gunshots, he gently took away the Broom from the terrified man, who literally felt a touch of death. Lightly smashing to the side Sarah, who tried to attack him with a high kick, Robert aimed the weapon toward the agents.
¡°Move!¡±
There was a short pause when their fear fought against the obligation to confront the villains. However, the ease of their loss together with the difference in power made the former much stronger than the latter. Thus, just after a few seconds of inner struggles they obediently went to the corridor. Sarah was the last to do it, squinting her eyes at him as if trying to evaluate his power in a potential battle against Demonologist. And the superhero was already walking toward them, dragging the unconscious kid. Missing the situation, the demonic super failed to react in time when Robert stepped out from the laboratory.
¡°Release the kid or they will die. Agent Bell will die,¡± Stressing the last part, Rober commanded loudly. The barrel of the charging Broom had never left sight of the agents.
¡°You will regret it¡ Try anything stupid and I¡¯ll rip you apart,¡± almost growling, Demonologist spoke, freezing on the spot.
¡°I sincerely doubt it¡ but even if you are right, they will be long dead,¡± not changing his calm tone, Robert replied without turning his head.
¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but there is no chance you can escape this place. If not CSA, then the military will act,¡± Sarah intruded into their conversation, attracting attention to her persona.
¡°Well, you are right,¡± after a short pause as if thinking, Robert admitted with ease, ¡°Then I will surrender after you apply first aid to the kid¡ His older brother died because of this demonic jerk, and now he can follow the example. Not going to happen with me around,¡± quickly pointing at the beaten-up teenager with the barrel, Robert returned the aim. It caused refocused attention toward the fake Gray Lion.
¡°I tried to be careful, but he resisted,¡± trying to defend himself, Demonologist spoke in an apologetic tone, while others observed a broken arm and, a tattered suit with bruises and cuts visible in holes on the youngster¡¯s body.
¡°Good job, HERO,¡± Rob calmly nodded, ¡°You¡¯ve beaten a kid¡ Now will you do me a favor, agent Bell? I guarantee that I will surrender after that¡ And if you can, I want to join him in the prison to take care in case of the same treatment from other criminals.¡±
¡°Our prisons are not¡ yes, just keep this weapon from shooting,¡± the senior agent nodded, slowly walking toward the frozen figure of the demon. The latter paused for a second, before enveloping himself in a familiar sphere. In the next moment, Demonologist transformed back, finally appearing in front of Rob in his human form. And it didn¡¯t look good. Precisely speaking, the man had above above-average appearance, but at this particular point in time was looking like a mess. Dressed in a long brown coat over the disheveled suit, he could be described as exhausted. Huge bags under deep blue eyes, a black stubble.
So, he was tired, and I still failed to kill him¡ Yep. And what the hell with clothes? Why am I always nude while his ability to transform keeps his clothes intact? What the fuck?
Reaching into the inner pocket, Demonologist pulled out a cigarette and lighter. Gently smiling at Sarah and winking at her, the man stepped to the side before leaning to the wall. Soon he was puffing the smoke with closed eyes, clearly enjoying the moment. There was not a trace of worry about the pointed Broom as if the man somehow understood that Robert wasn¡¯t going to shoot. Still, his seemed-to-be relaxed position was far from the point of disregarding the threat. Rob couldn¡¯t miss how the superhero was ready to launch himself forward, covering Sarh from a potential shot. However, there was no need for it.
¡°Don¡¯t you want to show your face if everything is resolved?¡± Demonologist couldn¡¯t ask, pointing with his cigarette toward Rob¡¯s pitch-black figure.
¡°Forgot to use my makeup and too ashamed to show myself in front of magnificent you, whose bluish color under the eyes emphasizes an overall brutal image... especially with that careless stubble,¡± Robert smirked, declining the offer and keeping his conjured armor on himself.
¡°That was a good one,¡± The man smiled in return, taking a drag on a cigarette, ¡°Even my regeneration handles poorly with the tiredness¡ But nothing that twelve hours sleep can¡¯t fix.¡±
¡°Make it twenty,¡± Sarah spoke with a harsh tone, ¡°You, put the weapon on the floor and surrender as you said¡ I need to warn you that not only he is here to stop you from any stupidity, but also the full team of supers is on standby¡ So, either you¡¡±
¡°As I said, I will surrender,¡± Robert replied with a smile, which appeared visible through a tiny hole against his mouth. And then he did what he promised, casually giving the weapon, which was immediately pointed at him. The next part was boring for him and busy for others.
Convoying him to the surface, they kept their caution. This time even Demonologist hasn¡¯t disappeared, smoking with a cup of coffee not far from Robert on a retractable chair. The three snipers were also there, monitoring every single motion he made through the scopes of the powerful rifles. They never bothered to warn Rob about their presence, but after so many repeats he just knew where to look to catch a glimpse of the hidden figures.
I guess if I showcase my strength, they start to treat me seriously from the beginning¡ Hmm, might be a problem that I will need to consider next time.
The wait was much longer than before. The team of superheroes even finished their interviews before two ten-wheels monsters came through the police barricades. They both had the same armored trailers with inbuilt force shields, despite hiding them under the thick metal plates. The moment it stopped, several guards were already pointing at him with rifles, ordering him to move inside. That was another novelty in the attitude of CSA¨C no one dropped their guard. Maybe it was because of Demonologist¡¯s presence, or maybe it was something different, but there was no sign of early relaxation that he had seen multiple times before.
Still, it didn¡¯t change anything to Rob¡¯s plan. Noting how an already woken teenager was shoved inside the cage, he silently followed the example. Waiting for a dozen minutes to be sure he made some distance, Robert stood up. Enveloping both his palms with energy, he struck the nearest wall, penetrating it with ease. And then he pulled, simply ripping the armored plates apart with his fingers. The force shield tried to fight with such a brutal approach, but failed miserably, flickering one more time before disappearing forever. In the next moment, Rob created a huge hole, enough to drop outside.
Catching the glimpse of the incoming second truck, he momentarily raised his weight to the absolute maximum, while simultaneously redirecting the energy layer. A second later the monstrous car rode into him, smashing against a sudden obstacle. Unfortunately for the armored car, the latter was quite heavy, while the truck¡¯s speed was nowhere near making a real impact against the unexpected pedestrian. Simultaneously melting and shattering from the contact, it still pushed Robert back, sending him a few steps backward.
Not today, truck-kun¡
However, that was it. Instead, the cabin of the truck was reduced in size, turning into a mangled mess of metal and flesh, while taking the lives of the driver and his partner at once. It left the car¡¯s trailer completely vulnerable as there was no escort¡ not taking into account the floating drone that was observing the situation from above through the camera. Or at least Robert thought like that when he got to the door of the trailer, the familiar voice spoke.
¡°Well, well, well¡ What do we have here? A villain, trying to escape from deserved punishment? And that is a mistake, because I, Green¡,¡± calmly turning around and ignoring the blubbering of the super, Robert had only one thought.
I am so sick of you, dumbass!
Chapter 154 (4-21)
Running behind the pitch-black figure, Gray Lion was desperately trying to think about his potential options. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t see any as his unasked savior who appeared out of nowhere was scary as hell. That only added a headache to the teenager, whose day couldn¡¯t be named as a lucky one. Despite all his efforts and long planning, the revenge seemed to take much longer than he wished. Moreover, the chances of succeeding dropped significantly.
Not only did his enemy know about his existence, his identity, and his powers, but CSA also took note of the younger brother of Gray Lion. Not speaking that both his plans had failed¡ It would make any further moves much harder to bring to life new schemes to strike down that bastard, who only pretended to be a hero, instead of being an embodiment of evil. Even his transformation was literally screaming about it, but somehow general folks ignored it completely, believing in nonsense, spread by CSA-funded media.
¡°Stop, freeze,¡± Quickly turning around, his rescuer pushed the teenager into the alley, pressing to the wall with ease, not even noticing a resistance. Gray Lion had to keep his anger from exploding, considering such an attitude from the unknown and weird super. Despite the fact of being saved from the cage, the teenager knew about his strength, not tolerating any hint of his age or weakness. He killed several dozens of people. He could deal with armed police officers even without any weapon. He wasn¡¯t going to patiently take such treatment as¡
¡°You move, you die. Got it, boy?¡±
As if reading his thoughts, the pitch-black figure turned around and calmly spoke. There wasn''t a trace of hesitation in dark green eyes, visible through tiny holes in the armor. Only sheer confidence and warning of painful consequences. The latter was especially important as Gray Lion had witnessed the might of this villain who simply ripped apart two superheroes, who came to prevent an escape.
The most terrifying part of the short fight was the easiness of the bloody deed. There was not a trace of worry, of any struggling, of overcoming own limits in an attempt to win over the mighty opponents. It looked more like a plain and dull murder of caged animals, which had no chance to resist an inevitable outcome. Their speed, an ability to fly or to move at insane speed, their bulletproof resistance ¨C nothing mattered against this obsidian reaper, who looked like a walking block of black metal. Still, Gray Lion¡¯s emotions couldn¡¯t be turned off by the will, leading to a mindless biteback, despite knowing the potential consequences. His wish to disagree appeared much stronger than even fear.
¡°I am not a boy! I am already seventeen!¡±
¡°Oh? I thought you were fifteen¡ Well, it changes things. Move, youngster,¡± the last word was spoken in a clearly mocking tone, but a strong grip against his shoulder made Gray Lion swallow his next words. Otherwise, he would already summon his lioness to turn the man into mangled meat as even the light hold felt like a powerful press. Unfortunately, at such a distance and against such an opponent there was not a chance he would risk a direct confrontation. However, soon, there had to be an opening to use. He just needed to endure¡ and that was hard, as even their way of fleeing was as annoying as diarrhea.
Ducking into different alleys, pausing midway through another street only to suddenly turn around, they moved like some kind of a machine with RNG-based settings. Chaotic, and illogical, it was surprisingly efficient in avoiding multiple street cameras, flying drones, and even random witnesses. The erratic escape led them through a parking lot, a few closed shops, and food storage of the huge supermarket, before they finally broke into the residential building, quickly reaching the second floor. Waiting near one of the doors for a long minute until it swung open, the pitch-black figure stepped inside. Simultaneously, his hand shot forward, penetrating the chest of the middle-aged man, who was trying to leave the room, while carrying a huge gray bag. Pushing the dead man back, the obsidian villain raised the corpse before shoving it into the nearest closet. Only after that, he spared a single glance toward the dumbfounded teenager.
¡°Come in¡,¡± showing an example, the pitch-black figure calmly entered the apartment, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Redginald¡ He was going to attempt a mass shooting at his previous place of work. Imagine, working for twenty years straight without a single promotion, but being fired after the mistake of his newly appointed boss as a scapegoat¡ Well, not that I can do it myself. Still, he wasn¡¯t the nicest guy I can reassure you¡ Now, let¡¯s talk,¡± his armor started to crawl down, exposing the bald head with unnatural skin that resembled steel. Turning around, the man attempted to continue only to see the barrel of a shotgun aimed at his face, ¡°Don¡¯t¡¡±
The loud shot resounded through the apartment, sending tens of shrapnel pieces into the short flight. An instant later they tried to shred the skin, using all their power to turn a sudden obstacle into a colander. However, the steel spherical fragments were smashed against the tougher surface, leaving only a few scratches against the face of the villain, but nothing else. Bouncing back, causing a wave of ricochet, they vented their anger from a failed attempt at the surroundings.
¡°That was stupid ¨C now everyone in the buildings heard it and will call the police,¡± the man sighed, ignoring the shocked expression of the teenager. The latter still tried to repeat the shot, but the villain was faster, slightly moving his head to the side and easily dodging another round because of the close distance. A moment later a few gray lionesses materialized inside, taking up almost all space. Immediately jumping at the man, they were met with quick strikes, barely achieving anything, but only increasing the panic in the building after they heard the predator¡¯s roars.
Noticing how the teenager disappeared in the corridor and hearing the approaching sirens from the police that were already nearby because of his escape, Robert cursed the unstable emotional state of this specific sixteen-year-old kid. He couldn¡¯t name him anything else apart from the kid, as such behavior under emotions without thinking about the consequences of the actions was plain stupid.
Another fucking restart because of this little shit!... At least Agent Bell wouldn¡¯t blow up the laboratory if I cooperated with her, allowing CSA to scan me to confirm that I hadn¡¯t taken anything.
¡°Come in¡,¡± showing an example, the pitch-black figure calmly entered the apartment, picking up the bag with the weapons, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Redginald¡ He wanted to murder his former colleagues because of unjustified firing in his opinion. Not a good guy¡ And don¡¯t try anything stupid ¨C our neighbors will hear it and call the police¡ Now, let¡¯s talk,¡± turning around and throwing a heavy bag in the corner, Rob pointed at the couch.
The teenager¡¯s gaze followed the cloth container, possibly understanding what was inside, before returning it to Robert. Staying motionless and obviously worried, the self-proclaimed Gray Lion didn¡¯t react, making Rob sigh.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
¡°I insist, youngster¡ and to show that I don¡¯t mean any harm I will do this,¡± he spoke, while going to the kitchen and grabbing the knife. Dispersing the black armored layer around his grayish palm, he smashed the blade against his skin, scaring the teenager, ¡°As you can clearly see, I don¡¯t wear armor, I am the armor myself,¡± widely smiling, Rob continued, ¡°If I wanted to kill you, you¡¯ve been already dead, no matter how many summons you would have called to assist you. So, SIT DOWN,¡± stressing the last part, he ordered, making the boy flinch but finally to obey.
¡°And why are you standing like a strip pole?¡± The teenager still couldn¡¯t avoid a half-provoking question.
¡°Because I weigh over half of a tone (1100+ lbs.) at minimum¡ and that when I focus on lowering it,¡± Robert explained, grimacing with annoyance from the fact. Unfortunately, not a single piece of furniture in the apartment could handle him. He had already tested.
¡°That sucks,¡± demonstratively stretching on the couch and making him comfortable, the teenager commented, ¡°So, what do you want from me? I appreciate the saving of my ass, but it doesn¡¯t explain why you did it. I haven¡¯t seen you, nor have I heard about you before.¡±
¡°I am new in town,¡± Rob replied, finally exposing his face, ¡°I wanted to talk about¡¡±
¡°You are ugly, maaaan,¡± the teenager grimaced, pointing the finger at Robert. It took a lot of mental effort to keep the wave of anger in check. Deeply exhaling, Rob ignored the remark.
¡°I need a hideout for several months. I need information about local criminal groups. Maybe about their powers or technologies that can strengthen any metals¡ or information about powerful weapons¡ What else? Maybe any equipment to help to survive the nuclear blast, while being in the epicenter¡ And¡¡±
¡°Hold on, man! Are you fucking serious? I am not a help desk!¡± The teenager almost shouted, leaning forward, ¡°Ask someone else ¨C more knowledgeable. Maybe a fixer?¡±
¡°Presumably acting alone, you successfully broke into a guarded area. I know it - have seen it with my own eyes. You do know a lot. Don¡¯t make me pull this information by force, you little shit!¡± Robert barked in return, failing to hold boiling emotions. Not only was the kid irritating, but also the whole road to this conversation took at least a hundred restarts until Rob found the temporarily safe place and managed to get the teenager inside while avoiding all the kid¡¯s attempts to ruin everything.
¡°Will you torture a fifteen-year-old boy?¡± Imitating the sudden fear, the teenager pressed himself against the back of the couch.
¡°Drop the act. You are older. Only those who are under sixteen can gain immunity from any of my actions,¡± summoning a mad grin, Robert replied, ¡°Real innocent children, but not little jerks, who try to look younger to use it for their profit.¡±
¡°Why sixteen? You can¡¯t even drink alcohol at this age,¡± wiping the fake fear, the teenager asked with an unhidden curiosity.
¡°Because that was the age when I killed a living being for the first time,¡± Rob calmly answered, reminding himself about the very first battle in the role of an armored squad¡¯s operator in the bunker.
¡°It seems you had a shitty life¡ I started at seventeen,¡± the kid nodded in acknowledgment.
¡°You don¡¯t even imagine to what extent¡ Well, speak,¡± strengthening his voice, Robert commanded, while making a step forward before sitting down on the floor not far from the teenager, ¡°We have approximately one hour before the police will check the place because of the quarrel of some drunkards on our floor. Don¡¯t waste our time.¡±
¡°Huh¡ Okay, dork, but I need to warn you that I don¡¯t know much. I have a few contacts in the local criminal circles without any specific details on the possibilities of their supers¡ I can write you down a few names with an explanation of how to approach them correctly¡ Hideout is easy ¨C we can use mine for now until I find a new one for me¡ The weapon ¨C well, why do you think I broke into that facility in the first place? To get something powerful enough to erase Demonologist¡¯s ass from the existence!¡±
¡°Was he your goal from the beginning? Not something inside?¡± Frowning, Robert decided to clarify.
¡°Yep,¡± the teenager nodded, ¡°That fucker has to pay for what he has done with my brother¡ I dropped a few hints about my interest, pretending to be a survived Gray Lion, to lure out the guy. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t get my hands on their invention that potentially could kill this regenerative fucker,¡± the teenager sighed with disappointment, ¡°Now it would be much harder.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t be offended, but your plan sounds dumb,¡± Robert mentioned, inwardly trying to think how awfully bad his luck had to be that his appearance in the realm coincided with the kid¡¯s attack.
¡°I had two in fact, but the second also didn¡¯t work out it seems¡,¡± shrugged the teenager.
¡°And was the Broom that weapon you aimed for?¡± Getting the nod, Rob cursed silently, ¡°I presume that in your search for the instrument capable of killing Demonologist this one together with your second plan was all you got? No other potential possibilities to effectively stop him?¡±
¡°Nope, nothing like that¡ The Broom was my best bet. According to the data I¡¯ve got it might kill him¡¡±
¡°Unfortunately, no, I tried,¡± Robert sighed, pondering what to do. If the kid with a clear goal of killing a particular superhero managed to find and break into a hidden underground set of laboratories, Rob was sure that the same person most likely thought about every single available option to achieve his goal. That only strengthened Robert¡¯s previous decision in solving the situation before Demonologist went insane. The completely broken level of regeneration that the demonic hero possessed was too hard to overcome. Especially after he turned into a giant mutated dragon.
¡°What the hell, man? You tried it? Oh, wow¡ And I thought I was his last archenemy that wasn¡¯t several feet under the ground or shoved in High Castle. We have another thing in common,¡± the teenager smiled, clearly relaxing after getting this information.
¡°Okay, let¡¯s get out of here. Lead the way to your hideout. We¡¯ll continue this conversation there,¡± Robert ordered, already mentally preparing for a potential restart. The problem with the latter was that he couldn¡¯t magically push the button and reappear at the checkpoint. Also, he wasn¡¯t in the movie-like time loops when a suicide would save him from this inconvenience. Nope, each time he was exposed to cameras of drones or to the eyes of a random witness, Rob had to run toward the laboratory to destroy the working machine. Otherwise, he had to spend a few months in prison, forgetting the crucial details of his escape route.
It turned everything into pure hell, repeating the same things again and again. It was the reason why he chose to find this apartment before speaking with the kid ¨C going through the same dialogues multiple times was beyond his ability to endure the mental suffering. That¡¯s why, when Robert opened the door and found a guy in flip-flops and a dirty T-shirt, who was carrying a bag with trash, he simply shoved any thoughts about being a hero deep inside while launching his fist. Unfortunately, not only did the guy turn, reacting to motions, but also Rob himself forgot that he wasn¡¯t dealing with the super.
His palm, enveloped in disintegrative energy by sheer instinct formed after thousands of clashes with empowered humans, tore the head of the unlucky man instead of gripping his neck as he intended. Splashing the blood all over the corridor from the exposed veins that were roughly cut, the scene directly from a horror movie was created at once. Panicking from the thought of repeating everything again, Robert quickly threw the body and the severed head into Reginald¡¯s apartment before pushing the teenager out and shutting the door. However, even before they reached the front door of the building, someone¡¯s terrified scream came from above, warning all neighbors. And it would undoubtedly lead to the call to the police. The latter was already in search mode, looking for fugitives.
Shit! Now I need to spend several hours just to get to this point¡ Fuck! Nope, I need to push further to see the other options, while I can¡ I don¡¯t wish to repeat everything because of every single tiny mistake. To hell with it! Let¡¯s brute force it!
¡°Say, kid, where was your hideout?¡±
Chapter 155 (4-22)
Covering the panel from Rob¡¯s eyes, the teenager was hastily typing the long code on the keyboard nearby. The latter was located on the nearest shelf, connected to what seemed to be an old and broken computer. The screen was black with a layer of dust, showing no signs of reaction, despite the visible cables attached to it. Multiple similar devices were lying all over the place in a barely orderly manner, covering all the space on racks. However, the computers were not the only electronic here ¨C different types of kitchen pieces of equipment were mixed with various others, meant for cleaning, watching, or even security. Not that it was surprising as the place had a currently turned sign ¨C ¡°Cheap Electronics. Repair. Buyout.¡±
¡°Finally¡ Stupid code!¡±
The teenager cursed, directing Robert¡¯s attention from the stacked place to the door that led to the small room for the staff at the back of the shop. Or at least it was supposed to be, as another passage opened, creating a set of stairs to the basement.
¡°Nice place. How do you keep it safe?¡± Rob asked, acknowledging the well-hidden secret door. In fact, they walked in through the very same room, using a window after the kid disabled the alarm. There was not a trace of anything pointing that there was something underneath. Moreover, it seemed the method of opening a way to hide out demanded the door to be closed, adding another safety measure.
¡°Well¡ I don¡¯t?¡± Shrugged the teenager before pausing for a few seconds, ¡°Wait. Do you think that it was me who built the place? Are you a strong but dumb type? The shop is older than me¡ I just rented it for a year¡ If I made something like that, I would also use a biometric scanner ¨C not just a code.¡±
¡°Heh... Rented?¡± Rob repeated in bewilderment.
¡°Yes! Hurry up,¡± the teenager nodded in confirmation, hastily walking into the basement and making Robert follow him at once.
The hide-out appeared to be not that big, providing a basic level of comfort. The main room had several pieces of old furniture, including a wooden bed. A tiny kitchen took its place in a distant corner, while another was occupied by a huge table with two screens and a set of computers. The far wall had a metal hatch with emergency exit marking, while two other doors led to a bathroom and a small workshop with different equipment. However, otherwise, the hideout was empty, having almost nothing inside apart from the most basic necessities.
¡°I would say make you comfortable, but this shitty place isn¡¯t meant for that¡¡±
¡°How did you rent it? I guess there is no freely available advertising to look at,¡± Robert asked, trying to find a spot to sit. The dusty floor didn¡¯t look attractive enough, while the bed didn¡¯t have a chance to survive his relaxed weight.
¡°Criminals, how else? The men you were asking for¡ After my brother was killed by Demonologist, I used his savings to rent the place, preparing to take revenge. Paid for a whole year in advance in case of emergency¡ And it looks like a good decision ¨C I spent almost all my money on the tech, on information, and on this place. At least I was clever enough to buy a console. Wanna play something?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t play,¡± Robert declined, shaking his head. Looking at his body, he glanced toward the bathroom, thinking about cleaning himself for the first time in who-know how long.
¡°Wanna eat? I can order pizza ¨C I¡¯ve written down the number of the one around the corner that always works,¡± the teenager offered again, making Rob frown, ¡°hey, they do a real tasty shit, I guarantee!¡±
¡°I don¡¯t eat¡ And I don¡¯t drink,¡± this time it took an effort to speak in the same calm tone. His current metallic physique might seem to be powerful, but the cost was huge. No pain, no sense of taste and smell, while any touch was felt dulled. Rob was basically deprived of little pleasures, not speaking about something like sex. Obviously, with his perfect control, he was able to do it, but it would hardly bring any enjoyment to the process.
Once I joked about being a Dildo of Consequences¡ only to turn into such a dildo ¨C metallic and senseless.
¡°And how do you spend your time then?¡± The teenager continued to satisfy his curiosity.
¡°Killing and trying to survive in the deep shit that constantly surrounds me¡ I am going to shower,¡± Robert replied, already heading toward the bathroom.
¡°That really sucks¡ Wait, don¡¯t break the bathtub!¡±
Robert wasn¡¯t listening, already shutting the door. Still, his thoughts were spinning around this realization, suddenly confirming that the moniker Golem fit him perfectly. A metallic humanoid creature with barely any sense that couldn¡¯t fit in with a normal life, made solely for the battlefields or specific tasks. Just an empty shell with no clear goal to live. Instrument of war that has neither other use, nor knowledge and skills to anything else, apart from killing.
Nope, that¡¯s not true, Robert. Now you do have one ¨C to save the city with all its residents from the destruction!
Despite sounding like pretentious stupidity from a newbie superhero in puberty, Robert once again used it as a foundation to move forward, repeating the cycles of violence in an attempt to achieve it. Finally to save someone, as all his previous experience revolved around the killing and nothing else. To prove that he could be better than just a mighty murderer. To do something good for others.
Firming his resolve to continue this road until the end, Rob carefully stepped inside the bathtub. Luckily, it was made from metal, having the same old age as the other furniture. That granted the item enough toughness and durability to withstand the time and Robert¡¯s decreased weight. The shower itself didn¡¯t provide him with any sensation of cleansing. At this point, Rob felt that the amount of blood he spilled would be permanently glued to him. However, the running water still eased his gloomy mood.
Therefore, when he stepped outside of the bathroom with a light smile on his face and a strengthened desire to do something good, he missed the fact of the teenager¡¯s absence. It wasn¡¯t surprising as his attention was glued to the huge device with quite a clear purpose lying right in the center of the room, counting down the final numbers on the little screen. It was so comically similar to the movie-like bombs that Rob¡¯s mind took another second to overcome a wave of disbelief. The next moment the explosion raged inside, trying to obliterate Robert. Barely covering himself with a pitch-black armor, Rob had one thought.
A little piece of shit!
It took several cycles of violence against the superheroic team to calm down, confirming that Robert had huge anger issues. Still, Rob managed to clear his mind in the end, repeating the escape. This time he directly went to the hideout¡ Obviously, not for the first time, but he got there with the teenager while avoiding being noticed by CSA or police.
¡°How did you know about my place? I thought they would not leak its location after demanding such an insane price,¡± the kid repeatedly continued to ask during their journey to the shop, wondering who the traitor was or if it was just a hack into servers.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
¡°I have a foresight,¡± Robert replied, being quite fed up with the teenager at this point.
¡°Oh, I thought you could manipulate metal, no? Then what does it tell you?¡± Not stopping his questioning session, the kid went directly into the basement, ¡°And while we are speaking, maybe let¡¯s play? I can order pizza ¨C I know¡,¡± he wanted to say more, but Rob interrupted him.
¡°It tells that you need to keep quiet until I ask you, or you will be hurt. Badly. Are we clear?¡± Adding a metal to his tone, Robert warned.
¡°Hey, man, don¡¯t need to threaten a fifteen-year-old kid,¡± the fake Gray Lion wanted to retort, but after a single step from a pitch-black figure toward him, he closed his mouth.
¡°You aren¡¯t fifteen¡ Okay, sit on the bed, and don¡¯t touch anything. I know you¡¯ve hidden a bomb here. It won¡¯t kill me, but you have no chance of surviving the blast. Don¡¯t be stupid, answer my questions and you can leave the place safely,¡± Robert warned again. At first, he might have thought of keeping the teenager as a valuable source of information, but the slippery young villain used any chance to get away. Rob simply couldn¡¯t trust him, especially after multiple restarts because of the teenager¡¯s actions. So, the best way was to release the kid. Even if he betrayed Robert, nothing would happen that couldn¡¯t be fixed with a restart.
¡°Those criminals you know ¨C can anyone help me deal with Demonologist? Or do you have any other plans to kill him, apart from that you¡¯ve already used and failed?... And I know about the Broom ¨C doesn¡¯t work on him. So, any ideas? Treat me as if I had an amnesia,¡± Rob spoke, towering above the teenager.
¡°And do you have an amnesia? That sucks¡ But I am not a help desk to answer¡¡±
¡°Do it or I¡¯ll break all your limbs!¡± Robert almost shouted.
¡°Calm down, man, I just joked¡ You know, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I also want to kill that fucker for what he has done with my brother¡ Unfortunately, no, nobody is going to help me¡ or you with that. Those criminals are in most cases ordinary humans and quite rarely use any supers in their actions. You know ¨C no one wants to cause attention from CSA with all its firepower from them and the military, when they organize a fraud call center, manipulate the stocks of some companies, or ¡°forcefully¡± lobby the needed decisions from a local major through unconventional means. There were too many ways for them to make money, and the powers are often in no need,¡± the teenager explained with a smirk.
¡°And what about telepathic intrusions? Manipulative abilities? Prediction and other similar powers without a direct combat usage?¡± No hiding his doubts, Rob decided to clarify.
¡°Those are under the constant monitoring¡ Again, it¡¯s too costly to be caught using supers in any criminal activity. Like multiplies the punishment tenfold. Makes harder to bribe the judge. So, only a really HUGE amount of money can lead to it. And people with such money just wouldn¡¯t want to mess with Demonologist, gaining nothing from his death¡ Don¡¯t make any futile hopes ¨C nobody wants to oppose CSA directly. And those who do are either rotting in prison, dead, or living like hermits somewhere in the deepest hole. The risks are just not worth it in the end ¨C the current level of technology makes it hard to get away after the crime¡ I think the last classic and more importantly SUCCESSFUL bank robbery was like at least thirty years ago.¡±
¡°What about villains?¡±
¡°Villains ¨C yeah¡ It¡¯s just a word for any criminal with powers. Literally ANY! You stole candy from a kid while having the ability to fart with rainbow ¨C you will be labeled as a dangerous villain on par with a mass murderer with hundreds of lives taken¡ Those hypocrites in CSA¡ You know, my older brother once was a hero¡ A prot¨¦g¨¦ of one of the most powerful superheroes in the world ¨C Demonologist,¡± the kid grimaced with a narrow smile, hiding the pain, ¡°He was so proud about it. Was speaking like for the whole week after being acknowledged.¡±
¡°What happened?¡±
¡°He messed up once¡ There was a case of domestic violence¡ and Mike¡ Well, we both have a history with our father. It was personal ¨C the bastard was constantly beating us both. No one cared as he was human, and not a super¡ So, Mike¡ he just hit the guy once¡ slapped him in half-strength to show how it is to get a punch in the face from someone stronger¡ And the guy just felt dead ¨C blood clot in the brain or something like that. However, for CSA superhero¡¯s reputation was everything. Mike was kicked out and put under a bigger screening, which ruined him in the end. Such disregarding after the same attitude from our lovely dad was just too hard for him to handle.¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t Demonologist oppose such a decision? It was pure coincidence without any ill intent to actually kill,¡± Robert was surprised.
¡°That bastard only made a long speech about the necessity of the responsibility for his actions¡ and other shit that was fed by CSA. He even didn¡¯t call Mike once after the expulsion. Absolute silence ¨C the jerk was scared about his precious reputation more than the fate of his former prot¨¦g¨¦.¡±
¡°I assume it didn¡¯t end at this point?¡±
¡°Not at all¡ We both got our powers simultaneously, which is, worth mentioning, rarer than a chance of being struck by lightning¡ So, when my brother decided to vent his accumulated anger from a ruined life¡ and it was actually ruined ¨C nobody wanted to hire him with such a mark¡ Mike decided to interfere in Demonologist¡¯s arrest mission to show how a single mistake can destroy all previous good deeds. Obviously, you can¡¯t expect to do something against that fucker¡ Beaten almost to a pulp, he managed to escape only because of a stroke of stupid luck and the other guy, who was the main target for the bastard. Feeling weak as a kitten but wishing for revenge, he searched the way¡ and found it.¡±
¡°And what was that? Your second plan? Or was it something different?¡± Rob asked again, noticing the tension in the teenager.
¡°Yes, kind of¡ maybe you weren¡¯t joking about having a foresight. You are correct. One group made a laboratory and tried to create an artificial way to infuse omicron particles to give powers to whomever they wanted¡ They failed but found a secondary effect of the serum ¨C empowering the existing ability. So, Mike worked for them to get a dose ¨C the thing is too costly to create with a tiny chance to make it correctly. And after getting it, he went to take long-awaited revenge¡¡±
¡°Which never happened because Demonologist had killed him?¡±
¡°Yep,¡± the teenager nodded, biting his lower lip, ¡°The bastard deserves the justice¡ He destroyed my brother''s life, leading to his death. He destroyed mine ¨C when the brother was kicked out and labeled as untrusty, I was sent into a special orphanage for supers¡ Do you know how awful it was?¡±
¡°Actually, I may know. Never met my parents and was raised in one,¡± Robert nodded, diving into his memories from a distant childhood.
¡°I guess, we have another thing in common¡ So, it was completely logical for me to run away and try to take revenge. It took time, a lot of preparations¡ and I mean really A LOT¡ But in the end, the shit didn¡¯t do anything. Demonologist wiped the floor with me and my lionesses, not even using higher levels of transformation,¡± clenching his fist, the teenager suppressed his anger.
¡°Did you use that serum? What was the effect?¡± Robert asked, finally seeing a light in the tunnel.
¡°Yep¡ And the effect wasn¡¯t the one I expected¡ I was caught and you saved me. The end. Anything else? I am hungry, man,¡± switching his tone as if pressing a button, the kid smiled brightly as if he wasn¡¯t speaking about the death of his brother a minute earlier.
I guessed not only I have a rough life¡
¡°Write down the contacts of the criminal groups you know, and you are free to go,¡± Robert nodded.
¡°Oh, do you have a pen and piece of paper?... Okay, I admit that it was stupid to ask. I¡¯ll search for it ¨C I think I had it somewhere here¡ And, please, don¡¯t expect good handwriting,¡± going to the entrance and diving into the closet, the teenager turned around, showing his broken arm that was bandaged by medics, ¡°I am left-handed.¡±
Robert only closed his eyes in response, thinking about his next course of action, while trying to ignore the annoying kid. He could spend several time loops talking with criminals to see if he could get anything useful in his situation. Otherwise, empowering serum might be a good shot for him. It might even grant him new abilities or strengthen his steel ¨C anything to give him a chance to survive the nuclear blast if he wasn¡¯t fast enough to get out. And knowing his luck, Rob wasn¡¯t going to bet that he could succeed from the first try. His circumstances didn¡¯t provide him with a chance to die just to find another piece of the puzzle.
Okay, let¡¯s do it¡ What was that?
Reacting to the weird sound, Rob opened his eyes only to see how the teenager was already pushing the button to create a passage out from the hideout. For a second Robert hesitated if he wanted to stop the kid from escaping but the need for information pushed him on his feet. However, the teenager was already summoning two lionesses, sending the gray-colored predators toward Robert. The problem was that their task seemed to be just stalling time. Moreover, one of them was carrying a charged bomb right inside its maw, gently holding it with its sharp teeth. Rob had a mere moment to cover himself with black armor before the powerful explosion ran off inside the basement, collapsing the ceiling and burying him once again.
That little dork!
Chapter 156 (4-23)
Sitting on the floor and watching an already-seen movie on the wide screen of the computer, Robert¡¯s thoughts were elsewhere. Floating chaotically, they were jumping from one topic to another, rarely pausing on something specific. Building odd connections between unrelated things, they seemed to be injected with adrenaline, failing to dive deep enough before launching themselves into another direction. It felt like it was impossible for them to focus their attention, turning Rob¡¯s head into some kind of blender for everything. And he had a reason for it - the past time loops weren¡¯t easy.
Dealing with the teenager noticeably drained his mental strength. In the end, Robert only got a few contacts, the code to the hide-out, nothing about the location of a laboratory with a serum, and an allergy to the bombs. Despite the visible easy-going behavior and readiness to talk, the kid didn¡¯t trust him in the slightest, each time trying his explosive escape or other stupidity, somehow believing it would work against Rob. The boy¡¯s traumatic experience also wasn¡¯t helping to develop trust toward the stranger after being rescued. Maybe the time would help, but Rob didn¡¯t have enough patience to be a mixture of a babysitter, an older brother, and a psychotherapist. He needed the latter himself after all he went through. Moreover, the thought of repeating the same process of convincing the kid again and again only for everything to be reset made him terrified. Therefore, after getting what he could, Robert stopped any attempts to pull this second version of Gray Lin from the prison truck.
After that Robert methodically started to check criminal groups, trying to get anything that could potentially help him in the loop. However, the problem was that most of those criminals were indeed like the kid described ¨C ruled by greed, they were too cautious to use supers in their activities. In most cases they just hired several for their protection, but nothing else. And obviously, they had no desire to face CSA and especially Demonologist, focusing solely on earning more money. Even the threat of the city¡¯s destruction only led to a hast selling of all property in a single case, when someone actually believed Robert. But help? Nope, it was absolutely out of the question.
At least Rob managed to use the same approach in getting all the information to save time ¨C brute force. If he had no problems with killing the scientists, the criminals had it worse. Much worse. Rarely were there any survivors after Robert¡¯s visits, and even they looked like the work of a mad butcher. The reason for such bloodthirsty behavior was in CSA as the agency never stopped searching for him, making it hard to travel through the city and limiting the time for conversations. That, in turn, led to the life of a hunted person, who had to hide all the time in the basement, waiting for an opportunity to come out. His ¡°crusades against the criminals¡± didn¡¯t help to calm down the city, pushing more and more police on the streets.
From time to time he had to end the loop prematurely, forcing his way into the facility to break the forsaken machine when there was no chance of escaping from the stubborn chasers. Still, the more he spent in these loops, the easier it became to avoid unnecessary attention. Robert couldn¡¯t remember the location of each camera or the routes of every potential witness, but hiding for so long developed more like intuition that was based solely on accumulated experience. He knew where the possible camera might be and what principles it used to identify the subject. He knew how the police liked to act and what shortcuts in security measures they could use to save time during boring patrols. He knew the city, easily finding the way back to his starting point. He developed some skills in disguising himself.
The extent of his unwanted knowledge didn¡¯t end in being a ¡°perfect fugitive¡±. Robert became more experienced in torturing, knowing how to cause real pain without an unlucky target dying in the process of intensive questioning. He finally learned how to control his strength, hurting but not actually killing with a single slap. Reading dozens, if not more, books, while waiting for another window of opportunity to get out from the hide-out, he widened his expertise on many subjects. Obviously, most of them weren¡¯t so useful in his current situation or even in other realms, but not that he had much to do anyway. His metallic body appeared to be a bigger issue, considering his mentality that demanded the action.
A few loops were spent in an attempt to find anything that could bring him any pleasure to distract from his pitiful circumstances. Unfortunately, the previous troubles only intensified when Robert got more free time. Sleepless, senseless, with no needs, his body felt like a piece of block. On the other hand, his mind wasn¡¯t any better, damaged by wars and all the blood he spilled. Therefore, books and training were his only solutions for not going completely insane, locked in one place and without the ability to move freely. Nothing else helped, especially in a society with paranoia toward any super or physical differences. With more awareness about the realm, Robert knew it was impossible to get normal treatment in this place for anyone with powers and an odd appearance. Too much time and effort were used to change the crowd''s attitude, no matter how CSA tried to backtrack it. The invisible pressure was always there, despite all the bright smiles from other super on social media.
His training also progressed. With more time passing, Robert increased control over the reactor core and both variants of his steel. And with more energy produced, his forgotten trait from the dragon kicked in, making him continue his growth in size. That caused another cycle of active squeezing to keep an average height. These repeats made his body even tougher than before while increasing his weight. The latter was the most annoying thing, preventing him from using any furniture, lifts, cars, and other convenient things that came with technology. However, instead, it granted him more might. And soon Robert planned to take another step toward it, raising his chances of surviving the nuclear blast in case he would be caught in the radius of the explosion.
¡°It¡¯s about time,¡± watching the clock, Robert tried to loosen up the tension, but it was hard. The thunderous roar of the demonic beast was already resounding from above, penetrating the ceiling of his basement. The following destructive walk caused noticeable trembles, shaking the floor with each step of the giant monstrosity. However, that wasn¡¯t the scariest part as the soon-to-fall missiles with nuclear warheads were the ones that made Rob feel anxiety. In the end, it was the first time Robert decided to meet the blast sitting a mere kilometer (0.6 mile) from the future epicenter.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
So many repeats gave him enough information about when and where the event would take place. Surprisingly, the kid¡¯s hideout appeared to be located not far from the finishing point of the loop. Or maybe it wasn¡¯t as the teenager might have planned to hide somewhere after getting out of the underground facility. Only several more miles separated the place from the hideout, making the basement quite a convenient place.
Still, Rob was reluctant to test the nuclear strike himself, trying to use every single option he could before jumping into the potential fight. He had no second chance if something went wrong. Therefore, he tried to get some futuristic gear or weapon, recruit powerful allies, warn authorities, and many other things his mind managed to come up with after so many days of thinking. The outcome of all his efforts was already known ¨C total failure. The armor couldn¡¯t handle his weight and strength, the weapons lacked the firepower to do something against the gigantic dragon, CSA in the form of Agent Bell was a dead end, etc.
As always, I need to rely only on my strength¡
So, the increase in his destiny together with improved control over the destructive layer gave Rob a belief that he could withstand the nuclear blast, especially after taking multiple direct hits from plasma missiles with their enormous temperature. However, his survival instincts and the responsibility of failure made him conduct the first test from a relatively safe distance. At this point Robert knew that even the facility wasn¡¯t destroyed in the blast ¨C the fall of the time machine was caused by an EM wave that artificially intensified in the nuclear warhead. Otherwise, Rob didn¡¯t know how this effect could be so powerful, penetrating the thick concrete and disabling the energy source. And he had plenty of knowledge in weaponry, learning it as an operator of mechanized armored squads back in his first life.
His chaotic flow of thoughts was interrupted by another loud roar that was cut short by a knocking sound. An instant later the shockwave came, wiping the shop above him and smashing the surroundings into pieces. Rob¡¯s body, already clad in armor, withstood the wall of particles, but the force behind their flight was still strong enough to throw his body with ease, despite all his weight. Then everything became a twisted mess, burying him under the rubble. However, it lasted for a fraction of a second when the wave from the second strike had reached him. The following vertigo tried to rip his body apart only to be interrupted by the darkness before Robert once again dropped onto the floor in the familiar laboratory.
Okay, I may do it¡ Now to the serum¡
Repeating the deeply engraved actions to get into a hideout, Robert got to the hideout almost on autopilot. At this point, he barely paid attention to others as there was no point in building relationships with anyone only for everything to be turned into a blank piece of paper after another reset. So, speaking the learned phrases as if it were just a drama play on the scene, he acted completely absentmindedly. Not involved, even detached, Rob¡¯s mental focus was aimed only at reaching the goal. It felt like he postponed everything in his life until he would save the city. At least the goal became closer and closer with each next step.
Therefore, spending a week in a hideout for the first point in time, when it was relatively safe to come out, Robert moved. The illuminated streets were almost empty with rare passersby and cars. Adjusting his hood, Rob slowly started his long walk toward the place. Having no ability to use a car, he relied only on his feet. The problem with such a method was its slowness as he simply couldn¡¯t run at full speed, attracting unwanted attention. On the other hand, Robert wasn¡¯t in a hurry, enjoying the feeling of being just another night owl, who didn¡¯t like the crowdedness of common places during the daytime. Even temporarily, but to become someone ordinary, forgetting about his experience.
I think I need to repeat it more often¡
The endpoint of his two-hour walk was a huge pet shop. Situated in a standalone building, it was enormous, easily competing in size with supermarkets. Currently closed, it appeared to be a perfect spot to test the influence of the serum on living beings. Robert had to spend several loops to unravel the ball of threads until he got the one that led him to this location. The kid didn¡¯t know the exact place, trading the serum through the fixer. Unfortunately, Rob didn¡¯t have such an option, lacking needed funds. Maybe there was an option to get them somewhere, but he decided to skip this part, going for the serum from the beginning.
Another nice thing about the place was its underground location. Robert still remembered how irritating it was to climb on the highest floor of the residential skyscraper, where a self-proclaimed ¡°criminal overlord¡± liked to observe ¡°his city¡±. The biggest shock was to get to the top through the thousands of stairs only to find out that the man just used a lift to leave the place for the very late dinner. The following loop was filled with violence and crushed lifts. Fortunately, this time he had no such problems. On the other hand, some of the latter tried to find him.
¡°Hey, moron, are you lost?¡± Appearing from the shadows, the man asked, while demonstratively playing with a baseball bat.
¡°It¡¯s a bad idea for the sheep to walk into a den with wolves,¡± the other one added, grinning with a wide smile that showed the absence of several teeth. Putting his hands on the waist, he exposed the gun.
¡°Are you two alone? Oh, I see, there are more¡,¡± Nodding to himself, Robert caught a glimpse of more moving figures among the shadows, ¡°Mind inviting them to save my time?¡±
¡°So, you are the super who isn¡¯t scared us, mere mortals, right? Boys, come out, we have another costumed freak, trying to show off his new abilities,¡± not batting an eye and without a hint of fear, the man with a baseball bat called loudly. Soon, there were at least a dozen criminals around Robert, eyeing him with smiles. At least half of them had a different type of cold weapon, while the other was equipped with more technological guns. One of them had something akin to a laser rifle. This one had kept the distance, pointing the weapon at Robert and putting his finger on the trigger, ready to shoot at any moment.
¡°Is it all? Or do you have more inside?¡± Rob asked calmly, continuing to hide his face under the hood.
¡°Oh, we do have MANY more, but¡,¡± Even before the man with a bat managed to end his speech, the wielder of the laser rifle shot, making a tiny hole in Rob¡¯s chest. Or precisely speaking, in his clothes. The powerful concentrated energy still managed to leave a small mark on his skin, signifying how destructive the beam was¡ for everyone apart from Robert.
¡°Well, that was rude¡ Okay, I have a suggestion,¡± A following intensive wave of bullets tore the fabric that covered his grayish body, exposing it to the lights of the night city, but failing to do anything else, ¡°I am trying to be a better man, so I don¡¯t want¡ Okay, you know, fuck it. It¡¯s time to die, retards!¡±
Chapter 157 (4-24)
Smashing the thick metal plate that for unknown reasons was called a door and not a moving wall, Robert finally stepped inside the hidden laboratory under the pet shop. It took some time to find a way inside, avoiding harming the locked animals. Luckily, he had someone to ask, ignoring their unwillingness. In the end, he had a heavy argument. Just a few stomps on the legs turned the bones into hundreds of fragments, mixed with torn blood vessels and meat. This appeared to be enough to convince the last criminal alive to give the needed information, not playing a silent hero anymore. Therefore, Rob proceeded further, destroying one obstacle after another. However, an open passage seemed to be not the final one.
The long white corridor ended with two laser turrets and a freak in a yellow pajama. Yawing widely, the man looked quite annoyed, forcefully woken up by Rob¡¯s intrusion. His clothes were covered with colorful images of unknown animated heroes, even though the man was clearly in his mid-thirties. Looking at Robert, whose body was already covered in pitch-black armor and had only part of the pants left intact, the super calmly spoke.
¡°Listen, man, today was a tiring day. I¡¯ve just gone to bed¡ Turn around and let¡¯s pretend that nothing has happened. You will have your life; I will have my well-deserved ten-hour sleep. Deal?¡±
¡°Simon, what the fuck are you talking about?¡± The outraged voice resounded from behind, showing its owner in the next second. Dressed in black leather with multiple metal pieces attached randomly, the girl immediately hit the man¡¯s shoulder, ¡°We were hired to protect the place. This asshole killed our people!¡±
¡°Not our, but our employer¡¯s¡ Why do you even care? Those dumbasses just yesterday laughed at you,¡± the man replied, turning around and glancing at his partner, who was at least ten years younger.
¡°So what? They don¡¯t deserve to die!¡± The girl once again hit the shoulder.
No super strength or toughness got it.
¡°Whatever¡ I just want to sleep¡ Listen, man, my deal is still on the table,¡± the super again spoke to Robert. The latter only smiled sadly. The layer of obsidian steel hid his expression, making him look like a faceless figure, but it didn¡¯t make his emotions disappear without a trace. Therefore, Rob paused his steps before tearing the last piece of his clothes to wipe the blood stuck on his armor. Creating a tiny hole under the caution gazes, he answered.
¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t. I need the serum. So, I have the opposite suggestion ¨C step aside and you can leave freely.¡±
¡°Sorry, man, my hands are tied. I don¡¯t like the experiments, but they pay good money, and we do need them,¡± The man yawned again, not even bothering to cover his mouth.
¡°Why are you speaking with him at all? Doctor, fucking use the turrets!¡±
The girl shouted aloud, seemingly addressing the third party. The next moment, both automated weapons came to life, pointing the wide barrels with focused tips at Robert. With a sigh the man swung with his palm, creating a bubble around Rob. And before the latter managed to realize the effect, both turrets shot, creating the constant laser beams. Unfortunately for them, Robert already had summoned the destructive layer on his armor. Completely unaffected, he took the first step toward them, causing the girl to frown.
¡°Why isn¡¯t he dying?¡±
¡°Well, the lasers obviously can¡¯t penetrate his defense, so I can¡¯t suck all oxygen from his lungs,¡± noticing the slow approach, the man changed his relaxed expression, finally getting serious, ¡°Be ready to act¡±.
With another wave of the palm the bubble had disappeared, replaced by the fast-growing wind stream. In just a second it turned into a stormy one, before finally reaching the level of a real hurricane. At this point, Robert had to push his weight to maximum just not to be blown away. The thirty-meter (100 ft.) corridor had no protruding parts. On the contrary, the smooth walls and lack of objects created a feeling of a single purpose - to intensify the super¡¯s ability. And from what Robert knew, it was the sole way inside.
Therefore, Rob dived his fingertips into the surface of the nearest wall. Meanwhile, his feet flashed with a glow, melting the floor to give him another grip against the invisible force that tried to push him back. The laser beams never stopped shooting, adding even more annoyance to his slow walk, when he had to cover his eye holes with a palm. However, when he reached halfway, the girl stepped forward. Deeply inhaling, she filled her lungs with air before starting to scream. Or, precisely speaking, SCREAM.
The sound was so terrifying and loud that Rob had to create additional earplugs under his armor, and even that didn¡¯t help. Somehow, it still penetrated his defense, causing an odd vibration that tried to destabilize him from the inside. As if his cells tried to dance after getting overdosed by a mixture of amphetamines and caffeine. Robert had to use all his willpower to keep his own body from breaking apart under this injection of a foreign desire to move chaotically. Failing to make another step, he had to lean to the wall, while the whole world around was going crazy with those winds and constant beams of laser.
Fortunately, the girl had to breathe, pausing her ability for a second. That was enough for Robert. Gripping the wall, he tore a piece of it before throwing it. It appeared that his aim was influenced by the sound attack, missing the girl and instead hitting the turret. Still, the torrents of sparks from the destroyed weapon caused the super to close her eyes, allowing Rob to act. The refreshing wave of regeneration washed over his body, wiping all the unpleasant aftermath. Simultaneously, he was already pushing himself forward.
¡°Hey, man, I think I will agree to your¡,¡± the previously yawing super, whose current expression had no traces of sleep, attempted to speak, but Robert wasn¡¯t listening. Gripping the barrel of the laser, he pulled it out, ripping the turret apart in a single motion. In the next instant, the improvised club swung, hitting the man and the girl. Instinctively reacting to the approaching weapon, the latter tried to use her ability again, but the inertia was hard to stop. Smashing against the wall as two broken dolls, the pair missed another strike that ended their misery, showing no mercy.
No second chance in this loop¡
Stepping over the pool of blood, Robert paused before the next door, preparing to destroy the obstacle, but the voice from above made him stop.
¡°Oh, please, don¡¯t break it. I am opening, no need for violence¡,¡± As if confirming the words, the door moved to the side, showing the inners of the laboratory, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you need serum ¨C I will give you one. Or more¡ No need to crush anything. It¡¯s too costly to restore everything.¡±
Silently walking inside, Robert found himself on the third level of a huge underground hangar filled with different equipment, several cages with trapped animals, and a single working table with an old man sitting behind it. The scientist with a freckled face and a mixture of gray and red hair was already looking at Rob through the thick glasses, not hiding his worries. Hastily standing up showing his empty hands, he shouted.
¡°Please, come down! I will prepare everything you need,¡± quietly muttering something, the scientist quickly went to the opposite side of the laboratory, skillfully avoiding the mess around. And the place had a lot of it, stuck to the brim with many types of equipment in different states and origins. Standing side by side, even the similar-looking things could have unlike labels marked on them. They could miss a few pieces, or even the whole case could be removed, exposing the inner parts of another machine. Quite a few were clearly broken, but still took place as if the owner of the place was unable to throw the trash away. Or maybe he was using it as a potential donor to replace the broken part.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
This indeed looks nothing like the laboratory from the facility. Obviously, the budget difference has an impact on the situation¡ Not surprising, why he fears me breaking anything here ¨C too difficult to replace.
Robert had to lower his weight to come down, using rusty metal stairs, which made cracking sounds under his steps. Almost moaning from the heavy pressure, they didn¡¯t inspire any confidence in their ability to withstand Robert¡¯s body. However, breaking the expectations, the construct managed to do it, surprising Rob and making to reevaluate the thing, despite a pitiful state.
¡°Here¡ I have only three serums ready,¡± the voice behind Robert¡¯s back made him turn around to face the scientist with a container in his hands, ¡°Nothing more ¨C that¡¯s everything I¡¯ve managed to produce after the previous delivery and my latest tests.¡±
¡°Just like that?¡± Robert couldn¡¯t hide his surprise, creating a hole around his mouth and asking the bothering question.
¡°Just like that,¡± the scientist confirmed, before suddenly coming into action, ¡°I need to show you, obviously. You may think it¡¯s a bomb¡,¡± Opening the case, while pressing it to his chest, he showed three small tubes with yellow sparkling liquid inside. Taking them out, he simply shoved them into Rob¡¯s palms, throwing the container on the floor, ¡°Please, take it.¡±
Only after that, the scientist sighed with relief, slowly walking to his chair. Dropping down on it, making the furniture crack from the weight, he closed his eyes and waited. Noticing no motion from dumbfounded Robert, the man opened them again before speaking.
¡°Can I help you with anything else?¡±
¡°Well, yes,¡± Robert nodded, glancing at the three tubes in his hand, ¡°I have a lot of questions in fact.¡±
¡°You can ask but I need to warn you that the reinforcement will come in several minutes ¨C you might want to get out of this place. They might not stop you, but I would appreciate it if you took the fight somewhere else, and not inside my laboratory.¡± The scientist calmly explained before adding, ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised about my behavior. It¡¯s like the sixth time when all my guards died. I don¡¯t want to follow their example¡ Plus, rebuilding such a place will take a lot of time and, more importantly, money ¨C believe me, I¡¯ve done it a few times. All my life is in research. Nothing else interests me, so I want to avoid any wastage. Even getting my abilities didn¡¯t change it¡ Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just an increased memory, heightened intelligence, and capability to make calculations in mind. Plus some intuitive knowledge on a few subjects. Nothing combat-oriented¡ So, please, ask and leave.¡±
¡°Quite a straightforward way of dealing with problems¡ I like it,¡± Robert smiled, for once not feeling any malicious intent in the words of the other person, ¡°Can it give the powers to someone without them?¡±
¡°It was initially the main purpose of creating it¡ Unfortunately, no. Or, theoretically, it can, but even well-trained humans in a peak form just can¡¯t handle the injection,¡± The scientist replied, pulling his glasses and massaging his nose bridge, ¡°Too painful, too energy exhausting, too harmful for both the body and mind.¡±
Nothing I can¡¯t handle it seems¡ And not that I have any potential subjects for the test, who are walking metal dudes¡
¡°But it can increase the existing powers?¡±
¡°Again, theoretically yes, but despite all the advertisements my sponsors made, it¡¯s far from being the state to work all the time. But yes, the potential infusion of an additional portion of synthesized omicron particles may have such an effect on the super¡ Too many variables to consider, not counting the potential side effects,¡± the man sighed, clearly showing disappointment in his work, ¡°I am in the process of improving it. In a year I think I can get a stable version. Or maybe in two¡¡±.
¡°It seems a very important topic that can easily change the world. Why are you working on it alone?¡± Robert couldn¡¯t stop his curiosity, glancing at the tubes once again and imagining what he could potentially get from them.
¡°I wasn¡¯t alone at the start. We have dozens of minds researching it. Sadly, the government doesn¡¯t like supers¡ So, CSA stormed the place, killing most and imprisoning others. Only I managed to escape. Already hiding for years¡ Therefore, my success stands on our combined achievement. And believe me, I will never forget them if I ever manage to finish it! That¡¯s why I ask you to leave not to endanger this place.¡±
¡°Okay, I will do it,¡± Robert agreed, knowing that he could come back here in the next loop to get more information, ¡°Final question ¨C how do I use it?¡±
¡°Just inject in the blood and that¡¯s it¡ In fact, any contact is enough to cause the reaction¡ Stop, what are you doing?¡± The scientist shouted, watching how Robert smashed the top of the tube and gulped it at once only to continue with another one, ¡°One is enough! Oh, what have you done¡ Now, you¡ Damn it!¡±
¡°Calm down, Doc,¡± Robert spoke, dropping the empty tubes on the floor, ¡°I wasn¡¯t the super in the first place. Nothing to worry about¡ And one more final question before I go ¨C how do I understand how to use my powers if I get one?¡±
¡°What? Not a super? Just a suit?... Forgive me for the distraction, that was unexpected. You will instinctively know how to use it if you visualize the process. The problem is only finding what type of power you¡¯ve got. Some may be very strange¡ But are you okay? Sometimes it takes only a few minutes when the change becomes intolerable with death as a result¡,¡± Robert simply turned around, ignoring the man after getting all he needed. The clock was ticking.
Moreover, the intensive heat was already coming from inside, almost trying to fry his inner organs¡ if it could work against his steel-like body. Then his muscles tried to contract uncontrollably. More unpleasant feelings came, annoying him during his hasty escape. However, with his experience in tolerating the pain and barely sensitive body, it never went over the feeling of irritation, making it more akin to a stomach rumbling and not the life-turning point with a risk of dying.
Rob was lucky enough to avoid the attention of multiple vans that were driving toward the pet shop at full throttle, ignoring any speed limits. Not showing any signs of a boiling process inside him, Robert continued his way, keeping the same slow pace. Dispersing his armor around his palms and head, he made it look like a tight sports costume. Not that it mattered as there was almost no one around. At some point, the dark and empty streets occupied all his attention, redirecting it from the serums taken. The atmosphere was filled with tranquility, despite having some vibes from apocalypse movies.
The light breeze moved the torn piece of paper. Empty streets, illuminated by only a few working lights, which were fighting with barely visible fog. The walls, fully covered with graffiti and loud slogans, like ¡°Equality to Supers¡± or ¡°CSA is a government¡¯s bitch!¡±. Rare passersby with gloomy faces, who immediately changed the direction of their walk, when they noticed Rob¡¯s bulky frame and bald head. The papers with photos of missing people and pets, attached on special desks. Several cars with clear damage from unrecognizable causes, and not just driving accidents. With holes or imprinted palms, they looked abandoned after another battle between the supers, when the owners without insurance didn¡¯t bother to restore their property. There were more of those little signs of a decline that was slowly appearing from different corners, foretelling the upcoming explosion in society. However, Robert didn¡¯t care, enjoying the silence and the ability to walk without hiding.
By the point when Rob reached the familiar basement, all weird sensations from taking three serums died out, granting him nothing in return. Not even a predicted death. At this point, the latter wasn¡¯t even the worst outcome for Robert. Focusing on his feelings in an attempt to find something new inside his metal body, Robert at first failed to see anything new. After so many restorations of himself, he knew each tiny part of his steel shell that was his body. Searching again and again, he finally turned his attention to the reactor core. The container of his inner being had no traces of change¡ until he noticed the tiny dots on the surface of the sphere that contained his entity. They were like odd clots, simultaneously made from energy and matter.
Okay, it worked out despite my shitty luck¡ The doctor haven''t lied¡ I managed to get out safely. So, where is the catch? And how do I know what did I got? Stop, I am an idiot. Self-check, I have a self-check function! Aether, please tell me.
By fusing with the omicron particles that are exclusive to the particular realm, the Transcendent temporarily was granted the following supernatural ability ¨C Areal Walking. Using the inner energy, the wielder can conjure a material but invisible stair to create a support in midair. Simultaneously, only one stair can be summoned. Its toughness and ability to withstand the weight will depend on the energy spent during the creation. The effect of the infusion will last for six more months until full exhaustion of the serum.
What the hell?
Chapter 158 (4-25)
Glancing at the handwatch, Robert unconsciously increased his walking speed. Avoiding passersby who didn¡¯t know what would happen soon, Rob was trying to pinpoint the exact location of the event¡¯s start. Observing it multiple times from a distance, he only approximately understood where Demonologist would begin his devastating stroll only to be nuked in the end, taking half of the city with him into the afterlife. Now, for the first time, Robert had to take a ¡°VIP¡± seat right in front of the stage.
I am ready¡ Yes, I am ready. I¡¯ve trained this stupid ability, so there is an option to leave before everything goes astray¡ And it will, unfortunately.
Rob¡¯s plan for this particular loop was quite simple, consisting of only two parts ¨C to find the exact spot of the start and to gauge the strength of the dragon. Nothing more. His temporary Areal Walking gave him some capabilities to run away from the nuclear blast, but he still didn¡¯t want to take a risk, like setting an unreachable goal of defeating the mad super on the first try. The inability to repeat an attempt in case of his death was a good stopping point against any overconfidence or his desire to end the whole ordeal. He had all the time in the world to make it right, and only Rob¡¯s limited patience and pressed mental fortitude were the main obstacles in this way. And, obviously, nukes, but he had a vague impression that he could overcome it at some point ¨C through the self-strengthening or the temporary ability from the serums. Nothing confirmed the idea that next time he would get the same power.
At least I hope so. Otherwise, it would take much more time. I don¡¯t know how dense I need to become to survive the explosion¡ Okay, I think I am at the spot. So, where is it?
Looking around, Robert found himself in the middle of the residential area. Multiple three-stories buildings with the same design were mixed with rare intruders from the future, whose newer appearance had a single goal - to attract the attention of the locals. No wonder the outer signs directly spoke about a few stores, a barbershop, and more. The streets weren¡¯t wide, having only two lines, but the overall composition of the area shouted about preplanning. Considering the devastating effect of the comet falling upon this planet with the following all-out war between supers and humans, many cities had to be built from the ground.
Unfortunately, such unification in the design not only made the view look nicer but also added a headache for Rob. He simply couldn¡¯t distinguish the exact place from its copies from the long distance. On the other hand, the numbers on the signs, quite a few graffiti, and other small details might help him to do it in the future. Nothing that few restarts would fail to deal with it. For now, Robert only had to wait while observing the surroundings. And it appeared, it was simply impossible to miss the start of the ordeal.
Suddenly one of the buildings far down the street exploded from inside, collapsing at once. A muted roar resounded from the debris before the latter was thrown away by the scarlet sphere that appeared in the middle of the ruined building. Just a moment later, before Demonologist emerged from his transformation process, the sphere flashed with a red light. Malicious, giving off a bad premonition, it quickly started growing, reaching the size of the formerly standing house in mere seconds. Then the process halted as if the inhabitant of this huge ¡°egg¡± was pondering about the need for his appearance in this world. However, in the end, the monstrosity decided that it would please everyone with its presence, starting the transformation of the sphere into a huge demonic dragon.
All this time Robert was running toward the thing, launching himself the moment he saw the explosion. Smashing any objects or even people, who failed to avoid him because of the overwhelming panic, he was already enveloped in his pitch-black armor. Leaving noticeable dents under his heavy steps, Rob pushed himself toward the middle of the road, trying to get to the dragon before the creature would come to its senses. It appeared that for ¡°an unknown reason¡± the road was used by a fleeing car, whose scared driver pressed the acceleration pedal with all his strength. This fact surprised Robert, who hadn¡¯t expected it, too focused on his "investigative" task.
Shit!
Instinctively reacting, Robert tried to summon his newly acquired ability. After days of training in the basement and a few outside sessions, he was half-sure of success. Fortunately, it worked, creating an invisible step above the ground and pushing him into the air. The problem was that Rob had miscalculated, conjuring his support way before the needed moment. The hasty attempt to make another one led to the failure, when the invisible stair simply broke under his weight, pulling him to the ground¡ right on the back trunk of the moving car. The collision was epic.
Smashing the last third of the car, Robert caused a sudden halt of the motion. The front wheels went upward, losing a grip on the road. Still, the force was there, tearing the car into two pieces. The next instant, the front part crushed into the parked van, turning into crumpled leftovers of the previously fast automobile. Rob fared no better, stumbling on a sudden obstacle before rolling on the road. Finally stopping himself and glancing toward the broken debris, he had one thought.
Nothing to worry about, a time loop will surely fix it! Definitely¡
Raising to his feet, Robert charged once again, watching how the dragon started to come into existence. This time even the huge sphere struggled to fit its massive body, working like a portal to hell. The first to appear was a huge head with a long neck. Riveling the size of the buildings around, it was already barring huge teeth, each having the size of a motorcycle. Then the body came. It was covered in red scales that from a close distance resembled more crimson blood than a poppy field. The gigantic paw that came next from the other side of reality immediately smashed the nearest house. Soon more limbs appeared, conquering the whole area just from the fact of their presence. Even before the leather wings came into view, Robert''s sight was filled with a huge demonic predator. And it was without mentioning the "short" tail with spikes on the tip that was still in the other realm. The creature was so huge that Robert felt like an ant.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
However, this feeling of upcoming dread never stopped him even for a fraction of a second. His charge continued further, even though this opponent was tens of times bigger than anything he had to face before. Enveloping himself in a barely visible white glow from constant usage of Energy Blasts, Robert straightforwardly ran into the giant limb, not bothering with any tactic, as if anything would work against such a huge enemy. His available obsidian still wasn¡¯t enough to conjure something big to reach the deeper sides of the giant skull to hit the thing''s brain, not speaking about a heart. And even that demanded to drop any defense. Therefore, a battering ram was an obvious choice. Especially, when the goal was just testing the waters.
Using an invisible stair, Rob jumped at the last moment, setting the target above the dragon¡¯s clawed paw. His speed, weight, and destructive layer appeared to be enough to turn Rob¡¯s body into the knife that penetrated the meat in one go. He basically melted his way through the flesh. However, making a few meters inside the paw, Rob was far from reaching not only the end but even the bone. On the other hand, his inertia and force behind his sprint were all used at this point, slowing his movement to the crawling speed. Then the regeneration of the dragon caught up with the melting process, quickly covering the wound and Robert¡¯s body from all sides. Refocusing his effort only on his arms, Rob tried to push himself forward only to fail, as it felt like the substance around was constantly reappearing as if he was in the viscous water.
Damn it, I am stuck!
Fortunately or unfortunately, this state didn¡¯t last long as the dragon roared with anger before proceeding to tear his flesh to get the nasty bug that dared to bite him. Piercing its paw with the claws, the creature straightforwardly ripped the piece apart before throwing it away. Robert tried to grip the huge nail, but it appeared much tougher than the flesh, resisting the damage from the micro¨CEnergy Blasts. In the next moment, he felt himself flying through the air. Lasting for awfully long several seconds, it caused a devastating landing following the collapse of the unlucky building, which happened to be on its way. Only by melting the obstacle with his layer, Robert managed to soften it. Still, the strike was so strong that even his metal body felt deformed from the sheer force.
Trying to free himself from the debris and finally the not-regenerating flesh, Robert pushed his body upward, smashing the rubble and turning the concrete into a liquid just to get to the surface. Such concentration on the task and inward countdown until the nuclear strike made him miss a sudden shadow, which covered the whole sky for a few instants. Only in the last moment, Rob realized that it was a jumping dragon, falling from above in an attempt to squash the bug that was atrocious enough to cause the pain. Hastily covering himself once again in destructive protection, Robert tried to dive back into the debris, albeit too late.
The gigantic paw landed exactly on him, smashing his body at once. The pressure was so huge that Rob¡¯s metal body, despite all its supernatural toughness, dented, almost turned into a flat and thin disk. What was more, his reactor core broke, turning from the former sphere into an ellipsoid. The force shield that contained his energy shattered, releasing a huge stream. Rob¡¯s chest evaporated instantly, taking half of the dragon¡¯s paw with itself. Not stopping on it, the chaotic and, more importantly, disintegrative whip continued to trash the surroundings, melting the rubble around Robert.
When he finally managed to return control over his reactor body after a few seconds of intensive fighting that seemed to last an eternity in his mind, Rob felt how close he was to the death door. And then he returned to his vision, checking the outer world on the presence of danger¡ only to see a huge snake eye glancing at him with interest, Robert gulped, sensing the upcoming dread. The demonic snake was looming close to him as if trying to observe the annoying bug in detail while trying to understand how it managed to survive, and, more importantly, to hurt it. Then the massive creature moved away, simultaneously taking a breath.
Oh, fuck!
Shouting inwardly, Robert once again tried to repeat the same trick ¨C to burn his way down with the destructive layer. However, diving only one meter down, he saw how the fire was starting to emerge from the gigantic mouth. And then the whole world seemed to be engulfed in flames, coloring itself in shades of red and orange. The wave of the heat was almost comparable to the plasma missile, attempting to turn everything into ashes.
Robert didn¡¯t know how he managed to escape the enraged dragon. Using the sewers under the collapsed building, he crawled through the filth just to get away from the dangerous monstrosity, barely thinking straight. The sheer contrast between the capabilities of the previous Demonologist¡¯s forms and this one was so dramatic that his first impressions of being an ant were intensified to the maximum. Especially, considering his use of the underground passages to escape. That led to an acknowledgment of the superhero¡¯s courage, who continued their futile attempts to stop this monstrosity, despite not seeing any effect from their attacks. The creature¡¯s regeneration was absurd and completely broken, raising in this form even higher than his previous almost unkillable state. Luckily, the nuclear blast wiped out this failed loop together with the insane super, resetting the world to the default settings.
Reappearing at the familiar laboratory, Robert spent a few seconds trying to calm himself down. It wasn¡¯t the first time he, despite all the gained power, lost to the circumstances. His imprisonment in Fantasy City was the best example that sometimes you simply couldn¡¯t win against the odds. However, it was the first time for many loops, when Rob was so close to death. Improving his battle powers made him think that only the nuclear blast was the main threat to him, but the reality once again made him come back to earth. All his might paled in comparison to the dragon, who could trample the buildings with ease.
Okay, but I still managed to achieve both of my goals¡ Now, I know where to look and what to expect from the overgrown snake, who bathed in hellish radiation. The last thing to check is¡
By fusing with the omicron particles that are exclusive to the particular realm, the Transcendent temporarily was granted the following supernatural ability ¨C Areal Walking. Using the inner energy, the wielder can conjure a material but invisible stair to create a support in midair. Simultaneously, only one stair can be summoned. Its toughness and ability to withstand the weight will depend on the energy spent during the creation. The effect of the infusion will last for ten minutes until full exhaustion of the serum.
What? Ten minutes? It seems the restart refreshes everything, not only dirt¡ Hopefully, but my guess will also be correct, and I can get a different power this time. The Aerial Walking literally didn¡¯t do anything useful in the end¡ On the other hand, if it¡¯s really random, then I may get something akin to an instinctive playing on any musical instrument¡ or an ability to piss with soda¡ or other stupid shit. And considering my luck, the chance to get something powerful and useful is quite slim. Well, I hope I can prevent this insanity even without an additional boost, using the latter just as a safety measure. Okay, one more time¡
Chapter 159 (4-26)
Walking down a corridor, Robert tried to concentrate his perception to catch anything unusual. Any signs that could explain what was happening with Demonologist right before he lost his mind to the insanity. Any hints to point at the reasons for such outcome. Alas, there was nothing, not even a sound. An ordinary corridor with painted walls, golden room numbers, and a few tall green plants at the end of the corridor near the window. Nothing else. No dirt, no traces of illegal drug dealers, no armed bandits ¨C just a plain residential building with nothing to stand out, apart from tidiness. And that was even more disturbing than Robert previously thought.
It doesn¡¯t make any sense¡ What is going on? Okay, here it is.
Stopping near the needed door, Rob glanced at the watch, noticing there was around a minute before the start. It took him several tries to find the exact building before counting the windows to figure out this specific apartment, but it was the first time when he actually managed to get here in time. The previous attempt was ruined when he began too early, getting noticed by the patrolling police car. However, this time he would get the answer. Firming his resolve, Robert knocked. And after waiting for a dozen seconds, he did it again. And again.
What the fuck? Okay, I have no time!
Pushing his obsidian steel on top of his skin, Rob conjured a pitch-black armor in an instant. At this point, it was almost an instinctive action, barely taking effort apart from a simple wish. However, the next ability wasn¡¯t so easy to use, despite hours spent in training. Focusing on it, he caused an odd sensation that enveloped his body, almost overlapping with his conjured armor. Then Robert made a high step toward the door. In the next moment, he phased through it as if he was suddenly turned into a ghost for a fraction of a second.
Well, fortunately, this time I¡¯ve got something useful¡
In the end, Robert appeared to be right in an assumption that the gained ability wasn¡¯t set in stone. His previous ¡°intensive¡± dialogues with Doctor Green Junior and following questioning the scientist in the laboratory under the pet shop about the powers were still fresh in his memory. The explanation wasn¡¯t complex ¨C the omicron particles were in constant change, gaining different properties from any attempt of interaction. That was the main reason it was difficult to recreate them in a correct serum ¨C the scientists had no idea what the base state of a power-giving ethereal substance was.
Therefore, consuming serums in previous loops, Rob managed to get the ability to speak with a specific type of ant, animate the creatures made from snow, quickly learn any language, and produce an infinite number of soap bubbles with his mouth and a "rear hole¡±. In short, completely useless superpowers in his particular circumstances. Luckily, this time was different. That¡¯s why he was quite anxious not to ruin this attempt before understanding the real cause that would lead to the destructive ending.
The apartment met him with darkness. Despite this, Robert noticed two pairs of boots and scattered clothes on the floor. Otherwise, the place looked like it was meant for short-term rent with no personal belongings. Then he heard a laugh before someone spoke in a woman¡¯s voice. It took several seconds of listening to find familiarity in his memory. Stepping forward, Rob glanced through the opened door toward the kitchen. The room was filled with food packages of some local cuisine and several bottles of wine, chaotically scattered on the main table.
It''s quite obvious what is happening¡ But how the hell did it lead to the outrage?
Then, as if answering his silent question, the painful man¡¯s scream resounded in the next room. Quickly launching himself forward, Rob almost blasted the door. The suddenness of his appearance halted everything for a moment, allowing Robert to catch sight at once. Not if there was a lot to look at. A small room had only a huge bed with a TV on the opposite wall. No other furniture or anything else, apart from two completely naked people. Precisely speaking, two well-known people, whose hidden relationships were not surprising in the slightest after so many loops to Robert.
¡°I hear them ¨C the screams of the sinners, who are demanding fair treatment. The punishment for everyone, who failed to follow their true nature¡ To send those ugly souls to them, and if they refuse, they demand the action¡ the blood¡ the lives of those villains,¡± gripping his head, Demonologist was muttering in a half-conscious state while lying on the floor curled up like a newborn baby. Meanwhile, Sarah was pointing the gun at Robert. Her gaze was constantly returning to her lover, but she simply couldn¡¯t ignore the presence of the pitch-black figure of the fugitive, who killed two local supers during his escape with efficient brutality.
¡°The purge is coming for all, who aren¡¯t worthy!¡± This time the man¡¯s voice sounded deep and otherworldly, as if the owner was a real demon, ¡°And I will be its emissary!¡±
The last loud shout caused Sarah to look at her suffering boyfriend. This distraction was immediately used by Robert. Gripping the gun in a single lightning-fast motion, he squeezed, smashing it at once. Agent Bell screamed, turning her attention to Rob, but it was too late. Pulled by unstoppable force, she was tightly hugged before the pitch-black figure charged forward. At the last moment, she tried to release herself, but the villain felt like a metal block. She still noticed how her lover started to transform, enveloped in the familiar sphere before her captor broke through the wall, dropping down from the second floor with a loud bang. Leaving deep holes in the road from the landing, he instantly sprinted again.
A moment later a muted roar followed through the newly created hole, and then the building exploded, ruined with a constantly growing sphere that flashed with malicious red light. Increasing in size in no time, it quickly reached the size of the house just to turn into a portal, leading to super¡¯s version of Hell. And its self-proclaimed emissary was already making its way into the human world. The huge and ugly dragon¡¯s head was first to appear, gripping the hearts of the observers with overwhelming fear.
¡°Sarah!¡± The villain shouted in her ear, breaking the simultaneously mesmerizing and terrifying picture, that was unfolding in front of Agent Bell¡¯s eyes, who was struggling to process the suddenness of the event, too captivated by the whole thing. It immediately caused her attempt to retaliate when she tried to hit the pitch-black figure, who was easily carrying her through the street.
¡°Release me!¡±
¡°Okay,¡± The villain spoke, creating a hole around his mouth. Fighting against inertia and barely stopping his crazy run, he rudely shoved her behind the nearest car, hiding the woman from the sight of the gigantic creature, "Just in case he will search for you.¡± Pressing her against the road to prevent any escape, the man eyed the monstrosity that produced another deafening roar, shattering all windows in the area.
¡°What the fuck do you want?¡± Finally catching that something strange was going on, Sarah asked, stopping any resistance. There was no hint of shyness because of her nudity. Instead, Robert saw the return of the calculating bitch, who made his life quite miserable for a long time.
Perfect, that is exactly what I need!
¡°In short, I am a time traveler, who tries to save the city. No, I¡¯ve tried to warn you many times, but you never believe me, thinking I am a crazy murderer. That¡¯s why I escaped, and no, I couldn¡¯t avoid killing ¨C I¡¯ve tried it too. So, to the main thing - the dragon will be nuked in several minutes, taking the whole city to the radioactive grave. Currently, I am trying to figure out the cause of everything. Was there anything strange in the past several months? Any villain with mental powers? Anything that can help me to prevent this from happening?¡± Not making any pauses between the words and sentences, Rob¡¯s speech sounded like an old and unoiled machine gun ¨C so fast, rattling, and chaotic it was.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
¡°What?¡± Sarah¡¯s mind paused, overloaded with the information, situation, and rampaging dragon down the street, ¡°But makes sense after that alien invasion warning... Damn it!¡±
¡°Yeah, but we don¡¯t have much time. By the way, the Broom or any superheroes you have can¡¯t stop him, so focus on telling me how to avoid this mess in the first place. What did you do when I came?¡±
¡°We were having sex¡ Or just starting¡ First fucking time in the past month, because the freaks like you don¡¯t give us time at all! You and those morons from the military!¡± Sarah shouted in irritation, once again showing her true self under the cold mask of a confident and serious senior agent she liked to wear.
¡°Then I don¡¯t get it¡ Was the emotional rise a cause? Was he a virgin or what?¡± Robert asked, completely dumbfounded, ¡°I admit you are quite a beauty, but nothing truly different from what every teenager has seen in adult movies.¡±
¡°No! It wasn¡¯t our first date in the slightest¡ Everything was normal like always. On the contrary, he even felt stronger, healthier, and less exhausted from consecutive missions. I even thought we could make it official, despite the potential troubles from my boss or others¡,¡± Sarah replied with a sigh, closing her eyes for a moment. In the next, however, she had them wide open, noticing the enormous snake¡¯s eyes looking directly at her. And the gigantic creature wasn¡¯t only looking but also taking a breath. From her terrified expression, Robert understood everything at once, despite missing sight. Gripping the woman by her shoulders, Rob threw her simultaneously to the side and upward, aiming at the window on the top floor. Then the flame came.
Shutting down all gaps in his armor and thus cutting himself from the world around, Robert focused on the destructive layer to disperse the intensive heat that tried to melt his metallic body. In a few seconds, the thought about using his phasing ability came, but the fire was already dying out. Therefore, focusing on his sensation, Robert noted the absence of any fluctuation on his destructive layer. Only after that did he finally create tiny holes for his eyes to see, simultaneously turning toward the building.
¡°Sarah, are you¡,¡± His question followed the flame¡¯s example, being forcefully cut off as there was no need to wait for an answer. The whole street looked like a used vax candle. Deformed, it was radiating the heat, having quite a few remnant flames burning the leftovers of what was previously a residential area. The asphalt was partly turned into a liquid, trying to trap Robert with its vicious grip. The extent of the devasting damage didn¡¯t end here as even the insides of the buildings weren¡¯t spared, turning into black ovens with fire.
However, before Robert managed to curse, a huge shadow covered the skies, turning the day into night for a second. Experiencing the same attack before, Rob reacted instantly. Contracting his legs, he pushed himself into a high jump, simultaneously phasing through the approaching lizard¡¯s paw. Unfortunately, his temporary superpower was limited in duration, giving him at most only one short second in an incorporeal form. It wasn¡¯t enough to leave the demonic flesh of the enormous monstrosity. Still, Robert was ready, summoning his melting layer for help.
The deafening landing, the roar of anger and pain from the sudden appearance of the bug inside its body, the attempt to pull out the annoying human ¨C everything went beyond Rob¡¯s attention as he was too preoccupied with phasing again, slowly making his way upward. The constant shaking made the task hard. Moreover, not only was he moving but the dragon was trying to get rid of him by trashing the surroundings and tearing its flesh. Robert almost fell out from the gigantic body after the ¡°hellish emissary¡± jumped to the side exactly at the instant when Rob was phasing. He barely managed to turn off his ability, getting stuck with his legs in the last fraction of the second, but otherwise hanging out like some kind of louse on the skin. Hitting the red scales with his forehead after the devastating landing, Robert instantly phased again, avoiding being squashed by the incoming limb that easily could squash a building.
In the end, after a few minutes of struggle, he finally reached the enormous and ugly head of the transformed super. At this point, the dragon had to direct his attention toward other ¡°bugs¡±, who were trying to hurt him. Unfortunately, their attempts also applied to Rob as when the plasma missile hit the eye of the monstrosity, he barely managed to dive in time to avoid the fate of being turned into ashes. Still, the created sphere penetrated the flesh, evaporating it at once, and painting the world in a whitish red. In the next moment, Robert found himself in a deep hole made in the dragon''s skull. The latter was already regenerating, quickly closing what seemed to be a lethal world, but Robert still managed to catch a glimpse of the surroundings.
A dozen helicopters with different weaponry were flying around, but only a pair had familiar missiles in their arsenal. Several supers in bright costumes occupied the nearest roofs, trying to do something against the enormous monster. The super in pink techno suit was in the midst of charging her main laser, aiming at intact eyes. Some of her colleagues were on the ground, looking like small dots from the height. However, the biggest impact on Robert made the scene of the flattened city with two huge craters in the place of landing. The level of destruction was even bigger than before, turning everything into the apocalyptic aftermath of an all-out war with no winners.
What am I doing here? I just need to get away before the nuclear strike¡ Fuck, no, no time¡ Oh, that guy with katanas from the Tower had a similar power ¨C like a ghost state¡ Focus, Robert, for the fucking sake! It¡¯s not the time for being distracted by some bullshit!
Turning his head around in a search, Robert found the direction of the dragon¡¯s brain before standing up. The regeneration almost trapped him by this moment, but melting with contact, it had to release its sticky grip. The next moment Rob shot forward, phasing through the meat wall. Reaching the center of the head, he paused before focusing on the layer. This time he pushed everything he got into the creation of thousands of Energy Blasts, disintegrating everything that got in contact. And from his contact, it was the brain of the enormous creature. The latter immediately roared with pain, trying to get the ¡°living burner¡± out of his head. However, it seemed it was the same weak spot even for the bigger version of the demonic monster. Moreover, Rob started to swing his arms chaotically, intensifying the sensation.
The following drop to the ground was thunderous, causing another earthquake. Not that Robert could see it, being stuck inside. It never lessened the feeling, when the abrupt stop tried to smash his metallic inner organs against the tough outer shell. Somehow Rob managed to keep his abilities from stopping, continuing to damage Demonologist. For a few seconds he even thought that it was it, the end of the damned world, but then the nuclear strike came. It felt like a lightning strike that pierced everything, connecting directly to his nervous system just to cause the pain. Even his dull senses couldn¡¯t decrease the intensity of the feeling when his body started to disappear. It was like the real god decided to wipe him from existence, shattering his previously resilient body with just a simple snap.
It took less than a fraction of an instant to be reduced to the reactor core. A few more before the force shield fell, broken by the intensity of the destructive force. Then the inner sphere followed, exposing his inner energy to the world. However, the counter stream appeared to be enough to repel the outer force, reaching the equilibrium with an initial burst, but slowly losing the battle an instant later. Luckily, this was the moment when the world decided to reset, making the nuclear strike vanish at once. Still, Rob continued his fight for his life.
Uncontrollable energy was hard to tame, sending disintegrative waves into the surroundings. It led to several consecutive restarts when one of them cut off the power source from the time machine or turned the high-tech equipment into a colander. Then all his concentration was directed toward survival. Robert didn¡¯t know how long it took him to stabilize his core as time lost track when he was rebuilding his central part, literally patching each tiny gap manually. In the end, dropping down from the portal and ignoring the comments from the scientist, Rob was too exhausted to do anything. He just lay there like a broken machine, whose lazy thoughts were barely able to move as if there was no energy left in the main battery.
I hate that dragon¡ and nukes¡ and this shitty realm!
Chapter 160 (4-27)
The moment the door had opened in front of patiently waiting Robert, his fist shot forward, piercing through the chest of the man, whose eyes barely registered what was happening before it was too late. Gripping the dead body with the stuck hand, Rob raised the corpse with his forearm before stepping into an apartment. His other hand was already picking up the dropped gray bag, filled with different weapons. Walking inside, while holding both ¡°items¡±, he shoved them into the bathroom before closing the door. Glancing down on his bloodied hands, he entered the bathroom again to wipe it with a towel. Meanwhile, not bothering to turn around, Robert said:
¡°You try to escape, you die. Your kittens can¡¯t stop me. So, be a good boy and come in,¡± Pointing at the couch, Rob finally looked at the scared teenager, whose gaze was in constant motion as if its owner was trying to find the way out. And knowing the kid, Robert was sure the second version of Gray Lion indeed wanted it. Not that there was a single chance of achieving it. Not after so many pranks from the rebellion kid.
¡°I said come in! Forget about Redginald ¨C the guy only wished to become a murderer, while I already am. And believe me ¨C I killed more living beings than you¡¯ve ever seen in your short shitty life.¡±
¡°I am not a boy,¡± Not finding how to reply to this statement, the teenager muttered before obediently following the command. Sitting down and interlocking his fingers, trying to suppress the worry, he silently observed how the villain, clad in pitch-black armor, calmly closed the front door. The process of his rescue could be described as brutal, bloody, and scary as hell. The quick deaths of supers, the tough attitude of his savior, the threats ¨C everything screamed about the danger that was coming from his unrequested ¡°helper¡±. Still, the orphanage taught Gray Lion that you simply couldn¡¯t show any fear, or else you would be eaten in no time. Therefore, trying to show a relaxed state, the teenager asked with a provocation:
¡°Why are you standing like a strip pole?
¡°Shut up, and don¡¯t speak until I tell you. I am quite fed with your annoying comments and disrespectful behavior,¡± Robert immediately cut in, landing his heavy gaze on the kid. The tight black armor that had only tiny holes near the eyes and a few more around the mouth made him look like an animated mannequin from the low-budget horror movie the teenager had seen a year ago. However, this time it was for real and not just a picture on the screen.
¡°Hey, man, we haven¡¯t¡ I am shutting up, no need for violence,¡± The kid went silent, abandoning his plan to distract with talks and cooperation before finding an opportunity to get out from the sight of the scary super.
¡°I know you bought the serum that potentially can increase the powers by infusing more omicron particles into the body. I know that it was your second plan to deal with Demonologist. My question is ¨C did you use it on him?¡±
¡°What the hell¡ How do you¡,¡± clearly trying to win the time to find the answer, the teenager attempted to fake ignorance, but just a single step toward him was enough to stop it. Sighing regretfully, the kid confirmed Robert¡¯s suspicion, ¡°Well, yeah¡ In the beginning, I had a thought to use myself to get the power boost, but later my brother¡¯s fate came to mind¡ You see, man, he was¡¡±
¡°Cut the crap! I know your brother¡¯s history. What was your idea?¡± Robert asked, not willing to listen to the same story once again. And considering his attempts to pull information from the teenager in previous loops, it wouldn¡¯t have been even the tenth time.
¡°You know? How? Doesn¡¯t matter¡ I just thought that if the serum could increase the strength of powers, it might give Demonologist more than he could handle. The fucker is already so strong, so¡ maybe¡ just maybe¡ he is already on the brink of being filled to the edge. This was my idea ¨C to make his cup spill. Even one mishap was enough for my brother to ruin his life, so I wished the same for the man, who stepped aside when he could help... To be a real hero, and not to play the role for others¡ Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t work. There was no reaction at all,¡± The teenager sighed, leaning back on the couch.
¡°Oh, no, it worked¡ And you fucked up massively,¡± Robert muttered, trying to think about the situation, ¡°Okay, I need to check something. You are free to go¡ and yes, don¡¯t use your hideout ¨C I will temporarily occupy it for the next few months. Otherwise, do what you want¡ And don¡¯t cause me any troubles like setting the bomb inside ¨C it would be the last thing you remember.¡±
The following actions were almost done on autopilot. The short wait in the familiar basement to hide until the CSA¡¯s search would lower its scale before the quick assault of the pet shop¡¯s laboratory. Knowing the strength of the main guardians there, Robert simply used a looted gun to shoot both from the beginning, while they tried to chock him with their powers, relying on laser turrets as heavy hitters. It appeared that the slim corridor without any covers was not only good for creating a huge wind but also provided no possibility to hide from bullets. As always, some things worked in both ways.
Stepping over the two bodies, Robert paused in front of the armored door, waiting for the scientist¡¯s voice. The latter didn¡¯t disappoint, quickly admitting the futility of resistance and speaking through the inbuilt speakers.
¡°Oh, please, don¡¯t break it. I am opening, no need for violence¡,¡± As if confirming the words, the door moved to the side, showing the inners of the laboratory, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you need serum ¨C I will give you one. Or more¡ No need to crush anything. It¡¯s too costly to restore everything.¡±
The familiar laboratory met him with an already moving aging man, whose desire to save the results of his work was much stronger than any loyalty to his sponsors, who clearly belonged to the criminal world. Moreover, the scientist was sincerely eager to speak about his creation, not hiding his pride about it. And it wasn¡¯t because he wanted to take all credit. No, again and again in each loop the scientist spoke about the combined effort of his now-dead team, trying to finish their work. It helped Robert to understand more about the serum.
¡°Please, come down! I will prepare everything you need¡ I assume you are here for serums, right?¡± Making his way through the messy laboratory with multiple equipment in a different state, the man quickly reached the opposite side of the large hangar. Taking out the container from a hidden hole in between two machines, he returned to Robert, who already had come down using rusty stairs, ¡°Here¡ I have only three serums ready. Nothing more ¨C that¡¯s everything I¡¯ve managed to produce after the previous delivery and my latest tests.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
¡°I appreciate your cooperation¡ Still, I will need to ask you a few questions. And yes, I know about the potential reinforcements that will come in a few minutes,¡± Robert replied, pointing toward the chair, ¡°Please.¡±
¡°Everything to save this place¡ So, how can I help you, Mr. Black?¡±
¡°You can call me Golem,¡± Rob said, reminding the code name that was given to him by CSA, ¡°I want to ask about the side effects of the serum. Specifically, a few things. How long will it take for the serum to increase the power of the ability? Can it cause insanity?¡±
¡°Obviously,¡± the scientist nodded at once, ¡°It is omicron particles we are speaking about. It is a well-known fact that many power wielders can¡¯t handle the process of empowering, going insane, or even mutating into abominations. When you add more of them to the super, it will immediately destabilize the established equilibrium and the result will depend on many factors, including how close this specific super was to his personal verge. Another problem lies in the chaotic nature of the particles. With their constant alteration, they simply might not connect to similar particles, but which have completely different properties in the specific moment,¡± pausing for a moment, the researcher caught his breath before proceeding further with explanations.
¡°Last but not least is the artificial nature of my serum. No matter how my team tried, we were always far from recreating the same particles. I made some progress, but they are still not the same. Very close, with a similar effect, but not quite there yet... which leads to the situation where the overall result might be just anything¡ Not speaking about the randomness of the process in the first place, when the time, circumstances, personality, and even emotions can influence what power will the subject get.¡±
¡°Emotions? Are they so important?¡± Robert asked with a frown.
¡°Emotions are often used as an initial trigger of the powers after the newly empowered super gets their abilities¡ You can¡¯t just read somewhere what you can do after the contact with omicron particles¡¡±
In fact, I can. At least something convenient.
¡°¡so this trigger in the form of emotional outburst works like some kind of plug-in to teach their own brain how to use this new power. It doesn¡¯t always work this way, but statistically, it¡¯s the most used method,¡± the scientist explained, worsening Robert¡¯s mood.
What do I have in the end? Demonologist had already taken the dose, even before I appeared through the portal. I just can¡¯t revert this fact by the reset. Any emotional situation will drive him crazy¡ Any ¡°cock blocking¡± won¡¯t work as literally anything can cause him to turn into an oversized snake with multiple limbs. Melted ice cream, parking fine, quarrel with Sarah¡ Shit!
¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible to extract the serum before it starts to work?¡± The tiny hope was still present, barely shining in this dark realm of Rob¡¯s repeatable and bloody horror.
¡°No,¡± and it was crushed a moment later, ¡°You see, only the manifestation of the abilities or the increase can be delayed, but the change is done immediately upon contact with a serum. And we can¡¯t undo it ¨C even the experiments on super¡¯s corpses showed no progress. The change is permanent, and even the grave can¡¯t cancel it. That¡¯s the reason why dead supers with transformation abilities don¡¯t turn back after death¡ In fact, I think it¡¯s easier to make all humanity gain powers than turn all supers back to a non-empowered state.¡±
Okay, I¡¯ve got. You are like hammering more and more nails in my coffin¡ And it sucks.
¡°If I take the serum, there is no reversion process, no matter the consequences?¡± Robert clarified once again, looking at three tubes in his palm, covered in pitch-black steel.
¡°Correct¡ But it also means that the power increase gained from the serum can''t be taken back by anyone. These gains are yours till death,¡± The scientist smiled proudly, making Robert curse inwardly. This single fact led to the realization of how awful his situation was.
In the end, to be a real hero and save everyone I simply need to murder one of the local heroic icons. Not only he was one of the most powerful supers from the start, but also this fucking serum made him much stronger. No wonder why I haven¡¯t seen this transformation into toys or on his page on the net. It was gained by the serum after the ruined attempt of having sex¡ sounds stupid, but now it explains how the virgins can turn into OP-archimages in the next life.
The local heroes and CSA won¡¯t believe or help me. The criminals are here all about money with corruption, fraud call centers, or underground casinos being the main weapons of their influence, and not the firepower of weapons and abilities. The locally labeled villains are all either dead or in prison, while the real evil power is the military, which would rather nuke everyone instead of any surgeon operation to cut the weak point. Therefore, you can¡¯t rely on anyone, but yourself, Rob. No heroic team for rescue. Just you and your personal insanity in repeating everything all over again.
On the other hand, you¡¯ve got all the time in the world to win a lottery of gaining the needed power¡ Or until you fuck up and die, which isn¡¯t that impossible¡ How do I do it? Hmm¡ In the final state, this dragon-like bastard is already basically unkillable, but at the start, he isn¡¯t so strong¡ Nope, he just didn¡¯t realize it, but a death threat might be a good reason to skip a few stages and turn into a scaly monstrosity right on the spot. And if I want to be a true hero, I need to minimize casualties, so no escape or intrusion in this laboratory¡ But it would be hard to do it when the attention of CSA would be focused solely on me¡ Hmm¡
Well, I can get an appropriate power, make a training kill in his dragon state, survive the nuclear blast, restart, and go for the clean kill before running away from another nuclear missile. Easy-peasy¡ As if¡ Yep, in the end, it¡¯s all about killing, Robert. You simply can¡¯t escape your murder-hobo fate.
¡°Hey, you, moron, stop right there before I will crumple your metal armor like a piece of toilet paper before flushing the shit that would be left from you!¡±
The loud shout interrupted Robert¡¯s thought process, returning him to reality. Turning his gaze upward, he noticed a dozen bikers with guns, pointing at him. Dressed in leather and wearing the same symbol, they tried to look like real criminals, but it was hard to threaten the super, whose deeds painted a few rooms in bloody red. Still, their courage seemed to come from their leader. The ugly fat woman with multiple rings, nails, and chains attached to her skin in random places, turning her into a real piercing freak. However, the freak with powers as she didn''t bother to hide. On the contrary, the woman demonstrated it with an obvious desire to scare Rob, making five metal knives slowly float above her open palm in this showcase.
¡°Is it a magnetic ability, bitch? If yes, then I need to disappoint you ¨C not all metals are magnetic,¡± Robert grinned with anticipation, paying no attention to the scientist¡¯s pleas not to destroy his laboratory. As always, the reset would fix everything, apart from Rob¡¯s sanity. Therefore, it was time to release some steam, and he found perfect targets for it with one crucial advantage ¨C he hadn¡¯t killed them before, making it a truly new experience, ¡°Let¡¯s start. Who wants to be the first one to die?¡±
Chapter 161 (4-28)
The dawn was mesmerizing. Reflecting on the water of the huge lake, it was creating a flaming picture of a rising sphere, ready to charge the pathetic humans with energy to live through another day. As if trying to accompany it, the flickering glow of yellow particles slowly started to intensify under the sun''s light. This attention from the firmament¡¯s overlord seemed to infuse a dosage of adrenaline into these ethereal pieces of the long-fallen comet. Throwing themselves into the dance, they began their constant motion, twisting, flashing, and merging with others only to disperse an instant later.
Their performance above the waking city lasted until the sun rose high enough to lighten it. The ethereal dancers were almost burned out by this moment, putting all of themselves into this show, despite not having many spectators. In fact, this captivating act was seen only by Robert. Sitting on the bench near the seafront with a cup of coffee, he failed to notice anyone else, who was also absorbed in watching the sky. Rare passersby were too occupied with their thoughts, either walking from or toward their working places, while having no desire to watch the beauty around them. Or maybe, they were just used to it, failing to see it as anything spectacular. On the other hand, Rob was too different from them, enjoying the scene, despite seeing it multiple times. This dawn long ago became special for him.
His train of thought was interrupted by a young woman, who loudly sat next to him on the other side of the long bench. Putting the large bag to the side, she sighed, closing her eyes. Making a few deep exhales as if concentrating, she suddenly turned her head toward Robert before asking.
¡°Do you have a smoke?¡±
Having an average appearance with a cute pixie nose, straight black hair slightly above her shoulders, and brown eyes, she was surprisingly confident, when addressing the stranger in this time of the day. Robert rarely saw real crimes on these streets, but they were still present. Especially, the cases of missing people who disappeared without a trace. Such brazen behavior was unexpected, considering his own pale skin with no hair at all and overall rough appearance. The hood covered his face, but not entirely, leaving enough open for other eyes to notice the oddities.
¡°I don¡¯t smoke¡ But I can offer you my coffee - haven¡¯t touched it¡ And it¡¯s still warm,¡± Robert replied with a light smile, slightly turning his head.
¡°Nah¡ I need something to relax and not the opposite,¡± The woman shook her head with disappointment. It took her another dozen seconds of silence before her curiosity won the cautions, ¡°And why did you take it in the first place if you don¡¯t drink it? It¡¯s not a caf¨¦, where you are meant to order anything.¡±
¡°I always loved it¡ The sour type with a deep taste and fragrance. It¡¯s hard to describe when you haven¡¯t tested it for a while¡ And seeing the sight I thought it was a good addition to the picture. Like a full set,¡± Thinking for a few moments, Robert gave his sincere answer. He still remembered how he drank the godly beverage in the bunker, and later in the trenches, looking at the night sky with flying flares. Only after losing most of his senses, Rob understood how important they were for making anyone¡¯s life enjoyable. With time the feeling only strengthened.
From the moment when he decided to start his cycles of ¡°superpower lottery¡± many restarts had passed. He lost the count long ago, not bothering to track it. At the start Rober was fully focused on the self-accepted task, abandoning everything if the serums gave something useless. It took quite an effort and at least several days to reach that point, so it was a real burden to repeat the same thing multiple times. Therefore, he tried to shorten this tiresome process. Driven by the noble goal for the first time, he focused solely on it, disregarding everything else.
However, at some point, Rob got the ability of the Sage, which suddenly changed his course of action. It was nothing special, like superhuman intelligence or anything like that. Nope, it was just a heightened comprehension ability together with a perfect memory. That led him to spend an entire loop basically locked in the library, shoving as much knowledge as he could in his head. He wasn¡¯t sure about the effectiveness of such time spending, but having an opportunity to know more it was dumb not to use it. His assumption was partly confirmed when the nuclear explosion and following reset took away the ability, but some part of the studied information managed to stay inside his not-so-clever mind. That caused another change in his strategy.
If the restart wipes all my deeds, why do I need to waste my time? I can improve, learn new things, develop different skills¡ The hell, I wanted to have a normal life, and here is a real chance to do it¡ yep, it¡¯s partly fucked up, but it¡¯s much better than I ever had, or I might ever have, considering my circumstances and luck... I have a whole city as my playground to play for almost two months. If I don¡¯t die, I can live many years like that until I¡¯ve got the needed ability to kill Demonologist. Yeah, let¡¯s do this, Rob! Okay, maybe it wouldn¡¯t be a ¡°normal¡± one¡
Therefore, when he took the next dosage of the serums and found that he got the power to shoot the arrows with perfect precision, manipulate their trajectory, and even resummon his projectile back into his palm, Robert broke into the nearest sport shop to get the gear. The whole loop was spent in training, while Rob tried to engrave the inserted skills into his muscle memory. Once again, it partly worked out, leaving him with much more experience and knowledge than he could get from a few months of training, but nothing comparable to his previous capability to strike the flying bird from a mile distance. (1.6 km).
In similar ways more loops went, getting everything potentially helpful for this or the next realms from the acquired temporary abilities. When the power gained was absolutely useless, Robert spent his time differently. The night sessions in cinema, nightclubs, bars, gaming on the console, bowling ¨C he methodically tried everything he imagined, treating all entertainment facilities in the city as the goals to do. There were no exceptions for him, no matter how boring or stupid the thing was. Rob learned how to drive a truck and how to use a crane. He explored the sewers and the bottom of the giant lake. Visited the local zoo and museums. Studied the different topics, depending on what Sage¡¯s power he got. Used every possible firearm on the shooting range or in the streets if the situation demanded.
Robert jumped from the skyscrapers without a parachute. Tried to steal the military helicopters until he finally succeeded, learning to operate them. Broke into the prison to duel with every single captured villain there. Found out all the details about the top-secret projects in the Facility, their state, and potential. Started multiple bar fights only to escape the police chase. Visited the theatrical shows and operas, finishing all available in a two-months time frame. After getting the corresponding ability he got employed as a cook in one of the best underground restaurants in the city, despite not having a sense of taste. Robbed the bank just to see if the kid¡¯s words were true and that wasn¡¯t impossible. There were more crazy deeds he made during this time when he tried to experience different specters of life.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Not everything proceeded smoothly, often leading to abrupt restarts. His weight and senseless body were additional obstacles that were hard to forget while trying to live a normal life. His super¡¯s nature was an even greater one, as it was almost impossible to get fair treatment from ordinary humans if they realized who he was. Still, it never stopped him from doing more, and if everything retorted to violence, Robert simply embraced the latter before resetting the world. At first, he didn¡¯t wish to lead this chaotic life, but quite soon the realization came to him. His metallic body was both his strength and the curse. Rob would be dead long if he wasn¡¯t like that, but on the other hand, most normal things were unavailable to him, pushing him into this mad and twisted way of getting life experience.
¡°You don¡¯t imagine how I would like to feel the taste of coffee¡ or any other food,¡± Robert spoke, looking at the paper cup in his hands with regret.
¡°You can¡¯t?¡± Looking at him again, the woman finally noticed the absence of the hair and his pale skin, getting the wrong conclusion, ¡°Cancer? Horrible shit¡ Lost my elder brother a year ago because of it¡ I am sorry,¡± she added in the end after a short pause.
¡°Something like that¡ But don¡¯t worry ¨C I am not dying right now. Just don¡¯t have any senses at all,¡± Robert replied, accidentally gripping the cup with more strength than was needed. The cup crumpled, spilling the hot brown liquid on his hand. However, he felt nothing. Even the pain these days was dull, barely reaching his pain receptors¡ if Rob had one.
Several times he got superpowers that could be labeled as the Sage¡¯s, temporarily raising his intellectual level, giving him knowledge out of nowhere, or changing his brain otherwise just to turn him into a genius for a short period of time. One such power boost gave him an intrinsic knowledge of material composition, the methods of their improvements, and an overall increase in intelligence. It took him a mere second to process how lucky he was before Robert sprinted into action.
The scientist from the laboratory under the pet shop, whose name was Paul Donovan Lakin, was quite surprised to see the same guest return in less than an hour. Precisely speaking, not only did he feel that way, but the group of bikers had a similar impression, just with a pinch of death threat. The latter quickly turned into a reality for most of the group before the lucky survivors finally listened to Robert. Therefore, forcefully ¡°renting¡± the place for the next two months, Rob spent his time building the machine that could influence his metal body.
Not to cause any retaliation from the sponsors of the place, Robert accepted a few bodyguard jobs as payment for the laboratory use and some additional equipment. In the end, despite having a foundation from previous empowerments, and hundreds of scientific books in his head, the time wasn¡¯t enough to do anything advanced. So, all he managed to develop was the method of making his base steel much lighter without influencing other properties. This was quite a crucial point in his case as at that point in time his weight was over six tones in an uncontrollable state. He could either increase or decrease it by focusing on the task, but it took energy and mental effort to keep the effect. Moreover, even ten times change wasn¡¯t enough to make his life convenient.
The reason for such an outcome was the rodent. The very same rodent that gave him the soul, connecting with Aether and granting his adaptation ability. The more serums with omicron particles Robert took, the more his body developed the resistance to it, thus shortening the effect of already temporary powers. Not only it, but it also used the energy from these yellow otherworldly particles as the fuel to strengthen the output of his reactor. This, in turn, led to his dragon¡¯s genes kicking in, making him grow bigger and bigger. Rob constantly had to make tempering sessions to squeeze himself back into the human¡¯s size. Otherwise, he would easily reach the height of a few-story building long ago.
¡°No senses? That¡¯s awful! Is it a chemotherapy¡ I am sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have asked,¡± the woman hastily spoke in the end, radiating guilt.
¡°Sometimes I feel that my body is just a shell, the robot¡¯s hull with only human¡¯s consciousness inside¡,¡± Robert added. He indeed thought like that. After multiple increases in density, his body started adapting to it. Maybe his mind tried to keep the shape and appearance of the old Rob, but his inner organs were the first to abandon this idea. At this point, there was no blood flowing in his veins. He consisted of a single moving piece of metal with a reactor core inside, working like a heart, brain, and power source simultaneously. He became a moving metal golem. Insanely powerful, almost unkillable, but the cost of such might was huge.
¡°If you can¡¯t sense anything, focus on something that brings pleasure to your mind. My brother made a list of the things to do before the death¡ It¡¯s often suggested for similar lost cases to ease¡ the transition. You can try it too,¡± the woman once again tried to raise his mood.
¡°Thank you. And I indeed mean it¡ I appreciate your concern, but you can¡¯t even imagine what things I¡¯ve tried at this point¡ Crazy, violent, illegal¡ You see, those things aren¡¯t felt real¡ like a substitute for real emotions¡ They can give me experiences I haven¡¯t gotten in my life but can¡¯t make me truly happy. Everything feels pointless,¡± Robert sighed, looking at the woman before returning his gaze to the water¡¯s surface.
¡°Yeah, I know what you mean. My brother also felt lost at that moment¡ It was before the fear of death overwhelmed him, but after he was halfway over with his list. The only advice I can give ¨C you need to do something, no matter what. Good rehabilitation is simple manual labor, especially in a garden with plants or trees. Or you can help the homeless in the centers ¨C the new hands are always welcome, and you can feel useful. And if you can¡¯t stand many people around ¨C just travel. Don¡¯t sit like that. Only you can pull yourself from the deep pit. Others can help, but in the end, it¡¯s your fight.¡±
¡°To travel? Hmm¡ It seems strange, but while I was too focused on getting out of my particular situation, I never had a single thought to leave the city,¡± Robert muttered, pondering about his potential future plans.
¡°If you need support, I often come here at the end of my shift each even day. Feel free to join me¡ but don¡¯t forget to get a pack of cigarettes next time,¡± the woman smiled, causing a mixture of emotions to rise inside Rob¡¯s mind.
¡°Unfortunately, tomorrow will never come¡ until I fix it,¡± standing up, Robert looked at the woman with his now gray eyes under his hood for the last time. The number of changes in his body finally reached his eyes, wiping his natural dark green color. In fact, light gray took every spot in his body, including nails and pupils. It varied in shades, but otherwise, he was a concentration of this pigmentation. Rob had to use his obsidian steel to create black points just so as not to be seen as blind. Oddly, it appeared that it did not affect his sight at all, turning his armored state into a real dark mannequin without a single hole, ¡°Thank you, and have a nice day, Joanna.¡±
¡°What? How do you know my name? Hey, stop!¡±
Chapter 162 (4-29)
Walking down a corridor, Rob glanced at his watch. Noting that he had a few minutes more, he silently stopped near the specific door, trying to focus on the recently gained ability. In fact, it was less than two hours ago when he got it by taking the serums. Otherwise, his highly risen tolerance would nullify the effect by the end of the day. It gave him no opportunity to train properly, apart from testing the newly acquired power a few times. However, after being empowered so many times with different types of abilities, Robert got something akin to an intrinsic sensation of how to use it from the start. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but overall the omicron particles worked similarly, making it not hard to figure out the process with his experience. Obviously, a straightforward description from Aether was also quite helpful.
Another benefit of this long journey of trial and error was the increase in control over his abilities with steel and Energy Blasts. After using so many energy-fueled powers, Rob¡¯s precision took another step forward. The time spent was one of the main reasons for such an outcome, but, on the other hand, it led to his particular situation, where he had almost no tries left. From his assumption ¨C there were less than a dozen left until the omicron particles would not affect his body. And despite hundreds, if not thousands, of attempts, Robert was never close enough to get something mighty enough to kill Demonologist with his insane level of regeneration. The thing kept returning to life, ignoring even the fact of missing half of the body.
Robert used conjured lasers, summoned fire tornados, raised gravity to the level of a counterfeit black hole, got an insane boost in physical strength and body capabilities, spread the rotting disease with his aura, could age any living being by touch, manipulated any blood in the area ¨C nothing worked against the huge monstrosity, only disabling it for a limited time in the best-case scenario. He repeated his attempts again and again only to get one result ¨C any wound would heal in no time. Moreover, the most damaging weapon was the very same nuclear blast from the start. In the end, no matter how powerful supers were, humankind could destroy anything or anyone, including the whole planet, just with their strength. And this time Rob wanted to rely on it in his potentially final try. The reason was simple ¨C his gained ability gave him a possibility, that he wished for.
By fusing with the omicron particles that are exclusive to the particular realm, the Transcendent temporarily was granted the following supernatural ability ¨C Teleportation. Using the inner energy, the wielder can teleport to any place they have been by creating a corresponding picture in their mind. The distance depends on the weight and the size of everything the wielder wants to take with them. The effect of the infusion will last for two hours thirty minutes until full exhaustion of the serum.
It''s not what I wanted¡ The restart would wipe this ability from my body¡ So, the only way to end these damned cycles is to do it right now. The dead won¡¯t resurrect, but I just don¡¯t see how I can do it otherwise¡ No more pondering, Rob. Are you ready for the final dance? Yeah, let¡¯s do it.
Checking the time, Robert nodded to himself before pushing obsidian steel out of his body. The pitch-black matter immediately covered him from all sides, leaving not a single hole. The next moment the barely visible white glow appeared on the armor¡¯s surface, instantly disintegrating his clothes. This light wasn¡¯t flickering even once, turning itself into a real whole piece layer without a gap, despite having an origin from a tiny Energy Blast. From some angles, it even looked like a gloss on black steel. Rob¡¯s weight was already lowered to an absolute minimum after his scientific experiment, reaching something around 150 kg (330 pounds) in a base state. Considering that it didn¡¯t affect his toughness and strength, this fact made him fast. Really fast. Especially after all the growth he experienced. Therefore, mentally preparing himself for what would come, Rob paused.
An instant later he vanished from his spot, lunging himself forward right through the closed door. The latter simply exploded from the impact, sending the wooden fragments all over the place. Then the sonic boom followed, created by his lightning-fast charge. However, Rob¡¯s attention was already aimed at the red sphere that enveloped the superhero. The terrified screams came from Sarah, who failed to understand what was happening with her secret lover. Robert registered it with the back of his mind while smashing into the sphere. Pushing into the wall, he smashed it against the obstacle only to break it at once. Dropping on the middle of the road a moment later, Rob immediately jumped backward to avoid the explosive sphere¡¯s increase in size.
Still, not everyone was so lucky. At least two cars were deformed, turning into a crumpled mixture of metal and flesh. Even more passersby were killed and wounded, being thrown away by a scarlet egg-like portal. Some walls from the nearest buildings collapsed because of the shockwave, but fortunately, it was nothing near to the previous damage if Rob hadn¡¯t acted. However, it was only the beginning of Demonologist grandeur entrance. Shining with a malicious red light that gave off a feeling of dread, the sphere made another jump in size. Only after that did the process halt, providing Robert with an opportunity to check the casualties. There weren¡¯t huge, but there were dead people.
It has to be this way¡ Otherwise, others will fail to see the real threat from the dragon¡ I need Sarah alive to push the use of nukes as fast as possible because I am not sure I can survive long enough¡ Yeah, there is no other option to avoid casualties¡
Robert repeated this thought a few times, trying not to look at mutilated bodies, lying motionlessly on the street in pools of blood. He already felt guilty that in his savior run, he had to kill his way to escape from the convoy, wipe out all guards in the laboratory, including both supers and now this. Somehow, his attempt to make it less bloody and more heroic failed from the start. However, the memories of the outcome of the devastated city made Robert firm his resolve. Looking at the dragon¡¯s head appearing through the gap in the realm¡¯s fabric, Rob pushed his obsidian steel in motion.
In the end, his main defense wasn¡¯t black metal, but the destructive layer on top of it. Relying on the latter together with his insane density, Rob could withstand a lot. Therefore, after so much time Rob learned how to make it paper-thin, using the saved matter to form a weapon. Precisely speaking, a rapier. This thin but long sword felt like a feather in his hand and was long tested against the transformed superhero. And when Robert spoke about thin, he indeed meant it as the blade was almost like a needle. There was no cutting edge on this five-meter-long weapon, just a pointy tip at the end. Instead, coated in similar disintegrative energy as his armor, it could penetrate the dragon¡¯s flesh with ease. And it did when Robert jumped at the hellish giant.
An instant later the ugly head was pierced. The disintegrating blade quickly reached the outer layers of the brain, causing a short circuit in the dragon¡¯s consciousness. What seemed to be minuscular damage immediately started to heal, but before it managed to finish, Rob¡¯s body smashed into the toothy jaw. His body was already coated in a similar disintegrative layer, melting the red scales at once before proceeding with fangs and palate. Moreover, the power from the hit felt like a direct uppercut that threw the giant head upward. Even before the monstrosity registered the bug that entered his flesh, Robert dispersed the glow under his feet. The passive regeneration instantly started to close the wound, trapping him inside, but that was his plan.
Stuck not far from the center of the giant head, Rob paused for a moment before pushing all his obsidian steel into the weapon, easily tripling its range. Not losing even a fraction of a second, he swung it to the side, making a rotational move. Only after making several full circles did he finally feel the trembling. Desperately working regeneration tried to heal the damage, but gravity was already pulling an enormous weight down. In the next second a separated head fell from the neck, crashing onto the road. The real waterfall of blood splattered all around, flooding the area. However, before the dust had settled, another deafening earthquake resounded through the city.
The collapse of the huge draconic body, whose part was still hidden in the portal shook the street, causing a wave of panic to spread even further away. Rob¡¯s mind, on the other hand, was completely focused on his task. Burning the hole into the dead flesh to get out from his ¡°flesh cage¡±, he hastily shredded the gigantic brain into pieces, preventing Demonologist from waking up too soon. Still, the monstrosity had already started to regenerate, creating blobs of ugly-looking flesh. Pulsing, with multiple veins, they were quickly growing in size.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Frowning from the picture, Rob quickly pulled his weapon inside before forming long hooks on his fingers. Gripping the huge head, he raised it into the air after a short struggle. Firmly planting his feet on the road, Robert threw the ¡°projectile¡± to the side, simultaneously enveloping his conjured hooks into the destructive layer. The separated head managed to fly only a few dozen meters before crashing into the nearest building, collapsing the latter from the heavy impact. But Robert never aimed to make a record, wishing only to free the way.
The dragon¡¯s newly formed head was half finished, pushing him into motion. Creating another rapier, Rob pierced the flesh before willing the tip to open like an umbrella. And then he turned around and pulled, dragging the unconscious monster out of the portal. The first step was the hardest as the weight of the mountain-like thing was easily comparable to a skyscraper. He even had to slightly melt the road under his feet to create better support. Still, his strength had made a huge leap forward after so much time.
If earlier Rob could turn concrete into dust by simply clenching his fist, now he was far more powerful. The never-stopping reactor that was imbuing him with energy, the draconic nature that made him grow endlessly without any limits, the omicron particles that served as a boost ¨C everything led to the overwhelming might he got after what seemed to be years in this time loop. He never bothered to ask Aether to measure him in any way.
Therefore, after a short resistance, the weight lost the battle with Rob¡¯s raw strength. The huge dragon moved, dragged by a tiny bug. Each next step felt easier, helping to pull the creature out of the hellish world before it regained its consciousness. Unfortunately, Robert wasn¡¯t fast enough as by the moment when the short tail left the scarlet sphere, the eyes of the dumbfounded monstrosity were open. Looking at the human, who dared to cause it pain, the giant dragon felt how anger started to rise inside it. Burning with rage, the creature immediately caused the same effect in reality when the intense flames found their way out from the opened maw. Directed onto a pitch-black figure, they were focused solely on the target, pouring all its wrath on it. The created heat was so huge that the road was turned into a liquid in an instant. The surrounding buildings had a similar fate, partly melting, partly being blown away from the shockwave of thunderous roar. However, when the fire died out, the very same figure was still standing there, enveloped in an intense white glow.
This was the first time the creature was shocked by the sheer tenacity of the puny opponent. Deciding to repeat the attack as if not believing in the uselessness of it, the dragon attempted to suck in the air. However, this was the moment when the figure shot forward. Creating a sonic boom, it entered the opened mouth in a fraction of a second, melting its way inside. Another wave of pain caused the halt of the dragon¡¯s action. This delay was enough for Robert to reach the newly regenerated brain, once again turning into a mush and stopping Demonologist, albeit not for long.
Okay, it¡¯s time!
Gripping the constantly restoring flesh, Robert focused on the ethereal feeling that lingered in the background of his mind. The sensation of freedom to travel whenever he wanted, without limits or restrictions. It felt like a joke from a universe ¨C to grant such power in his circumstances, where he was basically chained to the realm and short time frame. However, exactly the desire to be free from this situation made it much easier to use. Creating an image of the place, a dozen miles away from the city, where he liked to watch the night sky, Robert tried to pull his body to that spot, simultaneously taking the large passenger with him.
This was the moment when he felt the energy drain. For the first time in Aether knows how long, Rob¡¯s energy reactor failed to produce the needed amount. It was like the monstrosity''s body was resisting the forced transfer, and not just its size or weight caused Robert troubles. Sensing the running out of time, Rob decisively dispersed his layer only to be captured by the growing flesh an instant later. Pushing his obsidian steel, he halted any control over its shape, abandoning his armor. His pupils were next, turning them back to gray. In the end, Rob redirected everything into the ethereal palm that tried to take him and Demonologist through the fabric of space. However, nothing happened.
It''s not enough¡
This thought repeated again and again when he tried to teleport. Feeling desperate, Rob finally dropped any attempt to keep safety measures. His own body started to disintegrate, unable to keep up with the drain. In several moments he was reduced to his rector core, while the force shield was fighting for its existence, barely balancing between on the verge of collapsing. Fortunately, the ability finally gave up, transferring both of them into the wastelands not very far from the city. It took a few seconds for Robert to return to his shape before melting his way out of the head. But not until copying the shredder once again, stopping the monster from moving. Dropping to the ground, Robert tried to sprint away only to halt his escape after a single step.
No, I need to be here until the very end¡
Looking at the lying gigantic monster, Rob conjured his armor and weapon, preparing for the fight. The necessity to get ready for the latter was crucial as the dragon had a nasty property to heal the repeated damage much faster. There was barely any chance to halt the mad Demonologist for more than a second, even going for his brain once again. Therefore, it left him with limited options. The first one was to dodge the stomp that crushed the ground.
Sliding away in one swift motion, Rob cut through another limb only to see how the bloody line disappeared after a short delay. The monstrosity didn¡¯t even lose the balance, having way too many paws for his liking. It only roared in anger, scaring all animals and birds in a wide area around. The following fire breath devastated the field, turning the thick layer of ground into the ash. It didn''t affect Rob, but, unfortunately, he also had nothing powerful enough in his arsenal. Rolling, jumping, sprinting, dodging ¨C Robert was almost like a circus monkey, trying to entertain the demanding spectators in the form of a huge dragon.
However, then he caught the quickly approaching shadow that was dropping from above. Rob¡¯s reaction was instantaneous, without a need to think over the choice. Pulling the image of High Castle in his mind, he immediately teleported himself there. The prison for supers was one of the highest spots, giving a perfect view of the following flash. Bright, it was too distant to blind him but enough to cause the nervous scare from the blast to the bigger part of the city. The sound of a thunderous explosion came after the second missile hit. The mushroom-like dust cloud with flames inside was already growing, rising to the sky.
I need to check it to be sure¡ If only Aether could give a kill notification, but dreams, dreams¡
Teleporting back, Robert found himself amidst the apocalypse. The insane heat in this mist, made from dust and burned flesh, tried to attack him, but pitch-black armor held firm. Moreover, his attention was focused on the search for the transformed super. And despite reappearing in the same spot, Robert found nothing as if the dragon simply disintegrated. It was nothing unusual, considering the terrifying and more importantly concentrated might of nuclear warheads, adjusted to kill even the mightiest wielders of superpowers. There was not even ash left from the flesh of once a huge living being. Just an enormous crater on the place of impact.
Walking for a minute in this local residence of Hell that became a grave for one of its inhabitants, Rob had mixed feelings. He finally achieved what he wished for, saving the city from devastation. The radiation could still reach it, damaging the health of the citizens, but he hoped that twenty miles (32 km) to the outskirts were enough to lower the impact from the initial blast. From what he knew, the radiation in this case was just a byproduct of the explosion as it wasn¡¯t a ¡°dirty bomb¡± in the first place. Still, this heroic achievement didn¡¯t feel like a victory at all. The sight of the complete destruction only intensified this feeling.
The trembling air from the heat, the flying sparks of still burning ash, the scorched ground inside a gigantic hole made by a terrific blast. His imagination ran wild, creating the picture of the dead, who were killed by Robert to get to this point of ¡°saving¡± the city. Most of them were resurrected by the restart, but the fact of his deed couldn¡¯t be wiped out from his memory. And in these surroundings, where everything was covered in flames, dust, and invisible poison, Rob felt like he was dragged into Hell to atone for his sins. A perfect place for someone like him.
But now I am free to leave everything behind as if it was a nightmare¡ Wait, what was that?
Reacting to an odd sound, Rob turned around only to hear another weird beat that penetrated his steel armor and directly entered his mind, causing a wave of ominous premonition. The latter was confirmed when the beat repeated itself, sounding much more powerful than before. The third caused a sudden hurricane. Blowing the dust away, it opened a view of the growing scarlet sphere. Not pausing at the size of the three-story building, it continued its way as if competing with a skyscraper, sending shivers across even Rob¡¯s metal body. Having no desire to see the result, Robert instantly teleported back to the prison tower, watching the start of a thunderstorm at the place of strikes.
Obviously, this fucker isn¡¯t dead¡ What the heck? Two fucking nuclear blasts and it¡¯s not dead! What the actual FUCK?... No, calm down, Robert, and think¡ There are new options for you. Despite the failure, I managed to avoid the destruction of the time machine. I bet I can lead it away from the city, and drag the time until I am free to leave this stupid realm¡ However, there isn''t a single chance that someone or something here can kill that thing. It would be a real apocalypse for the whole world¡ Like the final end for sure. So, the question is ¨C Robert, what do you want to do? Or, precisely speaking, who do you want to be? Time to make a decision¡ and you better don¡¯t regret it.
Chapter 163 (4-30)
It was the first time Sarah had had a good opportunity to look at the unknown villain, who broke into the guarded facility only to surrender at once. She was still pondering why the man, whose code name was Golem, did it, and whether it was really an accident as he tried to explain his appearance in the restricted area under Gray Lion¡¯s attack. That was the main reason why she was inside this prison, looking at the odd man through the working force shield. Needing to confirm the correctness of her decision not to blow the laboratories, to clear the events for herself and her boss, and finally, to assess the threat level of the super, Sarah still failed to keep her curiosity as the man¡¯s appearance stood out.
The owner of the dusty albino skin, whose body was potentially made from the unknown light metal, was calmly sitting on the bed, dressed in green shorts and nothing else. Taller than average, Golem was still shorter than herself, reaching somewhere around 185 centimeters (around 6¡¯1¡±). Quite muscular, he had similarities with a typical brute. Bald with rough facial features and the absence of any hair that made him not ugly, but just unattractive. The light smile had no sincerity behind it. However, what captivated her was his eyes.
Gray akin to his skin, they were a mixture of contradictions. Their color made them almost invisible, turning the man into a faded monochrome photo, but their heaviness and radiating power somehow made them catch the eyes of any onlooker. However, despite the inner strength hidden behind those eyes, they simultaneously showed clear exhaustion from the invisible burden the man had to carry. Still, there was something primal, even predatory deep inside those pale eyes. Something that was threatening to swallow anyone, who dared to play with the temporary calm beast.
Those eyes mesmerized Sarah for a few moments, so she missed the movement of the man, who suddenly raised to his feet from his bed. However, her experience in dealing with psychos told her that there was no danger in this act. She was sure that the power evaluation of this man was absolutely wrong, putting him at fourth level, but that was because Golem himself didn¡¯t wish to harm anyone. And just from his gaze, Sarah instantly understood that the man wanted to be here, willingly going to the prison. This assumption was confirmed with his first words.
¡°My greetings, Agent Bell, Truthful Eyes,¡± slightly bowing to them, the man continued, not giving time to answer, ¡°Haven¡¯t spoken with you in a while¡ But let¡¯s re-introduce ourselves again. My name is Robert Flop¡ Happy to meet you Sarah Bell, Richard James Tansey.¡±
The revelation of the super¡¯s true name caused Truthful Eyes to flinch, failing to keep his cool. Secret identities weren¡¯t the thing, but still most CSA agents with abilities tried to avoid using them to cause less attention to their families. Especially, when the mutual relationships between the empowered human and his relatives weren¡¯t good enough.
¡°Nothing to worry about. I mean no harm,¡± Golem spoke, noticing the reaction, ¡°I will answer all your questions¡ but only after we speak, Sarah,¡± turning to Agent Bell, the man said not showing a single change of expression on his face.
¡°I don¡¯t think you are in a position to set the demands,¡± Sarah answered, steeling her voice. That only led to a short laugh from the man, who literally consisted of metal.
¡°I¡¯ll ask you, Richard, to activate your ability¡,¡± Getting the confirmation nod from his supervisor, the super obediently did it, raising his fist for indication, ¡°Okay, I can tear this force shield in a few seconds at most. You won¡¯t have time to even run away before that. The plasma missiles that a pair of helos on standby have in their arsenal can¡¯t kill me. Your special bullets won¡¯t have any effect, even if they hit me¡ and they won¡¯t. I can raze the whole prison to the ground without breaking a sweat¡ The only thing that stops me is my sincere wish not to harm anyone¡ So, I do think I can make a few demands before answering your questions,¡± Golem smiled lightly, tilting his head to the side.
It was a rare moment when Sarah didn¡¯t need any confirmation from her partner. The ever-calm super simply broke from his trance, barely hiding a sudden wave of fear. Having a non-combat ability, the man was always relying on the force shield to do his part of the job, and, despite all his colorful image, and experience in CSA, Truthful Eyes never wanted to actually fight. He wanted to be useful, to earn money for his family, but nothing about directly confronting any dangerous villains with superpowers. Sarah knew it, and seeing such a reaction, immediately spoke.
¡°Richard, go. I will handle everything myself.¡±
There was a short pause during which the man hesitated, not knowing what to decide. Alas, the fear of the smiling metal man won. Muttering quiet apologies, he quickly left the place, summoning the guard. Sarah had to order everyone to back off just to continue the dialogue. All this time Golem was silently watching the unfolding event with an amusement as if seeing something new.
¡°What did you want to talk about?¡± Sarah finally asked when there was no one left around. Still, she was sure that guards were already asking for reinforcements, summoning the super¡¯s team and additional gear just in case. Even more eyes were watching them through the cameras. However, it seemed Golem didn¡¯t care, sincerely wishing to speak.
¡°Well¡ I wanted to ask you ¨C what¡¯s like to be a hero? CSA puts so much money into creating brave and righteous images of supers, but it¡¯s just a pretension picture for the screens. But I do know that some of your heroes are actually doing something meaningful. They save lives, send the bad guys into prison, stop the threats from hurting innocent¡¡±
¡°Yes, that''s what the heroes do,¡± Sarah nodded, too dumbfounded about an unexpected topic to quickly find something to say on the subject.
¡°But what is the difference between them and ordinary folks, who serve society? The firefighters, police officers, medical workers? They literally do the same, but rarely get the same treatment or acknowledgment, despite the constant effort and willingness to risk,¡± the man asked with the same calm voice.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
¡°It¡¯s their job¡,¡± Sarah started only to be interrupted in a moment.
¡°Your heroes are also on salaries¡ Yes, CSA likes to name it as a support payment, so the hero can focus on helping, but it just doesn¡¯t deny the fact ¨C your heroes are paid for what they do. The only difference is the size of the paycheck,¡± Golem laughed sadly, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand me, I truly want to know.¡±
¡°The size of the threat is much bigger in scale,¡± Sarah replied, feeling personally offended, as she also started on the streets, trying to clean them from the thugs or drug dealers.
¡°But they have the power to balance those scales¡ And it takes more courage to face the burning building, in which you need to enter to save trapped people than to do the same, when you have the ability to control the fire by will. However, the crowd will cheer for the super, looking at flashy effects instead of cruel reality, where the sweat after years of training was the key to success. The same goes with police officers, who don¡¯t have bulletproof bodies¡ Do you imagine what bravery medical workers need to have to say to the relatives that their son or mother has died? To take the blame, despite being the one, who tried to save that life.¡±
¡°What do you imply with this discussion about the superheroes? That there aren¡¯t heroes in fact?¡± Sarah asked, feeling how the direction of this odd conversation was flowing far from her intended interrogation.
¡°I don¡¯t imply anything. Just want to figure out what makes people heroes¡ Self-sacrifice? But not all the time they die. It¡¯s especially true with wielders of strong superpowers. For example, Demonologist. The guy is basically unkillable,¡± noting how Sarah flinched on mentioning the name of the super, Golem smiled before proceeding, ¡°No self-sacrifice will ever happen from him as it¡¯s almost physically impossible, but everyone will describe him as an example of a heroic figure.¡±
¡°Because he had done a lot to get there,¡± Sarag replied with a hidden pride.
¡°Maybe¡ But a surgeon with over twenty years of practice might have saved more lives¡ I bet he would get only a name tablet on the wall in one of the clinic''s corridors at most as a recognition. Maybe even a one-time bonus. That¡¯s it ¨C no cartoons, action figures, and praise from everyone,¡± Golem pointed out the fact, ¡°It¡¯s hard to measure the good deeds. And I don¡¯t think there is a container for them with a pointer of the level needed to get a heroic tag. Moreover, the very same surgeon might never hold a weapon in his hands, not speaking about deliberately killing someone¡ while your heroes have bloody hands for sure.¡±
¡°Sometimes it has to be done,¡± lowering her voice, Sarah sighed with regret.
¡°Yeah, I understand. Soldiers are perfect examples. All their job is to kill the enemies, so the latter won¡¯t kill them. And the more efficient you are in this job, the more medals you will earn¡ Well, it works in a perfect life. The reality is quite different in that regard, but it¡¯s not the time to discuss the military and how commanders may exploit their ¡°armed slaves¡±. Let¡¯s return to heroes. So, what defines them¡¡±
¡°Listen, it¡¯s a pointless conversation. I don¡¯t know the answer. It¡¯s the society, who names someone as a hero¡ It happens by itself, and by someone¡¯s will,¡± Sarah responded with growing irritation.
¡°Is it? Let¡¯s return to the beginning of our discussion, where I told you that CSA heavily invests in the public image of superheroes. It means that there is a will that names someone as a hero, using available resources. I tried to think about it again and again, but the only thing I can see as a defined and distinguished trait to get the acknowledgment as a hero is public admiration. It seems it doesn¡¯t matter what you have done, whether have you sacrificed anything or not, how much effort had it taken to do the heroic deed¡ Nothing matters in the end. Only the proper story to form a public image that will raise the value of your ¡°brave achievement¡± tenfold¡ Unfortunately, the same goes for villainous acts.¡±
Sarah didn¡¯t find how to comment on it and Golem didn¡¯t continue his speech further, creating a moment of silence in the cell. Both seemed to dive into their thoughts, pondering at the odd subject instead of an interrogation. The latter wasn¡¯t forgotten by the senior agent. No, Sarah just accepted the fact that this conversation wouldn¡¯t be useful for her plans. So, she had time to think about the answer, using her personal point of view on the possible events and the responsibility that came with her position.
¡°I admit that CSA creates heroes with a clear goal to lower the fear of supers in society. Thus, the criminals are labeled as villains to separate the bad guys from the other wielders of superpowers not to damage their artificial image of belonging to a good side. It never was about real heroism, working just to fix the events of long past¡ I don¡¯t know who the real heroes are. However, I do know when I need to make a tough but correct decision, so more people in the future will live better¡ Or live at all. To bear the consequences of my decisions, no matter how hard it is, just for the sake of others¡ At least I try it as I feel this might be what you are speaking about. Not admiration but the weight of aftermath that the people have to carry with them till the end of their lives¡ It¡¯s not about the public image for me, but more about what is right or wrong in each case. The answer may vary depending on the scale of potential consequences, but there is still an answer. And maybe the real bravery is to make such a decision each time, not pushing the responsibility onto others.¡±
¡°Thank you, Sarah,¡± Golem nodded after a short pause, ¡°It means a lot to me¡ I will never be a classic hero as with the rivers of blood I spilled it¡¯s simply impossible. But even if I am viewed as a dangerous villain, I will try to keep my moral compass¡ no matter the cost¡ I appreciate our conversation, but now let me think over everything. You can increase my threat level up to the maximum possible, but I promise I won¡¯t try to escape.¡±
The ending felt abrupt, but despite all attempts to ask the questions, Sarah was met with silence from Golem. The man simply closed his eyes and froze, turning into some kind of an ancient statue, motionless and unavailable to the outside world. Feeling the meaninglessness of the attempts, she had to leave, still inwardly going through the course of this strange interrogation that became a pseudo-philosophical farce from the start. Only when the thick metal door cut off the cell from her sight, Sarah sighed again.
¡°How was it?¡± The Truthful Eyes was first to speak, noticing a confused expression on his partner¡¯s face.
¡°Odd¡ Very-very odd. And non-informative. I will need to think about what to tell the boss. For now, lower Golem¡¯s danger level to class one, but keep him in the same cell. If he tries to escape, don¡¯t engage in any case ¨C immediately summon Demonologist and wait. We don¡¯t need to have pointless casualties. Golem acknowledged the power of Demonologist, so it might be his natural counter. Hope, it won¡¯t come to the battle between two mighty supers ¨C the city won¡¯t survive it,¡± Sarah commanded the guard, trying to recreate potentially valuable details from this weird conversation. However, no matter how she tried, she pondered about one thing ¨C was it the correct way to portray the supers that CSA took? The existence of heroes with super abilities demanded someone to be named as villains, even if they had done nothing to deserve it. Otherwise, the system wouldn¡¯t simply work, missing its crucial half. In the end, the heroes always needed villains to fight against as there couldn''t be light without darkness.
Chapter 164 (4-31)
The sight of the familiar laboratory was long imprinted in Rob¡¯s mind. Maybe at this point, he knew it even better than the scientists who worked inside, trying to tear the fabric of space and open the passage into another realm. And, despite Robert¡¯s appearance, they failed, almost repeating the scenario of his own life. To achieve something and still to lose in the end. Robert Flop was true to his nature. And that was what might have been waiting for him in the near future, once again confirming his family name. However, for now, Robert looked again at the faces of the scientists. He knew their personas, their stories, their reactions to the fear of death, and much more. But for the first time, he was happy that soon this knowledge would become pointless.
¡°I think it copied our appearance,¡± one of the junior scientists suggested, who had the same name as Robert. The young man was first to greet the loop prisoner in each of the resets, hastily jumping to conclusions. It never mattered how Rob looked like as the scientist always had his own assumptions to share with others.
¡°You are mistaken,¡± Robert spoke, interrupting an attempt of the leading scientist to teach his subordinate, ¡°I am a villain, who used your portal to get inside. There will be an attack on the Facility in a few seconds, so better run,¡± Finishing his speech, Rob widely smiled, simultaneously preparing his body. The pitch-black armor already covered him, adding a light glow on top. The next moment, even before the men managed to process his words, Robert launched forward.
The force shield cracked at once, failing to stop his accelerating body. Then the sonic boom came, shocking the scientists and finally sending everyone in motion. Especially, when a loud explosion shook the underground laboratory. The following trembles and the roar of a primordial predator that penetrated the thick concrete only added more fuel to the overwhelming fear that washed over their minds, wiping all previous training and leaving only a single desire ¨C to live. However, Rob never saw it, focusing on his planned actions.
Smashing the corners of wide corridors as if he were an angry bull in chase after an annoying human in the middle of narrow streets, Robert quickly got to the laboratory¡¯s door. Not halting his motion, he simply ran through the obstacle. The bulletproof door, made from thick metal, melted from a mere moment of contact, leaving a human-like hole in the center. The groups of CSA agents were already inside, trying to get the futuristic-looking device from the container.
Dressed in formal dark suits, equipped with automatic rifles, there were five of them. The bigger guy was exactly in the moment of taking the result of long and expensive research, which had the look of a self-made gun with all exposed wires and a visible battery that barely fit the frame. The other three looked the same, almost as if they were chosen to create a feeling of cloned CSA agents. The dark glasses that covered the third part of their faces only helped to achieve this odd goal. Led by a tall woman with a cold expression, they reacted immediately. But so did Robert, instantly jumping into action.
The light slap shattered the jaw of the nearest agent, sending him flying into the wall. Two more lightning-fast strikes knocked two others before Rob paused in front of a big guy. The latter was already trying to charge the Broom, making it glow with sinister light. However, Rob was faster. Gently gripping the forearm, he squeezed, breaking it at once and making him release the weapon. An additional slap sent the big guy unconscious. This was the moment when Sarah decided to remind him about her existence. Sprinting from her spot, she sent a flying kick toward Robert¡¯s back of the head.
He had to react fast to nullify the effect of a destructive layer while increasing his weight so as not to be thrown away. The Broom was in his hands, and he wanted to avoid damaging it. Sarah still tried to continue with follow-up attack, but Robert had no wish, no time to waste. Turning around, he caught the flying leg before shooting forward with his fist, piercing the air mere centimeters from her face, causing a wave of fear. The latter intensified when a sonic boom followed, hitting her ear with a sudden sound and disorientating her for a second. Then the pain came, waking her at once. Looking at her leg with horror, she found that her knee was bent in an unnatural way. Then the pain came.
¡°CSA has supers that can heal it, but for now I need you, Sarah, to be quiet and listen. A lot depends on you¡¡±
¡°Release her! Now!¡± It seemed the women¡¯s scream and commotion caused Demonologist to rush to the laboratory faster than was expected. Glancing through the melted hole, the demonic-looking super immediately ripped the metal apart, exposing his towering figure with a bone crown on the reptilian-like head with only traces of resemblance to humans. A thin torso with visible ribs under the dark red skin. Multiple bone spikes were protruding across the spine, which ended with a short tail that had an improvised natural mace on its tip. Massive muscular limbs with claws. Glowing yellow snake eyes, a huge toothy maw, and a hole instead of the nose made the awful appearance of Hell¡¯s descendant even scarier, especially when the owner of it barely held the hatred inside. It was burning strong that Demonologist was on the verge of lunging forward, and only the weapon directed at lying Sarah stopped him.
¡°You look much nicer in this form,¡± Robert spoke, ¡°drop the kid to the side and step in. I was waiting for you.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you dare do something with her,¡± the growling voice of the transformed super tried to threaten him with just a sheer sound. Deep, it had something truly demonic inside, pushing some spots in the soul and causing an instinctive reaction to forfeit any resistance in front of the true bringer of the destruction. At least, that was what Sarah felt, despite not being a target. However, it seemed there was no reaction from the villain.
¡°Do it,¡± Robert simply repeated his order, charging the Broom to hasten the super. The glowing violet light instantly increased the pace of the hero. Pulling the unconscious kid inside, Demonologist shoved him into the corner, not even bothering to be careful. All his attention was focused on Rob, clearly searching for the opportunity. And it was granted just a second later, when the barrel of the Broom moved from the woman only to aim at his demonic figure, ¡°Let¡¯s start then.¡±
The launch of the superhero was instantaneous. Leaving deep holes in the surface, Demonologist threw his body forward in a lunge, outstretching both his clawed paws in an attempt to grip the pitch-black villain. However, it appeared that the latter had an even better reaction, easily side-stepping. With one hand occupied with the Broom, the villain still managed to elbow the head of Demonologist, shattering the ugly skull in a single hit. Even before the transformed hero did anything, the world went black. His regeneration kicked in, quickly fixing the damage, but the villain made another punch. Enveloped in glowing light, his fist simply pulverized the head of the hero, once again darkening the surroundings for the unlucky guy.
Let¡¯s finally end it¡
There was no hesitation in Robert¡¯s action. Moving like he trained everything despite doing it for the first time, Rob finished the charging of the Broom. The next moment the device was aimed at the body of the man, whose insane restoration ability made him unkillable. At least with the obvious measures. However, Robert once found a way to kill a similar, albeit weaker creature, who tried to speak about his invincibility.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
That vampire died, and so would Demonologist.
The wide arc of violet light enveloped the lying hero, who was in the process of reforming his head. The reaction after the hit was immediate. The superheroic body started to collapse from the inside. The process of rotting seized the whole demonical creature in a fraction of a second before turning into ash. Under the never-stopping light, the latter was wiped from existence a moment later. The mighty figure of Demonologist simply vanished, replaced by a tiny blob that was still connecting his beating heart and brain. Hovering in the air and creating a dreadful feeling, it attempted to restore the hero back.
Not going to happen!
Draining the battery of the Broom by overcharging the device and not stopping the wide beam, Robert stretched his hand forward. The violent and violet light didn''t affect his metal limb, so within an instant, he was gripping the blob with his hand. There was a terrifying scream akin to a dying animal behind when Sarah tried to stop him, despite the stream of tears. Rob didn¡¯t know where she got a gun, but several bullets hit his head in a row¡ only to melt from the contact with his defensive layer. He, on the other hand, was focused on creating multiple spikes that simultaneously penetrated the living organs.
Burning their way through surprisingly tough flesh, they pulled the brain and the heart together. Fighting for its existence, the central part of the superhero tried to envelop itself in the scarlet sphere, summoning the next transformation. However, Rob was faster. Abandoning the Broom as the weapon was on the verge of failing after overheating, he gripped the forming sphere with both his palms. Pulling his obsidian steel, he was a fraction of a second faster, enveloping both organs into a created prison. The destructive layer on the inner side was already trying to disintegrate the remnants of Demonologist. Then Robert squeezed with all his inhuman strength. Adding a mental command on top, he smashed the ball until it reached the size of a peanut.
¡°What have you done, bastard?¡± Sarah¡¯s shout managed to get through his concentration. Looking at the crying woman, who was in search of the ammo, Robert sighed before answering.
¡°He isn¡¯t dead¡ yet,¡± As if confirming his words, the ball shook, trying to return to its previous size. Robert felt like it was resisting being scorched, again and again regenerating with a stubborn persistence. Such dedication to survival pushed Rob¡¯s thoughts in a strange direction. Demonologist appeared to be quite similar to Robert in terms of powers. Insane regeneration that came from his inner core and was fueled by the outside force that potentially came from Hell ¨C the analogy with Rob¡¯s situation was too telling.
Are you fucking Transcendent? Or what? But with looks, a girl, admiration from others, and even with a normal life¡ Doesn¡¯t matter ¨C time to die, fucker. You are too dangerous for this world. I only hope I won¡¯t follow your example soon¡
Gripping the ball with his hand, Robert ordered his obsidian steel to move, exposing his gray chest. Making an unneeded breath to firm his resolve, he used his other hand to cut through the metal flesh, simultaneously helping by dispersing the part of his body. Only by reaching his rector core, Rob paused once again. There was a short pause that was interrupted by Sarah, who started to use an automatic rifle in a futile attempt to shoot him. This fact made Rob quicken his actions as there wasn¡¯t much time left. Therefore, he pushed the ball with Demonologist¡¯s living remnants into his sphere.
For the moment there was a resistance, but it was Rob who was in control of his metal being. So, he lowered the shield. Instantly the chaotic stream of energy shot, disintegrating half of the corridor. More and more came, burning the concrete and ruining the laboratory in a matter of seconds. However, after several situations where Robert had to take control of his pierced core, he had enough understanding of how to do it. Especially when he initiated the event, ready to act and know how to do it. Fighting against his own unstable core, he spent only several seconds shoving the newly acquired ball inside before restoring the force shield.
Still, no matter how fast Rob tried to be, the process felt long, taking all his attention just not to fall apart during this self-surgery. His pitch-black armor dispersed, turning into formless constructs that seemed to act by their own will. His protective layer disappeared, exposing his metal body to Sarah¡¯s bullets. Even some parts of his body were deformed, failing to keep their shape, or even completely disappearing without a trace during this process when the will''s focus that controlled its existence waned. There was no pain, just a race against time. And Robert lost, as when he came back into consciousness, half of the Facility was destroyed by his energy streams. At least the view of upper levels with terrified scientists was too telling, explaining what had happened in a short time frame, when Rob focused on his task.
Turning around and finding Sarah in a state of cold hatred, Robert inwardly sighed. The odd sting of pain was burning inside, reminding him that there was a living being trapped, who never stopped trying to get out. Then there was a sight of the facility on the brink of collapsing with multiple dead, turned into ashes, or being killed by debris. Moreover, knowing Sarah and her methods, Robert could bet that there was a welcoming party waiting for him on top of the nuclear blasts. In this situation it was impossible to avoid new deaths, adding more to the final count of his attempt to be a hero.
¡°Listen carefully, Sarah. You can take any revenge you want for killing your lover but think about the casualties. You can¡¯t kill me with anyone or anything you have prepared, so your best bet is a nuclear blast. Plasma missiles won¡¯t work. TripleShot and her¡or their bullets don¡¯t have any effect on me¡ You can throw anything you want at me, but if the military strikes me before I leave the city, it will be on your conscience. All those deaths of civilians or supers will be the result of your decision. I warned you¡ After I leave the city, you can use whatever you want to kill me. Be my guest¡ But I ask you to be reasonable in the city borders. Decide right now, otherwise bear the consequences.¡±
Robert spoke calmly, looking at the senior agent, who was biting her lips, trying to suppress boiling emotions. The teary eyes were radiating hatred, but her cold mind was still holding her together from crumbling under the stress and sorrow of loss. Her indifferent cold mask broke, but Rob still saw her strong character. In the end, he failed to find a better solution for saving the city, obediently taking the role of the villain. However, now it was her turn to make a decision. Robert knew that he could fight his way through CSA, superheroes, and the military. The problem was in the latter as he had no idea how they would react and what they would use. And the woman, who had lost her lover because of his deeds, was the one to communicate with them, having at least some influence on their potential methods of dealing with the global threat to their authority.
¡°Why? Why did you do it?¡± Rob only started covering his body in pitch-black armor, but the sudden question halted his actions. Sarah¡¯s voice was quite, weak, but he still heard the sincere desire to know the reason. To understand what had driven such ruthless actions out of nowhere.
¡°The kid fucked up badly with the serum, causing potentially a huge mess. Apocalyptical scale mess,¡± He pointed at the teenager, who never came back to sense up to this point,¡± And I decided to clean this mess, even with the price of turning into a villain¡ Farewell, Sarah. I hope we will never meet again¡ Make your decision. The clock is ticking,¡± Hiding his face under the black steel, Robert turned around and tensed his legs. His frame started to glow. In the next moment, he shot upward, penetrating the concrete and the earth in one motion, disappearing from Sarah¡¯s sight.
The woman spent another second looking at the now empty spot before taking her communication device. She indeed had a decision to make. An immediate revenge with potential multiple deaths of innocents, who might be caught in action, or the risk of villain¡¯s escape that would decrease the chance of a massive battle inside the city blocks but leave her lover¡¯s death unavenged. Emotions or rationality. The choice was only hers at this exact moment.
Chapter 165 (4-32)
Robert¡¯s life brought him into different situations. Some were terrifying, while others were boring. Some created constant pressure, trying to fracture him with sheer stubbornness of everlasting hardships, not giving him a break over a long period. There were rare occasions when he could enjoy little moments of peace and even dive into a few entertainments before another turn of his life would take him into a new and often deeper hole. However, what united most of these situations was the need to endure something.
A solitude on the island with giant lizards as a company and the scorching sun as a silent observer. The overwhelming fear of death coming from above in trenches with the whistling sound of an angry bee. The stress from waking up in the pile of corpses that just a day earlier were his friends and acquaintances. The boredom on the field, where he lay for days as a broken toy until he restored himself from the gruesome wounds. The madness of being turned into the exhibit for the crowd¡¯s amusement without the ability to do anything. The heaviness of guilt from all his kills in the Tower and in other places with a total number long suppressing many digits. The physical discomfort from staying among happy people with a strong feeling of estrangement. The inability to feel anything like the warmth of touch or taste of food. There were things to test his mental resilience. And a new experience was added to this basket of horrors he went through.
The way through the city was tense but never turned into a blood bath. When Robert made his way to the surface, melting the road and stepping out onto the square, he met a group of armed CSA agents, two familiar APCs, and empowered sniper clones at the roofs with a few more supers in the background. However, it seemed Sarah made a hard decision, stopping everyone from attacking him the moment they saw a pitch-black figure. Moreover, she went further, calling a flying super, whose name Robert never tried to find out before killing. The man was a silent and serious type, dying in the same manner in each of their fights.
This super came from above and without sparing a single word caught Rob just to take him out of the living area under the cautious wary eyes of the multiple witnesses and even cameras from the media. The flight didn¡¯t take long, but multiple military helos were already nearing the spot not far from the city, clearly summoned directly from the prison''s security. The outskirts were still visible from above, easily staying in the range of a nuclear blast. Rob tried to point it, but the man simply dropped him from a kilometer height onto the ground, not even trying to ask his higher-ups anything through the communication device as if he didn¡¯t care about the collateral damage, obediently following the orders. The landing was literally earthshattering as Robert increased his weight before the impact, making a huge crater just from kinetic energy. And then the hell broke loose.
Plasma and ordinary missiles, heavy caliber bullets, a laser beam from a flying super in a pink techno-suit ¨C everything rained at him like a downpour in the desire to evaporate the dangerous villain. And, like a cherry on top, the nuclear blast followed, blinding the surroundings with a flaming flash. The deafening roar of this unliving beast of destruction shook the city, sending the trembles across the landscape. The closest areas were blown away by the powerful shockwave, spreading the heat even further. However, it was only remnants as the epicenter took the main part of this overwhelming wrath. Incinerating the surroundings, the nuclear flame burned everything into the ash, evaporating rock, earth, and anything caught in the strike. Anything but Robert.
Rob perfectly knew what he was going to face, preparing to take the power of humankind head-on. Piercing the land, he dived a few meters underground before pausing. There was no escape from the eyes of CSA and the military, so it was better to show them the futility of their attempts¡ if he managed to do it as Robert needed to survive everything to get to this arrogant state. Therefore, he acted. Overcoming the instinctive resistance of his body, Rob willingly reduced himself to the state of being just a reactor core. All his senses had disappeared at once, leaving him alone with his steel. And he used it immediately, creating a thin layer around the sphere and adding several legs to stabilize his position above the ground. Then the destructive glow enveloped the sphere, shining like never before when Robert pushed all available energy to this task.
There were problems with it, demanding all his concentration. Even if he could feel the attack of the nuclear explosion through the flickering layer to continue fueling the latter, the problem of melting his way down to the center of the earth in case of carelessness was a real one. However, Robert wanted to avoid it because the second problem was still present ¨C Demonologist never stopped trying to escape from the prison made from disintegrative energy. Burning to ashes and restoring an instant later, the tenacious hero was stubbornly trying to tear down Rob¡¯s core from the inside. This was the reason, why he decided to stay ¨C just to be sure that if he died, there would be a weapon ready to kill the enormous dragon, which would threaten all life in this world. It was his decision to become a better man, even if nobody knew about it, viewing Rob as a villain.
Thus, when the nuclear strike came, trying to eradicate him from this world, another enduring event started for Robert. Simultaneously attacked from the outside and inside, senseless, his mind was focused on holding himself together. Patching the damage, fueling the energy to keep everything working, Rob had to constantly adjust to the attempts of both forces to penetrate his protection. It felt like he was repairing the wall that attacked from both sides, just to keep two different enemies from meeting each other. However, this was the moment he could describe as a terrifying experience.
There was no pain, no discomfort, nothing that his senses described as a source of danger. The problem was that there was a real chance of dying while fighting against two destructive forces. This created a huge dissonance in Rob¡¯s mind. There was a threat, but he treated it like some kind of a robot, calmly and expressionlessly trying to fix the problem without a hint of worry. No surmount, no boiling emotions to strengthen his desire to live, no sudden surge of inner power from the dangerous situation. No fear. Robert could bet that if he had a normal heart, the latter wouldn¡¯t even increase its pace, beating in a relaxed state. As if it was just a mechanism. Such was his detachment from the situation, the outer world. This distance from what seemed to be a normal reaction of any human being scared Rob much stronger than the ravaging nuclear flame around him. His acceptance of potential death. His understanding of how different he had become from others.
I am indeed a golem¡
A very powerful creature that despite being alive had not much in common with a real living being. On the other hand, exactly such detachment together with the concentration of his former modified brain made him notice the change that occurred inside the core of Demonologist. It was tiny and easy to miss, but it seemed the superhero gave up, slowing down his attempts to regain his freedom. Or it looked like that but with so much experience in wielding different energies and powers, Robert felt that something was going on a deeper level underneath the super¡¯s remnants. It helped him to react in time when something that was the source of this inhuman regeneration tried to attach itself to Rob.
Unfortunately, being ready and being able to counter it were quite different things. Moreover, when this something found an existing connection right inside Robert, exploiting it once. The demonic taint that stuck to him after a short stay in the hellish realm and caused his bloody outburst in the space city appeared to be such a vulnerability. It was easily used by an unknown source the moment it sensed the hellish influence. It was like a perfect match, a missing part of a puzzle, a long-awaited meeting with a distant relative that despite the first doing it had the same distinguished appearance and character. Rob had no chance to stop when his body was ready to betray him by sheer instinct that long become an integral part of him.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Gripping the deeply engraved part of his inner being, this odd source forcefully connected itself to his reactor core, sending a wave of energy that almost tore Rob apart. Fighting to stabilize himself from the sudden increase in output, he missed the moment when an ethereal connection with Aether moved. And its reaction was violent, causing a flow of mad energy just to stop the uninvited intruder. Then there was a battle between two energy tentacles that had control over Rob¡¯s body and soul, while he was just an observer, having no say in the situation.
Robert didn¡¯t how long it lasted. It felt like an eternity, but in fact, it could be just a fraction of a second. The time lost its meaning when two forces decided who was the true ruler over Rob¡¯s spirit. Somehow both entities found an equilibrium inside his core after finding it impossible to evict the other party, feeding him with more energy to support his demands. That caused an overflow, which he barely kept in check by reforming his body back and covering it with glowing black armor just to spend the energy instead of self-exploding from it. The apocalyptic sight of air trembling from the insane heat, floating burning particles, and heavy smoke might have led to a scare, but Rob¡¯s mind was too occupied with understanding what had happened.
Closing his eyes, he mentally tried to connect with Aether¡ only to feel the interference from his new addition in energy suppliers. An attempt to get a self-check failed. A similar result was after trying to travel into another realm ¨C a rejection instead of the previous message. Not discouraged by one failure, Robert tried to do the same using a new invisible chain he got around his neck. Unsurprisingly, the answer was an identical rejection, which had a hint of temporality in it. As if it wanted to talk about the unresolved situation but failed because of interference. Repeating the different requests again and again, while comparing the feedback, Rob confirmed his growing suspicion.
I am not a golem but a mere puppet¡ Dumb as fuck to believe in Aether¡¯s words. Always on strings to push me in a proper direction.
There were so many signs that could point out that something wasn¡¯t exactly right. The situation with Wepwakor, who lied to his ¡°envoys¡± and Ather silently kept his lie from being exposed, creating a perfect example of the situation where you just couldn¡¯t believe everything you were told. The existence of two Hells in different realms and their ability to intrude into the main world by using uncommon means. The seemed to be an endless source of energy to fuel Demonologist akin to Robert¡¯s direct connection with the all-mighty entity. It was so brokenly overpowered that it was the reason why the man was called one of the mightiest heroes, when other consumers of omicron particles weren¡¯t even close to such a level, having clear limitations. Even the mad and bloodthirsty state of mind that Rob went through in Fantasy City was too similar to the one that occurred with the superhero, just on a much lower scale.
However, the bigger sign was in the worlds he had visited. No matter what he asked for, there was always some kind of problem, an obstacle to face, a dangerous situation to overcome. The coincidence of entry right through the portal during the outside attack in the world, where supers weren¡¯t welcomed. The coincident appearance in the realm, where he looked like a modified soldier from a genocidal empire with a psycho as a future governor, who had power and a wish to add such an interesting subject to his sick collection. The coincidence of wary treatment from the Tower right from the start, when the sapient construction put him on a different side from locals, while the machine was trying to get rid of Rob without breaking its set of rules. There were too many such things in a row that showed that someone or something deliberately shoved him into dangerous situations, where either he got strong enough to escape or died trying. And now he had confirmation of this theory, getting the attention of another such being.
What are they? Deities? And why are they doing it? To raise some kind of Champions, or what? But if their other puppets are like me, then why hasn¡¯t Demonologist entered the loop? Oh, wait. Right, he died at that point¡ or at least was on the verge of it. Moreover, it was me who smashed into the time machine¡ Poor guy.
Robert sighed, his thoughts racing over multiple topics and potential plans. Somehow, both entities balanced their influence over him, cutting a part of the direct connection of each other, but still giving him power through their link. It strengthened his reactor core, supplying the endless process of micro explosions to generate even more energy. It made him mightier. However, Rob wasn¡¯t happy with this upgrade at all. From all he knew, both entities would try to claim their ownership over him quite soon, creating situations where he would either break one of the links or doom him so he wouldn¡¯t serve the opposite side.
He long ago felt the leash over his neck. Even standing like a motionless statue in the museum to entertain the public, Robert viewed Aether as another slaver, just with a longer rope. All the strength earned was meaningless, not giving him a basic possibility to enjoy his life. Rob wasn¡¯t hungry for power just for the sake of owning more power. Maybe he experienced a lot at this point, having many skills, but Robert rarely felt happy. Even his heroic achievement to save the city and its citizens was bittersweet with empathy on the bitter part.
Through the thick smoke, Rob could see the traces of the destruction that the outskirts took after several nuclear explosions in a row. The wind was already blowing the radioactive cloud toward the city, enveloping it in the invisible hugs of slow and painful death. It was nothing compared to the devasted land that was left after the attempt to kill the dragon. Still, it had cost a lot of lives. Some of them were the direct cause of Robert¡¯s loss of control in the laboratory. Moreover, he was sure that the current silence was just a short pause before the military would strike again, trying to nullify the potential threat from a powerful villain, who popped out of nowhere.
On the other hand, Robert knew it had to be done to save more people. He also was sure that his actions would lead to more changes in local society and maybe in the whole world. The latter was already on the verge of exploding from the awful treatment of supers, and another process of tightening the screws would be definitely met with resistance. There were too many witnesses of Rob¡¯s appearance and his deed, making a government''s long-tested strategy to blame the super completely unworkable. It would be hard to sell it to the public ¨C the need to use a nuclear weapon, when there wasn¡¯t a threat to the city as the villain obediently tried to leave it under control of CSA, simultaneously warning its senior agent.
The other thing was Sarah¡¯s desire to uncover the truth. Rob could bet that she would find the serum¡¯s production and find out the potential side effects of injecting it. Maybe she would even help with finishing the proper variant of serum to give superpowers to everyone. It wasn¡¯t so unbelievable, given the fact that she started as a hero on the streets herself and knew everything from both sides. There were too many possibilities for what might happen in the future as Robert¡¯s act seemed to break a dam with multiple old cracks, exposing the hidden muddy water.
However, in the end, all these world-changing events with an unknown result would have no connection to Robert, as he would be long gone into the next realm. For now, all he wanted was to find a safe spot far from any settlements and wait for the end of the countdown before finally leaving the place and the mess Rob caused, trying to save others. His desire to be a hero flopped, causing more ripple effects than he initially predicted.
Or maybe he just didn¡¯t want to think about the consequences himself, solely focusing on his ¡°heroic¡± act and not trying to look at the realistic version of ¡°lived happily ever after¡±. In the end, Robert knew that he had done it mainly for himself and not for others. He wanted to prove to himself that he could do something not selfish, not driven by survival instincts or a wish to save himself. The result was right in front of him, still burning like a nuclear wasteland¡ And Robert didn¡¯t want to redo everything multiple times to find the best outcome, too tired of the constant repeats. On the other hand, he wasn¡¯t sure that it was even a possibility as the other entity attached to his core might have its own saying in this regard. Therefore, turning away from the city, Rob looked at the smoke with inner acceptance of the current situation, trying to pierce it with his gaze to see the distant horizon.
But where do I want to go next? Somewhere remote with no or limited number of people around? With no nuclear weapon or anything technological ¨C I am too fed up with them at this point. Yeah, what else? Obviously, the possibility of cutting one of the links¡ Okay, let¡¯s move before another gift from above will try to burn me into nothingness. I have two months to think about it, and no desire to get hit by another nuke.
Chapter 166 (4-33)
Floating amid thick clouds, an enormous mountain peak looked like a lonely island in the middle of a vast ocean. Bathing in the warmth of the invisible sun that somehow stayed hidden in a clear blue sky, the peak was covered with trees and greenery, slowly rising above the fluffy surface. It seemed its energy was completely spent to reach the level of clouds, leaving only remnants of the previous desire to be on top of the world. To be at the top of the world. Or maybe it halted its attempts as no competitors were in sight, already crowning themselves as an absolute winner. Such change of course made an impact, turning it into a paradise with only a few rocky crests in the center. There were more interesting details to see, but there was no one to do it as only the wind was moving around, shaking the evergreen leaves.
It lasted for an unknown amount of time until a bright flash appeared on the edge of the peak. Coming from the old arc with multiple cracks on its surface, it illuminated everything around as if trying to pierce through clouds. Unfortunately, it failed, despite giving it all up to the bottom of its inner barrel. Flickering with the last pieces of energy, it made a last-ditch attempt, almost turning into a local sun instead of the real one that played a coward. Still, it wasn¡¯t enough, and so the flash vanished. However, it left a human figure instead, silently standing right in the center of the arc. Grayish akin to a statue of ancient heroes with its muscular build, faded eyes, and complete nudity, it surprisingly fitted the arc as if the stone construct was made to showcase it in the first place. This feeling was intensified by the motionless state of the unknown that just stood there and did nothing. However, that was only the outside picture.
Fucking finally! Oh, gosh, it took so long¡
The stubborn military with their non-stop bombardment, willing to spend an entire year¡¯s budget in a week on areal bombs, missiles with different types of warheads, and other stuff just to get another medal for achievement, no matter how destructive the attacks were on the surroundings and nearby settlements. The retards with superpowers, whose desire to defeat the biggest villain alive for the potential fame led to stupid suicide attempts, and whose numbers appeared to be too huge to ignore, turned Rob into some kind of a pilgrimage idol. Quite a deadly one, to be precise, as he lost count of how many of those ¡°fanatics¡± he had to pacify to eternity. The fools from the media, who tried to get an exclusive interview on any occasion, even during the battles¡ Robert knew that he ignited a spark of change, but never predicted the scale of the idiotic mess he got himself with the prevention of the dragon¡¯s march through the city and later the world. And that was without mentioning CSA activity, Sarah¡¯s attempts to speak, the government¡¯s propaganda¡
To hell with it! Now everything is over. Just forget everything like a bad dream, Rob! You are here to meditate¡ And that world is gone. I will never return there again thanks to Aether!
In the end, he formulated the descriptions of his next destination as a place of might and magic, without technological progress, with the potential ability to cut the unneeded link, and, more importantly, where he could calm down without someone bothering him. Robert was alone for too long, making any society around him uncomfortable and annoying. His friends were mostly dead, with maybe only William still alive and kicking. There were few more times he could recall, but it changed nothing ¨C he had no chance to meet them.
In such circumstances, it was easier for his mind to become a hermit until he managed to figure out his life goals without the need to communicate with others. Not to build connections that would be cut for sure shortly. In fact, he had no wish to make one, preferring to focus on finding what he truly wanted before trying to get himself company. At least Rob managed to come up with a few things to aim at, but long-term goals were as hazy as ever. Despite his inhuman adaptive nature, Rob failed to adapt to a normal life. He had no desire to get more power, already strong enough, so the whole world couldn¡¯t kill him no matter what they used.
A good psychotherapist would have helped¡ But as always, I have what I have¡ Okay, so where am I?
Looking around, Robert found himself standing inside the empty arc. Made from stone bricks, this old construction had multiple cracks that were mixed with odd symbols, which bore a resemblance to hieroglyphic letters. Crudely engraved, they were barely visible at this point. The end of the road behind the arc together with other facts led to an obvious conclusion ¨C it was an artificial portal that was currently inactive. Gazing at the paved road with traces of the passage of time, Rob turned around and decided to check the opposite side first. However, making only a few dozen steps, he had to stop.
The land abruptly ended there, turning into a steep cliff surrounded by floating clouds. And from what Robert could see, the same picture went along the edge of the mountain peak, creating a sudden and quite noticeable drop. It was too odd as not only did the clouds have no gaps in their tight ranks, but also this cut was too sharp as if made intentionally. Rob had seen a similar sight once ¨C the Wepwakor¡¯s floating rock among transmitted stars on the panoramic screen. However, the short check confirmed that the trees and grass were real, growing naturally under an invisible sun. Still, deciding to clarify his current situation for once, Robert leaned over the edge. Lowering his weight to an absolute minimum, he punched a hole in the earth and started to climb down.
Soon the decline turned into a negative, exposing rare roots of the trees that made their way through the whole available earth only to get stuck hanging from above. Several times Robert almost fell, gripping the ¡°wooden ropes¡± in the last moment, simultaneously dropping earth down on the clouds. Exactly the absence of any sound from the impact underneath the mist-like surface made him rethink his idea of checking as the more he climbed down, the more it was obvious that the place was indeed like a floating rock. However, an enormous and natural instead of a fake one was made to fool the envoys. Therefore, Rob hastily decided to return after confirming that there was nothing underneath the mountain peak ¨C just a cloudy sky with not a hint of land.
A tiny world? A pocket dimension? Or is it just a part of something bigger as if the world was torn apart, creating thousands of such floating pieces amidst nothingness? Doesn¡¯t really matter as in the end it doesn¡¯t differ much from that damned island, apart from the potentially uninhabited part according to my request. As if a single time wasn¡¯t enough¡ But the portal and old road¡ Hope there are no monsters that caused such a deserted state¡ Ha, I am not even sure if it is me who needs to worry about meeting the monsters. Maybe it¡¯s them who need to cry in fear in front of mighty Golem. Hehe...
The journey back took some time as Robert failed to find the exact spot where he started his climbing down. Still, without a need to hurry, Rob calmly found the arc and the road before beginning to walk among the tall trees with colorful leaves. He wasn¡¯t very proficient in botany, reading a few dozen books about the topic in the library during his ¡°serum lottery¡±. However, Rob was sure that he hadn¡¯t seen anything like that in any of his previous worlds. Too many different types of pigmentation on top of the various shapes may not sound too strange, but often all these belonged to a single tree, making each of them quite unique.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
The plants were a mixture of everything as if some kind of crazy scientist decided to unite a few species into one. The thorny heads of bright pink mushrooms; purple lianas with multiple tiny berries, each having a different color; a cactus with huge dots, resembling the eyes of a snake; a spider-like brown plant that was traveling across the greenery by itself, not having any connection to the ground. There were others, with maws to hunt on insects, or capable of spraying the toxins in the air to catch their prey. Obviously, they couldn¡¯t harm Rob, making him feel as if he was strolling through the alien forest during a vacation, enjoying the weird sight of the other-worldly scenery.
The pathway itself had no signs of usage, looking unkempt and abandoned. Some plants found the gaps between the stones long ago, partly painting the previously only gray manmade line in green. The forest wasn¡¯t any better, undisturbedly growing without any interference from humans¡ or even animals as no matter how Robert tried to find the traces, there was nothing. Only almost absolute silence enveloped the whole place, creating an odd atmosphere. Pulled by his curiosity, Rob wandered among the greenery in search of any living being, but there was nothing, apart from tiny insects. No birds, no animals, no humans.
Returning to the pathway, he followed it for approximately half an hour until the road ended with opened gates that were standing right in between two walls of trees. The huge construction had no defensive purpose, serving a single goal ¨C to showcase the grand entrance. The long-worn flags with barely visible symbols, the faded golden paint with an addition of red, the thick logs as the base ¨C everything screamed about the desire to show off. The central point of this monument of pride was a huge sign with the name of the place, written with surprisingly perfect calligraphy.
Righteous and Profound Sect of the Wide Firmament¡ Yep, I finally found cultivators¡ or, considering the state of the thing, the place where they used to live¡
The surprise awaited him when Robert made the first step through the gate. The invisible but tangible pressure dropped on his shoulders, pulling him toward the ground. It seemed like gravity itself suddenly decided to change its strength on a whim. Returning, Rob felt how it disappeared without a trace, indicating that it was the area¡¯s effect. He spent some time going back and forth to understand the mechanism behind the pressure but obviously failed. It seemed to work like a switch whenever he entered the sect''s territory, not needing the old gate to activate. He couldn¡¯t feel any energy, just the jump in gravity. However, by this point, Robert could only note the existence of the change, but his strength made it barely noticeable in other cases.
If they wanted to make an impression on their guests, they achieved it without any doubts.
Walking down the road, Robert expected more mouth-gaping things to see. However, he was met with disappointment¡ and decay. The long road in the same worn-out state brought him to the huge square with a giant statue in the middle. The latter was barely standing, crumbling into an unrecognizable condition of the previous prideful figure of the unknown master. Exposed to the wind and weather, it couldn¡¯t survive the time. However, the similar but much smaller statutes that surrounded their bigger brother fared better. Approaching them, Robert found that their faces were partly erased, barely showing how they looked like when they were alive. However, at least he was sure that there was no dramatic difference in their appearance from ordinary humans.
I think this place was the main square for the meetings¡ or well-known tournaments¡ perhaps even open lectures were made here¡ who knows.
Looking around at the wide area, Rob noted several paved pathways, leading somewhere deeper inside the now-dead sect. There were a few tall buildings far away. Tall, with multiple eaves, those structures had the appearance of classic towers from Robert¡¯s Earth Far East ¨C pagodas. Having clear levels and being made from black stone and wood, they were decorated in the same manner as the front gate of the sect. Unfortunately, at this point all gloss had faded, leaving only quite old historical monuments of the past era. The reason for such belief was hard to miss, no matter how Robert tried to search for any other signs.
Hundreds, if not thousands, skeletons were everywhere. Dressed in the remnants of robes, they were lying chaotically, as if the sudden death caught them without warning. Some cultivators were sitting cross-legged on the mats, while others met their demise right in the middle of a walk. No one was spared from such a pitiful outcome, no matter the color of their robes or their distinguished designs. The latter was a clear indicator of the position, and thus the strength of the dead, according to Rob¡¯s understanding. Still, it didn¡¯t help at all.
The most intriguing part was the absence of any signs of violence on the skeletons, apart from the damage from time. No unnatural holes, no torn limbs. Robert even failed to find a single trace of teeth from hungry predators who could feed on corpses, pointing out the possibility that even the animals weren¡¯t spared from this fate. The more he looked around, the more Rob understood that maybe only insects managed to survive the unknown cause. Otherwise, the place had no living beings.
Disease? Some kind of poison? Or something else?
Rob continued to make assumptions, trying to guess the reason, while walking around the wastelands that previously were a prosperous sect with a prideful name. Unfortunately, there was literally no one and nothing to answer his unspoken questions. There was no confirmation if he was correct or not, just the death, decay, and silence.
In the end, it¡¯s what you wanted, Rob¡ and what can be the best possible place to meditate and calm your nerves if not the cultivator¡¯s world? A perfect match¡
Pausing in his tracks, Robert decided to confirm the last thing before diving into this new-to-him realm. Focusing on his inner self, he quickly found connections to the mighty beings that were fueling part of his reactor core. The fight between them had stopped long ago, but it still felt like a calm before the storm. He was sure that Aether and Hell, as Rob named the second addition to the AI-being, wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with only half of him. However, he needed to clarify it to decide his next plans. Rob could read the local writings and had the energy support from both of his self-proclaimed supervisors¡ or slavers. The request for self-check was ignored as if they had a mutual agreement on limiting access to any information about each other. However, the wish to travel into a different realm led to an unexpected answer. Moreover, it was given simultaneously by both parties and had the same exact wording.
Until the situation with two contemporary links is resolved, you can¡¯t travel anywhere from the current realm. Be warned that the decision to cut the link with one of the entities would lead to enmity with guaranteed consequences.
Okay, so I am here until I cut one of the links. Otherwise, I am stuck forever in a dead world that doesn¡¯t even seem to be that big, has only insects, and is filled with corpses of cultivators¡ I will need to betray one of the potential deities, causing a sure retaliation and not a word about additional support from the chosen deity to counter it¡ As always, what a wonderful situation! But you know what morons ¨C who told you that I need to decide? I am fucking a living metal! I won¡¯t die from the age of hunger¡ So, let¡¯s see whose patience is bigger!
Yep, that sounded stupid and arrogant. Whom am I kidding? I bet their patience is bigger¡ Fuck, I am still not going to give up. For now, let¡¯s see what this realm can give me, apart from the opportunity to relax in peace and silence. I really do need it.
Chapter 167 (4-34)
Exploring the sect was interesting, despite the overall gloomy atmosphere. For once, Robert felt himself like some kind of an adventurer from the past, who ventured into an unknown land and found a long-extinct civilization. Basically, it was partly true as, despite all the xianxia stories he had read to fill the time between the attacks inside the long-destroyed bunker, the reality was somewhere different. For one, apart from the mountain, the biggest space was occupied with fields. The plants there had a remote similarity with familiar agricultural crops, having the same weird mixture of traits taken from divergent sources. However, maybe that was the reason why they still managed to live through the ordeal and the absence of the farmer¡¯s eye to watch over them.
Rob didn¡¯t know if all plants were meant for nutrition as alchemy seemed to be a thing. At least there was a dedicated smithy with half-finished blanks to be turned into cauldrons. This blacksmith¡¯s workshop was quite huge. Made from thick stone, it had all kinds of forges, drills, and other instruments that surprised Robert with their variety and complex approach. Only no traces of coal or any other sources to fuel the flame to keep the facility running indicated that there was other energy used.
Mana? Or is it called Qi?
Enormous wooden storages, a small market further down the road with tens of prepared stalls, a tiny lake in between the trees for potential picnics ¨C the sect had a lot of things to make it look like not the place, where everyone was always meditating, but the real city, just scaled down to fit the floating rock. Robert even found a few-story building, oddly similar to the tavern with long tables, a bar counter, and a row of glass bottles. There were more such places out there. A circular house with a high roof and multiple beds as if it were a hospital, so all patients could be observed at once. Another, even bigger one, with a large empty space as if meant for some kind of official party. Or perhaps for a mass banquet ¨C Robert found many long tables in one of the storages, carefully stockpiled near the wall.
On the other side of the main peak, the resident area was located. Again, breaking his expectations, there was no sign of the caves that were so often described in the books about mighty people, who cultivated their powers. No matter how comfortable the dugout in the rock could be, a proper building was always better. It was more obvious that superhuman beings with an insane lifespan would have the possibility to make one without any effort. Therefore, the rows of cottages were built in straight lines. Surrounded by paved pathways, they looked like they were directly from the old pre-invasion pictures of small towns on Earth. Far from the big megapolises, they created their own local paradise.
Still, Robert couldn¡¯t miss the difference in size and symbols that were used on the buildings, pointing out that at least the ranks were definitely used here. There was nothing like ugly huts, and even the smallest house looked nice¡ considering an unknown amount of time without proper service. The bigger ones had the appearance of mini-mansions with their own backyard, surrounded by a short fence. Walking inside, Robert found that time was cruel to their inner parts, turning most things into an unrecognizable mess. However, even the short tour was interesting with a few noticeable conclusions. The owners barely held any belongings inside, leaving the rooms mostly empty with only furniture inside. The other one was the planning of the buildings as there were almost no rooms and, in most cases, the floor consisted of a single space.
Did they carry everything on them? Storage rings?
His assumption was confirmed by the nearest skeleton. After checking a few more, Rob became absolutely sure about his theory, which was purely based on literature. Unfortunately, it left him with nothing as the plain rings with hieroglyphs or runes never reacted to him, no matter what he tried. Wearing, rotating, even melting it with devastating layer ¨C there was no reaction at all.
It seems it needs Qi¡ and I don¡¯t have one. I can¡¯t even send my mana directly, using it solely to fuel my reactor core¡ Hmm, I need to look into cultivation techniques to see if I can figure out the solution. For now, let¡¯s continue.
Dropping the ring, Robert sighed before going further, slowly exploring the place. He calmly walked over the corpses with poaches, shining weapons, and other potential artifacts, shoving away the idea of immediately trying to loot everything. Despite having had an experience of searching through the bodies of the fallen and, more importantly, following the use of these items, Rob wasn¡¯t fond of the idea. Moreover, if he was right, he had all the time to do it methodically without a need for any rush. Therefore, he stepped over another lightly glowing saber, not sparing it a second glance.
Walking around the mountain peak, Robert found the garden. This one looked different from the fields, stocked with even more crazy variants of plants. Some of them seemed to be alive, reacting to Rob¡¯s presence with motions and weird sounds. The purpose of being special alchemical reagents was too obvious to ponder about, so he just made a few circles around before continuing further. The next section was dedicated to the higher-ups. The previous mansions paled in comparison to these tall towers, each having at least four floors with clear layers to show their pagoda-like appearance. The biggest building looked like a real palace, taking a huge chunk of space.
This was the moment when Robert realized that he missed another noticeable moment, thinking about it as if it was just a decoration. Most of the buildings were surrounded by stone formations. Spread unevenly, in a truly chaotic manner, they differed in sizes, but each had a barely visible mark engraved on its surface. The bigger the stone was, the more symbols were made on it. Some boulders had almost like short stories written on them. These formations often were a part of the walls themselves, having additions in the form of multicolor tiny flags. Specifically, it was the palace that showed the existence of such a thing to him, being guarded by the largest magical protection. And it was working perfectly fine, halting Robert¡¯s curiosity about the inner territory.
The first thing he felt was a slow increase in gravity, but after a few steps, this warning jumped in strength dramatically. However, despite the tenfold rise, Robert failed to see how it could stop him, sensing just pressure from the presence of this intangible force. Yes, mighty and maybe even crushingly powerful, but not on the level where his metal body couldn¡¯t handle it. He could even dare to think that a hundredfold jump would have a similar effect on him, or, precisely speaking, absolutely none.
Perhaps it¡¯s arrogant to think like that, but I am not that boy from the bunker anymore¡ I don¡¯t wield the same destructive power as the mechanical army under my direct control, but my toughness is nothing to complain about¡ Wait, why are there no signs on the ground?You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Looking at the absence of the footprints, Robert willed his weight to increase. Surprisingly, there was barely any difference on the surface as if gravity was an illusion and not real.
Or maybe this pressure is not a physical thing at all¡
Pondering the topic, while walking inside the palace, Rob made a single conclusion that could also explain why only this formation reacted to his presence, while others failed even to notice the intruder. He was sure that there was a safety system everywhere he went ¨C it was too obvious as there were no locks around. Therefore, he thought that the basic formations couldn¡¯t track him at all, which wasn¡¯t that strange. Robert was basically a living steel, far from an ordinary man. So, if the formations were focused on finding living energy or amount of Qi, they saw nothing. Just an empty spot in the shape of a human. However, the palace might have more capabilities to concentrate on as there was one other thing that he still had ¨C a soul.
This fact could explain why he felt the pressure on his body. Robert¡¯s parts of the being were long ago merged, becoming one by the will of Wepwakor. His soul was his body, and vice versa, inseparable and united. On the other hand, if he was correct in this assumption, there was little chance for him to get a working cultivation technique. Rob couldn¡¯t imagine how his energy-fueled body could get any Qi, while he had no means to feel it and had not even a single particle of this east version of mana. Deciding to confirm it, he directed his attention toward the mountain''s peak, where another remarkable pagoda was located.
The climbing took a lot of time, mainly because Robert wasn¡¯t in any rush. Yes, he had the looming problem of two mighty beings during the ¡°divorce¡± with troubles about the correct ¡°division of property¡±. However, as far as he could see, there was no time limit. In fact, Robert for the first time in a long period had no dangers around. There was no need to hide his identity or try to adjust to a peaceful society. No need to search for possible threats to react in time just not to die. No ticking bomb in the form of a crazy Demonologist, the working portal to Hell, or the urgent task to collect experience points to live through another stage of the Tower. No grand goal or granted mission that he had to achieve, risking his life. Just Robert alone with himself and silent tranquility around. That was surprisingly refreshing. Almost as if Rob managed to throw away all his worries into a trash bin, slowing his pace almost to a lazy stroll.
Therefore, by the moment he reached the peak, the light started to dim. Rob never noticed the local sun. It looked like the sky itself started to lower its brightness, signaling the end of the day. Still, it was enough to see the huge pagoda that was standing without the walls but had a round set of stairs in the center, leading upward. Being the highest point around, it gave a view of the whole island, floating amidst the clouds. Even from his tour around he knew this fact, but now it was confirmed definitively ¨C this realm was tiny.
Reaching the top and looking around, Rob wondered if there were more such islands somewhere behind the thick clouds. The existence of the deactivated portal was a hint about it, but it seemed even if it was true, the connection was long cut. Maybe the reason was a massive death that wiped out the whole sect, and the fear of the same fate. The latter wasn¡¯t so surprising after all. The very same pagoda where he enjoyed the view of the sect was the second biggest place of skeleton concentration. Sitting on the mats, the dead seemed to be during their meditation when something awful struck, killing them at once right on the spot.
And I still don¡¯t feel anything¡ I bet this place must have the highest concentration of Qi if there is such a thing. Too many cultivators in quite luxurious robes were gathered here¡ when those rags were in better shape.
Breathing in and out, Robert attempted to feel at least something. Unfortunately, not only was Qi unavailable to him, but also the smell or the temperature of the air failed to touch any of his senses. It was just a mechanical move without any meaning, reminding him how detached he became at this point so that there was absolutely no need to gather even mana from his surroundings. His body was so self-sustaining, mighty, and efficient that it was sickening. This power came with a huge price. The funniest thing was that Robert never aimed for it, just trying to survive, adapting to new challenges because of need. Nothing else.
Get over it, Rob¡ You can¡¯t change it¡ at least for now. You never know what opportunities the future may bring, so for now focus on the other things. More importantly, you have one more place to explore.
Returning his gaze to the huge pagodas he noticed from the beginning, Robert once again started his unhurried walk. Soon the darkness enveloped the place, making the pathway barely visible. Raising his head, Rob tried to find even a single star, but there was nothing. Just a bluish blackness above him that spread to the horizon. It noticeably decreased the beauty of the night sky, making it look like one above the megalopolis with its blinding lights. Still, the scenery of the mountain and abandoned medieval city from the east made up for it, raising his mood.
No matter what, I am alive!
This though breathed a new potion of energy into Robert, increasing his pace. Soon he was standing in front of the huge building with open doors. Consisting of a single space, it had multiple large wooden boards. Attached to the walls, while occupying them all, they were currently empty. However, just from the place''s name, Robert could guess it was a different situation back when the sect was living. Wandering for several minutes and not noticing anything worth studying, he left the Mission Hall.
The next stop was the Alchemy Pavilion, but Rob left after a short exploration, despite the promising name. The place was bare without any plants prepared for use, having instead multiple stoves and cauldrons without familiar laboratory equipment. He was sure that the Tower¡¯s System was more creative in this regard, inventing more types of machinery to help the alchemists brew the potions. Cultivators, on the other hand, seemed to rely solely on their Qi-magic. Not discouraged, Robert continued his tour, proceeding with the two biggest pagodas in the sect left until the last. He could bet that there was more, hidden outside of onlooking eyes, but for now, he could be satisfied with a basic overlooking of the dead realm.
The first pagoda went by the name ¡°Pavillion of Techniques¡± according to an elegant sign above the entrance. Tall, with many flags and even faded golden paint, the pagoda was the most decorated building in proximity. And it was guarded even stronger than the palace of a local sect leader as Robert¡¯s attempt to step in was met with powerful pressure that tried to hit him in the guts. Failing to make a noticeable effect at once to scare him off, the inbuilt automatic defense simply increased its might. Pouring even more Qi into it, the formation created such pressure on Rob that he had to back off, sensing how his reactor core started to crack under it, struggling to contain boiling energy inside.
Okay, later then¡ What is the last one?... Ascension Tower. Hmm. Its doors are wide open as if inviting me. Let¡¯s not disappoint it then.
Once again measuring the thick tower with his eyes, Robert noted the absence of any windows on its huge frame. Even the stone that was used to build the thing looked different ¨C much darker and stronger as this pagoda had no signs of aging, standing in a pristine state, albeit slightly dirty. It seemed to be made to contain something dangerous, pushing its toughness above everything else. That caused a wave of curiosity to rise inside him. Fortunately, Robert had nothing else to do, stepping inside without a hint of hesitation. A moment he did it, the gates behind him closed, cutting him off from the outside world.
So, what do we have here? A combat trial?
Chapter 168 (4-35)
The place where Robert appeared after stepping inside the Ascension Tower could be best described as the arena. Circular, and surprisingly large, it had a flat surface without a single object inside. There were barely any gaps between tightly fit stones, making an unnaturally smooth surface akin to an ice rink. However, there was still something to keep his attention. The most obvious were the walls. Painted in blue, they were filled with many complex symbols, almost creating a web of hieroglyphs and runes. If Robert needed to describe this obvious formation, it would be an attempt to research the precise difference between the physics and laws of nature in thousands of realms at once, using the all-known primitive language of ancient and, more importantly, barely sapient beings. Focusing his sight, he noticed that there were layers upon layers of these inscriptions, each made from a specific material and color. However, despite such labyrinthine schematics, the effect was far easier to grasp.
The first one made the place much bigger from the inside, stretching the space to fit the whole massive place. The next was to make the walls as tough as possible, as even a light punch had failed to damage the smooth surface. Robert¡¯s insensitive fingers felt like everything was coated in a force shield without any visual effects like a glowing after an impact. Obviously, he didn¡¯t try to use all his strength, not speaking about disintegrative energy, only testing the waters. Still, it withstood the hit with ease, confirming the true purpose of this potential arena. Last but not least was the huge sign, located on the opposite wall, turning it into an odd variant of a TV screen that was currently transmitting a message. Made with calligraphy perfect letters, the short text had a quite simple meaning.
Step inside the center¡ Okay.
Obeying the written order, Robert made his way toward the illuminated spot in the center of the circular area. The moment he did, something hot washed over his body, somehow penetrating his metal nature. There was a flash-like thought to back off to avoid the unknown, but Rob decided to follow his curiosity. At this point there was no fear about any potential consequences ¨C his pitiful experience was hard to beat by a weird machine inside the dead cultivator¡¯s sect. Moreover, he couldn¡¯t remember when he actually felt something, making this energy bath quite a pleasant thing. Especially when it changed its temperature to cold, almost turning into some kind of contrast shower.
The soul imprint is copied. The trial is starting. The resulting position will depend on the stage reached¡ Yep, indeed a combat test.
The next moment the opposite wall moved, pushing five identical stone blobs out of itself. The latter was already melting under the invisible energy, quickly turning into five humanoid figures. Snow-white to the point of almost shining, they resembled ball-jointed puppets. There was no attempt from their creators to make them look like real humans. No face, just a flat surface on a cylindrical head. The limbs with the same thickness. Spherical huge joints. Only the big frame of these roughly made dolls made them a bit imposing. That, and the weapon that three of them had in their hands ¨C a long-shafted spear, a straight dual-edged sword, and a thick two-handed saber with a curved blade. The fourth was clenching his fists, obviously relying on straightforward martial arts. However, the fifth was an archer with a weird asymmetrical bow. This ranged weapon almost had the height of the puppet with a grip in the lower third and not in the center.
There was no sign of the start. All five non-living opponents simply rushed at Robert at once, showing physical strength and agility far exceeding a normal human being. Acting like a trained group, they formed a semi-circle to face him as one entity. However, the first one to attack was the archer. Pulling a string in one fast motion, the puppet sent the arrow directly into Rob¡¯s eye¡ only for it to shatter against the metal surface. Robert didn¡¯t even blink, meeting a projectile with a curious glance from his pale pupil. The others were already amid their simultaneous attack, swinging their weapons at the motionless statue.
Side-stepping the thrust, Rob absentmindedly repelled the hit of a two-handed saber, putting his forearm against the sharp blade. The latter immediately bounced back, dulling itself in the process, despite the visual simplicity of the block. Robert, on the other hand, proceeded with gripping the tip of the flying sword. The weapon that was aimed at his neck was suddenly pulled away, changing its trajectory dramatically. Accelerated by unstoppable strength, it pierced the stomach of the saber-wielder, diving even deeper with Rob¡¯s help. Not checking the result, Robert shot his leg forward, lightly kicking the knee of the martial artist. The leg bent backward, sending the puppet out of balance. Dropping down forward, it threw its own throat right on Robet¡¯s prepared palm. In the next moment, it was ripped off, beheading the opponent at once.
Catching the following arrow that attempted to hit the other eye, Rob elbowed the sword-wielder, while avoiding another thrust of the spear. Grabbing the shaft with his now empty second hand, he struck with the arrow using it as an improvised knife and pushing it through the puppet¡¯s white chest. The force appeared too big for the non-living enemy to handle, tearing a hole inside the stone chest. Therefore, clenching his fist, he raised the now ¡°dead¡± opponent, putting it against the next flying projectile. Then he simply smashed this ¡°corpse¡± against the sword puppet, sending both onto the ground. The following stomp smashed the lower abandonment of still moving enemy into a paste, allowing Rob to pick up the fallen spear. Rotating on the spot to free quite a lengthy weapon from the dead hands, he threw it at the archer, who was already preparing for the next shot. Somehow, the puppet¡¯s death from the spear went in the most cinematographic way possible by going directly through the arrow before penetrating its chest.
That was refreshing¡ No matter how tired, broken, and morally exhausted I am, a good fight seems to work just fine to raise my mood¡ Unfortunately, they were too weak to fit this category¡ And I even didn¡¯t need to be creative, using the things I made multiple times before ¨C like that move with smashing a corpse¡ I definitely remember doing it¡ Or it¡¯s not the end. Nice.
Noticing how broken puppets were pulled right to the surface before reforming on the previous spot in pristine condition together with their weapons, Robert tilted his head in curiosity. Then the walls around reacted, shining with ominous light and bringing pressure on his soul. It wasn¡¯t on the level to impact his movement but was far from being ignored completely, staying somewhere in the background as a persistent disturbance. The puppets were next, gaining their portion of symbols. Filling a part of their snow-white bodies, they created a web that connected their limbs and potential inner organs, creating something akin to a network.
A raise in difficulty? It seems to compensate for the lack of the puppet¡¯s strength, the tower increases the pressure on the souls to make it harder for contestants¡ Very thoughtful if you can¡¯t make puppets too strong.
As if to confirm Rob¡¯s assumption one of the puppets moved, immediately going for the attack. Having no weapons in its hands, the artificial martial artist proceeded with a flying kick. Deciding to speed things up, Robert simply made his weight bigger, turning into a heavy obstacle that met the strike head-on. Hitting his face, the puppet failed to even shake Rob before its leg was grabbed. The sudden acceleration and following loud smack when the test enemy was squashed like a bug against the surface had ended the fight. The pause wasn¡¯t long, and the reforming process was repeated once again. However, this time simultaneously two puppets stepped forward, preparing to fight.
Yep, it¡¯s both for quantity and quality¡ These guys definitely became noticeably stronger. Still, not enough to make the fight even a bit entertaining.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
The cycle continued until he beat all five opponents at once before the level of danger rose once again. This time the jump in the ¡°soul-gravity¡± was at least tenfold, creating an uncomfortable feeling. Rob still could endure the effect without much of a problem, but he couldn¡¯t lie that it wasn¡¯t doing anything. It was as if instead of a previous lazy stroll he started to jog slowly. Nothing exhausting, but active enough to wear anyone down after some time, even the most trained athlete. Still, even all five puppets failed to threaten him, lacking the power behind their strikes even to cut through his unarmored body. The only noticeable thing Rob inwardly noted were sudden jumps in physical strength, as if the artificial enemies could empower occasional strikes with energy.
What followed next was another spike in difficulty. The pressure increased once again, adding an imaginary scorching sun without any shadow to the slow jog. The puppets, on the other hand, got an addition to the massive web on their bodies in the form of painted vortexes, slowly feeling the snow-shite ¡°skin¡± with complex inscriptions. However, the bigger change was in combat power. Each of their strikes now felt empowered, exceeding even the strongest attacks from the previous stage. Not stopping on that, the robotic opponents got a new weapon in their arsenal, which caught Robert off guard.
The first one was the archer. Preparing to smash the flying arrow to the side, Rob was surprised to see how the projectile suddenly flashed before multiplying right in the air. He managed to hit the original and two copies, while the last one dodged his hasty move and smacked against his shoulder. Barely diving inside his metal flesh, it still left a noticeable scratch. The latter disappeared in a blink, but it made Robert more wary about the puppet¡¯s capabilities. Therefore, when the thrust of the spear suddenly was turned into another projectile, he was ready, sidestepping the attack. The flaming fists of the martial artists failed to burn him. The water-like body of the saber wielder saved the opponent from a single missed strike before the next one simply splattered the puppet over the walls.
Robert was only astonished by a puppet with the sword. Swiftly swinging its weapon, the enemy coated the blade in black Qi. The hard block left a small cut on Rob¡¯s forearm, while his fist was already shattering the head of the puppet. Still, even beheaded, its attack repeated itself with a short delay. Rob¡¯s restored arm suddenly felt another strike from an invisible blade in the exact same spot as if the event itself had decided to occur again. Looking at the broken body of the puppet and his cut forearm, Robert couldn¡¯t hide his surprise at the sneakiness of such a technique. Still, in the end, you simply couldn¡¯t beat the overwhelming power.
The fourth cycle made another step forward in terms of difficulty, adding a noticeable incline to his slow jog under the unfriendly sun. The puppets got big circles around their lower abdomen, making it almost the center of the complex schemes painted on their surface. Exactly this change finally explained what was happening to Robert.
They seem to mimic the cultivator¡¯s realms¡ Those things do look like dantians ¨C the energy centers and simultaneously the vessels for the Qi. I better become more cautious. Overconfidence kills.
Therefore, not playing around anymore, Robert conjured his pitch-black armor, creating the destructive layer on the top. For the first time after inventing this type of battle state, he almost failed to do it at once. It took noticeably more concentration and effort to keep it active, confirming the soul pressure started to make its impact on him. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t affect his combat capabilities, especially, when Rob abandoned any restrains to test his melee skills and went directly for the kill from the start. Thus, the improved versions of the techniques disintegrated against his protection, why he was turning the puppets into melted and mangled pieces of stone, despite all their upgraded techniques.
The fifth stage went in a similar manner. His jog had to meet an insane humidity, creating the atmosphere of a wet sauna. It felt like each imaginary breath had to be made through the enormous effort and there was still a clear lack of oxygen in the hot air. In these circumstances, Robert was more focused on keeping everything running, including his own reactor core than on the fighting. Crashing them as fast as he could, despite their flashy techniques and insane strength, he tried to search for the way out between the fights. However, there was no sign of the exit, hidden under the glowing inscriptions. Therefore, he decided to make it by himself, but not before dealing with the forced enemies.
Ducking under a wide swing of the two-handed saber, Robert tried to punch the guts of the puppet that now changed its white body, painting into yellow. Instead of the tough stone shell, his glowing fist was met with the liquid. The latter immediately attempted to trap him, but Rob already knew its tricks. Tensing muscles in his legs, he simply jumped forward using all his strength. The speed was so fast that he almost vanished from the spot. Still, the puppet managed to react, unnaturally tilting its head backward. A glancing blow melted the outer surface of its face, but otherwise, it was unaffected¡ until its inner guts followed the jumping motion, being torn out from the stomach. Rob, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t done. Increasing his weight to the maximum at once, he abruptly cut his own high inertia, making gravity take over. The following fall hit smashed the disorientated puppet, half breaking, half turning into nothingness.
The moment he touched the surface, Robert pushed himself to the side, avoiding the barrage made from dozens of arrows. Rolling on the ground, he gripped the remnants of the already destroyed sword-wielder before sending it toward the archer, who was already in the process of pulling the string. It left him open to the attack of the martial artist. However, despite the growth in the strength, hitting the disintegrative layer with bare hands was a bad idea. Not that the puppet could act somehow differently, having a clear purpose of fighting. Therefore, when the flame fist connected with Rob¡¯s bald head, for a fraction of a second the qi helped, saving the arm of the artificial opponent. But the power behind the strike kept pushing the fist forward by inertia until the fire vanished. The whole arm followed next, evaporating in an instant. Then it was its owner¡¯s turn. Left alone, the arched didn¡¯t last even ten seconds, ending the fifth cycle.
There was a short pause when Robert was desperately searching for any hint of where the exit could be. Unfortunately, there was nothing, not a single sign of how to get out of this trial. Just the same walls with glowing inscriptions, which light was only intensifying with each passing stage. He attempted to crush them with his row strength, but they stood far better than any energy shield Robert faced before.
Why the hell are you so tough? Let me out, damn it!
Considering the constant jumps in difficulty, Rob was sure that he went beyond what was expected on the first try. However, the was no confirmation of this idea. It could be not the entrance test but something akin to a ceremonial trial to become a leader of the sect. Or the graduating exam to have an opportunity to leave the sect. Or suicide trial from ancient times with no clear goal for all he knew. What did he know was that the sixth cycle started without any delay. A flashing thought about the initial message with mentioning something about ¡°position¡± was wiped out immediately.
The first to appear was the very same pressure. Dropping on him like a concrete plate onto an ordinary man, it tried to squash him from the start. His metaphorical jog was turned into a sprint without a change of awful conditions. As if several hungry hounds were added behind him to ensure that he wouldn¡¯t slack off. The air itself became viscous on a level comparable to tar, making each motion an effort that took concentration on top of overcoming just to do it. His strength was still present, but now it had to face the ethereal obstacle, which made it lose most of its effectiveness. Even keeping his reactor core felt like a challenge, not speaking about his armor or even fighting. However, precisely the latter he had to do if he wanted to avoid being beaten into a metal pulp as the puppets were already reformed.
Their yellow body under the web of lines, the image of vortexes, and the core near the stomach ¨C everything had vanished, replaced by olive green. It felt like this step was entirely different, merging everything together to paint the opponent in such color while raising his might far above the previous state. Robert almost gulped at this sight, as the combination of overwhelming pressure and the visible might of the enemy made his situation quite unpleasant. Even one of the puppets caused him to feel the danger with his inner being, and soon he had to face five of them at once. The worst was the lingering thought in the background of his mind that whispered that it could be not the last stage.
But you know what? Bring it on!
Chapter 169 (4-36)
Watching how the empty-handed puppet was slowly approaching him, Robert tried to think about his options. The reactor core inside his metal shell was already running at the maximum possible level. There was a thought about the use of two outside sources directly to increase the energy output, but Rob shook this awful idea off. He had enough on his plate to deal with, and adding another problem during the fight was out of the question. It left him with his long-acquainted pitch-black armor and destructive layer on top of physical might. And, considering the disturbing pressure, it didn¡¯t look promising. Especially, when the whole chamber was set aflame, enveloping everything in fire.
The cause of such effect ¨C the puppet of a martial artist ¨C was looking like a god of scorching sun, shining amid the flames. It wasn¡¯t the direct glow, but more like overheating from the insane temperature that was turning his body white. And Robert¡¯s will wavered, halting its crumbling process in the last moment. The reason was simple ¨C the flame somehow managed to pierce his previously unbreachable defense that failed only in front of nuclear power. It wasn¡¯t through the soles of his bare feet as if the place managed to withstand his full-powered hits that Robert had no desire to leave a weak spot. No, the Qi-empowered flame burned his energy, causing almost mutual destruction. Considering his mind that was struggling to keep everything running under the pressure on his soul, it almost led to his death as the puppet moved an instant it felt the opportunity.
Vanishing from its spot, the puppet repeated the same flying kick it did during the previous stages. However, not only was it much faster, but Rob¡¯s own movements were slowed to a huge extent, draining a lot of strength and focus just on attempting to keep up. And he failed, getting smacked right into his armor-covered face. Coated in flames, the puppet¡¯s leg penetrated through the disintegrative layer and crushed the obsidian layer before proceeding with Rob¡¯s metal skull. In just a fraction of an instant, his beheaded body was thrown away, crashing into the wall. Dropping limply, Robert took another instant to regain his control, starting a restoration process. However, the puppet seemed to have no obligation to wait for him to get up.
Following with jumping, it landed directly on Robert, turning his lower abdomen and groin area into a pulp. The melted mess of gray and black steel mixed together into an unrecognizable state, simultaneously exposing the edge of his reactor core. The latter simply couldn¡¯t be missed, filled with energy to the brink. Therefore, changing its target, the puppet tried to stomp the sphere¡ only to be met with resistance from its own leg. Trapped similarly as its own artificial brother tried to do, the opponent failed to react to Robert¡¯s actions when the latter suddenly raised his torso while twisting it to empower the motion. In the next moment, Rob¡¯s elbowed its knee.
The huge joint was set aflame right before the impact, but it didn¡¯t help ¨C the force behind Robert¡¯s strike was too huge, while Qi was used to fight off the destructive energy. In the end, the sheer kinetic energy splattered the stone fragments, severing the leg of the opponent at once. However, not pausing his actions, Rob released the puppet that was already falling due to the loss of balance. Meeting the approaching chest with his punch, he sent the artificial enemy flying. This forceful disengagement gave them both enough time to stand up and pause, looking at each other.
Hehe, you seem can¡¯t regenerate during the fight¡ But I do¡ And, believe me, I personally know how OP can be endless regeneration¡ You are so fucked, doll!
If the puppet even had any emotions, it never showed. Instead, it silently prepared for the next exchange, giving Robert the ability to stabilize his own constructs. Lowering the intensity of the heat produced by its artificial body, the puppet conjured a new limb directly from the flame, putting its weight on it a moment later. This act made Robert¡¯s smile under the armor disappear, as the potential advantage that he held had followed the suit. However, Rob wasn¡¯t discouraged, quietly muttering with only his lips.
Round two, go!
They both rushed to each other at lightning speed. The puppet was first to strike, making a straightforward punch toward Robert¡¯s face. Not reaching an intended target, the fist shot forward with a sudden fireball. However, Rob¡¯s eyes noticed those tiniest changes that occurred right before the projectile manifested, pushing him in motion at once. Tilting his head to the side, he avoided the fireball at the last moment. Simultaneously, Robert proceeded with his own attack. Taking a step forward, he sent his own fist flying. The puppet blocked immediately, putting its forearms under the attack. The flame flickered for a fraction of a second, resisting the contact with disintegrative energy, while the stone limbs withstood the strike. The following low kick was countered in the same manner. Then the puppet retook the initiative.
Twisting its artificial body, the opponent swung with its fire prosthetic, aiming at Rob¡¯s ribs. Instantly reacting, Robert lowered his arm to protect himself. To his utter surprise, the flame leg went through his block as if the leg lost any corporeality right before the contact. Scorching his inners, the burning-hot Qi melted it, creating a hole in Rob¡¯s side and stomach. However, to his senseless body, it was just a temporary inconvenience. Therefore, ignoring the result of the strike, Robert lunged forward, ramming into the puppet. The latter, standing on one leg during its attack, was sent tumbling. However, just an instant later a jet of flame was made from the feet, stabilizing its fall and moving it out of Rob¡¯s reach. Or at least the puppet tried, using its improvised burst to fly from danger. Unfortunately for it, Robert was faster.
Pushing himself through viscous air that tried to halt each of his motions, he still managed to catch the neck of the puppet before smashing it against the surface. He felt like something cracked underneath, but seeing how the opponent was sucking all flame toward itself from the surroundings, Rob had no wish to stop. Releasing the neck, he grabbed the burning hand of the puppet, pulling the palm toward its owner¡¯s artificial face. In the next moment, a concentrated stream of fire was summoned, scorching the yellow surface of its creator. The Qi technique was so devastating that even his palm melted just from non-direct contact with the source. It had no effect on his mind. On the contrary, Robert used this opportunity to slightly raise above the opponent before dropping down with his knee aimed at the neck. Conjuring a spike, he additionally increased his weight just to hit as hard as he could. That appeared to be enough for the smaller joint to immediately brake, severing the stone head from the body, and thus ending the fight.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Slowly standing up, he watched with growing horror how the puppet was slowly disappearing inside the floor only to be soon renovated again. His mind raced, thinking about the constant pressure on his soul that not only decreased his strength but also made it hard even to think clearly. Everything felt like he was looking through the haze, while wearing an ancient diving suit, walking on the bottom of the ocean almost without any available oxygen. And to fight in such circumstances against more opponents at once, when his protective layer could be easily broken and there was no need to risk his life in the first ¨C that was a really awful idea. Even suicidal. So, Rob did what he could think to save his own life.
¡°I forfeit!¡±
His shout was a second before the next fight started, deactivating both puppets just in time. Sighing with relief, Robert finally moved his steel to repair the damage as under this pressure his mind failed to do it automatically. What was worse, even after a short time frame under this effect, he started to lose focus, clearly exhausting his inner reserves. Luckily, by putting a message about returning to the center, the place started to slowly decrease the intensity of this area effect. For the first time after turning into a metal abomination, Robert felt exhausted. Completely spent, both mentally and physically. Enveloping his body, the sensation of strained muscles filled him to the brink. It felt¡ wonderful, giving him an old-forgotten feeling of the good training session. It made him alive.
Lost in the sensations, he spent another minute bathing in it until his body returned back to normal because of the running reactor core. Washing over with constant energy, it took away all tiredness, leaving him with his senseless shell once again. Sighing again, but this time with regret, Robert proceeded to the illuminated spot, while hiding his pitch-black armor inside, staying only in self-made pants. The moment he stepped in, the commanding message switched to a new question.
Are you willing to pledge your eternal loyalty to the Righteous and Profound Sect of the Wide Firmament?
¡°Yep, no objections here,¡± Rob replied without any hesitation. His reasoning was simple ¨C he was already stuck in this already dead sect, and any authority would automatically make his stay legal, maybe even granting currently unknown permissions and access to hidden facilities. Moreover, the absence of any living members pushed his potential rank to the highest in a local hierarchy by default. Last, but not least ¨C he wasn¡¯t sure what reaction could be if he refused this offer while being trapped in the tower, surrounded by mighty soul-pressing formations and combat puppets.
According to your battle prowess and level of cultivation, you will be granted the position of the Elder. Take your sign and wear it with honor!
In the next moment, an amulet appeared in front of Robert. Floating amid the air, it had a plain leather strap that went through a rectangular sapphire. The latter had a black symbol, engraved on its surface. Rob¡¯s inbuilt translator immediately explained its meaning ¨C ¡°Sky¡±. Apart from this crystal-clear gem, there was nothing else. It was as simple and pure as the name it carried. However, not to the point of being a liability as an attempt to pick it turned the amulet into blush particles that were instantly sucked inside his body only to reappear on the back of his palm, but this time in the form of a barely visible image.
¡°Thanks¡ I guess? That was quite a meteoric rise in ranks,¡± Looking at this image on his grayish skin, Robert forcefully dispersed his palm, checking how it would react. To his surprise, the picture simply repeated on his other palm an instant later. Several following attempts led to the same result, creating an idea that it was some kind of a permanent soul-mark.
I wonder what rank I would have gotten if I managed to beat all five at once¡ It was the sixth stage, but was it last? As far as I remember the stories I read about cultivators ¨C those freaks were always strong¡ Like shattering-a-mountain-with-a-slap strong. So, there can be more¡ Hmm, the silence amidst pretty nature and without bothering company, any dangers, with a private gym equipped with sparring partners¡ yeah, I already love this place! Let¡¯s check the local library to see if this place can satisfy my desire to read. Hope the rank of an Elder is enough to enter the place...
This time the ¡°Pavillion of Techniques¡± decided not to spare him any attention, saving its overwhelming pressure for others¡ if there were any. The tall pagoda with many levels lost some gloss due to the passage of time but still could showcase the remnants of the wealth that was spent decorating with golden paint, working formations, and distinguished flags, which were currently not better than a piece of old cloth in most cases. Still, the main one with the name of the sect was waving proudly, barely having any signs of wear out.
Pushing heavy doors with a faded ornament and stepping inside, Robert found himself in a huge hall. The space around the entrance was empty, but further into the pavilion, there were at least a dozen long tables, creating an improvised barrier between Rob and rows of shelves, filled with multiple big scrolls. The high ceiling was slightly glowing with white light, illuminating this enormous sanctuary of knowledge. And this state was indeed true without any underestimation, as not only did Robert fail to see the walls, hidden behind the tall shelves, but also there were stairs on the opposite side of the hall, leading to the next floor. Knowing how often it was exactly the way to separate access to the restricted techniques according to the ranks, Rob had potentially six floors to explore.
Nice! I only hope that there is something useful for me among these ¡°circulation of blossoming purple Sakura from dark abyssal blackness¡±, ¡°technique of lighting flying dick under the night sky¡± or ¡°heavenly mighty cultivation method of the super powerful increase solely for wielders of a cheating golden finger¡± ¡ But even if not, this sect¡ this whole realm¡ can become quite a perfect place for retirement after my life of a warrior. Like a farm, far from any troubles of the outer world. With no worries, no rush, no danger¡ I think I deserved a good long rest after everything I went through.
Chapter 170 (4-37)
The flying sparks of the raging fire created quite a view. Illuminating the dark surroundings, and adding yellow and red colors to otherwise blackness, the flame seemed to be a single bright spot in the whole world. The starless sky without any clouds was pure navy blue without any signs of any other shades. Dominating the space above the tiny realm, it spread its influence everywhere, failing solely in front of handmade fire. Large, it was comparable to the size of a mansion. Only the deep dugouts that surrounded the ravaging flame prevented it from burning everything around until nothing was left just to satisfy its eternal hunger. However, Robert made sure to avoid such an outcome.
Looking at the conflagration, Rob¡¯s thoughts were elsewhere. Maybe if it was him from the beginning of the journey, the blazing grave for the whole dead sect would make an impact on his mind. Perhaps, even causing teary eyes, or philosophical pondering about the fragility of life. Unfortunately, he stepped far from that point. There was no disgust when he collected the corpses of the cultivators one by one. Even though, it appeared that the state of the body depended on a cultivation realm, turning the lower rank members of the sect into skeletons while mummifying the ones with higher. Those dehydrated corpses with remnants of hair could inflict a scare, but Rob¡¯s mind didn¡¯t feel anything. He was just paying respect to them.
Therefore, waiting until this artificial inferno had died out, Robert slowly proceeded to bury the remnants with a conjured shovel. He never stopped until the small hill was finished. The sky was already light, exposing the brown mound, made from earth. Checking it from different sides, Rob turned to the prepared stones. Picking them one by one, he created a low fence to separate the forest from the grave, using previously made dugouts as the foundation. Then it was time to make a pathway. Taken from the half-ruined roads, they were put to use once again to set a new footpath to the place of memory. The last one was a huge rock. Placed on the very top at the end of the road, it had a text written on it. The letters had no elegance of trained calligraphy, instead looking like printed copies of symbols, but they still carried the meaning.
Here lies the Righteous and Profound Sect of the Wide Firmament.
Looking at the result of his work, Robert lightly bowed before finally turning around and leaving. Slowly walking through the empty sect, his eyes were constantly wandering around, noting the things to do. Somewhere one of the planks was damaged, needing a replacement. In another place, a stone right in the middle of the road had a crack because of a stubborn plant that made its way through the obstacle. He even found a dropped knife with runes inscribed on its blade. The weapon was hiding in the tall grass that was chaotically growing around the pathway, and only a glimpse of glow attracted Rob¡¯s attention to a previously missed object. Silently picking it from the ground and wiping it against his already dirty yellow robe, he inwardly sighed.
It seems I also need to cut the grass¡
Changing his destination, Robert leisurely strolled to one of the storages he had chosen. In better shape than others, the building additionally had a massive advantage in size and prepared wooden racks. So, pushing the doors, he was met with a view of a real treasury. The boxes with storage rings, the piles of different weapons on the shelves, the distinguished amulets, and other artifacts ¨C everything was shoved here with disregard to the value. Colorful cauldrons with engraved scenes from the cultivator¡¯s life, the formations of flags and stones with complex patterns, the stacks of paper talismans ¨C everything that was no use for Rob but had a value was put here. Carefully taken from the corpses, their houses, or storages, the items were moved in a single place. And the knifed followed the suit, shoved in a free spot on the shelves. Glancing once again at the place that could make an average supermarket pale in comparison to the number of goods, Robert left.
His walk ended at the main square. The remnants of the broken statue were long taken away, leaving a clean space on the pedestal. The problem was that Rob had not even the slightest idea what to put there. He spent months pondering about it when he initially decided to put something there, but either an idea was plain stupid, or it was out of his abilities to do it. Therefore, the spot was left empty up to this point.
The only thing that I can think of with a possibility to bring it to life is a guiding map like in shopping mauls¡ But why the hell do I need it if there is no one else here and I don¡¯t expect the guest? Still, the place looks empty¡ and it¡¯s on the straight way from the portal¡ Hmm¡ Okay, for now, let¡¯s put it aside. Plants, I need to check plants.
Reaching the fields with crops, Robert found that some forest plants once again attempted to harvest their peaceful relatives, pushing their roots beyond the artificial edge. Conjuring a machete with a disintegrative blade, he slowly went around the fields to cut everything. The flowing reverse route was spent digging another trench to separate the botany wild monstrosity from domestic ones. Then he went to the alchemy field. Luckily, this time there was no need to do anything from his previous visit. The ground on both fields was still wet from the previous watering as the local plants were taking most nutrients from qi. Still, suitable care helped to boost their growth, while avoiding the creation of new abominations from mixing different types.
Therefore, Rob, finding nothing to do, paused for a moment before going to the last resident area. Equipped with a broom and bucket of water, he slowly cleaned the rest of the buildings. Having endless stamina, Robert found joy and relaxation in simple work with his hands. Moreover, it felt like he was doing something actually useful, fixing, tidying up, or maintaining the place. Therefore, quietly humming an unrecognizable melody, he worked until the light started to fade, signaling the end of the day. Only after that, did he stop and finally go toward the Pavillion of Techniques.
There were a few gaps in the roof of the last mansion¡ And I need something to kill those mushrooms on the ground floor. Simple cutting wouldn¡¯t do¡
Pushing the door and walking inside the long-acquainted place, Robert absent-mindedly proceeded toward the stairs. Reaching the sixth level, he spared another glance at the final floor that currently was out of his access before stepping inside the illuminated room. In comparison to the lowest floor, the space here felt emptier. There were similar tables in the center, but each of them was noticeably smaller, perfect just for a single occupier. The gaps between them were also wider, providing more privacy. However, the biggest change was in the number of shelves with scrolls, which didn¡¯t amount even one hundredth to the piles on lower levels. However, Rob simply approached one of the tables without looking around. There was nothing new to see.
Dropping down onto the chair that easily withstood such rough treatment, he looked at his notes, which were carelessly left on the table. Silently rereading his latest thoughts, made with his robotic handwriting, Robert once again dived into a deep pondering. Periodically halting this process, he searched for the needed information in the pile of books that was occupying half of his table, writing down valuable pieces of information. Still, despite spending a huge amount of time studying cultivation, Rob was far from becoming one even after going through the whole library. Perhaps, not even once.
There were a few problems with becoming a cultivator. First and foremost, his inability to sense any Qi, not speaking about operating it in any way. No matter how much theory Robert shoved in his head; he simply lacked the spiritual root needed to interact with this type of energy. Not discouraged by it, he attempted to recreate his method of producing a reactor core ¨C to create a copy of it from the obsidian steel inside his body. What stopped him from achieving the wanted result was a vague description of this spiritual root as local cultivators never focused on researching the thing they had by default, concentrating on the next realms. The other obstacle was that even if he succeeded in recreating it, any attempts to feel Qi seemed to be futile.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Robert spent a lot of time studying plants to find their properties, and what consequences of their consuming were. His latest experiment was concluded in the Mediation Chamber on top of the mountain. Equipped with formation to increase the density of Qi in the air, they were perfect to create an ideal condition. However, no matter how many plants he ate, how long he stayed there, and how deep he breathed ¨C nothing helped to feel anything at all. His metal body was as senseless as ever, be it Qi or anything else.
Still, Robert¡¯s desire to overcome the obstacle didn¡¯t waver. For the first time, he felt somewhat happy. The simple work of restoring the sect back to its glory helped to clear his mind from any worries, putting it in a state of tranquility. The absence of any time frame, judgment, or danger around helped a lot. He was doing it for himself, not driven by a survival instinct. What was more, the idea of returning to the place back the previous glory gave him a feeling that he wasn¡¯t working only on this place, but also on himself, fixing his mind broken by wars and life-threatening struggles. It was a surprisingly pleasant experience.
On the other hand, his wish to battle was satisfied with trial fights in the Ascension Tower. Giving access only once per day, the grandeur building fulfilled his desire for raging adrenaline. Not only that, but it also made him work on his martial skills, instead of relying solely on brute force. The puppets appeared to be quite skillful combatants, training him in real fights against comparable opponents in terms of strength and, more importantly, size. Unfortunately, the place seemed to save his achieved stage, putting him one before and skipping others. So, most of his battles were against the puppet with flaming technique, and they didn¡¯t take long. In the end, Robert spent only half an hour at most there. It left him with the Pavilion of Techniques.
The studying wasn¡¯t as satisfactory as his other pastimes. There was a time limit on the stay, making it impossible to sit there as long as he wanted. Luckily, with his Elder¡¯s position, Robert could spend around half of the night there before being kicked out by the growing pressure. It often broke his thinking process or halted his reading in unpropertied time, adding difficulty to the task. The other moment worth mentioning was the scrolls of valuable cultivation knowledge¡ and they were a chaotic mess in most cases to speak kindly, almost on the level of pure gibberish.
There were a few systematized books with proper written information. The rules of the sect, some basic methods of cultivating, and general knowledge about different topics, including raising plants or alchemy. However, the bigger chunk of them were just inner thoughts and observations of each member of the sect about the specific cultivation realm. Or the ¡°correct¡± by the author¡¯s not-so-humble opinion way to make formations. Made without any system and often even a wish to share information, they were sometimes barely understandable as if written by a drunken student at the last moment, who was only aiming for the word count to pass the assignment.
The last part of the scrolls were outer techniques, meant not to raise Qi-level but to produce a variety of effects. Robert called them skills before shoving everything about them in a trash bin as without qi there was no use in those at all. They were interesting only because they could explain what cultivators were capable of doing, but otherwise ¨C completely useless. Overall, Rob could find valuable pieces of information, despite the lack of obvious systematization, but there was the third problem. It was simple, but nevertheless, a wall-stopping problem that made his learning process hard.
I am stupid¡ And I am not ashamed to admit it. What the fuck is ¡°breathe like a male stork during the week before breeding period, who had a long flight over a large lake¡±? Or ¡°sense the inner flowering under the moonlight, when earth¡¯s energy is strong, but wood qi only starts to rise¡±? Or ¡°pull the qi stream like a three-headed bull but with the gentleness of a silk¡±? How can any sane person understand this nonsense?
Robert knew that it wasn¡¯t only the problem in the lack of writing skills of local cultivators. No, the cultural differences on top of his in-built translator made it hard to grasp the true meaning of some phrases. Especially, when he was deprived of the ability to feel the same things by his metal body. Still, one by one, Rob managed to create a local cultivation system in his head, simplifying the descriptions of each realm to the bare bones.
Let¡¯s go over everything again.
The first one was the Body Strengthening realm, where the cultivator created Qi points with the help of their spiritual root. Sucking Qi energy into his body, they passively strengthened their bodies, making them faster and stronger, far above the average human.
Those five starting puppets were on that level¡
The second was the Foundation Establishment. The cultivator at this stage started to create meridians to connect their qi points in a united system, providing them with the ability to empower some motions with an additional portion of Qi, spending it in the process.
This was the stage where the puppets got a web on their body, simulating the meridians.
The Qi Refining was the third, where the task was to create automatic Qi filters to purify the energy from the ¡°dirt¡±, adjusting it to the specific cultivator. This was the moment when the first outer techniques could be manifested.
Yep, I remember them. The next were those with dantians, painted on their lower abdomen.
The Core Formation stage was focused on creating a vessel to store more Qi, providing more energy capacity to the cultivator. The techniques grew stronger, but the biggest difference was in Qi''s endurance, noticeably raising their stocks. The Nascent Soul was the fifth. The realm demanded a nourishment of the cultivator¡¯s souls. Placing it within a dantian, it bathed in purified energy making the soul much stronger. In return, it gave the ability to add an intent to the techniques, but Robert couldn¡¯t understand what it was.
Something like a plus to the power of attacks? I do need a proper teacher¡ or a tooltip for newbies. It¡¯s like when you send a fireball to someone¡¯s face, you already have the intention of hurting them. How can you add even more of this wish?
The sixth was the Spirit Unity, during which the strengthened soul was merged with the body to become one entity. This was the realm of a domain, explaining that fire aura around the puppet on his current stage of the Ascension Tower.
I am here¡ Moreover, not only in terms of might but my soul and body are the one thing from the beginning. Maybe this is the answer? Not to focus on feeling Qi, but to create my own stable system akin to cultivation. I made it with a reactor core, but I can always improve it, adding a few more things to make it more complex and productive¡ Hmm, this indeed can be it. Fuck Qi, and let¡¯s think what I lack to make my low-budget copy¡ And considering the next realm, the idea might be plausible¡ which confirms your stupidity as you, Rob, could think about it much earlier.
Returning his thoughts to the notes about the seventh realm that simultaneously was the last in the Pavillion of Techniques, but not overall, Rob pondered. Its name sounded like the Immortal Rebirth and seemed to provide real immortality to the cultivator by perfecting and making all changes they previously had done to get to this realm as naturally as if they were born like that. All those meridians, filters, dantian ¨C everything became as if the person was born with them from the start. However, not having direct access to the last floor, it was all he knew about this stage of cultivation. There were even fewer details about the following eighth realm, apart from the name - the Dao Seeking.
Nope, the only useful thing from them is the idea of creating a natural-like system of energy nourishment¡ Now I only need to do the same inside me, but using my reactor core¡ Damn, sounds good. I have a few more hours before I need to leave¡ Maybe I can try to beat three puppets today¡ We¡¯ll see how it goes¡
Nodding to himself, Robert dived into his notes, failing to notice a light smile on his grayish lips. Without lurking danger around and other disturbing things, he finally managed to relax, while rotating his daily routine. Maintaining and rebuilding the sect to keep himself busy. Releasing steam and simultaneously sharpening his combat skills through the fights in the Ascension Tower. Solving an intriguing problem, being a real pathfinder in his version of cultivation. Each of them was plain and simple, not having any grand goals for why he wanted to do it. Robert just enjoyed the process, nothing else. And exactly that made him happy.
Life is good!
Chapter 171 (4-38)
Persistence and stubbornness. Those were the key features that carried Robert over multiple obstacles in his life. His will rarely wavered in front of a grandeur task, no matter how hard or demanding it was. Rob was ready to repeat the same motion thousands of times just to engrave it deeply in his muscle memory. He could bash his head against the tough wall just to shove new information inside. Robert was eager to spend all his time without a rest to achieve a set goal. Even when his body lost the need for sleep, rest, and food, it only led to non-existent pauses, raising those character qualities to the next level.
Robert knew that he wasn¡¯t a genius, nor was he even a smart one. Raised as a war tool, his task was focused on operating a mini army of combat machines. Nothing else. His following experience never allowed him to learn anything properly, through a set system under the tutelage of the educated mentor. It left him with a straightforward way of experimenting and learning from his own mistakes just to achieve his goals. And his persistence and stubbornness were the reason why he managed to succeed multiple times. The latter brought an even bigger feeling of accomplishment as it was only his effort that made it happen, raising the value of the achievement to new heights.
And it makes me really happy¡
Smiling as he made the last stroke with a paintbrush, Robert stepped aside to take a look at the entrance gate of the sect. They still had an appearance of long-made construction, but despite the respectful age, the signs of the fading glory weren¡¯t as visible as before. On the contrary, the fresh golden and red paint covered its surface. The worn-out flags were replaced with new ones, while the huge sign with the name of the sect was shining with gloss after being tidily cleaned.
Yep, now it looks good¡ No wonder ¨C it took so much time to create the correct shade from plants and other reagents¡ Luckily, some alchemical scrolls appeared to be helpful.
Nodding to himself with a sense of pride, Robert picked up the bucket and slowly went through the gate. His mind barely registered the change in soul-Qi pressure, as after so many fights in the Ascension Tower, he was long acquainted with much bigger stress. It felt like his body-soul managed to train itself like a muscle, withstanding the heavy atmosphere with ease. Therefore, not sparing any attention to these sensations, Rob was focused on the surroundings, trying to evaluate the result of his own work.
The pathway that was earlier overgrown with wild grass and plants now looked almost brand new. With neatly placed stones, it reflected the light with its surface, polished by millions of previously made steps. The forest was separated by a short wooden fence, dividing its domain into two uneven parts. Walking down this repaired road, Robert soon reached the main square. From this spot the sect¡¯s pagodas were visible, showcasing the might of the now-extinct sect with a single member. However, even though the fact was true, there were barely any signs of decay. Any previously existing gaps, broken parts, or damage were fixed, hiding under the fresh paint.
It took a lot of time and effort for Robert to achieve it, but his work paid off, returning the glory to the sect. It still felt empty, but nothing like a creepy ghost city with corpses everywhere. No, if there were any outsiders, they would feel like the owners of the place simply left not long ago. Obviously, there was still plenty of space for further improvements, not speaking about the need to keep everything in check. However, at this point, Robert treated the whole sect as his home. Having no need to sleep or eat, he never bothered to find a personal place to settle down. Always in constant motion, Robert found the rest in a simple work. Exactly that led to this resurrective state of the sect.
I need to leave the paint in the storage¡ and maybe change the robe ¨C this one needs a wash.
Continuing his unhurried journey, Robert reached the storage where he kept all his crafted instruments. Not everything could be created with his steel like a brush, so Rob had to improvise, widening his knowledge and skills to obtain the desired tools. The neighboring building was his wardrobe, having multiple robes ready to wear. In comparison to his previous solitary stays, Rob decided not to constantly walk as a nude freak. Maybe there was no one to see him, but the simple fact of wearing clothes made him feel normal. The only problems with that were in a limited quantity of robes and his growth. The latter wasn¡¯t too big, just a mere ten centimeters (4 inches) in height, but Robert failed to compress his body any further at this point, making it only a matter of time until he became a giant once again.
But it would be a problem for future me¡ So, what to do? A few supporting beams in the mine need a replacement¡ I wanted to check the purple Qi grass ¨C those nasty insects might eat the whole field if I don¡¯t find a repellant¡ What else? Yeah, the broken windows in the palace¡ Nope, not a chance I can make them ¨C glass is too hard for me. Better to use a few planks to cover them temporarily until I find a solution¡ Let¡¯s go then.
Robert failed to finish all self-assigned tasks before the darkness started to retake its reign, as there was always another thing to appear. The whole set felt like a huge farm with no lack of work to do. Still, Rob called it a day and proceeded to clean himself in the lake before starting to climb up the mountain. Despite not choosing a personal house, Robert made a few spots for training on the peak, in the forest, and on the edge of the floating rock. Each created its own atmosphere, providing a captivating scenery ¨C be it a whole sect under a clear firmament, a wild mixture of colors in the forest, or fluffy clouds amidst an endless ocean. Those places were perfect for him, not only showing a pleasant picture but putting him in a proper state of mind. And Rob often needed it as his experiments with cultivation didn¡¯t go as smoothly as he wanted.
Even now, focusing on the obsidian steel inside his body, he moved it, simultaneously forming a new construct from it, starting what seemed to be a thousandth test. Having a full sensation of the steel, Robert slowly created an intricate model of the vortex, which was surrounded by a not less complex system of three-dimensional runes that were merged with geometrical figures in a mind-blowing way. The construct was so insanely hard to remember that it was already a notable achievement just to recreate it perfectly. However, Rob needed at least five of them. Therefore, checking if everything was good, he proceeded with repeating the process. Only when it was done did he finally take a short pause before continuing.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
The next part was to move those constructs close to the reactor core. Pushing them toward his central part, he stopped them mere millimeters from the surface of the sphere. Checking their form once again to be sure, Robert started to pull even more obsidian steel into his body. The following minutes were spent creating a system of arteries inside his body ¨C almost as if he wished to duplicate his blood system. Spreading their influence everywhere, they covered all his body up to the tiniest part. At this point, Rob used most of his pitch-black steel to set this inner web, leaving him with barely anything to use.
Here comes the hardest part¡
Connecting the web to the five constructs, he additionally put another circle to fuse them in a singular system. Only after that he finally turned his attention to the core. The mental command lowered the force shield that prevented the reactor from blowing him apart. Concentrating on the ravaging energy inside, Robert pulled it out, simultaneously forming five identical streams. In an instant, they pierced the shield, starting to destabilize his energy heart. However, experiencing it before and knowing perfectly what to do, Rob was ready to control the process. His will and mind were firm as his steel, keeping everything running despite the constant threat of self-destruction. Pushing those streams to the vortex constructs, he merged them together, fueling the whole system.
For a long moment there was nothing as if those set tubes were in the process of filling in. Then he felt the surge of energy inside. Spreading through these bloody-energy veins, it started to grow in intensity. In just another moment, the overwhelming feeling of energy enveloped his mind, almost sending him into a drunken state of euphoria. It lasted for a few seconds before the system collapsed. The first were those vortexes that failed to convert the disintegrative nature. Simultaneously exploding inside his body, they ripped apart his chest, exposing the flickering reactor core. Following this chain reaction, the remnants of energy continued their way through the created net, melting him from the inside. It took Robert several minutes to stabilize and, more importantly, calm his inner energy before restoring his body to a pristine state.
Hmm¡ I don¡¯t feel that the problem lays in the toughness of the constructs. It¡¯s their ability to convert that is lacking¡ Yep, I can add a few pieces from the Purifying Lotus technique to soften the energy, so it might work¡ Okay, let¡¯s do it¡ Wait, the wooden aspect of the Tree of Life might be better. Hmm¡
Recreating the needed form in his imagination, Robert silently conjured the same on his open palm to visualize the process. The dark blue sky barely gave any light, but he was relying more on his senses than on sight, diving deeply into experiments. Rob had no choice other than that, as in his current circumstances, he couldn¡¯t follow the written explanations of the sect¡¯s cultivators. His situations differed, turning him into some kind of mad scientist who had to conduct tests on himself. Therefore, even the clearest explanations of how-to progress were only partly useful in his case, working as examples. In fact, what he was doing was an attempt to recreate the whole process basically in reverse and at once.
His idea was to use modified but established methods of energy purifying to convert his own destructive energy into something more appropriate for further cultivation plans because he basically had two modes of his mana ¨C one to conjure steel, while another to produce Energy Blasts, making it useless for anything else. His soul and body were merged, making the sixth stage of cultivation a default state. There was no need for a dantian or, simply speaking, the Qi-storage, so the fourth realm of Core Formation was also crossed out ¨C with his rate of creation, it was easier to balance the supply and demand instead of thinking about a mana vessel. That left him with filters and meridians. He didn¡¯t have to create Qi points to suck the energy from the surroundings as Robert had plenty of it inside, ready to use with proper preparation. That¡¯s why, focusing on recreating his version of the second and third realms, Rob wanted to get the positive result of the fifth ¨C Nascent Soul. The latter was all about nourishing the soul, and in his circumstances, it might be the best bet of how to improve his strength.
I think I am close enough, but still, my system is imperfect, crumbling under the pressure¡ And I will need to keep it running manually all the time until it becomes an instinct akin to breathing. Or find a way to make it self-sufficient¡ Just do it until you manage, Robert ¨C that¡¯s how you get the results. Constant effort without slacking off.
Rob continued his tests until night started to slowly retreat, freeing the space for the brightness of the next day. At this point, he rarely visited the library, memorizing most of the scrolls there after multiple rereads. A similar situation was with the Ascension Tower, where he was stuck fighting against three puppets at once. On half of the occasions where Robert managed to beat them, the four opponents at once would wipe the floor with him, no matter how he fought. His adaptative nature helped to adjust to the pressure, but it was still not enough to break through this obstacle.
However, that didn¡¯t influence his mood in the slightest. It was nice to have an achievable but hard goal. To see the results of his own efforts, be it through combat or the sect¡¯s overall state. To see how he was actually creating something for once instead of destroying, killing, or smashing. To feel steady progress without a need to rush anything. Even creating his cultivation method wasn¡¯t that unbelievable right now for Robert, as promising results were already showing themselves. Rob just needed more time. Luckily, in this frozen world where nothing had happened, he had plenty of it. Even eternity wasn¡¯t out of the question, considering the immortality of his metal body.
There is something pleasant in this predictable stability¡ It gives a sense of¡
Robert¡¯s thought was cut off by the sudden bright flash that illuminated the tiny realm for a moment. Turning his head toward the edge of the floating rock in an attempt to find the source, Rob quickly understood where it was coming from. Raising from his place, he noticed how the light flashed several more times until finally dying out, leaving an empty arc with a motionless group inside. The distance was too big to see everything in detail, but he was sure that those tiny dots were definitely humans.
It seems my peaceful hermitage is invaded by uninvited guests. Damn it... I hoped not to see anyone for at least a full decade. Okay, let¡¯s see who they are¡ and more importantly - what they want.
Chapter 172 (4-39)
Stepping from the arc, Xu Wong barely managed to keep food inside his stomach. Crawling up to his throat, it left an awful aftertaste, but it was better than vomiting on an ancient structure under the watching eye of his ill-wishers. Traveling to this pocket dimension felt like a real challenge. The constant sensation of being pulled and pushed simultaneously with an addition of qi-drain was not only exhausting but also caused an overwhelming feeling of nausea. However, the sudden change in atmosphere turned this state into torture, switching the energy-deprived state of the surroundings into overfilled with qi. Each breath in this place sucked so much energy inside Xu Wong¡¯s body that his mind felt dizzy and barely able to think straight. Moreover, it led to the oversaturation of his meridians, spreading horrible pain across him.
¡°It seems our junior brother feels sick,¡± Yang Song smirked, attracting everyone¡¯s attention toward Xu Wong. That caused a new wave of insults but at least allowed him to manipulate his Qi filters to lower the rate of draining the energy from the surroundings. In a dozen seconds, it finally helped him to clear his mind just to hear the ending. ¡°¡ lucky for such a weakling to get here!¡±
¡°Stop it,¡± the leader of their small group commanded, halting his underlings. Having an influential uncle in the sect, Zhao Bohai was what was called a young master. Arrogant, strong, with good backing, he was a core disciple for a reason. Reaching the Core Formation realm at his age and even stepping in Mid-stage, he was far more powerful than was expected from an average cultivator, easily fighting a stage above. All his ¡°friends¡± were around either late or peak stage of the Qi Refining. In reality, they were just lackeys in a desire to get a good position from a future powerhouse, already struggling to proceed forward without additional resources. Only Xu Wong was in the early stages of this realm, but he was much younger than them, barely twenty years old.
¡°Move,¡± pointing at him, Zhao Bohai made Xu Wong step forward, turning him into a potential bait. Their enmity started from the moment when a promising newbie made an acquaintance with Xu Wong, disregarding the attention of Zhao Bohai. The latter immediately decided to punish the frog, who was trying to get a hand on a swan. Xu Wong acknowledged her beauty right at the start, but he never aimed at her at all, no matter how it looked to others. He even did everything to avoid her company. Despite such behavior, the situation escalated rather quickly, making Xu Wong¡¯s attempt to finish a sect mission into a run for survival, ¡°Be ready to act - we don¡¯t know what traps we may meet. I must remind you that I¡¯ve used all my Qi-stones and drained the energy from most of my artifacts just to open the gate.¡±
¡°Yes, senior brother!¡± Three simultaneous replies made Xu Wong grimace from disgust. Nevertheless, he obeyed and went forward. The only alternative was to try to fight against more powerful cultivators, who additionally held several advantages.
Chasing him through the forest, they caused him to bump into a high-ranking beast. The following scared run led to a drop into a hidden cave behind a waterfall, where he found a crack in a thick rock. Unfortunately, the four seniors still managed to find his traces, catching up in no time while leaving a beast to eat the dust. On the other hand, the mysterious skeleton of the cultivator and the arc redirected their attention from Xu Wong¡¯s figure toward the potential pocket dimension. A personal place of mighty ancient cultivators, it was often filled with treasures¡ and dangers. Therefore, fueling all available energy just to open a gap in space, they made him follow them in cases of death traps. Unexpectedly, they were meat with green forest and overwhelming qi level, easily comparable with dedicated chambers for meditation.
¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, worm!¡± Yang Song shouted angrily, hitting Xu Wong in his back and pushing him forward. Inwardly promising himself to take revenge, he stepped forward. Soon, his thoughts wandered about the wonders of this place. There were so many special plants with insane levels of Qi that just grew chaotically, separated by a simple wooden fence and not a single guarding formation that each alchemy garden had.
Then they got to the entrance. Shining with the golden paint under the bright sky, it proudly stood right amid a perfectly clean pathway. Just a single glance was enough to understand that it was an ancient construction that was kept in a state by someone¡¯s constant effort. This exact fact infused hope in Xu Wong. Perhaps he could find cultivators here, and they might help him not to die from sect ¡°brother¡¯s¡± hands. He didn¡¯t feel any special formation assigned to this task. And knowing his own sect, Xu Wong knew that some strong factions took special pride in maintaining the front gates manually, showing their dedication and loyalty to their home.
¡°Senior brother, have you heard this name?¡± One of the lackeys asked, reading loudly the sign.
¡°Hmm¡ I think I¡¯ve seen it in ancient chronicles in my uncle¡¯s library, but it was a demonic sect, not righteous¡,¡± Zhao Bohai muttered before adding louder, ¡°Let¡¯s continue¡ It seems there is someone alive here, but according to my knowledge, they all were wiped out at least a few thousand years ago after an accident. We might have a competitor¡ or there was another reason why they hid. Xu Wong, please.¡± Pointing at the arc, the leader commanded their captive to make a step through the open gate.
The moment Xu Wong did it, he felt an enormous pressure dropping on his fragile body. All his strength, gained by cultivating, paled in front of this heaviness of the air. He almost returned back to the beginning of the Body Strengthening stage, reminding him that no matter how far cultivators progressed, the might of Heaven was above everything else. He had to cut almost all connections to the Qi in the air just to keep standing. The others weren¡¯t any better, cursing and exhaling from a sudden change. Only Zhao Bohai barely showed any signs of discomfort, keeping a neutral expression. However, Xu Wong saw through this mask, noticing the struggles that the man tried to hide.
¡°You aren¡¯t any better than me¡ Only the thick stream of resources has put you in a higher position. That and just time. But I will achieve it by myself, not relying on my relatives!¡± He spoke with only his lips, starting his walk. Made from tightly put stones, the road was going around the hill, creating a low but steady incline. Together with pressure, it made the way quite a task. By the moment Xu Wong reached the main square, he was almost out of breath. Luckily, an enormous empty space left their mouth gaping in front of the view.
¡°Senior brother, this is¡,¡± Yang Song only started to mutter but was interrupted by Zhao Bohai, whose eyes were sparkling with greed.
¡°Opportunity¡ This is an opportunity to rise above the heavens!¡±
It was a rare occasion when Xu Wong had to agree with his enemy. The whole sect looked not only massive but also rich. Insanely rich. To the point that their own sect was like a dirty beggar in comparison to an owner of a famous auction house. The difference was that big. The dense environment of Qi was already insane just on the periphery, and they could see clearly a dedicated mediation chamber on the peak. The latter was often occupied by the Elders and Leader himself as the best place to cultivate.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
The high pagodas, covered with inscriptions and complex formations. The fragrance of alchemical plants that was spreading through the air, despite being hidden somewhere else. Even so spacious square was a sign of excess of resources. It was well-known that to cover the territory with guarding and qi-concentrating formations was a hard task, and the bigger it was, the more it demanded to achieve. However, to have a dedicated pocket dimension, while it was easily larger tens of times than any sect in the outside world¡ the scale was just mind-blowing. That was the reason why all five cultivators had a similar reaction, shocked beyond belief.
¡°I am be damned with qi-deprivation¡ Look, every single stone used here is a snow marble!¡± One of Zhao Bohai¡¯s underlings shouted, taking a closer look at the ground. Considering that each of the roads was made from this very tough and qi-resistant material that had an insane value, mainly used only on walls of treasuries, the fact was staggering. Especially taking into account that despite their loud behavior, there was no one to meet them.
¡°It will bring me on top¡,¡± Xu Wong heard Zhao Bohai¡¯s whisper while his own mind was racing in an attempt to find a solution. There was no chance that he could walk out of this situation alive. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t see one. Walking around the empty square, they reached the statues of cultivators. That was the moment when Yang Song attracted everyone¡¯s attention.
¡°I found a map¡ and it¡¯s made from a single piece¡ How is it even possible?¡±
Gathering around the large flat table that had a three-dimensional map of the sect, they were astonished, failing even to comment on anything. Not only was working with snow marble a tedious task as no instruments could cut through its surface, while the Qi was simply dispersed upon contact but also the amount of details and precision was something heaven-like.
¡°I refuse to believe that!¡± Taking out his sword, Zhao Bohai enveloped it with his qi before striking with his special technique. Using a good chunk of his energy reserves from dantian, his ice blade struck with a mighty force, enough to shatter a huge boulder before freezing the leftovers in eternal coldness. However, despite the powerful attack, he only managed to make a barely visible mark while coating the map in a layer of ice, ¡°but it¡¯s true¡ yes! This will be my road to the top of the sect!¡±
¡°Which sect?¡±
An unfamiliar voice resounded from behind, halting the speech. Turning around, Xu Wong noticed a strange man with grayish skin that made him look like an old statue. The absence of pupils only intensified this feeling. Dressed in a worn-out robe with traces of extensive wash and few marks of paint, the odd man was bald and quite muscular. However, the biggest oddness that couldn¡¯t be missed by anyone in the group was the sensation of artificiality that the man was giving off.
There was no Qi in his body, which, considering their knowledge, was impossible. Only puny mortals with no spiritual roots had no heaven energy inside. Otherwise, there was no way to hide it. Some cultivators spent their lives trying to create such techniques, but at most, they managed to lower their resonance with outer Qi to be as vague as possible. It indeed made them invisible to the senses, but only when no one knew about their presence. There was nothing like a complete nullifying of Qi reaction to the surroundings as this energy was everywhere. The other thing that stood out was the fact that the man didn¡¯t breathe. He wasn¡¯t blinking, just staring at them blindly with his colorless pupils. Xu Wong failed to see any traces of life inside this moving body. He could bet he would mistake the man with a piece of refined rock if he hadn¡¯t heard his voice.
¡°Are you mute? Whatever¡ I welcome you to the Righteous and Profound Sect of the Wide Firmament. My name is Rob, and I am a single member and simultaneously an Elder in it¡ So, what are you doing here? I wasn¡¯t expecting any guests.¡± Those words barely reached their minds, when Yang Song muttered what everyone had in their head.
¡°Is it a puppet?¡±
Xu Wong knew that no matter how he wished to see the lackeys of Zhao Bohai as dumb idiots, they were not, being cultivators with years of experience. Moreover, they had more of it than himself. It was stupid to think that they would miss that state of the man. The cultivator¡¯s senses were sharp, rising even more with each progression in the realm. Therefore, such a directly spoken conclusion was obvious, taking into account that they had similar but more primitive moving dummies for training. However, with an awfully rich environment and more wealth around, it was easy to guess that the sect might have gone much further in the development of puppets.
¡°I think it maintains the whole place. Take a look at his clothes,¡± Another underling added, trying to be as quiet as possible, but Xu Wong noticed how the man frowned upon hearing it.
¡°You know that I am not deaf. Yep, didn¡¯t like that in the slightest¡ Okay, it took less than ten seconds to remind me why people annoy me, so I will kindly ask you to leave this place at once. You aren¡¯t welcome,¡± the grayish man spoke, smiling like a warm-hearted baker from the next street. However, the motion was so fake and unbelievable that it only strengthened the opinion about artificial origin. But something inside Xu Wong told him that it might not be true, and the unknown could be much more powerful than anything he had ever seen. Xu Wong wasn¡¯t a pampered cultivator from the sect and had to fight his way to get even an entrance exam. Often quite literally, killing once just to live another day or stealing several times to get enough money to pay for food. Therefore, when Zhao Bohai stepped forward and tried to resolve everything peacefully, Xu Wong decided to make a bet, relying on his instincts.
¡°My name is Zhao Bohai from¡¡±
¡°He has an uncle in the sect, whom he will tell everything about this place,¡± hastily speaking, Xu Wong made a few steps to the side, separating himself from the rest of the group, ¡°They already started to divide the wealth in here! So if you seek privacy, you just can¡¯t let freely leave!¡±
¡°Shut up, worm! How dare you to insult us?¡± The angry shouts tried to stop him, but Xu Wong managed to finish everything with a final argument.
¡°¡ And they damaged the map!¡±
¡°My map? What?¡±
Changing his expression, the man made a step forward, immediately causing a chain reaction from already cautious cultivators with greed in their eyes. Xu Wong wasn¡¯t sure who was first to attack, but it looked like a compressed spring suddenly exploded with action¡ only to stop a few instants later, exhausting all energy after initial impulse. However, it appeared to be enough as no one from his enemies was left alive, turning into mutilated corpses. Xu Wong even failed to see the fast motions of the man, who was currently carefully inspecting the surface of the map.
He just felt a burst of air followed by a loud banging sound, and everything was already over. Zhao Bohai lost his head, while Yang Song had a huge hole inside his chest. The other two fared even worse, reduced to bloody pieces of half-melted meat. The blood was splattered everywhere, painting early white stones in red. Considering the parts of inner organs and even a cracked skull with an eye hanging from the socket ¨C the scene looked terrifying. Xu Wong gulped, redirecting his attention toward the man. The latter was already turning his head to see the culprit, sending the shivers across the spine of the young cultivator.
¡°I guess they were your enemies... Nice idea to use me as a solution to your problems, but I don¡¯t appreciate such treatment. So, clean this mess and get the fuck out of my home. Otherwise, you will try your flying skills in those clouds. Do we understand each other?¡± Getting a shaking nod, the man smiled madly, ¡°Follow me¡ What? Are you scared? Well, you better be, but no ¨C we just need to get you a bucket of water, so you can return this place to a pristine condition. Move, or it will be me who will need to clean this place myself... as the last person alive.¡±
Chapter 173 (4-40)
Focusing on his finger, Robert pushed a tiny needle out of its tip. Coating it with his energy, he proceeded to cut the metal item he was holding in his palm. Rob¡¯s careful but fast motions showed a noticeable experience in this act. Burning through the tough material as it was made from butter, he slowly started to get rid of useless matter, forming a desired form. It took only around thirty seconds to finish the task. Despite the quickness of the process, it demanded a lot of concentration, as even the tiniest mistake would ruin everything. His improvised knife was too sharp for any mishap. Also, he didn¡¯t have a lot of material to waste. Therefore, he focused on control. His mind was sensing the position of his own body by keeping his steel flesh conjured, raising his self-awareness to an insane level.
¡°Master! I brought another cauldron in case you need one!¡± The loud shout almost broke Robert¡¯s concentration, making him look at the cause of the distraction. Luckily, he managed to finish the nail before the young man made his appearance. Gazing at this cultivator with Asian features, black hair tied in a ponytail, and surprisingly bright orange eyes, Robert sighed, recalling the last events.
¡°I am not your master, retard!¡±
¡°Master, I need to warn you that this is the last half-finished cauldron in the smithy,¡± Not bothering to comment on Rob¡¯s reply, the young man cheerfully added.
¡°This isn¡¯t the problem because I don¡¯t need it anymore. Return it back,¡± Robert answered, pressing the nail against the wooden surface until it dived deep inside. Nodding himself, he rose and took a step back to look at the finished front door of the mansion he was working on.
¡°I will do it, Master¡ I think now it even looks better than before. Good job!¡± Xu Wong exclaimed, smiling like an idiot.
¡°Stop this nonsense with butt-kissing. What do you want to ask?¡± Robert sighed again, before asking his question. He wasn¡¯t sure why he even agreed to the pleads of Xu Wong. Maybe the reason was in the pressing situation, where he snapped after taking a single glance at the frozen map that took him so long to finish. It appeared that a single tiny scratch was the whole result of an attack from those overconfident cultivators. It definitely wasn¡¯t worth killing for, but Robert still did it. He thought that long solitude helped him, but it seemed it wasn¡¯t so easy to fix his murderous instincts. That was the reason why he decided to spare the life of Xu Wong, even knowing that it might cause him new troubles. The problem was that he was mistaken about what form they would take.
Xu Wong started to kowtow and pleaded to learn the cultivation from him immediately after cleaning the blood. No arguments worked. At some point, Robert even wanted to point out that he wasn¡¯t much older than the twenty-year-old man, who behaved like a teenager in his stubborn requests. However, then a realization struck him. With the loss of the need to eat or rest. With no fixed duration of the day. With the absence of a watch. With his long journey to get here. With everything he went through ¨C the answer wasn¡¯t so simple anymore.
No, I am much older¡ I can be easily forty at this point¡ But what is the age for me? Just a number. My body doesn¡¯t age¡
¡°I won¡¯t teach you as I am not a cultivator, but I can give you some pointers until you reach the Core Formation realm,¡± Rob gave up, creating an outburst of happiness in his self-proclaimed apprentice.
There was another obstacle on his way to being left alone ¨C Xu Wong didn¡¯t have the capabilities to open the portal. It appeared the traveling device demanded precise control over external qi and more energy to start the charging process from other sources. If the latter wasn¡¯t the problem with Rob¡¯s filled storage, the former was an unstoppable wall. And again, the simple solution to kill the young man was already crossed out by Robert.
I just can¡¯t murder anyone who bothers me¡ Well, I can, but don¡¯t want to. That just won¡¯t do.
It brought him to this particular situation, where he was periodically irritated by Xu Wong¡¯s questions or requests. Fortunately, it seemed the cultivators were indeed ready to spend most of their lives in meditations, rarely speaking with each other for long. His apprentice once wanted to tell his pitiful story of how he struggled to get into the sect only to meet more dangers and awful attitudes from his peers and even some Elders. About his long-dead parents, who died horribly because of political reasons. There were more details about it, but Rob interrupted that speech almost at the beginning.
¡°Why are you telling me it? Do you want me to pity you? Not going to happen. I was also an orphan. Moreover, there were hundreds like me in the place, and some didn¡¯t even live past their tenth birthday. The shit happens constantly. Nor me, not anyone else needs your teary story with plenty of drama to feel sorry for you. No one gives a damn, so focus on the present. If you want to change something ¨C work for it. You want revenge ¨C work for it. You want to make others avoid the same fate ¨C work for it. You don¡¯t get some kind of excuse because you¡¯ve experienced a lot. Solve your problems yourself, and don¡¯t wait for others to push aside their own wishes just to help you¡ Read on my lips ¨C I don¡¯t care about your past. And stop calling me a master!¡±
Robert¡¯s advice partly worked as Xu Wong stopped trying to talk about every single sad event in his life. That lessened the stress on Rob¡¯s mind by a lot, after his years of war, where the horrors of becoming permanently disabled, fears of death, or the pain from the loss of close friends were just normal background emotions, to feel any sympathy about the victim of bullying that was a target of six-year kids sounded like an absolute nonsense. Maybe it was entirely different for this specific kid, but Rob simply failed to feel anything special about it, viewing it as a problem of the plants in a greenhouse. The falling bomb from a dirigible onto your head even on paper sounded much worse than any bad-mouthing coming from other children. Or it could be he just became numb.
On the other hand, it led to the situation where Xu Wong started to treat him like a real teacher, asking for opinions on different subjects. Obviously, his addressing him with a ¡°Master¡± never stopped, bothering Robert and making him feel really old. The other thing that irritated him was his apprentice¡¯s childish attempt to get something through the flattering. It seemed it was a cultural thing together with kowtowing and bowing way too many times for his liking. Unfortunately, Rob failed to find a way to prevent such behavior.
¡°What do you want?¡±
¡°I planned to fight in Tower for training¡ It¡¯s hard to battle in those conditions even against realm-lower puppets, but it already raised my combat skills by a noticeable margin¡,¡± Xu Wong started to explain only to be interrupted by annoyed Rob.
¡°What do you want?¡± He asked again, repeating the same question. His apprentice didn¡¯t know but it appeared the Ascension Tower granted only a single entrance per day. It wasn¡¯t individual like Robert thought previously, making each fight more valuable in terms of experience. He could imagine that considering the number of cultivators in the sect, it could be easily treated as a valuable opportunity for anyone. The only good thing about it was that Rob got stuck against four opponents and had no idea how to proceed without finishing his project with cultivation. He basically lacked firepower to kill the damned robots, while not getting much from those spars, apart from releasing anger.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
¡°Well¡ I wanted to ask for permission to enter the library again¡ I need to clarify a few things about my new cultivation technique. It¡¯s more profound than my previous ones, and the pattern of qi circulation is just too hard to memorize at once¡ So, may I ask you¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s the third time you''ve forgotten something in it! Nope, wait¡ it¡¯s actually the fourth! How the fuck do you manage to do it again and again?¡± Robert wanted to facepalm, looking at the young man, who smiled innocently. Rob couldn¡¯t describe himself as smart, but all those patterns weren¡¯t that difficult in his opinion. For him the knowledge to become a shielder was something mind-blowing and insanely hard, resisting all his efforts to keep the information inside his brain. The cultivation circulation, on the other hand, was just complex schemes, nothing else. You didn¡¯t need to know the details to make it work. Moreover, most of them had similar pieces, twisting only some parts for the specific type of Qi. He even started to see the system in this magical version of artificial evolution.
The source of Robert¡¯s irritation was the need to stay with him on the same floor. By finishing the trial, Xu Wong got the same offer to join the sect. However, in his case, it was the position of an Outer Disciple with the additional need to confirm it by an Elder as he barely managed to finish four rounds. Luckily, Rob was the one, granting the rank at once. However, that still limited access to the Pavillion of Techniques for Xu Wong to only thirty minutes per day and just the first two floors. The only exception to the rules was personal permission from the Elder, and only in his presence. Therefore, Robert had to stay there with Xu Wong all the time. Considering the desire of the latter to ask questions, this time-spending wasn¡¯t pleasant for someone like Rob, who enjoyed the solitude.
¡°Stop dropping on your knees each time you want to ask something! Where is your pride? Fine, I¡¯ll do it. But this time you better listen to me ¨C you may throw away your desire to have a cultivation technique with a powerful name and focus on the usability of it. Do you understand me?¡±
¡°Yes, master,¡± Xu Wong smiled, shinning like a fool. In Rob¡¯s opinion, the young man was the one, despite being quick-witted. Mainly such evaluation came from the limited experience of the young cultivator. Sitting crossed-legged in mediation to accumulate more qi, he missed a few years, thus copying the behavior of a teenager. Robert knew that Xu Wong had blood on his hands, but one random bandit that attempted to kill and rob him wasn¡¯t something worth mentioning.
At least this one doesn¡¯t want to blow me up with a hidden bomb¡
¡°Find me at the peak, when you are done,¡± Robert spoke, before turning around and walking away. The rest of the day he spent working on the creation of his own version of the cultivation technique. Frankly speaking, Rob had at least several circulations that he could keep running without ruining his own body by accident explosion. He had already felt the effect of them, but one thought made him continue his research.
I can do better. I don¡¯t need to use something less efficient if it¡¯s only a matter of time until I get the desired result.
Rob was sure that he was close. He managed to successfully merge a few different cultivation techniques into one. Each of them only used some specific meridians, barely touching even a third part of all that existed and were used by the sect¡¯s members. That was Rob¡¯s main idea ¨C to squeeze everything from the potential energy supply system, but the problem was that the energy streams started to conflict with each other, clashing at some points. Therefore, the proper adjustment was a must. And he was working on them, having an advantage over any cultivator before him ¨C there was no permanent damage or risk of self-crippling from the mistake for his steel body.
Pondering about it even while sitting near Xu Wong in the pavilion, Robert once again returned to his crazy idea that he was brushing away for a while. The only thing that stopped him from successfully converting his energy into something akin to qi was a lack of observations on living subjects as details in the local library were too vague and descriptive to clarify the picture for him. However, he had one who had enough inner wish to grow strong as much as he could just to avoid potential revenge from the uncle of his deceased senior brother.
¡°Master, can you explain me this part?¡± As if sensing something, Xu Wong asked, pointing at the scroll he was reading.
¡°What were you reading again?¡± Robert focused on his apprentice¡¯s face, not sparing a single glance at the paper.
¡°As you know, Master, I decided to abandon my sect¡¯s standard technique. Instead, I¡¯ve chosen a new one ¨C the Lighting Roaring Ape. The affection test showed my good combability both with lighting and wind types of Qi, and this ape heavily relies on the usage of arms. I don¡¯t have a refined weapon, so I should focus on¡,¡± As often he did, Xu Wong once again went into a detailed explanation that had limited connection to the topic, causing Rob to sigh before barking at his apprentice.
¡°What is the problem? Focus on the important part, damn it! And stop calling me a master!¡±
¡°I struggle to understand how to readjust the meridians in my arms correctly. The description escapes my understanding. On the contrary, the filters were easier, but without meridians, I just can¡¯t¡¡±
¡°Who was the author?¡± Robert interrupted Xu Wong, leaning forward and finally taking a look at the name at the top of the scroll, written with awful calligraphy. The recognition was immediate, creating a frown on his face, ¡°Okay, that dumbass was indeed bad with explanations. No wonder he got stuck at Core Formation in the end¡ Luckily for you, he wasn¡¯t the only one who used this technique. Check the second shelf there,¡± Robert pointed at the distant corner, but before Xu Wong managed to stand up, he grabbed the hand of his apprentice, ¡°But¡¡±
¡°What, Master?¡±
¡°I have an offer to you, boy. I can create a cultivation technique that would be tailored specifically to your body¡ Possibly¡ At least I am sure it would be more powerful than anything you can find here¡¡±
¡°Thank you, Master!¡± Almost dropping to his knees, Xu Wong deeply bowed with respect.
¡°Listen first, fool, before thanking me! It won¡¯t be completely safe, and it will only range from the first to the fourth realm. However, from Nascent Soul and further it¡¯s all about accumulating energy and nourishing your soul¡ You still will get a good foundation, which will increase your chances to advance and make your energy reserves better, but nothing else. But again, if something goes wrong you may explode from inside,¡± Robert warned, ¡°This is not an exaggeration.¡±
¡°How certain are you in success?¡± After going silent for a dozen seconds, Xu Wong asked, making a serious expression for once.
¡°About seventy percent¡ I can already merge two different techniques, but I want to go further than that. I can¡¯t see or sense any Qi, so I will need your help in explaining your feelings in detail. That¡¯s all that I ask,¡± Rob¡¯s reply was sincere. He didn¡¯t want to force his idea onto the young man. Robert was sure that he would eventually make it even without outside help, but it was unwise not to use an opportunity to speed up things.
¡°I thought you were a cultivator, Master, just with a much higher realm to hide your Qi,¡± Xu Wong looked dumbfounded, ¡°You are an Edler in sect¡¡±.
¡°Haven¡¯t you listened to my words, idiot? I literally told you from the beginning that I am not. You can think of me as a much more advanced puppet from the Ascension Tower that has the soul of a human, but I am unable to use any Qi at all. However, I¡¯ve read everything here and managed to systemize it enough to be sure that I can make it better. Yes, there is a risk of death, but you, cultivators, are often in search of troubles just to get more power. So, tell me your decision? Are willing to take a risk or you better go to that shelf to fix your problems with Arm¡¯s meridians?¡±
¡°I will risk¡ on one condition,¡± Xu Wong spoke with a light smile after a short pause, ¡°You will stop shouting at me for calling you a master.¡±
Chapter 174 (4-41)
Looking at the breakthrough from the side felt interesting. Qi was still stubbornly escaping the grasp of Rob¡¯s senses, but there were plenty of other signs that were showing the ongoing process. The air movement was visible, creating a whirlpool around the crossed-legged figure of Xu Wong. The latter was fully concentrated on condensing the energy into a sphere, creating his own dantian. His always joyful expression was replaced with a grimace of struggle and pain. If the cultivators could sweat, Rob was sure to see the torrents of them as his apprentice was pushing the ethereal energy with all his will. And it obeyed, creating a real vortex around him. At least that was written in the scrolls of already dead sect members. Instead, Rob was watching multiple other effects that were manifesting in front of him.
The slight redirection of gravity as if a new heavy object started to influence it, residing right where Xu Wong was sitting. Even the light followed its influence, bending and causing weird mirages. Then there was soul pressure that was constantly in motion, jumping in strength only to drop to almost non-existent an instant later. Maybe there was more, but Robert couldn¡¯t notice them with his limited sense. Still, he couldn¡¯t miss the ending when his apprentice made a final long exhale, stabilizing the boiling energy before finally opening his eyes.
¡°I did it! Master, I did it!¡± Shining like a tiny sun, Xu Wong was radiating happiness from his achievement. Not everyone around his age could get to the fourth realm of Core Formation, making him a full-fledged cultivator. It was still far from the peak as each next realm demanded much more to reach, but he was no longer an easy target like before, having the ability to summon advanced combat arts on top of other improvements.
¡°Obviously¡ You ate so many pills that it would be enough to fill a whole hospital with drug-addicted junkies,¡± Robert replied, hiding his smile. Somehow, during his mentorship, he took the role of a constantly grumbling teacher. Maybe it was his reaction to feeling old that intensified after comparing his viewpoint on life with Xu Wong. Or maybe it was the cheerful attitude of his apprentice that continued to irritate him. Or perhaps, it was his way of hiding his true feelings as he had limited experience with them. Even now, Rob knew that he was proud both for Xu Wong and himself.
¡°It¡¯s because your cultivation technique was too complex and required several times more Qi,¡± Xu Wong replied with a grin.
Yeah, to merge six circulations into one, while adjusting it to his affinities ¨C that wasn¡¯t easy and came with a cost.
¡°I am lucky not only with the pills but also with this chamber where Qi is so dense that just breathing without any meditation can lead to progress. But the biggest reason for the success was your teachings, Master,¡± Turning around, Xu Wong suddenly kowtowed, basically bashing his head against the stone floor.
¡°Stop this nonsense. You know that I don¡¯t like it. Thank you was enough,¡± Robert sighed, raising his eyes toward the sky. The latter already started to dim, turning another day into the past. Rob lost track of time long ago, but he knew that in terms of cultivation speed Xu Wong¡¯s advancement was insanely fast. Considering that his apprentice at some point basically had to rebuild his foundation, it was even more astonishing.
But nothing lasts forever¡
Robert didn¡¯t know if the presence of his apprentice fixed his issues with the people around him. His standing in the absence of desire to communicate with any society was the same. However, now the thought of living between others wasn¡¯t so unacceptable. He still didn¡¯t wish to travel anywhere, enjoying his retirement in this closed realm, but now he wasn¡¯t actively seeking seclusion. He could even greet some guests without threatening to kill them at once because of his overreaction... if they ever managed to get inside. During all this time, he never visited the Ascension Tower even once, giving all daily entries to Xu Wong without ever mentioning this fact. Surprisingly, it appeared he could be perfectly fine without a raise of adrenaline. Overall, Rob got no less than his apprentice, just in another way.
¡°When do you plan to leave?¡± Robert asked quietly, turning to Xu Wong.
¡°In a few days, when I fully stabilize my dantian¡ I¡¯ve heard that the time pocket dimension might vary from the outside, and I fear a lot could happen during my stay here¡ Master, are you sure you can¡¯t travel with me?¡±
¡°You know the answer¡ without a direct infusion of Qi, you can¡¯t travel through the portal if you have a soul,¡± Robert repeated what Xu Wong knew perfectly well. It was the reason why he couldn¡¯t find any animals or their remains in the sect. The place was a hide-out for cultivators and only for them. However, it made a good prison for Rob. The one that he wasn¡¯t aiming to leave for the first time in his life, ¡°Some people called me the Golem, not without a reason,¡± He smiled lightly, reminding himself of the previous realm. The memories felt distant at this moment as if they weren¡¯t his.
Robert never spoke about his past, his traveling through multiple worlds, and his overall experience, keeping it a mystery. Xu Wong, on the other hand, also never raised this topic, remembering Rob¡¯s words about not caring about his sobby story of a hard childhood. Therefore, it only made the memories fade even faster, but simultaneously healed all the traumas Robert got through his life. As always, time was the best medicine.
¡°I just¡ I will remember it for the rest of my life!¡± Xu Wong shouted, deeply bowing again.
¡°No need. As a cultivator, you will have a very long life, making this particular part of it just a fraction of your experience. No matter what happens to you, you will have more memories to value or wish to forget. Some will give you the strength to follow your path, while an inability to re-experience others may break you. You will fall in love, and maybe not even once. You will find your nemesis, whose death might be your goal number one¡ only to get another after their defeat. I haven¡¯t been outside the territory of the sect, but my intuition tells me the cultivator world isn¡¯t the nicest place to live in. However, time makes any feeling weaker, be it love, hatred¡ and even gratitude. So, once again ¨C no need. Everything has an end, so you can move forward,¡± Robert looked into the eyes of his apprentice, finally getting a nod from Xu Wong.
¡°Hey, don¡¯t make a long face ¨C you can always visit me. I am not going anywhere. Moreover, I am quite sure I can¡¯t die from old age¡ Just don¡¯t make your visits too regular ¨C I will need a rest from your foolish persona,¡± Rob added, changing the mood and returning the smile to his apprentice.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
¡°You are back in your normal grumbling state, Master¡ I will miss it deeply.¡±
¡°You better not miss the knowledge I gave you. Focus on that and not on my pale persona,¡± Robert pointed, ¡°You are only at the beginning of the Core Formation realm. There are at least three more.¡±
¡°Do you think there is indeed the seventh realm ¨C the Immortal Rebirth? Never heard about it, apart from the legends about immortals from ancient times,¡± Xu Wong asked with clouded eyes, clearly trying to imagine what powers it might give him if he ever got there.
¡°Well, I will use your absence in an attempt to figure it out. Maybe I might even find a method for an advancement,¡± after short pondering, Robert muttered. He was sure that the needed information might be on the last floor of the pavilion, but to get there he had to defeat all five puppets on the sixth stage. The only way to do it was to implement everything he discovered during the past experiments and the final creation of the technique for his apprentice. There was a lot of valuable information about the Qi-filtering system that could help him with the conversion of energy, and now Rob only needed time to finish his grand project.
¡°I believe in you, Master! With your help, I even might become the strongest cultivator in the world. I am already comparable with a late stage of Core Formation in terms of power, and just after advancing,¡± an excitement of Xu Wong was visible, emanating from his expression and even posture.
¡°And yet you can die with ease. Don¡¯t be overconfident about your might ¨C there is always a bigger fish,¡± pushing aside a new idea of how to rearrange the meridians, Robert returned to his apprentice, ¡°Why do you need to be the strongest? Be the happiest!¡±
¡°Because only an overwhelming power can give me real freedom!¡± This overused motivational goal almost made Robert facepalm. Maybe somewhere in the past, he thought that power was the answer to most problems, but his life again and again showed him how mistaken he was. It was like money that couldn¡¯t solve everything, just lessen some burden at best. There was no universal answer to every question, and the same was true with might ¨C you couldn¡¯t force some events no matter how strong you were. That was what Rob told his apprentice.
¡°A real freedom doesn¡¯t sound good¡ and even possible. Just think about this. Any connection to the people, moral principles, or rules in a society ¨C everything can be treated as some kind of a chain that limits your freedom.¡± He shook his head, ¡°You need to be a hermit for it, and even that wouldn¡¯t be enough.¡±
¡°No, I mean freedom to do what I want without looking at others!¡± Xu Wong tried to explain, barely keeping his emotions in check.
¡°And what¡¯s stopping you from doing it right now?¡± Robert asked, smiling lightly.
¡°Master, you know what I mean!¡±
¡°Nope, I don¡¯t,¡° Robert shook his head again, before proceeding, ¡°No one stops you from doing anything you want. You aren¡¯t a slave¡¡±
¡°I was basically one in the sect! There was no equal treatment, and some Elders, like Zhao Bohai¡¯s uncle, who was bending rules to give more resources to his nephew,¡± Xu Wong pointed out, ¡°And he wasn¡¯t the only one who was doing it.¡±
¡°If it wasn¡¯t a violation of rules, then I don¡¯t see any problem here. You entered it for the sake of knowledge and power, exchanging your freedom for it. Moreover, life isn¡¯t fair. No one is born equal in reality ¨C different backgrounds set different starting points, but it¡¯s up to you how you will use your opportunity. Once again ¨C don¡¯t make excuses, better focus on dealing with the problems. Moreover, I don¡¯t see any connection to the desire for freedom.¡±
¡°It¡¯s about freedom to punish those who mistreat me, Master!¡± Quite agitated, Xu Wong shouted aggressively,¡± To have the power to change this unfairness, so someone like me won¡¯t be killed during the mission just on a whip of his sect brothers just because a girl spoke with him several times! To return everything tenfold to those who enjoy harming the weak, not facing any consequences of their deeds! To cut out the rotting system that works only for elites! To give hope to those, who are now living in constant darkness because of fear!¡±
¡°Well, it¡¯s you who decides what you want,¡± seeing the strong and emotional reaction, Robert decided against pushing further the matter, ¡°Just remember that a simple solution often doesn¡¯t work and may lead to an even worse outcome in the end¡ Let¡¯s return to important things. What do you want to take with you? You need to think carefully.¡±
Dropping up this sensitive topic, Rob spent the rest of the day speaking about other things, mainly asking about life beyond the pocket dimension. Surprisingly, it was one of their rare long conversations that had nothing to do with techniques or circulations, concentrating on something entirely different. As if they both felt it was their last chance to have a heart-to-heart talk about non-essential things. Previously, spending most of the time in prolonged meditations, Xu Wong could dedicate many days to such activity without a single motion of his body. Now, after achieving his goal, he finally relaxed, which in turn eased his mind from the pressure of a potential failure.
At this point, Xu Wong knew that Robert never left this place. Therefore, his apprentice tried to describe as much as he could, considering his own limited knowledge and experience. It still managed to form a picture of a classic cultivator¡¯s world. Vast to the point of being much bigger than any planet, it was divided into the regions under the sect¡¯s control. The territory in-between was often empty wild with no settlements as it was hard to live under the threat of beast tide. Ordinary humans had no chance against empowered animals with abilities. It was the reason why the most frequent type of mission was the elimination of beasts in a specific area. It helped to control the population of the animals while providing some natural resources. The only reason why cultivators had solved the problem of safety for ¡°mortals¡± was an absence of wish to lose their hunting grounds.
There were more details that with an addition of information from the Pavillion of Techniques had helped Robert to understand how this realm was living¡ And he didn¡¯t like it in the slightest, thanking the set restrictions that prevented him from entering this world, filled with meaningless violence, vindictiveness, and arrogance. Rob was sure that he wouldn¡¯t have become prey as the Tower of Ascension showed him that he was worth at least three average cultivators of the Spirit Unity realm, which was the current peak in the outside world. However, by this point, he had no wish to kill, while it would be a necessity there. This was the reason why Rob carefully checked his storage to equip his apprentice as much as he could, simultaneously avoiding giving him something too eye-catching not to attract unwanted attention.
¡°The plainest storage ring with the biggest space. Three cauldrons with a stock of alchemical plants. One flying sword for the Core Formation realm, and another one for the Nascent Soul. Five sets of different weapons for each realm. Several copies of basic cultivation techniques. Helpful notes with tips about your future advancements. Stock of pills, enough to¡¡±
¡°Please, Master, stop recounting all items. Don¡¯t worry, I will be fine. We¡¯ve already checked everything twice,¡± Xu Wong made a forceful smile, hiding his sadness, ¡°Everything will be fine, I promise. With your teachings, no one can pose me a threat among Core Formation cultivators.¡±
¡°But there are others¡ Okay, fine. Just get lost already then and don¡¯t drag our parting!¡± Robert turned around and started to walk away, not bothering to look at the figure of his apprentice, who was standing near the arc that was already filled with energy from qi-stones. Still, Xu Wong¡¯s loud shout caught him up in a few moments.
¡°I will miss you, Master. Thank you for everything you¡¯ve done!¡±
¡°Be gone already, fool,¡± He muttered quietly only to see the white flash that illuminated the surroundings for a fraction of a second, almost creating an artificial sun behind his back, ¡°Surprisingly, me too, Xu Wong, me too¡¡±.
Chapter 175 (4-42)
The broken remains of four puppets were slowly sucked inside the floor of the arena, leaving not a single trace of the latest fight. Torn off limbs, melted heads, or crushed torsos ¨C everything was gone, while the olive-green artificial enemies were reforming back to their pristine condition. Joining their fifth brother in the motionless state nearer the furthest wall, they readied their weapons. However, breaking Robert¡¯s expectations, they stayed frozen in the same spot, not rushing into an attack at once as they did previously. Instead, a new message appeared, created by calligraphically perfect letters, made by a real master.
The final combat stage. To proceed further say ¡°Ready¡± ¡ It¡¯s the first time they decided to give me a break to recover. Not that I need one¡ So, what is the reason?
Measuring all five opponents with his ¡°blind¡± gaze, Robert tried to think about what the next jump in difficulty could be. The previous pattern was different, marking each stage with a single but mightier opponent and slowly going up to five of them at once before repeating the cycle again. The only exception was the first stage, which started with a full party of puppets, and it seemed the end of the sixth, considering the written text.
Wait. Combat! Maybe the Ascension Tower just can¡¯t recreate an opponent similar to the seventh realm? It may be it¡ and then the next stage can have a different trial, finally giving me access to the last floor of the pavilion. Hmm, if I am correct, I don¡¯t see any problem. Hope I am.
His reasoning was simple ¨C Robert had finished forming his own cultivation technique, reforming the inner structure of his body. Using ninety-nine percent of available obsidian steel, he readjusted everything completely. It took a lot of time and effort, often leading to a self-destructive situation in that Rob barely managed to survive just because of his stubborn desire to live, despite being reduced to the state of a melted liquid amidst a shining ball at some point. During his experiments, his limbs could suddenly explode, disintegrating at once. Or his reactor would drop in power, making most of his body simply vanish. Or he would lose specific form, turning into a giant sphere without any ability to move. Rob went through a lot to get to this point, where his stable system was making a change, slowly empowering instead of ruining him from the inside.
Robert¡¯s body long ago became a solid piece of steel with identical density, which he raised to its peak possible value. He had no working lungs, stomach, or any other inner organs, apart from the spherical ¡°heart¡±. But even the latter wasn¡¯t pumping blood but energy. Instead, Rob now used obsidian steel to create a contour of everything he meant to have if he were human. Muscles, veins, other organs ¨C everything got its own shaped outline, but nothing else. Just a rough scheme made in a hurry, but not a real model. Rob had no bones, relying on the firmness of his own flesh. Then he proceeded with adding meridians.
Forming a second set of blood systems, he spread all around his body, reaching even the most distant spots and connecting everything in a closed circuit. In its turn, the latter was attached to the complex system of energy filters. Failing many times to find a perfect construct for this purpose, Rob decided to use a set of them, each transforming the devastating mana into something more useful than his goal. Therefore, his reactor core was surrounded by multiple oddly shaped models made from obsidian steel that almost created a second layer on top of the force shield that surrounded the reactor. Not stopping on it, he redirected half of the produced energy stream back to the reactor. Somehow, the mixture of these energies intensified the reaction, leading to even more power output. That helped Robert to finally cut off Aether and Hell from his ¡°heart¡±, readjusting them directly to his filtering system to avoid any potential ¡°polluting¡± from these mighty beings with clearly hidden agenda.
It created a system where the steel inside his reactor core was constantly collapsing to produce energy, which went outside. Filtering and changing its nature, it spread across Rob¡¯s body, while the small part was returned to the reactor core to set the next explosion, increasing its power in the process. The force shield that contained the devastating reactions was fueled by this new energy, somehow keeping its effect despite the absence of any logical reasoning as there was no device to create it. Considering that Rob could hear, speak, or see, not having any dedicated organs, the magical absurdity was an answer. Or maybe his hybrid nature somehow managed to combine the powers from different sources in its own abominable version.
However, this force shield wasn¡¯t that needed as Robert himself kept the radius of the blast in check, manually causing a reaction. At this point, his mind managed to do it automatically by itself, but Rob had no desire to check what would happen if he lost consciousness. Luckily, he never needed to sleep. On the other hand, with the system running not only did he have no dependency on the outer source anymore, basically turning him into an advanced version of a self-sustaining creature, but he was also constantly growing stronger, doing absolutely nothing.
The reason for this was the specific properties of energy he managed to take through several consecutive transformations. It wasn¡¯t mana or Qi, but more like a self-invented variation of spirit energy with a focus on nourishment of a soul. The idea was consolidated from multiple techniques of the fifth realm ¨C Nascent Soul. Taking into account that Rob¡¯s body was merged with his soul, becoming one, while his body could grow endlessly because of his draconic heritage, it empowered him dramatically. Moreover, it would continue to do it without any visible limit as far as he knew. The tradeoff of this system was an inability to use any cultivator¡¯s combat arts or any Qi manipulation. The other downside was the loss of free obsidian steel, as the black matter that he had available was not bigger than a thumb. Still, Rob was happy about this exchange, even though he was basically destroying a part of his constantly restoring soul that was in an endless cycle of growth to fuel his being.
¡°I better to ask ¨C are YOU ready to face me?¡±
He spoke loudly with a mad grin plastered on his face while tensing his body. The obsidian steel was already covering both his palms, forming something akin to thin black gloves. Emitting barely visible light from the destructive layer that was coating them, they were the single piece of anything that resembled clothes on his body. Otherwise, Robert once again was nude, showcasing his muscular grayish body instead of menacing pitch-black armor that made him look like a mannequin. Not if the puppets cared about it.
The olive-green opponents with huge joints took a battle stance, preparing for an inevitable fight. The archer''s drowned bow was aimed at Robert, while its owner was pumping Qi into his combat art. The martial artist was conjuring two flaming whips, concentrating all his available fire on his weapons. The other three were amidst of stepping forward, with the spearman in the center. The latter was already lunging forward, coated in a tiny whirlwind. The saber and sword wielders finished the battle formation, ready to intercept a ¡°human¡± at any moment. The picture didn¡¯t last even a fraction of an instant, captured by Robert¡¯s mind before he started to act. Then everything accelerated, starting with Rob himself.
Charging forward, he closed the distance way before the puppet with the spear managed to finish its technique. Avoiding the thrust by stepping to the side, Rob shot his left fist forward using the accumulated inertia. Pushing his shoulder forward and stretching his arm, he almost turned himself into the same long-shafted weapon. The puppet tried to redirect its combat skill, but it was already impossible. Forming a tiny hurricane with razor-sharp wind, the Qi art was launched behind Robert¡¯s back, trying to shatter a surprisingly fast ¡°human¡±. However, the only thing that was shattered was the face of the puppet. Getting smacked hard, it was sent flying with half of its head missing, destroyed by the impact and the destructive layer.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
In the next moment, Robert ducked under the wide swing of the sword. Squatting deeply, he shot upward with his right fist clenched. The powerful uppercut threw away the second puppet, but he had no opportunity to celebrate as there was another attack coming. Twisting his body, Rob¡¯s mind registered how the two-handed saber flew in bare millimeters from his chest, almost touching his grayish skin. Smiling from the fact, he completely missed the flaming whips, coming from the side. Catching his neck, they wrapped it instantly, tightly squeezing him and merging in one thick and scorching scarf. Not stopping on it, the weapon caused the flame to rise, enveloping Rob¡¯s head and painting the surroundings into hellish red. Then he felt a pull that dragged him down toward the incoming bluish blade.
Robert¡¯s mad grin never wavered when he headbutted the two-handed saber with all his force. The blade managed to cut through by an inch (2.5 centimeters) before getting stuck, despite being empowered by two sources of qi and Rob¡¯s onrushing motion. The next moment his steel flesh moved, trapping the weapon, while he pushed upward with his leg. Raising back into a straight position and towering above the puppet with his current 7 feet height (213 centimeters), Rob made the artificial opponent stretch its arms above its head so as not to lose the handle of the saber. It left the enemy vulnerable.
Ignoring the burning whip around his neck that failed to melt his body and only managed to slightly scorch his grayish skin, Robert swiftly shot both his palms, gripping the elbows of the puppet. The joints fought for a long second before failing to resist the overwhelming force and destructive layer. The next instant both arms were simply torn away, and the enemy got a mighty kick right into its chest. Rob noticed how the deep dent and multiple cracks formed on the surface of the enemy during the strike before inertia pulled the puppet away, smashing into the wall at the opposite side of the arena. However, the periphery of his sight caught a glimpse of forming combat art above his head.
It seemed the archer waited for this opportunity, preparing the execution of his flashy technique when there would be no allies near the intended target. This time, instead of shooting with copying arrows, the olive-green opponent focused on the creation of hundreds of projectiles, turning them into a frozen downpour that was accumulating its strength before finally venting its mindless anger onto anything caught in the radius. And Robert wanted to avoid such fate. Therefore, he acted on his instincts immediately upon noticing the threat. There wasn¡¯t even the tiniest delay in his action when his legs tensed up, and he launched himself into the air, jumping right onto the forming skill. Propelling himself through the air, Robert broke through the row of arrows an instant before the cultivator¡¯s spell dropped onto the floor, releasing the destructive force.
Wait, I was captured by whips¡
Hitting the ceiling, Rob bounced back, still not capable of damaging the Ascension Tower. Rotating amid the air, he finally registered that the flame scarf was already dispersing as its creator wasn¡¯t in the state to supply it anymore. Being on the other end of its own weapon, the puppet was basically dragged by Robert onto the line of fire, getting the full power of skill with long preparation. Getting riddled with energy arrows, the flame wielder got to the point of being perforated akin to a sieve, losing half of its body. It only started to collapse when Rob dropped down like a cannonball, shattering it into pieces.
Pausing for a moment, Robert jumped to the side, avoiding a gust of wind from the spear wielder, which was rising back despite the damage that the puppet¡¯s face experienced. Ignoring the following arrow from the archer, Rob pulled the stuck weapon from his own head only to block the swing of the sword. Enveloped in black Qi, it cut through the blade with ease. However, being pushed by inertia from the mighty strike, it dragged the puppet further, exposing its side. Robert immediately used it. Releasing the leftover saber, he caught the puppet¡¯s palm that was holding the sword. Tightening his grip, he easily fractured the opponent¡¯s fingers. In the next moment, his leg shot forward, sending a low kick toward the enemy. Dropping onto the floor, the puppet failed to stop the incoming motion of its own arm with the sword. Another instant brought the blade right into the artificial being¡¯s neck, beheading it at once.
Rob only started to rise when the arrow penetrated his eye, sticking out from the other side. Then the whirlwind hit him from behind. Shredding his steel flesh, it threw him forward¡ right onto the archer. Turning his flight into a roll, Robert became a bowling ball that hit the skittle with a bow. Falling onto the puppet, Rob quickly adjusted his position before finally grabbing the enemy¡¯s head, intensifying an energy output from both his black gloves. Shining like on a Christmas tree, they melted the skull. His fingers dived deeply into the puppet¡¯s head. Then he stopped the effect. There was a short pause when the artificial flesh resisted the pull, but Rob¡¯s strength was too huge. In the next moment both his hands were stretched to the opposite sides, still holding the remnants of the torn apart head.
Only one left¡
Turning around, Robert instantly fell down on his back, dodging the powerful thrust that still managed to gauge his face. Throwing two improvised projectiles into the spear-wielding enemy, he managed to destabilize its stance for a fraction of a second. It appeared to be enough to push himself in a backward roll. Halting the motion the moment he felt he was standing in a handstand; Robert straightened his arms before pushing himself into a rotation. Swinging his leg as if it were a weapon, he hit the spear¡¯s shaft away, exposing its owner. The following rotation smacked the shoulder of the puppet, sending it stumbling. Rob, on the other hand, pushed himself into the air, getting back to his feet. Using inertia, he proceeded with another rotational leg strike, using all his strength. This time not only was the force behind it powerful, but also it was directed into the puppet¡¯s cheek, resulting in a shattering hit that demolished the already damaged head into pieces. The corpse hadn¡¯t even fallen to the floor, when Robert returned to his feet with surprising agility, making a real pirouette.
It seems some parts of the skills from the serums are still there. Nice.
Glancing over the broken remains of the puppets that started to disappear, Robert finally pulled the arrow from his head. Checking the surroundings to see if there was anything else, he directed his attention toward the new message that was written on the wall.
According to your battle prowess and level of cultivation, you will be granted the highest position of the Grand Elder. By completing the combat trial, the Ascension Tower will be transformed into a spiritual trial until you are ready to go through the Ascension Gate, attempting to get to the next realm or die trying. Until then, entrance for everyone is banned. Be reasonable as your sect members will need to wait for you. Be proud as only rare cultivators can achieve it. Be humble as you aren¡¯t the first to do it. Be brave as courage brought you to this stage.
All unspoken questions were shoved to the side when the puppets started to reform. This time, instead of reappearing in humanoid form with a slight change, they immediately merged into one, turning into a purple stone mass. Then this artificial thing moved again, spreading to the side and simultaneously rising above the floor until it became an arc right into the center of the arena. There was a moment of overwhelming silence, when not only the time but even the air seemed to freeze, turning everything into a simple photo. Then the pressure came. Dropping down onto Robert like a meteor, it smacked him against the surface with enormous weight, far exceeding anything he experienced before.
It took several seconds just to attempt to rise, but he somehow did it. Trembling from the invisible force that was constantly trying to tear him apart from the inside, Rob took a first step toward the arc. The effect was immediate as the strength of the pressure made another leap in power, almost shattering his knees from the ethereal weight. Instinctively backing off, Robert made the presence of this intangible force lower its effect, turning everything tolerable but not in the slightest easier. After spending a few moments observing the arc, Rob shook his head with recognition.
Nah, let¡¯s start with more information first. According to this message, the thing isn¡¯t disappearing anywhere soon¡ And I am not powerful enough yet. Yeah, spout some arrogant nonsense as if you become an OP, and reality instantly will pull you to the ground, Robert¡ Are YOU ready to face ME? Dumbass!
Chapter 176 (4-43)
The final floor in the Pavillion of Techniques met Robert with a much smaller space that he was acquainted with after spending hundreds of nights on the lower levels of this place of knowledge. The dim light from above added a mysterious atmosphere to the place with a single table in the center that had additional focused illumination. The simplistic wooden chair and one bookshelf were ending the list of the furniture in the room. However, Rob couldn¡¯t say that this floor didn¡¯t have its own charm. All walls here were covered with paintings of the different cultivators. Old and young, they had a completely different appearance. Still, there was one thing that united them, simultaneously being the reason why they were all drawn here.
They are all cultivators in the Immortal Birth realm¡ Damn, I think there are at least thirty portraits here¡
Slowly walking around, Robert paused in front of each painting as if acknowledging the accomplishments of the person. According to Rob¡¯s knowledge from the scrolls, it was indeed a big deal to get to this point of cultivation. From Xu Wong¡¯s explanation, he knew that the outer world had no one at this stage. Even this sect had raised so little powerhouse across its long history, lasting for many millennia.
I am sure the reason is weak foundations. Each realm represents what the cultivator is working on. At the Core Formation, you need to work on forming your core from the early stage to the peak, no matter how obvious it sounds. Only by stepping into the next realm can the cultivator be sure that he has finished the task while starting the next one. And if you haven¡¯t done the perfect job previously, it takes more effort to proceed further down this qi-filled road. However, the real question is ¨C what are you meant to do in the Immortal Birth realm? It can¡¯t be immortality itself, as from the logic an infinite life is achieved only by advancing toward the last known realm ¨C the Dao Seeking. Let¡¯s read the scrolls then¡
Robert was indeed curious about this topic. After spending so much time fixing everything in the sect, it left him only with a need for regular maintenance. The gardens with alchemy plants didn¡¯t demand constant watering, using the qi from the air. Considering that there were no cultivators inside that would drain these energy resources and adding the fact of the contained space of the pocket dimension, there were more than enough nutrients for the botany to thrive. From the message in the Ascension Tower, he understood that there would be no fights for the time being, crossing another activity from his already short list. Therefore, cracking this mystery by further adjusting it to his personal needs was the only thing he could focus on to keep himself busy.
Surprisingly, despite the lack of life-threatening situations and barely any events that happened during my long stay here, I don¡¯t feel bored at all¡ Nope, on the contrary, I feel relaxed and happy after those years of peace. Or whatever time has passed¡ I am quite sure that the arc inside the Tower is what both Aether and Hell wanted me to use to cut the link with their counterpart. But do I want to do it? I think not¡ What for? To be shoved again into another deep shithole? Fuck it! Just nope! I better stay here¡ For once, I have a place called home. I can teach Xu Wong if he ever returns. Hope this fool hasn¡¯t died¡ Perhaps, in the distant future I will be ready to accept more guests¡ maybe to the point of recreating the sect again¡ The only problem would be with the banned entrance to the Tower of Ascension. Hmm, I will need a solution for that. However, right now, I better focus on learning more¡
The next few nights were spent immersing himself in the reading scrolls and consolidating all available information to form a whole picture about the realm, the reason for the sect¡¯s death, and other potentially useful things. That barely affected Robert¡¯s standard routine. The new position of the Grand Elder nullified any limitations on the duration of the stay inside this place of knowledge, but Rob decided to keep the same schedule as before. Making a full round trip around the sect and checking everything each day, he proceeded with entering the spirit trial.
Confirming the message, the puppets kept their transformed state to create an oppressive construction. Robert¡¯s attempt to close the distance toward the arc failed as before, but with more time passing he felt like this intangible energy was refining his body-soul, making the process of enduring the pressure easier. It was like his metal body was becoming stronger through the hammering of new layers after being heated. The final stop for the rest of the day and the following night was inside the Pavillion of Techniques. The place produced the most results in the short timeframe.
The first and foremost was the true goal of the Immortal Birth realm. The previous one, the Spirit Unity, was focused on merging the soul and the body into a single entity. Using an achieved state as a foundation, this realm was aimed at perfecting every previous step until they were ideal. In comparison with Robert¡¯s ability to experiment with his body and change everything, ordinary cultivators had no instruments to fix the mistakes of their early stages, making the flaws permanent. However, by reaching the seventh realm, they finally got an opportunity to do it, strengthening their foundation to create the ultimate being of a cultivator. The fact of the latter would be tested by moving through the enormous soul pressure toward the arc before finally stepping inside and facing the last trial before getting to the Dao Seeking realm.
It brought him to the second revelation ¨C the true purpose of the arc. It appeared not only was it impossible to reach the eighth realm by yourself, but also there wasn''t a single cultivator of this stage currently present in the whole world. For each of them walking through the arc was a point of no return. They either died trying to advance or were transferred into the higher worlds to continue their road of cultivation there. This fact immediately reminded Robert about his Transcendent state and the all-mighty beings that controlled the process.
I bet there is another Deity there, overseeing everything as a puppeteer. Xu Wong was speaking about the Heavens, which sounds like dumb irony. Evil Hell, Good Heavens, Neutral Aether ¨C the plain standard trio of powerful assholes like in a fucking game¡ Yeah, and there is a chance there are more of those entities, who don¡¯t value the life of mortals at all.
The last important thing he found was the reason for the mass dying in the sect. As the breakthrough to the Dao Seeking realm took a lot of outer energy to fuel the process through the artificial structure, also known as the arc, it was drained from the surroundings. Previously, to compensate for such intensive demand, the sect used additional portals that led to the outside world while raising the qi density in the air by growing multiple specific plants and trees. However, from the old map Robert found when he studied the ideas of improving the chances, he noticed the additional territory of the floating rock that was currently absent, as if vanishing without a trace. It was exactly the place where the energy-supporting portals were located, helping to lessen the drain.
But it seems something went really wrong, and they got destroyed¡ And by trying to advance, the previous Grand Elder accidentally killed their own sect, draining not only Qi but even a soul energy¡ Well, fuck. It complicates the things¡ Hmm¡
Pondering about plans and potential options, Robert took a clean scroll to write down his thoughts. They were slightly chaotic in that regard, so putting them on paper helped him to organize them into something processable. For something that would be turned into a set of actions for the foreseeable future.
So, let¡¯s start. Do I want to use the portal? Nope¡ But I want to be prepared to do it, just in case. Never know when life decides to punch you in the face. Therefore, I need to work on growing more plants to increase the amount of qi. As I don¡¯t use it, there will be no surplus ¨C everything might be used to supply the process of advancing. Okay, another long session of studying the plants awaits... That is decided. What is next?If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Yes, improving my self-invented cultivation system. The idea of perfecting the previous adjustments from the Immortal Rebirth is good. I can do that too. Maybe my current setup works fine, but there is always a space for improvement. For the bare minimum, I can remake everything to make my reactor core decentralized. Why do I need any vulnerable spots, like my energy heart? I can try to make hundreds of tiny reactors instead, and the destruction of one or even several of them would never lead to my instant death. Maybe I can come up with a more efficient conversion method, who knows.
Okay, it leaves me with a final thing ¨C I want a combat art. So far, the only passable idea I¡¯ve got is to recreate the soul-pressing formation as it relies on the transformation of qi into some kind of soul energy. I can use the rest of the obsidian steel to put it inside my body. Considering my ability to increase my weight at will, and the interconnection between my body and soul, it might help me to achieve it. I just need more experiments¡ Hmm, but do I want to lose a cutting instrument? Might be useful for making items and greatly helps with maintaining the whole place¡ Well, I can replace my nails with obsidian steel ¨C hope it will be enough. Currently, my physical strength and toughness far surpass the effect of the destructive layer. The nuclear blast won¡¯t be a problem anymore¡
Sighing at this thought, Robert for a short time returned to the painful memories of his past. If he had this might back then, many things would have been different. Many people would be alive. However, he couldn¡¯t travel back in time at will. Moreover, exactly those events led him to this moment and this power.
No need to dwell on the past. It¡¯s already gone¡ Focus on the present ¨C you have a lot to do, Robert!
Nodding to himself with a light smile, Rob rose from the chair. The next day was already starting, which meant he needed to follow his routine checkup of the sect. Walking out of the building, he stopped for a moment to observe the bright cloudless sky. Despite having no sun, it was shining cheerfully, promising another happy day without world-shattering events, dangerous enemies, or appearing of even the tiniest disturbance in his calm steady life. Just another normal day ¨C the same as it was yesterday or the day before that. Robert¡¯s smile widened by itself, affected by his joyful mood. Reaching the central square, Rob stopped, evaluating the empty space that had no use for him.
I can make another garden here. In fact, I can feel every spare spot with plants. Nothing stops me¡ What was that? The portal?
Instantly turning around, Robert noticed a flash that made the whole world turn white for a moment. Almost like the giant sun suddenly invaded the pocket dimension, showcasing its mighty presence. Not avoiding his gaze not to miss any details, he continued to look at it without feeling any discomfort. In fact, his gray eyes never blinked at all, constantly watching the surroundings. Even the complete darkness barely affected them, only lowering the observable sight, but never to the point where he couldn¡¯t see anything. It seemed the mechanism behind their work was different, but Rob didn¡¯t try to study it as the ability to see was enough for him.
Guests? Xu Wong?
However, quickly reaching the stone arc, Robert found no one. The oddness of the unexpected event pushed him into an immediate search for a potential intruder. Surprisingly, he found one after a few minutes of walking around in the far corner of the sect. Dressed in a distinguished scarlet robe, the man was hastily moving toward Rob as if he were being late. Or more like after committing a theft and trying to run away from the place of crime as the big sack was hanging behind his back, standing out too much from the rich attire of the cultivator with its plain brown color. Quite familiar sack with signs of dirt from Rob¡¯s previous usages during his focus on growing more plants, when he experimented with types of soil. Now it was fully filled with something entirely different and obviously more valuable, just from the shape of protruding items inside.
¡°Greetings, Master!¡± Smiling with a tired expression, the man with long black hair spoke calmly. That was the moment when Robert recognized his apprentice in this intruder. The cheerful attitude and shining eyes were gone, replaced with inner coldness and exhaustion. Having a strange heaviness in the gaze, those eyes had also a piercing effect, as if the owner could even see the other¡¯s soul. Xu Wong¡¯s face became sharper, almost predatory, considering the ugly scar on his left cheek, which marked him with a touch of flame. His stance became firmer, with each step almost leaving a trace on the stone road.
¡°What has happened to you?¡± Robert asked, barely believing his eyes. He never tracked the time that had passed, but it wasn¡¯t more than a year or maybe two from the moment when Xu Wong had left the pocket dimension. However, the changes were too dramatic.
¡°A lot,¡± his apprentice kept the same expression, ¡°Sorry, Master, I don¡¯t have much time¡ Can you follow me?¡± Getting a dumbfounded nod from Robert, Xu Wong accelerated his walk, clearly heading back to the portal at a fast pace. For a few seconds, there was silence, while Rob was trying to replace the previous mental image of his apprentice with this new appearance that resembled a seasoned warrior but not the light-headed teenager with a dream about unrestricted freedom.
¡°In short, the time goes differently outside of this pocket dimension¡ When I returned to my sect, it was already on the brink of destruction after an unsuccessful war against its enemies¡ Bloody battles followed until my sect completely vanished, taking most of the members into the grave¡ A lot of things happened after that, and around one hundred years have passed overall¡ Recently I broke through to the Spirit Unity realm and decided to start my own sect.¡±
¡°A hundred years?¡± Robert repeated absentmindedly, trying to process this crazy fact.
¡°Yes¡ But you don¡¯t seem to change at all,¡± Xu Wong pointed out, ¡°The same as ever¡ So, the sect. To do it, I need more resources. I decided to take them from the storage as you never used those items¡ You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡±
¡°Well, no¡ As you know, I don¡¯t use anything with Qi,¡± Rob replied with confusion, glancing once again at the huge sack, ¡°Your sect¡¡±
¡°The sect, yes... They are waiting for me to return as fast as possible because we are in the middle of establishing¡ Sorry, I can¡¯t stay for long ¨C with time dilation I simply can¡¯t waste any minute. Those people are waiting for my return. They need me as their lives depend on my presence,¡± Approaching the arc, Xu Wong spoke with resolve.
¡°What has happened with your desire for absolute freedom?¡± Rob asked with a light smile, finally acknowledging that his apprentice had changed, and not only in terms of power by advancing to the sixth realm.
¡°I¡¯ve grown up, and it naturally transformed. Now I need more power to secure everything I¡¯ve reached throughout my life,¡± Xu Wong told, while focusing on activating the arc with a stream of qi, ¡°By the way, have you understood how to advance to the Immortal Rebirth realm? I am far from that point, but it¡¯s still important to know.¡±
¡°Actually, yes¡ But do you have time to listen, considering everything you¡¯ve spoken about?¡± Frowning, Robert asked. Earlier he had an idea of making notes for such a case, but he never did it so far. He thought he had more time, not knowing about the difference in its flow. Moreover, the information was far from being structured properly, only in the process of organizing into a system inside Rob¡¯s head.
¡°Yes, I do. Personal power is much more important to guarantee the safety of my future sect as the leader is not only the face of it but also its main weapon,¡± Immediately changing his mind, Xu Wong halted the fueling process and turned around. For a faction of second Rob even saw the very same expression of craving for knowledge that the man had when he was younger. But it disappeared in an instant, replaced with a serious expressionless face.
The next half hour was spent in Rob explaining what he had found out with occasional interruptions from his apprentice when the latter wanted to clarify something. There were no specific methods for advancement, but Robert still had plenty of information to share, using the notes of other cultivators who had experienced it personally. However, the moment he told everything he knew about realms, the arc in the Ascension Tower, and other things, Xu Wong once again remembered about his sect and, after a short farewell, vanished inside the portal, causing another bright flash. Looking at the now empty spot, Robert couldn¡¯t get rid of an odd sensation that was constantly on the back of his mind during the meeting with his apprentice after a long separation.
What the fuck was that? I feel like I was sucked dry and thrown away after being deemed useless¡ Quite a shitty feeling I must say. Is it how parents feel about their grown children?
Chapter 177 (4-44)
The completely empty storehouse caused a mixture of contradictory feelings that were turning into a weird cocktail. Slowly boiling like awfully smelling brew made by an old witch, it was rising with bubbles only for the latter to burst with another emotion, calming down the process for a short amount of time until everything repeated again. Rob felt anger, resentment, sadness, and multiple other emotions all together, while he was looking around.
The scattered caches, broken boxes, and a few fallen racks showed the haste in which Xu Wong was taking everything, making it look like a real robbery as if the thief had no time to spend until the owner came. There was not a hint of carefulness in this action as his apprentice never bothered to put them back, simply tearing apart the locks or chests just to get his hands to the content. As a result - too many wooden planks were lying everywhere, turning the place into some kind of dump. Moreover, there were quite plenty forgotten items, dropped onto the ground only to be disregarded as not worth wasting time to pick up. Considering that Robert on the way here went past the garden with alchemy plants that experienced the same treatment, he wasn¡¯t exactly happy to see such a sight.
Rob was robbed¡
The only positive side he could see was that those items would be finally put to use. With the absence of access to Qi, all of them were destined to stay in the storehouse forever, covered with dust. So, Robert never viewed those artifacts as something valuable. Moreover, even the plants that were plunged out by Xu Wong were meant for alchemy pills and had no place in Rob¡¯s plan to increase qi density in the pocket dimension. In the end, he was going to do the same thing, reaping and replacing them with more useful greenery.
Together these two facts created a situation where the loss wasn¡¯t a real loss at all. He would have been glad to help his apprentice, especially when it was about giving out unneeded things. Taking into account that Rob wasted a lot of time on Xu Wong¡¯s education before this event, he was sure he could spare much more than was taken. The problem was with the way it happened.
I don¡¯t like it¡ He didn¡¯t ask ¨C he just took it as if it belonged to him by default. I really don¡¯t like it¡ and it hurts?
Sighing, Rob closed his eyes for a moment, cutting off the whole world from his senses. His mind immediately brought the memories, of when he was teaching Xu Wong. Wandering across them, Robert wondered if he was correct to focus only on the cultivation. Treating the twenty-year-old man as a teenager was already hard, but it seemed he did a poor job as a master. Robert had enough life experience to share, surviving through different ordeals. He wasn¡¯t sure that any cultivator, even with a longer life, had gone through something similar to him. Therefore, Rob had enough material and, more importantly, examples of things to avoid for Xu Wong to study. However, he never bothered to do it, keeping his past to himself. Perhaps, his apprentice still thought that he was just a puppet, made in an already dead sect.
Was it a mistake? Maybe¡ Can I change anything? I fear not. So, as always, just live with the consequences, Rob. Moreover, Xu Wong isn¡¯t a kid anymore, and his actions have to be treated accordingly. If he has grown up, then just accept it.
When Robert opened his eyes, they were calm as ever¡ if it could be noticed in his grayish pupils that had the same color as his skin. Once again looking around at the mess that his former apprentice left behind. Gauging the volume of work, Rob lightly smiled before proceeding with tidying the storehouse. While disintegrating the wooden planks with a touch, and returning undamaged boxes to the racks, he finally managed to throw away all his worries. The simple work always helped him to clear his mind, making everything easy and straightforward.
Life is going on¡
And it did, slowly turning days into months and probably even years. He once again lost track of time, not bothering to count the days that went similarly. Robert could say that a lot had happened during this time, but it wasn¡¯t completely true. In fact, quite the opposite. However, it was still fruitful time-spending, both literally and figuratively. It could be seen just by walking around, showing how dramatic changes the sect had undergone.
The previously bare mountain sect had turned into a real forest settlement, hiding most of the buildings behind the leaves and plants. Walking around, Robert had to rely on his memory to find the way among this overwhelming greenery, failing to see through the thick botany around. The latter wasn¡¯t that identical, despite the single purpose of its existence. Colorful as if in an attempt to copy the rainbow, it had a mixture of everything in it, creating a mesmerizing scene. Only a lack of a full spectrum of forest sounds slightly worsened the picture as there were still no animals, and only multiple types of insects found their shelter inside the dense thicket.
I bet it even smells good¡ Unfortunately, I can¡¯t sense anything¡
Slowly strolling along the stone road toward the mountain peak, Rob was sincerely enjoying the view during his routine check-up. The sword-shaped purple leaves, two-color berries, and bluish bark of the tall trees ¨C there were many tiny details to show the oddness of the forest, making it like directly from an alien world. Even the previous botany was less otherworldly than after Rob¡¯s work to increase the density of qi in the air. The captivating sight was just a byproduct, but it made him even happier, granting something pleasant to see. Especially knowing the fact that he was the one who made it happen.
Starting with the empty alchemical garden, Robert experimented with a combination of plants. Using his personal experience of complex cultivation techniques, he decided to focus on a group of plants instead of choosing one for his goal. In that way, he managed to raise the effectiveness to a huge extent. Roughly dividing everything according to the purpose, he almost created a self-sustaining system. Some plants increased the quality of the soil. Others were turning the qi into the water, passively watering the area around. The third were symbiotes, accelerating the growth of the plants by sucking more nutrients from them. One type of mushroom was best for spreading itself into its surroundings, and with the addition of another parasitic flower, it also brought the botany from the area around together with itself. Predatory variants were fighting against harmful insects. There were more plants like these, each with its way to improve the overall effectiveness of the system, so the Qi-trees would show the best result.
Rob struggled the most with setting everything in the right proportions, but in the end, with no need for rest, it was just a matter of time. Moreover, in this high-quality environment with stable temperature, absence of clouds, and dense qi around, Robert didn¡¯t need to solve many troubles he would face otherwise in the outer world. Having remnants of knowledge as an aftereffect of using serums and access to the library with lots of useful information, Rob''s success was basically guaranteed. The only pleasant surprise was to see how beautiful those qi-increasing systems were.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
Reaching the main square, which was the only place that had a noticeable empty space, Robert walked past the modified map. His eyes caught a barely visible mark, once again reminding him about his apprentice and their meeting. He didn¡¯t know exactly why, but he decided against fixing this scratch, leaving it as a memory. Perhaps it was nostalgia speaking inside him, Rob wasn¡¯t sure. Slightly upping the edges of his lips, Rob turned his head and continued his way.
Passing the Pavillion of Techniques, he stopped for a moment, thinking about something. However, by this point, there was nothing left to study inside. Even his time spent in maintaining the sect took a huge cut. He had read about it, but only now Robert could confirm the effect of dense qi. Basically, it was the same as creating an artifact. The forger used his energy to imbue the item, making it stronger, while adding other properties through engraving tiny formations on its surface. In the sect¡¯s case, the atmosphere here was so thick that Qi passively was imbuing every single object inside, increasing its toughness over time. It led to the situation where everything, be it a fence or water bucket, simply stopped wearing down, turning into odd variants of timeless artifacts. In its turn, Rob lost another thing to do.
The end point of his stroll was the highest spot of the peak. Looking from above at the tiny world that was covered with a multicolor botany blanket, his thoughts were drifting like non-existent clouds. The long stay inside this realm made his past as distant as a horizon. Rob¡¯s emotions toned down severalfold. He still could feel how his inner battle maniac was present deep inside of him, but now the feelings weren¡¯t so overwhelming and uncontrollable. The painful memories of losses also faded, turning into just mere facts in his biography, not causing any regrets or sadness. Rob accepted all the events that had happened to him, and he found peace with them.
Moreover, I found a home¡
This tiny world with no one inside indeed became it ¨C the place, where he felt comfortable as never before. The orphanage, the bunker, and other places of living ¨C nothing came close to this feeling of harmony. This idea went even further as the previously dead sect that now was turned into a colorful paradise felt like a metaphorical state of Rob¡¯s mind. By cleaning it from multiple corpses, repairing everything inside, rebuilding and covering it with greenery, Robert felt as if he was working not on the sect territory, but on himself, slowly fixing all his issues that accumulated over time.
I feel calm¡ even happy¡ But I don¡¯t think it will last long. Nothing is endless. There is nothing left to do here¡ I can enjoy this frozen moment for some time, but I think in the end I will step through the arc. It¡¯s just inevitable.
Smiling sadly, Robert started his unhurried walk toward the Ascension Tower. His focus was turned inward, examining the dramatic change he went through after deciding to decentralize his reactor core. Currently, the complex system inside could compete with a scheme of all electronics inside the spaceship combined and later put on a single sheet of paper. Even now, after months of getting to this point, it was mind-blowing for Rob to think that he managed to create something so intricate.
He had a few hundred tiny spheres that were constantly pumping mana into his system. Each of them had its own set of filters to convert everything into a more appropriate type of spirit energy that was further spread through the net of meridians to cover every single part of his steel body. Obviously, each of them was tens of times less productive than the original central core. Moreover, they weren¡¯t covered with a force shield, relying solely on Rob¡¯s precise control. However, together not only did they create more energy, but they also took away his weak spot forever. Considering that passive Qi imbuing was influencing every inanimate object, his steel body got another boost in toughness, but Robert didn¡¯t know to what extent, as there was no opportunity to test it. Not that he wanted to do it, treating this improvement more like an interesting but hard task to keep himself busy.
The other change was in the creation of a specific formation inside his skull. As Rob¡¯s consciousness wasn¡¯t located in the brain, and frankly speaking, he neither had nor did he need this valuable for any human organ, he used the available space to put a tiny formation there. Using the last pieces of obsidian steel, Robert created a set of eyes, coloring pupils, irises, and even sclera into pitch-black. The only other things that had the same color on his grayish body were the nails on his hands, nothing else. This time he didn¡¯t try to cover his groin area with a codpiece, using a robe instead. His large frame barely could wear one, but fashion was the last thing to bother him about on the uninhabited floating rock.
Nothing to improve¡ Perhaps in time, I can accumulate more qi inside the body, but that¡¯s basically it. Even the soul pressure barely feels now.
Getting inside the Ascension Tower, Rob slowly walked toward the standing arc. The heaviness of the air itself was already trying to crush him, dropping a new imaginary concrete plate onto him with each step. However, in comparison with the first time he was met this trial, Robert felt nothing apart from a hint of discomfort as if something was constantly trying to prick him from all sides. Undergoing hours of this type of tempering, while being nurtured by his self-converted spirit energy, his soul made a huge jump in strength.
That¡¯s why, standing just a step from the arc, Rob could examine the cultivator¡¯s device in detail. In fact, he did it long ago, memorizing all the runes and symbols carefully engraved on its surface. It wasn¡¯t his goal, but at some point, the pressure became too weak, making the process quite boring. Without struggling against the invisible but mighty force, this training session consisted of just sitting in front of the stone structure. It was the moment when he regretted beating the puppets as even a light spar would be more interesting than sitting in the same place for hours without doing anything. Perhaps proper cultivators were occupied during this process, but Rob wasn¡¯t the one, thus his fight turned into a battle against his patience. Still, the pressure was improving him, so he bore it, using those symbols as a thing to do.
Hehe, it¡¯s funny how enduring now is just a fight against boredom, and not pain, fear, or a life-threatening situation¡ But I don¡¯t have more goals to do. Maybe my leave will come much earlier than I thought¡
Sighing, Robert spent several hours sitting without a single motion, turning into a real statue as if trying to match his appearance with the content. His mind was fully absorbed in rechecking the set energy system inside his body. Reevaluating each element multiple times, he was constantly adjusting the structures in an attempt to perfect them. There was barely any effect from these actions after many repeats, but he had nothing to do, so even a tiny increase in effectiveness was worth an effort. Especially, considering the fact that Robert couldn¡¯t stay in the tower forever. Unsurprisingly, to cause this pressure, the ancient structure was using energy and had to recharge its formation after just around three hours of working, basically turning it off for the rest of the day.
I guess it¡¯s not how this place is meant to be used. Whatever. Let¡¯s get out and start another walk around. Maybe this time I may find something to fix¡ Also, there might be a free spot on the far east side of the sect that isn¡¯t covered by plants, no matter how I try. I wonder what the reason is¡
However, the moment he left the Ascension Tower, Robert was met with a shocking sight, leading to a loud but involuntarily question.
¡°Who the fuck are you?!¡±
Chapter 178 (4-45)
Carefully plucking plants, a pair of cultivators were methodically clearing an area of any signs of greenery. Using special knives and sickles, they cut the roots if needed only to immediately put the piece of botany inside their storage rings to prevent them from dying without soil. Their movements seemed to be unskilled as way too often another plant was damaged in the process. However, it was the number of participants and their visible impressive physical conditions, as not even one of them tried to take a break, which compensated for the lack of experience. Moreover, the loss seemed not to bother them, as there were too many similar plants around. More than enough for their task. Working like real tireless machines, they looked like a swarm of locusts, emptying the area behind their unstoppable march.
¡°How do you think is it the Sect Leader¡¯s place of origin? The rumors are always spoken that he appeared from nowhere,¡± one of the cultivators asked his sect brother, for a moment glancing around, ¡°This place is like a paradise for cultivators, and don¡¯t know a reason why anyone would come out from here. The concentration of Qi in this area is so high that anyone below the Core Formation realm will lose consciousness within a minute.¡±
¡°Might be, but I am not willing to ask him,¡± his collocutor shrugged before adding, ¡°If it¡¯s true, be grateful that he did it. Otherwise, there won¡¯t be any sect at all, and you will be still struggling to survive as a rogue cultivator¡ or not as it¡¯s rare to live for so long with such status.¡±
¡°I am¡ Like anyone else in our sect. The Sect Leader is a lion among men, worthing a real worship for his accomplishments,¡± the cultivator proclaimed, not hiding a fanatical light in his eyes, ¡°But it¡¯s funny to think that we, Nascent Soul cultivators, are working in fields like mere outer disciples.¡±
¡°As you said, brother, anyone at low realms can¡¯t endure this environment. Be happy that we are here and not working in the forest like Core Formations cultivators. The Sect Leader led everyone capable here without exception.¡±
¡°That was a wise decision, as not only will it decrease the loss of time because of time dilation, but also even staying here is useful for our progress. Even without mediation, I can feel that boundaries of the early stage will soon fall, pushing me further on the road to immortality,¡± the man boasted with a wide smile.
¡°Whatever. Just do your task decently, so we can try to recreate the same environment at home,¡± his collector frowned when a third plant in a row was almost ruined by his careless motions, ¡°don¡¯t distract me as I start to make mistakes. Remember that our contribution depends on the number of undamaged plants, and I want to be efficient. We have limited time ¨C the gateway won¡¯t be active forever.¡±
¡°You are right as always, brother,¡± the man replied, but it was only a few minutes before he once again broke the silence, ¡°How do you think where this greenery will be grown? On a mountain peak to make a special place? Or it will be spread evenly to create a better qi density in the whole sect, so everyone can benefit?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know ¨C it¡¯s a decision of the Sect Leader and other Grand Elders at Spirit Unity realm. They might seem like only a single realm above us, but in terms of power, they are like a sky for us ¨C high and unreachable. Therefore, keep your mouth shut and don¡¯t disturb me. I am working for my future!¡±
This time the rebuke helped, cutting off the unwanted discussion. Following the road, they slowly cleared both sides of it, meeting with other groups at a crossroads. Continuing down the way, they finished a full circle, ending at the main square. A few Grand Elders were standing near the huge map, made from snow marble. The magnificent work of a skilled artisan showcased the whole area in detail, making it easy to plan the work. Passing by, they heard a heated discussion about whether they had time to loot all precious stones from the road or not. Trying to keep a busy look, the pair of cultivators hastily left the place, walking down the road. Unfortunately, others already cleared everything, obviously treating the task as some kind of competition to get more contribution points from the sect. Not discouraged, they both followed an example, focusing on getting as many plants as possible. However, their concentration was soon broken by a loud shout.
¡°Who the fuck are you?!¡±
It caused a real commotion, attracting the attention of all cultivators around. The pair followed suit, quickly getting to the huge pagoda, where the epicenter of the event was. There, near the entrance to the building with a prominent name of the ¡°Ascension Tower¡±, a tall and muscular giant was standing. Dressed in a dirty and worn-out robe that was too small to hide his large frame, he had weird grayish skin. Dusty-pale, it had the same tone all over his body, without a single trace of veins underneath it. No birthmarks, no hair. Only his eyes had a different color. Completely black as a manifestation of darkness, they radiated an insane soul pressure, causing latent fear to spread among the present cultivators.
¡°Do I need to repeat myself, morons?¡±
The words sounded with unhidden threat as if the man wasn¡¯t scared that more than a dozen mighty cultivators had surrounded him. His voice never wavered. His heart didn¡¯t accelerate. In fact, after using the heightened perception, most of the sect members finally noticed that the man wasn¡¯t breathing at all. Even the voice sounded dull, as if coming somewhere from inside of the body, and not from the mouth. Then the realization came, leading to multiple sighs of relief.
¡°It¡¯s a puppet that the Sect Leader mentioned!¡±
¡°A local keeper of the place¡ We are forbidden to attack it.¡±
¡°I remember that the Sect Leader told me it has quite a rude character.¡±
¡°More like a dirty mouth¡¡±
Simultaneous voices from the sides spoke what most of the present had on their mind, observing the oddly too-alive puppet that seemed to look at them as if they were idiots. The feeling was unpleasant, considering it was a mere qi-automaton doing it. Moreover, the amount of ethereal energy that this puppet had inside was barely on the level of the third realm ¨C Qi Refining. Nothing to explain such an arrogant attitude toward real and, more importantly, powerful cultivators.
¡°We are the members of Lightning Sky Shattering Sect. We are here by the decree of our Set Leader, who sent us¡,¡± Stepping forward, one of the cultivators decided to clarify the situation to the puppet, swallowing his pride. However, before he managed to finish, the unliving man had suddenly stepped forward, almost magically reappearing in front of another cultivator. Slowly leaning forward, he was attentively studying something on the man¡¯s robe before asking loudly.
¡°What is that?¡±
¡°It¡¯s the symbol of our sect. The lighting carries the meaning of immeasurable might, while the sky shows a boundless width of¡,¡± Clenching his fist, the same cultivator barely managed to hold himself from destroying the ignorant puppet with a clear lack of manners and no survival instinct, who wasn¡¯t even bothered to turn around. Reminding himself about the will of the Sect Leader, he followed with another explanation but was rudely interrupted again.
¡°I asked what is that? Is it a leaf? Where did you get it?¡± Pointing at the leftovers of the greenery that were on the shoulder, the puppet frowned, ¡°Step aside.¡±
Not waiting for an answer, he shoved others away by simply working through the group of cultivators, forcefully making to free his way. However, after just a few steps, the puppet suddenly froze. Silently looking at the road without motion, it could be mistaken as a real statue from ancient times. But somehow, everyone seemed to perceive that inside the artificial creature was trembling from anger. Trying to anticipate the potential outburst of an already ill-behaved automaton that didn¡¯t know its place, one of the cultivators stepped forward.
¡°We are currently in the process of gathering all Qi-plants. After we are done, you can follow your job as a keeper of this paradise. We don¡¯t have plans to damage any buildings here. Our goal is just plants, nothing else¡,¡± Seeing that it didn¡¯t help, the man added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we aren¡¯t going to disturb you for long. We will leave shortly ¨C other parties are half done clearing the forest. We will finish the assigned task in several hours at most. You are free to do anything you want after that.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
¡°No, you won¡¯t,¡± The puppet shook his head, while slowly turning around and looking at the ground, where multiple dirty footprints were left on a previous white surface. His unpretty face grimaced at the sight.
¡°Why? We have more than a few hundred members inside. The whole sect is basically working for it¡¡±
¡°You won¡¯t leave,¡± The puppet muttered through his clenched teeth, ¡°Maybe you were just following orders, I don¡¯t care¡ I never was a kind person, easily snapping occasionally. After so much time, I can finally control my emotional state¡ But I don¡¯t want to. So, no, you will stay here forever,¡± finally raising his head, the grayish man-like figure showed a mad grin plastered on its unattractive face, ¡°Dead!¡±
With a final word, the puppet vanished from the spot with a thunderous sound. Those cultivators with higher realms managed to see the motion, but they were just too slow to react. In the next moment, the nearest of them was impaled with both stretched hands. Deeply penetrating the chest, they froze for a second as if allowing a previously speaking man to realize what was happening. Then, with a crazy smile and in a single motion, the puppet tore the body apart, splattering the blood in the surroundings.
¡°It will be painful, I promise,¡± The mad automaton muttered, turning its attention to the others. Luckily, having a long life of rogue cultivators, most of the present had enough battle experience not to panic in front of danger. Unfortunately for them, a simple awareness and readiness to act wasn¡¯t equal to having the capability to change the outcome.
Swiftly ducking under a dozen qi-created butterflies that left a scorching mark on the building behind, the puppet launched again. A short acceleration turned into a jump. Then its knee found the head of another cultivator. Shattering the face with enough force to crack the skull, the strike pushed the wounded onto the ground. Falling on top of the motionless body, the puppet rose to its feet and added another heavy stomp, turning the head into a disgusting mush. This was the moment when a few combat arts finally hit the mad automaton, enveloping it in a mixture of flame, light, and electric sparks. However, this bloodthirsty thing simply brushed it off, causing a wave of terror among the survivors. Then it disappeared again.
When the cultivators found him an instant later, the puppet was already gripping the face of their sect brother. Diving its fingers inside the flesh, it pulled, reaping off the face and exposing a still-living brain. The following hit the lower abdomen and made a hole while shattering the dantian. It immediately led to an outburst of stored qi, crippling the man forever¡ or for the next minute, as it would be impossible to live any longer. However, the utter horror of the situation was that everyone was in the same boat, thus they fled, abandoning each other to survive. Or at least, they attempted to.
The grayish figure, covered in blood and with remnants of the robe that was still somehow hanging around his waist, gave them no chance to succeed. Easily catching up with another cultivator, it gripped the neck of the running person from behind before squeezing. There was a barely noticeable white light shining through the clenched fingers. The next moment, a beheaded corpse was falling separately from its upper part while the killer was already turning attention to others. Charging with insane speed, the puppet kicked one of the escapers in the back. It caused an immediate and huge increase in speed, turning the run into the flight. Smashing against the tall pagoda, the cultivator felt like half of his bones had broken from the impact, despite his realm. Then the artificial madman rammed into him with a shoulder. The building shook, somehow withstanding the attack. The flesh appeared not so tough. The resulting meat paste was everything that was left from the unfortunate.
This was the moment when the remnants of the group had reached the main square where the sect¡¯s Grand Elders were. The thick for of Qi dulled their senses, but the commotion was too loud to miss, so they were prepared to meet any enemy head-on. Raising into the air and floating above others, the trio of cultivators at Spirit Unity realm started to form their most powerful combat arts, not wishing to play around. Spreading their domains in the area, they almost caused their lower-level sect members to faint from the oppressive auras. Clashing between each other for superiority, the latter surrounded the square, proclaiming their absolute dominance over qi.
The instant the puppet entered the square, the powerful attacks were unleashed. They didn¡¯t come at once, each taking a few seconds of delay not to intervene with each other. The first one was an enormous ball of magma that dropped from above like a meteor. Penetrating the snow marble road, it dived inside the ground before exploding with the eruption of fire. Multiple flame pillars broke out from underneath, setting the surroundings ablaze. Creating a web of cracks and leading to a real earthquake, the effect started to quickly spread around the area, turning everything into a burning hell. Using Qi in the air, this flaming monstrosity only continued to grow, changing its color from orange to white within the epicenter where the puppet previously stood. However, it was just a start, as it was the turn of the second attack.
It came in the form of a pitch-black beast. Gigantic, it covered the whole sky, for a moment turning a day into a night. Stretching multiple tentacles as if trying to capture the world, it had no distinguished form. Made from abyssal darkness, it was filled with something evil and dreadful. A concentration of eroding energy that couldn¡¯t be stopped once released. It seemed like a part of Death herself, villainous, bloodthirsty, and ruthless. The entropy in her most destructive form. Then the creature lunged forward. For a short duration the white flame from the previous attack tried to fight off the invader, only to be consumed after a meaningless and short struggle. During the next several seconds occasional sparks appeared on this dark blanket, showing the last effort of the abyss, but even they died out, sucked dry from any life energy. It left only ever-hungry formless predator to feat on the area.
However, no matter how powerful it was, the final combat art from the strongest of the trio was beyond its capabilities. Creating a shining huge sword above the Qi-beast, the cultivator slightly waved his hand, sending it downward. Plain and ordinary, it had a barely visible transparent form. Still, just a sheer size was enough to cause a tremble in the hearts of other sect members. The dropping weapon was imbued with intent to cut through anything on its way. It was like a concentrative image of all swords, its majesty, the emperor. Nothing could resist its blade, even if it was something intangible. The darkness wasn¡¯t an exception, crumbling under the attack at once. Blasting out and immediately dispersing, it left a deep scar on the ground, enough to fit a few-story building, similar to the ones from around. And they weren¡¯t spared, blown out by the shockwave and previous combat arts.
The deafening silence was so heavy and dense that it could almost be touched. The sight of the destruction was even more mouth gaping. The central part of the sect ceased to exist, vanishing without a trace. Only the two tallest pagodas managed to survive everything in relatively good conditions, apart from a loss of parts of previously installed defensive formations. Damaged by the earthquake, a part of the mountain had crumbled, taking with itself a noticeable portion of stairs to the top. Most of the cultivators gulped from the shock, trying to process the unleashed might. However, the biggest eye-opener for them was a movement in the epicenter of the three sky-shattering strikes.
Methodically digging itself out from the ground, the puppet unhurriedly appeared in front of the group. Completely nude, it showed its grayish body that had only a net of scratches on its inhuman surface. Otherwise, there was no trace of injuries, not speaking about mortal wounds. Nope, in fact, even the very same mad grin hadn¡¯t left the fact of the puppet as if the event couldn¡¯t shake it at all. Then even those tiny marks had vanished, returning it to a pristine state.
¡°Too fancy and flashy for my liking¡ You have to be more down-to-earth,¡± widening his smile the crazy automaton suddenly took a piece of white stone from the plowed ground, ¡°Literally.¡±
In the next moment, the projectile was already flying through the air at an insane speed. Before anyone, including a trio, managed to react, one of them had a head exploded in a brutal rain of blood, brain, and bones. Falling from above like a sack of potatoes, the corpse didn¡¯t even reach the ground when the puppet jumped. Propelling through the air like a hypersonic jet, it crashed into the sword-wielder at full speed. Traveling together for several seconds, they loudly dropped down onto one of the mansions, turning it into rubble. Surprisingly, the cultivator somehow not only survived the painful fall but instantly summoned a weapon trying to cut the puppet. The latter just laughed, diving deeply its glowing fingers into man¡¯s eyes-sockets and ignoring a blade that dulled its edge against his ribs.
Pulling its thumbs out and disintegrating the remnants of disgusting mush, the puppet headbutted the cultivator a few times, crumpling his forehead. Noting the absence of the opponent¡¯s life, the Qi-automation rose to its feet and picked up the dead body. Throwing it out from the smashed building outside, it followed along, reappearing in front of the other sect members, who were watching him with clear horror. It felt like they were facing a natural disaster itself without any objective means not only to stop it but even to halt it.
However, then a voice came. Emerging from the surroundings without any clear source, it was filled with might and strong will, reaching every single being inside the pocket dimension and imbuing them with hope. Working like a direct injection of energy, it rekindled their will to fight, despite the pitiful odds. Almost as if everyone had an invisible armor that would protect them in the direst times. Everyone steeled themselves, preparing for what was to come. Because it was their Sect Master, the most powerful person under the Heavens, whose steps were enough to shatter any obstacles in his way, while his presence could scare even the vilest monsters. With him around, there was nothing to fear.
¡°What are you doing?!¡±
¡°Oh, Xu Wong¡ Well, I had the very same question, my stupid apprentice.¡±
Chapter 179 (4-46)
Surprisingly, hearing the voice of the man, who caused so much damage to Robert¡¯s home, didn¡¯t lead to any emotional outbursts. There was no anger or hatred. Rob barely felt any strong desire to take immediate revenge, tearing apart everyone on his way. Obviously, he was going to do it, but not because of overwhelming emotions, which he failed to control. No, it would be just a cold-blooded decision, nothing else. Like an execution of punishment that was dictated by a law. He just couldn¡¯t leave behind what had happened to his place that took so much effort to build.
Previously, I closed my eyes, but it will never happen for the second time¡
Half of the greenery simply ceased to exist, being rudely cut from the ground without any care. Multiple dirty footprints were left everywhere, marking the paths of the thieves and how they stole years of his work. They took it as if it was theirs in the first place, not even trying to ask for anything. Considering that Robert subconsciously treated his home as a physical representation of his own persona, slowly fixing every broken part and filling it with colorful plants as if it was his own mind, it felt like they did not to his home but to his soul. As if they dirtied Robert¡¯s inner being with their uninvited presence. The following attacks caused even more damage, ruining half of the sect. Perhaps, if Rob hadn¡¯t started killing, he could have avoided such an outcome.
But I am not the type of person, who permits to use himself as a doormat¡ I might have calmed down after so much time in peace. However, my origin as a soldier, who is always ready to act, will be forever an integral part of me. The ability to switch from a peaceful state with laughs and jokes into a killing machine in an instant only to switch back to smiling is what makes the soldier to be good¡ And I am a good one. So, nope, not a chance I am going to brush it off.
Looking around at the devastating picture that just several years ago was pleasing, but now turned into remnants of the previous self, was painful. This feeling was only strengthened by a living source of scorched and demolished land around. His apprentice. The man, who took everything for granted, but still craved for more. Rob was sure that Xu Wong had come one more time but avoided detection as it was unbelievable to think that such an organized gathering of the Qi-plants could be done without beforehand preparations. It only intensified the feeling of betrayal.
¡°Where are you, Xu Wong? Face me! I demand the answer ¨C why have you done it?¡± Robert roared loudly, causing a scare among the nearest cultivators. Slowly backing off not to attract attention, they were gathering in a huge group. Most of them were coming from behind, increasing the number in their ranks. And, with the rise in quantity, their fear started to disperse. However, no matter how he looked, Rob couldn¡¯t notice his apprentice. Instead, he heard his voice once again. Enveloping the whole sect, it was spreading everywhere evenly.
¡°Demand? From me? You aren¡¯t in a position to do it¡ Master,¡± The last word was basically spat out. Full of disdain and even mockery, it caused a wave of courage among the cultivators, who unknowingly stood together like sheep in the flock in front of a hungry wolf, solely relying on the distant presence of the guarding dog for their protection, ¡°You might be strong as ever, but not on my level. I¡¯ve already reached the Immortal Rebirth realm, and only Heavens stops me from going further!¡± Xu Wong proclaimed proudly, resulting in cheerful shouts from his sect members.
So much arrogance¡ Is it always the case that unrestricted power with no limits and no consequences leads to such behavior? That must be it. I can easily remember similar cases even from Earth, when with enough money and influence, some spoiled brats or corrupted politicians could do whatever they wanted, ignoring any laws¡ It¡¯s almost like celebrity sickness, but on a larger scale on par with some dictators from the past. A legalized law of the jungle.
For a moment, he felt sad about such an outcome. His apprentice helped Rob to overcome his desire for solitude after everything he experienced, returning hope that he wouldn¡¯t turn into a hermit, who was ready to kill everyone, who just attempted to trespass on his territory. However, on the other hand, if Robert never decided to help, no one would have broken in, ruining his peaceful life and turning his home into smoking rubble. Moreover, he could counter Xu Wong¡¯s words that it was exactly Rob, who taught the arrogant man. Who directed his advancements and helped to fix potential future problems in cultivation, creating a perfectly tailored system specifically for him. Who collected all artifacts and other valuable items that were used to build the foundation of Xu Wong¡¯s sect. Robert could point out that without his effort, there would be no Immortal Rebirth cultivator in the first place. He could throw any tantrum at the ungrateful apprentice as he had all the reasons to do it. Instead, Rob¡¯s words were different.
¡°I assume you want even more power by taking my qi-imbuing plants. Unfortunately, I will need to disappoint you as the road toward the eighth realm goes through the arc inside the tower behind my back. And to get access to it, you will need to make me disappear.¡±
¡°As you wish, Master,¡± the voice calmly answered, not showing any emotions. Then the dark dot appeared from above. Flying under the bright sky and considering the distance, it was impossible for Robert to see everything clearly. Still, after squinting his eyes, he caught a glimpse of a short beard and long hair, tied to a ponytail. Having a mixture of gray on previously pure raven-black hair, it was speaking about how much time had passed since their last meeting. Squinting his eyes, Robert continued to look, ignoring the visible signs of the preparation for the attack.
Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t see much. The scarlet robe with golden patterns covered the body of his apprentice, while the facial hair hid his expression. There were a few more nasty scars, but otherwise, Xu Wong was quite recognizable. And this thought made it even more unpleasant as it was the same person for sure. The person who stubbornly named him "Master", and even got permission to do it after setting it as a condition. Who asked for advice on how to proceed in the tower or begged to learn alchemy, abandoning it after a month of failures but returning after a short break. The kid who brought him every broken cauldron, helping with repairs.
¡°Battle formation of Emerald Turtle! The forbidden art of the Final Lighting Judgement ¨C the first move!¡± Xu Wong commanded his sect members, causing them to start using the group technique to survive the aftereffects of his attack. Just from the sight of the forming process, combat art looked mighty enough to inflict heart-gripping terror on anyone who was going to face it.
The first one to appear was a tiny spark. Growing with rhythmic flashes, it quickly reached the size of a barrel. The glowing light emanated a mixture of white and yellow with the occasional inclusion of blue. Floating in the air, it started to rotate, accelerating more and more. It caused a stronger reaction inside, almost as if the stream of qi began to destabilize the sphere. In the next instant, it shot multiple lightning into the sky, summoning dark clouds at once. For the first time in Rob¡¯s memory, something disturbed the bright and cheerful day in the pocket dimension, foreshadowing a sinister and devastating outcome. Spreading to the horizon, the clouds were only starting to show their might.
With each passing fraction of a second even more lightning strikes began to fall, evaporating anything they hit. The repaired buildings got multiple burned holes, while the forest was set aflame, turning into a furnace. It never stopped the attacks. On the contrary, it seemed the more destruction they sowed, the more electrical projectiles were unleashed. Flattening the surroundings, and melting the mountain, soon they got to the point where the eyes could barely see an individual attack as all of them merged into one, atomizing the place of impact. And not any place, but where Robert previously stood, concentrating their power on a single target.
¡°The forbidden art of the Final Lighting Judgement ¨C the second move!¡±
Following the shout of Xu Wong that somehow managed to pierce through the audible cacophony of the storm, the pillar of light started to rotate, causing a sucking force that demolished the remnants of the building that, by sheer luck, managed to survive the apocalypse around. Increasing in size, it rose to the point of competing with the tallest pagoda, which somehow was still resisting the devastating qi-disaster. Consisting of lightning Qi, the huge tornado reduced everything to ashes. However, no matter how powerful it was, it seemed it wasn¡¯t enough as Xu Wong once again waved his hand. This time, it was with a visible effort, a clear indication that he was struggling to control this mighty technique.
¡°The forbidden art of the Final Lighting Judgement ¨C the third¡¡±.
¡°Enough,¡± the word was spoken simultaneously with a name of combat art. It wasn¡¯t loud at all. In fact, it sounded more like a whisper, but Xu Wong somehow heard it, halting his attack, ¡°I can do that too¡ A heavy gaze!¡±
Previously gripping the ground to keep himself from flying, Robert raised his eyes. The outer layer of his steel body was completely ground, making him reduce in size and height. His head was deformed, but it was quickly returning to its shape as it was constantly under the barrage of attacks. After being imbued with qi and additionally strengthened by self-invented spirit energy, it felt like any Qi-based attacks had a loss of effect upon contact as if they had anti-qi properties. Still, he could give credit to Xu Wong as the strike was much stronger than he anticipated. It was even more powerful than a nuke in terms of concentrated might. However, it wasn¡¯t enough to finish him off.
Standing up onto his feet, Rob paused his response, despite proclaiming its name aloud a few moments before. Xu Wong immediately used the opportunity, regrouping with his sect members to strengthen their defensive formation. But Robert was too occupied with observing the surroundings¡ or precisely speaking what was left of them. His home was gone. Vanished like dew under the sun. There was nothing left, apart from the Tower of Ascension, whose walls were hard to break even for Rob. Not that he had tried to do it seriously even once. The second exception was a portal behind Xu Wong¡¯s back. Otherwise, there was nothing, just a plowed field with something resembling a hill.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Gone was the Pavillion of Techniques, where Robert spent many nights reading and studying. Gone was the map that was handcrafted by him¡ together with a scratch from the initial meeting with Xu Wong. Gone was the entrance gate, which took a lot of time to refurbish and fix. Gone were all the gardens and forest that he grew up in for so long, picking the best examples of the plants. Gone was his favorite spot on the peak of the mountain, from where he liked to observe the scenery. Gone were the pathways with manually fixed gaps¡ And fences, mansions, his now empty storages¡
Everything is gone¡ My home has disappeared. I knew that nothing lasts forever, but I never thought it would be in such a way¡
Deep down Robert knew that once the fight had broken, it would without a doubt destroy this place. Perhaps, it was the reason why he allowed Xu Wong¡¯s attack to hit him, having a wish not to witness the sight of devastation¡ even if it meant his death. Or maybe he had a glimpse of hope that his apprentice would suddenly change his mind, deciding against the confrontation with his master at the last moment. However, both outcomes never happened, causing ruins to be fully observed in painful detail. It felt like it was his soul that was these rubbles, broken once again by the deeds of others. No matter how he tried to find peace, there was something or someone that would come and crush his dream.
Because it¡¯s true¡ And even know who they are¡
Returning his gaze toward the battle formation of cultivators that were pumping qi into their defensive technique. Xu Wong was floating above others, controlling the process. Sighing, Robert quietly muttered.
¡°Just die already¡¡±.
In the next moment, his eyes turned into two yellow flashlights¡ and the cultivators started to explode from inside, despite the set protection. The air itself seemed to become a solid object, putting all its weight on any living being, and no one could withstand it. Any wavering of will, any sign of weakness, and the heaviness became intolerable, deforming the human in a fraction of an instant. Those bloody remains simply popped, spreading the red vapor in the surroundings. In under five seconds, there was only Xu Wong left alive.
Struggling to survive the intangible pressure, he was fighting with all his might. However, each Rob¡¯s step toward him only raised the effect, making it a losing battle with an obvious end. And that was despite the long distance that still separated them. Just after another five seconds, Xu Wong had both legs turned into a disgusting mush. Dropping onto the ground and hiding from Robert¡¯s gaze, he prayed for a break. The soul attack never lowered its intensity¡ but Rob did. Pausing on his spot, he shouted after short pondering.
¡°Nah, I won¡¯t kill you. Moreover, I will go through the arc, leaving this world once and for all¡ But I bet you won¡¯t be happy with it, my dumb apprentice. Farewell!¡±
Turning around, Robert slowly walked to a single building that was left on the floating rock inside the pocket dimension. The latter also wasn¡¯t spared from the damage. Multiple cracks were slowly spreading across the sky, confirming the artificial nature of the place and its approaching end. However, Rob felt only sadness, looking around. Stepping onto the rubbles, all he could see were memories from before. Reaching the Ascension Tower, he continued his way with the same unhurried pace, only pausing in front of the arc. The familiar structure was intact, creating a feeling that all events were just a play of imagination. Unfortunately, it was a cruel reality.
Nothing is left here¡ The real question is what I want to do¡ Do I wish to follow the set script by cutting other links and staying forever a mere puppet¡ like I was named here. The irony is that they weren¡¯t wrong about it¡ Or I would better slam the door loudly, so those fuckers might regret trying to enslave me¡ I found happiness inside this tiny world, and I am not sure I am ready to recreate it somewhere else. I don¡¯t want to live inside my senseless body for centuries¡ I don¡¯t need power or authority¡ I don¡¯t care about admiration or praise¡ I am not an altruist to help everyone. The hell, even in the case of Xu Wong, my help only caused more trouble to me¡ I am not a kind-hearted person. I lived through a lot, I fought, I won, I lost. I loved¡ It was a good life, alas not easy. So, yeah, let¡¯s fucking slam the door!
Stepping inside the arc, Robert froze. Then the world around disappeared as if the darkness suddenly descended, painting everything black. Focusing on his body, Rob felt a new connection that anchored his soul. Hell and Aether immediately reacted with violence, trying to fight off a new invader. Experiencing this confrontation before, he concentrated on other sensations¡ and it appeared correct as behind those fights, there was a dense cloud of energy that enveloped him from all sides. It was the first time Robert managed to feel Qi. Moreover, under the power of the arc, it was pumping inside his steel body, nourishing it together with his soul. Only by this external help did the cultivators manage to break through to the eighth realm of Dao Seeking.
This was when he grinned. Knowing perfectly that his body was capable of taking thousands of times more qi than any cultivator, he wanted to laugh at his apprentice, as, precisely speaking, the latter established the constant portal to the main world, turning into an additional supplier. It led to the situation where the arc would suck all available energy until the cultivator advanced. However, from Rob¡¯s understanding, it was impossible to achieve it without consent from one of the Deities, but they were fighting against each other for control over Robert¡¯s soul. The other reason was that he wasn¡¯t actually a cultivator, having no means to break through at all. Therefore, there was no limit to how much energy could Rob take. And he pulled, using all his willpower to accelerate the process.
The stream turned into a full-fledged river and even more. Empowering his soul and body with an insane amount of Qi, it was simultaneously improving his steel dramatically, which affected its capacity in turn. His addition from the dragon genes made his growth unlimited, while his adaptive nature made him withstand the changes without a problem. Robert felt like he was growing bigger, more powerful. He was becoming unstoppable, thus with his favorite mad smile, Rob continued to pull without remorse. A single river soon increased to two. Then it was a dozen at once. At some point, he felt like lakes of Qi were drained by him with each passing instant.
As if having a bad feeling, Heavens, the last intruding Deity, attempted to stop him, but as it was like with Aether ¨C it seemed they had no direct control over the events. Qi continued to pump into him at a constantly accelerating rate. Ignoring any disturbance, Robert was entirely concentrated on this task. His mind was working overtime, draining the energy and redirecting it to his body only to be pushed into constantly establishing and modifying structures. Not to be overwhelmed by the amount, Rob used his experience of perfecting his inner system to miniaturize it even more, simultaneously spreading it across his body.
Heavens tried to oppose it by adding its own energy through the link. The sudden stream of new additions almost broke his concentration. Struggling under the pressure from two overwhelming sources, Robert somehow managed to get a grip on them. And then he pulled from both, accelerating his growth further¡ Then the stream of Qi started to dry out. It caused even more resistance from the Heavens. Rob only intensified his efforts. He lost track of time, but he knew that Heavens had cut off the connection by themselves the moment Qi stopped pumping inside him because of complete exhaustion. For a moment, Robert was at a loss as a confrontation between Hell and Aether never halted, resulting in constant damage that he had to heal. The fact that even draining all Qi from the whole realm hadn¡¯t stopped them at all. On the contrary, as if feeling his enormous potential, the battle became even more brutal. Therefore, Rob redirected his attention to them.
He had the experience of increasing the link¡¯s width before going in the opposite direction, trying to minimize the influence from Aether. However, this time, the knowledge of how to do it, together with the stronger soul and willpower, made the task much easier. Moreover, both Deities at first were encouraging the process, helping him¡ But then they sensed there was no limit for Robert. Like a bottomless pit, he was going to take it all. Rob was like a black hole. This realization turned their help into resistance that tried to slow down the sucking force. However, due to greed or other reasons, they still cling to him as if they were not ready to accept the loss. Hell was second to forfeit. It instantly caused a popping message from Aether that tried to stop Rob from continuing further down this road.
The Transcendent has reached the next critical phase, rising to the status of Demi-God. New information is available for¡
Fuck you! I am not buying your bullshit anymore!
The next instant, he was sent into a different realm. Reappearing again, Robert found himself floating in real space right in front of a white star, whose enormous size was making him feel like a minuscule dot. Another chain of short teleportation followed, dragging him right inside this celestial body with each jump. The heat upon contact was so insane that even his dull senses cried about the horrifying pain from the temperature that was turning him into a liquid, only to vaporize it a moment later. However, this moment was enough for him to reform. So, Rob only strengthened his ethereal grip over the connection, draining even more energy despite being shoved right in the center of the star. Moreover, he was forcefully widening the link to increase the rate of draining. There was another note from Aether, but his resolve was firm as never.
Robert Flop, you are promoted to the status of God. Please, stop. Let me explain¡
The only message I will read from you is an epitaph on your fucking grave!
Then the final link was cut, leaving Robert completely alone among the blazing flames in the lifeless space without any way out. Even deprived of the constant energy flow, Rob seemed to have enough might and toughness to withstand the fate of being reduced to nothingness in a mere fraction of an instant, although it didn¡¯t help him with the prominent problem of his current location ¨C no escape from this solitary prison. Therefore, taking a few breaths to stabilize his body in a state of equilibrium, he grinned before proclaiming aloud.
¡°This how you slam the door!¡±
All his energy was suddenly squeezed to a single point, less than a grain of sand, reducing his own body to the same size. Then it exploded outward, disintegrating everything on its way. Like a supernova. There was so much accumulated energy inside Robert that not only did the star system vanish, but also the whole universe followed suit in a tremendous boom. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t the only one, as around a dozen neighboring realms were wiped out, leaving a gaping hole in the fabric of the multiverse and setting the grandeur grave for Robert. The tremors from this act had an even bigger impact, cracking hundreds of survived realms and opening new ways of traveling between the worlds, changing everything forever.
Chapter 180 (4-47) Epilogue
The darkness was endless. Like a black hole, this mighty entity was constantly hungry for anything that tried to oppose its might. Behaving like a bloodthirsty beast, it devoured matter and time. Even the thoughts and emotions weren¡¯t spared. Nothing was left behind by its consuming nature. Just pure emptiness. Sometimes, there was occasional resistance that tried to overthrow this infamous ruler, but it always ended in the same manner. Completely drained, those rebels were turned into ashes only to disappear without a trace, forever forgotten as if they never existed in the first place.
However, one spark managed to withstand such a deadly environment. Fighting against what seemed to be an unstoppable overlord of entropy, it was slowly gaining strength. It never tried to spread its influence across the darkness, focusing on illuminating more light toward the inner center. Somehow, it only accelerated its rise. The spark turned into a tiny ball of light. Shining brightly, it wasn¡¯t emanating anything as if finding a real truce with the darkness. It lasted for an unknown amount of time until the sphere became powerful enough to break the status quo. Instead, it simply vanished, piercing the fabric of this eternal darkness and leaving it behind to control its territory in solitude. But it was just the beginning of sphere¡¯s journey.
Joining other balls of light, it followed the ethereal stream that soon turned into a real river. The path was long and hard. At first, struggling to keep up with others, it was still stubbornly clinging to its existence. The energy waves tried to throw it out from the ¡°water¡± back to a pitch-black abyss, while some competitors were shoving it away by brute force. Not discouraged, a previous spark continued to fight, steadily growing stronger. Then, it understood its purpose ¨C to find a free whirlpool that would bring it somewhere else. And it waged a war, pushing, hitting, and charging at others just to step further down this unknown road. When it finally achieved it, the sphere was several times bigger, easily reaching the top specter of other light balls. The transportation process felt like a powerful pull through the long tube that had no end. It felt like the sphere traveled further than a regular universe. Still, the process was fruitful as with the passage of time, it was only growing larger.
The end was abrupt. Spat out from the tube, the sphere was thrown into a new pitch-black environment. This time, things were different. The darkness was different. There was no threat of being consumed. On the contrary, for the first time, the previous spark felt like it was bathing in comforting warmth. The whole place was nourishing it, accelerating its growth even further. Then, the senses started to appear, increasing the awareness about the surroundings. There were sounds, rare light, and even touches. This was the moment when something started to unfold from the inside of the sphere. The previously hidden information that was an integral part of its core that was the source of its life at the beginning.
Everything was so overwhelming that the sphere fell into a state of comatose. However, a new dramatic change had woken it up, causing a real sensory shock. There were so many feelings and emotions that it just couldn''t handle the pressure, screaming aloud like a mortally wounded beast. The cold was especially awful, exposing its vulnerable entity to the whole world. Even its voice only worsened the situation, causing another overwhelming wave, clouding the consciousness that was already struggling to process everything. It didn¡¯t know how much time had passed before the surroundings started to get into place. The blurry vision, the deafening sounds, the energy exhausting, and, more importantly, the information inside ¨C everything lowered its intensity after it managed to get acquainted with its senses. Then, the whole situation suddenly became crystal clear.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Am I alive?
Straining his eyes, he finally realized that he was looking at the ceiling from his tiny bed while lying on the back. An obvious failure to move his body properly led to a confirmation of the initial assumption ¨C he was reborn and currently was just a newborn baby.
What has happened? Oh¡ yeah, now I remember¡ But rebirth into a baby?... That¡¯s the best thing ever! I can finally sense something! I can taste food, drink coffee, breathe¡ I can feel temperature, or women¡¯s touch¡ I won¡¯t live like a stupid moving statue anymore! I am truly alive!
Not having any control over his limbs, he turned his attention toward the inner self, feeling something odd. To his utter surprise, he could sense ethereal energy flowing through his body. Following a complex pattern, it had no specific source, as if coming out directly from his soul. Still, it continued to nourish his body passively as if he was back in his steel shell¡ with a dramatic change of being an absolutely natural thing. Studying it again and again, he was seeing the very same system he created, just adjusted to a living being. It was like he indeed advanced from the Immortal Rebirth realm, getting a perfect celestial constitution from birth that gave him ability to generate a constantly growing stream of energy to empower him indefinitely.
I am reborn in a new world¡ and I finally have a cheat!
Considering his vast experience and set of deadly skills that he had learned by himself or through serums¡ Well, he had much more than that. There were so many things he desired when he was locked inside his steel body that for some time, he simply was lost in thoughts about potential plans and ideas. However, this was the moment when he suddenly felt frightened.
Aether, are you here? Aether?... Yes! Fucking yes! They are indeed all gone¡ I am finally free from the leash! Now I don¡¯t need to survive in deep holes¡ My life can be different. To be adventurous with something pleasant happening, and not the shit I had all the time¡ You, Ro¡ Nope, Robert Flop is dead. Died in that star¡ You are turning a new leaf, so let¡¯s leave everything in the previous life. This time it will be different! I will make it different!
This was the moment as if someone dropped something heavy, causing an unexpectedly loud sound and breaking his train of thought. Then he felt how someone¡¯s warm and soft hands hurriedly raised him, hugging strongly against the chest. His position still allowed him to look around, but the dark room and his blurry vision didn¡¯t provide much. Still, there was one shining box that was illuminating the place. Changing the pictures, a vague figure of a man was speaking with a dreadful voice. Taking into account that his mother only tightened the grip over his tiny body, it wasn¡¯t something nice to hear. Therefore, twisting his body, he focused on a large TV screen in an attempt to understand what was happening.
Then he saw it ¨C the red flashes on the edges of the screen, working like a calamitous warning. However, the biggest shock was to see the images of portals that were forming right in the middle of the streets under the operator¡¯s camera. He couldn¡¯t understand even a single spoken word coming from the news host, once again confirming that Aether was gone, but the flow of monsters that came out from them was quite recognizable even with his limited capabilities of a baby.
Is it a farewell gift from those bastards?... But you know what, morons? Bring it on! I can still handle everything you throw at me¡ will need just a dozen years to grow¡ Well, fuck!
The end of Rob¡¯s misadventures, but only the beginning of his new venturous life.