《Might as Well》


 Prologue

    Sam Oliver Lawrence or, as his friends, few as they were, and enemies called him, Solar, was in a mighty pickle. He stood between two opposing armies, each one intent on eradicating the other, with a mighty zeal that history rarely saw.


    And he was holed up in a small outpost in the middle of the battlefield.


    As he beheld the two armies, prepared to clash over certain resources that were vital to their development, he couldn¡¯t help but curse his ¡®friend¡¯ for setting him up.


    ¡°Just a little information selling he said!¡± he murmured under his breath as he glanced around, checking up on his comrades, but in reality, looking for assassins. ¡°And might as well spy a little¡­ It will be worth the money, he said!¡±


    He clenched his fist in rage, but remained stationary, straining his eyes to find an escape route. But alas, it was not to be.


    The virtual reality game Magic Unbound was rather realistic in how it allowed opposing players to hinder each other. If one gathered the necessary people with certain professions, such as trap makers, enchanters, and warders, they would be able to lock down a battlefield tighter than Fort Knox.


    Granted, it didn¡¯t come free, and the materials would break a smaller guild¡¯s bank, but this was a battle between two of the biggest guilds. They had the money, manpower, and the will to do what they needed to win the battle, and, hopefully, with the looted materials, the war.


    Because the same outpost that Sam was stuck in was sitting on a rather big deposit of magical crystals that were vital to anything that was even remotely magical. In itself, it wasn¡¯t that great news that a new deposit of magical crystals was found, as they were peppered around the maps of the game, but this one was special.


    Usually, the magical crystals in any mine would take on the attribute of the surrounding magic, so a magical crystal mine next to a volcano would be fire attributed, one next to the ocean would be water attributed, and so on. Accordingly, in most cases, if one wanted to use the magical crystals for certain tasks, they would have to cleanse them of their attributes, which would degrade their quality and reduce their value, both for resale and usage in any number of equipment or process.


    But this one was special, as the magical crystals produced from this rather big vein were unattributed. They were, based on the experiments done, somewhat resistant to becoming any one attribute. This was big. Especially for the big guilds, who used up magical crystals in enormous amounts each day. Just this mine (and who knows how many in the region) would decrease their operating costs by a huge margin, and increase the speed of their production. Thus, everybody wanted it. No matter what.


    And Sam was in the middle of it.


    In his sorry life, he was rather unlucky.


    First, he ignored when the game, Magic Unbound, came out, calling it a new hype, and continuing with his own favorites as if nothing happened. Which, to be fair, he wasn¡¯t alone in. The game touted itself as the game that would end all games. The last game that people would ever play.


    Nobody really took it seriously.


    Then naturally it blew up. Streamers did what they did best and found things that they could brag about, and people ate it up. In just a short few months, the game¡¯s population tripled. And that growth never stopped.


    And then the company behind Magic Unbound introduced a real-money exchange as well as an auction house where people could buy things with real currency.


    That was when he joined. As he was perpetually in and out of poverty, with rather meager savings, and hopping between jobs, the siren call of playing a game for real money was exactly what he wanted.


    But it was too late. The big guilds already established a presence; they controlled the trade routes, mines, production, and everything in between. For a production class player to make a living, they would either have to join a guild that had the necessary resources to fuel their development or flounder around, then give up.


    As for the non-production class players, they all had the vision of getting drops that would be worth millions and striking it big.


    But alas, Magic Unbound wasn¡¯t such a game. While mobs did occasionally drop items, pieces of equipment worth the aforementioned millions were usually crafted. Which was in the control of the guilds.


    So, after trying to make a living (admittedly getting rather lucky with a few drops), Sam had to suck it up and join a guild. Thankfully, at that time, one of his ¡®friends¡¯ was part of a rather powerful guild and put in a good word for him.


    Good word, hah.


    As if.


    He was rather desperate at the time, running low on his funds, so Sam only glanced through the contract.


    And as they say, the rest is history.


    He did everything the guild told him to. He spied, stole, fought, bled, and died in copious amounts. He would say he was rather good at gathering information, which was proved by the huge number of notebooks and hard drives in his home that were full of information. Sam was even able to squirrel away a few tasty morsels for personal use, for the time when he would be free of that accursed contract.


    And with this last job, he would be free. The task was big enough that the guild agreed to accept that as a payment, and release him from his - in their words - rather generous contract. He even had it in writing, learning from the last time he thought he would be finally free (checked by a lawyer). Sam already had some plans with a real friend about what he would do after the conclusion of this battle.


    But of course, Fate wouldn¡¯t allow that.


    He temporarily joined the guild that found the magical crystal deposit to spy on them, and now he was stuck in the same place as them, waiting for his inevitable death. Which was rather bad for his plans.


    Death in Magic Unbound, depending on the situation, would cause you to lose some experience in skills, or maybe make you drop an item. But for Guild battles, such as this, the penalty was agreed on by the fighting parties (and leaving the guild mid-battle was not an option). And as he looked at the unworried guild leaders, it dawned on him that they were probably in on it. More than likely bought by one of the guilds.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    That was the only reason he could see why they would be okay to lose all their levels upon death in this battle


    ¡°Bastards!¡± he yelled finally, unable to hold on to his rage.


    They looked at him, and one of the bastards smirked. Then he and everybody else standing around heard a whistling noise. He whirled around, only to see a rapidly approaching ball of flame, magic, and certain death.


    [You are dead.]


    <hr>


    Sam threw off the game helmet in rage into the corner and sat on his bed for a minute, clenching his fist open and closed in frustration.


    Then a string of words left his mouth that would make even a ship¡¯s worth of sailors blush.


    Reluctantly, Sam stood up from his bed and headed for his small bathroom to wash his face, and hopefully, cool his rage somewhat down.


    It was only when he left the bathroom did he realize that something was different with his living room slash kitchen.


    And that something was a languidly sitting person, slowly paging through one of his notebooks that littered the room. He stopped and just stared. The other person noticed this, and with a smirk, they closed the notebook, tossed it aside, and looked at him.


    ¡°Hello, Solar.¡±


    ¡°Mike. What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I must say Solar, you do exemplary work with information,¡± spoke Mike, ignoring his question, and motioning towards the notebook. Then he looked into his eyes and gave him a friendly smile, but Sam could see it was rather half-hearted. ¡°I heard about the battle. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Sam opened his mouth to say something, but the only thing that came out was a rather impolite question.


    ¡°What ARE you doing here, Mike?¡±


    Mike sighed, shook his head as if disappointed, then calmly reached into his jacket and, to Sam¡¯s horror, retrieved a gun. Which he then proceeded to point at him.


    ¡°Cleaning up loose ends.¡±


    Sam was dumbfounded.


    ¡°What? Why? What did I do?¡±


    Mike shook his head again.


    ¡°Nothing really, Solar. You¡¯re just too good at information gathering.¡±


    ¡°B-but we planned to-¡±


    Mike simply cut him off with a short laugh.


    ¡°Ha. Do you think I would be happy with the paltry sum that we would get if only the two of us would work on that project? No, Solar. The information is worth much more in the hands of the guilds.¡±


    Sam¡¯s blood froze. So that was it. His last real friend betrayed him. If it weren¡¯t for the situation, he would have laughed. He was left by his parents at an orphanage; he was left by his sweetheart, and one by one he was betrayed by those he called friends.


    It seemed Fate wanted him to suffer no matter what.


    He was about to argue, or even try to convince the other man to change his mind, though, from the cold, calculating look in his eyes, Sam knew it would be futile. But he still wanted to try. His life depended on it.


    So, Sam opened his mouth, but he was silenced with a bang.


    Surprised, still scarcely believing what was happening, he took in the lightly smoking gun and the grimace on his once friend¡¯s face.


    ¡°There is no need to talk, Solar. This was already decided. And I want to get to the victory party in time.¡± Here, his smirk grew cruel. ¡°I heard Sarah will be there¡­¡±


    Sam felt himself fall in slow motion, watching as Mike began moving towards the door, one of Sam¡¯s notebooks in his hand. He reached out with his hand as if he was trying to stop his shooter, but his hand refused to cooperate, and when he tried to cry out, only gurgling left his mouth, accompanied by a copious amount of blood.


    He felt his back hit the floor with a thud, and despite the darkness closing in at the edge of his vision, he still saw the door click shut behind Mike. Just as it clicked shut on his life.


    No matter how Sam raged, tried to call out, or simply move to get to a phone or computer to call for help, it didn¡¯t work.


    The last thoughts going through his head were the thoughts of revenge and rage against the bastard that shot him, the guild that trapped him, the people who betrayed him, his parents for tossing him aside, and finally Fate for playing with him.


    With his last sliver of consciousness, he even tried to pray to any deity that would listen, to grant him a miracle or even a second chance.


    But nobody listened.


    So, Samuel Oliver Lawrence, called Solar in the gaming community, a low-level information broker, died in his empty apartment which contained only living necessities, his computer, and his gaming rig.


    Alone, and abandoned by everyone.


    <hr>


    Samson, or Sam as his friends called him, was bored.


    He did what everyone expected of him. He went to a university, graduated almost on time, got a job at a multinational company, collected his paycheck, regularly visited his parents¡¯ graves, and met up with his friends when they called him.


    But being an introvert, he rarely left his home for anything else, so his social life wasn¡¯t something that anybody would call great. Even his small group of friends introduced him as their ¡®most introverted friend¡¯. But he was happy with his lot.


    He had enough money that he didn¡¯t really need to worry; his small apartment was good enough for him, and his computer was upgraded enough that it would run even the newest games.


    Still, Sam was rather bored.


    Maybe it was depression again. After all, the therapist did say that living alone wasn¡¯t really conducive to one''s psyche¡­


    So, after a little thought, he decided to get some fresh baked goods, that would cheer him up.


    Gathering his phone, keys, and wallet, he left his familiar home and slowly walked down the street lined with all kinds of scrumptious-looking restaurants, bakeries, and other food places. Living in the middle of the city was good for more than helping with his allergy.


    He stepped around a small construction zone, his eyes locked onto his favorite bakery, already smelling the freshly baked bread.


    ¡°Watch out!¡±


    Sam only had time to look up, noting that a rather large piece of steel was heading for him, and several construction workers were looking at him with horror on their faces when everything went black.


    Samson ¡®Sam¡¯ Little, programmer, family, and friend to few, died surrounded by aghast people in a horrific construction accident. The number of people attending his funeral would have surprised him.


    <hr>


    Sam woke up panting, drenched in sweat, and very, very confused.


    The last he remembered, he was heading for imminent death, but here he was, alive and after some inspection, somewhat hearty.


    Though after looking around, he realized he was nowhere he ever remembered going to sleep. The room where he found himself, was dilapidated, with fading walls, old furniture, and a small breeze coming from nowhere. Though he did spot a rather futuristic-looking computer.


    He was about to stand up and check it out when he felt his body go numb and fall back onto the bed.


    ¡®So, I survived just to die again?¡¯


    Sam had only a moment to contemplate his thought when a brain-splitting headache occupied every brain cell in his skull, and after a brief scream of pain, caused him to black out.


    <hr>


    He woke up in the same bed, even more tired, swimming in sweat, and somewhat less confused.


    Even before somebody or something shoved a life¡¯s worth of memories into his head, he suspected he had been transported to another world. How couldn¡¯t he? He was a rather big fan of the genre, and Sam knew that a head-on collision with a steel pipe traveling with terminal velocity rarely left a person with a brain capable of dreaming.


    But now, with a person¡¯s memories shoved into his skull, via a gigantic migraine, he was almost a hundred percent sure.


    The person whose body he was now inhabiting had been playing a virtual reality game that everybody in the world played, was somewhat good at certain aspects of the game, and had an almost photographic memory of information about the game. Then he was betrayed, shot dead by a close friend for said information.


    That would lend itself well to a standard fantasy novel about playing a virtual reality game while having revenge. But instead of the original owner, it was him that woke up in the body, and as Sam compared the room to the gifted memories, he realized that he also woke up in the past.


    Sam pushed down the new memories temporarily, as the accompanying rage was starting to hurt his head, and still sitting on his bed, he looked around.


    ¡°Now what?¡±

 Chapter 1

    After extricating himself from the low-quality bed, and some ratty blankets, Sam spent around an hour in the shower contemplating the existential dread of his own death, alternating with kneeling before and staring at the porcelain throne and trying to hold back the vomit that would threaten to come up every time his own, or the body previous owner¡¯s death resurfaced in his mind.


    Then, with some herculean effort, he managed to wrestle his scattered mind into some kind of working order; the memories tinted with rage and despair were shoved into a deep hole, yet Sam knew sooner or later he would have to do something about it. He couldn¡¯t live like this¡­


    Still, first, he would have to get more information about his new life, the resources he had to work with and decide on a general direction for his future.


    Sitting before the futuristic computer, or as it was known to the people of his present reality: a piece of crap, he did a few calculations based on the information he had access to in his new set of memories without triggering the rage that their last owner left behind. He could, of course, based on the received memories, invest in a few companies and live off that while looking for something else to do.


    Or¡­


    Or Sam could make use of the memories he inherited, and make a living in the game (while also investing on the side just to be sure) while making sure to avoid the pitfalls that caused such rage and grief for the other Sam, and making use of his knowledge of the genre, as even a cursory search of the internet showed him that there was a glaring absence of virtual reality novels. Yet, this path also had a lot of negatives.


    The popularity of the game would naturally attract the attention of all sorts of people, just as the other Sam experienced. And he couldn¡¯t say for sure that he would be able to avoid all of them, even with the memories and his own knowledge.


    Looking up the people responsible for the release of Magic Unbound, he found that the appropriately named Future Unknown company (it was a little on the nose for Sam, but after transmigrating, he couldn¡¯t really complain) would be releasing the game in three months on the first of January, celebrating the new year.


    Satisfied that his short research matched what he knew, Sam stood up from his computer and walked back to the bathroom to wash his face and do a little more thinking.


    Standing over the sink, he looked into the mirror and finally took a good look at his body. It was remarkably similar to the body he had in his last life. Tall, with an average face, black hair, and the beginning of a dark stubble. The differences were the deep dark circles under his eyes, the gaunt, almost starving look, and, of course, the almost thirty kilograms of difference in weight.


    Sedentary life before the computer as a programmer did not lend itself well to healthy living.


    Unfortunately, Sam was very lazy, but he would have to keep in shape if he wanted to play Magic Unbound, as, on higher levels, his body¡¯s health actually affected how the game reacted to inputs from his body. A healthy mind in a healthy body, and all that jazz. Of course, this was known to the elite way before the populace at large got this piece of information.


    And as he stared into his own eyes, he felt that it wasn¡¯t really a question of what he should do. He was in a new world, with a new body, with a second chance to make it, and as well the chance to play a game that was the dream game of everyone in his previous life.


    Leaning on the sink with both of his hands, he looked once more deeply into his own eyes and nodded, then pushed himself away, and turned around to leave the bathroom, now with an actual purpose.


    <hr>


    It took him a week to get a handle on the life he was granted anew.


    He went to the bank, consolidated the accounts (changed the password just to be sure), made sure they were ready for his plans (death and taxes were the only true things in life), bought some books that would help with handling traumatic memories, got a set of new clothes and began looking for a new home, as according to his memories, the first act that the other Samuel blamed for causing him to fall into deep poverty was the burning down of his current apartment building (later it came out it was actually arson to make developing a new high rise easier).


    But for all that, he would need money.


    Thankfully, he technically had traveled back in time, so the knowledge rattling around in his skull would provide more opportunities to make money than he could make use of. The question was, how much attention he wanted to get¡­


    After all, there were those betting opportunities that became famous around this time; or a few choices of investments that would make him enough money to get out of his current location.


    But all of those would attract more attention than he would be comfortable with.


    In the end, he made use of something that not even the other Samuel would have expected would become useful for anybody.


    After Magic Unbound became the mainstream game that everybody played, other games logically began to decline, but before that, they were great money makers (even for Samuel) with a great many secrets. However, after their decline, the people who invested their time into them still wanted to make money off their investment and used their know-how to create internet videos talking about the game histories and explaining their methods to gather money, equipment, and win fights among other things.


    Among these game history videos, the most famous were those that removed the veil that hid the exploits and glitches they used to soar to the top of the game. The other Sam watched these videos for relaxation, sometimes laughing at people if they weren¡¯t talking about a game he played in the past or cursing them if they were talking about one he also played, mourning the unrealized opportunities.


    And now Sam could make use of these exploits and cash in on them.


    Sitting before his computer, he punched in the address to a site that dealt with selling and buying secrets about games, named, appropriately, Shadowland. It wasn¡¯t exactly legal, but it also wasn¡¯t illegal. But for Sam, it was perfect.


    He made an account and uploaded an obligatory piece of information that would be made public on the site upon his registration, to prove he was legit (also making sure that not everybody would be able to register; granted, if you had money you could just pay for the registration). And then sat back and waited.


    He simply uploaded a guide to acquiring a small space skipper in Conquest of Nine Realms, which everybody was after. It wasn¡¯t the best or most famous ship, but currently, in the game, the most popular thing was to race with small skippers amid asteroid fields, and to do this, players had to acquire technologies with which they could upgrade their racers.


    And the easiest way to acquire these technologies?


    Rip it out of existing ships.


    And according to the research he found on the net, one of these coveted ships was the same skipper Sam provided a guide for.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    In the grand scheme of things, it wasn¡¯t worth much, but he knew, from his inherited memories, that the same information would be leaked by a disgruntled member of the only guild that had access to this kind of ship, in around a month, mostly because the other Samuel cursed at missing an opportunity also acquiring it.


    Sam, to be sure, made sure to check the game out, but the simple space fighter, travel, and trader game didn¡¯t really grab his attention. So he simply sold off the materials and equipment on his account and never looked back.


    After making sure the post went through, he spent a little time just browsing the net, checking the news, and waiting for the results to come in. And he barely had to wait an hour before the first thank you came in, along with an email that his registration was complete and he could proceed to fully utilize the site. Though he made sure to wait another hour to get more credit and recognition before he was ready to make money by posting his prepared guides.


    He clicked on the list of requests with anticipation and went hunting.


    <hr>


    In two weeks of continuous work, Sam made enough money to pay the deposit for a better apartment in a better area of the city, while also making a lot of enemies and friends among the player bases of several games.


    He shared dungeon locations, mount guides, material gathering routes, quest NPC locations, planet coordinates, combos for fighting games, and so much more.


    Watching the gaming communities freaking out every time he posted a new guide or released some kind of information was endlessly entertaining.


    Though Sam made sure not to release any of the big pieces of information or glitches, as those were used by people who actually had both economic and probably other powers to cause him trouble. The site touted that everybody was anonymous, but Sam knew that was just a window dressing. The moment somebody pulled out a wad of cash or a baseball bat, they would tell them whatever they wanted.


    He stood in the middle of the living room of his small apartment for the last time and took a long look around. In barely a week, everything he could see would be burned down into ash, and Sam would only be left with memories of the dilapidated building. Not that they were nice memories, as the neighbors were loud, something definitely smelled a floor down, and Sam was pretty sure the people one floor above were making some kind of drugs.


    For a fleeting moment, he thought about leaving a hint for the police about the arson, but if the rumors in the other Sam¡¯s past life were true, then it would be useless or even cause him trouble as the police were in the pocket of the man behind the perpetrator.


    Sadly, the other Sam didn¡¯t really pay attention to news that were about things outside of his interest, namely games, though thankfully, those were seared into his mind.


    As he slowly walked towards the door for the last time, he almost expected something to happen. Maybe Fate would force him to stay on the same course that the other Sam took. But no catastrophe happened, or accident befell him that would compel him to stay as he stepped outside of the apartment, so he let out a relieved sigh, carefully looked around, closed the door behind him, and began set off toward the closest public transport station that would take him to his new home.


    <hr>


    Sweat glistened down on his naked chest as he raised the weight in his hand, illuminated by the fall sun through the windows of his new apartment.


    With great willpower, Sam managed to keep to a simple exercise routine with some cardio and weightlifting. And thanks to his new income, paying attention to his food (which was rather hard, as the new world was full of new and exciting dishes), and the exercise itself, his former gaunt and sickly body graduated to a normal, somewhat healthy body.


    He had more meat on his bones, and the black circles under his eyes were almost a thing of the past. Sam would say that he almost looked handsome¡­


    Placing the weight down with a small grunt, he took a towel from the stand next to him, cleaned his face, and walked to his window. The sight that greeted him still took his breath away; even after a month of living in the apartment.


    The futuristic city that he now lived in was amazing to see. There were no flying cars, but the buildings were definitely reaching higher than he was used to, and the lights and styles of the buildings distinctly reminded him of the many cyberpunk novels and movies he read and saw before his death.


    The apartment itself was nothing special. It was on the seventh floor of a skyscraper, with rather nice rent and almost nonexistent neighbors with excellent soundproofing. It had a living room with a workout corner and an open kitchen. A bathroom with a very futuristic shower, a bedroom for his bed, and finally a room dedicated to the game.


    Currently, it contained his desk, an updated computer, and a very comfortable and ergonomic couch where he could use the VR helmet. In the future, there would be VR capsules, but they would only come out half a year after Magic Unbound¡¯s start. Though the other Sam always suspected that it was released much earlier, but only to those with connections, and Sam had to agree. That seemed something that the current world¡¯s society would do. Or even his.


    He had only spent a few months in the new world, but Sam already could tell that while it wasn¡¯t a full cyberpunk-style civilization, it wasn¡¯t all sunshine and happiness. Every day there were news on both the television and the internet that showed that people with power used those without and abused them as they saw fit.


    The ¡®little people¡¯ only had a few chances to make it¡­


    Sam hoped he would be one of those.


    Based on the full notebooks in his gaming room, and plans he had already drawn up for when the game started, there was more than a small chance for that.


    Now he only needed to see what butterflies his action would result in¡­


    <hr>


    For Christmas that year, he decided to visit a small cemetery near his home that contained a small shrine, not specifically dedicated to any religion or deity.


    Shivering, a little from the cold winter, he shook off the snow from his jacket, then walked into the building housing the shrine. Sam took out a few candles, lit one of them, and placed it on the shrine. Then he put his hands together in a praying motion and began to murmur.


    ¡°Mom, Dad, I don¡¯t know if you can hear this, but I¡¯m alright, didn¡¯t even feel the steel pipe¡­¡± he let out a quiet chuckle at his own lame joke, then continued. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to continue to live and make the best of the situation. I will make you proud!¡±


    Then he closed his eyes and stayed like that for a few moments just letting his thoughts drift before taking out another candle, lighting it, placing it next to the other, putting his hands together, and restarting his murmuring. Though he made sure to check out if anybody else was listening, but it seemed everybody there at the shrine was only paying attention to themselves.


    ¡°Sam¡­ God, it¡¯s so weird. Samuel, I¡¯ll remember you, and I¡¯ll make sure that everything you worked for¡­ hoped for, will come to pass. I¡¯ll make good use of your memories, don¡¯t worry. I can¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll take revenge, but if an opportunity arises, I¡¯ll take it, rest assured. Please, rest in peace¡­¡±


    As the last word left his mouth, a small breeze traveled into the shrine, bringing with it the cold winter weather, but Sam strangely felt as if a warm spring breeze passed him.


    He tidied up after himself, made sure that the candles were burning right, then turned and left the shrine.


    It was only a few days until the opening of the game, and he wanted to make sure everything was alright with his preparations.


    As he stepped outside, drawing his jacket close, Sam looked up at the giant skyscrapers populating the city and watched as the falling snow swirled around while the gray clouds obscured the sky. And despite the ominous nature of the weather, he couldn¡¯t help but look forward to the future.


    <hr>


    On January first, Sam lay on his comfortable couch, with one of his monitors showing the countdown for the game start, while he fiddled anxiously with his VR helmet. Then, as the countdown reached two minutes, he let out a shaky breath, laid back fully on the couch, trying to get as comfortable as possible, and put on the helmet.


    For a moment, there was just an all-encompassing darkness and silence as the helmet robbed him of his senses. Then a small white text appeared in front of him.


    [Please wait as the game loads¡­]


    He barely managed to read it when the scene changed again, and he was face to face, with his body floating in nothingness, with the starting screen of Magic Unbound.


    Magical energy in every color swirled around in the background while a mighty warrior faced a titanic dragon. As on one side, several magicians were standing in the circle, with Sam hearing a low, ominous chanting in the background, while on the other side of the screen, a blacksmith was feverishly hammering a white-hot piece of metal while a noble in finery was watching him stone-faced.


    And in the middle of all this was the title of the game, shining in silver, and radiating a mysterious feeling:


    [MAGIC UNBOUND]


    Under it was the sentence that he was half looking forward to ever since he reincarnated and dreading for the exact same reasons. Sam knew that with the game and how it would affect the world, nothing would be the same.


    [New Account Registration]


    He hesitated for a second, then couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°You only live once, right?¡±


    And with that, Sam pressed the button that would take him towards an untold amount of adventures.


    The text blinked out of existence and was replaced by another.


    [Please, choose a name!]


    Sam didn¡¯t even hesitate.


    ¡°Solar.¡±

 Chapter 2

    After choosing his name, he spent a few minutes on the character creation menu.


    The game itself only allowed up to a certain level of modification to the user¡¯s body, as they wanted to avoid people getting mental issues about their new body, or even causing real-world problems (though there were ways to request drastic changes via the support chat), aside from the standard privacy filter that scrambled people¡¯s look a minimal amount to make sure everybody was anonymous, at least for a while.


    Sam simply set up his preferred hair length (it grew a little in the game; there were even hairdressers that one could pay to change the appearance of their hair), and added a little electric light to his eyes, but left everything as it was.


    Electric blue looked just too good to be left out.


    Then he clicked on the accept button, and another small text showed up.


    [Starting the game in 5¡­ 4¡­ 3¡­ 2... 1¡­]


    <hr>


    There was a moment of silence, then a gentle voice sounded, coming from nowhere.


    ¡°Welcome, Solar, to Magic Unbound!¡±


    Then Sam was blinded by a flash of light, and suddenly he found himself standing on rough ground, yet still surrounded by the very same darkness, the only source of light providing illumination was the portal swirling in front of him, while on the other side the rough, dirty road continued in the distance, ending in a small town.


    And next to the portal stood one of the most famous characters of Magic Unbound.


    The greeting fairy, Selena.


    She was tall, with luscious silver hair that cascaded down on her back, her face was symmetric, yet not as much as to trigger the uncanny valley feeling in people, adorned by small red lips, a cute nose, and eyes that were swirling with light that reminded Sam of pools of gold.


    Her body was art made real, and in the future, many paintings and poems would be created based on it. And upon seeing her for the first time, Sam had to agree with that sentiment. Whoever designed her body clearly knew what they were doing. And on her face was a smile that radiated the fact that she knew more than Sam or anyone else.


    Which didn¡¯t really surprise Sam, as the greeting fairy was actually an AI that acted as the external guardian of the world of Magic Unbound, or in layman¡¯s terms, she handled the cybersecurity of the game.


    So, he simply nodded and returned the greeting with the first thing that came to his mind.


    ¡°Hello there.¡±


    Selena¡¯s smile grew a little, then reached into her clothing, though Sam couldn¡¯t spot any pockets, and took out a small, brown sack, which she immediately threw at Sam.


    As he caught it, feeling the sting of the hit, as the sack contained some amount of coins, he looked back at the woman standing next to the portal.


    ¡°This is your starting money. It will be enough for you to start your adventure. Anything else will need to be acquired by you,¡± came the calm explanation. At the same time, the brown sack in his hand began to shine, then a second later dissolved into pixels that rose into the air and then vanished one by one, leaving him with an empty hand. ¡°It will be added to your inventory, which you will be able to check out after you step through the portal.¡±


    Despite knowing all this from the inherited memories, Sam was still a little underwhelmed by this simple ¡®tutorial¡¯.


    He looked at where the coin bag vanished, then back at the still smiling, beautiful fairy.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± came the answer, accompanied by an enthusiastic nod, that did wonderful things to the woman¡¯s anatomy. ¡°Magic Unbound prides itself on the freedom it provides to the players. You could step through this portal and do whatever, or follow the road and enter the town you can see. Everything is up to you!¡±


    Sam stared at the woman, his eyes straying a few times, but then nodded.


    ¡°All right. Any last-minute advice?¡±


    Selene¡¯s smile grew extra wide, showing off her pearly whites, and threw her hands in the air to cheer.


    ¡°Yes! Have fun!¡±


    Then suddenly a suction force seemed to grab his body, preventing any movement, and the next moment Sam found himself standing on the proper dirt road with the portal snapping close behind him, with only a small voice escaping it.


    ¡°Good luck!¡±


    And then he was in the game proper, a little winded, his hair and simple clothing of white shirt, gray jacket, brown pants windswept, and surprised but raring to go.


    Then text notifications started to appear in front of him.


    [Welcome to the game, Solar! Please enjoy your stay!]


    [Future Unknown wishes you an enjoyable playing experience!]


    [If you come across any bugs, glitches, or errors, please don¡¯t hesitate to reach out to our team at¡­]


    Sam just waved them away and spoke only one word.


    ¡°Menu.¡±


    Another screen appeared in front of him.


    [Character Status]


    [Skills]


    [Inventory]


    [Quests]


    [Logs]


    [Settings]


    [Log Out]


    It was rather barebones, but with time and effort, it would expand. For example, founding a guild or merchant company, or even a permanent party, would have their corresponding menu appear on the screen. And just to be sure, he quickly tested that the Log Out button worked. To his relief, it did.


    Then Sam quickly went through the Settings, set the screen colors and such, their responsiveness, and the control options of the screens. Sadly, or luckily, depending on who you were, the game couldn¡¯t really read minds, so saying ¡®Menu¡¯ or ¡®Status¡¯ in your mind would do exactly nothing.


    But if Sam were to set a movement macro (for example snapping his fingers, or clicking his tongue) for opening the menu, then he could use the menu silently, which was always a plus, as yelling ¡®Menu¡¯ out loud sounded really stupid, and would be detrimental when stealth was important.


    Checking his inventory, he found the ¡®generously¡¯ provided money.


    [You currently have 1 gold, 42 silver, and 27 bronze coins.]


    Sam nodded, dismissed the inventory screen, then opened the status screen.


    [Name: Solar


    Level: 0 (0%)


    Title: -


    HP: 100/100


    MP: -/-


    STR: 5


    DEX: 5


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    AGI: 5


    VIT: 5


    END: 5


    MAG: -


    PER: 5


    WIS: 5


    LUCK: 7]


    It was all very basic. The only thing new to this game was that nobody started with magic and mana ready to use. They would have to unlock it some way, then they would get a starting MAG stat and would be able to use mana.


    Strength, dexterity, and agility were the physical stats, vitality and endurance governed health and health-related things, while magic, perception, and wisdom were the mental stats. And with luck, everybody started with a 7, and nobody could increase it on purpose. Only random events and accidents could increase and decrease it, respectively. Finding a rare flower in the middle of a meadow covered with flowers would increase it. And falling for a trap in a dungeon could decrease it, depending on the situation.


    Satisfied with his status screen, Sam closed the window and began his trek towards the town in the distance.


    Thankfully, Future Unknown set it up so that people in the same geographical location would start around the same area in the game, so Sam¡¯s starting town was the same as in his memories, despite his move. Which made it so that he could make use of the other Sam¡¯s memories.


    And the first step was to unlock his mana.


    <hr>


    Trudging up to the town, Sam couldn¡¯t help but express his admiration towards the game developers, as despite only needing to walk for half an hour, he was lightly sweating and taking larger than usual breaths.


    It was amazing how they managed to reproduce all these sensations¡­


    Standing a few meters before the town entrance, he beheld the unfamiliar yet familiar sign of Greenwood town. Nodding to himself, he approached the entrance and noted as the lounging figure of the guard slowly rose from his seat, and stood there, making a motion with his hand for Sam to approach them.


    ¡°Ahoy, traveler!¡± came the greeting from the soldier. He was wearing old, but well cared for chain-mail with a helm, and in his hands was a spear.


    ¡°Well met!¡± returned Sam the greeting.


    ¡°Do you have any identification?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, sir. That¡¯s why I came.¡±


    ¡°Then that will be 5 bronze for the entry.¡±


    Sam nodded again, expecting it, and handed over the requested amount. The guard checked the coins, pocketed them, and then moved to return to his seat, but Sam interrupted him.


    ¡°Excuse me, do you have a mage tower in your town?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± the guard looked back at him, clearly expecting to return to their napping without interruption, but after a second, he managed to process Sam¡¯s question. ¡°Oh, yeah. Just follow this road. It leads to the main square, and the tower is there.¡± And with that, he took a big step as if telling Sam that he did his duty and please let him nap.


    Sam just chuckled and followed the road. He didn¡¯t really need the directions, but building rapport with the locals was always useful.


    <hr>


    Greenwood was a rather standard starting town (or as some called them, tutorial town), with simple stone, wood, and brick houses. Most only had a story, but a few here and there had two or even three. They even had a few nobles, mostly rich merchants who bought their titles living on one side of the town in mansions situated around the town mayor¡¯s home, which was naturally the biggest and fanciest mansion.


    The people were mostly farmers, some crafters, people working in the shops, and a few retired people. But overall, everybody seemed relatively happy. And as far as he could see no other player was present yet in the town.


    Standing before the building that was definitely not a tower but a simple two-story building that was called mage tower out of respect and tradition, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little apprehensive. This would be the first step in the plan he painstakingly prepared.


    Then Sam took a big breath and pushed open the door.


    Inside was cooler than outside, with a few plants that desperately needed watering against the walls and a receptionist area with a stereotypical bored receptionist who couldn¡¯t have been older than 19.


    ¡®Probably an intern¡­¡¯ chuckled Sam in his mind.


    The young woman sitting behind the receptionist¡¯s desk, intently reading something, didn¡¯t even bother to look up upon his entry.


    Sam cleared his throat.


    ¡°Hello, miss. I¡¯m here to get my mana unlocked.¡±


    The young, homely-looking woman still refused to look up, just lifted one of her hands toward him, palm up, and spoke up in a droning voice.


    ¡°Ten silver.¡±


    Sam chuckled and placed the requested money into her hand, knowing full well that in the future, this price would rise to several gold coins as the influx of new players would overwhelm the Magic Association. Though the guilds would be able to take over from them, helping new players, but that help came with a different type of strings.


    There was a moment of silence, then with a long-suffering sigh the silver coins vanished from the young woman¡¯s hand into a drawer, and she closed her book, which after a glance, looked like some kind of romance novel to Sam, and pulled a big book towards her.


    Opening it, she began to browse through it, still not looking up.


    ¡°Master Simon is free. First floor, third door on the left. Goodbye.¡±


    And with that, she closed the book that contained the availabilities and returned to her own book.


    Sam said a quiet thank you and left towards the mentioned room.


    <hr>


    He knocked softly on the door, and upon hearing a quiet ¡®Come in!¡¯ Sam opened the door and entered.


    Inside the room, he was met by the sight of an older man with messy brown hair, almost taken over by the gray strands sitting behind a desk weighed down with massive tomes.


    He looked up as Sam stepped into the room and gave him a small smile.


    ¡°Welcome, young man. How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Master Simon. The receptionist lady directed me to you. I wish to have my mana unlocked.¡±


    The master magician nodded as if he was expecting him, then slowly stood up from his seat, and motioned for Sam to take a seat in the middle of the room that was suspiciously empty, only covered by a simple carpet.


    ¡°Sit down cross-legged, young man, and leave everything to me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    As Sam sat on the carpet, eyes closed, he couldn¡¯t help but think about what would follow.


    The developers solved the usual yelling out the attack or spell name with this deceptively simple mechanic.


    Every character started with their mana locked, and they would have to have it unlocked by somebody and when that happened the gaming helmet (or capsule) would make a connection to the player¡¯s brain, and thus they would ¡®attach¡¯ magic to the brain as an appendage, capable of being controlled with just a thought.


    Yelling out the spell names would still be a way for people to play, but the top players or anybody who wanted to play the game well would spend hours in the game practicing with their new phantom limb. And the more they practiced with it, the more they would be capable of.


    Sadly, this one was one thing that his inherited memories didn¡¯t help with.


    This was purely a muscle memory.


    At least he knew how it worked, and that would allow him to use the best practices that would be developed in the future. And after reaching a certain level of mastery, he would be able to go after some advanced mana control abilities.


    But for now, he waited excitedly as the older man, taking his sweet time, stepped behind him, and placed a hand between his shoulder blades.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, young man, it won¡¯t hurt.¡±


    And then¡­


    Sam tried to enter the meditative state learned from his memories (and practiced in his new apartment after an exercise session) after a moment of focus his practice paid off and he could feel himself slip into it, losing access to his senses, only paying attention to the weird feeling as something unknown entered his body, then began moving around.


    Sam felt as what he knew as mana circulated in his body until, after minutes of seemingly aimless wandering around in his body, it finally reached his head, and something clicked.


    For a moment, he felt lightheaded, as if he had held his breath for several minutes, but then the feeling of mana in his body slowly went away leaving a slight itch behind his eyes, or at least seemingly originating from there, and leaving Sam oddly disappointed.


    Mana felt awesome!


    Then he felt himself shake lightly, and he snapped open his eyes, only to see the old magician staring down at him with a small, self-satisfied smile.


    ¡°It seems you have a great aptitude for mana, young man.¡± His eyes gained a faraway look as he continued. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen such ease at unlocking since¡­¡±


    Sam made sure to smile back, then slowly stood up, stretching his legs, while the other man stopped his reminiscing and slowly shuffled back to his seat behind the desk.


    Master Simon took up a scuffed pen and looked at him.


    ¡°That¡¯s done. Anything else I can help you with?¡±


    Sam shook out the last tingle from his limbs, then turned fully towards the magician and bowed.


    ¡°Thank you very much, sir!¡±


    The other man instantly seemed happier at the clear demonstration of respect.


    ¡°If it wouldn¡¯t be a problem, could you maybe sell me a copy of the Mana Shield spell?¡±


    ¡°Hooo, I didn¡¯t know young people still knew about that spell¡­¡± exclaimed the older man before starting to grumble. ¡°It seems nowadays, everybody using that new Mana Armor spell¡­ they have no respect for the old¡­¡±


    Sam cleared his throat, and the old magician snapped out of his grumbling and gave him an apologetic look.


    ¡°You know what? I think you would do well with that spell, so here!¡± He waved his hand and an unremarkable tome floated off one of the shelves lining the room into Sam¡¯s hand. ¡°I think you, er¡­ what was your name again?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Sam, sir.¡±


    ¡°Right, Sam, I think you have the talent to make it work, so go ahead and show the world what you are capable of!¡± At the end of the proclamation, the old man was almost yelling, but he seemingly caught himself, coughed twice into his fist, then hunched over his desk a little. ¡°But I have to continue my work, so if there is nothing else¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, sir!¡± answered Sam respectfully, inside giddy at the thought of gaining the spell for free. ¡°I¡¯ll see myself out and thank you again!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡­¡± and with that, the old magician¡¯s attention was on the tome in front of him, as if Sam didn¡¯t even exist.


    He slowly opened the door, not wanting to disturb the other man, and stepped into the hallway. The moment the door clicked shut behind him, a new prompt appeared before him.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve acquired the Mana Shield spell book! Do you want to learn it?]


    Sam looked around to see if anyone was watching, then simply spoke up.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Instantly, the book in his hand, like the coin bag that Selene had given him, turned into light, then into pixels that began to swirl before him, but instead of simply disappearing they swirled around for a moment and then rushed into his chest. He jumped a little from fright, expecting it to hurt, but he didn¡¯t feel anything.


    Then, as if a dam has been opened, a deluge of notifications popped up.


    [You¡¯ve unlocked your mana!]


    [Gained the Magic stat!]


    [You gained 5 MAG!]


    [You handled your mana unlocking exceptionally well!]


    [You gained +1 MAG!]


    [Mana is available to use!]


    [You¡¯re lucky! The bitter old man gave you a spell book for free!]


    [You gained 1 LUK!]


    [You gained the first name ¡®Sam¡¯!]


    [You learned the spell, Mana Shield!]


    [Mana Shield: Level 0 (0%) Using mana, you can form a simple shell around yourself, which decreases the damage you take. Damage decrease depends on the amount of mana invested.]

 Chapter 3

    Stepping outside the mage tower, which was actually a nice townhouse, and maybe generously could be called a mansion if one squinted. He could still see the people of the town bustling around, intermixed with a few players here and there. The true popularity of the game was still some way away, but despite that, a lot of people still wanted to try out the game that promised to deliver everything everybody ever wanted in a virtual reality game.


    By the time he, or rather the other Sam, joined the game around the end of February, things were already in full swing in the game; the cities, towns, and villages, no matter how small or big were filled with players, both young and old, wanting to experience the wonderful world of Magic Unbound.


    But for now, he was one of the few who were playing the new game.


    With that thought, he stepped away from the door of the magic tower and headed towards the weapon shop. After all, if one wanted to be an adventurer, one needed to have a weapon to kill monsters. Unless one wanted to be some kind of monk who fought with only their body.


    While Sam knew a few excellent builds for monks, he wasn¡¯t talented enough with martial arts to develop in that direction.


    The weapon shop was amongst the other shops, mostly catered towards local and traveling adventurers. And despite what he had read in his previous life, one would never be able to meet a master forger or tailor in any of these buildings. These were run by merchants or merchant companies, staffed with disinterested teenagers or older people who were bored sitting at home, who bought up ready-made weapons from a bunch of crafters and resold them for a profit.


    Meeting a master forger would be an exercise in frustration, and probably a gigantic quest chain, as they were protected by many layers of well-wishers, economic barriers, and greedy merchants who wanted to use them (and rarely by lords or other nobles).


    Stepping inside the appropriately named ¡¯Weapons for every Occasion¡¯, he was met by another bored young lady, but this one instead of reading some romance novel was leaning her head against her hand while her elbow was on the counter and seemed to be staring at nothing.


    Apparently retail was the same no matter what dimension or reality, or even game world¡­


    Sam greeted the girl, ignored the grunt that left the girl¡¯s lips, and headed for the racks of swords.


    He could have chosen some other weapon, maybe a spear, as they were much easier to use, but Sam wasn¡¯t here to play the game in the most optimized way. He was here to have fun with a game type that was just a dream in his previous reality.


    And, of course, swords were cool¡­


    Finally, after going through a few, testing their weight and balance, fully utilizing his inherited memories, he chose a simple steel sword, with decent length, and that was already sharpened.


    ¡¯Probably made by a journeyman and not an apprentice¡­¡¯ he thought as he placed the sword and its scabbard on the counter in front of the spiritless girl and went back to look for a proper utility knife.


    In the end, Sam came up with a sharp knife, with a cutting edge on one side and a serrated edge on the other side, and a nice comfortable hilt.


    Placing it next to the sword on the counter, Sam waited a second for the young woman to react, but she was still ignoring him. So he simply cleared his throat.


    ¡°Ahem! I¡¯d like to¡­¡±


    The sales girl¡¯s hands snapped out, taking the sword and knife from the counter with well-practiced ease, taking a look at them, then looking at Sam. She spoke slowly, her tone of voice clearly communicating her boredom, and how much pain her life was.


    ¡°That would be 62 silver coins, sir.¡± Then she continued in a monotone voice, reading from a small scrap of paper in front of her, not even attempting to hide what she was doing. ¡°Would you like to purchase a care bundle for new and fabulous equipment? If you do, we¡¯re offering 10% off from your entire purchase.¡±


    She looked at him as if already expecting the negative answer, but Sam just smirked.


    ¡°Sure, add it to the total.¡±


    There was an entire minute of silence as the young sales girl tried to process that her sales tactic actually worked, but then she jumped into action and began quickly tallying up the merchandise, dipping below the counter to bring a hastily packaged ¡®care bundle¡¯, then she told him the final price.


    ¡°That will be 58 silver and 50 bronze coins, sir.¡±


    He instantly put the required money into her waiting hand, happy with his purchase. The famous 3 silver care bundle was well known amongst the early players of the game. Some merchants miscalculated and every time they sold it, they lost money. Sadly, by the time the player population increased the merchant owning the shops selling the wrongly priced care bundles (containing some weapon oils, cloth to clean them and whetstones, and a few other odds and ends) wised up and increased the price.


    Thus demonstrating that the NPCs weren¡¯t perfect and could be played or cheated.


    Leaving the weapon shop, he added the sword to his belt and stowed the knife in his inventory.


    He then did some window shopping while walking towards the armor shop, making sure everything was as it was in his inherited memories. In the armor shop, he was met by an older saleslady, who didn¡¯t understand armor and was rather slow to count the money, but thanks to his inherited knowledge, he still managed to buy a plain reinforced glove and a pair of bracers.


    While he would have preferred to leave town with better protection, for now, his budget was only good for these.


    With a quick detour to the general store for a waterskin, a few odds, and ends, and some rations, he finally headed to acquire his first quest.


    <hr>


    For the next step of his plan, he would have to finally step outside of the town and start hunting the numerous beasties around Greenwood. And on the way, Sam would pick up a few quests.


    Opening the door, he ignored the small bell that went off, and walked directly to the blood-stained counter, already making eye contact with a visibly frustrated butcher.


    ¡°Good morning!¡± he greeted him, while the man just grunted in response.


    ¡°What do ya want?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to ask if it is possible to bring beasts here that I hunted and get them cleaned up?¡±


    The man grunted again as an answer, but the frustration was visibly replaced by something that seemed to be a mix of hope and annoyance.


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°Ye. Can do that, kid,¡± came the terse reply, and Sam cheered inwardly that once again his inherited memories were confirmed. ¡°Tell you what, you seem like a halfway competent person, so here is the deal: I¡¯m in need of some fresh rabbit meat and my usual supplier is out of town. And, of course, this is the exact day some fancy schmuck wants to have a fancy dinner. So if you get me some clean rabbit meat before sunset, I¡¯ll clean the rest for ye free.¡±


    Sam thought about it for a second, then nodded. ¡®Exactly what I needed!¡¯


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    The butcher grunted again and reached for a dirty rag to clean his counter with while glaring at Sam. ¡°Then what are you still doing here?¡±


    Sam chuckled and quickly left the store.


    Outside of the store, he stepped away from the windows that showcased some prime cuts to prevent the butcher from seeing him standing around and took a look at the quest screen.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Help a butcher out!]


    [One of the butchers in Greenwood has had a bout of bad luck. A well-paying customer has ordered very fresh rabbit meat, but the butcher¡¯s regular supplier, one of the hunters, is out of town for some reason. This is where you come in! Gather the meat of a dozen rabbits, but be careful to keep the meat clean and not in pieces. The better the quality of collected meat is, the better the rewards.]


    [Time limit: Until sunset]


    Looking up at the sky, wishing for an enchanted clock, Sam nodded to himself, and with an errant thought, headed for the same gates that he used to enter the town.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see how good I am with the sword¡­¡¯ he thought sarcastically, while frantically going over everything he could find out from his memories.


    <hr>


    Leaving the town was an easy affair, but the surprisingly awake guard told him that he should get an ID made if he planned to leave the town a lot.


    These IDs were unique to each location, though some of them could be used in multiple countries or areas. But if you wanted to do anything more than exist in a place, it was highly recommended to register at the local office that handled such things. For example, in Greenwood, this could be done at the mayor¡¯s office.


    But for now, he was good with the guard simply knowing his face. IDs were more important in bigger cities where guard rotations happened frequently and the populace was big enough that no guard could, or even cared to, remember anybody¡¯s face.


    Sam headed directly to a field that was south of the town, where no areas were being worked by farmers, just the slightly tamed nature, tall grass with a few wildflowers and a dense forest awaited him. The entire forest was kept as a reserve, for the population to have something to hunt in, and of course, it helped that the forest was home to several beings that would erase Greenwood with their mere snort if the humans even thought about removing it.


    Thankfully, he didn¡¯t have to worry about those high-level monsters, as they lived way deeper in the forest, but there were several occasions in the past that one of them wandered closer to the town. And not just in Greenwood.


    One of the famous events at the beginning of the game was at the town of Evergreen, up north (sadly too far away for Sam) where an ancient ice fox chasing one of its kits wandered too close to the town. And the players, of course, decided it was a bonus boss or maybe an event boss¡­


    The area was renamed Ice plains, and until the highest leveled players reached around level 100, nobody even tried to get near that place.


    He had a few tactics to deal with such monsters (which didn¡¯t include fighting them, as you couldn¡¯t even cheese the fights) but to his best knowledge, no such monster approached Greenwood around this time.


    So, he only had to deal with the local equivalent of rabbits.


    While their fur was indeed cuddly and soft, they were extremely territorial, yet placid. They would only attack, even a dragon (some ranger with rabbit pets tried it), if they were provoked.


    And, of course, they were gigantic.


    The males sometimes reached four feet in length, while the females varied between two feet and six, depending on the age. Thankfully, they were kept in check by the local predators¡­


    Curiously, Sam couldn¡¯t see any other players out on the field.


    ¡®Maybe they already out-leveled the area?¡¯


    Not that Sam cared. They were all racing for the highest level, and he was here to build a foundation.


    Walking a good distance away from the town (yet close enough to run back if he encountered something big and nasty), he looked around, took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.


    ¡®So amazing¡­ Compared to the VR games in my previous life, this is miles better¡­¡¯


    Shaking his head, Sam then turned his attention towards his goal. Namely killing the cute bunnies. They weren¡¯t exactly running around freely like in other games, where the tutorial town always had a field full of level 1 monsters for people to level up and try out their new abilities. He actually had to hunt for the rabbits.


    But once again, he knew something that most people didn¡¯t.


    The rabbits near Greenwood had a favorite flower they liked to nibble on.


    So he spent a few minutes gathering said flowers, which looked like marigolds with slightly fewer petals than the ones found in the real world. Sam simply ripped their flowers off the plants, easily crushed them in his hands, then placed the resulting mush onto a flat rock in the middle of a clearing where the grass wasn¡¯t as high as everywhere else. Then he took a few steps back and stood in an unfamiliar stance.


    Making use of his memories, he unsheathed the sword, grabbed it with both hands, then waited patiently. Sometimes he moved a little, trying to find the most comfortable position that the stance allowed. In his previous life, he never once held a sword in his hand, yet the other Sam used the sword for years. And with that came a generous amount of memories and experiences about sword-wielding.


    Luckily, only after a few minutes of waiting, Sam spotted one of the giant rabbits sniffing around on the other side of the rock, where he placed the bait.


    The size of the beast was truly surprising. From where he stood, it looked at least three feet long, with short, but seemingly very fluffy, brownish fur.


    Judging that the rabbit was close enough, he took a hesitant step forward, only for the rabbit to raise their head in alarm and look directly at him.


    Then the rabbit growled. Growled!


    He tightened the grip on the sword and waited for the perfect moment (according to his memories) to strike.


    Then he took another step forward.


    The rabbit growled again, then fell silent, but Sam saw its leg tense.


    There was a moment of silence as if the entire field and forest fell silent just to witness the titanic battle between man and rabbit.


    Then the rabbit jumped, and Sam slashed down.


    Sadly, he only managed to catch the rabbit with the flat of his blade, and by the time he realized this, the rabbit gathered its wits, and once again jumped at him, aiming at Sam¡¯s torso.


    They danced around like this, with Sam slashing at the charging rabbit, either missing the animal entirely or only nicking it with the tip of his sword.


    Finally, after minutes of draining jumping around, Sam was breathing heavily and his hands holding the sword were shaking slightly, but the rabbit was in a similar situation. Its hide was in tatters, bleeding from numerous small holes, and was glaring at Sam with the strength of a thousand suns, the bait on the rock long forgotten.


    However, it was clear that the animal was too exhausted to move again. So Sam, swallowing heavily, took a big step forward and raised his sword with his shaking hands.


    ¡°Sorry, little buddy!¡± he told the rabbit while trying to calm his hammering heart. ¡®This game is too realistic¡­¡¯


    He swallowed again, looked into the rabbit¡¯s eyes, and swung his sword.


    The sword landed with a heavy thunk on the ground, and the rabbit¡¯s head fell silently into the dirt, blood flowing freely from its neck.


    ¡®It¡¯s not real. It¡¯s not real. It¡¯s not real¡­¡¯


    Sam closed his eyes and took a few calming breaths, trying to ignore the stench of blood originating from his first kill.


    For a long moment, he reconsidered playing the game. After all, if the death of a simple (albeit gigantic) rabbit was this realistic, then what would happen the first time he fought people?


    Would he be able to handle it?


    Then he heard a crisp sound originating from inside his head, and as he opened his eyes, he saw a new screen.


    [You killed a Giant Forest Rabbit!]


    [You gained 10 Experience points!]


    Broken out of his thoughts, he waved away the screens, retrieved some rope he bought from his inventory, and began the process of hanging the rabbit up to drain the blood properly.


    While this was a game, and some processes took a much shorter time, some actions still had to be done to get the best quality items. He could have simply taken the corpse of the rabbit as it was, put it into his inventory, then handed it over to the butcher, but he would get a much better quality of meat back if he were to take the time to do some basic hunting activities. Like draining the blood.


    Then, as his first hunt was being drained on a nearby tree, Sam squared his shoulders, quelled his hammering heart, and stepped back towards the stone where he left the bait, as he could already see another rabbit sniffing around.


    He had some hunting to do¡­

 Chapter 4

    Immediately after finishing with preparing the rabbit, and burying the blood and viscera that escaped the battered body of Sam¡¯s first kill, placing the body into his inventory, he once again took out his steel sword, took up his stance, now a little more familiar, and waited for the next rabbit to come closer to the bait laid out.


    While the memories of the other Sam were useful, they sadly didn¡¯t come with any organization, and most importantly with any muscle memory. So Sam had to make the memories and experience his own over time. He couldn¡¯t get top-grade skills after swinging his sword for the first time.


    At least, while in real life he was rather lazy and it took a serious mental effort to maintain his exercise routine, in games, Sam never shied away from practicing until he bored himself to death. And now with virtual reality, the experience would be many times better than sitting in front of the computer screen and watching the numbers go up.


    He raised his sword and slashed once again, as a new rabbit jumped at him after getting spooked by stepping towards them.


    This time, the fur of the rabbit was in a marginally better state as Sam beheaded the poor rabbit after a small fight. He adjusted his stance once again, grabbed the handle of the sword a little differently, and waited for the next rabbit.


    <hr>


    Sam watched as the life left the eyes of the tenth rabbit, and he couldn¡¯t help but let out a shaky and exhausted breath. But then he immediately perked up as a long-awaited screen tsunami appeared in front of him.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You¡¯re now level 1!]


    [Gained 2 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Gained 1 END point, thanks to your perseverance!]


    [Congratulations, thanks to your persistence with the sword you¡¯ve learned the Basic Sword Mastery skill!]


    [Basic Sword Mastery: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) Shows that you are capable of wielding a sword. Mastering the basics will allow you to start learning advanced moves. Slightly increases the damage you do with a sword.]


    ¡°Yes!¡± whooping, Sam danced a little, and quickly assigned his two new unassigned points, as he firmly believed that holding onto those points was the height of foolishness, especially at the beginning of the game where their worth was incalculable. One went to Perception and the other to Magic. He could make things work with his relatively low physical stats, but higher magic stats were important for his plans and it was simply a necessity for making use of mana.


    And just to make sure, Sam closed his eyes, and reached out to his new phantom limb, trying to sense his own mana. And to his surprise, even this one point increase allowed him a much clearer view of his own mana.


    Experimentally, he tried to move it around, mimicking the old magician back in the mage tower, and to his surprise, he actually could play with it a little. It was like taking sand into his hand and trying to move it in some kind of exotic pattern that he himself didn¡¯t really grasp while the sand kept slipping from his hand, only to end with an empty fist when he finished the pattern.


    It was confusing, but at the same time exhilarating. To Sam, this new sensation, the feedback from ¡®touching¡¯ the mana, alone was worth trying the game¡­


    ¡®Poor rabbits, but I¡¯m not giving this up¡­¡¯ he thought, then tried once again. He managed to reach three repetitions of the weird movement when his status screen reminded him with a harsh alarm that he had run out of mana.


    Sam shook his head, then ignoring his empty mana, he checked his latest victim, and after he saw that it was empty of blood, he put the rabbit corpse into his inventory (the hide in a much better state) and refocused on the hunt once again.


    Observing the bait and the area, Sam decided he needed to move, as the constant fighting has already disturbed the local wildlife. The grass was trampled and torn up, several pockmarks decorated the field and a liberal amount of blood was soaking into the ground, deterring the animals he aimed to hunt, even with his bait.


    So, he began wandering in a random direction, still keeping the town walls in sight. Along the way he casually picked up the rabbits¡¯ favorite flower when he came across one to make a new bait, but he was focused on thinking about mana.


    Strictly speaking, a player didn¡¯t need to do all of what Sam had done. Most players could play the game without learning how to really control their mana. They would simply unlock their mana, get some skill or spell, and go on an adventure. Granted, they would have to yell the name of the skill or spell or make a specific movement to activate it, but even that way they could bring out 100% power of the skill.


    The thing was, by learning to control his mana, Sam would be able to activate skills without speaking, and would bring out more than 100% of the power of the skill. Admittedly, it wasn¡¯t so easy that anyone could do it, but the few who managed to reach the level where they could squeeze more power out of their skills than possible were the best of the best.


    So, if he wanted to be one of the best, Sam had to buckle down, and practice until his eyes bled, and he was numb with boredom because as with everything else, learning to control mana was reliant on talent. Some could learn it just as easily as breathing and some would struggle for years just to achieve the basics. In this regard, the other Sam had a middling talent, capable of a lot, but never reaching the top of the mountain.


    Unfortunately, there was no universal test that would determine a person¡¯s talent, so Sam had to go in blind to see what he could achieve.


    Arriving in another clearing, Sam found another flat-ish rock, placed the mass of crushed flowers, took a step back, raised his sword, and once again, waited.


    <hr>


    Sam swiped the sweat off his forehead and looked at the giant rabbit carcasses laid out in front of him.


    After arriving at the second location, he kept at the ¡®hunting¡¯ until he bagged his 25<sup>th</sup> rabbit, then he sat down to rest for a while, exhausted, and now he was surveying his collection. Sadly, he didn¡¯t level up again, as while the first level only needed 100 experience points, the second level up already required 300 experience points. And it got worse from there¡­


    The first few were in tatters and he even could see a few bones poking out of the low-quality fur. Those wouldn¡¯t be the ones he would hand over to complete the quest. But the last dozen or so were of much better quality.


    Thanks to his new skill and practice, he managed to defeat them with one swipe. Mostly at the neck, but sometimes he managed to cut them in half on his first strike.


    Sam, hoping that the butcher would accept them, collected the rabbits back to his inventory, organized them into two piles, tried to clean the detritus off his low-quality clothing, with little success, and began heading back to the town.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    On the way, he continued his practice with the mana, feeling as if he was on a verge of discovering something. It was an elusive feeling, and it annoyed Sam greatly that he couldn¡¯t really figure it out. Even looking into his inherited memories didn¡¯t help, as according to them, everybody had a different reaction to the mana, and felt it differently.


    Arriving at the gate, he greeted the guard, who was once again almost napping, received a grunt in response, then headed for the butcher.


    <hr>


    Sam stepped into the butcher¡¯s shop, the bell ringing as he shut the door behind him, only to be met with the scowling face of the butcher, who was still standing behind the counter, aggressively cleaning it. Though Sam could spot that some products were gone, or moved around.


    ¡°Back are ye?¡± asked the butcher without any greeting. ¡°Did ye get it?¡±


    ¡°I sure did, sir,¡± replied Sam, keeping his tone even. The butcher didn¡¯t seem like a person who would appreciate Sam sucking up to him. ¡°Where should I put them?¡±


    ¡°The counter,¡± came the dry answer as the butcher motioned towards it.


    Sam nodded, and one by one, he began retrieving the rabbit carcasses from his inventory, placing them in front of the butcher, who was already scrutinizing the first one with sharp eyes.


    He watched as the man hemmed and poked the carcasses for a few minutes, even going as far as to sniff them, probably for freshness. Then, after the butcher was finished with the last one, coincidentally the one in the best condition, he looked up from his work at Sam.


    ¡°I knew ye were halfway competent, as these are halfway decent,¡± he said in a gruff voice, but Sam managed to spot the light of satisfaction in his eyes. ¡°With this, I can make the order.¡±


    No thank you followed it as the butcher began hauling the carcasses to the backroom for processing, but Sam didn¡¯t really care as he was more preoccupied with the screen that appeared after the last sentence of the butcher.


    [You¡¯ve completed the quest: Help a butcher out!]


    [Your reward is free processing of any animal carcass you give to the butcher on this day!]


    Sam nodded, happy with the reward, then patiently waited until the other man returned.


    The burly professional reached out with his meaty hand and gestured towards Sam. ¡°Now, gimme the remaining and I¡¯ll do ¡®em quick.¡±


    So Sam, with a slight smile, quickly dumped the rest of the rabbits on the counter.


    ¡°When should I get back?¡±


    The other man, without looking up, just grunted again.


    ¡°An hour,¡± there was a moment of silence, then he continued. ¡°These are shit quality. Ye need to practice, kid.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. I do.¡± was Sam¡¯s only reply. And with that, he turned around and left the shop, confident that the person behind the counter didn¡¯t much care for small talk.


    <hr>


    Knowing that in an hour he couldn¡¯t really achieve anything of importance, Sam simply decided to enjoy the scenery. He walked back to the town square, where a very stereotypical fountain was surrounded by a little greenery and a few benches for the people of Greenwood to rest during their shopping trips or just for travelers to take in the view of the town.


    Taking a seat on one of these, Sam continued to practice his mana control, until he once again ran out of mana, while participating in the age-old tradition of people watching.


    He saw workers heading to have a meal, women with giant baskets full of produce heading home, old ladies gossiping while slowly heading somewhere, peddlers walking around, a few pickpockets, stern-faced guards patrolling, and, of course, players.


    Compared to the locals, they were much more excited, rushing to and fro, eagerly showing each other different pieces of equipment, or breathlessly describing some amazing skill.


    The game didn¡¯t have an official rarity system, so it was really hard for beginners to determine the worth of items at first look. For example, when buying a sword, you couldn''t just look at the color of the name. You had to check the material it was made from the crafter and take it into your hand and do a few practice swings.


    Sam even spotted a person walking around, gesticulating at the town, while seemingly talking to himself.


    A streamer.


    Like always, a new game was always good for streamers, and Magic Unbound wasn¡¯t any different. Though initially not a lot of streamers tried to showcase the game, but even with those few who took the leap, it was enough to entice the population to participate in the game.


    According to his memories, if everything happened the same way, it would take around a month or so for the game to be picked up by the populace at large. Which would give him around four months of in-game time to achieve his goals.


    Watching as the streamer walked around for a while, talking to NPCs and players alike, he returned his attention to his mana, closed his eyes, and focused.


    Sam could feel that he was close. To what, he didn¡¯t know, but he was close.


    He once again took hold of the mana and began to move it in the same pattern the old mage did when he unlocked Sam¡¯s mana. But this time, he made sure to clench his metaphorical fist extra hard, and as he moved the mana, he could feel himself shake a little, sweat flowing down his forehead, but he kept his hold on the mana that was in his phantom appendage.


    The mana still fled from his control as he moved along the mysterious path. The mana, like granules of sand, slipped from his fingers, but with a herculean effort, he managed to keep a hold onto a few of them.


    And then the path ended; mana successfully moved in a circle, and for a moment Sam was surprised, but then he was distracted by what was happening in his body.


    The mana, previously sluggish, just hovering around, doing nothing, changed. It was now, still somewhat slowly, following along the route that flowed inside him. It was extremely slow. At Sam¡¯s estimation, it would take minutes for one ¡®grain¡¯ of mana to move in a full circle. Even if it wasn¡¯t a circle, but some kind of esoteric pattern that was hard to describe with any of the languages he spoke.


    Scarcely believing that he managed to achieve this, Sam opened his eyes and checked out the patiently waiting screens in front of him.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve managed to learn the Basic Mana Control skill!]


    [Basic Mana Control: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) You managed to gain basic control over your own mana. Mastering this skill will allow you to learn more advanced techniques. This skill also increases the amount of mana regenerated at a time.


    +1 Mana Regeneration per Second]


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve managed to learn Basic Mana Control without any instruction or help!]


    [You¡¯ve gained +1 PER +1 MAG!]


    Whooping in happiness, Sam jumped up and did a little dance, ignoring as people looked weirdly at him (or as the players stared at him with speculation) then did a quick check of his status screen.


    [Name: Sam ¡®Solar¡¯


    Level: 1 (50%)


    Title: -


    HP: 100/100


    MP: 42/80


    STR: 5


    DEX: 5


    AGI: 5


    VIT: 5


    END: 6


    MAG: 8


    PER: 7


    WIS: 5


    LUCK: 8]


    [Skills:


    <ol style="text-align: center">


    <li style="text-align: left">Mana Shield: Level 0 (13%) Using mana, you can form a simple shell around yourself, which decreases the damage you take. Damage decrease depends on the amount of mana invested.</li>


    <li style="text-align: left">Basic Sword Mastery: Level 2/10 (6%) (Passive) Shows that the person is capable of wielding a sword. Mastering the basics will allow the user to start learning advanced moves. Slightly increases the damage you do with a sword.</li>


    <li style="text-align: left">Basic Mana Control: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) You managed to gain basic control over your own mana. Mastering this skill will allow you to learn more advanced techniques. This skill also increases the amount of mana regenerated at a time.</li>


    </ol>


    +1 Mana Regeneration per Second]


    Sam stared at it for a few seconds with satisfaction, then looked up at the sun, saw that it was time to head back to the butcher, stopped celebrating, closed the status screen, and began walking with a little pep in his steps, while his mind was still marveling at the feeling of mana moving around inside of him.


    <hr>


    The process of receiving the meat and tattered hides of the giant rabbits was smooth, and Sam could see that the butcher was already much happier. So, he simply put the meat and hides away, said his goodbyes to the grouchy man, and left the shop.


    Outside of the shop, he did a simple check of his equipment, making sure that there weren¡¯t any cracks on his sword (thankfully the beginner clothing was self-cleaning to a level, so there weren¡¯t any remnants of rabbit or his blood on it), and once again headed for the outside.


    But this time, he wasn¡¯t going to hunt.

 Chapter 5

    While on the surface the areas around the world of Magic Unbound were different, the developers were still good enough to make the tutorial areas the same in a sense. Each had a middle-sized town, several crafters that could be found and learned from, and a few NPCs that would teach the basics of archetypes if one went and looked for them. As well as several secrets that Sam would mercilessly exploit in the future.


    And the areas around these tutorial towns were also given the same treatment.


    Every tutorial town, like Greenwood, had an area around them that could be broken down into layers.


    Greenwood had a forest.


    The outer layer was full of low-level monsters that were perfect for beginners to learn the ropes. Going deeper, players would find monsters that would give them a challenge, but they would still be defeatable alone if the player prepared or was talented enough. Going one layer deeper for solo gamers would be only possible for the strongest or most talented, with parties dominating the monsters found there.


    And it was in this layer where players around the tutorial towns could find bosses.


    Of course, one could ask: how could the game prevent much stronger players from coming back to tutorial towns, dominating them, or simply causing chaos?


    When Sam experienced those memories, he really had to tip his hat to the developers of the game¡­


    If a high-leveled player decided to go back to a tutorial town, a lot of things could happen. If, for example, they had a valid reason to go there, like on a quest, then nothing would happen. They would simply go there, speak to whomever they needed to speak to, and leave.


    But if some miscreants decided to go back to their old tutorial town to grief beginners and low-level players, the game wouldn¡¯t stop them with barriers or warnings.


    No¡­


    Instead, they would be approached by some NPC and offered a quest that was more attractive than griefing noobs, or maybe some event would happen near them that would need their attention. Or sometimes the NPC wouldn¡¯t even approach them, maybe their guild leader would task them with the job not knowing their intention.


    Thanks to the game¡¯s ability to gather data, analyze it and make use of it, it could delay or distract any player that was aiming to cause chaos where there shouldn¡¯t be chaos.


    And what about those who were unaffected by these actions?


    Every area of the game was home to a being that was its guardian, and when those obstinate people arrived at these places, those guardians would get a revelation from a ¡®god¡¯ and go and do a little cleanup.


    It took players a long time to put this together, but when it clicked, everybody was impressed. Sam couldn¡¯t blame them, as it was a good system.


    But his goal wasn¡¯t to cause chaos but to head to one of the spots in the forest where he could acquire something he needed.


    So he left the town, woke up the guard who was napping with his greeting and ignoring the grumbling he left behind, and headed for the deeper part of the forest.


    Granted, with his level the moment he stepped into the real deep part of the forest, the first squirrel would destroy him, but he had a secret weapon.


    Distraction!


    He had several chunks of fresh, prime giant rabbit meat ready to be thrown! And with a little bit of stealth, audacity, and knowledge from his memories, it wouldn¡¯t be any trouble to reach his goal. With that determination, Sam stepped over the imaginary line that separated the forest from the fields before it and started heading deeper, hands ready to throw juicy meat pieces at aggressive predators.


    Arguably not the greatest plan, but according to his memories, most really aggressive predators were nocturnal, and those who were active during the day had learned to fear humans, so they wouldn¡¯t attack him without due cause. Were he a little stronger, maybe with an aura spell, he would have been able simply to stroll through the forest.


    As it was, Sam had to check his every step, stop every time a bush bristled, and listen when he heard a noise.


    For a while, he was all alone, the natural sounds of the forest surrounding him, then suddenly he heard a noise.


    A bush moved to his right.


    Sam froze, with one hand reaching for the meat in his inventory, the other approaching his sword, but not yet drawing it. Then an enormous hog stepped through the underbrush, snorting and honking with excitement.


    Sam could see the moment when the hog realized it wasn¡¯t alone. It also froze, staring at Sam, then it took a big sniff and, to Sam¡¯s relief, snorted dismissively, looking away from him and restarting his movement, trotting forward. And to his surprise, followed by a succession of small piglets, excitedly squealing.


    It would have been adorable if Sam didn¡¯t know that the hog was at least Level 5 and would have gored him to death within seconds, Mana Shield notwithstanding. He waited with bated breath until the small family vanished in the wild undergrowth and then continued on his journey.


    <hr>


    As he skulked around the forest, Sam couldn¡¯t help but feel that he should deserve to receive at least the basic stealth skill.


    ¡®Or maybe not¡­¡¯ he thought as he tossed another scrap of meat at a snarling wolf. The wolf jumped a little, catching the meat while flying through the air, and while it was busy gorging itself on it, Sam beat a hasty retreat.


    Looking up at the approaching mountainside that rose out of this part of the forest, he felt relieved, as it meant he was close to his goals.


    At the beginning of the game, one of the guilds whose members were from the same city, the same city he lived in, managed to get some hints from the rangers in the Greenwood, and after some trouble, figured out a trick for something amazing.


    The local Tutorial Boss was a giant mother wolf protecting her cubs. Players could anger it by driving the population of animals she relied on to feed her cubs down, or by killing too many wolves as she feared the players would bring harm to her cubs, or by simply receiving a quest to kill it after completing a chain quest with the locals.


    What that guild figured out thanks to one of their rangers (and later mercilessly bragged about) was that if you were smart enough, you could lure the mother wolf away and tempt the little cubs with fresh meat to come with you.


    Just grabbing them never worked, as it would push the instant berserk button for the mother wolf, and even the rangers stationed at Greenwood would look down on the player who did that.


    But tempting them with meat was fair game¡­


    And Sam was here to try it, with a little variation.


    He didn¡¯t have enough power, or people, to lure the mother wolf away, so he was planning on bribing it. Mostly because having an animal companion this early would be a godsend, and because in his previous life, Sam was almost deathly allergic to anything with fur, and he really wanted to experience what it was like to own a dog. Or wolf. He wasn¡¯t picky¡­


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    <hr>


    Minutes later, he realized that the underbrush was clearing out a little, with the trees standing just a little farther from each other, and more and more rocks were littering the ground.


    Swallowing heavily, he put away his sword and knife into his inventory, and retrieved a bigger amount of meat, then slowly, not even trying to hide he walked forward, towards where, according to his memories, the cave housing the mother wolf was.


    Seconds later, Sam even began to hear the playful yips of wolf cubs as they presumably played around.


    Stepping around the last tree, he found himself in a clearing surrounded by rocks. Laying in front of the entrance of a cave was a giant wolf, with scraggy gray and white fur, very intelligent eyes that were looking directly at him, and giant fangs that Sam didn¡¯t really want anywhere near him¡­


    The half dozen cubs around him were, however, incredibly cute. They were basically small balls of soft fur with snouts.


    Sam raised his hand, one empty and the other holding the meat, and took a final step forward and stopped at a decent distance from the small family. Then the wind shifted, and a small gust flew from behind him, bringing his scent towards the wolves. The small ones, so far ignoring, or not even noticing him, suddenly stilled, and raised their adorable heads towards him.


    Sam could see their little beady eyes trained on the juicy meat in hand as drool started to flow from their mouth. He would have chuckled if he weren¡¯t at a mercy of the area boss.


    The mother wolf spent a moment looking at him, then glanced at the cubs, then at him and around them. Then a moment later, presumably after making sure nobody else was around, she snorted and stood up slowly. With lumbering steps, she stepped forward and growled at him.


    Getting the clear message, Sam raised his hand and gently threw the meat in front of the giant wolf, as it towered over him with its almost eight feet of height.


    The wolf then spent a few moments smelling the meat, nibbling it a little, while actively trying to shove the cubs away from Sam¡¯s offering, before picking it up with her teeth and throwing it behind her with a lazy movement.


    The moment the piece of giant rabbit meat went flying, the cubs jumped and ran after it, and as it landed with a meaty thud, they pounced on it and began tearing it apart, while their mother simply stood there and eyed Sam.


    Sam, knowing his precarious situation, just gave the mother wolf a small, closed-mouth smile.


    Then he slowly moved his hand so that the wolf could see and retrieved another piece of meat.


    While reading the body language of a wolf was much harder than a human¡¯s, Sam still could see a small spark of delight appear in the wolf¡¯s eyes.


    So, without further ado, he threw it at her¡­


    <hr>


    After half an hour of slowly throwing pieces of meat at the wolf with a few minutes of interval, to allow the cubs, and after that their mother to eat their fill, the mother wolf finally got used to Sam enough that she simply retreated to her previous position, laid down once again and rested her not so small head on her paws that could probably pulverize his ribcage and watched the cubs play while still keeping an eye on the surroundings and more importantly, Sam.


    Sam, taking this as a sign of trust, swallowed heavily and took a step forward while eyeing the giant wolf. As the wolf didn¡¯t do anything, Sam took another one. And then another, and so on, until he was standing next to a small flat rock that was perfect for sitting down. Which he did immediately, mostly to be able to relax a little, as holding so still was starting to stress his body.


    And as he sat down under the watchful gaze of the mother wolf, he could feel his legs shaking.


    It was one thing to see a wolf in the zoo, and it was another thing to see the same animal, just three times its original size in the game with Magic Unbound¡¯s perfect recreation of the senses.


    Sam would freely admit to anyone if they asked that he was scared as hell¡­


    But he had a plan, and thus far it seemed to be working.


    Watching the freely playing pups, he couldn¡¯t help but let out an involuntary chuckle. They were just so adorable. Currently, they were play fighting over a stick, with two of the bigger ones holding on to the two ends, and the rest attacking the two wherever they could.


    Then he froze as he realized that the mother wolf instantly raised her head and looked at him alerted by the noise. He slowly turned his head and looked into the eyes of the giant wolf, then shrugged and pointed at the pups.


    The mother wolf followed his finger with her eyes, and as Sam watched, he could see the tender care for her cubs in those eyes. Then the wolf surprised him by letting another snort that seemed to be more like a chortle, and the mother wolf simply laid back, half closing her eyes.


    Sam let out a sigh of relief and then refocused on his goal¡­


    <hr>


    As the cubs played around, they would inevitably come closer to him, which allowed him to reach out and simply pet them.


    The first time he did this, every wolf in the clearing froze, their intelligent eyes directed at him, while the pup he was petting shivered in fear, but as they realized what he was actually doing, the bigger cubs returned to their games and the mother just huffed.


    He kept this up for a while when something happened.


    The stick, already chewed thoroughly and incredibly dry, broke.


    Both big cubs took one piece of the stick, triumphantly howling at their victory, then trotted to their mother to show off their spoil while the rest of the pack of cubs followed them, yipping jealously. Except for the smallest one.


    During the tousle, one of the bigger cubs kicked it away, and as it lay there pitifully, it whined in a high voice at their mother, no doubt complaining about the unfairness of the game.


    Sam watched this in fascination, not daring to interfere.


    The mother wolf opened an eye, looked at the triumphant cubs, and the whining one, then used one of its giant paws to bat the howling ones to the side, causing them to stop the noise they were generating, then looked at the small wolf pup, snorted derisively and returned her head in a resting position and closed her eyes.


    The small wolf whined a little more, but no more attention came from its mother. Then it shakily stood up and looked around. And Sam could clearly see the spark of an idea appear in its eyes.


    ¡®Probably along the lines that if the mother doesn¡¯t help me, then the other thing that gives me food will help me¡­¡¯ Sam thought with a wry smile as he watched the smallest cub slowly approach him, with the most pitiful look on its head.


    Apparently, it was an aspiring actor¡­


    Sam just chuckled and retrieved a small piece of meat and held it out to the wolf cub. The fight was immediately forgotten as hunger bloomed behind the wolf¡¯s eyes and it pounced so fast at the meat that Sam almost had no time to let it go.


    After that, it was pure bliss for the little wolf¡­


    Sam kept feeding it small scraps while petting it, scratching behind its ears, and then finally, after the wolf was almost comatose from happiness, scratching its belly.


    Keeping up the good work, Sam watched as the rest of the pups played while their mother napped, but nothing else exciting happened.


    Then, as he could clearly see the sun leaving its zenith and descending towards the horizon, Sam watched as the cubs one by one tired themselves out, simply laying next to their mother, either chewing on the stick they had won or half asleep.


    Except for the smallest who somehow managed to worm its way into his lap was getting his stomach scratched by Sam.


    Then, without any warning, the mother wolf stood up, scaring the wolf cubs awake, gave him a long look, growled at the cubs, then turned halfway around towards the cave. The pups getting the message slowly got up, sleepily yawning. Even the one in Sam¡¯s lap stopped (no matter how reluctantly) enjoying his ministrations and jumped off his lap and to their mother.


    Though both Sam and its mother could see it hesitate.


    The mother wolf once again surprised Sam, when she sighed, gave him a piercing stare and reached down with her snout, and nudged the smallest cub toward him.


    The cub at first was confused, then as it realized what was happening, yipped happily, and ran around excitedly its mother once, then dashed back to Sam¡¯s leg, looking up at him with adoring eyes.


    Sam looked into the eyes of the wolf mother and, still sitting, bowed his head in respect, then reached into his inventory, taking out most of his meat supply, followed up by throwing it towards her.


    Instead of letting it land on the ground, the wolf, with an almost impossible speed, reached up with her mouth and grabbed the pieces of meat out of the air. Then calmly nodded at him and followed the rest of the cubs back to the cave.


    Leaving Sam alone in the clearing with one adorable and eager wolf cub.


    He leaned down and patted the wolf on its head, to which it leaned into with great enthusiasm.


    And as his hand left the wolf¡¯s head, the screen he was hoping for appeared in front of him.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve tamed a Juvenile Gray Forest Wolf!


    Would you like to see its status page?]


    [You¡¯ve acquired your first pet! Make sure to treat it right!]


    [Thanks to the way you¡¯ve tamed the Juvenile Gray Forest Wolf, you acquired the Companion Sense skill!]


    [Companion Sense: Level 0 (0%) This skill allows you to determine the direction of your companion relative to yourself. With the improvement of the bond between you and your companion, the ability of this skill will also grow.]


    Sam smiled, then looked down at the small wolf that was still staring at him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, little guy!¡±


    He stood up, shaking the pins and needles from his appendages, and began heading towards the town, with the wolf excitedly running after him with its stubby legs and yipping in happiness.

 Chapter 6

    The way back was much easier and way less nerve-wracking.


    Sam didn¡¯t know if it was because he still had the smell of the mother wolf, the boss of the area, on him, or that the young wolf that was now his pet wasn¡¯t even making an effort to remain stealthy.


    He would jump from tree to tree, trying to step lightly and move that way back to Greenwood, while the little ball of fur, straightforwardly ran ahead, barked at everything, peed on things, or simply ran around him in circles, wagging its tail and yipping in excitement.


    Apparently, everything was new to the little one, as seemingly it had never left the clearing where Sam found the wolf family.


    So, in the end, with a big sigh and a pat on the excited wolf¡¯s head, Sam simply stopped trying to be stealthy and began to jog towards the town. They were pursued by a few predators a few times, but none of them were too interested in really hunting them down after Sam threw a little giant rabbit meat in their direction.


    Thankfully, the developers made sure that the mobs in the tutorial areas weren¡¯t hyper-aggressive.


    In this way, the duo managed to reach the edge of the forest, with the walls of the town in the distance, within half an hour.


    Sam was breathing heavily from the exertion, but the little wolf was wagging its tail and tongue in happiness.


    He just shook his head in exasperation, then stepped into the open field. Sam was about to head to the town to continue his ¡®master plan¡¯ when his new companion barked a little, then arched its back and began to growl at the tall grass.


    Sam sighed and retrieved his sword.


    ¡®A little more meat wouldn¡¯t hurt, and the day hasn¡¯t ended so the deal with the butcher still stands¡­¡¯ he thought, then, with his attention on the grass, he called out to the wolf.


    ¡°Be careful, little guy!¡±


    The tail wagged with understanding (or at least Sam hoped so) and the growl intensified.


    But before Sam could provide any instruction, a giant rabbit, the same type he had hunted previously, burst out of the tall grass, crashed through the poor wolf who was half the size of the rabbit, and jumped straight at him, uncharacteristic rage on the face of the rabbit.


    Thanks to his previous practice, he wasn¡¯t late in swinging his sword, but it still wasn¡¯t the pinpoint reaction that was common among the heroes of the novels he had read in his past life, but the sword still hit the charging rabbit.


    Granted, only with the flat part of the blade, but it was enough to daze it, which in turn allowed the little wolf to jump to his defense and grab the leg of the rabbit in its mouth, looking funny, and for Sam to raise his sword again and cut the head of the rabbit off.


    Then he spent a few minutes praising the little wolf for its efforts, no matter how useless.


    Pets at this point (and level), like the little wolf, were practically useless. They had no damage, their defenses were non-existent, and didn¡¯t have any skill that would support their owners.


    And if someone really wanted a pet like his, they could approach any of the rangers in the town, and after a small quest chain, they would be rewarded by the pet of their choice.


    This was mostly because the little wolf and other pets that could be gained in the tutorial town were simple, common animals or monsters. The developers themselves confirmed that there were no hidden super beasts or mythical monsters around the tutorial towns.


    But after some effort, they could be leveled up and would become useful in the early game, and the early middle game.


    And once again, Sam knew something that other people didn¡¯t.


    He knew how to upgrade the quality of the pet.


    But one would ask, why would he upgrade a simple pet if, using his inherited memories, he could gather a menagerie of mythical pets?


    The answer was twofold.


    The first, and easier, part was because Sam actually wanted a wolf as a pet. He liked them back on his Earth, and always thought if he could get any pet, he would get a wolf.


    The second part was that the pets learned. Thanks to how the game was developed, every pet was like a small AI that learned from the players, from how the surrounding people behaved, and from the instructions and orders it would be given.


    And the more time a pet had to learn, the more intelligent and capable it would become. So, a properly trained pet was a hundred percent worth being upgraded. And a pet acquired on the first day of the game?


    Priceless.


    Especially with his supernatural know-how.


    He was broken out of his musings by another growl. Sam looked around, trying to spot the approaching rabbit.


    ¡®Maybe a little more hunting wouldn¡¯t hurt¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    While the sun continued on its journey, Sam and his little companion also continued to hunt the local wildlife.


    Thanks to the nose of the little wolf, and his knowledge about the bait (and, of course, the increase in his sword skill and experience) the hunting was almost twice as fast as previous.


    Though the little wolf mainly ran around yipping and barking at rabbits (or temporarily resting birds) or simply enjoying the wide-open world.


    The moment he heard the familiar alarm in his head, Sam lowered his sword, swishing it in a way to get the blood off, then sheathed it and called out to the young wolf.


    ¡°Hey, little guy! Let¡¯s go and rest!¡± his answer was a happy yip, and the wolf ran up to his leg, tail wagging with expectations.


    They walked out of the tall grass, towards the road heading out from the town, until he found a few rocks that seemed perfect for a little rest and led the excitable guy to them.


    The moment Sam sat down, the little wolf jumped into his lap and bared its stomach, expecting scratches.


    He couldn¡¯t help but indulge the little beast a little.


    Then, after a good minute of active scratching, he looked up from the wolf and inspected the new screens that caused the alarm to go off in his head.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You¡¯re now level 2!]


    [Gained 2 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Gained 1 DEX point, thanks to your perseverance!]


    [Congratulations! Your pet, the Juvenile Gray Wolf, has leveled up!]


    [Juvenile Gray Wolf is now Level 1!]


    [Do you want to see the wolf¡¯s status screen?]


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    [Congratulations, thanks to your persistence with the sword, your Basic Sword Mastery skill has reached Level 5!]


    [You gained your first sub-skill!]


    [Thanks to your effort to be as accurate as possible with your strikes you¡¯ve gained the skill Pinpoint Accuracy!]


    [Pinpoint Accuracy: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your strikes are extremely accurate. Accurate enough that sometimes they slip through the gaps of the armor of your enemies.


    +1% chance for an attack to deal True Damage that ignores armor]


    Once again, Sam smiled widely as he read the screens that kept popping up. Once more, the game showed its difficulty by not explaining what a sub-skill was. Granted, a player could approach any of the NPCs and after a little conversation, they would learn what they were.


    Thankfully, Sam didn¡¯t need that.


    Sub-skills, as the name implied, were the sub-skills of the main skills.


    In Magic Unbound, a player could learn any number of skills, only a few restricted to certain races or situations. But that would mean they wouldn¡¯t have enough time to level them up properly. And if one took care to level up a skill, just like he did, they would get a sub-skill every five, ten, twenty, twenty-five, or even more, depending on the rarity of the skill and how they used it. So the players had to strike a balance between having enough skills to be able to advance, but not so much that they couldn¡¯t keep up with leveling them properly.


    The maximum level of the sub-skill was always below the main skill, and would always support the main skill in some way. While there were thousands of skills, the number of sub-skills was actually infinite, as they were generated every time a player reached the required level with a skill. And the generated sub-skill was always something based on what the player was doing with that skill.


    For example, if a player with an ax for a weapon, and an ax skill would only use the ax to chop trees, then his first sub-skill would definitely have something to do with cutting trees or maybe destroying inanimate objects.


    By the time the other Sam died, there were precious few skills that had a clear guide to how to get the ¡®perfect¡¯ combination of sub-skills. But at least people worked out a lot of sub-skills and the actions to get them.


    Pinpoint Accuracy was one of the favorites as a 5% chance for True Damage in the late game was invaluable. And one only had to aim and try to be as accurate as possible with their weapons to gain this skill.


    And that is why he wanted the Mana Shield spell instead of the more modern Mana Armor. The Mana Shield skill had no maximum level. So, every few levels, Sam would be able to get a sub-skill for Mana Shield, while Mana Armor had a max level of 50, and to upgrade Mana Armor, one would have to do an excruciatingly hard quest. More effort, but the final result was worth it.


    Satisfied with his own gains, Sam opened the wolf¡¯s status screen.


    [Name: ---


    Race: Juvenile Gray Wolf


    HP: 120/120


    MP: -/-


    Level: 1


    STR: 3


    DEX: 3


    AGI: 6


    VIT: 3


    END: 2


    MAG: -


    PER: 6


    WIS: 2


    LUK: 7]


    ¡°Hmm, I really need to give you a name, little guy¡­¡± Sam mused out loud as he kept scratching the belly of the young wolf. The wolf just yipped at him in a low voice, basically comatose from joy.


    Sam smirked at that but still didn¡¯t stop the pampering. He always wanted to do this, but his allergy and the fact that wolves in the real world actually ate humans, stopped him.


    ¡°How about¡­ Lucky? I¡¯m pretty lucky to get you¡­¡± he said, watching the wolf for a reaction. The wolf stopped its tongue wagging for a moment, looked directly into his eyes, and barked softly.


    ¡°All right! From now on, you are Lucky!¡±


    He was rewarded by the wolf, Lucky, jumping up and starting to slobber all over his face. Sam laughed heartily, for a moment all his worries forgotten, then a small alarm broke him out of his celebration.


    [You named your pet, Juvenile Gray Wolf, Lucky!]


    [He really likes it!]


    [You¡¯ve gained +1 LUK!]


    ¡®Well, that¡¯s something¡­¡¯


    Then he took his two unassigned points and added one to Agility and Vitality, watching as his health points increased to 120, the same as Lucky. Pets, in general, had more health than any player, but they had access to fewer skills than the players in exchange.


    ¡°All right, Lucky! Get off me, I need to do something,¡± he told the little wolf, who answered it with a sad whine, but after one last scratch it slowly clambered down from his lap, and simply sat down in front of him looking back at him with big, soulful eyes. Sam just shook his head and closed his eyes to prevent seeing the wolf and giving up and just going back to play with it. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look¡­¡±


    His last task before he had to head back to the town to get the hunted rabbit carcasses cleaned was to acquire one more skill. One that was rather clich¨¦, no matter what novel one read or show one watched.


    Meditation.


    Which, thanks to his practice in the real world, and his inherited memories, came rather easily to him. Maybe staring at the wall with empty thoughts in his past life as he tried to puzzle out some tasks for his job came in handy?


    For a few minutes he just relaxed, enjoying the sensation of meditation, then Sam reached out to his mana, starting to move it in the pattern he grasped earlier. The mana that he was holding in his imaginary fist still slipped out of it like sand on the beach, but he felt he managed to get hold of more mana than previously.


    Then, after an unknown amount of time, sweating, he managed to complete the pattern once again.


    Sam was rudely broken out of his meditation by an alarm chime going off in his head. Annoyed, he opened his eyes and saw that the wolf was lying on its belly, slowly wagging its tail and looking at him. And in front of him was a simple screen.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve learned the skill Meditation!]


    [Meditation: Level 0/25 (0%) (Passive) You are skilled at meditation enough that when meditating, it allows you to increase your mana regeneration. Usage of the skill causes you to lose all of your senses. Improving the skill will allow you to gain back those senses. +1 Mana Regeneration per Second]


    He closed the screen a little upset that the game broke him out of his meditation, but then, Lucky seeing he was once again paying attention, jumped up and into his empty lap.


    His annoyance forgotten, Sam spent another minute playing with Lucky, then reluctantly moved the little wolf from his lap to the ground, and slowly stood up, shaking the pins and needles out from his legs.


    ¡°Come on, Lucky, let¡¯s get back to town!¡±


    The wolf barked in happiness and began running in the wrong direction excitedly.


    Sam shook his head and simply began walking towards Greenwood, knowing that Lucky would soon realize he wasn¡¯t following and catch up to him.


    <hr>


    By the time they reached the gates the sun was almost finished with its journey, painting the entire world with oranges, reds, and deep purple.


    Sam greeted the guard, who was once again napping, waking him up, earning a soft cussing behind his back, but he just smiled and headed for the butcher.


    The butcher was annoyed at him, but he kept to the deal and accepted the giant rabbit carcasses Sam and Lucky hunted. Though he told Sam that he would be only able to pick up the meat the next morning.


    Then Sam quickly visited the mayor''s office before they closed and acquired an ID for himself for the low fee of 20 bronze. They even added Lucky¡¯s information to it.


    He placed the ID card, which was a thin plastic card that was made from some magically created material, into his inventory. The current ID was not the highest quality, but after the players would arrive in force, things would change, and the governments all over the world of Magic Unbound would have to upgrade their ID cards to prevent forgery and cheating. Those cards were much more magical¡­


    As he walked around the town, he saw the townspeople prepare for the night. Guards heading to the walls to relieve those there, workers heading home, or gravitating to taverns where he could already hear the snippets of music and laughter.


    Sam simply headed for one of the inns.


    Currently, he had no ability to go out of the town for the night and had no crafting skill or the ability to craft, so the only thing he could do was log out, get some quest that could be done at night, or what he was actually planning on doing, practice his skills.


    Stepping into the inn called Green Stump, he greeted the innkeeper.


    ¡°Good evening! Do you have a room for the night?¡±


    The innkeeper, a homely woman, with dimples and crowfeet, dirty blond hair going silver, smiled at him in response.


    ¡°Of course, honey! How long do you want it?¡±


    Sam thought for a moment, then answered.


    ¡°How about for two nights?¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± replied the older woman, then reached out with her hand. ¡°That would be 2 silvers!¡±


    Sam nodded and handed over the amount. He could have gone to a cheaper inn, but here his privacy was guaranteed. As well as the safety of his coin purse.


    The money vanished in a blink, and it was replaced by a set of keys in the innkeeper¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Here you go, honey. Room 212 on the second floor is yours,¡± she said while handing over the keys.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sam was about to head for his room when he caught himself. He turned back to the still smiling woman and spoke up. ¡°By the way, my name is Sam¡­¡± then he motioned towards Lucky. ¡°And this is Lucky.¡±


    The older woman¡¯s smile grew even bigger.


    ¡°Well met, young Sam and Lucky,¡± the pup responded with a happy bark. ¡°My name is Sarah. I hope you¡¯ll have a good time in the Green Stump!¡±


    Then she smirked at him.


    ¡°If you¡¯re lucky, I¡¯ll even tell you how it got its name!¡±


    Sam nodded in thanks and said his goodbye, not telling her he actually knew the story. Though he wished he didn¡¯t¡­


    He quickly occupied his room, set out food and water for Lucky, took a comfortable seat on the bed, watched for a while as Lucky sniffed around, curiously observing the new environment, then settled back into a meditative state and prepared to practice during the night¡­

 Chapter 7

    Sam spent the first part of the in-game night simply meditating, making use of the ability of the game to make meditation much easier. Back in the real world, Sam would have had to fight against himself, trying to lock out the environment, and ignore the background noises from the building, the city, and the world.


    Here the game did that for him. It slowly removed his senses. Leaving him alone with his thoughts.


    It allowed Sam to go over his thoughts, organize them, and just process everything that had happened to him so far. Because despite the memories he inherited, he was still way out of his depth. Hell, even the other Sam was out of his depth. The other man was a small-time information broker and contract slave to a guild. He had big dreams and big ambitions, but in the end, he was always pulled down by the people around him, and that colored his memories.


    Despite the memories feeling alien, Sam still occasionally got flashes of rage or frenzy at reading something random or seeing a name in the newspaper.


    He tried to distance himself from it, but the lure of the game was just too strong¡­


    Even if he had simply reincarnated into this world, Sam would have still tried the game out. Granted, with the memories, it was much easier, but thanks to the same memories, Sam knew that he would eventually face off against the same people that made the other Sam¡¯s life miserable.


    Could he avoid them? Sure, he just had to stop playing¡­


    Unfortunately, even after a day, Sam knew he was hooked.


    The fidelity of the game, the recreated senses, the feeling of swinging his sword, and Lucky¡¯s fur¡­


    He wasn¡¯t going to give all that up just because some uppity second-generation rich heirs decided to play a cruel game of king of the hill!


    Sam wouldn¡¯t play their game. No. He would play his own game. With blackjack, and women of questionable morals¡­


    After that little heart-to-heart with himself, he stopped meditating for a little while to check up on Lucky, but the little wolf seemingly scarfed down the food he left out and was sleeping on the bed in front of him. The wolf¡¯s little head was on its oversized paws, eyes closed, but Sam was sure the young cub was looking at him until it fell asleep.


    He gently reached over to run his hand through the animal¡¯s fur and watched as the young wolf yawned cutely.


    He logged out for a few minutes to take care of his own body, but he barely saw his own apartment, as he rushed through the entire process before logging back into the game.


    It was practice time¡­


    <hr>


    By the time the sun¡¯s rays broke through the curtain, Sam opened his eyes to a very different status and skill screen.


    Over the night, he religiously practiced with his mana, trying to further his control over it, while also training his ability with the rest of his skills that he hadn¡¯t used so far.


    He circulated his mana, getting familiar with the feeling, while also practicing meditation to increase his mana regeneration so that he could finally practice the Mana Shield spell.


    The spell, in its effect, was quite simple. It blasted mana out of his body and using that mana formed a thin layer that protected the user from damage. At higher levels, it didn¡¯t just protect from physical damage, but from magical, elemental and, if one was good enough, even mental damage.


    That was, if somebody used the skill without learning Mana Control. They would blast out the amount of mana that the current level of the skill described and go about their day. But with Mana Control, Sam could adjust the amount of mana that left his body, and if he got proficient enough, he would be able to form partial shields or even extend them from his body.


    Opening his eyes, he beheld the screens that popped up in front of him.


    [Congratulations, thanks to your efforts, Meditation skill has reached Level 7!]


    [Thanks to your effort to practice deep meditation you¡¯ve acquired a sub-skill!]


    [Deep Meditation: Level 0/5 (27%) (Passive) When you meditate, you meditate deep. After 10 minutes of meditation, you will enter into Deep Meditation that will double the Mana Regeneration granted by Meditation. Cooldown: 8 hours ]


    [Congratulations, thanks to your tireless work, Basic Mana Control skill has reached Level 9!]


    [Basic Mana Control: Level 9/10 (99%) (Passive) You managed to gain basic control over your own mana. Mastering this skill will allow you to learn more advanced techniques. This skill also increases the amount of mana regenerated at a time. +1,9 Mana Regeneration per Second]


    [Congratulations, thanks to your effective use of mana, Mana Shield skill has reached Level 6!]


    [Mana Shield: Level 6 (11%) Using mana, you can form a simple shell around yourself, which decreases the damage you take. Damage decrease depends on the amount of mana invested. For every unit of Mana invested in the spell, the shield will protect you from 0,6 (physical) damage.]


    As Sam beheld the results of his nighttime practice, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. While Deep Meditation wasn¡¯t the best sub-skill, it was still useful, especially in the early game when he still had time to sit down and just practice.


    He frowned a little at seeing the status of the Basic Mana Control. Intellectually he knew what he had to do to advance the skill, but somehow that knowledge in practice eluded him. He felt he was close to grasping whatever he was chasing, as it was really hard to put to words what controlling mana felt like.


    Sometimes it felt like grasping at smoke, sometimes he was shoveling sand in a direction with his phantom appendage, and sometimes it flowed like water.


    It was maddening, but at the same time exhilarating.


    Sam was stopped from thinking more about mana and his progress because the moment he opened his eyes and began to move around, Lucky woke up and the little guy was relentless in wanting some morning ministrations.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    He laughed gently at the excitable wolf, and without thinking, began to play with his new friend.


    <hr>


    After satisfying Lucky¡¯s need for love (at least for now) he gathered the items he left out in the room, then went down to the main dining hall of the Green Stump, where the proprietor was already ready with his breakfast, and to Sam¡¯s surprise, she even prepared a nice meal for Lucky.


    He sent her a nod and a smile seeing the two bowls, but Sarah just winked at him and began serving the other patrons, who after a quick glance turned out to be all NPCs.


    As Sam shoveled the simple but rather high-quality meal into his hungry stomach. He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, thinking about those poor fools who thought that, seeing that the game didn¡¯t explicitly state it, there was no satiety mechanic in the game.


    Oh, how wrong they were¡­


    Future Unknown managed to replicate all sorts of sensations, and players thought they would leave hunger and thirst out?


    Granted, with higher stats, especially VIT and END one could endure more hunger and thirst, but unless some very specific skills were learned (or the player turned into undead) they would have to eat and drink just like in the real world.


    In the future that never will be, there were several guilds scattered around the world of Magic Unbound whose sole focus was on crafting better and better rations for the war guilds.


    Seeing his inherited memories and in them the Farming Wars¡­ Sam was impressed¡­


    <hr>


    After thanking Sarah for the breakfast, with Lucky¡¯s happy bark joining his words, he assured the woman that he would return later and Sam stepped back into the hustle and bustle of Greenwood.


    For a moment, he watched as the people of the town went about their lives, then he took a step and joined the throng of people walking about.


    First, he visited the grumpy butcher, picking up the promised meat (with a harsh reminder that the next time he wanted it done, it would cost him), then he simply refilled his rations, picked up a simple collar for Lucky, just to show that the wolf wasn¡¯t wild, then went to the town square to see if there was anything interesting there, before heading out to continue his quest to¡­


    Sam didn¡¯t really know what his actual end goal was, but at least he had parts of a plan¡­


    In the town square, he saw people setting up stalls to sell their wares, people sitting or standing around, talking with each other. Sam also saw a few more players. They looked properly armed and seemed to be walking with purpose.


    ¡®Probably professional players¡­¡¯ he thought as he absentmindedly played with Lucky while people-watching.


    He was about to give up trying to get Lucky to give him a high-five (the cute wolf just kept looking at him with a grin) when Sam heard a voice call out.


    ¡°Hey, you!¡±


    He raised his head, looking around, until he found a man, a player, walking towards him with purposeful strides, covered from head to toe with basic leather armor. And to Sam¡¯s inherited expert eyes, it was obvious that every piece of armor was made by a different craftsman. Though, at this level, it was impressive to achieve even this much. Compared to his simple bracer and gloves, it was miles better.


    Sam stood up and pointed at himself.


    ¡°Me?¡±


    The man nodded in answer. ¡°Yeah, you.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ How can I help you?¡±


    The man arrived next to him, and Sam immediately noticed that while the player was talking to him, his eyes were on Lucky.


    ¡®Ah, that makes sense¡­¡¯


    ¡°Where did you get this cutie?¡± He asked and leaned down to pet Lucky, but the wolf just growled at the outstretched hand and hid behind Sam¡¯s leg.


    The man sighed in disappointment, but straightened out and looked back at Sam, who was watching the entire thing play out with a small smirk.


    ¡°So, where did you get the cutie?¡± he asked again.


    Sam thought for a moment, then answered.


    ¡°Ten silver.¡±


    The other man opened his mouth for a moment, then simply huffed.


    ¡°Of course, of course¡­ Nothing is free.¡± Then he did a few movements with his hands, presumably to open his inventory, and ten silver coins appeared in his hands.


    ¡°Here. Now, can you tell me?¡±


    Sam reached for the silver coins but didn¡¯t take them immediately. Instead, he began talking.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Find the nearest Ranger and ask them for a partner. Short chain quest.¡± Then he scooped up the silvers and quickly deposited them into his own inventory.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± came the incredulous reply from the player. ¡°Nothing about the quest?¡±


    Sam just shrugged.


    ¡°Just standard bring back x loot and stuff like that. But it is always different.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡± The man nodded his head in respect, then began to turn around. ¡°Thanks anyway! Off I go to get myself something adorable!¡±


    ¡°Good luck!¡±


    Sam watched as the man left just as fast as he came, and ignored as several people who were also listening in on their conversation left the area with haste.


    He couldn¡¯t help but smirk.


    There was actually a quest chain that Rangers gave out. But without any help, it would take a new player around a week to finish it. They would probably come after him, but it felt nice to be a little petty¡­


    Giving Lucky a last pat, and a last look at the now bustling town square, Sam shook his head and headed towards the gates of the town.


    If he wanted to realize any plans, he needed money.


    Sadly, he couldn¡¯t really head for any of the treasure troves he knew about because Magic Unbound had really robust defenses against them.


    In the other Sam¡¯s past life, a group of second-generation rich heirs used their daddies¡¯ money to get some juicy information out of some Future Unknown workers. They proceeded to use the information to cheese an important quest and skip a large part of it.


    The resulting lawsuit was harsh enough that it bankrupted several families and left an impression on everybody. Though later there were some rumors that the entire thing was a honeypot scheme by the company to establish a precedent, but it didn¡¯t really matter. The precedent was established, and nobody tried to cheat after that.


    So, despite knowing all sorts of secrets, he couldn¡¯t just go directly to the treasure, because the AI would pick up on it, and while the company, Future Unknown, didn¡¯t have the same power, either economically or politically, right now as it would have in the future, Sam was still a small fry and they would be able to go after him with impunity.


    Thus, he would have to go through every boring step of the quest chain to acquire the money he needed.


    <hr>


    Approaching the same guard who Sam had met the first time he entered Greenwood, he saw that the guard was once again trying to nap.


    He cleared his throat, causing the man to startle, then as the guard realized what was happening, glaring at him.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Hi! I was wondering if you have jobs for an adventurer like me?¡± Sam asked with a forced grin and cheer in his voice, trying to appear as annoying as possible.


    ¡®While I can¡¯t skip parts of the quest, it doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t force the NPCs to skip it for me¡­¡¯


    He pretended not to notice as something dark flashed behind the guard¡¯s eyes. After all, there was a reason Sam made sure to annoy the man as much as possible¡­


    ¡°Adventurer, you say?¡± mused the man. ¡°I might know something.¡±


    ¡°Really? That would be super awesome, sir!¡± he chirped happily, watching as the other man¡¯s eyes twitched. Inwardly, Sam just smirked.


    ¡°Excellent. Then why don¡¯t you head off to the forest in the east? The wolfs there have been causing some problems. Bring back around twenty furs, and the mayor will definitely reward you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Sam reached out and grabbed the man¡¯s hand and began shaking it up and down. The guard let it happen for a few seconds, then wrenched their hands back.


    ¡°No¡­ problem. Now, why don¡¯t you head out¡­ you don¡¯t want to miss the wolves¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, sir!¡± answered Sam with a happy grin, then motioned for Lucky. ¡°Come, Lucky, let¡¯s get hunting! Bye, Sir!¡±


    He turned around and began heading in the direction of the forest, but he never received a reply as the guard was once again laying back on their chair and attempting to fall asleep.


    Sam let go of the idiotic smile on his face, which was replaced by a self-satisfied smirk.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Hunt those wolves!]


    [A guard you are ¡®acquaintances¡¯ with has given you a quest. Go into the eastern part of the forest surrounding Greenwood and hunt 20 wolves and bring back their pelts. Presenting them at the mayor¡¯s office will probably have them reward you.]


    [Time limit: None]


    It was sketchy as heck, but to Sam, it was perfect. He began softly whistling and with one hand on his sword, Lucky trotting next to him, he headed towards the forest.


    He had wolves to hunt¡­

 Chapter 8

    While Sam headed towards the forest, he went carefully through his plan.


    ¡¯First, I need to level up, and Lucky also needs to level up¡­¡¯ Lucky, somehow sensing he was thinking about him, looked up at Sam and grinned with tongue lolling, still trotting beside him. Sam smiled back, then continued to think. ¡¯Then I need to get some more armor, as a bracer and gloves wouldn¡¯t help much. But if I get some quality wolf furs, then that will not be a problem¡­¡¯


    Looking around to make sure nobody was following him, he simply continued to whistle (badly) while sometimes throwing a stick for Lucky to bring back. All in all, he was perfectly content.


    As Sam and Lucky arrived at the forest, he quieted down, Lucky following in his footsteps, as if sensing that they would be hunting, was standing almost fully still, only moving his adorable little head with the smallest movements.


    Knowing that he had been playing for a long time, Sam planned only to hunt a few wolves, so he wasn¡¯t really worried about the quest.


    And that is what he did.


    He stepped into the forest, followed by his loyal wolf, and began to hunt.


    The first thing he came across was an angry hog and not a wolf, but Sam didn¡¯t mind. It was good to practice on something more manageable than a big wolf.


    He barely had time to unsheathe his sword before the enraged animal charged at him.


    ¡®Damn!¡¯


    He jumped aside, barely landing on his feet, while Lucky growled at the monster that weighed at least ten of him. Balancing on his feet, trying not to fall over, he watched as the hog snorted and slowed down from its charge. Sam was a little disappointed that the animal was smart enough not to ram into a tree.


    Still, Sam gathered himself and raised his sword before the hog had time to slow and turn, it pawed the ground shaking its glinting tusk in threat. Though there was little chance that he would manage to cleanly separate the hog¡¯s head from its body, just like with the rabbits. It was a little too big for that.


    Nonetheless, he was prepared to try. Or do as the saying goes¡­


    He watched as the eyes of the hog stared at him, the cold, calculating intelligence radiating death, and couldn¡¯t help but swallow.


    ¡®Ugh, couldn¡¯t have the developers made the animals stupider and less lethal?¡¯


    Sam raised his sword and prepared to strike.


    The hog pawed at the ground and prepared to charge.


    For a moment, both of them stared at each other.


    Then¡­


    SWISH!


    Sam jumped aside, and the hog squealed as it ran past him, its side bleeding from the cut that he inflicted. For a moment, he expected the hog to flee, with blood flowing freely from its side, but then it turned around, and Sam could almost see its face turning red from rage.


    Apparently, there would be no peace.


    <hr>


    Sam sat on the ground, his back to a tree, panting with exhaustion as the aggressive hog was laying in front of him finally, dead as a doornail. It was bleeding from multiple wounds, and it was a minor miracle that it was slow enough that Sam managed to dodge every charge, every tusk strike, and body slam. Poor Lucky was practically useless against the hog¡­


    He was dirty, drenched with sweat, and exhausted.


    But he killed it, and the feeling was rather exhilarating¡­


    ¡®I could get used to this¡­¡¯ he mused, while slowly getting up and approaching the corpse of the giant animal, retrieving his knife. ¡®This will be perfect for bait as the hide is ruined¡­¡¯


    He stepped next to, kneeled down, and began roughly carving up the dead hog.


    <hr>


    Sam waited in silence behind a tree, physically holding back Lucky, as they watched as a very big wolf (though smaller than Lucky¡¯s mother) approached the cut of the hog that Sam had left out.


    They watched as it sniffed around, walked around the piece of meat, then finally, after a minute of indecision, it decided to eat it. And that¡¯s when Sam struck.


    He leaped forward, cutting down straight with his sword, right at the neck of the wolf.


    However, the wolf was faster than him and managed to jump aside, and immediately strike back with its claws.


    Sam felt the claws hit his side; thankfully the Mana Shield took care of the damage, but it was still too close. He quickly renewed the spell, with his shaky mana control, and instantly moved toward the wolf, afraid that if he would let up with his attack, the wolf would get in a lucky shot or worse, run away.


    He struck once, twice, and three times, but the wolf always danced away, and only the last strike nicking it on its side, but it didn¡¯t even draw blood.


    Sam wondered for a moment if he bit off a little more than he could chew and cursed the fact that acquiring a skill that would allow him to estimate his opponent¡¯s strength was a little beyond him when Lucky came to the rescue.


    The adorable little wolf let out a battle howl, shocking the wolf staring hungrily at Sam, and charged at it with reckless abandon. Lucky latched onto the hind leg of the bigger wolf, then began to chew on it.


    The wolf yipped in surprise and pain, and looked back at the cause of its pain, while Sam, without hesitation, used the gap in the monster¡¯s defense to charge at it.


    The wolf had enough time to look back at Sam before it was impaled face first with his sword.


    Sam panted a little, then tiredly called out to Lucky, who still keeping hold of the leg of the wolf.


    ¡°You can let it go, Lucky!¡±


    The little wolf cub sent him a questioning growl, then sniffed once, and let go of the furred appendage. Then slowly trotted up to him, sat down on the ground, and looked up at Sam with a truly wolfish grin.


    Sam chuckled and began petting his little hero while reading the screens that popped up.


    [You¡¯ve killed Adult Forest Wolf!]


    [Due to the Adult Forest Wolf being four levels higher than you, you (and your pet) will receive increased experience points!]


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You¡¯re now level 3!]


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    [Gained 2 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Gained 1 END point, thanks to your endurance during battle!]


    [Congratulations! Your pet, the Juvenile Gray Wolf, has leveled up!]


    [Juvenile Gray Wolf is now Level 2!]


    [Do you want to see the wolf¡¯s status screen?]


    [Congratulations, thanks to your persistence with the sword, your Basic Sword Mastery skill has reached Level 7!]


    [Congratulations, thanks to your accuracy with the sword, your Pinpoint Accuracy skill has reached Level 1!]


    [Congratulations, thanks to your usage, Mana Shield skill has reached Level 7!]


    Reading over the notifications, Sam was a little disappointed that his mana control didn¡¯t go up, but it probably needed something bigger than him using it in a battle. Probably some kind of breakthrough reminiscent of fantasy novels¡­


    He quickly assigned the new points to Wisdom and Strength, quickly dressed the corpse of the wolf, and then sat down for a quick meditation to recover his lost mana.


    <hr>


    After the first wolf, everything seemed to click into place. Sam continued to hunt the wolves and hogs that made the forest their home with Lucky, getting faster and faster with killing them as he learned how they moved and how to apply his own skills.


    By the time his internal alarm rang that it was time to go, he managed to kill a wolf in two strikes, or one strike if Lucky was, well, lucky enough, to catch them unaware.


    He collected a sizable amount of wolf and hog carcasses, lots of random assortment of plants that he recognized from his inherited memories, and even one old necklace that was stuck into the dirty and matted fur of one very big hog.


    Sam finished dressing the last corpse and glanced at Lucky. The little wolf was still looking around alertly, but it was obvious it was beyond tired as it continued to yawn (cutely of course).


    ¡°Come on, Lucky. Let¡¯s go back to the town and have a rest!¡±


    The wolf perked up, barked in happiness, and then immediately turned around, facing the direction where Sam knew Greenwood was.


    ¡°Lead the way then¡­¡± Sam said with a chuckle, then began tiredly following his little friend.


    <hr>


    Thankfully, nothing interesting happened on their way back. A few wolves tried to cause trouble, but Sam just threw a small amount of meat at them, and while they were distracted by it, the two of them legged it.


    However, he made sure to enter the town from a different direction, not wanting to meet the guard who gave him his newest quest for now.


    He did a quick detour towards the butcher, haggled a little for processing the hogs, then headed directly to the inn and his room.


    Waving a tired hello to Sarah, who was sitting behind the counter, reading a book, he asked for another two days of extension, paid, then trudged up to his room, Lucky in his arms, as the excitable little fellow¡¯s legs gave out around the time they left the butcher.


    In his room, Sam put out food and water for Lucky placed him on the end of the bed, took off his boots, and laid down.


    Then did a final check of his notifications.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You¡¯re now level 5!]


    [Gained 4 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Gained 1 AGI point, thanks to your speedy actions!]


    [Gained 1 DEX point, thanks to your deft strikes!]


    [Congratulations! Your pet, the Juvenile Gray Wolf, has leveled up!]


    [Juvenile Gray Wolf is now Level 5!]


    [Juvenile Gray Wolf has learned the Strong Jaw skill!]


    [Strong Jaw: Level Max (Passive) The jaw of the wolf is strengthened.]


    [Do you want to see the wolf¡¯s status screen?]


    [Congratulations, thanks to your persistence with the sword, your Basic Sword Mastery skill has reached Level 9!]


    [Congratulations, thanks to your accuracy with the sword, your Pinpoint Accuracy skill has reached Level 3!]


    [Congratulations, thanks to your usage, Mana Shield skill has reached Level 9!]


    [Thanks to fighting alongside your partner, your Companion Sense skill increased to Level 2]


    [Congratulations, thanks to your usage, Meditation skill has reached Level 9!]


    Chuckling at the unhelpfulness of Lucky¡¯s newest skill, he opened his status screen. When he leveled up, he added one point to Strength, one to Magic and two to Vitality. Balance was the name of the game at the beginning.


    [Name: Sam ¡®Solar¡¯


    Level: 5 (7%)


    Title: -


    HP: 160/160


    MP: 90/90


    STR: 7


    DEX: 7


    AGI: 7


    VIT: 8


    END: 7


    MAG: 9


    PER: 7


    WIS: 6


    LUCK: 8]


    With that done, Sam closed his eyes and triggered the Log out button.


    <hr>


    He woke on his couch, with the morning sun illuminating his apartment. He spent a few minutes just laying there, contemplating what he had just experienced, then Sam slowly sat up, stretched, put the VR helmet on its stand, then slowly walked to the bathroom to take care of his hygiene needs.


    While it seemed weird that he had to log out from an inn room, it was good to get used to it. After the game reached its height of popularity, people would play it so much that life almost stopped in the real world. So the government mandated that the maximum playtime was 12 hours a day, for example starting from 6 in the afternoon until 6 in the morning.


    This allowed people to plan around the game, and nobody¡¯s stuff would get stolen because they couldn¡¯t log in for some reason. However, the playtime could be restricted by health reasons, so most people only played as much as their body could handle.


    Finishing with his shower, Sam fixed breakfast for himself, grimaced at the taste of the ¡®healthy¡¯ cereal, sat down in front of his computer, and began looking up news about Magic Unbound.


    Magic Unbound has indeed unbound the magic! A new game that surpasses every expectation¡­


    A fantastic game for fans of the fantasy genre¡­


    Derivative and clich¨¦¡­


    Just as he remembered. The first opinions were generic and didn¡¯t manage to grasp what made the game great.


    Then he clicked around a little, checked his account on Shadowland, answered the messages there, and posted a few guides and secrets, setting the price low, just to get a little more income before people migrated to Magic Unbound.


    Then Sam went to a streamer site and began searching for streamers that played the game¡­


    <hr>


    After he was done with gathering intelligence on the gaming community, Sam puttered around the apartment a little, cleaning, and organizing stuff. Writing down notes about his actions, making notes of his expenses and lone income, while also writing down the skills he and Lucky acquired, compared them to his notes while using this information to plan further ahead.


    Then Sam went through his routine exercise, hating the fact he had to do it but knowing it was important if he wanted to remain competitive later.


    And when he finished, he took another shower, then simply crashed into his bed, asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.


    <hr>


    Sam woke up late in the afternoon, hungry beyond reason. He shambled out to the kitchen, threw together a nice chicken salad, sat down in front of the television set, and began watching some kind of news, extolling some kind of government action, as his brain tried to start up.


    Finishing his meal, he took a bathroom break, and made another check of the gaming news, then when Sam saw nothing interesting happened while he was out, then laid down on the couch and reached for his helmet.


    He missed Lucky.


    The blackness was more familiar but still slightly disconcerting.


    [MAGIC UNBOUND]


    [Welcome back, Solar!]


    [Log in?]


    Sam pressed the button without hesitation, and then within a second, he found himself lying on the bed back in the Green Stump Inn with Lucky snoring at the end of the bed.


    Thankfully, the developers of the game were nice enough to set it so that when a player logged out, the game wouldn¡¯t try to disturb them. For example, the game kept Lucky asleep, and nobody came into the room to bother him.


    He sat up, and the moment his bare feet touched the ground, Lucky was up, wagging his tail, grinning at him, ready for action.


    ¡°Come on, Lucky, let¡¯s get some good food, then money, then we can hunt a little more¡­¡± he said while patting the not-so-little wolf¡¯s head.


    Apparently, while he was asleep, Lucky grew up.


    Reaching Level 5 allowed Lucky to turn from a Juvenile Gray Forest Wolf into a Gray Forest Wolf. He was no longer small, but he was the size of a border collie. Sam was a little disappointed, as the little wolf with its oversized paws was super adorable. But at least this way Lucky would be much more useful.


    He shook his head, patted Lucky one last time, then opened the door to his room, ready for another day of adventure.

 Chapter 9

    Leaving his room, then descending to the ground floor of the inn, Sam was once again met with the hustle and bustle of the morning as people consumed their breakfast and Sarah flitted around, serving or even chatting with people.


    The moment his feet hit the last step, Sarah looked up and smiled at him, immediately approaching them. She smiled at Lucky, completely ignoring the rapid growth (after all, no matter how realistic the game was, it was still a game), and spoke up.


    ¡°Good morning, young Sam. Breakfast?¡±


    Sam simply nodded.


    ¡°That would be nice, Sarah. Thank you.¡±


    She smiled at him warmly, then motioned to one of the free tables.


    ¡°Take a seat. I¡¯ll be there in a second.¡±


    And with that, she left, presumably to get the promised breakfast for Sam and Lucky.


    The two of them looked at each other, then Sam shrugged and headed towards the indicated table, then took a seat. While he had eaten in the real world, inside the game, his character was rather hungry.


    ¡®Man, I can¡¯t wait until the game is properly synchronized to the real world¡­ Keeping up with satiety will be sooo much easier¡­¡¯ he mused as he waited for his meal.


    Looking around, he still could only see NPCs in the inn.


    ¡®Probably eating trail rations and sleeping in stables to save money¡­¡¯ he chuckled, then refocused on watching the door which hid the kitchen behind it, waiting for the owner of the Green Stump to return with her promised bounty.


    <hr>


    Before leaving the inn, he paid for another five days of stay, knowing that soon he would have enough money and he wouldn¡¯t need to penny pinch.


    After leaving with a warm goodbye from Sarah, who apparently appreciated people who paid promptly and didn¡¯t cause a ruckus at night, he headed straight for the butcher. While breakfast was filling, Lucky needed much more meat than was covered by rent at the inn.


    Sam paid the agreed amount of money and left with three packages of meat. One sliced into wolf¡¯s bite sizes, one into commercial grade slices, and one into the highest grade the butcher could. After all, what was the point of gathering all these materials if he couldn¡¯t taste them?


    Sam planned on handing one of the packages to the proprietor of the inn and requesting steak for dinner. According to his inherited memories, the developers went all in with recreating senses, so the taste of the hog¡¯s meat would be probably divine.


    Wiping away the saliva that threatened to leave his mouth, he instead turned his attention toward the biggest building in the area.


    The commercial district of the town of Greenwood contained several streets lined with numerous shops selling all manner of products, though they were all basic, being a small tutorial town.


    And in the middle of that district was the Merchant Association¡¯s local headquarters. While in bigger cities, it would be a magnificent building where deals concerning millions of gold coins would be decided, here in the small town of Greenwood, the building was simply used for administration and dealing with product ordering and such.


    But they also performed a basic service.


    As Magic Unbound decided to do away with the standard (and rather clich¨¦, even in this world where VRMMO novels and their ilk were nonexistent) adventurer¡¯s guild, this was the place where common people could come and sell their loot.


    They had all manner of experts on hand that would be able to appraise the brought-in items, and then process them. And if not, then the Association would call in somebody from the bigger cities, or simply give the person a letter of recommendation, and send them to the city.


    And, of course, they tried to fleece the adventurers as much as possible.


    And this den of greed was where Sam headed to sell all the wolf carcasses currently in his inventory. While he could have dressed and tanned the hides of the animals, after all, in his memories, the other Sam did so several times. He neither had the time, materials, nor inclination. Much easier, at least at this time, to swallow the Association¡¯s fee.


    Compared to the sleepy mage tower, the Association was bustling with activity. Its giant doors were wide open and people were streaming in and out. These people were both dressed in noble apparel, followed by servants, and in simple worker¡¯s clothing, clutching papers in their hand as if it was their lifeline.


    Next to the building was a giant warehouse, and an empty lot where a lot of boxes, crates, and all sorts of containers were piled high, while wagons came and went, and people kept unloading and loading them. At the same time, officials with very important looks on their faces walked among the towers of crates with clipboards, occasionally checking something off them.


    Sam took all of this in, then he squared his shoulders, dodged a few rushing people, some happy, some angry, and also entered the building.


    <hr>


    The inside was exactly as Sam imagined (and saw in his memories).


    The floor was off-white marble; the walls were done with high-quality bricks and some wood paneling, and the ceiling contained several chandeliers that were illuminating the entire hall despite there being no window anywhere.


    Opposite the entrance was a long counter dotted with active receptionists, that were all wearing matching uniforms that showed a rather tantalizing image, a mandatory customer service smile, while behind them several assistants or other personnel were walking, or rushing around carrying small boxes, scales, paper stacks.


    There were also several very well-equipped guards stationed around the room, keeping an eye on people and Sam knew there were also a multitude of magical defenses in place, as well as one very high-leveled individual who was responsible for protecting the building and what it contained if the worst happened.


    Sam quickly got into a line that seemed to be dealing with regular people, not wanting to mix with the nobles (or their servants) who were all ushered through a side door the moment they reached one of the receptionists.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Thankfully, he only had to wait a few minutes before he was in front of the very attractive receptionist.


    She gave him a quick once over, noting the quality of his clothing, and spoke up.


    ¡°Welcome, sir, to the Merchant Association. I¡¯m Tiffany. How can we help you today?¡±


    ¡®Well, at least she called me sir¡­¡¯ Sam thought wryly. He knew that the Association greeting changed depending on how influential and rich a person was.


    ¡°Good morning, ma¡¯am. I¡¯m here to open an account and sell a few wolf carcasses. Fully dressed, but not processed.¡± Quick, and to the point. He wanted to be out of here and back to his quest.


    The woman¡¯s eyes glinted a little at the mention of the carcasses and nodded.


    ¡°Very good, sir. Then I will need an ID¡­¡±


    Sam just sighed and retrieved the prepared documentation, while also lamenting the universality of bureaucracy.


    <hr>


    Leaving the Merchant Association, Sam was rather happy. His haggling techniques weren¡¯t the best, but thanks to the inherited memories, he knew exactly the limits of the Association and what they tolerated from whom.


    After unloading his collection of wolf carcasses in the adjoining warehouse, Sam walked away with an even 10 gold coins and some change.


    In the grand scheme of things, it wasn¡¯t much, but it was enough to get some more armor and prepare for his quest.


    Followed by Lucky, who was a big hit with the ladies at the Association, he returned to the armorer and purchased a very flexible leather armor, high-quality boots, a hooded cloak, and a proper belt. After that, he hopped over to the tailor to buy something better than his beginner clothing, paying attention to making sure that the purchased clothing didn¡¯t make too much noise when he moved. Then, after changing into his new clothing and armor, he left the tailor as a changed man.


    And, of course, once again with an almost empty coin purse.


    Shaking his head, Sam checked his clothing, did a few stretches, while leaving the cloak in his inventory, then spent a few minutes once again looking around, trying to spot players. And to his luck, he did indeed spot them, in even greater number than the last time. Apparently, the game started picking up, but thankfully not much. NPCs still outnumbered players. It was only thanks to his inherited memories that he was able to spot them.


    Although with the streamers, it was rather easy.


    Nobody walked around with a weapon and that amount of cleavage while gesticulating at nothing.


    Seeing them, Sam became a little thoughtful.


    ¡®Should I stream? With my knowledge, I could be popular¡­¡¯


    But then he shook his head. Back in his previous life, he tried it once, but dealing with people and keeping up the commentary exhausted him beyond belief. Streaming wasn¡¯t for him.


    ¡®Plus, this way I can enjoy the world better¡­¡¯


    And with that thought, Sam signaled for Lucky, who was currently being patted by two old ladies gushing about him, and headed for the exit from the town.


    He was ready.


    <hr>


    An hour later, Sam and Lucky were back in the forest, though this time much deeper. He still made sure to take time to hunt a few hogs and wolves and pick up any plant that he knew was worth something.


    And as they headed deeper, Sam also made sure to make a little more noise than necessary. After all, somehow he would have to lure out those awful wolves that were causing trouble to Greenwood.


    And not even another hour later, just as he was packing away the remains of the latest hog they had killed, while Lucky snacked on a few prepared meat slices from the butcher, he heard them. Sam immediately shoved the remains of the hog in the inventory, not caring what happened to it, then lunged for Lucky and pressed the surprised wolf, while keeping Lucky¡¯s mouth shut with his hand, while also keeping his own body down, and in the cover of brushes while sharpening his ears.


    ¡°Where the hell is that guy?¡±


    ¡°Greg said he¡¯d be around here, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± came the prompt response from the second voice, tinted with frustration. ¡°But seeing as the guy is not here, I¡¯m goin¡¯ to have a really nice talk with that idiot¡­.¡±


    The other couldn¡¯t have cared less based on the voice.


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s not a big waste. We were already heading out for patrol.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, Tim. That idiot wanted us to do his dirty work. Well, he should pay for it!¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± came the placating answer as the two men stopped only a few meters away from Sam and Lucky. ¡°Just make sure that you don¡¯t cause any trouble for the Boss! Ya¡¯ know how he is¡­¡±


    Sam could practically hear the shiver in the answer.


    ¡°Right, right¡­¡± they walked around a little more, and Sam heard as they rustled bushes and shook a few trees, but luckily (he glanced at Lucky who seemed to be enjoying being embraced by Sam) they didn¡¯t even come close to his impromptu hiding place. ¡°All right, I can¡¯t see shit here, so let¡¯s go back and get something to drink before I go an¡¯ have a nice talkin¡¯ with that idiot.¡±


    ¡°Works for me¡­¡±


    Sam listened as the voices got a little further away, then slowly stood up, though he kept hunching to make sure he stayed hidden. Then he retrieved his cloak, pulled the hood down, and motioned for Lucky to stay silent.


    ¡°Shh. Let¡¯s go hunting!¡±


    Lucky gave him a big smile, then let out an almost inaudible growl, and without any further prodding from Sam sniffed the air, and began leading him after the men.


    ¡°Good boy!¡± Sam whispered, then after looking around, began carefully following Lucky, while also swiping away a small screen.


    [Despite being caught unaware you weren¡¯t found by the mysterious men! +1 LUK]


    <hr>


    Sam and Lucky followed the two men, as they unknowingly led the two of them on a merry trip in the forest as they finished their patrol, before heading back to their headquarters even deeper in the forest, near where the mountains met the forest, and there was an ample supply of caves, and even cave systems for bandits to hide.


    Which these men were.


    In the other Sam¡¯s life, the bandits only attacked merchants away from the town, and sometimes robbed lone adventurers. But then the players attacked and a few of them got a quest to deal with the local bandits.


    The bandits incensed, under the orders of their Boss, decided that the best way to deal with this is to simply destroy the town. And thus, on a fine sunny day, they besieged the town. And the town would have held out with the help of the players.


    If it weren¡¯t for one lone guard that nobody cared for¡­


    Opening some hidden doors, Greg the guard, the one that Sam kept annoying, let the bandits in, allowing them to attack the defenders from behind.


    In the end, the bandits were defeated because a group of royal knights on a training exercise (probably the game arranging them to be there for insurance) came by and defeated the bandits.


    And Sam was planning to preempt them by going to the bandit headquarters and dealing with the boss. And of course, looting the entire thing to the bedrock. They have been operating in the area for a long time and amassed a very big fortune which the avaricious boss kept entirely to himself.


    Sam knew that he had neither the levels nor the experience to win a frontal assault against the criminals, as they were between level 5 and 10 with a few lieutenants around 15 and the boss probably level 20 or 25.


    But he had no need to attack head-on.


    Stealth was the name of the game.


    <hr>


    Following behind the two loud idiots wasn¡¯t hard. Even if Lucky wouldn¡¯t be able to follow them thanks to his nose, they were still loud enough that Sam wondered how they managed to stay hidden.


    Then, after taking another step, he froze (Lucky as well) as a wholly unfamiliar feeling swept over him and suddenly in the distance he could hear some new sounds that previously were totally absent. He froze because he felt it with his mana.


    Then, before the panic could set in, Sam deep-dived into his memories, looking for the origin.


    A minute later, he let out a relieved sigh.


    ¡®Ugh, that was close¡­¡¯ he thought, then motioned to Lucky, and they continued on their journey.


    The thing that he had felt wasn¡¯t some kind of super awesome magical ward that identified everybody who entered it, but a simple silencing ward that swallowed up any unnatural sound. According to his inherited memories, the feeling of an identifying ward was much more invasive. Plus, usually, they were paired to an alarm, so he would hear if he had tripped one.


    Still, this proved that there was at least one moderately competent mage in the gang.


    ¡®Probably, either the boss or one of the lieutenants¡­¡¯ Sam nodded to himself and continued sneaking towards the bandit¡¯s hideout.


    But just to be sure, he took hold of his mana, and slowly began to expel it in front of himself, in a small cloud. It wasn¡¯t the best thing he could use to detect magical defenses, but he didn¡¯t have time to spend creating a spell or even learning one from the mage tower.


    As he watched his mana slowly tick down, Sam hoped he had enough time until he arrived at the hideout.

 Chapter 10

    Sam spent half an hour tracking the two bandits as they followed the trails in the forest to their hideout, while also making sure to pay attention to his surroundings, in case he had to flee rapidly.


    Lucky was thankfully staying silent. Apparently, the instinct of the hunt was enough to prevent them from being discovered through any stray noise he would make.


    Sam drew the cloak closer on his body and slowed down his steps as he saw the trees clearing out and the almost total absence of underbrush. Then, as he began hearing more voices, not just the two idiots discussing, of all things, the proper applications of high-proof alcohol on wounds, he stopped and crouched down. Sam was happy to see that Lucky followed along, laying down on the ground, and softly sniffing the air.


    Then he slowly began half crawling, half waddling forward to see what he was dealing with.


    Upon reaching the edge of the clearing, which was clearly man-made, he beheld the entrance to the bandits¡¯ hideout. Surprisingly, there were not many fortifications visible from his hiding place. He could see the wooden door that was added to the cave entrance, but other than that, everything was left as it was. There wasn¡¯t even a watch tower. Seemingly, they believed in security through obscurity.


    ¡®Then why cut down the trees?¡¯ he wondered, but then his eyes landed on the only thing that was not a guard snoozing, rock or tree stump.


    It was a thick wooden pole carved with all sorts of runes.


    And to Sam¡¯s barely developing senses, it was blasting the area with mana.


    While Sam had no idea what it was, his inherited memories, thankfully, were ready to share their knowledge with him. It was a very basic ward anchor, probably for the silencing ward. Made from wood, it wouldn¡¯t last long, as the mana flowing through the enchantments would slowly erode the wood, so it would need to be replaced pretty frequently.


    ¡®Which explains the trees¡­¡¯


    Instead of moving forward, as the guard was seemingly asleep, Sam instead took out a small notebook he bought with a small pencil and began etching the runes he could see on the anchor.


    Truthfully, the other Sam had memorized all the other runes, and Sam had them all written down in a well-hidden notebook in his apartment, but the game¡¯s anti-cheating system would instantly flag him if he were to use runes he had never seen inside the game. So, for now, he would have to slowly acquire all the runes and proceed from there.


    The moment he finished writing down the last rune, and closed the notebook to put it away, a screen appeared in front of him. It was so sudden that he almost jumped in fright.


    Sam spent a moment to calm his racing heart, then check out the guard, who seemed to be still sleeping, then began reading the notification.


    [Congratulations, you have correctly recorded an entire Rune scheme!]


    [You¡¯ve learned the Rune of Cycle!]


    [You¡¯ve learned the Rune of Mana!]


    [You¡¯ve learned the Rune of Sound!]


    [You¡¯ve learned the Rune of Boundary!]


    [You¡¯ve learned the Rune of Silence!]


    [You¡¯ve learned the rune scheme of the Silencing ward!


    [Thanks to your practice you¡¯ve learned the skill Mana Sense!]


    [Mana Sense: Level 0/25 (0%) (Active/Passive) A skill that allows you to sense the mana in your surroundings and to make sense of any enchantment that you come across. It also allows you passively to detect magic that affects you.]


    [Thanks to your observational skills, you¡¯ve gained +1 PER]


    The moment he read the last sentence, Sam felt the cloud of mana in front of him, that he used to make sure he didn¡¯t run into anything else magical to disperse, and in its place, a very solid ring of mana began to pulse around him.


    The surrounding mana immediately felt different. Hell, he could pinpoint the center of the silencing ward, while also sensing his connection with Lucky.


    However, despite his wonder, he decided to shut off his skill, as with the upgrade came a very steep mana cost.


    Frowning a little, Sam made sure that nothing else changed on his status screen, then looked over to the sleeping guard, and began planning.


    <hr>


    In the end, in the absence of any better idea about what to do in the situation, Sam went with a very simple plan. He would slowly go up to the guard and open the door even more slowly and slip in. But to be sure, he circled around the clearing, making sure to approach his goal from the guard¡¯s back, so, in case they woke up, he would be in a prime spot to attack them.


    He readied his sword, patted Lucky¡¯s head (the wolf responded by extreme tail wagging) for luck, then began creeping towards the door and the sleeping bandit guarding said door.


    Honestly, Sam felt that there should be a silly cartoon playing in the background as he slowly shuffled slash tiptoed forward. While he was being careful, he wasn¡¯t that worried.


    This was a bandit hideout in the tutorial area. There would be no random returning group of bandits, stronger bandits attacking, or even random demon attacks. If he was careful and used his low-level skills carefully, he would be fine.


    A few seconds later, Sam was standing behind the guard, next to the door with Lucky following him closely. He stepped up to the wooden door that was added to the cave entrance, surrounded by a hastily and sloppily put-together brick wall.


    Then he turned on his Mana sense skill, to make sure there was nothing on the door, and when it came back negative, he placed his ear on the door and listened.


    After not hearing anything, just a few distant clanks, and something that may have been laughter, Sam raised his hand and began slowly pushing the door in.


    Then, when that didn¡¯t work, he began pulling it.


    Slowly, the door began to open, with Sam pausing after every second to make sure nobody heard it, and the guard was still asleep.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Opening the door until it had space for him to shimmy in, he stopped and entered the hideout.


    After making sure nobody saw his graceful entry, he closed the door behind him with the same speed and care.


    Sam had no need for anyone to wonder why the door was open.


    Then he turned around and found himself in a pretty straight corridor with the walls showing signs of work done on it, and illuminated badly by a few burning torches.


    ¡®Here we go¡­¡¯


    Sam swallowed, then motioned for Lucky to follow him, and began walking deeper.


    <hr>


    The bandit cavern was fascinating. The first room he found was a guard station, unsurprisingly empty of anybody. Not that Sam expected any professionalism from bandits when the only guard of the hideout was fast asleep and nobody cared.


    Taking a cursory glance around the station, he pocketed a few daggers left behind (embedded into a crude drawing of somebody¡¯s face), but otherwise, he left the room as he found it.


    He walked near the wall, ready to duck and hide, but it was so dark that, thanks to his cloak, he was able to perfectly blend in. And well, Lucky was a wolf, with dark gray fur that somehow blended in better than his black cloak. Sam suspected magic shenanigans¡­


    After half an hour of unimpeded wandering, Sam found several rooms empty of people, among them several crude toilets, a few sleeping rooms, one trashed training room, and one with an altar. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t a creepy, covered with blood and dripping candles alter, just one simply dedicated to a local god. Trun, the god of wealth and acquisitions. Patron of merchants and opportunistic bandits. Which explained why the altar was simply a big stone slab with the picture of a gold coin carved into it.


    On the altar were several stone bowls, each filled with gold, silver, and bronze coins respectively.


    Upon seeing this, Sam couldn¡¯t help but smirk.


    ¡®It seems I¡¯m lucky today¡­¡¯


    Because the moment he laid his eyes on the altar, his inherited memories brought up the name of the god, and the details of one of the practices of the people who prayed to the god, Trun.


    Stepping closer, Sam silently began to count the coins, while bidding Lucky to stay as a lookout.


    Believers of Trun or people hoping for wealth would cast their money into the bowls on the altar as seeds, then a year later (or when they really needed it) they would retrieve it and spend it, believing that using money that spent time under the eyes of the god would be lucky and bring in profits. And of course, every person in a group (family, merchant group, clan) would leave one coin. Leaving more would awaken the god¡¯s anger, as it would seem crazy, and not leaving one would bring upon them the curse of the god as they seemingly wanted to profit without risking their own money.


    ¡®Sounds like some kind of pyramid scheme¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he carefully counted the coins.


    ¡®Twenty-seven coins in each bowl. That means twenty-seven bandits¡­¡¯ He calculated. ¡®One is out as a guard. That means I have to deal with twenty-six bandits. Great¡­.¡¯


    Sighing, Sam turned around and left the room. While he would have loved to take the money in the bowls, the gods in Magic Unbound were real, and well, he was planning for financial success, and a curse from the god of wealth would make that somewhat hard.


    <hr>


    Stealthily moving through the corridors of the cavern system, Sam kept his eyes out for any patrolling bandits, but to his surprise and confusion, he met nobody.


    Then, as the sounds kept growing louder and louder, and he could definitely make out laughter, and the clinking of glasses (which explained where the bandits were), his eyes found something that he really hoped he would find.


    A simple wooden sign on it crudely drawn with chalk of a cylinder with a simple line coming out of it in an s shape, and the line ending with a small star.


    Explosives.


    As Sam approached the room, his smile was rather vicious.


    After all, when in doubt, explosives solved most of life¡¯s problems.


    <hr>


    The room, as all the rooms he had come across, was unguarded and without a lock. Though at least this one had a proper door, which was left open. Marginally better, but from a security viewpoint, atrocious.


    Opening the door, he was met with a small corridor that opened into an enormous hall, dominated by crates upon crates, racks after racks of different weapons, armors, other implements, and a few boxes clearly marked as explosives, though nothing worth much at first glance. A treasury, it was not.


    But Sam still had to make sure.


    He softly closed the door, and once again bid Lucky to guard it, which the adorable, and no longer tiny wolf acknowledged with a quiet wuff. Then Sam rubbed his hand together in anticipation and began his search.


    He first looked at the weapons, hoping to find something better than his simple steel sword. Ultimately, his goal was to find an enchanted sword, but thanks to his newest skill, the search was rather short. Nothing in the room was enchanted.


    Apparently, when it came to sorting their loot, the bandits weren¡¯t as lax as they were with their security.


    Undeterred, Sam still spent almost half an hour looking through the displayed weapons for a few pieces that he could take with himself, netting three new swords, just in case, a dozen or so daggers, a very nice ax, a warhammer, a steel-capped staff, and for some unfathomable reason a steel cutlery set. But seeing it, factory fresh in a gift box, Sam just shrugged and pocketed the item.


    Then he went over the armors and just chose a few backup pieces, as wearing metal armor wasn¡¯t really his thing (and it didn¡¯t really help with stealth) and without enchantments, his current armor was acceptable.


    Sadly, Magic Unbound didn¡¯t really give much information about any item without relevant identification skills. After all, why would a lay person know about the properties of leather armor without any education?


    Sam also spent a few minutes checking the crates, but most of them were full of simple everyday clothing, or other items that the bandits didn¡¯t care for. Though he made sure to liberate a set of noble-looking clothing for the future.


    Then came the most important part of the armory: the explosives.


    He almost skipped over to them. Though he made sure to be careful when handling them.


    Upon opening the first box marked as containing an explosive, the previous vicious smile was nothing compared to the one that appeared on his face as Sam used his inherited memories to identify the piece of equipment he was seeing.


    A remote-controlled detonator.


    ¡®If I wasn¡¯t trying to be stealthy, I would totally laugh out loud right now¡­¡¯ Sam thought, as he used inhuman strength to strangle his urge to do an evil laugh.


    <hr>


    Keeping an eye out for the merry-making bandits, he spent the next hour planting explosives packages along the main corridor and inside the containers for the explosives he hadn¡¯t used.


    He wanted to make sure that he was prepared for everything.


    Then, when he was ready, and Lucky looked rather bored, he took one last glance around the armory, lamenting the fact, that no inventory space was infinite. Pocketing a few more pieces to sell, he left the armory, and now much better armed, headed towards where the bandit party was being held.


    He wanted to see them in action, to decide what his next step should be.


    <hr>


    Standing behind the corner of the door leading directly towards another enormous hall, this one fully illuminated by several giant fires and torches on the wall, he leaned out slightly and took in the entire room with a glance.


    There were several rough giant wooden tables, surrounded by bandits that were making merry, playing games, but mostly just drinking. From glasses, from mugs, from jugs, or even directly from the bottles and barrels.


    Apparently, fantasy keg stand was a thing.


    And at the far end of the room was a simple throne hewn from stone. Upon on it, sitting the person who was undoubtedly the leader of this band of security geniuses.


    Though, to Sam¡¯s genre-savvy instinct, something seemed off.


    The bandits were wild, loud and without restraint. The man sitting on the throne was calm, collected, and was almost elegantly sipping from a wineglass.


    ¡®Sooo, I bet that¡¯s not a simple bandit. Maybe infiltrator from another country¡­¡¯ he wondered while his eyes sought out other details of the hall.


    There were several corridors leading deeper into the cavern system, as well as a giant door that, from his vantage point, seemed to lead to the kitchen. Though it helped with the conclusion that he saw several people enter through the open doors and return with something edible or, more than likely, something alcoholic.


    He was about to retreat to think up a plan when one of the bandits, sitting rather close to the man on the throne, stood up, mug in his hands.


    ¡°Friends!¡± he exclaimed in a booming, but slightly inebriated, voice. ¡°Enjoy the feast! You¡¯ll need tha energy!¡±


    There were several ¡®hear-hears¡¯ from those who were still cognizant.


    Another man, laughing, began yelling too.


    ¡°Indeed! You will need the energy if you want to do more than my group!¡±


    The first man snorted, then took a drink of his mug, half of it splashing on the ground.


    ¡°Shut up! We always do more on the raids than you slimy sneaks!¡±


    The second man just laughed, raised their own mug, and smugly exclaimed.


    ¡°We shall see tomorrow night!¡±


    This was greeted by an enormous cheer from the surrounding bandits.


    ¡°¡°TO RAIDIN¡¯!¡±¡±


    Sam began slowly backing up, as the fight transitioned from using words to blows. Though from the laughter, the bandits seemed to be enjoying it.


    ¡®They are going on a raid tomorrow night, that means they will probably drink until they¡¯re out.¡¯ he thought, as he began moving back to the armory. ¡®That¡¯s my chance¡­¡¯

 Chapter 11

    Sam, retreating after surveying the hall where the bandit party was happening, followed by the surprisingly still obedient Lucky, slowly and carefully returned to the armory. They slowly crept to the back and began shifting crates around, creating a small hiding place behind them that couldn¡¯t be seen from the door.


    He could have wandered around more, but Sam felt he had already pushed his luck enough. He had a goal, and there was no need to jeopardize said goal for his curiosity. If everything went according to his plan, then he would have all the time in the world to search the cavern system.


    Sitting on a few pieces of clothing that he took out of the crates for cushioning, Sam watched for a while, smiling softly, as Lucky ate the scraps of meat that he laid out for him.


    Straining his ears a little, noting that the bandits were still making merry, he leaned forward and began to run his hand through Lucky¡¯s fur.


    ¡°Who''s a good boy? Who''s a good boy?¡± he murmured while watching as the young wolf closed his eyes in pleasure.


    ¡®This is the best thing ever!¡¯


    <hr>


    After getting his fill of playing with Lucky, he did a quick bathroom run, quickly checked the news, and some gaming forums for anything interesting, then logged back into the game.


    Still sitting in the shadows of crates holding an untold number of stolen merchandise and products, Sam began to meditate.


    After all, if he had to wait, why not spend the time usefully?


    He had acquired a new skill, one that he was hoping to get, and now Sam had to take some steps to further his build.


    The developers made sure that a person with just the simple skills, without learning to personally manipulate and control mana, or any of the energies used to fuel the skills, would be able to participate in the game competitively.


    But only those who mastered the very basic abilities, and those who went beyond the surface of the skills and plundered the depths of possibilities, would be able to rise above the masses and become legends.


    And now, thanks to an odd quirk of the universe and two tragedies, Sam had the opportunity to become one of those legends.


    All it would take was effort, tears, sweat, blood, and even more effort.


    But Sam liked it that way. Granted, it would have been nice if the game¡¯s AI was stupid enough that he could cheese fights, and use shortcuts for quests, but that would result in a boring game.


    After all, he wasn¡¯t a speedrunner. He played games to enjoy them. Or for the story. Or the skills. Or the meta builds. Or the characters.


    And now here was a game that would be able to provide him with every one of those things.


    He couldn¡¯t wait.


    Sam spent a minute meditating, calming his racing mind, discarding ideas, thoughts, and emotions, slowly reaching a calm equilibrium.


    With ever so much care, he gently reached for his mana and began to move it slowly, delicately, making sure to only move a little part, as he had other uses for the remaining amount.


    The moment he completed one circle with his mana, he kept the mana moving, thankfully advanced enough that the mana continued to move even without his input for a little while, and slowly reached out with another part of his mana, pushing it out of his body haltingly, but keeping it close.


    Despite his eyes being closed, Sam still saw himself being enveloped in a very fine and thin layer of mana spreading on his body like waves on the shore, while his mana also continued to circulate.


    He knew that if he kept this up for a while, he would achieve his goal, but Sam wanted more. He knew it was possible, so why not try for it?


    What are second chances for but giving things a try that he wouldn¡¯t have thought to try in his previous life?


    Or, as the ancient saying goes: ¡®Banzai!¡¯


    Keeping up the mana circulation, and the mana shield, feeling himself straining under the effort, his new phantom appendage was being stressed incredibly, the new ¡®growth¡¯ still not prepared for this kind of effort.


    But Sam knew it was possible, so he forged forward while marveling at how Future Unknown managed to create something utterly baffling but still amazing.


    Slowly, very slowly, he reached for the third part of his mana, instantly feeling the connection to the circulation and shield stressing, but Sam continued.


    He would do it!


    Delicately wrapping the remaining mana the same way the skill did, though probably cruder than the automatic skill did, Sam slowly released the mana in a circular area around, methodically pulsing it with the rhythm of his heartbeat.


    He felt himself sweat and shake, and he could see the mana circulation stagger, while spots began to appear on the mana shield while the pulse kept missing the heartbeat.


    It was as if he was a fireman, but every time he doused a flame, another would pop up, and by the time he reached the new one, three more spots would be aflame.


    But Sam didn¡¯t give up. He knew it was possible, and by the gods, he would do it!


    ¡®I can¡¯t give up!¡¯


    Sam didn¡¯t know how long he sat there, ignoring everything but his own heartbeat, and the pulses of mana.


    He forgot about his own breathing. All he saw was the mana and how it moved.


    One circle. One pulse. One wave.


    One circle.


    One pulse.


    One wave.


    Circle.


    Pulse.


    Wave.


    Then, in an unforgettable moment, it happened.


    The circle, the pulse, and the wave finally overlapped. Just as another cycle of mana began, a wave of mana began sweeping upon his body, while a pulse of mana left his body. Sam felt something click into place, and for an infinite moment, he was in total control of his mana.


    He moved it around his body; he protected his body, and he knew what was around him.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Then the moment ended, and Sam found himself laying on his back, eyes unfocused, drenched with enough sweat that he felt he was swimming in his shirt, with Lucky curiously, and somewhat worriedly looking down at him. And more importantly, his sight was almost fully covered by notification screens.


    Exhausted, he raised one hand and patted Lucky¡¯s fur-covered head.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright, don¡¯t worry¡­¡±


    The wolf whined a little, licked his hand, and then walked closer and laid down next to Sam, their bodies flush against each other.


    Sam chuckled a little, then refocused his attention on the screens.


    A moment later, the chuckle turned into a full blow of laughter, that was aborted after a few seconds when Sam realized he was actually hiding.


    [Congratulations! You managed to cast two spells at once¡­]


    [Congratulations! You managed to cast three spells at once¡­]


    [Thanks to your miraculous effort, you gained +2 MAG!]


    [Thanks to your accomplishment, you¡¯ve acquired the Mana Synergy skill!]


    [Thanks to your accomplishment, you¡¯ve acquired the Multitasking skill!]


    [Thanks to successfully utilizing every drop of your meager amount of mana, you gained the Mana Well skill!]


    [You successfully broke through with a skill!]


    [Basic Mana Control reached level 10 and upgraded into Intermediate Mana Control!]


    [Gained Focused Mana Control subskill!]


    [Due to your effort, you reached level 14 with the Meditation skill!]


    [Congratulations, thanks to your understanding of meditation, your Deep Meditation skill reached level 2!]


    [Your Mana Sense skill reached level 4!]


    [Your skill with magic allowed Mana Shield to reach level 13!]


    [Gained Controlled Mana Shield subskill!]


    Reading the deluge of notifications, Sam couldn¡¯t help but think that it was a lot. He waited for a moment for the system to call him out for cheating, but when nothing happened he smiled, and with a small smile, still laying on the ground, he began checking his new skills. Some he knew from his inherited memories, and some were new.


    ¡®So exciting¡­¡¯ he thought, then chuckled a little to himself. ¡®Numbers go brrrr¡­¡¯


    He first checked out his new main skills.


    [Mana Synergy: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to your combining of compatible skills, you managed to find a synergy between them. This synergy is completely useless in battle, but when you train your skills and completely focus on them, the rewards from your training increase. When using two or more mana skills simultaneously outside of battle, the cost of their use is reduced by 1%, while you receive 1,1 times more experience in training.]


    Sounded useful, and as he did a little math, it seemed after reaching max level with the skill, he would receive twice the result for 90% of the effort. Not the best skill, but still useful.


    Next came something he was very familiar with. Multitasking was a skill that everybody acquired after some time playing the game.


    [Multitasking: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Enhances your ability to use two or more skills at once.]


    It was short and sweet, but Sam cared more about the next skill as he had heard about it, but never knew how it was acquired or what it did. All he knew was that it allowed one of the most famous sorcerers to dominate every battle they appeared in.


    [Mana Well: Level 0/5 (0%) You grasped something deep and abstract. Mana is like clay in your hand. Your body is a wellspring of Mana. Increases how much mana a Magic status point grants you. Current increase: Two times increase.]


    Sam had to blink several times after reading the skill description, then had to read it several more times to comprehend what he had gained.


    ¡®Oh man, that explains a lot¡­¡¯


    He chuckled and checked the other skills, incredibly happy with his gains.


    [Intermediate Mana Control: Level 0/15 (0%) (Passive) You understand the basic concepts of mana control. You can now do more, achieve more, and gain more while manipulating mana. The skill increases the amount of mana regenerated at a time and decreases the cost of mana skills by 1%. The bonuses from the Basic Mana Control remain. +5 Mana Regeneration per Second]


    [Focused Mana Control: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Mana control when meditating increases. Decreases skill''s mana cost and increases mana regeneration when under the effect of Meditation skill. Bonuses are increased when under the Deep Meditation skill¡¯s effect!]


    [Controlled Mana Shield: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) The cost of the Mana Shield decreases when focused on it. Decreases even more when the Meditation skill is active.]


    Well, the last was a little useless currently, but later when Sam upgraded the Meditation skill enough to use it while in battle, it would shine.


    Closing the notification windows, he checked his status screen.


    [Name: Sam ¡®Solar¡¯


    Level: 5 (88%)


    Title: -


    HP: 160/160


    MP: 22/220


    STR: 7


    DEX: 7


    AGI: 7


    VIT: 8


    END: 7


    MAG: 11


    PER: 8


    WIS: 6


    LUCK: 10]


    Marveling at his amount of mana, Sam spent a few minutes simply staring at his status screen as his mana began to regenerate at a speed that would surprise a lot of people. Then another few minutes were spent looking through his skill list.


    ¡®I have no offensive skills,¡¯ Sam thought as he contemplated the screen in front of him. ¡®But the passives are nice. A few more and the synergy will be ridiculous¡­¡¯


    With that, he finally closed the screens and slowly sat up. He looked down at his drenched clothing, then chuckled.


    ¡°First a change of clothing, then let¡¯s check on the bandits! Eh, Lucky?¡± The wolf just simply tilted his head and let out a confused growl.


    He snickered, then simply shucked off the drenched article, and began to rummage through the nearest crate for something that wouldn¡¯t make him look like a renaissance fair reject.


    <hr>


    After a change of wardrobe, he quietly exited the armory and headed towards the suspiciously silent hall.


    Quickly approaching the same position that he used to spy on the congregation of criminals, he couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    The hall was full of sleeping or, based on their wounds, unconscious bandits strewn randomly across the room. Some were laying on tables, some under the table, some in-between. Sam spied a few sleeping in empty barrels, a few big, burly bandits spooning each other, and one person even asleep while hanging from a wall mount where they have been affixed by their surprisingly sturdy clothing.


    However, Sam couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    ¡®Where is the boss?¡¯


    Shaking his head, Sam did a final check of his equipment, gave Lucky a pat for luck, then slowly, but surely, began to creep into the room, hood drawn down, hiding his face.


    For now, he ignored the comatose criminals, and first headed for the kitchen. It wouldn¡¯t do to be surprised by an awake cook as he plundered the bandits. Nothing more embarrassing than being taken out by a frying pan!


    Thankfully, the cooks were also passed out, though from what Sam saw, it was more from exhaustion than alcohol. He did a quick tour of the kitchen and larder, pocketing a few expensive-looking liquor bottles, while also making sure that there wasn¡¯t some kind of hidden treasure there.


    Unfortunately, Sam didn¡¯t find any hidden treasure (aside from the alcohol, and a box of high-grade tea), but thanks to his Mana Sense spell he did find a small button that seemed to be connected to a wall that had nothing on it.


    ¡®Probably an escape route¡­¡¯


    Mentally marking the spot, Sam turned around and left the kitchen, heading for the other end of the hall, where a few doors awaited him.


    Looking at the three almost identical doors, he was stumped a little.


    ¡®Which one doesn¡¯t have a sleeping boss behind it?¡¯


    He was about to flip a coin when Lucky growled slowly in the direction of the door on his right.


    ¡°Alright, Lucky. We¡¯ll go that way.¡±


    He approached the door, opening it just enough to be able to slip through, then when he found himself once again in a corridor mined from rock, he just sighed and began to move, hugging the wall.


    <hr>


    After a few minutes of uneventful walking, Sam noticed that the corridor seemed to be widening. Picking up the speed, soon he reached a wide cavern, holding to his surprise an entire stable, and several empty carts.


    The horses in the stables neighed upon noticing him, or rather Lucky, but they quieted down real fast. Apparently, they were well-trained.


    ¡°Good job, Lucky!¡± The young wolf just wagged his tail as he looked up at Sam, proud. ¡°Let¡¯s look around!¡±


    Sadly, there wasn¡¯t much interest in the cavern aside from the horses, the equipment to service the horses, and the feed for the same horses. Shrugging, he sabotaged all the saddles, and then placed several strategic cuts on the spokes of the cartwheels.


    ¡®Nobody is leaving here¡­¡¯


    Nodding to himself, he motioned to Lucky and began jogging back to the main hall, ready to try another door.

 Chapter 12

    After the disappointment that the cavern holding the stables was, Sam was hoping that the other two doors were hiding something better behind them.


    Reaching the main hall, where the still comatose bandits were laying, snoring rather obnoxiously. He carefully tiptoed around the bodies on the ground while trying to hold back his laughter as his silly wolf pet tried to imitate him.


    A few minutes later, Sam was once again standing before the three doors.


    One he knew led to the stables. The question was: where did the other two go?


    Staring at the two doors indecisively as Lucky was sniffing the armpits of a nearby bandit, he was broken out of his procrastination by a sleeping bandit snoring loud enough that Sam could hear its echoes deeper into the cavern.


    ¡®Right, I don¡¯t have days to make a decision¡­¡¯ he thought, while still eying the doors and cursing their lack of identifying information. ¡®Alright! Last time I went with the door on the right, let¡¯s go with the one on the left!¡¯


    Decision made, he motioned for Lucky, and slowly began to approach the door on the left, hoping it would contain something more interesting than horses.


    It didn¡¯t.


    The door on the left led to another big cavern full of beds and chests filled with the equipment of the bandits.


    Despite his disappointment, he activated his Mana Sense skill and started to go through the chests that were of higher quality than the rest, deciding that those would contain more loot.


    After a good half an hour of looting, while occasionally taking a glance at the sleeping bandits, Sam managed to scrounge together a few handfuls of silver, buckets of bronze, and five gold coins. The equipment was the same as in the armory, so he left them behind.


    Sadly, aside from that and a lot of dirty laundry, he found precious little.


    His Mana Sense pinged a few times, but every time he got excited, Sam only found an artifact that provided reading light or glasses that cooled what they contained.


    Nothing important, or something he wanted.


    Shaking his head, he made one last equipment check, then left the disappointing cavern, and headed directly towards the last door.


    He wanted this entire adventure to be over.


    <hr>


    Carefully slipping through the door that was opened just enough for Sam and Lucky to pass through, they found themselves in a corridor, lit not by torches, but by small artifacts radiating warm light, and eliminating any possibility of skulking around the shadows.


    Frowning in disappointment, Sam motioned for Lucky to stay silent, then began slowly walking forward, making sure to make as little sound as possible.


    The only person he hadn¡¯t seen yet was the boss, and he definitely didn¡¯t want to wake him up, if they were asleep. Eventually, their stealthy wandering found them before an enormous stone door, looking much stronger than the other wooden doors found around the bandit hideout.


    A few feet before the stone doors, on the side of the corridor, was a small door, this time made from the familiar wood.


    Sam tiptoed closer to the wooden door and turned his head and began trying to listen for any sound.


    He let out a sigh of relief when he could hear the slow and steady rhythm of somebody snoring deeply in the arms of Morpheus.


    Marveling at his luck, though knowing it was only this easy because he was low leveled and the game was making sure that he could complete his self-appointed mission.


    ¡®Dynamic difficulty rules!¡¯ he thought with a small smile, then stepped away from the door that probably hid the thus far missing boss of the bandits and turned to face the stone doors.


    ¡®That has gotta be their vault¡­¡¯


    Sam then spent the next few minutes, with his Mana sense skill active, examining the giant door. The door itself was unadorned; simply two slabs of giant stone wedged in the ground. Sam gave it a try but as expected, he couldn¡¯t make it budge.


    Frowning at the expected hurdle, Sam took a deep breath and unsheathed his sword.


    The opening mechanism would obviously be in the most protected part of the hideout, which would be the boss¡¯s room. And given the sheer size of the door, there was no way that he could sneak in and open it without waking the man.


    The only option was to sneak into the room and kill him¡­


    Taking another fortifying breath, keeping his Mana Sense activated and coating himself with mana using his Mana Shield spell, Sam began walking towards the wooden door, instructing Lucky to stay and be on guard.


    The smart wolf understood immediately and his continuously wagging tail stiffened, as the wolf turned towards the hall where the feast took place. Feeling proud of his little friend, Sam made sure to remember to reward Lucky, then slowly began to ease open the door leading to the bandit leader.


    As soon as there was enough space for him to slip in, he moved through the crack, ready for anything.


    The room was much more decorated than any other room or hall that he had seen during his infiltration. There were delicate carpets all around the floor in a dizzying array of colors; the walls were covered by lovely paintings, and where there weren¡¯t any paintings, there were shelves filled with books and knick-knacks. On one side of the room was a queen-sized bed, holding the snoring leader, while the other held a wardrobe and a desk covered, from what he could see maps and notes.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡®Probably plans for the upcoming raid.¡¯


    Shuffling forward, making sure that there were no traps or alarms that would wake the man up, he approached the desk and pocketed the documents on it. In case the assassination went wrong, as the bandit leader was defeated by NPCs in his inherited memories, so nobody had accurate information about his abilities, he wanted to have at least something to show for it.


    Done with plundering the secrets of the desk, Sam turned his attention toward the sleeping bandit.


    Holding his breath, and trying to keep his hammering heart calm, he raised his sword and prepared himself. This would be the first time he would be killing a humanoid enemy. He didn¡¯t know how he would react.


    Plus, there was a chance that the strike wouldn¡¯t be able to kill the bandit.


    Before he could work himself into a depressing spiral, Sam raised the sword a little higher, tensed his entire body, trying to put his entire power behind the swing, then struck.


    There was a swishing sound, then a small thunk as the sword made contact with the mattress, and the head was separated from the body.


    As he was about to decide wether he should freak out, a few notifications appeared before him.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve killed the Leader of the Greenwood bandits!]


    [You are now Level 7!]


    [Thanks to your tireless effort to improve your capabilities with magic you gained +1 MAG!]


    [Thanks to not charging in recklessly, you gained +1 WIS!]


    [You gained 4 Unassigned status points!]


    [You gained the skill Calm Heart!]


    [Calm Heart: Level 0/50 (0%) You are the epitome of keeping calm and carrying on. You will have an easier time staying calm and focused. Increases resistance against mind-altering effects.]


    Sam quickly assigned his status points, three to Endurance, wanting to increase his stamina, and one to Agility, as speed was always nice.


    As those points went into effect, he could feel as if his body got lighter. Jumping in place a few times, to get a feel for his new agility, he gave the headless dead body a glance, then turned around, ready to search the room for the opening mechanism.


    <hr>


    The room was a real treasure trove, even with Sam knowing that the vault was only a few feet away.


    He found a nice coin purse filled with gold, though he had to swallow a curse when he saw some dried blood on some of the coins. Shaking his head sadly, he threw the coin purse into his inventory, watching as the counter went up.


    During his search, Sam also found an enchanted sword, but when he tried to pick it up, he couldn¡¯t help but yelp when the sword seemingly bit his hand. Cradling his hand, he looked over the sword and saw his blood on the grip.


    ¡®Huh, bound to his blood? Well, that¡¯s a waste¡­¡¯


    Bound items were mostly useless, as breaking the enchantment that bound it to someone would take much more power than he, or anyone in Greenwood, had currently.


    Leaving the sword where it fell, instead, Sam refocused his search on the still elusive opening mechanism.


    <hr>


    Sam found the opening mechanism inside the Wardrobe, of all things, hidden behind the leader¡¯s undergarments.


    He spent a minute observing the mechanism, making sure that the small lever wasn¡¯t trapped, but neither his eyes nor his Mana Sense could find anything. Of course, there was a possibility that the trap or alarm was beyond his senses, but Sam doubted it.


    Now the only thing left was to open the stone doors.


    Quickly leaving the room, he spent a minute listening for any noise that would indicate that the bandits were waking up while patting the still on-guard Lucky¡¯s head. Then, when he couldn¡¯t hear anything, he sighed in relief and returned to the room, and simply pulled the lever, ready to sprint.


    To his surprise, there was no loud sound accompanying the opening of the stone doors that would wake even the dead. While there was a small grinding noise as the doors moved aside, apparently the bandits kept the mechanism well-maintained.


    He waited until the door was halfway open, then stepped back into the bedroom that held the dead body and flicked the lever back into a neutral position, halting the opening.


    Then, with a big breath, left the room, softly called for Lucky, then stepped through the doors, and beheld the vault.


    <hr>


    The vault was surprisingly well organized.


    Chests and crates all marked with the insignias of well-known merchant companies, were on one side, while in the middle shelves were populated with all manner of artifacts. On the other side, armor stands were filled with all sorts of armor, though some of them were a little dented, and Sam spotted a few covered with blood.


    The Vault itself was a fraction of the size of the hall where the festivities had taken place. This made sense, as no way a bandit group around the tutorial would amass enough wealth to fill a giant cavern that would make a small dragon jealous.


    The first thing Sam did, while bidding Lucky to guard the opening on the stone door, was to look for a certain artifact.


    He had every intention of walking out with everything in the vault no matter what it was, but his inventory wasn¡¯t big enough for that. While people¡¯s inventory could hold a lot, it was based on the person¡¯s Strength and Endurance stats. The rule of thumb was that the inventory held around ten times the person¡¯s weight with normal stats. With increased Strength and Endurance, you could move literal mountains with the inventory.


    So Sam went looking for a Bag of Holding, and to his luck, after only a minute of walking along the shelves, he spotted one elaborately embroidered bag, capable of being attached to the belt. Picking it up, he examined it for faults, relying on his inherited memories, then turned it over, and checked the small note stitched to the bag.


    It provided the name of the company that created the bag and its capability.


    ¡®Hmm, a few tonnes are enough, I think¡­¡¯ he thought as he looked around while holding the bag. Nodding to himself, he took the bag and began to shovel everything visible into it.


    No matter what it was, artifact, armor, weapon, chest, or crate, it went into the bag. Sam wanted to check everything, but he knew he was running short on time. If he managed to escape successfully, then he would have all the time to inspect the items he just re-appropriated.


    <hr>


    An hour later, Sam left the vault with Lucky, flushed, with a giant grin on his face, happy with his loot. Quickly, desiring to leave the place, he jumped back into the bandit leader¡¯s bedroom, switched the lever into a close position, then left.


    Watching the door close, he gave Lucky another pat on his head, then turned towards the door from where he came, raised his hood back, and began power walking towards the exit.


    However, he couldn¡¯t have taken a few steps when a soft voice spoke up, causing the blood in his veins to freeze.


    ¡°And where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±


    Sam whirled around and couldn¡¯t help but gape at what he saw.


    Behind him, holding the enchanted sword that he had discarded, was the headless body of the bandit¡¯s leader. In the place of his head was a cloud of black gas that moved like fire, with two icy blue orbs where the eyes should be, narrowed into a glare, directed at him.


    He was about to wonder where the being¡¯s mouth was, when numerous small triangles appeared on the being¡¯s face in two rows, forming a crescent shape, imitating a smile that would make a shark proud.


    ¡°I think we need to have a discussion about respecting other people¡¯s property¡­¡±


    Sam reached for his sword and couldn¡¯t help but gulp.


    ¡®This is not good!¡¯

 Chapter 13

    Looking into the dead, and incredibly angry eyes of the being in front of him, Sam couldn¡¯t help but shudder. Intellectually, he knew he was in a tutorial area, and he was capable of defeating the shadow spirit (helpfully supplied by his inherited memories), but thanks to the high fidelity of the game, and the sheer genius of the developers he was feeling the spirit¡¯s aura.


    And what he was feeling told him that the being in front of him was ready for murder.


    Though he felt it was unlucky, a detached part of his mind noted that the presence of a shadow spirit possessing the bandit leader¡¯s body explained how the gang managed to be so successful and why they had decided to take over the town.


    Shadow spirits were necromantic constructs, born from an amalgamate of emotions, mostly negative, though according to his memories there were a few that were born from ¡¯good¡¯ emotions, and they were no less dangerous than those born from negative emotions. And they always developed some kind of grudge or vice, no matter what.


    Seemingly, this one¡¯s vice wasn¡¯t greed, as it would have attacked the moment Sam found the lever to open the door to the vault. To Sam, it was more about the pain it caused to people, as it clearly was content to ride along in the body of the bandit leader, directing things literally from the shadows.


    And now he was about to cross swords, ruining whatever plans it had.


    ¡®Great, just what I needed¡­¡¯ he grimaced, but then straightened up. All was not lost yet.


    ¡°What do you want, spirit?¡±


    The dark flames on the dead body flickered with anger, and Sam could feel the chill in the air. He began to slowly and carefully move his hand towards the grip of his sword.


    The eyes on the flame narrowed, not at his hand, but still at him.


    ¡°You. Dead.¡± it spat, anger coloring its voice.


    ¡°Whatever for?¡± he asked, intent on stalling as long as possible while giving a glance at Lucky who was standing next to him, tail down, and growling fiercely at the spirit, seemingly ready to jump at the moment¡¯s notice.


    The eyes on the spirit narrowed even further, and Sam expected an attack to come instead of an answer, but the spirit still answered.


    ¡°You ruined my plan, human. Of course, I will kill you!¡±


    ¡°What plans?¡±


    The spirit just scoffed in answer.


    ¡°You think I¡¯d tell a human my plans? Dream on!¡± Hearing the answer, Sam tightened his grip on his sword and began to move his feet into something resembling a stance in preparation.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we talk about it?¡± Nobody should accuse him of not trying diplomacy.


    The spirit, however, just slightly opened his shark-like mouth, showing that beneath of multitude of triangle teeth was just a gaping chasm, and grinned. However, the grin was not the fun time grin, but one that sent another chill down Sam¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll talk about it with your dead body!¡± came the cry, and with that the spirit launched at him, sword raised high, leaving Sam only enough time to cry out in alarm, and hastily pull out his own sword, raise it horizontally in front of him, blocking the spirit¡¯s strike.


    There was a clang, and the spirit''s grin grew.


    Sam grunted, then spat out an order. ¡°Lucky, back off. Wait for my signal.¡± Then, with great exertion of strength pushed the spirit¡¯s sword back a little, then without taking his eyes off the spirit, he lashed out with his leg.


    His leg landed on the thigh of the dead body, and while it wouldn¡¯t have hurt an adult human, he still saw the spirit flinch a little.


    Smiling viciously, he used the minuscule distraction to fully push the spirit away and then transformed the movement into a slashing attack aiming at his opponent¡¯s arm.


    Sadly, the spirit was competent enough to meet his attack with his defense, but Sam didn¡¯t care much.


    He knew something that would definitely lead to his victory.


    There were two types of possession. The first one was where the spirit or being doing the possession would destroy the mind of the possessed, thereby fully taking over their body. And the second one is where they would possess an individual but leave their mind intact. Living in their bodies as passengers.


    And now that the bandit leader himself was dead, the shadow spirit had to transition from manipulating his mind to fully possessing his body.


    Fortunately for Sam, that was where its weakness came into play.


    Possessing a body wasn¡¯t easy. There was a transitioning period where the spirit or being possessed would be extremely sensitive to things affecting the body as it harmonized with it.


    The grin on the spirit¡¯s face dipped a little, and the viciousness in Sam¡¯s increased, but they were still locked into a sword fight, while Lucky was on the side watching with eyes that promised pain to the spirit if it managed to harm Sam.


    The next few seconds were a rush for Sam.


    They clashed with their swords, attacking and parrying. Sometimes dodging the attacks. Despite this, it didn¡¯t take long for Sam to realize that after too many nicks that would have cut him if it weren¡¯t for his Mana Shield, he was the inferior swordsman.


    And by the look on the spirit¡¯s face, it also realized.


    It smiled cruelly and began to chuckle.


    ¡°It seems this is where we end things.¡±


    Sam just raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± came the self-assured answer from the spirit.


    ¡°Bring it on, you up-jumped fart!¡± yelled Sam, while making eye contact with Lucky.


    The spirit let out an incoherent yell and jumped at Sam, intent on severing his head from his body. Sam thankfully managed to raise his sword to defend against the attack, but with the way his body was rattled, and the amount of mana that was consumed from his Mana Shield, he knew he didn¡¯t have much time.


    Looking at the swords, he shuffled a little back, letting his sword slide down a little, then with a small twist, he locked the guards of the two swords together.


    There was a moment of surprise in the spirit¡¯s eye, but Sam didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Now, Lucky!¡± he exclaimed, then reached deep within, grabbing a good chunk of his mana, and began to ready it.


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    The wolf launched himself from against the wall of the corridor, jaw ready to bite down, eyes alight with anticipation.


    The spirit, to his detriment, looked away from Sam at the charging wolf.


    Sam used this moment to step back and to the side, untangling the swords, which caused the spirit to lean forward a little, making the spirit work for its balance for a moment. Unfortunately for the spirit, Lucky chose this exact second to land on its back, aiming his bite at the spirit''s throat.


    Making a note to talk with Lucky about good targets for ambush attacks, Sam didn¡¯t hesitate. The moment the spirit fully lost its balance due to Lucky jumping on his back, he stepped forward, mana ready, and sword angled just at the right angle.


    Taking the mana he gathered, he crudely pushed it out of his body, wincing at the small damage it did, and with willpower he didn¡¯t know he had, he directed the mana to flow around the edge of his sword.


    Then he watched, almost in slow motion, as the spirit in the dead bandit leader¡¯s body fell forward, body wide open, and its heart lining up perfectly with the tip of Sam¡¯s sword.


    There was a moment when Sam saw the spirit¡¯s eyes widen, and felt mana being gathered by the spirit, but it was too late.


    His sword pierced the body, and blood, still capable of flowing, began to escape, Sam let go of the control of the mana he used.


    The mana, relieved to be not controlled anymore, used the opportunity to go anywhere. Sadly, for the spirit, most of the sword was inside the body it possessed.


    <hr>


    Sam stood still in the corridor, with the wide-eyed Lucky, looking in disbelief at the remaining parts of the bandit leader, which mostly consisted of part of the pelvis and everything under it. The remaining body was everywhere.


    On the walls, on the floor, and on the ceiling, and most importantly it was covering both Lucky and Sam.


    The only thing moving still was a black cloud that was half fog, half flames, flickering with angry light, dark enough that it was sucking in the light, hovering over the scattered remains of the bandit leader.


    Taking a deep breath, Sam carefully swept something he didn¡¯t want to think about from his face, and gulped.


    ¡°I need to be careful with that¡­¡±


    Lucky just huffed in annoyance, while it carefully walked around the corpse and once again stood next to him.


    Sam stepped forward, observing the spirit, and saw it was breaking up. Spirits like this one, according to his inherited memories, were weak enough that if they spend enough time in a body, possessing it, then they would become almost one with them, not having the power to stay in control and also stay a separate entity.


    And the destruction of most of the body caused the spirit to almost fracture. The cloud of shadows and darkness in front of him moved around, changed its shape, and a few times he saw a face trying to form, but in the end, it vanished just as fast as it appeared.


    And now Sam was in a pickle. He had no way to fully destroy the spirit. But he also didn¡¯t want to leave it around, as it would more than likely reform while also holding a grudge against him.


    Then he almost slapped himself.


    Sam quickly opened his inventory and began looking around in his inventory. He had bought a few things at the beginning, mostly odds and ends, but one of them was a set of vials, with very strong stoppers that adventurers used to collect ingredients when they were out in the wild.


    He took one of them, flipped the lid off, and reached out with his mana gently, forming it into a net that he then threw around the almost vibrating cloud of darkness.


    Then, ever so slowly, he began to reel it in, funneling it into the bottle.


    He didn¡¯t know how long it took, but the moment the lid was put in place, he found himself drenched in sweat, shivering, and sitting on the ground, Lucky looking at him in worry, and his Mana pool dangerously close to empty.


    But he still smiled, because there was a notification in front of him.


    [Congratulations! You successfully captured the Lesser Shadow Spirit (Fractured)!]


    Ignoring the other notifications now, he sat there for a moment, catching his breath, then slowly stood up, and now that he wasn¡¯t hyper-focused on the attacking spirit, he could finally hear the sounds coming from the direction of the hall.


    Apparently, the bandits were waking up.


    <hr>


    It only took him a few seconds to put together a plan for escaping. He took time to take out a clean cloak, and with Lucky following him, he began to run towards the hall.


    Before reaching the door, he took a deep breath, then smashed through them and immediately began yelling.


    ¡°Attack! Attack! Somebody is attacking the boss!¡±


    Then, without giving them time to think, he grabbed the nearest bandit, pulled him up from the ground, and basically tossed him towards the door.


    Then he continued yelling while pulling, pushing people towards the door that lead to the vault while he was slowly heading towards the corridor that lead to the exit.


    ¡°What?¡± ¡°Who¡ª¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Where are my boots?¡± ¡°Mommy!¡±


    The hall instantly turned chaotic, as bandits began to stagger towards the door, and yelling at each other.


    Sam, seeing as the chaos was well on his way, stopped yelling and began running towards the exit, while reaching for his sword and the detonator for the explosives.


    He barreled through the door that led to the forest, surprising the still sleeping guard, but he didn¡¯t give him the time to react, as his sword immediately struck down, ending the bandit¡¯s life.


    The moment the bandit¡¯s body hit the floor, he pushed the button on the detonator, throwing it behind him, not wanting anything on him that would link him to this place, and began running at full sprint towards where he knew the river was, Lucky hot on his heels.


    <hr>


    They were almost at the edge of the ward that constrained the sound in the area when he heard the first explosion, which was soon followed by many more, while the ground began to slightly shake under him.


    Despite that, he didn¡¯t stop running.


    They didn¡¯t stop until they reached the gently babbling river that cut through the forest.


    And the moment Sam stopped, he fell to his knees, exhausted. Lucky, panting with his tongue out, simply jumped into the river and began to wash himself off.


    Sam, taking a minute to catch his breath, did the same after chucking off everything he was wearing. Shirt, pants, armor, and cloak. And to Lucky¡¯s delight, began to play with the wolf in the surprisingly not ice cold waters of the river.


    After making sure they were as clean as possible, Sam quickly put together a fire, throwing his soiled clothing on it, then sat next to it, with Lucky lying on his belly, munching on meat scraps, and began to review his notifications while he was drying.


    [Congratulations! You defeated a Lesser Shadow Spirit!]


    [Thanks to the spirit being well above your level, you and your companion receive bonus experience!]


    [You are now level 9!]


    [Thanks to your quick thinking, you managed to surpass a stronger enemy, you gained +1 AGI!]


    [Thanks to your spontaneous planning, you gained +1 WIS!]


    [You gained 4 Unassigned status points!]


    [Lucky is now level 8!]


    Chuckling a little, at the comments for level-ups, Sam checked Lucky¡¯s status screen and when he saw that there was still only one skill, he changed to viewing his own and assigned the new points, two to Perception and another two to Wisdom.


    Then he began to review the other notifications.


    [Mana Shield reached level 17!]


    [Controlled Mana Shield has reached level 1!]


    [You successfully broke through with a skill!]


    [Basic Sword Mastery reached level 10 and upgraded into Intermediate Sword Mastery!]


    [Intermediate Sword Mastery: Level 0/15 (0%) (Passive) Shows that the person is more than capable of wielding a sword. You¡¯ve mastered the basics of the sword. It is time to improve upon it. Increases the damage done with swords, and decreases slightly the mana required for sword related skills.]


    [You gained the Stable Stance skill!]


    [Stable Stance: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Makes your stance when wielding a sword more stable. Enemies will have to use more power to unbalance your stance.]


    [Pinpoint Accuracy reached level 4!]


    [Intermediate Mana Control reached level 2!]


    [Companion Sense reached level 5!]


    [Mana Sense reached level 7!]


    [Multitasking reached level 2!]


    [Calm Heart reached level 2!]


    Smiling at his gains and ignoring the notification about the guard he killed, Sam dismissed the status screen, then seeing as he was more than dry enough, took out another set of stolen clothes, dressed himself, and doused the flames of his fire with the water from the river, then buried the remains as much as possible, and then tiredly began walking towards Greenwood.


    He was exhausted, but logging out in the forest, just after he blew up a small mountain wasn¡¯t the best idea.


    <hr>


    He reached the town by the time the sun was setting. He greeted the guard, then tiredly he dragged his body to the Green Stump inn. Sam barely had the energy to give Sarah a quick wave before he entered his room and fell face first into his bed.


    In the real world, feeling the same tiredness, he removed his helmet, and left the room to wash his face, then just like in the game, he fell into his bed and was asleep in minutes.

 Chapter 14

    Waking up in his comfortable bed, Sam was confused for a moment, as he didn¡¯t know exactly where he was. Through the fog of wakefulness, he saw the medieval interior of the Green Stump inn and seemed to hear the gentle snore of Lucky, then between one blink and the next his sight cleared, and he was back in his room, simple white walls looking back at him.


    ¡¯Right. Post-VR confusion¡­ gotta be careful about that¡­¡¯


    Shaking his head as he clambered out of his bed, cursing himself for not taking his socks off, Sam headed for the bathroom.


    After finishing with his ablutions, he plodded to the kitchen, scavenged some breakfast, then back to his office and, with a heavy thud, sat down before his computer.


    With one hand he was eating cereal that was more sugar than breakfast, and with the other, he was browsing the net.


    Now, more than ever, he could see the evidence that he was in a different world. News about countries that he had never heard of in place of well-known countries in his previous life. Historical figures quoted that Sam had no idea who they were, and so on.


    Following the celebrity news was already a lost cause, but at least he wanted to make sure he was on the up and up with the general going ons of the world. The other Sam¡¯s memories of this time were rather sparse, as he was fully concentrating on playing games and ¡®making it big¡¯.


    He checked his investments, made sure that the bills were still paid and nothing snuck up on him, then answered the messages he got on Shadowlands, and posted several more prepared guides and secrets, knowing very well that soon all of them would be worthless with the ascension of Magic Unbound.


    He chuckled as he read a few posts below his guides, praising him for the information. Apparently, he had quickly risen to fame amidst the gamers.


    ¡°Maybe I could make use of that in the game¡­¡± he murmured, then changed to viewing the news about the aforementioned game.


    Magic Unbound apparently was exploding.


    He trawled through websites praising the game or critiquing it, people making videos of it, though thankfully it wasn¡¯t at a level that would attract everyone on it but, it was hard not to see.


    Soon, the peaceful nature of the game would cease to be, but not yet.


    Finishing his meal, he stood up from the desk and headed back to the kitchen. He had dishes to wash, then a walk to take.


    Dressing up to keep the cold away, he stepped out of his warm apartment, locked the door behind him, then began walking towards the lift.


    On the way, Sam nodded to one of his neighbors, a woman who, thanks to the incredible amount of warm clothing, was only showing her face.


    A few minutes later, he was in a park, the cold wind chilling him, but he didn¡¯t care.


    The fresh air was enough to kick-start his brain¡­


    <hr>


    Returning to the game, Sam was met with Lucky looking at him soulfully, paws on the bed, legs on the ground, and whining a little.


    Cursing himself for forgetting to leave some food out for the wolf, he immediately produced some meat and water, then spent a few minutes petting the eating wolf, apologizing.


    ¡°Sorry, Lucky. I promise it won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡®Holy mackerel, can¡¯t wait for the synchronization¡­¡¯


    After making sure that Lucky wouldn¡¯t starve, he checked over his clothing, making sure it was extra clean and a little higher quality than usual. After all, he was going to be talking to ¡®important¡¯ people¡­


    Leaving the room, he greeted the smiling owner of the inn, accepted the breakfast, scarfed it down, and then headed out into the big wide world.


    Today¡¯s task was reporting the demise of the bandit group, without letting anyone know that he had already retrieved all that treasure.


    Walking towards the headquarters of the town guard, Sam straightened his clothes, made sure that Lucky was clean, then, without waiting for anybody to call him, stepped through the gate that separated the grounds where the guards practiced from the rest of the town.


    The guard at the gate gave him a look, but as Sam had no weapons visible, and was dressed in high-quality clothing that he had liberated from the bandits, he let him through with a respectful nod.


    Stepping inside of the guard headquarters, he snagged the nearest person who looked like they knew what was going on.


    ¡°Excuse me! Could you tell me where can I find the Captain?¡±


    The man, dressed in a sharp guard uniform, raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Whatever for¡­ sir?¡±


    Sam just gave him a simple smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve news for him. It¡¯s somewhat important.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± came the skeptical answer. ¡°May I ask what this news is about?¡±


    ¡°The location of the hideout of the Greenwood bandits.¡±


    There was a moment of silence as the guard processed the information, but his clearly skeptical look instantly cleared up, and nodded.


    ¡°All right, sir. I¡¯ll take you to him.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± replied Sam, smile still on his face.


    It only took a few minutes for the two of them to navigate the guard headquarters and arrive at the Captain¡¯s office. The unnamed guard knocked on the door, then, without waiting for a reply, opened the door and ushered Sam in, closing the door behind them.


    ¡°Captain,¡± the man saluted to the older guard sitting behind the desk, working on some kind of documents. ¡°This person claims to know the location of the bandit¡¯s hideout!¡±


    When Sam stepped through the door, the Captain, an elderly gentleman, with short black hair peppered with gray, lithe but powerful build looked disinterested in him, but the moment the words left the mouth of his guide, he sat up straighter, his intense gaze honing on in Sam.


    ¡°Is what Samous said true, good sir?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Sam answered simply. After all the fewer words he spoke, the better the chance he would get away with the treasure.


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    The Captain spent an entire minute scrutinizing Sam, while his guide stood respectfully to the side, before speaking up again.


    ¡°All right. Take a seat and tell me everything.¡± There was enough authority in the older man¡¯s voice that if Sam would have been a weaker person, he would have spilled everything. But instead, he smiled at the guard captain, took the offered seat, and began speaking.


    ¡°Well, Captain, sir, it started with one of the guards. I can¡¯t remember his name, but he was always napping or sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Gregory?¡±


    ¡°Must be, I think the bandits called him Greg¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Well, sir, it was like this: He offered me a chance to go out and cull the wolves and when I was hunting them I came across¡­¡±


    Sam put everything into weaving a tale of heroism as he came across the bandits, followed them (definitely out of civic duty), and infiltrated bravely their hideout. Then he described how he came across the bandit leader, how they fought and how hard it was, but in the end, he succeeded. Only to be thwarted by the dead body rising once again, this time controlled by a foul spirit.


    Then came the tale of his daring escape, activating the bandit¡¯s self-destruct, and burying them under a mountain¡¯s worth of rubble.


    An hour later, he had a parched throat, and while the guard captain was still watching him with his intense gaze, the man who guided him to the office was silently gushing about how brave and heroic he was.


    ¡°Then I came back, collapsed into my bed, and as soon as I woke up I came here,¡± he finished lamely.


    There was another silence, and this time to time it was broken by the captain suddenly standing up and slapping both of his hands on his desk, rattling it and causing a few things to fall off. Sam recoiled, and was about to strike the captain, when the aforementioned man grinned, and pointed one hand at him.


    ¡°Samous! See! We all need men like this one in the town¡¯s guard! The bravery! The heroics! The duty!¡± By the end of the small speech, the guard captain was almost yelling.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± yelled his guide, with a fervor that was hard to believe.


    The guard captain put his hand down on the desk and leaned slightly over it, looking directly into Sam¡¯s eyes with a grin.


    ¡°Well done, young man! Well done!¡± Sam had to scoot a little backward, as the man was so loud. ¡°Tell me, young man! What do you want for this brave deed? Tell me and I¡¯ll make it a reality!¡±


    Sam gulped a little at the fervor he could hear from the man¡¯s voice, but in the end, he managed to get over his shock and smiled.


    ¡°No need, sir. I just did my duty.¡±


    There was a moment of silence, and Sam feared he said something wrong, when the captain, followed by the other man in the room, practically began to cry.


    ¡°Samous! Listen to this! How heroic! What a dutiful man! I simply can¡¯t believe it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m amazed. What a man!¡±


    Sam just shook his head and stood up from his surprisingly comfortable chair.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave¡­¡±


    The captain nodded, still yelling at Samous about duty and going above and beyond.


    ¡°Go with my blessing, brave sir! Know that your bravery will be known by everybody!¡±


    Sam spent a nanosecond thinking about telling him that it wasn¡¯t necessary, but in the end, he decided it was a lost cause. Instead, he bowed slightly, then as fast as possible to not to seem disrespectful, he fled the room.


    As he basically power walked out of the guard headquarters, he ignored the painfully pitying looks the other guards were giving him.


    Then, as he left the compound, he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, and when he opened them, there was a notification window before him.


    [Quest ¡®Hunt the wolves!¡¯ completed!]


    [You followed the directions that your ¡®acquaintance¡¯ gave you and found more than wolves. Through some quick thinking and luck, you managed to subdue the bandits and bring back news of their demise. Soon the entirety of the Greenwood will know your name.]


    [Reward: Increased reputation in Greenwood]


    Sam dismissed the screen and, without looking back at the compound, from where he could almost hear the captain and his aide yelling, headed back to his room in the inn.


    He didn¡¯t even care that he didn¡¯t get anything as a reward for the quest. Probably the game decided that the treasure and items he got away with were enough remunerations for his trouble.


    <hr>


    After a small snack and bathroom break in the real world, he was once again in his room at the inn, with Lucky downstairs with Sarah, who wanted to play with the cute wolf. Seeing as he would be otherwise occupied, he didn¡¯t mind it.


    Closing the door, making sure that every gap was covered, then closed the curtains, and sat down on the ground to minimize anyone from seeing anything.


    The first thing he did was retrieve the chest containing the money and valuables.


    Going through the chests he found thousands of silvers, more than enough bronze coins, and almost two thousand gold coins. Not the biggest amount of money, but at the beginning of the game, before the inflation and the inclusion of real money? He was loaded.


    That wasn¡¯t mentioning the jewelry, which sadly Sam couldn¡¯t really sell, as there were ways to recognize where it came from even if it had no identifying mark, and he didn¡¯t need that kind of question at the moment.


    Then came the other stuff, leaving the magical artifacts for last.


    The armors that he had just simply swept into the bag of holding were all unenchanted, and sadly all used. To Sam, remembering back how they were displayed, the armors in the vault were there not because they were worth a lot, but because they reminded the bandits and their leader of somebody they had killed.


    Though after going through everything for a second time to make sure he didn¡¯t miss anything, he found that one pair of the boots was slightly enchanted.


    Taking it into his hand, he examined said boots.


    [Leather Boots (Enchanted): High-quality leather boots, enchanted with some manner of enchantment.]


    ¡®Very informative, game¡­¡¯ he thought, then took off his own shoes, and tried on the boots.


    Standing in them, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh in pleasure. They were really comfortable¡­


    Looking at the boots again, the information window changed accordingly.


    [Leather Boots (Enchanted): High-quality leather boots, enchanted with Comfort enchantment.]


    Happy with his find, he took out a smaller bag of holding and put all the armors for later use or sale.


    Then he turned his attention toward the crates.


    A few contained alcohol in carefully packaged bottles.


    Another tea and spices.


    One was simply full of sugar.


    One contained rolls of materials; silk, cotton, and more.


    Then came a crate that had him almost salivating.


    A crate was full of books.


    Carefully going through them, he separated the fiction books from the non-fiction, hoping that he would get lucky. Then when he was almost done sorting the books he found what he was looking for.


    Three books mixed in with the other.


    Retrieving them, he carefully laid them on the bed before examining them.


    They looked just like other books, but to his magical senses, when he focused on them, they were filled with gentle mana.


    The first one was colored beige with black writing on it, called The light of our lives.


    Observing it, he received a notification.


    [Congratulations you¡¯ve found a skill book!]


    [The light of our lives: teaches the basic illumination magic, Light Ball, and how to use it.]


    Turning his gaze to the other two, he began reading the notifications that popped up.


    [The sanctity of the body: teaches the basic defensive magic, Magic Armor, and how to use it.]


    [See what there is to see: teaches one of the basic magical arts, Mana Sight, and how to use it.]


    ¡°Well, two out of three, is not bad¡­¡± he murmured as he began to pack up the crates, holding the products once again in a separate smaller bag. The Magic Armor spell book went into his inventory, but for the other two, he simply took them up one by one and slowly channeled his magic into them.


    Both books began to glow then slowly dispersed into motes of light that fell onto the bed, while slowly vanishing. Instead, he was greeted by two new notification screens.


    [Congratulations, you learned the spell, Light Ball!]


    [Light Ball: 0/10 (0%) (Active) A simple spell that allows you to conjure a ball of light to illuminate your surroundings.]


    [Congratulations, you learned the spell, Mage Sight!]


    [Mage Sight: 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to visually observe the currents of magic.]


    Happy with his gains, Sam finally turned towards the artifact he looted from the bandit¡¯s vault.


    There were half a dozen bags of holdings, a few enchanted canteens and flasks, a blanket that warmed up upon channeling mana into it, and a telescope enchanted for seeing very far away.


    He also found almost a dozen knick-knacks, like music boxes, things that whirled or flashed in different colors.


    ¡®Probably toys for¡­ children. Oh¡­¡¯


    Despite being in a game, the realization that those bandits killed children still managed to sadden him enough that not even the enormous loot in front of him could cheer him up.


    He quietly packed up the items that were left out, making sure that toys were separate, then unlocked his room, and left to find Lucky.


    He needed some fluffy time to cheer up.

 Chapter 15

    For a while, he spent his time playing with Lucky, talking with Sarah about nothing particular, then when a few neighborhood kids walked by and saw Lucky, watched as they played with the excited wolf.


    And while that happened, Sam tried to calm his raging thoughts.


    Because while he knew it was a game, it was still so lifelike and the NPCs so human-like that the thought of children being killed made him so mad that he almost threw up.


    Seemingly, the game developers also understood the problem, as the game had a setting that turned off blood and one that made it so that dead bodies vanished, to protect people.


    Still, he consciously decided not to engage those options, to train himself for the future.


    The feelings still weren¡¯t easy to reconcile ¡­


    Probably why around a year after Magic Unbound became a worldwide sensation, the therapy scene for VRPTSD exploded¡­


    Watching as Lucky happily, with his tongue out and tail wagging, jumped around the courtyard of the inn with children laughing and chasing after the silly wolf, he couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    He was shaken out of his reverie by a voice talking behind him. Not getting up from where he was sitting, Sam craned his neck around and saw Sarah standing there with an understanding smile on her face.


    ¡°It never gets easier, Sam¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The woman just sighed a little.


    ¡°Saw your face when you came back, and then when you came down from your room. I saw that same look on thousands of faces.¡±


    The only thing he could do was nod.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, honey. As long as you care, and have that feeling, you¡¯ll be alright¡­¡± continued the woman. Then she gently raised her hand and patted his shoulder.


    ¡°And if you ever need to talk, I¡¯m here¡­¡±


    And with that, she gave one look at the kids playing with Lucky, then turned around and went back to the inn, leaving Sam alone with his thoughts.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    <hr>


    The next week, real life time, he spent running around Greenwood town, and doing small errands, quests, and getting the required levels to leave the tutorial town, and, most importantly, collecting the skills he needed.


    The game handled the leaving of the tutorial town rather interestingly.


    In most games, you had to complete an event, or reach a certain level, then you talked to an NPC or artifact and you were teleported to the main city and thus began your adventure.


    Here, in Magic Unbound, the tutorial town was truly part of the world, and people could visit whenever they wanted, thus the developers had to get creative.


    It wasn¡¯t currently known, but the game tried stopping everybody from leaving the tutorial town before level 15. True, one could leave before that, but on the way to the nearest city, there were some ¡®strategically¡¯ placed high leveled wandering monsters that would always find a player, sending them back to the tutorial town to resurrect.


    And how would the game stop them?


    In the same way, it would stop people from returning to the tutorial towns to cause trouble. NPCs would approach them, lamenting about lost pets, artifacts, or people. Or an NPC that they had a great reputation with would approach them for help with something secret, and so on.


    Or the game would generate some random event based on their interest and previous action. And as gamers were known to follow the shiny, it was really easy to distract them.


    Thankfully, Sam knew what he wanted, so the game didn¡¯t have to distract him.


    The first thing he did was visit the library and start to learn some new languages.


    In the beginning, everybody spoke the common tongue, but there were several other languages that one could learn. Sadly, the Greenwood library was rather small, but it still had a few basic languages that players could learn.


    Sam started every day by reading the books that would teach him the language under the scrutinizing eyes of the stereotypical librarian. After that he went out to hunt animals, to sell them, and to have something fresh to feed to Lucky and to get some experience for leveling up.


    By the end of the week, he acquired the Dwarven language, and he was well on his way to learning the basic Elven language.


    Then the rest of the day was spent either going to the mage tower, learning new spells, or approaching other people for lessons on certain skills.


    In the mage tower, he was taught, thanks to the power of money, a few basic spells that were required for life outside of civilization.


    Like the Firespark spell that generated a small spark of fire, excellent for starting campfires, or Condense Water, which, as the name suggested, allowed him to condense water from the surrounding air to drink. Then there was Clean, which obviously allowed him to clean stuff.


    According to his inherited memories, it was touted as the most used spell in the game.


    Following that, he bought the spells Mana Strike and Mana Slash, which allowed him to add mana to his strikes and slashes. They were very basic spells, but they were called the foundational spells that most late-stage skills were built upon. Mastering them would allow him to learn a lot of different skills.


    And most importantly, after proving to the mage tower that he was capable of casting all these spells, he was finally allowed to buy the Mana Body Enhancement. The spell was another one of the basic spells that were still in use in the late game.


    Simply, it enhanced all physical attributes of the user, and it synergized with all his other supporting spells really well.


    Then when he managed to cast these spells without the aid of the system, and he was confident he could maintain them, earning a few more points in MAG and WIS, he turned his attention to other teachers.


    The tutorial town had something for everybody.


    So, after leaving the mage tower, promising the old man who taught him the spells that he would religiously practice them, he sought out the physical trainers in the town to learn other basic skills.


    Sadly, the people who were capable of teaching those skills were the guards.


    And when the Captain heard that Sam was there to learn skills, he took over from an embarrassed guard, while all the others gave Sam pitying looks.


    So, Sam had to endure the man extolling his virtues, loudly, to everyone who even came close to the practice ground, and when they were alone, asking him what his next heroic deed would be.


    Though he had to admit, despite the Captain¡¯s eccentricities, he was a competent teacher.


    Sam learned the Basic Footwork in record time, and after asking for it, the Basic Breathing Technique. Though he almost regretted asking about it, as the Captain went off yelling about his instincts, and how great a warrior Sam will become.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Which he could understand a little.


    Breathing techniques weren¡¯t ultra rare skills, but they were basically unknown at this point to the players, and no teacher would take the initiative to teach the noobs, as it would only be required at later stages. And when players reached those stages, the breathing techniques available were much better than the basic ones.


    But he was a gamer and having an extra passive skill that decreased stamina consumption was always nice.


    Then he simply spent his time honing his skills and going out to gather experience.


    <hr>


    Sam wandered through the town, snacking on roadside meat, while Lucky, now tall enough to reach his hip, walked alongside him, as people (mostly children) waved to them.


    Over the days he spent grinding on the mobs around Greenwood, Lucky reached level 10, getting the Lucky Aura skill, that gave everyone around Lucky an increase of Luck, while also evolving from Gray Wolf to Adult Gray Wolf.


    Lucky only had five more levels before he reached the apex, evolving into Alpha Gray Wolf. If Sam didn¡¯t know how to evolve the fluffy wolf further, then soon Lucky would lose his use as a pet. But for that, he would need to reach the city.


    But for now, he simply enjoyed the wolf¡¯s presence, and at night, he used the mountain of fur as a pillow.


    As he walked, he saw a number of players also walking around, either alone or with a large-ish group. The numbers have been steadily increasing, and to his knowledge, it was only small-time streamers and a few guilds that had migrated over to the game so far.


    The bigger guilds and studios were still waiting to see if the hype was real, but probably they all had a few people checking the game out.


    Thankfully, the ¡®secret¡¯ of how to acquire a pet was leaked by somebody (Shadowland was starting to get requests for Magic Unbound) and several people were walking around with all kinds of pets. He saw adorable rabbits hopping after their masters, as well as birds circling up in the air, or giant bears lumbering after people decked out in mismatched metal armors.


    It was hilarious to Sam how seriously these people took these pets.


    While, yes, at these low levels they made experience farming faster, and you could more easily solo things, they were limited enough that upon reaching the next city they would rapidly become useless.


    The Great Pet Rage was something that happened in the other Sam¡¯s past life, and it would probably happen here too. Sam just shook his head, then as he watched slyly as a young talented woman sauntered by, he finished his snack, then headed for the nearest bench.


    He was so focused on training that he rarely checked his status page to make sure not to chase the numbers. Focusing on mastering the basic techniques was much more rewarding for him.


    Sam sat down on the bench, and Lucky flopped down next to him like a few hundred pounds of pure death and fluff. He pulled out a few strips of fresh hog meat (it was delicious as a steak, and Sarah had even commissioned him to go out and gather a few hogs for the inn), then, as Lucky snacked away, he opened his status screen.


    [Name: Sam ¡®Solar¡¯


    Level: 14 (9%)


    Title: -


    HP: 200/200


    MP: 680/680


    STR: 10


    DEX: 10


    AGI: 10


    VIT: 10


    END: 11


    MAG: 17


    PER: 12


    WIS: 12


    LUCK: 10]


    His status points have reached a nice level, with most of them over ten, and his mana had soared thanks to his passive skill.


    Lucky¡¯s status page was even nicer to look at.


    [Name: Lucky


    Race: Adult Gray Wolf


    HP: 680/680


    MP: -/-


    Level: 12


    STR: 16


    DEX: 14


    AGI: 21


    VIT: 17


    END: 13


    MAG: -


    PER: 18


    WIS: 9


    LUK: 7]


    [Strong Jaw: Level Max (Passive) The jaw of the wolf is strengthened.]


    [Lucky Aura: Level Max (Passive) Those who are in the same party as the wolf receive a buff to their luck. It depends on their luck how big the increase will be.]


    The health points at this level were insane, though the Lucky Aura was a little annoying. Every time the aura activated, it randomly increased his luck, and the game wasn¡¯t nice enough to show how much it was increased.


    Aside from those, Sam¡¯s skills also increased.


    Mana Shield has reached level 21, which granted him his next sub-skill, while Controlled Mana Shield simply increased in level.


    [Sustained Mana Shield: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to the experience with maintaining the Mana Shield over long periods of time the cost of the Mana Shield decreases. 1% decrease per level.]


    It was an amazing skill for later, as the Mana Shield skill had no theoretical limit, though in practice after a certain time it was almost impossible to increase the skill level.


    Sword Mastery also improved, but as he had no opportunity to test himself against anybody in a real fight, as hogs and feral wolves surprisingly didn¡¯t really carry swords, there were no big changes in the skill and its subskills.


    The greatest increase was in his intermediate Mana Control skill, as he was almost always using it, almost becoming second nature. The cycling of the mana was becoming easier and easier, and the usage of skills required less and less concentration.


    [Intermediate Mana Control: Level 13/15 (7%) (Passive) You understand the basic concepts of mana control. You can now do more, achieve more, and gain more while manipulating mana. The skill increases the amount of mana regenerated at a time and decreases the cost of mana skills by 14%. The bonuses from the Basic Mana Control remain. +6,3 Mana Regeneration per Second]


    [Focused Mana Control: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Mana control when meditating increases. Decreases skill''s mana cost and increases mana regeneration when under the effect of Meditation skill. Bonuses are increased when under the Deep Meditation skill¡¯s effect!]


    And Sam even earned an awesome subskill for it!


    [Continuous Mana Control: Level MAX (Passive) The longer you control your mana, the more efficient it becomes. The cost of the mana control exercise cannot become zero.]


    When he received the subskill, Sam spent at least half an hour laughing to himself. There was a similar skill in his inherited memories, but that was only when meditating, as the user was a meditation nut. And that allowed them to reach unprecedented heights. And now he got something even better.


    Companion Sense also reached level 11, as he kept spending time with Lucky, as well as playing with him every day. Though, surprisingly he hasn¡¯t yet gotten a subskill for it. Probably after level 20 or 25¡­


    Meditation was also approaching the maximum, with Sam reaching level 21 with it, while also maxing out Deep Meditation. Mana Sense didn¡¯t really increase much, as sensing his own mana was insufficient after some time.


    Though Multitasking has increased to level 20, making him even more competent in battle.


    Then came the real gains.


    First of all, he managed to dig deeper and increase the level of Mana Well.


    [Mana Well: Level 1/5 (1%) You grasped something deep and abstract. Mana is like clay in your hand. Your body is a wellspring of Mana. Increases how much mana a Magic status point grants you. Current increase: Three times increase.]


    The amount of mana he could bring forth astounded the old man at the mage tower enough that he even offered to take Sam on as his apprentice.


    Sadly, as Sam wasn¡¯t planning on becoming a true mage, he rejected the offer.


    Though the old mage didn¡¯t give up, and every time they met, he tried to get him to accept to become an apprentice.


    Then, thanks to his almost non-stop training, Mana Synergy also leveled up.


    [Mana Synergy: Level 2/10 (6%) (Passive) Thanks to your combining compatible skills, you managed to find a synergy between them. This synergy is completely useless in battle, but when you train your skills and completely focus on them, the rewards from your training increase. When using two or more mana skills simultaneously outside of battle, the cost of their use is reduced by 3%, while you receive 1,3 times more experience in training.]


    Sam smiled in satisfaction slightly as he ran his eyes over the list of his skills and spells, happy that he managed to achieve this much in such a short amount of time.


    Then he closed the window and spent some leisure time basking in the sun, watching people, and, of course, practicing mana control.


    <hr>


    Later, after logging out of the game, and a nice hot shower, he made himself a simple cup of ramen, then plopped down in front of his computer, and began looking up news and discussions about the game.


    Gaming news sites were still preoccupied with other games, but a few smaller ones were talking about it, but to Sam, it seemed that they were just simply testing the waters.


    Then, as he continued to skim over the articles, a title caught Sam¡¯s eyes. Or rather, the author of that particular article.


    Unbound wonder in a fantastical world by SummerRose


    He remembered SummerRose. Or rather, the other Sam remembered. At this point, she was a small-time streamer and journalist for a gaming website, but after a few articles and some excellent streaming sessions, she rocketed to the top of the world of the journalists of Magic Unbound. For a while¡­


    Clicking on the article, he began reading, while also wondering how he could contact her and maybe nudge her in the right direction. It would be a shame if he couldn¡¯t prevent her death¡­

 Chapter 16

    Absent of any better idea, Sam sat down and looked up SummerRose on the Shadowland website, hoping that as a journalist and gamer she would have an account there, and lo-and-behold, he was right.


    Doing a little digital stalking, he looked through her posting history, at least what wasn¡¯t private, but found nothing interesting. Just the usual question about old games, and such.


    But there was a new post about Magic Unbound.


    She was asking for any secrets that someone would sell her, or willing to show off on her stream.


    Sam looked at the post for a moment, then smiled evilly.


    SummerRose started somewhere far away from him, according to her posts (though with the amount of money he had he could have quickly traveled there if he wanted), but she started somewhere where Sam knew one of the enemies of the other Sam started. Said enemy was propelled to stardom after finding a particular secret in the area.


    Which he then bragged about, uncaring of the consequences¡­


    The guild war that resulted from that particular genius action almost destroyed the fool and his guild, but sadly, he had connections¡­


    And now Sam had an opportunity.


    For a moment he wondered if he should do it, but then Sam looked at his plans on the whiteboard (encrypted, of course, he wasn¡¯t a fool) in his office, making sure it wouldn¡¯t interfere with any of his plans, then a wicked smile appeared on his face and began typing.


    Hello,


    I have some information for you if you are willing to deal!


    A fan


    He would have to be careful and make sure that everything he said was supported by information on the internet, as the game company would come after him if he seemed to be in possession of information that he shouldn¡¯t have been.


    But thankfully, after a quick search, he found enough data about the place the quest played out, with several streamers showing off key NPCs or items, unknown of their significance. It would be a reach, but it could be explained that he put the pieces together from those¡­


    He left the website open, turned the sound up to make sure he heard the notifications, then left to make lunch.


    <hr>


    Sam was in the middle of putting the dirty dishes into the dishwasher when he heard the notification sound go off on his computer.


    He smiled in satisfaction, then continued to put away the dishes.


    A minute later, he was sitting in front of his computer again with a chat window open.


    [SummerRose]: Hi, what do you have and how much?


    [LazyPhoenix]: Yo, you in Balar?


    [SummerRose]: Yes


    [SummerRose]: why?


    [LazyPhoenix]: I found a quest I can sell to you


    [SummerRose]: Whats the damage?


    [LazyPhoenix]: 3 favors


    The reply didn¡¯t come immediately. Sam didn¡¯t care. What he asked from a relatively unknown streamer was unusual, so he expected the other person to think it over. But he knew streamers always needed something to grab attention, so SummerRose would probably accept it.


    And he wasn¡¯t disappointed, as a few minutes later, he received a reply.


    [SummerRose]: one


    [LazyPhoenix]: Five


    There was another pause, Sam watching the screen intensely.


    [SummerRose]: three it is


    [SummerRose]: so?


    [LazyPhoenix]: So, you need to find the east gate of the city of¡­


    Sam spent the next half an hour describing the beginning of the quest, making sure to watch his words, not saying anything that would hint at him knowing more than possible, but still starting the streamer on a journey that would cause trouble to a future possible enemy.


    An hour after they began chatting, they said their goodbyes, and Sam leaned back in his chair and contemplated the screen and the discussion for a moment, before saving it, and then clearing it from his account.


    Then turned the browser off and headed for his gaming helmet.


    He had a tutorial to finish.


    <hr>


    She stared at the discussion, showing that the other person went offline, and contemplated the information she had received.


    It was very vague, but the other person, somebody very well known and trustworthy on the forum, managed to support his explanation with several links to information on the net.


    It painted a rather complete picture of a quest that would grant something awesome.


    And she needed something awesome.


    She bet everything on the game, and she was nowhere near becoming famous.


    Mostly she attributed that to the game not being popular enough, but part of it was that she couldn¡¯t show off anything unique. The game was rather hard, and surprisingly it didn¡¯t shower the players with hidden and unique quests at the drop of the hat.


    Sighing quietly, she turned off the old computer, then hopped on her bed, and put on her helmet, turning it on and starting the process to log into the game.


    After all, fortune favors the bold¡­


    <hr>


    Sam logged back into the game and immediately began his quest to finish the tutorial. Granted, with his knowledge and powerful skills, he could have left the town of Greenwood already, but he wanted to accomplish one more thing.


    And that thing was Lucky.


    He needed to start upgrading him before he left.


    Technically, he could have done that after leaving the town but being a magical world, there were rules to rituals.


    And one of them was that doing rituals in places that are thematically connected to the subject of the ritual or the ritual itself would enhance the ritual.


    And seeing as the forest next to Greenwood was the place where Lucky was born, grew up, and learned to hunt, what better place to take the first steps to evolve beyond his limits¡­


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    He spent a few hours just simply walking around the town, making sure he didn¡¯t miss anything, buying more supplies; a tent, some more cutlery, a bundle of firewood, and other odds and ends that could come in handy.


    He also said his goodbyes to Master Simon, the old mage once again lamenting at his refusal to become his apprentice.


    In the end, though, the old man surprised him.


    ¡°Young man, I still cannot believe how much you¡¯ve surprised me with your dedication to our art,¡± the old man said, sitting with Sam in one of the rooms of the mage tower, sipping tea. Sam sat across from him, also drinking the surprisingly delicious tea.


    ¡°I just did what felt natural to me¡­¡± he replied, acting bashfully.


    ¡°Natural? Natural, you say!¡± the older man exclaimed, his eyes fixed on him. ¡°What you¡¯ve accomplished is beyond natural! Control such as yours is in the domain of geniuses!¡±


    Sam averted his eye, acting embarrassed.


    ¡°You exaggerate, master.¡±


    Master Simon just snorted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t exaggerate, young man. I won''t lie. There is a reason I¡¯m here and not in any of the big cities,¡± he said with a scowl on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t care for politics or those fancy talks where people twist the truth of the world into fanciful tales of impossibility, just to feel better about themselves.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed, young man.¡±


    The old man looked back at him, took another sip of his tea, then continued to speak.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask one last time, young Sam. Will you become my apprentice?¡±


    Sam looked back directly into the old mage¡¯s aging face and exited eyes, and gave a firm shake of his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, master, but I have my plans.¡±


    There was a terse silence, as the two men stared at each other, but then it was broken by the older man deflating, letting out a long-suffering sigh, almost collapsing into himself.


    ¡°What a waste¡­¡± he whispered, but then he straightened up, though this time the excitement was missing from his eyes.


    Sam was once again struck by how life-like these NPCs were.


    ¡°Alright, I understand. I tried, but it seems life and fate have different plans for each of us.¡±


    Simon stood up and reached out with a hand, offering a handshake.


    ¡°Go with my blessing, young Sam. And make sure to show the world your talent!¡±


    Same took the hand and shook it.


    ¡°Thank you, Master Simon. I won¡¯t forget your help!¡±


    ¡°I hope so¡­¡±


    Then the older man sat back and took up the teacup, and looked out of the window forlornly. Sam, recognizing the dismissal and not wanting to further upset the other man, slowly left the room, closing the door behind himself softly.


    Ordinarily, he would have accepted the offer, as becoming an apprentice to somebody that was called a master by the Mage Association was almost impossible later in the bigger cities, but he had grander plans. And becoming an apprentice would make some of those plans impossible.


    He swiftly left the mage tower, waving goodbye to the receptionist who was reading another romance novel, and stepped back onto the street.


    However, before he could take another step, a notification popped up in front of him.


    [Congratulations! You were recognized for your talent by a Master of the Mage Association.]


    [You were granted the title of Magical Genius!]


    [Magical Genius: You are recognized as having incredible talent in manipulating mana by a respected professional. Decreases mana consumption by 5%!]


    [Due to not having any other title, Magical Genius was automatically equipped!]


    Sam read it, then smiled. What a nice surprise¡­


    <hr>


    After leaving the town, he took Lucky and headed towards the forest. Both he and Lucky needed a little more experience.


    Which was acquired rather fast.


    Deeper in the forest, there were bigger hogs, and bigger wolves while also they found bears, rabid squirrels hunting in packs, and a few cunning foxes.


    But to them, with his superior skills and Lucky¡¯s strength, nothing in the tutorial area could pose a risk.


    They spent almost a real-world day in the forest, only stopping for Sam to take bathroom breaks and have a quick nap.


    Sam stopped the hunt when he saw on the status screen that Lucky almost reached level 15. Upon reaching that, he would evolve one last time, and would be unable to improve further.


    So, before that, Sam wanted to try something.


    This time, the plan was fully his own. There was nothing in his inherited memories that hinted that somebody, or the other Sam, had tried it.


    He called out to Lucky and looked around. Lucky, hearing him, stood up from the corpse of the latest fox that tried to strike them from behind, and trotted back to him, the fox carried in his jaw.


    ¡°Good boy!¡± he praised the wolf, patting his head with one hand and taking the corpse with the other. And while Lucky barked happily, he quickly dressed the corpse.


    And when he was done with that, he turned to the wolf and spoke up.


    ¡°Okay, Lucky! Let¡¯s go and do something potentially stupid!¡±


    The wolf just howled in excitement.


    <hr>


    They hiked even deeper into the forest, avoiding what fights they could avoid, and if they had to fight, Sam made sure not to kill anything. He didn¡¯t want to accidentally level up Lucky.


    After almost half an hour¡¯s hike, they reached the part of the forest where the elevation began to rise, and the trees were exchanged for rocks and stone.


    After a few minutes of searching, they found a small path that lead them to a clearing, surrounded by rocks.


    Sam looked around and nodded. It would be perfect.


    Then he began to set up a tent, as Sam expected to be exhausted after being finished, and he doubted he would be able to return to the town. Then he pulled out a big metal tub, big enough for Lucky, and slowly filled it with the Condense Water skill.


    The wolf watched him curiously for a minute, then began to wander around the rocky clearing, sniffing things, even marking a few select rocks.


    When finished with filling the cheap tub he bought back in town, he called Lucky over, and to the consternation of the wolf, washed him thoroughly.


    The wolf whined, but Sam didn¡¯t care. He wanted this to go perfectly.


    After getting the wolf clean, he dried him with the application of several towels and then simply directed the wolf to sit on a towel to avoid him becoming dirty from the dust on the ground again.


    The wolf was confused but still did as he was told.


    Sam put away the tub, then joined the wolf and spent a few minutes just simply patting and playing with the wolf, scratching behind the ears and making sure he was happy. Then, when he was satisfied with the dose of fluffy he gained, he put his hands on the back of the wolf and closed his eyes.


    Lucky, seemingly sensing the seriousness surrounding Sam, instantly turned still, though his tail wagged a little.


    Sam, eyes still closed, reached for his mana, slowly circulated once, and before the second cycle could begin, he directed the rapidly moving mana towards his hand, and through his hand into the body of the wolf.


    There was resistance. Ninety percent of the mana he pushed into Lucky¡¯s body was lost immediately, the body unused to it. But Sam pushed through and continued to channel mana until he could feel a small amount remain in the furball¡¯s body. He smiled, then grabbed the small amount of mana, and similarly to how the old man back in the mage tower did to him, began to move it around.


    It was slow, and based on the whine coming from Lucky, it was uncomfortable, but it didn¡¯t hurt the wolf.


    After an unknown amount of time, drenched in sweat, shaking from the exertion, but feeling his grasp on controlling magic growing, he managed to complete a cycle of mana within Lucky. Which was made much harder as the wolf couldn¡¯t help him.


    But he did it.


    And after waiting for a second, he sensed the mana in Lucky slowly transform, taking on a feral, but still fluffy attribute.


    He grinned, and removed his hands from the wolf, sat back, panting, and opened his eyes.


    Lucky was still sitting in front of him, but there was a small, almost imperceptible shine to his fur, and he seemed to be even more energized than usual.


    Sam just spoke up softly.


    ¡°Lucky, go and hunt a little!¡±


    The wolf turned his head, looked at him, let out a short bark, and, within two blinks, he was gone, leaving only dust in his wake as he ran into the forest.


    Sam grinned, then while waiting, he checked out the notification screens.


    [Congratulations! You managed to awaken the mana inside your companion!]


    [You successfully broke through with a skill!]


    [Intermediate Mana Control reached level 15 and upgraded into Advanced Mana Control!]


    [Advanced Mana Control: Level 0/20 (0%) (Passive) You reached beyond the basics of mana control. You shape and bend mana to your will. The skill further increases the amount of mana regenerated at a time and decreases the cost of mana skills by 15%. The bonuses from the Basic and Intermediate Mana Control remain. +6,5 Mana Regeneration per Second;]


    [Thanks to your care for your companion despite their limitations, the skill Companion Sense increased to level 20!]


    [You gained the Deep Connection sub-skill!]


    [Deep Connection: Level MAX (Passive) Your companion has a bigger chance to learn skills related to or complementary to your skills upon leveling up.]


    Sam couldn¡¯t have been happier.


    The first step to making Lucky the biggest and most badass wolf was done.


    Then he simply sat back and waited.


    Thankfully, he didn¡¯t have to wait too long, as a few minutes later, he heard an eardrum-shattering howl from the forest and another window popped up in front of him.


    [Your companion Lucky has reached level 15!]


    [Lucky, the Gray Forest Wolf has evolved into Adult Gray Mana Wolf!]


    [Animalistic Mana Control: Level MAX (Passive) The wolf controls the mana inside him based on animalistic instinct.]


    [Would you like to see the status screen?]


    Sam just shook his head, dismissing the screen, then sat up and prepared himself. It was lucky he did, because not a moment later, Lucky came bounding out of the forest, jaw bloody, but his entire body radiating happiness, straight at Sam.


    As the wolf approached, Sam took a good look at him.


    The body size was the same. The fur looked a little fluffier maybe, but the one thing that stood out to him was how the eyes of the wolf seemed to shine with an inner light.


    Then the wolf collided with him, and for the foreseeable future, he was content to play with his excitable friend.

 Chapter 17

    Having Lucky¡¯s race turn from Forest Wolf to Mana Wolf was a small boon. It would increase the level limit a little. Not much, as the maximum level of a Forest Wolf was 15, at which point Lucky would have turned into an Alpha Forest Wolf, instead his level cap would increase. Though Sam didn¡¯t exactly know by how much.


    Based on the general knowledge he got, the increase was maybe 5 or at maximum, 10 levels. Even that would make Lucky more useful in the short term, and grant him more time to prepare for proper evolution.


    Not that he would get rid of Lucky for any reason. The excitable fluff ball was coming with him, even if the wolf would become useless in fights.


    Fluff was love.


    Fluff was life.


    Sam watched as the energized Lucky tore through the monsters of the forest with a small smile. While the wolf¡¯s new capability with mana didn¡¯t mean much, with Deep Connection he would soon learn to use it enough to strengthen his body and maybe execute a few mana-based attacks.


    Sam absentmindedly deflected an attack from a stealthy fox that jumped at him from a nearby bush, his Mana Sense pinpointing the position of his attacker before it even decided to attack him, as he thought about Lucky.


    Now that he was done with that, he would only need to reach level 15, get a courier mission towards one of the nearest cities, and get out of the tutorial.


    While he definitely wasn¡¯t the fastest to leave the tutorial, Sam knew that by dedicating oneself to grinding, one could reach the necessary level and leave the tutorial area within a few real-life days- And with the help of a guild or gaming studio? In mere hours, if they were good.


    But that was the magic of Magic Unbound.


    It didn¡¯t reward the highest leveled people. The game designers were thinking long-term. Slow and steady exploration, building a proper foundation, and social connections were more important than the race to the top.


    And that would cripple a lot of currently high leveled players.


    According to his memories, not an insignificant number of them would simply restart when they realized that they essentially gimped their characters. Not that they couldn¡¯t have corrected their build and learned the required skills to be useful, but the time investment required was more than anybody was willing to invest.


    But Sam wasn¡¯t worried about anything like that. He gathered the skills he needed, and some he didn¡¯t even know he could get, so he was happy.


    And the moment Lucky took down the latest oversized hog, a notification rang out, and a window appeared in front of him.


    [You are now level 15!]


    [Thanks to your daring handling of mana, you gained +1 WIS!]


    [You gained 2 Unassigned status points!]


    He read the window, then simply closed it. The game didn¡¯t tell him that he reached the level where he could leave the tutorial town. It would be handled in-game. Maybe a trainer would realize that he was strong enough to leave, or an important figure would find him to deliver something far away. But no matter what, the moment he returned to the town, his time was limited.


    Even if he stayed out of the town, sooner or later, the system would have had enough and would engineer some kind of event that would chase him out of the tutorial area.


    Not that Sam wanted to stay. He calmly added his points to Dexterity and Agility, did a final check of his status screen, then went to deal with the last hunted carcass.


    [Name: Sam ¡®Solar¡¯


    Level: 15 (1%)


    Title: Magical Genius


    HP: 200/200


    MP: 680/680


    STR: 10


    DEX: 11


    AGI: 11


    VIT: 10


    END: 11


    MAG: 17


    PER: 12


    WIS: 13


    LUCK: 10]


    Nothing exciting, but Sam knew that having all stats above ten would net him a lot of opportunities. Plus, it allowed him to become rather versatile.


    Nodding to himself, he closed the window and joined Lucky, who was dutifully guarding the carcass of the monster he killed.


    <hr>


    Sam returned to Greenwood without any fanfare. Granted, the area outside of the town was almost teeming with new players, while the wildlife was desperately trying to survive. Thankfully, the rabbits present were a hardy species and would bounce back once the locusts left.


    He greeted the gate guard, who was actually doing their job, and not napping, then simply headed for the butcher, where he deposited his loot for processing. After thanking the butcher for his help, and receiving a simple grunt, he went to the Merchant Association and sold the hides, and while he was tempted to get rid of some useless loot from the bandit hideout; he knew that would be social suicide in this town. Plus, he had collected enough gold from the criminals that he had no need for more in the short term.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Then he returned to the library to study a little more while the butcher worked. He still needed to say goodbye to Sarah at the Green Stump Inn, and Sam wanted to do it with a proper gift.


    <hr>


    A few hours later, he was standing in front of the inn, bag heavy with prime cuts.


    Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and stepped through the door. For some reason, after arriving at this new reality (after having died) this NPC was the first person who he had talked with the most. Sam knew it was not healthy, but he couldn¡¯t help it.


    Most of the people that the old Sam knew were either crooks or would sell him and his secrets out to the first person who offered a hit or some money.


    Hopefully, he would be able to make some friends soon¡­


    He was an introvert, but he still wanted people to talk to.


    Inside of the inn was the usual. The patrons were sitting around the hall, either eating, drinking, or talking quietly with each other. And the owner of the inn was sitting behind the counter, calmly reading a book without a cover.


    The moment the door opened, she looked up, and when she spotted him, Sarah smiled.


    ¡°Sam!¡± she called out, placing the book down and standing up. ¡°Welcome back!¡±


    The people closest to the door looked up, but when they saw him and Lucky, they simply went back to their discussions or meals. He was, after all, a regular and nothing interesting¡­


    He returned the smile and stepped up to the counter.


    ¡°Hello, Sarah!¡±


    ¡°What can I do for you, honey?¡± asked the woman, giving him a once over, while also glancing at the visibly grown Lucky, who just gave her a wolfish grin.


    ¡°I¡­ came by to say goodbye,¡± he said haltingly. ¡°Leaving town soon.¡± Then he took off the bag he was carrying on his shoulder and held it out for her. ¡°Also, here, a little gift.¡±


    The woman gave him a tender smile and slowly took the bag. Notably, her arms didn¡¯t even quiver under the weight of the meat he packed into one of the smaller and cheaper bags of holdings.


    ¡°Thank you, honey.¡± Then she put down the bag behind the counter and reached down with one hand. When Sam could see the hand again, it was holding a letter.


    ¡°Here, I prepared something for you.¡±


    ¡°You knew?¡±


    Sarah just snorted.


    ¡°Young man! I¡¯ve been here for a long time. I know about the call of adventure.¡±


    Sam took in Sarah¡¯s impish smile and took the letter with a quiet thanks.


    ¡°It¡¯s an introduction to a friend in the city of Ironwood,¡± she continued. ¡°She also owns an inn, though it¡¯s more for long-term lodging than temporary, like mine. If you give her the letter ¨C you can find the address on it ¨C she will give you a discount, and maybe some more¡­¡± she finished with a suggestive wink.


    Sam just stared at her for a moment before pocketing the letter.


    ¡°Thank you for your help, Sarah. I appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, honey! Just go and make me proud out there!¡± she exclaimed, looking pumped as if she was the one going on an adventure.


    Sam nodded with a smile.


    ¡°I will. Thank you!¡±


    And with that, he turned around and headed for the door. Lucky looked after his master, then at Sarah, and quickly darted behind the counter to rub against the owner of the inn, then ran after Sam, leaving a chuckling woman behind.


    <hr>


    Sam did a last check of his supplies, cleaned his sword, girded his loins, made sure his armor was properly on, gave Lucky a snack, threw a coin into the fountain for luck, checked his supplies, and then with a deep breath, stepped out of the town of Greenwood for the last time for a long while.


    The sun was shining; the birds were chirping; the wind was definitely not howling, and Lucky was happily chasing butterflies.


    They wandered forward, following the road laid with stone and dirt, and while Sam kept an eye out for trouble, he kept practicing his skills. He was mostly focused on Mana Sense, Mana Sight, and Mana Shield.


    He was trying to figure out a way to connect Mana Sense to Mana Shield so that if he sensed something that would hurt him, the Mana Shield would automatically activate. But he was having almost no success.


    ¡®Probably need more levels in Advanced Control¡­¡¯ he thought as the two spells once again fizzled out. Mana Sight was only used because he thought that seeing the spells in action would help him with the task.


    It didn¡¯t. Though the lights were pretty, at least¡­


    He must have been walking for around an hour, trees getting taller and taller on the side of the road, and the mountains getting a little farther away, when he heard a sound.


    Sam looked up from his contemplation of the mysteries of magic and looked around, trying to find the source of the sound.


    Then it came again, and this time he could hear it clearly.


    ¡°Hey, you! Stop!¡±


    He turned and saw two people in black clothing running at him. He blinked in surprise and was about to give Lucky the order to run, as he had a bad feeling, when an arrow whizzed past his face, coming from behind.


    For a moment, he froze, but then Sam moved. Surreptitiously taking a stance that would leave him stable and ready to respond to more attacks, he slightly turned his head and glanced behind him, seeing two people approaching, one of them holding a bow, both of them grinning.


    The two people running, arrived in front of him, and while breathing a little heavily, they were still grinning while raising their weapons. One of them was holding an ax, caked with some mysterious material (though Sam had his guesses about its origin) and the other was holding a sword.


    The one behind him, not holding a bow, was playing with a dagger.


    Altogether, a pretty stereotypical bandit party.


    Made up of players.


    To somebody new, they would be indistinguishable from the NPCs, but to Sam, thanks to his inherited memories, they were rather obvious. The random pieces of armor and their behavior were rather telling. And, most importantly, they didn¡¯t know that the knights of the kingdom regularly patrolled this road, and were rather harsh with any bandits they found.


    No sane NPC bandit would set up shop here.


    And if an insane NPC would have settled here, Sam would have already been killed or teleported to some random location or plane, or maybe trapped in some nightmarish illusion.


    While his mind was racing, the bandits began speaking.


    The one holding the ax smiled at him.


    ¡°Hello, friend. It seems you arrived at a place where you have to pay the new toll!¡±


    Sam, for now, decided to play along while he stealthily began activating his skills.


    ¡°A toll? Nobody said anything about a toll!¡±


    The man just continued to grin, while the other, believing themselves stealthy, began to fan out around him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a rather new thing, my friend,¡± he explained, subtly raising his ax.


    Sam gave him a wry smile.


    ¡°I see. And may I ask what this toll would cost me?¡±


    The grin on the bandit¡¯s and his friends¡¯ faces grew even bigger.


    ¡°Why everything!¡± came the predictable declaration.


    Sam just sighed.


    ¡°You guys are pretty bad at this bandit stuff¡­¡±


    The grin on their faces vanished, and the man with the ax scowled at him.


    ¡°Shut up! There are four of us, and one of you. And I know that those wolves only go up to level 15. Do as I say, and you won¡¯t die. Don¡¯t and enjoy the timeout¡­¡± he trailed off, almost threateningly. But to Sam, it just seemed so stupid.


    Sam sighed again and blatantly looked at each of them, noting their position, then spoke up.


    ¡°Next time, take some acting classes because this was pretty cringe!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Instead of answering the confused wannabe bandits, he moved.


    Sam raised a hand and blasted the bandit holding the bow with a simple Mana pulse, throwing him back, then called out to Lucky.


    ¡°Lucky, kill!¡±


    At the same time, he unsheathed his sword, coated it in mana, and parried a strike from the only bandit that reacted to his attack.


    The other two just stared at him with slack jaws. Probably at his audacity for not giving up immediately. The weirdos¡­


    Their friend on the ground screamed as Lucky¡¯s jaw found the man¡¯s throat. And Sam had to parry a few more strikes from the man with a sword, while the other two finally shook off the shock and raised their own weapons.


    Sam grinned at them, and gripped his sword harder, while his other hand glowed with magic.


    ¡®This is going to be awesome!¡±

 Chapter 18

    The two bandits, faces no longer filled with grins but with intense concentration, stood there glaring at him. Probably surprised that their victim decided to fight back. Not that Sam cared. Compared to the shadow spirit that had possessed the corpse of the bandit leader, they were pitifully slow.


    ¡®No doubt their main stat is either strength or vitality, maybe endurance¡­¡¯ he thought, as he danced out of the way of the bandit with the daggers, warned by his Mana Sense of the impending attack. At the same time, he raised his own hand, holding his sword, and attacked the one with the ax, while using his other hand to simply shoot a small ball of mana at the man with the sword.


    Lucky, in the background, was finishing off the archer.


    At this point in the game, mages were rather rare. While unlocking mana was an easy and simple affair, making proper use of it was a different thing altogether. Plus, learning spells cost money. And the stronger (or rarer) the spell was, the more it cost. And at the beginning of the game, not everybody had the money to spend on spells that they can¡¯t fully make use of.


    Granted, there were already a few gold farming guilds, as with every game, but while it was not known to the populace at large, Sam knew that the game¡¯s system, the very same one, that would chase people out of the tutorial towns was doing its usual machinations to hinder the gold farmers and sellers.


    The developers didn¡¯t officially ban gold farming, but they sure as hell made sure the gold farmers would suffer.


    The moment the mana ball hit the criminal, he cried out in pain and confusion.


    ¡°What the hell! He¡¯s a mage!¡±


    Sam just smirked and took a step back, his sword up in a guard position, eyeing the three bandits, while they stared at him with one eye and with the other they watched Lucky, who, after finishing with the archer, kept stalking around the group, ready to pounce.


    ¡°I thought he was a ranger!¡± called out one of them with slight panic.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! Just kill him!¡± exclaimed the one with the daggers, then tensed his body, and with a small roar, launched one of his blades at him.


    ¡°Dagger Strike!¡±


    Sam just focused more mana into his Mana Shield and tanked the hit. At this level, it was rather easy to calculate the damage it would cause, so he was confident he would be able to take it.


    The three bandits watched with sheer disbelief as the dagger hit Sam squarely in the torso, and then with a quiet clink, bounced off and landed on the ground.


    For a moment, there was absolute silence. Even the forest surrounding them seemed to fall silent, the bandits looking between the dagger on the ground and Sam.


    Sam smirked at them, raised his sword, and then charged.


    One strike upwards removed the ax-wielding bandit¡¯s weapon hand, the strike following that as Sam turned cut the sword-wielding criminal¡¯s throat, and Sam finished the movement by impaling the gaping dagger wielder with his sword.


    Lucky, taking the opportunity, jumped on the back of the bandit with one less hand, and soon the only sound that could be heard was the chirping of the birds and the movement of the trees as the wind shook them.


    Sam cleaned his sword and took a look around to see if his attackers dropped something, but it didn¡¯t seem so. Shrugging, he motioned to Lucky, and continued his journey towards Ironwood, leaving 4 cooling corpses behind.


    <hr>


    ¡°Boss, we found something awesome!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°A guy with magic swordsman class!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯re no classes in the game, you idiot!¡±


    ¡°I know, but he used a sword and magic at the same time! And he had a wolf pet!¡±


    ¡°And where did you meet the guy?¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ we were going to ambush him, but it seems he was higher leveled¡­¡±


    ¡°How much higher?¡±


    ¡°Dunno. None of us had the skill to check.¡±


    ¡°Damn. What¡¯s his name?¡±


    <hr>


    By the time Sam left the forest, his inventory had a few more animal carcasses, mostly made of animals that decided that Lucky and Sam looked like a nice snack. They violently disagreed.


    And his messages were blowing up from several people who seemed to be after the secret of the ¡®magical swordsman¡¯ class.


    He received everything from offers for in-game gold to real-life money and some in between. Apparently, the bandits spread his abilities far and wide. Thankfully, he made sure to only use the basics.


    Sam also received several invites to guilds that he knew wouldn¡¯t amount to anything, based on the fact that the other Sam never heard of them.


    And so much spam¡­


    Thankfully, the mail system was rather robust, so he could set up folders and filters for his mail. For now, he didn¡¯t block anybody, as he didn¡¯t want to hurt anybody¡¯s feelings, but neither did he want to answer them.


    For now, he had better things to do¡­


    Cresting over the last hill, finally out of the forest, the small group of man and wolf finally beheld the city of Ironwood.


    It was much like the town of Greenwood, medieval but bigger.


    Its houses were mostly made from its namesake, ironwood. A famously hardy and durable wood that can be harvested near the city. Granted, they were extremely protected and under constant surveillance, as over the years, the city and people of the kingdom almost caused the extinction of the tree. According to the lore, it was only in the last few decades that the newest leadership of the area decided to properly cultivate and protect the trees.


    Accordingly, the most important quests in the area had to do with the ironwood and the tree nursery. At least the public ones¡­


    As the road from the forest joined the bigger one leading to another city, and Sam walked forward to it, he could see countless people walking and riding towards and away from the city. Sam joined the throng of people heading towards the city, keeping Lucky close, as the young wolf kept trying to get away from him and smell everything.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    A few guards to bigger carts, either filled with merchandise or important people, gave him and Lucky an odd look here and there, but he was nowhere powerful enough for them to worry about him.


    Sam didn¡¯t mind, he just simply enjoyed the walk, watching people, taking note of the symbols of the merchant carts, looking through his memories to try to figure out what they might be transporting, practicing with his mana and simply enjoying the game.


    <hr>


    Almost an hour later, he was standing at the civilian entrance of the city, being greeted by a very bored guard.


    ¡°ID please!¡±


    ¡°Here you go, good sir!¡± he replied, handing over his papers. There was no room to play nice with these guards, Sam knew very well. In his inherited memories, there was a very special fail video compilation about the Ironwood city guards.


    The guard took the card, took a look at it, then at Sam, then finally he waved some kind of artifact that reminded Sam of the metal finders at the airport in his previous life, over the card. When the artifact let out a small, almost silent beep, the guard grunted, tossed the card back at Sam, and motioned for him to move on.


    ¡°Have a nice day!¡± he said, with no enthusiasm.


    As Sam stepped through the gate and beheld his first sight of the massive city, he heard the guard call out behind him.


    ¡°ID please!¡±


    <hr>


    For the first half an hour, he just wandered around, taking in the sights and smells, making sure to familiarize himself with the map he had seen in his memories, then when that was finished and Lucky and Sam finished their snack that was bought at a roadside stall, he cleaned his hand with his small spell, and headed for the nearest government office.


    After all, if he wanted to go forward with his goals, he needed to register.


    Ironwood was in the same kingdom as Greenwood, obviously, but being a bigger city there were more levels of bureaucracy than back at the tutorial town.


    Then, when that was finished, he dropped by the local mage tower, which, for a change, was actually a building with a very spiffy tower built on it.


    Opening the door, he was met with a crowd of people all standing around talking, or standing in line waiting to get the attention of one of the girls standing and sitting behind the counters.


    Most of the people that were standing around, and talking, or rather complaining, were, of course, the players. No doubt, they expected the NPCs to make their first priority to serve the players. Instead, they were met with long lines and surly officials.


    Oh, and Sam could hear them talking to each other about the ludicrous prices that the Mage Association demanded of them for the spells.


    Of course, they weren¡¯t forced to pay for them. There were several alternatives for learning spells.


    Number one was finding a teacher outside of the Association that would teach them. The second one was to find spell books, and the last one was to figure it out themselves. But as nobody, at least publicly, had figured out how to get Basic Mana Control, they were basically shit out of luck.


    Obviously, they could also steal from the Association, but at this level, the thieves weren¡¯t good enough to circumvent the defenses of the tower. Probably¡­


    Sam just shrugged and simply stepped into the line, motioning Lucky to stay next to him. The dog wuffed in a low voice in agreement and plopped down next to him.


    <hr>


    Stepping out of the tower, with a simple booklet in his hands that contained the services offered by the Association, and the spells that were for sale. Actually getting a meeting with one of the masters, would need Sam to reserve a spot for a week in advance.


    Fortunately, Sam only had one thing he was interested in at the tower, the ritual room.


    [Renting the Ritual Room: Renting one of our state-of-the-art ritual rooms, consist of a quick security assessment, then a deposit, and selecting the required room. Materials for the rituals can be purchased at our in-house merchants. We do not take any responsibility for any mishaps with the performed rituals, and¡­]


    Happy that his memories were correct, Sam put away the booklet. And began heading towards the commercial part of the city. He had loot to unload, and merchants to make miserable. Plus, while he was there, he might as well pick up a few unique artifacts.


    Chuckling to himself, he began purposefully walking towards his goal.


    <hr>


    At one merchant he unloaded all his unwanted clothing, another one bought all the trash weapons, no doubt after some superficial cleaning and inspection they would be heading towards the same town he had just left, and he sold the artifacts he had no use for at a few scattered merchants that specialized in artifacts.


    The spices and food, and most importantly the alcohol, were not sold, as Sam had other plans for it.


    For now, he was ready to hunt.


    Walking through the winding streets of Ironwood city, he headed for one particular shop.


    And this time, it wasn¡¯t because some big brain type bragged on the internet about something awesome they picked up. No, he was here, because, in his inherited memories, there was one assassin that was too good. Nobody could find them, nobody could spot them, and nobody could prevent them from reaching their target. Thus, a few guilds pooled their resources, both in-game and in the real world, to figure out how it was done.


    And when that happened, the details inevitably leaked¡­


    Spotting the alley he was looking for, Sam walked in, his eyes on the board spelling out the shop¡¯s name.


    Rick¡¯s Rickety Racket


    Chuckling a little at the name, he opened the door, ignored the bell that went off in the back, and stepped into the shop.


    The shop itself was old, and chock full of even older things piled up on each other and on shelves around the room, and in the middle, several metal baskets were holding a truly staggering amount of random items.


    Across from the door was a small counter, and as Sam finished his survey, an old, stooped-over man, with an honest smile, stepped out behind a curtain.


    ¡°Welcome, sonny! I¡¯m Rick and this is mah Racket!¡± he exclaimed with a cackle as if laughing at his own joke. ¡°Tell me if ya find something interesting, young man!¡± And with that, he sat down on a stool and turned his attention to something that Sam couldn¡¯t see. He just shrugged and activated his Mana Sense.


    Instantly, his senses lit up with a multitude of items that radiated mana. But Sam discarded all of them, as he knew that what he was looking for was almost inert. Though, to make a show of it, he started walking around and examining the items that his senses marked.


    To his shock, and maybe a little surprise (and a lot of disgust), most of these items were sexual aids and not anything that he was currently interested in.


    Though, he managed to find a box that seemed to hold something that had a similar signature to one of the skill books he had used recently. He examined the box in his hands, noting that it was very well made, but there were no seams on it. Finally, he held it up and called out to the owner.


    ¡°Yo, old man. Know what this is?¡±


    The old man looked up, squinted a little, then shrugged.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t the foggiest, sonny. I told ya, this is a racket. You buy what you buy. Nothin¡¯ more, nothin¡¯ less.¡±


    Sam snorted, but he didn¡¯t put the box back. He might as well try his luck with it.


    Then after a few minutes of browsing, and a brief argument with Lucky, who wanted to really gnaw on something unsanitary, he finally found it.


    A generic off-white mask under a pile of fur cloaks. The only thing special about it was a small, stylized chameleon drawing on the bottom of it.


    Sam was careful to hide his smile, then, as if nothing happened, he continued to browse.


    He picked up an old bag of holding that was able to hold a mountain¡¯s worth of materials but sadly had no weight reduction on it. Probably why it ended up in the shop.


    Then, finally, he stepped up to the counter and placed his haul down.


    ¡°I want these. How much?¡±


    The old man took a look at the items, hemmed and hawed for a minute then, raised three fingers.


    ¡°Thirty.¡±


    It was Sam¡¯s turn to snort.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Ten at max!¡±


    Rick gave him a big smile, his eyes shining with a predatory gleam.


    ¡°Twenty-five.¡±


    ¡°They are rather scuffed up. Fifteen.¡±


    ¡°Twenty.¡±


    Sam thought about it, then nodded.


    ¡°Twenty, it is.¡±


    The smile on the old man¡¯s face grew, and suddenly a hand was thrust into Sam¡¯s face.


    ¡°Then, mah payment, sonny!¡±


    Sam grumbled a little, but forked out the required silvers and watched as the man carefully counted them, finally nodding.


    ¡°Alright, they¡¯re yours, young man. No complaints and no buyback!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Sam swept the items into his inventory and turned around, Lucky dutifully following him. ¡°Thank you, and have a nice day!¡±


    Outside of the shop, he stepped aside, and in the shadows of his cloak and the alley, he took out the mask, placed a finger on the chameleon symbol, and began channeling magic, while watching with anticipation.


    Sam didn¡¯t have to wait long, as, after a minute of channeling, the chameleon symbol flashed in a rainbow color, and the mask changed from the dirty off-white color to pure white, shining with an inner light.


    [Chameleon Mask: Created by a hidden master, it allows the user to craft a new face for themselves. Can store a maximum of 3 different faces. After activating, the mask can stay active for an hour, unless charged. Creating a new face has an hour delay.]


    It was extremely hard not to break into evil laughter¡­

 Chapter 19

    After logging out for a hot minute, and indulging in evil laughter, Sam logged back into the game and headed for the government office dealing with real estate. He planned to buy a few properties, as all isekai''d people knew, the real power was in real estate.


    Granted, Ironwood wasn¡¯t the capital city, it was at most a mid-tier city in the Kingdom of Emerald Crown (they really like the color green, but the name came mostly from the emerald mine it was founded on), but naturally, Sam knew more than the average person.


    By now, most people playing the game noticed that it lacked one important thing that almost all roleplaying games had.


    Dungeons.


    Magic Unbound had no dungeons. No instanced content, no creepy caves to delve into, and nothing to farm. But as the game was extraordinary in its quality, nobody complained yet. As they expected that a game of this magnitude would probably make them work for it.


    As Sam walked through the crowded streets of Ironwood, he couldn¡¯t help but grin when thinking about how the developers would implement the dungeon system.


    The first event of Magic Unbound.


    The Fracture.


    And the first thing it would do, after, of course, causing untold chaos everywhere, was making living around the capitals almost impossible.


    And not because they were destroyed or anything like that. No, instead the greed of players and NPCs would make living there impossible.


    Staying near a mid-tier city like Ironwood, for now, was much more profitable in the long term. Plus, the quests were much easier to gather the required reputation to purchase a property.


    Sam looked up at the building he arrived in front of, then nodded to himself, Lucky dutifully following him, while also curiously watching the people around them.


    Stepping through the gate, he didn¡¯t even take a few steps before somebody called out to him.


    ¡°Hey, you with the wolf! Stop right there!¡±


    Sam stopped and turned towards the speaker, who was one of the guards stomping toward them.


    ¡°Yes, sir? Is there any problem?¡± he asked politely.


    The guard, grumpy and glaring at him, stood in front of him and exclaimed.


    ¡°Indeed. Pets are not permitted in the Area Bureau! You either have to leave your animal out here or can¡¯t enter.¡±


    Sam stared at the guard for a second, then shrugged and turned to Lucky.


    ¡°Lucky, be nice and wait for me here.¡±


    Lucky instantly plopped down where he was, tongue lolling out, giving Sam a wolfish grin.


    Sam chuckled and returned his attention to the guard with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Will that suffice?¡±


    The guard, still grumpy but a little surprised, nodded.


    ¡°Er, yes. That¡¯ll do.¡± And with that, he did an about-face, probably to return to his station. Sam just shrugged, gave Lucky another look, and continued towards the building.


    The Area Bureau, was a giant building, at least compared to the buildings back in Greenwood, with at least five stories above ground, and who knows how many underground. It was decorated in the same vein as all buildings in Ironwood. With iron and wood.


    ¡®Very original¡­¡¯ Sam thought as he beheld the wrought iron columns and wooden inlays everywhere. Still, he had set a task for himself, and no bad interior (and exterior) design would distract him from it.


    Thankfully, the part of the building he entered wasn¡¯t filled with people rushing around, trying to swim against the relentless tides of bureaucracy, as it was the Property Acquisition wing of the building. More than likely several people tried their luck here, but according to Sam¡¯s memories of watching the internet and game historians analyze the past property trends of the game, most of the players who could afford (or think they could afford) buying lands were heading for the capital.


    And, of course, there were the quest requirements.


    He quickly stepped into the thankfully very short line, and barely a minute later, an exceptionally dressed young lady was leading him through the registration.


    ¡°Now that is finished, good sir,¡± the young woman spoke up with a polite smile after organizing the papers on her side of the counter. ¡°There are some issues that I must bring to your attention.¡±


    Sam just smirked at her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have enough reputation to purchase land in the city. Right?¡±


    The woman blinked in surprise, but her training must have been great, as she immediately recovered and gave him another smile.


    ¡°Very good, sir. I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve done the research before contacting us.¡± She took a little breath, then ran her eyes over him with Sam feeling as if the woman was looking through him. ¡°So, if you know about that issue, then how may I help you?¡±


    Sam gave her his best smile. Though, based on the twinkle in the woman¡¯s eyes, it really wasn¡¯t working.


    ¡°I was hoping¡­ that you¡¯d be able to point me in the right direction for increasing said reputation.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    The administrator in front of him considered for a minute, and this time, Sam was pretty sure the pause was for the game to make a decision.


    Relationships with NPCs were tricky. Your stats could affect it depending on the NPC, as well as your look, clothing, and such, just like in real life. But the most important thing, for generic NPCs like this administrator woman, was how you treated them.


    A lot of people tried but not many people could treat them like real people.


    Understandably, even Sam struggled at the beginning, but thanks to Lucky (and the fluff) and the owner of the Green Stump inn, he could actually see the life in the NPCs.


    Finally, the young woman nodded, and reached under the counter and retrieved a small pamphlet. Sam carefully took it and gave the woman a thankful smile.


    Of course, the entire thing was a farce. He knew every way he could increase his reputation, from hunting down bounties of bandits to finding metal deposits or even finding ancient seeds of the trees the city was named after.


    But as always, there was no shortcut taking with Magic Unbound. At least until he could assemble a proper information network. But that was far away¡­ For now, he had to follow the same path as the other players¡­


    ¡®Isekai''d, and even got foreknowledge, and I can barely do anything about it¡­¡¯ he grumbled to himself as he said goodbye to the woman, and went to find Lucky.


    However, as he stepped out to the courtyard patrolled by grumpy guards, what he saw caused him to stop in surprise.


    <hr>


    Out in the courtyard, surrounded by several confused guards, dressed differently than the guards of the Bureau was Lucky, who was currently at the mercy of a young noble lady based on her clothing.


    ¡°Who is a good boy? Who is?¡± She exclaimed softly as she kept scratching Lucky¡¯s belly, while the wolf rolled around on the ground, his entire body radiating happiness and satisfaction.


    Sam looked on, trying to identify the young woman. She was definitely a teenager, dressed in very high-quality clothing, that screamed nobility and not even the garden variety. She had long blonde hair, an appropriately aristocratic face, thin lips, cute button nose, and as she worked on sending Lucky into wolf heaven, Sam could see her deep brown eyes.


    Still, nowhere in his memories could he find her. And Sam was sure that a future beauty like her, in the later stages of the game, would have been memorable enough.


    ¡®Lucky, you are really my lucky charm¡­ the only thing to decide if you are a good luck or a bad luck charm¡­¡¯ he grumbled, then began walking towards his pet.


    The moment he started walking, the guards tensed, but he just nodded at them, then called out.


    ¡°Hey, Lucky! Have you been good?¡±


    The wolf, hearing his voice, froze for a moment, stopping his happy wriggling, while the young woman also froze. Then Lucky twisted his head so he could look up at Sam gave him a wolfish grin, then returned his attention to the still frozen young woman, batting at her hand as a small kitten would.


    Sam just snorted. Truly, a fearsome and murderous creature. The king of the forest¡­


    He turned towards the girl and gave a short bow.


    ¡°I apologize, my lady. I hope Lucky wasn¡¯t bothering you?¡±


    The girl let out a small breath and, to Lucky¡¯s devastation, stood up, patting her dress a little, then turned her gaze at Sam.


    ¡°Not at all, good sir. I was just waiting on my father.¡± She glanced down at the almost silently whining wolf. ¡°Lucky you say? A good name.¡± She murmured, then continued. ¡°Lucky was just keeping me company.¡±


    Sam gave her a smile and nodded.


    ¡°He is good at that, my lady. Perhaps I could bring him around later for you to play with? After all, even fearsome wolves like Lucky need to relax¡­¡±


    The young girl giggled at him, calling the wolf on the ground fearsome, and dipped her head a little. She opened her mouth, probably to answer him, but they were interrupted by a boisterous yell.


    ¡°Lucrecia!¡±


    Sam watched as a man, taller than him by several heads, and shoulders wide enough to use as a billboard, the noble clothing almost stretched to its utmost limit on his muscled form. Sam¡¯s gaming senses were practically screaming at him that this was an important NPC. Though, the fact there was no mention of this man in his inherited memories, as the history of Ironwood was pretty well documented, confused him.


    He watched as the giant man fussed over his daughter, and he simply made eye contact with the girl and mouthed ¡®Lucrecia?¡¯ at her. She just rolled her eyes back at him, while reassuring her father, that no it wasn¡¯t torturing to wait for five minutes.


    Then the man finally deigned to notice Sam.


    ¡°You!¡± he yelled, apparently only knowing how to communicate at ear-shattering levels, and pointing at Sam. ¡°My daughter told me that your pet has entertained her!¡±


    Sam simply bowed his head once again.


    ¡°Yes, my lord. Lucky is good at that. Back in Greenwood, he used to run around with the local kids.¡±


    ¡°Ah-ha! I see!¡± yelled the man, looking between him, the wolf, and his hopeful-looking daughter. ¡°She also tells me that you have offered to visit us so that my darling daughter ¨C ¡°Father!¡± ¨C could continue to be entertained by him!¡±


    ¡°That is correct, my lord. Lucky seems to like your daughter, and if he likes her, then he likes her. Who am I to stand in their way?¡± he finished with a wry grin.


    The noble stared at him for a second, then threw his head back and began to laugh. Loudly, of course.


    ¡°Excellent! Then come to the Silvercrest manor in a week¡¯s time, young adventurer, and we shall have you as a guest!¡± He turned around and immediately began to walk away, not even waiting for Sam to answer. ¡°Come, Lucrecia! Your mother must be waiting!¡±


    Lucrecia looked at him with an apologetic smile, and gave Lucky a fond look, then hurried after her father, their guards quickly following them.


    Sam stood there for a minute, ignoring the pitying or jealous looks from the guards of the Bureau while he searched his memories for the name Silvercrest.


    Finally, after a few minutes of frantic search, he found it.


    ¡®Ooooh¡­ Now it makes sense¡­¡¯ he thought. Then, shaking his head, Sam motioned for Lucky and left the area with great haste. It was finally time to upgrade Lucky.


    And as he left the courtyard, he checked out his latest quest.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Visit of the highest order!]


    [Lord Silvercrest has appreciated that your pet managed to get his only daughter to smile. He wants you to visit him in a week and do it again (and won¡¯t take a no as an answer). Bide your time, and visit his manor at the appropriate time.]


    [Time limit: A week]


    [Penalty: Failure to present yourself at the correct time will result in Lord Silvercrest hunting you down.]


    ¡®A curse or opportunity?¡¯ he wondered as finished reading while rejoining the crowds tussling in the street.


    <hr>


    As he already had access to a ritual room, he simply went by the mage tower and reserved one of the neutral ritual rooms, then began to hunt for materials.


    Truly, he could have waited until he managed to gather ultra-super rare materials, but that would fall into the shortcut territory, and the system would penalize him for it. So for now, he was working with the highest material that somebody could have intuited based on his previous actions.


    A few magically charged crystals to provide power. A few vials of blood from swamp shadow murks, a fang from a shadow wolf, and a tiny piece of mithril, famous for being the best at conducting magic.


    Though they were just mere additions. In reality, upgrading a pet at this level only needed one thing.


    An essence. Something related to the preferred evolution.


    If you wanted to evolve something that was made of metal? An Elemental core¡­


    You wanted your pet to fly? Air elemental core, or maybe the essence of some flying magical creature¡­


    And wouldn¡¯t you know? He had found a shadow spirit just lying around¡­


    Grinning to himself, followed by Lucky, Sam eagerly climbed the stairs of the mage tower towards his rented ritual room, while leafing through the small booklet the receptionist handed him.


    It contained the basic rules of the ritual rooms, the dos and don¡¯ts of rituals, and a few basic rituals that everybody should know.


    He couldn¡¯t wait¡­

 Chapter 20

    The room was a rather traditional affair. The building itself was made of stone, with wooden inlays and floors. The walls were adorned with simple scrolls or basic paintings. Nothing that screamed wealth, more like it whispered about an overworked interior designer who ran out of ideas after the reception hall.


    Sam hung the small sign, that told people that a ritual was taking place on the doorknob, then after making sure that the door was locked behind him, he turned to the room, ignoring it for a moment as Lucky curiously sniffed around, and took in the ritual room.


    A simple stone surface, elevated slightly in the middle, surrounded by wooden flooring, that was found everywhere else in the building. Next to the walls were several desks, empty, with only one covered with simple writing utensils and a few reams of parchments. And next to the door, on the wall, was a small cabinet that, according to the booklet Sam was given, contained some basic ritual materials that were needed in almost every ritual. Chalk, salt, and a few more reagents and such.


    On the ceiling was a dark hole, right above the short stone plinth in the middle of the room.


    ¡®Probably for ventilation or maybe it opens and allows the sky to be seen¡­¡¯ he wondered as he curiously gazed at it. But in the end, he just shook his head and took out the booklet.


    Thankfully, it contained the basic ritual that the natives of the world called Evolution Ritual. Naturally, there were better and more intricate rituals, but he was in a position where he could only use this.


    Opening the cabinet, he retrieved some chalk, gave Lucky some snacks to allow him to work without distraction, then began drawing the ritual circle on the stone platform.


    One big circle to encompass the ritual, and setting a boundary for the magic.


    Then a smaller circle, with even smaller circles placed on it, equidistant from each other to hold the reagents.


    Followed by a few important runes between the two concentric circles. Coincidentally, one of the runes that he drew was one he already knew.


    The rune of magic.


    After all, this ritual was nothing more than channeling the mana of the world through certain filters, the reagents, into the pet or familiar, to evolve them.


    It took him around an hour to draw all the runes out painstakingly, ignoring how every time he perfected one, his notification chimed in that he learned a new rune.


    He would have turned it off, but the notification was needed to tell him when he was finished with a rune.


    Then, after the ritual circle was fully applied to the stone, Sam took a quick breather, making sure he was as ready for the ritual as he could be.


    Then he simply stepped up to Lucky, lifted the silly wolf into the circle, then squatted down, and looked directly into his eyes.


    ¡°Okay, Lucky! I need you to stay, veeery still! Alright?¡±


    The wolf looked at him for a moment, then simply licked his face. As Sam cleaned the slobber off his face, he hoped it was the lick of agreement.


    Sam watched Lucky for a moment, and when he saw that the young wolf had no intention of leaving the ritual circle, he let out a relieved sigh and began walking around the ritual circle.


    In the smaller circles, he began placing the reagents.


    Into the bottom two went a small shadow wolf fang and a tuft of Lucky¡¯s own fur. The next two received the blood of the swamp shadow murks, which were creatures from the swamp that blended into the shadows from where they ambushed their victims. And the top two received two tiny pieces of mithril.


    Finally, at the top, into the seventh circle, he placed the bottle of the fractured Lesser Shadow Spirit essence. Originally, he planned to hunt down a Shadow Murk, but this was much better. Now he just had to pray to the RNG gods that he chose the correct reagents, and Lucky would get the skills he wanted.


    Stepping around the wolf sitting still, curiously gazing at the surrounding stuff, he kneeled down behind the ritual circle and placed one hand on the shadow wolf¡¯s fang and the tuft of fur.


    Then Sam took a deep breath and began channeling mana.


    He closed his eyes and concentrated fully on the mana as it left his body, making sure to extract every last ounce of mana from his body.


    With his senses he followed as the mana flowed from his hands into the items he was touching, saturating them, then following the circle drawn with chalk continued into the runes, filling them, causing them to shine strong enough that he could feel them through closed eyes, then continued into the next circle.


    Watching through his mind¡¯s eye, he waited as his mana infused the blood, then continued to travel further in the circle. The pieces of mithril barely took a second to fill with mana, proving their capability with conducting mana, and then his mana reached the most important reagent.


    The shadow spirit, however fractured, still had its own mana, so for a moment that felt like years, Sam felt his mana straining against the spirit¡¯s own mana, the two warring against each other. Thankfully, the mind was destroyed by its defeat, so Sam only had to dominate the instincts that were inherent in such a being.


    But in the end, it was just a fractured remnant of a weak spirit, so he managed to overwhelm it.


    And the moment the spirit¡¯s defenses broke, Sam felt the ritual circle complete, and the drain on his mana increased. He didn¡¯t hesitate and gave everything freely.


    After all, he was investing in the future, so he couldn¡¯t afford to be stingy. Plus, it was just mana, it would regenerate.


    So, he dug deep, dragged up every last mote of mana, and channeled it into the circle.


    Meanwhile, the circle, which previously shone with light, began to turn dark, and as he opened his eyes, he saw as if the very darkness was swallowing the light, birthing¡­ shadows.


    Shadows danced on the wall, and even though the room had a few windows, they were obscured by the shadows that seemed to be erupting randomly from Lucky, who became a big ball of darkness that seemed to be pulsating to a weird beat.


    It took Sam a moment to recognize that it was beating to the rhythm of his own heart.


    For a while, he just knelt there, and watched, amazed, the spectacle as mana was drained out of him as soon as it regenerated.


    After an unknown amount of time, the pulsating dark mass began to die down in intensity, and the dark ball of nothingness in the middle of the room began to shrink.


    Soon it lost its globular shape and began to take the familiar shape of Lucky, albeit a little smaller.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Lucky¡¯s body, instead of sinfully fluffy fur, was made of black shadows that seemed to dance a little every time Lucky as much as twitched. Otherwise, it was still shaped like a wolf and had the same adorable face.


    For an entire minute, they stared at each other, then at the same time a multitude of notifications popped up, and Sam felt himself being hit by exhaustion that he had never felt, and Lucky pounced on him and began licking his face.


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud, then bury his face into Lucky¡¯s fur.


    Thankfully, it was still as soft as previously, more like it was even softer and more delicate. For a moment he let himself loose in the sensation of Lucky¡¯s fur and played with his friend, but then, still laying on the ground, exhausted, he began going over his notifications.


    [Congratulations, you have correctly recorded an entire Rune scheme!]


    [You¡¯ve learned the Rune of Direction!]


    [You¡¯ve learned the Rune of Health!]


    [You¡¯ve learned the Rune of Control!]


    [You¡¯ve learned the Rune of Assimilation!]


    [You¡¯ve learned the rune scheme of the Ritual of Evolution!]


    That little addition to his rune dictionary was a nice bonus. He would have to get some skill that would be able to make use of it. Though if the exhaustion meant what he suspected it did, then he would have enough time at a library to get the skill.


    [You attempted the Ritual of Evolution with your pet, Lucky!]


    [Compatibility check¡­]


    [Your Ritual of Evolution was a success!]


    [Lucky, the Adult Gray Mana Wolf (Level 15) has successfully transformed into Juvenile Shadow Spirit Wolf (Level 1)!]


    [Lucky lost the Strong Jaw skill!]


    [Lucky gained the Animalistic Shadow Control skill!]


    [Animalistic Shadow Control: Level Max (Passive) The wolf controls the shadows around him just as easily as it breathes.]


    [Lucky gained the Shadow Spirit Body skill!]


    [Shadow Spirit Body: Level Max (Passive) The body of the wolf is part shadow and part spirit, which makes it much more malleable.]


    [Name: Lucky


    Race: Juvenile Shadow Spirit Wolf


    HP: 945/945


    MP: 285/285


    Level: 1


    STR: 21


    DEX: 25


    AGI: 30


    VIT: 21


    END: 18


    MAG: 19


    PER: 31


    WIS: 14


    LUK: 7]


    Sam read the skills and couldn¡¯t help but celebrate. He got the skill he wanted! Granted, he was just aiming for the Shadow Body skill, which was a well-known pet skill in his inherited memories, but the addition of the Spirit prefix couldn¡¯t hurt.


    And the stats¡­


    They were amazing, showing clearly that without the evolution ritual, poor Lucky stood no chance.


    Then, while scratching behind Lucky¡¯s ears, he started reading the notifications about his own skills.


    [You have successfully finished the first ritual you ever tried! You gained +1 MAG and +1 WIS!]


    [Thanks to keeping calm during the ritual, the Basic Breathing Technique reached Level 8!]


    [Advanced Mana Control reached Level 6!]


    [Mana Sense reached Level 11!]


    [You gained the Focused Sense subskill!]


    [Focused Sense: Level 0/5 (Passive) The more you concentrate your sense on something, the more you can sense.]


    [Multitasking reached Level 22!]


    [Mana Synergy reached Level 4!]


    [Thanks to drawing deep and long from your well of mana, keeping nothing back, and supporting your companion, your Mana Well skill reached Level 3!]


    [Calm Heart reached Level 5!]


    [Your skill Companion Sense and its subskill, Deep Connection, transformed upon your companion¡¯s evolution!]


    [Companion Sense and Deep Connection transformed into the skill, Spirit Link!]


    [Spirit Link: Level 0/100 (Passive) You have a connection to a spirit, and this connection is based on the deep bond you two share. It allows you to know the location of the spirit and their feelings and gives you a general idea about their wellbeing. The spirit is capable of the same. (Still provides the bonuses of the subsumed skills.)]


    Sam stared for a long minute at the notifications happily, but then his smile turned into a frown as he beheld the last notification that popped up.


    [Due to overdrawing your mana, you have been struck by Mana Exhaustion!]


    [Mana Exhaustion: Physical abilities -90%, Mana Control -90%, Mana Regeneration -90%, Using mana could result in all manner of other negative effects. Duration: 99 hours 49 minutes]


    Which neatly explained why he was feeling so exhausted. Sam scowled a little, but then shrugged. He already suspected that it would be the case, as nothing was free. And Ironwood¡¯s library was much better than the one back in Greenwood, so he had things to do while recovering, but it still felt shitty.


    But before he could do anything, he had to check something.


    Carefully he sat up, still patting Lucky, then took a deep breath and called out to the changed wolf.


    ¡°Hey, Lucky!¡± the wolf immediately looked up, eagerly waiting for his words. ¡°Could you do me a favor and jump into my shadow?¡±


    The wolf cocked his head to the side, as if contemplating his request, but then barked out happily and jumped up and, with a picture-perfect dive, jumped into the shadow his sitting body was making on the wooden floor.


    For a moment the shadow was still, then two big eyes opened and began staring at him as if expecting praise.


    He wasn¡¯t one to hold back.


    ¡°Good boy!¡±


    <hr>


    After cleaning up the ritual room, one of those little things that made NPCs hate the players for if not done, he left the room, told the receptionist that he was finished, and left the mage tower. If anyone noticed that he left without the wolf he entered with, then nobody mentioned it.


    Lucky, thankfully, managed to understand the concept of staying in his shadow to ambush people, though he expected to have to explain a lot in the future why his shadow was staring at people, or panting.


    It was still much better than the person who did in the other timeline, and from whom he got the idea. That person was a fan of tentacles¡­


    Knowing that he was exhausted mentally, and his in-game body was pretty much useless, he took out the letter he got from the owner of the Green Stump, checked the address, and began walking towards it.


    Sam navigated through the winding streets of Ironwood for a while until he found himself standing in front of a three-story building with the same iron and wooden decorations that were present everywhere else in the city.


    Over the door hung a sign proclaiming the building to be the Cloudy Day inn.


    ¡®Weird name¡­¡¯ Sam thought, but then shrugged. Sarah was nice and had a rather eccentric name for her inn.


    Stepping through the door, he was immediately hit by the scent of well-made food and the sound of chatter as people enjoyed the aforementioned food. Dodging people as they rushed around, taking note of a few beautiful women, that seemed to delight in displaying themselves, he stepped up to the counter, manned by a bored man, dressed in slacks and a white shirt.


    ¡°Hello, sir, and welcome to the Cloudy Day! How can we help you today?¡± came the bored greeting, the man barely taking the effort to look at him.


    Sam just gave the man a smile.


    ¡°Greetings, I¡¯m here to deliver a letter to¡­¡± he looked down at the letter and then back at the man. ¡°¡­Andrea.¡±


    The man let out a deep and long-suffering sigh, nodded, then turned around leisurely and walked through the door behind the counter.


    A minute later, the door slammed open, and a big woman, with black hair, put up in a delicate bun, wearing what Sam would call a stereotypical barmaid dress.


    ¡°It is, I, Andrea!¡± she exclaimed, standing proudly at the door, while the receptionist just sighed behind her. Sam, now, could understand a little better the man¡¯s attitude. ¡°Who has the letter for me?¡± She continued to yell, looking around until her eyes found Sam.


    ¡°That would be me, madam!¡± he stated humbly, then held out the letter. ¡°It¡¯s from Greenwood.¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyes lit up and she practically teleported next to Sam, snatching the letter from his hands.


    ¡°Oh, Sarah! I haven¡¯t heard from her for a while!¡± Then she fell silent as she got absorbed in reading the letter.


    A minute later, she silently folded the letter and slipped it into a pocket on her dress, and turned towards Sam with a small, mischievous smile.


    ¡°So, I heard you are looking for a room?¡±

 Chapter 21 - Interlude 1

    She looked at the message that was blinking in the browser window and took another glance at the name of the sender. She knew who they were. Everyone who worked in the same circles as she did knew who they were.


    LazyPhoenix rose to infamy just like their namesake. They knew things nobody should know and had access to things nobody should have.


    The speculations on the forums (and in private) ran rampant, with everybody trying to figure out where they came from, and who pissed them off that they were so generous with what was, more than likely, insider information.


    Personally, before today, she didn¡¯t care much. People like LazyPhoenix popped up now and then, and then crashed and burned when their fame got into their head, and did or said something inadvisable.


    But LazyPhoenix didn¡¯t talk to people. They didn¡¯t brag about their knowledge or fame on any social media. They were only active on one site, and even there, their interaction with people was businesslike. They sold information and nothing more.


    And now she was here, staring at a message from the aforementioned person, offering her information.


    Three favors.


    From her.


    A person who was at best a small-time streamer. For a moment, she even thought it was some kind of scam. But she couldn¡¯t exactly point out what kind of scam it could be. In the end, she couldn¡¯t help it; her curiosity overwhelmed her and she accepted the offer.


    She expected a well-formatted document with a list of tasks or something along those lines, but apparently, the game was new enough that even LazyPhoenix couldn¡¯t showcase their usual meticulousness. Instead, she was practically treated to a few videos, with parts highlighted, links to stories from people, and even some clips from her own stream.


    It was definitely weird, but LazyPhoenix was the guy who knew.


    So, she just shrugged and wrote down the instructions.


    It was worth the try¡­


    <hr>


    Sometime later, she stared down at the stone tablet in the middle of the cavern, decorated with crystals jutting out of the ground and the ceiling, all pulsing with mystical light. The cavern itself was humongous, as she couldn¡¯t actually see its end, only the twinkling of the crystals in the distance like stars on a clear night.


    The journey to reach the place wasn¡¯t arduous, but without the hints she was given, she would have never found it. And as she saw several people near the locations while she was doing the requisite quests, she knew she only had a small window to acquire it.


    So, with a small trepidation, she reached out for the tablet and prayed that the quest was true, and it would really give her the thing she was promised.


    As her hand got closer, she could hear an audible hum coming from the crystals, and the pulsing sped up.


    Then her fingers touched the stone tablet, and a deluge of notifications appeared in front of her.


    [Congratulations! You found one of the Tablets of Creation!]


    [Thanks to your luck and attention to detail you gain +1 LUK, +3 PER, and +1 WIS!]


    [The Tablet of Creation reaches out to you¡­]


    [The Tablet of Creation finds you worthy!]


    [The Tablet of Creation grants you the Knowledge of Crystal Geomancy!]


    [Crystal Geomancy: Level MAX (Passive) You are able to summon an ethereal book that contains the knowledge of how to build artifacts, items, and most importantly, golems out of crystals.]


    She stared for a moment, and while she was reading the screens that appeared, the stone tablet, which so far looked like an ordinary stone tablet, began to shine with the same light as the surrounding crystals.


    Then it began to pulse, and before she could react, it flashed brightly enough that she went blind for a second, and when she managed to blink the flashes out of her eyes, the tablet was gone, and crystals were losing their own shine. Instead, she was greeted with another notification.


    [The Tablet of Creation found your lonely journey worth a reward!]


    [The Tablet of Creation granted you the Crystal Heart skill!]


    [Crystal Heart: Level MAX (Passive) Your heart turned to mana crystal, and while it will operate the same way your old heart did, it will also confer you several blessings. Your base mana gain from Magic will be doubled. Your base Mana Regeneration is doubled. The base number of crystal creations you can control is doubled. Grants you the Crystal Affinity skill.]


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    [Crystal Affinity: Level MAX (Passive) You have a great affinity for crystals. Crystal-like beings will be more favorable to you. The cost of the spells and skills dealing with and using crystals is halved.]


    She stared for a long moment, and the next moment the rapidly darkening cavern was echoing with curses that would make a ship¡¯s worth of sailors blush.


    ¡°Now I can¡¯t even show it off on the stream! Fuck!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Dave liked money. However, he didn¡¯t like to work. That is why he found the perfect compromise.


    Crime.


    But Dave also liked games, and that was how he found out about gold farming groups and their associated activities.


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to shift his own group into a ¡°professional¡± gaming group, while those who were a little behind on their rent were asked to play a game for a while. It was a win-win for everyone. He made money, didn¡¯t have to work, and got to play video games.


    And then Magic Unbound came out. It was the latest in the lines of the revolutionary VR games, and while everyone waiting on seeing if it was actually worth the hype, Dave smelled an opportunity.


    Roleplaying games always needed thugs and bandits, and he had a decent collection of them. And while they were away doing what they did best (or at least trying not to fuck up) he could take his main group and create a proper guild that would be the face of his business.


    And look, he was right!


    The game was amazing, didn¡¯t need people to race for the highest level, and there were secrets everywhere. Which meant there was money to be made everywhere.


    Then, one day, he received a message.


    Some of his boys were killed. Dave didn¡¯t really care, as this was a game. He cared more about how they were defeated.


    A player with amazing skills and spells that they haven¡¯t seen yet?


    Now that was more interesting.


    He looked up from his tablet at his assistant.


    ¡°Get the info from the guys, and tell our people to keep an eye for the guy. I want to know where he got the skills.¡±


    The man standing in front of him nodded, then made some notes on his own tablet.


    ¡°Should they¡­ ask, or¡­¡± he replied leadingly.


    Dave thought about it a little before answering.


    ¡°Nah, we are at the beginning of the game. Just follow him and see if we can steal his quests.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Do you want us to offer him money for it?¡±


    Dave just simply waved the man away, annoyed.


    ¡°What for? It¡¯s not like he expects us. And our boys are good.¡± He thought for a second, then nodded a little. ¡°If all else fails, we can just kill him until he gives up his secrets.


    The other man nodded.


    ¡°Understood, sir. I¡¯ll make the arrangements.¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Stephen, at first, was annoyed with the guy that had that adorable wolf with his short, and basically useless description of the process of acquiring a pet, but in the end, he just shrugged and put it behind him. True, he was out of a few silvers, but now he knew where to go.


    In his previous quest, he talked to one of the rangers, so he naturally knew where to find the woman. Though it was a little annoying that if he hadn¡¯t asked that guy for it, he wouldn¡¯t have known to talk to the ranger to get a pet.


    As he walked toward his destination, he couldn¡¯t help but talk out loud.


    ¡°Man, this game is hardcore, but such fun!¡±


    A random guy next to him also exclaimed.


    ¡°Right?!¡±


    They exchanged a high-five and Stephen continued on his travel, while the guy began to extoll the game¡¯s good points to an unfortunate bystander.


    Stephen approached the small building on the outskirts of the town, opened the small gate, and stepped into the courtyard of the house, surrounded by a low stone wall. Inside the courtyard were several people preparing to head out, maintaining their gear, or talking to each other.


    Stephen ignored the collection of rangers and headed directly for the severe woman standing in the corner of the courtyard, observing the activities.


    He made eye contact with the woman, and when he received a small nod, he approached her.


    ¡°Hail, Ranger Rose!¡± he called out, offering a deep bow.


    ¡°Young Stephen, well met,¡± came the deep and husky voice of the ranger in front of him. ¡°How can I help you today?¡± she asked, then smirked a little. ¡°You need more help with differentiating weed from herbs?¡±


    ¡°Not today, Ranger Rose,¡± he answered, his cheeks pinking a little in embarrassment.


    ¡°Then what brought you to my yard, young man?¡± she asked with a raised eyebrow.


    Stephen almost answered with ¡®milk¡¯ but in the end, he managed to control himself.


    ¡®Curse those memes¡­¡¯


    He cleared his throat and began talking.


    ¡°I was wondering if you could help me acquire a pet¡­¡±


    There was a moment as the ranger stared at him, then she snorted.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah.¡±


    ¡°Alright! We are preparing to head out, come with us, and I¡¯ll show you the ropes.¡±


    ¡°For the traps?¡±


    ¡°For the traps.¡±


    <hr>


    Stephen stared at the beast in front of him. Taking it in as its eyes glinted intelligently back at him. He observed as its fur rose and fell as the creature breathed. He slowly reached out with a hand, and began to stroke the creature¡¯s very soft and delicate fur, wondering at its dark gray color.


    As he continued to caress the beast, he took in the horn, as the tip of it looked sharp enough to get through his armor. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on who you asked, the beast had no claws.


    Just as Stephen was about to talk to the creature when he heard a twig break behind. Knowing who he was with, he was pretty sure that the noise was deliberate. The creature in front of him froze at the sight, and he simply turned around, his hand continuing to caress the soft fur.


    ¡°Yes, Ranger Rose?¡±


    The woman gave him and the creature behind him a long look, then looked back at him.


    ¡°Is this your final choice, Stephen?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered without thinking. The moment he spotted the beast, he knew it was meant to be.


    ¡°All right, in the end, it is your decision. But I must warn you, your path will not be an easy one.¡±


    Stephen just nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make do.¡±


    The ranger gave him another long, measuring look, then nodded.


    ¡°Very well. Then this is what you need to do¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Stephen walked back into the town of Greenwood with a pep in his steps, pride in his heart. And the most adorable and fluffy bunny in his arms.


    Slathor the Younger, Destroyer of Worlds, Ending of Universes, or for short, Slathy was a big, fluffy horned rabbit, common around Greenwood.


    And the reason Stephen chose him, and not a wolf as he originally planned, was because the little bunny was able to evade all of his traps when he went out to gather food for dinner, under the orders of the head ranger.


    The bunny was too intelligent for wildlife.


    And as he approached his friends, who upon seeing Slathy, immediately gathered around him (including several girls, which included his crush) and began to pet and coo at the bunny, as he sat in his arms imperiously looking at the surrounding people, just as an emperor would look at their subjects.


    ¡®I really need to thank that guy¡­¡¯ Stephen thought, then with a smile turned to Julia and began to tell the slightly embellished tale about how he acquired his adorable rabbit.

 Chapter 22

    The first thing he did, after a rather exhausting negotiation with the woman running the show at the Cloudy Day inn, that he suspected was something more, he walked up to the second story, where his room would be for the foreseeable future (he rented for a month), inserted the key and opened the door.


    The moment he was fully in the room, alone, and the door locked behind him, Lucky, in his shadow, jumped up, almost high enough to reach the ceiling, then landed right next to him with an unnaturally quiet thud. The now black wolf looked up at him, with an appropriately wolfish smile, then began to sniff around the room.


    Curious about his future accommodations, Sam followed after his companion, while trying to parse the bursts of feelings coming from him. Currently, it was mainly happiness (though he could tell that by looking at Lucky¡¯s tail), curiosity and a little hunger. At least, that was how he interpreted the feelings. It was all sorts of new feelings and experiences, and while they were incredibly confusing, Sam loved every minute of it.


    It wasn¡¯t a fantasy isekai, but with the technology used to create Magic Unbound, it might as well have been.


    The room he rented wasn¡¯t anything special, though, while Andrea called it a room, it was actually a main room with a bed, dresser, and a table next to a small shelf, it had a small bathroom, and another small room that was, based on the shelves and boxes, used for storage.


    All in all, it wasn¡¯t the highest quality, but it was secure, and based on what he got from Andrea¡¯s personality, it was pretty safe.


    Nodding happily, Sam fed Lucky with the usual meat scraps and a little vegetable added to it for the wolf¡¯s health, then took off his dirty armor, and cleaned it with his Clean spell, though he made a note to take it to an armorer as the Clean spell did not repair it.


    ¡®Or I could go for the Repair spell¡­¡¯ he thought, then he shook his head. ¡°Nah, too much trouble for now.¡±


    Lucky looked up from his meal hearing Sam speak, but he just smiled back. ¡°Go on, finish it.¡±


    Lucky barked quietly, then returned to messily munch on the hog meat.


    When Lucky was finished, Sam took out a few clothes that would suffice for sleeping and got into the bed, Lucky following him, settling down at his foot, forming a giant ball of fluffy darkness.


    The last thing Sam saw as he logged out was Lucky yawning and settling in for the night.


    <hr>


    Removing the VR helmet, Sam laid there for a minute, as his body and mind adjusted and chased away the phantom sensation of the Mana Exhaustion debuff.


    He shuddered a little as the bone-deep exhaustion left his body, leaving behind normal exhaustion.


    Realizing that he had been playing for a while, Sam put the helmet onto its stand, then stood up and stretched a little and looked around the room.


    ¡°Right! I need a little break¡­¡± he spoke out loud, still stretching a little.


    Then headed for the shower.


    <hr>


    After taking a long, hot shower, he dressed up in warm clothing and left the apartment. On the way out of the building, he once again ran into the bundled-up neighbor, nodding at them, and receiving the same back. Leaving the complex, Sam looked up at the sky, where for a change it wasn¡¯t snowing, and spring was peaking through the gray clouds.


    Looking around, he searched for inspiration for something to do. Not finding anything that sparked an idea, he was almost ready to turn back when his stomach growled.


    ¡°Food it is!¡±


    <hr>


    Returning to the game, after a little break in the real world, where he ate some good noodles, exercised a little, checked up on his investments and other administrative matters, and made sure that everything was heading in the same direction with the game, he woke up with Lucky snuggled up to him.


    Chuckling slightly, he extricated himself from the wolf, and out of curiosity, took a shower. While a simple Clean spell would have been enough, Sam still wanted to know how it felt to shower in the game.


    The water was at best lukewarm, but the feeling was the same as if in the real world.


    After dressing up and coaxing Lucky back into his shadow, he left the room for the eating hall of the inn.


    Getting a meal, he sat down along the wall, observing as people around him ate, chatted and consumed their own breakfast. Similar, to how back in Greenwood he could barely see any players at the inn, the clientele of the Cloudy Day inn was mostly made of NPCs with a few scruffy-looking players munching on the cheapest breakfast option and staring at nothing (their status screens).


    The ¡®hidden¡¯ satiety system was already known to the players and the community, but at this point, everybody thought that spending the least amount of money was enough. So the order of the day for most people was water, maybe some tea, and hardtack. Maybe a few people who had access to fresh meat would use it to make jerky.


    Sam wished them the best.


    Magic Unbound gave only the most basic information to the players, forcing them to discover the details on their own. That was why the status screen and skill descriptions were so vague. After all, while a person knew their body, not everybody was a doctor.


    Conversely, if somebody would get training as a healer in Magic Unbound, they would get more information about their body from the status screen thanks to their skills.


    As of now, it wasn¡¯t in the focus, but later, getting information-providing skills were considered one of the most important things. People lived and died by the information they gathered. That was why the other Sam was killed. He was good at collecting, collating and extrapolating from data. Plus, access to a few niche skills, and he got a recipe for a disaster.


    The only reason Sam didn¡¯t go after those types of skills, was because at this level he practically knew everything that he needed. Later, of course, he would need to get those skills, but for now, he could navigate the world of Magic Unbound quite easily.


    And with his debuff in play, what better time than now?


    Finishing his meal, he returned his plates to the counter, thanked the serving girl, and getting a sparkling smile back, he left the inn and with slow, but deliberate steps, practicing his footwork and breathing.


    First, he headed for the armorer, leaving behind his gold and armor after a short conversation, then still leisurely walking, took a quick circuit of the market and general shops, refilling his inventory with general items, while also keeping his eye open for anything worth buying.


    He threw a few longing glances at the Auction House, but in the end, he turned away and headed for his ultimate destination for the day, the library.


    Sam read enough web novels to remember that most main characters started their rebirth by monopolizing several materials and making bank when those materials inevitably become the hot topic items.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Sadly, maybe he could get away with one item, maybe if he was careful. But the moment he started to hoard items that he had no way to know would become important, the system would strike him down.


    Frustratingly, he would need to play the game properly.


    The library in Ironwood was naturally bigger, and better equipped than the one in Greenwood. The building itself was built in the same style as the town, though Sam could see a few repairs there were made recently.


    Stepping into the library, the first thing he spotted was an elderly woman, more than likely one of the librarians, struggling with a cart, heavy with enough books that a small library wouldn¡¯t have enough space to fit them.


    Smiling slightly, Sam stepped close and called out to the woman.


    ¡°Excuse me, miss. Do you need some help?¡±


    The woman jumped a little, but then turned to him, gave him a once over, then smiled back at him.


    ¡°Ah, young man. Please be careful, my old ticker can¡¯t take much stress!¡±


    Sam bowed his head.


    ¡°My apologies!¡±


    The librarian simply waved it away.


    ¡°No worries, no worries! Now, you mentioned some help?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Then I would respectfully accept it, young man. My body is not as it used to be, and my helpers are off today, and some inconsiderate out-of-towner left all these books here for me to return. Would you be so kind and help an old woman out?¡±


    Sam simply nodded, took another step and grabbed the handle of the cart, while thanking the nameless (and careless) player who gave him this opportunity.


    ¡°Of course, you lead and I follow.¡±


    The old librarian chuckled, then turned on the dime, showing much more spryness than was natural, then began walking forward while Sam followed after her.


    ¡°Onward to face our adventure, young man!¡±


    Sam continued to push the cart laden with books forward, straining ever so slightly thanks to his debuff, while taking a quick look at his new notification window.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Toil, toil, toil!]


    [The elderly librarian of Ironwood (you should really learn her name) is in need of help after some inconsiderate and uneducated fool disrespected the books. Help her clean up her domain.]


    [Time limit: -]


    [Penalty: She will be disappointed in you.]


    [Reward: The knowledge that you did a good deed. Maybe a cookie.]


    <hr>


    It only took a few hours following the librarian around, whose name was Martha, to put the books back in their rightful place, help clean up the reception desk after one of her helpers left it covered with crumbs and drinks, and bring out a few new books, sort some paperwork, and fetch lunch for them from a nearby eatery that the library had a deal with.


    But in the end, Sam completed the quest and even got a cookie. It was a pretty good cookie. Librarian Martha was rather thankful, and after they were finished, left him alone with a few books to learn from.


    Throwing a glance at the elderly librarian as she hummed an unfamiliar song while dusting some shelves, Sam chuckled a little and turned his attention towards the book in his hand.


    Learning new languages couldn¡¯t happen without any effort after all¡­


    <hr>


    ¡°What are you doing, young Sam?¡±


    Sam looked up from his notes, a little frustrated, and eyed the librarian standing above him as she stared at him with an inquisitive look.


    ¡°Trying to make sense of these runes¡­ But I think I¡¯m missing something!¡± he complained. And for once, his complaint was genuine.


    Runes were never something that the other Sam made use of, or researched. They were too time-consuming and hard to learn. Especially for somebody who didn¡¯t have the resources of a guild at their beck and call. But his gaming senses, enhanced by the fact he got isekaid told him that it was a useful thing to learn.


    But without his cheat, it was rather hard, thus his frustration.


    The woman reached out and took a quick look at his notes, which were full of the runes he had learned and a few other basic ones that he copied from the books during the last few days while he waited for his debuff to disappear.


    He tried to put together a few rune schemes, but apparently, he was missing something because none of them worked, and none of the books in the library contained any working rune schemes. Even replicating the one he saw at the bandit¡¯s hideout refused to work.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ A conundrum indeed,¡± murmured the woman, then turned towards him, placing his notes back on the table. ¡°Your runes are excellent, but you¡¯re missing something important.¡±


    ¡°I know! But none of the books says what!¡± he exclaimed, grabbing his hair.


    ¡°And none of them will,¡± came the calm reply from the librarian.


    Sam practically froze, hand still in his hair.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Working rune schemes are extremely valuable. Nobody would share them. Not at this kind of library,¡± explained the woman, aiming a disapproving glare at nothing. ¡°Creating one requires effort beyond the capabilities of most people.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Sam slowly lowered his hand, then looked back at Martha thoughtfully. ¡°That actually makes sense. Do you know what is actually missing, ma¡¯am?¡±


    She gave him a long look, then nodded.


    ¡°Indeed, I know.¡±


    ¡°Would you be willing to share it?¡±


    There was a small silence, and then the librarian chuckled.


    ¡°I like this about you, young Sam. You don¡¯t demand, like those fools. You ask.¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t even have to ask. Over the days he was banging his head against the wall that was the study of runes, he witnessed several times as players of all types came in and treated the librarian as one would treat an NPC in other games. No courtesy, no respect.


    Most left without getting anything for their trouble. The rest were thrown out after the librarian called the guards.


    The local forums back in the real world declared the library and the librarian a forbidden area, ¡®impossible¡¯ to enter.


    Before Sam could say something, Martha stepped forward, pulled out a chair next to him, took a seat and pulled a clean paper towards her while picking up a pen.


    ¡°What you need is an anchor rune, or as they call it, a Heart Rune, which is unique for everybody. Without it, you can¡¯t connect a scheme to yourself, and can¡¯t control it,¡± she explained while starting to sketch out something on the paper. ¡°Pay attention, because I won¡¯t explain it again.¡±


    <hr>


    Over the next several days, when the old librarian had time she gave him a few lessons on runes, while Sam toiled and tried to create his own Heart Rune. He needed to review hundreds of runes, sketch them out, and see which one ¡®resonated¡¯ with his own magic. Then he had to take those runes and merge them into one all-encompassing rune that was more than the parts it was created from.


    In the end, he found seven simple runes, and after some sweat and tears, he managed to put together an equally simple Heart Rune.


    Staring at the symbol on the paper, while Martha stood behind him, he felt elation.


    He was finished.


    Then, as he was about to ask his newest teacher about the next step, the rune began to glow lightly, pulsing with a rhythm, that after a second Sam realized was the same as his heartbeat.


    It flashed strong enough to cause spots to appear in his eyes, and the rune went inert. Instead, he was blinded by a few notification windows.


    He ignored them for a moment and turned toward his teacher.


    ¡°That was supposed to happen, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, young man. And might I say congratulations. You just became a Journeyman Runecarver.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°An apprentice can carve runes for the master to power, while the journeyman has their own Heart Rune constructed. A master can create and undo rune schemes whenever they want.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Amazing indeed.¡± The woman smiled and reached into the pocket of her robe, retrieved a small scroll and placed it on the table. ¡°You impressed me with your dedication, young Sam. This is my own small reward for a task well done.¡±


    With that, she gave him a small pat on his head, then turned around and left, leaving Sam alone with his thoughts and flashing notifications.


    [Congratulations! Thanks to the teachings of the Librarian Martha, you became a Journeyman Runecarver!]


    [Journeyman Runecarver: Level 0/50 (0%) You have constructed your Heart Rune, and are capable of carving and drawing runes without an error. The cost of activating Rune schemes cost is reduced by 25%. Increased chance of recognizing hidden runes and rune schemes.]


    [Thanks to you skipping over being an Apprentice Runecarver due to your hard work, and luck, you receive +1 LUK and +1 PER!]


    [You learned the following Rune Schemes: Silencing Ward, Ritual of Evolution, Basic Shielding Scheme¡­]


    Closing the list of schemes that he had apparently managed to put together while he studied, he picked up the small scroll and unfurled it.


    Upon it was a small skill, and the moment he began reading the scroll flashed, and burst into an ethereal fire that burned up the scroll, leaving him holding nothing, and once again blinking spots out of his eyes.


    [Congratulation! You were given a gift from Librarian Martha!]


    [You learned the skill, Grimoire!]


    [Grimoire: Level MAX (MAX%) Allows you to summon your own ethereal Grimoire, which automatically records the spells, runes, rune schemes and recipes you have learned. Can summon a simple ethereal pen that allows you to record your thoughts as well in the book. Every spell, rune, rune scheme and recipe costs 10% less mana to cast and use.]


    ¡®Well, that looks useful as hell¡­ pity I can¡¯t level it¡­¡¯ he thought as he processed what happened.


    When Sam looked up, he caught the librarian¡¯s eyes, who just winked at him.

 Chapter 23

    [Mana Exhaustion has expired!]


    Sam looked at the notification gratefully, then dismissed it. He then spent a few minutes flexing and stretching, glad that he had the same feeling he grew to enjoy back in his body. Being struck by that horrible debuff was worse than some of the sicknesses he had been struck with. He hadn¡¯t been playing for very long, but the new feeling of the magic coursing through him, even though Sam knew it was not real, still managed to get him hooked.


    Sam knew he had to be careful because it was exactly this feeling that was labelled as one of the newest addictions not long after the game reached its first anniversary. Still, there were techniques that would let him get a handle on the process. Sam expected, thanks to his inherited memories, that sooner or later he would have to deal with it, but he didn¡¯t expect it would happen so soon.


    Shaking his head, he gave Lucky a look, thankful that the fluffy, and now shadowy, wolf was still content to sit in his shadow. Only sometimes poking his nose out to smell something interesting. Then took the book he was reading and closed it with a quiet sigh.


    After finally making progress on his runes, he briefly went over all the books that contained standalone runes, making sure to note them down into his new, nifty Grimoire then turned his attention back to his original goal.


    Improving his language skills and acquiring a skill that would help him get more information more easily.


    Some skills were much more convenient to get, for example, Combat Eye, which allowed one to read their enemy and pinpoint weak spots or attack trajectories, but he could collect those any time. What he was after needed much more time, and a certain amount of relaxed atmosphere.


    By the time the other Sam joined the game, the ¡®secret¡¯ of the libraries were out, as well as the fact that you needed to actually learn languages to communicate with other races (boy, were the elf fanboys mad) and the libraries were actually fought over by guilds as they would fight over farming spots.


    Even obtaining a few books to study was a great accomplishment at that time. Sam wanted to make as much of the time as he had available at the library. And with the librarian predisposed to help him, he wanted to maximize his gains.


    Opening the book somebody he didn¡¯t much care about wrote about the language of the dwarves.


    ¡®I¡¯m in a freaking game that makes every game look like it was drawn by crayon, and I¡¯m studying¡­¡¯ he grumbled inside his mind. Then he refocused and began to read.


    <hr>


    ¡°Um, excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, young Sam?¡± the librarian replied, turning away from the shelf she was dusting.


    ¡°I was wondering if you ever heard a spell that would let me analyze things?¡±


    Sam debated about trying to be circumspect, but in the end, he just shrugged and went ahead. It wasn¡¯t like his request was such a weird one. Analyze or observe skill was a staple skill of every other MMO, so it was natural that players would want to get one here in Magic Unbound too.


    The librarian raised one hand and started tapping on her chin with a finger.


    ¡°Analyze? Analyze¡­ Hmm, let¡¯s see¡­ I wonder¡­¡±


    He watched curiously as the older woman began to mumble to herself, waiting to see if he needed to get more involved, but in the end, the woman stopped her mumbling, her eyes lit up and a big grin appeared on her face.


    ¡°I remember!¡± she exclaimed, then reached over and grabbed Sam¡¯s hand. Then, without any word, she began to drag him towards the back of the library.


    Sam didn¡¯t protest, just grinned at the success and let himself be dragged. Being friends with NPCs was really worth it!


    A few seconds later, they were standing in a shadowy corner of the library, covered with even more dust. The librarian tutted disapprovingly and mumbled something about her helpers.


    ¡°Uhm, why don¡¯t we clean up a little before you show the spell to me?¡± He didn¡¯t want to clean, but it was a perfect moment to raise the librarian¡¯s evaluation of him. And he was proven right when the woman gave him a tender smile but shook her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get to it soon. While I appreciate the sentiment, it¡¯s not your job, young man. So, allow me to do my job, and provide you with knowledge.¡±


    Sam simply bowed his head in understanding, then watched as Martha stepped up to one particular shelf and began to browse it. Then almost a minute later she removed a medium-sized book, covered in dust, but to Sam¡¯s magical senses it sang with mana.


    Holding the book gingerly, the librarian turned to him and held it out.


    ¡°Here you go, young man. The spell you asked about!¡±


    He reached out and just as gingerly took the book with a thankful nod.


    ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am.¡±


    The older woman just patted his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, young man. It¡¯s never a problem to help a splendid gentleman like you!¡±


    <hr>


    After taking the received book back to the table that over the last week almost became his table, he sat down and for a moment stared at the book. He had hopes for what was contained in the book, but Sam was sure it contained at least a rare or higher rarity skill.


    With a slightly trembling hand, he reached out, and under Lucky¡¯s shadowy gaze, opened the book. Surprisingly, there was no light show, no flashes or other mysterious lights. So, with a heavy sigh, he began to read¡­


    An hour later, he closed the book with a heavy thud and just stared at the book and table.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡®What the hell did I just read?¡¯


    The entire book was incomprehensible mumbo-jumbo about mana, mana sight and how it interacted with the world. Some of it made sense, some went right over his head, and some he only understood because he had his inherited memories.


    Just as he was about to shake off the confusion, the notifications appeared, derailing his thoughts.


    [You have read the Book of Fluxus Vitae et Mortis!]


    [Your Mana Sight gained the Mana Flow subskill!]


    [Mana Flow: Level MAX (MAX%) Your Mana Sight has sharpened beyond the normal, you can discern the greater flows of the mana.]


    [Thanks to your tireless search for knowledge and diligence in studying you gain +1 WIS!]


    [Thanks to your research you gained the skill, Discernment!]


    [Discernment: Level 0/10 (0%) Your eyes are trained enough to discern the relative strength of those on who you lay your eyes. Thanks to also having the Mana Sight skill, you will also be able to gauge their relative mana level.]


    ¡°Not bad¡­¡± he mumbled as he read the skill. It might have seemed weak and useless and was actually useless at this level, but with a few supporting skills, the synergy it would achieve would propel it among the god-like skills. Plus, that was without leveling up the skill¡­


    <hr>


    After getting the best skill he could, he finished his study of the languages, reaching level five in the dwarven and elven languages, while also beginning to study the dark elven language. Sadly, he couldn¡¯t improve beyond level five without actually using the language, but for now, that was enough.


    Then, while he prepared for his meeting at the Silvercrest manor, he began to run around the town.


    Sam opened an account at the bank, depositing a small part of the haul he gained while robbing the bandits. It was nice to see the stuffy bankers treat him with much more respect than when he previously stepped into the bank.


    Following that, he bought some new, more modern and, most importantly in-fashion clothes for his visit. There was no need to commit some kind of lame social faux pax by showing up in adventuring garb.


    That was followed by Sam going around and knocking out a few basic reputation quests.


    Getting herbs for the city guard barracks from the nearby forest.


    Getting some fresh meat from the nearby forest.


    Reducing the population of the moss snakes in the nearby forest.


    Basically, he went out to the forest and, with Lucky¡¯s help, decimated the local fauna and flora population.


    He and Lucky got a few levels out of it, but nothing exciting happened. Sam mostly concentrated on increasing his skills and trying to master them. He got two points for Endurance, one for Dexterity and one for Agility on his level-ups, and the bonus points went into Magic and Perception.


    The skills Basic Footwork and Basic Breathing Technique were, as their name suggested, basic, but they were absolutely crucial and were the foundation for pretty much every offensive martial art. And thanks to his hard work, he managed to raise both of them to level 9, and they were only waiting for a breakthrough.


    Sadly, as they were combat skills, his breakthrough would have to come from a fight. Or if he took the effort to get a proper teacher, from them. But as of now, that would be a too big commitment.


    Returning to the town, he unloaded the loot he gathered from the forest, earning the adoration of several green soldiers and the grudging respect of their superiors. The captain of the guard even nodded at him like he wasn¡¯t disgusted by the very concept of adventurers.


    Sam counted that as a win!


    Satisfied, he decided to take a quick trip to see if anything could catch his interest in the Auction house.


    Of course, only after patting Lucky on his head.


    He needed all the luck he could get!


    <hr>


    The Auction house looked like any other building in the city of Ironwood, but interestingly the population inside of it, and around it were a much higher percentage of players than NPCs. Granted, the workers were NPCs, but almost all the people inside were players bidding on items, or looking for opportunities.


    Sam watched as people from several well-known and not so well known guilds and workshops were lounging around, staring at the auction house screen. He could even spot a few people wearing symbols from the ¡®hidden¡¯ guilds that were biding their time¡­


    Aside from them, the entire building was full of people yelling, cursing, laughing, and generally just lamenting the fact that nobody had much money.


    He just smirked, then quickly took a seat somewhere where people weren¡¯t jumping around and opened the screen for the Auction house.


    As of now, one could only search for simple items, materials and artefacts. But in the future, they would be able to auction off services, guild memberships and so much more. In some areas, Auction Houses even transformed into Slave Shops where guilds sold the services of their members.


    That was another can of worms that Sam wanted nothing to do with¡­


    The solution the company behind the game came up with was good enough for him.


    Quickly running his eyes over the available merchandise, Sam couldn¡¯t help but scowl.


    ¡®Why are they selling all this shit? Those main characters in those novels always find easy gold the moment they open the auction screen!¡¯ he complained to himself as he continued to peruse the rather lean selection.


    Eventually, getting bored with the collection of random steel weapons, and barely used armors that he could buy at any armor shop, he opened the skill book tab.


    And as he beheld that rather expected spread of common skill book, he sighed but began to scroll down, hoping to find something at least useful. Or, if not useful, at least cheaper than buying it anywhere else.


    Apparently, Lady Luck was with him, because he managed to find a few basic skill books for basic spells cheaper than he knew he could buy them from the mage tower. Not hesitating, he quickly bought the Wind Blade, Electric Spark, Earth Wall and Water Bullet spells. He mostly wanted the Earth Wall and Wind Blade, as they would harmonize with his current build very well, but the other two would also become useful soon.


    Then, after a moment of hesitation, and a quick glance at Lucky, who was curiously staring at all the strange people, he decided to bite the bullet and bought the Shadow Cloak skill book. It was not cheap at around 100 gold coins, but it was easier than going out and doing the quest for it, or simply hoping it would drop as loot.


    Standing up, he was about to head for the counter to receive the goods he bought when he heard a commotion quickly spreading among the people of the Auction house.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± ¡°Have you seen this?¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°How much?¡±


    Sam looked up and watched as the entire populace of the Auction house stared, tense and excited at their screens.


    He quickly opened the screen and went looking for the item that caused the tizzy.


    Sam didn¡¯t have to look far, as his screen was still on the skill books, and on the top of the listings was one book, set for 10 000 golds.


    [Book of the Life of Blood]


    [Life of Blood: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) Grants the user of the skill incredible regenerative blood, increasing their regeneration by 1% for each level in the skill.]


    It was an amazing skill. At a maximum level, it granted a flat 10% health regeneration.


    But Sam could only laugh at himself, then continue towards the counter to his new skill books.


    The skill was amazing and incredibly rare at the moment (though when people get stronger, then killing trolls would be much easier) Sam knew one thing that made it one of the shittiest skills.


    It was technically blood magic.


    And it tainted the person¡¯s own magic with blood magic, and a sufficiently good Blood Mage could make use of that taint¡­


    And thanks to people not knowing this itty-bitty little tidbit, they simply almost farmed trolls to extinction for the skill. Which was followed by the Blood Dance, when two enterprising brothers realized the significance of almost the entire player base being tainted by blood magic and only around 5% of them having any defenses against it.


    The hunt for them was (or will be) legendary¡­


    Exiting the still buzzing Auction house, Sam headed directly towards the Cloudy Day inn, for a quick cleansing shower and a change of clothes.


    Throwing another small glance at Lucky, he decided a quick grooming session was also in order before the visit.

 Chapter 24

    Standing before the imposing gates of the Silvercrest manor, eyed by two guards and the city behind him, still abuzz with the news of the Life Blood skill book, Sam felt a lot of things.


    He was laughing at the idiots that fought over that not-at-all rare book that would cause their demise in a year or two; he was annoyed that he had to dodge fights that randomly broke out in and outside of the city over the book; and most of all, he was curious what was the purpose of the lord calling him for a meeting.


    Because Sam was hundred percent sure that the excuse that his daughter liked Lucky was just that, an excuse. A man like Lord Silvercrest could buy hundreds of fluffy wolves for his daughter to play with. More than likely, he didn¡¯t want anyone to know he was talking to an adventurer.


    Sighing quietly, throwing a glance at the rapidly counting down clock for the quest, he finally squared his shoulders and approached the gate guards.


    ¡°Halt, stranger!¡± called out one of them, while the other tightened their grip on their spear. ¡°State your business!¡±


    He bowed his head a little, then answered.


    ¡°Lord Silvercrest requested my presence,¡± he said simply, while the two guards exchanged a glance.


    Finally, after a few seconds of silent communications, the other one shrugged and began walking towards the gate.


    ¡°We will inform the Lord. For now, I would like to request that you wait here.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Sam answered and watched as the guard slipped in, while the remaining one was still eyeing him.


    He didn¡¯t have to wait long, as a notification window popped up not even a minute after the second guard went inside.


    [The quest ¡°Visit of the highest order!¡± has been completed!]


    They didn¡¯t have to wait long as the guard returned with a very stereotypical butler at their side. The butler opened the gates enough for him to comfortably step through, while the guard who played the messenger returned to his post.


    ¡°If you would follow me, Sir?¡± motioned the butler, their face neutral and their voice almost devoid of emotion. Though, Sam thought he might have heard some kind of tightness in the voice.


    Keeping his observation to himself, he quietly thanked the butler, nodded to the guards and entered the manor grounds.


    <hr>


    The manor looked exactly like Sam imagined a manor of a lord in a fantasy setting would look like. Marble, gold and weird paintings were everywhere. The wooden panelling was, of course, made from ironwood, and the candle holders were made of ironworks. There was, of course, a lot of silver filigree and family crests around the halls, of course, also made from either silver, ironwood or simply iron.


    Sam never understood the taste of the rich¡­


    Soon, they arrived in a room that looked like every other room they walked past, but Sam just shrugged.


    At the polite behest of the butler, Sam took a seat and began waiting. The butler bowed perfectly from the waist and left the room, closing the door.


    Sam was about to wonder how long he would have to wait when the recently closed door almost exploded and he was once again face to face with the bombastic Lord Silvercrest, with the stone-faced butler standing behind him.


    The man was dressed in fancy clothing, practically radiating wealth, though his blonde hair was not very well put together, and he could see something that suspiciously looked like shadows under the man¡¯s eyes.


    Sam stood up and gave a small bow.


    ¡°Greetings, Lord Silvercrest. As you have bid me, I¡¯ve returned.¡±


    The man let out a boisterous laugh and then grinned at Sam. Then he squinted, and the smile on his face decreased a little.


    ¡°You did, my young friend! You did good! But, my new friend, it seems you¡¯re missing somebody!¡±


    Sam just grinned and motioned for his own shadow.


    The man, followed by the butler, stared at it, and two eyes of a wolf blinked back at them.


    The butler let out an almost silent ¡®huh¡¯ and the grin on the lord¡¯s face grew two sizes.


    ¡°Haha, what a marvellous development! Come, my friend, let us join my precious daughter!¡±


    And with that the other man turned on a dime and left the room, leaving Sam blinking, at the spot where the lord stood.


    The butler simply spoke up.


    ¡°If the good Sir, would follow me once again?¡±


    Sam just sighed and began walking.


    <hr>


    The garden was rather refreshing compared to the interior of the manor. Sam expected sprawling hedge mazes, and precious flowers in stupendous arrangements, but what received him was everything but that.


    There were at least three different sparring rings, made of sand, at least a few sheds made of wood (ironwood, of course) probably holding weapons, Sam suspected, and while there was a very tastefully arranged gazebo, it was designed for comfort instead of beauty.


    And currently, it was hosting the young Lucrecia with an older woman looking exactly like the young friend of Lucky, just, well, older. Though, now that Sam was getting closer, he could see that the older woman was moving as little as possible and looked rather faint.


    ¡®Ahh, sick mother, boisterous father¡­ probably enemies out of the wazoo. I bet I¡¯ll need to retrieve a medicine¡­¡¯ Sam speculated as he approached the family. ¡®Or maybe remove a curse¡­¡¯


    The lord, heads taller than anyone else in the garden, was standing next to the gazebo and the moment Sam stepped close enough that the women of the family could see him, he began speaking.


    Though for him, speaking was yelling.


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    The young lady of the manor winced and sent him an apologetic look while the man¡¯s wife just smiled indulgently at him.


    ¡°Look, my darling Lucrecia! Look who came to visit us!¡±


    ¡°I can see, father. And could hear you from inside the house,¡± came the deadpan reply. The man just laughed harder. ¡°Though I do not see the wolf.¡± She turned to him. ¡°Sir adventurer, could you perhaps explain?¡±


    Sam just smiled and simply called out.


    ¡°Lucky!¡±


    There was a brief pause, then there was a quiet bark and Lucky resurfaced from the shadow beneath Sam. The wolf jumped up, pranced a little in front of Sam, then stuck a pose and let out a howl.


    Sam watched as Lucrecia stared with sparkling eyes, then simply stepped back as the howl ended and the girl let out an ear-shattering squeal, proving her ancestry beyond a shadow of doubt and pounced on the eagerly waiting Lucky.


    ¡°It¡¯s soooo fluffy!¡±


    Sam watched for a minute as the young girl and wolf played together, then looked up at the lord and lady of the manor, who were sitting in the gazebo, watching the playing duo with a smile. Lord Silvercrest motioned for him to join them, so he did so.


    He calmly walked up and took a seat opposite the pair.


    However, before he could speak up, the lord reached forward and gingerly touched the abstract decoration in the middle of the table. The moment his meaty fingers touched the decoration it lit up with gentle white light and Sam felt some kind of magic activating around them.


    He raised an inquisitive eyebrow.


    ¡°Worry not, friend, just a little magic to make sure what we say stays here!¡± came the loud explanation from the lord. Sam nodded in understanding, suspecting that the people in the manor must be a master of that type of magic.


    ¡°I understand, my lord. Now, perchance you may share with me the reason you called me here¡­¡± he simply said, then leaned back, looking directly into the man¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Smart man!¡± exclaimed the lord, then his entire demeanor shifted. Gone was the boisterous and happy lord, instead Sam was sitting across from a lord of a family, with an edge to them that made Sam a little nervous. Though the voice level didn¡¯t go down. ¡°I called you here, young man because I needed someone unaffiliated with anyone. And the best ones are adventurers that work for money!¡±


    ¡°That makes sense, my lord. Then, how can I be of service to the House of Silvercrest?¡±


    ¡°Good attitude! Good attitude!¡± the man proclaimed, slapping the table, rattling the entire gazebo while his wife continued to sip her tea as if nothing interesting was happening. ¡°I shall be direct. Enemies of my house grew jealous of our wealth. They desire our silver mines, thus they conspired and managed to place a foul curse upon my wife.¡±


    ¡°And you want me to help you to lift it.¡±


    ¡°Excellent deduction, young man!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Do you know the name of the curse?¡±


    This time, the grin was replaced by a frown on the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Sadly, no. We scoured libraries all over the land, but we could find no mention of the curse. All we know is that it saps my darling¡¯s energy. Every day she grows weaker.¡± By the time he finished, he was almost whispering and throwing a worried gaze at his wife.


    ¡°I see,¡± Sam said simply, then raised a hand at the woman. ¡°If I could?¡±


    There was a tense moment as the lord eyed him, but at a gentle touch from his wife, he relented.


    ¡°Go ahead, young man. Maybe you could see something that countless wise men have not!¡±


    Sam nodded and activated several skills. The first one was Mana Sense, focused on the woman, then Discernment, just to be sure and finally Mana Sight.


    Staring at the woman with both of his senses and eyesight, he could immediately spot the ugly, pulsating and rather foul black ball of mana in her body. Right at the level of her stomach.


    The pulse of the black ball of mana was the same as the mana circulating in the woman, but every time the woman¡¯s mana circulated, it came back less and the black mana grew in size. It was a slow process, but as Sam focused on it, the surroundings started getting out of focus, and he could only see the woman. Then even the woman was lost to his sight, and he was directly staring at the blue mana, infested by what was definitely some kind of foul mana parasite.


    As he tried to make sense of the mess of tangled webs of mana in the woman¡¯s body, he also tried to sift through his inherited memories, trying to figure out if the other Sam ever came across something like that or maybe heard about it.


    He was about to give up and curse the fact that the inherited memories didn¡¯t come with a convenient search engine when he found it.


    ¡®Right! The Ironwood Monster Break! Somehow, a portal was opened in the city and foul monsters started pouring out.¡¯ At first, he wasn¡¯t sure that it was connected to this parasite, but then another very faint memory resurfaced. ¡®If I remember correctly¡­ there was a mention of battles for the silver mines after the Monster Break¡­ ¡®


    He closed his eyes, slowly turning his skills off, then leaned back and began to consolidate what he figured out.


    ¡®If I¡¯m right, then more than likely, this ball of mana is what would open the portal. Probably will use up the life force of the lady, then bamm¡­ monsters everywhere¡­ But how to remove it?¡¯


    And wasn¡¯t that the million dollar question¡­


    Sam opened his eyes, and glanced at his notifications.


    [You have discovered something new but horrible with your senses!]


    [Your skill Mana Sense became Level 15!]


    [Your subskill Focused Sense became level 3!]


    [Your skill Mana Sight became level 5!]


    Dismissing them, he turned his attention to his hosts.


    ¡°Well, from what I can see, you don¡¯t have much time left. That thing is eating the lady¡¯s life force. I can¡¯t even fathom what it will achieve when it consumes the last drop. I assume you have a basic plan?¡±


    The man nodded grimly, while his giant hand engulfed one of the woman¡¯s tiny ones.


    ¡°Indeed, young man. Through research and contacts, I found an artefact that is capable of housing and transferring such spirits without damaging the previous host. However¡­¡±


    ¡°However, you need somebody to get it. And you can¡¯t leave her, because then¡­¡±


    ¡°You are perceptive, young man!¡± burst out the man, and the woman gave him a small smile. ¡°Let me tell you the details!¡±


    Before the man could start, Sam held up a hand.


    ¡°And what makes you think that you can trust me with this? By all accounts, I could be a plant by your enemies¡­¡±


    His only response was laughter from the man and an elegant chuckle from the lady.


    ¡°Nobody who has a pet like that could be an evil person!¡± came the baffling reply. ¡°Plus, I have this nifty thing here!¡±


    With that, the lord of the manor placed a parchment radiating magic in front of Sam. He immediately recognized it. And not for good reasons.


    The parchment was yellow, with dark red, almost black edges, and to his Mana Sight, it was almost as if it was bleeding mana.


    A Blood Contract¡­


    <hr>


    Sam left the Silvercrest manor in a daze, with Lucky, exhausted, back in his shadow, staring at the window in front of him.


    [You signed a Blood Contract!]


    [If you break the terms of the contract, your life is forfeit, along with several other punishments!]


    [You are marked by the magic of the contract until you fulfil it!]


    [You received a new quest!]


    [A shadow in a shadow of a shadow!]


    [Lord Silvercrest has entrusted you with retrieving the Chalice of Restraint, used for housing and transporting belligerent spirits in the olden days. However, the House of Silvercrest has enemies around every corner, so be careful! You also signed a Blood Contract with Lord Silvercrest as a sign of trust, beware of the terms, lest you suffer a fate worse than death!]


    [Time Limit: As long as Lady Silvercrest lives.]


    [Failure: Lady Silvercrest dies. You don¡¯t deliver the Chalice of Restraint.]


    [Penalty: Death. One year 90% EXP penalty and the permanent loss of one from every base stat.]


    [Reward: The undying gratitude of the House of Silvercrest. You can hire young Lucrecia as a follower. Additional rewards are possible.]


    He stared at the sentence ¡®Additional rewards are possible.¡¯ and couldn¡¯t help but feel happy, but still want to despair.


    It was a rather famous sentence. It basically meant that the quest had some hidden elements that he would need to solve if he wanted to finish it.


    Which meant complications. At least it was an early quest, so it wouldn¡¯t take much time. And based on how developed the parasite was, he had at most one-month in-game time before the Monster Break occurred, if he was right about that.


    Sighing and lamenting his weird luck, Sam ducked into an alley, and if somebody were watching that alley, the man that came out on the other end looked nothing like Sam, be it their face or clothing.

 Chapter 25

    After leaving the manor, disguising himself, and losing at least two people who followed him after exiting the gate of the Silvercrest manor, Sam went around the city, periodically changing his looks, doing odd things, and walking in circles for a while.


    Then, when he was sure that nobody was following him anymore, he shed his latest disguise, returned to his original look, pocketing the Chameleon Mask, Sam began to whistle gently and began walking towards one of the general shops.


    The information provided by the Lord was somewhat vague, with the only thing being known about the Chalice, that it was hidden in one of the old ironwood forests around the city. This kinda of made sense, but also made his job much harder as all ancient groves of trees were either heavily guarded or so hidden, nobody knew where they were.


    And if that wasn¡¯t enough, Lord Silvercrest was sure that his enemies also knew that the only thing capable of saving his wife was the Chalice so they would either hinder him or search for the Chalice themselves.


    Thankfully, there was a silver lining to the story.


    Sadly, it wasn¡¯t that he knew exactly where the artifact was. This was a completely unknown quest to him, as the other Sam only knew about the probable after-effects of the quest. But the other Sam spent a lot of time in Ironwood, and by the time he arrived in the city, the guilds had already explored big parts of the area and guides were available for cheap. And those guides were currently rattling around in his head, ready to be used.


    ¡®Let us see what will happen!¡¯ he thought as he continued his preparations.


    <hr>


    It was getting easier to handle, but logging out still left him a little confused and with a little uncontrollable body. Thankfully, the exercises he had been doing, and knowing about the issue and how it was handled in the future made it so that Sam just did a few stretching exercises and other movements, and the confusion was gone and his appendages were back under his control.


    After going through his usual log-out routine, he sat down in front of his computer dressed in fresh clothing, hair still a little bit damp.


    He checked his emails and other assorted notifications, pointedly ignoring anything related to Shadowland. He knew what it was mostly about, but first, he wanted to deal with the general stuff.


    A quick check showed him that the official stuff was doing okay. His shares in Future Unknown were doing really well, as well as several other investments in companies that would become bigger and more profitable with the rise of the game.


    Another check at the official site showed that the timeline hadn¡¯t deviated yet, as they hadn¡¯t posted anything that the other Sam hadn¡¯t seen. There were the usual video compilations of the funny, sad and awesome moments, and he spent a little time watching those, trying to spot people that would be important, but sadly the company did a good job in anonymizing the player without decreasing the quality of the videos.


    There were even a few scenes of Lucky in action in one of the compilations¡­


    Sam made sure to download that one.


    Then, he turned his attention to the forums.


    Aside from the local sections that were focused on the conflicts and actions of certain towns, the main page of the game¡¯s forum was occupied with the Life of Blood skill.


    It was a good skill. Hell, it was an excellent skill. Ten percent base health regeneration for practically free, plus the subskill at the tenth level? It was basically a godly skill.


    If it weren¡¯t for that minuscule drawback¡­


    As Sam scrolled through the forums, reading people overreacting or praising the skill, while several people were calling for nerfing it, if not outright banning it. But the developers were silent. Probably because they knew about the blood magic aspect.


    Then, as Sam read another jealousy-filled rant, he had a wicked idea.


    Grinning, ear to ear, he switched over to the Shadowland website, ignored all the requests for more Life of Blood skill books, and began typing.


    It was a simple message.


    Trolls, you idiots.


    Under it, he added a few Wiki-like articles about the mythology of trolls, highlighting and quoting the parts about their superior regeneration and blood, then set the price of viewing the post the lowest amount possible. He added a few tags, just to make sure even more people saw it, then clicked on the upload button, leaned back in his chair, and watched as the chaos unfolded.


    For a moment nothing happened, then as people realized that he had posted, they began to flock to his post, while happily watching as the viewer counter ticked up. It was just the cherry on the top that he got paid for it.


    He gleefully read the responses.


    ¡®LazyPhoenix thx as always, you r the bro!¡¯


    ¡®As always, quality content. Thanks!¡¯


    ¡®Thanks, bro, this will allow us to dominate the area! MightyWolves Go!¡¯


    ¡®MightyWolves suck! RagingDucks are the best!¡¯


    And so on¡­


    Eventually, as with all forum threads, it devolved into name-calling and other nice things, so the mods intervened and locked the thread, while Sam just cackled in his apartment, watching the counter tick up faster and faster.


    He made a good chunk of money and even hastened the approach of the Blood Dance¡­ Probably.


    But at least most people would be concentrating on hunting down the trolls to make as much money as possible.


    And wouldn¡¯t you know? Ironwood had several areas around it, especially in the mountains, that contained trolls.


    ¡°A perfect distraction for my mission¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Ironwood City was abuzz around him as he collected the necessary supplies for his quest. He eyed as the proto-guilds, mercenary bands, gaming groups and other collections of greedy players moved around him, tense, ready to pounce at the slightest provocation.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    While he was enjoying a nice dinner in a restaurant near his home, a guild found the trolls around Ironwood. There was a brief clash with two other guilds as the information naturally was leaked immediately.


    As of now, there was an uneasy truce as the guilds geared up for a fight.


    And Sam couldn¡¯t be happier.


    He already saw several groups of soldiers belonging to the noble families that the Lord of Silvercrest named as their enemies leave the city, heading, presumably, to support a group that earned that privilege. Or to take the troll hunting ground for themselves. One can never know¡­


    And while the chaos was brewing around him, he stocked up his perishables, had his armor and weapon repaired, got some potions, and copied the local and other maps he gathered into his grimoire.


    Standing in the middle of his room he looked at the collected items, making notes, trying to figure out if he missed something while Lucky lazily lay on the bed, watching him with sparkling eyes.


    After half an hour of internal debate, he finally decided that he had everything he needed, so he put everything away into his inventory and bags of holding. Turning to Lucky, he spoke up softly.


    ¡°Are you ready, Lucky?¡±


    His answer was an eager bark.


    ¡°All right. Then hop into my shadow and we can go!¡±


    The wolf nodded, then slowly stood up and rather comically jumped into the air and dived headfirst into his shadow. Which was followed by a small notification window.


    [Thanks to the growing connection between you and your spirit companion, Spirit Link has reached Level 7!]


    Smiling silently, Sam dismissed the window, and with determined steps left the room.


    <hr>


    His first step was to find an old man.


    At least according to the Lord of Silvercrest, the old man he found was an old ranger that used to walk the hidden woods around the city of Ironwood. The lord managed to get an approximate location at the eastern part of the town, but the remaining legwork was left to Sam.


    Sam could have started to canvass the area, but why work hard when there was an easy way?


    He simply donned a dark cloak, used the Chameleon Mask to change his looks, this time into a pretty blonde and sought out one of the darker areas of the city, where crime was still the king.


    Not as blatantly as in many seaside cities, but there was definitely a stench in the air that told him that not everything was alright in the area. Even the mana in the air was tainted a minuscule amount with darkness.


    He purposefully strode forward, not too fast, or too slow, just with enough speed to show that he knew where he was going.


    And when he spotted what he was looking for, he slowed down and then stopped. Turning towards a small alley, he activated his defensive skill just in case and called out.


    ¡°Hey kid, want to make some money?¡±


    For a moment there was no reply or even movement in the alley, but then a small voice, hesitant but with a hidden spine, answered.


    ¡°Wat¡¯chu want?¡±


    Sam, knowing the rules, instead of answering just raised a hand that held one lone silver coin. Thanks to his somewhat advanced stats he managed to hear a small gasp from the shadows enveloping the alley.


    ¡°Looking for a man.¡±


    ¡°Name?¡±


    ¡°No name. A ranger. Old.¡±


    There was another silence. He added another silver to his hand.


    ¡°Might kno¡¯ some-some¡­¡±


    Sam simply nodded.


    ¡°Five now, ten if they are who I¡¯m looking for.¡±


    He had no need to negotiate here. He had all the money he wanted, so why not make use of it?


    There was a flurry of sounds in the alley, and then, hesitantly, a dirty-haired head belonging to a young urchin poked their head out. Sam honestly couldn¡¯t tell if they were a girl or a boy¡­


    The look on the face of the kid was pretty serious. Sam could see the light of greed in their eyes. He just snorted and nodded. He wasn¡¯t feeling pity for them, as he knew from his inherited memories that kids like these dressed up as street urchins to make money from clueless people. They had homes, were fed, and were surprisingly well educated. Mostly to be able to con even more people, the little monsters. And surprisingly, every city had one of these child organizations. The prevailing theory was that the developers didn¡¯t want to show starving kids in a game¡­


    ¡°Ya swear, mistah?¡±


    ¡°Drop the horrible accent and I will raise it to eleven,¡± Sam replied dryly.


    The kid didn¡¯t even blink.


    ¡°Of course, mister!¡± replying with an innocent looking smile and a glint in their eyes.


    Sam snorted. ¡°Show me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mister. Follow me, I¡¯ll show the way to Old Marak!¡±


    Nodding silently, he threw the five coins at the kid, who caught them, and they instantly vanished into their rags. The kid nodded, and they began walking with Sam following after the excitable kid.


    ¡®Maybe they are not even kids, but fey¡­¡¯ he thought as he went over what he knew about the KidConOrg as the forums called them. ¡®Making deals, tricking people, showing up everywhere and just altogether being mischievous¡­hmmm, should I?¡¯


    They were in another dark part of the city, walking by dilapidated houses, old shops and generally areas that had a serious need for a facelift.


    While the kid excitedly led him through the streets and alleys of the darker side of Ironwood, he couldn¡¯t help but notice that they were somewhat walking in a circle.


    ¡°Kid!¡±


    The little menace turned around, and he could see in their eyes that they were trying not to laugh.


    ¡°Yes, mister? Whatever is the issue?¡±


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but snort again.


    ¡°I thought fey tended to keep to their deals¡­¡± he said, finally taking a stab in the dark.


    For a moment, it was as if time froze, and then the smile on the kid¡¯s face grew into a disproportional size.


    He couldn¡¯t help but shudder a little.


    ¡°We do,¡± came the reply, though instead of the squeaky voice of a child, it was an eery and echo-y


    voice.


    ¡°Then why are we going in circles?¡±


    The fey in the kid¡¯s body just shrugged, the freaky smile still on their face.


    ¡°You were being followed, now you aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re helping me. Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not helping you. I¡¯m helping the city. This is where I store my stuff. I would like if it stayed as it is,¡± came the clipped reply.


    Sam thought about it for a second, and in the end, he had to agree with the kid.


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± with that he motioned for the fey to continue towards their goal, but the kid didn¡¯t move an inch.


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah! You asked a question! And there are no freebies here!¡±


    He cursed internally, while also making a note to read up on the rules of the fey. But he didn¡¯t reply, refusing to acknowledge his ¡®debt¡¯.


    The smile, as if possible, got even wider on the kid¡¯s face.


    ¡°How about a question for a question?¡±


    Sam nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Excellent! My question is as follows: How did you know?¡±


    He almost chuckled at the question.


    ¡°No street urchin behaves like you. Fey are notorious for making deals. So, I made an educated guess. You just confirmed it,¡± he answered with a smirk.


    The eyes on the kid went round in surprise, but then the kid flashed him a smile that contained more teeth than what was possible, and once again between two blinks, the dirty street urchin was back before him without the creepy smile.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue our journey, good sir!¡± they spoke up as if the previous discussion hadn¡¯t happened.


    Sam looked around, but somehow nobody walked by or showed up while they had their conversation. He shuddered again, and while walking behind the kid, he berated himself for being careless.


    That could have gone worse¡­


    After a few minutes, they finally arrived at a surprisingly nice building. The kid stopped before the door, then turned towards him with a hand held out, waiting for their pay.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. The man you are looking for is inside.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    He pulled out the promised six silver and placed it gently in the kid¡¯s hand. However, when he pulled back his hand, one coin seemed to be stuck to his skin. As he stared at it curiously, the kid spoke up.


    ¡°A little memory for our first meeting¡­¡±


    He looked at the coin, which, instead of the seal of the kingdom, now was totally unadorned, except for a simple butterfly symbol. He looked up, but the kid was gone. Instead, he was greeted by several notifications.


    [Congratulations, you figured out the secret identity of a Fey! You may choose to gain 1 WIS and lose 1 LUK, or gain 1 LUK and lose 1 WIS!]


    Sam stared at the screen for a moment, then spoke up.


    ¡°I choose neither.¡±


    There was a moment of silence, and another screen popped up.


    [Congratulations, you made a smart decision! You gain +1 PER!]


    Nodding proudly, he continued to read.


    [You received a Token of Friendship from a Fey!]


    [It is up to you to decide if it is a good thing or a bad thing!]


    [Token of Friendship (Fey): A coin bearing the mark of the fey. Can be exchanged for favors with the fey. Be warned, they are not obligated to accept it.]


    ¡®Well, that seems supremely useless¡­¡¯ Sam thought, then with a shrug put the token into his inventory and turned towards the house.


    He had a nice lady to save¡­

 Chapter 26

    The house from the outside looked old but well cared for. A few potted plants were hanging from the upstairs window; the walls were clean of the usual grime that became really familiar to Sam during his short journey with the little fey.


    The only thing that was really unusual about the house was the complete lack of decoration made of iron. Instead, every facet of the house was made from the famous ironwood. Even the doorknob was made from the material. This alone convinced Sam that he was in the right place.


    Squaring his shoulders, taking another look around, he stepped forward and, with a hand that hesitated only a little, knocked on the door.


    He waited for almost a minute when he finally could hear someone walking very slowly towards the door. And when the door opened, he almost expected an extremely old man, in a bathrobe and slippers. Which was almost true.


    The man who opened the door was wearing something like a robe, though it was definitively not a bathrobe, and the shoes on his feet were more like very fluffy loafers than slippers.


    He was also wearing a rather respectable beard and mustache combo, all of it in silver-white with a few blacks, and for some reason, green strands of hair mixed in. The old man also had rather impressively bushy eyebrows that rose the moment he saw Sam standing at the door. Sam also felt a very delicate and gentle mana pulse go through him, no doubt looking for anything that could be a danger to the old man.


    They spent the next dozen or so seconds staring at each other when the old man just sighed and spoke up.


    ¡°Well, what do you want?¡± his voice was old, but the expected weakness that was ever present in every old person Sam ever talked with was not present. Instead, his voice radiated a certain power that caused a small shiver to run down Sam¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Good day, Sir!¡± replied Sam, followed by a respectful bow of the head. ¡°I¡¯m here to ask you a few questions.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°The ironwoods, sir.¡± While Sam wanted to be circumspect, he knew that the only in with the old man was by being truthful. And who knows, maybe he was powerful enough to see through his lies.


    The old man¡¯s eyes narrowed at him the moment he spoke, and Sam could feel the gentle magic settle around him, now with a slight edge to it.


    ¡°I know nuttin¡¯!¡± The answer came out more of a growl than actual speech, while the magic around Sam turned from containing a slight edge to being a literal storm of magic, poised to destroy him.


    So he talked. Fast.


    ¡°The Silvercrest family sent me! To help them recover the Chalice of¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Restraint,¡± finished the old man for him, a scowl on his face. And to Sam¡¯s relief, the mana surrounding him quieted down a little.


    But then the older man fell silent, looking directly at him, and Sam would have sworn that he looked through him, searching for something. Finally, after several minutes of uncomfortable silence, the man sighed, the mana vanished, and he began to turn around while spitting out a few words.


    ¡°You better come in then¡­¡±


    Sam let out a relieved sigh, shook himself, and stepped through the doorstop while desperately ignoring the haunting laughter originating from somewhere in the street.


    <hr>


    The interior of the house was reminiscent of the exterior. Simple, but well kept. Lots of potted plants, several comfortable chairs, a merrily roaring fireplace, and shelves full of books that were no doubt full of mysterious secrets that most mage guilds would sacrifice the firstborns of their guild masters to possess.


    The old ranger, Marak, led him from the door through a corridor to a living room and bade Sam to sit in one of the armchairs in front of the fireplace, while he gingerly sat down in the other one. He watched as the old man let out a content sigh as he eased himself into the chair with closed eyes, then turned his attention to the rest of the room, waiting for the other man to call on him. He was very aware of the fact that as far as the other man was concerned; he was practically nothing on the power scale.


    Even his skill Discernment was only telling him that there was no chance of a snowball in hellfire that he could defeat the old ranger. At least the skill leveled up.


    After another uncomfortable silence, the older man finally opened his eyes, and Sam felt another pulse of mana sweep through him and then through the room, finally stopping at the walls.


    ¡®Probably for security¡­¡¯ he thought as he looked apprehensively at the ranger sitting across from him, while the fire merrily burned, letting out a few sparks and odd cracks.


    ¡°The artifact you seek¡­ The Silvercrest family seeks, exists,¡± began the ranger, looking directly into Sam¡¯s eyes. ¡°However, there is a problem¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, there is a problem,¡± exclaimed Sam, rolling his eyes. ¡°What is it? Was it stolen? A powerful monster decided to nest at the place it was hidden? Let me guess, there was even a prophecy about it?¡±


    The old man stared at him for a few seconds, then chuckled a little.


    ¡°No prophecy, young man, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±


    ¡°Then what do I have to worry about?¡±


    ¡°There is indeed a powerful monster.¡±


    ¡°Well, great¡­ What is it? And why is it still alive if the Chalice is where I think it is?¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Marak¡¯s eyes narrowed at him at that, but he still answered.


    ¡°It is alive because we don¡¯t know what the monster is. It is a powerful illusion user, and none of us are that good with them.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean us?¡± asked Sam, now officially curious. He wasn¡¯t really worried about the illusion monster. At this level, it could only be a few things, and the area allowed him to further narrow it down.


    ¡°The guardians of the woods,¡± came the simple reply. ¡°We walk the woods, protect them and make sure the cycle of life continues¡­¡±


    ¡°Why not call in some outside expert?¡±


    The old ranger shook his head.


    ¡°Too big a chance that our secret would get out. Plus, the monster was content to stay there¡­ Nobody needed that area.¡±


    ¡°Until now¡­¡±


    ¡°Until now, yes.¡±


    There was another silence as the two of them stared at each other until Sam sighed.


    ¡°Let me guess¡­ You want me to go there and try to get rid of the monster?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I suppose¡­ If you want to,¡± came the answer, with a slight smirk on the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t particularly want to, I need to¡­¡± replied Sam, thinking back to the Blood Contract he had signed with a slight ache in his heart. And based on how the smirk widened on the old man¡¯s face, Sam was pretty sure the man also knew he was under the contract.


    Curse his bleeding heart¡­


    ¡°Indeed, sometimes the need for adventure is just too great! Were I a few decades younger, why, I would be joining you right out of the door, such is the call of the adventure!¡± spoke the man, his entire tone filled with laughter.


    ¡°Very funny,¡± retorted Sam, glaring. ¡°Now tell me what you want me to do, and I¡¯ll leave you staring uselessly at the fire.¡±


    The old ranger snorted, but the grin didn¡¯t leave his face.


    ¡°Very well, my young friend. I suppose an adventurous spirit like yours should be rewarded!¡± he exclaimed then jumped out of his chair, completely ignoring his age and stepped up to one of the shelves that was filled to the brim with books, scrolls and stray sheets of papers and parchments. Sam watched as the man searched for a few seconds before exclaiming.


    ¡°Aha!¡±


    Then he retrieved a scroll wedged between a book titled ¡®Bounciest places in all the Kingdom¡± and another titled ¡°You and your tools, how to protect them but still keep them useful!¡± Sam just shook his head.


    ¡®Pervy old man¡­¡¯


    The man thankfully couldn¡¯t read his thoughts and returned with the scroll and, with a quick and decisive motion, unrolled it on the small table between the two chairs.


    Sam leaned forward and quickly took in the map that was revealed to him.


    ¡°The city is here, and you need to go there,¡± pointed out the old man, his gnarled fingers moving through the map as Sam scrambled to memorize the route.


    ¡°And what am I doing when I get there?¡± He asked, not daring to look away from the map.


    The grin on the old ranger¡¯s face was even bigger.


    ¡°What else, but what do you need to do? Deal with the monster, retrieve the treasure, and save the damsel. You know, my young but foolish friend, standard adventurer stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°Any other helpful information?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sam just stayed silent.


    ¡°Make sure to prepare to deal with illusions.¡±


    He threw an incredulous look at the other man, who simply raised his hands defensively.


    ¡°Just wanted to make sure. You never know with adventurers¡­ Most of them are in the belief if they swing their swords hard enough, they would get through everything!¡±


    Sam just sighed again.


    ¡°Alright, just tell me what you know about the monster¡­¡±


    <hr>


    A few hours later he found himself in the eating hall of the Cloudy Day inn, angrily eating his dinner while staring at his screens.


    [You received a new quest!]


    [To peek or not to peek?]


    [Master Ranger Marak has told you of a mysterious illusion using monster plaguing the area where an artifact you seek resides. Your task is to scout out the monster and hopefully deal with it, in any way you decide.]


    [Time Limit: As long as Lady Silvercrest lives.]


    [Failure: Lady Silvercrest dies. The Chalice of Restraint gets destroyed.]


    [Penalty: Death. The Fey will be angry with you.]


    [Reward: Chance to retrieve the Chalice of Restraint. A reward from Master Ranger Marak. Additional rewards are possible.]


    Because of course, the sub-quest could be complicated!


    At least the rewards were good.


    As Sam thought about it, he realized that based on the tropes that were prevailing in his last life; he wasn¡¯t supposed to kill the monster, but rather befriend it and turn it into an additional defender of the city of Ironwood. Probably¡­


    Sadly, the information he received from the old man wasn¡¯t enough to narrow it down enough to make sure his preparations were hundred percent successful.


    Finishing his meal, he stood up and began to murmur.


    ¡°Welp, time to do some research!¡±


    It was mostly for the game system to know what he was thinking, as it would be rather hard to explain how he knew how to deal with dozens of different illusion-using monsters.


    Then bidding goodbye to the waitress, thanking her for the food, he returned to his room, played with Lucky a little, then laid down on the bed, and simply logged out.


    <hr>


    Sam went through his routine, then after angrily eating something to sate his hunger, he sat in his office for a few minutes and stared at his whiteboard, trying to divine some kind of information from it.


    Sadly, the other Sam didn¡¯t have anything on his current quest.


    By the time he joined the game, the city of Ironwood was already rebuilding from the effects of the Monster Break.


    Sighing, he shook his head, stood up from his thinking stool and went to his computer. Might as well cheer himself up by checking on how the troll hunt was going.


    Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t meant to be.


    The moment he pulled up the first news site that talked about Magic Unbound, he was instantly bombarded with headlines.


    Troll hunt gets trollish


    Magic Unbound is the new game to troll people


    Troll-ololo! The hunt is on!


    And so on, as far as his eyes could see.


    Apparently, the game exploded.


    Sitting up straighter, he began to browse the net, checking everything out.


    Minutes later, he sat back and began to massage his temples. Apparently, by revealing the secret of the Life of Blood skill book, he set so many guilds against each other that the fights and skirmishes between them caught the attention of a few big-name streamers¡¯ (and of course uncountable no-name streamers¡¯) and from there it was like a runaway train.


    Based on the official number on the official site of the game, the number of players already jumped by a magnitude.


    He stared at the counter as it slowly but surely ticked up and couldn¡¯t help but curse himself.


    ¡°Architect of my own demise¡­¡± he exclaimed softly while leaning back and putting his hand on his eyes. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t I keep my mouth shut?¡±


    ¡®Stupid, stupid, Sam! The butterfly effect! The more you do, the more things change!¡¯ he lambasted himself.


    Then, with a growl, he returned his attention to the screen and began his research anew.


    If things changed, then his plans would also have to change.


    <hr>


    He returned to the game in a foul mood. Barely giving Lucky a quick pat on his head, he immediately headed out, leaving the staff perturbed, as he was usually very kind to them.


    Thankfully, the new people were still stuck in the beginner towns, but soon they would be let loose¡­


    He took a quick trip to the alchemist, buying some sparklescale powder, which allowed one to cover invisible enemies, causing them to become sparkling, which allowed people to hunt them. Then a few more potions, and then simply began power walking towards the gate that would allow him to begin his journey to the area where Old Marak told him the monster was.


    A few people stepped away in fright as the young man stalked through the streets with a bloodthirsty smile on his face.

 Chapter 27

    With Lucky in his shadow, his so-far trusty sword at his side, and his repaired armor on him, Sam stepped out of the city, dodging the crowds that seemed to have swelled another size since he posted his stupid post and began heading towards his goal.


    Thankfully, dungeons weren¡¯t a thing yet, so he knew he would have to fight the unknown monster out in the wild. Which made things easier and at the same time harder.


    Understandably, dungeons made things easier because they were instanced content that somewhat scaled in difficulty to the number of people that entered them. And this instanced content ensured the security of the people who entered them. But with this came the danger. More powerful monsters, more traps and environmental hazards and so on.


    While in the open world, monsters were easier to attack, ambush and defeat due to players being able to make use of the environment. Yet, at the same time, this made it much harder to do it.


    Because if you could ambush the boss monster, other people could also ambush you.


    Or if you are very unlucky, then simply a party that was travelling by would spot you trying to fight the monster. In the best-case scenario, they would acknowledge your right to the monster and leave. In the worst, you would be fighting two battles at the same time.


    If you saw them coming¡­


    As Sam walked along the road leading away from the town, once again wearing a different face thanks to his awesome mask, he couldn¡¯t help but smirk, thinking about the chaos he caused with his post.


    The guilds around Ironwood and anywhere where trolls could be found were at each other¡¯s throats, fighting tooth and nail to acquire the Life of Blood skill book. It was such an amazing skill that everyone wanted it. Which was a little deviation from his inherited memories.


    In the future-that-was the Life of Blood skill was famous, but it didn¡¯t get such enormous fame as it did in his current timeline. Probably his post helped with it¡­


    His smirk turned into a chuckle at that thought.


    ¡®Can¡¯t wait until those two idiots figure out Blood Magic¡­¡¯


    While he walked, acting as if he was oblivious to the world, he was actually using all of his skills to make sure he wasn¡¯t followed or there weren¡¯t any random monsters or bandits hiding around. His senses stretched as far as he could, feeling the mana in the air, in the forest and in the ground under him. His eyes were straining to see the smallest anomaly in the eccentric tapestry that the mana he saw was.


    His mana ticked up and down as he continuously used his skills, while the levels of Sam¡¯s skills slowly but surely rose.


    After an hour on the road, whistling and seemingly traveling towards the next town over, he finally ascertained that nobody was on the road that seemed to be interested in him. Granted the other travellers on the road, single people like him, a few merchant caravans, or lone carts drawn by all manner of beasts were there, but everybody was engrossed in their own lives.


    Even the players were more interested in talking about strategies and skill compositions or bragging about how many trolls they had already killed.


    Nodding to himself, and spotting a rest station, which was basically a cleared part of the forest a few dozen yards away from the road proper, he slowly left the road and headed towards it.


    He made a great show of stretching and groaning, despite not sensing anyone around there, but in case somebody was watching from the road, he wanted to make sure they only saw what he wanted them to see.


    ¡®Probably wouldn¡¯t fool a professional, but I¡¯m not dealing with professionals¡­ I hope¡­¡¯ Sam thought as he glanced around. After all, it wasn¡¯t paranoia if they were out to get you.


    He spent a few minutes sitting on one of the logs that were in the rest station, drinking and snacking. Then, as he spotted a lull in the traffic on the road, and luckily a cloud hid the sun behind him, he stood up and softly exclaimed.


    ¡°Shadow Cloak!¡±


    Instantly, his shadow shot up from under him, enveloping him and creating a sort of haze around him. At the same time, he jumped backward, then twisted in the air, and began running through the forest, away from the rest station and road.


    He changed directions a few times, making sure to let the cooldown of Shadow Cloak go down, and restarting it every time he lost it.


    Finally, after running through the forest like a demented (but rather edgy) squirrel, he stopped in a clearing, breathing heavilly, but grinning in happiness. He always enjoyed playing ninja, and what he did was the same thing he did as a kid while playing around, but with superpowers.


    As Sam caught his breath, he took a quick glance at his notifications. He couldn¡¯t help but be happy with what he saw.


    [Your skill, Multitasking has reached Level 25!]


    [Thanks to reaching level 25 with the Multitasking skill you gained Efficiency subskill!]


    [Efficiency: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) Everything you do through multitasking is much more efficient. Decreases mana consumption of spells when using them simultaneously and stamina when using physical skills simultaneously by 1%.]


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    Efficiency was a rather common subskill, still, it was a rather good skill for his build, so Sam was happy with it.


    [Your skill, Mage Sight has reached Level 6!]


    [Your skill, Mana Sense has reached Level 16!]


    [Your skill, Discernment has reached Level 3!]


    [Your skill, Advanced Mana Control has reached Level 7!]


    Nodding in satisfaction, he took a last, deep breath, then took out a compass and map from his inventory and took a few seconds to orient himself, then took a few seconds to close his eyes and take a few deep breaths. Following that, he took out a simple black cloak, pulled it on, making sure that the hood of the cloak was covering his entire head, then turned on the Mana Shield, Shadow Cloak skills, covering himself head to toe, then with a last flex of his will he ignited the Mana Body Enhancement skill and shot off towards his destination.


    He left behind a small clearing and a very surprised squirrel that fell out of the tree over him, as the sound of Sam¡¯s departure managed to shock him.


    <hr>


    Because the Chalice was hidden at a place that was also hidden from the general public, the old ranger couldn¡¯t exactly give Sam directions straight to the area. Instead, Sam was given several landmarks to find and follow.


    The first landmark was a rather simple rock, called Candle rock by the people of the area, on the account of it looking like a melted candle. It was on the border of the forest around Ironwood town and one of the mountains called (quite creatively) Ironspark Mountain. It mostly contained iron and coal, with a few rarer metals here and there.


    So, nobody cared about it. Until now.


    Because recently a tribe of trolls had moved in. And with them came the players.


    As Sam hid behind a tree thick enough that it would need at least four people to reach around it, he beheld a group of players apparently patrolling the area. Further up, he could hear the sound of battle.


    Cursing to himself, he waited until the patrol moved further away, then after making sure his skills were turned on and Lucky wasn¡¯t about to jump out of his shadow, he darted towards the next tree.


    Holding his breath, he watched the players for a clue they saw him, but they continued to walk away, carelessly talking about some kind of pop star. Releasing his breath, he steeled himself and began darting from tree to tree toward his goal.


    Soon, he found himself watching as a large group of people battling an equally large group of trolls. But while the trolls were wielding wooden clubs and primitive stone axes, they were bombarded by steel-tipped arrows, swords, spears, and all manner of other weapons, while a small collection of players, guarded by a few serious knight types were lobbing fireballs and balls of electricity at the trolls.


    While the spells looked rather anemic to Sam, and he winced every time he heard one of the mages cry out ¡®Fireball!¡¯, the players facing the trolls cheered whenever one of the spells hit the monsters.


    He spent a few minutes just observing them and the trolls wanting to gather intelligence on the current average combat capability.


    Sam was getting ready to move, and he just waited for the Shadow Cloak to expire, while the group he was watching was celebrating a drop of the infamous skill book.


    The skill expired, and he was no longer cloaked in shadows, staying absolutely still behind one of the trees he immediately renewed it and launched himself towards his next hiding spot.


    Sadly, it seemed his luck ran out. As he was midway between the two hiding spots, one of the people fighting the trolls cried out.


    ¡°There is someone here!¡±


    Instantly, the entire guild became tense, and different yells filled the air.


    ¡°What?¡± ¡°Who dares?¡± ¡°Which guild wants our spoil?¡±


    Thankfully, before they could properly react, he managed to reach his newest hiding spot. He crouched down, ready to launch himself away, and listened carefully.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± spoke up one of the guys. Sam suspected the guild leader.


    ¡°Yeah, boss! My skill pinged because it sensed somebody going by!¡±


    Sam listened as the first man cursed up a storm, then asked another question.


    ¡°Where are they?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, boss, I lost them instantly!¡±


    Another curse session. Then the man began to issue orders.


    ¡°Alright, if those assholes want to play with us, then we will play! Team one will stay here and continue farming. Team two I want you to be on guard! Team three increase the patrol radius!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes!¡±¡±¡±


    Sam smiled at their actions, relieved they only sensed him momentarily, he launched himself away from the tree he was hiding behind once again heading for the Candle rock, leaving behind an agitated guild.


    Even if by accident, if he could stoke the flames of the developing guild wars, then Sam was happy.


    <hr>


    Thankfully, there were no more interruptions on his way to the Candle rock. He weaved through the trees, ignored every monster that looked his way, and another hour after leaving behind the guild farming trolls (thanking the stars that they had no idea that proximity wards were a thing) he arrived at a small outcropping holding the rock he was after.


    It jutted toward the sky, and upon Sam¡¯s inspection, he had to agree it did look like a melted candle. If one squinted. But he wasn¡¯t there to debate the naming sense of the locals. He was here to hunt a monster down and get rid of the blood contract. And of course, get all the sweet, sweet loot.


    Slowly, Sam once again took out the map and compass, though after glancing at the compass, he put it back. Thanks to the iron in the mountains and some subtle enchantments that the ranger told him about, compasses were useless from this point forward.


    He stepped next to the candle-shaped rock and began looking around, trying to spot the landmarks he was told about.


    Finally, after a minute of straining his eyes, he spotted the first one.


    An ancient giant ironwood that was recognizable because it had two trunks heading toward the sky. Then, after a few seconds, he spotted the other one. A distant waterfall that almost looked like a spot of bluish-white dirt on the side of a mountain.


    His journey would take him between the two of them.


    Now that he found the proper directions, instead of continuing with his journey, he quickly set up a tent hidden between some rocks, let out Lucky, fed him, and played with him for a while, then he crawled into the tent, and simply logged out.


    He had been playing for a while; he had to take care of his biological function.


    ¡°Hopefully, with the bigger hype, they will announce the time restrictions earlier, because this is a murder on my sleep cycle¡­¡± Sam murmured as he ambled towards the bathroom.


    <hr>


    Finished with taking care of his annoying biological function Sam spent a few minutes checking the internet, watching almost in real-time as the hype of the game continued to increase, while on the forums the Troll Wars as the players started calling it continued to escalate.


    He logged back to find Lucky snuggled under one of his arms, snoring almost silently but looking absolutely content.


    Sam smiled and spent a few minutes just cuddling his wolf companion with the sinfully soft fur.


    ¡°Duty calls, you silly boy,¡± he called out softly, poking the nose of the wolf. Lucky blinked a few times, then simply grinned at him and barked enthusiastically. ¡°Good boy!¡± He petted the wolf, then extricated himself from the tent, followed by Lucky, who upon seeing Sam dismantling the tent, yawned, stretched a little, and simply jumped into his shadow.


    Which was followed by a single notification.


    [Your skill, Spirit Link has reached Level 8!]


    Sam chuckled a little, then threw another ¡®Good boy!¡¯ at his shadow, then activated his skills and shot off towards his goal, keeping the unique ironwood tree and distant waterfall in his sight.


    He had the next landmark to find.

 Chapter 28

    After another hour of constantly rushing towards his goal, only stopping every few minutes to make sure his heading was correct, Sam finally stopped at a clearing, as even his prodigious Mana Regeneration couldn¡¯t keep up with his use of Shadow Cloak.


    As he stood, resting a little bit, he had a decision to make. Either he waited for his mana to regenerate and then continue, or go ahead without using it.


    It wasn¡¯t like he was in a real rush¡­


    Yes, the guilds were trying to hunt the trolls into extinction in their greed for the skill book that everybody wanted, but they were pretty far from reaching the area where he was headed. But still, currently, most players were dedicated and hardcore gamers. Gamers only like a few things: finding secrets, collecting loot, and being the first.


    And nothing attracted curious and fame-hungry gamers more than a secret area.


    No matter how much something is hidden, somebody, somewhere, would find it.


    And Sam couldn¡¯t allow someone to overtake him.


    Feeling as if his breathing was coming under control, he turned to his status screen and clicked around the settings for a little while. Sam would be going into a high-stakes environment, and he didn¡¯t want to be distracted by a wrongly timed pop-up. So, he turned off the skill level-up notifications and only left those that would inform him of status effects and the like.


    Thankfully, the game had the option to set a notification profile, as well as the capability to save multiple profiles. He set the current one as Basic and the new one as High Tempo.


    Then he did a few stretches, checked his equipment for the last time and, without activating his Shadow Cloak, shot off again in the direction of the forest where the Chalice was said to be hidden.


    <hr>


    Sam pivoted, slashing down with his sword, bisecting the giant grasshopper of all things, then at the same time jumped back as another launched itself at him. He didn¡¯t have to react as Lucky crashed into the grasshopper with an eager howl.


    He didn¡¯t even get to watch the carnage unfolding as, with an eerie sound, several more grasshoppers jumped at him from behind several bushes, and he was once again in a fight for his life.


    ¡°Why grasshoppers?¡± but the only answer to his question were cricket sounds in the background.


    He just sighed at the stupidity and went back to massacring the giant, unnatural grasshoppers as they tried to aggressively hop at him and Lucky. The silly wolf looked like he was having the time of his life.


    Half an hour later, he was standing in the middle of a field filled with corpses of giant grasshoppers, breathing heavily, but smiling triumphantly.


    ¡®Apparently, the first hurdle is done¡­¡¯ was his first thought, and then he froze.


    Lucky watched as his master froze for a second, then walked up to the nearest tree and began to bang his head into it while yelling.


    ¡°Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!¡±


    Sam stopped trying to use concussion to make his idiotic brain forget the fight, and then went to the nearest corpse.


    He quickly infused a drop of mana into the tip of his sword, then thrust the sword into the still corpse. He grabbed hold of the drop of mana and, with a violent motion, had it burst inside the carcass.


    Instead of an explosion of gore, he was rewarded by the grasshopper corpse turning rainbow-colored, and then, in the next instant, shattering into a million little pieces and sinking into the ground, vanishing from sight.


    ¡°Of course they are illusions! You were told it is using illusions¡­¡± he grumbled under his breath as he spread his mana as thin as possible and enveloped all the corpses he could see and sense. Then the next second the entire scene was filled with rainbow light, then nothing but the slightly torn-up forest, no grasshopper, but a very confused Lucky sitting in the middle.


    Sam just sat down next to the confused Lucky with a huff and began petting the wolf.


    <hr>


    After trying to ignore his blunder, Sam took a breather, and continued on his journey, while lambasting himself for forgetting that he was dealing with an illusion-using monster. Though at least he now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was in the correct place.


    He took hold of part of his mana and expelled it from his body, trying to spread it as thin as possible while still keeping it connected to himself.


    Sam knew from his inherited memories that illusions could be broken. Few and far were those that couldn¡¯t, and most of those were either cast by legendary mages or anchored to artifacts deep in ancient ruins.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    When he judged that the mana was spread far enough from him, in a crude globe, he paused for a second, then began to vibrate the mana in the surrounding cloud.


    To his dismay, the scene of the forest rushing past him shattered, and he found himself back in a very familiar field, with a very confused Lucky sitting in the middle and watching him with concern.


    ¡°Fuuuuuuuh¡­¡±


    He sighed and began rolling up (metaphorically) his sleeves.


    ¡®This is going to take a while.¡¯


    <hr>


    Sam¡¯s second attempt went almost the same. He shot off towards his direction with the cloud of illusion-disrupting mana already primed, yet the moment he activated it, he found himself back in the clearing.


    Just to make sure he wasn¡¯t imagining, and holding to the adage that ¡®if you can¡¯t repeat it, it ain¡¯t science¡¯, he did two more times, exactly the same.


    And his experiments were validated. It took exactly the same time to break the illusion and find himself back in the empty field.


    Then he went out without the disruption field and just kept rushing ahead, pumping his Body Enhancement to the maximum.


    However, after a few minutes, he noticed something that he overlooked the first time. Some trees were repeating themselves.


    ¡®Oh, look, this is the second time I''ve seen that flower¡­¡¯ Sam remarked to himself as he slowed down and stopped in front of a simple yellow flower resembling a marigold. With a quiet sigh, he activated his disruption field and found himself back in the clearing, with a very confused Lucky, who watched him with a tilted head, and a tongue lolling out.


    <hr>


    For the next hour, he tried several ways to escape the situation. He tried going super fast, super slow, tried it backward, sideways, even zig-zagging but nothing worked. He tried going back towards the Candle rock, but even when he tried to leave the place, he still found himself back in the clearing where he fought the illusionary grasshoppers.


    He tried staying in the clearing and disrupting the illusion by stretching his mana even further, but the only thing that happened was that he heard a small noise, akin to a crystal globe shattering, and nothing more. Afterwards, the way out was still blocked by the illusion.


    Sam even tried going out, as if heading towards his goal, and then just unleashing some devastating attacks. The only response to that was a giant army of grasshoppers swarming him and the burning forest around him. While Sam appreciated the opportunity to practice and hone his sword skills, it was not the goal he was aiming for.


    So, feeling a little frustrated, he let out a yell and charged into the horde of grasshoppers with Lucky at his side.


    He made sure his stance was solid, but otherwise, he kept spamming his skills, trying to get a true feel for them, practicing with them, and so on.


    Lucky was just having fun¡­


    <hr>


    For half an hour, after getting almost killed by a kaiju-sized grasshopper and quickly shattering the illusions, he logged out, took a water break and tried to organize the information he acquired into something resembling a form.


    Luckily, by the time he returned to the game, he had something approaching a game plan.


    He continued as he did before, trying different things, charging this and that way. Shooting off attacks at random things, pretending to be getting angry.


    A few times, just for the fun of it, he redid the Attack of Grasshopper scenario. He found it rather therapeutic¡­


    But finally, after several hours of fruitless action, he felt he was ready.


    It was a risky move, but based on the hints and information he gathered from his inherited memories, and his actual knowledge of mythology and somewhat dubious knowledge he gained from reading all those iskeai and gaming novels.


    For a moment, he closed his eyes, resisted the temptation to check the skill level-up notifications, as he knew the system took that into account when determining results and enemy strength, even the final reward sometimes, then opened them, and for the last time he rushed off, directly towards his goal, burning enough mana to make a lot of mages jealous.


    Then, just as Sam did so many tries previously, he reached inside himself, grasped the mana circulating there, drew out a good chunk of it, and using the by now routine ability, and with a small twist of his mana, shattered the illusionary world around him.


    Sam found himself back in the clearing, still as he left it, though with a few more craters and scars. Lucky was again, back in the middle, watching him confusedly. The poor thing had no idea what was going on¡­


    Then Sam started on his plan.


    ¡°What the hell? What the frick is going on?¡± he exclaimed, acting as angry as he could be, while stomping around, making sure that his mana was churning around him, showcasing his anger.


    He continued to do this for a few minutes, angrily jumping and stomping around the clearing without any aim. Then, after completing a circle around the now worried Lucky, he stealthily reached inside his inventory and retrieved the sparklescale powder he purchased just in case, and began to prepare it.


    Sparklescale powder came from grinding down scales of the Sparklescale Mollusk, which could be found in certain seas, but could be bred pretty easily anywhere, with some know-how. Their scaled shell was pretty good at disrupting magic, and if the Sparklescale Mollusk was allowed to mature, that disruption turned into outright magic resistance. They were pretty hard enemies to defeat for mages.


    Slowly, under the cover of his churning mana, he separated a tiny thread of mana, and enveloped the small leather bag in his hands that contained the powder. Holding it as if it was a snow globe. Still continuing his angry stomp through the clearing, and when he was in the middle with Lucky jumping out of his way with a small yelp, he suddenly stopped, and with a flex of his will, shot the globe of mana containing the bag of sparklescale powder, and with another exertion of his will detonated the bag over the clearing.


    Instantly, sparkling powder began falling on the clearing like snow and, with his senses cranked up to eleven, he could immediately feel the illusionary construct around him waver.


    Yet, he knew it wasn¡¯t the same as when Sam did the same with his own mana. After all, he was rather amateurish with his attempts and the scale powder was permanent and one would defend against it differently than against simple mana disruptions.


    His hope was that the monster was originally from the area and had no knowledge of the intricacies of the deep sea mollusk lives.


    And as he reined in his own churning mana, while slowly petting Lucky as he sat practically on his legs, he looked around and couldn¡¯t help but let out a satisfied smile as his eyes zeroed on an area near the edge of the clearing next to a most stereotypical tree stump that Sam had ever seen.

 Chapter 29

    The stump was like every stump that ever existed. It was so generic that it looked positively wrong in a game that strived for such perfection in graphical fidelity. It was as if somebody placed a stump from a game from the past into Magic Unbound. The look just didn¡¯t fit. Despite that, and the odd thoughts it generated in his head, Sam¡¯s attention wasn¡¯t on the stump, but on the presence next to said stump. A presence which before now had been invisible, but now the outlines were slowly emerging thanks to the slowly falling silvery mollusc powder.


    It was an odd shape and thanks to it being well, invisible, Sam couldn¡¯t make out much, but at least he could see that it had antennae. Or very weird hair¡­


    He stood there silently, hiding his triumph, and stared at the monster just as the monster stared at him.


    Despite not seeing the being''s eyes, he could feel their intense gaze on him.


    Slowly, the silvery powder finished falling, settling on the ground, on him and Lucky (the wolf sneezing and setting off clouds of sparklescale explosion with it) and on the monster. Sadly, even with that, he couldn¡¯t even tell what kind of monster it was.


    Slowly, he readied his magic, just let it brim under his skin, his Mana Shield almost shining with the potential of the mana he was channelling into it, and his hand was almost white from gripping the handle of his sword.


    Sam didn¡¯t want to fight; he didn¡¯t need to fight, and he was pretty sure if he tried to fight it directly, he would die within a second. This was at least a boss-level monster. You needed to be either overpowered beyond belief or with a group to defeat it.


    But that was him. The monster could still decide to kill him¡­


    As he was ruminating about the possibility of a solo boss fight, and glancing around the clearing looking for spots to hide behind or otherwise use for the fight (and finding almost none), a quiet sound was heard.


    A sniff.


    Then a musical voice, gentle but with an undercurrent of steel. It was as if a zither came to life (which Sam only recognized because one of his friends decided one year to really get into zithers) and decided that from now on it would be capable of speaking.


    ¡°So crude, child of man¡­¡±


    Before Sam could even open his mouth to answer, the form next to the malformed stump shimmered, the sparklescale powder lifting off of it falling to the ground, and finally revealing the monster.


    ¡®It¡¯s a cricket,¡¯ was Sam¡¯s only thought. ¡®A giant. fricking. cricket.¡¯


    It stood on two legs, which looked exactly like one would expect a cricket¡¯s legs to look like, but weirdly humanized, yet not. Its body, colored black with red accents, was covered by a weird yellow shawl, almost see-through, yet not. Its hands were segmented like an insect¡¯s yet ended in weirdly segmented but human-like hands. On its head were antennae jutting up high in the air. And one of them had a cute yellow bow on it. Its face was the weirdest. Instead of an insect¡¯s face, it was like someone mixed human and insect together but moved the slider towards human more. It had a mouth, nose, eyes and even a slight chin, yet the teeth were sharp, almost shark-like and the eyes were giant and it had no sclera instead it was all yellow.


    Sunshine yellow.


    It wasn¡¯t the weirdest monster he had seen in his inherited memories, but Sam had to say it was up there.


    ¡°Oh, my¡­ soooo forceful with your gaze, child of man,¡± she spoke again, turning away slightly, acting demurely. ¡°I think I might fear for my¡­ innocence!¡±


    There was a silence following that, and Sam could only hear crickets in the background.


    Throwing a deadpan gaze at the monster, he spoke up.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    The giant cricket monster turned back, and with a slight smirk on her face (based on the voice) answered.


    ¡°I stay true to my roots, child of man,¡± then her entire demeanor shifted. Gone was the playful smile, or airy personality. Instead, it was replaced by a look hard as a diamond and a threatening aura. ¡°Why have you come to my little slice of paradise? Why have you wrought destruction on my beautiful creations? Why should I not erase your pitiful song from this world? Answer me, child of man.¡±


    Taken aback by the rapid change, Sam took a moment to consider the questions. Fighting was absolutely out of the question. Now that she wasn¡¯t hiding anymore, he could feel the monster¡¯s monstrous mana. He would be squashed in seconds, just as he suspected.


    So, he did the only thing he could.


    He bowed.


    ¡°My apologies, er¡­ your majesty?¡±


    A flash of humor ran through her face, but in an instant, the cold look was back.


    ¡°I¡¯m no monarch, child of man.¡±


    ¡°Understood, ma¡¯am,¡± he replied, swallowing hard. ¡°I¡¯m here looking for an artifact to lift a curse most foul.¡±


    ¡°A curse most foul you say¡­¡± came the melodic words from the monster. ¡°And you need my adorable self for this artifact? How curious¡­¡±


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am,¡± spoke up Sam before the monster could get the wrong idea.


    ¡°Oh? Do elaborate, child of man,¡± came the calm order. Though Sam was relieved to hear that the threatening steel was finally absent from her voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for something called Chalice of Restraint. It can be used to safely remove the curse from the person afflicted with it. According to my sources, it is hidden around here.¡±


    Sam hoped his honesty would allow him to continue on his journey, and as he carefully watched the monster, he knew he made the right decision.


    ¡°I see,¡± said the monster, slowly considering his words, tilting her head slightly and putting one hand up to her face with the other supporting the first hand. A very picture of a fine lady. ¡°And was I hindering in your journey, child of man?¡±


    ¡°Not¡­ really, ma¡¯am.¡±


    There was no answer, only the monster¡¯s stare, so he hastily continued.


    ¡°My source, an old ranger, has asked me to check up on the area, as it is considered valuable ¨C historically ¨C to the city. Your existence came up in our discussion.¡±


    ¡°And what did this old ranger ask you to do with my exquisite form?¡± came the cheeky question as the monster ran her hand over her body.


    ¡°Nothing nefarious, I assure you. He simply wanted to make sure that the area with the ironwood trees is healthy and hale. No mention of extermination was made.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Sam watched as the giant cricket considered him and his words.


    They stood there in silence, occasionally broken by Lucky, who was playing in the silvery powder as if it was snow.


    Finally, the monster nodded.


    ¡°I believe you, child of man.¡±


    Sam¡¯s shoulder might have sagged a little, hearing that. And based on the smirk on the monster¡¯s face, she saw it.


    ¡°Then I think we should part here, ma¡¯am. I don¡¯t want to trouble you with my presence any longer!¡±


    One hand moved onto her chin, and she shot him a mischievous smile, causing a shiver to go down his spine.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so!¡±


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    The monster just ignored his question and continued to talk.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see this mysterious artifact.¡±


    Sam could feel the dread pooling in his stomach.


    ¡°What?¡±


    There wasn¡¯t any answer, instead, the monster began glowing with eerie purple light, and before Sam could blink more than a few times, the giant cricket standing on two legs was gone from his sight, to be replaced by a normal cricket sitting on the weird stump, albeit red and black and slightly bigger than the average cricket.


    Sam could only stare at it.


    ¡°It is an odd feeling, but I suppose that¡¯s where whimsy took me today¡­¡± came the melodic sound from the cricket on the stump, accompanied by a zither-like giggle.


    Sam just sighed.


    Then, with a powerful jump, the cricket vaulted on top of his head. She spent a few moments getting comfortable, with Sam feeling some kind of magic anchoring her to his head, before exclaiming.


    ¡°Onward noble steed! Let us enjoy the songs of adventure!¡±


    Sam stood there silently, trying to calculate how much success he would have convincing the monster that could crush him with a swipe of her finger to not come with him. He came up with zero.


    ¡°However, I will not fight your fights for you, child of man. This is your adventure. I¡¯m merely an observer.¡± There was a slight pause, and Sam could feel the smirk on her face. ¡°Do be entertaining, though. I have been somewhat bored as of late¡­¡±


    Sam looked up at the sky, looking for some kind of divine help, but neither the gods nor the developers appeared. Though one of the clouds looked suspiciously like a smiley face. Finally, he just shrugged and spoke up.


    ¡°My name is Sam¡­¡±


    <hr>


    After gaining an impromptu observer for the rest of his quest, Sam spent a few minutes taking stock of his equipment making sure nothing was too damaged, spent a few minutes patting Lucky¡¯s head then squared his shoulders and once again stepped on the path that he tried so many times before.


    Thankfully, this time he couldn¡¯t feel the subtle shifts of an illusion constraining him.


    Although, the cricket noises were still there.


    Trying to ignore it, he turned his attention to something else.


    Now that his ¡®battle¡¯ was over, he could finally review his gains.


    And boy, were there a lot of screens. Thankfully, the game was nice enough to consolidate the notices, and he wasn¡¯t bombarded with every little thing.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You¡¯re now Level 19!]


    [Gained 4 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Gained 2 MAG points for your extensive and creative use of magic!]


    [Gained +1 AGI, DEX, END for going beyond what your body is capable of!]


    Before continuing, he quickly opened his status screen and added two points to vitality and two to strength, just to make sure he was balanced.


    [Name: Sam ¡®Solar¡¯


    Level: 19 (37%)


    Title: Magical Genius


    HP: 240/240


    MP: 1105/1260


    STR: 12


    DEX: 13


    AGI: 12


    VIT: 12


    END: 14


    PER: 15


    MAG: 21


    WIS: 15


    LUCK: 11]


    ¡®I really need to do something about my HP¡¯ he scowled as he carefully bounded through the forest towards his goal.


    Next came the skill gains.


    [Advanced Mana Control is now level 10!]


    [Thanks to keeping the flow of your mana during a stressful time, you gained the sub-skill, Stable Mana Control!]


    [Stable Mana Control: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) Decreases the chance of outside forces disrupting your control over your own mana.]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 26!]


    [Controlled Mana Shield is now Level 8!]


    [Sustained Mana Shield is now Level 4!]


    [Mana Sense is now Level 20!]


    [Pushing your senses to the limit, you gained the sub-skill, Detailed Mana Sense!]


    [Detailed Mana Sense: Level MAX (Passive) The feedback from your Mana Sense is much more detailed. It also enhances information-gathering skills.]


    [Focused Mana Sense is Level 5!]


    [Mana Synergy is now Level 6!]


    Sam checked the subskill with a satisfying feeling. Detailed Mana Sense was an excellent supporting skill that would pay dividends later down the line when intricate manaworks would become the norm.


    Some of his spells also leveled up. Mainly Wind Blade and Earth Wall, as he made use of them generously during the fight against the horde of giant grasshoppers. They respectively reached Level 5 and 7 during the battle.


    There were not many gains in any of his other spells, but Mana Strike shot up to 8 and Mana Slash was maxed out, gaining him another sub-skill.


    [Mana Strike is now Level 8!]


    [Mana Slash is now Level 10!]


    [Using your mana efficiently and creatively, you gained the sub-skill, Efficient Mana Slash!]


    [Efficient Mana Slash: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to your familiarity and efficiency in the use of the skill it requires much less mana to execute a Mana Slash. Decreased the cost of the spell by 10% per level.]


    Aside from that, Mage Sight only gained a level as he barely used it, knowing that looking at illusions at his level would be beyond useless, while Mana Body Enhancement also shot up.


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 17!]


    Battling with a pet was always nice, and it increased his connection with Lucky, but sadly, no new sub-skill was created from it.


    Though Lucky managed to gain a few levels, now sitting at a respectable Level 9.


    He stopped for a moment, took a look around, checking to see if the landmarks guiding him were still where he left them, and of course, he also checked if he was in an illusion. Thankfully, the only thing that happened when he used his magic to disrupt any potential illusions around was that the monster sitting on his head let out a musical huff.


    Not even commenting, he began running once again. He wanted to be done with the quest as fast as possible.


    While keeping an eye on the forest, though with the monster snugly on his head, there was little chance that any other monster would attack him, he turned his remaining attention back to the notification screens.


    [Multitasking is now Level 28!]


    [Efficiency is now Level 4!]


    [Pinpoint Accuracy is now Level 5!


    [Intermediate Sword Mastery is now Level 9!]


    [Stable Stance is now Level 3!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 10!]


    Then came some of the most interesting ones.


    [Shadow Cloak is now level 9!]


    [You successfully broke through with two skills!]


    [Basic Footwork has reached Level 10 and can be upgraded into Intermediate Footwork. However, thanks to dipping your feet into the shadows, you are capable of upgrading the skill into Shadow Footwork.]


    [Upgrading it into Shadow Footwork will leave you with the abilities granted by Basic Footwork, but you will not be able to learn Intermediate Footwork and above, locking you into the path of Shadows.]


    [Upgrade into Intermediate Footwork or Shadow Footwork?]


    Sam didn¡¯t even hesitate.


    [Basic Footwork has been upgraded into Shadow Footwork.]


    [Shadow Footwork: Level 0/50 (0%) (Passive) You have mastered the basics of footwork. Your stance is stable and hidden in the shadows. Observers will have a harder time figuring out your next action based on the movement of your feet. When traveling in shadows, your speed increases. Grants the Shadow Burst skill.]


    [Shadow Burst: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) Activating the skill will increase your speed by 100% for 1 second. Cooldown: 180 seconds.]


    Nodding in satisfaction, he only gave a cursory read of the other skill that broke through.


    [Basic Breathing Technique has reached Level 10 and upgraded into Intermediate Breathing Technique.]


    [Intermediate Breathing Technique: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) You gained control over your breathing. The very air you breathe sustains you. Decreases stamina consumption during any activity and increases stamina regeneration when not in a fight.]


    Sadly, none of them granted sub-skills. Not that he expected them to, they were basic skills that only the truly talented, or those under specific teachers got sub-skills for Basic Footwork and Basic Breathing Technique. And Sam was nowhere near talented enough for that or able to approach those teachers.


    But instead of feeling sad, he was happy. After all, he had new skills to check out!


    [Thanks to your accomplishment, you gained the skill Illusion Resistance!]


    [Illusion Resistance: 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to your experience, you gained resistance against illusions. Makes it easier to resist and spot illusions. Each level increases the resistance by 1%.]


    [Thanks to your accomplishment, you gained the skill Mana Disruption!]


    [Mana Disruption: 0/20 (0%) (Active) Using your finely honed control over your mana you can disrupt mana constructs. Mana cost depends on the mana construct you are disrupting.]


    Two very nice spells that will definitely come in handy. Especially the resistance skill. They were wicked hard to acquire. For example, the easiest way to get the Fire Resistance skill was by executing a ritual in a volcano. Apparently, the monster on his head (currently whistling an unknown song), whose name he still didn¡¯t know, was a masterful enough illusion user, that Sam noticing the illusion was enough of an accomplishment to get the skill.


    Giving one last look at his status screen, Sam gave one rather satisfied nod, closed it and began pumping his legs. He could see the trunks of the trees slowly changing into that of ironwood trees, as well as the mountain coming closer.


    It was time for the next leg of his journey¡­

 Chapter 30

    As Sam ran through the forest, surrounded by giant ironwood trees and some sparse underbrush, he couldn¡¯t help but get a little nervous.


    The first obstacle for the quest was a monster that he had no hope of defeating. He imagined that if a player with a guild got it, they would be still there, trying to figure out how to win against the boss.


    ¡¯I wonder how long it would take them to consider talking with the monster¡­¡¯ he mused as he tried to find that one specific tree that the old ranger told him about while ignoring the cricket on his head. Who, for some reason, was humming.


    He slowed down, throttling his speed back from an all-out sprint to a leisurely jog as his head was on a swivel, trying to spot a literal tree in the forest.


    Sam slowed to walk and then engaged all his sensory skills. According to the old man, the tree had a symbol on it, and it probably still contained some mana, which would help him find it. Slowly, his walk stopped, and he stood at the edge of a regular clearing, with closed eyes and his senses stretched to the limits. Trying to spot a minuscule amount of a very specific concentration of mana.


    With a giant cricket on his head that was still humming.


    He felt the mana in the air, in the trees, in the vegetation and in the ground. He felt as great clumps of mana moved around ¨C animals and monsters ¨C mostly away from him and his impromptu passenger.


    Sam at first excluded the ground, slowly but surely twisting his senses so that the information that came back to him didn¡¯t tell him anything about the ground he stood on. With that, he had more mana available to gather information about the rest of the targets.


    He slowly wound the mana in a pattern that somehow made sense, and in an instant, the monsters and animals vanished from his senses. Then Sam took a little breather, waiting for his reserves to fill up, trying to find his objective but coming up short.


    Not at all perturbed, he continued with his manipulations of the skill. Mana moved upon his command and was twisted into shapes which were further linked together, in turn creating bigger shapes.


    It was almost beyond his ability to coherently describe it to anybody else.


    The mana manipulation was such a unique and, most importantly, alien sense that even years into the future people would struggle to adequately define it to anybody who didn¡¯t use it.


    Not to mention those who went beyond what the skills in the game provided and tried to manipulate the very mana in the game. There were rumors, but it was said that more than one person went mad due to the phenomenon.


    He ignored all those feelings, fully focusing on the mana and the feedback it was providing.


    The ground and the fauna were already excluded, so the next thing on his to-do list was the underbrush and any other vegetation that wasn¡¯t a tree.


    Slowly, the Mana Sense skill cohered into a new shape and the only thing he could ¡®see¡¯ with his mind¡¯s eye were the giant trees towering over them. Unfortunately, he was in a forest where there were a lot of trees. Thankfully, he had an answer to that.


    Carefully extending his hand, Sam touched the nearest tree, one of the famous ironwoods, and channelled a minuscule amount of mana into it.


    He delicately circulated the mana in the tree, following the veins in it, from the roots to the treetops, to every leaf, then back to his hand, getting familiar with the tree¡¯s mana signature.


    Sam spent a small amount of time getting to know the signature, memorizing it (it was rather simple thanks to it being a tree) then slowly he removed his hand from the tree and returned his focus to his Mana Sense.


    Slowly, using his own mana, he began to construct the mana signature of the ironwood tree into his spell.


    He failed.


    The spell fizzled out and the Mana Sense with all the filters built into it came crashing down on him, causing him to stagger back cursing in a low voice, while the cricket was chortling on his head, her laughter like bells tinkling.


    He ignored her, then tried it again.


    First, the exclusion of the ground. Then the animals and monsters. Then the flora. And finally, he began to construct the mana signature of the ironwood again.


    He failed again.


    And again.


    And again.


    It was annoying. Especially the needling laugh of his unwanted passenger.


    So he tried, tried and tried again¡­


    Two hours later, Sam was mentally exhausted; the cricket was still chortling, and he was on the brink of logging out and going to sleep for days before trying again. He knew it was possible. He (or rather the other Sam) read the accounts from the high-rated mages. Granted, their explanations at the time made no sense to the other Sam, but to him? It made some sense¡­


    The shapes of the mana just moved in a way that made sense to him. Even if his life depended on it, he couldn¡¯t explain how it made sense to him, but it did.


    Finally, scrounging up his last remaining concentration, he began shaping the mana. Slowly and carefully, he took hold of each grain of mana, and one after another put them into place. And the shape of the ironwood tree, in the abstract, took shape in his Mana Sense skill.


    There was no warning, instead, the skill clicked and one moment he could sense all trees and the next only the ironwood trees.


    Thankfully, he was at the edge of the true ironwood forest, so he wasn¡¯t overwhelmed with choices.


    Quickly, before the very delicate mana construct could shatter, he focused and began looking for the symbol.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    It was a hidden symbol, used by the rangers of old to denote areas of importance. The new generation of guardians used the same symbols to protect the areas where the true ironwood trees resided against deforestation.


    Occasionally, they ventured there to get a few samples for some important people, but people mostly had to be content with the young forests around Ironwood city.


    Eyes still closed, feeling something on the periphery of his senses, Sam began to slowly walk forward, hands held out to avoid bumping into something.


    After a few minutes of bumbling, ignoring the cricket¡¯s laughter, he finally arrived at the spot he was aiming for.


    Letting go of the spell, feeling as if a giant weight had been lifted off his body, Sam sighed deeply and opened his eyes.


    The first thing he saw was a giant ironwood tree, covered by moss around the roots, and high up a mysterious symbol, slightly glowing to his Mage Sight.


    The second thing was, of course, the notification screens.


    [Advanced Mana Control is now Level 15!]


    [Stable Mana Control is now Level 4!]


    [Thanks to your miraculous effort, Mana Sense has reached Level 25!]


    [Thanks to pushing your senses to their absolute maximum (again), you gained the sub-skill, Natural Sensor!]


    [Natural Sensor: Level MAX (Passive) You are a natural sensor. Your sensing range, detail and every other attribute are increased. Mana cost of sensing skills is decreased. Grants the Flow skill.]


    [Flow: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to being a natural sensor, you can read the flow of mana. Increases your stability and the bonuses any movement or martial art skill provides by 1% per level in the skill.]


    Ignoring the sassy system, Sam couldn¡¯t help the wide smile appearing on his face.


    Getting the Natural Sensor skill was something he never expected.


    In his inherited memories, the other Sam only knew one person who had that. And that person was somebody who was raised by a guild of mages attempting to create the perfect mage years after the start of the game. And while they bragged about the skill, they kept the details about acquiring it to themselves.


    However, getting the skill also meant something different to Sam.


    The other Sam was never talented enough with mana to get even close to what Sam had achieved. He had the theoretical knowledge, of course, but he could have never done what Sam had just done.


    This meant that Sam was different, which helped with the low-level issue that had been simmering in the back of his mind for a long time.


    He was different from the person he had inherited the body from.


    He wasn¡¯t the other Sam with some memories.


    He was a new Sam. With memories from a particular timeline, but he wasn¡¯t that person.


    It strangely helped with his sorta-impostor syndrome that had been bubbling under the surface.


    Sam would have to think further about it, but for now, he was somewhat reassured.


    Feeling, once again, as if a slight weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he returned his attention to the rest of the screens in front of him.


    [Intermediate Breathing Technique is now Level 1!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 15!]


    [Multitasking is now Level 34!]


    [Efficiency is now Level 6!]


    [Mana Synergy is now Level 7!]


    He was a little disappointed that Mana Well didn¡¯t level up, but it probably needed a little more usage of mana. Thanks to his monstrous mana regeneration, he was never in danger of running out of mana.


    Looking back up at the symbol high up on the tree, he directed his Mana Sense at it, marvelling at how detailed and easy it was to use. As if after looking around with bad eyes he was suddenly given prescription glasses.


    Concentrating on the faint mana signature in the symbol, he reached out and looked for the others that would lead him to his final destination.


    Finding one, he nodded, ignored the monster¡¯s complaint, and began calmly walking.


    <hr>


    Sam spent a better part of several hours hopping from tree to tree, following the symbols high up in the air like some kind of demented treasure hunt.


    ¡®I mean¡­ it¡¯s kinda a treasure hunt¡­ If you squint¡­¡¯ he mused as he felt what was probably the last symbol. It was much bigger and held much more mana than the previous ones.


    Even the terrain was changing.


    Mirroring his approach to the bandit hideout, the rocks and stone on the ground were multiplying, though here the trees weren¡¯t thinning. Ironwood trees didn¡¯t really care where they grew, be it plains, hills or mountainsides.


    Navigating the still-thick forest, he arrived in front of the last tree, marked with the biggest symbol.


    He spent a minute looking up at the symbol, raised high by the passing time, then nodded and began walking around the trunk of the tree until he stood across from a small crack in the mountainside, with an old, weathered, moss-covered stone marked with the same symbol, though lacking the mana imbued in it. Which made sense. Stone held mana much worse than living beings like trees.


    The crack, according to the old ranger back in Ironwood city, the last time he saw it was a proper hole with an arch and everything. Apparently, nature and time didn¡¯t much care for what man had wrought.


    Instead of heading in immediately, he simply sought a dry spot near the crack, set up his tent, and spent a minute feeding Lucky, who spent the entire time he wandered through the forest in his shadow, patiently watching.


    Sam thought that the loyal wolf deserved a little pampering.


    The cricket finally hopped off his head and began looking around the clearing curiously.


    He just sat in front of his tent, playing with Lucky, who was on his back, tongue out and in pure bliss.


    Finally, the cricket looking up at the giant ironwood tree with the biggest symbol spoke up. ¡°Fascinating¡­¡±


    Sam just continued to pet the wolf.


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to ask what is fascinating, child of man!¡± came the pouting call from the cricket.


    Sam sighed. ¡°What is fascinating, ma¡¯am?¡±


    The cricket immediately perked up. ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked, child of man! This mana! It is familiar!¡±


    Now that managed to raise Sam¡¯s head. ¡°Oh, how so?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± came the reply, and Sam could hear the frustration in her voice.


    ¡®If we go by tropes, she is probably the familiar of an ancient ranger or druid or protector. Or maybe the last owner of the Chalice¡­¡¯ he thought, but didn¡¯t speak up.


    Neither did the cricket. Instead, it continued to hop around the crack, checking out things while Sam pampered the dog.


    Looking up at the sky, he saw it was quickly darkening.


    Nodding to himself, he set up a proper camp, then after making sure that the cricket wouldn¡¯t eat him while sleeping, he crawled into his sleeping bag and logged out.


    <hr>


    The moment Sam pulled off the helmet, he rushed to the bathroom, had a quick shower then fell into his bed fast asleep, mentally and physically tired beyond belief.


    The next morning he was still a little off, so he took his time to do his exercise routine, had a nice breakfast, watched the news and did a little cleaning. Then, with a heavy heart, sat down in front of his computer and began checking the news.


    The troll hunt was still ongoing. The guild wars it generated dominated the news. Everyone wanted that skill book.


    Everyone.


    ¡®Hmm¡­ that gives me an idea¡­¡¯


    Turning his attention to other news, he checked the popularity with a little trepidation, and he was rewarded by a nice statistics graphic on the game¡¯s website that proudly proclaimed how many people are playing the game.


    Scowling, he checked his bank account and smiled a little when he saw how much the shares he bought were worth.


    ¡®At least that¡¯s nice¡­¡¯


    Sam went through his list of important people, checking up on them on the internet. The streamers were easy.


    SummerRose was gaining followers ever since he directed her towards the unique class, and other currently beginner streamers were gaining ground.


    Soon, much sooner than he expected, he would have to start networking.


    Getting on the ground floor in this was vital to his plans.


    As for his enemies?


    He was making very detailed notes on them.


    After he was done with that, he spent a little time just spending time on the internet, still finding the new world¡¯s internet culture fascinating.


    Sadly, he had to stop, as he had a pseudo-dungeon to run.


    Reluctantly, he stood up from the computer and laid down and put on the helmet, ready for whatever was inside that mountain.

 Chapter 31 - Interlude 2

    Immediately after logging in, she made sure to check her ensemble in the mirror of the room she was renting. Seeing everything was in place and wardrobe malfunction was not possible (she wasn¡¯t one of those ¡®bathtub¡¯ streamers), her blue hair was still blue and even her limited make-up was still in one place, she nodded and turned towards the table in the middle of the room.


    The room itself was nothing special, though thanks to her connections, which themselves were the result of her completing the quest she ¡®received¡¯, she could afford to rent one of the more expensive inns, with wide rooms, quality beds and actual baths. It cost some money to rent it, but she felt it was worth it.


    Nonetheless, she wasn¡¯t shy about making use of the opportunities to make money, thus being able to stream much more interesting things than the other streamers. Her popularity was climbing at a steady pace, though she was realistic enough to realize some of it was because she was a girl streamer, but she couldn¡¯t do much about that¡­


    On the table were several curious objects, a small box-like object, made of blueish-silver crystalline matter with several parts made of metal, three semi-spherical objects made from the same blueish-silver matter, and a spear with the head of the spear made from the same material.


    She first took the small box, slipped it into an equally sized satchel that hung on her belt and instantly a notifications screen lit up in front of her.


    [Energy Shield Activated!]


    [Crystalline Energy Matrix Integrity 89%!]


    Nodding to herself, making a note to herself to do some maintenance on the battery, she raised her left arm and poked at her very normal-looking bracelet.


    Instantly, she was greeted by a holographic screen showing three lines.


    [Crystalline Drone Number 00016 ¨C Activate?]


    [Crystalline Drone Number 00027 ¨C Activate?]


    [Crystalline Drone Number 00034 ¨C Activate?]


    Without hesitating, she touched the screen three times, and the lines vanished, replaced by an hourglass. Moving her attention from the small screen to the table, she watched with a satisfied smile as the remaining spherical artifacts on it shivered, then a small blue light flashed through them and slowly, but surely, began to hover about the table.


    A second later, their awkward hovering was replaced by a much more confident hovering, accompanied by a slight hum that always comforted her.


    The drones were rather cute, in her opinion. They were each the size of a medium medicine ball made of two bigger parts. Their brains were composed of a bluish-silver spherical crystal material that she used her power on, basically programming them. And the spherical material was held in a cradle of metal that had a small but cute face designed on it while two little stubs of metal with their own tiny balls of crystal hovered next to the drone as arms. It had taken her several iterations before she was satisfied with their cuteness and functionality.


    And based on her fans'' reactions (and the multitude of fanart) she had made a good decision.


    One of the drones was for shooting at the enemy, another created somewhat solid shields on her prompting and the last one created chains that immobilized (at most slowed them down, but she hoped with a few level-ups it would truly immobilize) enemies.


    With the three drones hovering over her shoulder, dipping and bobbing, she took up the spear which was also her creation. One part spear, one part magical foci.


    As of now, thanks to her obsession with getting the drones right, she could barely do more than a few Magic Missiles and such, but one of her contacts has mentioned they had a lead on a crystal-based spell book so she was pretty pumped.


    Doing a final check, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a minute, then exhaled and activated her streaming app.


    Putting a blinding smile on her face, she exclaimed, ¡°Hello everyone! This is SummerRose and today we are going to check out that scaaaary forest!¡±


    As she headed towards the door, the drones following her, she began to read the comments and started answering her fans.


    All in all, she was feeling pretty good.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Slathy! Go for the middle one!¡±


    The giant rabbit, now the size of a big child, didn¡¯t show any reaction that it had heard Stephen¡¯s order, instead, the rabbit immediately opened his maw, with teeth almost the size of a child¡¯s forearm, and jumped at the lizard monster he indicated.


    Soon, their group was standing in the middle of the cavern, all around them corpses of the lizard monsters while their pets and companions were either lazing around or curiously sniffing the corpses or the rock and detritus thrown around.


    After he became a team with Slathor, Destroyer of Worlds, all of his friends decided that pets were cute so why shouldn¡¯t they also get one?


    So, excited at the opportunity, he took them back to the ranger who helped him, and after completing the quest to gather enough funds to pay the rangers to help them out, all of them got their own pets.


    Kim also got a rabbit, which made him happy, as it allowed him to spend more time with her. Though based on some of the looks he was getting from his friends, he wasn¡¯t really hiding his intentions too well.


    Oh, well¡­ Kim wasn¡¯t complaining, so he wouldn¡¯t say anything.


    The others got an assortment of other pets: wolves, bears, some more rabbits, somebody got a falcon, and one guy got a snake.


    It was a very judgemental snake.


    Stephen felt judged every time the snake looked at him.


    Those eyes¡­


    As they walked out of the cave, bringing with them the spoils of their fights, they got to talking.


    ¡°These animals are pretty great! I can¡¯t believe Stephen had such a good idea!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Watch the name!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I mean Cactus¡­¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah! My bear is the cutest of them all! But you know what we should do?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°We should make a guild for people with animal companions!¡±


    There was a moment of silence as everybody digested the proposal, and then the area was full of people talking.


    Apparently, everyone agreed.


    Stephen just walked with Slathor next to him, hopping cheerfully (yet menacingly) forward, and looked at his friends happily.


    A guild sounded awesome!


    <hr><hr>


    Dave struck down with his halberd, listened to the satisfying crunch that the troll¡¯s head made, then looked over the ¡®battlefield¡¯.


    His elite kill team, empowered by the Life of Blood skill books, and the skill books that the Life of Blood skill books netted them, were going through the trolls like a scythe through fresh barley.


    It was a stroke of genius to create the team. It contained all his most loyal minions, all of them criminals for life, and he had enough dirt on them that none of them would even think about betraying him.


    The creation of the group was already paying dividends.


    Thanks to being a small group, a lot of other guilds thought them weak and tried to muscle into their farming territory. But thanks to the power of his elite team, they were all soundly defeated, or stalled long enough for the rest of his group to arrive.


    As his team finished the last trolls, he spotted his assistant in rather stupid-looking mage robes walking towards him with a frown on his face.


    ¡®Probably not good news then¡­¡¯ he thought, then called out to the man. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°We still can¡¯t find him,¡± came the simple response.


    For a moment Dave was confused. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Solar.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t remember¡­¡±


    ¡°The guy who could use the sword and magic at the same time and killed one of our quote-unquote bandit groups,¡± his assistant explained patiently.


    ¡°Ah! Why the hell not?¡±


    ¡°He simply vanished. For a little while we could follow him in Ironwood, but then¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± he mused, bringing up his hand to scratch his chin. ¡®Should I grow a badass beard?¡¯


    ¡°Should we continue to look for him?¡±


    Dave thought about it a little but then shook his head.


    ¡°Nah! Leave him be. He was a big shot then, but we are plenty strong. Especially with the money rolling in.¡±


    ¡°Understood, sir,¡± his assistant replied and, based on the movement of his fingers, he was already sending messages.


    ¡°How are we with the income from the skill books?¡± Dave asked, his mind back on the piles of gold they were raking in every day.


    There was a moment of silence as his assistant checked something, then he answered. ¡°Still holding around seven thousand gold coins. It fluctuates a little every time a bigger guild or workshop joins the game, but I think it won¡¯t go higher.¡±


    ¡°And the gold farmers?¡±


    ¡°Real money is traded currently for ten to fifteen gold.¡±


    Dave worked over those statements in his head, doing a little math, then looked over the battlefield and his men as they were harvesting the trolls. They weren¡¯t just valuable for their drops, but even for their bodies.


    Sadly, they were getting fewer and fewer experience points for killing them, and they killed them too fast. Their respawn timer was just too long. They would probably need to expand their hunting grounds.


    Making a decision he turned towards his assistant.


    ¡°Put out a call to the people we know that we are looking for players. We need more muscle.¡± The assistant began to make notes, and he continued to issue orders. ¡°Also, start planning a second elite team. Equipment, skill books and the contracts.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir! Anything else?¡±


    Spotting a troll lumbering out of the forest, he shook his head and, with a roar, launched himself at the monster, his halberd raised high, ready to strike true.


    <hr><hr>


    The studio was well lit, with all the bright lights and background items that one would expect a news program to use that was geared towards presenting news about games.


    In the middle was a curved desk, all shiny and clean, and behind the desk sat an exceptionally beautiful woman. Her blond hair was carefully arranged around her head, her makeup was picture-perfect, her assets were artistically covered, and she was speaking with a smile that was worth millions.


    With the advent of the VR gaming scene came the need for information gathering and sharing said information. Thus the creation of internet channels on video sites that dealt with news about games. Then those, slowly over the years, grew into actual TV channels with everything that entailed.


    Including pretty presenter people.


    ¡°Welcome everyone, to tomorrow¡¯s news today!¡± she spoke up, with a steady voice, looking directly into the camera. ¡°This is Katie Marchik, and you are watching TGN!¡±


    The video changed, showing the woman from a different angle, and next to her head was a small window showing a graph that had several very vibrant red lines going up high.


    ¡°Future Unknown¡¯s recently released game, Magic Unbound, is continuing its rise in popularity. According to the statistics that were published by the developers themselves, and correlated by several independent watch groups, the game¡¯s popularity has risen by two hundred percent.¡±


    A small banner appeared on the bottom of the screen and the presenter smiled.


    ¡°If you want to know more, please visit our site for more detailed information!¡±


    The scene changed again, and the window next to her head was showing several people standing in line in front of a shop.


    ¡°Current research suggests that there is a steady decline in games sold, as Magic Unbound is currently dominating the gaming market. It seems, with the high fidelity and very complicated levelling system, this new game has managed to grab everybody¡¯s attention. Both young and old.¡±


    The woman smiled, shuffled the papers in front of her, and then continued speaking.


    ¡°Our research also suggests that many gaming workshops, including GoldenHare, BambooShoots and Silent Step, have made a decision to move their focus onto the game and leave behind their current games. As you know, these workshops boast memberships in thousands and have several experts in their ranks. Their move will definitely boost the game¡¯s popularity even further!¡±


    The woman paused for a moment, followed by an impish smile appearing on her face.


    ¡°Of course, this fame also aroused the interest of the corporate world. TGN has the word that several corporate research teams have been reviewing the possibilities that the game, Magic Unbound, could provide.¡±


    The studio lights flashed a little, and when the lights died down to their previous intensity, the scene was changed back to the first one, with Katie sitting behind the desk, smiling at the camera.


    ¡°And now, thanks to Future Unknown, we here at TGN are proud to present the latest trailer for Magic Unbound with actual footage from the game. Future Unknown has assured us that they used footage from real players and none of them were beta players! So, my dear watchers can rest assured you will be seeing real gameplay!¡±


    The scene began to darken, and the woman spoke one last sentence.


    ¡°After the trailer, I¡¯ll be here, and we¡¯ll be talking with an expert in martial arts about them in the game Magic Unbound. Happy watching!¡±


    The video darkened fully, showing a fully black screen for a second, and then it was filled with all manner of colors swirling, while rhythmic music began playing.


    On the screen, one could see a group of mages, in mismatched robes, pointing their foci at a giant tree in a middle of a swamp. The tree¡¯s stump opened, and a massive maw appeared filled with nothing but darkness. A roar could be heard, and then the mages¡¯ foci all lit up and fireballs began bombarding the monster.


    The next scenes showed several craftsmen laboring over all manner of weapons, armors and artifacts. A blacksmith was feverishly hammering something with their hammer, while forge fire roared next to them. A beautiful woman was humming, sitting next to a window and stitching a silky cloth in their hands. A man covered in all manner of devices, both arcane and scientific, was looking through goggles at a small mysterious cube on a desk.


    Following that were several farmers tending to their fields, and gardens. Alchemist harvesting and using materials. People venturing into forests for all manner of exotic flora and fauna.


    The music began to speed up.


    People fighting monsters, people fighting alongside monsters, even people riding on monsters. A werewolf tearing apart sheep monsters. A man dancing with his sword through a veritable flood of giant grasshoppers. Snake people besieging a village hastily barricaded, with the defenders looking through the gaps of the barricade.


    And so on¡­


    Finally, the scene darkened again, and the only thing that was shown was the name of the game.


    Magic Unbound


    <hr><hr>


    They were sitting in a pub on the shadier side of the town. Everybody, even the servers were wearing cloaks that hid their features, and so did they. Everything was covered by some kind of magical fog, which made it hard to see anything further than their table, which was its exact purpose.


    ¡°So you managed to get something for me?¡± spoke up the man across from him.


    ¡°Yeah, got into contact with a guy who finally could get me some proper answers.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°We are good.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Good. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°The situation in Ironwood is proceeding as we predicted. The guilds are still squabbling over the trolls, leaving us the bounty in the city. And this opportunity¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, this calamity will allow us to properly take over.¡±


    ¡°We still have a few steps in the quest, but my sources say that we are on track. There is nothing that can stop us!¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    The second man hesitated for a moment as he watched the other man sip his probably shitty beer.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to ask this boss, but was this shady darkness and cloak-and-dagger stuff necessary? Couldn¡¯t we just talk in the offi¡­¡±


    He was, however, interrupted by the other man slapping the beer mug on the table, rattling it.


    ¡°But think of the roleplaying!¡±


    The second man just sighed¡­

 Chapter 32

    Sam stepped inside the hole in the mountain, instantly casting Mana Shield, Mana Sense, Mana Sight and conjuring a Light Ball over his head for visibility. His sword was in his hand, ready to strike and thrumming with mana barely restrained.


    He took a few steps, then turned around and called out.


    ¡°Are you coming, ma¡¯am?¡±


    There was a moment of silence, and then the giant cricket, still in her smaller form, hopped in front of the cave entrance and faced Sam. Then, somehow shook her head. Without having a neck¡­


    ¡°No, child of man. That is your test to see through. I shall stay here and perhaps I may find out why this place seems so familiar¡­¡±


    Sam nodded, relieved yet a little disappointed. ¡°Alright! Have fun!¡± Having a powerhouse in his pocket, or rather on top of his head, would have been great, but he didn¡¯t mind leaving the monster behind as he couldn¡¯t exactly control them. With that squared away, he turned back towards the empty darkness, only illuminated by his Light Ball, and took a step forward.


    Then another and another, until the only thing he could see was the illuminated circle around him, and only hear his own heartbeat and steps reverberating around the corridor filled with rubble and roots poking out of the ceiling.


    <hr>


    While the Blood Contract was a rather motivating force behind his haste, Sam was actually rather interested in preventing the Ironwood Monster Break. Granted, his first plans were based on that break. He planned to amass enough money to buy a few plots that would become valuable after the Break, but now that he had an actual front-row seat to the event, he was pretty sure he could get something much better than a few plots of land.


    The quest was rather unique, so Sam didn¡¯t actually have any idea what he would get. Even his inherited memories were no help here as the other Sam wasn¡¯t one of the pioneers that died of unique quests every day, so most of his knowledge about these things was from second or sometimes even third-hand.


    Thus, Sam¡¯s gamer senses were tingling¡­


    As he walked through the corridors, he made sure to watch out for everything, paying special attention to the ceiling (he read enough stories about the MC hiding up there because ¡®nobody looks up¡¯) as he had no need for a surprise monster to the head.


    After five minutes of uneventful walking, dodging rocks on the ground, or giant roots that, over time, managed to break through the hard stone that made up the wall, Sam arrived in a small chamber.


    Thankfully, the entrance to the chamber was in a much better shape than the one that lead directly to the outside.


    Stepping carefully into the chamber, his senses cranked to the maximum, Sam looked around curiously.


    There wasn¡¯t much.


    Another arch, leading deeper inside the mountain, a few benches near the walls and a stone bowl with water dripping into it from a hole in the wall. Only, so much time had elapsed that the dripping water eroded the stone bowl, so much that it was standing in a small pool that was trickling towards a hole in a nearby wall, made by a root that has long since rotted off.


    His senses told him there was nothing behind the walls either on purpose or hidden, so Sam simply walked around the small pool of water and continued his journey through the arch.


    Sam barely took a few steps when he heard an ominous noise.


    It sounded like grinding stone mixed with someone yelling from inside a very deep well.


    Tightening the shield around him and channeling a little more mana into his sword, his other ready to unleash some of his meagre amount of skills, he began walking forward cautiously, while the sound continued to come ever so closer.


    Finally, his nerves a little frayed, and the unknown entity entered the visible patch of the corridor.


    It was a mass of rocks, ground and moss, with short stubby legs and arms, no head, just two sinister glowing eyes half-hidden behind moss and other detritus. And to his magical senses, it oozed some kind of black miasma, that caused his stomach to turn.


    While his attention was fully on the newly revealed monster, Sam still had enough mind to notice the similarities between the miasma coming from the small moss-slash-rock golem and the noble lady whose ailment he was planning to heal.


    He didn¡¯t have more time to ponder the situation as the little monster, barely reaching his hips raised their hand, roared, filling the corridor with the sound of rocks banging together, and ¡®charged¡¯ at him.


    At the speed, one would expect a moss-covered rock to move.


    That is, not very fast.


    Sam simply sidestepped the ¡®speedy¡¯ charge and, with one steady swing, cut the monster in half.


    Ignoring the experience point notification, he turned back towards the darkness.


    ¡®If all the monsters inside are this type, then it will be ea-¡®


    His thoughts were however interrupted, as the darkness was suddenly illuminated by dozens of maliciously staring eyes that looked suspiciously like the little golem he killed, and sadly, not all the eyes were at hip level.


    The next second he was shaken by the roar as hundreds, maybe thousands of moss-covered golems roared at the same time.


    Steadying himself, ignoring as the entire mountain shook with the roar, he read the notification that popped up.


    ¡°Well, fuck¡­¡±


    Inside his shadow, he could feel Lucky shift, and there was no time to think as the monsters were upon him.


    They charged at him on the ground, hanging from the walls and even skittering on the ceiling. They were all made of rock and covered by ancient moss, some solid, but most of them were loose rocks and stone fallen from the old stone walls, held together by shadowy miasma.


    He opened with a wide Mana Slash, creating a gap in the front of the charging monsters, then began a deathly dance.


    Striking every monster that came close, making sure that none of them got behind him, while Lucky, like some weird shark, snapped out of his shadow, and with his jaws turning every small monster that got through Sam into powder.


    For every step, he fought, striking down several monsters, ranging in size and shape from small corgi to full-sized humans, including some terrifying cat-sized ones, shaped like a spider, that liked to skitter up on the ceiling.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Those he shot down with simple Wind Blades, and the ones that were fast enough to evade his shots were torn apart by Lucky, who was prowling behind him.


    And thanks to his new skills, Flow and Shadow Footsteps, he was managing to evade most of the thrown rocks. With Flow, he could see a sort of wake in front of the monsters with his Mana Sight and, using that, he could predict where they would strike or move.


    It was a fascinating development, but sadly he couldn¡¯t really make use of it anywhere else, as the black miasma dripping from the monsters stood out very well in front of the generally homogenous mana of the mountain and ruin.


    Maybe when it leveled up¡­


    He moved in a circular motion, slashing his sword forward then instantly backward, creating two Mana Slashes in the same instant, then he didn¡¯t even get to watch as two hog-sized moss golems disintegrated, the miasma sinking into the ground as two more took their place and raised their rather rigid hands to strike Sam.


    Continuing the motion with his sword, he dispatched them with Mana Strikes, then carried on with his journey towards his goal, which his still-lit Light Ball was starting to illuminate. As on the edge of the space, he could see thanks to the spell, Sam could see another arch, which hopefully led to a chamber where he could rest.


    Though, he felt that if his luck held up, then it was probably a mini-boss fight instead of resting¡­


    Slowly but surely, he continued to cut down the monsters that came pouring from beyond the arch, then with a last, heavy step, he crossed a threshold, stepping over slowly dissipating monster corpses and crumbling rocks only to come face to face with a giant chamber, walls crumbling leading to what was, once in the past, rooms. And in the middle of the chamber was one giant rock, levitating in the middle. Though it wasn¡¯t whole, as through its spherical body several cracks crisscrossed, filled with the oh-so-familiar black miasma.


    The moment Sam stepped through the arch, there was a stillness in the air and the still-attacking monster fell back around the giant sphere of rock and miasma while the archway was locked behind him with an opaque black curtain that felt solid under a brief touch.


    Fortunately, Lucky was also fast enough to enter the room. The fluffy wolf stood next to him, tail down and nose pointed at the floating rock and softly growling while the shadows that partially made up his body writhed in apparent anger.


    Sam patted the wolf¡¯s head for a few seconds as he took in the situation, absentmindedly noting that Lucky had once again grown.


    Then the floating rock pulsed once again, and his Mana Shield dipped a little, and the small monsters congregating around the rock fell apart.


    Sam watched, fascinated, (though he fired off a few Mana Slashes and Wind Blades at the construct, to no results) as the rock, moss, dirt, small roots, and corpses of rodents were slowly mixed together and then rose into the air.


    At the same time, the miasma from the rock began to leak out, mixing with the detritus on the ground, hefting it into the air to float around the rock, like asteroids around a planet.


    Then the dirt orbiting the rock began to take shape, bolstered by the material taken from the rock.


    Several seconds later, Sam stood across from a rock golem standing twelve feet tall (cursing cinematic transformations), held together by black miasma, with hundreds of malicious eyes upon its body and a very visible core under all that armor in the middle of its body.


    ¡°Well, at least they made it easy to figure it out¡­¡± he spoke out loud, then before the enemy golem could finish its first step, he exclaimed.


    ¡°Shadow Burst!¡±


    <hr>


    Using the superior speed granted by the Shadow Burst skill, his own Mana Body Reinforcement skill, and pumping a little more mana into them than needed, Sam was fast enough to immediately launch himself behind the behemoth.


    He arrived, looking up at the craggy back of the golem, which immediately began to slowly turn around.


    Sam didn¡¯t let it. Using Mana Strike, he concentrated a lot of mana into the tip of his sword, and then he thrust with full strength.


    The sword, enhanced with his mana and supported by his body enhancement penetrated the back of the golem, the tip of the sword deeply embedded into the core of the monster. Its body frozen in mid-movement, the noise previously filling the chamber vanishing and the miasma also froze as if surprised then it began leaking from the body of the golem, followed by the monster¡¯s body falling apart, while Sam stepped back with a satisfied expression on his face.


    ¡®Apparently, the tactics to fight golems are still valid¡­¡¯ he thought while watching the ¡®death throes¡¯ of the golem.


    Finally, the last piece of rock fell with a small thunk upon the giant pile of rock and dirt in the middle of the room, and Sam was greeted with a small collection of notification screens.


    [Your companion, Lucky, has reached Level 13!]


    [Lucky has gained a new skill, Shadow Strike!]


    [Shadow Strike: Level Max (Active/Passive) All attacks started from the shadows receive bonus damage, and the wolf can clad itself in shadows while striking at an enemy increasing its range of attack.]


    Taking a look at the wolf that was now visibly bigger, wagging his tail and curiously sniffing the pile that was a few seconds ago a very threatening golem, Sam shook his head with a wry smile.


    Then he refocused on the screens.


    [Thanks to fighting in sync with your companion, your skill, Spirit Link has reached Level 12!]


    [Shadow Footwork has reached Level 3!]


    [Shadow Burst has reached Level 1!]


    [Mana Shield has reached Level 24!]


    [Sustained Mana Shield has reached Level 2!]


    It was a pity about Mana Shield as he was looking forward to what would be the Level 25 sub-skill, but it couldn¡¯t be helped as the fight wasn¡¯t really dangerous, so he didn¡¯t really need to use it much. The most damage it suffered was when the dark miasma tried to strike at him directly.


    [Light Ball has reached Level 6!]


    [Wind Blade has reached Level 7!]


    [Mage Sight has reached Level 7!]


    [Mana Strike reached Level 9!]


    [Efficient Mana Slash has reached level 1!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement has reached level 19!]


    [Flow has reached Level 3!]


    [Multitasking has reached level 39!]


    Then came his favorite notification.


    [Thanks to your dedication to your craft, you managed to perform two Mana Slashes almost at the same time, granting you the Double Mana Slash skill!]


    [Double Mana Slash: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) Allows you to enhance the damage of your slashes with any weapon capable of slashing while slashing so fast it doubles the effect. The sub-skills of Mana Slash also affect this skill.]


    It was a simple concept, doing two slashes after each other fast enough that there was barely any pause between them, but it took some practice. Luckily, he had some practice time with the giant grasshoppers, so he finally managed to do it against the miasma golems.


    Finally, he dealt with his lone level up.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You¡¯re now Level 20!]


    [Gained 2 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Gained 1 END point for enduring everything that rose against you!]


    [Gained 1 AGI for demonstrating speed above the average man!]


    Sam added the two extra points to AGI and DEX respectively, as he had enough MAG for now. He now needed to bring his body up to a satisfactory level.


    Then, when he was finished reviewing the changes, he made sure to check over his sword as he was fighting rock golems, but thanks to running mana through it, the sword didn¡¯t suffer any damage.


    Following that, he began the age-old tradition of digging for loot.


    Sadly, the only thing he found was a small marble-sized and shaped bright white crystal in the middle of the pile of rock left behind.


    Sam lifted the small crystal to his eyes and fully focused all of his skill upon it. But the only thing he could sense was a very dense concentration of raw, unadulterated nature mana. The same mana he could sense in the symbols he followed to this place.


    ¡°So, this is one of the keys right?¡±


    Lucky just huffed in agreement, and Sam nodded, then placed the marble into his inventory, took another look around the chamber, and then stepped through the only arch that didn¡¯t lead to a room full of fallen rocks and plants that thrived in the darkness.


    Unsurprisingly, he was once again met with hundreds of maliciously glowing eyes, all staring hungrily at him.


    He lifted his sword up, and his other hand shone with the light of mana.


    The ground shook, the monsters roared, and the mountain also began to shake, causing dirt and dust to fall on Sam¡¯s and Lucky¡¯s heads.


    Lucky answered with his own howl, and Sam only had one thing to say.


    ¡°Shadow Burst!¡±

 Chapter 33

    After a rather uneventful fight, where Sam practically danced through the corridor full of moss, rock and miasma monsters, he arrived in another chamber. The arch opened in the middle of the room, on one of the elongated sides.


    And before he was besieged by another mass of monsters, this time shaped like snakes, though still made of rock, moss and black dripping miasma, Sam saw several broken slabs of stone evenly spaced out in the middle of the room, surrounded by smaller slabs of stones.


    He had a moment for a fleeting thought: ¡¯Eating Hall!¡¯ Then the monsters were on him. Though thankfully, this time there was no giant golem.


    Shadow Burst was still on cooldown from his entrance into the chamber, he had to do a little fancy footwork. Thankfully, he had the skills for it. With a giant sidestep, he moved aside from the archway, neatly dodging the deluge of giant rock snakes that went through the same place that he was a moment before. Continuing the movement, he spun around with mana flowing through his sword, cleaving through another group of monsters.


    With his other hand, Sam unleashed a wave of mana that flung the monsters that were planning to charge at him from his ¡®unprotected¡¯ side.


    ¡®So they can plan¡­¡¯ he realized while never stopping his sword dance.


    Sam gave his thanks to all his skills that decreased stamina consumption, otherwise he would have been long dead by now.


    He hacked and slashed through the throng of monsters, flinging magic every which way, cutting down the obviously corrupted rock elementals by the dozens.


    Then, as most of the monsters in the chamber were falling apart, there was a lull in the battle.


    Sam stood there for a moment panting with weapon and magic ready, and Lucky pacing behind him, growling menacingly, though Sam could see that the smoky-looking wolf was rather proud of the mounds of monsters that he had slain.


    Then the respite was over, and another roar shook the chamber.


    This time instead of giant rock snakes, he was met with hundreds, maybe even thousands of small snakes pouring out of the archway at the other end of the room like a tidal wave made of rock, stone and miasma, peppered with the dark green of moss that was slowly chewed up by the undulating mass of monsters.


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. ¡°Damn! Lucky, back in the shadow!¡±


    Lucky followed the command instantly, jumping head-first into his shadow.


    Having only a split second to react, Sam poured as much mana as he safely could into his left hand and immediately unleashed it against the mass of monsters heading to devour him.


    The mass was flung back instantly, but their numbers were so high that it only stopped them for a few seconds.


    But that was enough for Sam.


    Because when he attacked the monsters, he didn¡¯t let the mana dissipate. After all, the monsters were made of rock, and he knew how to manipulate that with mana. So, using that second as the tidal wave was stopped, he had his mana seep into their bodies.


    There was resistance, of course, but thanks to his Mana Disruption skill, and the fact they were small, disposable minions for the controlling intelligence behind the miasma (at least according to his current theory) he managed to wrestle control over the rock that made up their bodies almost instantly.


    Using his control, he made them all do one thing.


    Explode!


    The moment he gave the mental order, he began moving, channeling mana into his shield, raising his own Earth Wall and crouching behind a piece of stone that may or may not have been a table once upon a time.


    He was still peppered by not insignificant chunks of rock as the front of the tidal wave exploded, taking with it the second half in a glorious explosion that itself shook the ruin just as much as the previous roar.


    Granted, a few stragglers remained, but as Sam stood from his already crumbling hiding place, renewing his slightly depleted Mana Shield, once again happy that he didn¡¯t learn the limited Mage Armor spell, he could simply stomp on those monsters that remained.


    Walking around the rubble that was a few seconds ago his cover, shaking loose dust from his armor, he looked around the room and took in how almost everything was covered by a fine layer of dust and miasma, though the miasma seemed to be evaporating making it seem as if the room was covered by dark fog.


    Sam spent another minute, ready for anything, waiting for the other shoe to drop, but nothing else came through the archway opposite of him. After doing a sweep with his mana, he finally let down his sword and let out a deep, shuddering sigh.


    ¡°Fuuuuu¡­gh¡±


    He took a look at his sword and immediately threw it away in disgust. The steel was chipped and there was a giant hairline crack running through the entire length of the blade. The only thing that probably let him use it was the mana running through it, reinforcing it.


    Ignoring the clanging of the sword falling on the stone floor, he fished out another mass-manufactured steel sword. He swung it around, getting a feel for its balance, then did a quick loot check.


    Sadly, nothing dropped.


    Cursing the RNGods, he primed his Mana Shield and the multitude of senses and began, once again, to stride forward.


    <hr>


    Sam quickly fought through several rooms following the battle in the eating hall.


    In the first room after it, he was beset by another tidal wave of rock snakes, this time from two sides, and spitting miasma at him. His Mana Shield got its fair share of exercise, as while the spits were fairly linear, he couldn¡¯t dodge every droplet.


    He had a feeling that miasma touching him would be a bad thing¡­


    Sam mainly kited the snakes around until they were all in the room, then used the same tactic as before. Throw them back and make them explode.


    It was glorious¡­


    The next room after that was absent of rock snakes. Instead, the golems returned with a vengeance.


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    And weapons.


    Granted, they were barely worth being called weapons. They were mostly crude rods masquerading as spears and shorter rods that acted like swords, a few monsters even sported clubs made of rocks.


    Sam had to use his Wind Blade and Mana Slash generously to keep his distance because while his speed was better than the average at his level, his own reaction speed wasn¡¯t good enough to keep track of every monster trying to transform him into minced meat and dodge their attacks.


    But in the end, he stood triumphantly on top of a small mountain of golem corpses with a rapidly evaporating miasma around him.


    This time, being ready for the phenomena, he took a small bottle, and with the help of his mana, managed to coral a small amount of the dark material into it. The moment the miasma was in the bottle, he inserted the stopper and with his knife quickly etched a very small and crude seal on it made of runes.


    It was basically a three-rune seal. One was his Heart Rune, another Rune for the mana to fuel the seal and the rune for Sealing. It wasn¡¯t the most sophisticated seal or rune sequence, but it would work in a pinch. And it would also allow him enough time to bring the sample to somebody who knows about things like that¡­


    Then he headed for the next archway.


    The next part of his journey brought him through several smaller, interconnected rooms. To his eyes, they looked like rooms that somebody used to live in. Slabs of stone took the shape of beds, and shelves were carved into the walls, though nothing organic remained that would allow him to figure out who lived in the ruins before they became a ruin.


    His current running theory was that it was a headquarters that the rangers of the old used to protect the ironwood forest that somehow got corrupted. The whys and hows were currently beyond him, though he had a few suspects¡­


    The fight in the rooms was basically one giant hide-and-seek game.


    Rock monsters in the shapes of spiders, both giant and small, hid in every corner, on every ceiling, and behind every chunk of rubble big enough to hide behind. He was constantly using his sensing skills, trying to stretch them beyond their actual use.


    Sam was pretty sure if the skill hadn¡¯t leveled up when he was looking for the ruin, he would be in much bigger trouble with the spiders.


    Now he just had to grab the smaller spiders and explode them (having a little fun with the noise they made when they exploded) while simply fighting the bigger ones with his spells.


    The intelligence behind the monsters didn¡¯t seem the smartest, as all spiders used the same tactic when fighting him.


    Then, after a few hours of fighting, he stood before the biggest archway he had seen in the ruins.


    He made sure to check his equipment, change his sword to a fresh one, chug a potion, and warn Lucky. Then, priming his Mana Shield, he stepped through the threshold.


    <hr>


    Sam found himself in an enormous room, where even his first step into the chamber echoed. Sadly, he didn¡¯t have enough time to admire the local decoration practices, as the moment he set foot into the room, two roars shook him, the room and the mountain.


    At both ends of the giant chamber stood two very familiar golems.


    Though their cores were much less exposed than the first one.


    Both raised their hands, ending in sharp-looking claws made of almost metallic-looking rock and dripping with miasma.


    ¡°Note to self, don¡¯t get hit with that,¡± he spoke out loud, gulping a little, then glanced down at his shadow. ¡°Lucky!¡± The wolf¡¯s head immediately surfaced from the shadow, his eyes looking at him with serious attention. ¡°Go far, and attack when there is an opportunity.¡±


    The wolf let out a quiet bark and did something that surprised Sam.


    Instead of jumping out of Sam¡¯s shadow, the wolf dove back into the shadow, disappearing completely. Sam was about to call out to him when he spotted Lucky emerging, with a wolfish grin on the other end of the chamber from the shadow hiding one of the corners of the room.


    Sadly, he didn¡¯t have time to check his notifications, as he had to deal with two rather angry golems.


    ¡°Shadow Burst!¡±


    Using the speed gained from the skill, he jumped behind the golem on the left, and he immediately had to crouch, as the golem swiped its claws through the air where his head should have been.


    Apparently, they had been upgraded¡­


    Sam jumped back, sending a blast of mana at the offending arm, pushing up, then sending several consecutive slashes at the area where a visibly thick layer of rock mixed with miasma protected the core.


    Fortunately, the slashes managed to gouge a little line into the material, so he only had to whittle the defenses down.


    Sadly, he couldn¡¯t continue with his bombardment, as the golem recovered and its friend was also on the way. Sam had to dodge twice, once for each arm as they came down with a wide slashing motion, slamming into the ground and sending debris everywhere.


    Thankfully, his Flow skill allowed him some manner of warning.


    He watched as the golem raised both of its hands, then mechanically turned towards him, while the other one was thundering towards them.


    For a moment, he despaired a little, not knowing how to win quickly and without putting himself into undue danger, but then an idea sparked in his mind.


    Shadow Burst was on cooldown, but the golems were slow enough for his speed with only the Body Enhancement. So, with a plan quickly solidifying in his mind, Sam launched himself towards the nearest golem, dodging another swipe in the process.


    The golem struck but wasn¡¯t fast enough to hit him, and Sam managed to run past the golem, making sure to stay as close to the body as possible, striking it a few times with his sword, but his eyes were on the other golem.


    The other golem, seeing him coming closer (while the first one was in the process of turning) raised its clawed hands toward Sam and began to charge.


    Sam grinned, then skidded to a halt and turned halfway to make sure he saw both golems.


    Then, in the next moment, a lot of things happened.


    The first golem finished turning and was facing him and the other golem. The second golem reached his position with arms, claws dripping malevolent miasma, already descending. His magic lashed out under his direction, latching onto the outside of the arm of the second golem, and giving a not-so-gentle tug while jumping backwards and gleefully watching the spectacle.


    The tug on the arms of the second golem was enough to make the swipe an overextended movement, practically launching the arms of the golem directly at the second golem leaning towards his previous position.


    The two golems, claws meeting hardened rock, clashed with a tremendous noise. Sam, using the distraction, sprinted behind the back of the first golem and unleashed as much mana as possible concentrated at the tip of his sword. Using as much strength as possible, he thrust it towards the core of the monster as the dust settled down around them from the clash.


    The sword went through the damaged and slightly worn down armor, piercing the core and causing the magic holding the golem together to fall apart,. Sadly, it also resulted in him getting splashed with the miasma leaking from the joints and cracks in the rock that was the body of the golem.


    The second golem stood there for a few seconds, enough time to allow Sam to clean himself with a brief burst of mana and the Clean spell, then the surrounding mana thickened and his Flow skill all but shouted at him to dodge.


    He did so, but thanks to the excess mana, the golem was fast enough to clip him in the sides, his Mana Shield dipping but not falling and throwing him to the ground, a little dazed.


    Thankfully, Lucky chose this exact moment to jump from the shadow of the golem at its back, striking it hard enough to send it staggering, granting Sam enough respite to gather himself, then dove back into the shadow with a joyful howl.


    Still fast from the buff gained from the excess mana, the golem straightened and, with mechanical fluidity, turned around, and once again began charging at him.


    Sam considered his options, cursing the cooldown of the Shadow Burst, then had a stupid idea.


    Focusing on his mana, he slapped his hand on the ground in front of him and exclaimed.


    ¡°Earth Wall!¡±


    Instantly, a very well-made and sturdy wall made of the ground rose directly under the leg of the golem. The golem, thanks to the speed it was going, couldn¡¯t react in time, thus was unbalanced when it stepped on the wall Sam created, and was sent careening.


    Sam watched with satisfaction, crouching on the ground, as the golem fell sideways, trying to use its arms to stop it, but the weight of its body, especially with the added armor, was too much for the fast-moving arms. They were practically pulverized when the giant rock body landed on them.


    To his senses, it was as if the mana around the golem became iridescent with rage and Sam couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    ¡®If my enemy is angry, then I¡¯m doing something good!¡¯


    He stood up and with a few measured steps he was standing next to the golem, and the next moment, his sword channeling once again, too much mana struck down, piercing another core.


    The moment the sword¡¯s tip made contact with the core, the mana in the golem¡¯s body fled, flowing somewhere in the distance, and the chamber fell silent.


    The only thing that could be heard was Sam¡¯s tired panting and Lucky¡¯s excited prowling in the shadows.


    And among the detritus that was the two golem¡¯s bodies, Sam could see two very familiar shining lights.

 Chapter 34

    After the defeat of the two golems, the entire ruin complex fell suspiciously silent. There were no roars in the distance, nor was the ceiling shaking and raining dust down on Sam. The only thing he could hear was an almost silent noise of water dripping somewhere, the happy panting of Lucky, and his own ragged breath.


    With a negligent wave of his hand and a small exertion of his will, Sam retrieved the two marble-sized items remaining from his enemies. Then he plopped unceremoniously on the ground and leaned back, resting on his hands while closing his eyes in relief.


    He mentally went over the facts and experiences so far in the ruin.


    ¡®Three golems, three items,¡¯ he mused, eyes still closed and Lucky snuggling up to him. ¡®At this level, that¡¯s the most I can expect. Probably still have a boss to fight, but the three marbles are probably keys to something¡­¡¯


    Opening his eyes, Sam took a quick stock of the situation. With the help of his Earth Wall spell he quickly raised a minimal cover in the corner of the room for setting up his tent. When finished with all that, he logged out for a brief rest, meal, and bathroom break.


    <hr>


    Returning to the game, Sam sat down in front of his tent with Lucky, retrieved his rations and also set up Lucky¡¯s food. He watched for a moment, smiling gently, as Lucky enthusiastically began to scarf down his treat. Then Sam also began to gnaw on his rations, ignoring their taste, while opening his status screen.


    Thankfully, his notifications were still set to adaptive, so nothing bothered him during his fight in the ruins, but it was time for his brain to feel the good stuff watching all the numbers go up.


    He first navigated to Lucky¡¯s screen, wanting to see what the new skill his wolf companion used was.


    [Thanks to taking care and fighting in sync with your companion, your skill, Spirit Link has reached Level 15!]


    [Your companion, Lucky, has reached Level 15!]


    [Lucky has gained a new skill, Shadow Jump!]


    [Shadow Jump: Level 0/20 (0%) (Active) The wolf gains the ability to dive into your shadow and emerge from a different shadow. Range: 100 meters. Cooldown: 120 seconds.]


    He reread the skill a few times, but couldn¡¯t help but be impressed. The skill was something he could see being useful and powerful. More importantly, it was a skill that could be improved with time. Most pets and companions belonged to people who weren''t using minion or pet specific skills. Thus, those pets gained skills that couldn''t be leveled up. Getting a skill that could advance was incredibly lucky¡­


    After celebrating the skill with a little playtime, he returned his attention to his own status screen. While one of his hands absentmindedly was going through Lucky¡¯s silken fur, to the obvious pleasure of the wolf.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You¡¯re now Level 22!]


    [Gained 4 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Gained 1 MAG point of extensive and creative use of your mana!]


    [Gained +1 AGI for the impressive display of speed!]


    He was a little disappointed at not getting an extra stat point after his fight, but it was pretty obvious to him that even if he hadn''t used tricks to defeat the monster, he would have been able to win. Grumbling a little, he added the remaining points to STR, DEX, VIT and PER.


    Frowning at the disparity between his health and mana, Sam made up his mind that after he was finished with the quest here, he would take some time and shore up his weakness. There were some basic skills that he would be able to get with little to no trouble.


    Next, he started reviewing the level-ups of his skills.


    [Advanced Mana Control is now Level 17!]


    [Stable Mana Control is now Level 7!]


    [Mana Shield reached Level 30!]


    [Controlled Mana Shield reached Level 8!]


    [Sustained Mana Shield reached level 6!]


    [Thanks to sustaining your Mana Shield through several attacks that covered your entire body, you gain the sub-skill Layered Mana Shield!]


    [Layered Mana Shield: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Allows you to layer your Mana Shield. For every level in the skill, you can create one extra layer over your original Mana Shield. Each layer costs 10% more to create and maintain. The current number of extra layers that can be created: 1. Upon reaching the maximum number of layers (7) there is a possibility to upgrade this sub-skill into a full skill.]


    Sam stared at his newest sub-skill and let out a full belly laugh. One of the most coveted skills by those who had the chance to learn Mana Shield. Mana Armor, at its base level, was a skill that you could layer. Though, arguably, a novice mage wouldn¡¯t be able to sustain it. Also, another negative aspect of that skill was that it only allowed layering up to three layers and the cost of that doubled every layer.


    Compared that to an increase of 10% was rather generous¡­


    [Light Ball is now Level 10!]


    [Clean is now Level 10!]


    [Earth Wall is now Level 10!]


    [Wind Blade is now Level 10!]


    [Thanks to making proper use of the spell, you learned Light Ball II!]


    [Thanks to making proper use of the spell, you learned Clean II!]


    [Thanks to making creative use of the spell, you learned Earth Wall II!]


    [Thanks to making creative use of the spell, you learned Wind Blade II!]


    [Thanks to using Wind Blade with your Mana Slash and Double Mana Slash, you created the spell Wind Flurry!]


    [Light Ball II: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to conjure a ball of light to illuminate your surroundings. You have control over the movement and location of the conjured ball of light. You can increase and decrease its intensity, shape, and color.]


    [Clean II: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to clean a selected surface. You can not only clean physical contaminations but also magical ones. Depends on the strength of the magical contamination. Above a certain level, Clean II only weakens it.]


    [Earth Wall II: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to create a wall made of earth and stone. You have control over the strength, shape, and measurements of the wall. Allows you to strengthen the created wall with extra mana.]


    [Wind Blade II: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to launch a blade of wind. The cutting power and speed of the blade are increased. You have increased control over its movement after creation.]


    [Wind Flurry: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to release a flurry of wind blades aimed in one direction. The damage of the released Wind Blades depends on the Wind Blade spell and your mastery over it.]


    Sam nodded as he read the notification about the spells. They were very basic spells. So it was not a surprise that with his Mana Control and usage, they would level up fast. Most spells went up to V before it became impossible to upgrade them. You could increase that limit by specializing. For example, in air and wind magic, thus allowing your Wind Blade to reach even X. But for Sam, this was more than enough.


    For fun, he conjured a light ball in front of him and spoke a word.


    ¡°Red.¡±


    The ball turned red. He smiled, then spent a few minutes playing around with the spell. Earning himself a level in it and recording a video of Lucky chasing after the constantly color-changing ball of light.


    [Mage Sight is now Level 9!]


    [Efficient Mana Slash is now Level 3!]


    [Double Mana Slash is now Level 2!]


    [Congratulations, you successfully broke through with the skill, Mana Strike!]


    [You gained the sub-skill, Phasing Strike!]


    [You learned the skill Extended Mana Strike!]


    [Phasing Strike: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Those strikes that you enhance with Mana Strike gain the ability to ignore 2% of armor per skill level.]


    [Extended Mana Strike: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) The mana you use to enhance your strikes allows you to extend your reach, be it with your own limbs or weapon. +10% range on your strikes per skill level.]


    Sam stared a moment at Phasing Strike.


    ¡°Ten percent True Damage!¡± he exclaimed in wonder.


    Granted, there were defenses against True Damage, but against the common rabble, that skill was basically a death sentence.


    [Mana Disruption is now Level 3!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement reached Level 21!]


    [Thanks to the continuous usage of Mana Body Enhancement, you gained the sub-skill Mana Influenced Body!]


    [Mana Influenced Body: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) The mana running through your body enhances your physical attributes passively. +1% to STR, DEX, AGI, END per skill level.]


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    A nice but limited skill, still Sam was happy. The skills he gained during the fight were well worth the exertion.


    [Discernment is now Level 5!]


    [Intermediate Sword Mastery is now Level 11!]


    [Stable Stance is now Level 5!]


    [Thanks to handling the sword against a multitude of opponents successfully, you gained the sub-skill Freeform Defense!]


    [Freeform Defense: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) When defending with your sword or parrying, you increase your accuracy and decrease the chance for a blowback.]


    [Intermediate Breathing Technique is now Level 3!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 17!]


    [Flow is now Level 7!]


    [Multitasking is now Level 44!]


    [Efficiency is now Level 6!]


    Then came the skills from the Shadow skill tree. If Sam was honest, he was the most excited about these. After all, they were the basis of his future build. The Shadows were perfect for covert operations while also holding several high-damage skills that were capable of devastating entire groups if used correctly.


    Not to mention several lesser-known aspects of the magic¡­


    Sam had big plans for those aspects.


    [Shadow Cloak is now Level 10!]


    [Shadow Footwork is now Level 10!]


    [Thanks to you integrating the skill almost perfectly into your arsenal, you gained the sub-skill, Shadow Cover!]


    [Shadow Cover: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) When covered by shadow or darkness, be it natural or artificial, the effectiveness of the skill is increased by 10% for every level.]


    [Shadow Burst has reached Level 3!]


    Sam spent a few minutes going over his new and old skills, making sure to compare them to his inherited memories and to make sure that his plan going forward was still viable.


    Satisfied with his gains, he stood up and began going over his equipment. He exchanged the sword for another one, as he was pretty sure that after overloading it with mana it was on its last legs.


    ¡®Can¡¯t wait for the time when I can buy swords made from mana metals!¡¯


    After making sure that his equipment was in order and that Lucky got a sufficient amount of pats on his head, he spoke up.


    ¡°Lucky, back into the shadow. We are going forward!¡±


    He was answered by an excited bark, and Lucky jumped into the air and dived directly into his shadow.


    <hr>


    The corridor after leaving the chamber with the two golems was suspiciously empty. He wasn¡¯t besieged by golems dripping miasma, or roaring at him. The only thing he could hear as he tried to ghost through the corridor was the dripping of water and his own breath.


    To chase away the darkness he summoned his new Light Ball spell, changing the color to red to protect his eyes.


    Finally, after a few minutes of overly cautious walking, he could see the light at the end of the tunnel. The red light of the spell slowly gave away at the light that was appearing in the distance.


    He hastened his walking a little, but his sword was still raised in a defensive position, ready for any sneak attack, giving the ceiling a glance every few feet.


    As he reached the origin of the light, Sam dismissed his own Light Ball and stepped into the illuminated chamber.


    It was a small room, containing nothing more than a giant stone door with three small holes in the relief and several stone torches lit up by ethereal white flames.


    The artwork on the door was a giant tree whose roots surrounded a giant ball and based on the symbols, the ball was radiating light. At least, that is how it looked to Sam.


    The three small holes were on the trunk of the tree carved into the door, lined up vertically.


    Sam didn¡¯t need much prompting.


    He retrieved the small shining marbles from his inventory and, one by one, inserted them into the holes in the door and took a big step backward. He saw too many adventure films to fall into one of these¡­


    The moment the last marble was inserted, it started shining much stronger, the stone torches also flaring and originating from the three marbles, a vertical line of light bisected the door.


    Though nothing else happened.


    Sighing a little, Sam stepped forward and gave the doors a push.


    With intense groaning and making noises that would wake the dead, the stone door swung inward, shaking the room a little and showering Sam once again with dust.


    Shaking off the majority of the dust, sword raised high, defensive skills engaged, and his other hand shining with restrained magic that was ready to be released at the first sign of trouble, Sam stepped into the room.


    Thankfully, this chamber was also illuminated by the same stone torches. Though this time the flames were tainted by flecks and streaks of darkness.


    Inside the room was the same thing depicted on the door.


    Just, the entire thing was wrong¡­


    The ceiling high up was covered by darkness which was occasionally illuminated by the flickering torches. In front of him was a giant ironwood tree carved from stone, the roots an intricate artwork. As the artwork on the door depicted it, the roots were enveloping a giant ball of light.


    The difference between the artwork and reality was that there was the familiar miasma dropping down, like water droplets, from the ceiling. They ran down on the bark of the carved tree, finishing their journey by falling on the ball of light, tainting it.


    Under the ball of light that was almost halfway converted into miasma was a pool of the same miasma, churning and bubbling. As Sam examined it with his Mana Sight, he couldn''t help but describe the entire situation as evil.


    He barely had the time to take all of this in, as the moment he stepped through the archway a curtain of white flames tainted by black light sprung up behind, locking him into the chamber and the bubbling pool of miasma gave a shuddering breath by way of a giant bubble and began to rise.


    And rise.


    And rise up high.


    In a few seconds, what stood in front of Sam was a giant golem made from the miasma from the now empty pool with a few rocks and stones in its body. Sam scowled a little because a sludge-type golem required different skills to defeat than a golem made from solid materials. It didn¡¯t even have the courtesy of having a giant glowing orb that Sam could target easily.


    But Sam was a gamer, and he had fought sludge-type golems thousands, maybe even a million times in different games. So, while the controlling intelligence behind the miasma had caused him some trouble, it was not the end of the road.


    Granted, this entire thing would have been easier with a team of people, but he had come so far alone, he might as well finish it.


    He didn¡¯t have much time as the monster roared and with it came a giant stream of miasma aimed directly at Sam.


    Sam, ready for the attack raised his left hand and unleashed his own mana opposite of the stream of rapidly approaching miasma.


    The two streams met in the middle of the chamber, oozing darkness clashing with the pale blue of Sam¡¯s mana.


    Thankfully, this gave Sam enough time to review the situation.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have any fire spell strong enough to burn it away and I doubt I could cut it up into enough pieces before I run out of mana.¡¯ Looking down at his feet at the smooth rock, he had an idea. ¡®But I have runes¡­


    Pointing his sword down at the front of his feet, he began to move it slowly using mana to extend the cutting edge while carefully maintaining the stream of mana holding back the miasma. Though he made sure to play with the monster a little, pretending that his control slipped and letting the stream of miasma get closer to him.


    The point was to make sure that the monster thought that they had him on the ropes while he carved his Heart Rune into the smooth stone floor.


    While he had no skills that could kill the damn monster, he knew the runes for purification and containment.


    Building a basic rune circle would be rather easy based on the controlling intelligence, as it seemed to only change things after a fight, so it used the sludge-type to counter the skills that Sam had shown off so far.


    Rookie mistake, but one that Sam would capitalize on.


    Finishing the rune, he threw a glance at the golem that was still roaring at him; the miasma leaving his mouth in a stream, like vomit in a frat house during a home game.


    With a quick countdown, he cut off his own mana stream and instantly dodged to the right, letting the miasma splash with a hissing noise against the flame curtain, locking him into the chamber.


    Taking a few steps, he peppered the monster with a flurry of Wind Blades. Using his newest skill the only thing it did was cut into the miasma which parted like jello and instantly fused back together. But Sam wanted the monster to concentrate on the attacks it had already seen and not on what he was doing on the floor.


    Fortunately, the chamber was circular so Sam didn''t have to go far, keeping his Heart Rune in his view, to begin carving his next rune. The monster meanwhile stopped its projectile vomiting and turned towards him, staying in the middle of the room.


    However, instead of the monster releasing another projectile at him, it spoke, causing Sam to jump a little. Luckily, he wasn¡¯t carving at the moment of the jump, so the rune wasn¡¯t ruined.


    ¡°INTRUDER!¡±


    The voice came out hoarse with ominous bubbling in the background as if it was coming from a deep, dark hole.


    Sam, knowing that talking with mysterious entities was never the best idea, just looked at it, while his sword hand was continuing the drawing with him, occasionally glancing down to make sure he was doing it correctly. Thankfully, the basic runes were simple to draw¡­


    ¡°BEFOULER!¡± Came another roar.


    Then another.


    ¡°ENEMY!¡±


    Having finished the rune, Sam¡¯s answer was another barrage of wind blades directly aimed at the mouth of the golem.


    The response was pretty predictable. With a harsh cry of ¡°DIE!¡± the monster released another stream of miasma at him. This time he didn¡¯t try to counter it, he simply sidestepped it and continued to the next position to begin carving the next rune.


    This time the golem and the intelligence behind it seemed to realize that Sam was fast enough to dodge the miasma stream. So, the moment Sam stopped, it raised both of its hands and once again opened its mouth. However, instead of a continuous stream of dark ooze it started spitting bullets of the disgusting material at Sam.


    Sam simply tapped the ground with his foot and raised a curved Earth Wall in front of him, reinforced with his mana. While that cut off his sight, his other senses allowed him to see where the monster was aiming or what it was doing.


    Seeing the wall rise, the beast roared again.


    ¡°DARKNESS WILL CONSUME YOU!¡±


    And the barrage of miasma missiles intensified on his Earth Wall.


    ¡°Oh boy, one of those¡­¡± Sam mumbled as he finished carving the third rune.


    Upon finishing it, he refocused his attention on the barrage and did another quick assessment, not wanting to get hit by the miasma despite his improved Mana Shield. He channeled a little more mana into the Earth Wall, protecting him.


    And then exploded it at the monster.


    This paused the miasma barrage, allowing him to continue his journey around the stone sculpture and golem while the body of the monster swallowed the debris and made its own.


    The moment he found a nice place to carve his rune, another wall rose in front of him, protecting him from the renewed barrage that seemed to be cracking the wall with every impact, causing him to spend mana to repair it.


    It only took a second for Sam to realize that the golem was using the rocks in its body to enhance the projectiles.


    ¡°BEFOULER!¡±


    Meanwhile, the monster kept his very stimulating commentary up.


    Sam didn¡¯t dare to drop his concentration for even a second, no matter how much he wanted to slap his face with his palm. Dying right now would set the quest back enough that he would need an entire team to get back to the same position thanks to the monster learning from fights.


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    Ignoring the monster, he reinforced the wall even more and tried to finish the rune as fast as possible.


    <hr>


    After finishing the fourth rune, the fifth was the same.


    The miasma golem kept shooting miasma bullets mixed with rock pieces from the exploded Earth Wall at him.


    However, the moment he headed for the sixth one, the controlling intelligence realized that he could keep the Earth Wall intact during the barrage and changed its approach, which turned into a charge.


    That is the monster decided to charge at his wall.


    Panicking a little Sam channeled more mana into the Earth Wall, increasing both its height and width. The golem smashed against it with a thundering plop, miasma splashing everywhere.


    Sam quickly finished the sixth rune, and as the miasma monster began to ooze around the obstacle, he exploded at it again.


    Despite jumping backward at the same time the detonation went off, he was still splashed with enough frothing miasma that the first layer of his Mana Shield practically vanished into the ether.


    Luckily for him, the golem was practically enveloping the wall when it exploded, so it was partly scattered. This allowed Sam to use the time it brought its body back together to finish the seventh and eighth runes, almost reaching the final spot on the right of the first rune, his Heart Rune.


    The entire chamber was peppered with the exploded remains of his Earth Walls and small pools of miasma were everywhere on the ground, hanging from the wall and covering almost everything.


    By the time Sam reached the last position, for the ninth rune for this very basic rune circle, the golem had pulled itself together, accompanied by a rather pleasant shrieking.


    ¡°ENEMY!¡±


    ¡°BEFOULER!¡±


    ¡°YOU WILL BE CONSUMED!¡±


    ¡°DARKNESS WILL PREVAIL!¡±


    As always, Sam just ignored it and began to carve the last rune, the rune that would close the circle and connect everything together.


    The monster immediately began to charge at him and raising its arms, it also began shooting balls of miasma at him. Scowling at it Sam raised several walls between himself and the monster, not caring about their quality just that they held off the golem long enough for him to finish the rune.


    ¡°YOU WILL BE DESTROYED!¡±


    The golem simply enveloped the wall that rose up next to it and simply smashed the following one with a rock engulfed in miasma.


    But Sam kept creating walls, and it kept the golem slow enough that he could finish the rune.


    The rune glowed briefly with a pale blue light, showing that the circle was completed correctly, causing Sam to grin up at the golem that was leaning over him, arms stretched, ready to envelop him into the miasma. Sam was pretty sure not even his Mana Shield would protect him then from the dangerous ooze.


    Luckily, he had a nifty little skill.


    ¡°Shadow Burst!¡±


    He launched himself away from the golem that smashed down to the ground where he was a moment before like a dark and foul tidal wave.


    With a few powerful strides, he arrived back at the first position, where he engraved his Heart Rune into the floor, and as the golem collected itself, he called out to Lucky.


    ¡°Lucky, launch it towards the center!¡±


    He received no verbal response to his order. Although, the moment he finished said order, Lucky jumped out of the shadow that danced on the wall thanks to the weird lighting. The loyal wolf, then like a shadowy bullet, impacted the golem. Sam was happy to see that the shadows coiling around Lucky affected the spirit within and thus the whole golem, ignoring its liquid body.


    The golem was launched back towards its origin point, not far enough to get it back to the center, but it was enough for Sam that it was fully in the circle.


    Waiting for Lucky to land outside of the circle, he grinned triumphantly.


    Slamming his hand down on his Heart Rune just as the miasma golem reoriented itself and exclaimed.


    ¡°Activate!"

 Chapter 35

    The moment the word left his mouth the rune under his hands lit up and starting from him the other runes also lit up in sequence, bathing the giant chamber in pale blue light that seemed to be fighting for dominance with the white light streaked with darkness.


    While the monster¡¯s eyes shined with unnatural insight, as the controlling intelligence behind the miasma realized (at least partially) what was happening, it roared, but by the time it began to do something the blue light emitted by Sam¡¯s runes surrounded it and the rune circle was activated.


    Sam watched as the blue light shining from the runes flashed once, twice, then thrice.


    The moment the last flash was over, the intelligence from the eyes of the golem vanished, replaced by the more familiar emptiness he had seen in the other golems.


    But the changes didn¡¯t stop there.


    The runes flashed once again, sending out a pulse of pale blue light parallel to the ground, sweeping along it inside the rune circle until it reached the golem that was still processing what happened to it.


    The runes flashed a final time before finally going out, however, the light they released began to pool under the golem, and then began to rise upwards like some kind of scanning from an old sci-fi movie.


    The parts that the flat plane of light touched lost their liquid state and, as if drying out insanely fast, turned into a crystallized material akin to obsidian, endlessly reflecting and refracting the white light originating from the stone torches.


    Sam watched fascinated as the golem was struck motionless and slowly but surely transformed from a sludge-like consistency into what was basically the same material but all the water (or whatever the miasma considered water) sucked out. Effectively turning the sludge type of golem into a crystal type of golem.


    The moment the pale blue plane of magic reached the top of the head of the golem, it stayed there for a fleeting moment and then simply winked out of existence, leaving behind a golem staring directly at Sam.


    He grinned, then readied both his sword and magic, because while the sludge golem was rather hard to defeat with physical attacks, a crystal golem was an entirely different story.


    Especially with the small white light writhing in the middle of its chest making it look as if the body of the golem was holding the night sky thanks to the refraction.


    Obviously, the controlling intelligence was gone, as the golem simply raised its hands and pointed at Sam. He reflexively stepped aside, but to both of their surprise, nothing came from the hands.


    Sam watched as the golem processed and then tried it a few times before whatever programming left behind by its controller kicked in and gave up on raining deathly projectiles on Sam and simply raised its hands and charged at him.


    Sam, still grinning thanks to his plan coming to fruition, simply dodged the strike by jumping to the side.


    ¡°Wind Flurry!¡±


    The wind blades launched from his sword raced directly at the center of the chest of the golem, but it raised its hands just in time. Though it damaged the arms, it was still a bother that it missed.


    Sam clicked his tongue but still continued to dodge the very linear charges of the golem.


    Because while it was smart (and fast) enough to protect its core, it wasn¡¯t smart enough to figure out how to fight with its new body without the intelligence that his rune circle stripped from it. So, it defaulted to the old charge and smash attack pattern. Which was pretty easy to circumvent¡­


    For a hot minute, the only thing that could be heard in the chamber were Sam¡¯s echoing cries of Wind Flurry (while he internally lamented his lack of attack spells and skills) and the sound of the crystalline golem rumbling along the ground and smashing uselessly into the ground as Sam would inevitably dodge their very linear attack.


    Then the sound of a crack could be heard.


    Then another and another, until Sam was listening with a small smile to crystal chunks falling to the ground and shattering into even smaller parts as he watched the left hand of the golem practically fall apart.


    First little pieces from the part that Sam targeted with his every cast, then bigger pieces began to fall until the golem was standing there with only a small chunk of crystalline material jutting out of its shoulder.


    Sam¡¯s smile turned vicious, and he exclaimed.


    ¡°Shadow Burst!¡±


    Thanks to his increase in speed, he managed to get around the golem while it was trying to process the loss of one of its arms and made sure to use all three seconds of increased speed that the skill granted him.


    He let go of a storm of Wind Blades, mixed with Wind Flurrys as well as Mana Slashes followed by Double Mana Slashes, all aimed at approximately the same spot.


    As the skill ended and the golem started turning, there was a nice spot on the surprisingly smooth back of the golem, exactly on top where the light seemed to be housed in its body. The spot was circular, with cracks radiating everywhere.


    He took a few steps backwards, waiting for the golem to take a few steps, ramping up for another pointless charge, then without taking his eyes off his enemy, exclaimed.


    ¡°Lucky, once more!¡±


    The wolf vanished from his shadow, and once again reappeared behind the golem. At the same moment, the golem began to charge and Lucky launched itself at the back of the golem.


    The end result was the golem face-planting with Lucky looking at it wearing a proud look on his face. Sam just ran over, grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands, and as the golem was attempting to stand up with one hand, channeled almost all of his mana into it and with an incoherent yell slammed it down at the spot he had weakened.


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    The golem spasmed a little, then fell motionless, leaving the chamber once again silent. And as the golem lay there, Sam watched as the pinpricks of light in its obsidian-like body went out and with them the torches died down a little, only to come back to life, blazing even stronger, however, they were lacking the black streaks that tainted them previously.


    The wall of white fire that locked him into the room also vanished.


    Sam twisted the sword a little, making sure that the monster was dead, then pulled it out, scoffed at the broken tip, and threw it away. The low-quality sword landed with a clang that coincided with the notification sound going off in his head.


    [Congratulations, you defeated the Boss of the Ironwood Glade Ruins!]


    The monster in front of him simply collapsed into itself, turning into dust in a few moments, leaving behind a softly glowing white ball.


    Nodding at the confirmation that he was done, he leaned down and softly lifted the glowing ball of light with his palm. He had to shut down his Mage Sight, as the ball of light without the obscuring effect of the dark miasma almost blinded him with its intensity.


    He spent a few moments observing it with his Mana Sense, but the only feeling he got was that it was filled with an overwhelming amount of life energy.


    ¡®Probably some kind of energy used to maintain the trees¡­¡¯


    Looking at the ball of light in his palm and the giant ball of rock cradled by the stone roots that lost almost all of its shine, now that the miasma golem was defeated, Sam knew what he had to do.


    So, he simply walked up to it and pressed the ball of light into it.


    Technically, he could have stored the ball of life energy away for later use, but that would have invalidated his quest and more than likely would have made him a lot of enemies¡­


    The moment the light sunk into the giant rock, it began to spin with ever-increasing speed while the light seemed to seep out of the cracks that before were filled with miasma.


    This continued until he was watching a rapidly spinning rock in the middle of the room shining with the same light he held in his hands, but somehow more.


    And there was a pleasant feeling radiating from it.


    Sam felt at peace¡­


    ¡°Oh, that is why it was sooo familiar!¡±


    Sam would forever deny that he yelped in surprise and jumped into the air as a voice sounded next to him.


    Looking down at the origin of the voice, he saw to his consternation, the giant cricket that was supposed to be staying outside.


    The cricket turned towards him with her entire body and had the gall to smirk at him. Sam didn¡¯t know how it worked on a cricket body¡­


    ¡°I never said I¡¯d stay outside, child of man. By the way, excellent fight!¡±


    After a few moments, Sam managed to grunt out a sentence. ¡°Thank you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re most welcome, young Sam!¡± came the chirpy reply, and the cricket turned back to staring at the glowing orb of life energy rotating in the middle of the room.


    Sam let the silence fill the room for a while as he gained control over his hammering heart, but in the end, he needed to know.


    ¡°Why is it so familiar, ma¡¯am?¡±


    There was a moment as the cricket hummed, then with a poof of magic, turned back into her humanoid form, still standing next to Sam, and reaching out with her hand towards the rotating globe.


    She seemed to almost caress the rock.


    ¡°I was here when this place was made. I was the guardian. But it got boring, so I went to sleep¡­¡± She paused and Sam had to fight hard not to roll his eyes at the very clich¨¦ development. ¡°But something corrupted the link, something dark and evil. But now that you removed it, it seems the connection is back, and with it, my memories, child of man.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear?¡± said Sam, not knowing what else to say.


    ¡°You should be. If the darkness had been able to completely consume the life energy, then it would have spelled doom for the forest and the land beyond it.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    ¡°It does, doesn¡¯t it?¡± came the whimsical reply as the humanoid cricket continued to caress the rock almost lovingly.


    Sam glanced at the glowing rock and the humanoid monster that seemed to be almost out of it


    ¡°Now what?¡±


    The monster retrieved her hand from the glowing rock and turned towards him; her face set into a knowing smirk.


    ¡°Now, child of man, you do me a favor and you can retrieve your prize and leave.¡±


    Sam simply raised an inquisitive eyebrow.


    ¡°Up there is a crack where the miasma is seeping in,¡± she said, pointing upwards into the darkness of the ceiling of the chamber. ¡°You fix that crack, and I¡¯ll give you what you seek.¡±


    ¡°And what about the origin of the miasma?¡±


    The answer he received didn¡¯t surprise him much.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, now that I¡¯m awake and aware, I can express my displeasure to them about what constitutes as good neighborly behavior!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but shudder at the tone, but he still couldn¡¯t pity the fools that dabbled in things that resulted in things like the miasma that he had been fighting for the last few hours.


    Shaking his head, then nodded and headed for one of the sides of the chamber, while the giant humanoid cricket turned back to the glowing rock filled with life energy without a word with Lucky wandering next to her and sitting down and curiously staring at the same rock.


    He walked up to the wall, placed his hand on it and cast Earth Wall, creating a foothold. He tested it and, seeing as it took his body weight, he did a few times until he had a very neat but probably dangerous staircase leading up to the ceiling of the chamber.


    A minute of climbing later he stood under the ceiling looking for the leak like some kind of fantasy contractor.


    ¡®Well, an adventurer is a kinda contractor, so it works¡­¡¯ he mused while searching. ¡°Ahh, there it is!¡±


    After spotting, it took a little maneuvering before he stood under it, giving thanks that he wasn¡¯t afraid of heights, and with a brief application of Earth Wall and a little extra and the crack in the stone ceiling was filled not just on the surface level but deeper inside.


    While he was up there, Sam used his Mana Sense to probe in the direction the miasma seemed to be coming from, and almost fell from recoil from touching the dark mana that seemed to permeate the rock.


    ¡®That¡¯s some baaad juju¡­¡¯


    Following that, he quickly returned to the ground, canceling the Earth Walls he had created.


    Soon, he was once again standing next to the guardian and Lucky, who were staring at the rotating orb, transfixed.


    He cleared his throat gently, causing his wolf companion to fall over in surprise and the giant cricket to turn towards him.


    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°I know. Here is your reward.¡± A simple chalice appeared in his hand, made from, to his not-surprise, ironwood with filigree made from iron. ¡°Thank you for your help, child of man. But it is time for you to leave, and for me to chastise a few people¡­¡±


    Sam was about to answer, but between two blinks, he found himself standing back in the clearing from where he entered the ruins. The archway he used was conspicuously missing, and he could hear in the far distance screams of despair.


    He hesitated for a moment, but in the end, Sam decided it wasn¡¯t his job to deal with that, so he turned around, motioning for Lucky to follow him, and began to examine the chalice while leisurely walking and trying to ignore the wails of the damned.


    <hr>


    The way back to the city of Ironwood was a little more complicated than his journey from it, as several fights between guilds had broken out over the troll farming spots and he had to make an effort to avoid those or sneak through them.


    Thankfully, he was lucky enough that nobody spotted him, or if they spotted him, they realized he wasn¡¯t part of the fighting guilds and let him go.


    Just to be sure, he did the entire journey in disguise using his nifty little chameleon mask.


    He arrived back at the city gates, exhausted but triumphant.


    Ignoring the small beggar child with too white and too many teeth giving him a thumbs up near the road leading to the gates, he checked his clothing and armor and headed towards the old ranger¡¯s house.


    He had a quest to complete.

 Chapter 36

    Walking through the city, Sam couldn¡¯t help but feel the nervous energy permeating the entire area. People were walking faster, almost hunching in on themselves, looking around nervously or even fearfully, and the mana in the air was infested with a very thin layer of cloying miasma that was like sweat on a humid summer day. It was sticky and clung to the body no matter what one did.


    Thankfully, Sam always had his Mana Shield up, so when the very familiar miasma tried to stick to his skin, it just slid off uselessly.


    Sam scowled and began to hasten his steps towards the old man¡¯s house to finish the quest. If the origin of the miasma was related to the people who planned the Monster Break for the city of Ironwood and managed to infest Lady Silvercrest with that parasite, then the destruction of one of their bases would more than likely change their timetables.


    And because Sam only had the basics of the idea about what they were planning, he didn¡¯t like that.


    Navigating the shadowed streets of the bad part of the town, he soon arrived back before the old ranger¡¯s house. When he looked around, he thought he saw the flash of somebody with a very small body watching the house, but when he went to take another look, the alley was empty.


    Shaking his head, he stepped up to the door and knocked.


    Compared to the first time he visited the old man, this time he didn¡¯t have to wait even a few seconds. The door was almost wrenched open and old man Marak was standing there with tousled hair and mustache, holding an enchanted watering can.


    ¡°Who¡­ Oh, it¡¯s you!¡± the old man yelled, then grumbled as he recognized Sam. ¡°Did you fail?¡±


    ¡°No, Sir. Item retrieved, monster pacified and¡­¡± he didn¡¯t manage to finish his report as the older man grabbed him by the hem of his cloak and pulled him into the house, the door closing behind him automatically.


    ¡°Even the walls have ears, you moron¡­¡± grumbled the ranger, then placed the watering can next to the door rather aggressively and motioned to Sam to follow him.


    They returned to the same room where Sam received his quest, took seats in the same chairs, and Sam watched through his senses as the old man performed the same procedure to ascertain if somebody was listening on them (though, it was more forceful than last time).


    Sam spent a moment getting comfortable, while Lucky just left his shadow with a little hop and skip and settled before the roaring fireplace and closed his eyes.


    He chuckled at his companion, then turned towards his quest giver.


    ¡°Is it safe?¡±


    ¡°As much as it can be in these times¡­¡± came the grumble from the old man. ¡°There is just something in the air¡­¡±


    ¡°Miasma.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Miasma is in the air.¡±


    The old man closed his eyes, took a deep breath and Sam watched through his other senses as the mana in the air entered the man¡¯s lung and as he exhaled, left it.


    ¡°Miasma.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°By the gods¡­¡± The older man shook his head, and then returned his attention to Sam. ¡°Start at the beginning!¡±


    ¡°All right, Sir!¡± replied Sam while settling back in the chair and began to tell Marak about his journey. ¡°I found the first symbol where you told me and then¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­and that¡¯s about what I know.¡± Sam finished his explanation, followed by watching the older man as the room fell silent. The only sound that could be heard was the roaring of the fire and Lucky¡¯s gentle breathing.


    For a long minute, the old man just sat there with his eyes closed, contemplating everything that Sam told him. The forest, the giant cricket monster, the ruin, the miasma and the fights.


    ¡°I see,¡± spoke the old man up finally, then he opened his eyes and looked at Sam. And as Sam looked back, he couldn¡¯t help but shudder at the look in the old man¡¯s eyes. It radiated anger, sadness, guilt and was tinged with slight greenish light that reminded Sam of a forest after a fresh rain.


    ¡°Thank you, young man. You did me, the woods and the city, a great favor,¡± continued the old man. ¡°But now I must ask you to leave. I have certain matters to attend to¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to visit that cricket?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the older man answered with a nod. ¡°It is rather dishonorable that we had forgotten one of the protectors of the forest, even if they were asleep. So, I must rectify this.¡±


    Sam nodded in understanding and noting the unspoken dismissal, stood up. Lucky, noticing his movement, also woke up, stretched, and then without a sound, jumped back into his shadow.


    ¡°Then I will take my leave. After all, I have to deliver the Chalice to the Silvercrest family.¡±


    The older man nodded, and for a moment, the multitude of feelings in his eyes was replaced with humor.


    ¡°Good luck!¡± He snickered a little, then while Sam was making sure he had everything with him, he stepped up to one of the shelves and retrieved a rather thick tome. The old man stepped up to Sam, who was watching him interestedly, while inwardly salivating at the thought of what kind of reward he would get. ¡°I noticed during your story that you had some glaring holes in your repertoire, so here, young man. Take it with my thanks!¡±


    Sam took the big book and as he held it in his hand he noticed that it was surprisingly light despite its look.


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±


    Then, without waiting for the old man to say anything else, he turned around and left the house leaving an old man with a renewed purpose behind.


    The moment he left the last step leading to the old ranger¡¯s home, a notification screen popped up on his screen.


    [The quest ¡®To peek or not to peek?¡¯ has been completed!]


    [You received the ¡®Grimoire of Sharp Winds¡¯ as a reward!]


    Sam inhaled as he read the screen, then had to fight not to break out in joyous laughter. He didn¡¯t receive a spellbook or skill book. He received a Grimoire!


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    While spell books, scrolls or skill books only contained one spell or skill, a Grimoire, depending on their rarity and origin, could contain anything from one to several dozen spells or skills. Greater Grimoires sometimes even contained entire branches of magic. His original reward would have been probably one or two skills or spells, depending on how he did on the quest, but because he managed to finish it the way he did, it was upgraded.


    Sam couldn¡¯t wait to open the Grimoire and learn the spells in them. Carefully putting away the tome, he pulled his hood up and began walking slowly towards the Cloudy Inn. He needed a proper rest.


    But as he walked by an unassuming alley, he heard a noise.


    ¡°Psst!¡±


    Sam closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and turned towards the alley with a forced smile.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t disappointed, as covered by the shadows was a very familiar street urchin, looking up at him with a mischievous look on their face.


    ¡°Congratulations!¡±


    Sam said nothing, just stared at the being masquerading as a boy (or girl, it was really hard to determine).


    The urchin stared at him for a moment, then scowled and spat at the ground.


    ¡°Ugh, so not fair if you know about it.¡±


    Sam raised an eyebrow, inwardly enjoying the frustration he was causing.


    ¡°Do you want anything?¡±


    The Fey sighed and nodded. They reached inside their ratty clothing and retrieved a scroll that seemed to be sparkling as the minimal light in the alley hit it. They held it out for a second, then threw it towards Sam. Unfortunately, he caught it on reflex.


    Sam froze, a thousand ideas running through his head as he held the still-sparkling scroll in his hand. He looked at the scroll, then back at the urchin who was smirking at him, and Sam knew it was a payback for his earlier actions.


    ¡®They are a Fey after all¡­¡¯


    ¡°What is this?¡± he asked, lowering his hand, holding the scroll as far as possible with all the delicacy of a man holding something horrible.


    ¡°Reward for a task well done,¡± came the quick answer.


    ¡°And what will it cost me?¡± he asked, already dreading the answer. On one hand, he wanted nothing to do with the shenanigans of the Fey, on the other hand, his gamer senses were screaming at him to obtain the probably rare item.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± spoke the urchin, scowling as if the word caused him physical pain. ¡°You did us a favor. This is a repayment.¡±


    Sam wisely decided not to ask what he did because he suspected it would only cause him more headaches. Instead, he silently put the scroll away into his inventory.


    As he was about to figure out how to disengage from the conversation, he had a wicked idea.


    ¡°Say, are you guys free?¡±


    The moment the question left his mouth, the brat moping in the shadows perked up and began eying him with interest.


    ¡°It will cost you, mister!¡±


    He retrieved a handful of silver and threw it towards the Fey, who caught all of it with deft movements and vanished them into their clothing.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    Sam looked around and after not seeing anybody, leaned closer to the young child.


    ¡°I need you to spread a rumor¡­¡±


    The Fey stepped closer, and Sam could almost see them vibrating in excitement.


    ¡°Yeees?¡±


    ¡°Make sure that everyone who needs to know knows, that the Greyskull Guild is planning to raid the warehouse of the Auction House.¡±


    ¡°Are they?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    Laughter was his only reply.


    Sam watched as the Fey contemplated his words, and then they nodded.


    ¡°It will be done.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Following an unspoken signal, both of them took a step back, the young street urchin covered in shadows and Sam bathing in the sickly light of the city.


    Suddenly, Sam heard a crow¡¯s caw and instinctively looked up, searching for the source, and after finding nothing, he looked back down and saw the alley was empty.


    Shaking his head, he returned to his journey towards the inn, trying to forget that the previous meeting ever happened.


    <hr>


    Back at the inn, he was fussed over by the overly energetic and very loud Andrea, currently dressed in a princess dress that somehow made her look regal yet kinky. Sam didn¡¯t really understand, but the fussing felt nice.


    After eating a decent meal, he begged off a drinking competition with Andrea, which was taken up by a slightly tipsy adventurer with wandering eyes nearby, and retreated to his room.


    Chucking off the armor, and changing into more comfortable clothing, he spent a little time organizing his inventory, placing the Grimoire and still obnoxiously sparkling scroll on the table. Then he spent a relaxing half an hour feeding and playing with Lucky.


    Running his hand through Lucky¡¯s incredibly soft fur while sitting on the bed, his back to the wall, he took the Grimoire into his hand and channeled a little magic into it.


    Immediately, it began to shine, and the wind picked up in the room, swirling around him for a few seconds until the book shattered into motes of magic which joined the wind swirling and after a few seconds of theatrics surged into his chest.


    He just stared at the notification screen, wanting to know how many spells he would gain. Sam hoped that Lucky¡¯s Lucky Aura would kick in¡­


    The game didn¡¯t make him wait too long as the wind died down and the light show was finished and the notification screen appeared.


    [Congratulations, you read the Grimoire of Sharp Winds. Several new spells have been inscribed into your own Grimoire!]


    [You have learned the spell, Wind Bullet!]


    [You have learned the spell, Wind Bullet Barrage!]


    [You have learned the spell, Healing Wind!]


    [You have learned the spell, Wind Jump!]


    [You have learned the spell, Wind Edge!]


    [Wind Bullet: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A simple spell that allows you to launch a bullet made of concentrated wind!]


    [Wind Bullet Barrage: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to release a barrage of wind bullets at your target. The damage of the released Wind Bullets depends on the Wind Bullet spell and your mastery over it.]


    [Healing Wind: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to release a small gust of refreshing wind that restores a very small amount of stamina and health for the target.]


    [Wind Jump: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A simple spell that allows you to launch yourself upwards (or forward) with a small application of wind.]


    [Wind Edge: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to enhance the edge of any bladed weapon you wield with the wind. The blade''s cutting power will increase as well its reach.]


    Sam stared for a long moment, but before he could celebrate, another screen showed up in front of him.


    [Due to your mastery of mana, and the fact that you mastered one Wind type spell, after learning more than seven Wind spells, you have gained the skill, Wind Affinity!]


    [Wind Affinity: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) You have a good affinity for the wind. Beings born of the wind will be more favorable to you. The cost of the Wind-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level.]


    That wasn¡¯t as surprising, but it was still good news. Sam smiled, then went over his new skills, trying to figure out where he would or could use them. When he started building his skill set, he wasn¡¯t really aiming for wind-type skills, but he couldn¡¯t complain.


    It wasn¡¯t the ¡®strongest¡¯ element, but, for example, it was the easiest to get a flying spell in this element. If Sam wanted truly strong spells, without specializing in the element, he would need to delve into the sub-elements.


    Like the Shadows.


    Shaking his head, he dismissed the screen and reluctantly reached for the scroll that managed to drench the table in glitter.


    ¡®Fricking Fey¡­¡¯


    Knowing that not opening it would more than likely anger the Fey, he unfurled the scroll with a harsh motion.


    [Congratulations, the Fey deemed you worthy of their reward due to your action. We are very sorry!]


    [You gained the skill, Shadow Mirage!]


    [Shadow Mirage: Level 0/50 (Active) By making use of the Shadows, you are able to create a mirage of yourself near your real body. This mirage will not move, set in the pose as you were at its creation. Leveling up the skill this can be changed, as the mirage learns from its creator. Numbers of Mirages that can be currently created: 1.]


    ¡°Well, this is singularly incredibly awesome, and mostly useless without leveling up¡­¡± he murmured, a little in awe.


    He knew this skill. In the future that never will be, one of the most famous assassins used this skill to perform countless assassinations on many prominent players, then leaving the scene while people were fighting his mirages.


    Dismissing the screen, he threw a disgusted look at the glitter that didn¡¯t vanish when he learned the spell in the scroll and decided it was tomorrow¡¯s Sam¡¯s problem.


    Snuggling up to Lucky, he closed his eyes and logged out.

 Chapter 37

    After logging out, Sam only had the energy to take a quick shower, then quickly fell into his bed.


    Waking up the next day, he did a little housework, a grocery run (there were options to order in, but he wanted to spend at least a little bit of time outside of his apartment), and the usual exercises to keep his body in working condition.


    He couldn¡¯t wait until the game got popular enough that they would set the playing hours for everybody because this kind of chaotic living, even with his exercises and healthy food, was taking a toll on his body.


    Plopping down in front of his computer, he reluctantly opened the forums for the game as well as several gaming sites that dealt with Magic Unbound, where prominently on the main pages were the posts that celebrated the continuously growing population of the game.


    Consequently, the forums were full of posts that cursed the crowded beginner villages as well as the increasing prices due to the demand that so many players made on the system that serviced said villages.


    When Sam read these notes, he had to take a minute to curse as he had planned to set up a simple Merchant company that would provide said goods to these villages and ride the wave of new players.


    But now, probably due to his own actions, it was too late. If the mainstream portals were talking about it, then those who could see the trends were already making money off of it. He would need to focus his efforts somewhere else.


    It still felt rather shitty. In the novels that he had read in his past life, the main character always managed to ride economic waves; always finding the best moment to buy or sell something and here he was, watching as an opportunity vanished in front of him like a fart in the wind.


    Still, it wasn¡¯t the end of the world. Exploiting the beginners was one of the things that he planned to use for the creation of his economic foundation in the game, but it wasn¡¯t the only one. And with how the Silvercrest family quest was going, he suspected that his next several steps would become much easier.


    The rest of the forums were filled with discussion of every facet of the game, mostly positive, though there was a loud minority who were decrying the complexity and difficulty of the skill system. Though after a cursory look, Sam found that universally the answer to those posts was: ¡®git gud noob¡¯.


    He had to agree. The skill system of the game wasn¡¯t the easiest, but with a bit of practice and elbow grease, one could learn it without trouble. It was the definition of easy to learn, hard to master, once again demonstrating that the developers of the game were thinking in the long term.


    Of course, there were already videos popping up from experts and experts who were analyzing the emerging economic situation in the game. Sam checked out a few videos, but he didn¡¯t see anything he didn¡¯t know, so he simply closed them.


    He had better things to do with his time.


    Finally, he checked his account on the Shadowland website, but his mailbox was full of people wanting to buy the Life of Blood skill book and other extremely rare, or common skill books that nobody knew where to get. Sam thought about exploiting this and selling a few books for a quick buck, but in the end, he decided it wasn¡¯t worth the risk. He built himself up as a trustworthy and fair information broker and exploiting his customers would only cause him grief in the long term.


    Then, stretching a little, listening as his back popped satisfyingly, he returned to his gaming couch and began the login process.


    <hr>


    The room he stayed in was still the same as he left it, with only Lucky having moved around while he was logged out, turning around in the bed.


    This resulted in him ¡®waking¡¯ up to a mouthful of the wolf¡¯s tail.


    Spitting hairs out, he sent a half-hearted glare at the pitifully whining wolf that seemed to be growing at an accelerated pace, already reaching the size of a medium-sized pony. ¡®I wonder how big he will get.¡¯ He wondered while he checked his equipment and status screen.


    Instead of going downstairs for breakfast, he simply began munching on his rations and began practicing his spells.


    ¡°Healing Wind!¡±


    Calling out, he watched with his senses and Mage Sight as the mana formed into the spell and left his hand; it swirled around Lucky, in a translucent, slightly green-tinged wind, then it sunk into him without any fanfare or effect as the wolf was fully healthy and well-rested. Lucky bore being selected as target practice very well.


    Sam repeated it several times, trying to get used to the feeling until he could manage the spell without yelling out its name, earning himself several levels in the spell.


    Finally, he stood in the middle of the room, eyes closed, meditating slightly as the healing winds swirled around him.


    He kept up with it for a few minutes, but as he felt he was sufficiently familiar with this low-tier spell, he finally let up with the casting and watched as the last of the greenish wind sunk into his body.


    Letting out a satisfied smile, as healing spells if you weren¡¯t specialized in them, were rather rare in lower levels. Using Healing Wind, he now had a few opportunities to acquire even stronger spells.


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    Then he turned his attention towards one of the other spells he had just gained thanks to completing the sub-quest.


    Taking up a silly pose, leaning slightly back, head tilted down, arms crossed in front of him and his finger formed into random gang symbols, exclaimed.


    ¡°Shadow Mirage!¡±


    There was a brief burst of mana moving around in his body then it was expelled and formed into first a copy of him out of shadows then a fraction of a second later that shadow gained definition and color and thus there were two of him standing in the room in a silly pose.


    Chuckling slightly, he let go of the pose and began walking around the Mirage as it kept standing there, still as a rock.


    The replicated detail on the mirage was amazing, as he could see individual hairs on his arms, but the stillness was still annoying. Although he knew that with enough practice with the skill, they would soon learn (that is, the game system would learn their behavior pattern and fighting style) and would begin to move. But for now, it would be enough to play with the mind of any enemy he came across.


    He reached out and tried to touch the mirage but his hand went through the spell and not a moment later the entire thing burst into motes of sparkling mana and shadows, falling to the ground and vanishing entirely.


    Nodding to himself, he spent a few minutes memorizing how the spell worked so as not to have to yell the names of the spells, then turned towards Lucky.


    Sam got on his knees, hugged the wolf to himself, and began murmuring.


    ¡°Okay, Lucky. This is important, so pay attention! I want you¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Heading towards the Silvercrest Manor, dressed in his adventurer clothes, forgoing his Sunday¡¯s best, because he fully expected that one way or another this entire thing would end in a fight, Sam watched with a satisfied smile as the entire city was in a tizzy. Harried guards walked around, paranoidly looking at everybody, even at each other.


    Players belonging to guilds were doing the same thing, deadeye-ing people from other guilds, and fights could be seen breaking out everywhere, causing the already agitated guards to become even more stressed.


    Apparently, his little distraction worked really well¡­


    Cutting through the last alley before approaching the manor directly, he made eye contact with one of the urchins and gave them a small thumbs up. The smile he received in return sent shivers down his spine.


    ¡®Why do I do this to myself?¡¯ he lamented, continuing his journey.


    Arriving in front of the manor, he was about to announce himself, but the gates immediately opened and one of the guards stepped out for a moment, looked around nervously, and then bade him to follow him with a respectful nod.


    Sam said nothing, just followed him.


    Inside, he was met by a familiar butler.


    ¡°Greetings, good sir. I hope you returned with excellent news!¡±


    The man¡¯s voice was the patented, even butler voice, but Sam could still hear the undercurrent of worry. He gave him a smile and a nod.


    ¡°Indeed. I got the item.¡±


    The butler let out a relieved sigh, and Sam could hear the nearby guards doing the same thing. Apparently, they were rather loyal. ¡®Or good actors¡­¡¯


    ¡°Follow me, then, Sir,¡± came the clipped reply from the older man. He turned elegantly on his heels and began marching towards the manor proper with a pep in his steps. Sam followed him, one hand on his sword and his senses strained to the maximum.


    It was the best time to ambush them¡­


    <hr>


    Surprisingly, nobody attacked them on the way to the garden where he had his talk with Lord Silvercrest not so long ago.


    Arriving at the well-taken-care-of garden, he immediately understood why the butler took him there.


    Where before pristine grass delighted those who visited the manor, now it was covered by a giant slab of thin rock. Carved into the rock were runes, some he recognized, some he didn¡¯t.


    The runes were in a circle, and inside the circle was a triangle. And the points of the triangle stood three things. The nearest to him contained a small stone plinth, also carved with runic symbols, obviously the intended place of the chalice. The farthest from him was occupied with a distinguished gentleman in high-quality robes, leaning on a staff that seemed to be radiating magic and perusing a leather-bound notebook with great interest.


    On the last point was a very simple divan, basically a slab of wood with minimal upholstery and four legs. On it laid the lady of the house, deathly pale, and Sam could see the beads of sweat flowing down her face.


    The moment he stepped into the garden, every eye in the vicinity was directed at him, including the Lord¡¯s.


    ¡°Adventurer!¡± came the excited yell, but Sam could see that the Lord was just trying to keep up the fa?ade as his eyes always kept darting at his wife. ¡°I hope you returned bringing great news!¡±


    Instead of replying, Sam just reached inside his inventory and retrieved the Chalice of Restraint.


    There were multiple gasps of surprise, predominantly from the wizard at the runic circle and another happy one from Lord Silvercrest.


    ¡°Ha ha ha! Yes! Most excellent, my friend!¡± Taking several giant steps the large man arrived next to Sam and gently took the Chalice from him, holding it in his giant hand gently, and with great care walked it over to the wizard who accepted the artifact with the same care, placing it on the plinth. ¡°Let us commence the ritual!¡±


    The wizard silently nodded, and the runic circle instantly lit up. Then the plinth and the Chalice of Restraint began to blaze with very familiar white flames. Following that, a dome of blue sprung up around the ritual while everybody else watched with bated breath.


    Sam stepped up to the Lord, whose eyes were glued to his wife¡¯s slumped form.


    ¡°Are you expecting an attack, sir?¡±


    The Lord answered without moving his eyes. ¡°Indeed, my young friend. I even sent my daughter away with a trusted friend.¡±


    ¡°Good, then I don¡¯t have to convince you to prepare for one.¡±


    The older man chuckled a little and sent him a small smirk.


    ¡°Fret not, my friend. I know very well what my enemies are capable of!¡±


    Sam nodded, then refocused on his senses. His first target was the ritual, curious about it. However, it seemed that it was rather simple. The wizard was directing with the help of the runic circle the magic of a minor ley line into the chalice and then would probably use that to extract the parasite from the lady of the house.


    He made sure to take a look at the runes (after toggling the recording software on with a small movement of his fingers) for later study, then directed his senses towards the walls of the manor as that was the easiest point of entry.


    He didn¡¯t have to look long. The moment his senses went further than the wall, he sensed the build-up of foreign mana.


    Sighing audibly, he unsheathed his blade, ignored the tensing guards standing around, as well as the fearful maids, and turned towards the wall.


    ¡°What are you doin¨C¡° came the question from the Lord, but he was silenced by a loud yell and the sound of something shattering. Probably the defenses of the manor.


    ¡°ATTACK!¡±


    Before anyone could react Sam beaned the first attacker jumping over the wall in the head with a well timed Wind Bullet which caused everyone to freeze for a moment as they watched the man tumble to the ground, where he lay, still.


    Then, as one, everyone began moving, and it was chaos.

 Chapter 38

    For a long moment, as Sam beheld the multitude of enemies scaling the wall in different ways, jumping, climbing or, in one case, gliding over it, he got scared.


    Not of the enemies. He had already managed to beat it into his head that it was a game and not real, but instead, he got scared of himself. Because, the moment he saw the enemies, all he felt was elation. Elation about finally fighting beings smarter than rocks. Beings that could challenge him. Beat him even (not that he wanted that)¡­


    It scared him a little how much the game changed him. How much this opportunity that fell into his lap changed him.


    Then he had to stop the introspection as he was beset by several mooks for the lack of a better word. They were indistinguishable from each other, wearing black, all-body concealing clothing, only a few of them having a few spikes on their shoulders that set them aside from the others. Sam instantly pegged them as team leaders, because his Mana Sight told him they had a marginally bigger amount of mana than the regular mooks.


    Then there were the players. Of course, they were smart enough to dress up the same as the mooks currently menacing the guards while the maids crowded next to the wall of the manor, clutching their hands and trying to keep quiet and out of the way, but to Sam, it was obvious who they were.


    Their mana was unique for every one of them, showing that it was made from several distinct parts, telling Sam that they probably didn¡¯t bother to harmonize their skills and spells. ¡®Probably went for what is cool¡­¡¯ He scoffed a little, then for a second watched as all the players, without saying a word, began circling the lord of the manor, who was already beset by several mooks.


    ¡°Haha! You think you can defeat ME?¡± came the boisterous laugh as the man somehow conjured giant metal gauntlets on his equally gigantic fist and punched them together. ¡°COME AND SEE!¡± He roared, but before he could launch himself at the enemy, Sam decided to call out to him.


    ¡°Go for the spikes! They¡¯re the leaders!¡±


    He saw the mooks visibly flinch at that, and the lord just laughed, ignored the nearest minion that he was originally targeting and jumped towards one of the attackers wearing spikes on his shoulder.


    Unfortunately, Sam didn¡¯t have much time to observe Lord Silvercrest¡¯s fight because several enemy attackers and one of the players (standing in the back) began to menace him.


    He gave them a smile, his sword ready for the fight, and made a ¡®come here¡¯ motion with his free hand.


    The nameless mooks remained silent, but he heard the players scoff.


    Sam smiled and deflected a clean strike, aiming for his jugular, then sidestepped another aiming for his heart, then simply took another back, pivoting and striking at one of the black-clad minions that were surrounding him.


    Sadly, they didn¡¯t do the usual evil minion thing of attacking one at a time, so he had to pay a lot of attention to where they were aiming.


    Ignoring the crashes in the background as the loud lord of the manor rampaged around and as the guards yelled and grunted while fighting the fodder, he danced between the blades of his enemy, keeping one eye on them and another on the player that seemed to be positioning himself for a one strike kill.


    Parry, step, parry, pivot, jump a little, step forward, slash and turn, and so on, and on and on¡­


    Sam could have broken out his spells, but for some reason, the minions were only using weapons and he wanted to know why. Oddly, he couldn¡¯t sense anything with his Mana Sense. ¡®Maybe they didn¡¯t want to attract the attention of the rest of the city?¡¯ he wondered as idly sidestepped a strike, continuing the motion of his sword, and lopped the head off of the minion that overextended himself.


    ¡°One down,¡± he spoke, hoping to get some reaction from the mooks. But while he could see slight tensing of their bodies, they didn¡¯t react.


    There was some kind of explosion behind his back, some boisterous laughter, and with a small smile, Sam continued.


    ¡°My apologies. Seven down.¡±


    One of the black-clad mooks raised their dagger, an ugly and dangerous-looking thing with hooks and teeth everywhere, and suddenly it was bathed in a black light that felt very familiar to Sam. ¡®So, they were responsible for this¡­¡¯


    He didn¡¯t wait for his enemy to do anything with that black light, knowing how insidious it was, and with a quick movement, slashed with his sword several times, combining Mana Slash and Wind Flurry several times, aimed at the probable man with the freaky dagger.


    Before the rest of them could react, the extremely fast attack crashed into a barrier made of the same light that enveloped the dagger previously. The two forces fought against each other, but in the end, Sam was Sam and his enemy was a mook. The barrier shattered and the upper body of the assailant fell apart, cut into apple-sized chunks.


    He had time to grimace and chastise himself for being needlessly gruesome before the rest of the mooks, visibly angry at the death of their comrade, fell on him, their weapons in the process of being enveloped by the cloying miasma that Sam was beginning to hate. ¡®I¡¯m totally getting a purifying skill after this¡­¡¯


    He increased the mana flowing into his Mana Shield, then began to deflect the attacks coming.


    Then he felt a sudden pulse of mana. The mooks around him froze, and the player in the back exclaimed.


    ¡°Dark Bullet: Extreme Strength!¡±


    In front of their outstretched hand was a globe of dark energy, partly made of miasma, and partly from what seemed liquid darkness. It hung there for a millisecond, and then it was launched directly at Sam and the mooks surrounding him.


    Sam barely had a second to react.


    ¡°Wind Jump!¡±


    He was just fast enough that the rapidly approaching (and expanding) ball of eldritch energy barely brushed the bottom of his feet, smashing apart the top layer of his mana shield before slamming into the ground and exploding with extreme speed.


    The mooks didn¡¯t even have time to scream before they were consumed.


    ¡®Thank god for Flow¡­¡¯


    Sending a prayer to RNGods for giving him the skill, he watched as the player was enveloped with the miasma, and his hand lit up again, though thankfully this time the ball was much smaller.


    ¡°Dark Bullet! Dark Bullet! Dark Bullet!¡±


    Three bullets were launched at him, and seeing as he was still in the air he simply raised his sword and once again slashed many times, sending a wind-enhanced storm of flurry against the approaching projectiles at the same moment he reached the apex of his jump.


    The moment the storm of wind reached the bullet, the two attacks clashed, and the storm chewed up the dark magic like a certain worm eating the sand of a certain planet. And because he barely put any power into it, the spell dissipated before it could reach the player.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Visibly angry, the man began to fire more and more bullets of dark magic as the miasma began to grow around. As he began to fall, he glanced around, taking in the situation.


    Lord Silvercrest (he really needed to learn his first name) was currently fighting against three players also bathed in the dark miasma, while several mooks with spikes on their clothing were taking potshots at the man.


    The ritual was still ongoing, though the wizard was visibly straining based on the beads of sweat running down his face. The lady of the house was alive but seemed to writhe as black smoke seemed to be rising from her body.


    He landed on his feet, not far from the small crater left behind by the overpowered attack, and sent another flurry of wind blades, canceling the continuously increasing amount of Dark Bullets.


    Eyeing the other man, he waited until he began to chant again.


    ¡°Dark Bullet! Dark Bullet! DARK BULLET!¡±


    And launched his own Wind Bullet with a soft whisper. While he didn¡¯t know how to cast the spell without the verbal trigger, there was no need to yell like the idiot in front of him.


    ¡°Wind Bullet.¡±


    ¡°DARK BULLET! DARK BULLET! DARK BULL-¡°


    The bullet of wind struck the other man¡¯s barrier, disrupting his casting and causing the dozen small balls of corrupting darkness in front of him to dissipate with an oddly disappointed hiss.


    Though he wasn¡¯t hurt, the man became very angry.


    ¡°What the hell?! Why won¡¯t you die? I did all of¡­¡± he visibly swallowed his last words but it was enough for Sam.


    His enemy obviously completed some kind of quest to gain this kind of power. Dark magic wasn¡¯t exactly uncommon, but it was considered one of the ¡®evil magics¡¯ in the world of Magic Unbound that required rather specific sacrifices to upgrade. In exchange, it granted rather potent powers even at the beginning.


    Which he didn¡¯t see in the opponent before him.


    However, as he observed the man, it seemed that he also came to a decision.


    ¡°It seems I have to use my full power!¡±


    Physically cringing at the man, he primed his own spell, then launched several Wind Flurries mixed with Mana Slashes at the man. This time, at maximum power. It was high time to finish it.


    To his disappointment, the moment his spell reached the man, it crashed into the dark barrier and gave his opponent enough time for a yell.


    ¡°Dark Shroud!¡±


    The miasma enveloping the man intensified enough that Sam could feel and see the waves of black mana radiating from the man.


    ¡°Now take THIS!¡±


    ¡°Dark Beam!¡±


    The moment he heard the man speak, he crouched down and slammed his hand down on the ground, creating an Earth Wall.


    The beam crashed into it and Sam had to fight continuously against the corrosive black mana that seemed intent on eating away his mana.


    But thanks to his Mana Disruption, the freaky mana that seemed to destroy anything it came in contact with couldn¡¯t get a hold of his wall of reinforced earth. After several seconds of intense bombardment, the beam let up, and despite the fight going on around them, Sam could hear the aggravated breathing of his opponent.


    ¡°WHY! WON¡¯T! YOU! DIE!¡± came the almost incoherent yelling, but Sam ignored it.


    Carefully encasing his blade with Mana, and after a soft whisper with Wind Edge, he spoke two words.


    ¡°Shadow Burst!¡±


    With the increased speed, he had time to jump away from his cover as another beam, twice the size of the previous one, slammed into the location he was at, obliterating everything in its path, while he winced at the feeling as the dark mana pulsing from the enemy player increased once again.


    ¡®Apparently, he made a deal with somebody very important¡­¡¯


    The moment the mana increased in the man in front of him, so did in the others.


    ¡®Or maybe with somebody, very very important¡­¡¯


    ¡°OH, COME ON!¡± came the frustrated yell of the lord who was about to break through their barriers while the rest of the mooks were resting in pieces around them.


    Giving another quick glance at the ritual, he saw that smoke rising from the noble lady was increasing, as was the white flame in the chalice.


    Reaching the man in a second, he thrust his sword forward, pushing a Mana Strike to the very tip of the blade, trying to weave the spells he had on the sword. For a moment that felt like an eternity Sam feared that he had failed and his sword was stopped by the churning barrier, but then ever so slowly, the sword began to slide forward, picking up speed and ending up in the assailant¡¯s skull through the bottom of his mouth.


    For another long moment, the mana surrounding the man churned and spewed, obviously agitated, and Sam would have sworn it was angry at him, before the enemy player¡¯s health vanished and with it, the connection to their patron.


    Sam let out a relieved sigh and yanked the sword out of the man, but he had to shake his head in disgust as the miasma began to eat away at it as soon as he stopped channeling mana through it.


    He threw it away and took out another sword from his inventory and turned his attention towards the other fight.


    Sadly, the intensity of the mana surrounding them didn¡¯t go down with the death of their comrade. Hell, it seemed to have grown.


    Taking a stance, he waited for a lull in the fight.


    It came soon as the fighting parties separated after another clash that left the dark-clad side with ashen skin (where it could be seen through the rips of their clothing) showing that the incredible amount of uncontrolled mana seemed to have an actual price on their bodies.


    While the Lord seemed to be in better shape, his gauntlets were starting to get corroded at certain points.


    Sam didn¡¯t waste another second, already chastising himself for playing around at the beginning, and launched several Wind Flurries at the players trying to make him fail his quest. It was mana intensive, but it was so worth it watching them smugly tanking with their barriers, and then seeing said barriers shredded by his Mana Disruption.


    They might have had enormous amounts of mana, but they didn¡¯t even have an iota of control over it.


    Of the three players still alive, one of them was diced instantly and the second one got their barriers destroyed, which the lord immediately made use of, pouncing on the man, and turning him from 3D into 2D.


    The last man yelled something incoherently, but their barrier held.


    Then, as Sam was looking around for the suspiciously missing ¡®boss encounter¡¯ the mana spiked once again and the man¡¯s body seized up, freezing in place for a moment. When the episode was over, their body was relaxed, their eyes were pure black, and the previously fully chaotic mana around them began to swirl in a streamlined fashion that spoke of unbelievable control.


    The eyes roamed around, taking in everything, and Sam felt the breath freeze inside him as the eyes landed on him.


    ¡°Befouler!¡± The voice that came out of the man resembled nothing like how a human would sound. It was deep, echo-y but at the same time grating and high pitched.


    Despite the seriousness of the situation, Sam couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you¡­¡±


    Lord Silvercrest stepped up next to Sam cautiously, eyes never leaving the being that possessed the last enemy alive.


    ¡°You know this¡­ creature, my friend?¡±


    ¡°Guess who had the chalice?¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    The monster opened the mouth of the human¡¯s body, pointed at Sam, and once again roared.


    ¡°BEFOULER!¡±


    And at the same moment, turned around and launched himself at the barrier protecting the lady of the house and the wizard performing.


    Sam launched several attacks, and the man next to him roared and jumped after the monster, but they were too slow.


    The body reached the barrier with extreme speed and Sam felt a brief pulse of extremely disgusting mana, and then it exploded.


    The lord of the manor let out an anguished roar, but thanks to his senses Sam saw enough and knew that while everybody was hurt thanks to the explosion (while he remained stable, Mana Shield was eroded on several spots on his body causing several small wounds to appear) the shield protecting the ritual was still intact.


    Then, as the guards groaned on the ground, and the crying of the maids intensified, there was a small crack. Then another and another, until everybody could hear the tinkling of something like glass falling and hitting the ground.


    Through his magical senses, Sam watched as the ritual shield broke down, leaving the participants exposed to the elements.


    Sending a brief burst of unshaped wind at the garden, he sent the dust cloud away that was kicked up after the explosion.


    The moment the dust was cleared away, the Lord took a hesitant step forward and cried out with relief.


    ¡°My darling Sylvia!¡±


    The lady of the house couldn¡¯t answer as she was currently writhing deliriously upon her divan, while the black smoke rising from her body seemed to be being sucked into the Chalice of Restraint while the white flames burned with an intensity that made it hard to look at it.


    All his senses were focused on the lady and the transfer of the parasite from her weakened body into the purifying flames of the Chalice, so it was rather understandable that neither Sam nor anybody else from the household noticed as one of the maids hesitantly began to walk towards the lady of the house.


    His head, however, snapped up from witnessing some rather impressive magic when the very familiar and oh-so-hated magic of the dark being returned with a rather small pulse.


    It took only a second for him to find the maid within striking distance of Lady Sylvia, with eyes darker than the darkest night.


    The dark being in the guise of the woman sent him a brief smirk, then raised a sword retrieved from who knows where wreathed in eldritch darkness that seemed to drip misery and struck with reckless abandon.


    Then a lot of things happened in a short amount of time.


    The guards all yelled out, the maids were crying even louder and the man standing next to Sam let out another anguished roar.


    ¡°SYLVIA! NOO!¡±


    But everybody knew that they would be too late to save the lady¡¯s life.


    The only one who didn¡¯t move was Sam, who answered the being¡¯s smirk with a smirk of his own.


    At the exact moment the maid¡¯s hand holding the sword got near the woman, the shadows next to her bubbled, and Lucky, like a shark made of shadows, launched upwards and bit her on the hand, stopping the attack entirely.

 Chapter 39

    For a long moment, Sam luxuriated in the feeling of getting one over his enemy, then he watched as Lucky with a violent motion threw the murderous assassin maid away from the lady of the manor, then with deliberately threatening steps left the shadow and protectively stood next to the suffering woman, almost curling up around her. He looked enormous with his fluffy fur puffed in anger.


    Instantly, several guards and undercover guards posing as maids were on the false one, pushing her into the ground, but keeping her alive.


    Sam didn¡¯t spare any more thought to the assassin as, coincidently, the ritual seemed to be picking up. The white fire blazing in the chalice grew even brighter and bigger, while the smoke rising from the woman turned into almost liquid as it left her body.


    The cursed smoke as it left the body began to churn in the air over the ritual circle, expanding then contracting, but it stayed strictly over the rune circle.


    The wizard standing at one of the focal points of the ritual never stopped chanting, and the moment the great cloud of miasma and very dark magic began collecting above the ritual increased their pace and volume of chanting.


    As the guards who weren¡¯t guarding the oddly docile assassin were starting the cleanup, the lord of the manor stepped up next to Sam, staring at the ritual, most specifically at his wife.


    Sam said nothing, just watched as slowly, with raised hands and the magic radiating light to his alternative sights, the wizard directed it ever so slowly over the burning white fire which, as soon as it touched the cursed material, began to grow upwards.


    At first, the flames just barely tickled the bottom of the bubble of miasma, but that was enough to send the miasma running. It began to vibrate and churn even stronger, but the ritual held firm. Soon the bubble of miasma was suspended over the flame like a choice of meat and was being burned. Second by second, it decreased in size, and Sam could see how the pulsing dark magic was also decreasing, as a bonus, the magic in the lady of the house was also calming down, though it was dangerously thin and weak.


    Sam just watched along calmly as Lord Silvercrest muttered and walked to and fro, fretting for his wife.


    A three focal point ritual was nothing to write home about. In his memories of the future that never will be, he saw several rituals where more than a hundred wizards, sorcerers, and mages had to participate with material costs that would have bankrupted a small country. Depressingly, these rituals were mostly performed for the sake of some spoiled second-gen rich heir who wanted to get stronger.


    In truly human fashion, there were actual guilds that specialized in providing exactly this type of ritual with very competitive fees.


    Of course, there were sinister rituals carried out by necromancers and dark mages. Summoning daemons and other dark beings to do their bidding, or be devoured by the very beings they summoned.


    That was why he wanted to learn Runecraft. His hope was that if he knew how rituals worked, then he would have an easier time disrupting them. Sadly, the other Sam didn¡¯t know much about runes besides the basics, so he had almost no insider information about it. But that was exactly what made it interesting to him. He wasn¡¯t following the steps of the other Sam. He was blazing his own trail¡­


    As his thoughts meandered, the ritual let out the biggest pulse to date, and the white flame rose once more, enveloping the bubble of miasma, once, twice, and three times.


    And when the flames came down after the third time, the miasma was gone. Sam could physically feel the absence of the cloying miasma from the area. The entire garden, the maids, guards, the nobles, and even the assassin let out a sigh of relief.


    The flame continued to merrily burn while the wizard controlling the ritual changed their chant and over the next few minutes, the magic in the ritual slowly drained away, going back to the ley-lines and the white flame in the chalice slowly decreased in size until it went out completely with a small puff sound.


    ¡°Sylvia!¡± the giant man immediately exclaimed and rushed next to his wife. Sam noticed that the wizard sent the lord an annoyed look but otherwise stayed silent. The enormous man stopped on a dime next to the harshly panting noble lady, knelt down, and began to cradle tenderly the woman in his hands.


    ¡°You¡¯re alright! You¡¯re alright¡­¡±


    Sam turned away, knowing that he wouldn¡¯t be much use to the man as he could see several people dressed as healers with the sign of the House of Silvercrest rushed over and began to fuss over them and the wizard.


    Instead, he began to help with the cleanup. He collected shattered weapons, armor, and clothing scraps, dug up corrupted ground that was hit by the attacks of the possessed enemy, and shoveled it into boxes brought in. And sometimes nicked a few things from the corpses.


    An amulet with weird runes, a ring with an unfamiliar symbol, weirdly shaped daggers, and in one case, a very nice bag of money. Sam was sure that the Silvercrest servants knew what he was doing (he wasn¡¯t trying to be stealthy) but either they chalked up his behavior to being an adventurer or they didn¡¯t care.


    Slowly, over an hour, the garden was put in order, though it still showed the signs of a fight happening, the corpses were taken away and the debris was piled in one out-of-the-way corner.


    Sam was about to find an excuse to leave when the tired-looking butler approached him.


    ¡°Master Adventurer,¡± he greeted Sam with respect shining in his eyes.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Sam returned the greeting with a respectful nod.


    ¡°I bring greetings from the Master.¡± Lord Silvercrest and his wife have long ago been bundled up and escorted back to the manor. ¡°He bids you to return on the morrow to discuss your well-deserved remuneration.¡±


    ¡°I assume he was quite louder than that¡­¡± said Sam with a small smirk as he began a quick check of his equipment while also letting out a small whistle to call Lucky back to him. The fortunate wolf was being pampered by several maids. Hearing the whistle, he sprung up from his back and, with several powerful jumps, arrived next to him. Sam gave him a quick pat on the head and the silly wolf jumped into his shadow with a graceful swan dive.


    ¡°Quite,¡± replied the butler in a dry tone and turned around, leading Sam to the gates.


    <hr>


    Leaving the manor grounds was rather funny.


    While inside the manor walls, a small battle had taken place, several skirmishes had broken out throughout the city between rival guilds while the city guards desperately tried to calm things down.


    Naturally, it didn¡¯t help that the promised raid on the Auction House Warehouse didn¡¯t happen, so now everybody was pointing fingers at everybody else. At least, that was what he overheard during his walk.


    First, he visited the Auction House to check if there was anything that would interest him.


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    He sat down for a little while in one of the corners that were reserved for the independent players while several areas of the Auction House were covered with several clans and guilds who had their people eternally hunt for bargains.


    The first thing he noticed was that there were several highly armored guards walking around in the halls of the establishment and when he turned on his Mana Sight, he saw that several servants who were serving the people or answering questions had suspiciously high mana levels. Though he had to stop as one of the women who were at the service desk sent him a playful glare.


    Sam gave her a respectful nod with a small smile, then returned to browsing.


    The material section wasn¡¯t interesting to him as nobody had much chance to find the important mines. Though he made sure to check just to be sure, sadly it was just as empty as he expected. The armor and weapon were full of mass-manufactured crap, as was the alchemy section.


    ¡®The novels lied to me. Where is the Thousand Year Old Ginseng? Where is Fire Sword of Awesome?¡¯ he grumbled to himself, then turned his attention to the recipe section. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­ armor, armor, weapon, weapon¡­ potion, potion, addicting drug¡­¡¯ Once again, nothing interesting. Searching for runes, he came up with nothing.


    Finally, he turned towards the skill book section. As expected, the top of the screen was full of the Life of Blood skill book for ludicrous prices while mixed in were some ridiculous skills like Lightning Beam, Blizzard and other, very situational skills.


    ¡®Soon they will learn the cons of long cast times¡­ And hopefully the concept of friendly fire¡­¡¯ he mused with an evil smile as he did a few searches.


    Searching the wind category yielded him the Wind Drill spell that allowed one to envelop their weapon with a drilling wind effect. Mostly useful for spear users, but he wanted to integrate it into his rotation.


    The shadow category was empty of anything interesting, which wasn¡¯t a big surprise as it was a rather rare type.


    Then, as promised to himself, he looked into the health-increasing skills. He discarded the idea of getting several smaller skills that would give him a few percentage improvements because Sam didn¡¯t really want to over-clutter his skill collection.


    Finally, after half an hour of searching, he found a very cheap skill at the bottom of the list for several gold coins.


    With shining eyes, he immediately bought out the skill, not even bothering to bid on it. It was just too good of a catch.


    With that, he stopped his browsing, walked up to the service desk, waited until it was his turn, and was helped by the woman who noticed his snooping. He paid for the items and put them into his inventory before leaving.


    <hr>


    From the Auction House, he directly headed to the Cloudy Day Inn. He ordered a filling meal, as after a fight one needed to replenish his energy, and while Lucky, the great ham, begged for scraps around the dining hall, he tried to fight the urge to open his notifications.


    Finishing his meal and thanking the waitress with a smile, he collected Lucky, who was in the process of charming several waitresses off the clock and retreated to his room.


    Inside the room, he gave Lucky several high-quality slices of meat and water, then changed into much more comfortable clothing, hopped on the bed, with his back to the wall, and took out the two new skill books.


    [Congratulations, you¡¯ve learned the spell, Wind Drill!]


    [Wind Drill: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to grant the tip of your weapon wind shaped as a drill, enhancing its penetration ability.]


    [Congratulations, you¡¯ve learned the skill, Mana Body!]


    [Mana Body: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Your mana permeates your body, enhancing and improving it. The better the control of your mana is, and the more mana you have, the bigger the effect is. For every 100 Mana Points, it grants you 1 Base Health gain. For every skill level, it increases the Health Regeneration by 0,1.]


    The moment he learned it and the skill book vanished, he instantly felt mana coursing through his body, reaching every little corner. It was a rather peculiar feeling. Sam didn¡¯t think he could have explained it using words.


    It was an awesome skill, especially for him with his humongous amount of mana. And combined with the rest of the skills, it would become a powerhouse soon. Though it made sense why the person selling it was doing so. According to his inherited memories, most people who specialized in mana were hovering around 500-600 Mana points currently. So this would seem like a waste of time and money to get.


    ¡®How they would cry later when it turns out you would need to do a very tedious quest to get this book¡­¡¯


    Smirking at his good luck, Sam finally turned towards his notification screen while the satiated Lucky jumped on the bed and laid down next to him.


    [Spirit Link is now Level 17!]


    [Your companion, Lucky, has reached Level 18!]


    [Lucky¡¯s skill, Shadow Jump is now Level 7!]


    Sadly, Lucky wasn¡¯t lucky enough to learn a new skill. Still, any improvement was good, so he made sure to praise the silly wolf a little before turning to his own notifications.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You¡¯re now Level 23!]


    [Gained 2 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Gained 1 WIS point because of the wise decisions that you made!]


    Nodding slightly, he added the two unassigned points to DEX and AGI before continuing.


    [Advanced Mana Control is now Level 19!]


    [Stable Mana Control is now Level 10!]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 36!]


    [Controlled Mana Shield is now Level 10!]


    [Sustained Mana Shield is now Level 10!]


    [Layered Mana Shield is now Level 1!]


    Sam had to goggle at the incredible gains he had gotten with Mana Shield. ¡®Apparently shielding against miasma is really worth it¡­¡¯


    [Earth Wall II is now Level 2!]


    [Phasing Strike is now Level 1!]


    [Extended Mana Strike is now Level 1!]


    [Efficient Mana Slash is now Level 5!]


    [Double Mana Slash is now Level 4!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 23!]


    [Mana Influenced Body is now Level 1!]


    [Mana Disruption is now Level 6!]


    [Congratulations, thanks to your ingenuity you have learned the skill Spell Layering!]


    [Spell Layering: Level 0/25 (0%) (Passive) Allows you to layer spells onto each other. The synergy depends on the spells themselves. For every level in this skill, you can add another spell to the layering. The current number of spells that can be layered: 2.]


    Sam stared at the spell for a moment, then nodded with a satisfied smile. He had hoped to gain it, as it was a pretty basic Spellblade class skill, but he had expected he would need to do the layering without the skill a few more times. ¡®Probably the Mana Control helped¡­¡¯


    [Wind Blade II is now Level 2!]


    [Wind Flurry is now Level 1!]


    [Wind Bullet is now Level 1!]


    [Healing Wind is now Level 4!]


    [Wind Jump is now level 1!]


    [Wind Edge is now Level 3!]


    [Wind Affinity is now Level 4!]


    The wind-natured spells were climbing with a steady pace so Sam was satisfied.


    [Shadow Footwork is now Level 14!]


    [Shadow Burst is now level 5!]


    Sadly, he didn¡¯t have the opportunity to use his Shadow Mirage skill, but he didn¡¯t really mind. Using a skill like that in real battle was foolish beyond reason.


    Finally, he turned his attention towards physical skill.


    [Intermediate Sword Mastery is now Level 12!]


    [Freeform Defense is now Level 1!]


    [Intermediate Breathing Technique is now Level 4!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 20!]


    [Flow is now Level 11!]


    [Thanks to exposure to the corrupting miasma you gained Corruption Resistance.]


    [Corruption Resistance: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to exposure, you gained resistance against corruption. Makes it easier to resist the effects of substances and spells that try to corrupt you. Each level increases the resistance by 1%.]


    Satisfied with his gains, Sam did a quick read-through of his status, then instead of heading out, he retrieved the loot from the battle and began to examine the runes on the amulet he appropriated from one of the dead assailants.

 Chapter 40

    The amulet was rather simple. Circular, around a few inches in diameter, hanging on a simple leather chain. It had no active magic running through it and the passive magic was almost gone from it. Under Sam¡¯s careful eyes, however, even that meager amount of mana revealed its secrets. Mostly because, thanks to his studies in Runecraft, he recognized several symbols that were responsible for connecting two focuses together.


    That implied that the amulet itself was some kind of focus. And while the main rune, probably the Heart Rune in the middle of the amulet, told him nothing, his inherited memories, after a little searching, came back with an answer.


    As Sam suspected, it was from an evil cult.


    The cult itself was eradicated as part of one of many story quests present in Magic Unbound far into the future after they caused an untold amount of trouble.


    The other Sam didn¡¯t know that they were responsible for the Ironwood Monster Break, but based on the memories he found, it wasn¡¯t really surprising.


    The cult was named Calon¡¯s Circle, Calon being a mysterious demonic being, with no clear goal. At least the other Sam knew nothing about their goals. The modus operandi of the Calon¡¯s Circle was to find areas where strife could be found (which was basically everywhere) and make contact with people who wanted power and then use them as patsies.


    That changed when the players came. Players couldn¡¯t die properly, so Calon could use them much more. According to Sam¡¯s memories, they would make a rather clich¨¦ deal with some dark being and immediately get a big boost for their power, and the price was usually a tiny favor. Because the deal was obviously rather weighted towards Calon¡¯s Circle, only the most desperate and stupid took it. Or those who wanted to roleplay as a demonic being¡¯s puppet (Sam wasn¡¯t about to kink shame¡­). Most of their members were rather edgy and dramatic.


    So, teenagers¡­


    Curiously, most goths avoided the Circle and went with some of the proper Death cults¡­


    ¡¯Probably that¡¯s why Marak got so angry. Recognized the presence of Calon¡¯s Circle and went to stomp them out¡­¡¯


    Carefully, he noted the major runes of the amulet down on a proper piece of paper, as there was no way he was putting something with connections to a dark being in his own Grimoire, then folded the paper into a smaller shape and put it in an envelope.


    Then he took out the ring.


    It was also a simple affair, a band of what looked like gold but probably was not, with a simple inlaid white gem with an odd green tint.


    Focusing his senses and attention on it, he channeled a bit of his mana into it. As he slowly felt the mana move through the material, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. Fighting was cool, but the way the company managed to make it so that he could feel something that didn¡¯t exist move, was extraordinary. A few seconds later, the slow-moving mana reached a stone and stopped for a moment, then with a little push, it started moving again.


    Outside, the stone which previously only had a little green tint now shone with full green light. As Sam looked at the gem, he couldn¡¯t help but compare the light from the gem to the light of his Healing Wind spell.


    Just to prove his theory, a screen popped up in front of him.


    [Congratulations, thanks to your expertise with mana you managed to identify the ring!]


    [Ring of Minor Health Regeneration: A small ring, made from subpar materials, with a low-quality magical gem. As long as the gem holds mana, it aids with health regeneration. Can hold 100 Mana Points, and Regenerates 10 Health Points for every point of mana consumed. Current Mana: 100/100.]


    A simple ring, but it was better than what he had. Which was nothing. The guy probably only had it because he didn¡¯t know how to recharge it. Just one more way to bind him to the Circle.


    ¡®His loss and my gain.¡¯


    He carefully slipped the ring on one of his fingers, and then checked the time.


    ¡°Time to log out.¡±


    He did the usual preparations and joined Lucky on the bed.


    <hr>


    In his apartment, he removed his gaming helmet and did some stretches. Listening to the crack in his back, he went and took a good, long shower, trying to banish the picture of the person falling apart into chunks.


    Then, after a filling meal, he plopped down in front of his computer and began his search for new information.


    The first thing that he noticed was that Future Unknown had put out a statement that in two weeks¡¯ time they would be holding a news conference about the changes to the game.


    Sam quickly checked his calendar and noted that the posted date was two weeks before the original, where they announced the play time changes. That is, the game could be only played from six in the afternoon, until six in the morning on the following day after consultation with the government due to the incredible popularity of the game.


    Apparently, his actions, even though he tried to minimize them, had some effects.


    Sighing a little dejectedly, he still had to celebrate. The random login and logout times were wreaking havoc on his body.


    Still, knowing the date would allow him to plan at least a little ahead, probably like all the major players. They didn¡¯t mention it in the statement, but the same announcement would be used to start the Real Money exchange for the game.


    Which meant he would need to make preparations.


    The RMT would attract all the rich fools, and he would need to be in a perfect position to help them spend some of their easily earned money. It was practically his civic duty.


    Then he turned his attention towards Shadowland.


    He sought out the posts about Ironwood and went hunting. He needed bigger chaos¡­


    The first thing he found that was worth meddling with was a very angry post.


    One thousand for information about proper Troll spawning locations (at least 10)


    The author of the post was ranting and raving about the issues of other guilds gobbling up good spots and not finding any themselves.


    He opened the post and quickly began typing after consulting the map he downloaded from his gaming rig. While he didn¡¯t know exactly the coordinates, he knew, or at least ¡®remembered¡¯ the attributes of the trolls and knew where they would be spawning. Just for fun, he added the one he cut through on the way to the ancient ruin.


    Typing away for a few seconds, he looked at what he had wrought and couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    Clicking on the submit button, he let out a small cackle and, after taking a sip of his drink, he went back to hunting for opportunities.


    <hr>


    After login, he dressed in one of his better outfits, then after giving Lucky a quick brush and belly rub and having a filling meal, he returned to the Silvercrest manor.


    On the way, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. The entire city was brimming with frustration and anger. Players glared at each other, and guild members moved in groups like geese, staring daggers at each other while the NPCs tried to avoid being on the street.


    It was glorious¡­


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    In contrast to the city, the atmosphere in the Silvercrest manor was rather joyous. The guards were wearing big smiles and the moment they spotted him, they ran ahead to greet him.


    ¡°Welcome, Sir! The Lord ordered us to lead you directly to him!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± he replied and allowed the excited guard to practically drag him to the gate.


    At the gate, he was met with the butler, same as always, but this time, instead of the usual poker face, he was greeted by a thin smile on the older gentleman¡¯s face.


    ¡°Welcome back, Sir. The Lord is waiting for you.¡±


    Sam just nodded with a smile of his own and followed the older man. The entire manor was awash with excitement, with servants and maids rushing about with a smile on their faces. ¡®Apparently, they really like the nobles¡­ will wonder never cease¡­¡¯ Sam thought as he looked around.


    He was finally led into a grand office where he was immediately assaulted.


    Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t by an attacker but by a bear of a man with a hug and a loud laugh.


    ¡°My friend! What a joyous occasion! Am I glad to see you!¡±


    After making his best attempt to crush Sam¡¯s spine, the man finally let him go and, after catching his breath, Sam managed to answer.


    ¡°And I¡¯m glad to see you well, my lord!¡± He finished his greeting with a small bow.


    He was their savior, but nobles could be finicky. Sam didn¡¯t want to mess up at the last minute. Until he had the rewards in his hands, he wasn¡¯t going to celebrate.


    ¡°None of that, my friend!¡± came the booming exclamation from the grinning noble. ¡°Call me Miro, like all my friends.¡±


    ¡°Then you can call me Sam¡­ Miro,¡± replied Sam with an awkward smile. The lord just laughed, then quickly walked behind his equally enormous desk, sat down, and motioned for Sam to do the same.


    ¡°Come, come! Sit, my friend!¡±


    Sam sat down and then looked at the other man, who immediately began to talk with an excited voice. And of course, very loudly.


    ¡°Let us get to the main point of discussion!¡± he declared, then at the same moment, almost slapped the desk with his forehead, he bowed so fast forward. ¡°Thank you for saving my wife!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, my lord,¡± Sam said quietly, then watched as the man raised his head, his forehead slightly red, then grinned at Sam.


    ¡°And now what you¡¯ve been waiting for! As my word, by my magic, I Miro Silvercrest, declare the contract with Sam the Adventurer is completed!¡±


    After the declaration, a small burst of magic began to swirl between the two of them, blood red, just as the blood they had signed the contract with. Then, after a second of swirling, it stopped cold in the air and burst apart. The flakes falling towards the floor and then vanishing.


    It was followed by a screen appearing in front of him.


    [The quest, ¡®A shadow in a shadow of a shadow!¡¯ has been completed!]


    [The Blood Contract has been fulfilled! You are no longer under its effect!]


    Sam smiled at it and after doing a quick check on his magic, noting that the blemish of the blood contract was gone, he returned his attention to the grinning lord.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that it is over. My journey was not a walk in a park, shall we say¡­¡± he said with a wry smile.


    ¡°HAHAHAHA, I believe you, my friend.¡±


    The lord tried to continue to speak, but Sam interrupted him by raising his hand. ¡°And I found an amulet with these symbols on it.¡± He then retrieved the prepared paperwork, handing it over to the man.


    The Lord accepted the paper with a curious look and opened it. The moment he saw the symbol, an ugly look appeared on his face.


    ¡°Ugh, these people again¡­¡±


    ¡°You know them, my lord?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Calon¡¯s Circle. Parasites, the lot of them. BERNARD!¡±


    The moment after the other man¡¯s yell, the butler entered and stood to attention.


    ¡°Yes, my lord?¡±


    Lord Silvercrest held out the paper that Sam wrote to the man who took it gently.


    ¡°Take this and information about the attackers to the good captain. We need to stomp out our infestation as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my lord.¡±


    The butler bowed again and left the room, and the nobleman turned back to Sam, the smile back on his face.


    ¡°Thank you again for the help, my friend. The House of Silvercrest will be forever in your debt.¡±


    ¡°I was just doing what you hired me to do, my lord.¡±


    ¡°HAHAHA, indeed. And how magnificently you did that! I¡¯m glad that fate led you to us!¡± came the answer from the enormous man. ¡°BUT!¡± To emphasize his point, he slapped the desk in front of him with his giant hand, causing it to shake. ¡°We¡¯re here to reward you, not just for patting your back for a job well done!¡±


    Sam¡¯s answer was a simple smile and a nod.


    The man waved his hand, and several things appeared on the desk.


    A small, finely carved box, a scroll, a book, and a sword in a scabbard.


    ¡°The box contains the gold we agreed on, plus a bonus,¡± the man began to explain with an exaggerated wink, then continued pointing at the other items in an order. ¡°This is a scroll that will function as the highest possible recommendation I can give you in this city. The book is from my beloved Sylvia. She felt that you would find the contents useful. And finally, during the fight, I noticed that your weapon is rather subpar. I looked around in my armory and found you something that is little better than what you can get from the merchants!¡±


    Sam slowly took the box and put it in his inventory. Then did the same with the obvious Grimoire, sending a silent prayer towards the RNG gods for a good one, then unfurled the scroll.


    After a quick reading, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. It would allow him to purchase and own property in the city. To own and operate any manner of business with the exception of weapon manufacturing, as well as gave him a rather sizeable tax break of five percent every year.


    He rolled up the scroll and put it in his inventory, then turned back to the older man, who was watching him with an understanding smile. Clearly, he understood what he had given to Sam.


    Then Sam stood up and took the sword into his hand and, with a quick movement, removed the blade from the scabbard. Instantly, a screen popped up.


    [Moonlight: (Longsword) An expertly crafted sword crafted under the dark moon. Capable of channeling mana without deteriorating, and enhances attacks made with shadows. Under the new moon, or when the moon is hidden, the bonus doubles.]


    The sword was simple, with the handle made from dark, almost black wood. The guard was shaped like a half moon, thin and facing forward, made from some silvery material etched with stars. The blade was long and made from a black material with a white Damascus-like pattern, etched with the phases of the moon from the stem to the tip.


    He gave it a quick swish, getting a feeling of the sword, then slightly channeled a little mana into it. It went into it like water into a cup. The sword seemingly drank it up like a thirsty person in a desert, glowing ethereally.


    Sam returned the sword to its scabbard, then affixed it to his belt and nodded at the man.


    ¡°It¡¯s magnificent, my lord. Thank you for the gift!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, my friend! It was nothing!¡± came the loud reply, but before the Lord could continue, the door to the office banged open and in the doorway stood a very familiar lady. There stood the young lady of the house. Her long blonde hair was meticulously done up in a nice braid, wearing a comfortable but obviously expensive dress that was revealing while staying classy, and her thin lips were drawn into a scowl.


    ¡°Father, why didn¡¯t you tell me you were meeting him?¡±


    ¡°Lucrecia! My darling daughter¡­¡±


    The young woman just scoffed and then her eyes met Sam¡¯s and he couldn¡¯t help but swallow. With a small jump, the young lady appeared in front of him and grasped his hands. Sam could feel how delicate and smooth her hands were.


    ¡°Adventurer! I have been waiting for you!¡±


    ¡°You have?¡±


    ¡°Yes! It seems fate has led you to us and now I shall reward you for protecting my mother!¡±


    Sam sent a glance at her father, but he was suspiciously looking at a rather drab painting of a lake, and for some unfathomable reason, whistling softly.


    Returning his attention to the girl in front of him, he couldn¡¯t help but answer.


    ¡°You would?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes!¡± replied the girl with an enthusiastic nod that did wonders to the clothing she wore. Sam couldn¡¯t help but take a look but then he returned his sight to the girl¡¯s face.


    ¡°And how would you like to do that, my lady?¡±


    When you don¡¯t understand what is going on, be polite. That was Sam¡¯s motto in his last life.


    ¡°I shall allow you to enjoy my company on your future adventures!¡±


    Came the proud declaration from the young lady, her eyes shining fervently, probably imagining all the adventures they could get up to together.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I shall accompany you from now on!¡±


    Sam sent another glance at the lord of the manor, however, the man was currently polishing a rather shiny chess set.


    Sam looked back at the hopeful woman, his eyes dipping a few times, but then he firmed his resolve and cleared his throat.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my lady. But I currently work alone, and I have already accepted a job that would require me to head out alone,¡± he began explaining, despite knowing full well had no such plans. ¡°And training you up would take much time.¡±


    The girl¡¯s lip began to tremble and her eyes were starting to shine, but Sam continued to talk.


    ¡°BUT! But, if you want to help, which I accept happily, then maybe you could do me a small favor.¡±


    The shine from her eyes vanished instantly, and the lips that were trembling transformed into a grin.


    ¡°How? I¡¯ll do anything!¡±


    ¡°As a noble lady, you are uniquely positioned to hear all sorts of information. I would ask you to keep an ear out for information that would be helpful to me. In exchange, I¡¯ll visit you regularly with Lucky.¡±


    He could see a war going on in her head, but seconds later, the girl nodded and finally let go of his hand, took a step back, and then nodded imperiously.


    ¡°I shall allow it this time!¡± Then, without saying another word turned around and ran out of the room.


    Sam looked at her father with a questioning gaze, but he just shrugged.


    ¡®Well, it seems reincarnation didn¡¯t make me better with women¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    After saying goodbye to a thankful household and promising to visit, he quickly did a detour to the bank where he deposited his reward. It was gratifying to see the big eyes the manager had made when he opened the box. Sam was pretty sure that if his fellow players were to see the numbers on the report made about his accounts, they would hunt him to the end of the world. He had several thousands of gold coins, as well as a lot of silver and bronze, with a smattering of jewels.


    Aside from the gold farming groups, he was the richest person currently in the region; he was sure of that.


    After finishing the paperwork at the bank, he immediately headed to the City Administration office. He once again stood in line, then when he reached the desk, he just simply showed the recommendation letter and was led to an office where a sharply dressed woman greeted him.


    ¡°Mr. Sam, my name is Julia. How can the City Administration help you today?¡±


    ¡°I would like to purchase some property¡­¡±

 Chapter 41 - Interlude 3

    Damien didn¡¯t much like his life.


    Home was home, his parents were parent-ish, his siblings were annoying, and school was a nightmare. But he had one very good outlet for all that annoyance.


    Gaming.


    Recently he began to get into Darkwar a strategy-slash-roleplaying game that had the players build a base on a planet in a dark universe and then conquer the planet, protect it from invaders and cultists. Then, when the planet was conquered, they would be fighting against other players and their planetary or even interstellar empires while protecting them from the hordes of aliens that wanted to destroy everything. It was glorious!


    With his friends together, they set up a small empire, and they fought tooth and nail to protect their slice of the galaxy.


    Then Matt came with the news of Magic Unbound, some kind of revolutionary roleplaying game.


    Damien didn¡¯t care much for it. He was perfectly content with purging ¡®heretics¡¯ and burning the xeno. But the rest of his friends were immediate fans.


    And during a meeting in his lavish throne room, which he had built in his planetary palace (it improved the subjugation stats) they, as in his traitorous friends, decided that they would migrate over to the new game as soon as the game servers opened.


    Their argument was sound. In Darkwar they were latecomers. Their small empire was impressive as they spent a lot of time making sure that the logistics and economy worked like a well-oiled machine, but people who started out earlier had much better and, more importantly, stronger armies.


    In a new game, everybody would start at the same level, and with their talent in gaming, they would advance much faster than any noob.


    Still, he didn¡¯t have to like it. In Darkwar he was the Emperor of the Darkfire Empire. Millions of (simulated) souls moved as a result of any command he uttered. In the new game, he would be a nobody again.


    Damien didn¡¯t like being a nobody¡­


    <hr>


    Damien took back every wrong thing he said about his friends.


    Magic Unbound was amazing! No! It was beyond amazing!


    He could do magic! But it was not the same boring magic casting as in every other game that came out nowadays. Instead, they had to work for it.


    When Damien found out how complicated the magical system in the game was, he immediately decided to become a mage. His friends went with the usual thief, assassin, and alchemist. It was a good party composition. He usually went with the death knight class, but now he wanted to sling magic around.


    Then, when he thought about it and realized that the non-existent class system of the game allowed him to become anything he damn wanted, Damien decided he would still become a death knight, just with glorious magic.


    Unfortunately, deciding to do something was much different from actually doing it.


    Getting his mana unlocked was cheap and easy, but actually finding the appropriate spells that he needed for his build was many a times harder. The mage tower in the tutorial town sold him a simple Magic Armor spell that would be useful later down the road, but everything else required more gold (or commitment) than he was willing to pay for it.


    So as he was grumpily walking around in the black alleys of the town, looking for a quest or something to do, he was instantly on alert when he heard a throat clearing behind his back.


    Damien whirled around and stared at the hooded person standing under an awning, only their feet illuminated by a stray light beam.


    ¡°What?¡±


    While he couldn¡¯t see the person¡¯s face, he could clearly see the hooded head look carefully around, then turned back to him.


    ¡°I heard you¡¯ve been looking for magic, kid¡­¡± His voice was deep and scratchy, but Damien couldn¡¯t help but be excited.


    A chance encounter with a hidden master!


    After his argument with the mage tower, this was exactly what the doctor ordered. So what if he yelled at them for their prices or called them out for hoarding magic?


    ¡°I do!¡± he answered with a nod.


    ¡°Good!¡± he didn¡¯t see anything but could practically feel the grin on the other person¡¯s face. ¡°This is what you have to do¡­¡±


    <hr>


    So, the hidden master turned out to be a cult recruiter, but Damien didn¡¯t mind. Cults were usually cool in games. Plus, in most games, they came with hidden (and powerful) classes. Granted, Magic Unbound didn¡¯t have classes, so instead, they got cool artifacts and super-powerful spells.


    Damien even convinced the leader of the circle that he was part of, that if he succeeded with a few quests, then he would teach him some knightly skills. Like Darkslash or maybe how to summon a ghostly steed! Cults usually knew how to do that¡­


    So with reckless abandon, and while also bragging to his friends how fast he got an awesome teacher, armed with an amulet that granted him some buffs like Demon¡¯s Aura, Dark Enhancement taught to him by the leader of the circle and a very nice ring that granted him regeneration (sadly he had to have the circle leader to refill it but it was oh so worth it to see his friends¡¯ faces) on his finger he went out to do the dark bidding of his new teacher.


    First, he had to do the usual RPG quests. Collect this material, hunt down this many monsters, kill those merchants, give a letter to those bandit groups and so on.


    Damien didn¡¯t really mind. The game looked amazing and using the spells and skills he learned felt very rewarding. Thanks to his genius, he even managed to combine his Dark Enhancement with his Magic Armor spell, creating a very appropriate Dark Armor spell.


    He was so much closer to his dream of being a Death Knight!


    The leader even rewarded him with an amazingly powerful amulet! It allowed him to draw on more power from their patron, Calkon or something. He didn¡¯t much care for the lore that was much more Matt¡¯s area of expertise. That was why he was always an alchemist.


    Instead, he went out and defeated even more powerful monsters, including trolls, the same monsters everyone was hunting. And thanks to the Dark Luck spell, a spell he traded several previous loot for on an altar, he managed to get four Life of Blood spellbooks for himself and all his friends.


    Clearly, joining the cult was the best decision ever! Damien couldn¡¯t wait for the next quest!


    <hr>


    Damien didn¡¯t have to wait long, as the leader came back one afternoon and told him and the others hanging around the lair of the cult that they had a raid planned and everybody was going.


    It was expected that the leader would lead from the back. After all, somebody would need to be responsible for bringing down the magical defenses, so Damien didn¡¯t complain when he received his mandatory black all-concealing clothing.


    He made sure his blade was sharp and his magical armor ready.


    ¡°Ready, initiate?¡± came the grave voice of the circle¡¯s leader.


    Damien bowed his head a little.


    ¡°Yes, master!¡±


    ¡°Good¡­Goood¡­ Make sure to take out the target, no matter what!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± he snapped out a salute, a holdover from his emperor days from Darkwar. ¡°And if we succeed, can you teach me those awesome summoning skills, master?¡±


    The other man, still hidden by a hood, chortled a little, then nodded.


    ¡°Sure, initiate. If you succeed, I¡¯ll consider teaching you what I know.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    <hr>


    The start of the battle went great. The leader shattered the magical defenses of the manor with a simple flex of his will, once again proving to Damien that he made the right choice. Those idiots back in the magic tower can choke on their stupid spells. He would get the best magical skill from the real masters!


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    But the moment they jumped over the walls, everything changed.


    The first person was taken out by some kind of attack that Damien couldn¡¯t see. But what he could clearly see was the player standing next to their target, today¡¯s ¡®raid boss¡¯, some kind of lord.


    Still, Damien didn¡¯t worry. They had several NPCs and while everybody was careful to conceal their identity; he was sure there were at least several other players in the cult.


    Sadly, things went downhill from there. Thanks to the player present, they didn¡¯t have enough people to defeat the raid boss. No matter how much he drew from his patron, he couldn¡¯t do anything against the boss.


    Then everybody around him was defeated, and he stood against an obviously enraged boss and a suspiciously calm player. Damien thanked his lucky stars that he had turned on the recording because that guy was going to get himself assassinated as soon as he could contact his friends.


    But in the end, nothing he did was useful and Damien was defeated. But instead of the game over screen, he was forced to watch from behind his character¡¯s back, like a disembodied spirit, as his body was taken over by something, probably his patron, and used his body to detonate against the barrier protecting the ritual¡­


    <hr>


    When he resurrected, he was greeted by a notification screen.


    [Due to overdrawing your mana, while channeling the lord of the circle, Calon, through your body, you are struck by Magical Exhaustion!]


    [You successfully allowed Calon to act through your body. You gained the Dark Body skill! ]


    [You failed the task given to you by your lord! You are afflicted by Calon¡¯s Curse! Seek out the Master of the Circle to atone for your mistake!]


    [Mana Exhaustion: Physical abilities -90%, Mana Control -90%, Mana Regeneration -90%, Using mana could result in all manner of other negative effects. Duration: 99 hours 59 minutes]


    [Dark Body: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Your body is more receptive towards dark energies. Using skills that use dark mana has decreased mana cost, and dark spells and skills that affect your body give increased bonuses. Increased damage received from light spells.]


    [Calon¡¯s Curse: You have been cursed by Calon for failure. Your maximum mana and status points have been reduced by 13%. While afflicted by the curse, you suffer continuous damage while exposed to the sun. Holding onto the curse long enough will grant you the Calon¡¯s Blessing as you have proved your dedication!]


    Damien stared at the notification for a while, then angrily slammed the logout button.


    He spent the next hours complaining and ranting to his friends about that player, especially after he figured out that the game wouldn¡¯t let him export the guy¡¯s face from his recordings thanks to some dumb privacy laws.


    And when he finished his newest ranting, he and his friends decided if they currently couldn¡¯t get at the guy who ruined Damien¡¯s plan in the game, they would ruin his reputation on the forums.


    So, with great zeal and much experience, thanks to their battles against others in Darkwar, they descended on the forums and began to call the guy out, while also smearing his character.


    Damien was pretty happy to have such loyal friends that would help him when he needed the most.


    <hr><hr>


    Lucrecia was so excited.


    Her dream had come true. Or rather, both of her dreams. Her mother got cured, and she finally met a pretty cute (and strong) adventurer. He was so cool with his magic, and according to Martha, the head maid, he was an awesome sword master who cut through dozens of enemies while protecting her mother.


    And he had that super adorable wolf with silken fur as a companion. Practically the perfect package.


    So, Lucrecia decided to offer herself up to him. After all, in all her stories, the hero was received by the heroine and then they rode away from the battle, into the sunset while holding each other. Granted, Sam didn¡¯t have a horse, but he had Lucky, who could take them anywhere on his back. Which was arguably better than any boring horse.


    She was ready for the low-brow life; living in inns and dining only on what they could hunt while he recited poems and serenaded her at the fireside.


    But then the unthinkable happened.


    She was rejected!


    Her! Lucrecia Silvercrest, with her luscious blonde hair, eyes glittering like jewels, a perfectly cute nose and a figure that most people would kill for. Sacrilege!


    But then¡­


    Then he said the words.


    The words were straight from her favorite novel, the Spymaster¡¯s Desire,  a novel she had read at least two dozen times.


    She couldn¡¯t help it and ran away in her excitement while agreeing with what he had said.


    It couldn¡¯t be a coincidence!


    He must have read the same book as she did, and because of her status, he could only communicate with her this way!


    She threw herself on her bed, grabbed the fluffiest pillow, and screamed into it in her excitement.


    Then, after she was done letting out the excitement, she sat up with a fire in her eyes.


    ¡°My fated one! I will do as you bid me and build you the best spy organization this side of the Great Ocean!¡±


    <hr>


    Outside of Lady Lucrecia¡¯s room, the maids, hearing the young lady¡¯s squeals of happiness, just shook their heads with a rueful smile and then went about their day as if nothing happened.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°What the hell happened?¡±


    ¡°Greyskull.¡±


    ¡°I thought it turned out the info was wash¡­¡±


    ¡°We think they did it on purpose to stop us!¡±


    ¡°So, they¡¯ve spies in our guild.¡±


    ¡°Probably¡­¡±


    There was a tense silence as the two of them stared at each other, trying to cut through the smokey darkness of the tavern.


    ¡°And what the hell happened with the ¡®event¡¯? I thought we timed it properly¡­ Were my sources lying?¡±


    ¡°No. I looked into it and it seems somebody went and eradicated the Calon¡¯s Circle.¡±


    ¡°Totally?¡±


    ¡°There were some very angry druids there¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe somebody got a quest to stop it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. We are currently looking into it.¡±


    Another brief pause as a waitress dressed in a skimpy hooded robe walked past holding a tray full of drinks (fruit cocktails all of them, of course) with the eyes of the two people following her journey, then when she was lost to the darkness of the inn they returned to their discussion.


    ¡°Go and find out how our plan was ruined.¡±


    ¡°As you will, sire!¡±


    ¡°Sire?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, just trying out new things. Thought about it and might as well try this roleplaying thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t really like it. Sounds weird.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to find something else then.¡±


    ¡°Good. How are the gold farmers? I heard rumors that they are planning to introduce RMT soon. I want to make as much money as possible.¡±


    Unfortunately, the other man grimaced.


    ¡°Not as good as we want to. Those damn Blazing Fire bought some info on Shadowland and have been swarming our troll fields. Plus, Greyskull is still dominating at the foot of the mountain.¡±


    The other man said nothing for a second, then nodded.


    ¡°Alright. That skill book already saturated the market, so our profit margin is not the best. Leave a group in one of the hidden farming spots for the next influx of noobs and start searching for the next best thing. Maybe fishing?¡±


    ¡°We tried that. Too slow¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm-hm. Alright, I¡¯ll contact that guy on Shadowland. They usually have some hot info about every game. I¡¯m sure I can offer him enough money to get us something juicy.¡±


    ¡°As you say, my master!¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s just creepy. Or you¡¯re not hot enough for it.¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    The entire thing was one giant exercise in frustration. The game promised infinite complexity, detailed world-building and the chance to advance without needing to fight.


    She hated fighting, be it in real life or in games. That¡¯s why she stuck to simulation or kingdom-building slice-of-life games. And not the super edgy everything-wants-to-kill-you but the cutesy ones. Where you make a cake for the neighbor because why not? Then go and spend an afternoon petting cats.


    Despite their slice-of-life nature, she still took them very seriously and enjoyed the challenge of building up infrastructures, and dealing with the economics and logistics of a city, castle or what have you.


    It was her life.


    That is why she went to university about logistics and infrastructure management. Sadly, in today¡¯s modern civilization, with the AIs directing a good part of civilian life, there weren¡¯t many positions for people like her. And in the end, the people who were chosen for said position were those who had connections.


    And unfortunately, she had no connections. Only the iron will to work hard.


    Thus, she had given up on her dream in the real world, got some crummy admin job that needed a maximum of three brain cells to do, and spent her considerable free time in different games honing her craft.


    And several years after her graduation, she could say that she was rather famous in certain circles on the internet. Or at least her guides¡­


    That¡¯s why the newest game, Magic Unbound, frustrated her.


    The opportunities were there, but it already had an established economy, so she was already in a rather unfavorable position. This meant either she needed a lot of gold, which she could either buy from sketchy sites for exorbitant amounts of money or go out and hunt monsters. Which she hated.


    Her final solution was getting a backer. For obvious reasons, she didn¡¯t want to go with sketchy gold farming groups or with some asshole second-generation rich guy, as they were notorious for their behavior.


    And when she approached the few guilds in Ironwood that were not assholes, or PK guilds or something similar, she was met with demands that she refused to fulfil. Just because she refused to fight didn¡¯t mean she was alright with getting a ninety percent reduction on her pay. Idiots!


    In her frustration, she took what little money she had and bought several supporting spells that would be useful and spent her time practicing them when not at work.


    Sometimes she visited one of the better cafes, where she could calmly read a book without being bothered by the staff to spend more or lecherous players (and NPCs).


    Today, as she walked towards the caf¨¦, she couldn¡¯t help but feel something in the air. She shivered a little, then began to hurry towards her objective. She didn¡¯t like fighting but even she could see the tension in the air¡­


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Hey, boss! Look at this! The system flagged two sub-routines as advanced!¡±


    There was a little rustle as the other man extricated himself from his own desk and walked next to the speaker.


    ¡°This fast? I thought the projection said that it would only¨C¡°


    ¡°Yeah, this fast!¡±


    ¡°Then let me see them!¡±


    The first man nodded, then spent a few moments typing on his keyboard and clicking away with his mouse.


    ¡°There!¡± he pointed at his holographic screen.


    The other man leaned slightly forward and hummed a little.


    ¡°The first one is not interesting. That¡¯s just a random teenager. Teenagers are pretty chaotic, so the system is trying to replicate that.¡± He pointed at one of the lists. ¡°As you can see here, her characteristics explain everything. So, her being advanced is just the system activating a more advanced routine for her.¡±


    ¡°Then what about the other one?¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s more interesting. A pet advancing so fast? Pretty cool.¡±


    ¡°It is! What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Add a flag and notes about our review, but otherwise, nothing.¡± There was a slight pause. ¡°Unless you think the owner cheated somehow?¡±


    The first shook his head.


    ¡°No evidence.¡±


    ¡°Good. Remember, the boss wants to know the moment we spot the first cheaters.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know¡­ no need to repeat it again¡­¡± sighed the first man as he began to type away.


    ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯m going back to working on the RMT system. Call me if you find anything interesting.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, boss!¡±


    As the second man walked back to his desk, he paused a little, then slightly turned towards his employee.


    ¡°Also, send me a few pics of the dog. He is pretty cute¡­¡±

 Chapter 42

    The registration for purchasing a property in the city of Ironwood went relatively painlessly after the woman, Julia, ascertained that the recommendation was actually real and valid. He, of course, had to fill out several forms as the bureaucracy was well and thriving, but after that, they went through the available locations on paper, and now they stood across from a rundown, two-story house.


    ¡°This is the first item on our list, Mr. Sam. Two-story, no back taxes, and in need of repair, though at a medium good location,¡± said the woman as she checked her papers.


    Sam looked at the house, making sure that the location matched up with his inherited memories, and then nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    The woman looked a little taken aback, but eventually, she returned the nod.


    ¡°Alright, then let us return to my office.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°To finalize the deal?¡± came the confused answer.


    Sam just smiled.


    ¡°What if I want to buy more than one property?¡±


    It took Julia a moment to parse the reply, but then her business smile was back on her face.


    ¡°Of course, sir. If you¡¯ll follow me for the next one?¡±


    <hr>


    In the end, Sam managed to snatch a good half dozen properties, several of them at bargain prices. And thanks to his future knowledge, all of them were at places where their value in a year would soar to the heavens. And that was just the value of the property. The business he planned to run in them was something else.


    He would have preferred to buy more properties as prices would surely be rising with the continuous rise of the player numbers, but he had to retain some capital for his plans.


    One property would be used as a generic warehouse service, with lots being able to be rented out to players. And how would he make money on it?


    Simple. If the players didn¡¯t have enough money to pay, their stored items would be confiscated after a certain time. Which he would pair with an office in the same building that would do item identification.


    It definitely wouldn¡¯t become a big moneymaker, but it would give him the excuse to apply for a private security license. Plus, the information he would be able to glean from the identification service would be also valuable.


    Three of the lots he purchased would become cheap temporary housing for transient adventurers with several shops on the lower levels that catered to their needs. Cheap food that lasted long, armor and weapon cleaning, and servicing stations and shops where they could refill their rations.


    One would also be turned into housing, but much more luxurious, for those with taste or money. It would boast a twenty-four-seven maid service, in-house maintenance staff and so much more. For the right amount of money.


    People liked exclusivity and he might as well make use of it and separate their money from them for it.


    It was a win-win for everyone!


    The last land would be used to house his employees, their offices, and a small warehouse for the items needed to run his business. Sam also planned to have a small apartment in the last building, which he could call his own.


    It wasn¡¯t a permanent base because Ironwood was a little small time for that. He had bigger plans for his permanent base. Which, as he was now, was a little hard to accomplish. But even with the changes that were happening to the world of Magic Unbound, he still had time.


    Hopefully¡­


    Now only a few more steps.


    ¡®Ugh, I want to fight monsters, not deal with paperwork¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    His next step was founding a company for future use.


    After an intense thinking session, that is, five minutes staring at nothing while the receptionist continued to read her romance novel, he decided to name his in-game company AFK, mostly to play on the popular term. But for him, it would always mean ¡®Approximate Future Knowledge¡¯.


    As he signed the paperwork, Sam couldn¡¯t help but feel proud.


    ¡®Truly, my naming sense is outstanding!¡¯


    After squaring away the nitty-gritty detail of the founding of a company, he spent a little more money to have a contract drawn up with very specific details, then went out hunting.


    He had a person to find.


    <hr>


    It was a pretty basic gaming drama.


    She had talent and knowledge, but nobody wanted to pay for it without gaining anything immediately. So, she spent her time moping around Ironwood, collecting information, and observing the markets, both players and NPC, while developing her skills and connections.


    But in the end, it was for naught.


    Most top guilds that could utilize her talents were filled with ¡®gamers¡¯ who either thought that girls shouldn¡¯t game or that all they needed was the power to crush their enemies.


    Then, one ¡®visionary¡¯ guild leader from a middling guild decided to take a chance with her. Meaning, she was hot, so he seduced her with promises of position, money, and the chance to use her talents.


    Surprisingly, it worked.


    She quickly rose to a leading position in the guild as people realized that when they learned in history lessons about the logistics of old armies, that wasn¡¯t a coincidence. An army marched on their stomach.


    Thus, it came to that the middling guild was purchased by a bigger guild, whose leader was friends with the first one¡¯s leader.


    She was instantly transferred to the new guild, along with the contract she had signed while being head over heels for her guild leader. Which came as a surprise to her, as the guild leaders conducted the sale in utmost secrecy. Apparently, her guild leader grew jealous of her talent and wanted to ¡®punish¡¯ her for daring to ¡®dream big¡¯ and ¡®reach beyond her station¡¯.


    The fallout wasn¡¯t pretty.


    Because she was in a leading position in two very prominent guilds, she naturally had access to their secrets and other dirty dealings.


    The release of that information was the talk of the game for months.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Sam remembered the other Sam watching with avid interest, feeling a little schadenfreude about the situation.


    Sadly, the story didn¡¯t end there.


    After basically ruining two guilds, she left the game and sued her guild leader for basically selling her like a slave.


    They found her body hanging from a lamppost near her house. Nothing ever came from the investigation and nobody was ever charged, but it was clear to everyone who was responsible for it.


    The only reason the gaming community knew about all of this was she prepared for the worst-case scenario and arranged several deaddrops in case something happened to her.


    And as Sam stood in a side alley, hidden by his skills, hood, and his Chameleon mask, watching (admittedly, creepily) the woman in his thoughts, sitting on the patio of a rather expensive caf¨¦ and reading some kind of book, he had to admit: she was pretty.


    Long brown hair, with small curls here and there, delicate features, and beautiful blue eyes. Beauty and talent, the full package.


    Sam grinned. He couldn¡¯t wait to give her the means to take over the world!


    <hr>


    After making sure he was presentable, and his paperwork was in order, he shed his hooded cloak, canceled the mask¡¯s effect and headed directly to the caf¨¦.


    The greeter seemed to have a sixth sense for money because the moment Sam stepped up to the hostess desk, the woman, dressed in a crisp white shirt with a black vest and skirt, immediately bowed to him ignoring several grumbling guests that were already there.


    ¡°How can we help you today, sir?¡±


    Sam gave her a small smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to talk to a friend. Brown hair, always reading?¡±


    The hostess¡¯ left eye twitched a minute, obviously twigging onto the fact that he didn¡¯t actually know the woman, but she was professional enough not to mention it.


    ¡°Of course, sir. She is out on the patio. Would you like anything to drink while you talk to her?¡±


    ¡°Yes! An apple juice, please.¡± The woman¡¯s eye twitched again. ¡°Also, put her bill on my tab. I¡¯ll take care of it after I¡¯m finished.¡±


    ¡°Naturally, sir.¡± The woman bowed her head, and as Sam began walking towards his target, he saw her making a few hand gestures at the man at the bar before turning towards the next guest with a true customer service smile.


    Sam navigated between the tables until he arrived next to the one where she was reading, immersed in her book while on the table was the remnant of a tea and some appropriate tea cakes surrounding her notes.


    Sam cleared his throat and then spoke up.


    ¡°Is this seat taken?¡±


    The woman jumped a little in fright, then looked at him, her eyes squinting in annoyance while throwing a glare at the empty tables not far from them.


    Before she could open her mouth to tell him where exactly he could go, Sam continued.


    ¡°I heard about what you want. I¡¯m here with an offer.¡±


    She blinked several times at him, but then nodded, motioned towards the chair across from her and began to tidy up her notes while placing the book, closed, on the table. Sam nodded with a small smile, then took the proffered seat.


    For a moment she said nothing, just stared at Sam, but before she could open her mouth, a waitress appeared holding his drink.


    ¡°Your drink, sir.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said while accepting the glass of high-quality apple juice.


    The waitress then turned to the woman opposite him.


    ¡°Anything for you, miss?¡±


    ¡°Nothing for now. Thank you,¡± she said quietly with a small shake of her head.


    The waitress nodded.


    ¡°Alright. Please, don¡¯t hesitate to call me if you need anything.¡± And with that, she turned around and left back to the caf¨¦.


    Sam returned his attention to the woman.


    ¡°My name is Solar. For the NPCs it¡¯s Sam.¡±


    There were a few seconds of silence, but then she sighed.


    ¡°LogiQueen, but I use the name Lucy here. What do you want?¡±


    Sam smiled. ¡°I heard that you¡¯re looking for work, but the guilds are not biting¡­¡±


    She just scoffed while crossing her arms. ¡°Fools the lot of them.¡±


    ¡°I agree. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± she asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You don¡¯t have any guild symbol on you.¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m not from a guild. I have a company, though.¡±


    ¡°Ohh?¡± Another eyebrow joined the previous one, and Sam could see she was beginning to get interested.


    ¡°Yes. And I want to hire you to lead it.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Sam just gave her an indulgent smile. ¡°Don¡¯t act stupid. Doesn¡¯t look good on you.¡±


    Lucy scoffed again. ¡°What¡¯s the goal of the company?¡±


    Here Sam¡¯s smile turned into something that was not dissimilar to a shark¡¯s. ¡°To take away as much money from the guilds as possible!¡±


    ¡°And how would you do that?¡± came the biting reply, but Sam could see in her eyes that she was interested.


    ¡°You must have noticed that this game is not like other games.¡± She nodded hesitantly. ¡°There is no point in rushing for the highest level. You need a pretty good foundation to even achieve anything, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and?¡±


    ¡°We will provide that foundation. Temporary housing in an area. Food and ration service. Armor cleaning and weapon maintenance at the same place. And for those who have money? A concierge service. Luxury apartments. Delivery of orders. Everything that is ¡®tedious¡¯ for a power player. We will do everything for them until they can¡¯t function without us.¡±


    By the end of the small speech, Lucy¡¯s eyes were big enough that she was closer to an anime girl than a real one. But then she shook herself and gave him a small glare.


    ¡°Lofty plans, I admit. But we¡¯d need more than ideas and dreams to accomplish this.¡±


    Sam smiled a little at her use of we, then simply retrieved a lone piece of paper and slid it across the table. He waited until she glanced at it and her eyes bugged out once again.


    ¡°The amount of money in the company account.¡±


    ¡°How the¡­ No. I don¡¯t want to know,¡± she mumbled as she raised the paper in front of her to better read through it. ¡°Are you some second-gen rich guy?¡±


    Sam snorted. ¡°All legitimately acquired in the game, no worries. Even have a recommendation from one of the nobles.¡±


    Lucy slowly placed the paper down on the table and looked him in the eyes. ¡°Who? The Greens? Or the Singh? I heard the Blackmarsh family sell their recommendation for silvers. I made sure to research it, as I wanted to create my own company. Who gave you yours?¡±


    ¡°Silvercrest.¡±


    Lucy¡¯s mouth hung open for a moment, and then she exclaimed.


    ¡°How the hell did you get them to write one? According to the records I managed to access they haven¡¯t given one out for at least a decade.¡±


    ¡°Quest~~¡± he answered in a sing-song voice.


    She closed her eyes and then took a deep breath. ¡°Alright, we established you have the money, connection¨C¡°


    ¡°And properties,¡± he interrupted in a cheerful voice while sliding over several more papers for her to peruse.


    ¡°And apparently properties.¡± She silently began reading the documents in front of her, then looked up at him with a weird expression. ¡°What the hell have you been doing?¡±


    ¡°Ohh, you know. This and that¡­¡± he replied with a small smirk.


    Sam let her think for a few minutes while he sipped his admittedly very good apple juice. Then, as she put down the last paper, he spoke up again.


    ¡°I prepared a contract. Want to see it?¡±


    <hr>


    In the end, after half an hour back and forth, they agreed that Lucy would review the contract with the agreed-upon modifications and would get back to him soon.


    Not wanting to go far from the city or get embroiled in another long quest, Sam simply left the caf¨¦, leaving a thoughtful Lucy (of course, he paid his and her bill) and a lightly glaring hostess and directly headed to the library.


    The old Librarian greeted him with a smile and after Sam spent a few minutes talking with her, asking about her day and anything interesting, he continued his education in languages.


    By the time he received a message from Lucy deep into the evening, he managed to level up the Dark Elven Language and started on a small skill, Cryptography. Thanks to the Librarian¡¯s help he managed to quickly gather the books that taught the basics of the skill.


    [Congratulations, you gained the skill, Basic Cryptography!]


    [Basic Cryptography: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) Allows you to spot patterns and codes, and you have the basic knowledge to begin breaking or solving them.]


    At the moment, it wasn¡¯t a very useful skill, as at most it could only help at codes on the level of a basic child puzzle. But in the later stages of the game where they were delving into ruins that were thousands of years old, locked behind some of the most frustrating codes and puzzles, it would pay dividends.


    Plus, a lot of runic carvings were encrypted by their creators, so the skill would synergize well with his Runecarver profession.


    <hr>


    Leaving the library, he was met by Lucy in front of the caf¨¦, clutching her book, notes and documents, including her contract, in her arms, as if shielding herself from something.


    He approached her slowly, then stood across from her and looked into her blue eyes.


    ¡°Your decision?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the leader of the company?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going to provide the directions, but you¡¯re driving the car.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ll listen to me?¡±


    ¡°If you explain it properly, then yes.¡±


    She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then let it out.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m in.¡±


    Sam grinned and held out a hand for her. She grabbed it and pumped it up and down a few times.


    ¡°Welcome to AFK. Hope you enjoy your stay!¡±


    [Congratulations, you founded a company and acquired your first employee!]


    [You are granted the Founder title!]


    [Founder: You founded a company (AFK), and this comes with a certain amount of respect. Employee loyalty will increase by 5%.]


    He read his notification, then glanced at Lucy, who seemed to be reading her own notifications with a weird look on her face. Finally, she was finished and looked back at Sam.


    ¡°Now what?¡±


    ¡°Now I show you where the office will be.¡±

 Chapter 43

    The building itself was nothing to write home about. Built in the same style as the rest of the city, it was somewhat dark and severe. But so was the entire city, so it didn¡¯t really look out of place. It was one of the taller buildings but not the tallest. Five floors made especially for the purpose he wanted.


    Apparently, not so long ago a new company decided to base the headquarters in the building, but the leader of the company wasn¡¯t competent enough to keep up with the business world, so the company folded within months.


    Thankfully, the city kept up with the maintenance of the building as it was in a prominent location, but because of its unfortunate history, he managed to get it for a rather good price.


    The top floor was divided into two apartments and one office, used by the head of the company in the past.


    Now, the smaller apartment, which according to Julia belonged to the man¡¯s mistress, would be his to use when he was in the city while the bigger one would go to Lucy, who would use that and the office to rule over their financial empire with an iron fist.


    They walked up to the door and Sam opened it and held it for Lucy, then entered, following her.


    For a moment they stood in the empty lobby with only a simple counter in the middle of the room and behind it several staircases.


    ¡°It¡¯s not in the best, I know. But it has a future¡­¡± Sam said with a small smile as he watched Lucy look around with a queer look on her face.


    Finally, she had seen enough and turned to him.


    ¡°How the hell did you afford this? It¡¯s practically perfect for a company headquarters. Especially after some renovations.¡±


    ¡°Good luck and a handsome face!¡± he answered cheekily.


    Lucy just snorted and began to head toward one of the staircases.


    <hr>


    They systematically went over the entire building, including the limited basement, and made some plans for it.


    The basement would be extended and converted into a warehouse, the courtyard would receive the products, and they would distribute them from there to the other businesses.


    The ground floor would be the reception area, while the first floor would be used by other office workers to deal with the deluge of paperwork in the endless battle against bureaucracy. The second, third, and fourth floors would be meeting rooms and apartments for the workers.


    Sam planned to provide meals and living arrangements to win their loyalty, and Lucy was in full agreement. Plus, with them living so close, they could keep a better eye on them.


    Finally, they reached the top floor and with it, their last stop.


    They stood side by side in front of the giant windows that allowed light to reach the office and looked out at the city.


    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± he asked, not looking at Lucy.


    For a moment there was only silence, then she began to speak, hesitantly at first.


    ¡°This all¡­ seems to be perfect. As if¡­¡±


    ¡°As if?¡±


    ¡°As if it was made for me. The building, the contract, your ideas¡­¡±


    Sam raised a hand and shook it a little.


    ¡°Kinda. When I heard you were looking for a job and did a little research about your experience, I decided to tailor the entire thing to you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Sam took one last look at the city as the lights began to shine with the advent of twilight and turned to Lucy.


    ¡°Any questions?¡±


    Lucy just shook her head and kept looking over the city, her eyes shining with unshed emotions.


    Sam nodded and turned around to leave the room.


    ¡°Send me a message when the renovations are done and we can begin.¡±


    Not even waiting for the reply, he simply swept out of the room.


    With the company in good hands, he would be free to go out and do a little farming.


    <hr>


    Before starting with farming, it was time to open the Grimoire he received from Lady Silvercrest for saving her life.


    Sam carefully closed the curtains in his room, made sure that nobody was close, and with Lucky watching eagerly, he carefully retrieved the book from his inventory.


    He took a few moments to observe the outside of the book, but it was rather plain, so he couldn¡¯t really tell what kind of Grimoire it was.


    In the end, he could do nothing and trust that the system of the game would give him a skill or spell that would synergize well with his build. Or something funny¡­


    Slowly, he placed his hand on the book and channeled a little mana inside it.


    For a moment, he feared he received a dud, but then the room darkened as if the very light was being sucked into the book, then the Grimoire turned fully black and instantly shattered into motes of dark energy, which in turn were sucked into his chest.


    The notification screen followed immediately.


    [Congratulations, you have read the Grimoire of Transubtitution of Shadows. A new spell has been inscribed into your own Grimoire!]


    [You have learned the spell, Shadow Transformation!]


    [Shadow Transformation: Level 0/25 (0%) (Active/Passive) The spell allows you to turn your body, or parts of your body, into shadows granting you immunity from physical attacks. You can turn into shadows for 1 second for each skill level. While transformed spells and skills connected to the shadows are enhanced by 1% for each skill level.]


    Sam stared at the spell and let out a chuckle. Apparently, the lady of the manor knew what she was about.


    At first, he was a little disappointed that he would only get one spell, but now that he saw what he got, he was supremely satisfied.


    Shadow Transformation was called a god-tier skill by some, though that was years later, after the spell was upgraded several times. Now it was just a good lifesaver in a pinch¡­


    He tried out the spell a few times, trying to get used to the strange feeling as his body turned slightly translucent.


    Then, after being satisfied that the spell worked just as he remembered from his inherited memories, he turned his attention towards preparing for the coming farming.


    <hr>


    And that¡¯s what he did for the next week.


    He went out to the forest near Ironwood and did quests, ranging from the simple collection quests to the investigation quest that required him to find certain places and to see if the animals were all right, or the local natural phenomenon, like waterfalls or beautiful glades were still in one piece.


    They were inconsequential as they gave out too little gold and experience points or any other meaningful reward aside from the increase of his reputation in the city.


    But Sam only used them for the fact that it allowed him to refine some of his skills in relative peace while also generating some income.


    After investing almost all his money, aside from a small emergency stash, into the soon-to-be world-famous AFK company, he would need to shore up his finances a little.


    He spent a day or two just slashing at monsters with his blade skills, trying to perfect his Spell Layering and integrate his newest skills into his repertoire.


    He also spent a little time getting used to his new sword. It was leagues ahead of the old mass-produced inferior quality steel swords he used so far. Sadly, he didn¡¯t have access to a shadow spell that he could channel through it, but the wind spells were much easier to cast with the sword so he took it as a win.


    With Lucky¡¯s help, he hunted wolves in the local forest, helped to get rid of marsh gremlins plaguing several local farmers, he made sure that several vicious trolls (quest mobs) didn¡¯t get too close to a mountain path.


    It was rather ironic that the quest rewarded him with the Life of Blood skill book. He simply threw it into the Auction House, while sending a reminder to Lucy not to pick up the skill and a general warning about blood magic.


    The reply Sam got back was somewhat incomprehensible. Something about construction workers and local legislations. Although, somewhere in the tirade he received, there was an acknowledgment of his advice. So he decided to ignore the rest.


    Lucy was a smart girl. She could handle those people¡­


    On his breaks, when he got tired both in body and mind, he spent hours just simply meditating and playing with his mana, trying to move it every which way.


    One afternoon, he simply climbed the nearest mountain and spent a few hours meditating there, simply trying to become one with the end. He simply expelled the mana in his body. Rather than letting it disperse, he maintained his hold on it while letting the winds blowing around him carry it around.


    It was a fascinating experience.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    It allowed him to simply focus on himself, and examine his emotion and feelings while practicing his magic.


    The fact was that he still wasn¡¯t sure what he wanted to do with himself.


    The game, Magic Unbound, currently was just that, a game. But soon, maybe even in a year, it would be so integrated into the lives of the people that it would truly become a second life for the players. If one could confidently declare that they were great at the game, or had some manner of success in it, like gathering enormous riches, influence, or power, then that would directly translate into the real world as riches, influence and, of course, power.


    Sam didn¡¯t really crave power, but he definitely wasn¡¯t willing to live under someone¡¯s shadow. To be at their beck and call.


    Altogether, it was a rather complicated issue.


    Most importantly, he just wanted to enjoy the game.


    It was so amazing that even after more than a month of playing, he could hardly believe how real it felt to exist in this new world.


    He wanted to enjoy it as long as possible, and for that, he would have to do enough that nobody could hinder him.


    As he thought over the idea and looked over the view visible from his spot, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh.


    It would be a lot of work, but it would be oh-so worth it¡­


    Closing his eyes, he returned to his meditation, trying to feel the next step in Mana Control.


    From Basic to Advanced, Mana Control was only the beginning. It allowed the players to get used to the idea and concept of controlling this new phantom appendage. However, stepping over that last hurdle on their own, without the help of any teacher, was what stopped most people from becoming great magicians.


    After Advanced, the Mana Control turned from general mana control into something personal. Those who broke through this barrier with the help of teachers, either human or NPC, would never achieve this. They would be, at least partially, copying their teacher¡¯s mana control technique.


    Thus, in the future from his memories, those who could boast of a fully personal mana control technique were in rather high demand.


    This was also what he planned to achieve.


    He had the inherited memories of the other Sam watching lectures by famous mages and the information he gathered. Sam was pretty sure he could manage.


    But not today¡­


    He slowly let the sped-up mana slow down in his body, then stretching lightly, stood up and shook his head gently.


    Sam felt he was close, but he was still missing something¡­


    <hr>


    He sat in his room at the Cloudy Day inn, his head resting on Lucky¡¯s side as his loyal wolf slept on the bed while he slowly went over the gains to his status over the last week. Tomorrow the new office building would be done, and after that, he wouldn¡¯t have much time to laze around or grind without aim, as he had to be ready for the announcement.


    And after a week of mind-numbing standard MMO experience, he was ready for a change. There was only so much grinding a person could take¡­


    [Mana Shield is now Level 38!]


    [Mana Synergy is now Level 9!]


    [Mana Body is now Level 4!]


    [Light Ball II is now Level 4!]


    [Fire Spark is now Level 10!]


    [Condense Water is now Level 10!]


    [Clean II is now Level 3!]


    [Earth Wall II is now Level 5!]


    [Electric Spark is now Level 10!]


    [Water Bullet is now Level 10!]


    [Thanks to making proper use of the spell, you learned Fire Spark II!]


    [Thanks to making proper use of the spell, you learned Electric Spark II!]


    [Thanks to making proper use of the spell, you learned Water Bullet II!]


    [Fire Spark II: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to conjure sparks of fire. You can control the direction and intensity of these sparks.]


    [Electric Spark II: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to conjure sparks of electricity around your hand or other body parts. You can fire this spark, which will go in a random direction. You can fire multiple sparks at the same time.]


    [Water Bullet II: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to launch a ball made of concentrated water from your hand. You can control its speed and temperature.]


    Sam made sure to level all of his basic elemental skills. While it was tedious, he hated seeing them not at 10%. Interestingly, when he leveled up Water Bullet, he didn¡¯t get a Barrage skill but instead a stronger Water Bullet. ¡®Probably, from how I used it¡­¡¯


    [Phasing Strike is now Level 2!]


    [Extended Mana Strike is now Level 6!]


    [Double Mana Slash is now Level 6!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 25!]


    [Mana Influenced Body is now Level 2!]


    [Spell Layering is now Level 7!]


    Honestly, Sam couldn¡¯t get enough of the Extended Mana Strike skill. It was so funny to watch whenever his enemy, usually some annoying mob thought that they dodged their strike yet they would still be wounded. It just never got old.


    [Wind Blade II is now Level 4!]


    [Wind Flurry is now Level 3!]


    [Wind Bullet is now Level 10!]


    [Wind Bullet Barrage is now Level 3!]


    [Healing Wind is now Level 6!]


    [Wind Jump is now Level 3!]


    [Wind Edge is now Level 10!]


    [Wind Drill is now Level 4!]


    [Wind Affinity is now Level 13!]


    [Thanks to making proper use of the spell, you learned Wind Bullet II!]


    [Wind Bullet II: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to launch a bullet made of concentrated wind. You can control its speed, size, and direction much better.]


    [Thanks to making proper use of the spell, you learned Wind Edge II!]


    [Wind Edge II: Level 0/10 (0%) A spell that allows you to enhance the edge of any bladed weapon you wield with the wind. Thanks to the spell, the speed of your strikes will also increase. The power and reach of the blade will be increased further.]


    Practicing his Wind magic at this point was almost like second nature. He would use it in every strike, every cut every attack. And the level of skills showed this.


    [Meditation is now Level 24!]


    [Discernment is now Level 5!]


    While it felt a little annoying to be stuck at the edge of advancing the Meditation skill, in his sessions where he meditated in different places, he realized that probably the skill would level up when he solved the issue of the Mana Control.


    Sam also made sure to continue to level up his shadow-natured skill. Sadly, his hunt for other shadow skills in the Auction House resulted in nothing. ¡®Probably a lot of people realized that they were powerful¡­ Or somebody is hoarding¡­¡¯


    [Shadow Cloak is now Level 15!]


    [Shadow Footwork is now Level 21!]


    [Shadow Cover is now Level 2!]


    [Shadow Burst is now Level 7!]


    [Shadow Mirage is now Level 9!]


    [Shadow Transformation is now Level 3!]


    He was looking forward to being able to leave the city and head for areas where he could acquire more potent shadow-natured skills.


    [Intermediate Sword Mastery is now Level 14!]


    [Freeform Defense is now Level 3!]


    [Intermediate Breathing Technique is now Level 7!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 22!]


    [Flow is now Level 21!]


    [Multitasking is now level 51!]


    [Efficiency is now Level 8!]


    [You gained the sub-skill, Parallel Processing!]


    [Parallel Processing: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) Whenever you use two or more skills or spells, they cost less. The cost decreases by 1% for each skill level.]


    Sadly, he was also approaching a barrier with his sword skills. One could only learn so much from memories, and apparently, he didn¡¯t have the same talent for it as he had for controlling mana. Still, he had a few ideas for that and if those didn¡¯t pan out, then he knew where he could find the best teachers.


    Thanks to his breaks in the library, he also leveled up his Cryptography and Runecarver skills. He would also need a proper workshop to improve them further and for that, he would have to wait until his plan for the company came to fruition.


    Finally, he took a look at his personal levels. He managed to level up three times while Lucky almost caught up to him with four level-ups. His mana and health rose a little, but he managed to get all of his status points (except for Luck) above 15 which would mean that several very specific quests would be open to him.


    Letting out a small smile, he closed the windows and relaxed back into the bed, while enjoying the smooth feeling of Lucky¡¯s fur.


    After a few minutes of enjoyment, he finally clicked on the logout button and left the game.


    <hr>


    Sam stood across from the newly renovated building that housed the headquarters of his company, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel happy. The dust and cobwebs were knocked off the building; it was repainted and the metal parts of the fa?ade were freshly shined. He could even see a few places where the wooden parts were changed. It seems if one had money, things moved much faster than usual.


    Stepping into the building, he wasn¡¯t met with an empty hall. It had become a hall cleaned and tastefully decorated with the characters AFK on the wall. Opposite the door, behind the counter that seated two people, a beautiful man and woman were the receptionists. Apparently, Lucy knew what she was doing.


    The rest of the space was filled out with neutral artwork, plants, and sofas for people to sit on. He made a note to have someone enchant up a water dispenser and then approached the counter.


    Both the man and woman looked at him, and he was glad that both had the light of recognition flash through their eyes.


    Ultimately, it was the woman who greeted him, while the man just simply nodded at him respectfully, then went back to reading some documents. Sam was pretty happy that the company paid enough that he wasn¡¯t reading a trashy romance novel.


    ¡°Welcome, sir! How may I help you today?¡± said the woman with a level voice, but Sam could still hear a little hesitation in her voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to meet Director Lucy. Is she in?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Yes, sir. Do you need an escort?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Then have a nice day!¡±


    Sam returned the greeting and then headed for one of the staircases protected by a simple glass door, very aware that both receptionists were staring at his back.


    On the way up, he checked all the floors and saw that everything was cleaned and repaired, the meeting rooms held simple but good-quality furniture while the living space was a bustle of activity as several people dressed in unfamiliar uniforms were completing their move-in procedures.


    He even saw a few children running around happily.


    ¡®Good. Happy employees are loyal employees¡­¡¯


    Most people ignored him as they had much more important things to do, but several people stared at him curiously. Some even pointed out that he wasn¡¯t wearing a uniform, so maybe he was a new hire. Some just backed away when they saw his sword.


    Eventually, he reached the final floor.


    First, he checked his own room and saw it was also filled with basic furniture, a few empty shelves, and several boxes for storage. Nodding in appreciation, Sam ignored Lucy¡¯s apartment and headed directly to her office.


    Outside of the office sat an older woman, with a severe expression. Dressed sharply in what looked like clothing that was patterned after a two-piece business suit, just with a little medieval flare. The moment she saw him, she sat up straighter and when he stood in front of her desk. She simply stood up and bowed her head a little.


    ¡°Welcome back, sir. The Director is waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sam answered with a small smile. Lucy really managed to find some competent help.


    The woman stepped forward and opened the double doors (of course made from ironwood) leading towards the office after a small knock.


    Sam stepped into the office, and the doors were closed behind him.


    The office was the same as the rest of the building, minimalist but very inviting. In the middle of the room was a giant desk. It was filled with papers and other assorted products of bureaucracy. The chair behind the desk was turned towards the giant windows and as he began walking towards one of the available chairs set out for guests, the chair behind the desk turned around and he was met with the grinning face of Lucy. She was in similar clothing to her secretary, but instead of black and white, it was dark blue, matching well to her eyes.


    Her grin increased, and he could see the enjoyment in her eyes. Hell, he would even swear that she looked years younger.


    ¡°Well, what do you think?¡± she asked, with a rather smug voice.

 Chapter 44

    They spent a good amount of time discussing business.


    Lucy went over the happenings, but ultimately, it wasn¡¯t anything interesting. With the seal of the Silvercrest family on their recommendation, a lot of doors opened and a lot more doors stayed closed that otherwise would have opened when a new business wanted to set up in the city of Ironwood.


    Sam made sure that she still had enough money to continue with their plans, then jumped to the next topic after receiving confirmation.


    ¡°What¡¯s the next step?¡±


    ¡°I already had the team start on the warehouse renovation,¡± answered Lucy as she organized the papers on her desk. ¡°I¡¯ll let them get a head start on it, as people will be more likely to rent storage area with the insane farming levels, then move half the team on to one of the housing projects.¡±


    Sam nodded thoughtfully. ¡°What about the luxury building?¡±


    ¡°Still in the planning phase,¡± came the answer immediately. ¡°I have a friend who is an architect. I had them mock up a few things.¡±


    ¡°In-game or out?¡±


    ¡°Both,¡± Lucy answered, then retrieved a file from one of her drawers and passed it over to Sam.


    He opened the file, and it was filled with very nice and detailed drawings, both artistic and technical, about the planned building.


    Sam spent a few minutes looking through them, but as his only connection to architecture was system architecture, he couldn¡¯t tell much about the technical drawings, but he quite liked the artistic renditions of the building. It was understated and minimalist, yet exhibited an aura of nobility. Just what guests of a certain type would expect.


    ¡°Honestly, Lucy, this looks amazing.¡± Lucy visibly perked up after the praise. ¡°But can he be trusted?¡±


    ¡°She. And yes.¡±


    ¡°Good. Bring her in as a full-time employee. Have her sign a contract both here and out of the world.¡±


    ¡°Confidentially?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll ask her.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    There was a small moment of silence as Lucy made a few notes. When Sam saw she was finished, he continued.


    ¡°Also make sure that every worker who works on the project, let¡¯s call it Project Honey,¡± Lucy sent him a deadpan glare, but he just shrugged with an easy smile. ¡°signs a confidentiality agreement. Make it very elaborate. Play up the hush-hush aspect of the entire thing. Also, tell the project manager that they should be okay to accept bribes, but we need a list of who paid and how much.¡±


    Lucy stared at him for a full minute, then let out a small snort.


    ¡°You¡¯re evil.¡±


    Sam just smiled at her.


    When he wasn¡¯t planning his ascension to a powerful player in Magic Unbound, he usually fell back on his old hobby.


    Reading.


    He mostly spent his time reading about the history of the world, trying to see where the differences were. Most historical figures were the same, but the events that happened around them were subtly different. And he just read about the history of the potato and thought he might as well try a similar tactic.


    ¡°Also, start looking for a proper managing team for the luxury building. We want them to look distinguished and posh.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Try making connections to groups of crafters. I want to sponsor one and develop it into a crafter guild or company, depending on how things go.¡±


    Lucy opened her mouth, then closed it and nodded, and began writing again.


    ¡°Also, do you have an email address I can send stuff to? It would be nice if we could communicate outside of the game¡­¡±


    Lucy stared at him for a second, scrutinizing him before answering with an email address.


    <hr>


    Sam and Lucy spent a little more time arranging the details of the company projects, but then Sam was shooed out by Lucy as she was going to a meeting.


    Feeling victorious, Sam returned to the Cloudy Day Inn to talk to the owner of said establishment. Unfortunately, Andrea was in, so he had to ¡®suffer¡¯ through her emotional goodbye.


    ¡°My dear, Samuel and Lucky! I shall miss your radiant presence in my fair establishment!¡± exclaimed the big woman.


    Sam watched, deadpan, as the big woman cried crocodile tears as she desperately hugged Lucky¡¯s neck. The happy wolf just sat there, panting, his tongue lolling out in happiness. With his increased size, the two of them together looked like normal-sized dog and their owner.


    ¡°I mean, I still need to eat¡­¡± he mumbled, wanting to get out of the awkward situation. The rest of the people in the building either stared at them with open curiosity or were laughing their asses off.


    Andrea moved so fast that to Sam it seemed she teleported as suddenly as she was standing in front of him, grabbing his hand in her own. Her eyes shined with unshed crocodile tears and she was also beaming with a megawatt smile.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± came the joyous exclamation from the woman as she let go of Sam¡¯s hand and began cheering.


    At least several eyes moved on from Sam toward her movement.


    After a few seconds, she calmed down, though she was still beaming, and spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯d hate to tell my friend Sarah that her prot¨¦g¨¦ had given up on enjoying my welcoming presence!¡±


    ¡°Sure?¡±


    Andrea may have said something, but it was smothered in laughter from the people watching and the woman¡¯s squeals as she did her best to hug poor Lucky to death.


    <hr>


    After escaping the inn and making a thankfully not magical oath to return to eat there, he decided it was time to pick up another big quest.


    Sam knew about several quests in the area, though thanks to him foiling the Monster Break, most of them would never happen now. Or maybe they would start differently. Thankfully, there were several of them that wouldn¡¯t be affected by the absence of the catastrophic event.


    With Lucky safely hidden in his shadow, the Chameleon mask active on his face, and a low-quality sword hanging from his belt, he began to walk around the city.


    The tension was still there, but more than likely the guilds that were at each other¡¯s throats not so long ago realized that something was not kosher and maybe began talking, or moved their focus onto other things.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    He did a quick check-in at the Auction House, but nothing interesting was being auctioned, so he just unloaded a few items he gathered during his quests. Mostly, some of the more high-quality weapons and armors he looted back from the bandits¡¯ hideout.


    Thankfully, in Magic Unbound, items didn¡¯t really have levels or associated damage values. A sword didn¡¯t do 4-6 damage. It did as much damage as the metal (or other material) it was made of could do at the speed the players were swinging it.


    It made evaluating the value of a piece of equipment much harder, but it prevented the usual equipment farming prevalent in other MMOs. People only changed their weapons when their blacksmiths found a way to craft better ones, or their enchanters figured out another enchantment, not when they found one that did one more damage.


    It emphasized the talent of the players and creative skill use, instead of every fight becoming an arithmetic problem. That was why players¡¯ health and mana didn¡¯t grow with level up. They would only grow from skills that anyone could acquire (technically) or status points that can be worked for.


    While some people were still stronger than most of the player base, it still eliminated the fact that in most games, those who were higher level had an insurmountable gap between them and the newer players.


    In this way, if the higher leveled player didn¡¯t pay attention to their health because they used their strength to make sure everything died before they could be attacked, then they could be taken down by a newbie.


    Sadly, for the rest of the player base, Sam was cheating.


    As he walked up to the objective of his walk-around, he observed the other players who were also entering said building or leaving it either happy, exhausted, or angry.


    The building was a rather simple affair. A big Square with equally big doors, and behind it a giant yard, filled with all manner of people training with familiar and unfamiliar equipment.


    Sam knew for a fact that the only reason this building was allowed inside the city was that every year there was a humongous amount of money spent on sound and smell enchantments that prevented them from reaching the population.


    He dodged around the throngs of people and entered through the simple doors.


    Instantly, he was hit by the smell. The smell of sweat and exhaustion could be almost seen physically in the air. Sam felt as if he was walking underwater. Instead of water, however, it was perspiration.


    He felt like he should be casting Clean on himself continuously.


    Cautiously, Sam walked around people going to and fro, and approached one of the workers that were just standing around, watching out for people.


    ¡°Hello!¡±


    The worker, a young man, turned towards him and, as a greeting, flexed his pectoral muscle at him through his thin undershirt.


    ¡°Hey! Need anythin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Want to talk to somebody for training with swords,¡± Sam said while slapping his sword on his hip.


    The medieval gym bro glanced at the sword and then took a long measuring look at Sam, evaluating him.


    Then he grunted and turned around and began to walk away. Sam, somewhat familiar with gym lingo, simply followed him.


    After a short walk, they left the building and approached a part of the giant courtyard, where a harsh-looking man, equally jacked as his impromptu guide as well as dressed in the same style was yelling at several players holding swords, or sword adjacent weapons.


    ¡°Balance! Balance! My grandmother could disarm you and she can¡¯t even lift a broom!¡±


    Several people changed their stances, and the man grunted either in satisfaction or despair. Sam couldn¡¯t tell.


    ¡°Alright, you sad try-hards! Let¡¯s do a break here! You guys go away and rethink your life!¡±


    The assorted people let out a giant sigh of relief and, with forced calm, began to power walk away from the man. He then turned towards Sam and his guide, who stepped forward and motioned toward Sam with a different type of grunt. Seeing the other man¡¯s nod, Sam¡¯s guide gave him a small wave and walked away.


    The trainer, hearing the grunt, immediately began to examine him.


    ¡°What do ya¡¯ want?¡±


    ¡°Training.¡±


    ¡°With what?¡±


    ¡°Sword.¡±


    ¡°Show me.¡±


    Sam nodded and unsheathed his sword. He took a deep breath, trying to slip into a meditative mindset, then began to execute the basic sword arts that he had learned from his inherited memories and mixed with a few things he thought would be useful.


    He moved through the movements that had become familiar over his time in the game. A few months ago, back in his old life (and old, somewhat overweight body), he would have never imagined that he would have been this into swordsmanship.


    Sam stepped, lunged, and slashed. He moved through the forms, imagining as the monsters he had fought were in front of him. Slowly, but surely, he slipped into a rhythm and he could only hear his own heartbeat and the whistling noise of the sword.


    He didn¡¯t know when, but he was roused from his routine by a harsh grunt.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, boy.¡±


    Sam stopped mid-lunge and took a deep breath. Ignoring the notifications flashing in the corner of his vision, he turned towards the trainer. He absentmindedly noted that he was drenched in sweat and his limbs were trembling.


    Apparently, his meditation mindset worked.


    He took another deep breath and looked at the man.


    The man, instead of saying anything, flexed all of his upper-chest muscles and began walking around him, humming gently.


    The older man walked around, and then finally stopped right in front of Sam. For some reason, he once again flexed at Sam. It was kinda awkward because he felt that he should be flexing back, but he had no idea how to do it.


    ¡°Good. Do it again.¡±


    And that¡¯s how the rest of his day was spent. He went through his routines while the trainer walked around him and quietly corrected his stance with a few pokes of a stick, or gave him some advice about something he did.


    It was rather educational. Because, while he had his memories, they didn¡¯t always come with explanations. So, it helped him put everything he knew (which wasn¡¯t much) about swordsmanship in order.


    Finally, after Sam was totally exhausted, limbs shaking and he could barely hold the sword in his hand, the old trainer once again raised his voice.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Sam stopped and had to actively fight against the instinct to collapse to the floor. Instead, he began to cool down.


    While he did that, the trainer began talking.


    ¡°You¡¯ve little talent, but you work hard. Fundamentals are good, your body is in shape. Can¡¯t teach you much. You need better trainers.¡±


    Sam was still breathing heavily, so made to speak up, but before he could gather enough oxygen to speak, the other man continued to talk.


    ¡°But! I can run you through our graduation test. That will help you achieve your goals.¡± He frowned a little as he ran his eyes over Sam¡¯s body. ¡°And maybe get a little muscle on your bones¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank¡­you¡­¡± Sam finally managed to spit out between taking in big gulps of air. ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°Go home, and rest. Come back tomorrow. I¡¯ll take you there,¡± came the answer. And with one last flex, the muscled man turned around and left towards the building.


    <hr>


    With great effort, cursing the realism of the game, Sam managed to crawl back to the office building and as he trudged up the stairs, he made a note to talk with Lucy about getting someone to invent a magical elevator.


    Finally, he staggered into his apartment, threw off his stinky clothes, and fell face-first into his new bed. Lucky appeared directly over his own bed, landing on it with a small huff.


    Sam turned around, looking up at the ceiling, then as his last action before logging out to get rid of the exhaustion he was feeling, opened his notifications.


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 25!]


    [Mana Influenced Body is now Level 2!]


    [Mana Body is now Level 7!]


    [Meditation is now Level 25!]


    [Thanks to mastering Meditation and taking another step towards enlightenment, you learned the skill Active Meditation!]


    [Active Meditation: Level 0/50 (0%) You mastered the basics of meditation, which allows you to meditate while moving. You need to meditate for 100 seconds stationary before you can activate this skill. It decreases your stamina and endurance consumption while increasing your mana regeneration.]


    Sam managed to scrounge up enough energy to smile a little. Active Meditation was the bread and butter of every warrior. After maxing out the skill, it would be able to be activated instantly, not to mention the sub-skills it would provide. It was very useful for a wide variety of situations. Several monk-type players did some ridiculous things with Active Meditation in his inherited memories. He wanted to replicate those things¡­


    [Shadow Footwork is now Level 27!]


    [Intermediate Breathing Technique is now Level 7!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 24!]


    [Flow is now Level 16!]


    [Freeform Defense is now Level 2!]


    [Intermediate Sword Mastery is now Level 15!]


    [Thanks to an instructor¡¯s help, you gained the sub-skill, Strong Grip!]


    [Strong Grip: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your grip is strong. Enemies will have a harder time separating you from your chosen weapon.]


    [Thanks to a competent teacher pointing out your mistakes, you broke through with the skill, Intermediate Sword Mastery!]


    [You gained the skill, Advanced Sword Mastery!]


    [Advanced Sword Mastery: Level 0/20 (0%) (Passive) You stepped into a realm where you can call yourself a swordsman without embarrassment. You know how to handle the sword and how to be deadly with it. Further increases the damage done with swords. Decreases the mana and stamina required for sword-related skills.]


    Strong Grip was one of the most common skills, but then it was something that could be gained by anybody who spent any time under the tutelage of a trainer. Still, it was nice to know that the rumor that if you went to the Training Hall with all stats at least at 15, then you would be fast-tracked to the graduation test. He didn¡¯t want to spend at least one in-game month in the Hall, so this worked out well for him.


    He turned off the screens and with the last dregs of energy, he clicked on the logout button.

 Chapter 45

    The next day, he returned to the training hall that was still filled with people training, of course. He was met near the doors by one of the workers. He was wearing the same undershirts that the people were wearing yesterday. He flexed at Sam, in what he would say, recognition, then with a simple motion gestured at him to follow.


    Sam glanced down at his body, sighed a little sadly, then followed the man while dodging around the people clashing with each other with a variety of weapons.


    Finally, they arrived at the side of the building after traversing through a few corridors. There in the open was the trainer, dressed in light leather armor, with a sword at his side. Sam¡¯s guide flexed, and it was returned by the older man.


    He then turned to Sam and gave him a respectful nod. Sam watched the man walk away and said a quiet thank you, to which the other guy responded by raising his hand in a wave without looking back.


    Sam then turned back to the trainer.


    ¡°Hello, sir.¡±


    The older man didn¡¯t reply immediately. Instead, he took a good look at him and then nodded.


    ¡°Good. You¡¯re going to take the test.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a question, but a statement. Seeing as Sam was exactly after this test, he simply nodded in understanding.


    The man, seeing this, let out a small smile.


    ¡°Excellent. You know what¡¯s important. Follow me.¡±


    With that, he turned around and started for the door at the end of the corridor with Sam on his heels.


    After going through the door, they appeared in an alley behind the training hall. After that, the man headed towards the gate, Sam recognizing some of the streets they took.


    Over the course of the next few minutes, they left the city through the north gate, with the guards greeting the older man with cheer and recognition (though some threw pitying looks at Sam) and entered the tamed nature around the city of Ironwood.


    Sam looked around as they stood on the lightly worked road leading out of the city and turned to the man.


    ¡°Where to, sir?¡±


    The man cast his gaze around, then tensed a little.


    ¡°Follow me!¡± With that, he launched himself forward, running with impressive speed towards where Sam knew some of the mining sites were.


    Sam just sighed, activated Shadow Burst, and shot off after the trainer.


    They weaved through the trees, following the road, but every time that Sam felt like he was catching up to the man, he sped up and Sam was once again using every ounce of his knowledge to gain even more speed.


    Sam would have complained, but honestly, he rather enjoyed the challenge. The other Sam only took this test way later, when it was much more streamlined due to the huge influx of people to the world of Magic Unbound.


    They were simply led through a very easy gauntlet, that granted everyone a basic skill, that while good, was nothing on the original reward of the test.


    Soon, they left the trees and reached a heavily deforested area.


    It was one of the massive mining sites around Ironwood. There was a small shanty town built from reclaimed wood and stone from the mines, with a few ironwood decorations here and there.


    Aside from that, there was a throng of people going to and fro, with a rather sizable and very visible guard detachment that glared at anybody and anything that even blinked suspiciously. They didn¡¯t enter the shanty town but instead walked by the robust gates with the guards saluting Sam¡¯s guide and approached an area that was devoid of anything aside from remnants of past mining operations.


    Sam could see several mining shafts that led to the depths of the mountain range. They were, of course, barren of anything valuable. Occasionally, one could find a minuscule vein and mine for a day or two. Aside from that, industrial mining was not profitable in those shafts. Most people would only enter when somebody commissioned them to clean out some kind of monster that had decided it would be its new home.


    As Sam¡¯s eyes panned over the entrances shrouded his darkness, a memory came to the forefront of his mind.


    ¡®The treasure!¡¯


    There was an actual quest line where the patriarch of an old family hid their treasure in the mines when it was decommissioned, and now the last descendant was an old man. They would actually willingly give up the entire treasure if the player returned one item. Thankfully, Sam had no need for that item.


    The problem with the treasure and why it became famous was that people only got to know about it after the Fracture. One enterprising drake decided that it wanted to be a big boy dragon and claimed the mine shaft and the treasure on its own.


    Thus, people couldn¡¯t acquire the entire treasure, just the drops from the boss monster. The item that the quest-giving NPC desired became an ultra-rare drop.


    There were many ways that people devised to get the treasure, but sadly, the way the Fracture worked nothing stuck, and just like that, an enormous treasure was left to forever taunt the players.


    Fortunately, Sam knew exactly which mine shaft hid the treasure as the other Sam had gone up against the silly drake several times in the hopes that he could do what countless others couldn¡¯t and change his life with the wealth that was hidden there.


    Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t just go up there and find it, as that would be beyond suspicious. He would have to do it the old-fashioned way.


    Finally, after some more running, they reached their destination. A much more cared-for section of the mining area with two mining shafts blocked by enormous ironwood doors with a little shack sitting between the two doors.


    The trainer stopped, looking no worse for wear, while Sam was lightly panting from the exertion. He gave his thanks for his stamina consumption decreasing skills, took a big breath, and turned towards the trainer, who watched him with an approving eye.


    ¡°Where are we, sir?¡±


    ¡°Training gauntlet. We run through every graduating student. One door in, one door out.¡±


    ¡°And what do I have to do inside?¡±


    The man smiled, somewhat sinisterly.


    ¡°Prove you are ready.¡±


    ¡®Ready for what?¡¯ Sam thought, but instead of speaking it out loud, he just nodded. Then he gazed curiously at the many mine shafts dotting the side of the mountain.


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    ¡°If you use these for the test, what are those used for?¡± he asked, pointing at the mine shafts.


    The older man followed his eyes, then chuckled a little.


    ¡°Nothing. This gauntlet is here because it is convenient for now. We are currently building one under the Training Hall. When it¡¯s done, we¡¯ll be moving the entire thing there.¡± Sam opened his mouth to ask another question, but the man continued. ¡°However, I suppose if you¡¯re really interested in them, you could ask Old Thomas.¡±


    ¡°Old Thomas?¡± Sam asked with a twinkle in his eye. ¡®That¡¯s the NPC!¡¯


    ¡°Yes. He has been the one maintaining the catalog of the decommissioned mine shafts. Useful, but boring work.¡± He turned back to Sam and clapped his hands together. The sound it made lightly echoed off the mountain. ¡°Now, let¡¯s return to the task at hand!¡±


    Sam unconsciously straightened up and focused on the man. Seeing this, he was rewarded with a small smile and several flexes of the man¡¯s impressive pectoral muscles.


    ¡°Your task is the following: Go in. Do the challenges. Prove your mettle. Then get out.¡± He then pointed at the shack between the gates leading to the mine shafts. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching as well as measuring the time.¡±


    Sam nodded in understanding.


    ¡°Anything special I need?¡±


    ¡°No. Just your body and your sword. And iron will. Good luck!¡±


    Then, without saying anything else, the man walked away toward the shack. Sam shook his head and made sure his sword, Moonlight, was in order, rotated his mana a few cycles to get used to it, and with a heavy swallow approached the door that was marked with a simple, painted arrow pointing inside.


    The moment his hand touched the rather large door handle, a notification screen popped up in front of him.


    [Congratulations, your trainer found you ready to attempt the Gauntlet of Body!]


    [Warning: All Status point gains, Experience point gains, and Skill gains will be frozen the moment you step into the Gauntlet. You will receive the accumulated gains after finishing the Gauntlet!]


    [You receive a 10% bonus experience to experience gains related to Body skills.]


    [New quest acquired!]


    [My body is my temple. Enlightenment is exhaustion.]


    [You have been granted the opportunity to enter the Gauntlet of Body. This Gauntlet will test your body with varied challenges. Your reward will depend on how much work you put into it.


    [Time limit: None, but the faster you go through it, the better the reward is.]


    [Bonus:


    1. Go through the Gauntlet of Body without any help. That means no pets, minions, summons, followers, or anything similar helping you.


    2. Finish the Gauntlet of Body in under 3 hours.


    3. Finish the Gauntlet of Body without taking any damage.]


    [Hidden Bonus: ???]


    [Penalty: Your teacher will be disappointed. You won¡¯t be able to try the Gauntlet of Body again until it gets relocated.]


    [Reward: Based on your performance.]


    Sam read through the quest description and smiled a little.


    ¡°Lucky!¡± he called out.


    The silly wolf immediately jumped out of his shadows and began to nuzzle his face. Sam laughed a little, then gave him a few pats on the head. He then pointed towards the shack.


    ¡°See that building? Go there and wait for me,¡± Sam said while looking directly into the eyes of the wolf.


    Lucky let out a little whine, but after a small encouragement in the form of a bag of jerky, he happily trotted towards the shack. Sam watched as the wolf sat down in the shadows of the building, almost vanishing into them, and happily pushed his snout into the bag and fished out a lone jerky to munch on.


    Sam turned back to the door, and with a mighty heave, opened the door.


    <hr>


    The moment he stepped inside, a bright light lit up the room.


    Behind him a thin line of runes flashed in green under the door, signaling that the gauntlet had begun.


    With mana brimming under his skin, Sam stopped and closed his eyes.


    Before he started meditating to activate the Active Meditation skill as he knew from his other memories that it was one of the hidden achievements to complete the quest with the skill active. And it would also be a good chance to level up the skill with the bonus from the Gauntlet.


    The moment he sensed the Active Meditation suffusing his body, he opened his eyes and took a look around the room for the first task.


    The Gauntlet was separated into different rooms, with each room giving the player a different challenge, mostly something to be done with the body. Lifting weights, running, and so on¡­


    He didn¡¯t have to look long, as in the middle of the room were three waist-high poles with the first pole having six levels of circular weights on them, made from some kind of metal. Starting from the bottom the weights got increasingly smaller, indicating their purpose.


    ¡°Hanoi tower¡­ And I left my medigel at home¡­¡± he muttered, then with a small sigh, approached the tower. He took the top weight and lifted it off the pole. Instantly, another set of runes blazed to life on it. And Sam knew that if he put it anywhere but a pole, he would be punished in some way.


    ¡°Well, I wanted this¡­¡± he softly exclaimed, then placed down the weight on the second pole and went to pick up the next one.


    It was definitely heavier than the first one. Sam saw how big the rest of the weights got and let out another, deeper sigh.


    After finishing the tower puzzle, a section of the wall opposite the entrance door lit up in a door-sized square, and with a grinding noise, it slowly rose, allowing Sam to pass through.


    The next room contained an unadorned long corridor with a running man symbol at the beginning and a white line next to the symbol. He walked up to the line and got into position. The moment he stopped moving, a red light showed up at the end of the corridor. Then another. And another. And finally, a green.


    Sam shot off, making sure to enhance his body as far as possible. He could have used his Shadow Burst, but he knew that another hidden achievement was not using any of the active skills aside from mana manipulations to enhance the body.


    After an intense burn, he reached the end, and instead of slowly opening, this door shot up so fast that Sam could feel the shaking in the walls as the slab of stone came to stop. All this to allow him to launch himself through the door.


    Briefly, he felt as if he was gliding, then suddenly he was stumbling forward in a sandpit.


    He didn¡¯t have time to reorient himself as suddenly he was attacked.


    Managing to get his sword out in time, he somehow parried the incoming blow, only to see a very nicely made stone golem wielding a basic steel sword.


    Hearing a small thud, he glanced behind him and saw it was another golem. Thankfully, after the second one showed up, that was it. Though he knew later, there would be more. There was a moment of silence then both golems charged at once.


    <hr>


    After defeating the golems, he went forward.


    Sam then moved even more weights. Run bursts, run some long distances, climbed walls, jumped down into holes, swam in pools, and fought even more golems throughout the gauntlet.


    It was backbreaking, exhausting, and plain annoying. Running after taking a swim in full armor wasn¡¯t the most pleasant experience (though he made a note to get some anti-water enchantments).


    But despite all of this, the pain, the shakes, bone-deep weariness, and fatigue Sam found that he was enjoying himself.


    It was exhilarating to see how much the game allowed him to act like a superhuman from the movies. And he knew without a doubt that later he would be capable of much more.


    Facing off against first three, then four, then five and then an even dozen golems just caused a giant grin to appear on his face.


    By the time he reached the room, he was drenched in water and sweat in equal amounts, as well as the sand and other debris that stuck to him after his tumble through several arenas.


    The room was circular, with only one thing in it.


    A simple slab of stone with a circle and a small sentence on it.


    ¡®Your best punch¡¯


    Sam, familiar with the task from his inherited memories, walked up to the stone slab and took up a stance that was now rather familiar to him. Ignoring his exhaustion, he closed his eyes and grabbed the remaining mana in his body. He slowly got used to moving it around; moving it faster and faster until he could barely follow the mana with his senses granted to him by the game.


    With deliberate slowness, Sam moved his body into a punching position, his arm ready to deliver his best punch.


    He slowly saturated the arm, then his entire body with mana, while keeping up the fast-paced rotation of his mana. Letting the mana pool into his body for a while, he then slowly began to thicken the mana in his right arm and shoulder, making sure that it was ready to deliver a punch.


    Finally, he took another part of his mana and pooled it into the tip of his fist, ready to be released at the moment of the fist hitting the stone.


    Sam had two objectives with this action. One was to protect his arm and hand from the blowback of punching a heavy stone slab, and the other one was to increase his punching power. He knew that monks learned something similar, but as the other Sam never really got that familiar with monk skills, he didn¡¯t know how they worked. He hoped this was enough.


    For a moment he just held everything in place, feeling the strain on his body and mana, the entire thing feeling as if it would burst and the mana would flee from his grasp. But with the sheer force of will, he held it there.


    ¡®One¡­¡¯


    ¡®Two¡­¡¯


    One last rapid rotation, and he let it go.


    ¡®Three!¡¯


    BAMMM!

 Chapter 46

    The room shook, and as Sam¡¯s fist connected with the slab of rock, he released the mana that he had pooled in it.


    Instantly, he felt his entire body relax as the gathered mana evacuated his body rapidly. At the same time, a wave of relief passed through his body. Sam would have compared it to finally being able to breathe through a stuffy nose. His entire body felt much lighter.


    But before he could revel in the feeling, the mana that left his body began to swirl around and another runic circle lit up around him with the stone slab in the middle.


    Thankfully, Sam was perfectly aware of what the purpose of the runic circle was. It was for this very reason that one of the hidden achievements was not using active or not using skills with non-neutral mana. So he simply took a step back, closed his eyes, and relaxed.


    Through his other senses, granted to him by the game, he could feel the mana swirling around the room, coming down from the ceiling and transforming into a mana tornado. He felt as the mana moved around him, sometimes a few strands entering into his body on one side and leaving on the other, carrying with it something intangible.


    Even though his eyes were closed, he could still feel the runic circle begin to shine brighter and brighter with it as the cyclone of mana began to speed up.


    Sam smiled.


    The true purpose of this test was to let the player prove their mettle and then funnel the mana they shed and used during the Gauntlet into a giant runic ritual that then used said mana to refine the individual¡¯s mana and body.


    That¡¯s why it was so important not to use mana with any kind of attribute. The attribute would then mix into the ritual and would hinder the purification process. Granted, there were times when you wanted it to happen, if you were going for certain builds or skills, but Sam¡¯s goal was to build his foundation. He was planning long-term. And for that, an extremely well-made foundation was worth much more than any skill or ability.


    When he felt that the cyclone of mana has reached top speed, Sam began to circulate his own mana, trying to match it to the ritual while wisps of mana began to enter and exit his body in increasing numbers.


    He felt that every hit was on a different spot, seemingly the ritual trying to hit every spot on his body. He didn¡¯t mind, as after every hit, he felt as if he was lighter.


    As the effects began to permeate his body, he could only think of the mythical body cleansing scene in cultivation novels. Though, in this case, there was no black sludge emerging from his pores¡­


    Finally, the small wisps of mana began to grow bigger and bigger, joining together until finally, he could feel one giant concentration of mana swirling around him like a shark circling its prey. Then with a swift movement, the mana clump flowed upwards, stopped for a second over his head, and then crashed down on Sam, drenching him in mana.


    He felt as if the mana altered by the ritual circle surged through him, touching every part of his body, yet leaving his circulating mana intact.


    Then the next second he was standing in the circular room, the runic circle nowhere to be seen, breathing harshly and still drenched in water, sweat, and everything that managed to get attached to his clothing and skin.


    However, on the inside, he felt wholly different.


    It was as if he had shed several stones off his body. He felt practically feather-light.


    Sam hopped a little around, executing a few kicks and punches, and he grinned at the difference he felt.


    ¡°This is amazing!¡±


    The moment he exclaimed, another grinding sound could be heard and on one of the walls a part shimmered a little, and a gate appeared. Based on how familiar they looked, they would lead him to the outside, proving that he was finished with the Gauntlet.


    Instead of leaving, he simply plopped down on the ground, heedless of the dirt that covered it, and opened the notification screens with a grin. He wanted to know his gains right now!


    [Congratulations, you have successfully completed the Gauntlet of Body!]


    [The quest, ¡®My body is my temple. Enlightenment is exhaustion.¡¯ is completed!]


    [Your time was: 03:42:72!]


    [You completed the following bonuses:


    1. Go through the Gauntlet of Body without any help. That means no pets, minions, summons, followers, or anything similar helping you.


    3. Finish the Gauntlet of Body without taking any damage.]


    [You completed the following hidden bonuses:


    1. Only use neutral attributed mana skills.


    2. Only use one weapon during the entire trial.


    3. Complete the Gauntlet while under the influence of a Meditation type of skill!]


    Sam nodded at that. He never aimed for the fastest time, instead, he wanted to get the most out of it.


    [You broke through with a skill!]


    [Advanced Mana Control reached Level 20!]


    [You gained the skill, Mana Manipulation!]


    [Mana Manipulation: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) You mastered basic mana control, you are no longer controlling it; you are manipulating it. Decreases the cost of mana skills by 20%, and increases the mana regenerated beyond what the Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Mana Control skills grant you. Grants your spells resistance against being disturbed. (+(MAG/WIS) Mana Regeneration per skill level)]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 41!]


    [Mana Well is now Level 3!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 31!]


    [Mana Influenced Body is now Level 4!]


    [Thanks to participating in the Ritual of the Purity, you gained the skill, Tempered Body!]


    [Thanks to your abilities with mana, your skill, Mana Body fused with Tempered Body!]


    [You gained the skill, Mana Tempered Body!]


    [Mana Tempered Body: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) You tempered your body with exercises and mana. Thus, the mana permeates your body as well as cleans it, and supports its purity. The better your control of your mana is, and the more mana you have, the bigger the effect is. For every 100 Mana points, it grants you 2 Base Health gain. For every skill level, it increases the Health Regeneration by 0,2. For every 10 skill levels it grants you +1 STR, AGI, VIT, END.]


    [Your previous experience with the Mana Body skill has been transferred to the new skill!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 5!]


    Sam grabbed hold of his mana and did a quick rotation with it. It was simply a marvel how easy it had become.


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s more like it!¡±


    Not to mention the swell in his health and mana capacity. Sam could say with confidence that he doubted any mage had a higher mana capacity at his level.


    Mana Tempered Body was a skill that everybody wanted but was rather hard to get if you hadn¡¯t started the game at the moment of release, as - after the huge influx of players - the training halls and other institutions where it could be achieved changed to a more conveyor belt type of gauntlets. That is, one person went in, had an hour to do the test, then the next went in immediately. There was simply no time for elaborate gauntlets like the one he had done. And the guild only allowed those people to participate in their rituals who either proved their loyalty in some way or had an in with the leaders of the guild.


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    Having the skill later in the game was either a sign of great luck or more likely, deep pockets.


    And now Sam had it.


    He stretched a little and continued reading the rest of the notifications.


    [Active Meditation is now Level 25!]


    [You gained the sub-skill, Serene Movement!]


    [Thanks to your usage of the skill during the Gauntlet, you gained the sub-skill, Battle Awareness!]


    [Serene Movement: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) While moving during Active Meditation, your stance is more stable, and it is harder to break you out of the skill.]


    [Battle Awareness: Level 0/5 (0%) You have an excellent awareness of your surroundings. During fights, time will slow down 10% for every skill level if a strike comes close to you that would gravely or mortally wound you.]


    Sam stared at the Battle Awareness and let a quiet gasp. It was an amazing skill, especially later in the game where 50% of the time slow would be another ace in the hole for him. He expected something good, but this was beyond that.


    [Shadow Footwork is now Level 32!]


    [Freeform Defense is now Level 5!]


    [Strong Grip is now Level 5!]


    [Advanced Sword Mastery is now Level 3!]


    [Intermediate Breathing Technique is now Level 10!]


    [You gained the sub-skill, Mana Breathing!]


    [You gained the skill, Advanced Breathing Technique!]


    [Mana Breathing: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your excellent control over mana allows you to restore mana while simply breathing. Gain +1 Mana Regeneration for every skill level when not in a fight.]


    [Advanced Breathing Technique: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) You breathe along with the world. The air is the same inside your lungs as it is in your surroundings. Further decreases stamina consumption during any activity and further increases stamina regeneration when not in a fight. Gain +1 Stamina Regeneration for every skill level.]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 27!]


    [Thanks to keeping calm and doing things beyond what was expected of you, you gained the sub-skill, Steady Heartbeat!]


    [Steady Heartbeat: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your heart beats to your own rhythm. Anything that would disrupt this rhythm faces increased resistance.]


    [Flow is now Level 21!]


    [Thanks to your understanding of the flow of the battles, you gained the sub-skill, Focused Flow!]


    [Focused Flow: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) When focusing intently on any enemy, your ability to read their flow becomes clearer and more precise.]


    [Multitasking is now Level 51!]


    [Efficiency is now Level 7!]


    [Parallel Processing is now Level 1!]


    Finished with the reading, he lay on the ground for a while, then with a heavy sigh, Sam heaved himself up and approached the doors leading outside.


    <hr>


    Outside, he was met with a grinning giant wolf next to the old trainer who still had the stern look on him.


    The moment he spotted Sam, he took one look at him and nodded.


    ¡°Good job, young one.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± he replied with good cheer. It was hard not to be happy after what he gained, even despite the bone-weary tiredness saturating his body. ¡°Any advice?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Try to use your sword skills without mana. Currently, you use it as a crutch. For now, it works, but later, it will be your undoing.¡±


    Sam listened, then nodded in understanding.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The man gave him another once over, then flexed once, twice, and three times.


    ¡°We are finished. You can¡¯t learn more from our Training Hall. Go out and experience life!¡±


    ¡°That was the plan!¡± Sam replied cheerfully, then watched as the man began to turn around and called out. ¡°Um, sir? Do you know perhaps where can I find Old Thomas?¡±


    The old trainer glanced at him and then answered.


    ¡°Administration Building. Old wing. He keeps track of all old mine shafts.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    <hr>


    After getting licked almost clean by an excited Lucky, he watched as the old trainer, whose name he still didn¡¯t know left and stared up at the mine shafts. The location of the treasure was etched onto the inherited memories, so it was really hard not to go straight up there and claim it.


    The only thing stopping him was that he was dead tired and that the system would probably either punish him somewhat or worse.


    With a quiet sigh, he clambered up onto Lucky¡¯s back and pointed towards the city.


    ¡°Back to the headquarters, Lucky!¡±


    The loyal wolf let out a huff that sounded as if he was laughing at Sam, then simply launched towards the forest with blinding speed.


    After half an hour, they charged through the gates and arrived at the Headquarters of the company.


    Sam stepped off the giant wolf¡¯s back and, after a quiet thank you and pat on the head, sent him back to his shadow, then with slow movements entered the building where he realized that there still weren¡¯t any elevators.


    Letting out a giant sigh to signify his suffering, he began his crawl upwards under the amused gazes of the receptionists.


    <hr>


    After returning to the game, waking in his new apartment, Sam played a little with Lucky, checked on the progress of other construction with Lucy¡¯s secretary, then went out to get his damn treasure.


    At this point, he had enough money to realize the plans, but the gamer in him wouldn¡¯t let the treasure that was lying around alone.


    ¡®I need mah shiny!¡¯


    Quickly navigating through the streets of Ironwood city, he arrived at the Administration Building and, with much aplomb, he entered. The winds were immediately taken out of his sails as he beheld the lines sneaking around the hall.


    After standing in line for an unsurprisingly long time, he was finally before one of the ever-smiling officials of the Administration Building.


    ¡°How can I help you today, sir?¡± asked the smiling woman.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a man named Old Thomas. He deals with---¡±


    ¡°¡­ the old mine shafts. Yes, sir,¡± finished the woman for him. She rose a little over her seat and pointed down one of the corridors. ¡°See that corridor? Go down until you can¡¯t go further. Door 199.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    <hr>


    Wandering through the corridor was fascinating. The farther Sam went, the older and crummier the doors and walls got. Finally, after a dozen minutes, he reached the door marked with the number 199, seriously wondering why he hasn¡¯t been attacked yet by feral dust bunnies.


    He knocked softly and waited for an answer.


    ¡°Come in¡­¡± came the feeble answer.


    Opening the door, he was met with a fascinating room. One entire wall was filled with a giant map of the mining areas around the city of Ironwood. The legends of the map were on a separate piece of paper that was on a stand in one corner. The entire thing was full of handwritten detail, and Sam suspected it was the most detailed map of the area.


    Two other walls were filled with metal shelves packed to the gills with boxes and rolls of papers. And one wall contained a giant architect¡¯s desk with even more paper on and around it. Before the desk sat an old, stooped-over man, with a long, white beard, sitting on a rolling chair.


    And as Sam stepped into the room, the man slowly turned towards him, and Sam could see his old eyes, still clear but clouded over with some kind of feeling, take him in.


    ¡°Yes, young man?¡± the old man asked, his voice feeble.


    ¡°Hello, sir!¡± Sam bowed a little while, greeting the man. ¡°I¡¯m here because I recently visited the abandoned mine shaft area, and I had a few questions about them.¡±


    Sam knew he was in the right place, as the moment the words ¡®abandoned mine shafts¡¯ left his lip the old man sat up straighter and his eyes began shining with excitement.


    ¡°Are you here to help Old Thomas?¡±


    ¡°Err..sure?¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± exclaimed the old man, then began waving at Sam. ¡°Come, come closer young man!¡±


    Sam stepped up next to the man at the desk and took the contents in. It was details of one of the mine shafts.


    ¡°How can I help you, sir?¡±


    The old man grinned, then excitedly pointed at the shaft and began explaining rapidly. ¡°See this? See this? A shaft, I think is the right one!¡±


    ¡°Right one for what, sir?¡±


    ¡°The treasure!¡±


    ¡°Uhm, what kind of treasure?¡±


    The man¡¯s eye grew bigger and turned to Sam.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡±


    ¡°My family¡¯s treasure. My great-great-great grandpa hid our treasure in one of these shafts. I spent my youth searching for it, but found nothing. But I feel I¡¯m closer! It¡¯s one of these!¡±


    ¡°And you want me to help get it back?¡±


    ¡°Bah, no!¡± exclaimed the old man with a negligent wave of his hand. ¡°The treasure is probably long gone. People have gone over those tunnels hundreds of times since my ancestor hid it. All I want is a symbol. My family¡¯s symbol,¡± he rambled with unshed tears. ¡°It¡¯s an amulet, you see. Seemingly not worth anything, but it means everything to my family. My hope is that it was left behind by those who found the treasure, as it wasn¡¯t deemed valuable enough.¡±


    ¡°So, you want me to check out the tunnels where you think it can be found?¡±


    ¡°Yes, young man! Are you up for it?¡±


    Sam looked around and then back at the excited old man and nodded with a smile.


    ¡°Sure. Why not?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, young man! You won¡¯t regret it! Old Thomas still has friends. Yes, he does!¡±


    The old man began to ramble to himself and while listening with half an ear, Sam began to read the notification.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Go without my axe!]


    [Old Thomas has tasked you to seek out remnants of his family¡¯s treasure. Find the amulet and return it to him. Or not. It is up to you!]


    [Time limit: Old Thomas is rather old, so better hurry!]


    [Penalty: If you don¡¯t find the amulet, then nothing. If you find it and don¡¯t give it back, then you will receive Old Thomas¡¯ hatred.]


    [Reward: Old Thomas¡¯s recommendation letter to the Mining Guilds.]


    The moment Sam returned his focus to the still-rambling old man, he stopped and began running around the room with renewed vigor.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need this! And this too! Oh, don¡¯t forget this one!¡±


    Finally, breathing heavily, he stopped in front of Sam and handed over four things. Four maps precisely.


    As Sam held them in his hands, the old man began to explain.


    ¡°That one is the map where I marked the three most likely shafts. The other three are the newest maps I could find of them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir. These will be very useful!¡±


    ¡°You betcha! Old Thomas¡¯ maps are the best! You better believe it!¡± exclaimed the old man.


    <hr>


    After extracting himself from the old man who decided to regale Sam with tales of his old adventures while prospecting for moon silver after handing over the map, he found himself back in the dilapidated corridor.


    Pocketing the maps, he turned towards the exit and began the long and arduous journey while keeping an eye out for mutant dust bunnies.


    At the end of the corridor, however, he was met with a surprise. The lady who directed him towards Old Thomas was waiting there and with a small wave called him towards herself.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am?¡± he asked, wondering what this was about.


    The lady, dressed sharply, bit her lip and looked around a little uncomfortable.


    ¡°Well, sir. When you were at my desk, I didn¡¯t have the time to warn you, but I hope you weren¡¯t taken in by the old man¡¯s tales about grand treasures? He is a sweet old man, but everyone knows there is no treasure in the mine shafts. People looked. A lot.¡± She finished her little speech with a heavy emphasis on the word ¡®lot¡¯.


    Sam simply smiled at her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, ma¡¯am. I just wanted to know something about the old mine shafts and the old trainer at the Training Hall directed me towards Thomas.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Micheal, that old grouch?¡± The lady then smiled and nodded at him. ¡°That¡¯s good. Then I won¡¯t bother you anymore. Good day, sir!¡±


    And with that, she abruptly turned around and walked away with rapid clicks of her shoes. Sam spent a moment admiring the view as he began heading out.


    He had a treasure to find.

 Chapter 47

    Leaving the Administration Building after the warning, he made a quick stop at the general store to stock up on perishables, but because the mine shafts he had to examine were rather close to the city he didn¡¯t make much more preparations.


    He left the city of Ironwood as soon as possible, launching into a run as soon as he cleared the gates.


    Thanks to the old trainer, he already knew the way over there, so he simply turned off his brain and ran.


    Sam arrived after a half hour of leisurely exertion at the area where he could see the mountainside filled with countless holes that led to abandoned mine shafts, while in the distance he could see the walls protecting the current mining area.


    Ignoring the thriving crowd heading toward the mining headquarters, he simply checked his weapons, whispered a few instructions to Lucky, then began to climb the ramps that were carved from the mountain a long time ago.


    He kept an eye out for trouble, then activated his Mana Senses, knowing that there was at least one magical artifact, however small. Sam hoped that it would speed up the search. Though as he beheld the mountain with his Mana Sense, he knew why people didn¡¯t succeed before.


    The entire area was saturated with mana, probably from the excavation made by all manner of magic, or maybe even by the mountain''s own mana.


    Sighing a little, he made sure to filter out the background mana radiating from the mountain and headed for the mine shaft.


    He knew that the treasure was in the third one, but he needed to make it realistic. Plus, who knows what kind of obstacles the game system would arrange against him.


    The first mine shaft was exactly like he expected a mine shaft to be.


    It was dark, dusty, and painfully empty.


    The ground was littered with debris fallen from the ceiling or mined out of the walls by desperate people looking for gold or any other metal ore to sell. Sam had seen beehives with fewer holes than the walls of the mining shaft.


    Taking the map given to him by Old Thomas and his trusty Light Ball spell, he began walking through the tunnels and corridors looking for the elusive treasure. Or at least pretending to search.


    He knocked on walls, pulsed his mana sense, and even tried breaking down a few walls to see if it was behind them. But as expected, he found nothing, just even more dust.


    Shaking his head theatrically, he put away the first map, took out the next one, and began heading for the exit.


    <hr>


    After leaving the first mine shaft, he began climbing the mountainside again.


    Entering the second mine shaft, Sam was much more careful as he could sense something flickering with his Mana Sense. Because it was so faint, he couldn¡¯t say for sure what it was, but based on his experience, either it would be something wanting to eat him, or worse.


    Cautiously moving forward, Sam had his sword in his hand, his Mana Shield up at hundred percent, and his other hand was ready to let a beefy Wind Blade rip at the slightest provocation. Knowing about the clich¨¦s he also made sure to regularly look up at the ceiling. Nobody liked to be surprised by ceiling spiders. Or anything falling from the ceiling.


    Sam frowned a little as the mana signals flickered a little more, as if moving around, but because they were really faint, they almost got lost against the background mana of the mountain. So, Sam was really surprised when, by his estimation, in the middle of the mine shaft, something happened. Suddenly, a circular part of the wall popped off and a giant spider, fangs glistening with unknown substances, launched itself at him. Followed by several others.


    He would have liked to say that he had dealt with the entire situation calmly and in a collected manner, but that would be a lie.


    When he calmed down enough to take stock of the situation, the entire area of the mine shaft, the walls, ceiling, and even the ground were covered by deep grooves after being struck with a barrage of Wind Blades. And surrounding Sam were the diced-up corpses of at least dozens of corgi-sized spiders. At least that was the number he could count. The rest were in so little pieces that he couldn¡¯t even make out their individual parts.


    Taking a quick breath, he tried to calm down. ¡®Alright, Sam¡­ they are dead¡­¡¯ After reassuring himself, he quickly harvested the parts that were still in one piece and continued even more cautiously forward.


    Despite expecting to be attacked, it was still hard to overcome his instinctual fear of giant spiders attacking him from the darkness.


    So, the visit to the second mine shaft was finished with fewer spiders in the tunnels and even more pockmarks and grooves carved everywhere. As well as spider bits everywhere. Everywhere.


    Sadly, Sam''s level was high enough that the spiders only gave a few experience points, not enough for anything serious. Still, the parts he harvested from the spiders would be useful later on.


    Taking a few calming breaths outside of the entrance of the second mine shaft, Sam gave a once over of the map while making sure to mark where he was ambushed by spiders then put it away into his inventory to give it back to Old Thomas with a very stern warning.


    Then his eyes zeroed in on the last mine shaft on his list. Retrieving the map, he did a final check and continued his journey upwards on the debris-covered slopes of the mountain.


    Arriving before the last entrance, he took another deep breath, and with sword held high, magic ready and his heart steeled, he stepped inside.


    Though, he did say a quick prayer for spiders not to appear in this mine shaft¡­


    <hr>


    The last tunnel system looked the same as the previous two, but as he walked deeper and deeper, he noticed that there was a small amount of fog rolling on the floor. And as Sam walked forward, said fog began to fill up the tunnel he was in, making it hard to see.


    When he first noticed the fog, he used his Mana Sense to see what was causing it and found a few weird mana signatures deeper inside.


    ¡®Is it an ambush or an ambush? Place your bets, people¡­¡¯ he mused to himself with a small smirk.


    Outwardly, however, he showed nothing on his face. Just simply raised his sword a little higher and continued to walk forward.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Not so surprisingly, nothing happened aside from the fog thickening up to suffocating levels. He could, however, see several holes on the walls that reminded him of the spiders in the previous tunnel.


    Shuddering a little, he continued forward, knowing that soon he would be even richer.


    <hr>


    Deep in the tunnels, he finally reached a turn that he knew would lead him toward the treasure. However, the fog thickened up enough that even with the Light Ball spell up, he couldn¡¯t see anything.


    He had to rely on his Mana Sense so that he could walk forward in a straight line.


    Turning on the corner, he had to move fast as a lot of things happened.


    He heard a noise like a whip and had to move fast with his sword to protect against the arrow heading straight at his torso. Thankfully, his newest enemies used mana-based skills to guide the arrow, thus he could sense its direction.


    CLANG!


    The arrow was stopped by his hastily raised sword, covered by his mana.


    Immediately a short laugh rang out and Sam could hear footsteps approaching him from the direction the arrow was fired from.


    Sam settled into a comfortable stance with the sword held in front of him pointing downwards, ready to parry, and the other hand behind his back, shining with mana, ready to be unleashed.


    From the fog, four people appeared. One at the back, decked out in leather armor and his face hidden by a hood, was holding a long bow with another arrow ready to be let fly, aimed at Sam.


    ¡®Basic archer¡­¡¯


    The person on the right of the group was holding a simple staff that Sam could feel radiating minuscule mana. It was shining red, leading Sam to believe that the mage preferred fire magic. At this level, it was rather easy to distinguish the types of magic being cast, as they had usually one nature. Later in the game, where mages could combine mana natures as they liked, it would become exponentially harder.


    The man on the left was holding two daggers, so Sam designated him as a rogue, while the man in the middle was holding a circular shield and axe.


    ¡°Welcome, stranger!¡± cried out the man with the shield, banging his axe on his shield. ¡°Are you looking for the treasure?¡± he asked, his words dripping with sarcasm.


    ¡°And if I am?¡± Sam replied glibly, mentally marking where to attack if diplomacy broke down.


    The others laughed when he said that, while the man with the axe just smirked at him.


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll only enrich our pockets, my friend. After all, do you think you¡¯re the only one who got that quest from the old fool? He gives it to anyone who goes near him¡­¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t actually know that as by the time the other Sam heard about the situation with the treasure, the dungeons were everywhere and nobody ever mentioned the quest. Still, it made sense. He did acquire the quest rather easily.


    ¡°So?¡±


    The man¡¯s smirk grew even bigger.


    ¡°So, that means you either pay us, or we take it from your corpse! Just as we had taken it from many others¡­¡± explained the man, satisfaction dripping from his words


    Then the mage spoke up, mumbling a little.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably going to be the last because we couldn¡¯t ambush you¡­¡±


    The man holding the axe threw his friend a glare, but in the end, shrugged.


    ¡°Well, yeah¡­ A smart man knows when to cut their losses¡­¡±


    Sam just snorted.


    ¡°A smart man would know not to let their enemy prepare!¡±


    His enemies¡¯ eyes grow big after realizing what he had said. The moment the last word left his lips, Sam activated Shadow Burst. He launched himself forward, aiming at the gap between the shield bearer and the dagger-wielding person. He arrived next to the archer, who had enough time to let out a surprised noise before his sword skewered him.


    Sadly, the rest of the players playing bandits weren¡¯t too stupid, so Sam had enough time to pull out the sword from the archer¡¯s body, but before he could move again, the mage let loose a rather potent fire missile.


    Sam simply raised his hand in front of his face, letting the first layer of his Mana tank the spell.


    ¡°Yeah, take that asshole!¡± came the exclamation from the shield-bearer and apparent leader of the band of idiots.


    Sam ignored the damage, and simply let go of the spell that he gathered in his other hand.


    A very tightly controlled Wind Bullet barrage slammed into the guy with the shield, though he was fast enough to raise his shield in front of him, which resulted in him being pushed back as several dozen Wind Bullets slammed into his shield.


    With the same motion, he ran mana through his sword and let out a smooth vertical Wind Blade with a slash, while at the same time dodging the rogue¡¯s lunge towards him with his daggers sparking with a dangerous light.


    The mage wasn¡¯t as fast as his physically focused friend and didn¡¯t manage to put up any protection against Sam¡¯s spell. He fell to the ground short of several parts of his body, oddly reminding Sam of the spiders he had run into at the previous mine shaft.


    ¡°Bastard!¡± growled the dagger-wielding rogue and exclaimed. ¡°Poison Slash!¡±


    Instantly a sickly green colored light enveloped his daggers, and he slashed them toward Sam angrily.


    Sam reacted with a simple burst of wind from his palm, which slowed the two projectiles enough that he could duck under them.


    This distraction allowed the guy with the axe to return and charge, while yelling some kind of war cry, at Sam.


    With Shadow Burst on cooldown, Sam used the Wind Jump skill to dodge to the side and let the angry man continue his charge right toward his friend.


    He spun around and smirked as he saw the realization crystalize on the rogue¡¯s face too late.


    Sam watched with barely held-back laughter as the axe-wielder smashed into the rogue and the two of them went down in a tangle of limbs and curses.


    Just to make sure they knew that he was aware of their humiliation, he spoke his next spell out loud.


    ¡°Wind Drill!¡±


    With a powerful step, he appeared next to the two and struck down, his sword going through both of their bodies. They struggled for a second, but then both went still.


    Sam pulled his sword out of the body but didn¡¯t put it away. Just because the idiots were dead, it didn¡¯t mean there wasn¡¯t any other danger present.


    He also spent a few moments rifling through the drops of the would-be bandits, coming away with a few silver and gold coins, as well as a bottle of basic health potion.


    Player killing in Magic Unbound was handled rather weirdly. As long as nobody knew you were doing it, then you didn¡¯t get red names like in other games. But as soon as somebody figured out, then you would get a reputation. The more people knew, be it players or NPCs (though in this, important NPCs knowing was worth more) the redder your name became. Inversely, the longer you can keep your activities secret from others, the better the rewards from the people you kill. So, seeing as only Sam knew about them, their drops were rather tame. Not that Sam expected that they had anything good¡­


    Watching as their bodies transformed into light and then fell apart into pixels, he shook his head and continued toward his original goal.


    He did a quick check of his map to make sure that he was in the right place, then re-summoned his Light Ball and began walking forward slowly. He sharpened his senses and used the pommel of his sword to knock on the walls every few steps.


    Those four idiots probably already searched every inch of the tunnel, so it wouldn¡¯t be there.


    Then as he was reaching where the mining stopped, he felt something with his Mana Sense. A small blip in the ocean of background mana radiation of the mountain.


    Stopping in front of the wall, he stepped closer and placed his ear on it, while he struck it with the pommel of his sword.


    He smiled when, instead of a dull tone, he heard the knock echo behind the wall.


    Sam put the weapon back in its sheath, then placed his palm on the wall and used his Earth Wall spell to move the material in the wall somewhere else. In the next second, he stepped through a newly created hole into another tunnel that seemed to be partially filled with stone and other debris.


    ¡®Probably a cave-in¡­¡¯ he mused as he walked forward his sword back in his hand.


    As he continued to walk forward soon the features of the small off-shoot tunnel became familiar thanks to his inherited memories. Hastening his steps in excitement, he walked along the corridor until he reached a small cavern that seemed partially unnatural. Probably a natural pocket in the mountain enlarged by a human hand.


    And in the middle of said cavern were two chests partially sunk into the ground, partially covered by fallen stone, but spilling out silver with green patina on it, while the gold coins mixed in them sparked thanks to the light that his spell showered the room with.


    Sam stepped forward raising his sword, pointing upwards, and let loose a powerful Wind Blade without taking his eyes off the treasure.


    He ignored the body that fell behind him with a small thud and began carefully to excavate the chests.


    Behind him, the greedy drake, with brown skin and scales like rocks glared at Sam but the spell almost cut it in half, thus it could do nothing but watch as his treasure was stolen away as the life slowly drained from its body.

 Chapter 48

    He first started by removing the stone covering parts of the damaged chests and then spent a moment admiring the small hill of wealth in front of him.


    Finally, he retrieved several bags holding expanded spaces and began carefully putting away the treasure. The first bag got the tarnished silver, the second the bronze coins, and the final one got the gold coins. The bank would probably charge him a fee for cleaning those coins, but it should be a negligible amount compared to their value.


    Then came the time to look for any artifacts.


    In his inherited memories, people could find the amulet as a rare drop after defeating the drake at the end of the dungeon, which then could be given to the Quest NPC. But it never amounted to anything more than a few more pieces of money and some additional experience points. It was rather disappointing to see all that treasure and come away with only a dinky amulet.


    It didn¡¯t take Sam much time to find the amulet Old Thomas was looking for, as he could feel the tightly wound mana around the item under one of the chests hidden in its own small chest and bundled in rotting fabric.


    [Congratulations, you found the amulet belonging to Old Thomas¡¯s family!]


    [Amulet of ???: Grants its bearer +10 Mana Regeneration, Stamina Regeneration, Health Regeneration as well as an Artificial Mana Shield. The artificial Mana Shield can be filled with 1000 Mana, currently 0/1000. For each Mana point, it protects the wearer for 2 direct damage. Additionally, it does ??? and ???.]


    [You have the choice of using the artifact or returning it to Old Thomas!]


    Sam stared at the amulet for a long while.


    ¡®That¡¯s suspicious as frick¡­¡¯ he thought while contemplating the situation. He could probably take it to somebody who could properly identify it because he sure as hell would not inject his mana into it to try to identify it. ¡®To chance it or not?¡¯


    For a long while he stared at it, turning it this way and that way, hoping to discover some clue about it. But the only thing on the amulet was some lines acting as decoration on the edge and in the middle was a coat of arms of some family (probably Old Thomas¡¯) but he didn¡¯t recognize it.


    In the end, he shrugged and chucked the amulet into his inventory. He would deal with it later.


    After removing the coins from the ground and the remains of the chests, he found a small metal box that opened without trouble. Inside were three spell books, but as the covers were blank, he couldn¡¯t say if they were worth anything. He would have to read to see¡­


    Then he spent some time looking around, making sure he gathered every last piece of coin and item. Sadly, he didn¡¯t find any more artifacts. Even so, he was pretty much happy with the gold coins as this wealth added to his bank account, or more like to the company¡¯s bank account, would make him fabulously wealthy later on.


    Even more so than he was now¡­


    <hr>


    The return trip was peaceful, even though Sam expected the four idiots to rush back and attack him again to regain their lost reputation. At least that was how it went in the novels he had read in his past life. Apparently, people in real life were smarter¡­ who knew?


    He walked through the gates and immediately headed for the bank.


    In the bank, he was met by a smiling woman, dressed to impress, with a rather airier shirt than last time.


    It seemed they really liked his money.


    ¡°How can we help you today, sir?¡± she asked with a gentle bow.


    ¡°Deposit today too,¡± he stated simply.


    The woman¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement and gestured for him to follow her.


    They walked through the lobby, ignoring all the players that were standing in line and glaring at Sam for the preferential treatment.


    Soon they arrived in a room where he was led through a giant metal door that shut behind him, surprisingly silently. Already used to it, he waited until the woman motioned at the desk in the middle and simply retrieved the bags and placed them there.


    The woman immediately began examining them. Credit where credit is due, the moment she opened the bag containing the gold she only let out a small ¡®oh¡¯ sound. Otherwise, she acted very professionally.


    It took a while, but his money was counted and ready to be deposited. The moment the woman slid over the piece of paper listing the value of the money he brought with him, her top two buttons were mysteriously missing.


    Sam thanked her with a polite smile, looked over the document, then began to list his instructions for the money.


    The woman was initially a little disappointed, but she was still professional and began taking notes.


    <hr>


    Sam left the bank happily with a new stack of documents to hand over to Lucy and a smiling bank employee waving him goodbye.


    He put away the documents and began walking towards the Administration Building.


    An amulet was looking for its owner.


    The Administration Building was full of people queuing as always, but Sam just ignored the lines and headed directly for the very long and dirty corridor.


    This time he ignored everything as the unknown parts on the amulet were somewhat freaking him out and he wanted to know what it was about, one way or another.


    He reached the door that hid the old man from casual observers and stopped for a second.


    Sam took a deep breath and activated all his protective spells and skill. It was probably unnecessary, but he wanted to make sure¡­


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    With a final sigh he knocked on the door and when he heard the weak ¡®come in¡¯, opened the door with a deft motion.


    Old Thomas was sitting on his rolling chair in front of his desk, drawing something, but the moment Sam entered the room, he looked up and gave Sam a giant toothy smile that showed that he had a few of them missing.


    ¡°Young man! You¡¯ve returned!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I did, sir,¡± Sam answered with a forced cheer.


    The old man leaned forward with hope basically radiating from him.


    ¡°Did..did you¡­did you find it?¡± he asked, stuttering a little.


    Sam reached into his pocket and retrieved the artifact in question.


    Instantly, the old man¡¯s eyes zeroed in on the amulet and as Sam offered it to him, he reached forward with trembling hands.


    Sam watched as Thomas brought the amulet closer to himself and basically hunched over it. Just to be sure, he took a step back and watched the old man.


    At first, he was scared that the old man would have a heart attack as seemingly he began to take short and sharp breaths and the hunching got worse while mumbling under his breath. Sadly, thanks to the beard, Sam couldn¡¯t understand anything.


    He was about to call out when he felt the mana in the air move.


    Focusing on his senses, he directed them directly at the old man and the amulet held in his arms. The previously minimal amount of mana in the amulet seemingly unwound from its dormant status, and now it was as if a blazing light was present in the room.


    Sam raised his Mana Shield even stronger and took another step back. Sadly, he was stopped moving even more backward by the door.


    Meanwhile, the old man¡¯s mumbling turned into quiet laughter that frighteningly began to grow and grow in volume.


    Sam watched with his senses as the mana surged from the amulet and swirled around the man for a second, then seemingly it was absorbed by the old man.


    ¡°HA HA HA HA!¡±


    Sam watched equally fascinated and horrified as the mana visibly swirled around the man, and the old man¡¯s body began to grow and twist in unnatural ways. Most of all, the years seemingly began to melt from his body.


    Even if he wanted to interfere, it happened so fast that by the time he prepared a strike, the swirling mana was settling down, and in the middle of the room was a tall man, head full of black hair instead of the sparse yellowish white hair that Old Thomas had. Notably, he had a grayish pallor, with a rather satisfied smirk on his face.


    And the room around them was in shambles, with shelves broken and buried under uncountable piles of shredded documents. The maps on the wall were also torn to shreds and the area where Old Thomas stood was surrounded by grooves carved into the flooring. The windows were letting in a gentle breeze as the mana explosion had summarily blown them out.


    The mana that was radiating from him told Sam that while he was strong compared to other players, the being in front of him could crush him with a snap of his finger.


    ¡°Finally!¡± the being exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. ¡°After hundreds of years, I¡¯m finally free!¡±


    Sam swallowed and moved his hand on the pommel but before he could even grasp it the newly appeared being¡¯s eyes found his eyes, and Sam found himself frozen in place.


    ¡°Well, well, well¡­ If it isn¡¯t my savior...¡± he spoke, enunciating the word ¡®savior¡¯ rather weirdly. ¡°How should I thank you, I wonder¡­¡±


    Sam wanted to answer, but because he was frozen in place, he couldn¡¯t even open his mouth. ¡®


    The being in front of him hummed a little, then snapped his fingers.


    ¡°I know!¡± he exclaimed happily, showing his menacing smile. ¡°Come find me in the Dark Lands, adventurer! If you can find me, I¡¯ll reward you!¡±


    Then Sam just stared at the being helplessly, having finally recognized their race from his inherited memories as a clich¨¦ demon (which weren¡¯t all full-blown evil, but they were all rather mercurial). The demon looked around with a scoff, then gave Sam a thumbs up.


    ¡°Later, my new friend!¡±


    And then vanished in a swirl of dark magic, leaving Sam alone in the trashed room. Thankfully, his body was released at the same time, so he could grab a cloak out of his inventory, throw it on, and jump out of the window.


    He wanted nothing to do with the entire thing.


    Sneaking around in the shadows, changing his face a few times, he managed to get out of the area even as he heard the alarmed cries of the guards of the Administration Building.


    <hr>


    Half an hour later, he was in his apartment petting Lucky and staring at his notification screens.


    [The quest, ¡®Go without my axe!¡¯ is completed!]


    [You chose to return the amulet to Old Thomas. Big mistake! Or is it?]


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Just walk in there!]


    [A mysterious being was freed from their mortal prison thanks to your actions. They bid you to find them in the Dark Lands. Supposedly, to reward you. Go and find out what they want!]


    [Penalty: If you don¡¯t go, they will come to you. You don¡¯t want that.]


    [Reward: They won¡¯t come to you if you go.]


    He reread the quest a few times, then closed the screens and laid back in his armchair with a sigh and closed his eyes.


    In the end, he came to the conclusion that the game made sure to balance the acquisition of the treasure with something bad. As he didn¡¯t get the recommendation and got the attention of somebody rather powerful.


    Still, it wasn¡¯t like he really needed that recommendation, as he had other ways to acquire it and a contact in the Dark Land would be rather useful in the future, no matter how nebulous.


    <hr>


    He entered Lucy¡¯s office with renewed vigor, putting the entire thing with the demon out of his mind for now. The Dark Lands were beyond his abilities as of now, so there was no need to worry about it.


    Lucy was sitting behind her giant desk, furiously writing something while several stacks of documents surrounded her.


    As the door clicked shut behind Sam, she looked up at him and smiled.


    ¡°Welcome back, Sam. How are you doing?¡±


    Sam simply walked to one of the chairs in front of her desk and unceremoniously plopped down while letting out a sigh.


    ¡°Could be better¡­¡±


    ¡°Anything I need to know?¡±


    ¡°I was never near the Administration building if somebody asks¡­¡±


    There was silence as Lucy also sighed.


    ¡°So, should we plan to rapidly relocate?¡±


    Sam shook his head ruefully. ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but please warn me next time¡­¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like I planned any of it. It just happened!¡±


    ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯ll hear that excuse a few more times in the future?¡± asked Lucy with a wry smile.


    He just shrugged helplessly. Then, with a mischievous smile, retrieved the documents and put them on the desk.


    ¡°Here! These might cheer you up¡­¡±


    Lucy cautiously reached for the documents, then Sam watched with glee as her eyes progressively grew in size while reading about his latest windfall.


    ¡°Is this.. is this real, Sam?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡±


    ¡°How the hell did you get this much money?¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t ask¡­ it¡¯s rather stupid¡­¡±


    Lucy took a few minutes to read the documents again, then finally placed them on the desk and steepled her fingers together and looked at Sam.


    ¡°Alright. We have more money. What do you want me to do with it?¡±


    ¡°Hasten the constructions. I want Project Honey to be ready before the announcement. How is the warehouse going?¡±


    ¡°Because it is so simple they are doing the finishing touches on the security enchantments.¡±


    ¡°Did you pay for encrypted enchantments?¡±


    ¡°As you instructed.¡±


    ¡°Good. For now, it¡¯s useless, but later it will be a godsend.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    ¡°How about the management team?¡±


    ¡°Already doing the interviews. We already have the in-house blacksmith and armorsmith. The kitchen and cleaning staff are full.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Sam said, then stood up. Before he headed for the door, he reached into his inventory and took out the three skill books, and placed them on the desk in front of Lucy.


    ¡°Take a look at these. Either I don¡¯t need them or already have them¡­¡±


    Lucy stared at the books, then back at Sam, and nodded.


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡±


    As Sam left the room, he heard Lucy paging through the skill books. It was a pity that none of them were right for him, but that is life.


    With the announcement coming soon, and the most recent quest done, he would need to spend some time grinding.


    It was time for the local population of a certain animal to learn of him.

 Chapter 49

    After logging out for a bio break and some rest and more importantly food, Sam returned to the game, raring to go.


    He spent some time stocking up on consumables, then did a tour of the properties he owned.


    The warehouse was almost ready to open. Sam saw groups of workers going around the building setting up protections and putting on the finishing touches on the outside of the building.


    His original plan called for getting a warehouse building refurbished with small and big units for people to store their non-valuable stuff (for the very valuable items, Sam didn¡¯t even want to try competing with banks). Lucy went a little further with his idea.


    She didn¡¯t just have the building renovated, but thanks to game logic and more importantly magic, she had the builders excavate two basement levels under the building, thus tripling the available space.


    There was a small office for the building administration where people could do their business. The biggest area was taken up by the identifying shop. Currently, their company had to hire an NPC identifier, which wasn¡¯t that a big problem as most people hadn¡¯t had anything drop that needed a proper expert to identify. Or if they had, they wouldn¡¯t take it to a public shop where everyone could see it.


    The rules of the AFK Warehouse were already displayed prominently on the side of the building on a plaque. Sam saw several players stopping and reading them. They either laughed at the absurdity or looked thoughtful.


    These rules were the usual for a warehouse business, but the most important rule was the one that was at the bottom of the plaque.


    In case of missing payment, the company retains the right to confiscate the items stored in the storage units.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t that easy. The people renting the units would need to be late with their payments for over two weeks, and the company must send out warnings. But if all those come to pass, then the stuff in the units would become the company¡¯s property. And thus, Sam¡¯s.


    It wouldn¡¯t be the most profitable enterprise, but if they can expand and place at least one such warehouse in every major city, then just by the law of big numbers they would be raking in items and materials by the boatloads.


    In his inherited memories there was a guild that created a warehouse service, but their terms were so predatory (late by a day, your stuff is gone) that several other guilds and player groups got together and burned the warehouses down.


    Sam hoped to replicate their service with more reasonable terms and conditions. And even if it doesn¡¯t work out, they could just do away with that part of their rules and simply raise their prices for unit rental and transition into a normal (and boring) rental business. Sam would leave that decision to Lucy.


    He had tons of ideas, but he would freely admit that he had almost no idea how to realize most of those. Thus, delegation was the name of the game.


    Sam also checked up on the ¡®cheap¡¯ accommodations set up for those who didn¡¯t want to pay for the chance to enjoy luxury. Though in this case, the rooms that could be rented were secondary. The buildings he purchased were primarily designated as shopping malls, with a few rooms on top of it.


    According to Lucy, they had several people lined up to operate restaurants as well as Journeyman crafters to operate their armor and weapon repair shops. She was also currently in discussion with the Merchant Association about supplying the shops there with their items.


    Taking a quick look, he walked over to the luxury building.


    The outside was done in the same style as the city, but there were absolutely no identification marks anywhere on the building. Even the entrance doors were made of wood and there were no windows on the street-facing side of the building. All the more to increase the mysteriousness of the building. He walked around the property and the other side, where the courtyard entrance was for animals and carriages, and after showing the serious-looking guard his company badge, he entered the construction site.


    He did a quick walkthrough of the entire building, sneaking a peak at the apartments intended for fussy second-generation rich people, as well as watched as the staff of the building practiced under the merciless gaze of an old lady who held herself in a way that told Sam that she had been doing this for at least two centuries.


    She threw him a glance when he walked by but didn¡¯t stop her lecture aimed at the anxiously listening maids. Sam gave her a nod and smiled and continued his tour.


    On top of the building, a garden was in the process of being built, with small gazebos being set up around the place to make sure that people could have nice views and discuss things securely and privately.


    Overall, he was rather satisfied with the results of hiring Lucy. As he walked out of the building, he had one thought running through his head.


    ¡®We really need to sit down and work out the real-life contract soon with Lucy!¡¯


    Thankfully, he had bought several shares in companies that would do the best after the announcement that the RMT would be starting in Magic Unbound. He even managed to snag a few shares for Future Unknown.


    Even if he stopped playing the game right now, his financial future would be set. Sadly, the game would become so pervasive that it was almost impossible to exist without playing the game.


    <hr>


    With no immediate quest demanding his attention, he had time to grind a little. He wanted to get to at least Level 30 before the announcement. And for that, there were several quests that could be used.


    Granted, Sam could have gone out just to one of the grinding spots that he knew about, but that would have been boring and not as profitable.


    Thus, his feet took him to the Merchant Association, where they had a small board put up with jobs that people could take for payment. Sadly, it was first come first served, but several of the quests had level and reputation requirements. And with the Silvercrest recommendation, he had enough reputation to take several well-paying quests. Though, as he stepped up to the board and took one of the papers from it, and then stepped into one of the shorter lines, he had only eyes on one of them.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    A few minutes later, he stood at the counter and handed over the quest paper to the person sitting there. The man took a look at it, then at Sam. His eyes roamed over his body, but before he could sneer and send Sam away, he simply held out the document that Lord Silvercrest had given him.


    The bureaucrat¡¯s attitude immediately did a one-eighty and gave Sam an almost angelic smile.


    ¡°Thank you, sir, for helping out our Association. Would you be doing this task alone or with a team?¡±


    Sam just nodded but didn¡¯t smile.


    ¡°Alone.¡±


    ¡°Right, sir!¡± replied the man while writing furiously, probably sensing that he made a mistake. ¡°I added your name to the task. You have a week to accomplish it, after that, we have the right to assign it to somebody else if you don¡¯t have a compelling reason to prevent that. Any question about the task?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± said Sam and took the documents the man offered him after his answer.


    ¡°Then happy hunting, sir!¡± exclaimed the man with forced cheer.


    Sam just nodded in thanks and left the building, leaving the man behind who was already being approached by a supervisor.


    <hr>


    As Sam and Lucky left the city at a leisurely speed, he looked over the documents he received. The quest itself was very simple.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [The mountains sometimes do sing!]


    [The Merchant Association sometimes moves products over several mountain paths. Nowadays, their caravans have been assaulted by mysterious attacks when going through those routes. Go to the location and figure out what or who is behind the attacks before the next caravan is planned to go through there.]


    [Penalty: Decreased reputation with the Merchant Association. Possible death.]


    [Reward: The agreed amount of money.]


    The rest of the documents told Sam about the nature of attacks, which consisted of giant boulders launched at the merchant caravans, not unlike avalanches. Though avalanches weren¡¯t known to be accompanied by distinct roars of monsters.


    Said documents also contained a simple map and coordinates for the last attack.


    It wouldn¡¯t take a genius to figure out what the monsters were.


    Golems. Specifically, naturally occurring golems that were created from the magic and the overwhelming elemental nature of the mountain. With their simplistic minds, they probably thought that the caravans were trying to muscle in on their territories. And if the caravans were transporting metals or ores, then the golems would definitely sense those and could have misunderstood it as theft¡­


    Maybe¡­


    All he knew about the quest from his inherited memories was that it involved primitive naturally occurring earth golems that were easy to out-think and their drops were worth a lot. Plus, they gave a good chunk of EXP.


    The standard tactic for golems was ¡®distract-and-smash¡¯ which required at least two people as golem minds were so simplistic that they didn¡¯t even acknowledge illusions as they contained no life. However, with Lucky¡¯s help, it would be child¡¯s play to deal with them.


    So, without wasting any more time, he called Lucky out of his shadow and mounted him. He was big enough to ride on already, but it wasn¡¯t the most comfortable ride. Even so, Sam only needed the help of his trusty pet until he reached the mountain. After that, it would be much safer on his two feet and with Lucky in his shadow.


    <hr>


    Reaching the part of the mountain where the attacks occurred took a few hours, but it was largely uneventful. Mostly because the same guards who made sure that the mining sites around the city of Ironwood were secure also made sure that nobody used the path through the mountain without authorization.


    When he showed them the authorization document he received from the Association, they let him through without even a blink.


    The trip after that was done on two feet as he really wanted Lucky to watch his back. While the guards were good, players loved to circumvent things like blockades and enter forbidden areas. Not to mention the chance of bandit groups setting up in such areas.


    Thankfully, none of them found Sam, so either they weren¡¯t there or he got lucky. And with his trusty pet at his side, Sam¡¯s money was on getting lucky.


    He found the scene of the latest attack quite easily.


    The mountain path was filled with different sizes of rocks as well as remains of the carts that were used by caravans and were consequently crushed by said rocks.


    He spent a few minutes snooping around, but ultimately he found nothing but more debris and a few odds and ends that fell off the carts.


    Finished with his examination, he turned his attention towards the mountainside. Apparently, the golems hadn¡¯t noticed him yet, so activating his protective spells and unsheathing his sword, he began to bound upwards on the side of the mountain with great jumps.


    After a few seconds, he arrived on a plateau jutting out from the mountainside that was suspiciously missing rocks in several places.


    Landing on the ground, he was immediately greeted by a roar. One of the boulders that looked just like the other boulders unfurled and he was met by a mid-sized stone golem.


    It had a dumpy head with two small indentations marking the place of his eyes and a big hole that was continuously moving up and down as if trying to chomp down on air. The body was misshapen; great lumps of stone glued together with nothing but magic and wishes. The arms were also lumpy and awkward. Instead of fingers, the golem¡¯s hand ended in a giant ball of stone, probably to smash things more efficiently.


    It was the perfect representation of the naturally occurring golems. ¡®Though, this is better than elementals.¡¯ Sam thought as he took in his newest enemy. ¡®However, it is kinda weird I¡¯m fighting against so many golems¡­¡¯


    ¡°Lucky!¡± he spoke out loud. Lucky¡¯s head surfaced from his shadow and, with a curious tilt of his head, fixed his eyes on Sam. ¡°Same strategy. Go behind and jump when I signal.¡±


    Lucky nodded slightly, then dove back into the unfathomable darkness of Sam¡¯s shadow. Trusting his adorable and loyal pet, he fixed his attention on the golem, who began slowly lumbering towards him, releasing a roar with every second step.


    Sam could see several other boulders beginning to move in the background. He smiled as that would make his grinding easier and if what he suspected was true, then even his quest would become easier to complete.


    With a casual wave of his sword, Moonlight, he released a barrage of Wind Blades at the golem and watched as they carved thin and shallow grooves on the surface of its body. But doing damage wasn¡¯t his goal. It was to enrage the golem. And based on the roar, it let out it was super effective.


    Funnily, thanks to the wonky build of the golem, even if it wanted to charge fast at Sam, it couldn¡¯t as it didn¡¯t really have the proper joints for that.


    Sam waited until the golem reached striking distance and called out, still calm as a cucumber.


    ¡°Lucky, now!¡±


    The shadow wolf instantly appeared from the shadow cast by the mountain and simply pounced at the back of the golem, just like back in the ruins.


    This golem was definitely built much worse than the golem back in the ancient ruins, so it fell on its face with a great thud before it even finished its newest roar.


    ¡®Soooo dumb¡­¡¯ Sam thought as he watched the golem flail around and roar face-first into the ground.


    He casually walked up to the golem, charged up his sword with Wind Drill and Mana Strike, and struck with all his strength. The blade, enhanced with all his power, went through the body of the golem without any trouble.


    The golem struggled for a second, then it went still.


    [Congratulations! You killed Rudimentary Earth Golem!]


    Sam checked the drops and was happy to discover that the first mob dropped a bunch of small silvery-looking ores. He pocketed them and began eyeing the next golem.


    The golem stared at him, despite lacking eyes, and once again roared which the nearby mountains dutifully echoed back, thus multiplying the cacophony.


    Sam¡¯s answering smile would have sent a smarter enemy running for¡­ well for the mountains.

 Chapter 50

    The next golem fell just as easily as the first one. And so did the following one.


    And Sam was pretty happy with the drops, which were different kinds of ores. Now he understood why this area was so fought over by the guilds.


    ¡®Probably should sell it after I finish it,¡¯ he thought as he eyed the lumbering form of the third golem. Lucky had already dived back into the shadows and, based on the excited wuffs, was ready to continue the assault on the earth golems.


    The fight against the next few golems was nothing to write home. Sam got their attention, then Lucky distracted them with a simple attack and then he killed them with a supercharged move. However, they all managed to let out a roar. Some roars shook the nearby rocks, while the other ones were more like loud growls.


    After finishing the seventh golem and collecting the loot, which luckily included a spell book, he noticed that several areas around the little plateau up high were covered in dust.


    And those great dust clouds were rapidly moving towards him.


    Then the noise hit him.


    It was like standing before a sound avalanche. Which was rather apt as Sam focused on the dust clouds. He could pick out several golems rolling down the sides of the mountain. Apparently, the roars and growls of the golems he killed woke the rest up.


    ¡®I wonder if they call a group of earth golems an avalanche¡­¡¯ he mused as he got ready.


    By his estimation, there were between six and twelve golems in each group approaching him from three directions with almost terminal velocity.


    ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s rock and roll!¡± he whispered to himself and got ready for the first group to arrive.


    The game was nice enough to stagger the arrival of the three approaching hordes. The first one to arrive amidst a giant cacophony of noise, crushing every rock that was on the surface of the plateau under them, was the one coming from the east.


    Sam eyed the seven new earth golems that, while built similarly to the ones he already killed, looked marginally more coordinated.


    They didn¡¯t crash into each other, and as soon as they were stable, they stood up and fanned out as if searching for something.


    Sam looked down at his sword and then back at the golems.


    ¡°This will take a while¡­¡± he sighed, then with a burst from Wind Jump began approaching the one golem that strayed the furthest from the group.


    As he eyed the searching golems amidst them crashing their bulbous hands into anything and everything, trying to reveal Sam, he got an idea. After all, it worked with the two golems in the ancient ruins.


    Dodging around their search, rushing behind giant boulders that hadn¡¯t been smashed yet, Sam got into position and waited for the golems to move into a somewhat coherent line.


    The moment the first three golems stood in a line, he activated Shadow Burst and charged directly at the first golem. Thankfully, the golems were too slow to react to him, thus he managed to get into touching distance with the golem. Sam charged up the hand not holding his sword with enough neutral and wind mana that it would make a lot of people uncomfortable, and the moment his hand touched the golem, he unleashed it at the monster.


    There was a giant explosion and Sam was thrown backward, but thanks to his Mana Shield, he didn¡¯t feel anything. Instead, he made sure to land on his feet while keeping his eyes on the golem he hit with his improvised spell.


    The golem, thanks to the force of the spell, moved backward (sadly, due to the weight it didn¡¯t fly) and, while beginning to windmill with its misshapen arms, crashed into the golem behind it. And that golem also began to move and crashed into the golem standing behind it.


    Unfortunately, Sam couldn¡¯t position all seven to stand behind each other. Still, having three golems on the floor would make it much easier. While the other four golems began to turn towards Sam and the fallen golems, he rushed forward while calling out to his pet.


    ¡°Lucky! The last one!¡± And as he stabbed down on the first fallen golem, Lucky emerged from the shadows and pounced on the golem that was the farthest from Sam, sending it stumbling. Instead of returning to the shadows, Lucky launched himself from the golem and pounced on the next one.


    So Sam had the time to go around leisurely and execute the three monsters thrashing around on the ground and collecting their drops. Sadly, it was only a few bunches of random ores.


    Meanwhile, Lucky jumped between the remaining four golems, staggering them for a second or two and then jumping to the next one, like a demented rubber ball made of shadows. Based on the noises Sam heard when he ignored the constant roaring that sounded like rocks crushed together, Lucky was really enjoying himself.


    Finishing the last one, he turned towards the confused group of golems and called out.


    ¡°Lucky! Go back to the shadow!¡±


    Lucky let out an acknowledging bark and, with the last swish of his tail, launched off the head of one of the earth golems and dived directly into the nearest shadow. Sam almost expected a small splash to appear in the shadows as Lucky impacted the surface, it was such an elegant dive.


    The four golems spent a few seconds roaring confusedly while regaining their balance. Still, it was enough for Sam to get close to them and strike down one of them.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Jumping backward, he used Wind Jump to maneuver around the rest of the golems, and as they turned around to face the direction where the golem fell; he struck another one.


    And then another one. And another.


    Watching the last one fall, he looked up at the approaching other two groups of golems. By his estimation, the second group arriving from the west would reach the plateau in around fifteen seconds.


    He quickly collected the loot, somewhat disappointed that there weren¡¯t any more skill book drops. Then did a quick check on his equipment and dashed behind one of the still-standing boulders and hid to watch as the next group of earth golems landed on the plateau amidst chaos and earth-shaking roars.


    The mana running through his sword blazed to life, and he used his burgeoning mana manipulation skill to take control of the wind mana swirling chaotically around the sword and first wrestled it into something that resembled order. Then he channeled even more mana into it and watched as the simple long sword had enough mana moving around it that Sam could shape it into a giant greatsword. Thankfully, because it was made purely out of wind mana, it didn¡¯t have the same weight as a real greatsword. So, he could still wield it, but it would give him enough firepower to take down the golems more easily.


    He swung the sword around a few times, developing a feel for it while keeping control of the greatsword shape. At the same time, he was concentrating on the edge of the construct, making sure it was as sharp as possible.


    He grinned at the possibilities that this would give him. ¡®Who doesn¡¯t like giant swords?¡¯


    By the time he put together his newest ability, the golems gathered their wits and the dust cloud settled somewhat down. The eight new earth golems looked bigger and meaner than the last group. They had several areas on their bodies that had nasty spikes jutting out, ready to skewer anyone.


    ¡°Lucky, the plan is still the same. Watch out for the spikes!¡± he spoke calmly, listening for the quiet bark of an answer echoing from his shadow, and then, with a savage grin, launched himself at the nearest golem, slashing upwards.


    He didn¡¯t have time to watch as the slash separated the golem¡¯s hand and shoulder from the rest of its body he immediately moved on and continued the slash to the side, cutting into the next golem. Meanwhile, Lucky emerged at the back of the horde of golems and began jumping around, sending them staggering.


    Sam¡¯s second slash with his giant wind greatsword separated the head and shoulder of the second golem from their body. He finished the movement by spinning back to the first golem, bringing his weapon directly at the torso of the golem, where the core was hidden, and while pushing more mana through the edge of the mana construct, cutting through said torso.


    Not even paying attention to the chime coming from his interface that signaled that the golem died, he used the Shadow Mirage skill to leave an illusion of himself behind and jump away with a brief burst of Wind Jump as the third golem had enough time to reach him and try to swat him with their spiked hand.


    And while illusions didn¡¯t really work on golems, he still wanted to integrate them into his fighting style, so it was still good practice in timing and skill usage.


    As the third golem raised its hands high to strike down again, Sam overpowered the Wind Jump skill and launched himself at the torso of the golem, his sword held in front of him.


    The next second, his greatsword created from wind mana, was rammed through the middle of the golem¡¯s torso, skewering the core with one swift strike.


    Sam watched as the earth golem collapsed, ignored the chime from the game interface, and called out to Lucky, who was playing like a billiard ball between four roaring golems. Sam would say that despite lacking any kind of face, they looked incredibly frustrated.


    ¡°Lucky! Back to the shadow!¡±


    ¡°Wuff!¡± Lucky let out a cheerful bark and, with one last bounce off the head of one of the golems once again dove back into the shadows just as gracefully as an Olympic diver.


    The four golems looked at each other for a second as they all regained their stability, then as one, they turned towards Sam. As he faced them down, he would swear they looked extra menacing.


    ¡°Come!¡± he yelled, and the golems didn¡¯t disappoint. As one, they roared so loud that Sam could feel it in his bones and he was pretty sure that without his trusty Mana Shield, he would have suffered some kind of damage. He would know later when he went over the logs¡­


    Continuing to pump mana into the wind greatsword, getting a real liking for the construct, Sam grinned and activated Shadow Burst.


    With a roar of his own, he launched himself at the golems.


    <hr>


    Standing amidst the corpses of the monsters, he looked up at the approaching, much bigger cloud of golems. ¡®Probably has a boss or mini-boss in it¡­¡¯


    He looked around the plateau and couldn¡¯t help but curse. There was nowhere to hide. The last group and the subsequent fight destroyed every boulder or place where one could hide.


    Sighing silently, he dismissed the wind greatsword and jumped down the side of the plateau onto a small rock that was jutting out of the mountainside. Previously, he used it as foothold to climb up. It had enough room that he could stand there, but if he moved, there was a big chance that he would fall. Grunting a little, he used Earth Wall to cause a small stone wall to jut out horizontally from the mountainside, thus giving him more space to stand on.


    The moment he ducked down, the last group of earth golems arrived, kicking up dust and stone debris everywhere. Sam peeked out of his hiding space and he saw only two small golems, but between the two extremely spiky earth golems stood another one that was twice their size. And just to make things more fun, it even had spikes on its spikes. As well as a mouth that was filled with razor-sharp metal bits. And given that the head was big enough that one chomp could take his legs off, Sam wanted nothing to do with said teeth.


    And this one had eyes. A pair of unworked rubies sparked, set deeply into their monstrous face with a cruel light. ¡®Probably the intelligence behind the attacks¡­¡¯ he mused as he observed his newest enemies.


    Sam looked down and picked up a head-sized rock and threw it up and down in his hand, then pitched backward and launched it over the heads of the golems.


    He wasn¡¯t disappointed in their reactions.


    The moment the rock entered the boss golem¡¯s field of view, they raised one of their overly sparkly hand, inlaid with metal bits (some of them looking very sharp), and launched several Earth Bullets at the flying rock. Understandably, it was smashed apart within a second.


    ¡°Right, it can use magic¡­ Great¡­¡± he mused out loud. ¡°Now how to do it?¡±


    Placing his hand against the ground as the big golem looked around, more than likely looking for him, Sam concentrated briefly.


    Instantly, the ground under one of the smaller golems rose with extreme speed, sending the golem off balance. This resulted in the golem crashing into the boss while windmilling with their hands.


    Apparently, they all had some balance issues¡­


    However, the boss golem just simply raised one giant arm and smashed the golem away. Sam didn¡¯t even wait to see what the result of that was, instead he raised another Earth Wall under the other minion monster.


    Predictably, the boss monster slapped away this one too, sending it careening into the ground with a frustrated roar.


    Then it raised one of its legs and for a moment Sam could feel mana gather in the golem¡¯s leg before it was slammed down.


    Sam had exactly a heart beat to realize what was happening, but thanks to being on the edge of the plateau he had enough time to launch himself up in the air as giant and very sharp rock spikes emerged from the ground in concentric circles around the golem reaching even his hiding space.


    As he was in the air, he looked down and locked eyes with the giant earth golem. Its ruby-red eyes glinted with satisfaction and cruel enjoyment.


    Sam summoned his wind sword and began to fall toward the ground¡­

 Chapter 51 - Interlude 4

    Lucy stared at the closed doors for several minutes straight after her¡­ benefactor left her new office.


    Everything happened so fast that she barely had time to do anything except just go with the flow.


    Originally, Sam looked rather weird and questionable, but he was prepared for almost every question that she could think of and had enough resources that she could do anything she imagined.


    All with a license to do exactly that.


    It was insane.


    After so long just wandering around, trying to get any guild interested in her services and an opportunity like this falling in her lap was like a divine fortune. Lucy swore that she would make the most of it.


    And the first task was making sure that Sam¡¯s paperwork was up to order.


    Which turned out lucky because her mysterious benefactor missed some low-level stuff that could have tripped up their operations in the later stages of their plan.


    So, she spent a few hours navigating the labyrinthian bureaucracy of Ironwood, which netted her enough experience points that she leveled up several times, and her administration-related skills shot up like never before.


    Apparently, her natural prey was mean old ladies behind little desks¡­


    Then came the organization of everything that Sam wanted.


    At first, Lucy balked at the constraints he placed on her, but as she went through the plans, she realized the sheer potential of the idea if carefully managed.


    Ironwood will be used as a proof of concept and to refine the ideas and services they would provide. And when that was finished, they could simply copy-paste the entire business into any city.


    It was brilliant!


    Lucy couldn¡¯t help but grin as she began reading documents related to setting up a hotel in the city.


    She couldn¡¯t wait to see what the future held!


    <hr>


    After organizing the cleaning and basic renovation of the headquarters, and hiring low-level staff as well as a secretary to handle the basics so that she could focus on the important things, the first thing Lucy did was log out of the game.


    She removed her helmet, stretched a little, then spent a few minutes looking for some clothing that would make her presentable compared to the dirty pajamas she was currently wearing.


    After finding a pants and shirt combo that looked clean from a distance, she walked into her living room, which was always kept clean to make sure when somebody called her background would be presentable Lucy plopped down on her old sofa and with a few motions initiated a call.


    It rang several times, but eventually, it was answered.


    In front of her, a holographic screen sprung up on it the face of one of her oldest friends.


    ¡°Sarah!¡±


    ¡°Lucy! Hi! What¡¯s up? Still playing Magic Untied?¡±


    ¡°Magic Unbound, but yes¡­¡± she answered with a smile.


    Her friend just smiled innocently, but Lucy didn¡¯t believe it for a second. Her friend was just as game obsessed as her. Though, instead of the administration aspects, Sarah was focused on architecture in any way shape, or form.


    And like her, she tried to get into several architect offices after graduating but was always rebuffed after not presenting enough connections or open legs.


    They got jobs at the same company, though in different departments, and spent their spare time playing games. Sometimes, they even teamed up. Lucy organized everything and Sarah made sure it was executed properly, as well as made sure that everything looked very nice.


    She flipped her short but airy hair back with a small smile and spoke up.


    ¡°So, why did you call me Lulu?¡±


    ¡°I got an opportunity!¡± she replied with a mysterious smile.


    Predictably Sarah was instantly interested.


    ¡°In-game right?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡±


    ¡°You finally managed to get someone to sponsor you?¡± she asked, almost shrieking in excitement. Lucy spent a not considerable time bitching to Sarah about the lack of support for admin players.


    ¡°Yes!¡± she exclaimed, and Sarah immediately began to celebrate with her.


    After they got that out of the system, Lucy got back to what she wanted to say.


    ¡°¡­and then I was just left there with an office and buckets of money.¡±


    Sarah just stared at her before speaking.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got the weirdest luck Lulu¡­¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡± sighed Lucy, then she perked up. ¡°And guess what!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We need an architect!


    The light of creativity instantly lit up in her friend¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Tell me more!¡±


    <hr>


    Lucy stared at Sam¡¯s retreating figure as he once again left her speechless in her own office, which looked much better than last time, thanks to the renovations and Sarah.


    How the hell he managed to gather that amount of gold was beyond her. Though, currently, she was more interested in the skill books on her desk.


    One was Mana Shield, the other was Mana Sense and the last one was Magical Encryption. All perfect for her skill set.


    She immediately learned them and then spent a few minutes reading over the notes. The most interesting was the Magical Encryption, as that provided the most utility for her in her day-to-day work with AFK company.


    [Congratulations, you learned Magical Encryption!]


    [Magical Encryption: Level 0/50 (0%) (Active/Passive) Passively obfuscates your mana signature. The higher the level of the skill, the harder it is to identify or even find your mana signature after you cast a spell. You can also use your mana to cover certain items with a layer of mana that will make them unrecognizable to other people. The higher the level of the skill, the harder it is to see through it. It counts as an illusion and is affected by the skills that affect illusion skills and spells.]


    It used weird language, but Lucy was pretty sure Sam gave it to her to make sure she could make the documents of the company unreadable to anyone trying to snoop around.


    She smirked and took a random document from her desk and cast the spell. Instantly, a shimmer of grey light spread through the piece of paper, but to her, nothing changed.


    Lucy frowned a little, then pressed a small button on a box at the edge of her desk.


    ¡°Layla, could you come in for a second?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Director,¡± came the answer immediately and a second later the doors to her office opened, and her very competent secretary entered, looking questioningly at her.


    ¡°Yes, Director? How can I help you?¡±


    Lucy just offered up the document she cast a spell on. ¡°Please, read this.¡±


    Her secretary gingerly took the paper. Lucy watched her face in fascination as the older woman realized she couldn¡¯t read the words. Finally, Layla looked up at her and frowned.


    ¡°What happened to it?¡±


    ¡°Encryption spell,¡± she simply said, then watched as her frightfully smart secretary realized the implications.


    The bloodthirsty grins sported by the two women would have scared lesser people.


    <hr>


    Lucy looked at the email that just came in and couldn¡¯t help but fret.


    It was one thing to sign a contract in-game, but signing one in real life?


    Granted it was everywhere on the net that the announcement happening soon would introduce RMT to the game, so she kinda understood what Sam wanted, but it still made her a little anxious.


    Still, he had dealt with her in good faith, so she owed him at least that much.


    Getting comfortable in front of her computer, she opened the file containing the contract and began to read.


    If she joined him in this, she was going in with both of her eyes open!


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°When are you going to give up that silly thing and return to the real world?¡±


    She stared at her mother, lips squeezed together tightly to prevent her from saying something inadvisable. Her mother, however, took her silence as a prompt for her to continue.


    ¡°I get it that it¡¯s fun and such, but it is high time that you leave your silly hobby behind and focus on more important things.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a hobby. Or silly.¡±


    Her mother just negligently waved her hand.


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t mean that¡­ I mean, you may make some money here and there, but it¡¯s only because you¡¯re kinda pretty!¡± she said glibly.


    She swallowed the first retort that came to her mind, then the next several, too. Finally, she spat her answer with something resembling a neutral voice.


    ¡°I make enough money to make a living, mother.¡±


    Her mother just sent her a look.


    ¡°Now. Trust me, honey, the moment you stop caring for yourself your income will vanish.¡± She gave her a smile that was probably supposed to be sweet, but to her, it just looked vapid. ¡°You should follow my footsteps¡­¡±


    ¡°To do what? Marry a rich guy and then sit at home and watch stupid dramas?¡±


    She tried to stop it, but the years of resentment and her mother¡¯s attitude just caused everything to bubble up and erupt like a ferocious volcano.


    Her mother gasped theatrically and exclaimed.


    ¡°How dare you? I raised you, I fed you, and clothed you! And you dare to throw all that back at my face?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the amount of makeup you have there would protect your face from even a nuclear attack!¡± she shot back, glaring at her mother.


    Her mother once again gasped, and she was pretty sure she practiced it because it looked and sounded exactly like those gasps from soap operas.


    ¡°Elizabeth Jane, how dare you?¡±


    She stared back at her mother and moved to speak. She opened Pandora¡¯s Box, might as well go all in.


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­and don¡¯t even think about crawling back when your pitiful career fails, you little bitch!¡±


    Liz (to her friends) slammed the door behind her and angrily marched out of the building. She was breathing heavily and sweat was streaming down her forehead, but she felt strangely light. As if a burden that she had carried for a long time had been removed from her.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    A few seconds later, she stood on the street, looking at nothing as the uncaring crowds moved around her.


    ¡®Okay, that happened.¡¯ She looked back at the building that her mother ¡®owned¡¯ thanks to her late father. May the miserable bastard rot in hell.


    Liz shook her head and began walking aimlessly, going over what had happened in her head.


    After almost an hour of wandering in the city, she came to a conclusion.


    ¡®I need to move!¡¯


    <hr>


    After returning home, she immediately logged into Magic Unbound, knowing that messing around with her crystal artifacts would help calm her down.


    Plus, she was in the finishing phase of her latest project, her greatest to date.


    Her drones already numbered seven, all of them blue and sparkly and adorable enough that the internet loved them, but she knew the attention of the internet was fleeting.


    So, when not streaming, she was in her workshop (sadly rented) and working on this and that.


    She had already upgraded her spear focus, and her personal shield, but those were more like for survival.


    Liz¡¯s latest project, however, was a vanity project that had a useful side effect.


    The door opened, and she stepped in, closing it behind herself.


    In the middle of the room stood a thin artifact, around the height of an average human with two spokes jutting forward and a seat in the middle.


    On the desk, next to the artifact, were two thick crystal disks glowing with her now trademark blue light. Around them was debris from when she was shaping the disks and tools were all over the room.


    She rolled up the sleeves of her shirt and, with a swipe of her finger on her bracelet, activated several construction drones.


    They buzzed to life, and their bodies bobbed in greeting toward her. Liz gave them a smile and then gestured towards the almost-finished crystalline magical motorcycle.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, boys! Today we are finishing this, fueled by my hatred towards my mother!¡±


    Lize would have sworn that the drones answered her call with an almost comforting buzzing.


    A minute later she was elbow-deep into one of the wheels and all the troubles of the world forgotten.


    <hr><hr>


    They had a foolproof plan.


    Well, no. Before the foolproof plan, they had a quest. An easy quest.


    Go into some stupid mineshafts and search for some old amulet.


    The first shaft had nothing. The second had spiders. Giant spiders.


    They didn¡¯t stay too long there.


    Then came the third. Which was just as empty as the last one.


    They, of course, made their due diligence and searched for the amulet.


    Sadly, it was all for naught, as they couldn¡¯t find anything.


    Then one of them had a bright idea.


    Wait for other people to get the quest and ambush them and take their stuff.


    Much better rewards than the stupid quest would probably give them.


    So they set up and even made some random posts on the forums referencing the quest. Thus, they didn¡¯t have to wait for long for their first guests.


    A small cast of Fog and an ambush with arrows had everybody convinced that the quest was much harder.


    A few people tried a few times, but nobody liked dying in Magic Unbound as the penalty wasn¡¯t the most straightforward. Sometimes you would get Magic Exhaustion debuff or Lethargy debuff that sapped your mana or stamina, respectively. Sometimes you lost experience, maybe even skill levels if you mucked up hard enough.


    They had good lives.


    Granted, most people that tried the quest were noobs, but even with those people, they amassed a respectable amount of coins and items.


    Then came that guy¡­


    <hr>


    Sitting at the resurrection spot, they looked at each other.


    ¡°We fucked up¡­¡±


    ¡°No. He was that much better.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. There were four of us and one of him. We should¡¯ve won.¡±


    The four of them looked at each other, then as one sighed.


    ¡°Should we go back and continue?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± answered one of them as he was checking over his axes. ¡°People will now know about us, so the ambush will not be so successful.¡±


    The archer sat down petulantly and crossed his arms.


    ¡°I want to hurt that asshole!¡±


    The other three looked at each other, knowing the archer¡¯s personality.


    ¡°How?¡± the rogue asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Can we hire assassins?¡± the archer asked feverously, swiping left and right on his screen. They could only see his hand move around, not what he was looking at.


    The people around him exchanged another glance before the mage spoke up carefully.


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s the best idea? He looked powerful. I¡¯m pretty sure any assassin we could afford would probably just be an exp fodder for the guy¡­¡±


    The archer just scoffed, while the guy with the axe winced. The other two didn¡¯t know, but he knew exactly what kind of person he was. And more importantly what kind of resources he had access to.


    Before he could voice his thoughts and maybe calm down his kinda employer, the guy exclaimed.


    ¡°I got it! Silent Step is already set up. I sent the message. The guy is dead!¡± he spoke proudly before closing his screens and standing up while dusting down his pants.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go level up!¡±


    The other three just stared at each other, but then they shrugged. They didn¡¯t have to pay, so it wasn¡¯t any skin off their noses.


    Plus, the guy had it coming¡­


    The axe-wielding person just gulped and hoped nothing extreme would come from this¡­


    <hr><hr>


    Stephen looked at the assembled people and beasts proudly.


    After they leveled up enough that they could leave Greenwood, they immediately set off (after a recommendation from Ranger Rose) to Brightgarden. According to the elder Ranger, it was a much better, although farther, city for people with pets than Ironwood, which focused more on mining and metal.


    The trip wasn¡¯t the easiest, but thanks to moving in a group, and the help of their adorable pets, they managed to arrive without an issue.


    Though, when they approached the city gates, the guards got a little twitchy when they saw Slathy, but he couldn¡¯t fault them.


    Sweet little Slathy, thanks to his skills, had managed to reach a respectable twenty feet in height. Still, he was his sweet little fluff nugget and nobody could say otherwise!


    After they managed to assuage the guards¡¯ fears, that no, the giant rabbits were not attacking (apparently, again¡­), they managed to enter the city proper.


    Their first order of business was to get a proper guild headquarters and then begin a recruiting drive. They had fluffy animals, but it was not enough. It was never enough.


    Stephen didn¡¯t know that his wanting to get a pet just because it was cute would lead to this, but as he sipped his virtual drink laying on the back of Slathor the Younger, Destroyer of Worlds, Ender of Universes, Ripper of Throats, and the Most Fluffiest Amongst Royalty, he couldn¡¯t really complain.


    The rest of his friends were similarly arrayed around him in the garden of their new headquarters, either laying on or with their companions or playing with them. Naturally, that judgey snake was still glaring at him. Judging. Silently.


    The manor they commandeered in their quest to become the best pet guild, ranger guild, or summoner guild (they were still debating) was on the outskirts of Brightgarden.


    Seeing as the city wasn¡¯t as tightly packed as Ironwood (Stephen had seen the pictures and it would have been a nightmare to navigate that with their menagerie) almost every house had at least a small garden. And seeing as the city wasn¡¯t doing as well as in years past, there were a lot of empty manor houses.


    And after doing only a few minor quests for the city lord, they were rewarded with the manor.


    Granted, it was a fixer-upper, but at least they could remodel it in a way that suited their purpose.


    ¡°Hey Cactus!¡±


    Hearing the call, he rose from his fluffy bed and a heavy sigh.


    ¡°Yes, Joe?¡±


    Joe had his own pet at his heel, a small but incredibly fast and deadly fox that was slowly exhibiting a tendency to use illusions. Stephen would swear that sometimes he could see a very translucent second tail flicker into existence on the fox for a few seconds.


    Even now, the fox had that stupid grin on its face that told Stephen that it had just pulled some stupid prank. And seeing as Joe was always the prankster of their group, he never really disciplined the menace. Even if he disciplined it, it was for failing a prank or getting caught.


    ¡°Sammy says that she got a lead on some blueprints for fancy stables or something. Wanna come with?¡±


    That caught Stephen¡¯s interest. They had already begun building housing for their companions, but if they could get something special, that would really help their anemic recruitment.


    ¡°Are we expecting a fight?¡±


    The moment the f-word left his lips, Slathy perked up under him. Stephen just patted his fur affectionally.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± answered Joe with a crazy smirk. ¡°Apparently some architect wanted inspiration or what have you and wandered into the glades¡­¡±


    ¡°Alligators?¡± Stephen asked while Slathy¡¯s stubby tail began wagging.


    ¡°Alligators,¡± replied Joe, in Stephen¡¯s opinion, too cheerfully.


    He jumped off his comfortable resting place and thought for a second. Finally, he nodded.


    ¡°Alright. Gather a group. Leave those with fire spells here to guard the manor. I don¡¯t want any marsh gas explosions.¡±


    Joe had the temerity to pout.


    ¡°But, Cactus! The explosions are so pretty¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t trust any of these jokers to not set one off.¡± Stephen replied with a very pointed grin at the fox and its owner.


    Joe just grinned, and the stupid fox followed after him.


    It took a good half an hour to gather a respectable group, but in the end, Stephen was standing at the gates of the manor grounds, surrounded by his friends. Next to him, at a comfortable distance, stood Kim with her own pet rabbit, which, while also giant-sized, was somewhat smaller than Slathy.


    Stephen looked at them one by one, making sure to avoid a staring match with the snake (he always lost), and spoke up.


    ¡°Alright, Sammy will be in the lead.¡± Said young woman standing with a falcon on her shoulder nodded. ¡°Make sure to keep a watch out and I want to emphasize this: NO. FIRE. IN. THE. SWAMP!¡±


    Some people nodded in understanding, and several just chuckled.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s be off!¡±


    It took an hour for someone to blow up some marsh gasses without fire.


    <hr><hr>


    Lucrecia was pretty happy. Her mother was getting better and better. Her father was much happier now that the horrible situation was over and her self-assigned task was heading in the right direction.


    She couldn¡¯t wait for the family healer to give the all-clear so that she would be able to spend more time with her beloved mother.


    Fortunately, she had several things to do that distracted her from that.


    Spy organizations didn¡¯t just appear out of the thin air!


    She started with one of her maids, who she knew was also a great fan of the novel. She asked her to set up a sort-of book club with the other maids so that they could discuss books and such.


    It was a grand success! Almost every maid showed up, and Lucrecia spent an enjoyable hour with them, discussing their favorite novels.


    All in all, it was a great success! Now she needed to slowly mold the book club into the core of the spy group while spreading it outside of the walls of her family¡¯s manor.


    Then she had the grand idea to research her beloved. And with great results!


    Turns out that her faith in her beloved savior was not misplaced. He had already started his own company with several properties that her father told her were in excellent locations for any business.


    And then the news came that he placed some kind of hussy to lead the company!


    Unacceptable!


    Sadly, it turned out that said hussy was so competent that even her father contemplated poaching her. Only the fact they owed so much to her beloved stopped him.


    Still, she had something to do. It wouldn¡¯t do for some floozy to betray her beloved. So Lucrecia approached her old governess for a recommendation. The AFK company was looking for experienced people to train their maids and servants, so she asked the old lady that taught all the necessities of noble life if she knew anyone who was looking for a job.


    Luckily, she had a niece who was looking for a job.


    Thus, with the help of the mean old lady and her father, she managed to insert somebody into the company who owed her a favor. Kinda.


    Lucrecia sat before her desk, looking over her plans, and smiled.


    Things were looking up for her!


    Then she stood up and headed for the dresser. She needed to get ready for another book club meeting¡­


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°What¡¯s that, boss?¡±


    ¡°A picture of a wolf.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know that. But why do you have an entire corkboard full of pictures of said wolf?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s cute!¡±


    He looked at their boss, who was currently sitting at their desk, monitors full of information about the game, and was gazing at the wolf with a whimsical expression.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    His boss turned to him with a grin.


    ¡°Come look at this!¡± Without looking, he hit a few things on his keyboard and one of the monitors changed to a specific information screen. He leaned forward and began to go over the data. Then after reading the first few lines, he had to go back and start over slower.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°Cool, huh?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit fast?¡±


    ¡°Faster than we expected? Sure. Unexpected? Nope. It¡¯s within the margin that was predicted but, naturally, at the upper end.¡±


    ¡°Has the big boss seen this?¡±


    ¡°Sure. He didn¡¯t care much as it¡¯s not abnormal or cheating.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Still no cheaters?¡±


    His boss shrugged. ¡°A few edge cases, but most people the system flags are simply stupidly lucky or too smart for their own good. Even the wolf¡¯s owner.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°System flagged him for cheating several times. Had to do some manual review.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Either the guy did his research or was super lucky. No cheating.¡±


    ¡°Pity. I saw some of the plans for the first cheaters. I kinda want to see it happen¡­¡±


    His boss chuckled a little.


    ¡°Don''t we all?¡± Then he pushed a few more buttons, and a video came up on the screen. It depicted the same wolf he had seen on the corkboard as it was playing with children. ¡°Now, let us bask in the gloriousness of this fluffy murderball.¡±


    He watched as the wolf moved around and as he grabbed a nearby chair to be more comfortable; he had to agree that it was indeed super cute.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Hey, bro¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up, bro?¡±


    ¡°Heads up!¡±


    ¡°Ow! What the hell, bro? Why did you throw that rock at me?¡±


    ¡°Because you are stoned now!¡±


    There was a long silence as the two people looked at each other. Then both cracked up and began to laugh uproariously.


    Finally, after several minutes of giggling, they calmed down and settled back to their place on a cliff, high up in the mountains that provided them an excellent view of everything nature (and the game) created.


    ¡°Good one, bro¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± replied the first guy, taking a long and thorough drag from the weirdly colored cigarette held in his hand. Then held it in and finally let it out with a great exhale, creating a mini cloud for a moment, while passing the item to his friend. He waved his hand, and the cloud took the shape of a dog, then a cat, then another cloud, then an apple, then some weirdly proportioned female anatomy, and finally a sandwich before the magic ran out and the cloud of smoke was dispersed by the wind.


    ¡°This shit is so fun! Thanks, bro, for introducing this game to me¡­¡±


    The other guy took a drag of the blunt, waited a few seconds, and then exhaled.


    ¡°No problem, my friend. Ever since school, we couldn¡¯t really spend time together properly. My wife actually recommended this¡­¡±


    ¡°Your wife is really cool.¡±


    ¡°That she is. And smart. I miss her¡­¡±


    ¡°Dude¡­¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡±


    The two continued to smoke and talk in a low voice as they sat up high and looked at the magnificent view before them while sometimes playing with the exhaled smoke. Either to turn them into funny shapes or into weapons and play-fighting each other.


    ¡°Bro, this is the best! Smoke wizardry was a great idea!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± replied the second guy, laughing while waving around a sword made of tangible smoke and making whooshing sounds. ¡°You know what we need to do after this?¡±


    The first guy looked up from the miniature smoke horse he was trying to ride. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Learn alchemy!¡±


    The first guy looked at the second one for an entire minute with a blank face, then a grin split his face from ear to ear. ¡°Dude, that¡¯s genius! We would be able to create so much good stuff!¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah!¡± cheered the second man, then watched with a distraught face as the smoke miniature horse dissolved amidst his friend¡¯s celebration dance. ¡°No! Horsey!¡±


    They spent a few minutes mourning the brief but shining existence of Smokey the horsey before they were distracted by a loud roar. Both looked up from the grave made of smoke and glanced at each other.


    ¡°¡°The golems are back!¡±¡±


    Abandoning the smoke grave, they rushed to the edge of the cliff and began looking in the direction of the coming action.


    ¡°What do you think they are going to do now?¡±


    ¡°Dunno, man, but that battle against the caravan was kinda boring.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they sent more guards?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ maybe.¡±


    It took them a few seconds to spot the clouds of dust covering the moving golems, then the first guy spoke up.


    ¡°Maybe we should help?¡±


    ¡°With what? I doubt the golems would like to get high¡­¡±


    ¡°You never know¡­¡± answered the first guy, shrugging. ¡°We should still try! For science!¡±


    The second guy contemplated the idea, then nodded.


    ¡°For science. After the battle, we will find a golem and offer it some good stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah, bro!¡±


    They spent some time getting comfortable and began to watch the action happening below with a few blunts shared between them.


    ¡°Oh, hey! It¡¯s not a caravan, but just one dude!¡±


    ¡°He looks strong! Think it¡¯s one of the power gamers?¡±


    ¡°Probably. He has sick moves!¡±


    The two watched as the guy far away from them dealt with the golems while oohing and aahing at appropriate moments as well as cheering loudly when one of the golems fell, or when the wolf appeared.


    And when the last giant golem with spikes everywhere showed up, one of them spoke up after taking a long drag.


    ¡°Do you think he has the rocks to win?¡±


    ¡°Dude¡­¡±

 Chapter 52

    As he was falling toward the ground, and the menacing golem was looking directly at him, Sam thought about a lot of things. He took in the surroundings, the body of the boss golem, the state of his mana reserves, and his Mana Shield.


    However, as the golem raised its arm and Sam could feel the mana being gathered there, he mostly just cursed.


    The next second, another barrage of Earth Bullets was launched from the golem¡¯s hands, aimed directly at Sam¡¯s chest. He used his wind mana construct and launched his own barrage of Wind Blades to counter the Earth Bullets.


    They met in the middle between them and the two attacks, thankfully canceling each other out, causing a shower of dust to fall on the golem.


    It let out a roar, but it was too late.


    Sam was upon him.


    Charging as much mana into the construct as possible, he fell through the dust cloud and released one giant Wind Blade toward the golem while using Wind Jump to land safe enough that his Mana Shield could absorb the impact of his landing.


    The boss golem, proving that it was indeed a boss golem, instantly raised a giant wall of earth in the way of the Wind Blade. However, the Wind Blade was strong enough to cut straight through the wall. And from what Sam could see, it even nicked the body of the monster.


    Reacting to the minor wound, the monster roared and threw its arms up in the air. With the movement, the bisected wall exploded outwards, peppering Sam and his surroundings with a shower of rocks.


    Sam didn¡¯t stop moving. Using Shadow Burst, he moved around the hulking monster, playing on the fact that it was slow moving, and using the Phasing Strike sub-skill of his Mana Strike, he struck at the monster¡¯s legs.


    Then, just as the golem turned toward him, one incredibly spiky arm raised to strike him down, he moved around the golem again, making use of the speed granted by his spell. He struck again, leaving a deep gash on the golem¡¯s leg, before moving the last time and striking the leg for the third time.


    The monster didn¡¯t take this offensive easily and raised his unharmed leg and slammed it down with surprising speed. Thankfully, Sam was moving, so the spikes that rose from the ground around the golem only glanced off his Mana Shield.


    Doing a quick internal inventory of his Mana, Sam took a deep breath and waited for the monster to turn toward him. ¡®I really need to get some heavy hitters, because this is getting annoying¡­¡¯


    Just as the golem moved into a position that would allow it to charge at Sam, he called out.


    ¡°Lucky! Now!¡±


    The golem was thus assaulted by the wolf from behind. And because it was mid-movement, body tilted ever so slightly forward, the boss stumbled.


    Lucky barked in celebration and then vanished back into the shadows.


    Sam, however, used this stumble to launch himself at the monster. Using Wind Jump, he moved with incredible speed and began bouncing around the golem, slashing at its legs while the golem tried to get back to a stable position as well as slap him with its spiky fists.


    And amidst the great roars that shook the area, suddenly there was a small crack. Then a crunch.


    Sam smirked and jumped back to watch the boss golem roar in confusion before one of its legs stopped following its orders. There was a moment as the monster tried to move with one leg, but then gravity came to demand its due.


    Watching the golem face plant with satisfaction throwing up dust and debris, Sam didn¡¯t let his guard down. Instead, he took a small step back, raised his sword that was still enveloped with the greatsword construct, and used another spell.


    The wind mana making up the construct began to move at the tip, spinning, at first slowly, then slowly picking up speed until it was so fast that only a blur could be seen. Then, with a simple twist of his mana, Sam made the entire construct transform into the drill.


    Holding onto the spinning implement of death, Sam dodged several hastily cast Earth Barrages and used the Wind Jump spell to arrive over the golem laying impotently on the ground. It obviously tried to turn around to focus on him, but it wasn¡¯t fast enough.


    Within a second, Sam descended on the thrashing golem, piercing the middle of its body with a spinning wind construct. The golem¡¯s body twitched a few times, but ultimately it stilled.


    Sam stood on the corpse, breathing heavily with a giant smile on his face.


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s a fight!¡±


    As he began calming down from the fight, Sam¡¯s thoughts revolved around his inadequacies during said fight.


    If he had gotten some stronger spells aside from the very basics in his possession, he would have been able to achieve victory much faster.


    ¡°Need something that directly penetrates armor, as well as some big guns¡­¡± he murmured thoughtfully as he began to strip down the body of the boss.


    Just with his limited knowledge, he recognized at least three different valuable metals dotting the elemental¡¯s body. Not to mention the drops¡­


    The moment he was finished with the gathering, he left the remains where they were and called out to Lucky.


    ¡°Lucky!¡± The wolf, hearing his name, resurfaced from the shadows behind him, and after brushing up against his legs, sat down in front of him with tongue out and an appropriately wolfish grin on his face. Sam gave him a few pats, then began to issue commands. ¡°Go run around and see if you can find a few more golems. I want to make sure that we got everything.¡±


    Lucky nodded in understanding and, with a small bark, jumped forward directly at the shadows at Sam¡¯s feet, vanishing into them. Sam made sure to call after him.


    ¡°And be careful!¡±


    The only response that he received was a faint wuff somehow echoing from the shadows.


    Smiling gently, he stretched, then by casting Earth Wall at different heights, he silently created a basic chair for him to sit down and rest.


    Letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes and simply meditated for a while. It was much different from the Active Meditation he had used during the fight.


    While Lucky spent a few minutes racing amongst the cliffs and mountainsides, jumping from shadow to shadow, he spent the same amount of time going over the fight and making notes.


    Then, as he was finished with that, came the fun part. Checking the notification screens.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You¡¯re now Level 28!]


    [Gained 4 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Gained 1 MAG for your judicious use of mana during your fights!]


    [Gained 1 WIS for planning out your attacks!]


    Humming happily, Sam added one point to Strength and Dexterity respectively, and the last two went to Perception. He would be making use of that stat soon.


    [Your companion, Lucky, has reached Level 25!]


    [Lucky¡¯s skill, Shadow Jump is now Level 16!]


    [Thanks to the efforts of your companion, he successfully learned the skill, Shadow Claws!]


    [Shadow Claws: Level 0/20 (0%) (Active/Passive) Your companion¡¯s claws are infused with shadows. There is a low chance to leave behind shadow mana with each attack of their claws. Alternatively, they can actively increase this infusion of shadow mana and strike at their enemies with giant shadow claws.]


    [Spirit Link is now Level 19!]


    Smiling slightly at Lucky¡¯s growth, Sam made a note to start gathering items for the wolf¡¯s next evolution. He didn¡¯t know exactly where the ceiling of Lucky¡¯s current growth was, but he was sure it wasn¡¯t far away as he used a rather low-level item to facilitate the first evolution.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 3!]


    [Mana Shield is now 45!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 8!]


    [Extended Mana Strike is now Level 5!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 36!]


    [Mana Influenced Body is now Level 5!]


    [Spell Layering is now at Level 9!]


    [Earth Wall II is now Level 7!]


    [Wind Blade II is now Level 6!]


    [Wind Bullet II is now Level 3!]


    [Wind Flurry is now Level 4!]


    [Wind Bullet Barrage is now Level 4!]


    [Wind Jump is now Level 10!]


    [Wind Edge II is now level 2!]


    [Wind Drill is now Level 5!]


    [Wind Affinity is now Level 17!]


    [Thanks to your mastery over Wind Jump, you have learned the skill, Wind Movement!]


    [Wind Movement: 0/100 (0%) (Active) You can use your mastery over the wind to move in any direction you wish. Your movement speed is increased significantly. This speed boost is increased by 1% for each skill level.]


    Sam read over the changes and was rather satisfied. He was a little disappointed that he didn¡¯t get a skill for the wind greatsword, but he was sure that after using it a few times, he would get it.


    [Active Meditation is now Level 27!]


    [Serene Movement is now Level 1!]


    [Discernment is now Level 7!]


    [Shadow Footwork is now Level 35!]


    [Shadow Burst is now Level 9!]


    [Shadow Mirage is now Level 16!]


    Sam frowned at the 99% the Shadow Burst skill was on. Apparently, he needed to do something exceptional with the skill if he wanted to advance to the next level.


    [Advanced Sword Mastery is now Level 4!]


    [Mana Breathing is now Level 1!]


    [Advanced Breathing Technique is now Level 1!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 29!]


    [Flow is now Level 18!]


    [Focused Flow is now Level 1!]


    [Multitasking is now Level 56!]


    [Efficiency is now Level 8!]


    [Parallel Processing is now Level 2!]


    Satisfied with his improvement, Sam turned toward the drops. The first skill book contained the Earth Bullet skill, so he would sell it at the Auction House. However, the boss monster was generous enough to drop, aside from a rather large amount of ores, another skill book. And seeing the name, Sam learned it without hesitation.


    [Congratulations, you learned Earth Resistance!]


    [Earth Resistance: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) You have learned how to resist attacks made with the earth attribute. Each level increases the resistance by 1%.]


    It was really hard to acquire resistance skills without going through ridiculous or rigorous (sometimes both) training, so it was a nice bit of luck that it dropped from the monster.


    Lucky chose this exact moment to resurface from the shadows.


    Sam turned toward the proud-looking wolf.


    ¡°Found anything, buddy?¡±


    The wolf simply shook his head.


    ¡°Good. Then the job¡¯s done. Let¡¯s go back!¡±


    ¡°Wuff!¡±


    <hr>


    The trip back to the city was just as uneventful as the trip to the attack site. When he entered the city, it was still full of people rushing to and fro, and he could practically smell the excitement in the air. It seemed everybody had forgotten the nastiness of the troll hunting grounds and seemed to be focusing on the next best thing. Which was the real money exchange going live.


    There hadn''t been any official announcement about it, but everybody treated it as if it was real. Sam normally would have scoffed at taking any internet rumor at face value, but sadly, he actually knew that this was correct.


    Approaching the Merchant Association, he dodged around all the people going in and out, as well as several groups of arguing players. He chuckled silently as he gave them a wide berth. The other Sam knew very well why they were arguing.


    The banks didn¡¯t really give loans to people who couldn¡¯t afford to pay them back. Thus, players had to turn to the Merchant Association for loans as they were more open to giving out money to even unknowns. While the interest could be ruinous, it was still better than any of the loan sharks.


    And with the advent of RMT, people were looking for every source to acquire more money. Naturally, the NPCs, or rather the developers, capitalized on it.


    Entering the building, he was immediately approached by an impeccably dressed gentleman. He had dark hair, combed to the side perfectly, not even a hair out of place with an impressive mustache, wearing the medieval equivalent of a suit.


    ¡°Welcome back, sir. Am I to assume with your return that the task has been completed?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sam answered with a nod.


    The man let out a brief smile and turned to the side while indicating to Sam one of the side doors.


    ¡°This way, please.¡±


    <hr>


    [The quest, ¡®The mountains sometimes do sing!¡¯ is completed!]


    [You successfully completed the task the Merchant Association gave you.]


    Sam left the office with a sack full of gold in his inventory and a happy Association behind him. He did a quick run to the bank, deposited the money, and then returned to the building, looking for the next quest.


    After all, he needed the best quests to increase his level as fast as possible. Granted, he could have ¡®found¡¯ one of the grinding spots and gone to town on the monsters there, but that seemed rather boring. Plus, it was a nice way to make more money and increase his reputation with the Association.


    So, for the remaining time until the announcement, he did just that.


    He went from quest to quest, raking in experience points both for himself and Lucky while also slowly but surely mastering his skills.


    He hunted bandits at a logging operation, which initially was about hunting down a mysterious monster terrorizing the woodworkers. He exterminated slimes in the sewers, which did wonders for his Clean spells. Monsters of all types fell before his sword.


    Meanwhile, in the real world, he was busy coordinating with Lucy, both about the contract that he wanted her to sign, and the progress of their company in the game.


    The warehouse was ready and already operational, having a middling success, as not many people realized its utility. Though, as their identification service was slightly cheaper (because they could only hire a journeyman) they saw a steadily increasing business in that aspect.


    The luxury accommodation was going through its final checks while the normal accommodations were ready to open after the luxury did. After all, those who could afford it would feel much more special if they could say that they had those kinds of accommodations before the ¡®common rabble¡¯.


    Sam also took the time to put up the golem farming spot on Shadowland, and currently, there was a rather healthy bidding war going on.


    So, when the timer started counting down for Future Unknown¡¯s announcement, he was sitting with a portable device in his lap, in his living room, munching on some popcorn while reading the comments on one of the popular streaming sites. In front of him was a giant TV screen, showing the countdown in high definition.


    He couldn¡¯t wait to see the reaction of the people¡­

 Chapter 53

    The beginning of the stream was simply an advertisement. From VR helmets, to comfortable, super ergonomic beds for playing with said VR helmets and everything in between. All manner and kinds of tools and equipment were shown to the eagerly waiting and watching viewers.


    Sam just watched happily, munching on his snack as he had bought shares (not much, but enough to provide him with a steady source of income) in several companies that he knew would survive in the future and were currently advertising their products.


    Finally, after almost twenty minutes of ads and the people in the chats ready to rebel, a warning screen came up, reminiscent of the notification screens in the game showing a final countdown from ten.


    At last, the adverts went away and Sam and millions of other viewers were greeted by a beautiful woman sitting in a comfortable and very chic chair, wearing fashionable clothes. Sam ignored the woman, as she was the same person that did the announcement in his inherited memories, and she was just a showpiece to grab even more attention. Granted, she did work for Future Unknown, but ultimately she couldn¡¯t say anything that people above her in the company didn¡¯t approve of.


    Instead, he closed his eyes and focused on the words she was speaking.


    ¡°Welcome, one and all, to this announcement by Future Unknown about the beloved game Magic Unbound!¡±


    There was a brief silence as the login jingle of the game played, then the woman continued.


    ¡°We are holding this announcement, to discuss the current status of the game, and showcase the future direction of it,¡± here her voice took a mischievous tilt. ¡°And maybe to drop a few hints about secrets that haven¡¯t been uncovered.¡±


    Sam nodded. Still the same.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s discuss the current situation of the game. According to the most up-to-date statistics, our current number of players is¡­¡±


    Sam listened attentively as the beautiful woman rattled off statistic after statistic, while several graphs and pictures showed up on the screen.


    He couldn¡¯t remember the actual numbers that the other Sam heard in the future that would never be, but he was sure it was around the same. The popularity, of course, was widely increased compared to what Sam saw in his inherited memories.


    That he attributed to his meddling. Scowling a little, he continued to listen¡­


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­and finally, the last statistic tonight. Some would even call it the most adorable one.¡± The woman on the screen smiled and this time it was more genuine than any time during her presentation. ¡°Around 14.5 percent of the players acquired all manner of cute pets and companions so far. Future Unknown has also decided to start a photography competition. You can participate by taking a photo of your pet or companion ¨C minions count ¨C and then submit it on our website. You can find the link at the bottom of the screen, or after the stream ends, under the uploaded video!¡± finished the blond woman with a perky swish of her hair. ¡°And now, a few words from our sponsors!¡±


    Sam opened his eyes and stared at the woman, who was being replaced by a few adverts, presumably so that she could take a break.


    ¡®That¡¯s new¡­ though not a game changer. Wonder what caused it¡­¡¯ he mused as he went to get a refill for his drink as well a new packet of snacks. Watching streams almost made him snack-ish.


    He returned to the living room just as the last advert was finishing up.


    ¡°¡­ you can find it in any of our stores! If you have any more questions, visit our website!¡±


    He ignored the commercial about some kind of dietary supplement that was supposed to be able to help with VR sickness and plopped down on his sofa.


    The next second, the studio with the beautiful blonde returned. She gave the viewers a well-practiced smile, then began talking.


    ¡°Welcome back, dear viewers! As I¡¯m sure all of you have been waiting for, here are the notes about the future of the game, Magic Unbound!¡± There was a second of silence, then the view changed to a closeup (though Sam noticed that it had enough space to showcase the expertly arranged clothing of the woman ¨C apparently the director knew their audience) and the woman continued to talk. ¡°We have two different big news items for our players. Before that, however, we would like to address the numerous calls for patching certain things in the game. We are glad to announce that there is no need to download any patch for our game. Magic Unbound is monitored twenty-four-seven and the built-in system immediately corrects anything that would upset the balance of the game or could be used by people to achieve an unfair advantage.¡± Here the woman¡¯s smile turned a little mean. ¡°Notice that we said unfair. There is a difference between unfair and fair advantage. So, please, for the sake of our customer service department, stop sending us messages about people cheating because they have a shinier sword.¡± She finished the small speech with a look aimed downward that was impossible not to be recognized by people.


    Sam chuckled a little. The company Future Unknown would become one of those trendsetter companies in the future with their behavior. They didn¡¯t really care for sugar-coating things. And now he was seeing the first steps.


    A lot of other companies tried to copy this modus operandi, but as they didn¡¯t have gamers as the main audience it fell rather flat, making Future Unknown much more interesting that they could get away with something like this.


    Apparently, companies, even in the future and alternate reality, didn¡¯t understand how the internet and gamers work¡­


    While Sam mused, the woman continued.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s out of the way, let¡¯s start with the main announcement.¡± There was another brief silence, and the lighting in the studio became more serious. ¡°After consulting with experts and all manner of relevant parties, Future Unknown is happy to announce that as of next Monday, the game, Magic Unbound, will only be able to be played starting from six in the afternoon until six in the morning. Altogether, twelve full hours, which with the time dilation also adjusted, would mean that one full gaming session would be two in-game days.¡± Instantly, the chat and the internet exploded. Sam just continued to munch on his snack, enjoying the circus as he was already expecting it. ¡°Now, you may be wondering what would happen to people who live in different time zones but want to play together?¡± She asked, still smiling at the camera. ¡°We will be adding a small addition to our site where you will be able to manually set your gaming hours. The only constraints will be that it must be at a maximum of twelve hours and minors can¡¯t alter it without their guardian¡¯s permission to make sure the game doesn¡¯t affect their education.¡± Here her smile turned a little sinister. ¡°People who want to try to exploit this option will be warned. Once.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything more, and the view changed once again.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°In other news, Future Unknown will be also opening an RMT service. The service will be accessible from your in-game menu or on our website.¡± She smiled, and another picture appeared next to her head on the screen, showcasing the site. ¡°As you can see here, the service will include¡­¡±


    Sam tuned out the rest of the explanation, closed his eyes once again, and thought about the news. The arrangement for playtime wasn¡¯t anything new. Hell, he had been waiting for it. It would mean that his life would become easier, and he could finally plan around the game much more confidently.


    The RMT was also simple. The value of the company would dip a little, as opportunistic trades would try to exploit the money system and the in-game economy, but the instant patching and the complexity of the game would prevent much damage. Nonetheless, he already set it up that if the share prices dipped below a certain value, he would purchase as much as possible.


    Nodding to himself, he opened his eyes and continued to watch the stream to make sure there wasn¡¯t anything new that would make his life harder.


    He was about to recline when his phone dinged with an incoming message.


    Opening it curiously, he saw it was Lucy¡¯s email, ranting about how much of an opportunity this time constraint was for them. With less playtime available, people would pay much more for the luxury of convenience.


    Which their company provided.


    Sam¡¯s smile could have scared a shark as he composed a reply to his business partner while the stream continued in the background.


    <hr>


    Sam celebrated the announcement by going to a small eatery across his building that served a fantastic breakfast that he had discovered when he first moved in. Sadly, because of the chaotic nature of the game, he couldn¡¯t frequent the place as much as he wanted.


    He was a decent cook, as he took several classes before he died, but there was just something about diner-style breakfast food.


    Munching on his toast while dipping it in slightly runny scrambled eggs, he stared at the information shown on his device.


    The internet and the world at large were angry and proud at the same time at Future Unknown. Everybody and their mothers were showcasing their opinion on every website possible in all manner of styles. There were countless blog posts, articles, opinion pieces and so many videos explaining the details of the announcement or speculating about the future of the game that for a person, it would have taken years to watch all of them.


    Sam watched a few of them, but they contained nothing he didn¡¯t know.


    All in all, he was pretty happy with his decisions. The luxury housing was projected to make a lot of money, and Lucy¡¯s architect friend decided to sign up, presumably after listening to Lucy extolling the amount of money they would be raking in. And after he quickly changed the tab he was reading, he was also pretty happy about how the share prices had been dipping. He also set several shares in different gaming companies to be sold after they reached a certain amount, as in response to the news about Magic Unbound, several much older companies'' values rose.


    He smiled a little at the amount of money he would make. Granted, in the grand scheme of things, his little fortune was nothing, but compared to the amount of money he had in his last life, or even the amount of money the other Sam had, it was enough that he had to stop himself from checking his account balance several times a day.


    Sam looked around the diner, and he saw several people talking over tablets, phones, laptops, and other devices. Some were working, but unsurprisingly, most of them (and not all of them young) were talking about Magic Unbound.


    Even the dinky (though futuristic) television set, attached to the ceiling in the corner of the room was replaying the Future Unknown announcement at a sound level where people almost could hear it.


    <hr>


    After finishing his breakfast, he returned to his home to work a little.


    He checked the paperwork for the company that would be the real-life equivalent of the AFK company in the game while reading the few emails that came in.


    Sam also visited the Shadowland site to see if there was anything new, but aside from a lot of people selling gold, there were temporarily no new requests or information about the game.


    His auction for the golem farming location was going swimmingly. Thanks to the introduction of the RMT service, the importance of good farming locations skyrocketed. Thus, the value of the location he was trying to sell did as well.


    He replied to a few messages and tried to calm down Lucy, who was jittery now that the official opening of their luxury accommodations was so close.


    Sam was also surprised to receive a very odd message from one of his contacts on Shadowland. Apparently, someone put out a hit on his in-game identity, and seeing as he was believed to be some kind of information god, they asked him if he had any info.


    Sam leaned back in his chair, with closed eyes, and thought about the situation. ¡®Who did I piss off so much? Maybe the people in the mine? They looked kinda angry¡­¡¯


    In the end, he just smirked and sent back a vague message that he will look into it. For the right price, of course.


    Then, rose from the computer and went about his day, finally, having time to buy groceries and other sundries at a humane time.


    <hr>


    Sam logged into the game as soon as it was possible.


    He appeared in his apartment in the company headquarters. After doing a final check of his equipment, recently cleaned and repaired, he left the room toward Lucy¡¯s office.


    The secretary was away somewhere, so he simply knocked and, after hearing a muffled noise, opened the door and entered.


    Lucy was in the middle of the room, dressed in a high-quality dress that accentuated her figure perfectly while the secretary stood to the side with fond exasperation, holding a brush. She was pacing with a worried expression on her face.


    ¡°Lucy!¡± he called out with a small smile. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    Lucy, hearing him, froze on the spot, then with glacial slowness turned her head at him.


    ¡°Sam¡­ I¡¯m going to die!¡±


    He just snorted while the secretary elegantly covered her mouth with her empty hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a speech, Lucy¡­¡±


    ¡°What if it goes baaaad¡­.¡± she wailed while flailing her arms around.


    Sam exchanged a look with the secretary, then stepped forward to begin calming down his flustered business partner.


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­and I hope we can work together to launch this enterprise to unprecedented heights!¡±


    The assembled crowd broke out into restrained cheers and applause as Sam beheld them, standing behind the calm and collected Lucy as she finished her speech.


    The crowd consisted of the maids and their managers that would be taking care of the rooms and common areas of their boarding house for lack of better words, the maintenance staff, the administrative staff, and the various craftsmen (and craftswomen) looking uncomfortable in fancy clothing.


    Up on the temporary stage stood Lucy, with her secretary, and the head of the maids, a severe old lady that Sam didn¡¯t know from where she had come from, but based on the maids standing in front of him, was very effective.


    They even had several guards standing around in understated armor that blended in with the d¨¦cor and all the other employees¡¯ uniforms. After all, they wanted the staff to be invisible, or at least as close as they could.


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    Their warehouse was already operating and now their very own luxury accommodation, called Heavenly Forest, just to be very extra, was opening its doors. Granted, they did no advertising, but he was sure that the word of mouth would take care of it. Rich people wanted to feel important, no matter where. They would be coming as soon as they were officially open.


    He glanced at Lucy as she slowly descended from the stage and began animatedly talking with people. It seemed he made the right decision in approaching her.


    Now he just needed to maintain the momentum¡­

 Chapter 54

    After finishing the speech, Sam spent some time wandering around the Heavenly Forest, checking out everything. The rooms were high quality but with minimalistic design, and to his relief there was no golden filigree anywhere. The restaurant at the top was already open, with the chefs experimenting with the menu to the happiness of the waiters and any other staff that would walk by. The view from the garden at the top was excellent. Granted, it had nothing on any modern city with its lights, but it was still a view that people could enjoy, especially at night.


    And at the back of the building, the craftsmen were hard at work preparing their workshops for the influx of requests. Everybody seemed to be in high spirits, but Sam, for now, attributed that to the gold they were paying them. He hoped they would be able to build up a company where people (even if they were NPCs) would be happy to work.


    After finishing with his impromptu tour, he went to say goodbye to Lucy, who was in her office, reviewing the recording of the speech and madly writing notes. The secretary was sitting at her desk, and when Sam approached, she sent him a pointed look. He just sighed and nodded at her with a smile.


    Closing the door to the office, he stopped for a moment, then cleared his throat.


    Lucy looked up instantly and blushed. She made a motion, probably to close the window that only she could see, and pushed her notes away. Then, she spent a few seconds arranging herself, and then Lucy also cleared her throat while turning towards Sam.


    ¡°Yes, Sam? How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to ask if the advertising has begun?¡±


    Sam saw the ghost of relief flashing in Lucy¡¯s eyes for not mentioning her behavior.


    ¡°Ohh, everything is proceeding as we planned. We dropped hints on several sites that people we are aiming for frequent. I also contacted several fixers on Shadowland so that they were aware of our services.¡±


    Sam just hummed thoughtfully, letting Lucy talk. Her earlier embarrassment was nowhere to be seen as she animatedly explained things.


    ¡°As for the other two, we are using in-game advertisement, making it seem on the surface as if it was created by NPCs as you wanted.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, less chance of somebody copying us¡­¡±


    Lucy sent him an odd look.


    ¡°Do you think anybody else could get as much money as you?¡±


    ¡°I got it legitimately without purchasing from gold farmers,¡± he answered with a wry smile. ¡°The people who would realize the potential in our idea are exactly the type of people who would be willing to invest money into purchasing gold.¡±


    Lucy thought about it for a second, then nodded. ¡°You make a good point. But with the RMT open, they could quite easily copy us.¡±


    Sam shook his head with a chuckle.


    ¡°Do you think the developers didn¡¯t think about this? I¡¯m pretty sure that acquiring permission to purchase property, especially as much property as us, would be exponentially harder than it was before this update,¡± he explained.


    And it was not just idle speculation. The developers knew that the introduction of the RMT service would attract investors who would do their best to buy up as many in-game properties before the prices shot up in the high heavens.


    Thus, permits and recommendations became harder to acquire. He was pretty sure that his quest, where he received the recommendation from the Silvercrest family, would need a team to complete if attempted now.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Lucy asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Sam answered, popping the p sound. ¡°That¡¯s what I would do, and to me, the developers seem to care about the long term¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, I believe you,¡± she finally said after a brief pause. Then she steepled her fingers in front of her and looked directly into Sam¡¯s eyes. ¡°My lawyer said it is solid, so I decided to sign the contract.¡±


    That caused Sam to perk up.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yep. The pay is pretty basic, but it¡¯s not that different from my day job. So, I can quit and focus on this in-game company instead of toiling away at that hellhole.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± exclaimed Sam with a big smile. He was pretty happy that he managed to rope in one of the most talented people. And now that the foundations were set, he finally could go after several other players who would have been much harder to convince to join without the services offered by his in-game company.


    He was about to say something when there was a small knock on the door and Lucy¡¯s secretary stuck her head in. Both of them looked at the slightly older woman with questioning faces.


    ¡°Sorry to bother you, Director, but I thought you might want to know. We just had our first customer.¡±


    Sam looked back at Lucy and smiled at her.


    ¡°Go and deal with it. I also have a few things to do.¡±


    Lucy nodded and immediately turned to her secretary.


    ¡°Who is it, and what package did they buy?¡±


    As Sam walked away, he heard the secretary begin to answer.


    ¡°Well, Director, they bought one of the¡­¡±


    With a pep in his step, he headed for the exit¡­


    <hr>


    Out on the street, after making sure to leave the building through the well-hidden servant quarters, he simply began to walk around. It didn¡¯t take long before he found his target.


    Then Sam simply walked forward, pretending to head somewhere. The girl standing on the side of the street, clearly only there because someone paid her for it, handed him a leaflet as he passed her, not even looking at him.


    Sam took the paper and gave it a cursory look.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    It was the advertisement for their warehouse and hotel business. The hotel was more like a supermarket, with accommodations on top of it. It was simply named Ironwood Commerce Center and, seeing the crowd moving towards it, he could say it was marginally successful.


    Probably had to do with their advertisement. He purposefully had Lucy advertise it via in-game methods using older styles to make people think that it was some kind of NPC that started them.


    He walked with the crowd, holding the leaflet in his hand until he reached the street where one of the Commerce Centers was situated. It was the south branch, with two others in the east and west of the city. The north was where the nobles were, thus it housed the Heavenly Forest.


    Sam entered the building to take a quick look.


    Everywhere he could see players, and even some NPCs, were walking around and checking out the shops and what they offered. Naturally, crafters were the most popular. Though, as he roamed around in the building, he could hear several people petitioning for the tailor in their shops to take them on as apprentices.


    Sam just smiled to himself.


    Masters of Crafts were extremely hard to find in Magic Unbound. Thus, the people seeing so many journeyman crafters in one place would naturally go crazy.


    Per company policy, they were to politely refuse them, but take their application for the Director to review. Which was a small ploy that Sam wanted to use to find crafters that would become famous in the future.


    After completing a circuit of the building, he left the Center with a smile on his face. He could already hear the gold coins appearing in his bank account.


    <hr>


    Finished with his inspection, he had only one task. Get stronger for the first official event of the game, the Fracture.


    He had no hope of affecting the beginning, as it would play out without player interference in a faraway land (inaccessible for now without cheating). Sam could only prepare for it.


    His first step was increasing his personal power, which he did before the announcement.


    Thanks to his ¡®rampage¡¯ through several local quests, his level increased to 32, while Lucky managed to reach a respectable Level 28. Seeing as the highest level (at least among those who made it public) was almost fifty from the viewpoint of many gamers he was incredibly under-leveled. Though Sam didn¡¯t much care. His skills would allow him to fight anybody at Level 50. At least for now. Thankfully, the next event would allow him to rapidly increase his level.


    Aside from raising several of his mana skills a few levels, his biggest accomplishment was fully starting on Mana Manipulation. It was a decidedly odd feeling.


    The phantom sensation of manipulating mana increased, but to Sam, it was as if he went from the kiddie pool to the deep end in one mighty jump. Tasks that required his utmost concentration before now could be done at the snap of his finger. Which made sense, as it takes the system some time to learn how he moved around his phantom appendage. Practicing with it felt amazing.


    While going through his enemies, he made a conscious effort to make use of his wind and shadow skills in concert, hoping to acquire a mixed skill. Shadow Wind sounded amazing (also a little chuuni). Sadly, his enemies weren¡¯t strong enough to cause him to even try, so he didn¡¯t get the skill, but at least he managed to train them a little.


    Unfortunately, he still hadn¡¯t managed to break through with Shadow Burst, but his ability to use the Shadow Mirages increased nicely. His summoned mirages even started moving around a little, instead of remaining still as a statue.


    Sam¡¯s sword skills also felt much more comfortable, his body moving much easier. He never thought that he would be this invested in sword skills, but it felt simply wonderful to step forward and, with a swing of his sword, decimate the enemies arrayed in front of him.


    He also managed to increase his Spirit Link skill, gaining a new sub-skill.


    [Spirit Connection: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) You are in tune with your companion. Their nature is reflected upon you, just as is your nature on them. As you work together, you strengthen each other. If you are near each other, your and your companion¡¯s shadow skills¡¯ and spells¡¯ effects are increased by 3% for each skill level.]


    It was a nice little skill that he would make sure to max out. Not the least, because Lucky was an adorable wolf and he enjoyed spending time with the virtual fluffy murder machine.


    He did a final check of his equipment, made sure it was not dirty and looked sufficiently noble, with Moonlight visibly affixed to his side, and then headed toward the Silvercrest manor.


    The guards just nodded at him and let him in without a word. Inside, he was met by the aging butler, who gave him a nod of respect. Before he could even explain why he was there, they heard a squeal of excitement and the butler closed his eyes and let out an almost inaudible sigh.


    The next few minutes were full of chaos as the ever-excited young lady of the house swept in followed by a sedate mother, demanded the release of Lucky, then when the equally excited wolf emerged from the shadow, she dragged him away with her mother following them.


    Sam stood there, a little windswept, and shook himself. The butler looked like he handled the ¡®event¡¯ marginally better. He looked at Sam and spoke up.


    ¡°How can I help you, young master?¡±


    ¡°I wished to speak with Lord Silvercrest. I came across information that needs a little more authority than I have.¡±


    The butler raised an eyebrow and then nodded.


    ¡°Follow me, please.¡±


    He was led through the mansion once again by the butler, though this time the smile on the servants¡¯ faces wasn¡¯t polite but genuine when they bowed to him.


    They arrived in the office of the lord that conveniently overlooked the garden where the lord¡¯s daughter was running around with Lucky while her mother was sitting in the shade, elegantly sipping tea.


    The lord of the manor stood in front of the window and was watching them intently. The moment Sam stepped through the door and the said door was closed behind him by the butler he turned around with an enormous smile on his face.


    ¡°Young Sam!¡± he greeted him extremely loudly. Then he stepped forward and gave the surprised Sam a brief hug. ¡°A welcome sight you are!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, my lord. It is nice to see you again. I¡¯m glad that your wife seems to be in better health,¡± he replied after getting over the surprise.


    ¡°Not just seems, my friend!¡± yelled the enormous man. ¡°She is so healthy that we-¡° he seemed to rethink what he wanted to say as he suddenly swallowed his words. He raised a fist to his mouth and coughed awkwardly. ¡°Anyway. She is healthy and getting back into shape. All thanks to you, young Sam!¡±


    Then he indicated at the chair in front of his desk while taking a seat in his own chair.


    ¡°How can House Silvercrest help you today, my friend?¡±


    Sam got comfortable, then looked at the lord with a serious face. He would have to word things carefully so as to not get busted by the system, but he needed the help of the overly loud lord if he wanted to maximize his rewards from the next event.


    ¡°Well, my lord, I¡¯m sure you have noticed the increase in the population of the adventurers?¡± he asked.


    The other man nodded with a grin.


    ¡°Indeed, my young friend!¡± then his grin changed a little sinister. ¡°I¡¯ve seen your business, and might I say, it was a terrific idea to make use of the increased population.¡±


    Sam coughed awkwardly.


    ¡°Thank you, my lord.¡± Sam shook his head, then continued. ¡°I¡¯m here because, from what I heard through the grapevine, there is almost a hundred percent chance that something will happen.¡±


    ¡°Something?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Too many groups with too many goals. Eventually, it will overflow and the end result could be anything from wars between mercenary groups to large-scale magical events.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve heard about this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± answered Sam seriously, as he could see the lord¡¯s eyes shine with deadly seriousness. ¡°I heard mention that several groups are aiming to ¡®control the city¡¯. I¡¯m sure you are aware there are several methods to achieve this control.¡±


    ¡°And you are here because?¡±


    ¡°Well, sir, fighting is bad for my business,¡± Sam answered calmly.


    For a moment, there was silence as the lord stared at him. Only the sound of playing from the garden could be heard, muffled by the windows.


    Then he threw his head back and began to laugh. Loudly, of course.


    ¡°Hahahaha! What a young man!¡±


    The lord spent a few seconds laughing, then after wiping a tear from his eyes, he turned back to Sam, steepled his fingers in front of him, and spoke up.


    ¡°You seem to have thought about this issue. I have my methods, but you are, after all, an adventurer, thus, you know your people better. What would you recommend, my young friend?¡±


    Sam let out a relieved sigh, then took out a small notebook. He opened it and began to list his ideas.


    ¡°Well, first of all, you need to increase the distribution of the guards in and outside of the city so that they can react faster to anything¡­


    As Sam began to explain his ideas, the Lord just stared at him with a serious expression.

 Chapter 55

    Sam left the Silvercrest manor satisfied and creeped out in equal measure. On one hand, the lord listened to him and took his ¡®fears¡¯ seriously. He didn¡¯t get any quest, but he hoped that the system would run with his advice. On the other hand, the young lady of the house acted quite weirdly when he joined her and Lucky in the garden.


    She was acting equally shy, yet bursting into giggles after every second word. His questioning gaze directed toward her mother, who was calmly sipping her tea, only yielded an amused glance at him and nothing more.


    After extricating Lucky from the weird clutches of Lucrecia using the hostage negotiator skills he didn¡¯t know he had, he quickly left the manor with a beautiful young lady waving at him next to a stone-faced butler.


    As he walked away, with Lucky safely hidden away in his shadow, he couldn¡¯t help but shudder. He had a general idea why Lucrecia was giggling, but he didn¡¯t even want to entertain it.


    Getting into a relationship (no matter what kind) only led to bad things. Based on the other Sam¡¯s memories, it happened a lot thanks to the lifelike behavior of the NPCs in Magic Unbound.


    And it never ended well.


    On the other hand, if he was wrong, then voicing his idea would more than likely sour his relationship with the Silvercrest family.


    It was better to pretend not to notice anything.


    <hr>


    His next task was preparing for the Fracture.


    In his inherited memories, the Fracture happened a week after the announcement. However, now that the announcement itself was brought forward, Sam didn¡¯t have the confidence to say that he even had a week. Alternatively, he could have the time until the original release, but that was unlikely.


    The game¡¯s popularity was shooting up, and one of the most often repeated questions on the forums and any other possible locations was: ¡®Where are the dungeons?¡¯.


    Sam was pretty sure that at most he had a week to prepare before the event.


    Nodding to himself, he headed directly to the auction house. Before the Fracture happened, he wanted to evolve Lucky one more time. And for that, he needed ingredients. Thanks to his Runecarver skills, he could draw the ritual and when he was spending time in the library, he made sure to pick up a copy of it.


    Now his only task was to gather the ingredients. Fortunately, some could be bought from the shops around Ironwood, and more than likely, he would find several in the Auction House. Sam also hoped he would get lucky and find the catalyst he was looking for or something better.


    Lucky was currently a Shadow Spirit Wolf, which meant that although he had no skills or spells that made use of his Spirit Nature, the wolf was still dual-natured. And Sam wanted to cultivate this dual nature. Thus, he couldn¡¯t use just any old catalyst but something that had a connection to both the shadows and spirits.


    He couldn¡¯t bank on finding another (stronger) shadow spirit like the one he had used for Lucky¡¯s first evolution. Mostly because the one he fought back then was severely weakened and hindered by possessing a dead body. Sam was strong, but he wasn¡¯t confident of defeating a shadow spirit at a level that would leave behind the material needed for the ritual.


    Maybe if he had spells and skills that were the exact opposite of the shadows, he would stand a chance. Unfortunately, he had hedged his bets on the shadows and now he had to suffer for it.


    Plus, using two very conflicting elements only led to tragedy down the line. In the beginning, it was fine, but when the players reached a level where spells got more complicated and got more requirements for successful casting, then things would get ugly real fast.


    The most famous example from his inherited memories was a mage who decided to focus on learning dark and light magic. Theoretically, it was possible to achieve what the mage wanted, but because he was a day one player, his foundation wasn¡¯t stable enough.


    When he tried to cast any spell that contained both natures, they simply exploded.


    No matter what they did or tried, the moment the spell was cast, they exploded, thus crippling any chance for further advancements in their chosen path.


    Of course, in true gamer fashion, theorycrafters after hearing about the mage¡¯s bad luck took everything they knew about spells and mana natures and created a build that would help achieve what the mage attempted.


    It was so bloody complicated that it took a major guild paying exorbitant money to a player to try to attempt it. Not to mention the money they paid for trainers, information, and materials.


    Then there were the wars. After all, theorycrafters didn¡¯t much care about things like borders or geopolitical relationships¡­


    Finally, after almost a year, the guild managed to achieve what the mage failed to do. The player could use spells with two contrasting natures.


    It was a colossal failure.


    Why?


    Because those genius theorycrafters only considered one thing when putting together the build: ¡®How to make two completely opposing natures work together in spells?¡¯.


    They completely forgot about taking into account combining the natures¡­


    Sam walked into the Auction House, ignored the usual crowds, and sought a quiet spot near one of the walls. He sat down and opened the interface.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    For now, he ignored the RMT part, as that would be handled by Lucy. As soon as the paperwork went through, they would be both part of a company in the real world (mostly for convenience and tax reasons) and then Lucy would be able to convert gold to real money which would go into an account that would be accessible by both of them with certain restrictions.


    As always, he went through every major page, making sure he didn¡¯t miss anything interesting. There were the usual scammers, people putting up worthless items for a ludicrous amount of money, and the other usual shenanigans that took place in an Auction House.


    In the end, he found nothing, as always. Some materials would be useful for their business, but he simply made a list of them and sent them over to Lucy. Finally, he arrived at the skill book section. He carefully combed through the selection, looking for anything interesting or unique.


    Most skill books only contained spells that could be learned from any teacher. Granted, one had to find the teachers, but it was not impossible. And the game was nice enough to mark those skill books that were rare in some way for those who were observant enough.


    The reason he was looking at the skill books and not going after said teachers was that he knew that there were no teachers in the area that would be able to teach him shadow-natured spells and skills. At least not without doing things he didn¡¯t want to do. Like sacrificing children, or adorable little rabbits.


    Thus, he was relegated to hoping that skills would drop, or he found some being auctioned. And as he scrolled through the list of books, his eyes found one item.


    He instantly clicked on it and bought it at the asking price. A little more excited, he scrolled down a little more, but that was his only find.


    Shaking his head, he turned his attention toward the material section and began to hunt for materials for Lucky¡¯s next evolution.


    <hr>


    Before leaving the building, he picked up the book he bought, put it in his inventory, then left toward the gates of the city. With the materials heading towards the company building where they would be moved into his room, he only needed the catalyst. As predicted, he didn¡¯t find anything worthwhile in the Auction House. Thankfully, as a good (kinda) reincarnator, he knew exactly where to go to acquire what he wanted.


    But first the new skill.


    After leaving through the gates, he headed randomly toward the forest surrounding the city of Ironwood.


    He navigated through the trees, using his stealth skills to avoid any fights. Luckily, those monsters that had seen through his admittedly subpar stealth skills weren¡¯t aggressive enough to attack him.


    Finally, after reaching a small clearing, Sam looked around both with his eyes and his Mana Sense, and after not finding anybody around, he took out the black book. It was so black that it seemed to suck in the stray sunbeams poking through the treetops.


    With a small twist of his mana, it entered the book, and it instantly transformed into a smoke-like substance that stayed in the form of the book for a moment, then it flew up, swirled up and around him before shooting into his chest.


    Instantly, a notification screen popped up.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve learned the skill, Shadow Shield!]


    [Shadow Shield: Level 0/25 (0%) (Active) The spell allows you to conjure a shield made of shadows in front of you. The spell protects against physical and magical attacks.]


    It was a simple description, but it would be useful for him, especially if he managed to upgrade it into a shield that protected him from all sides.


    Dismissing the screen, Sam took a deep breath and softly spoke up while raising both of his hands in front of him.


    ¡°Shadow Shield!¡±


    Instantly, the mana inside him began to move, and barely a second later, gaseous shadows began to stream out of his hands, forming a shield that was approximately the same size as him.


    Sam took a moment to marvel as the shadows swirled around in the shield, then dismissed it.


    Then spent the next hour repeatedly casting the spell until he could manage it without yelling the name of the spell. A shield that couldn¡¯t be cast at the moment¡¯s notice was useless as a shield.


    When he was satisfied with his current mastery of the spell (and gained exactly one level in it) he spent a little time playing with Lucky.


    <hr>


    Sam¡¯s target for the catalyst was a cave system some distance away from Ironwood City. On the highest levels, close to the surface, it was a standard cave system with moss, mushrooms, and the occasional monsters. However, if one ventured deep enough, one would be able to find a way to get deeper.


    And the monsters there, thanks to a magical phenomenon, were shadow-natured. And if he was lucky, he would be able to find one that was also spirit-natured.


    He walked through the forest with Lucky watching out for him from the shadows, occasionally killing the odd monster that decided he would be an excellent snack.


    In the end, after several hours of trekking over the countryside, he arrived at the valley where one of the cave entrances could be found.


    Sadly, instead of the calm and quiet of nature, with birds chirping and the tree tops rustling gently in the wind, Sam was met with the sound of fighting.


    Slowing his approach, he engaged his Shadow Cloak and began creeping closer to the tree line. Thankfully, he approached the valley from a direction where he was hidden by the trees and some large boulders, so he barely had to skulk around.


    When he reached the edge of the forest, he finally saw the fighters.


    There was a large group made up of at least seven people against one person, with four of them standing at a distance, seemingly guarding the rest. Two of them were between the group and cave entrance, while the other two were opposite of them.


    Of the remaining three, two were standing to attention, just watching the fight, while the last one was facing off against their enemy. A lone warrior, dressed in plate mail and wielding a bastard sword.


    Sam immediately noticed that the clothing on the seven was rather uniform. ¡®Probably a guild or mercenary group. Who is that knight, though?¡¯ he wondered as he moved around to get a better look at the fighters.


    Finally, arriving at a spot where he could see them better, he witnessed as the knight charged at the guy and swung his bastard sword. He, if the person was he, the armor made it hard to determine, was fast enough that Sam knew the other person wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge, unless he had a skill or spell to help with it.


    He was surprised when the guy didn¡¯t even try to dodge. Instead, the hands of one of the two guys standing behind him shone with white light and the sword was stopped by a shield flashing into existence between it and the guy¡¯s face.


    ¡®Well, that¡¯s not good¡­¡¯


    Needing more information, seeing as it wasn¡¯t a run-of-the-mill fight, he moved closer, hopping from boulder to boulder staying in cover. Fortunately, everyone¡¯s attention was on the fight, so he didn¡¯t need to worry much about being discovered.


    After a few moments, and a few more tries by the knight to cave in the other guy¡¯s face, he was close enough to hear them.


    Of the four standing around, the closest to him was snickering, and the two that were shielding or buffing the guy otherwise were concentrating hard on the fight, while the guy being protected stood tall with an arrogant expression on his admittedly handsome face. His black hair was pulled up into a neat ponytail and his armor looked high class, though Sam¡¯s Mana Sense told him it was nothing special. Not even a simple enchantment.


    The only enchanted items were on the guys behind him, probably their focus.


    And finally, he could hear them talking. Or rather, he could hear the arrogant guy ¡®talking¡¯ at the panting knight.


    ¡°¡­ give up! You can¡¯t win against my might! You will submit to me or I¡¯ll make sure that you suffer!¡±


    Sam stared at the guy for a moment. ¡®Who talks like that?¡¯


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± He burst out without thinking. Loud enough that everyone could hear it.


    Instantly, everyone¡¯s heads snapped up and turned in his direction.

 Chapter 56

    ¡°Come out, you rat!¡± yelled the douche leading the group, while the knight froze in place, seemingly not knowing what was happening.


    The guys standing guard immediately turned around and unsheathed their weapons. One sword and a spear were aimed at him. The spear began to crackle with lightning while the sword simply glowed blue with mana.


    With his Mana Sense, Sam could feel as the mana began bubbling chaotically in the two mages that were protecting the arrogant guy, but at the same time he saw that they could barely control their mana. So, while he was prepared for anything, he didn¡¯t expect much from them.


    There was a chance that they found some super OP skill that would wreck Sam with one hit, but he felt that then they wouldn¡¯t be standing around as a hired muscle for a guy who looked like he just stepped out of the second-rate villain factory if they had access to anything like that.


    As stealthily as possible, he reached out with his mana, stretched as thin as possible, and moved the mana towards the two mages while calmly standing up from his hiding crouch and stepping forward, giving the assembled group a wave.


    ¡°Hi! Sorry about interrupting. I was just walking by and couldn¡¯t help but be surprised by your¡­ statement,¡± Sam finished his greeting a little awkwardly.


    The guy just stared at him incredulously while his minions were glancing between him and Sam, probably waiting for an order.


    Finally, the guy managed to find his voice and exclaimed angrily.


    ¡°What?¡± He shook his head and continued. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Who the hell are you?¡±


    ¡°Ohh, I was kinda lost, see, and then I heard some noise¨C¡° Sam couldn¡¯t even finish his bullshit excuse before he was interrupted.


    ¡°Shut up! If you are going to lie, at least make it believable!¡± The guy sneered and then turned toward the guy with the spear. ¡°David! Get rid of him!¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, boss!¡± answered the spear wielder, then dropped into a somewhat proper stance and gave Sam a smirk.


    Sam just looked back with a blank stare.


    Apparently, the spear wielder took this as permission to ¡®get rid of him¡¯. With a mighty cry, he launched himself at Sam.


    ¡°Lightning Charge!¡±


    The person¡¯s entire body lit up with sparks of lightning as they moved toward Sam, intent on skewering him. Thankfully, Sam was familiar with the skill. It raised the speed and penetration power of the user. Unfortunately, to the other guy, even with that speed, he was faster.


    He hopped to the side at the last second and as the spear wielder passed by him, he raised his arm and unleashed a Wind Blade. Carried by momentum, the guy fell to the ground behind him in two pieces.


    The other people of the group gaped at Sam, who just quirked an eyebrow challengingly.


    The arrogant guy¡¯s face contorted with anger.


    ¡°What the hell are you guys doing?¡± He then pointed at Sam. ¡°Go and get him!¡±


    The others, hearing this, nodded and charged at Sam, with only one mage standing back to protect their leaders. Though the mage had the presence to cast one very important spell.


    ¡°Earth Cage!¡±


    Instantly, the earth grew from the ground under the feet of the knight, causing them to let out a sound of surprise. The earth sneaked up their body like tree roots, crisscrossing over them until they were bound like Christmas ham. Sam spared a glance at the struggling knight, then focused his attention on the sword wielder and the other mage. Surprisingly the other two guys only stepped closer to their arrogant leader.


    Still, even so, he had to contend with a sword wielder and a mage with an unknown specialty.


    The mage¡¯s specialty was solved instantly, however, when he began yelling spells.


    ¡°Double Fire Ball!¡± ¡°Fire Lance!¡± ¡°Fire Lance!¡± ¡°Fire Lance!¡±


    Instantly, two giant fireballs shot off toward Sam, surrounded by three hotly sizzling lances made of fire. Proving that he was somewhat competent, the lances were aimed to his left, right, and front, thus making sure he couldn¡¯t properly dodge the Fire Balls.


    The sword wielder probably used some kind of speed-enhancing move to get behind him, cutting off his last escape route. However, he couldn¡¯t hear it over the roar of the Fire Balls.


    He looked directly into the eyes of the mage, who stared back with a seriousness that shouldn¡¯t be present in a video game. Then Sam winked.


    And at the same time simply jumped upwards using his Wind Movement skill, evading all the Fire Lances and then watched from high up as the Fire Balls impacted precisely where he stood, throwing earth and rocks everywhere.


    Making use of the split second where nobody knew his exact position, he began casting several Wind Bullet Barrages. One from each hand.


    One was aimed at the sword wielder and the other, naturally, at the mage.


    ¡°Up there!¡± one of them exclaimed, but Sam didn¡¯t care. He released the spells and watched as the swift bullets struck almost instantly in contrast to the relatively slow Fire Balls.


    As he landed in the same position from where he launched off a few seconds previously, landing in a small crater and scorched ground.


    Sam ignored the sword wielder as he was smashed into the ground yards away, though he took note of the notification that he had died. However, he paid attention to the mage, as they had more chances to protect against the Wind Bullets.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Fortunately, the guy was totally surprised by the incoming projectiles and was smashed into the ground, where he now lay motionlessly.


    Sam turned to the leader of the rapidly dwindling group and spoke up.


    ¡°Can we talk about it?¡±


    The guy opened his mouth and then closed it. Apparently, in his anger, he couldn¡¯t even let out a word.


    For a few seconds, they looked at each other. Sam sporting an easy smile, the arrogant guy gaping, the knight struggling, and the minions staring grimly and gripping their weapons, hard.


    Finally, the guy managed to find his voice. Unfortunately, he proved this by angrily yelling.


    ¡°What the hell do I pay you guys for? There is one of him and like three of you!¡±


    Sadly, the corpses couldn¡¯t reply to him. It took him a second, but he also realized this fact.


    ¡°For heaven¡¯s sake¡­ Jim, Craig, forget about that idiot and help me deal with this one!¡±


    The two, who as of now said nothing, nodded silently and abandoned their position next to the still-struggling knight and stepped forward next to their leader.


    One took the giant hammer off his shoulder where it rested previously, holding it with one hand and smacking it into his other hand¡¯s palm with a menacing look on his face. It helped that he was around six-six tall and built like an oak cabinet. The other one took their spear (though this one had several spikes on it, even at places where spikes usually didn¡¯t appear) and pointed it at Sam, and while he was marginally smaller than his friend, he still radiated an aura that told everyone looking at them that they ate their cereal without milk.


    The remaining mage took a step back and while Sam could sense that half his attention was maintaining the Earth Cage spell with one of his hands, he raised his other one and aimed it at Sam, probably ready to unleash a few spells to support his colleagues.


    The main antagonist simply reached into his inventory and retrieved a black greatsword that seemed to be dripping with malice. For a moment Sam thought he was once again face to face with the now familiar miasma, but a further look with his senses told him it was a different malignant mana.


    The guy was sporting a malicious grin as he gripped the handle of his greatsword, a black aura flowing from the weapon over him, starting from his hand until it covered his entire body.


    ¡°It seems, you made a rather big mistake by challenging me¨C¡° He began monologuing as the black aura started to increase around him but was interrupted by Sam appearing next to him and punching him squarely in the jaw while the Mage seemed to suffer a backlash from his Earth Cage spell as Sam had cast a Mana Disruption on it.


    The knight used this moment to break free from the weakened roots made of earth and raised their own sword, ready to act.


    Luckily he didn¡¯t need to as after punching the arrogant guy in the face, Sam simply cast a Wind Drill on his fist (fists were technically counted as weapons) and punched a hole through the mage who fell down with a shocked and pained look on his face. Then he spun around and, with a simple Wind Flurry from each of his hands, eliminated the hammer and spiky spear guy.


    Luckily, at this level, his unnatural control over his mana was just something that other players around his level couldn¡¯t defend against. He smiled happily that for once he could experience the fruits of his sorta-reincarnation.


    ¡®Damn, it feels awesome to be OP!¡¯ he thought. Then he looked at the knight and spoke up.


    ¡°You alright?¡±


    The sound that answered Sam surprised him.


    ¡°Yes, thank you. He used some kind of artifact to seal off my mana.¡± Her voice, as the knight seemed to be a woman, was soft-spoken, but under it, Sam could hear a current of anger.


    ¡°Ah, Seal of Punishment. They sell that to bounty hunters to help bring in their marks alive.¡± He answered as he recovered from the surprise. ¡®Probably the pretty girl hiding behind plate mail¡­ That would make the other guy either some cousin wanting to inherit, some guy wanting to marry her, or cause trouble for her family.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t wonder over the issue too long as the guy whose face he just smashed in seemed to be regaining his sense. He turned around, placing himself between the guy covered in icky darkness and the knight. Seal of Punishment lasted on NPCs that were targets of a bounty until you brought them to justice (after defeating them, of course) but on players, the low-level ones lasted for an hour.


    The arrogant guy staggered to his feet, the aura of darkness oscillating wildly around him as he felt his jaw with his hands while groaning.


    ¡°You asshole! You¡¯re going to pay for this!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know who I am¡­¡± he replied while taking out a simple sword from his inventory. He didn¡¯t want to use Moonlight for something like this.


    Naturally, his enemy immediately spotted that Sam was using a common rarity sword and began to chuckle.


    ¡°You think your common pig sticker can defeat my Darkfang?¡± he exclaimed while raising his greatsword high up for a moment. The aura of the sword intensified, then the guy charged forward, slashing downward.


    ¡°Dark Charge!¡± ¡°Dark Slash!¡±


    Unluckily for him, his attack wasn¡¯t met by the squishy body of Sam but his Shadow Mirage, while Sam simply jumped backward, dragging the knight with him.


    Naturally, Sam could have made the punch to his face a lethal one, but based on all the tropes he got familiar with in his past life he was hundred percent certain that the guy he was now facing would become a recurring antagonist, so he wanted to learn as much about his abilities as possible.


    The guy growled and raised his greatsword again.


    ¡°Zamor grant me strength!¡± he yelled and Sam could instantly feel the mana around the guy increase as well as his aura. Based on the surprised look on the guy¡¯s face, it was a much bigger increase than he expected.


    Sam was less so.


    Zamor was like Calon, a being who made deals with people, granting them power. Only Zamor didn¡¯t have cults or anything like that, as the being only liked to deal with individual people who liked to fight, were aggressive, and had some dark tendencies.


    And their blessing was rather annoying. The more powerful the enemy the one who made the deal faced, the bigger the blessing, essentially giving the player a shot (never a hundred percent shot, as Zamor liked to see them struggle) at defeating somebody or something that they couldn¡¯t before.


    On the downside, if they lost, the bigger the blessing, the bigger the punishment.


    As the arrogant guy realized what his blessing meant and an ugly grin spread over his face, Sam shot forward, his blade charged both with neutral and wind mana.


    ¡°Hah! I can see you!¡±


    And indeed he was much faster, able to react to Sam¡¯s mana-enhanced speed. At the moment, Sam would even say that he was the slower one, not that he cared. He continued his charge forward.


    His enemy laughed contemptuously, dodged his strike aimed at his head and at the same moment struck down with his greatsword, only to be surprised again as his greatsword struck only the ground under Sam. Granted, it threw up a tremendous amount of debris, but seemingly it didn¡¯t affect Sam one bit.


    He opened his mouth, but Sam was faster.


    Using the hand that wasn¡¯t holding a weapon he punched forward delivering a full-powered punch enhanced by all the spells he could layer onto it, punching through the dark blessing that covered his enemy, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of their chest.


    Sam then took a step back and watched as the guy tried to gurgle something but simply fell back onto the ground, dead.


    All in all, the entire fight barely lasted a few minutes, but Sam learned a lot.


    Turning towards the knight he had saved, ignoring as his sword cracked as the mana left it, he put his weapon away into his inventory. Sadly, with the increased level of his skills, if Sam used them on a normal sword they would be ruined after a few minutes.


    The knight stood there silently, though thanks to the helmet, Sam couldn¡¯t really tell what they were feeling.


    They stood there for a few seconds, simply staring at each other when the knight spoke up.


    ¡°Uhm, I can pay for the sword¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it was just a random sword,¡± he answered, waving the issue away.


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± she replied hesitantly, then fell silent again.


    Sam spent a moment checking his status screen to see if he accrued some bad karma, but apparently, the game system judged that he was in the right so there was no punishment for killing the players.


    Plus, he suspected this wasn¡¯t the first time they did something like this. Zamor didn¡¯t grant their blessing to people who spent their free time petting adorable bunnies and baking cakes.


    He then turned back to the fidgeting knight.


    ¡°So, what was his deal? Did you steal a kill, or is he in the hair-pulling stage?¡±

 Chapter 57

    The woman fidgeted a little, then straightened and went into a shallow bow.


    ¡°Thank you for saving me!¡±


    ¡°No problem¡­¡± Sam said, waving it away. ¡°What did they want with you?¡±


    Again the knight began to fidget, turning her head every way to avoid looking at Sam. Finally, after several seconds of uncomfortable waiting, she spat out an answer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I was just doing my quest when they found me and announced that they wanted to play with me¡­¡± she explained with her head hung low. ¡°I tried to fight back, but one of them used an artifact and sealed my mana completely. And after that¡­¡± she finished the explanation helplessly, shrugging her shoulders.


    ¡°So, you didn¡¯t know them from before?¡± Sam asked, still a little suspicious about the circumstances.


    ¡°No? I don¡¯t keep the company of such men!¡± the answer was so indignant and sincere that Sam felt bad even asking about it. Thus, for now, he shelved the idea that they were here for more than the occasional mischief and changed the topic.


    ¡°How long ago did they start?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Just to know how long the curse will last.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­ Around half an hour, I think. Wasn¡¯t keeping track.¡± She answered thoughtfully. ¡°How long does it even last?¡±


    ¡°An hour on players,¡± answered Sam matter-of-factly. Thankfully, he was covered, as he had made sure to do a round at the mercenary bounty station and take a leaflet that explained everything. ¡°Anyway, what was your quest?¡±


    The knight looked up from her menu screens and stared at Sam. He couldn¡¯t tell with what emotion as the full plate helmet obscured everything. Finally, she spoke after a few seconds of scrutinizing Sam.


    ¡°I need to collect samples of the soil and rock of the cavern here. They want to test it to see if it is worthwhile to expand here.¡±


    ¡°Mining Guild, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± she hummed in answer.


    Sam turned towards the gaping hole in the side of the mountain and thought about it. He had to head deeper than usual and while Lucky was an excellent partner, having another human with him would be probably helpful. Plus, it wasn¡¯t like he could talk with Lucky about the latest news¡­


    Turning back to the knight that seemed to have taken her sword and was doing maintenance on it, he spoke up.


    ¡°How about we go as a party?¡±


    The knight¡¯s head immediately snapped up from the whetstone and oil rag upon hearing his question.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sam chuckled a little, then started explaining.


    ¡°I need to get something from the caverns, you also need something from them. It would be faster and much more efficient if we went in together. Safety in numbers and all that jazz¡­¡±


    The knight stared at him for an entire minute before nodding hesitantly.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she fell silent then after another second she spoke up again. ¡°Is it alright, though? My mana is sealed and you¡¯re much stronger than me. Do you even need my help?¡±


    Sam considered the woman for a second before replying.


    ¡°On the higher levels? Not at all. Deeper in? More than likely¡­ As for your sealed mana, by the time we reach an area where you would need it, the curse would have run its course,¡± he said honestly.


    The knight nodded, seemingly relieved.


    ¡°Then okay. Let¡¯s party!¡±


    Instantly, a notification screen appeared in front of him, the game system seemingly accepting the previous exclamation as a proper invitation.


    [KittenKnight is inviting you to her party! Do you wish to accept?]


    Sam accepted the request, outwardly giving a calming look while inwardly freaking out for multiple reasons.


    One of them was that while he sought out Lucy, he didn¡¯t mean to look for the woman in front of him. Yet, this was the second woman with a troubled future he had happened upon.


    Despite having the cutesy name of KittenKnight, she was a famous berserker in the future. She was well known for recklessly charging into throngs of enemies and destroying them with her greatsword. As well as being an excellent secondary tank. She was also abrasive, crude, and all-around mean to everyone.


    Compared to the shy and anxious girl in front of Sam, the mental image was a stark contrast. He didn¡¯t know what happened to her, but seeing as he was here, Sam hoped he would be able to figure out what happened and help her. If she needed help. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s like a split personality?¡¯


    Coming out of his thoughts, he saw that his newest friend was looking at him with a tilted head.


    He cleared his throat and spoke up.


    ¡°Um, sorry. What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Should we go in?¡± she asked softly.


    Sam nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± he answered and began to walk toward the cave entrance. ¡°Until the seal wears off, I¡¯ll go first while you watch my back.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    He said nothing more and continued into the cave with the knight following quickly behind him, her greatsword ready to strike.


    The cave system was nothing special. At least in the beginning.


    It had all the usual things caves have. Rocks on the ground, on the walls, and on the ceiling. Stalactites and stalagmites dotting the environment, hiding all sorts of flora and fauna. Which meant, at first, moss and a few flowers and smaller shrubs that preferred the darker environments. However, as they walked deeper, the moss was accompanied by mushrooms. Thankfully, some of the moss glowed so they could see. Plus, with Sam¡¯s Mana Sense, nothing could really surprise them.


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    And a lot of things tried it.


    It was mostly all kinds of bats, from the mouse-sized ones flying in giant groups to the raccoon-sized monstrosities that caused the knight accompanying to cry out in surprise and to begin windmilling with her sword until the monster fell to the ground in pieces.


    There was also an enterprising bear that had made the cave system its home and upon the knight¡¯s and Sam¡¯s intrusion decided to come out to greet them. Sam simply took care of it and then made sure to harvest the pelt of the monster carefully. An intact pelt of a big monster like a cave bear fetched a rather good price.


    As Sam was working with the carcass, knife in his hand, he looked up at the knight who was standing guard, gripping her greatsword tightly.


    ¡°How long for the seal?¡±


    She jumped a little as Sam spoke up, but then answered, her voice still soft and a little uncertain.


    ¡°I think a few minutes¡­ Why doesn¡¯t it have a debuff timer?¡± she asked, exasperated.


    Sam just shrugged. ¡°Probably, because it¡¯s not a real debuff but an artifact effect. Plus, usually, it¡¯s used on people that have a bounty on their head.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± came the response from the girl and Sam just shook his head and returned his focus to the pelt that he was separating from the monster.


    The game was merciless, with buffs and debuffs. If you didn¡¯t have the appropriate skill to know what spells were cast on you, like Mana Sense, then you could only depend on your memory.


    And it seemed she was right.


    They were in the middle of a small cavern, just finished with a small group of naked mole rats the size of Dobermans that seemed intent on devouring their flesh, when Sam sensed the mana in her body begin to bubble then after a few seconds of struggling, erupt like a geyser.


    ¡°Ohh, it¡¯s back¡­¡± was the only thing she said while opening her menu and seemingly checking up on something.


    While waiting for her to make sure everything was alright, Sam simply walked around and looked for any worthwhile drops. Sadly, the monsters were low-leveled enough that they barely gave him any experience points, not to mention loot.


    Finally, she spoke up.


    ¡°Everything is alright, Solar. We can continue!¡± her voice this time was more confident. And with the same gusto, she unsheathed her greatsword that began to shine with ethereal yellow light, and strode forward, heading for the exit from the small cavern.


    Sam just shook his head with a small smile and followed her while calling out.


    ¡°Do you know where to go?¡±


    The corridor in front of him remained suspiciously silent, but when he caught up with the girl, she was standing there, staring at the ceiling and trying to whistle.


    <hr>


    Gathering the samples for the knight was relatively easy. They gathered at the entrance of the cave system and then took another sample every fifteen minutes of walking. Or where Sam sensed something with his Mana Sense.


    Sam¡¯s newest friend didn¡¯t have a set area she would need to take the samples from, so they were headed in the direction of his objective while collecting said samples.


    And as they headed deeper the monsters became more aggressive and for lack of a better word, weird.


    The bats were either mutated, with an extra set of wings, or giant maws filled with razor-sharp fangs. They even saw one that had an extra long tail with a sharp bone tip at the end, dripping something that seemed to sizzle as it touched the ground.


    The naked mole rat-like monsters however just grew bigger and bigger.


    As they stood around in the latest small cavern where they were besieged by the monster, breathing a little harder after the battle, the knight spoke up as she began to kick around the corpses, looking for loot.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with these monsters? They are getting ridiculous¡­¡± Since regaining the use of her mana, it seemed, her confidence also returned. While she was still soft-spoken, there was almost no hesitation or uncertainty in her voice. Though, she still hadn''t revealed her face to Sam.


    Sam had to agree as the aggressiveness of the monsters surprised even him. Unfortunately, his knowledge about this area only contained the fact that several monsters of shadow and spirit could be found on the lower levels of the cave system. His inherited memories contained nothing of overly aggressive cave-dwelling monsters.


    He just shrugged.


    ¡°Probably a bigger monster scaring them away. Or overpopulation¡­¡±


    There was a moment as the knight bent down to pick up something. She turned over the item in her hand and then threw it away negligently.


    ¡°Let me guess. We are heading directly in that direction?¡± she asked dryly. Sam had the uncomfortable feeling that she was giving him a look.


    Sam coughed into his fist, then pointed toward one of the corridors leading from the cavern that was the site of their latest battle. ¡°Let¡¯s go that way!¡± And with big strides began to head out, followed by a silently chuckling knight in an armor that was no longer as shiny as before they entered the caverns.


    <hr>


    Reaching the entrance of the lower levels was straightforward. Sam just had to follow the mana in the air with his Mana Sense. Seeing as something deep down was radiating mana that flew through the caverns like some kind of river made of mana it was basically child¡¯s play to him. To the others who didn¡¯t have his skill level or a proper map finding it would be exceedingly difficult. After all how to find a hole covered in shadows in the darkness of a cave?


    Standing before the gaping hole covered by flickering shadows, however, was quite different.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to go in there?¡± his new friend asked, staring dubiously at the hole in the wall.


    Sam just shrugged.


    ¡°Your quest is complete, you can go back if you want. I¡¯m pretty sure we killed most of the monster population¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± she exclaimed vehemently, causing Sam to turn to her. ¡°You helped me out, so I¡¯ll also help you out. My honor demands it!¡±


    That caused Sam to chuckle a little.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know you were a roleplayer¡­¡±


    Seeing as the knight was looking everywhere but him, he shook his head in good humor and boldly stepped forward.


    <hr>


    The lower levels were similar to the previous cave system with the difference being that there was no fluorescent moss to provide lighting, thus Sam had to summon his trusty Light Ball, and the walls were wreathed in some kind of shadows that seemed to reach out to them but were seemingly unable to leave the wall. To him, it seemed that the entire corridor was undulating as the shadows rose, tried to reach out to the two of them, then fell back to the wall, almost as if exhausted.


    It was beyond creepy.


    ¡°This is so creepy¡­¡± voiced the same thought of his knight friend as she made sure to walk close to Sam.


    Sam just nodded, his focus on his Mana Sense trying to make sure that they weren¡¯t ambushed in the uncomfortably narrow corridor. ¡®Though, at least I can say that finding shadow-natured monsters was a success¡­ Now to also survive it¡­¡¯


    Thankfully, they soon reached the end of the corridor and it widened into a cavern big enough that several elephants could have lived there comfortably. If they were cave-dwelling animals, that is.


    And what a cavern it was.


    Stalagmites and stalactites dotted the landscape with the elevation changing around as if they were out under the sun and watching rolling hills.


    And that¡¯s where the comparisons to the average caves stopped.


    The stalagmites were made of dripping shadows, while the stalactites were composed of some kind of crystal that seemed to drink in the minimal light his spell was giving off.


    Between the rock formations were fluorescent bushes and moss (and other flora that Sam had no name for), but instead of the calm blue that they were used to, they shone with sickly yellow.


    And in the clearing in front of them, was a monster looking at them in surprise.


    It was on all fours, with its forelegs a little longer than the hind legs, which ended in claws that seemed to drip some kind of yellow liquid. Their body was extremely white, more than likely due to the lack of sunlight, and it was filled with veins that pulsed as they transported the creature¡¯s black blood.


    Its eyes were deep red, almost black, shining with minimal inner light as they tried to comprehend Sam and the knight nervously gripping her greatsword behind him.


    Then the stalemate was broken, and the monster opened its mouth and let out a screech that echoed off the walls, causing Sam to reinforce his Mana Shield to stop the ringing in his ears. The moment it stopped screeching, with his maw still open, dripping the same yellow liquid as his claws launched itself at them.


    The knight instantly stepped forward and swung her sword, not even giving Sam the chance to use any magic and cut the attacking monster down.


    They stared at the corpse for a moment, but then both of their heads snapped up as the screech returned, however, this time from multiple sources.


    Looking around, Sam could see countless dark red eyes staring at them from beyond the limit of his light source with a hungry gaze.


    He shared a look with the knight and unsheathed Moonlight.


    It was time to fight¡­

 Chapter 58

    The next few minutes were somewhat chaotic.


    Sam used his sword and footwork technique to dance between the shrieking monsters as they launched themselves at the duo with reckless abandon and jaws dripping the sinister yellow liquid, ready to tear them apart. Using his wind magic, one swing of his sword released at least one Wind Blade, which, because of the relatively low level of the monster, always hit exactly where he wanted. This killed the monsters with one spell. Not that it mattered, as the number of monsters seemed to be endless and they were hungry.


    He, of course, recognized them as Deep Ghouls, monsters from the deep, tainted by black magic and insanity, always hungering for flesh. Granted, they would be discovered sometime later, far away from Ironwood by a guild that was delving into a dungeon that had its entrance in the depth of another mine.


    ¡¯Apparently, we discovered a new species!¡¯ he thought wryly as he calmly bisected another pair of ghouls trying to rip his throat out. ¡¯Can¡¯t wait to tell people about it¡­¡¯


    Then his eyes spanned to the area where his new knight friend was doing things he was trying very hard to ignore.


    Apparently, her behavior from the memories wasn¡¯t due to some kind of trauma. She was actually batshit insane.


    She was holding her ground in the middle of a small area she had made after jumping there and shattering every last rock that had probably been there since time immemorial. She was slashing wildly at the monsters with her greatsword while laughing crazily.


    The light that enveloped her sword after her mana was finally unlocked slowly enveloped her and now she looked like some kind of bonfire. Sam had a suspicion that the more she killed the bigger the aura would become. It was rather useful too because it ate away at the flesh of anything that came too close to her, namely the ghouls.


    ¡°Die! Die! Die!¡± she yelled as each yell was punctuated by a mighty slash that basically pulverized the monsters. Then she continued to laugh as the aura continued to grow.


    Sam closed his eyes for just a moment, then opened them and with a conscious decision turned away from her and focused on the monsters. ¡®There is a limit to how many there are¡­¡¯


    And indeed, after the ground around him began to fill with the bisected corpses of the Deep Ghouls and the apparently wrongly named KittenKnight was jumping around in the pulverized remains of the same monsters, the rush began to slow down. Eventually, it slowed to a trickle, and Sam had the honor of beheading the last ghoul that decided to try their luck.


    With a quick application of his mana, he cleansed Moonlight and then with a small burst also pushed the stray blood and viscera that landed on his armor away. He turned towards his companion who was still looking around and breathing heavily.


    ¡°KittenKnight¡­ I can¡¯t sense any of them,¡± he said as calmly as possible, ready to be attacked by the berserker.


    To his relief, she swung the greatsword in an arc ending with its tip driven into the ground. Then she turned toward Sam and spoke up.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ you can call me¡­ uhm Katie¡­ I think,¡± she said slowly.


    Sam stared at her for a long moment, then opened his mouth to say something, but he had no idea what, so he simply closed it. For another moment, he stared at her, then nodded.


    ¡°Alright, Katie.¡± The knight nodded, and Sam was almost physically hit by the shyness radiating from the girl. ¡°Let¡¯s look for drops, then continue deeper!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± His new friend cheered enthusiastically, then swung her sword over her shoulder and began to poke around in the destruction left behind by her rampage.


    Sam watched for a second, then shook his head and headed for the location from where he could sense a little mana.


    <hr>


    In the end, they only found materials and a few ores that were unearthed, thanks to Katie¡¯s rampage.


    And when the loot was collected, they met in the middle of the cavern.


    Katie looked at him and spoke up hesitantly.


    ¡°Uhm, Solar, where do we go now?¡±


    ¡°Now? Deeper,¡± Sam answered simply. Katie stiffened and let out a little eep.


    ¡°With more monsters like those?¡±


    ¡°Pretty sure they are going to get stronger, meaner, and more than likely bigger,¡± he replied honestly, curious about her reply.


    For a moment she stood still, then Sam noticed that Katie was actually vibrating.


    ¡°Sooo cool¡­¡± she whispered.


    Sam coughed a little, then turned toward where he could feel the greater concentration of mana and spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to ignore that super hard. We are going that way!¡± And with that, he strode forward, ignoring the girl¡¯s squeak.


    They soon found themselves walking around columns of stone that held up the ceiling of the giant cavern, while occasionally attacked by lone ghouls.


    And as they approached the increased mana concentration, so did the shadows increase around them, taking the form of the shape of all sorts of flora. They walked by trees made of shadows, bushes glowing with inner dark light, with spots of venomous yellow lights acting as flowers. Or eyes.


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    It was somewhat confusing as the shapes never stayed in one place or in one shape, constantly changing. This caused the yellow lights to blink out of existence every few seconds, only to reappear in a different spot. It was almost like the shadows were blinking at Sam and Katie.


    Reaching the concentration, they found a small pond of shadows surrounded by the same ever-changing shadows bubbling up from the ground. To Sam¡¯s senses it was like a geyser of vicious mana, shooting up from the ground, not unlike a freshly opened oil source. Probably just as harmful to the environment as oil.


    They stood at a respectful distance while taking a good look at it.


    ¡°Uhm, this is what you wanted?¡± Katie asked while gripping her greatsword with giddy anticipation.


    ¡°Something like that¡­¡± Sam replied while he was trying to find a way to contain the shadows without the corrupting influence.


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t looking exactly for this, but a Shadow Mana Fountain would be an excellent catalyst¡­¡¯


    It was a pity he couldn¡¯t find anything with a spirit nature, but even this was a long shot based on rumors that the other Sam heard, as well as the research he did around the city.


    ¡°Okay!¡± came the chipper answer from the knight. ¡®She is probably expecting a fight¡­¡¯ he thought. ¡®Not that it''s wrong¡­ Where is the monster guarding it?¡¯


    He cast his Mana Sense wide, looking at everything in detail, trying to find the monster that would protect something like this, but he could only sense the shadows that were still changing shape rather fast. ¡®Probably blends in with all the shadow around us¡­¡¯


    Not wanting to voice his suspicions, he began directing his knight companion.


    ¡°Look for Shadow Mana Crystals. They form around strong mana sources.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± came the crisp reply from the girl, and the next second she was running around the area, like a demented bunny with rabies, smashing apart every rock bigger than a boar, as well the columns, with maniacal laughter. Though, occasionally she stopped and picked up the Shadow Mana Crystal she unearthed.


    Sam¡¯s search was more methodical. He used his mana sense to go after spots where the shadow mana was denser than its surroundings. It took a few seconds to narrow it down to a spot, but inevitably he always found a Mana Crystal. And curiously, as he pocketed each crystal, a few shadow bushes, or trees, vanished.


    The knight¡¯s rampage simply erased great swaths of the shadow jungle around them. It took Sam a moment to put it together, but then he smiled.


    Directing his Mana Sense first toward the spot of shadow mana concentration, then around them, looking for the monster. After all, their hiding spots were constantly shrinking.


    <hr>


    In the end, it took several minutes to pick up enough Shadow Mana Crystal to cause the monster to emerge from its hiding place.


    It appeared with a shriek that caused the entire cavern to echo with it, near Katie just as she smashed through a giant boulder. The monster instantly smashed down, only to retrieve its hand with a wounded shriek as the berserker knight was already enveloped by a small amount of aura and she had the presence to aim her greatsword towards it when it emerged.


    This gave Katie a moment to laugh out loud and launch herself at the elephant-sized ghoul wreathed in shadows. It was the same pale white as its smaller brethren, only it was covered by small spikes of bones around its joints. Sam¡¯s eyes narrowed in concentration as he watched Katie¡¯s first strike.


    He almost laughed out loud as the greatsword went through the appendage of the monster as if it was air. Because for a moment he saw it transform into shadow and that meant it had access to the same skill he did. Which meant, it had the same weaknesses.


    ¡°Use magic on the sword! That can hurt it!¡± he yelled out but the only response he received was an angry yell as the female knight swung her sword around, this time wreathed in jagged, cheerful yellow shine.


    The monster didn¡¯t even hesitate to use the same skill, only to recoil in pain as the greatsword bit into its flesh. Its roar was matched by Katie¡¯s roar of victory.


    The next few seconds devolved into a slugfest between the giant ghoul and the berserker.


    Thanks to the aura enveloping her, the monster couldn¡¯t really hurt her, yet she didn¡¯t have a strong enough attack to finish it off before it regenerated thanks to the continuous stream of mana coming from the Mana Fountain.


    ¡°Keep it occupied for a little, please!¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah!¡± came the enthusiastic answer and the aura of mana around the knight seemingly doubled.


    Ignoring the clash between monster and berserker, Sam turned his attention towards the Mana Fountain. He knew, thanks to his future knowledge that naturally occurring Mana Fountains usually had an anchor. If that anchor was destroyed then the fountain would also disperse. Keeping these Mana Fountains properly anchored was the key to keeping Mana Crystal mines profitable. Otherwise, any random monster that had a mana nature that aligned with the Fountain would simply connect to it and wreak havoc.


    Sam took a deep breath, then retrieved an enchanted glass jar from his inventory, one of many he prepared to contain any exotic material he may come across. And the core of the Mana Fountain would be something he could store in it. At least for a while. Hopefully, the container would last long enough for him to set up the ritual for Lucky¡¯s evolution.


    He focused his attention on the Mana Fountain and shaped his mana like a drill and began to burrow into the mana phenomenon.


    Tendrils of mana slowly worked their way into the loose mana construct, while his berserker friend was having fun with the monster (based on the sounds, he was starting to feel sorry for the giant ghoul).


    Sam slowly and methodically felt out the core of the Fountain and began the process of enveloping it with his own mana, slowly turning it into shadow-natured mana, until the core of the mana phenomenon was almost fully enveloped by a globe of mana, letting out a thin tendril connecting it to the ghoul.


    ¡°On three, strongest attack Kitten!¡±


    ¡°RAAARGH!¡±


    He closed his eyes, his attention solely on his mana and the Mana Fountain while he was holding the jar in his hand ready to contain it.


    ¡°One..¡±


    The mana coming from Katie exploded and he strengthened the mana around the core.


    ¡°Two¡­¡±


    The monster let out a desperate roar as the berserker began to attack with even more fervor.


    ¡°Three!¡±


    Instantly, he cut off the connection between the monster and the core of the Mana Fountain. Almost immediately the mana coming from the core began to strain against his own mana, but he simply moved the core into the jar and slammed the lid shut.


    The runes on the glass jar lit up immediately, shining with ethereal light, signaling that the containment was working. Though, Sam could feel the tension in the enchantment so he knew he didn¡¯t have much time to use it before it exploded in a best-case scenario.


    And while he was making sure that the core of the Mana Fountain was contained, Katie simply fell on the ghoul, who now that its source of regeneration was cut off, fell to her blade relatively quickly.


    He simply dismissed the notification that he received more experience points and placed the jar into his inventory then looked around.


    The remaining shadow-natured mana was quick to disperse now that the constant supply of fresh mana was gone. And with it, went the creepy and disturbing forest of ever-changing shadows.


    His knight friend walked back to him with a pep in her step. She slammed the visor of her helmet up and gave Sam a grin.


    ¡°That was amazing! I love this game!¡±


    Sam took in the warm, brown eyes, small and adorable nose, and thin lips.


    ¡°Indeed, you were excellent in that fight,¡± he praised her.


    She instantly brought her hand to the back of her neck and began to laugh nervously.


    ¡°You think so? Most people think I¡¯m crazy¡­¡± she finished with a morose look on her too-adorable face.


    ¡°I mean, you are crazy¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°But who isn¡¯t?¡± Sam said with a small smile. Katie instantly perked up, giving Sam a hopeful look. Now that he had seen her fight, he knew with a bit of training she would be a perfect addition to his dungeon delving group. ¡°Want to join my group?¡±

 Chapter 59

    For a long moment, she just stared at Sam, squirming in place, wringing her hand and trying to say something but choking at the last moment. Her eyes were darting around but never looking directly at him, though he noticed she threw a few glances at him.


    It was rather disconcerting how her behavior had flipped from being a maniac chasing after monsters into this shy schoolgirl persona. Probably explained why every piece of information that the other Sam had about her was so haphazard and crazy.


    In the end, after a glance at the sun, he sighed and spoke up.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to decide now.¡± He could practically see the relief wash over her. ¡°How about we go back to the city, get rid of the loot, and then we can talk again? Okay?¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything, instead nodded her head vigorously, then turned around and began marching away from him.


    ¡°The other direction!¡± he yelled with a smile. Then Sam watched as she froze, then slowly turned around and walked past him, staring directly at the ground.


    Sam chuckled a little, then began following her, now in the correct direction, and opened his menu. He hadn¡¯t checked it since he left for the cave system and while the battle wasn¡¯t the biggest, he was sure he leveled up at least a few times. Sadly, Lucky didn¡¯t really get the opportunity to do anything, so he didn¡¯t get anything. Thankfully, the maximum level wasn¡¯t necessary for the evolution ritual. Granted, certain evolutions mandated maximum levels for the pet or minion, there were even certain evolutions that could only be achieved with pets that never got any experience points.


    And seeing as the other Sam had no applicable memories that he had inherited about the type of pet Lucky was, he simply just went with his gut. Plus, with the advent of the Fracture, he would need a strong partner that would be able to watch his back.


    As they trekked through the forests, occasionally murdering the odd monster that tried their luck at them, Sam turned his attention to his aggregated notification screen.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You¡¯re now Level 34!]


    [Gained 4 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Gained 1 DEX for always striking true!]


    [Gained 1 END for going the extra mile!]


    With practiced ease, he put a point into MAG raising it to 25, then the other three into STR, AGI, and VIT respectively. For now, he was still working towards a balanced build because he would need all the status points at a certain level later for another trainer. In his inherited memories, a lot of people cursed when they reached that part, as they had to scramble to farm enough points to complete the quest. Naturally, the people that came later came armed with the knowledge those early pioneers discovered.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 12!]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 51!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 15!]


    [Phasing Strike is now Level 3!]


    [Extended Mana Strike is now Level 7!]


    [Double Mana Slash is now Level 6!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 41!]


    [Mana Disruption is now Level 8!]


    It wasn¡¯t the biggest increase, but he was happy. After all, every little bit counted. He threw a glance at his companion, but as she was happily skipping along and swinging her sword like it was a baton, he returned to his screen.


    [Light Ball II is now Level 5!]


    [Clean III is now Level 2!]


    His mage skills hadn¡¯t grown much, but that made sense, as he barely used them. Maybe later he would dedicate some time honing them, but for now, he was more concerned about spells that he would need for dungeon delving.


    He had definite plans for taking several spells further than what he had, but as always he only had time for certain things.


    [Wind Blade is now Level 9!]


    [Wind Flurry is now Level 6!]


    [Wind Bullet II is now Level 6!]


    [Wind Bullet Barrage is now Level 6!]


    [Wind Movement is now Level 11!]


    [Wind Edge II is now Level 5!]


    [Wind Drill is now Level 8!]


    [Wind Affinity is now Level 24!]


    However, his wind-natured spells were progressing very nicely. Not too fast, but steady enough that he wasn¡¯t worried about the future. Granted, he wasn¡¯t even close to the memories of the great wind mages and storm sorceresses that could cut a peanut from a mile exactly in the middle or conjure hurricane-level winds with a simple wave of their hands.


    [Active Meditation is now Level 32!]


    [Discernment is now Level 9!]


    As they walked back toward the city of Ironwood, he occasionally looked at his temporary partner to make sure she was alright and to see if she wanted to say something as he had a feeling that she was watching him. However, she always averted her eyes as he looked up from the notifications. Shaking his head at the girl and returned to the shadow portion of the notifications.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    [Shadow Cloak is now Level 20!]


    [Shadow Footwork is now Level 21!]


    [Shadow Cover is now Level 4!]


    [Shadow Mirage is now Level 20!]


    [Shadow Transformation is now Level 8!]


    [Shadow Shield is now Level 3!]


    Nodding happily, Sam made a few plans based on a few spells and skills he knew from the shadow tree while also checking some of the crunchier stats of the spells. He also wanted to get some minion summoning spells from the tree, as that would be helpful for being a solo player.


    [Advanced Sword Mastery is now Level 7!]


    [Mana Breathing is now Level 3!]


    [Advanced Breathing Technique is now Level 3!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 33!]


    [Steady Heartbeat is now Level 1!]


    [Flow is now Level 26!]


    [Focused Flow is now Level 2!]


    [Multitasking is now Level 61!]


    [Parallel Processing is now Level 4!]


    [Journeyman Runecarver is now Level 7!]


    Apparently, successfully using an enchanted artifact that he had made gave him some experience points in his crafting skill¡­


    Fortunately, soon after he finished with the inspection of his new skill levels, they arrived back at the city gates.


    ¡°Come on, Katie,¡± he said quietly, indicating the way with one of his arms to the shy and crazy girl.


    ¡°Um, where to?¡±


    ¡°I want to introduce to you someone from my group,¡± he answered with a small smile.


    ¡°Why?¡± came the immediate reply, and Sam could see the suspiciousness in her eyes as thankfully, she didn¡¯t lower the faceplate.


    ¡°I hope she can convince you to join us,¡± he answered gently, putting a slight emphasis on the pronoun. To his relief, the knight immediately relaxed and nodded.


    ¡°A-Allright,¡± she spoke, stuttering a little.


    Sam didn¡¯t comment, just started for the company headquarters with the berserker knight following him silently.


    <hr>


    They arrived at the HQ a few minutes later. Sam simply took his new friend through security, idly noting that the people working seemed rather busy, then he escorted her up to the director¡¯s office.


    Once again, he made a note to talk with Lucy about installing a lift.


    Approaching the secretary¡¯s desk, the older woman looked up and smiled at them.


    ¡°Welcome back, sir. Your order has arrived, and I had it placed in your apartment.¡± She sent a curious look at the fidgeting knight and nodded at her, but the rest of the secretary¡¯s attention was on Sam. ¡°How can I help you today?¡±


    Sam nodded in thanks, then spoke up.


    ¡°Thank you for that. Is the Director in?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. She is actually free, so you can just go in,¡± the secretary answered while motioning toward the door.


    Sam once again nodded his thanks and motioned for KittenKnight to follow with one hand, while opening the door with the other one.


    Stepping into the office, he saw Lucy at the desk, dressed in stereotypical director clothing (albeit with a small medieval twist) looking through reams of documents. She looked up at them, gave Sam a smile, and threw a questioning gaze at the knight, who seemed to be frozen in place.


    ¡°Hello, Sam. Who is your friend?¡±


    ¡°A new friend. I thought you could maybe talk to her, and then find a place for her around here¡­¡± he replied with a small smile while giving a pointed look at Lucy.


    She nodded imperceptibly and turned her attention to the girl in shining knight armor with Sam doing the same.


    ¡°Alright, Katie. This is Lucy. She works with me. She can answer all your questions,¡± he said, while directing the berserker to a seat in front of Lucy¡¯s desk.


    ¡°Hello, Katie!¡± Lucy greeted her with a well-practiced smile.


    ¡°H-hello¡­¡± came the hesitant answer.


    Then the office became silent.


    Sam watched for a moment, then sighed and spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the two of you to it.¡± He turned to the knight. ¡°Lucy is nice. You can talk to her normally.¡± He then turned back to Lucy, who was looking at them with a bemused expression. ¡°Anything I need to know?¡±


    She immediately produced a sheet of paper and held it out for him.


    ¡°Yeah, this is the summary. Now, shoo!¡±


    Lucy turned back to Katie and began talking to her.


    ¡°So, as you¡¯ve heard, my name is Lucy, and I¡¯m the director here.¡± Katie gave her a small smile and nodded but didn¡¯t say anything. Lucy looked contemplatively at her while Sam was just amused. ¡°Not a big talker? How about this: tell me something about yourself! What do you like to do?¡±


    Sam was almost at the door, but he slowed down enough to hear the response.


    And his newest friend didn¡¯t disappoint.


    ¡°I like to slaughter my enemies and bathe in their blood!¡± she exclaimed fervently, jumping up from her chair and waving her hand around as if wielding a sword. Then she froze, seemingly realizing what she had said, and quickly sat down. ¡°Err, I mean kittens. Yes, I like cute kittens.¡±


    Lucy threw a murderous gaze at Sam, but he just gave her a cheeky wave and quickly left the room.


    <hr>


    Sam hastily retreated to his apartment, though he made sure to send a quick message to Lucy about hiring KittenKnight for a company-sponsored team.


    Her only reply was an angry face emoticon.


    Chuckling about the situation, he took out the sheet of paper that Lucy had given to him and gave it a read.


    It was a summary of the businesses they owned.


    The warehouse was operating normally, around 70% capacity, with the rest being used for temp storage. Naturally, the biggest income came from the identifying service, but based on the current situation, Lucy projected that the warehouse would provide a steady stream of income over the long term.


    The normal housing was also filling up, although the shopping floors on the ground floor of those buildings were much more popular. According to Lucy, after a quick peruse of the forums, the fact that so many crafters were close to each other made everyone happy.


    She also noted that they received almost an uncountable number of applicants to become apprentices to the crafters in the shops.


    He quickly sent another message to Lucy for her to send him an email with the list to see if it had anyone he knew from his inherited memories.


    Sadly, those journeyman crafters couldn¡¯t take apprentices as they weren¡¯t officially masters, and every crafter guild took it really seriously if somebody tried to muscle in on their territory. And Sam and Lucy didn¡¯t have the economic or political power to go head-to-head with them.


    Yet.


    The rest of the paper was filled with information about the Heavenly Forest. The luxury accommodation was filling up nicely, and the income was more than the other businesses combined.


    Apparently, Lucy overheard the people talking about buying gold just to get the services they offered.


    After reading that, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud.


    As a company, they sold gold on the RMT service, and these nice people bought it, then spent it at their establishment. It was practically free money¡­


    Sam filed away the summary in his small corner filing cabinet in his apartment, then turned toward the boxes piled high next to the door.


    He went over his order, making sure every item was good for the ritual, and when he was satisfied, he put everything in his inventory.


    Then, with a quick goodbye to the secretary, he left for the Mage Association.


    <hr>


    The crowd at the Association was much bigger than the last time he was there, with the people behind the counters working feverishly, while players complained loudly about the increased prices.


    ¡®Supply and demand, my friends¡­¡¯ he mused silently while standing in line.


    Thankfully, his line moved rather fast, so after a few minutes, he managed to reserve a bigger ritual room for the next day. He paid the deposit, took the document proving said reservation, and quickly left the building.


    He checked the time and saw he only had a few hours left in the day, which meant his playtime was almost over.


    The time wasn¡¯t enough for him to do anything, so he quickly ran out of the city, sought out a small clearing, and called out to Lucky.


    ¡°Hey, Lucky!¡±


    The wolf emerged from his shadow and immediately jumped at him. Sam let the wolf bowl him over, landing on the ground and getting licked by the excited wolf. After hugging the adorable, but getting quite big, wolf for a while, Sam spoke up.


    ¡°How about we play a little?¡±


    The wolf jumped off of him, and with a grin on his face and the tail wagging furiously, began to look around the clearing. A second later, he shot off, and before Sam could even wonder why he left, the shadow wolf returned with a giant stick. The wolf then placed it in front of Sam and sat down on his haunches.


    ¡°Wuff!¡±


    Sam looked at the stick and then back at the wolf. He then picked it up with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Alright, you fluffy murder machine! Let¡¯s play!¡±

 Chapter 60

    After Sam spent the remaining time in-game playing with an excited Lucky, he returned to his apartment in the company headquarters and made sure to check the jar containing the core of the Shadow Mana Fountain, then after seeing that it was still intact even though he could sense a little degradation in the enchantment with his mana, he laid down in the bed.


    He enjoyed the sinfully comfortable furniture, then before he could be permanently swallowed by the high-quality pillows, he made a swift motion with his hand and logged out.


    Out in the real world, he slowly got up and removed the helmet while basking in the early morning sun as it streamed through the curtains.


    ¡®Soon, the first capsules will be coming out¡­¡¯ he mused as he placed the helmet on its resting place and headed for the shower to get ready for the day.


    With the meteoric rise of Magic Unbound, manufacturers were struggling to produce enough VR-capable devices to satisfy the needs of the populace. It wasn¡¯t like there was a shortage, but there was a definite waiting period for the good devices.


    Enter newly created companies that tried to shore up these shortages. With rather questionable products. Thankfully, he bought the best quality helmet he could get his hands on as a private citizen with money, but those people who joined the game right now and in the near future would have to suffer the low-quality counterfeit products.


    And because of the introduction of the RMT, and the many stories all over the internet about people striking it rich as soon as it went live (some true, but most of them false), a lot of people wanted to play the game.


    The other Sam also had to suffer due to this. As he only joined the game right in the middle of the gold rush, his helmet often crashed, and was so uncomfortable, that he developed a pain in his neck that never fully went away. Not even when he could afford a better helmet.


    Thankfully, Sam didn¡¯t expect anyone to die, as there were at least some safety regulations about devices, and thanks to their unique construction method, they were rather easy to test.


    Not so much the capsules.


    VR capsules existed since the invention of the VR itself. At first for the medical industry (and of course, the military) but slowly they seeped into the common market. However, as they didn¡¯t provide more in relation to VR software aside from comfort, they weren¡¯t exactly popular amongst the masses. Their prices didn¡¯t help.


    Before Magic Unbound they were the playthings of the rich and the frail.


    And now that a huge surge of people wanted to experience the world of Magic Unbound a lot of VR capsule manufacturers saw the potential profits and they would decide to shift the production from high-quality capsules used by infirm people, to mass-produced cheap capsules. They would, of course, market them with some buzzwords and marketing dress-up promising that it would help people perform better in the game.


    And based on the memories he had inherited the people would eat it up. Thankfully, the other Sam could only watch jealously as his little more affluent acquaintances bought themselves capsules.


    And those were really dangerous.


    The high-quality ones were precision-engineered over the years by humanity¡¯s best minds. These ones were done by a back-alley engineer who may have a degree.


    The other Sam never heard about any deaths, but he always suspected that the manufacturers, the company, or even the government hushed them up. However, there were countless stories about people getting electrocuted, suffocated, blinded, losing appendages, and everything in-between.


    He walked out of the shower, dressed in his training clothes, and headed directly to the exercise corner of his apartment while absentmindedly turning on the television.


    As Sam began his warm-up stretches and the announcer began to drone in the background, his mind wandered over his plans for the day¡­


    <hr>


    After finishing his usual training routine, he went for another shower, and then dressed in comfortable clothes and did a little work around his home. He cleaned, he organized and he even went out to buy a few things. Mostly groceries, but he had run out of a few cleaning products.


    The weather was warmer, heralding the end of winter and the approach of spring. Even more people were on the streets, wearing less clothing, though the cold wind still sent the occasional shivers down the people¡¯s backs.


    Completing the tasks related to his home, Sam sat down in front of his computer to do a little work.


    He went over the particulars of the company, as Lucy made sure he got copies of every document she worked on (as they agreed in the contract), and looked for errors and such, but mostly he was just making sure that the financial part of their enterprise was doing okay.


    Sam also made sure to read the notes Lucy made about the clients of the Heavenly Forest. He recognized several names, that he knew were jumped-up second-generation rich heirs that liked to flaunt their wealth. Exactly their target demographic.


    According to Lucy, they were very satisfied, but every one of them complained that they didn¡¯t have access to master crafters¡­


    Sam shook his head and turned his attention to a different document. ¡®Speaking of crafters¡­¡¯


    The framework for a company-sponsored crafter guild was already set, courtesy of Lucy, they only needed crafters. Thanks to the influx of cash due to the start of their business, Lucy, using the recommendation that Sam gained from the Silvercrest family, managed to buy a few plots in the crafting district that they would be able to transform into a guild headquarters.


    He went to get something to drink, then after Sam sat back down in front of the computer, he opened the file containing the list of people applying for apprenticeships in their shopping centers.


    It took him around ten minutes to find the first person he recognized. Sadly, master crafters would become invaluable later in the game, thus guilds would guard them jealously but even so, thanks to industrial espionage or simply because gamers rarely could stop themselves from bragging, almost all the biggest names were known to the populace at large.


    And one of them was before him.


    OneOreOneMetal


    Despite what the name would suggest, the person behind the name wasn¡¯t actually a master smith. Or rather wouldn¡¯t become a master smith. He was obsessed with creating metals from ores, as well as creating the best alloys possible.


    He was also famous for sharing the results of his research with the internet.


    Doing a quick internet search, Sam found his username and saw that he was already posting about his craft. Though it hadn¡¯t gained the same traction he saw in his inherited memories.


    Nodding to himself, Sam made a note for Lucy to hire the guy, as well as a few basic notes about having him do the sharing of results regularly as a marketing ploy to gain more reputation, then turned his attention back to the list.


    He didn¡¯t have to look long for another familiar name.


    SpringSeamstress


    As the name implied the woman was and would be an excellent seamstress, focused on cloaks of all things. Every thief and assassin that gave a bit about their reputation owned at least one cloak based on her designs.


    Sam continued going down the list, making notes of certain people, as well as blacklisting several that he knew from the other Sam watching dramas unfold, who would happily betray them for a moderately large payday.


    He also visited Shadowland to see what was happening on the darker side of the gaming community. As expected, the guide business was thriving with an increasing amount of threads dealing only with Magic Unbound. Slowly, the game was taking over the site. Not that Sam minded, as it gave him more opportunity to ply his trade.


    The other Sam was obsessed with collecting information. It mostly stemmed from the fact that he was eternally frustrated because he was always too late for every opportunity. Always missing the chance to rake in enough money to change his life.


    While the current Sam was rather happy with his financial situation, he still couldn¡¯t help but feel that he had to make up to the other Sam for taking over his life.


    So, he did this by trying to become one of the best information brokers on the site. Plus, it felt rather exciting to know that he knew things that other people didn¡¯t.


    He also accepted the upfront payment for information about himself, from what he could find, a Silent Step intermediary. He wanted to know who wanted him dead, thus the deal.


    Granted, the guy only agreed to tell him if Sam provided actionable intelligence. So, he shrugged and told him that the last place people saw the person they were looking for was Ironwood.


    He mostly moved around concealed by his Chameleon mask so Sam wasn¡¯t that worried.


    Then he went and started looking for other opportunities on the site. After all, there was always some money to be made.


    Sam worked until lunch, then did a quick trip to the diner that he liked, and after returning he continued his work until it was time to log in again.


    <hr>


    Opening his eyes in the game, he found himself in darkness.


    It took him several confused seconds to figure out that it wasn¡¯t actually dark; it was just Lucky, who decided that the best place to sleep was on his body and his wolf companion¡¯s bushy (but very soft) tail landed on Sam¡¯s face, covering his eyes.


    With a mouth full of fur he swatted away the offending appendages, causing Lucky to lurch up and jump down from the bed and begin to zoom around the room. ¡®Sometimes, he is more dog than wolf¡­¡¯ he thought with a chuckle as his loyal companion began to chase his excitedly wagging tail.


    ¡°Lucky!¡± he called out with a somewhat stern voice while trying to smother a smile. The wolf froze for a second and the next second he was in front of him, sitting on his haunches and alert.


    Sam smiled and spoke up. ¡°Back to my shadow. We need to get a few things, then it¡¯s evolution time!¡±


    It was obvious that the wolf didn¡¯t understand more than ¡®back¡¯ and ¡®shadow¡¯ but it seemed he had understood the undercurrent of excitement in Sam¡¯s voice and let out an equally excited bark before jumping into the air and diving into the shadows with his signature move.


    [Congratulations! Spirit Link has leveled up!]


    [Spirit Link is now Level 20!]


    [Thanks to your relationship with your companion you learned the sub-skill, Spirit Ride!]


    [Spirit Ride: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Riding on the back of your companion has never been this easy. Thanks to this skill, you can travel on the back of your companion as one would on a horse with a saddle. For every level of this skill the comfort and stability of said ride increases by 20%.]


    The sudden notification surprised Sam, but then he simply read through it, and after he was finished with it, he let out a chuckle.


    ¡°That will come in useful¡­ Not that Lucky¡¯s fur hasn¡¯t been super comfortable¡­¡± he mused out loud as he started to don his usual armor and equipment.


    After he was done with that, he had a small breakfast, prepared by the staff of the headquarters, and thoughtfully placed it on a small cart outside of his apartment.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    The fact that there was a ¡®hidden¡¯ satiety system had long since been revealed to the entire player base, but aside from grumbling nothing ever came from it. Most people had to cook for themselves, or frequent inns or restaurants. He was lucky in that sense, that his food, at least when he stayed at the headquarters was always personally made by the chef responsible for feeding all the people in the building.


    Finished with the meal, he checked in with Lucy¡¯s secretary to see if there was anything new, but the woman just simply waved him away.


    Nodding, he said his goodbye and headed out. There was a reservation at the Mage Association with his name on it.


    <hr>


    The city was full of people, excited about all manner of things. He navigated through the crowds, dodging a few cutpurses that tried their luck with his pockets.


    His first trip was to the Auction House to do a quick check to see if any material showed up that would be useful, but he walked away empty-handed, same as always. It couldn¡¯t be helped, the players weren¡¯t doing any content that would drop materials that would be helpful for him.


    Then he joined the crowds once again and finally headed for the Mage Association.


    The entrance hall of the Association was just as full as it was the last time he was here. He ignored the complaining and moaning crowd and directly headed for one of the doors leading to the corridors, which in turn led to the offices of the mages, workshops, libraries, and most importantly (at least for Sam) the ritual rooms.


    At the door stood a dour-looking guard, decked out in shiny new enchanted armor, probably hired in a hurry. Sam showed him his reservation paper, and the guard gave it a cursory glance but his attention was on a small contraption, basically a stick with a hoop at the end, as he waved it over the seal at the end of the document that Sam was holding up.


    It was essentially a magical metal detector that made sure that the seal was legitimate.


    The artifact let out two gentle beeps and the burly guard grunted and with one meaty hand opened the door enough for Sam to slip through while he glared at several people who looked like they wanted to slip in after Sam.


    The moment the door closed behind him, the harsh sounds of the people in the entrance hall were completely cut off, leaving Sam in almost complete silence.


    He shook himself and then headed for the small desk in the corridor, manned by a young woman, reading some kind of book. However, the moment he stepped closer, she snapped the book closed and held out a hand without a word.


    Sam simply handed the reservation document to the woman.


    She glanced over it, then down in a big open book on the desk then after a few seconds of perusing she spoke up in a flat tone.


    ¡°Second floor, fifth room. Six hours. The extension will be paid when leaving.¡±


    Before Sam could answer, her own book was already open and she was already reading.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said quietly, and following a conveniently placed map on the wall, headed for the nearest stairs.


    <hr>


    Finding the room was easy. The hard part came after.


    First, he locked the door properly, after affixing the ¡®Ritual in Progress¡¯ sign on the outside of the door, then took off his armor and replaced it with never-before-worn clothing. Simple pants and a shirt that he asked Lucy to source for him, made from unaltered cotton.


    It wasn¡¯t strictly necessary as he didn¡¯t really wear any heavily enchanted items that could interfere with the ritual, but Sam wanted to be sure.


    The next step was drawing the ritual circle.


    He summoned his Grimoire, smiling a little at the memory of the nice librarian who taught him the spell, and opened it on the page that contained the specifications for the circle.


    It wasn¡¯t a complicated circle, but it was much more complicated than the basic one he used to evolve Lucky the first time.


    Granted, Sam could have used the same ritual circle if he wanted, after all, it was designed to be used for that, but using a much more specialized circle would enhance the results, and more importantly, would guarantee a much more accurate result.


    He got down on his knees with a small exhale, took out the chalk, and began drawing.


    <hr>


    Over the next hour, he slowly and meticulously drew out a circle with several signs at auspicious positions and with a few smaller circles that would contain the reagents. The game wasn¡¯t so hardcore that one millimeter of error would muck up the results, but still, he wanted to make it as perfect as possible.


    Definitely not for the skill levels¡­


    Soon, he sat back on his legs, his knees hurting a little, and took a good look at the circle.


    A giant chalk circle, with a smaller concentric circle inside it. These smaller circles were connected by lines and runes filled the empty space. Inside the center circle was a triangle pointing up with each side holding one smaller circle, thus increasing the number of circles to seven, the most magical number.


    As Sam checked the positions of the circles, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, when unbidden memory of somebody trying to create a ritual circle with the funniest number came to his head. It took weeks to hunt down the succubus it summoned. ¡®Maybe I should sell it and watch the chaos?¡¯


    Shaking his head, trying to get rid of the useless thoughts, he continued adding rune sequence after rune sequence. Around the smaller circles, he wrote rune sequences that would connect them to him, liberally using his heart rune, as well as a few lines he put together that would hopefully direct the ritual in a direction he wanted.


    Finally, he sat back a last time and examined his work.


    It wasn¡¯t the grandest ritual circle, but he was rather proud of his biggest work to date.


    The circle sat upon the smooth stone surface and was already shining gently thanks to absorbing a minimal amount of mana from the environment.


    Softly, almost reverently he stood up and turned off the magical lamps in the room, and instead placed special candles, made especially for rituals.


    With a small application of his mana, all the candles burst into flames, illuminating the room with their light.


    He then called out to his companion.


    ¡°Lucky!¡±


    The wolf emerged from his shadow, though this time it was a rather slow process as if Lucky could feel the importance of the situation.


    Sam got down on one knee and gave Lucky a tight hug. He then led the wolf gently into the middle of the circle. ¡°Stay!¡±


    The shadow wolf let out a bark and stood perfectly still, even though Sam saw that his tail was twitching every now and then.


    He gave the part-spirit a fond look and then began to pull out materials from his inventory.


    The circle in the south direction got the fur of a greater wild silver wolf, to represent Lucky¡¯s wolf aspect, as well as to ground it so as not to lose it. East got the metal that conducted magic the best, as to give a direction and ease the transition. West got a crystal that was excellent to store mana and give substance to Lucky¡¯s new power. And North got the remains of a small shadow sprite found everywhere where darkness lurked. It would do nothing for the power, but it was an excellent representative of the dual shadow and spirit nature, thus giving the ritual an overview of the structure.


    Then came the smaller circles next to the sides of the triangle. The left circle got a small jar, enchanted by him, of his own blood to solidify the link with Lucky, as well as to make channeling into the ritual easier. The right circle got meat from the first animal they hunted together, carefully preserved by Sam to represent the beginning of their relationship.


    And for the last circle, he carefully took out the jar containing the core of the Shadow Mana fountain and placed it down to represent the future.


    As soon as the jar touched the stone where the ritual lay the mana in the air began to move aggressively around the room. Knowing he didn¡¯t have much time, he placed a few sticks of incense around the ritual, all of them to help with the transformation, and finally a circle of salt mixed with ash and iron dust around him and the ritual to prevent outside interference.


    Usually, he wouldn¡¯t do something like that, but he had interacted with the fey too much and he wouldn¡¯t put it past them to meddle in the ritual for something interesting to happen.


    Then he kneeled down in front of the ritual circle facing Lucky, who while still, was examining the surrounding materials with a curious look.


    Sam closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, falling into the habit and activating Active Meditation. A few seconds later he opened his eyes and between two calm breaths, he slammed down his hand on the ground and began channeling mana into the ritual circle.


    Instantly, the circle lit up like a fireworks display, dazzling both him and Lucky. Closing his eyes again, he focused his entire attention with his Mana Sense on the ritual. He also made sure to channel as much of his own mana into the ritual as possible. His mana, rotating at incredible speeds in his body, simply flew through his hand and into the ritual, as the light slowly began to envelop the items he had placed there.


    Although his eyes were closed, he could see thanks to his Mana Sense that Lucky was frozen in place as mana swirled around his loyal companion. He didn¡¯t really touch the mana over the ritual, he mostly made sure everything stayed on its path. Which meant he only reached out when mana seemed to escape the maelstrom over Lucky. He gently coaxed it back into the storm, while also continuously feeding his mana into it.


    Soon the items in all the cardinal directions were enveloped in the light of the ritual, with said slowly changing from blinding white to gray and then black with a few strands of silver weaved through it.


    Sam dug deeper, watching as the mana slowly encompassed the items in the inner circles, channeling even more mana into the ritual. First was his blood, which instantly evaporated the moment the mana touched it. Thanks to it, however, the control of the chaotic mana surrounding them became much easier.


    Then came the meat, which also evaporated and the chaotic mana calmed down somewhat. Instead of chaos, Sam could feel and see the excited nature of Lucky seeping through the maelstrom.


    He could feel the sweat dripping down his face and he had completely lost the sense of time. There was only him and the ritual. The mana swirled around the room, entered him and Lucky, while his mana rotated and moved around his body at increasing speeds, while he channeled as much mana into the ritual as possible, taxing even his ridiculous mana regeneration.


    And in the middle of the circle sat Lucky, who was also slowly being swallowed by increasingly visible shadowy mana.


    If Sam would have opened his eyes, he would have seen a shadow cocoon in the middle of the room, lit by the gentle light of the candles. The shadow making up the cocoon was dark enough that it swallowed all light that fell on it.


    Then the magic in the ritual reached the Fountain Core.


    Despite having his eyes closed, Sam was almost blinded by the extreme darkness that exploded from the disintegrating jar.


    For a moment he feared that the mana would escape and tried to clamp down with his own mana, but in the end, it was unnecessary. The shadow mana basically gushing from the core, spent half a moment thrashing aggressively, but the moment one of its tendrils made contact with Lucky¡¯s cocoon it stilled, then as one, the entire mass of mana rushed at him.


    Sam watched through his Mana Sense as the mass of mana first enveloped the cocoon, then slowly began to pour into it.


    And continued to pour into it.


    And continued¡­


    Sam sat there, his legs going numb, but he didn¡¯t dare to waver. It was too important. Instead, he directed his focus on the cocoon, trying to gauge how much of it was filled with mana.


    Slowly, but surely he began to get a sense, which caused him to panic.


    The mana was still moving into Lucky¡¯s cocoon, but to his senses, it was already almost filled to the brim. He didn¡¯t know exactly what would happen if it overflowed, but nothing good would come out of it. Of that, he was sure.


    After a moment of indecision, he directed his mana to solidify around the Fountain core into channels, which redirected the mana. Then with an application of his will at the end of the channels, he formed his mana in receptacles. In a burst of inspiration, he made them egg-shaped.


    The shadow mana resisted, but with a few tugs, it began to flow into the eggs he formed from mana, slowly filling them up, lessening the strain on Lucky.


    Time continued to pass, and soon only drops of mana were coming from the core.


    Sam was drenched in sweat, and based on the taste on his lips, blood was flowing from his nose due to the strain of channeling so much mana for so long.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have killer debuff after this¡­¡¯ he mused as he watched the last drops enter Lucky¡¯s cocoon.


    Three drops¡­


    Two drops¡­


    One drop¡­


    And it was gone.


    The cocoon that was practically a black hole given shape was in the middle of the circle, and full of mana, from the ritual, Sam, and most importantly from the Fountain Core. And around the big cocoon were three small eggs made of solidified shadow.


    According to his mana sense, he made the right decisions, as he could sense some manner of life from them. Sadly, he didn¡¯t have enough energy to ascertain what he exactly created. Most of his focus was on Lucky and his transformation.


    Slowly but surely the mana around the room calmed down, with most of it escaping the room, while a lot settled down around Lucky¡¯s cocoon in the ritual circle.


    Sam watched with bated breath as the mana froze for a second, and then the mana inside the cocoon began to churn.


    At first, it was gentle as if a rocking chair was gently and rhythmically rocking back and forth, but very rapidly it changed into a small maelstrom, reminiscent of the one that was in the room at the beginning. Only, instead, it was contained in the cocoon.


    Not even daring to move to take a deep breath and brush the matted hair out of his eyes, he continued to channel the last of his mana even if he felt like a wrung-out kitchen towel.


    The storm of mana inside the cocoon began to pulse, the pulses traveling through the ritual circle and into his own mana circulatory system. He expected it to feel bad, but the only thing he felt was warmth.


    Smiling slightly at Lucky¡¯s behavior.


    He finally opened his eyes and watched with rapt attention as the cocoon began to tremble, then shake until finally, he saw the first silvery hairline crack on it. The cracks continued to appear until the entire surface was covered by them. Though, several of them formed shapes that looked suspiciously like runes.


    Then he heard it.


    CRACK!


    CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRUNCH!


    The fractures widened, and the silvery light shined through like the morning sun through cheap curtains, and then it exploded.


    Fragments of shadows went everywhere, but because they were made of shadows, they just splashed against the barrier made by the salt line. The few that hit Sam did a little damage, but he barely flinched, as he was focused on the emerging form.


    At first, it looked like a shapeless blob of darkness with a few flashes of silvery light. Then slowly it began to coalesce into a very familiar form. First the legs, then it was followed by an extremely bushy tail, and then last the head with an excited grin on it.


    Sam looked up from his kneeling position and beheld Lucky¡¯s new form.


    Lucky wasn¡¯t the smallest wolf, as he was big enough that Sam could ride on him for a while, but his new form put the last one to shame. Around six feet tall, with a length of at least nine feet from where Sam looked. His new body was made of shadows just like the last one, though it looked a little more ethereal with a very slight silvery sheen on some of the fur covering his body.


    His claws were sharp, metallic silver, and glowed with light blue light that looked like runes. His fangs, some the length of a child¡¯s lower arm also glowed with the gentle light of runes. His eyes were the same electric blue as Sam¡¯s, glowing with unrestrained mana.


    Finally, Sam felt the mana fully settle down, and the ritual reached its end. Exhausted he stopped channeling mana, and changed to a comfortable position, still sitting on the ground. The next moment the magic holding Lucky frozen dissipated, while at the same time, the salt, ash, and iron dust mixture sublimed into a puff of magic and then also vanished.


    Lucky¡¯s tail immediately began wagging at speeds great enough that Sam could feel the breeze created by it. Yet, he still didn¡¯t move from his spot, instead, he tilted his head cutely to the side with a questioning gaze drilling into Sam¡¯s eyes.


    He tiredly nodded, and he was instantly consumed by the fluffy cloud of silky smoothness that Lucky had become.


    As Lucky began to lick the top of his head while he was lying on his companion¡¯s body, trying to regain his energy, Sam opened the notifications screen and began to read.


    [Congratulations! You successfully completed the Modified Evolution ritual!]


    [You have exhausted your mana!]


    [You gained the Mana Exhaustion debuff!]


    [Lucky has successfully evolved from Juvenile Shadow Spirit Wolf into Runic Shadow Spirit Wolf!]

 Chapter 61 - Interlude 5

    Lucy watched from a comfortable distance as the latest group of people moved into their suite and smiled. They were paying through their noses for the service, but based on the satisfied superior look on their faces as the maids and manservants bowed silently before them, she suspected they didn¡¯t mind the price.


    She stayed near, just in case they found something unsatisfactory, but apparently, they found everything acceptable. Soon, servants and maids were rushing out to deliver their items to the in-house staff for maintenance, while others went to fetch a proper meal for their guests.


    Nodding at the head maid who was also standing nearby, scrutinizing every move of the maids with a furrowed brow, she walked away, back to her office.


    She had a mountain¡¯s worth of documents to go through, and the day wasn¡¯t endless. Not that she was complaining, as she lived for things like these. Going through the figures, seeing as the numbers grew or fell and as the business prospered. That is why she was attracted to business and kingdom-building games.


    Or as the internet put it succinctly: ¡°Numbers going brrrrr makes my brain release the good juices.¡±


    Plus, watching all those fops, several of whom she recognized after rejecting her for their guild, pay out an insane amount of gold to her, also made her feel warm and fuzzy. Not to mention the amount of information they gained.


    Every maid, servant, janitor, or person who worked in the building was instructed to write down everything they overheard their guests speaking. There were several people in an office a floor down from hers, that had the job to go through every report and filter out the important bits.


    In the beginning, she was worried that one of the NPCs would rat them out, but the guests in true blue-blood fashion proved to be so unlikeable that the servants reported everything gleefully. Now she only needed to worry about spies.


    As she settled in her very comfortable (and expensive) office chair, she made a mental note to ask Sam if he had any idea how to create an intelligence branch for the company, because usually when she needed one of those in another game, she just clicked a button and it was done. Magic Unbound was a little more complicated than that.


    And while she had a lot of questions about Sam and how he accomplished things, she had to admit he was rather effective.


    After setting a reminder to email him, she finally turned to the paperwork that had been meticulously piled high on her desk and began to go over it, one by one.


    <hr>


    The next day, she met up with Sarah in the game.


    Her friend was dressed in repurposed worker¡¯s clothing, with a jumpsuit dotted with countless pockets, filled with who knows what. Her long hair was pulled up in a bunch and hidden under a knitted cap. On her forehead were goggles with tinted glasses adding to the steampunk vibe. And on Sarah¡¯s back was a giant hammer affixed to her with a complicated leather strap.


    She also had a messenger bag slung over her shoulder, and Lucy could see that it was filled to the brim.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Sarah, who was admiring the architecture of a nearby building, turned toward her and smiled.


    ¡°Hey, girl!¡±


    The moment Lucy got closer, they hugged, and after separating, Lucy began leading them toward one of the restaurants in the city. True, they could have met at the company building and eaten the lunch prepared by her chefs, but Lucy was informed by her secretary that it wasn¡¯t healthy to be holed up in her office twenty-four-seven, so here she was.


    They walked in amicable silence for a while, cutting through the crowd until Sarah spoke up.


    ¡°Any new projects that need my expertise?¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you not enjoying smashing in the faces of monsters with your giant tool?¡± replied Lucy with a playful look.


    Sarah snorted and shook her head.


    ¡°You know it¡¯s not the same. I want to build. To design and to create!¡± she finished her sentence almost yelling, thrusting her hands in the air. Several people glanced at them, but after nothing followed up the yell, their interest vanished.


    ¡°I get you¡­¡±


    Sarah just snorted.


    ¡°It¡¯s easy for you! You got that awesome business¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re part of the business, Sarah,¡± came Lucy¡¯s dry reply.


    ¡°Pssh, as an employee.¡± Sarah dismissed it with a wave of her hand. ¡°It¡¯s not the same.¡±


    Lucy looked at her friend and saw she wasn¡¯t really angry or hurt, just as always, she was bored.


    ¡°Well¡­ I was planning on expanding our warehouse, so¡­¡±


    Instantly, her friend¡¯s eyes lit up, and began to walk faster. Thankfully, they were practically in front of the virtual restaurant they arranged to meet, so instead of saying anything, Lucy let Sarah drag her in.


    After the waiter directed them to sit at a private table (the company may be new, but they were making enough money, that those who paid attention to these kinds of things knew her), finally Sarah spoke.


    ¡°Spill, girl! What do you want to do?¡±


    As they began talking, Lucy fully relaxed in the presence of her best friend.


    Sadly, neither of them noticed the hooded figure who followed them through the streets of Ironwood, and who stood across the restaurant well hidden in a small alleyway.


    <hr><hr>


    The city of Brightgarden was beautiful. Lush gardens wherever the eyes could see. A picturesque lake next to the city, where people who lived there spent their lazy weekends, either fishing or just leisurely resting at its shores.


    Their guild has settled in well, and Stephen could proudly say that they were on their way to becoming one of the pillars of the community.


    They patrolled the forests around the city; they helped with the gardens with several of their people going for druid-like builds; they tracked down missing people as well as criminals. Hell, one of the new guys who were adamant about slime supremacy was hailed as a local hero after he went through the sewers and cleaned out the trash monster that had been there since time immemorial.


    The organization of their guild, now proudly bearing the name of Fauna Ark (Animal Ark was suggested at first but it was shot down immediately), was also going splendidly. They had groups with clear leaders and there was a pretty good board in their guildhall that had a set schedule for every task that needed to be done.


    Feeding so many animals was not an easy task!


    Thankfully, they managed to gather several people who had no desire to fight anything more dangerous than boredom, and they were hard at work turning the barren fields gifted to them by the thankful city (or bought) into fertile fields of produce.


    Although everything was going splendidly, Stephen couldn¡¯t help but feel that something was missing.


    So, he sat down with his friends (the founders) and the people who had risen through the ranks to be group leaders and had a nice long meeting in the garden of their guild. Naturally, he spent the meeting enjoying the strong fur of Slathy, while the monster munched on some unfortunate being¡¯s corpse.


    In the end, they all agreed that none of them were big on bureaucracy, so they needed someone who could help them out with it. Otherwise, the guild wouldn¡¯t last long.


    Luckily, somebody had access to the site Shadowland, and the people there were usually trustworthy, provided they paid the required amount.


    Thus, after everyone agreed, they put up a wanted ad for personnel and sat back and waited.


    It took almost no time to receive their first reply, which was predictably somebody trying to scam them.


    After several days of suffering, they finally managed to get into contact with one of the information brokers who connected them with a person who was looking for work in the administration field.


    <hr>


    Stephen, as the de facto leader of the guild, decided to greet the person who answered their ad on his own. He didn¡¯t want to scare them away with the usual antics of the guild.


    Sitting in the middle of one of the squares of Brightgarden, next to the fountain, while Slathy lay on the ground calmly with small children climbing all over him, he kept his head on swivel.


    Soon, he heard a throat being cleared behind him. ¡°Cactus, I presume?¡±


    He spun around with a smile on his face. ¡°How did you know?¡± he asked while he took in the person who approached him.


    She was a rather small girl. Maybe five feet five if she stood on her the tip of her feet. She also had shockingly bright blue hair with streaks of white, that fell on her shoulder in waves. Despite her eccentric hair, she wore a generic blue-colored mage robe, straight out of any fantasy novel. In her hand was a staff with a glowing blue orb as its headpiece.


    ¡°Your reputation precedes you,¡± came the deadpan answer.


    Stephen couldn¡¯t help but feel proud. People knew about him!


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°No. I recognized the rabbit.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡± Now he felt like a fool. Then he glanced at the woman who was still looking at him, stone-faced, and shook himself. ¡°Alrighty then¡­ I assume you are AzureTiger?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she answered with a nod.


    Seeing as she wasn¡¯t big on words, he also nodded and then whistled so that Slathy would know they were leaving.


    The giant rabbit slowly stood up, making sure the kids on his back could safely land, then began lumbering after the duo as Stephen began leading AzureTiger toward the mansion where their guild had set up.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The woman with the small stature only took one step into the room they collectively decided to use as the guild office and immediately stiffened. Stephen took a look around but didn¡¯t step over the threshold as the room was overflowing with documents of all types all over the desk, cabinets, shelves, and floor.


    He was about to offer up some excuse, but the bluette beat him to it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the job. Now get out!¡± she exclaimed, practically vibrating on the spot.


    She almost dove into the sea of papers, letting Stephen close the door with a queer look on his face.


    Slowly, he ambled out, only to find his friends staring into the room that he had just left behind. He joined them and took a curious look.


    Inside, AzureTiger was rushing about like a whirlwind, while small blue sprite-like things followed her around, holding documents somehow. Stephen suspected magic.


    ¡°We need to get her a blue tiger or cat¡­¡± spoke up somebody from the crowd.


    Stephen only heard the murmur of agreement.


    ¡®Apparently, it was a good decision to hire her! Go me!¡¯ he smiled a little, then turned around in confusion. ¡°Guys, where is Slathy?¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Liz found out that while she was indeed comfortable with her current income, moving to a different city was altogether a different story. Unfortunately, she had decided and told her insufferable mother and if she couldn¡¯t achieve the move, then she didn¡¯t even want to think about what kind of face her mother would make.


    For a few days, she hemmed and hawed but it came down to selling something to get a quick injection of cash. The question was: what to sell?


    The most logical thing to sell was her creations in the game. The RMT service was live and while the gold-to-money ratio fluctuated every hour, Liz was pretty sure her creations would sell for enough gold that would allow her to move.


    Sitting in front of her computer, she stared impotently at the screen. Deciding to sell her precious creations was one thing, but how to make sure she wouldn¡¯t get scammed?


    Either she could go through an official auction site, but that would take time and they took outrageous percentages from the final price from first-time sellers. Or she could sell to a private citizen. However, that required even more time and effort as she had to personally advertise her creations.


    Unless she contacted a broker.


    Luckily, she knew one of the best information brokers.


    Unfortunately, she already owed them three favors. And they had been suspiciously silent on claiming them.


    For a few minutes, she just stared unseeingly at the screen, then sighed.


    ¡°What¡¯s the worst that can happen? They say no, right?¡± she murmured and began to type in a message.


    <hr>


    After sending the message, Liz didn¡¯t wait to see if they would reply, she immediately dove into the game intent on ignoring the real world in favor of creating more marvels out of crystals.


    At first, when she got the spells for crystal shaping she thought it would be a temporary thing. A ¡®class¡¯ she would divest herself of when she came across something better. However, nowadays she couldn¡¯t even imagine not using her creations. Mostly because the small cute drones became her calling cards on stream, but also because she genuinely enjoyed building things.


    Upon login, she appeared in her temporary workshop, rented from the local town at a very nice price after she saved a kid in the forest when she was en route towards it. Instantly, half a dozen small maintenance drones rose from the positions to greet her. Their little hands and eye modules emulating waves and smiling faces.


    Several of them even flew close enough that they could nuzzle her face. She giggled a little, and she could feel the stress melting away.


    Liz spent a few minutes just playing with the cute drones, trying to teach them tricks (mostly fetch) and trying to take a winning picture. As they counted as minions, she planned to enter the competition that the company started. As a streamer, it was practically mandatory.


    Satisfied with playing with the drones, she reached for her improved control bracelet and opened the holographic screen.


    Instantly, she was greeted with a deluge of information about the tasks that the drones did, while she was offline. Granted, she couldn¡¯t have them do anything complicated, but basic maintenance was exactly the type of work she could set up before logging out.


    After reading through it, she nodded then took out one of her tools and lowered her goggles. She had some work to do on her crystal bike.


    The only reason the monster died and not the kid, when she ran them over, was because of the air cushion that the vehicle projected under it. It was what allowed her to ride over the ground pretty comfortably. And it was also what pushed the kid into a conveniently placed bush and the monster menacing said kid onto a sharp rock, killing it instantly.


    Predictably, the stream loved it.


    As stupid as it looked, she rather enjoyed the videos they made of the event. And of course, the increase in fame that came with it.


    However, in the end, what the event showed her, was that her vehicle wasn¡¯t the safest, and if she wanted to operate it among people, she needed to add a few safety precautions.


    Opening her big book of crystal creations, she turned to the page that contained a technical drawing of something that looked like a distance sensor to her and began to study it.


    A few minutes later she nodded, put the book on the nearby table, and reached for the materials.


    It would be finicky but if she added the distance sensor and linked it to another module¡­


    Soon, the only thing that could be heard in the workshop was the quiet buzzing of the drones and the sounds of crafting in progress.


    <hr>


    A few hours later, with the new module added to her pretty cool crystal bike, Liz stood outside of the town where she was currently staying. She made a few last checks on her gear and made sure her armor was on properly. Several drones were hidden around her to watch out for stream snipers or regular PKers (and monsters), while a few more were standing by holding tools like her own little (and very cute) pit-stop team.


    One of them floated over, holding a mirror and she checked her hair, now containing a blue streak to represent the crystal magic she was now famous for. At least, she liked to think she was famous for it.


    Satisfied that she was looking great, Liz patted the mirror-holding drone on its head, then with a swift motion turned on the steam.


    ¡°Hello everyone!¡± she greeted the viewers with a beaming smile, making sure that her crystal bike was in view, as well as the pit-stop team. One eye glanced at the viewer count that kept climbing and her smile became a little more genuine. ¡°Today, we are going to crash into things!¡±


    She paused for a moment, watching as the chat went crazy, then her own smile turned a little crazier.


    ¡°FOR SCIENCE!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°How is the SRS system doing?¡±


    ¡°According to the data we gathered it seems to be working where it was implemented. We are seeing a general decrease in stress in players who were affected by the system. However, for those who do not have any medium through which the system could work, the decrease is much less.¡±


    ¡°How did the event affect it?¡±


    The first person just waved their hand. ¡°So-so¡­ We didn¡¯t add any rewards aside from ¡®fame¡¯ so most players don¡¯t really care¡­¡±


    He nodded in understanding while making a few notes.


    ¡°Keep me appraised about the SRS. If we see more decrease, I want to petition to roll it out game-wide, not just selectively.¡±


    Then he took a look at the next point on the agenda.


    ¡°Alright, what about that red flag that was raised about¡­ a¡­ what was it? Ah, yes a familiar evolution. What¡¯s wrong with it?¡±


    The other person nodded and spent a few minutes clicking around their screen before humming a little.


    ¡°The player was once already flagged by suspicious behavior. Manual review found him simply lucky. Then another flag. Another manual review. This time he did his research. They found footage of him researching in the library,¡± the guy explained as he slowly read through the information, while he listened intently. ¡°So he was cleared, again. That was followed by a third-party review to make sure the reviewer wasn¡¯t bought or otherwise in cahoots with the guy. Nothing found.¡±


    ¡°So why was the evolution flagged?¡±


    ¡°Because so many previous flags had been raised, the system automatically assigned a higher priority to the issue.¡±


    ¡°We need to adjust the system for that,¡± he interjected and the guy reporting nodded.


    ¡°The issue is already at the appropriate team.¡±


    ¡°Great. What about the event? Was it fraudulent?¡±


    The other guy let out a sigh.


    ¡°No. It was luck, research, and even more luck.¡±


    He looked back intently. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°We are. So are two other teams.¡±


    He hummed in response and took another look at the file. Finally reading the name of the pet down around the middle of the text he couldn¡¯t help but blink in surprise.


    ¡°Wait, is this Lucky?¡±


    The other guy sounded surprised.


    ¡°You know the pet?¡±


    He just chuckled and showed the guy his screensaver featuring Lucky, sitting on his haunches with his head tilted to the side cutely and tongue lolled out.


    ¡°Huh¡­ small world.¡±


    He put away his phone and nodded. ¡°Indeed.¡± He spent a few minutes scrutinizing the file before making a decision.


    ¡°Do deeper research on the player. It is suspicious how good he is. His magic control stats are off the charts.¡± The other guy nodded, making notes. ¡°Lucky is bound to be famous so if he is cheating I want to eliminate him before the public starts to pay attention to him.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± came the reply. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Do you have any good pictures of the new evolution?¡±


    <hr><hr>


    The game was good, that was certain.


    The graphics were excellent, and the skill system, while initially a smidge confusing, was also good enough to keep the game engaging.


    He immediately went ahead and got the best gear to play the game. After all, he was the best gamer in his circle of friends, and he wanted to keep that advantage.


    However, after playing for a while and getting together with his friends, they realized the realism of the game had a pretty big drawback.


    The maintenance of the gear, the food, and everything else.


    They just wanted to play and not deal with things that were usually the job of the servants to deal with.


    That¡¯s why when one of his acquaintances told him that there was actually a service dedicated to providing luxury accommodations for respectable people, he immediately ordered one of his people to look it up.


    The information he received was pretty encouraging.


    Thus, after a small discussion with his friends, they decided to buy the gold, and rent one of the suites of the appropriately named Heavenly Forest.


    <hr>


    The inside of the building was pretty minimalistic, yet at the same time, it radiated a sort of understated sophistication that in his experience a lot of people tried to show, but rarely managed.


    The staff was helpful, not too chatty while also being fast and efficient.


    Seconds after he mentioned to his friend he was feeling a little peckish, a maid was already waiting with a tray of snacks and an elegantly designed menu to order from.


    The rooms were designed in the same style, but the quality of the furniture was unquestionable. They had a safe to store valuables, a small but well-stocked bar, with fresh fruits to snack on as well as a small library that contained a map of the city with everything important marked on it.


    There was also a small booklet that contained the rules and regulations of the service, but he didn¡¯t care much for it. Places like these could usually be pacified by offering more money. He was much more interested in the other booklet that contained a comprehensive list of services.


    Naturally, there were no prices shown, because if you needed to ask for a price in this kind of establishment then you didn¡¯t belong.


    There was only one simple line at the beginning of the booklet.


    ¡®Services not contained in the contract are billed monthly.¡¯


    He just shrugged. The last time he checked the RMT market wasn¡¯t about to run out of gold, so if he needed more he could just send someone to buy it.


    Taking a measure of the bed in the bedroom, he was about to jump on it, when he heard a knock on the door.


    ¡°Yes?¡± he called out.


    His friend¡¯s voice greeted him, slightly muffled by the door.


    ¡°Hey, Kevin, they have a rooftop restaurant. We are going to check it out. Do you want to come?¡±


    Kevin took a stock of the items thrown around and nodded. ¡°Sure, I could eat¡­¡±


    He left the room, closed the door, which locked automatically behind him, pocketed the key, and began walking with his friend while they discussed the accommodations.


    <hr><hr>


    The request was nothing special.


    Kill a guy who pissed off their client.


    Why or how they pissed off the client didn¡¯t matter.


    Silent Step didn¡¯t make a name for themselves as the premier assassination gaming group in countless games by asking too many questions.


    As long as their client could pay the price named, they would follow through,


    Though, apparently, this time they may have asked for a too-low price.


    Magic Unbound was a new game, so they didn¡¯t know enough about how the system worked to use it in their favor. They had to prepare for the assassination in an old-fashioned way.


    Investigate the target.


    Set the scene.


    And go for the kill.


    Unfortunately, they were stymied at the first step. Finding their target.


    Apparently, while their identity wasn¡¯t exactly a secret, somehow they still managed to move around without being noticed by any of their scouts.


    It was preposterous!


    So, they had to revert to observing secondary targets to find the primary target.


    And the universe once again proved that they had something against him, and his team was assigned to the area where Ironwood city could be found.


    The only person their primary target regularly talked with was a workaholic who rarely left their office. An office that seemed to have been protected against intrusion and remote spying by the best.


    And as the game had just begun, none of them had any skills, artifacts, or even contacts to circumvent said protection.


    Quite honestly, the wait was practically killing him. Plus, his boss was getting quite annoyed with their client¡¯s incessant whining about why the guy wasn¡¯t dead yet.


    But, his secondary target decided to leave their fortified office and he finally had someone he could follow.


    Hopefully, the woman would lead him to the primary target.


    And if not, at least he could maybe overhear something that he could sell to their information broker. Or better, maybe he could learn something that could be used to blackmail her, which in turn would allow them to insert a few agents in their staff at Heavenly Forest. The building was basically the wet dream of an information broker with all those rich people in one place.


    ¡®A guy can dream¡­¡¯ he mused as he settled down in an alley to figure out how to approach the restaurant to sneak in.


    After all, everything started with a silent step¡­

 Chapter 62

    Sam spent a few minutes staring at the screen, then with a chuckle, while still laying on the sinfully soft-furred body of Lucky, he dismissed it and took a look at the more detailed result of the ritual.


    Even with the bone-deep exhaustion creeping through his body, he couldn¡¯t help but feel extremely excited and happy. Lucky was whole and healthy and seemingly had been ¡®rebuilt¡¯ bigger, better, and stronger.


    That, however, meant he felt like a wrung-out blanket... again.


    [Due to overdrawing your mana, you have been struck by Mana Exhaustion!]


    [Mana Exhaustion: Physical abilities -90%, Mana Control -90%, Mana Regeneration -90%, Using mana could result in all manner of other negative effects. Duration: 99 hours 45 minutes]


    [You successfully finished the Familiar Evolution Ritual!]


    [Journeyman Runecarver is now Level 10!]


    [Thanks to your successful string of rituals, you gained the sub-skill Ritual Sense!]


    [Ritual Sense: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Thanks to your control of mana, as well as your knowledge of rituals and runes, any ritual you attempt is much more stable and less likely to fail.]


    [Efficiency is now Level 10!]


    [Multitasking is now Level 63!]


    [You successfully stood up to the effects of the ritual. You gained the skill, Shadow Resistance!]


    [Shadow Resistance: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to spending so much time near the shadows, you successfully developed resistance against their effects. Each level increases the resistance by 1%.]


    [Advanced Breathing Technique is now Level 4!]


    [Mana Breathing is now Level 4!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 35!]


    Going over the results, Sam was a little unhappy about his crafting subskill. While the decrease in the chance that a ritual may fail sounded great on paper, he knew from practice that it could also be lowered by a little care and research.


    So, while it was a great sub-skill for somebody who had just begun to dabble with rituals, for him it was practically useless. The rest were nice, especially since he finally developed a resistance to one of his most used elements. There were a lot of anti-magic skills that rebounded the spells to their caster, so probably it would come in handy when he was finally forced to properly fight against players.


    Finished with his thoughts, he returned his attention to the screen before him.


    [Thanks to drawing on your mana exhaustively and extensively while maintaining several spells during a ritual, you broke through with the skill Mana Synergy!]


    [Mana Synergy is now Level 10!]


    [You learned the skill Mana Resonance!]


    [Mana Resonance: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) Your control over your skills using mana is such that when using one or more at the same time, they resonate with each other. When in battle, this resonance allows you to cast those skills and spells for less mana. Mana cost during battle decreases by 2% for each skill level. When using two or more mana skills simultaneously outside of battle, the cost of their use is reduced by an additional 1% per skill level, and you receive 10% more experience points in training per skill level.]


    [Mana Well is now Level 4!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 16!]


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 15!]


    [Spirit Link is now Level 25!]


    [Spirit Connection is now Level 1!]


    Looking at the Mana Resonance skill, Sam for a moment was flabbergasted as his inherited memories had nothing on the skill. It either meant that he was treading new water or people who had the skill managed to keep it secret. ¡®Probably the second one¡­¡¯ he mused as he began calculating how the new skill would affect him. ¡®And of course, I thought that Mana Synergy didn¡¯t have anywhere to go. This means that Mana Resonance is probably not the last step¡­ How interesting!¡¯


    Being done with his own notifications, he turned to the more interesting notifications related to Lucky.


    [Lucky has successfully evolved from Juvenile Shadow Spirit Wolf into Runic Shadow Spirit Wolf!]


    [Animalist Mana Control and Animalistic Shadow Control have merged into one skill!]


    [Lucky gained the skill Shadow Mana Control!]


    [Shadow Mana Control: Level Max (Passive) Thanks to observing you, your companion developed a very precise control of their mana compared to their relatives found in the wild.]


    [Shadow Spirit Body has been upgraded to Shadow Spirit Body II!]


    [Shadow Spirit Body II: Level Max (Passive) The body of the wolf is part shadows and part spirit, which makes it extremely malleable. The two natures mix perfectly in its body, granting the wolf extreme control over them as well as increasing the amount of mana they have access to.]


    [The runes present on Lucky¡¯s body allowed Lucky to learn two new skills!]


    [Runic Weapon: Level Max (Passive) The wolf¡¯s claws and teeth are clad in runes that grant him a certain amount of ability to pierce through the impenetrable. Grants a 13% chance to do True Damage with the claws and teeth.]


    [Runic Strike: Level 0/20 (Active) Lucky gains the ability to channel mana into the runes of his claws and teeth to enhance the damage they do. The damage type depends on the type of mana he channels into it. Current natures are available to use: no attribute, shadow, or spirit.]


    [Lucky Aura has evolved into Chaotic Aura!]


    [Chaotic Aura: Level Max (Passive) Those who are in the same party as Lucky receive a buff to their luck. The size of the increase depends on their luck. Those who are deemed an enemy by Lucky (Warning: This can be the owner too!) have a bigger chance of gaining negative status effects.]


    Sam stared at the deluge of information, then snorted. He reached up with his arm, still shaking a little from exhaustion, and mussed the fur on top of Lucky¡¯s head. ¡°Apparently you are veeery close to becoming a chaos gremlin¡­¡±


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    The giant wolf let out a cheerful bark and leaned into his hand. Thus, he was reduced to patting and giving scratches to his newly evolved familiar. Not that he minded¡­


    The surge of increase in his mana and health points was welcome and would be a nice surprise to his enemies, though, with his current debuff, he couldn¡¯t really test it out.


    Slowly but surely, he gathered himself, and leaning on Lucky¡¯s body, Sam heaved himself into a standing position. Taking a look at the slightly trashed ritual room, he raised an arm and intoned.


    ¡°Clean!¡±


    Instantly, he felt a tinge in his arms as his magic sluggishly answered his call, but in the end, none of the feared side effects appeared, and the slightly charred but still intact ritual circle. However, the moment the spell activated, the circle vanished into thin air, leaving behind a bare stone surface.


    Nodding to himself, he checked the room once more to see if he left behind anything and when he found nothing, Sam turned to Lucky, who was still standing next to him. He could practically feel the giant wolf¡¯s heartbeat.


    ¡°Lucky, we can play later, but for now, get back to my shadow!¡±


    The big wolf let out a small rumble of disappointment, and it took Sam several seconds to figure out that the freshly transformed wolf was whining, actually.


    Finished with the whining, Lucky, instead of jumping, simply melted into the ground silently, becoming one with his shadow.


    Finally, he collected the three ostrich-egg-sized shadow eggs left behind by the ritual.


    As soon as they were in his inventory, his notification screen lit up.


    [You acquired 3x Lesser Shadow Familiar Eggs!]


    Smiling silently, he turned toward the door, already having an idea of what to do with them.


    <hr>


    Leaving the Association building was a little weird. He entered in the morning and left in the afternoon, with the very distinct afternoon colors painting the city in hues of red, orange, and purple.


    The woman sitting at the desk in the corridor changed. Though her attitude was very similar to the one he had met when entering the building.


    Sam was quickly ushered out of the building, which was still full of crowds of players still clamoring for this and that. With his hood up and mask activated, he navigated the crowd with a tired expression.


    His first stop was a restaurant, eating a hearty meal, and trying to recharge his in-game body with nutrients. After paying, he simply walked back to the company headquarters through several back alleys and entered the building through a hidden entrance. He wanted to make sure that his artifact-granted face wouldn¡¯t be associated with the company.


    They were making a lot of money, so more than likely people were observing and investigating them.


    From his inherited memories, he knew that not only players but NPCs would also be interested in money-making methods. The company, Future Unknown, created a world that wasn¡¯t static and wouldn¡¯t only change because the players did something.


    There were several player made businesses that went out of business because a local NPC had a better foundation and simply copied their idea. Or a local strongman took the business from them. The game wasn¡¯t just about players competing against other players.


    They were in a living, breathing world, where every action has consequences. And while sometimes those consequences were a dragon eating you or a lich reanimating your dead body to use as a jester, sometimes it was the NPCs jacking up prices because they noticed that a large segment of the population loved that item.


    Walking up the stairs, he considered his next steps. With the Mana Exhaustion debuff on him, questing was out of the question, but he had several other things to do. Like networking.


    He could also continue his studies while improving his relationship with the nice librarian lady. He suspected, if he kept at it, he could unlock some juicy questline. Sadly, none of his inherited memories could tell him about that, as by the time the other Sam got interested in the library the librarians closed down the system super hard, and getting a library card was akin to winning the lottery.


    Apparently, the librarians hated how the theorycrafters and guilds raided their domains. There were even rumors of several guilds going bankrupt after paying late dues.


    Walking up to his friend¡¯s office, he tilted his head sideways questioningly, and the secretary busy with some kind of paperwork simply glanced at him and nodded. Sam smiled at the highly competent woman and knocked on the door.


    Hearing the quiet ¡®Come in!¡¯ he pushed the door open, only to see Lucy behind the desk and Katie sitting, still in her knight armor on one of the chairs. Both of them turned toward him as he stepped inside and closed the door.


    He smirked.


    ¡°You may be wondering why I called you in here!¡±


    Lucy sent him a deadpan look, while Katie just squeaked in confusion.


    ¡°What do you want, Sam?¡± Lucy spoke up, slightly annoyed, but Sam saw that her eyes were twinkling with suppressed humor.


    ¡°It¡¯s not what I want, but what I got for you. But first, did she¡­¡± he spoke, motioning vaguely towards the silent berserker.


    Lucy nodded with a happy smile.


    ¡°Yes, she is officially part of the company,¡¯ hidden from the beaming Katie was the question from Lucy about why they needed the berserker.


    ¡°Good. Start on organizing the PMO then. I noticed talk about us on the net. I think we can expect the first saboteurs soon,¡± he gave her the answer. They already discussed setting up a Private Military branch for the company for the purpose of having their own security. He only asked Lucy to keep her hand in starting the process.


    A Private Military Organization differed in only a few things from guilds. While guilds could hire and employ NPCs, the leadership of the guild could be only made up of players, while a PMO could have NPCs in their hierarchy. And of course, they were much more bound by the laws of the country where they were registered.


    Honestly, both had their cons and pros. Because, while a PMO had to abide by more laws than a guild, that also meant they were much more supported by the local government. Especially if their leader had an in with the local aristocracy.


    Like him.


    ¡°Understood,¡± she replied. ¡°I hate repeating myself, but why are you here?¡±


    Sam gave her a big smile, reached into his inventory, and pulled out two of the shadow eggs, holding one in each hand.


    ¡°A present!¡±


    KittenKnight sat up straighter and began clapping excitedly. ¡°Yay! Presents! I love presents!¡±


    ¡°Then one for the scary lady!¡± Sam declared grandiosely while handing over one of the eggs while slightly bowing to the berserker.


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    Katie lunged toward the egg and grabbed it with both hands. There was a momentary pause, as she probably read her notification screen, then she beamed again as the egg began to let out shadows as if the egg was vaporizing.


    Under her breath, she was clearly chanting. ¡°Cat! Cat! Cat!¡±


    Sam shared a look with Lucy, then turned to watch the excited girl get her first familiar.


    He didn¡¯t mind giving away the Lesser Familiar eggs, as Lesser Familiars were inherently limited in their capacity to grow. As in their evolution requirements were much harder and more complicated. Though, most of that translated into expenses which Lucy could more than likely field if she ever wanted to evolve hers.


    Slowly the egg in Katie¡¯s hand began to morph, first going gelatinous, then seemingly collapsing into itself, then instantly reforming into the shape of a tiny cat with closed eyes, sitting perfectly on the palm of Katie, who seemed to be vibrating with excitement.


    The still cat, shuddered several times, then opened its big, dewy eyes and let out an incredibly cute meow.


    Katie visibly melted the moment the sound left the tiny shadow animal. Lucy was visibly struggling not to coo, and even Sam had to admit that the diminutive cat was weapon grade adorable.


    Then as Katie¡¯s other hand neared the little creature to pat its head, in an instant the cat¡¯s head enlarged from peach-sized into beach ball size with teeth that gleamed with malice and chomped on Katie¡¯s hand.


    As Sam and Lucy stared agog, Katie just exclaimed joyfully. ¡°So, cuteeeee!¡± Meanwhile the small cat with the giant head continued to gnaw on her armored hand.


    Then she stood up, one hand still in the mouth of the monster that was born, and began walking out of the room, probably to spread some terror.


    ¡°Thanks, boss, for the gift!¡± she said, right before opening the door and leaving the two of them staring after the strange girl.


    After the door closed Lucy immediately turned on Sam and began yelling.


    ¡°What the hell did you bring us? Did you find some kind of horror from the beyond? Made a deal with an Elder God?¡±


    Sam raised his one free hand in protest.


    ¡°Hey, they are simple Lesser Familiar eggs! The shape is all from her!¡±


    Lucy took a moment to calm down slightly. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Pretty sure. The system probably gathered enough information about her to give her a familiar that she would love.¡±


    ¡°Are you really sure?¡± she asked, stressing the word ¡®really¡¯.


    Sam just shrugged. ¡°Yeah, or that was some kind of cosmic horror beyond comprehension in the shape of a cat, given to a berserker.¡±


    Lucy shuddered a little, then sat back into her chair with a heavy sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s hope you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± said Sam, then he held out the other egg. ¡°Care for a try for your own cosmic horror?¡±


    Lucy glared at him but still reached for the egg.


    There was a moment while she read the announcement with a suspicious look on her face, then once again Sam witnessed as the egg began to leak a smoke-like substance made of shadow, then became gelatinous and finally in an instant morphed into its new form.


    Thankfully, it hadn¡¯t taken up the shape of a cat. Instead, it was a bird. More specifically, a raven.


    It was pitch black, with its eyes the same color as Lucy¡¯s, gleaming with intelligence. Lucy stared at the bird with fascination and hesitantly reached out to pat it on its head, but instead of turning into a horror beyond mortal ken, it simply leaned into her hand.


    Letting out a relieved sigh, Lucy sent Sam a look of gratitude.


    Sam just sighed. ¡°Raven, really? Can¡¯t you be more stereotypical? At least Katie¡¯s was unique¡­¡±


    The woman and raven pair directed a synchronized glare at him, which was rather disturbing. Then Lucy glanced at something only she could see, more than likely a system screen, and whispered something in the raven¡¯s ears.


    The bird let out an acknowledging croak and in instant, it burst into dozens of tiny ravens that began to fly around the room. It took a few seconds for them to settle into different positions around the office, while Sam stared at Lucy, who in turn was staring at nothing.


    Finally, after Sam was debating poking the woman with a stick, she spoke in an awed whisper.


    ¡°I can see everything!¡±

 Chapter 63

    Sam left the grinning Lucy at her desk as she continued to play with her new familiar. Or more like she told him that he should leave after he suggested teaching that one famous poem about ravens to the familiar.


    Smiling to himself, he checked the time to see how long he had until night fell, and when he saw it was still early enough, he packed up and began his journey toward the library. He hadn¡¯t seen the kind old librarian in a while.


    Before leaving the company headquarters, he picked up a few things and activated his Chameleon mask before waiting for a smaller group of people to leave the building and joining the group covertly. Hopefully evading the attention of those who were observing the building.


    And seeing as he could spot several of them without any magical aid from Lucy¡¯s office, it was given that there were several observers that he couldn¡¯t see.


    On the way to the library, he took a small detour into a bakery, buying a dozen fresh cookies (making sure they weren¡¯t the crumbling type) then made a beeline to the building housing the library. He also made sure to cancel the Chameleon mask¡¯s effect before approaching the final steps of his short journey in an alley, as the librarian only knew his original face.


    However, when he reached the small plaza in front of the library, it was full of people standing in line.


    Thankfully, there was a small sign put out at the end of the line.


    ENTRANCE ONLY WITH A LIBRARY CARD


    He looked around and couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Apparently, the library rush had already begun.


    Schooling his face into a pleasant smile, he approached the last guy in the line. It was a man, wearing a basic robe though high quality with an unfamiliar symbol on it. ¡®Probably some new guild¡­¡¯ Sam thought, then he began talking.


    ¡°Hey, mate!¡± The guy, previously immersed in his own system screens, looked up and took a long look at Sam¡¯s gear, which was still some of the basic gear one could get in the beginner town, and sneered at him.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the line for?¡± he asked, ignoring the condescension in the man¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you read? To get a library card!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Just to get a card?¡± he asked, playing up being surprised.


    Apparently, it worked as the guy sighed and threw a disgusted glance at the other people and the library.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ so many people want to get in that they had to limit how many library cards they give out. So, if you want one, then get behind me and maybe you will get one in a week or two.¡±


    Sam nodded.


    ¡°Thanks for the info!¡± Then turned toward the library and began walking to the entrance, guarded by stone-faced guards.


    The man in the robes began immediately to yell after Sam.


    ¡°Hey, where are you going? The line ends here!¡±


    However, Sam simply ignored him and other people who also noticed him and began to laugh at him.


    He simply walked up to the doors, ignoring the first person in the line as they tried to convince a bored-looking librarian assistant sitting behind a foldable desk that they were pretty big and they totally deserved to be let in.


    Sam smirked, as he remembered that this was the assistant that regularly left behind crumbs on the main desk. Assigned to door duty was probably her punishment.


    The moment he reached the top step, one of the guards stepped forward, more than likely to send him packing, but he swiftly revealed his library card. ¡®I never thought I¡¯d ever flex with a library card¡­¡¯ he thought amusedly as the guard froze for a second, probably recalibrating.


    ¡°Welcome, sir!¡± they spoke up in a neutral tone, then stepped aside, motioning Sam to enter while the people in the line began to grumble.


    Both Sam and the guard ignored them. The assistant just let out a long-suffering sigh.


    In contrast to the outside, where people were yelling and talking, as well as the addition of the background noise of the city, the inside of the library was deathly silent.


    All around, Sam could see people busily reading while librarians walked around watching them with hawk eyes as if they were prison guards. A few people glanced up at his entrance, but after noting the lack of quality of his clothing, they quickly returned their attention to their reading.


    Sam smiled and headed directly to the main desk, where he could see the head librarian sitting with a pinched face.


    Arriving there, he cleared his throat and spoke up.


    ¡°Hello, madam. I brought you some cookies!¡±


    ¡°Young man, just because¡­¡± she began whispering harshly, then her eyes fell on Sam, and her dour expression lit up a little. ¡°Ah, young Sam!¡±


    She gave him an honest smile and happily took the box that Sam was holding out to her.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± she told him in a low voice.


    Sam nodded and discreetly motioned toward the readers they could see from the main desk.


    ¡°I heard there are a lot of people trying to read¡­¡±


    The elderly woman took one of the cookies from the box and bit into it a little more aggressively than necessary. ¡°Hmmpf. All they know is to demand things. Give me books about this and that¡­ Not an ounce of respect!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why there''s a line?¡± he asked while making sure that nobody was paying much attention to them.


    ¡°Mostly. And also because we don¡¯t have the required seats to accommodate everyone, so we had to set a limit.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it does, young Sam,¡± she said, then sighed and turned fully to face Sam. ¡°But enough about my woes. How can I help you today? Are you here to study another language? Maybe practice the runic symbols?¡±


    ¡°I was curious if you had anything about Wind, Shadow, or Spirit magic?¡± he answered. Originally, Sam planned to start on a new language as there was always a need for learning new languages, but he threw out the question to see if they had anything.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The head librarian closed her eyes thoughtfully, then opened them and shook her head slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we have nothing that you wouldn¡¯t have access to anywhere else. For Wind, we have the basic spells, for Shadow, we only have books that describe shadow mana and no spells. As for Spirit, to my knowledge, we have one book about it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Sam was truly surprised. He didn¡¯t expect that a relatively small library like this one had a book about Spirit magic, seeing as the magic wasn¡¯t the most well-known one. Shadow magic was well known, but as it was technically a high-tiered, it was slightly restricted by the Mage Association.


    ¡°Yes. Would you like to read them?¡± asked Librarian Martha with a warm smile.


    ¡°Of course! Also, if you have any of the Sarkan languages, I would be thankful!¡±


    ¡°Oh my, what a ravenous appetite for knowledge!¡± She stood up from her chair and began leading Sam toward the back. ¡°I do like to see when younger people are eager to learn!¡±


    Sam followed her silently, occasionally nodding and humming in agreement as the head librarian began to natter, in a low voice of course, about how the youth nowadays didn¡¯t want to learn, instead they wanted everything handed to them.


    <hr>


    He spent the next few days while his debuff ticked down, in and out of the library.


    The book about Shadow magic was interesting, but it didn¡¯t provide anything new that he didn¡¯t already know. The book about Spirit magic, however, was rather useful aside from being fascinating to read.


    It described several monsters and beings that counted as spirits, including the Fey, as well as giving him several rules that one should follow when dealing with said beings. Luckily, he already knew about them¡­


    It also mentioned that most spirits were born from the emotions and actions of other beings or from natural phenomena. There weren¡¯t many that gave birth to their offspring or laid eggs like other animals and monsters.


    ¡®That explains Lucky a little¡­¡¯


    He also spent time learning a new language, called the Sarkan language. It was a language used by the lizard people of the desert to the south, which was covered by endless sand dunes. Thankfully, in contrast to stereotypes, they were some of the friendliest and most welcoming races. They always made sure to know at least one other language, but his life would be much easier if he could speak their language. They were welcoming, but they drew a very distinct line between any guest and their own people. Speaking their language would help him bridge that line.


    And when he was not in the library, entertained by all the people standing in line (the head librarian was nice enough to give him a seat that was next to a window overlooking the small plaza in front of the library) he was at the headquarters coordinating with Lucy about the expansion of the company.


    The simple accommodations, designed to appeal to ordinary people were doing extremely well, while their attempt at recreating a modern shopping mall on the ground floor of said buildings surpassed every expectation.


    They were making so much money that several crafting associations approached them about partnership. They would support the crafters with education and rarer materials, and in turn, would get a share of the action.


    Lucy was in the final phase of the negotiation, with Sam adding his two credits where he could.


    Heavenly Forest was also doing well, but much more low-key. They were always full, and no employee was bored. Thankfully, there hadn¡¯t been any issues with the people making use of their service treating their employees badly. Sam attributed this to his instruction to make sure that every maid or servant acted like they were invisible, staying in the background. Those kinds of people saw servants as furniture so that behavior just reinforced that belief.


    Lucy was also happy to report that they managed to purchase several plots in nearby cities. The Silvercrest family was big enough that their recommendation was still useful in several neighboring cities.


    <hr>


    ¡°How about Silverton?¡±


    ¡°Silver mines, obviously. Build a warehouse and basic shopping center with a few rooms. Probably not a lot of nobles.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Lucy said while making a note.


    They were sitting around a coffee table in her office and were overlooking a map of the country they were in. Ironwood was marked with a pin, while they decided where to build new ventures as well as which ones would go where.


    ¡°How about Brightgarden? I saw on the forums that there is a big summoner guild there,¡± she spoke while pointing at a point on the map a few days¡¯ travel away from Ironwood, near a big lake.


    Sam looked on interested, as he had no memories of any big summoner guilds in that city. The first proper summoner guild that he could remember seeing in his inherited memories was started in a different country. Naturally, after showcasing their competence, they were instantly copied by everybody.


    ¡°What do they produce?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, let me look it up¡­¡± answered Lucy as she began to go over her documents. Sam was momentarily distracted by a tiny raven as it kept staring at him with its beady eyes, but then his attention was redirected back at Lucy as she exclaimed triumphantly. ¡°Ah, here it is! It says their main export is¡­ art.¡±


    ¡°Build everything,¡± responded Sam immediately. One of the biggest industries that popped up after Magic Unbound conquered the world was producing art in the game (or about the game). Artists made serious money as, thanks to magic in the game, they could produce some mind-boggling art pieces.


    Illusion magic made theater plays something very different, while the spells that manipulated natural resources like rocks and metals made it supremely easy to create art pieces that surpassed anything that modern technology could produce.


    Lucy only took a few seconds to understand his response. ¡°So you think it will be big?¡±


    ¡°Illusion magic, Lucy!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± She nodded and began furiously writing. ¡°Do you think we should set up something to support the arts there?¡±


    ¡°Good idea! How about we build a theater and rent it out to beginners?¡±


    Lucy looked at him, and he could literally see the gold coins in her eyes.


    He waited until she finished with her notes before speaking up.


    ¡°What¡¯s the next city?¡±


    <hr>


    Out of the game, he made sure to keep up to date with Shadowland, as the activity on the site was growing by the day. He made sure to sell info now and then, though he made sure it was only contained in the vicinity of Ironwood. He didn¡¯t want to be fingered as a cheater.


    Then, as he was resting one afternoon, waiting for the time to log in and just staring out of his head, he heard a peculiar alarm go off on his computer. Looking up, he saw that SummerRose had sent a message.


    Curiously, he got up from his sofa, turned off the cartoon he was watching, and sat down in front of the computer to read the message.


    A minute later, he was left staring at it with confused feelings, as he could practically feel the desperation radiating through the message. ¡®Maybe, this has something to do with her death?¡¯


    Unfortunately, there was no information about her death in his inherited memories. Her demise was one of the biggest mysteries of the game. There were rumors, of course, but nothing substantial.


    Making a quick decision after remembering what kind of skill he gave her, Sam began typing with an expectant smile. It took only a few minutes to get a response.


    [LazyPhoenix]: Hey!


    [SummerRose]: Hello. Did you read my message?


    [LazyPhoenix]: Yes. What do you need?


    [SummerRose]: I need money.


    [LazyPhoenix]: IRL or in game?


    There was an entire minute before she answered.


    [SummerRose]: both


    [LazyPhoenix]: Why?


    [SummerRose]: need to move


    [LazyPhoenix]: I know someone.


    [LazyPhoenix]: They are looking for talented crafters. Saw the last video.


    Another pause. Sam didn¡¯t care, he just waited patiently.


    [SummerRose]: Trustworthy?


    [LazyPhoenix]: Legit contract-type people.


    [SummerRose]: I need to think about it.


    [LazyPhoenix]: Sure, the option is always open. Want me to look into selling your stuff?


    [SummerRose]: No, I will think about it.


    [LazyPhoenix]: Talk tomorrow?


    [SummerRose]: No. Give me an hour.


    [LazyPhoenix]: OK


    He sat back and looked at the discussion. Apparently, she really wanted to get out of where she was.


    While waiting for the response he sent a quick message to Lucy about a potential recruit and prepared a blank basic contract they had created in their free time for when they wanted to recruit someone.


    Exactly an hour later his inbox dinged with a new incoming message. Sam smiled and began to write.


    [SummerRose]: Who do I talk to?


    [LazyPhoenix]: Here is the address¡­

 Chapter 64

    After being done with recruiting SummerRose, Sam passed the torch to Lucy, with very firm instructions to make sure to hire her, no matter what. The skills that the streamer learned were, with proper logistical support, something that could elevate a minor guild among the major guilds.


    And if a major guild put its entire wealth and power behind the individual?


    Well, that would invite the other major guilds to try to stamp out said guild. Sam planned to do things smarter. In his inherited memories, the people who got their hands on the guy who originally got the crystal crafting skill immediately made him produce weapon after weapon. This, naturally, started a magical arms race.


    Even the NPC kingdoms got involved with it. It ended in the creation of a new desert and a lot of angry people.


    However, in his view, the power was capable of so much more than simply crafting fantastical weapons.


    The first thing he would have SummerRose make was an elevator for the headquarters as he was getting tired and annoyed by the constant walking he needed to do to get to his own room. ¡®Or maybe I should get a teleportation power? Nah, an elevator is simpler¡­¡¯ he thought.


    Standing up from his desk, he turned his attention towards less interesting pursuits. Like filling up his pantry, as well as acquiring lunch.


    <hr>


    Sometime later, with his debuff gone, he walked into his friend¡¯s office, with his spiffing new clothing.


    With their company¡¯s crafter getting their feet under them, while he was suffering under the debuff, he went on a little shopping spree.


    He bought new shirts, geared towards combat, which meant they were tight and breathed well, over that he got some light armor, reinforced with high-quality metal at key areas, allowing him the freedom of movement. Magic Unbound was a game that prided itself in the freedom it provided to the people playing it. This showed in how it handled armor.


    In traditional games a mage wore light clothing, an archer or rogue wore medium clothing, usually leather, and warriors and the like wore heavy plates. Here, you could, if you wanted, wear heavy plate and be a mage. Or be a warrior wearing nothing but your underpants. Naturally, your choices were only effective if you had the skills for it. Plus, certain metals inhibited the channeling of mana, so you had to keep that in mind when you went for a heavy plate mage build.


    Seeing as he had no specific armor skills, only having the Mana Shield providing him with constant defense, he went for ease of movement. Sam even had the craftsman add a hood that could be pinned down when not in use, as well as commissioning one of the tailors to make him a sort of tight shawl that he could use to pull up and cover his face, thus increasing his stealth.


    Though being honest, he just relished the chance to play ninja.


    The armor was made from better materials than one could find in beginner towns. Ironically, it was made from troll leather, which was rather cheap and abundant after the mad rush to farm out the Life of Blood skill book. Sadly, the enchanter they hired wasn¡¯t high enough level to add anything amazing to his armor but for now, he would be happy with a small sound reduction and durability increase enchantment.


    [High-quality Troll Leather Armor: Created by a journeyman crafter employed by your own company. They worked extra hard to make sure to return your goodwill. Excellent quality, given the materials and the crafter. Enchanted to decrease the sound it makes during movement, as well as increase the durability. Thanks to the substance it was impregnated with, the troll leather lacks its customary weakness to fire.]


    Plus, it looked cool, and now people wouldn¡¯t mistake him for a noob straight out of a beginner village.


    The secretary was at her customary place, busily working through a giant stack of documents. She gave him a once over, nodded in approval then silently tilted her head towards the door, indicating that Sam could go in, and returned to her work.


    He still made sure to knock, but then used the doorknob and entered the office. Lucy was also busily going through a fat stack of papers, so while he waited for her to take a breather, he walked up to the giant windows.


    Looking out, he took a look at the cityscape sprawled out in front of him. In the distance, he could see the tall chimneys bellowing out dark clouds as the smelters at their base melted ores in gigantic quantities. Even farther he could see the tall trees of the forests from where in the olden days the city got its fuel and source of building material. Nowadays they used coal or some magical means to heat everything.


    Down below the headquarters on the streets of the city, the crowd moved as wave in one direction. From his position, he could barely make out a few details of them, even though they weren¡¯t that high because the people were so close to each other that said details got lost in the horde of people, NPC, and players alike.


    As he simply enjoyed the sights, he noticed something curious on one of the roofs almost across from their building, though the height was much lower. On the roof, crouched behind a chimney was a person, covered by some kind of cloth that was the same color as the roof. The only reason he spotted them was that they moved enough so that they could point their old-timey scope directly at his face and that displaced the cloth covering them enough that they became visible.


    For a long moment, they stared at each other until Sam used his index and middle finger to point at his eyes and then at the guy. Sam couldn¡¯t help but smile as he saw the guy freeze.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Now why did you do that? I wanted to feed him some ludicrous information¡­¡± spoke Lucy from her desk, her eyes still on the document in front of her.


    ¡°Because it is fun¡­ Who do they work for?¡± Sam asked idly, as he turned away from the window and leisurely took his place in front of Lucy¡¯s desk.


    She waved her hand negligently. ¡°From what I know they¡¯re from a smaller workshop. I think they are just looking for leverage for a better deal.¡±


    Sam hummed in understanding. ¡°What about everything else?¡±


    ¡°Silverton has started the construction. The mayor was very thankful for the influx of business as well as for the services we planned to provide, so they¡¯re very accommodating.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. How about the streamer?¡±


    Lucy sent him a look. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you want to hire her, but I sent her a standard contract, and she accepted it after a few modifications.¡±


    ¡°Anything interesting?¡± he asked, ignoring the look.


    ¡°No, nothing. In a week¡¯s time, she will be living in our city as well as working in Ironwood.¡±


    ¡°Good, good¡­¡±


    Lucy looked at him for a spell, then let out a small huff. ¡°Honestly, Sam¡­ Why do you want to hire her? I admit she is pretty, but aside from that I don¡¯t see her crafting skill providing us anything worthwhile.¡±


    Sam grinned at her. ¡°First of all, how dare you think I wanted her hired based on looks alone?!¡± he exclaimed jokingly, then continued a tad more seriously. ¡°Secondly, I know what skill she has. Creating those small drones is the best she can do without support. With our support¡­ I¡¯ll let you imagine!¡±


    Lucy stared back at him and then nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll believe you,¡± she said, and Sam heard the implied ¡®for now¡¯ very clearly. ¡°Where do you want her?¡±


    Sam thought about it for a few seconds before answering.


    ¡°Set her up with her own workshop and start putting together a studio for her. You know, the usual. Assistant, camera guy, editor, the works.¡±


    ¡°You want her to be a company-sponsored streamer?¡± she replied curiously. Sam could see on her face as she worked over the idea in her own mind. ¡°Do you think we are ready for that?¡±


    ¡°Not fully. Don¡¯t advertise that we are sponsoring her. But make it clear somewhere half hidden, that she has a boss now and is not an independent streamer. Otherwise, for now, let her do her thing.¡±


    Lucy nodded and started writing down a few notes. ¡®Probably her ideas¡­ She is scarily good at this!¡¯


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, unless you have something to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± came the unexpected cry from Lucy. ¡°Please, take that berserker away. Her pet is scaring the workers¡­¡±


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but let out a chuckle at that.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take the mini eldritch cat and its owner for a spin,¡± he said, and then glanced out of the window. ¡°However, for now, I have to deal with something quickly¡­¡±


    ¡°Anything I can help with?¡± Lucy asked as she began to organize the documents on her desk.


    ¡°Nah, just have to deal with an issue¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯ll write if something comes up and good luck with your issue¡­¡± she said with a deadpan face.


    Sam nodded and stood up to leave, leaving Lucy to her witchy ways of dealing with bureaucracy.


    ¡°Thanks!¡±


    <hr>


    Walking out of the headquarters, enjoying the sun shining down on him, as well as his spiffing new clothes, he walked around the commercial district a little. He mostly refilled his consumables, bought a few more rations and an additional water skin, just in case, then headed for the Auction House.


    Once again, he was there to try his luck.


    He sat down at a free place and just spent a long minute observing the people currently present in the Auction House. He saw noobs trying to sell things to hopefully get some money; veteran merchants who probably migrated from other games, surrounded by documents as they frantically moved between system screens; addicts who looked like they hadn¡¯t slept in years, hoping to make one big trade and they would be set for life, as well as several guild people who were there to monitor the situation.


    When the RMT service came online, a lot of people requested that the Auction House should be accessible from the browser or an application, but the company declared that the Auction House was part of the game, and if they wanted more convenient access to it, then they would have to find it. Or build it.


    He opened the screen and began to hunt for bargains.


    He picked up all sorts of crafting materials that he knew would have their prices rise with the advent of dungeons, mixed in with other materials that had decent prices. He went through the weapons on offer, but in the end, he only found either broken stuff or mass-manufactured worthless metals. Though, in the end, Sam managed to find a simple hunting knife that was enchanted to glow in the darkness, thereby providing light to the user. He bought it, thinking that it would be useful in an emergency if he ever ran out of mana.


    Then, as always, he turned his attention to the skill books. Though he hoped to find some diamond in the rough; he was actually looking for something specific. Thankfully, it was a rather common skill book; he was just too lazy to go out and get it. He searched for the cheapest price and bought it.


    Sam spent a few more minutes looking for opportunities but couldn¡¯t find anything, so he simply had the material he bought delivered to the company, knowing that Lucy would handle it while picking up his new skill book, and learning it the moment he touched it.


    [Basic Armor Mastery: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) You learned the basics of wearing armor. Decreases the Stamina consumption slightly while wearing any kind of armor.]


    It was nothing fancy, but now that he was actually wearing armor, it would be useful.


    <hr>


    Walking out of the city, hands at his side, humming slightly, with Lucky in his shadow, he headed towards one of the farming spots. The monsters, some kind of moss creatures that had a long and complicated name, but everyone just called Mossy, dropped a few materials that would become useful in the future.


    The first trek of the journey was rather easy. Just follow the road until the rocky surface of the surrounding land became more and more grassy and the sparse forest turned into dark and mysterious.


    At that point, he took a sharp left turn and headed directly into the dark forest. He had to push aside the undergrowth, but soon he was walking amongst giant trees with a few small clearings here and there. While the place was getting quite damp, on account of being close to a marsh, it was honestly quite beautiful. With the way the stray light beams broke through the canopy, illuminating only a few spots on the ground properly, it felt like a fantasy forest fitting into the game¡¯s mythos.


    He was about to head through one of those clearings when he heard a whistling noise. Unfortunately, before he could react, he felt something impact his always-active Mana Shield on his back, causing him to be pushed a little forward. It depleted the shield somewhat, but thanks to his ludicrous mana regeneration it was already starting to refill.


    Looking down, Sam saw a generic-looking dagger that slowly vanished into nothingness as he looked at it. ¡®Phantasmal Dagger Strike¡­¡¯ he identified the attack and looked up.


    Where before he was alone in the forest, now he was surrounded by seven people. Two behind his back, two on each side, and a lone one in front of him, wearing something that looked much higher quality than what the others were wearing.


    Sam just smiled and reached for his sword.


    ¡°I have been waiting for you¡­"

 Chapter 65

    The seven assassins all visibly tensed after he said that and one of the killers for hire standing around him, ready to strike, in their rather edgy and body-concealing clothing, spoke up. His voice was hoarse, and Sam was pretty sure he was forcing himself to speak in a much deeper voice than usual.


    ¡°What? We were completely hidden¨C¡°


    ¡°Silence Number Five!¡± came the harsh whisper from the one standing alone in the high-quality clothing.


    Sam just smiled. He didn¡¯t know when the assassins would come, but thanks to his Mana Sense he could perfectly well sense when they began to follow him the moment he stepped outside of the city gate.


    ¡°So, who sent you? Greyskull? Maritime? The syndicate?¡± The Greyskull guild existed, but the other two were random names he just came up with. He wanted to see if they gave away anything. Because, while he knew they were from Silent Step, he didn¡¯t actually know who sent them. While his actions didn¡¯t upset many people, he already had several confrontations with people who Sam felt would gladly pay Silent Step to murder him.


    ¡°As if the Greyskull could aff¨C¡° the chatty one spoke up again, their voice alight with indignation. However, he was immediately silenced by his superior.


    ¡°Number Five! We are the Silent Step, not the Talking Step!¡± The moment the sentence left his hidden mouth, he tensed and turned towards Sam.


    Sam just smirked at him and shrugged. ¡°That one was pretty obvious¡­¡±


    The leader of the group let out a sigh and shook his head. ¡°Dammit, Number Five¡­¡± he murmured under his breath.


    While they were distracted, Sam channeled his mana into the ground, preparing to cast several spells, while his hand gripped his sword handle. Based on the mana he could feel from them, every one of them aside from their leader were scrubs so he didn¡¯t need to worry, but it never hurt to be careful.


    Finally, the leader of the group shook himself and straightened their back.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re going to die!¡±


    And on an unseen signal, all the assassins launched their attack on him. Credit where credit is due, every one of them aimed at a different spot to make his attempt to dodge futile.


    So Sam didn¡¯t dodge.


    He simply tapped his feet to the ground and the spooled-up mana sprung up, bringing with them three walls made of rock, earth, and the bits and pieces of grass that got stuck to them as they suddenly emerged from underground.


    Several phantasmal daggers struck the walls, while Sam launched himself forward with great speed. His sword was raised high, and the moment he arrived next to the lead assassin who just stood there, their entire body radiated surprise.


    Sam cut down but had to immediately turn and raise his sword to parry the strike from the man, while the body he cut in half crumpled into flakes of blue light behind him.


    For the next few seconds, they were locked in a battle.


    The assassin¡¯s blades were wicked sharp, shining with subtle blue light which Sam knew were the hallmarks of hexes. More than likely, if the blade touched him, then it would confer all manner of negative effects, like slowness, disorientation, or even blindness.


    However, Sam was faster, and with his longer weapon, he managed to keep his distance from the hired killer. And even if he managed to get a hit in, his Mana Shield was there to tank it.


    While the two of them were dancing around each other, the other assassins slowly spread out again, probably to make sure he wouldn¡¯t flee.


    Parrying another overhead strike from the head assassin, Sam glanced at their watchers, noting that one of the assassins decided to climb up on one of the walls he had created. He looked back at the group leader and smirked.


    ¡°Watch this!¡±


    Before anyone could react, he reached out to the last vestiges of mana that remained in the Earth Walls and connected to them, and with a mighty mental push overcharged the mana inside. Which, predictably resulted in said walls exploding in a shower of rock shards.


    Poor guy standing on the wall was pretty much obliterated by the explosions, while the rest were thrown in disarray. Sam simply chose to summon a Shadow Shield to protect himself while the dagger-wielding assassin did the same. The only difference was that his shield was silvery grey, while Sam¡¯s was shadowy black. ¡®Dear heavens, like a battle of edginess¡­¡¯ he thought while dancing backward, dodging another flurry of dagger strikes.


    While the leader¡¯s subordinates scrambled around, the leader managed to keep calm and continue their fight.


    Sam appreciated the other man¡¯s talent, which he knew from this brief exchange was much greater than his. Sadly, while talent allowed one to flourish, it was still a game and superior skills (and numbers) were sometimes too much of an issue to surpass.


    He angled his sword when receiving the next strike, causing the enemy¡¯s dagger to slide off his sword, while the man fell a little forward, not expecting the resistance to vanish that way. That allowed Sam to spin around and strike at the man¡¯s midsection with a vertical strike.


    However, his enemy didn¡¯t try to correct their stance, instead, they went with the stumble, flowing into a roll, which they used to gain distance from Sam. This made it so that Sam was no longer between the heavily damaged team and their leader, instead, he was outside of their circle, with his back to the forest.


    Sam raised his sword into a guard position, made sure that his stance was stable, and spoke up.


    ¡°Round two?¡±


    He didn¡¯t get a verbal reply, instead, the assassin team began to launch spells and weapons at him as one.


    His reply was casting his shield spell once again, and for the millisecond it lasted against the barrage he activated Shadow Burst to vanish from their sight.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Sam jumped to the side, circling around them and while they were looking for him, he raised his sword and launched a Wind Flurry at their unprotected back.


    The boss was fast enough to dodge, but three of the mooks fell to the spell leaving three people left over.


    Sam gave a cheeky smile while one of the mooks began yelling.


    ¡°You bastard!¡± he then began yelling a long string of spells. ¡°Speed Burst! Haste! Burst of Desperation! Penetration Strike!¡±


    With that, he shone with hazy gray light and launched himself at Sam with rather impressive speed.


    Sam, instead of dodging decided to stand still.


    Seeing as the boss of the assassins seemed to be observing for a moment, no doubt trying to figure out his fighting style, rather than supporting his subordinates Sam decided to grandstand. The assassin mook reached him in a heartbeat, skewering his body with his sword only for the body to gasp out loud, then dissolve into wisps of shadows.


    The mook collapsed on the ground, no doubt hit by the penalties of one of his skills, while the other two began to look around wildly, trying to spot him.


    Using the last second of his Shadow Burst, Sam simply reappeared behind the leader of the team sent to kill him and thrust his sword deep into the man¡¯s chest. He let out a quiet gurgle and as Sam pulled the weapon out, collapsed on the ground, dead. As Sam watched the blood gush out of the giant hole on the man¡¯s back, he only had one thought. ¡®Maybe the Wind Drill was a little too much¡­¡¯


    The guy on the ground on his knees just stared at him in disbelief while the other one shook his head and turned around to run.


    ¡°Fuck this shit, I¡¯m out!¡±


    Sam watched the man run away, leisurely walked up to the kneeling ground, and took his life with a single swipe of his sword. After making sure the guy was dead, he spoke up.


    ¡°Lucky, fetch!¡±


    There was a faint echo of bark coming from the shadows, then several heartbeats later Sam heard a bloodcurdling scream.


    A short time later, Lucky trotted back to the clearing dragging the last guy¡¯s dead body by their arm in his mouth. He dragged the dead body next to the other ones, spat it out, then sat back on his haunches with a proud grin on his face.


    Sam gave him a pat on his back as well as a proud smile.


    ¡°Good job, buddy. Let¡¯s go and clean up this mess¡­¡±


    <hr>


    After going through the bodies, and seeing if they dropped anything (sadly nothing) he watched as they vanished into puffs of multicolored pixels.


    He then used his Mana Sense to make sure nobody was coming back, but that was just a routine check. He knew from his inherited memories that Silent Step would never take revenge. They only went after their target if they were paid. If the client paid for one try, they tried it one time. If they paid to try it until the target died, then they would try it until then.


    Those members who were prone to take personal grudges were weeded out fast.


    Instead, of worrying over them, though he knew that the next team would be probably either bigger or would fully be staffed with veteran players from the guild. He would deal with them when the time came.


    For now, he got a practical experience against players that preferred to play assassins and that was enough. It also helped that he made pretty good money selling his own location to them¡­


    ¡®I hope they come back for more information¡­¡¯


    Chuckling to himself, he returned to his journey toward the marshy area.


    Thanks to the fight, some of his skills managed to level up, though, vexingly his Shadow Burst was still stuck.


    [Mana Shield is now Level 52!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 42!]


    [Earth Wall II is now Level 10!]


    [You learned the spell, Earth Wall III!]


    [Earth Wall III: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to create a wall made of earth and stone. You have control over the strength, shape, and measurements of the wall. Allows you to strengthen the created wall with extra mana. Allows you to change the wall¡¯s shape using mana.]


    [Wind Drill is now Level 9!]


    [Wind Affinity is now Level 25!]


    [Thanks to you using your wind spells to strike hard and fast, you learned the new sub-skill, Windstream!]


    [Windstream: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) When you are using an offensive spell and moving towards a target, your speed is increased by 10% for each skill level.]


    [Active Meditation is now Level 31!]


    [Discernment is now Level 9!]


    [Shadow Footwork is now Level 43!]


    [Shadow Mirage is now Level 21!]


    [Shadow Shield is now Level 5!]


    [Basic Armor Mastery is now Level 3!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 36!]


    [Flow is now Level 27!]


    [Multitasking is now Level 64!]


    [Parallel Processing is now Level 5!]


    The improvement to the Earth Wall was welcome, and the Windstream sub-skill was also a nice addition to his build.


    It was not a big improvement, but nonetheless, he was happy with it. Humming slightly, he refocused on the road, making sure to have his Mana Sense constantly active as sometimes marshes and deeper forests got some wandering monsters that were much higher level than the monsters in the area.


    The monster he was preparing to hunt, Mossy, was a moss creature that resembled a toad that somehow melted into a puddle of flesh, then was enveloped by moss that behaved like hair. They were especially hard to hunt if one went without preparation because thanks to their body¡¯s shape and texture the moment they stopped moving they became one with nature around them. And they lived an incredibly sedentary life, mostly living on the insects and bugs making their home in their moss hair.


    Thankfully, they were magical, so one person with some kind of mana sense in the hunting party was enough to find them.


    And the reason people needed to hunt them?


    There was one specific spot on them, right over their heart, where the moss growing, thanks to the excessive mana leaking from their organ, had special properties. This made it an incredible ingredient for alchemists as the moss taken from this spot increased the effectiveness of several types of mana potions.


    Sadly, they were known to be hideously hard to breed in captivity so players had to resort to hunting them. According to his memories, in the future one guild dealt with this by declaring the area where these monsters lived as a nature reserve, setting up walls, and going for periodic culling hunts.


    However, to his luck, nobody knew of this property yet. Thus, he could collect them, and when the dungeons came out, his team would be able to enjoy the superior mana potions.


    Though he had to make sure to be careful with his actions as he had no way of knowing about this property¡­


    <hr>


    The deeper he walked into the forest the darker it got, soon the trees got sparser and sparser, yet their crown still blocked the sunlight, casting the entire area into an eerie darkness. Which was enhanced by the cloying smell drifting upwards from the still waters and muddy ground of the marsh.


    He had to step carefully to avoid sinking into the ground and had to stop several times as he heard groaning sounds and thought that some monster was ready to attack him. Every time it turned out it was just the wind moving some rotten wood carcass.


    His Mana Sense was fully active, ready to detect the smallest thing.


    A quarter of an hour later he stopped, took out a low-quality spear from his inventory, and with a frown on his face began to poke the ground, only to act surprised when the moss-covered ground jumped up and began to flee from his deadly poking.


    Sam chuckled a little and simply sent a Wind Blade after the fleeing monster.


    Walking closer to the bisected creature, he took out one of his knives and crouched down.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what you got, little buddy¡­¡± he murmured while reaching forward with his knife, ready to dissect the monster. After all, he had to make a show of the discovery¡­

 Chapter 66

    The hunt in the marshes went great, as in he managed to hunt down several Mossys and harvest their entire bodies. He planned to take it back and tell the company alchemist to make sure to pay attention to certain clumps of mosses, as he felt strange mana from them. From there, it wouldn¡¯t take long even for a journeyman alchemist to figure out their properties.


    While in the forest, he mainly concentrated on using his Shadow Burst ability to get out of the way of several monsters that lived in the bogs. As most of them thought attacks should consist of flinging stagnant water mixed with mud, muck, and who knows what, he got to practice the skill a lot.


    Sadly, even with the amount of practice he got, Sam didn¡¯t manage to level up the skill. It was incredibly frustrating to be so close, yet so far away from the next level. He once again entertained the thought of going on a trip to meet up with one of the teachers who could help him and wasn¡¯t a raging psychopath or cultist (or both) but the emergence of the dungeons was so close he knew that he would be missing out of a lot of cool and more importantly valuable things if he left now.


    True, while the most important dungeons, that is, those that provided the best and biggest payout, weren¡¯t anywhere close to Ironwood. Because they would be hidden in faraway lands that were too high level for even those who were on top of the leaderboards. The dungeons that would appear around Ironwood had one thing going for them, familiarity.


    Sam knew their ins and outs like the back of his hand, thanks to his inherited memories. The other Sam spent a not insignificant time in the city, trying to catch up to the people who were pioneering the game. Then he got trapped by that infernal contract, which allowed the guild to use him for all manner of tasks they didn¡¯t want to do themselves.


    Which meant continuously delving into low-level dungeons until they could do them in their dreams, all for the materials they could harvest from them. Ironwood, being a mining city, had a lot of dungeons that provided low-level, but high-quality ores and other materials necessary for crafting artifacts. There were several wars fought over the territory. The ownership of several dungeons changed almost daily.


    After filling up his inventory with Mossy parts, marsh snake scales, and essences from the haunted trees that liked to pretend to be normal trees, then ambush unsuspecting adventurers, Sam decided to head back to the city. He got what he wanted. Everything else was just a bonus.


    On the way, he made sure to take a different route, just in case Silent Step sent someone to ambush him going back, presumably tired and wounded.


    He kept to the area where the trees from the forests met with the roots of the mountains towering over the travelers as while the ground was littered with rocks and gravel, it was much easier to traverse than a dense forest. Plus, with his Wind Movement skill, his speed was not insignificant as he jumped from boulder to boulder, luxuriating in the freedom it provided him.


    By his estimation, he was halfway back to the city when he heard a curious noise. It sounded like metal clashing with rocks while someone was yelling. Yet, the yell wasn¡¯t panicky. After he stopped and spent a second just listening, he realized that whoever was giving out the noise was laughing.


    Intrigued, Sam closed his eyes for a moment and cast his Mana Sense in the direction of the noise.


    Instantly, he became aware of several large-sized monsters, though, from the shape of their mana, he would say they were some kinds of bears, while in the middle of them was one man, with a mana that felt weird to Sam. It was like someone crammed a furnace into a very small space.


    Even more curious, he opened his eyes, removed his sword from his sheath, and began heading in the direction of the fight he could hear.


    It only took a few seconds to find the clearing, which from one side was filled with giant boulders, some of them smashed apart, while on the other side, Sam could see a sparse copse of trees.


    In the middle of the clearing was the source of the weird noise.


    The monsters were Rock Bears, which were simply, bears that spent so much time in earth mana rich environment, namely the mountains, that parts of their bodies began to transform into stone. This manifested in different ways in different bears. These bears were around the size of regular bears, maybe a little bigger. However, their paws were all covered in craggy stone, and their claws were also made from rock that was several times bigger than the usual claws a bear sported. One of them had their hind legs also covered by rock, while the other two had their back, more specifically, their spines covered by stone, creating a sort of sharp protrusions on their backs. Sam could also see the remains of several other bears around. Some of them smashed into pieces.


    And in the middle of the fight was the source of the laughter.


    The individual was a big man, though based on what he saw, Sam estimated he was rather young, as he could see the last remnants of baby fat on his face. His hair was brown and his hairstyle could be described, at most generous, as chaotic. Despite his apparent youthfulness, the guy was simply shredded, which was perfectly displayed by his extremely tight leather armor covering his upper body, while his lower body was clad in some kind of cloth trousers with only some knee and shin guards providing proper protection to him.


    In his hands was a simple club. It was shaped like a club from any pictures showing cavemen raising weapons, though Sam could sense that there was a core of mana conducting metal inside it. The most interesting thing about the club was that the top of it was alight with almost white-hot flames.


    The face of the target of his observation was set in a giant smile, while occasionally letting out booming laughter as he dodged around the swipes of the monster and then responded to them with great swipes of his flaming club.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Sam would have been content to watch the fight play out, but soon after he arrived, another roar shook the area and he could see a small cloud being kicked up as several new Rock Bears charged toward the guy.


    Debating for a second, then coming to a decision, he cracked his neck and jumped forward a few yards away from the giant man. His head instantly whipped around, staring at Sam.


    Sam just smirked at him. ¡°Want some help?¡±


    There was a moment of confusion on the giant¡¯s face (up closer Sam could see that the man was around six-five, maybe even taller) then he let out a great laugh.


    ¡°Of course, my friend! Let us destroy our enemies together!¡±


    With that, he raised his flaming club and let out a roar. ¡°RAAAAAARHG!¡±


    Sam could see that it was actually a skill that caused all the bears to flinch and slow their approach, while the bears in the clearing took a hesitant step back.


    He took in the situation and called out to the giant.


    ¡°Big flame, big guy!¡±


    His answer was another laugh and an exclamation.


    ¡°Sea of Flames!¡±


    Instantly, flames began to spew out of the top of the guy¡¯s club. Sam watched as the bears retreated even further, then raised his sword and began channeling wind mana through it. He didn¡¯t shape it, he just let it accumulate and then unleashed it in the direction of the literal sea of flames.


    The resulting inferno instantly killed the three bears with them in the clearing while also singeing the half a dozen new bears who seemed to be regretting their hasty charge. The destruction just made his new acquaintance happier.


    ¡°What beautiful flames! Excellent!¡± and then the giant man, flaming club held high, launched himself at the wounded bears.


    Sam stayed back and supported him by firing Wind Blades and Wind Bullets.


    Not long after, the flames were put out (with a little help from Sam¡¯s water magic) and the bears were dead as a doornail.


    The guy swished his club around a few times until the fire on the top of it went out, then hung it on his belt and stepped up to Sam with a hand held out.


    ¡°Well met, my friend. And my thanks for the timely help!¡± Sam was a little surprised by the eloquent delivery, as the style of the man didn¡¯t suggest something like that. Then he shrugged, took his hand, and shook it.


    ¡°No problem.¡± He took another look at the man and continued, ¡°Mind if I ask a question?¡±


    The guy simply put his hands on his hips, pushed his chest out, and exclaimed. ¡°Not at all! I¡¯m ready to answer any question that you may pose to me!¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ What¡¯s up with the flaming club?¡±


    The guy¡¯s eyes immediately lit up with excitement and began to explain.


    ¡°Because fire is life! And I want to use that fire to ascend among the greatest! But my deepest desire is to control that which is almost uncontrollable by a mortal body!¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡±


    ¡°PLASMA!¡± he yelled, causing Sam to take a step back in shock.


    He shook himself, and in a much calmer and more controlled manner, continued to speak. ¡°Sorry about that¡­ I get into it a little hard when I¡¯m playing.¡± He gave Sam a small smile. ¡°Name¡¯s Dan. I¡¯m studying to be a physicist.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, your specialty is plasma?¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly. So I decided to also use plasma in this game. Unga-Bunga style! I want to be the smartest caveman! Ever!¡±


    Sam stared for a long moment at the proud-looking man, then took a deep breath.


    ¡°Your control sucks¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± came the surprised call from Dan.


    ¡°Your Mana Control. I mean, I don¡¯t know much about plasma physics, but I know enough that to create plasma you need high pressure. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not that simple, but yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Right, your fire is hot, I saw the color, but it¡¯s not contained. If you want proper plasma, you need better control over your magic. And maybe some wind magic so that you can create a bubble around it¡­¡±


    Dan scratched his handsome chin for a moment thoughtfully then nodded. ¡°The small space would allow higher pressure and less energy investment. Makes sense. You know how to do this?¡±


    ¡°Kinda?¡± Sam answered hesitantly.


    Dan nodded. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Sam just stood there, perplexed. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± came from Dan.


    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±


    ¡°After you?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°So that I can learn how to create proper plasma?¡±


    ¡°From me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you said you know this stuff.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±


    ¡°So you can be my teacher.¡±


    Dan gave him an earnest smile, and Sam fought against the urge to massage his temples. He looked at the man as he stood there patiently, waiting for his response. Sam thought about it.


    ¡®A melee plasma wizard¡­ I mean, I saw stupider¡­ But he looks like the loyal type, and I do need people for the dungeons.¡¯


    The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. He would need to get Dan to learn a few more things as there were monsters that actually ate plasma, but the basic idea was workable.


    Looking back at Dan¡¯s earnest (and incredibly handsome) face, he nodded.


    ¡°Sure, I can teach you. Though, how do you feel about joining a guild?¡±


    ¡°Your guild?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Maybe after a few lessons, but sounds fun!¡± came the cheery response.


    Sam nodded in agreement. ¡°Fair enough! Come on, let¡¯s start the lessons right away¡­¡±


    Dan¡¯s face lit up with a smile and followed Sam as he went around the clearing harvesting the bears while starting to give a basic introductory course in mana control. Dan simply took out a giant notebook and quill and began to take notes.


    <hr>


    They spent some time in the forest with Sam explaining the basics of mana control, then leisurely walked back to the city, discussing mana and different spells, with Sam sometimes demonstrating his ability to cast spells without yelling out their names.


    By the time they reached the city gates, Dan proclaimed that he could somewhat feel the mana inside him and direct it a little with a giant smile.


    Before they approached the guards to prove their identities, Dan placed his enormous hand on Sam¡¯s shoulder and pulled him aside.


    ¡°Look, I thought I knew something about this stuff, but you blew me out of water.¡±


    ¡°Er, well, thank you¡­¡± Sam answered a little bashfully.


    Dan smiled at him.


    ¡°Where do I sign up?¡±


    Sam just chuckled and motioned the smartest caveman he ever met to follow him. It seemed Lucy was going to deal with a little more paperwork.


    <hr>


    Sam set up Dan in Lucy¡¯s care to be issued rooms and proper equipment, as well as instructions to call him if he finished circulating his mana once. He left the HQ building with an apprehensive Lucy staring at the giant man who was giving her a blinding smile with purposeful steps.


    He had a secondary tank who could maybe act as a primary, a pretty good damage dealer, and himself as a medium-ranged damage dealer. Now he only needed a healer.


    Which was a rather easy problem to solve.


    Seeing as the game didn¡¯t have the strict holy trinity roles set up (tank, healer, DPS) people would need to figure out how to create a build that could work as a healer. Which, in turn, required a great deal of practice.


    Thankfully, almost every city had a hospital where aspiring healers went to hone their craft.


    The city got free healing, the people who went there got healed, and the players got training.


    His only task was to get there and find a good egg, who he could raise up to be a great healer...

 Chapter 67

    The healer¡¯s area in the city of Ironwood was always busy. One part was made up of the NPCs visiting the healers for a variety of reasons, be that a small cold or broken bone courtesy of an ornery farm animal.


    The rest of the crowd was made up of players. They were either hoping for a cure for some kind of persistent poison, curse, or the debuffs given by death. The game had been going on long enough that most people knew that debuffs gained after death weren¡¯t curable by ordinary healers.


    Sam knew that at this point, most people didn¡¯t even think they could be cured, as most people lining up to see a healer were noobs. Later in the game, there would be healers who could decrease the penalty given after death but never fully remove it.


    There was even an entire guild specialized in lightening death debuffs with the eventual goal of fully curing those debuffs, but by the time of the other Sam, they still hadn¡¯t managed it.


    The building that housed the healers was a big building, decorated in the same style as the rest of the city, and reminded Sam of barracks seen in movies. It was a long building, with lots of windows on the sides and two giant two-sided doors. One for people to enter, and one for people to leave. And Sam knew they had another door at the back, where those left who couldn¡¯t walk under their own power anymore. That is, the dead.


    For a while, he just meandered through the crowd looking for potential recruits, as not all healers could fit in the building, so they were sent out to help ease the pressure on the healers inside the building.


    Another purpose of this area, which happened accidentally, was that healers could advertise themselves if they were looking for parties or guilds, or guilds (and parties) could set up recruitment booths for said healers.


    Even now, he could see several guild recruiters milling along the edge of the area, looking for potential recruits. Blending in with the masses, he spent some time listening to the recruiters to see what they were offering, to make sure he was up to date on the information. After all, he was about to make a deal with a healer.


    He was about to figure out how to get inside the building without being someone who needed healing, as the administrators were very strict about bothering the healers when he noticed a commotion.


    Wandering over a small crowd that seemed to be forming he began to listen.


    ¡°¡­you can¡¯t be real! Nobody would pay that much!¡± came the harsh yell from someone obviously quite angry.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have the money, then stop bothering me,¡± came the flat reply from a woman.


    Intrigued, Sam elbowed himself through the eagerly watching crowd and beheld the scene.


    A female healer, dressed in standard robes and holding a metal staff, was standing next to a stand advertising the prices of her services. Sam had to look twice to make sure he wasn¡¯t mistaken. On the stand stood one simple line.


    Ten gold per hour.


    It was a ridiculous price, and the man arguing with her seemed to think so too.


    ¡°Listen, bitch! I was nice enough to offer a place in our Skeleton Crew guild, but obviously, you need to wake up to reality. Nobody will hire you at that price!¡±


    She sent him a withering look. ¡°Then why are you still here? Clearly, you can¡¯t afford it¡­¡±


    Even a few yards away, Sam could hear the guy dressed as some kind of punk rocker (though he could see the necromantic ritual artifacts hidden on his body), complete with a stereotypical neon green mohawk, grinding his teeth.


    ¡°Because I need a fucking healer, and they said you¡¯re the best, bitch!¡±


    The woman sighed. ¡°And you think after you called me names I would happily go with you even after admitting you can¡¯t pay me?¡±


    ¡°I told you! You get paid from the loot!¡±


    ¡°You mean after your people take their share I get to rummage through sloppy seconds and trash¡­¡± came the condescending answer, causing the guy to let out an inarticulate yell.


    Sam nudged his neighbor, who seemed to be munching on some kind of mixed nuts treat, eagerly watching the drama.


    ¡°Psst, hey!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± came the reply, without the guy taking his eyes off the happening.


    ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? It¡¯s Clarissa. Apparently, one of the best healers¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohh, thanks¡­¡±


    Sam looked back at the arguing people and thought about the information he was given. Clarissa was a familiar name. In his inherited memories, she was called the Mercenary Healer, available to hire if you could pay the amount she was asking. Which by the time the other Sam died was a truly ludicrous amount. The cause of her modus operandi was quite clear, as she stated in an interview that she loved playing as the healer, but she was always burned by her group, so she gave up trying to join and instead decided to do it for money. If they couldn¡¯t respect her and her craft, then they would respect the money she demanded from them for her craft.


    It was a quite common tale in other MMOs as well as in Magic Unbound. The healers were mostly relegated to the back lines and were treated like IT workers. As in ¡®If nobody died then why are they there, and if somebody died, why were they even there?¡¯


    Naturally, one would expect retaliation against this kind of mercantile behavior, but the Healers Guild was very clear on violence against healers just because someone wanted to heal. In short: Don¡¯t. Otherwise, you or your guild are visited by some angry man with very big weapons cursed to inhibit healing.


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    Thus, the lone mercenary healer could argue with a person representing a guild without fear of repercussion for rejecting them.


    And now that Sam knew who he was looking at, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. It would cost him, but he would get the best.


    With that decision he stepped forward, using his elbow judiciously to make way for himself until he was next to the punk rocker and the healer who was looking at them with an impressive poker face.


    Sam stepped up and pointed at the stand.


    ¡°That price is right?¡±


    She looked at him, glanced at his armor, and nodded.


    ¡°Yes, either that or I don¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡±


    For a moment, there was silence in the crowd, and Sam could hear several gasps. The punk rocker gaped at him, then before the healer could answer, he puffed up and stepped closer to Sam.


    ¡°Hey! I was here first!¡±


    ¡°So?¡± he asked in a disinterested voice. He knew about the Skeleton Crew. They weren¡¯t an ¡®Evil¡¯ guild, just simply assholes who took necromancer role-play to the extreme.


    ¡°It means I get to hire her, you shitstain!¡±


    ¡°With what money?¡± he asked, reaching into his inventory and retrieving twenty gold pieces, and handing over the woman. ¡°Here, an advance.¡±


    She took the money and pocketed it without looking. ¡°My thanks!¡± She quickly packed up her stand and took a little step forward, ignoring the punk rocker. ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°Follow me!¡±


    She nodded, and they began walking away, the crowd parting for them.


    The punk rocker, however, kept yelling after them.


    ¡°Hey! Where are you going? We weren¡¯t finished! Do you hear me, assholes? This is not the end of it! The Skeleton Crew will get its revenge!¡±


    They were ways away from the scene when she finally spoke up. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about them?¡±


    Sam just shook his head and answered with a mischievous smile.


    ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry. My friend¡¯s eldritch pet can eat them for breakfast!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ***


    Once again, Sam dumped the confused healer on Lucy, who seemed rather exasperated after dealing with Dan, and hightailed out of the HQ building. ¡®She¡¯ll probably get back at me, but for now, I¡¯m safe¡­¡¯ he thought to himself as his feet took him toward the familiar Silvercrest manor.


    Before starting the training, he had to deal with one more thing. His relationship with the Silvercrest family was great. After all, he saved the life of the Lady of the house and seemingly formed some kind of weird friendship with the young lady of the family, but he wanted to somehow cement this relationship further. As getting into an actual relationship with the young lady was out, for multiple reasons, he decided on another route. Namely, expensive gifts.


    And what better gift than a lifelong companion?


    He walked up to the gates and the guards immediately recognized him, which meant that the butler was there within a minute, escorting him to the back garden. There he was met with the lord of the manor busily punching several punching bags with his giant fists, dressed only in what some would call medieval exercise pants, leaving his glistening chest uncovered. A little away from the sand-covered floor sat his wife, sunning herself on a divan, eagerly watching the man do his routine.


    Their daughter was sitting in the shade in a gazebo, busily scribbling on reams of paper while sometimes referencing one of the half dozen books open before her on the table, while maids and other servants waited on them patiently.


    Sam followed the butler, who announced him with a measured voice, cutting through the loud grunts of the lord.


    ¡°May I announce, Sir Samuel, the adventurer?¡±


    Instantly, the lord stopped his punching routine, one fist extended, only an inch away from impact. Both ladies perked up, and Sam could see several maids giving him a shy wave. He recognized them from the altercations that happened when they were curing the lady of the house. He returned the waves and then turned toward the rapidly approaching giant of a man.


    ¡°My friend! You returned again!¡± he exclaimed, then grabbed Sam¡¯s hand that was still somewhat extended from the wave and began shaking it. To his relief, he didn¡¯t attempt to hug him. ¡°What brings you here, my friend?¡±


    While the tone was jovial, Sam could see in the man¡¯s eyes that he was prepared for anything. Thankfully, he wasn¡¯t delivering bad news, but it was heartening to see that the man took his words seriously. He surreptitiously shook his head a little, which caused the other man to relax marginally, then smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m only here to deliver a gift to your family, my lord.¡±


    ¡°A gift!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve been kind to me, so I thought why not return the kindness,¡± he replied with an easy smile. While the man and his daughter were rather weird, he actually quite liked them, so he didn¡¯t even need to pretend.


    ¡°Ohhohoho!¡± chuckled the lord, while giving him a long look. ¡°What manner of gifts have you prepared, young man?¡±


    ¡°Why something that can¡¯t be purchased with money!¡± he declared and motioned the lord to follow him towards the gazebo where the young Lucrecia was sitting and staring at him eagerly.


    ¡°That I must see!¡± the lord exclaimed and followed them while the butler stepped up to him with a towel and light shirt, which he donned after cleaning himself of grime and sweat.


    Soon, Sam was standing in front of the sitting Lucrecia while next to him stood the lord and his wife, with the man¡¯s arms around his wife¡¯s shoulder, watching him. The smile on the lord¡¯s face was eager, while the wife¡¯s was a little more worried.


    The young lady stood up slowly, smoothed down her simple, but high-quality dress, and stepped forward.


    ¡°Welcome, sir!¡± she greeted him with a small curtsy that somehow managed to display her ample cleavage. Sam averted his eyes while steadfastly ignoring the chuckles coming from the parents.


    He nodded at her, and then reached inside his inventory and retrieved the last Shadow Familiar egg.


    The moment he revealed it the lady of the house let out a gasp of recognition, while the lord and Lucrecia just looked at the shadowy egg in confusion.


    ¡°Tada!¡± he exclaimed happily, enjoying the look of wonder on Lady Silvercrest¡¯s face.


    ¡°Uhm, pardon me for asking, but what is it?¡± asked Lucrecia with a timid smile.


    ¡°Well, young lady, I noticed that you seemed to take delight in playing with my companion, thus I endeavored to provide you with something similar of your own.¡± He took a little breath and watched the young woman¡¯s face as a smile lit up as she understood his meaning. ¡°This here is a Shadow Familiar egg. With a little luck, you may have your own Lucky to frolic with.¡±


    The answering squeal cracked at least one window and was accompanied by the booming laughter of the lord. He stepped forward and swatted Sam on his shoulder, with Sam only managing to keep upright thanks to his skills.


    ¡°A most excellent gift! A most excellent one, indeed!¡±


    Sam handed over the egg to the waiting young woman, who immediately began to cradle said egg. She looked at him and asked in an awed whisper.


    ¡°How do I hatch it?¡±


    Before Sam could answer, the lady of the house spoke up with a delicate voice.


    ¡°Just channel mana in it, honey¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you, mother!¡± came the hasty reply, and Sam could sense as the mana began flowing from the woman into the egg.


    With a small motion, he called upon Lucky, who emerged from the side of the manor and also started to watch the proceedings. Sam saw that several guards flinched as the gigantic wolf emerged, but he also saw several maids drooling at the sight of the fluffy and silky fur. Smiling to himself, he returned his focus to the young lady of the Silvercrest family.


    A few minutes later, as he felt the mana fully saturate the egg, they heard the first crack. This was then followed by several others. Then the egg began shining in white light. The light at first only seeped through the cracks, then it slowly enveloped the entire egg. A second later, the light vanished and in Lucrecia¡¯s hand sat an adorable little shadowy wolf pup.


    Apparently, the system knew what it was doing.


    Immediately, the poor beast was assaulted by several people yelling about how adorable it was. Lucky simply walked closer, took a deep whiff of the smaller wolf, which cowered in fear in front of its elder, then let out a simple bark, and sat back on his haunches watching as the Silvercrest family began to play with the eager pup.

 Chapter 68

    Sam spent some time at the Silvercrest manor helping to set up Lucrecia dealing with a shadow familiar. While the egg was for a Lesser Familiar, the newly hatched small, but supremely adorable, wolf could still merge with her shadows.


    And after getting over the hatching of her new familiar, the young lady of the manor began bombarding Sam with all manner of questions, ranging from the dietary needs of the young wolf to questioning if it would grow as big as Lucky.


    Her face fell a little when Sam had to explain what it meant that it was a Lesser Familiar, but she soon perked up when the young shadow familiar walked up to her and began to poke her with its delicate nose.


    As he watched her sit down on the perfectly cared-for grass, the lord of the manor sidled up next to him, with his eyes on his daughter.


    ¡°Thank you for this,¡± he murmured.


    Sam nodded.


    ¡°No problem, my lord. I saw how much she enjoyed playing with Lucky,¡± he gave the lord a side-eye with a small smile on his face. ¡°After all, this is the least I could do to repay your help.¡±


    The lord snorted, rather gently compared to his usual ballistic personality, and continued talking without taking his eyes off his daughter, who was gently playing with the shadow wolf on the grass.


    ¡°You still think something is coming?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the air, sir.¡±


    ¡°Could it be you are overly paranoid, my young friend?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± he answered, then after a second pause, continued. ¡°Lots of new people, lots of opportunities. There is bound to be someone who would try something¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm, you are not wrong, but still¡­¡± the lord answered, humming thoughtfully as they watched as Lucrecia was bravely defeated by the small wolf. Said wolf climbed on the stomach of his ¡®prey¡¯ and began howling in victory. Lucrecia, her mother, and the maids just cooed at it. ¡°Keeping so many people at ready does have its costs. The city lord has also been nagging me. We can¡¯t keep this up much longer.¡±


    ¡°Anything they stopped?¡± Sam asked, half-interested, while internally furiously thinking about an excuse that would convince the other man to extend the standby status of his forces.


    The lord just negligently waved his hand. ¡°Bah, a few guild fights, and a bunch of petty crimes stopped.¡± He hummed thoughtfully. ¡°Though we managed to eliminate several Calon cultists, so that¡¯s a pretty good bonus. At this level, that counts more like pest control than anything worthwhile. I can report to the city lord.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like fun times¡­¡±


    ¡°Bah, had better fights with hogs on hunts!¡± grumbled the older man, causing Sam to chuckle a little. Then he quickly fell silent and after another pause, spoke up.


    ¡°Give me another week. If I can¡¯t find anything, then we can stop and I¡¯ll help smooth things over,¡± he stated somewhat nervously.


    There was a terse silence as he waited for the lord¡¯s answer. Thankfully, to Sam¡¯s relief, after almost two minutes, the head of the Silvercrest family finally nodded.


    ¡°I agree. You proved yourself to me, so I shall trust you with this. I hope it won¡¯t be in vain.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Sam bowed a little in response, then straightened out. ¡°I recommend stocking up on supplies. If something happens, then the logistic lines would be disrupted.¡±


    The other man just snorted. ¡°This is not my first time preparing for the unknown, young man.¡±


    ¡°Right, sorry. I''m a little nervous,¡± he admitted.


    The lord raised his sizeable hand and slapped him on his back. ¡°You worry too much, my young friend. Just deal with it as you have with other things. I saw you fight. If it comes down to you and the enemy, my bet is on you.¡±


    Sam gave him a small smile of gratitude then returned silently watching as Lucky pretended not to notice as the smaller wolf tried to sneak up on him, while the ladies cheered for it.


    ¡®Hopefully, it would happen in a week.¡¯ he thought. ¡®According to the memories I inherited, this is the timeframe when the fracture happens. Based on the reports the other Sam read, I should be seeing the first pulses in the world mana¡­¡¯


    The moment the thought formed in his head, his always active, but relegated to the background, Mana Sense got his attention as he felt a gentle wave of mana, originating from somewhere far away, sweep over him.


    It was gentle enough that he was sure only those attuned to mana would sense. However, as it wasn¡¯t followed by another one, most would attribute it to someone doing some kind of large-scale ritual very far away and just shrug and go on with their lives.


    If he remembered correctly, the first wave would be followed by the next one in three in-game days, then the next one in one day, and then it would accelerate until the fracture happened.


    Putting it aside for a moment, he turned his attention to the people in the garden and began to prepare an excuse to leave the gathering.


    He had preparations to make.


    <hr>


    After leaving the manor, he charged directly at the headquarters, then up the stairs, and finally into Lucy¡¯s office. He ignored the secretary and barged into the office without knocking.


    Lucy looked up from her paperwork and Sam saw she was about to protest so he spoke up.


    ¡°Wait a second!¡±


    He looked back at the door and saw the secretary looking rather cross with him, so Sam sent the talented lady an apologetic look and closed the door while speaking softly. ¡°Sorry, emergency.¡±


    After closing the door, Lucy opened her mouth again, but he simply shushed her and closed his eyes. For a minute, he used all his senses to look for anybody listening or otherwise observing what was happening in the room. Finding nothing and no spies, he opened his eyes and returned his attention to Lucy, who was slowly turning from angry to worried.


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    He made a motion for her to speak, and she immediately bombarded Sam with questions.


    ¡°What happened? What spooked you so much that you rushed in like that? I almost hit the panic button!¡± she exclaimed, still staring at him.


    ¡°You have a panic button?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I have. You know I hate fighting!¡±


    ¡°Right, right,¡± he nodded while walking to one of the chairs and collapsing into it. ¡°It¡¯s going to happen,¡± he then simply stated.


    Lucy stared back at him incomprehensibly. ¡°May I know what it is?¡±


    ¡°The first event!¡±


    That caused Lucy to sit up straighter, her entire focus on Sam.


    ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°Extrapolation. Usually, companies let players get comfortable, then bamm, undead apocalypse, or sudden alien invasion. You know how it goes.¡± Lucy nodded in understanding and Sam continued. ¡°And today I felt a small mana pulse. Which means something big is happening!¡±


    Lucy frowned. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but one mana pulse does not event make¡­¡±


    ¡°Right, sorry. Forgot to include one silly little detail. The pulse came so far away that I couldn¡¯t tell where it originated from. Which means it was super strong at the origin point. From that, we can extrapolate that somebody or something is using a lot of mana!¡±


    ¡°Could be a one-off event? Maybe a volcanic explosion or something similar?¡±


    Sam shook his head. ¡°The mana was neutral. It didn¡¯t have the flavor of naturally occurring mana that would be present at volcanic eruptions. It felt too artificial¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Lucy spent a moment staring at nothing, and Sam left her. He couldn''t come out and say what will happen, as that would mean a confrontation with the developers, but this much would be okay. ¡®Hopefully¡­¡¯


    After all, it wasn¡¯t beyond reason that an avid gamer would draw these conclusions.


    Finally, Lucy spoke up. ¡°What do you want me to do? Prepare for a siege?¡±


    Sam hummed a little, pretending to think it over. ¡°We don¡¯t know what kind of event it will be. And while the game is rather unique, they are still making use of the tropes. So, if we look at it from a gamer and marketing perspective, then the next event would be something that would allow every player to participate, as well as garner a lot of attention from the media.¡±


    ¡°Are you thinking¡­ monster horde? That¡¯s the usual first event, right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Could also be a proper zombie apocalypse.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. So, build up supplies?"


    "Yeah, and increase the NPC guards.¡± Lucy nodded, and as usual, began to make notes at furious speeds. ¡°Get yourself a basic set of armor and make sure there are guards around you. If the event breaks out, it would be a good opportunity to strike.¡±


    Lucy nodded with understanding and continued to write.


    ¡°Also, please make sure that the Heavenly Forest is fully stocked for all eventualities. I want to maintain its reputation.¡±


    Lucy looked back at him with an amused look. ¡°Not even a monster horde can stop us from serving our patrons¡¯ needs?¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Sam replied with a cheesy finger gun. ¡°People love that shit!¡±


    Lucy chuckled and then asked another question.


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    He thought about it for a moment, then realized something.


    ¡°What happened to the crystal girl?¡±


    The answer came promptly. ¡°She is on her way. With some merchant caravans. Because she is a streamer, she needs to travel incognito to avoid snipers. I think they arrive in three days.¡±


    ¡°Real or in-game?¡± he asked with a frown.


    ¡°In-game.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ I want her here now to help build up some more defenses and maybe some vehicles.¡±


    He spent a moment thinking about it, then slapped his knees and stood up.


    ¡°You know what? I will take the team and meet her on the road. It¡¯ll make everything faster.¡±


    Lucy sent him a queer look but in the end, just nodded. ¡°Sure, you do that. I¡¯ll make sure we have enough canned beans to last through a siege.¡±


    Sam was rather thankful for Lucy¡¯s attitude. Sadly, he couldn¡¯t really say that starting preparations in three days with SummerRose would be too late. Plus, there was a chance that the caravan could be waylaid.


    ¡°Where are they?¡±


    ¡°Katie and Dan are down in our small library, practicing.¡±


    ¡°What about Clarissa?¡±


    ¡°I set her up in one of the normal rooms over at the nearest supermarket. She agreed to a provisional contract, but it was still expensive,¡± she stated reproachfully.


    Sam just shrugged.


    ¡°She is worth it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure¡­¡± Lucy muttered.


    Sam just smirked. ¡°You think I hired her because I¡¯m horny, right?¡±


    Lucy nodded with a scowl on her face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She isn¡¯t just a pretty face.¡±


    ¡°I will hold you to that!¡±


    Sam stepped closer to the desk and held out a hand with a fist. ¡°Good luck!¡±


    Lucy looked back at him and hit his fist with her own. ¡°Yeah, you too!¡±


    <hr>


    He immediately sought out the two people he recruited for his eventual dungeon-delving team. He found them in one of the rooms Lucy had set up as a small library. It contained books about the flora and fauna of the surrounding areas, as well as maps and a few travel guides. Based on the last report he had read, she even managed to get a few magic primers added to the collection.


    Dan was sitting at one of the tables, one of those primers was open in front of him, and was avidly reading it while making notes. Katie was sitting with her back to the wall, and her tiny familiar was playing in front of her with what felt like an enchanted ball of yarn. The tiny kitty would swat at the ball, sometimes with its regular-sized paws, sometimes with paws the size of bears.


    The moment he stepped into the room, both of them looked up.


    Katie gave him a shy nod and Dan a beaming smile.


    ¡°Teacher! What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°Get your stuff. We are going on a quest!¡±


    Dan and Katie looked at each other and then nodded at Sam.


    ¡°When do we start?¡±


    ¡°As soon as possible. We still have to pick up someone else.¡±


    Dan nodded, closed the book, made a note in his notes, then re-shelved the books as one would expect from a proper academic, while Katie simply scooped up her familiar, placed it on her head, and stood up. The tiny kitty simply melted on her head, leaving her looking like she was wearing some kind of odd hat. A hat that blinked at you.


    His new barbarian mage friend was clad in new leather armor, apparently making use of the signing bonus to outfit himself from the abundance of troll leather, his shin guards were decorated with runes, that from what he knew provided stability for him and his club had grown twice as big. Though it still looked like a standard caveman club.


    Katie was still in plate armor, but hers had also been upgraded. Sam could see several tiny lines of enchantment all over the armor, providing more protection and durability. Her greatsword was also changed. It hadn''t become bigger, but one side of the blade was resplendent with serrated edges that somehow caused him to shiver when he looked at them.


    ¡®Not going to ask, that¡¯s for sure¡­¡¯


    He waited, somewhat patiently, for them to get ready, and when both of them stood before him, he sent them a party invite.


    Parties in Magic Unbound were rather simple things. Basically, it allowed people to check others¡¯ health (if they had the appropriate skill, which most healers had) and simply allowed the people in the party to communicate safely with each other. Experience distribution was always handled by the system and they couldn¡¯t really add loot preferences. Though the interface had a dice roll option for when people wanted to roll for the drops. Otherwise, it was up to the party members to keep track of each other and anything else.


    They accepted, and Sam was greeted by a simple notification.


    [KittenKnight and FireHotHot have accepted your party request!]


    Sam snorted at Dan¡¯s name, and the guy just gave him an awkward shrug. He motioned them to follow him, and they set off in search of the last member of the party.


    <hr>


    They found Clarissa sitting in one of the eateries in the building drinking tea and attempting to read a book while a line of people stood next to her, clamoring for her attention.


    ¡°¡­and we can offer you enough money to make it worth it!¡± he heard as they approached the shop.


    Clarissa simply turned a page and spoke up in a flat voice.


    ¡°How much?¡±


    Instantly, the guy¡¯s aggressive demeanor changed, and began to stutter a little.


    ¡°I m-mean, we can discuss wages after a meeting with¨C¡°


    However, he was interrupted by Clarissa coldly. ¡°No money, no meeting. Go away.¡±


    The guy opened his mouth to answer, but as Clarissa turned another page, he just hung his head and walked away dejectedly.


    Before the next person could step up and make their pitch, Sam hurried over and called out to her.


    ¡°Clarissa, hey! Ready to go?¡±


    She looked up from her book, nodded to him, glanced at the awkwardly smiling Dan and the shyly waving Katie, and closed the book.


    Standing up, she adjusted her robe, picked up her staff, and ignoring all the grumbling people, walked up to Sam.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

 Chapter 69

    After they collected Clarissa, or as she was known by her username, Heal4Money (rather aptly, Sam thought) they headed directly out of the city. Sam found it so confusing. Here he was rushing around, trying to prepare for a catastrophe that would destroy so much, and yet they were just milling about, talking with each other, presumably gossiping about this and that.


    Their formation was rather simple. Katie was in the vanguard, Clarissa and Dan behind her, and Sam behind them, ready to strike at anybody. With his superior senses, if somebody wanted to ambush them from behind, he would be the first to notice. Lucky was still in his shadow, ready to strike at anybody.


    Surprisingly the little cat familiar stayed stuck on Katie¡¯s head as they rushed forward with impressive speed, parallel to the main road that the caravan would use to approach Ironwood. They were currently under the effect of a stamina regeneration buff from Clarissa. He could have been faster thanks to his skills, but he wanted to forge a proper team, so he was content with leisurely keeping pace with them.


    He saw Dan glancing at him incredulously as they sped through the sparse forest that covered the side of the road. He could understand why. Both he and Clarissa were panting in exhaustion, though the woman had a resolute face on her.


    Knowing that an exhausted team would be less than useful, he called out.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop for a rest!¡±


    Instantly, the people stopped, with Katie skidding to a halt too late and ending face-first in a tree. The tree groaned on the girl¡¯s impact but in the end, held under the assault. Katie, rather comically at that, simply slid down to the ground with a small moan.


    Dan and Clarissa just stared at her for a moment, then one turned toward Sam with a questioning look on their face. He just gave them a confident smile and motioned for them to sit. He stayed standing, while Dan just shrugged and took a seat on a fallen tree covered in moss and let out a long sigh. While Dan was relaxing, Clarissa glared at Sam, but he ignored it. She was paid and after the first fight, she would see Katie¡¯s worth. Or go mad and spontaneously combust. He gave it a fifty-fifty chance.


    ¡°Man¡­ why is it that we are exhausted and you are fine, boss?¡± spoke up Dan, not quite whining. Clarissa also turned towards him while Katie was in the process of picking herself up from the ground while her familiar meowed against the rough treatment.


    ¡°Indeed. I know my spell. It only regenerates stamina that the recipient has,¡± came the questioning statement from Clarissa.


    He leaned against a tree, while his senses were dialed up to the maximum. He wasn¡¯t expecting somebody following them aside from the Silent Step, but he still wanted to make sure they were safe.


    After he was satisfied that nobody was around them, he returned his focus to the people in his party.


    ¡°I¡¯m mostly speed-focused, plus I¡¯ve got a nice stamina regen¡­¡± he replied.


    Dan nodded as if expecting. ¡°I saw you fight, boss. Mighty fast with that sword of yours!¡±


    Clarissa just frowned. ¡°That¡¯s still a lot of regen¡­¡± Sam watched as she worked through the math and just smiled amusedly as her eyes widened.


    Sam nodded at her, but before he could answer her unasked question, Dan spoke up, his eyes on the canopy as his breathing slowly returned to normal levels.


    ¡°Why do we even need to get this person? Are they so important?¡±


    Sam took a moment to think about the question as both Clarissa and Katie directed their attention to him.


    Did he trust them? Not really¡­ He barely knew them¡­ But he trusted Clarissa¡¯s integrity, Katie¡¯s innocence, and Dan¡¯s dedication. Plus, trust was a two-way street. Somebody had to start the process¡­


    Finally, after a minute of silent contemplation, he began talking.


    ¡°They¡¯re a powerful crafter that our company recently hired. I wanted to make sure they arrive safely.¡±


    Naturally, they all got his not-so-subtle hint.


    It was Katie who spoke up, raising her hand as if she was in school.


    ¡°Um, boss, is anything going to happen?¡±


    ¡°Probably. Did you guys notice that there haven¡¯t been any big events?¡±


    The answer hit them like lightning. Instantly, he was besieged by innumerable questions.


    <hr>


    After explaining his ¡®hunch¡¯ to his party, they stopped their impromptu break and once again headed for the caravan. They were all silent as they contemplated what was said. Dan, Clarissa, and Katie were more than likely thinking about what Sam said, while he himself was hoping that he didn¡¯t make a big blunder.


    ¡®Better to find out now, when the stakes are not that high¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he went over what would happen in the hypothetical scenario if one of his party members decided to forward the information.


    Based on what he knew of trade caravans that were common in the area, he knew how much distance it would be from the city. Then he just had to do a quick check with a map that Lucy kept in her office and he was good to go.


    He kept the party mostly in the forest to make sure they didn¡¯t run into anyone annoying on the road, as well as to not trigger the common traveling quests.


    It was a small exploit that would be soon patched if he remembered correctly by the all-seeing system. It mainly meant that while a person traveled on something that the system acknowledged as a road, be it made from rocks, sand, forest soil or even burning hellfire, several common and not-so-common quests would be triggered, based on the travelers¡¯ luck, circumstances, and active and not-active quests.


    These included getting waylaid by bandits, coming upon a carriage with broken wheels, fleeing peasants, random monster attacks and even meeting with mysterious merchants, soothsayers, seers, or eccentric healers who could heal any wound.


    And they were circumventing it by traveling next to the road but not on it. A simple distinction, but important.


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    Naturally, he couldn¡¯t voice it, so if anyone asked, it was to keep their movement a secret as Silent Step recently tried to assassinate him.


    With the speed they were traveling, they would need to camp once, which meant that they would meet up with the caravan the next day if his math was correct.


    <hr>


    They were sitting around the campfire built by the resident pyromaniac and Sam. He created the base for the fire with his earth magic while Dan created the flames that were currently roasting their dinner.


    Hog meat skewers, courtesy of Sam¡¯s inventory, with a few spices that he also had on hand.


    When Sam declared that they were settling down for a while, Katie simply plopped down on the ground with the grace of a water buffalo while Clarissa ever-gracefully took out a simple woven deckchair and sat down on it, while Dan found another felled tree, dragged it over and used it as a seat.


    Sam used his power over earth to create a simple elevated seat for himself, then summoned Lucky for a backrest.


    They spent most of the time just chatting about things they had experienced in the world of Magic Unbound, each of them taking a turn telling their stories.


    For example, when it came to Sam, he spent his time describing the overly dramatic guard captain back in Greenwood.


    They were about finished with their meal when Katie spoke up a little hesitantly.


    ¡°So, boss. I¡¯ve got a question¡­¡±


    Sam swallowed the last piece of meat on his skewer and nodded.


    ¡°Shoot¡­¡±


    She fidgeted a little until the cat familiar on her head swatted her with its suddenly giant paw.


    ¡°Ow¡­¡± she rubbed the spot a little, then looked back at Sam. ¡°Can I¡­ Can I tell my brother about it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he also plays?¡±


    Her answer was a vigorous head nodding.


    ¡°Yeah, he wants to make a guild.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here?¡± he asked, then realizing he was rather rude, he continued. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­¡±


    Katie just grimaced. ¡°Because he is stupid. It¡¯s always ¡®Katie do this¡¯, ¡®Katie don¡¯t do that¡¯¡­ I just wanna smash stuff!¡± She finished by slamming her hand down on the ground while the shadow familiar on her hand mimicked her, though it only hit the air.


    ¡°Is he any good?¡± he asked, wondering who her brother was. His inherited memories didn¡¯t have anything about her relations.


    ¡°Bah! He thinks so¡­¡± came the exasperated answer from the girl. She hummed thoughtfully, then reluctantly muttered her answer. ¡°He is good at organizing stuff¡­¡±


    Sam nodded in understanding and thought about it.


    Would it affect him?


    ¡°Which city is he in?¡±


    ¡°Dunno¡­¡± came the careless answer, causing him to sigh. ¡®She really only cares about smashing things¡­ Probably, no point asking more questions, too.¡¯


    After a minute of thinking, while Clarissa took out her book and Dan was settling in to meditate as Sam instructed him, he had his answer.


    ¡°Do you want to tell him?¡±


    Katie put a finger to her lips and thought about Sam¡¯s question.


    ¡°I want him to owe me¡­¡± she finally admitted.


    ¡°Do you think he will believe you without any evidence aside from ¡®my friend told me so¡¯?¡±


    Katie looked back at him, and Sam saw Dan open one of his eyes a little to look at the younger girl, while Clarissa¡¯s book lowered somewhat.


    Finally, she hung her head and let out a small whine.


    ¡°Probably not¡­ He¡¯d think I¡¯m trying to prank him¡­¡± based on the defeat in her tone that happened a lot.


    Sam gave her a reassuring smile and nodded.


    ¡°Go ahead and mention it to him, but don¡¯t go into details. As if you have heard a rumor.¡±


    Katie beamed at him while Clarissa frowned.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want him to know it came from you?¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°What would be the point? To blame me if I¡¯m wrong? It¡¯s not like I can give him more information¡­¡±


    The healer scrutinized him for a moment, causing Sam to sweat a little, but in the end, she hummed thoughtfully and returned to her book.


    Katie returned to grooming her little eldritch monster while Dan continued meditating.


    Sam just smiled and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere.


    <hr>


    Their trip (mostly due to the exploit) was rather uneventful. They were naturally visited by a few curious or too-dumb-to-live monsters, but they got rid of them with laughable ease.


    Watching the small little kitty made of shadows chomping on a monster¡¯s head was rather unsettling.


    The four of them kept quietly chatting, mostly about the game, but Sam saw they weren¡¯t as distant from each other as at the beginning.


    Occasionally, they would emerge from the forest, checking on the road to see if they could spot the caravan the crystal crafter was traveling with, but unfortunately, they only saw other travelers.


    They had been running for a while now when Sam spoke up after he sensed something with his Mana Sense. It felt like a bunch of amorphous blobs of wild mana, shaped in a vaguely humanoid shape, all tinted with the color red, which to his mind represented rage and anger.


    ¡°Enemy ahead!¡±


    They slowed down, with Katie pulling out her sword, Dan his giant cavemen club that immediately began to sizzle with heat, and Clarissa grabbing her staff with both hands.


    ¡°Prepare for a fight. I¡¯ll scout ahead,¡± he declared.


    All of them nodded and stood closer to each other in a pretty basic triangle formation.


    Sam activated his Shadow Cloak and began creeping forward.


    Soon he came upon a big temporary camp, filled with goblins, hobgoblins, and a few orcs from what he could see. They weren¡¯t camping, however. To Sam¡¯s eyes, they were simply preparing to head out. And from what he knew of their modus operandi, a vanguard already left this forward camp.


    ¡®I¡¯ll need to warn the military back in Ironwood about the goblins. If they are brave enough to come out and prey on travelers on the road, they know the city patrols¡­¡¯


    It also explained why there weren¡¯t any guards. Goblins and orcs weren¡¯t the most organized monster races, but even they were competent enough to have scouts and guards around camps. But if the fight already started, then most of the guards had snuck off to join the vanguard. The little buggers were vicious and battle-hungry.


    In the middle of the camp, sitting on a makeshift throne made of random rocks and hastily cut-down tree logs, was a giant orc, wearing some kind of leather armor with a clearly stolen metal helmet, sharpening a crude greatsword. ¡®Probably sent the vanguard to get killed and to soften the enemy,¡¯ he mused. ¡®We can take them¡­¡¯ he finally decided after taking a longer look around. He mostly checked to see if any of them had anything enchanted or if there was a shaman present.


    An enchanted item in the hand of any goblin could be nothing or a giant headache, depending on the item. However, a proper goblin shaman was much higher ranking than even the orc in the middle of the camp, and if they wanted, could change the tide of any battle with their magic.


    Granted, the shamans¡¯ magic was mostly based on sacrifice, so if you managed to survive the initial onslaught, you would have to fight against a diminished goblinoid army.


    Thankfully, he didn¡¯t see the telltale sign of the shaman totem, so they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about blood magic.


    Slowly, making sure he wasn¡¯t noticed, Sam retreated from the goblin camp and hurried back to his teammates.


    The moment he arrived back to the small clearing he left them, he dropped the stealth skill and raised his hand to his mouth, and shushed them.


    He ignored how Katie was bouncing with eagerness and took a deep breath. ¡®First battle with my new team¡­ Let¡¯s see what happens!¡±


    ¡°Goblin army camp,¡± as he began explaining Katie¡¯s bouncing intensified, Clarissa grimaced and Dan simply nodded. ¡°We can take them, but we have to be fast. I¡¯m pretty sure they are not alone.¡±


    None of them argued with him, all of them well aware if you see one goblin be prepared for at least a hundred to be near.


    ¡°Clarissa, focus on Katie and Dan. I can heal myself if needed.¡± The healer nodded while Katie began to stretch, her familiar adorably imitating her on her head. ¡°Dan, stay close to Clarissa and try not to burn down the forest.¡±


    ¡°Will try, boss!¡± came the cheerful exclamation from the giant man.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going for the boss and Lucky will take care of the fleeing enemies.¡± A small bark of acknowledgment sounded from his shadow. ¡°We don¡¯t want them warning the others.¡±


    Sam looked at them and nodded again. ¡°Do a last check. We attack on my signal.¡±


    Instantly, everybody was busy checking their equipment, but Sam could feel the excitement suffusing them.


    A minute later, everybody was ready and raring to go.


    Sam gave a last look around, unsheathed his sword, and began counting down.


    ¡°Three¡­¡±


    The yellow light began infusing Katie¡¯s sword while gentle blue light enveloped her, originating from Clarissa¡¯s staff.


    ¡°Two¡­¡±


    The flame on Dan¡¯s club intensified and Sam could sense that the mana fueling it was much more tightly controlled.


    ¡°One¡­¡±


    His own sword was enveloped by a slightly buzzing wind, ready to cleave his enemies.


    ¡°Go!¡±

 Chapter 70

    As they rushed at the very surprised-looking goblin camp, Sam took a moment to observe the people he had chosen for his team. Granted, it was not complete, as he was waiting for the right moment to approach the tank he wanted to lead his team when the time came but he could already see that the synergy was there.


    Clarissa was standing calmly at the edge of the camp, coolly shooting off heals at Katie as she ran around hacking at the goblins, her sword simply drenching the entire area with an electric yellow light that seemed to be slowing any monster that stepped into it.


    Aside from that, the berserker girl was predictably laughing her head off, though Sam was pleased to see that anytime Clarissa threw an order at her, she followed it without any objection... or thought.


    ¡°To the left!¡± yelled Clarissa, shooting off some kind of heal or buff at her metal-covered teammate who instantly turned on a dime, sinking their greatsword into the body of an orc that was rushing at her. The yellow light around the greatsword revved up, and it began to churn around, acting as if it was a chainsaw.


    Dan was standing next to Clarissa, taking shots at archer goblins with pinpoint accuracy, though every time one of his shots hit, he let out a rather caveman-like yell. While watching his new team fight, he simply darted around, using his speed-enhancing skills to take out goblins with surgical precision that the others weren¡¯t targeting.


    This almost perfect chaos lasted no more than half a minute, but it was enough for them to trim the group by a good quarter. Unfortunately, it gave the boss enough time to gather their not-so-considerable wits, stand up, and roar.


    ¡°RAAAAAAAAARGH!¡±


    Instantly, a hazy red light covered all the goblins and orcs. They instantly calmed down and began to converge on the boss, trying to organize some semblance of defense. Given that Sam could have taken the entire camp alone, it didn¡¯t amount to much.


    Dan let out a booming laugh, rejoicing at the fact that he didn¡¯t have to be so careful with his shots now that most of the mobs were in the middle of the camp, not near the very flammable local flora. He raised his magical club, which emitted a small pulse of fire and immediately began raining pain and destruction on the still-reeling goblinoids.


    Clarissa just stood there and continued firing off heals at Katie, who gleefully smashed into the throng of goblins and orcs followed by her terrifying familiar. The cat-looking thing simply sauntered after its owner and when it came closer to a goblin¡¯s ankle, its head grew several times bigger, the teeth shining with hunger and the eyes radiating eldritch energy, and chomped on the fatefully exposed ankle with impunity. The wounded goblin then fell to the ground and began spasming. When Katie came by the next time, it was more than likely a relief for the monster when she simply smashed its body to smithereens.


    Sam just kept dashing around the edge, taking down stragglers and making sure to harass the boss with small shots of Wind Bullets. Yes, he was testing the team, but there was no need to leave everything to chance.


    Finally, the time came. There were only a few heavily wounded goblins groaning on the ground while Katie¡¯s familiar was stalking them with a hungry look in its eyes and the boss was standing, bleeding from several wounds holding their giant sword in front of them as a shield while their honor guard, two beefy looking orcs stood there, shaking like a leaf.


    Katie was standing in front of the giant monster, hopping from one leg to another, seemingly charging up a skill as the yellow light that kept appearing around her vanished, and the light that seemed to envelop her sword began to pulse faster and faster.


    Sam took a few steps back and continued to watch as Clarissa began yelling out orders.


    ¡°Dan, fire spear! Katie, take its attention!¡±


    Dan agreed with a grunt, raised his club, holding his other hand next to it, and suddenly white-hot fire surged from it and slowly it began to take shape, forming a crude spear.


    ¡®Looks like the control exercises helped¡­ Pity, it won¡¯t work¡­¡¯ he thought as he glanced at the orc boss, more specifically at the crude necklace hanging from his girthy neck. A necklace that radiated malevolent energy.


    Seeing the giant spear made of fire so hot that the surrounding air was sizzling from the heat it was giving off, as well as the visible mana gathering around Katie, the monster seemed to straighten out then with a quick motion reached up to his neck and snapped off the necklace and crushed it with a quick motion.


    Instantly, a deep red miasma surged from it, going to the two orcs guarding the boss, their forehead shining with a crudely drawn rune in the same color, that Sam knew meant life, sacrifice, and transfer.


    It was a pretty common item.


    Goblin Shamans were pretty rare and didn¡¯t like to go on random attacks without a lot of guards, so to make sure their presence wouldn¡¯t be missed, they gave the leaders of the attack a necklace. The effect slightly varied from tribe to tribe, but in essence, the necklace did something simple. It took the life energy from the marked monsters, in this case, the honor guards, and then transferred it to the boss, thus empowering the boss greatly.


    Sam watched calmly as the dark red mana began streaming into the boss as the two shriveled corpses of the guard orcs fell to the ground, and then simply collapsed into ash. Feeling a little dramatic, he sent a surreptitious gust of wind and dispersed the ash on the ground.


    Naturally, the team didn¡¯t stop to watch the transformation. Instantly, Dan let go of the spear, hurling it at the transforming orc. However, while the flame hit the orc, it had no effect.


    There was a technical explanation that Sam had read in the library about how the local mana is in chaotic flux that destabilized the incoming mana construct, thus turning it into a harmless mass of mana that is dispersed by the process of magical transformation, but it all boiled down to one thing.


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    The devs didn¡¯t want players to easily disrupt boss transformations. From his inherited memories, Sam knew that there would be entire teams specializing in disrupting dungeon boss transformations, allowing guilds to skip fight phases, but that was much later.


    For now, they had to watch as the originally dirty green skin of the orc began to darken, turning a harsh red color, while their body expanded, gaining even more muscles with the veins almost dangerously pulsating on them.


    The fangs in their mouth also grew, with the incisors almost the size of a child¡¯s arm. Their eyes were shining like rubies, and the light they were radiating was filled with madness.


    Sam nodded thoughtfully. ''Enlargement, strengthening, and madness¡­ pretty standard. Now, let¡¯s see what they do¡­¡¯


    The orc let out an ear-shattering roar, then threw away its now comically small sword. Instead, the monster raised its hands, claws facing Clarissa, and with spittle flying from its mouth, began rushing at her.


    ¡°What?!¡± she exclaimed and took a step back in surprise.


    Katie, however, was fast enough to intercept the monster, holding her greatsword vertically and catching the ravening monster¡¯s claws on it. There was a boom, and Sam could see an indentation on the ground as Katie stood her ground, yet the berserk monster was trying to push her back.


    Meanwhile, Dan kept raining fire spells on the monster, but thanks to the transformation, they didn¡¯t affect the monster as much.


    Finally, Clarissa regained her wits and threw a murderous glare at Sam.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±


    Sam gave her a nod and then called out. ¡°Dan, aim for eyes! Katie disengage on mark!¡±


    Clarissa gave him a last glare but then refocused on Katie, who was still straining to compete in strength with the enlarged monster.


    Sam took a small breath, then activated Shadow Burst, with a hefty boost from Wind Movement while also calling out to Katie.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Instantly, a blast of yellow light pushed the monster back a little, while Katie took the time to jump back and Dan renewed his effort to bathe the enlarged goblin in pure fire. It seemed to be working as the monster¡¯s body was starting to get covered with burning skin and the roars it let out were increasingly desperate. However, the red light that seemed to suffuse the monster¡¯s body flared up and began regenerating the damage the fire did. Though, everybody was relieved to note that after the regeneration the red light dimmed somewhat.


    The next second, Sam was in front of the giant goblinoid, staring up at its bulging muscles crisscrossed with pulsing veins, and drew his sword back a little. He channeled a good amount of mana into it, then turned that mana into wind-natured mana, which, in turn was shaped into his own greatsword. Then, just to make sure he could finish the monster, he activated Wind Drill, which caused the created greatsword construct to spin at an impressive speed. It was so fast that it created a small suction force that seemed to attract the closest flames remaining from Dan¡¯s barrage.


    Seeing as the monster was lunging for him now that Katie had retreated, he didn¡¯t wait any longer. He simply thrust his sword forward, aiming at center mass.


    There was a great whoosh, and the monster stopped its movement.


    For a long moment, nobody moved, but then the sickly red light rapidly began to waft off from the orc, then accelerating until leaving the body smaller than it was originally. After shrinking the orc looked emaciated and, as if somebody hung an ugly green tarp on a bag of bones, with a giant circular hole in its middle. Then, as the last red light left its dreadfully empty eyes, it simply turned to ash, starting from the edges of the hole in its chest.


    Feeling a little cheeky, as he sheathed his sword, Sam sent another gust of wind artfully swirling the dust in place before dispersing it.


    With that done, he turned back to his team. On the edge of his senses, he felt Lucky returning after a successful hunt. ¡®Good, nothing escaped¡­¡¯


    Walking up to his team, he was greeted by varying reactions.


    Katie was crouching on the ground, petting her familiar and praising it for its effort.


    ¡°Who is a good murder machine? Who is a good murder machine?¡±


    The little shadow spirit simply lapped up the attention while rubbing his slightly enlarged head into Katie¡¯s hand.


    Dan was staring at him with a frown, but also seemed a little ashamed.


    ¡°Sorry, boss! I couldn¡¯t really affect it¡­¡± he finally said, hanging his head low.


    Sam walked up to him and slapped his back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will work on your speed and power after this! Maybe get you a regen-affecting spell¡­¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah!¡± came the enthusiastic answer. Dan then bounded forward, putting away his club, and began the arduous task of sifting through the mass of goblin bodies, looking for anything worthwhile.


    Lastly, he turned towards Clarissa, who was glaring at him.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± she hissed, her hand trying to squeeze the life out of her staff. ¡°You didn¡¯t even participate in the fight! Also, did you know about the transformation?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I read it on the forums,¡± he answered calmly. He understood her anger, but he needed to know if they were capable of fighting even if something unexpected happens. ¡°I wanted to see how you guys react¡­¡±


    Clarissa took a few fortifying breaths and then asked one simple question. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°If an event is happening, I needed to know that my team can handle the unexpected.¡±


    The healer took a moment to consider this, then sighed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it. But you paid me, and I don¡¯t break contracts. However! After the current contract is finished, we are re-negotiating! Understood?¡± she finished her small speech with her index finger pointing at Sam¡¯s face.


    ¡°Understood,¡± he answered with a nod. ¡°Thanks for not yelling. Much¡­¡±


    Clarissa just snorted, and without a word, joined the others to search the corpses.


    <hr>


    After they sorted out the loot, which was rather small, consisting of a few rusted weapons only good for melting down, a handful of reagents taken by Clarissa for her alchemy crafting class, a few small bags of currencies, no doubt stolen from travelers, and one lone skill book. It was a skill book for berserkers, called the Adrenaline Rush, granting extra speed and strength when the individual¡¯s health was low. It naturally went to Katie.


    Following that, they cleared up the scene, then Sam and Clarissa used their cleaning spells to clean up the team, and they headed off, following the trail left behind by the vanguard of the goblins.


    Seeing that they weren¡¯t exactly deep in the forest, it didn¡¯t take a long time for them to hear the sound of battle.


    Increasing their speed, they burst through the foliage to the sight of a small caravan, consisting of half a dozen wagons with horses pulling them, surrounded by a small army of goblins, while the guards and the few players tried to get rid of them.


    Sam ignored everybody as he sought out the person he was looking for.


    After a second of searching, he found her, kneeling on the roof of one of the wagons, surrounded by hovering drones and using her staff to take potshots at goblins that were left vulnerable by the other players or guards.


    He glanced at his teammates, who returned the look and nodded.


    Without saying a word, the people fighting the goblins were enveloped in the gentle light of Clarissa¡¯s healing, while fire began to rain on the goblins¡¯ heads, causing them to panic. Katie simply raised her sword and began to carve a bloody path through the monster army.


    Sam used the moment to fire off several Wind Flurries, thinning the attackers, then using his Wind Jump skill in concert with Wind Movement, took several almost flying leaps, landing right next to the person he was looking for.


    She instantly whirled around, a translucent blue shield appearing between them, and the staff was threateningly thrust into his face, its end glowing with an ominous light.


    He simply spoke up with a mischievous smile on his face.


    ¡°Fancy meeting you here!¡±

 Chapter 71 - Interlude 6

    The city was starting to feel small.


    The people just kept coming while the areas where people could hunt and farm without interference just kept getting smaller and smaller.


    And with Dave¡¯s guild, he needed those areas to make sure his guild was strong enough to contend with his competitors.


    Granted, they could have moved to a different city, but he invested too much money and time in setting up a base in Ironwood. Plus, with the quests he had done and had his minions done, he was well on his way to playing a great role in the seedy underbelly of the city.


    Exactly the place he felt the most at home.


    But with the increased player base, he needed to be aware of an increasingly larger number of guilds and player groups. And not all of them could be scared away with a small display of strength.


    The number of battles they got into with rival groups had been increasing, so he was looking for some kind of solution, but he couldn¡¯t get any quests or tasks from NPCs that would rapidly increase his power. At least not without joining one of the myriad of cults prowling around the city looking for hopeless fools to dupe.


    Then he heard about the Heavenly Forest. Exactly the thing he needed to feel a little better.


    And those people had the gall to refuse his entry. Just because he asked what the rent was!


    For a long moment, as he looked at the unassuming building and seethed in anger, he felt like taking a torch to it, but then an approaching patrol of guards shook him out of it and he stalked away with determination in his steps.


    He would show them!


    And now he sat in an ordinary tavern, where their guild rented the topmost floor, looking out of the single window as the setting sun painted the city of Ironwood in a rather nice shade of orange and violet.


    ¡°What did you find?¡±


    His aide, as always, stood behind him, the shadows gathering around him, lending him a mysterious air. ¡®He always understood how to be dramatic¡­¡¯ he mused after glancing back before returning his attention to the city before him.


    ¡°Heavenly Forest is owned and operated by a company called AFK. They also own the Commercial Centers that were set up, as well as the warehouse service that opened up.¡±


    ¡°How the hell did they get money for that? Or permission?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the money. The city doesn¡¯t keep records of that. Or if they did, I haven¡¯t found a way to access them.¡± Came the calm and somewhat frustrating reply from his aide. ¡°But the permission is easy. They are backed by the Silvercrest family.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± he couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. The Silvercrest family was one of the most affluent families in the city. Getting their backing meant that the owner of the company did something very major¡­


    ¡°Yes. It surprised me too, but my contact double-checked it and it is legit.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but bite his thumb hearing that.


    ¡°So, we can¡¯t attack them politically¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems so¡­¡±


    ¡°What about financially?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, sir?¡± came the slightly confused reply.


    Meanwhile, Dave was turning over the idea that invaded his head. With the increasing number of people showing up, he needed a different way to arm and finance his guild to keep up the fight against the others. Why not take a leaf out of Heavenly Forest¡¯s book and start building up a business empire?


    ¡°Start sending out feelers for locations we can acquire¡­ We won¡¯t be able to compete with Heavenly Forest in quality or resources, especially after the city has clamped down on giving out permissions to buy property.¡±


    His aide was already dutifully making notes, so he nodded in satisfaction and continued.


    ¡°However, we can go in the opposite direction¡­¡±


    ¡°Should I look for investors?¡± came the question from the man standing behind him.


    Dave just waved his hand. As a criminal, he was well aware that he was not the biggest fish in the pond, so he always made sure to pay his respects to those who were above him. It was natural that when he transitioned to games; he continued this practice. After all, he never knew when those connections could become useful.


    ¡°Just contact the usual people to see if they want to get in on the ground floor. If not, then we have enough liquidity to start the process. Right?¡± he asked, glancing at the other man.


    His aide took a moment to think, then nodded.


    ¡°Yes, sir. But it would strain the coffers quite a bit if you want to do it fast.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Dave thought about it for a moment, but in the end, he wasn¡¯t a hesitating kind of person and once he decided something, he was all in. ¡°Put every available person on it. I want it up and running as fast as possible. It¡¯s only a matter of time before somebody else comes up with the idea¡­ imagine if the twins figured this out¡­¡± he shuddered at the thought of those two idiots trying to do something like this. They only survived their world because of their father protecting them¡­ ¡°It would be a bloodbath¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ll get on it!¡± His aide sketched a small bow and left the room with rapid steps, leaving Dave alone with his thoughts.


    ¡®Who thought playing a game could be this complicated¡­¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    Their guild was going well. With the inclusion of the petite AzureTiger, their efficiency rose to untold heights. This mainly meant that missives from officials didn¡¯t get lost in the office, so they were actually on time for meetings with the mayor and other officials.


    Which in turn meant that those same people were less grumpy and upset with them, resulting in a better payout for their quests and tasks.


    Stephen, thrust into the position of guild leader on the account that he was the first one to acquire his pet, was very happy that he didn¡¯t have to deal with the whining of city officials about all that.


    The guild altogether was coming along nicely, they even had to divide the guild into two parts. An inner core housing those that were trusted and had been with the guild for a long time and an outer core for newly joined players.


    Thanks to their success and the company¡¯s announcement about the pet/minion/summon photography competitions they were practically besieged by people wanting to acquire pets. Thus the separation.


    They needed to weed out those who just wanted a pet and those who actually wanted to join the guild.


    Plus, several other guilds popped up in this and neighboring cities that all proclaimed to be pet-focused guilds. There were even several that touted having access to extremely rare pets. With the right price, of course.


    Stephen didn¡¯t care much.


    He wasn¡¯t playing the game for money, though he wouldn¡¯t lie that the idea of living off a game after finishing school didn¡¯t appeal to him. However, he kept that thought to himself as his parents only allowed him to play the game if his grades were high enough, and if they knew of his ambitions, then Stephen was pretty sure they would add more and more restrictions on his game time.


    However, all this was secondary to his current problem.


    Seated on Slathy, who was lazily munching on a demonic cabbage (the alchemist experiment went wrong, but the big rabbits loved them) he faced the rest of the inner circle, with the recently added AzureTiger sitting on his left, petting her new pet, a flying octopus of all things. The thing was silvery blue and about the size of a person¡¯s head and could be usually found hovering around AzureTiger, handing her things she was looking for or simply resting on her head, using its tentacles to brush her intensely blue hair.


    ¡°What should we do? The quest payout is pretty big, and Azu told me that if we get it we are pretty set for the next few months,¡± he stated while gesturing toward their administrator, who simply nodded with a tight smile. ¡°But I have no idea what to do, so now I open the floor for suggestions¡­¡±


    His friends looked at each other (the annoying snake just kept staring at him, as always) but nobody spoke up. Even as he racked his brain for ideas, he couldn¡¯t come up with any solution to the current issue.


    Where would they get hundreds of new mounts for the city guards?


    Finally, it was Kim who spoke up albeit a little reluctantly.


    ¡°What about the deer?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I recently heard one of the hunters complaining that they were turning into an invasive species,¡± she continued, her explanation picking up speed and confidence. ¡°We could go out, hunt them down, and turn the best ones into mounts.¡±


    Stephen scratched his chin at his girlfriend¡¯s suggestion. ¡®Deer as mounts¡­ Isn¡¯t the craziest thing I¡¯ve heard¡­¡¯


    Finally, he turned to Kim. ¡°Do you think the mayor would go for it?¡±


    ¡°Getting them mounts and at the same time getting rid of an invasive species? That scrooge would sell you his daughters for less¡­¡± she stated with a deadpan expression.


    Stephen didn¡¯t even doubt it. The mayor was that much of a penny pincher¡­


    He looked at the other people, but nobody could offer any other ideas, so he nodded and turned to AzureTiger. ¡°Azu, any objections?¡±


    ¡°Feeding them will be the hardest. We¡¯ll need to increase our farming areas. So, we¡¯ll need more druids,¡± came the quiet response from the fastidious administrator.


    Stephen nodded and exclaimed. ¡°Alright then, it¡¯s decided! Operation ''Oh deer'' is a go!¡±


    Only groans were his answer.


    <hr><hr>


    The contract came rather fast. Still, she made sure to read everything in great detail, as well as consult with the usual lawyer who helped her with the streaming and sponsor contracts, but all in all, it was a pretty solid contract.


    Though it guaranteed pretty great freedom for her streaming, it also contained some rather severe stipulations about information that she acquired, but she mostly chalked that up to securing important information for their business.


    She had been reading about Heavenly Forest, as its existence had spread like wildfire among the netizens, and Liz was pretty sure that those stipulations were put into the contract for that specific reason.


    Naturally, when she accepted that she would be joining them, her first instinct was to ask for permission to stream from there, but after reading the contract, she didn¡¯t. Seeing how seriously they took their guests¡¯ privacy; she would wait until she accrued enough goodwill with the company before asking.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    So, after the money came through, Liz announced on social media that she was taking a break from streaming as she was working on a big project that needed all her attention. Then, she packed up everything from her rented workshop, secured everything in crates, and went around the town to say goodbye to the people (mostly NPCs) who helped her out.


    For a few of them, she even told them which city she was moving to, as she felt that the connection she made with them would prove useful in the future.


    <hr>


    Liz didn¡¯t mind that the boss of the company wanted her to travel incognito, as she had felt that traveling in a caravan through forests and mountains was exactly what one should do when in a fantasy land. Plus, it gave her time to properly move in the real world. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t have a big apartment so the moving company she had hired managed to pack up her entire life in a few hours, and on the same day she went to bed in a different city in a different apartment, but much more content.


    She was away from her mother¡¯s immediate reach and had a rather lucrative contract to look forward to.


    Then came the monsters.


    Almost as a clockwork, after every few dozen miles, the caravan was besieged by monsters. Thankfully, they were mostly lone predators chased out of the forest, too hungry to make a proper decision, and they were quickly taken care of by the players who were hired as caravan guards.


    But then, the number of monsters increased.


    At first, the guards managed to handle them with ease, but as the numbers grew, so did the decrease in their efficiency. And at the last few ones, even she had to take her staff and join the fight.


    And then suddenly a goblin horde!


    The tide of green with a few darker green orcs and a few trolls simply rolled over the guards. Thankfully, before dying a player popped off some kind of large area damage wind spell that shredded most of the surrounding goblins, but this still left a sizable army of ravening goblins and orcs baying for their blood.


    Liz immediately climbed up to the roof of their wagon, took out her staff, and activated the drones she had on her. While taking potshots at any goblin that she knew would be taken out by her Crystal Spear spell, she cursed herself for packing up her most potent weapons.


    Unfortunately, currently, none of her creations worked for too long. Or at least those that packed some oomph usually required maintenance after a few shots or a few hours of usage, and that maintenance wasn¡¯t something that could be done on a moving wagon.


    She was about to contemplate running away as she knew that her target, Ironwood, wasn¡¯t that far away when the sound of battle was overshadowed by a roar and suddenly a storm of fire was raining down on the merciless goblins.


    Liz almost sagged in relief before somebody appeared next to her, causing her blood pressure to jump through the roof. She instantly raised her staff and began to shoot off her favorite spell when she noticed the smile on the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Fancy meeting you here!¡±


    She blinked once, twice, and three times. In the end, she could only answer with one thing.


    ¡°What?¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Lucrecia was in heaven.


    She had her own familiar, and more, it looked exactly like Lucky looked before he transformed into his magnificent form.


    Her new pet, named Fortuna, after Lucky, of course, was simply the best.


    And it knew how to merge with her shadow! So cute!


    This made Lucrecia very aware that her hero, her knight in shadowy armor, was well aware of her intentions, and this was his way of encouraging and helping her.


    After all, what better way to deliver clandestine messages than by a shadow familiar that can jump in and out of shadows?


    She couldn¡¯t even put into words the myriad of emotions she was feeling.


    On one hand, she was elated that her hero was paying attention to her and appreciating her efforts, on the other hand, she was rather ashamed that she barely accomplished anything.


    Her spy organization was coming along rather well, but the incoming information was not the best, certainly nothing she could make use of for her beloved.


    Sitting on her bed, stroking the sinfully silky fur of Fortuna, as she lay in her arms, she came to the conclusion that she needed help.


    And the best person for that?


    Lucrecia thought for a long while, going over the people she knew, their abilities, skills, and allegiances, but in the end, only one remained on her list.


    That person was the only one who was loyal to her, the only one she could trust implicitly, and who had the appropriate skills. At least she thought so¡­


    Thus, with renewed vigor, she deposited Fortuna in her own bed, made from the best materials, grabbed one of her less attention-grabbing dresses, and slunk out of her room.


    She plodded along the halls of their manor, dodging servants until she arrived before a door. She took a deep breath, then knocked and gently called out.


    ¡°Mother, are you in?¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Once again, they were seated in the same tavern, covered by the same fog, and dressed in the same all-concealing clothing, nursing a few fruity cocktails. After all, if nobody knew who they were, then they couldn¡¯t call them out for drinking such ¡®girly¡¯ drinks.


    ¡°Did you get the info?¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Just as suspected. We can¡¯t afford it.¡±


    He hung his head and let out a sigh.


    ¡°Alright, I expected it, but still hurts.¡±


    ¡°I know boss, I saw the lobby, and it looks fancy.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! And not the ¡®I have too much money¡¯ fancy, but real fancy, if you know what I mean¡­¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Ugh, so lame¡­¡±


    ¡°But, boss, why would you even want to get into Heavenly Forest? The guild has all the services that they offer¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about those! I wanted to network!¡±


    ¡°Ohh, so spying?¡±


    He took a sip of his drink, appreciating the fruity taste, then nodded somewhat reluctantly.


    ¡°Crudely put, but yes. Imagine all those high rollers in one place. It must be an information broker¡¯s paradise!¡±


    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s why they built it?¡±


    ¡°Why else? Nobody wants to bow and scrape for nothing. I assure you, the company is going to wring everything out of those fops before throwing them aside.¡±


    ¡°Should we tell people? It could be used to damage their business?¡±


    He just waved his hand negligently.


    ¡°Those who are smart know this and those who aren¡¯t are simply too stupid to live. Let them have fun. This way at least we¡¯ll also know who are the acceptable targets¡­¡±


    ¡°Makes sense¡­¡±


    They lapsed into a companionable silence as they sipped their drinks and observed the waitresses'' back for any hidden and concealed weapons. Very thoroughly observing them.


    ¡°Anyway, I was thinking¡­ AFK had a good idea.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Killing monsters is not the only way to get rich¡­¡±


    ¡°You want to start a business?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    ¡°What kind?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea!¡± came the cheerful reply.


    ¡°Then how are you going to figure it out?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think you are here?¡± came the shrewd reply, and the second man let out a long-suffering sigh. ¡®Why the hell did I lose that bet? I would¡¯ve been a much better boss¡­¡¯


    Finally, after swallowing several words that would have hurt his friend¡¯s feelings, he spoke up.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start from the top. What is your goal with the business?


    ¡°Why, to make money, of course!¡± came the exuberant answer.


    ¡°Good. That gives us a starting point. How about¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Uhm, Lee?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°He was flagged again¡­¡±


    They didn¡¯t even have to put a name to it, as they were both aware of who ¡®he¡¯ was. A massive headache for their Compliance Department and for the developers.


    The other man just let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°What did he do again?¡±


    ¡°He almost correctly guessed about the upcoming event,¡± came the disbelieving answer.


    The other man looked up from his screen with a dumbfounded look on his face.


    ¡°How the hell did he do it? It isn¡¯t even anywhere near him!¡±


    The first man nodded, then turned back to his own screen.


    ¡°Let me see¡­ Oh, that¡¯s something¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Out with it, man!¡±


    ¡°It seems his Mana Sense level is high enough that he managed to sense one of the first pulses of mana originating from the ritual that starts the event. Then, from that, he extrapolated based on clich¨¦ and tropes.¡±


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    ¡°According to the system, he went with a Monster Horde event, but that¡¯s almost the same that we have planned, so the system has been pinging the cheating department nonstop.¡±


    The second man began massaging his temples. ¡°What did the higher-ups say? They must have looked into this guy, right?¡±


    ¡°Nothing yet,¡± the man answered, swiveling in his chair a bit before a ding interrupted him. Glancing at his screen he gave the other man a small smile. ¡°Let me correct myself. The answer just arrived.¡±


    The other man immediately sat up straighter with a serious face. ¡°Let¡¯s see it then¡­¡±


    He nodded, and with a deft click, opened the mail. Inside were a few standard greetings followed by an account ID a redacted name, and finally three lines.


    BACKGROUND: CLEAR


    ASSOCIATION: CLEAR


    DESIGNATION: LUCKY


    He stared at it for a long moment, then simply motioned his colleague to take a look.


    They then both read the small burb under the declarations.


    Notes: We looked into him, but even private investigators couldn¡¯t find anything. No falsified tax records, no unknown payments, nothing. He is, for all intents and purposes, just very lucky and observant. He will be granted a separate flag so that the system won¡¯t ding us every time he does something, but as of now, he is elevated to Code Azure with everything that entails.


    P.S.: The boss wants new recordings of the pet. I think they want to make him into merchandise¡­


    They looked at each other with a bewildered look, then with a despondent sigh, disappointed that they couldn¡¯t bring down heaven¡¯s wrath on a cheater, they made the appropriate operation that was required after such a message and then returned to their work, albeit a little sullenly.


    <hr><hr>


    Lucy expected a lot of things when she signed that contract. Some little part of her even expected Sam to reveal some kind of horrific hidden clause in the contract that would make her his slave or something, but nothing like that came up.


    They signed the contract and life went on. Granted, her income increased by a rather large margin, but thanks to her studies, she knew she needed to invest, and on Sam¡¯s advice, she invested in Future Unknown and several other industries that he felt would do the best in the future. Thankfully, her own research supported his own, so she followed along.


    In the game, she handled the Commercial Markets with their accommodation services, the warehouse as well as the identification service, with the Heavenly Forest requiring the bulk of her attention. Both Sam and she wanted to make sure that nothing went wrong after opening, so she didn¡¯t mind spending a little more time dealing with issues that cropped up.


    It helped that her information gathering, handling, and other related skills shot up after she began working on securing the place.


    Surprisingly, her encryption spell proved rather useful in securing the documents relating to the guests who stayed in Heavenly Forest.


    She even got an achievement and title for that!


    [Secret Keeper: Anything that you encrypt is much safer. It takes double the effort to decrypt something that you personally encrypted.]


    She even took up enchanting and runework so that in the future she could personally make sure that her office was safe.


    <hr>


    The new people that Sam brought in were just as eccentric as he was. And he wanted her to arrange contracts for them, of all things!


    Katie was a sweetheart when she wasn¡¯t ranting about bathing in the blood of her enemies or maniacally laughing. Thankfully, after getting her familiar, the little shadow monster got most of her attention when she was in the building and not out doing who knows what.


    The other guy, Dan, was just simply obsessive about fire.


    Though, after seeing him practice (she definitely didn¡¯t watch because he did it shirtless) she had to admit that he had talent, though based on the mutterings she had overheard with her ravens, he still lacked the necessary control according to Sam¡­


    Altogether, she felt they were good and talented people, so it made sense that Sam wanted to hire them early before someone else realized the same thing, but their eccentric behavior could prove a little aggravating.


    <hr>


    ¡®Well, that was something¡­ A mana pulse, really?¡¯


    She mused as Sam left her office in a great hurry. Her friend was always weird, but this somehow took the cake. A mana pulse that only he could feel?


    It sounded stupid, but as of now, every one of his predictions or guesses came true one way or another. So, despite her misgivings, she began to issue orders. The lower levels of the headquarters were outfitted for storage of a few delicate items that she didn¡¯t want to store in a regular warehouse, so she didn¡¯t even need to arrange for anything special.


    She simply put together a shopping list and her lovely secretary forwarded those to the appropriate people. Then her messages dinged.


    Checking it, it was apparently from Sam, containing a single line. ¡®Send the message to the Silvercrest family: It happened. Details soon.¡¯


    ¡®What the hell does that mean?¡¯ she wondered, once again curious how much actual pull Sam had with the family.


    However, her hands moved as soon as she finished reading the message. Sam wouldn¡¯t jeopardize a connection like that for something silly, so she didn¡¯t feel that any trouble would arise from delivering the message.


    Using one of her adorable ravens, she retrieved the high-quality stationery and began composing a letter¡­


    ¡®Who knew those calligraphy lessons would come in handy¡­¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°We underestimated him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did.¡±


    There was a silence, and the man sitting behind the desk, covered head to toe with a black robe, continued. ¡°Did the client pay for repeat tries?¡±


    The first man shook his head and stayed silent.


    ¡°Good, then leave it be. Report back that we tried, but the operation was unsuccessful. If they want it done again, then they will have to pay the elite rates.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    There was another moment of silence, then both of them leaned back in their chairs and sighed.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s over!¡± spoke the first man, removing his hood and revealing a rather handsome face. Short-cropped black hair and a meticulously cared-for beard could be seen on his face, while the person sitting opposite of him had disheveled hair, and could be seen that he rarely cared for his appearance. ¡°What the hell happened, Tim?¡±


    Tim shook his head in disgust.


    ¡°He toyed with us. We didn¡¯t stand a chance. I was the only one who could even put up a fight, but I think he just toyed around with me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± came the agreement from Tim.


    ¡°We have been on the top of the food chain for a while now, but he picked your team apart like it was nothing. That means the top guilds are all probably around that strength.¡±


    ¡°Highly probable¡­¡± came the despondent answer from Tim.


    ¡°We need to up our training if we want to compete with the others,¡± he stated as he rapped his knuckle on the desk in front of him. ¡°This is a different game, so we will need to invest much more effort to be the best assassination guild. I won¡¯t be outdone by the White Jackals, or god forbid, the Red Hand!¡±


    Tim just nodded, knowing how much his boss hated the Red Hand.


    ¡°Thankfully, those assholes are in a different country far away from us, but it won¡¯t always be that way¡­¡±


    ¡°How about that quest?¡± Tim asked, almost in a whisper.


    ¡°I was on the fence with it, but in the end I don¡¯t think we have a choice,¡± came the answer from Tim¡¯s boss. He began stroking his beard, then nodded. ¡°Gather the people. We are going to learn about shadows¡­¡±

 Chapter 72

    Not long after his dramatic entrance, they stood next to the lead wagon, with the obviously relieved head of the caravan falling over himself thanking Sam for coming to their rescue, while their target, SummerRose stood awkwardly with her adorable little drones hovering around her.


    Clarissa was going around healing the living members of the caravan while Dan, with the help of the few remaining NPC guards, hauled the corpses of monsters into a giant pile. Katie simply prowled around the caravan to prevent any sneak attack, still a little in her battle high. Though with Sam¡¯s impressive senses, there was little chance for that. However, it never hurt to be careful, plus he felt that Katie wouldn¡¯t be the best at comforting NPCs who just suffered a horrific attack.


    The girl was already in the process of composing a song about the battle¡­


    ¡°¡­once again I can¡¯t thank you enough for coming to our aid, noble adventurer!¡± said the elderly man in travel clothes, bowing deep.


    Sam reached out and put a hand on the man¡¯s shoulder, forcing the man to straighten out.


    He smiled at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my good man. We were in the area, so as people with a moral compass, it was our duty to help those in need!¡±


    The caravan leader¡¯s eyes shined with unshed tears at hearing that response. ¡°I see! Thank you! How can I repay you?¡±


    Sam simply waved his hand. He wanted to get back to Ironwood as fast as possible. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, good sir. Instead, how about we gather the people and escort you to the city of Ironwood,¡± he declared. He thought for a moment, then decided to fib a little. ¡°I¡¯ve heard there has been an increase in attacks on caravans in the area, so it would be prudent to hurry.¡±


    The man instantly nodded, no doubt not wanting to lose the protection offered by Sam¡¯s group. ¡°Then I shall thank you for your offer, noble adventurer. I¡¯ll see to my men, and then we can continue our journey¡­¡± he said a little sadly. No doubt some of the dead NPCs were his friends.


    Sam nodded solemnly. ¡°My condolences¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The leader of the caravan nodded, then turned around and began walking towards the congregation of people that were gathered next to a few bodies covered with tarps.


    Sam watched them a little, then turned toward the streamer.


    ¡°So, what do you think about the welcome party?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± came the confused reply as the girl took in his statement. ¡°Did you know we were going to be attacked?¡± she asked, starting to look angry as she took the wrong conclusion from Sam¡¯s statement.


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s a given,¡± Sam stated, trying not to sound condescending. ¡°You are in a video game, traveling with a caravan. Which part of that made you think you wouldn''t be attacked?¡±


    The girl opened her mouth, no doubt to retort, but no word came out of it. Finally, she closed her mouth and sighed despondently. ¡°Alright, that was on me¡­¡± She took another deep breath, then looked at Sam. ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°We escort the caravan to the city, then you to the company. There, we can finalize things and have you situated.¡±


    ¡°Why not just take me with you and leave the caravan?¡± came the expected question.


    ¡°Did you get a quest for traveling in the caravan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why. I don¡¯t want you to get a bad reputation. Plus, I already told them we would escort the caravan,¡± he explained to the listening streamer.


    She nodded in understanding. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°The same thing you¡¯ve been doing so far. I don¡¯t want anyone to know we came here just for you.¡±


    The young woman looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Why?¡±


    Sam reached over and patted her on her shoulder. ¡°Money, of course. You represent a lot of money we invested, and there are people out there that would like nothing more than for that investment to go up in flames.¡±


    She swallowed a little, then nodded.


    Sam smiled at her, then headed over to the caravan leader to organize the entire thing.


    <hr>


    Not even half an hour later, after burning the monster bodies and making the area look a little presentable, as in removing debris from the road, they were on their way.


    Their target was safely ensconced in the wagon that was in the middle with Clarissa sitting nearby, continuing to heal those who were too wounded, mostly the game way to make the journey harder now that there were stronger people to guard the caravan. Though seeing as several player guards had died or run off, Sam felt it was a little unfair, but then he shrugged it off, chalking up to life being life.


    Personally, he felt that their adverse reaction to the death penalty was a little silly, but then Magic Unbound was a hard game, and people without his specific (and rather unfair) knowledge would feel that dying wasn¡¯t really worth the possible or promised rewards from the quest. He understood that, but he really didn¡¯t think those players who fled thought this through. With the caravan not dead, their deeds would be recorded and their reputation, at least in a few specific circles, would plummet. After all, nobody liked flaky guards.


    Dan and Katie were walking alongside the convoy, Katie because she couldn¡¯t really sit still long enough for them to reach the city gates, and Dan because apparently, it was good exercise.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Sam was sitting with his legs hanging off the side of the roof of the lead wagon, keeping an eye out for any troublemakers, while his senses were dialed to the maximum. Now that he and his team joined the caravan, he expected rather bigger trouble than a small-ish band of goblins and orcs.


    However, to his eternal surprise, nothing untoward happened during the rest of the trip.


    Sure, a few monsters from the forest tried their luck, but they were quickly taken care of by a hit of Dan¡¯s burning club or a swing of Katie¡¯s greatsword while she danced around the poor beasts. Sam saw that the leader of the caravan was progressively getting more and more sweaty every time Katie stepped up to take care of an issue.


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but reassure the man.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she is harmless!¡± he said cheerfully, completely ignoring the squeals of distress coming from the Rock Bear that decided to come down from the mountains to get some snacks.


    ¡°R-right!¡± came the stuttering reply from the visibly uncomfortable man. Then they watched in silence, or in the man¡¯s case, in abject horror, as the small shadowy kitty jumped down from Katie¡¯s head toward the mutilated corpse of the bear monster, then its head grew several sizes, while its body stayed the same petite size. Then, with a tearing noise, it began to munch on the monster while Katie simply cheered it on. ¡°R-r-right!¡± repeated the man nervously while pulling much tighter on the reins, trying to encourage the horses to drag the wagons faster.


    Sam just chuckled a little. ¡°Okay, she is harmless to us¡­¡±


    <hr>


    They said goodbye to the caravan at the gates where the guards of the city took over their job and began herding the wagons to the proper path, while intently listening to the report about the goblin army that was exterminated.


    The guard captain, in charge of the shift that received them, stepped closer to Sam as they watched the guards inspecting the wagons.


    ¡°Thank you for taking care of the goblins.¡±


    ¡°No problem, sir,¡± he responded, wondering which direction this conversation was going to go.


    ¡°Good to hear, but I¡¯ll need to hear a complete record,¡± the guard captain stated with a flat face.


    Sam just sighed. ¡°Allow me to instruct my comrades and we can talk¡­¡±


    The captain just nodded and motioned for him to get on it.


    Five minutes later he was in the captain¡¯s office with a few other officers describing the events of the goblin fight, after giving Dan instructions about escorting SummerRose back to the company, with a quick message sent to Lucy to expect them.


    As the guards began to pepper him with questions, he resigned himself to staying there for a while.


    <hr>


    A long time later, he was finally allowed to leave after the guard captain seemingly managed to wring every little detail about the fight from his head.


    The moment he stepped over the threshold of the guard station, he shot off toward the company headquarters. He ignored the crowds, or if anyone was looking at him.


    Not long after, he was walking up the damned stairs, nodding to the workers that greeted him, while his mind was wondering how SummerRose was. According to what he remembered, she was one of the most famous streamers in his inherited memories before her untimely death. Sadly, Sam had no idea what caused her death, as the woman was notoriously tight-lipped about her personal life.


    Though, with the way things were going, he hoped that being her savior in more ways than one would allow him to save her life. He noted that the secretary was not at her desk, which was laden with a lot of documents, neatly organized into piles.


    He knocked on the door leading to Lucy¡¯s office and after hearing a quiet ¡®Come in!¡¯ he opened the door and stepped in.


    Lucy was sitting behind her desk, while SummerRose was sitting on one of the chairs in front of it. His friend was in the middle of explaining something when he entered and immediately fell silent upon seeing him. Then she sent a small smile at the younger girl and nodded at him.


    ¡°Sam, allow me to introduce Liz.¡± She turned to the streamer and her smile widened a little. ¡°Liz, this is Sam, who is the leader of our combat team.¡± They agreed previously that in the presence of most people, they would put out a polite fiction of Lucy being the leader of the company, just in case.


    ¡°Hello¡­¡± came the slightly hesitant greeting from Liz. ¡°Thanks for coming to the rescue!¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± he answered, then walked up to the desk and leaned against it while crossing his arms.


    Lucy glanced at him, and he gave her a subtle nod. She cleared her throat, causing Liz to look at her.


    ¡°So, Liz. Thank you for accepting our contract, and welcome to AFK Company!¡± she cheerfully declared, while gathering a few documents from around her.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome?¡±


    Lucy nodded and continued. ¡°Now the most important question is: what do you want to do?¡±


    This caused Liz to look at them, bewildered. ¡°What do you mean, what do I want to do? I stream¡­¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡± agreed Lucy, while Sam simply listened. ¡°The question is, how do you want to stream¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    ¡°We can set you up with an in-game studio and can work towards a real-world studio too in the near future. According to my information, you have a crafting class, as much as this game has classes¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I mainly focus on crystal constructs,¡± she explained and with a small motion, an equally small drone flew out of her jacket and dipped up and down as if bowing to Lucy. ¡°But I¡¯m capable of combat.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to fight?¡±


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s good content¡­¡±


    Lucy looked down at her papers as if checking something, but Sam knew that she had everything already memorized. ¡°How about we set you up with a proper workshop to allow you to build up your arsenal, then when we have more battle-ready troops you can go out and stream to your heart¡¯s content?¡±


    Liz looked at Lucy while taking a few glances at Sam and, after a few seconds of consideration, she nodded. ¡°Makes sense. Though I expect you have a few requests for me to craft?¡± she asked with a sardonic smile.


    Lucy nodded in agreement. ¡°Well, yes, and no. We have a few things we hoped you would take a look at, but otherwise, you¡¯ll have free rein on what you want to build.¡± Lucy tilted her head to the side a little, then continued. ¡°And of course, you¡¯ll be paid for your time when you¡¯re working on company projects.¡±


    The streamer considered this, then nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fair. What would be the first project?¡±


    This time, it was Sam who spoke up. ¡°An elevator for this building.¡±


    Lucy snorted and continued. ¡°As well as cleaning drones for here, and for Heavenly Forest.¡±


    ¡°I would also like a holdout weapon, if you have the time,¡± spoke up Sam. ¡°I saw your rifles on the stream, so I was thinking about some kind of pistol or something equally small.¡±


    Sam knew that the moment Liz debuted the first crystal magic rifle was the moment the arms race began. As soon as the major guilds knew that it was possible to create new weapons, they would spare no expense in developing them. By the time the other Sam died, bows were basically considered ancient weapons.


    Liz looked at him with a thoughtful look and then nodded. ¡°I think I can put together something. But if you don¡¯t have my skill with crystals, then you¡¯ll need some insane mana control to operate them. Do you have that?¡±


    Lucy and Sam shared a smile, then he nodded. ¡°Sure do!¡±


    The streamer nodded, and Sam could see that she was already in the zone, trying to figure out how to build the weapon he requested.


    Suddenly, the door to the office opened, and the secretary strode in, nodding to Lucy. His friend spoke up, bringing out Liz from her fugue. ¡°How about my secretary escorts you to your workshop-slash-room and you can get familiar with it?¡±


    Lucy¡¯s secretary gave Liz a warm smile as the young woman stood up and bade goodbye to her new bosses.


    Sam waited until the two women left the room and the door closed to turn around and look at Lucy.


    ¡°How are the preparations?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re good. We have enough food to last through a protracted siege and even our water reserves are growing by the day.¡±


    Sam nodded a little relieved, then Lucy continued her report. While he was listening to it, he was internally going over his plans for his combat team, and where he could take them for a little more practice before the Fracture happened.

 Chapter 73

    After making sure that all the preparations were proceeding as normal, and Lucy had no more questions for him, Sam left her office with a purpose.


    First, he made sure that Dan, Katie, and Clarissa were alright. Dan and Katie were in the library as always, with Dan returning to his book about fire spells, while Katie simply took up cleaning her armor and weapon.


    ¡°Everything alright, guys?¡± he called out to them with a smile.


    Katie was the first one to answer, looking up from the vigorous polishing of her greatsword that still had bits and bobs from the goblins thanks to her vigorous handling of their enemies. Sam was really looking forward to seeing her fighting in the dungeons.


    ¡°Yup! Feelin¡¯ great, boss!¡± she chirped with a manic smile on her face. ¡°When is the next fight?¡±


    Sam could feel the excitement in her voice.


    ¡°I need to take care of a few things, then we are heading out,¡± he answered the question. They only had a few days to get their group up to the standards he wanted them, so there was not much time to lay about.


    ¡°Yes!¡± she cheered, still sitting on the ground with her hands in the air. Her little shadow familiar laying on her head, imitated her with her paws, adding a cute little meow to the cheer.


    He then turned his attention to his fiery caveman friend.


    ¡°What about you, Dan? Ready to head out?¡±


    The muscled man grinned at him and flexed his rather impressive muscles. ¡°You know, I am, boss! I love how my fire magic is coming along and with a little more practice, I feel that I¡¯ll be able to get plasma working!¡±


    ¡°Plasma?¡± Katie asked, curiously tilting her head at Dan.


    ¡°Yes! The greatest of all the states of matter! Some would say that it is the only state that matters!¡± came the exuberant reply from Dan. ¡°I wish to wield it, tame it and cradle it in my bare hands!¡± He took a moment to pause, then continued with a wicked grin. ¡°Also, I would really like to hit people with a club made of plasma!¡±


    Katie nodded seriously, then spoke up.


    ¡°Why not use lightning magic? Isn¡¯t that pure plasma?¡±


    Dan just let out a small sigh and shook his head. ¡°In the real world, it is, but here, lightning magic is considered electricity, not plasma. Trust me, that was the first thing I tried¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Sam smiled, then interrupted the two of them.


    ¡°Make sure to stock up on consumables and have your gear checked. As soon as I¡¯m finished, we are heading out.¡±


    The two of them nodded, then as Sam turned to leave they continued talking about the differences between lightning magic and real-world lightning. Or rather, Dan continued to lecture the avidly listening Katie.


    As the door was closing behind him, he could hear Katie exclaim.


    ¡°Oh, man¡­ why couldn¡¯t my teachers be this interesting?¡±


    <hr>


    A few minutes later, he found himself deeper in the headquarters, beyond the worker¡¯s quarters and offices, deep enough that if any infiltrator reached this place there would be no chance of them not being detected.


    And with the constant guard patrols, specifically designed to be semi-random by an algorithm that Lucy wrote for another game, there would be no chance of any infiltrator figuring out a pattern. ¡®That girl takes kingdom-building games waaaay too seriously¡­¡¯ he thought as he stepped up to the door and knocked.


    Hearing a welcoming sound, he slowly opened the door and stepped through it.


    Inside was a fully furnished workshop with a giant space for anything big to be constructed in the middle. The walls were lined with tables, laden heavily with tools and other equipment, while a few were stacked high with various metals, woods, crystals, and other materials. There was even an old-fashioned planning desk straight out of a movie architect¡¯s office.


    The workshop was pristine, and the only person inside was Liz running around like a kid in a toy shop with their parents¡¯ credit card.


    She would flit from table to table, lifting a tool, wondering at it, while opening her status screen and looking for something, then placing it back exactly at its place, then speed walking to the next table and repeating it with different equipment.


    Sam didn¡¯t know much about crystal crafting as the man who got it became notoriously silent about the abilities of the crystals after he got almost chased out of the game for it. Though many believed that instead of staying silent, it was more like the guild sat on him so that he wouldn¡¯t attract more attention.


    Ultimately, because the crystal crafting and its capabilities got revealed too early, they never got anywhere else with it, as the crafter was almost always sabotaged in some way by other guilds. Plus, he was a massive idiot. He hoped that by hiding Liz away to craft freely, he could help her build up her base, and then use whatever she crafted later for a massive advantage.


    Liz stopped examining the tools and turned toward him with an excited grin on her face. ¡°All this, for me?¡±


    Sam nodded seriously. ¡°Yes, we both signed a contract. We intend to keep our part. And that means making sure you¡¯re happy.¡±


    Liz frowned at hearing that. ¡°Really? That¡¯s it?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°What did you expect? I mean, I would love it if we became friends, but that doesn¡¯t happen at the drop of a hat. For now, this is a relationship based on money. Maybe it¡¯ll change later, maybe it won¡¯t¡­¡±


    She thought about it for a second, then nodded with a small smile. ¡°Alright, that makes sense. Thank you.¡±


    Liz then touched her wrist and several drones flew out of her jacket, eagerly looking around and buzzing with excitement.


    Then she walked up to the open space and began filling it with crates that were no doubt full of her creations. ¡®Probably her bike,¡¯ Sam thought as Liz retrieved a longer crate while the drones buzzed around emitting cryptic chirps and chimes.


    Finally, after she was finished, and the workshop was filled with boxes, she turned towards him, touched her wrist again and a visible blue screen appeared in front of her, with a small keyboard positioned comfortably in front of her.


    She beamed and then gestured at him.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°You said that you wanted an elevator?¡± Sam nodded, and she motioned him to a chair. ¡°Then tell me the specifics and I can begin¡­¡±


    Sam looked at her and sighed. ¡°I was joking Liz. While an elevator would be nice, I need you to get together with our in-house architect and basically upgrade Heavenly Forest to make it as high-tech as possible.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± she let out a despondent sigh, then immediately perked up. Humorously, the drone followed her mood and also perked up in concert with her. Sam could understand why she was a popular streamer¡­ ¡°But you still want weapons, right?¡±


    Her only answer was a bloodthirsty grin on Sam¡¯s face.


    <hr>


    After finishing with Liz and leaving her with a list of equipment to craft, Sam headed for the tavern Clarissa was set up in.


    Knowing that the woman was somewhat angry with him, he felt that he would need to explain himself to her before they proceeded. And if it didn¡¯t work, then he would still have time to look for another competent healer.


    The tavern as most taverns in Ironwood was full of people, though this one was mostly filled with players in colorful clothing and armor. It showed that people have begun crafting and customizing their own armor. Naturally, soon the NPC shops would follow along because the devs knew if the NPC shops didn¡¯t keep up with player trends, then they would become obsolete in short order.


    He dodged around the people boasting about their conquest or clamoring for the ladies¡¯ attention because no matter the dimensions, time, or game, being a girl gamer came with its own troubles. It took Sam a few minutes to cut through the crowd before ascending the stairs to the room Clarissa had rented.


    Following his knock, he was granted entrance and found Clarissa sitting at a small round table with a simple meal on it, which apparently she was currently finishing. She placed her utensils down on the table and dabbed her mouth with the napkin elegantly and then simply looked at Sam.


    Sam stared back, a little uncomfortable. ¡°Er, hi?¡±


    ¡°Hello,¡± she answered with a nod.


    There was a terse silence for a few moments, then she began to speak.


    ¡°Would you mind explaining what that whole thing was about? I understand that you expect that there is something big coming, and you wanted to see where we stand, but it could¡¯ve been handled much better. Maybe telling us that you are testing us?!¡± she finished the small tirade with an angry frown.


    Sam raised his hand in a placating manner. ¡°Peace. I realize that I made a mistake, but I was a little excited¡­¡± he explained. And he meant it too. If Sam wanted to have a proper team, then he shouldn¡¯t use mind games to ascertain their reliability. ¡°So, I apologize for it.¡±


    He finished with a small bow of his head.


    Clarissa huffed in exasperation. ¡°Did you say the same thing to the others?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t care¡­¡± he answered with a wry smile. ¡°Katie is batshit insane about fights, as you have seen, and Dan is a little better. As long as there is a fight, they¡¯re happy.¡±


    Clarissa scrutinized him for a moment and then, to his surprise, slammed her face into the table, rattling the dirty dishes still on it.


    ¡°I¡¯m surrounded by bloodthirsty thrill seekers¡­¡± she groaned pitifully into the table.


    Sam could only stand there and watch her helplessly.


    <hr>


    Leaving the despondent healer to her devices, he took a little break and checked out his notification screens. The battle wasn¡¯t big or noteworthy, but it was still a battle, so Sam expected a little improvement in his status.


    Taking a seat in one of the empty chairs that were left alone in one of the corners of the tavern, he opened up his screen and began reading.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 17!]


    [Mana Resonance is now Level 1!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 18!]


    [Phasing Strike is now Level 4!]


    [Extended Mana Strike is now Level 8!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 44!]


    [Mana Influenced Body is now Level 7!]


    He noted with satisfaction that his mana skills continued to grow steadily.


    [Clean III is now Level 5!]


    [Wind Blade II is now Level 10!]


    [You learned the spell Wind Blade III!]


    [Wind Blade III: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to launch a blade of wind. The cutting power and speed of the blade are increased. You have greater control over its movement after creation. Allows you to slightly control its path after launching the wind blade.]


    [Wind Flurry is now Level 7!]


    [Wind Bullet II is now Level 7!]


    [Wind Movement is now Level 15!]


    [Wind Edge II is now Level 6!]


    [Wind Affinity is now Level 29!]


    As always, there was nothing surprising about the wind-natured skills. Sam felt that they were great skills, but he knew he would either invest much more time into his Wind Affinity for it not to become obsolete or try to make his plan a reality.


    [Active Meditation is now Level 33!]


    [Spirit Link is now Level 28!]


    [Shadow Footwork is now Level 45!]


    [Shadow Cover is now Level 5!]


    Sadly, Shadow Burst was still elusive, as always. ¡®I really need to figure it out¡­ Maybe I¡¯ll have time after the Fracture¡­¡¯


    [Advanced Sword Mastery is now Level 8!]


    [Basic Armor Mastery is now Level 8!]


    [Mana Breathing is now Level 5!]


    [Advanced Breathing Technique is now Level 5!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 37!]


    [Flow is now Level 30!]


    [Multitasking is now Level 66!]


    Giving it another once over, Sam nodded, then closed the screens, pleased with what he had read. He stood up and, with purposeful strides, left the tavern toward his next destination.


    <hr>


    He didn¡¯t really want to waste time requesting an audience, so when he arrived at the Silvercrest manor, he just told the guards to call out the old butler.


    While waiting, he was ushered into the guard station and given a seat in one of the utilitarian chairs.


    Thankfully, he didn¡¯t have to wait long as soon after he got almost comfortable on the chair, the elderly butler strode into the room, with the door held open by one of the guards then simply closing it behind him.


    Sam stood up and gave a small bow. The butler returned the greeting with a deeper bow.


    ¡°Master Samuel, how may I help you today?¡± he asked with an inquisitive look on his usually placid face.


    ¡°I have to come to deliver the news the lord has been waiting for,¡± he stated simply, though a little vaguely, fearful of who could be listening. Not because he didn¡¯t want people to know there was an attack coming, but because he feared that the other nobles, confident in their own security forces, would use this militarization of the Silvercrest family to cause them trouble. He didn¡¯t need a spat between noble families right now.


    ¡°Truly?¡± the butler straightened his already straight back and his eyes stared intensely at Sam. ¡®It seems the lord had shared the information with the man¡­¡¯ Sam mused before answering.


    ¡°Yes, sir. I felt a pulse of mana from far away. It was strong enough that it could be felt here. I believe that soon another will follow, and then¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, then it will happen,¡± finished the butler for him.


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    The butler considered him for a moment, then bowed much deeper.


    ¡°Many thanks, Master Samuel. I¡¯ll communicate the issue to the lord. Is there anything I can help you with today?¡±


    Sam shook his head. ¡°No, thank you.¡±


    The butler smiled at him and after a short goodbye, Sam was once again standing in front of the manor, while the guards stood as if they were made of stone in front of the gates.


    <hr>


    He took off his helmet and put it on his stand. Standing up, Sam stretched a little and then headed for his bathroom.


    After delivering the proper message to his ally, he sent a message to his team to make sure they were preparing, and he also went and did a little shopping and took a peek at the Auction House. It seemed their actions of buying up materials and resources for the company didn¡¯t go unnoticed as there was a small increase in prices...to the consternation of the people in the Auction House. He had to listen to several people whine about the decrease in their profit margin.


    For now, he would take a little rest, then confirm which area would be the best for the next few in-game days to farm before the Fracture happened.


    He needed to increase his level slightly, as well as to make sure that the team could act as a cohesive unit.


    Truthfully, he would have liked to hunt down a main tank as well as a rogue for the party, but he simply didn¡¯t have the time to get someone. Or rather, he didn¡¯t have the time to get those who he wanted to travel to Ironwood in the given timeframe.


    ¡®If I¡¯m a reincarnator then my team is going to be the very best!¡¯ he declared to himself, then refocused on his lunch.


    He would need all the energy in the coming days¡­

 Chapter 74

    After finishing with his usual tasks around the house, doing a quick trip to the store to stock up on perishables, as he would be too occupied by the game to go out, he returned to his computer. He trawled through Shadowland and other sites for information, as well as answered a few messages on the mysterious site.


    There were countless messages clamoring for information, threatening him, trying to recruit him, trying to scam him, trying to ask him for nudes (that one caused a bit of head-scratching), and of course offering ludicrous amounts of money for all sorts of information.


    Some he knew but refused to give up as he planned to use them for his own, and his company¡¯s benefit. Some were so nonsensical that he didn¡¯t even know where to begin.


    ¡°Why would you need to know about the mating cycle of the Scaled Rock hawk?¡± he wondered out loud. It was a small monster that could be found all around the world of Magic Unbound. The name came from the odd formation of its crest feathers that resembled shimmering scales. Its feathers were preferred by fletchers and bowyers all around the world due to their durability. So he could understand why someone would want to breed them, but ultimately it would be a useless venture due to the development of magical firearms.


    ¡®But for now, it could make a good amount of money¡­ And I do know the catalyst¡­¡¯ he mused. He found a book in the library when he was suffering under the debuff after Lucky¡¯s evolution ritual that contained the information. Though, to be perfectly honest, he only went through the book because the illustrations were extremely well done.


    For a moment, he contemplated setting up a Scaled Rock Hawk breeding business, but then he shook his head. While it would be profitable in the short term, he really wanted to focus on long-term gains.


    With a grin, he began typing away, and after he was finished, he sent a message to the other guy with a crazy price. If they were too lazy to visit the library, then they should be prepared to pay through the nose.


    Turning his attention to the next message, he visibly recoiled.


    ¡°You want the three sizes of who?¡± he murmured in disbelief, then he shook his head in disappointment.


    Instead of answering the question, he looked up the woman in question and offered to sell them the fool¡¯s name.


    Good deed done for the day, he began to review his investments.


    <hr>


    After going through his backlog, doing a little exercise while watching cartoons, and waiting patiently for the login time to approach, he returned to the game.


    Opening his eyes, he found himself in his apartment at the company headquarters. Thankfully, Lucky had decided, now that he grew to the size of a small horse, it would be a bad idea to lay on Sam as he slept, but even then, the silly wolf still tried to snuggle up to Sam. Sadly, this attempt made it so that the wolf occupied ninety percent of the rather sizeable bed, while Sam was pushed to the edge.


    He grumbled a little, but then reached over and began to run his hand through the silky fur of his adorable companion, while Lucky looked at him with adoration, his tail wagging energetically.


    Sam spent a good quarter hour just luxuriating in the feeling of warmth and companionship that the virtual wolf radiated, but in the end, with a put-upon sigh, he finally got up from the bed to the disappointed whine of his furry companion.


    ¡°Sorry, Lucky, but we have things to do¡­¡±


    The wolf nodded his head, stood up on the bed, and stretched, not unlike a cat, before gently hopping down, walking forward, making sure to rub his body against Sam¡¯s before simply walking against one of the walls of the apartment covered in shadows.


    Sam saw the beautiful eyes of his companion stare back at him from his own shadow for a second, then they vanished. Smirking a little, he made sure his equipment was ready and left the room in search of sustenance.


    Outside of the room, he found a small table with a stack of documents and a small note on top of it with his name.


    He picked it up and as he walked towards the company cafeteria; he began to leaf through it. He watched, fascinated, as the gibberish characters rearranged themselves on the papers he held in his hand as soon as he channeled a bit of mana into it. ¡®It seems Lucy is making good use of that Encryption skill¡­¡¯ he mused as he went through the very thorough report that was prepared for him.


    Apparently, Heavenly Forest was working without issue. The guests were all satisfied, though the information gained from them was yet to show itself useful. He expected as much, but it was heartening to see that the system was working properly.


    The other ventures were also going well, and the expansion into the neighboring cities was progressing at an appropriate speed.


    Then came the report about the items he asked Lucy to stock up on. They had several giant containers of water, with rations of all kinds stockpiled for any emergency, while the cafeteria storage was also filled to the brim with food.


    Aside from that, there was a decent stockpile of healing items, including potions as well as materials used in repairing weapons and armor.


    Nodding to himself, he put the report into his inventory, then sent a brief message to Lucy that he had read it, and she should continue as is. He then headed out to find the team.


    <hr>


    Sam found Katie practicing in one of the closed training halls of the city, Dan in the library as always, and Clarissa in the healing district.


    After collecting them, they sat down for a short strategy session, with Sam going over the fight against the goblin camp, mentioning things that were good and things that could be improved upon. They also set up a few battle commands, code words for certain situations, and so on.


    It was a little beyond what people usually used in online games in this day and age unless they were super professionals, but with what Sam knew of the future of the game, he knew it was better to get into the habit of using them now instead of later.


    He knew that in the future, the big guilds would invest a lot of money into information-gathering teams, whose only task would be observing the fights of teams from other guilds while trying to break the code they used to hide their communication.


    Frowning thoughtfully, he opened his message screen and shot off a quick message, hoping that the other person was online. Luckily, they were, and the return message was promising.


    Smiling to himself, he returned his attention to his team as they were discussing hand signals.


    <hr>


    Over the next three days, as he waited for the next mana pulse, he took his team around the farming areas surrounding the city of Ironwood.


    They fought against the earth golems infesting the mountains while skirting around the giant guild farming teams; they ventured deep into the marshes, hunting a few Mossys as well as haunted trees while dodging enraged marsh snakes. He even took the team back to the cavern system where he met Katie and they went on a jolly adventure through the caverns deep below.


    Clarissa appreciated the fact that her spells seemed to have a negative effect on the shadow and undead-natured monsters in there.


    They also took up a few quests from the city. More specifically, they followed up with the city guards and accepted the task of hunting down the increasing number of goblinoids. And this time Sam didn¡¯t stay back, instead he actively participated in the fight.


    He would dance around the monsters, peppering them with his Wind Blades while making sure that every fire attack that Dan shot off was fanned to be even stronger. He would use his defensive spells and skills to make sure that Clarissa could comfortably concentrate on healing, while also herding the monsters in Katie¡¯s direction, satisfying her craving for brutal violence.


    When they took breaks, he would continue helping Dan refine his fire spells while sharing some of what he discovered about mana control and mana in general. Katie wasn¡¯t interested in the minute detail of how spells worked, but she still listened with half an ear and Sam noticed that some of her spells had become much more focused and stronger. Followed by her maniacal laughter upon witnessing said destruction, which was disturbingly mimicked by her cat familiar.


    Listening to a small cat try to meow maniacally was rather disturbing¡­


    However, Clarissa simply soaked up the morsels of knowledge Sam dropped. He was still a little stand-off-ish as he didn¡¯t fully trust them not to take the knowledge and sell it to the highest bidder, so Sam only shared the absolute basics.


    Every time they sat down in a forest clearing or cliffside to practice, she was always the first one to be ready and the first one to do his exercises.


    After a while, Sam couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Why are you so excited about this?¡±


    Clarissa looked at him agog, then snorted. ¡°Are you kidding? One, this is knowledge I couldn¡¯t find anywhere. Two, the more efficient my healing is, the more I can heal, and I make more money. What¡¯s not clear about this?¡±


    And, as they say, that was that. Feeling a little foolish, Sam simply continued with the lessons.


    At the end of the three days, just shortly after they returned to the city guards to report the destruction of another goblin camp, this one producing some kind of noxious concoction at the direction of a Lesser Goblin Shaman. And seeing that the goblin camp was near one of the freshwater sources that fed the city¡¯s water reserve, it was pretty clear what the goblins intended. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t have the brain capacity to have someone with actual power to protect the site.


    Sam was heading towards his waiting teammate as they leisurely conversed next to the building, which housed the guards as they waited for him to finish his report when his always active Mana Sense blared at him.


    He froze, closed his eyes, and cast his senses toward the incoming information.


    If the first pulse was like a gentle ripple on the surface of a lake after somebody threw a pebble into it, then this one was a wave before a tsunami. The mana curled towards a point that was so far from Sam, he couldn¡¯t even sense it, but only its aftereffects. Even though this was happening, the mana in the world was placid and calm, as if nothing was happening.


    Sam suspected that while the first pulse could only be sensed by those extremely talented with Mana Sensing, lucky ones who were looking in the right direction at the right time, however, he was pretty confident that this one would be sensed by almost everybody who had a high-level Mana Sense skill.


    ¡®The Mage Tower should be starting to panic right about now¡­¡¯ he mused, then cut his eyes towards the guard captain, who froze similarly to him. Their eyes met, and it took a few seconds for the guard captain to realize that Sam sensed the same thing he did, then he became deathly pale, did an about-face, and rushed away. ¡®Give it an hour and everybody is going to know something is going to happen¡­¡¯


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    <hr>


    Naturally, he was right.


    When they returned to the headquarters to take a break, both in-game and out of the game, and he logged out he saw on his computer that the forums were alight with speculation.


    Everybody was talking about the mana pulse as if they knew what was going to happen. A lot of people suspected that it was a first event, and some even guessed that it was going to be a monster horde type of event.


    By the time he returned from a bathroom and snack run (not at the same time), the forums had split into three camps. The smallest was insisting that it was going to be an alien invasion, while the other two were talking about a monster horde attack and undead uprising, respectively.


    Even Shadowland was blowing up with requests for information about the event.


    Sam took a moment to appreciate the chaos, then gleefully began selling his ¡®guess¡¯ to the clueless masses in other cities.


    One should never miss a chance to make a truckload of money¡­


    <hr>


    After the second mana pulse, Sam knew that the third wasn''t far away.


    Instead of ranging far away from the city, he took his team around the city, exterminating monster nests with extreme prejudice, while also stealthily checking out the locations where some of the most profitable permanent dungeons would pop up.


    Dungeons, after the Fracture, had two types. One was permanent, which could be plundered as much as they wanted, and the other was temporary. It changed from dungeon to dungeon which parameters were that closed the dungeon down. Sometimes it was retrieving an item, sometimes it was killing the boss, sometimes it was not killing the boss and some of the times it was running it x number of times.


    Guild wars usually happened around permanent dungeons while temporary ones worked on a first come first serve basis. That is, whoever survived finding it could go in and plunder it.


    Then, just as they were in the middle of exterminating a smaller nest of Creeping Porcupines, a monster that instead of needles had creeping vines on its back, Sam felt the next pulse.


    This time, it was turbid and aggressive, washing over him with a strength and fury of a storm. And he could see that the mana of the world was as calm as before.


    Opening his eyes, he could see Dan and Clarissa sweating under the pressure of the mana pulse as their recently acquired Mana Sense skill tried to parse the information.


    Finally, the pulse was over, and they opened their eyes.


    Clarissa was the first one to speak up. ¡°Was that?¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°Yeah¡­ the third one¡­¡±


    ¡°So that means¡­¡± she spoke, trailing off at the end as she tried to make sense of the information.


    ¡°It¡¯s happening soon,¡± he stated matter-of-factly, then without turning away from his two sort-of-pupils, he yelled out. ¡°Katie, stop playing with them! Wrap it up, we need to head back!¡±


    His answer was a cheerful exclamation from the girl. ¡°Yes, boss!¡± then he could only hear the desperate noises of the monsters as they tried to flee their inevitable death.


    <hr>


    By the time he was back at the headquarters, the entire city was abuzz with nervous energy, which made sense, as on the way back two other pulses swept over the land. He could have sworn that the last one made an almost visible shimmer appear in the world.


    Instead of panicking, he was doing a last-minute check of his status. Over the last few days, he managed to level up a few skills, so he wanted to make sure everything was alright. Lucky was laying next to him, gnawing on a big bone.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 19!]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 56!]


    [Mana Resonance is now Level 2!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 20!]


    [Thanks to tempering your body, you gained the Rapid Movement subskill!]


    [Rapid Movement: Level MAX (Passive) Your body is trained for speed. For every 20 Levels in the main skill you gain +1 AGI.]


    [Phasing Strike is now Level 5!]


    [Extended Mana Strike is now Level 10!]


    [You learned the Mana Construct skill!]


    [Mana Construct: Level 0/100 (0%) (Active/Passive) You can create mana constructs over your weapons. These constructs cannot be separated from your weapon. You have total control over their shape and size. For every level in the skill, the mana cost is decreased by 1% and the damage inflicted by the skill is increased by 1%.]


    Sam stared at the skill for a while, then smiled. ¡°Finally, I got it!¡± he cheered for a few seconds, even doing a silly little dance with Lucky happily joining him before he returned to reading his screens and Lucky to the giant bone.


    [Double Mana Slash is now Level 8!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 51!]


    [Thanks to regularly enhancing your body with mana, you gained the subskill Mana Recycling!]


    [Mana Recycling: Level MAX (Passive) Every time you use the skill, there is a 100% chance you gain 10% of the mana you used to enhance your body back. Additionally, there is a 10% chance to gain 50% of the mana back and a 1% chance that you gain 100% of the mana back.]


    [Mana Disruption is now Level 10!]


    [Spell Layering is now Level 10!]


    [Light Ball II is now Level 7!]


    [Firespark II is now Level 6!]


    [Clean III is now Level 7!]


    [Earth Wall III is now Level 6!]


    [Electric Spark is now Level 4!]


    [Water Bullet II is now Level 6!]


    [Wind Blade III is now Level 5!]


    [Wind Flurry is now Level 10!]


    [You learned the spell Wind Blade Storm!]


    [Wind Blade Storm: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that unleashes a storm of wind blades around you. The damage of the released Wind Blades depends on the Wind Blade spell and your mastery over it.]


    [Wind Bullet II is now Level 10!]


    [You learned the spell Wind Bullet III!]


    [Wind Bullet III: Level 0/10 (0%) A spell that allows you to launch a bullet made of concentrated wind. You have excellent control over the projectile¡¯s speed, size, and path.]


    [Wind Bullet Barrage is now Level 8!]


    [Healing Wind is now Level 10!]


    [Wind Movement is now Level 20!]


    [Wind Edge II is now Level 10!]


    [You learned the spell Wind Edge III!]


    [Wind Edge III: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) A spell that allows you to enhance the edge of any bladed weapon you wield with the wind. Thanks to the spell, the speed of your strikes will greatly increase. The power and reach of the blade will be greatly increased further.]


    [Wind Drill is now Level 10!]


    [Wind Affinity is now Level 41!]


    [Windstream is now Level 2!]


    Sam was a little disappointed that Healing Wind didn¡¯t net him an upgraded spell, but it made sense. He wasn¡¯t a healing-focused mage, thus the system only saw him use the spell here and there. Enough to max it out, but not enough to grant the next level.


    [Active Meditation is now Level 37!]


    [Serene Movement is now Level 3!]


    [Battle Awareness is now Level 2!]


    [Spirit Link is now Level 31!]


    [Advanced Sword Mastery is now Level 9!]


    [Basic Armor Mastery is now Level 24!]


    [Advanced Breathing Technique is now Level 6!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 39!]


    [Flow is now Level 35!]


    [Focused Flow is now Level 3!]


    [Illusion Resistance is now Level 7!]


    [Corruption Resistance is now Level 4!]


    [Shadow Resistance is now Level 6!]


    [Earth Resistance is now Level 3!]


    [Multitasking is now Level 69!]


    [Parallel Processing is now Level 6!]


    Noting all the improvement, he was very satisfied. Especially with the Wind Blade Storm spell. It would definitely come in handy in the cramped hallways of several dungeons. Then he directed his attention toward the last part of his status screen. Vexingly, he still couldn¡¯t break through with the Shadow Burst ability, but at least he managed with another one.


    [Shadow Shield is now Level 10!]


    [Shadow Transformation is now Level 10!]


    [Shadow Mirage is now Level 27!]


    [Thanks to your creative use of skill, you gained the subskill Mirage Obfuscation!]


    [Mirage Obfuscation: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to your resistance to illusions and your mastery of the spell, it will become harder to spot you among your mirages.


    [Shadow Cloak is now Level 24!]


    [Shadow Footwork is now Level 50!]


    [Thanks to your practice with the skill, you gained the subskill Silent Shadow!]


    [Silent Shadow: Level MAX (Passive) The sound of your movement is decreased when you move under the cover of a shadow. (Shadow Cloak triggers this benefit.)]


    [Thanks to mastering Shadow Footwork, you glimpsed another step on the path.]


    [You can learn Advanced Shadow Footwork or upgrade your skill into Umbral Steps!]


    Sam stared for a moment, and after giving it a thought, he made his choice.


    [You choose Advanced Shadow Footwork!]


    [Advanced Shadow Footwork: Level 0/50 (0%) (Passive) You dance on the path of the shadows. Your stance when stepping in the shadows cannot be seen or broken. Reading your movements has become harder. Your base speed is increased, and this increase is bigger when covered by shadows. Grants the Shadow Grace skill.]


    [Shadow Grace: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) When activated, your grace, stability, and speed increase by 20% for each skill level.]


    He read the text of the buff skill and couldn¡¯t help but feel satisfied. When maxed out, it would grant him a 200% speed increase! That was amazing!


    Sadly, even with the high number of monsters they killed, he didn¡¯t level up. He was simply too strong for the monsters, so the system barely awarded him anything.


    Satisfied with his gains, he closed the screens and began preparing for what was to come.


    <hr>


    He stood on the top of the company headquarters, looking down at the city as it buzzed with excitement and nervousness. The mana pulses now came every hour or so, and the last hour had two of them. Sam suspected they only had around thirty or so minutes before it began.


    So he gathered up a few high-quality drinks and relocated to the roof. Lucy declined his invitation, as she wanted to make use of every second to prepare for the calamity.


    Sam winced as another raw mana pulse swept through the world, causing a visible haze in the air for a moment before it vanished.


    His team, though, joined him on the roof. They were sitting at a simple garden table while one of the maids that worked at the company cheerfully served them cakes and tea. Or, in Katie¡¯s case, fruit juice, as the girl refused to touch the drink.


    He was at the ledge, looking down as the people run around trying to make sense of the situation. With how strong the pulse was, almost everybody who could use mana felt it.


    Shuddering a little, he waited until the latest pulse passed and frowned. ¡®That was rough¡­¡¯


    With how strong and aggressive the pulse was, he expected that maybe the next one would be the beginning.


    And he was right.


    Instead of a pulse, the next one was a veritable tsunami, washing over the world, suffocating and cloying, yet at the same time invigorating. He felt as if his entire body was supercharged, raring to go.


    Down in the city, he could hear the cries of distress, but his entire attention was on the mana.


    Instantly after the mana tsunami washed over them, the mana froze and with it, the world.


    For a moment that felt like an eternity, everything stood frozen. Men, women, animals, and plants, even the very air, stopped whatever they were doing. Then the instant passed, and the world screamed.


    Looking up at the sky, trying to weather the storm that was raging all around them as the mana churned like in a once a lifetime storm, he watched as a small technicolor pinprick appeared in the sky over one of the mountains nearby.


    For a long moment, it hung there as if it was a newly born star, despite it being daytime, then suddenly cracks appeared originating from it, not unlike fresh ice breaking under precise strikes.


    Then the cracks spread, crisscrossing over the sky, filling it with the same technicolor light.


    And as Sam remembered the videos from his inherited memories, the pieces of the sky surrounded by the cracks fell, leaving behind a swirling chaos of color and non-color.


    Then a giant wyvern fell out of the hole in the sky and let out an enormous roar, shaking the very building he was standing on.


    The Fracture had begun.

 Chapter 75

    While Sam was trying to make sense of the underlying mana of the world, the wyvern let out another roar, and with a few powerful beats of its wings, it began flying toward Ironwood. No doubt, the same scene was repeating itself all around the world of Magic Unbound.


    Sam closed his eyes and reached out with his own mana, trying to spread it out like a blanket to smother the turbulent mana around him. Unfortunately, it fought back.


    As the wyvern was followed by more and more monsters, some recognizable, some not, he simply continued to spread his mana around him, trying to wrestle control over the local mana. Every time he covered a patch of mana with his own, the mana lashed out, burning away his own until he reasserted his control.


    This tug of war continued while the monster roared and charged towards the walls of the city while the guards simultaneously tried to calm down the panicked masses, hold back the excited players who could only see the walking bags of experience points in the monsters, and organize a coherent defense.


    The mana buckled and bent under Sam¡¯s control as he exerted his will over it. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to look beyond the turbulent surface of the mana ocean seething around them.


    For a long moment, there was a tug of war between him and the world, as they both vied for control over the local mana.


    Then Sam doubled down, channeling even more mana in an effort to assert his control and it seemed to work. The blanket of mana that he threw out in an effort to calm down the seething mana that was the result of the ritual performed far away basically broke the world.


    Out in the distance, he could see the sky break a few more times, vomiting multicolored light onto the ground and with it even more monsters that soon joined up with the throng of mad monsters charging toward the city.


    Returning his attention to the surrounding mana, he began constantly channeling his own mana and watched satisfied as everything began to calm down.


    After several seconds of herculean effort, his own mana became one with the surrounding mana and finally, he could cast his gaze enhanced by his Mana Sense farther. Before he could even begin to puzzle out what was happening at the broken portals that led to a chaotic realm filled with multicolored light, he was interrupted by the surprisingly gentle ping of his notification.


    [You set your eyes on the Firmament!]


    [You achieved a breakthrough with Mage Sight!]


    [Mage Sight is now Level 10!]


    [You saw and touched what was not supposed to be seen or touched, you gained the subskill, Perception Filter!]


    [Perception Filter: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) You are able to filter out that which should not be seen.]


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 24!]


    [You have learned the skill Mana Gaze!]


    [Mana Gaze: Level 0/20 (0%) (Active/Passive) You see more and understand more. You can see the currents of magic much more clearly and in greater detail. When not active, you are still affected passively by Level 1 Mana Sight. For every two levels in this skill, this passive Mana Sight is increased by a level until it reaches the maximum level.]


    Sam stared at the notification, then back at the literal hole in reality, then right back at the screen just to see the percentage climb up steadily in the Perception Filter.


    He was broken out of his musing by the first monster reaching the walls and ramming into them with an earth-shaking boom.


    After shaking his head, he turned towards his teammates who were all standing and staring with open mouths at the hole in the sky, while the poor maid cowered behind them, shaking and mumbling gibberish.


    He clapped his hands together, gaining everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Alright, we need to act!¡± With a gentle smile, he turned to the maid. ¡°Silvy, dear, go down and join the others. I¡¯m sure Lucy has everything well in hand.¡±


    The maid nodded minutely, then stood up shakily and ran away as fast as her weak legs allowed her. He waited for the door to close behind the poor girl and then faced the others.


    ¡°Everybody has everything they need?¡±


    Katie gave him a bloodthirsty nod while her sword was already spasming with a vicious yellow light. The glint in the eyes of her familiar, appropriately named Puffball, was also radiating its killer intent, ready to claw into anyone its mistress deemed to be an enemy.


    Dan was vibrating in place, wisps of fire wafting off his caveman club. ¡°Of course, teacher! Me ready! Me burn! Me burn a lot!¡± he exclaimed, trying to imitate how a caveman would talk...


    Clarissa gave him a glare, but Sam knew there was no heat behind it. Over the days he saw that the two of them became right friends. It helped that Dan liked to go shirtless, and Clarissa appreciated the fact. She then turned to Sam and spoke.


    ¡°Where are we going, boss?¡±


    Sam just grinned at her and raised his hand to point at something in the distance.


    <hr>


    They immediately headed in the indicated direction. Sam was in the lead, with Clarissa on Katie¡¯s back, as she somewhat neglected the physical aspect of the game, so she didn¡¯t have the ability to keep up with their speed.


    As they moved through the streets, they were surrounded by panicking people as they tried to figure out what to do or where to go. It didn¡¯t help that they could clearly hear the sounds of battle from the direction of the walls with a nice backdrop of roars, squeals, grunts, and all manner of monster noises.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Their group dodged around guards rushing about while guilds of players and hastily assembled PUG teams tried to organize themselves into coherent units.


    With less than glamorous results.


    But Sam and his team didn¡¯t care. They just sped up and dodged around the fights that broke out.


    Arriving at the walls, they were greeted by the same guard captain who had them run around the area exterminating monsters.


    His armor was dirty, soaked in sweat, and things better left unasked. As soon as they saw him, Clarissa stepped forward and hit the captain with a spell that cleaned him and give him a refreshed feeling.


    The guard captain, proving that he didn¡¯t get his promotion from a cereal box (Sam checked and there was cereal with toys in them in the world of Magic Unbound) instantly reacted, reaching for his sword but as soon as he felt the effects of the spell he relaxed and sent a small thankful smile at Clarissa.


    ¡°Samuel!¡± he called out, striding forward.


    ¡°Captain!¡± Sam called back, returning the greeting.


    Arriving in front of them, the officer took a long look at them and then nodded.


    ¡°I need you out there, dealing with the monsters,¡± came the order without any hesitation, and with it, a small quest window popped up in front of him, and probably in front of his teammates.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Monster Parade!]


    [An unknown number of monsters are besieging the city of Ironwood. The Captain of the City Guard knows your ability and knows he can trust you. He ordered you to head out and to put a stop to this madness.]


    [Time limit: As long as the gates hold]


    [Penalty: Death. Loss of Property.]


    [Reward: ???]


    [Hidden Bonus: ???]


    Sam simply accepted the quest, inwardly doing a happy dance, yet showing nothing on his face. In his inherited memories, nobody ever mentioned getting a quest like this. There were no hints, no whispers in the forums. Nothing.


    That could mean either that there was no such quest then, or nobody could finish it, or more likely, the rewards were so good that they decided to stay silent.


    He hoped it was the last option.


    Looking at the captain, he threw out a salute.


    ¡°Understood, sir! My team and I¡¯ll do everything in our power to make sure the walls stay standing.¡±


    Receiving an approving nod, the guard captain threw out a quick ¡®Good!¡¯ and he was instantly swept away as a runner demanded his attention.


    Sam simply turned to his team and took a last long look at them.


    ¡°Anyone wants to back out, this is the last chance!¡± he stated, waiting for them to speak.


    Silence was his answer.


    <hr>


    After a final gear check, they ascended the stairs, dodging falling debris, rushing soldiers and players alike, and a few times even enemy projectiles that fell down the walls.


    Arriving at the top, they were greeted with madness.


    The area in front of the city was turned into a charnel house. Every square meter was filled with either monsters or players trying to survive. All around them were corpses piled high enough that some of the teams out on the field used them as makeshift walls.


    And from the walls rained down all sorts of projectiles. From simple arrows to fireballs the size of a small house. But the monsters just kept coming.


    He was about to speak up when there was an audible crack that could be heard, even through the commotion of the battle. The sound was similar to a wooden board cracking, though for some reason it sent a shiver down everyone¡¯s back.


    Looking up at the first crack in the sky, he swallowed as he watched what was happening to it.


    The technicolor something that was inside the crack began to swirl around, then for some reason began to bulge out as if something was growing from it.


    For a long moment, once again everything stood still, then the bulge separated from the rest of the technicolor material and hung up in the air for a few seconds before simply falling towards the ground. Surprisingly as soon as the multicolored blob of eldritch material was away from the crack in the sky, the cracks began slowly retreating from where they were expanding as if something was vacuuming them up.


    The glob fell and hit one of the trees that was miraculously still standing, despite the sea of monsters doing their best to level the area.


    The tree shone with the same light as the glob, then began to grow. And grow, grow, and grow even more. Until there was a tree that was several times taller than the city walls. At its base, between the roots, was a circular swirling portal, filled with the now familiar eldritch light.


    ¡®The Fracture dungeon!¡¯


    Fracture dungeons were the first dungeons, and they only appeared once, when the Fracture happened. Each major city, like Ironwood, had at least one appear near it. Capital cities often times had two or more, depending on the population numbers.


    He knew about a few artifacts and skills that came from these dungeons and most of them were unbelievably powerful.


    Sam also knew something else. The Fracture dungeon was the key to the event. Defeat it, and the monster horde would stop receiving reinforcements. ¡®It seems I found our target¡­¡¯


    Taking a quick look around, he found a spot at the base of the tower where there were no big player groups, only a few lone players supporting groups of tired guardsmen.


    ¡°Clarissa get on Katie¡¯s back. Dan fire in front of us when we land. Clear?¡±


    ¡°Hell, yeah!¡± came the cheerful exclamation from Dan, while Clarissa clambered up on the armored Katie, who was visibly vibrating in place.


    ¡°Our goal is the tree!¡±


    And with that, they jumped.


    <hr>


    Thanks to his wind magic, he managed to land directly on one of the Rock Bears, surprising one of the guardsmen, and squishing the monster into a paste. The guard gave him a relieved look, then began running back to his cohort, where the healer, one of the players, instantly began fussing over him.


    Two thuds sounded out from next to him, and instantly, the area in front of them was ablaze in a sea of flames. Grinning a little maniacally, he launched his own wind magic, fanning the flames even further and making them even hotter.


    Knowing that there would be no choice, that they would be unable to hear each other, he instantly began to sign to them. One sign was to set up the formation: Clarissa in the middle, Sam at the back, and Dan in front, bathing the enemy in flames while Katie ran around like an over-caffeinated rat, dealing with enemies that survived being on fire and/or Sam¡¯s magic.


    As the monsters surged around them, they began their slow trek toward the tree that was still somehow conjuring armies¡¯ worth of monsters.


    The first monster group that attacked them was the same group the bear that he squished belonged to. The giant bears, dotted with rocks over their bodies, ran at them, their eyes filled with madness and lust for blood.


    Instantly, projectiles filled with white-hot flames rained on them, while Sam simply unleashed several layered Wind Flurrys. Katie simply let out an incoherent roar, supported by Puffball, whose head was the same size as the girl¡¯s head. Naturally, it was smiling ear to ear, with enough teeth that it would make a shark jealous. She unfastened her blade from her back and, with a single, mighty swing, she was in the middle of the battle attacking everything that came close to her.


    Though, thanks to their practice, she still had the presence of mind to dodge around the fire and wind projectiles. Clarissa simply kept a keen eye out, throwing a few heals here and there, but otherwise conserving her mana and strength.


    In short order, the bears were slain, leaving behind mutilated and charred bodies that began rapidly decaying into multicolored flakes, leaving nothing behind to loot and harvest. Sam just nodded at the expected behavior of dungeon mobs, but he could see that the others were disappointed.


    The in-universe explanation for the phenomenon was that they were created by the dungeons, which themselves were fractures from the dimensional void leaking into the real world. Everything they created was simply mirroring something from the real world. It looked real, smelled real, and could really rip your spine out, but inside it was filled with the same dimensional energy that made up the foundation of the dungeon.


    The out-of-universe explanation was that the developers didn¡¯t want players to cause monster breaks and then infinitely harvest the respawning monsters. Dungeon monsters only dropped loot in dungeons. That was one of the inviolable rules of the game.


    Making another sign, they continued on their way, directly at the giant tree and the swirling portal at its roots.

 Chapter 76

    Dodging through the enormous mass of monsters all rushing at them and at the city, while making sure they kept together, was a rather big task. Not to mention the magical and non-magical attacks flying all over the place, be they launched by the city guards or the numerous players on the wall.


    They had to dodge all sorts of elemental-natured attacks as they rained down on the monsters, burning, freezing, or even dicing them all up in an effort to gather as many experience points as possible. Sam found it hard to determine which attacks were accidentally aimed in their direction and which were purposefully sent their way to slow them down, or even take them out.


    The team had to rely on Sam¡¯s and Clarissa¡¯s shielding, though Sam would freely admit that his piddly Shadow Shield paled in contrast to Clarissa¡¯s shields. Thankfully, she had focused on learning many supporting skills, which included a giant shield that sprung up around them, encircling the team and protecting them as half-globe made of hexagons.


    Sam had seen the shield used previously when some kind of mosquito monsters besieged them in the marsh and knew they were good enough to protect them. After all, everyone knew that hexagons were the best-a-gons!


    Cutting through a group of mad sheep, their fur bristling with acidic-looking liquids, he looked around.


    Dan was in his element, as in everything was on fire, and he was flexing with his club held in front of him. Katie was, for once, silently swinging her buzzing greatsword, decapitating dozens of monsters with one swing of her weapon. Sam was almost blinded by the light that seemed to be enveloping her. ¡®Probably some kind of berserker passive¡­ The more she kills, the stronger it is¡­¡¯ Sam mused, then he turned his attention toward Clarissa.


    The healer was continuously walking towards their goal in the middle of the group, staff held by two hands and her face showing how intensely she was concentrating.


    ¡°You alright?¡± he called out, rather loudly to make sure she heard him over the cavalcade of noises.


    She glanced at him and nodded, then for a moment with one hand let go of the staff and made a simple gesture. The gesture meant that she was around seventy-five percent with her mana. And, seeing as thanks to their team not requiring much healing, Sam judged that she would be able to hold until they reached the giant tree.


    Answering with a gesture of his own, meaning ¡®hold¡¯, then he waited until he received an affirmative answer and with a satisfied nod, he reached for his own mana and renewed his attempt to cull the seemingly never-ending horde of monsters rampaging around them.


    <hr>


    The rest of the trip was rather uneventful if one didn¡¯t count that they were continuously fighting for their lives. After the horde of mad sheep, covered in a liquid that was definitely acid, as demonstrated when Katie simply kicked one of them at a nearby player who decided to be sneaky and try to killsteal. The poor guy simply melted into the ground as the sheep exploded on him.


    Then came the now familiar Rock Bears, eyes ablaze with rage, ready to tear them apart. Having learned from when he was beset by them back in the mountains, Dan instantly unleashed a hail of white-hot Fire Spears at their weak points.


    Then came slithering several types of snakes, with a few of them sporting thick scales that required bigger effort to cut through, some of them small but numerous, swarming their intended target only to burn up in the almost permanent fire field that Dan maintained.


    Sam was rather thankful that over the last few in-game days, he took the time to give all of his teammates a few lessons on Mana Control, thus increasing their capabilities with mana, which translated into increased mana regeneration.


    The team continued their trek towards the great tree, while overhead the sky pulsed with the multicolored material that showed up after the sky literally broke. The other holes also began dropping globs of technicolor materials, which Sam knew would become some of the biggest dungeons. And if someone was paying attention to these, then they would have a head-start on discovering them.


    Thankfully, before he left, he made sure Lucy would have someone keeping an eye out for them. Dodging a swipe from another Rock Bear, almost fully covered by craggy stone, he leaned back a little, then stepped aside as the monster slammed down after the swipe didn¡¯t connect and quickly struck out with his sword, which he had covered with wind mana shaped into a bigger sword around it, at the soft belly of the beast.


    He didn¡¯t have time to watch it fall, as mountain goats of all things began rushing them with a giant battle bleat echoing around them. Their horns were unnaturally big, shone with black light, and carried with them a sort of repelling force. This was made very clear, as Sam and his team watched the monsters rush for them, going through the crowded battlefield like a snowplow through freshly fallen snow.


    And while watching the Shield-Head Goats throwing people up in the air was amusing, they still would have to take care of them. Which was rather hard from the front. Sam looked around, looking for inspiration, and after a second, he realized what they had to do.


    ¡°Kitten!¡±


    The girl finished the Rock Bear that she was, for some reason cutting up into pieces, and turned towards him. Sam could see the manic grin on her face even through her faceplate.


    He leaned forward, interweaved his fingers, and looked at her. ¡°Jump!¡± While tilting his head towards the approaching group of angry goats. Katie glanced between him and the monsters, then nodded and in the same motion launched forward, sprinting fast at Sam. At the last moment, she stepped into Sam¡¯s hands, jumping upwards as he launched her even higher.


    For a moment, the berserker girl hung in the air, then she began to spin around, turning into a blender while aiming downwards. She slammed into the middle of charging goats, throwing them all around and naturally breaking their momentum.


    The next few seconds were rather bloody¡­


    <hr>


    After taking care of the last group of monsters, with Sam bemoaning their loot-less existence, they continued towards the tree that started looking rather large. In actuality, Shield-Head Goats were rather rare, usually found in areas that had a high concentration of magnetic ores. Bucks¡¯ horn was a rather useful material that could be used to craft excellent shields thanks to their repelling properties.


    Thankfully soon they were through the hardest part: getting through the crowd.


    Near the tree, which was surrounded by giant roots coming up from the ground, acting as a sort of wall that protected the portal, there were fewer and fewer monsters. And those that they could see were much stronger than the common rabble.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Giant wolves were prowling around the root wall, not joining the fight. Rock Bears the size of small hills stood around, simply soaking up any errant magic or physical projectile that went near the wall. Giant snakes slithered around, occasionally snacking on one of the smaller monsters that weren¡¯t fast enough to join the rushing crowd.


    There were many monsters, small and big, filling the space, but curiously there was a small corridor, directly leading toward the only gap in the root wall.


    ¡®So, the boss of the area wants to have snacks, but doesn¡¯t want to leave their area¡­ Good to know¡­¡¯ he mused as he took in the scene.


    Throwing a few looks at the others, Sam saw that everybody was raring to go, so he nodded and pointed toward the gap while making a sign that all of them could see.


    The sign meant one simple thing: boss fight in the next area.


    Clarissa looked determined and gripped her shining staff even harder with one hand while drinking a mana potion. Dan simply flexed, his bare upper body glistening with sweat, while Katie began hopping from one foot to another in excitement.


    Looking back at the battlefield, Sam saw that other groups weren¡¯t far from them. Hell, there were even monster groups that changed direction and looked ready to tear them apart. Though, honestly, he was more afraid of the player groups.


    Nodding to himself, he gave the signal and his team began sprinting through the corridor that was left open for anyone stupid enough to step inside the walled-off area. The giant monsters that would count as mini-bosses snapped and growled at them, but none of them even moved an appendage to stop them.


    Within seconds they stepped through the threshold, and for a long moment, there was only silence, the walls made of jumbled-up tree roots cutting off the sound of the battle behind them. Glancing back, he saw that as soon as they entered, several monsters, notably giant Rock Bears moved to prevent anyone from entering.


    It was an interesting and organic approach to game design. Their behavior made perfect sense. The monster inside the wall was strong enough to command them, but for some reason didn¡¯t want to leave the area, thus they made sure that the prey would get to them, and when the prey entered, they would move to prevent its escape.


    Otherwise, they entered the boss arena, and they could only escape if they defeated the boss monsters or went back the way they came in, while also defeating the mini-bosses.


    All in all, the result was them inside the area surrounded by the tangled roots of the giant tree. In front of them an area littered with corpses artfully piled up high, with several giant skeletons of different monsters interspersed between them. And on the other end was the swirling portal, pulsing and strobing rhythmically.


    It took him barely a second to take all this in before the boss appeared.


    THUD!


    There was a great gust of wind that stirred up the dust in the area, then they heard a few powerful wing beats, and then they had to brace themselves as the wind buffeted past them, clearing out the dust cloud and revealing the very wyvern that appeared when the first fracture broke the sky.


    It stood on its two hind legs, its wings spread out in a threatening manner and then it let out an ear-bursting screech, then it fixed its two beady eyes on the team. Its dark green scales gleamed in the light of the pulsating portal as it stared menacingly at them. He was pretty sure that only magic allowed it to stay so upright without beating its wings.


    Sam took a small step forward and spoke up in a whisper.


    ¡°I will distract it, ignore everything else, and head to the portal.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Clarissa just nodded, holding her staff in a death grip.


    Sam took a deep breath, then before the monster posturing in front of them could do anything, he activated Shadow Burst, then with a small Earth Wall bursting up under him, he launched himself straight next to the wyvern''s head, directing his jump with the Wind Movement skill.


    The wyvern had barely a moment to comprehend what had happened before his sword flashed out, enveloped by both mana and wind-natured mana, sharpened to the extreme, and cut into the monster¡¯s head with a mighty swing.


    It let out another earth-shattering screech, and Sam saw his Mana Shield drop for being so close to the noise, as it basically counted as a sonic attack.


    Sadly, the wyvern was an actual boss, so the cut, no matter how overpowered it was compared to regular players, still only managed to cause a small wound on the monster¡¯s scaled hide.


    Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t his goal to kill the beast. With the number of people heading to the same place, the fight would turn into a bloody free-for-all between all the guilds and other players, hoping to get the loot that would never come.


    He moved forward, sliding down on the wyvern¡¯s back as it snapped at him, then with a powerful jump launched himself off the monster as if its tail was a ramp, just in time for the wyvern to turn around. It snapped at him again its mouth full of sharp teeth that wanted nothing more than to tear Sam apart.


    With a quick burst of wind mana, he moved to the other side of the head and delivered another slash. The wyvern, now fully bursting with rage, the mana almost shimmering around it in a red haze, turned once again, its powerful jaws attempting to devour Sam.


    And while he played a very dangerous game of catch with the wyvern, always keeping just out of reach and close enough to the ground that it wouldn¡¯t try to fly, the others ran around the fight, heading straight for the portal.


    For another few seconds, he played keep away, then as the rest of the team was a step away from stepping through the portal, he gathered mana into his hand and with a brief burst, turned it into a light ball right into the face of the wyvern.


    Ignoring its painful screech, he used Wind Movement, plus a nice helping of a burst of wind, to rocket towards the portal.


    He landed right next to the others, but he didn¡¯t stop using the momentum gained from his brief flight. He held his arms out and basically pulled the others through the portal, catching them in a gentle clothesline.


    <hr>


    There was a brief burst of intense mana around him, but it instantly subsided, and Sam found himself on the wooden ground, lying on Dan¡¯s muscled back while the others groaned under him.


    ¡°Get off me, you oaf!¡±


    ¡°Huh, that feels soft!¡±


    ¡°Puffball, no!¡±


    The next minute was spent untangling themselves and making sure everything followed them through the portal. Clarissa glared at Dan, who was looking everywhere but at the angry healer, and Katie was lecturing the unrepentant-looking Puffball about not using claws on friends.


    Sam took a quick look around the area where they found themselves. It was as if they were inside a termite-created hole in the tree. A small corridor, wall, ground, and roof made of wood, crisscrossed with thin veins of the same multicolored light that they had seen in the hole in the sky and with a slight dusting of soil everywhere. Lighting was provided with glowing lichen up high.


    Then came the notification screens.


    [Congratulations, you and your team were the first to enter a fracture!]


    [You gained the title, Fracture Diver!]


    [Fracture Diver: You dove head-first into the unknown. It was either very brave or suicidal. Gain +1% experience points in fractures as well as a 1% increased chance for better drops.]


    The title wasn''t anything to write home about, but at least Sam could comfort himself with the knowledge that the game didn''t give out super powerful titles for firsts.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Topping the tree!]


    [You stepped through the portal and found yourself in a mysterious place. Explore it and look for a way to close the portal and save the city of Ironwood.]


    [Time Limit: As long as the gates hold]


    [Penalty: Death, Loss of property]


    [Reward: ???]


    [Hidden Bonus: ???]


    Sam waited for everyone to finish with the reading, then spoke up.


    ¡°Ready?¡±


    Clarissa nodded resolutely, while Katie and Dan exclaimed excitedly.


    ¡°Sure thing, boss!¡± yelled Dan in his Deep voice, posing with his club. ¡°I¡¯m really fired up!¡±


    Katie simply squealed. ¡°Let¡¯s kill the beasties!¡±


    Sam answered with his own excited grin, and after a quick check of his equipment, he began walking in the only direction he could.


    They had a dungeon to conquer!

 Chapter 77

    The first few steps through the beginning of the dungeon were surprisingly calm. The gentle light of the lichen illuminated almost every part of the wooden corridor, leaving very little shadow in which enemies could hide. Naturally, they didn¡¯t take this for granted.


    With Katie in the lead, they carefully walked forward, with the group''s senses dialed up to eleven. Thanks to the dimensional nature of the dungeon, or fracture as the game called it, he could only sense the corridor in front of him, and nothing past its walls.


    This didn¡¯t really worry Sam, as he knew that most dungeons were like that, thanks to his inherited memories. You could only sense what was there. Everything else didn¡¯t matter for the purposes of dungeon delving.


    Even if he had the memories of a person who spent a not inconsiderable part of their lives in dungeons, Sam was still mighty excited. Dungeon delving in a VRMMO! How exciting!


    ¡®Now I only need to make sure we survive¡­ easy-peasy¡­¡¯ he mused as his eyes spotted an increase in the illumination ahead of them.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± he murmured to the others, who all nodded in unison, signaling they also saw the same thing he did.


    As one, the team strode forward through the corridor, only to arrive in a cavern covered with the same material, and on the ceiling was a giant tangle of roots, acting as a chandelier covered with intensely glowing lichen.


    It took Sam and his team approximately a second to figure out what the purpose of the room was before a wave of monsters rushed at them through holes at the top level of the cavern.


    ¡°Get ready!¡± he exclaimed while raising his sword, ready to strike.


    Instantly, a wave of gentle light swept through them, courtesy of Clarissa, granting them a shield. Dan¡¯s club instantly began to smolder with barely held-back white-hot fire, and Katie let out a cackle, echoed by Puffball¡¯s eldritch meow.


    Coming at them was a wave of labrador-sized mites, their eyes shining with the same green that the lichen was, though there was a certain amount of purpose in those eyes. They were here for Sam and his team, and they wouldn¡¯t leave until they were dead.


    He took a glance at the others and then nodded.


    At the same moment, Dan let out a yell and swung his giant club at the incoming horde.


    ¡°Sea of Flames!¡±


    The next moment, a literal sea of fire came forth directly from his club, burning the first few mites into cinders, while the next wave received burns all over their bodies. Sam smiled a little, and with a swing of his sword, let loose a simple gust of wind.


    The moment the air movement reached the mites that hadn¡¯t burned up, they lit up with flames and died while letting out small screams.


    Dan let out a victorious roar, and Katie groaned in disappointment, but Sam just spoke up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t celebrate too early. That was just one wave¡­¡±


    Before the others could reply, he was proven correct when another wave of mites rushed at them. Some crawling on the walls, some on the ground, and a few dropping from the ceiling.


    <hr>


    After taking care of the mites, they came to the most beloved part of dungeon delving.


    The loot distribution.


    The loot in Magic Unbound¡¯s dungeons worked in a rather weird way. The dungeons, or rather fractures, were dimensional in nature, thus they were inherently unstable. That¡¯s why they mimicked the nearest example of flora and fauna. These monsters they created weren¡¯t real, thus they couldn¡¯t be harvested, but upon destruction, the energy it was made from would have to go somewhere.


    Thus, when the monster died, the energy would take in the surroundings (i.e. the dungeon type) and get a small sample of the killers¡¯ (i.e. player¡¯s) mana and crystalize into a small object. There were a lot of factors that influenced what kind of object would crystalize. For example, the bigger the monster was, the bigger or more numerous the items that crystalized were. However, that didn¡¯t change the chance to have a very valuable item crystalize from a small enemy.


    Or as it was commonly known: loot table and drop chance.


    Analyzing the player¡¯s mana would allow things to drop that were useful for said person. Naturally, the biggest influence on the drop was the dungeon itself and the strength of the player¡¯s mana, that is their level. A nature-themed dungeon, like the one they were in, would never crystalize something related to undead and vice versa, but it would, with a lower drop chance of course, crystalize neutral things. Like a chair. Or instrument. However, they could expect that most drops would be nature themed or related to trees.


    The mites were all low-level and small enemies, so the drops in this case were a few solidified sap droplets that Sam knew carpenters loved to use for creating wood finish, as it granted a rather nice protective coating.


    Sam simply collected them, placing them into his inventory after everyone took a few seconds to wonder at their first dungeon drop, then began leading the team towards the only exit from the cavern.


    Though, in his mind, he made a note to have somebody craft something with the sap droplets to commemorate the event of the first dungeon delve.


    <hr>


    The next half an hour was spent moving from cavern to cavern, defeating waves of mites one after another and getting the same boring drops. By the fourth cavern, Sam began to wonder why the dungeon wasn¡¯t more famous, as the drops were still the same solidified sap droplets.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    As they left the cavern, and he beheld the next corridor, covered in fine, almost see-through silk, Sam suspected they were about to find out why.


    It was Clarissa who had voiced their thoughts.


    ¡°Ugh, spiders¡­ I hate them,¡± she announced while shivering.


    Dan laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. ¡°Come on, they could be silk-moth caterpillars for all we know¡­¡±


    She looked up at him with a hopeful look, but they were interrupted by a skin-crawling screech, and the end of the tunnel lit up with eight menacing eyes.


    <hr>


    The first spider was easy. It was almost as surprised by them as they were disgusted by it. Though its size, somewhere between a small bear and a car, was rather intimidating. Or disgusting if you asked Clarissa. Sam was just happy he didn¡¯t have arachnophobia.


    Sam simply dashed forward, his speed enhanced by Wind Movement, and with two quick slashes cut the rather long legs of the arachnid, and with a final flourish sunk Moonlight into the thing¡¯s head.


    Stretching his senses as far as possible, he could feel several bundles of mana moving rapidly toward them. Knowing it would take a few more moments, he gave a signal to the others and refocused on the monster in front of them.


    He watched as it froze, then slowly, from the tips of the stubs of its cut-off legs began to disintegrate into multicolored light until all was left in its space was a small bundle of cloth. Maybe two or three yards worth.


    Sam leaned down quickly and snatched up the cloth and began to examine it. The game was nice enough to show him what it was.


    [Phantasmal Spider Silk: A silk made by the phantasmal spider infesting this tree. The preferred cloth of enchanters.]


    Sam stared at it for a moment, then quickly put it away. ¡®Now I understood why this was kept secret¡­¡¯


    ¡°Just good silk¡­¡± he explained simply to the others.


    The silk itself was phenomenal. It could only be acquired from dungeons as the material it was made from also had a slightly dimensional nature. This made it so that anchoring an enchantment to it was as easy as breathing. It was one of the best materials to make enchanted clothing for anyone. It was beyond rare, but almost everybody knew what it was, as even the NPCs coveted it. There was a standing quest in the Merchant Association, the Crafter¡¯s Guild, the Mercenary Guild, and almost every other guild and group to obtain this material.


    ¡®Probably reward for the first Fracture Dungeon,¡¯ Sam mused as he unsheathed his sword as several more spiders began to approach them.


    He quickly had to raise his sword and send out a burst of Wind Blade as one of them raised their abdomen and shot a ball of silk at him.


    The ball fell apart a few feet in front of him, and as the cut-apart parts fell to the ground, it signaled the start of the fight as the spider reared up, let out a screech that reverberated around them and began charging at the team.


    Katie surged forward, spinning her greatsword into a great arc that took the head of the first spider, only to be beset by another. She brought up her sword, using it as a shield to protect herself from the spider sinking its glistening fangs into her face. She didn¡¯t have to struggle longer than a second as Dan appeared, roaring and using his club to crush the offending spider head like it was just a grape.


    Then, for good measure, he set the corpses on fire.


    Sam used his Shadow Shield, then shot forward, body checking one of the spiders, causing it to slump at the wooden wall momentarily, one of its legs broken, then used its body to spring up in the air, where he simply rained down Wind Flurry on the spiders that were intent on consuming them.


    He landed amidst chunks of spiders and nodded. ¡®Dead spiders are the best!¡¯


    Taking a moment to collect the phantasmal silk from the dead spider after they vanished, surprised that all of them dropped it, Sam went over to Clarissa.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked, concerned, knowing that seeing and handling giant arachnids were hard for some.


    Clarissa closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, then looked directly into Sam¡¯s and nodded. ¡°I-I¡¯m¡­ I was just¡­ surprised how big they were¡­¡± she stated hesitantly.


    Sam suppressed an instinct to comment on that phrasing, though based on how Dan snorted and Katie giggled, they couldn¡¯t manage.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said, ignoring the gigglers as Clarissa rolled her eyes exasperatedly. ¡°But if it gets too much, don¡¯t hesitate to tell me!¡±


    The healer gave him a grateful look and nodded.


    Sam clapped his hands together and exclaimed. ¡°Alright, people! Five-minute break, then we continue!¡±


    ¡°Boooo! I want to kill more things!¡± came the yell from Katie, but she still sought out a small wooden protrusion and sat down on it, and began petting her familiar.


    He would have given them a longer break, but by now, several other teams reached the portal and were on their way to claim the first kill of the boss. And sadly, in this dungeon, only the first kill mattered, as after the boss was killed, the fracture would close.


    Thankfully, the dungeons were instanced, or as it was explained in the game: every entry created a different harmony in the dimensional energies, thus putting the people entering on a different layer of existence. So, there was no chance of running into a bigger guild.


    <hr>


    After their break, they continued their journey upwards as the corridors slightly sloped, leading them round and round, up towards the top of the tree. After the first spider room, came another mite room. However, this time the mites exploded on death, surprising Katie, who had simply charged into the incoming wave.


    Thankfully, her skills and Clarissa¡¯s healing saved her from an ignoble death. Following that, they moved forward a little more carefully.


    Another three mite rooms, filled with exploding mites, was followed by another spider room, however, the room was much harder to traverse as everything from the ground to the ceiling was filled with sticky silk. One slight touch and the person was stuck until freed, surprising Katie, who again had charged into the room, aiming to take care of the watching spiders as fast as possible.


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but mention this.


    ¡°Maybe try not charging in without a thought?¡± he asked with a small smile as Dan was busy using fire to slowly free the squirming girl from the silk¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°But where is the fun in that?¡± came the grumbling answer from the pouting girl while Puffball, still standing on her head, nodded in agreement.


    Clarissa rolled her eyes, Dan chuckled and Sam sighed.


    <hr>


    The next room, instead of containing mites worse than exploding ones, was filled with silk on one end, with one of the biggest spiders they saw in the dungeon, sitting on a balcony made of silk and wood scraps next to a pile of white globes that to Sam senses sang with barely restrained mana.


    ¡°Is that the boss?¡± Katie asked excitedly.


    Sam simply shook his head.


    ¡°Nah, see there,¡± he pointed under the giant spider, where they could see the entrance of another corridor covered by spider silk. ¡°I would at most call it a mini-boss¡­¡±


    She simply shrugged. ¡°Good enough for me!¡±


    And with that, once again, she charged forward, leaving behind exasperated teammates. The moment she began moving, the giant spider reared up, then with one of its many legs it grabbed one of the white balls from the pile and hefted it at Katie with surprising speed.


    The girl naturally used her greatsword to cut it into two.


    They had a fraction of a second to see the corpse of a mite in it before it exploded, sending Katie flying back.


    Sam stepped out of the way, allowing the reckless girl to slam into the wall next to him, and while he eyed the spider that was simply content on staying up there, calmly waiting for them to approach.


    He waited until Clarissa scraped the berserker up from the floor, then turned to the others.


    ¡°This will need a little more delicate approach!¡±

 Chapter 78

    For a moment, Sam stood there and thought about the situation. The monster was strong, yes, and had the high ground. But thanks to Discernment he knew well he could obliterate the monster with a few spells. But he was also aware that this was the first major event, and the developers were watching and, more than likely, they would be using the recordings of the fights in the Fracture Dungeons to create ads for the game.


    While he had no problem appearing in those ads, and indeed there was nothing he could do against it, as the terms and conditions of the game were very explicit about using the gamer¡¯s images, he didn¡¯t want to share his most powerful spells with the public.


    Those who manage to defeat the fracture bosses would be the current strongest and those who had an interest in these kinds of things would pay a lot of attention to the recordings. So, while he probably couldn¡¯t avoid a partial reveal, he wanted to make sure that he kept at least a few secrets.


    After briefly eyeing the giant spider, standing high up, its legs twitching in a manner that suggested they were ready to pelt them with exploding mites at the moment¡¯s notice. Finally, he nodded resolutely.


    ¡°Katie, you go and bait,¡± the crazy girl nodded with a smile, and he continued. ¡°Dan, you nuke while I snipe. Questions?¡±


    Dan shook his head and made a few practice swings with his sizzling club. Katie just began jumping from one leg to another. Glancing at Clarissa, Sam saw her gently shaking her head.


    Seeing as everybody was on the same page, he took a small breath and then exclaimed.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    Instantly, Katie launched forward, enveloped by several gentle lights originating from Clarissa, while Dan began chanting and the air began to shimmer around him. The spider also reacted the moment the team began to move and by the time Katie was halfway towards the ledge where it rested, it flung two of the silk balls at the berserker girl.


    Sam raised his sword and with a casual swing let go of two insanely fast but rather small Wind Blades, cutting the two balls of silk into two and exposing the bundled-up mites in them. For a moment, they hung in the air like a tennis ball cut into twain, and Katie was sent flying once again by an even bigger explosion.


    But it was too late.


    Before the spider could reach for another explosive projectile or react in any way, Dan finished his chanting.


    He stood there, legs apart, both hands on his club, which was raised high in the air, and a baseball-sized flame hovered over it, shining brightly, almost completely white and the air around it wavering, showing how hot it actually was.


    The moment the mites exploded, he swung his club toward the spider while finishing his chant.


    ¡°¡­let the flames of my dream strike my enemy down! Flame Strike!¡±


    The ball of white-hot flame shot forward at insane speeds, with Sam almost expecting it to break the sound barrier, and almost conquering the distance between in a scant second before obliterating the spider¡¯s head, not even leaving any material to fly off, simply burning everything and only leaving a sizzling wound on the torso of the insect adjacent being.


    For a long moment, the spider¡¯s legs moved on their accord, as if the monster didn¡¯t know it was dead. Then it spasmed a few times and collapsed on itself. Ignoring the notification screen about the level-up and experience point gain, Sam simply turned toward Dan with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Flames of my dreams? That¡¯s a real incantation?¡±


    Dan smiled shyly and looked away, refusing to meet any of their eyes, scratching his head with one of his hands.


    ¡°My class teacher told me to use personal things in my incantation, as that makes it stronger¡­¡± he mumbled in answer.


    Clarissa let out another sigh, while Katie was already up on the ledge pushing aside the rapidly vanishing corpse and looking for loot. Sam shook his head in exasperation.


    ¡°The best would be without incantation, but if it works for you¡­¡±


    Dan began nodding vigorously. ¡°Of course! How else would my enemy learn about my deep love of fire and plasma? How else would they bask in the glory of fire?¡± he declared in a loud voice and a massive grin on his face.


    The others simply ignored him, with Clarissa finishing healing Katie and Sam jumping up and joining the berserker in looking for the loot. They found another set of Phantasmal Silks and one lone piece of equipment. Apparently, the spider was rather generous.


    Sam picked up the simple tunic, obviously made from shimmering gray spider silk and started reading the screen that popped up.


    [Phantasmal Silk Tunic: A tunic made from phantasmal silk and regular silk. Enchanted and enhanced, it provides an excellent defense to those who prefer to dress lightly.]


    Naturally, they would need to have it identified to know exactly what kind of enchantment was on it, but even so, just the name ¡®Phantasmal¡¯ promised good things. Sam directed a sliver of his mana into the garment to try to identify the enchantments, but the only thing he got back was the feeling of safety and warmth.


    He jumped back down to the others who were standing at the hole that led out of the cavern and showed them the item.


    ¡°We will know the full stats after we get it identified, but more than likely it will be a piece for Clarissa,¡± he stated while the healer nodded with a small, satisfied smile on her face. Sam suspected this was a surprise as she wasn¡¯t really part of the company properly, just a healer on contract.


    The others didn¡¯t object and Sam put the item away, then motioned towards the dark corridor leading them toward their unknown future.


    ¡°Shall we?¡±


    <hr>


    As they headed deeper and surprisingly higher, Sam noticed that the lichen providing the light grew darker and darker, and the light it gave continuously turned from lively green into a sickly dark green light.


    The environment also began slowly changing. The wooden walls, filled with life, slowly turned drier and drier, showing a deathly pallor. And any time they touched it, their hands came away covered in gray dust, leaving hand-shaped indents on the walls.


    The spider silk covering things also grew in amounts, slowly creeping over everything and leaving them with a suffocating feeling, as if they were being observed by something. Seeing as they were fighting against the spider, Sam could believe that the boss was observing them in some manner through the threads that infected the poor tree.


    Clarissa was clearly walking closer to the team, sometimes anxiously rubbing her upper arms and glancing around. Sam could understand that, too. He had no fear of normal spiders, but giant, bus-sized spiders would creep anyone out. Especially ones so realistic.


    And in the next chamber, they weren¡¯t attacked by giant spiders, instead smaller ones, mixed with explosive mites, rushed them. These new spiders were the same size as the mites, but their legs up front ended in scythes dripping with some kind of dark green liquid that Sam would bet everything on was poison.


    As the new spiders emerged from the holes high up on the walls hidden behind curtains of silk and sickly lichen, they raised their legs, ending in scythes and let out an echoing and rather creepy chitter.


    Sam looked at the others, who nodded at him resolutely, then he turned to Clarissa. ¡°Ready your best anti-poison¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± she whimpered while her eyes darted around, keeping her eyes on the spiders.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Sam reached out with a hand and patted her shoulder (rather awkwardly) and gave her, what he hoped was, an encouraging smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, none of them will touch you.¡±


    ¡°I really need some fire spells¡­¡± she answered with a mumble.


    Sam grinned. ¡°I¡¯m sure Dan will be happy to teach you!¡±


    His answer was a heated glare from the woman, but then there was no more time to talk as the monsters were upon them, and the flames of war, or in this case, the literal flames from Dan, were around them.


    And with a swing of his sword, turned the flames into a torrent that burned everything it touched into cinders.


    <hr>


    After the first chamber filled with exploding and regular mites, small spiders dripping with poison, they encountered two more caverns where they were besieged by the aforementioned monsters. They managed to tear through them, thanks to the judicious application of fire and even more fire.


    However, they didn¡¯t know how the other teams were handling the dungeon, as the game prevented them from accessing the internet from inside the dungeon to prevent them from asking for help or getting hints from others.


    Pity, as reading about rival teams reacting to each other during an important dungeon run was always one of his favorite parts when reading that kind of novels in his previous life¡­


    Instead, they trudged forward, the fates of their rivals a mystery.


    After finishing the third cavern, filled with enough spiders to give an arachnologist issues, they took a little break.


    They sat on the ground, drinking water from canteens and snacking on food made by the staff at the headquarters. Clarissa was carefully examining one of the Phantasmal Silk drops, running her fingers along the unnaturally smooth material and marveling at the feeling. Dan was sitting next to her, scribbling into a notebook and mumbling to himself. Katie was sitting next to Sam, humming quietly and brushing Puffball¡¯s fur as it somehow gnawed on a spider leg.


    Sam took a swig from his own canteen, letting the cold water refresh his body, and leaned against the dry and cracked wall.


    ¡°Any problem?¡± he spoke up quietly and turned a questioning gaze toward the others.


    Katie simply shook her head and Dan finished writing whatever he was writing, then looked up.


    ¡°Mana is full, ready to blast anything that comes after us, boss!¡± he grinned mischievously. ¡°I haven¡¯t had this much fun in a VR game for ages!¡±


    Clarissa looked at him. ¡°I would say that as long as there are no more spiders, I¡¯m good, but we all know what¡¯s coming¡­¡± she stated with a deadpan face. Sam could only chuckle.


    ¡°Alright, good to know,¡± he answered cheerfully, then turned to the others. ¡°Let¡¯s take five, then we continue. I think there is only the boss fight left.¡±


    After receiving agreements from everybody, he returned to his leaning and brought up his notification screen. It was time to check his gains.


    Opening his notification screen he was once again greeted by a deluge of alerts.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You are now Level 37!]


    [Gained 6 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Gained 1 END for your relentless march against the army intent on destroying you!]


    [Gained 1 AGI for your haste in defeating your enemies!]


    [Gained 1 PER for spotting the tree in the forest!]


    Nodding to himself, he allocated the points quickly. Two into STR, one into DEX and AGI respectively, then one into WIS and finally adding one to VIT.


    He frowned at seeing that his VIT only reached 19, but that could be remedied. And he would probably get enough experience from the boss to level up again. He gave the status screen a quick once over, then he took a look at the skill level-ups. Seeing the long list of skills, he couldn¡¯t help but lament. ¡®Can¡¯t wait until I can upgrade them¡­¡¯


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 26!]


    [Thanks to your superb control, you gained the Mana Channeling subskill!]


    [Mana Channeling: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) When channeling mana, thanks to your expertise, the mana cost of the spell decreases with time. For every 30 seconds of channeling, the cost is reduced by 5% for each skill level, to a maximum of 50%.]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 59!]


    [Layered Mana Shield is now Level 2!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 23!]


    The extra layer on his Mana Shield, despite the mana cost, was an excellent development, as he felt it would become useful in the coming fight. He spent a moment channeling mana towards it and slowly filled it up enough that it would take a few hits, then sat back, allowing his mana to regenerate while continuing reading.


    [Perception Filter is now Level 2!]


    [Mana Gaze is now Level 1!]


    [Double Mana Slash is now Level 8!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 55!]


    [Mana Influenced Body is now Level 8!]


    [Mana Disruption is now Level 11!]


    [Spell Layering is now Level 11!]


    [Mana Construct is now Level 3!]


    [Firespark II is now Level 8!]


    [Clean III is now Level 9!]


    [Earth Wall III is now level 8!]


    [Wind Blade III is now Level 7!]


    [Wind Bullet III is now Level 5!]


    [Wind Bullet Barrage is now Level 9!]


    [Wind Movement is now Level 23!]


    [Wind Edge III is now Level 2!]


    [Wind Affinity is now Level 47!]


    [Windstream is now Level 3!]


    [Active Meditation is now Level 40!]


    [Serene Movement is now Level 4!]


    [Battle Awareness is now Level 3!]


    Sadly, Lucky didn¡¯t have a chance to participate in the fights so far, so the skills related to his loyal companion didn¡¯t grow. Even so, the growth was rather gratifying to see.


    [Advanced Shadow Footwork is now Level 3!]


    [Shadow Grace is now Level 1!]


    [Shadow Transformation is now Level 11!]


    [Shadow Shield is now Level 15!]


    [Advanced Sword Mastery is now Level 11!]


    [Basic Armor Mastery is now Level 28!]


    [Thanks to keeping your armor almost religiously clean, you gained the Clean Armor subskill!]


    [Clean Armor: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your mana got used to a certain spell, so the waste mana radiating from you will, over time, permeate and clean your armor.]


    [Advanced Breathing Technique is now Level 7!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 42!]


    [Steady Heartbeat is now Level 2!]


    [Flow is now Level 37!]


    Sam had to chuckle at the Clean Armor skill. He wasn¡¯t a germophobe, but it still felt icky walking around with spider guts on his armor, so after every fight, sometimes even in the middle of a fight, he cast Clean on himself and his teammates. Apparently, he had been rewarded for his effort.


    [Illusion Resistance is now Level 8!]


    [Corruption Resistance is now Level 6!]


    [Earth Resistance is now Level 4!]


    [Multitasking is now Level 72!]


    [Parallel Processing is now Level 7!]


    Finishing with the notifications, he looked up, took in the others, then nodded. He began talking and slowly got up.


    ¡°Alright, folks! We all know what is coming, so let¡¯s not be tardy¡­¡±


    Dan cheerfully put away his notebook, Katie placed the protesting Puffball on her head, while Clarissa simply stood up with a groan.


    As one, they turned towards the foreboding corridor that was completely covered from the ground to the ceiling with spider threads, and the few lichens that they could see only barely let out any light, creating a rather creepy atmosphere.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    <hr>


    Surprisingly nothing attacked them during their journey through the creepy and desolate corridor. However, soon, the sickly green light originating from the lichens vanished completely. Nonetheless, they weren¡¯t left in complete darkness, as from the exit of the corridor a soft pale light permeated the area, showing them the way.


    Finally, after a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a giant plane, illuminated by real light coming from somewhere high up, filtered through the countless threads crisscrossing over their heads as spiders ranging from normal size to car-sized scurried around, doing who knows what.


    In the middle of the giant area was a hole, leading downwards, surrounded by a mound of debris, creating something akin to a nest, albeit this one was filled not by twigs and feathers, but desiccated hides and bones bleached white.


    All this was surrounding a giant ball of spider thread, on which Sam could spot a hole at the bottom. ¡®Probably home of the boss¡­ Joy¡­¡¯ he grumbled in his mind as he cast his gaze and senses wide.


    However, the moment they stepped on the floor, which was naturally covered by spider thread, there was a deep gong sound that echoed all around them.


    ¡°Oh-oh¡­¡± Dan exclaimed softly as he raised his club, while his head was on a swivel. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good!¡±


    Instantly, all spiders froze from the smallest to the biggest and turned all their creepy little beady eyes toward the team.


    Then there was a thud.


    And another.


    And another.


    Finally, after a second, they could see a giant spider leg poke out of an equally giant spider thread ball in the middle of the area. Just the hairs on the leg they could see were as big as one of their arms.


    The boss has arrived.

 Chapter 79

    For a moment, that seemed like an eternity, the giant spider¡¯s leg just hung there as a very macabre caricature of a woman tantalizing their guest from behind a room divider in a saucy movie flick.


    Then the silence was shattered and the spiders sitting up high, like spectators in a gladiator match, began to screech and chitter, creating a sound cavalcade that Sam would call cheering. Then the leg began to move again.


    Slowly, one leg emerged, the hairs on it gently waving in the almost nonexistent breeze. Then another leg tipped in an impossibly sharp claw, and then two more joined it.


    While their target slowly extricated herself from its comfy nest, Sam took a look at the others. Katie was staring openmouthed and Puffball¡¯s mouth was overflowing with saliva.


    Dan was busy looking around, his head on a swivel, taking the entire scene in, though Sam could see him shudder a little every time the segmented legs of the giant spider moved.


    Clarissa simply closed her eyes and was murmuring something under her breath. Keeping an eye on the environment and the giant spider that was seemingly taking its time, he shuffled a little closer to her to hear what she was saying.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m on a beach. Nice waves. Very warm beach. I¡¯m at the ocean¡­¡±


    Sam kept the chuckle in at hearing that and turned his attention to the very dramatic boss monster. For a moment, he considered unleashing their arsenal on the emerging monsters, but he honestly wasn¡¯t sure if it would cause the gathered smaller spiders to give up on spectating and rush at them like a deadly tide of arthropods.


    In his inherited memories, there were countless visions, of the original owner of said memories watching dungeon raid fails, where the teams went in all guns blazing and got obliterated for their troubles either by some hitherto unknown environmental hazards or those monsters that were deemed set pieces by the players.


    Not wanting to chance it, he said nothing and watched as the giant spider emerged. Thankfully. it wasn¡¯t an Arachne, a monster with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a spider. They were famously crafty and hard to deal with as they commanded considerable magics, mostly favoring blood or shadow magic.


    The spider was enormous. It dwarfed them by a considerable margin, and worst of all, its eight eyes were full of malicious intelligence. And even worse, all blood-red colored eyes were directed at them, its pincers opening and closing with saliva dripping down from them. The moment the mucous liquid touched the dust-covered ground, it began to sizzle, demonstrating its acidic properties.


    For a second, they stared up at the giant monster, and Sam did not doubt that the others, with the possible exception of Katie, were questioning their life choices rather vehemently. Honestly, he had no arachnophobia, but the sight of a gigantic spider that could snack on school buses made something primal in the back of his mind quiver in fear. Fortunately, the inherited memories had inoculated him somewhat against the monsters of Magic Unbound, though it was definitely different seeing them in his mind and live. The developers definitely did a bang-on job with the graphical details.


    Then, as they were staring at each other, the gigantic spider reared up, its two frontal legs raising in the air along with its head, and let out an earth-shattering screech. The shield cast by Clarissa previously instantly shattered under the assault, dispersing in dim white motes around them. The healer, proving that she was indeed one of the best healers in the game (or would become) reacted with surprising speed. Buff after buff flew off her staff, enveloping the entire team. By the time the screech ended, their shields were at their previous levels.


    However, the unpleasantness didn¡¯t stop there. The moment the screech finished, several spiders high up began moving. At first, Sam was afraid they would be besieged by another wave of monsters, but then the smaller, but still considerably big spiders simply turned around and began firing sticky threads of silk all around the chamber. In a matter of moments, filling the area between them (and behind them) with an inescapable maze of sticky threads. No doubt, a tactic used many times to hinder their next meal, while their queen leisurely hunted. This was confirmed when he looked back at the enormous monster and could see the anticipation of the hunt in those eyes that were closer to rubies made of blood than biological matter.


    Luckily, Sam had a plan. It was not a smart plan, but undoubtedly it would look extremely cool.


    Hopefully¡­


    Smirking to himself, he turned to Katie. ¡°Use your greatsword as a springboard, launch me, then all of you follow.¡± Doing a simple stretch, keeping an eye on the monster that was waiting for them to move, more than likely waiting for them to get stuck in the threads, he continued to give out commands. ¡°Dan, just nuke everything that has more legs than two and Clarissa, keep them alive!¡±


    Not even waiting for acknowledgment, he took a running start, right at Katie. The young woman looked at him with bewilderment for a fraction of a second, then she moved with speed and brought up her sword, showing the flat side of the jagged blade toward him.


    He jumped toward her, his feet landing squarely on the blade, and the girl let out a giggle and swung the sword as if she was swinging a baseball bat, launching Sam toward the enormous spider up in the air, his speed boosted by his Wind Movement skill.


    Sam flew through the air, straight towards the spider queen, and for a moment activated his Discernment skill and took the monster all in.


    His multitude of skills related to mana, and his own competence with mana control, allowed Sam to gauge the mana level in that precious second while he was in the air.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    The monster was, well monstrous. Both in strength and mana. It lived up to its title of dungeon boss. However, he could also see its weaknesses. He smiled, satisfied, and the moment he touched the first thread, he activated one of the skills that he had been wanting to try.


    ¡°Wind Blade Storm!¡±


    Instantly, a maelstrom of blades appeared around him, shredding the threads crisscrossing the cavern, as he continued flying toward his goal. As he reached out and grabbed hold of the magic of the spell and kept it running, making sure that the rest of the team had enough space to follow him.


    The spider had a moment to realize what happened before Sam, still surrounded by the swirling blades of wind, slammed into its face.


    It let out another screech, reared up, and Sam had to sink his blade into the carapace of the monster to hang on.


    The rest of the team followed after him, with Dan blasting fire everywhere and Katie slashing at anything that tried to get close to them, with Clarissa in the middle of the two, clutching her staff.


    Sam held onto his sword as the spider thrashed under him, smashing its enormous legs into the ground, shaking the cavern with each impact while using its front legs to strike at his teammates.


    Sam took in the situation and made a hasty decision. Instead of staying on the beast¡¯s back, he swung his body around, planting his feet on the carapace, and launched himself away while at the same time taking his sword out, leaving a gaping wound on the spider¡¯s carapace.


    As he fell back, he came to the same level as its eyes, literally seeing his own reflection in them. He gave the beast a cheeky smile and a salute, then with all his strength, unleashed a Wind Drill at those same eyes.


    The next few moments were a little confusing as apparently, the enormous spider reflexively swatted him out of the air with the help of one of its legs, sending him straight down to the ground.


    For a long moment, he just lay there, obscured by a cloud of dust, and could do nothing but groan. The attack smashed through all of his shields, both his own and the ones Clarissa has cast on him. More than likely, without those, he would have been turned into a fine bloody mist upon impact. Instead, he just hurt all over.


    Then he was blinded by a blast of light, and the aches vanished.


    Following that, a hand grabbed him and he was pulled up with surprising speed, only to come to face to face with the dust and sweat-covered muscle-bound chest of Dan.


    ¡°You good?¡±


    He let out a grunt, that any other time would have been a yes. Dan nodded and turned away, unleashing another gout of flame at several car-sized spiders that were rushing at them.


    Sam shook his head, and used Healing Wind on himself, futilely trying to chase the cobwebs from his mind, then he was blasted by another white light, and everything became a little clearer. Sending a thankful look at Clarissa, he refocused his attention on the battle.


    Dan was, at the moment, successfully keeping the smaller monsters at bay, while Katie was slashing away at the spider queen.


    The monster was staggering a little with one leg clawing at its face, from where a waterfall of blood was falling, as he had successfully taken out four of its monstrous eyes. Added to that, the hole he had left on its carapace was also leaking a foul black liquid that was its blood. With the other leg, it was attempting to squash Katie, who was slowly chipping away at it.


    ¡°We need to do something!¡± yelled Clarissa next to him, as she sent another spell at Dan, protecting him from a spurt of acid that one spider managed to let loose before being roasted. ¡°There are too many of them!¡±


    Sam looked around and nodded. He spent a few seconds channeling mana into his Mana Shield, replenishing the first layer just to be sure, and then glanced at his sword and the monster that was slowly working through the pain of its eyes being destroyed.


    ¡°Buff me!¡±


    Instantly, he was enveloped with several lights, and he could feel himself become lighter and stronger.


    ¡°I¡¯m at half!¡± Clarissa yelled again as she instantly returned to bathing Dan and Katie in white light. ¡°You need to finish this fast!¡±


    Sam was about to answer when the spider queen let out another screech, though this time luckily it wasn¡¯t a sonic attack, and with it brought down its second leg that was used to claw away at its face down to the ground shaking up the dust and staggering them a little.


    Its remaining four eyes shone brilliantly with murder, and Sam was pretty sure they had managed to enrage it.


    He clicked his tongue a little. A boss monster would need a much bigger team to fight against. One team to hold back the add-ons, one to tank, and one to deal with the damage. They had only survived so far thanks to Clarissa¡¯s talent, Dan¡¯s bloodymindedness and Katie being batshit insane.


    Sam took a deep breath and began circling mana, preparing for a deciding strike. He took the mana and slowly began to infuse his sword with it. First, he reinforced the structure, then he coated it from the outside, then simply began creating more and more layers on it, shaping it into a much bigger sword. When it became the same size as he was, he maintained it, then began channeling wind-natured mana into it. He created an edge, then another edge, until he had seven edges layered on one another.


    Then, with a giant effort, he switched from wind-natured mana to shadow-natured mana and weaved it through the entire construct, causing it to become wispy as if it was barely there. To him it felt like an eternity, getting together the entire construct, while to the others it looked like from one second to another a giant shadowy wind sword exploded into existence around Moonlight.


    Sweating with the effort of holding the entire thing together, he exclaimed. ¡°Lucky, help Dan!¡±


    Instantly, there was a howl, and Lucky basically exploded from Dan¡¯s shadow, smashing several spiders that were about to skewer the guy from behind. The muscled guy sent Sam a thumbs-up and then returned, sending waves of white-hot flames at the spiders while Lucky began to rampage between the rushing monsters. His powerful claws, shining with gentle blue light, while also enveloped with wispy shadows, rent the giant spiders apart easily.


    Knowing that won them a little more time, he refocused on the giant spider queen whose attention was still being kept by Katie who was practically bathed in yellow jagged light, parrying the powerful blows from the spider legs, and slashing apart every shot of spider thread that attempted to pin her down.


    She just laughed into its slobbering face.


    Though Sam could feel through his Mana Sense that while she was obviously enjoying herself, she couldn¡¯t keep this up forever. In a while, her berserker skills would give out, and then the penalties would make sure that she would be smashed to bits by the enraged spider boss.


    Throwing a glance at the construct, he nodded slightly and turned to Clarissa.


    ¡°I¡¯m going! Be careful!¡± He yelled over the sound of spider screeching and spiders being roasted. Clarissa gave him a nod, while continually sending out healing spells.


    He turned his attention to the monster and took another deep breath.


    ¡®I can do this!¡¯


    Then he took a step forward, then another, and began winding up his Wind Movement skill.


    Another step and then another and finally he broke into a sprint, aided by the skill.


    Then, before he could lose his control over the entire construct he built up, he activated Shadow Burst, letting the shadow-natured mana infuse his entire being, and with a mighty push, he launched himself forward and up... straight at the face of the spider, covered in black ichor, radiating its murderous intent.

 Chapter 80

    Once again, he was in a position to stare directly into the monster¡¯s eyes. They were rather diminished and covered with a fine layer of dark ichor, but the cruel intentions shone through it with excellent clarity. It promised unending pain as its fangs opened up to show that inside its mouth were several rows of dangerously sharp teeth ready to tear him up.


    Thankfully, he had a plan.


    The moment the sharp fangs would have closed in on his body, flying at impressive speeds, infused with both wind-natured and shadow-natured mana hefting the giant mana construct right at the salivating monster¡¯s face.


    Seeing his own multifaceted reflection in the balefully staring ruby-red eyes, Sam smiled and activated a power that he hadn¡¯t found much use for yet.


    ¡®Shadow Transformation!¡¯


    Instantly, his entire body turned into a shadow, simply phasing through the monster¡¯s rather surprised face. However, thankfully, the spell only affected his body and left the giant mana construct around his sword alone. Maybe an oversight, maybe not, but he intended to make use of it.


    His sword cut through the enormous spider¡¯s face, slowing his speed considerably as the thick carapace gave away under the enhanced strength of his magical sword.


    Ichor and flesh flew everywhere, mixed in with shards of the carapace as his sword cut through all material.


    That lasted almost a second before the enormous size of the monster slowed him to a stop, his sword stuck in the body while the monster¡¯s head was looking in two different directions. Thinking quickly, he took a stronger hold of the mana that made up the sword and, with a brief twist in the structure he directed the entire thing to be explosively released at the tip of the blade.


    The same moment the energy was released, shooting a rather sizable hole through the monster¡¯s body, he wrenched the sword free, canceled the Shadow Transformation skill, and let himself fall to the ground, landing on the ground and splashing in the disgusting mud mixture of perpetual dust and corpse liquids.


    Scowling in disgust, he looked up, just in time to see a giant organ, its purpose unknown to him, falling toward his face.


    Without a word, he launched himself backward with a small helping of a gust of wind, landing right in front of the teetering monster, dodging the falling organ only by a second as it landed with a great splash on the ground.


    The giant spider, with its face cut in twain, teetered on its multitude of legs, twitching every which way, but it was pretty clear to his magical senses that it was dead. And the only question was: when would it realize it?


    Seemingly sensing the destruction of their queen, the smaller spiders roared and chittered in anger, and Sam saw them rushing toward them with renewed vigor.


    ¡°On me!¡± he exclaimed as loud as possible, calling the others to him.


    <hr>


    The next minute or so was spent frantically fighting the onrushing monsters as the giant spider queen drunkenly staggered over to them, either crushing careless spiders or causing the team to dodge around the giant legs.


    Dan was busy keeping a constant circle of flame going around them, while simultaneously sniping down a few spiders that decided that getting to high ground and covering the team with sticky thread would be a great idea.


    Katie was like a blender, surprisingly joined by Lucky, rotating around their small group. She went in a clockwise direction while Lucky went in the opposite direction, cutting up any spider that survived the flames and still decided to attack them.


    Clarissa was busy in the middle, flinging buffs and heals constantly, the gentle white light seemingly falling onto them without end.


    Sam used his control over the wind to fan the flames, having it lash out at daring or particularly stupid spiders while unleashing a constant stream of Wind Flurries, all the while keeping up a Wind Blade Storm.


    He also made sure to keep an eye, with his Mana Sense, on the corpse above them, as it slowly leaked the mana that kept it alive.


    After some time passed, he noticed an abrupt change in the corpse above them.


    ¡°Get to the entrance!¡± he yelled.


    The team didn¡¯t argue, instead as one, they began slowly walking towards the entrance corridor from where they entered the cavern. Sam didn¡¯t really need to get there, only to get away from the corpse, as he had sensed the last vestiges of mana leaving the deathly legs of the spider.


    CRACK!


    They were only a few dozen yards away from the half-dead corpse when they all heard a disgusting crack sound behind them. The team turned around as one, and surprisingly the spiders besieging them also stopped as if the moment deserved all of their attention.


    One of the legs of the spider queen, after losing the mana that reinforced it, gave up, no longer capable of supporting the weight of the giant spider monster. As the broken leg fell, the boss¡¯s body tilted forward and also began to fall to the ground.


    The moment the first part of the broken leg reached the gruesome mud on the ground, the frozen spider monsters let out a simple shriek, turned around, and fled wherever they could. It was pure chaos, with the bigger spiders crushing or even picking up and snacking on the smaller ones.


    It strongly suggested that they only worked together under the direction of the boss monster.


    Not even a full second later, the main body followed the broken leg, landing with a giant thud that shook not just the ground they were standing on but the entire tree. Sam even felt the environmental mana shaking with some kind of emotion, but he couldn¡¯t really pinpoint which emotion it was. Though based on all the evidence, he had a pretty good guess¡­


    For an entire minute, they maintained their spells, with Katie and Lucky running around, killing some of the stragglers that were too wounded or too lost in rage to flee.


    Finally, after sweeping through the area with his senses, he gave the command.


    ¡°Stand down!¡±


    Instantly, Dan collapsed to the ground, with Clarissa following him, heedless of the mud, dirt, and other disgusting materials that littered the floor. Sam took a moment to raise a simple earth wall that was wide enough to sit on and plopped down on it, exhausted. Lucky soon joined him, laying on his legs, panting with a happy grin on his face.


    They stayed like that for a while, just silently looking around and each other.


    After a minute, all of them flinched as a notification screen showed up with a loud ding sound.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Sam smiled at the others as they excitedly began checking their own screen, then started looking over his own.


    [Congratulations! You and your team killed the Gigantic Spider Overlady, the cancer that infested this most magical tree!]


    [You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You are now Level 38!]


    [Gained 2 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Gained 1 VIT for surviving something not many would survive!]


    Sam smirked a little, happy to see that all of his stats, except for Luck, reached 20. With that, he would be ready for a quest that would be another windfall that other players would find too late to profit from. ¡®At least, there are some positives to this isekai thing¡­¡¯ he mused as he added the other two points to AGI and MAG. Now that he had the basic foundation down, he could begin to specialize a bit.


    Which meant mana and speed.


    Conspicuously, there was no mention of the quest or finishing the dungeon. Though, he slightly expected it. Sam stood up, dusted his pants, and then walked up to the corpse of the giant monster that lay there like some kind of macabre hill. He could have sworn that some of the legs twitched a few times.


    He stared at the gigantic corpse for a few moments before laying one hand gently on one of the ¡®clean¡¯ patches of the carapace. The moment he touched the coarse material, there was a brief pulse of magic and the boss¡¯s body began to glow gently, and just like the monsters before in the dungeon, it began to flake off into light particles, starting from its legs.


    Sam watched, slightly mesmerized, as the giant carcass vanished in a brief shower of light particles, leaving behind a veritable pile of loot.


    The ¡®least¡¯ valuable were the monster materials, like carapace parts, fangs, bundles of raw threads, and even spider hair stalks. Around them were ores of gold and, from what he saw, silver. Dungeons in Magic Unbound didn¡¯t really drop currency as how would the very fabric of dimensions know what currency was, thus instead dungeons provided raw ore. Though, in truth, it was just the developers¡¯ way to slow down the devaluation of the currency, as it cost money to create gold coins from gold ore.


    And inevitably, the taxes.


    Following those was the important loot. Another few bundles of Phantasmal Spider Silks, granting them enough that they would be able to craft something for everybody on the team, and then some.


    There were four books, based on the mana in them, they were skill books in the pile, and Sam didn¡¯t even hesitate to pick them up.


    There was a Shadow Cloud book, which showed how to conjure a cloud made of shadows, more than likely for him. A Spider¡¯s Grace book, which increased the Agility of the user, probably for Katie. The next one was Baleful Fire, a fire spell with rather corrosive properties, which naturally went to Dan. Finally a gorgeous skill book, its white color shining and accented by silver trimmings. The skill book, Cleansing Light, was a very good AoE skill that, well, cleansed people of corruption. Smiling happily, he turned to Clarissa and threw the book at her.


    Automatically, she snatched it out of the air, and when she took a look at the title, she could only gape.


    Sam could understand that, even now, at the beginning of the game, there were several spells that gained notoriety. And among the healers, it was Cleansing Light. It was an area -affect spell that cleansed corruption one of the most common debuffs, and moreover, the spell was simple and cheap to cast. Also, thanks to the spell''s rarity (the healer guilds and other organisations that could teach the skill were rather stingy with it), the sub skill options, some of which were OP, were not widely known.


    While the others learned the spells, he also placed his hand on the cover of the skill book and absorbed it.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve learned Shadow Cloud!]


    [Shadow Cloud: Level 0/20 (0%) (Active) Allows you to conjure a cloud made of shadows. The cloud obstructs the view of anyone that wants to look through it.]


    [Thanks to your effort with shadow-natured mana, you gained the skill Shadow Affinity!]


    [Shadow Affinity: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) You have a good affinity with the shadows. Beings born of the shadows will be more favorable to you. The cost of the Shadow-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level.]


    He saw that he had a few more notifications, but there was something else they needed to do. Sam picked up the few pieces of equipment: a dagger, a shield, and a spear from the remaining pile, shoved them into his inventory, and turned to the others, who were still intently staring at their screens.


    ¡°We need to move. The quest is not done!¡± he exclaimed softly and the others, broken from their reverie, looked at him seriously.


    ¡°What do we need to do?¡± asked Dan, as he picked up his club from the ground and swung it a few times as if feeling its weight after his inevitable level up.


    ¡°Per the quest, we need to find a way to close down the portal,¡± he explained while simultaneously activating his Mana Sense. ¡°Probably some artifact or glowing thingy.¡±


    Katie immediately perked up at hearing that.


    Sam just glared at her. ¡°No touching glowing things. Only poke. With a stick! Understand?¡±


    The poor girl seemingly melted under his stern gaze and her little familiar glared at him with unsettling eyes.


    ¡°Anyway, spread out and look for anything that doesn¡¯t belong to the nest of a murderous giant spider!¡± he declared and instantly began moving, trying to feel the minute differences in the environmental mana, hoping to pinpoint the item they were looking for.


    Clarissa sighed forlornly then with a great sigh stood up, and began sending out small pulses of white light as she walked around the muddy area. Katie simply began running around and using her sword to break stones and cut spider threads. Dan was, however, attempting the same thing Sam did, as in using his Mana to try to find whatever they were looking for.


    <hr>


    Eventually, Sam arrived in front of the giant sack made of spider silk, from which the giant spider emerged at the beginning of the fight, and with a grunt, unsheathed his sword and let loose a weak but rather big Wind Blade.


    The sack split into two, letting out a cloud of foul smell, originating from half-digested prey and who knows what. With a small application of wind mana, he sent the horrid smell away and bade the others to converge on him.


    A few seconds later, the four of them stood in front of a deluge of waste and animal remains soaked in some kind of corruptive liquid.


    Sam said only two words.


    ¡°Burn it!¡±


    Dan let out a disturbing giggle, reminding Sam of Katie, and summoned his now familiar white-hot flame and flung it at the gigantic pile of filth in front of them.


    Sam instantly had to weave a simple wind curtain in front of them to prevent the smoke and smell from reaching them. And within a minute or two nothing remained from the giant sack that was the home of the late spider queen. Instead, they were greeted with a small globe of weakly pulsating green crystal that was crisscrossed with cracks shining with the same technicolor light that they saw when the Fracture happened.


    It hung from the ceiling via weak-looking roots as if it was a simple fruit.


    Though based on the feeling he got from his Mana Sense, it was anything but that.


    Scowling a little, he raised his sword, ran neutral mana, then wind and shadow-natured mana through it in equal amounts, and without saying anything he swung his sword.


    The moment the blade came into contact with the crystal, there was instantly an enormous release of energy, bathing them in multicolored light. Strangely, it had absolutely no effect on them. No damage, debuff (or buff) appeared.


    CRACK!


    Then the simple crack he made grew and in the blink of an eye, the crystal was in two pieces and they saw nothing more. The technicolor light spilling from the magical artifact intensified enough that they had to close their eyes.


    That lasted for a very long moment, with the explosion of the same light thundering in their ears, preventing them from hearing anything but their own wildly beating hearts.


    Then the moment was gone, and they found themselves in absolute silence.


    Which was naturally broken by a very familiar screech.


    Sam opened his eyes, blinking out the spots, and took in the situation.


    They were exactly where previously the now missing portal stood, with the giant tree behind them, and a very angry and hungry-looking wyvern in front of them. All around them, the same battle was still happening with groups of monsters clashing with desperate defenders.


    Then the giant tree glowed in a cheerful green and let out a nova of green light that washed over the battlefield, vaporizing smaller monsters and wounding bigger ones.


    Even the wyvern was blasted back a little, disorienting thus allowing Sam and his team to quickly read the new notification that popped up in front of them.


    [You¡¯ve completed the quest: Topping the tree!]


    [You managed to destroy the portal¡¯s anchor and freed the newly born tree spirit from its blight!]


    [You¡¯ve extensively bathed in the dimensional energies; you gained the skill Dimensional Mana Resistance!]


    [As a reward for completing the quest, you gain 10 levels in the skill!]


    [Return to the city of Ironwood to gain the rest of your rewards!]

 Chapter 81 - Interlude 7.1

    Honestly, opening a chain of stores that catered to the underworld should have been much harder. Apparently, they just had to steal the deeds for the locations or strong-arm people into giving them up. And seeing as the locations they were after were in the poorer parts of the town, nobody gave a toss about them taking over.


    Though some of his people heard a little murmur about people not liking it, in the end, nothing came out of it. They had the deeds, and every paper said they were the owners. Granted, the ownership was established through puppet companies and a few more financial trickeries, but they still owned it.


    And his investors were very happy. These places they were about to set up weren¡¯t just useful for in-game things, but they could be used to discuss business from the real world without people needing to leave their homes or hiding places.


    For his investors, this was a rather valuable function.


    Still, to be sure, they would be speaking in code to make sure that the company couldn¡¯t spy on them. The ToS prevented the company from releasing private information, but if it came to light that somebody planned or arranged some kind of criminal activity, the government could force the developers to give up that information. Thus, the secrecy.


    Dave was pretty happy with the situation. His guild was in charge of a small slice of the entire operation. It would have been better if he could have controlled the entire pie, but the people above him weren¡¯t the kind of people that would trust him with that.


    Even though it was a smaller slice, it would still generate enough money that their guild could function splendidly.


    He turned back from the window that showed him the entire city in the distance.


    Opening the door, his ever-loyal assistant stepped in and closed the door behind him.


    ¡°How is it going?¡±


    The man took out a ream of papers from his inventory, leafed through them for a moment, until he arrived at the correct one, then replied.


    ¡°Very well, sir. We got all the deeds, and the clean-up crew¡¯s progress is almost done.¡±


    ¡°What about the construction?¡±


    Here, his assistant grimaced a little.


    ¡°The architects are not a problem. We have several, but we haven¡¯t found an enchanter that would be¡­ amenable to our business proposition.¡±


    Dave clicked his tongue in annoyance. ¡®This means I will owe someone¡­¡¯


    ¡°Hit up our contact. I¡¯m sure someone has an enchanter in their employ that they would be willing to lend out¡­¡± he said with a sigh.


    His assistant made a note and then looked back up. ¡°That would increase the price¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you have a better idea?¡± he retorted, starting to get angry at the situation.


    ¡°No, sir,¡± his assistant answered with a hasty shake of their head.


    ¡°Good, then get to it¡­¡± he exclaimed, waving the man away. ¡°I need to plan for our next farming run.¡±


    <hr>


    Dave was standing before his desk, looking over the design documents of the planned expansions of the location owned by his guild, when the door to his office slammed open and one of his people, whose name he didn¡¯t know, rushed in, panic written in large on their face.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked, not pulling his hand away from his weapon.


    The guy, dressed in low-level armor, showing that he wasn¡¯t anybody important, panted for a few breaths, then shakily pointed at his window.


    ¡°T-the s-sky!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°T-the sky, sir! It¡¯s b-breaking!¡± came the out-of-breath answer.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± he whispered, then turned around (his hand still on his weapon) and looked up at the sky with a doubtful gaze.


    Then his mouth fell open as he beheld the giant fracture that bled rainbow.


    For a long moment, he just stared at it, then his minion¡¯s voice broke him out of his reverie.


    ¡°Sir, what should we do? There is a monster wave heading for the city!¡±


    He recoiled as if slapped and whipped around to look at the man.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, there is a monster wave heading toward the city? It is, uhm, led by a wyvern.¡±


    Dave stared at the guy unblinkingly, then grinned.


    ¡°Excellent! Call in everybody!¡±


    The unnamed mook blinked at him in surprise, then nodded nervously.


    ¡°Everyone?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you fool!¡± he yelled. ¡°Just go and do what I told you to do!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± the guy executed a sloppy salute, then awkwardly aborted it halfway then scurried out of the room.


    Dave turned back to the window, slamming it open and staring unabashedly at the giant hole in the sky with a grin on his face.


    ¡®A perfect opportunity comes to those who wait!¡¯ his grin widened, and Dave stepped away from the window and began picking up his armor that he divested himself of for comfort.


    This was the perfect opportunity for something that had been in the plans for a while. While they couldn¡¯t attack Heavenly Forest or the AFK company straight on, due to the protection provided by the Silvercrest family, and the attention it would bring upon them didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t prepare for it.


    They went around and collected information about the workers, cased the joints, and amassed as much information as possible about the company and those who created it.


    Solar would be probably impossible to ambush, but the admins, on the other hand¡­


    ¡®We will see who will laugh at last!¡¯ he chortled to himself as he finished strapping his armor up.


    This entire event would provide the perfect cover for a little¡­ economic adjustment.


    One team for the main headquarters of AFK, seemingly to smash the place apart with the intention of distracting people, so that an infiltration team could get in and get away with some documents.


    Another team, headed by himself, to the Silvercrest manor, to show those NPCs what the results of supporting those people would be. Their ultimate goal was to kill the Lord as that would basically destroy all support for the AFK company, but he knew, based on the information they gained that it wouldn¡¯t be the easiest.


    Thankfully, thanks to the event, everybody would be distracted, so the defenses at both the company headquarters and the manor would be lower than usual.


    ¡®It will be child¡¯s play¡­¡¯ he mused happily while picking up his halberd, worth probably more than several smaller guilds.


    <hr>


    Dave stared up at the approaching Lord in horror as he lay on the ground, both of his legs mangled.


    ¡®Where the fuck did it go wrong?¡¯


    They arrived in total secrecy, ignoring the chaos unfolding around them as the people eager to fight against the monster horde rushed towards the walls, while the scared masses huddled in alleyways or their homes.


    They advanced on the manor in total silence, covered in numerous concealing spells and artifacts.


    In the end, it was all for naught.


    The moment they stepped over some kind of imaginary line, but probably a line where the protective wards began, their spells were stripped away and their artifact fizzled out, revealing them to the grimly watching guards on the walls.


    After that it was a desperate battle, trying to get through the amassing guards who fought stone-faced. And for a while, Dave could even believe that they would succeed.


    However, that was the moment when the Lord decided to show up.


    He was wearing proper armor, fitted to his giant body, wielding some kind of elaborate gauntlet, covered in artwork, and most importantly, spikes. A lot of spikes.


    Their attack almost instantly collapsed as the Lord flew around the battlefield, taking care of the people with a few punches or kicks, until he arrived at Dave.


    Naturally, he was prepared to fight, raising his halberd and activating all his skills with a quiet murmur, but sadly, it wasn¡¯t meant to be.


    The Lord simply slapped away his charge, removing the weapon from his grip, then with a contemptuous kick that almost assuredly broke his leg, sent him flying. He landed in an ungraceful heap on the cold stone walkways.


    Dave tried to scoot backward, but thanks to the failed skills and the potent kick, he was crippled. He could barely move his head.


    He looked up at the lord of the Silvercrest manor, how his armor still gleamed, not even a speck of dust or drop of blood on it, and swallowed heavily.


    The older man looked down at him, his face as if carved from stone, but Dave could see that his eyes were radiating fury.


    Before the man raised his leg and crushed his head like an overripe tomato, there was only one thought running through Dave¡¯s head.


    ¡®It seems we underestimated his strength¡­¡¯


    A second later, he found himself in a black space with a giant notification in front of him.


    [You have died.]


    [Revive?]


    [Yes] [No]


    He stared at the screen for a while, then sighed. ¡®I hope at least the other team had better luck¡­¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    Sylvia watched from the upper floor window as her darling husband took care of their enemies, no doubt financed by some foolish noble intending to use the current event to strike at their family.


    Fools the lot of them.


    As if they wouldn¡¯t be prepared against attacks like that. Even before young Samuel¡¯s warnings.


    ¡®That young man is rather talented¡­¡¯ she mused as she confirmed that the leader was down and her lovely husband sent her a thumbs up. ¡®Pity, his way of life would lead him away from our city, otherwise, he would have been an excellent match for young Lucrecia¡­¡¯


    She turned away from the window and, with measured steps, followed by her guards and maids, headed for the office.


    The city was under attack, and as one of the major families, it was their duty to aid the city of Ironwood in repelling the attack.


    ¡®No doubt, Samuel is out there in the thick of things¡­¡¯ she thought humorously, though her face was showing no emotion. ¡®Thankfully, he managed to warn us, so we were able to prepare.¡¯


    One of the maids opened the door before her, and she stepped through gracefully, coming face to face with her armored husband.


    He gave her a loving look, then he turned serious.


    ¡°Are we ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes, husband,¡± she answered with a small smile of her own. ¡°We are ready.¡±


    The face that the man made upon hearing those words proved once again why she fell in love with him.


    <hr>


    Lucrecia sat in her room, looking out at the city as it seethed in chaos as the giant monster horde approached the walls.


    She could see the flashes of light as the people fought against the monsters, while the cracks high up in the sky bled rainbow-colored light and the giant tree glowed with sickly green light.


    When it began, she wanted to be out there helping people, but her traitorous mother nixed the idea almost immediately.


    Even though she felt horrible that her spy network couldn¡¯t see this entire apocalypse-like event coming. And worst of all, she was pretty sure that her knight was out there in the thick of things.


    She hugged Fortuna to herself closer, the little shadow wolf worming into her embrace, providing a calming light, then with a great effort wrenched her attention from the battle that she couldn¡¯t affect to her room.


    Taking a quick look, she stood up and nodded.


    ¡®I can do this!¡¯


    With Fortuna following her, its adorable tongue lolling out in excitement, Lucrecia marched to the office where she knew her parents would be preparing.


    Dramatically opening the door, while giving the giggling maids a gimlet glare, she exclaimed.


    ¡°Mother, Father! I want to help!¡±


    Her parents looked at each other, silently communicating which always drove her up the wall, then her beautiful mother smiled.


    ¡°Of course, honey¡­¡±


    Nodding regally, she danced deep in her mind, a victory dance designed just for situations like this.


    ¡®Score! I can prove my love to my knight!¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    After Sam left the workshop, Liz was left alone with her thoughts.


    She watched for a little while as her little helpers flew around, examining things and just generally buzzing around adorably. In front of her was a list of things that he wanted from her, ranging from some rather innocuous things to giant weapons of mass destruction.


    Though, thankfully, her contract stipulated that she could say no to the latter ones.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Even so, it was rather unbelievable that she got a contract like this. Honestly, with it, and the move from her home city, she felt like it was all a dream, ready to crash down around her any moment.


    She was broken out of her disbelief when a notification popped up in front of her.


    [Congratulations! You acquired your own workshop.]


    [Any work done in your own workshop is currently 10% more efficient and the resulting products¡¯ quality is 10% better. Raising your crafting level and getting more familiar with the workshop will increase these numbers!]


    Reading the text, she was finally fully broken out of her stupor. Liz jumped up and exclaimed.


    ¡°All right! I¡¯m out of that stupid city! I¡¯m away from my mother! I have a pretty cushy job! Let¡¯s do this!¡±


    Nobody answered her, but she didn¡¯t mind.


    With a familiar flick of her wrist, she summoned her drones back from where they were idling. They flew back to her, buzzing at her cheerfully before they began to hover curiously, ready for her commands.


    She chuckled a little, then began pulling out the tools and material from her inventory.


    ¡°Come on, guys! Let¡¯s make this workshop our own!¡±


    <hr>


    Soon after Liz got more familiar with the workshop, which included crafting several tools and equipment that needed a space that just wasn¡¯t available in the previous workshops, she heard the knock.


    Bidding one of her drones to open the door, soon she was met by the severe visage of Lucy¡¯s secretary, standing there, in her arms, a ream of documents.


    ¡°Good day, ma¡¯am,¡± the older woman greeted her with a small, but respectable bow.


    ¡°Er, good day,¡± she returned the greeting hesitantly, wondering what the woman wanted.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to deliver the list of specification requirements for the items the company will need, as well as to answer any questions you may have,¡± after saying that, she took the documents and placed them on the desk closest to the door that miraculously had some free space.


    For a long while, she sat there, staring at the woman, surrounded by practically brand-new tools and heaps of materials standing in the corners, not knowing what to say.


    Finally, she managed to squeak out a simple question.


    ¡°Is this really all for me?¡±


    The secretary gave her a scrutinizing look, then smiled.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Really? Isn¡¯t this a little too much?¡±


    The woman shook her head. ¡°In the grand scheme of things, this is a drop in the bucket of our budget,¡± she paused a little and her smile widened a little. ¡°And if your performance is just as good as expected, then it will increase further.¡±


    Liz had nothing to say to that. Instead, she continued to sit there in her stupor, once again stunned by her changed circumstances.


    The woman tastefully ignored her astonishment and continued her explanation.


    ¡°The team to help with your work is being put together as we speak, but it will take some time as the Director has to finish going over their backgrounds. When that is done, the team will assist with everything you need. You will be working independently from the company, so you don¡¯t have to worry about much. As long as you finish the commissions we set up, you may do as you wish.¡±


    Liz nodded dumbly, barely capable of imagining how much money she would be making as she took in the words.


    The secretary smiled again. ¡°Now allow me to explain a few things in these documents¡­¡± she stated, indicating at the documents on the desk.


    Liz discarded all her previous nervousness, happy to concentrate on something that she actually understood.


    ¡°I¡¯m all ears¡­¡±


    <hr>


    After the secretary left, she spent some time puttering around, arranging things as well, and beginning the preparations for building those things that the company requested from her.


    Then she realized she hadn¡¯t streamed in a while. A little panicky, she made sure her makeup was acceptable, and then that there wasn¡¯t anything identifiable in the background that would allow people to figure out where she was and clicked on the streaming icon.


    She waited until the live signal flashed red, and the first people showed up.


    ¡°Hello everybody! This is SummerRose reporting that I¡¯m still alive!¡± she began with a smile on her face. The camera was only showing her face, and the background was blurry.


    ¡°You may be wondering why I was silent in the last few days!¡± She waited a few seconds for dramatic tension, then continued. ¡°Well wait no longer, because I¡¯m here with very exciting news!¡±


    She zoomed out with the camera, now the screen showing the workshop behind her, the drones flying around arranging the last few things.


    ¡°I got my own workshop! And you know what this means, right?¡±


    She read the excited chat for a few seconds then took up a pose and exclaimed.


    ¡°MORE SCIENCE! MWAHAHAHAHAH!¡±


    The chat predictably went insane.


    <hr>


    After appeasing her fans, she turned her attention towards the commissions that the company wanted her to complete.


    Going over the documents, she saw all sorts of things, from the very mundane (light system) to the ludicrous, like deployable autonomous turrets.


    Staring at the specification requirements, she began mentally putting together the item, but in the end, she shook her head. ¡®No, Liz, start small. Don¡¯t be greedy!¡¯


    Picking up the documents detailing the requirements of the light system for the Heavenly Forest, all holdings of the company, she sat down and began working.


    Might as well make some money¡­


    <hr>


    When the fighting started, she simply put down her tools and began putting on her armor, her now upgraded helpers assisting her.


    After the armor came the weapons, with one new pistol and her current pride and joy, a very powerful sniper rifle.


    Thankfully, before Magic Unbound, she played several games where she acted as the sniper, so Liz could state that she was moderately competent at handling the weapon.


    She left the workshop and the building with haste, and as soon as she was far enough, once again so that people couldn¡¯t identify the location, she turned on the streaming.


    A minute later, she smiled and exclaimed.


    ¡°Welcome, everybody! Today we will see if I can surpass my sniper record!¡±


    She hefted the sniper rifle on her shoulder and began running towards the battle, ready to deal some damage. And look good¡­


    <hr><hr>


    The bleeding sky was a surprise to Stephen, not so much the monster wave. After all, it was a rather basic first event for fantasy games. So, after the initial panic died down, he gathered up the leaders in the courtyard.


    The rest of the people were staying a little farther away, but still preparing for the fight.


    ¡°Alright, what do we know?¡± he asked while running his hand through Slathy¡¯s fur to calm himself down.


    It was AzureTiger who spoke up; her flying octopus perching on her head. ¡°Monster horde. Our walls are not strong enough.¡±


    Everyone grimaced, but she continued.


    ¡°However, the majority of the monsters are headed for Ironwood, so we don¡¯t have that big of a problem.¡±


    ¡°Estimation about our chances.¡±


    She looked back at him, with the deadpan look that all of them got used to in the last few weeks.


    ¡°We gonna die.¡±


    It took a few minutes to get the room back in order.


    Stephen finally resorted to clapping loudly.


    ¡°Hey! Calm down! I have a plan?¡± He actually didn¡¯t have a plan, but he hoped he would figure out one while talking.


    ¡°You do?¡±


    ¡°You have?¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡±


    Waiting for everyone to calm down, he furiously thought about the situation before arriving at a probable solution.


    ¡°All right, all right! Settle down! Here is my idea¡­¡± he spoke up, looking around at the people and animals waiting in front of him. He turned to AzureTiger.


    ¡°How much meat do we have in storage?¡±


    It took only a moment for the girl with the small stature to figure out his plan. His response was a mysterious look in the girl¡¯s eyes and a big nod.


    ¡°Enough.¡±


    Turning back to the others, he grinned victoriously.


    ¡°Great, so here is the plan¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Stephen sat on Slathy, next to them Kim was on her own bunny while the others were set up around the area. All of them holding bags filled with freshly butchered meat. Only those who had fast partners were present. The rest was back in Brightwood, preparing to defend it from the stragglers.


    In the distance, an enormous wave of monsters was heading towards them.


    He glanced at Kim, who seemed rather possessive of him after they left the courtyard, and smiled at her. She glared at him for a moment, then returned the smile.


    ¡®What have I done?¡¯ he wondered silently until finally chalking it up to mystery and refocusing his attention on the monsters.


    He raised a hand and readied his magic. Under him, Slathy wiggled menacingly, ready to run and tear.


    ¡°Ready!¡±


    Instantly, the talk ceased between people, and the weapons were unsheathed or retrieved from inventory. Countless magic spells appeared from the healers and other support people, while several other people began to cast spells that had long wind-up times.


    The monsters, meanwhile, were getting closer.


    ¡°Ready¡­¡±


    ¡°Steady¡­¡±


    He cast a last glance at his guild, proud of them for standing next to him, protecting their city against impossible odds, even though it was just a game, then looked back at the monsters, almost seeing the white of their eyes.


    ¡°Go!Go!Go!¡±


    And they were off, running in front of the monsters, the fire mages lighting the meat on fire, while the wind mages wafted the smell toward the monsters.


    Stephen was happy to see that the incoming horde instantly took a hard left turn, running straight after them.


    ¡°Success!¡± he exclaimed, pumping his hand up and down in celebration. Then he realized something rather important: they would have to survive this¡­


    <hr><hr>


    ¡®Well it seems, Sam was right. Again¡­¡¯


    She looked out of the window, straight at the gaping wound in reality. Then she used her clever little ravens to do the same, but sadly, the result was the same, no matter how many times she looked.


    One very ominous multicolored hole in the sky, and based on what some of her flyers saw, an enormous horde of monsters heading straight at them.


    Lucy closed her eyes, counted back from ten, then let out a sigh.


    They had prepared for this. They had the personnel and material. Sam was more than likely out there with the rest of his little crazy squad, stopping it. So, all she had to do was bunker down and make sure that Sam had a headquarters to return victoriously.


    Cracking her neck, she reached out and called out to her secretary.


    ¡°Code Vermilion!¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± came the immediate reply.


    A few seconds later, the entire building was abuzz with activity.


    The doors were locked and barred, and non-military personnel were directed to the bunkers hastily finished a few days ago, while the guards and a few mercenaries she had managed to hire were readying their weapons. Sarah was down with them, her giant hammer ready to strike at anybody trying anything foolish.


    And while Lucy wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of fighting or battles, she played enough virtual reality games to know the basics. And thanks to Sam, she had some rather good skills. So if worse comes to worst, she would be ready to act.


    Naturally, that was the exact moment when the building shook, as an explosion assaulted the entrance doors.


    Lucy sighed and retrieved a small but expertly crafted wand from her inventory.


    She rolled up the sleeves of her shirt, took out a hair tie, and put her hair into a ponytail, while power walking towards the door to her office.


    Her secretary was waiting there, dressed in basic armor, holding one of the holdout pistols she bought off Liz.


    Giving her an encouraging smile, she spoke up. ¡°Follow me!¡±


    <hr>


    The battle wasn¡¯t anything complicated.


    People dressed in all clich¨¦ as hell black clothing attacked, throwing all sorts of nasty things at them, while they tried to counter them.


    Thankfully, she spent enough money on the guards¡¯ equipment that the attackers could do nothing more after they broke the door (the weakest part of the defenses) than effortlessly flop against their defenses. The choke point was just too much for them to overcome.


    Finally, the attack was broken, when the mercenary team went around the group after she instructed them, and ambushed the attackers.


    Soon, they were all dead, and Lucy only had to direct the cleanup while the guards happily discussed the battle and how they hadn¡¯t died, thanks to the armor.


    Lucy ignored the notification about the guards¡¯ loyalty increasing. Instead, she focused on the surroundings, wary of another attack. And when nothing came, she finally relaxed. At least as much as one could relax knowing that there was an enormous amount of monsters just outside of the city walls, ready to devour them.


    <hr>


    A few minutes later, she was back in her office after having one of the NPCs take over the cleanup after a new door was fitted into the place of the old one and the building was once again secure.


    She made a note to have Liz magic up some better perimeter defense, or have Sam pull another rabbit out of his ludicrous hat, then turned to the patiently waiting secretary.


    ¡°Everything all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Director. Only a few wounds, but the potions took care of them.¡±


    ¡°The other holdings?¡±


    ¡°No report of aggression.¡±


    ¡°Good. What did they get away with?¡±


    Sharing a vicious smile with her secretary, she couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. It was really hard to pretend that she was interested in the battle at the front doors, while she watched a semi-competent team of infiltrators access their dummy document storage. As if she wasn¡¯t prepared for such things¡­


    ¡°I believe they stole the documents labeled with the logos of Heavenly Forest¡­¡± came the report from the other woman.


    ¡°Ho ho ho¡­¡± she laughed out loud. ¡°It¡¯s going to be an interesting reading¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Director,¡± came the laughing reply from the other side of the desk.


    They chortled to themselves a little, then the smile fell off Lucy¡¯s face.


    ¡°What about the battle?¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Damien kinda hated and loved Calon¡¯s Curse.


    It was a right bitch to get rid of it, but the end result was worth it so much!


    He toiled for days, darting from shadow to shadow, fearful of the sun, trying to complete quests for the circle with his reduced stats. Thankfully, his loyal friends came through and they made sure that somebody was always with him to prevent him from dying and getting something much worse than the curse.


    Then one fateful day, while he was in a cave, exterminating mushroom monsters for their spores that the circle¡¯s master wanted, a dark light appeared around him.


    At first, he was scared that he activated some kind of trap, but then a notification screen appeared and calmed him right down. His friend, from the other side of the cavern, looked up but he just waved him away, eagerly reading the appearing lines.


    [Calon appreciates dedication and loyalty above mental strength! You have proven you have what he needs, thus the Curse of Calon no longer affects you. Instead, to reward your dedication, Calon blesses you with his might. Go forth and share his message!]


    ¡®What is his message?¡¯ Damien wondered for a brief instant, but the next screen erased the thought from his head.


    [Calon¡¯s Blessing: You proved your dedication to your god. The blessing strengthens everything that Calon, and now you stand for. While blessed, every Dark-attributed spell or skill gains a level. Dark attacks, skills, and spells are 13% stronger. Successfully killing an enemy (depending on the strength of the enemy, their nature, and variety) grants you a stack of Calon¡¯s Bloodmark. Upon death, you lose all stacks and are afflicted by Calon¡¯s Curse for a day.]


    It was harsh, but the positives far outweighed the negatives.


    [Calon¡¯s Bloodmark: For every stack of this mark, you gain 1% in all stats.]


    It was a simple line, but he was all but frothing at the mouth at the possibilities. As a Death Knight, this was simply the best skill. Instantly, he turned towards the nearest disgusting mushroom creature and let loose a bolt of darkness. Half the body of the monster was vaporized, and he was happy to see that one Bloodmark appeared on his HUD.


    Grinning widely, he continued, letting out dark bolts of magic. However, to his disappointment, he didn¡¯t gain any more marks. ¡®Right, it said variety¡­¡¯


    He looked around, seeing if he could spot any more monsters, but aside from his friend, he couldn¡¯t see anything.


    ¡®It appears I need to go on a hunt¡­¡¯ he mused evilly, already imagining the untold destruction he would wreak on the world as soon as he acquired the ultimate power.


    <hr>


    They spent a long while just going around and hunting as many monsters as possible. However, that stopped when they were stopped by a group of PKers looking for easy targets. He gained ten stacks of Bloodmark from one guy! Ten! That was ten different monsters that they had to search for.


    Instantly, their group pivoted.


    They began hunting PK players.


    However, very soon those players wised up and fled or hid better. Even then, he managed to acquire almost a hundred stacks of the Bloodmark. Sadly, not all players gave a full ten, but even so, it was much faster than hunting monsters.


    Then Damien was called back to the circle. His master had a mission for him.


    For a short moment, he contemplated attacking the older man, confident that his raised stats would see him through, but the promise of more spells halted his hand.


    Instead, he listened to the mission and then accepted it.


    After all, what could go wrong?


    <hr>


    The monster tide was terrifying, but Damien persisted. He had a mission and he would complete it. He didn¡¯t want more time under Calon¡¯s curse.


    His instructions were simple: join the defense, kill as many monsters in the name of Calon as possible and, while he was there, arrange the death of a few select guardsmen.


    There was nothing hard about the first part as there were so many monsters that he didn¡¯t even need to aim, while gleefully watching as his Bloodmark tally grew with every new monster.


    The second part was a little harder.


    Thanks to his master, he knew which parts of the rampart he should position himself, but the how still eluded him.


    He was about to throw caution to the wind and just simply throw a bolt of mana at the back of one of his targets, when another NPC showed up at their part of the wall.


    They were dressed in greens and browns and were wearing a crown made of branches and a gnarled staff in their hand.


    ¡®Well if that¡¯s not a druid, then I¡¯m going to eat my hat¡­¡¯ he thought, then dismissed the NPC and refocused on the task at hand.


    Sadly, that prevented him from seeing the druid cast an area effect spell on all of them.


    The last thing he heard from the direction of the druid was a simple sentence.


    ¡°Accursed Calon¡¯s lackey! Perish!¡±


    Then nothing more¡­.


    <hr>


    Damien found himself in a black space, with a rather familiar notification.


    [You have died.]


    [You lost 349 Bloodmarks!]


    [You have been afflicted by Calon¡¯s Curse!]


    [Calon¡¯s Curse: You have been cursed by Calon for failure. Your¡­]


    ¡°Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake, not again!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°How is the event going?¡± he asked, sipping from his cup of fresh coffee. It was all hands on deck, with mandatory overtime, but he didn¡¯t mind. His daughter would have a rather nice addition to her university fund.


    One of the guys, surrounded by half a dozen screens, spoke up. ¡°Hardware is fine. Both on our side and on the customers¡¯ side.¡±


    Another joined. ¡°Coverage is at an all-time high. We are trending almost everywhere. The PR department is getting so many calls and emails we had to get another server online to hold them.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± He raised his cup to the people reporting and turned towards the silent ones. ¡°How about in-game?¡±


    ¡°Death toll around the expected numbers. We got a few angry complaints but nothing major, or serious.¡±


    ¡°No cities lost yet.¡±


    And so on continued, until he reached the last person, whose duty was to observe and report on things that they had flagged before they began the first major event.


    ¡°And how about you?¡±


    ¡°Err, all major flagged items are behaving within acceptable parameters, except¡­¡± she fell silent, nervously glancing up at her superior.


    He glanced down at the bespectacled woman and sighed. ¡°Let me guess¡­ it¡¯s him?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± came the nervous reply.


    He let out another sigh. Taking a fortifying sip of his drink, he couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°What did he do?¡±


    ¡°Team of four, plus the pet, against the Fracture Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°And let me guess¡­ They are in the lead?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, put it up on the big screen.¡±


    Instantly, the woman began clicking and one of the bigger screens decorating the far wall lit up with several views of a team tearing through a horde of giant spiders while all sorts of data and statistics showed on the edge of the screen.


    He walked up to it and watched for a while.


    ¡°Any cheating?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡±


    ¡°Good, then make sure to send a link to marketing. I want them to include it in the promo material.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Any new footage of Lucky?¡± he asked a little hopefully. He made the mistake of showing the picture of the shadow wolf to his adorable daughter, and she couldn¡¯t get enough of it.


    ¡°Not yet, sir. It seems he is holding the wolf back until the end.¡±


    ¡°Smart. Keep an eye on them and call me when they reach the boss. I want to see it live.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    <hr>


    Sometime later, the entire group was staring at the wall as the giant spider fell over, dead. He took another sip from his empty cup and spoke up.


    ¡°Well, that was one way to deal with that¡­¡±


    A few people were chuckling as they returned to their stations, and he walked back to the woman who dealt with flagged events.


    ¡°Did we get a recording?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Every angle was recorded.¡±


    ¡°Good, make sure marketing has it, and warn the compliance department for the incoming whining from the players¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir¡­¡±

 Chapter 81 - Interlude 7.2

    She sat in her perfectly maintained and orderly room, and looked out the pristine window, while calmly petting her cat, who was lazily laying in her lap, over her high-quality clothing.


    Releasing a sigh, she thought back to the game and the adventures she had.


    It was so much fun!


    She could do whatever she wanted! She could wear heavy armor that concealed all of her instead of delicate ruffles and satin dresses that accentuated her figure. She could say whatever she wanted, at any time, instead of watching her words and speaking softly in fear of offending someone¡¯s delicate sensibilities.


    It was heaven, compared to the gilded cage she was surrounded by.


    She was about to turn her focus back to the outside world that was so close, yet so far away, when she heard a delicate knock on the door. Releasing another sigh, she called out softly.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    The door didn¡¯t open, but she could still hear clearly the person on the other side. Once again proving that privacy, at least for her, in this house was only an illusion.


    ¡°Young Miss, it is time for supper.¡±


    ¡°I shall be right there,¡± she answered, and reluctantly put the dozing cat on the windowsill and stood up. She spent a few seconds making sure that her dress was without wrinkles, not wanting another lecture, and with purposeful, but still delicate, steps headed for the door.


    Opening the door, she was met by a stone-faced maid in a picture-perfect uniform.


    Neither of them said anything, but as soon as she began walking, the maid fell into steps behind her, escorting her to the dining room.


    After a few minutes of the silent journey, they arrived before a door, partially open from where the extremely delicious smells of the supper were wafting toward her. A lot could be said about her family, particularly about her father, but that he neglected to feed them was not something that could be mentioned.


    Ignoring the servants arrayed around the room, silently staring at them, she entered the room to behold the table, thankfully not a monstrosity straight out of a fantasy novel, but she knew it cost at least as much as some people¡¯s entire yearly salary.


    ¡®Not that it matters to us¡­¡¯ she thought bitterly.


    At the table sat her father and older brother. Her father, naturally, sat at the head of the table, dressed in comfortable, yet high-quality clothing, while her brother was wearing simple jeans and a shirt, along with a necklace that she made when she was small.


    The sight of that necklace almost brought a smile to her face, but she smothered it. After all, a lady didn¡¯t show her emotions. ¡®Not even to family¡­¡¯


    ¡°Daughter,¡± her father greeted her with a small incline of his head. Her brother, however, just gave her a closed-mouth smile.


    ¡°Father. Brother,¡± she responded softly, then as elegantly as possible took her seat.


    Soon, they were served all manner of scrumptious dishes and for a while, nothing else could be heard but the clinking of dinnerware and utensils and the occasional quiet request for a refill.


    Finally, they reached the part of the meal where all of them slowed down, ready to savor the final bites of the dinner. It was heartwarming for her to see despite being so different, all of them liked a good meal.


    She wished they would be able to enjoy them without all this pomp and circumstances, but alas, that was not her fate¡­


    At least, back in the game, she could eat with her friends, and none of them cared if she ate with manners or not. Though Lucy was a little cross with her after she had done that thing with noodles, but bleh, she always wanted to try it.


    It was not as good as they said it was.


    ¡°Katherine,¡± her father spoke up, and she looked at him with her best poker face.


    ¡°Yes, father?¡±


    ¡°How goes your progress in Magic Unbound?¡±


    Katie had to blink several times after hearing that particular question. She didn¡¯t know her father even knew what games were. Why would he be interested in her progress?


    ¡°Why, father?¡±


    Her father''s head tilted ever so slightly to the side and his eyes jumped to his brother then back at her.


    ¡°Your brother already founded a guild and they are becoming one of the major guilds around Deepanchor.¡±


    It took her a moment to place the city ¨C a coastal one mainly focused on trading, fishing, and privateering ¨C then answered.


    ¡°I¡¯m in Ironwood City currently. Why?¡±


    The older man carefully placed his fork down next to his plate, then refocused on her.


    ¡°This game is different, Katherine. According to my own research and the research my team did, this will change the world. Those who do not join soon enough will be left behind. I¡¯m not going to let my family fall behind. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, father,¡± she responded. Sam spoke about those things, but she only listened with half an ear. After all, she only played the game to get away from real life. It was rather depressing that real life would follow her there, too.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Good,¡± he said, then when he spoke next, the words were directed at both of them. ¡°Katherine, I want you to join your brother, and help him with the guild. What was the name?¡±


    ¡°Steel Lion, father,¡± came the calm reply from her brother.


    ¡°Good name,¡± he nodded, then turned once again toward Katie. ¡°I want you to join Steel Lions and help him lead it. Our company will support you financially and in any other way you need.¡±


    She blinked a few times, then opened her mouth only to close it.


    Her father, naturally, noticed it.


    ¡°What is it? Is there anything preventing you from joining?¡± The question came lightly, but she knew her father well enough to read between the lines and hear the implicit threat.


    Finally, she girded her loins and opened her mouth.


    ¡°I signed a contract with a company to be on their assault team.¡±


    Instantly, her brother snorted and began coughing while her father¡¯s eyes grew to a rather comical size.


    ¡°What?¡±


    <hr><hr>


    He closed the latest notebook that detailed his research into the magic of fire, and he couldn¡¯t help but be happy. It was a coincidence that he had met up with Sam, but he couldn¡¯t say he regretted it. His new secretive friend was a fountain of knowledge about the Magic Unbound¡¯s magic system.


    Dan had to admit, before having a long talk about the particulars with Sam, he considered the game as any other game, but that talk opened his eyes.


    He eyed his notebook, then with deliberate motions, he picked it up and put it into the small vault that was in every person¡¯s room at the university. Their security was guaranteed by the university itself and was there to protect their research and other notes. As of now, several people had managed to break them open, but none survived (metaphorically) the institute¡¯s retribution.


    It also contained his research into the application of plasma, while nowadays he always made sure to place his research on magic in there, too. The more he talked with Sam, the more convinced he was that the guy just knew more than anyone else.


    This was supported by the dearth of information on the forums. As far as he could find, nobody was talking about the things Sam talked about. Though Dan was pretty sure that if somebody else figured it out, then they were keeping it to themselves.


    He would have done the same. That was why he admired Sam. No doubt, the guy was keeping a ton of secrets, as people like him always did, but what he shared, he shared freely.


    After locking up his vault, he returned to his computer and checked his mail.


    ¡®Oh, my¡­ That is a lot of invitations¡­¡¯


    Apparently, everybody and their mother were starting a guild, and they wanted to recruit everybody from the university.


    He couldn¡¯t help but snort. As if he would give up his cushy contract with AFK. Just the base pay would guarantee, if he was smart with it, that as soon as he was finished with his dissertation, he would have enough to live on his own in relative comfort. Not to mention the bonuses and hazard pay¡­


    Hah!


    Hazard pay in a video game¡­ how ludicrous!


    That was his thought when he signed the contract, but now, after some time and seeing how the world reacted to the game, he felt that it was a rather smart choice.


    There were already horror stories of people on the forums, who found some kind of treasure, and their group or other groups simply hunted them down until they gave up said treasure. And during these hunts, those poor fools lost a lot of things.


    It was similar to other games, but because of the rather widespread inclusion of RMT, those losses directly translated into monetary losses, especially for people who invested their money into buying better equipment, skill books, or even information.


    Dan couldn¡¯t help but pity them, while at the same time being happy in his own situation.


    He needed a reagent? He just had to go to the HQ warehouse, sign out the item, and that¡¯s it.


    Needed information? He simply had to send a request to Lucy¡¯s secretary and an hour to a day later he had a dossier full of information in his room.


    It was glorious!


    Sadly, he couldn¡¯t exactly brag about it¡­


    Closing down the email client, he opened up the document, and with a deep sigh, returned to his dissertation.


    After seeing the flames dance on the palm of his hand, it was just not the same writing about the heat exchange ratios and magnetic containment fields¡­


    <hr><hr>


    Being a healer was a curse. In any game.


    Being a good healer? That was an even bigger curse.


    And being the best? It was positively the worst.


    Nobody wanted or liked playing healers, or at least the vast majority of people playing any game wanted to be on the front lines bashing away at monsters. Only a small percentage of the players played healers, and of those people, only a small percentage were happily playing it. Most only played it because their friends, groups, or guilds forced them.


    Sadly, Clarissa rather enjoyed playing a healer in any game. And that started her interest in medicine, though after seeing how soul-crushing and demanding the job was, she kept her interest at a strict hobbyist level while pivoting to making money from games.


    After all, everybody needed healing.


    And while her parents were rather disappointed in her choices, they changed their tune rather fast when she showed them her first earnings.


    Less stress, less studying, and enough money to live comfortably.


    Hell, she made enough to help with her sister¡¯s university fees.


    Then came Magic Unbound, touted to be a revolutionary game. At first, she just scoffed, as almost every new game started with that tagline, but in the end, her curiosity got the better of her.


    The absence of a strict class system worried her a little, as people could learn all the healing spells they needed, leaving her without a job, but when she actually began playing, her worry flew away rather fast.


    The spells and skills were so complicated to control at a higher level that there was no chance of somebody learning DPS skills while also mastering healing skills.


    Then she met that asshole.


    He only used wind and shadow magic, and his admittedly adorable murder machine that some would call a wolf, but based on the talks he had with Dan and her about magic and mana control, she was pretty sure that Sam could have mastered healing just as easily.


    It was rather shameful to listen to his lecture, then after they were finished for the day, return to her rented room in Ironwood (paid by the company) and practice what he had said. Her skills rose so fast that her mentor at the Healing Guild was amazed enough that it netted her a title.


    Which, according to the forums, were extremely rare, though rather useless in the grand scheme of things. Not hers.


    [Prodigious Healer: A healer is always ready to act and save lives. Decrease the cost of your healing spells by 5% and grants you the skill Hidden Reserve.]


    [Hidden Reserve: Level 0/100 (0%) (Active/Passive) This skill grants you a secondary mana reserve, which is always 50% of your maximum mana. It has the same mana regeneration rate as your own reserve, but you can actively channel mana into it to fill it up. Upon activation, the hidden reserve will continuously fill up your own, thus granting you extra mana to use.]


    It was, so to speak, overpowered. And she only got it thanks to that idiot¡¯s lectures.


    She didn¡¯t like to get close to groups she worked with, as in most cases, they rather quickly threw her aside when they achieved what they set out to do. Even in this game, she suffered under this curse as several groups hired her, and when the time came to pay up, they simply either laughed into her face or attacked her.


    Naturally, she took the contracts to the Healer Guilds and requested arbitration. Those poor fools would be paying for her equipment for a looong time.


    She put away her now-cleaned tools and headed to the door. The asshole called them for some kind of adventure, and she wanted to be there, as it was rather novel to be part of a team where her efforts were appreciated.


    Plus, spending time with Katie was always a joy. The girl may have been a bundle of madness, but she was nonetheless entertaining as hell.

 Chapter 82

    They didn¡¯t stay alone long, as in the next few seconds, several other teams, some bigger, some smaller than them began to show up around the area where the portal was.


    For a long moment, the wyvern just looked at them in confusion, no doubt wondering how the food multiplied while the people simply stared at each other.


    Then the realization set in and cries of anguish began to be heard.


    ¡°Oh, come on¡­ We were so close!¡±


    ¡°Damn it! I almost had it!¡±


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Who did it?¡±


    ¡°Who was faster than us?¡±


    Thankfully, nobody seemed to realize that Sam¡¯s team was the first out, but he was pretty sure some people took note of them.


    He made eye contact with the others, but before he could try to convey his very convoluted plan of getting the fuck out of the wyvern nest, said wyvern decided that it was hungry and wanted to eat the food that showed up.


    And it announced it with an awesome roar, shaking the ground and causing several people to collapse. Sam even saw a person simply collapse from the sonic attack. Though based on how much blood they were covered in, it wasn¡¯t surprising.


    Panic over the boss from the tree forgotten, everybody turned their eyes to the raging wyvern, realizing that there was an actual bag of experience and loot right in front of them. Sam saw how the people were eyeing each other, no doubt measuring the chances of getting a last hit on the boss, as well as the chances of picking up any loot.


    Apparently, they still haven¡¯t noticed that the monsters born from this Fracture don¡¯t give loot, or maybe they hoped that this one was different. After all, it was clearly some kind of boss monster.


    Sam knew better. While the guy in his memories started playing after the Fracture, the discussion about the event was still lively, and during his downtime, he liked to read them over and chortle about all the whining and crying people did.


    Turning his head around casually, he saw that all the groups were ready to jump and tear not just the wyvern apart but the other teams.


    Making use of the relative silence that was in the wyvern¡¯s lair, he casually raised his hands, palm facing outward, and took a step backward. His team was confused, but they still followed his lead.


    ¡°There are not enough of us, so we¡¯ll bow out! Good luck!¡±


    He could hear the others fidget behind him, but his eyes were on the leaders of the groups near them. One big group was filled with people dressed in black with green accents, Abyss Viper, a middling guild specializing in poisons on their left. On their right was a group, mostly dressed in plate mail, though Sam could see several mages and such. ¡®Steel Lions. Honorable, but foolish¡­¡¯ he thought as he beheld their symbol, a roaring silver lion on a blue background.


    The man in front of the Abyss Vipers scowled at him, then shrugged, and instantly his group scattered around the wyvern as it lowered its head, mouth opening for another roar.


    The man leading the Steel Lions, a tall guy with aristocratic features that simply radiated wealth and privilege, slowed their charge and gave Sam a short nod before accelerating towards the monster, with his group behind him brandishing their weapons.


    Sam and his team weren¡¯t close to the other groups, but by his count, there were at least half a dozen, maybe even more groups arrayed around the wyvern, ready to pounce on any shiny object.


    The wyvern, naturally, didn¡¯t take this lying down.


    It opened its maw and Sam felt the mana build up in its body before it transformed into something incredibly repugnant.


    He did an about-face and roared.


    ¡°Run! And don¡¯t stop!¡±


    His teammates recoiled, but they trusted him enough to follow his command, and they simply began to run towards one of the walls made of roots and bones, while behind them they could hear the great monster inhale, and then exhale.


    Sam instantly activated his Wind Blade Storm, surrounding the team in a small globe of wind, while behind him, he could hear the anguished scream of those who were affected by the putrid breath attack of the wyvern.


    ¡®I have a feeling that the Abyss Vipers are going to win this fight¡­¡¯ he mused as the green gas slammed into his protection. Thanks to the countless blades whirling around them, none of the gas reached them, but as he glanced back and saw how several people simply melted, he now understood why the nest was so empty¡­


    <hr>


    With the wyvern occupied, their escape from the area was rather easy.


    Sam simply used his Earth Wall spell to create a series of earth walls, each higher than the next one, and they simply ascended on it until they reached the barrier¡¯s top, and from then they were on the other side with a simple jump.


    Granted, Clarissa grumbled a little bit about being a healer and not an acrobat, but after another blood-curdling scream from the direction of the fight with the wyvern, she dutifully followed them without another comment.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    As soon as they touched down on the ground covered in mud on who knows what, they were greeted by the sight of the monster horde, still trying feverishly to enter the city. And while the destruction of the core crystal up in the giant tree would guarantee that no more monsters would spawn, there were still enough of them to lay waste to Ironwood.


    Sam looked at the others and quirked one eyebrow up in a questioning manner.


    Dan simply nodded, gripping his club harder, Clarissa let out a tired sigh but nodded and Katie flapped the cover of her helmet up and gave him a grin, before slamming it down and brandishing her giant greatsword.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, boss! I want to kill everything!¡±


    Sam gave her a deadpan look, but returned the nod.


    ¡°Good. This time, our goal is the gate. We need to make sure it holds!¡± He took a small breath and waited a moment for any resistance from his teammates, but they just waited for him to finish. ¡°Everybody ready?¡±


    ¡°Hopefully, I can keep you crazies alive¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s burn baby!¡±


    ¡°MASSACRE!¡±


    Listening to the rather unsurprising responses, Sam turned around, unsheathed his sword, pointed it toward the city, and roared.


    This was echoed by Lucky, who also surfaced from his shadow and stood next to him, his gigantic, yet sinfully fluffy body almost dwarfing Sam.


    <hr>


    The way back to the city wasn¡¯t as eventful as their journey toward the tree, as there weren¡¯t any rival groups trying to hinder them, plus they were attacking the monsters from behind, so that increased the damage somewhat.


    Also, Lucky was out of Sam¡¯s shadow, and the loyal wolf was relishing the chance to go wild. He and Katie seemed to race around, trying to kill more monsters than the others. Clarissa kept close to Sam, while Dan orbited around them, releasing great gouts of flames, burning whatever monster decided to get close to them.


    Sam simply kept an eye and Mana Sense out for anything out of the ordinary, while bombarding anything within sight with enough Wind Blades that the resulting chunks of monsters would make a sashimi artist green with envy.


    Then, as they were about halfway to the gates of the city, by his estimation, he saw a great light pulse from the same direction.


    For a moment, he thought it was some random skill, but the light remained and pulsed for every second as he realized what it was. ¡®Light of the Guardian! A last resort spell that uses life force! Fuck¡­¡¯


    He turned to Clarissa. ¡°Got any speed buffs?¡±


    She frowned, then nodded.


    ¡°Good. Cast all of them. Now!¡±


    Instantly, all four of them were enveloped by red light, and Sam could feel himself becoming lighter. He grinned at Clarissa, then whistled slightly. ¡°Lucky! Give the lady a ride!¡±


    ¡°Wha¨C¡° She spoke up, but the healer was interrupted as Lucky simply emerged from under her. For a moment she looked dumbfounded, sitting on Lucky¡¯s back, but then she calmed down and continued raining down healing light on Katie¡¯s head.


    ¡°Guys!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Bullrush!¡±


    Katie let out a demented cackle and instantly charged toward the gate, leaving nothing but chunks of meat in her wake that slowly turned into motes of light that flew upwards before dissipating.


    Dan began to run, but as Lucky with Clarissa on his back began to overtake him, he simply shrugged and jumped up behind the surprised healer. Lucky let out a bark of excitement and continued to bound forward while Dan occasionally let loose some fire from his cavemen club.


    Sam simply activated Shadow Grace first, letting the magic run its course, then Shadow Burst, feeling his body fizzing with energy, then he direct a good chunk of magic into his legs, and with the help of Wind Movement, he rocketed forward.


    He left monsters alone, intending on reaching the gates before anything happened to the source of light. It could only be cast by high-leveled people, so it was most likely one of the guard captains that choose this method to protect the gates further. The spell was rather simple. It would at first take mana, then the life force of the individual to cast a protective light around the person, protecting everything from harm, so as long as the individual¡¯s mana and life held up, they were safe.


    There were naturally drawbacks to the skill. You could either go all in and run the spell until you died, which wasn¡¯t possible for NPCs, or you could break the skill when close to death, which would leave you with a debilitating debuff that would lead to death if the individual didn¡¯t have other people covering them.


    He jumped among monsters, dodging breath attacks, claw swipes, and a few times lashing out with his sword, annihilating a monster that he didn¡¯t really see, but his attention was fully focused on the pulsating white light and the gates of the city getting closer.


    <hr>


    Jumping on top of another Rock Bear, Sam jumped forward before the monster could swipe at him with its stone claws onto the head of another monster. It was another bear, though this one was not covered in rock, instead it had scales that seemed to sparkle with silvery light.


    He stood there for a moment and took a wide look around. The walls were still standing, but they were in shambles. In places where the parapets hadn¡¯t crumbled, the defenders were faltering, and he could see that most guards were down, or attacking rather slowly, while the players were still continuing to rain attacks down on the monsters. However, as the guards were much higher leveled, the attacks were less effective.


    And in front of the gate, Sam could see a very familiar guard captain, with their sword plunged into the ground as the man kneeled behind it, his hand gripping the handle as the white light of skill pulsed from him. Meanwhile, the surrounding monsters ineffectively threw themselves at the white wall, some of them even getting crushed in the process.


    Sam took a quick stock of the rest of the team, with Katie heading in a straight line toward the gate, and Lucky leaping with Dan and Clarissa on his back, the tongue lolling out of his mouth, and Sam could see in his eyes that he was immensely enjoying himself. Not so much Clarissa, who looked rather queasy.


    With a final burst of mana, he launched himself up into the air, and as he began to fall toward the area where it was clear of monsters as the remaining soldiers moved around with their backs to the gate, he yelled out.


    ¡°CAPTAIN!¡±


    The guard captain¡¯s head snapped up instantly, and when the man saw him, a weary smile appeared on his face.


    Then a lot of things happened in a short while.


    He landed with a gentle thud next to the captain, while at the same time, Katie arrived, throwing aside several wolves with her arrival, simply stepping through the spell keeping the monsters at bay, as the captain naturally only set it against monsters.


    Another heartbeat later, Lucky landed next to him, with his two passengers looking a little shellshocked.


    Then, from one moment to another, the pulse of white light vanished, with the other guards rushing forward, crying out in distress.


    ¡°Captain!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Sam simply stepped forward with his sword sheathed and raised both of his hands, channeling as much mana as possible, and let loose a Wind Blade Storm, making sure he enveloped all the guards and his teammates.


    Instantly, the nearest monsters cried out as the spell cut into them, and next to him, the guard captain fell forward, almost landing on his face, but a fast guard rushing forward prevented that. Clarissa was instantly kneeling next to him, bathing him in a gentle healing light.


    As Sam kept the rushing horde that seemed intent on becoming monster slushy at bay with the help of his spell, Dan stepped up next to him.


    ¡°Want me to light it up?¡±


    Sam just grunted in the affirmative, all his attention and focus on maintaining the spell.


    Dan raised his club in celebration, then took a stance, with his club pointing towards the monsters, and spoke a short chant.


    ¡°Blaze Pulse!¡±


    Then the world was on fire.

 Chapter 83

    ¡°Thank you for saving us!¡± came the tired gratitude from the guard captain, sitting on an empty crate, his armor removed, and two worried healers tending to his wounds. He was completely drenched in sweat and monster guts. The only clean areas on his body were where the healers cleaned him up for better access to his damaged body.


    Despite all that, he was in high spirits.


    ¡°Your timely intervention prevented my company from being wiped out.¡± He slightly bowed his head, gratitude shining from his eyes. ¡°We are in your debt!¡±


    Sam returned the bow with one of his own.


    ¡°There is no debt between friends, Captain,¡± he answered calmly, then smirked. ¡°Though I wouldn¡¯t say no to a round of drinks!¡±


    The captain stared at him for a moment, then he threw his head back and began to laugh.


    ¡°Hahahaha! It seems I didn¡¯t misread you, young Samuel!¡± The captain looked into Sam''s eyes and Sam felt that their relationship had changed. ¡°Very well! The next round is on me!¡±


    Sam bowed once again, while the nearest soldiers cheered hearing their captain¡¯s proclamation, while the aforementioned man grimaced, thinking about how much he would have to pay.


    For a few moments, they stood there silently. Well, Sam stood as the Captain was still being fussed over by the healers. Then, as one of the healers finished a layer of bandage, the Captain spoke up.


    ¡°Leave us for now. I must talk to my young friend here¡­¡±


    ¡°But the¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts! I won¡¯t die in the next hour, and the adventurers are very good at hunting down the remaining monsters.¡±


    One of the healers simply stood up, cast a spell that cleaned their hand, and walked away, immediately starting on another soldier.


    However, the clearly older one, with short-cropped black hair with a few silvery splotches on it, simply glowered at the man.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling your wife,¡± she stated, then simply poked the Captain, exactly where one of his wounds was.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± The captain grunted in pain as the healer stood up, dusted her pants, picked up her satchel, and sauntered away.


    Sam waited until the Captain got his pain under control and weakly grinned at him.


    ¡°Never anger the healers, my friend. Never ends well¡­¡±


    Sam hummed in agreement but otherwise said nothing. Now that he achieved an increase in his relationship with the Captain he didn¡¯t want to jeopardize it.


    Relationships were rather tricky in the game. There wasn¡¯t exactly a slider that showed how friendly you were with any of the NPCs. You had to intuit on your own. There were actual signs if one paid attention or, as Sam did, had memories of the future, where people spent an inordinate amount of time dissecting every word every important NPC said. Sadly, there were no universal keywords that could raise or lower one¡¯s station with select NPCs, nor were key phrases that would indicate that they were favorable to the player. What at one NPC indicated friendliness could be a deadly insult to another, just like in real life.


    Thus, if you wanted to form a relationship with an NPC, you had to do it in an old-fashioned way.


    Effort, kindness, and tenacity, or the threat of physical violence. Bribery also wasn¡¯t out of the question.


    However, the developers weren¡¯t merciless. They left clues for those who were smart or had the manpower to throw at the issue.


    The final result was a simple answer: The eyes are the window to the soul.


    If you observed the NPCs¡¯ eyes, you could roughly discern how good your relationship was with them. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t an exact science and when the other Sam died, people were still trying to pin down the exact mechanics of the relationship system.


    Sam privately thought that the developers and system continuously adjusted it to prevent people from cheesing it.


    Returning from his thoughts, Sam watched as the Guard Captain leaned forward, hissing slightly as one of his wounds flared up during the movement. The older man bid him to step closer, and Sam did so.


    ¡°Now,¡± he began talking, his voice low but not whispering. ¡°Tell me what happened to the tree, and why the monsters have stopped appearing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Sam answered with the same volume, then quickly looked around, and with a deft movement, dragged over some debris that he could use as a stool. After getting somewhat comfortable, he also leaned forward and began talking.


    ¡°Right, you saw the wyvern. Well, we went around it and then found a portal. Inside¡­¡±


    The Captain listened intently, his eyes closed, focusing on Sam¡¯s tale.


    <hr>


    ¡°A fascinating tale, my friend!¡± the older man spoke up, still in a low voice as he turned around a small shard of the crystal Sam broke at the end of the fracture. ¡°But I¡¯ll rest easier, whenever I get to a bed, knowing it was taken care of.¡± He took another pause, once more thinking about something.


    ¡°And you said that those monsters vanished just like the ones sieging the city but left behind items?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Mostly parts belonging to that particular monster,¡± he fibbed, not wanting to reveal the obscenely impressive loot they got. ¡°However, they were clean. As if they were removed by some mysterious force, cleaned and prepped.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating¡­¡± the captain murmured. ¡°May I see one?¡±


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Sam answered and took out one spider fang from his inventory, then he handed it over.


    The Captain spent a minute examining it before handing it back to Sam who put it away with a deft movement.


    ¡°This will change a lot of things if those rifts stay around,¡± he stated while slightly turning his head toward the giant crack in the sky that was thankfully slowly getting smaller and smaller.


    ¡°Fractures¡­¡±


    ¡°Pardon, my friend?¡±


    ¡°They look more like fractures in the fabric of the universe to me,¡± Sam said with a small smile.


    ¡°Fracture¡­¡± The Captain spent a few seconds thinking about it then nodded. ¡°Makes more sense, I suppose. Though, the question is not what to name them but what to do with them¡­¡±


    That was the moment Sam waited, thus while outwardly he kept his face calm, inwardly he was a bundle of nerves. In his inherited memories, after the fractures appeared, the governments of the world of Magic Unbound mostly stayed back, content to observe the situation while the players fell into the dungeons as a ravenous horde, intent on farming them to death.


    Only when the fights between the guilds began to affect the nearby cities did they step in.


    Sam wanted to hasten that. He didn¡¯t want to get tangled in several guild fights, thus he would try to borrow the power of the city. ¡°Exploit them, of course!¡± he exclaimed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°They seem to provide some manner of very useful items. Do you not think that the enemies of the nation would not make use of them to strengthen themselves?¡±


    The older man stared back at him and then nodded slowly. ¡°You speak sense, my friend. But what do you expect me to do about it? I¡¯m just a guard captain, after all¡­¡± he finished bitterly.


    Sam smiled a little.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to report to the mayor, are you not?¡± he waited until the Captain nodded to continue. ¡°You could emphasize the financial opportunity and the fact that all the new guilds would no doubt immediately start exploiting them.¡±


    The Captain raised a shaky hand and began to stroke his stubble-covered chin. ¡°At a minimum, we should set up a taxation system.¡±


    ¡°And imagine how much the Mage Tower would pay to be able to examine those fractures¡­¡± he suggested with a helpful expression on his face, while inwardly rubbing his hands together.


    For a long minute, they just sat there before the Captain spoke up. ¡°Very well, your idea has merit, young Samuel. I shall forward it to my superiors when I make my report.¡±


    Reading between the lines, Sam heard the dismissal loud and clear. With an exaggerated sigh, he stood up and after stretching a little, he spoke up.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time to take my leave, captain. I need to check on my people,¡± he stated, glancing at his team as they huddled at the walls, looking like they were dead tired, except for Clarissa, who had a line of soldiers in front of her that she continuously healed.


    The captain nodded in understanding.


    ¡°Admirable, my friend. Go with my thanks!¡±


    Sam bowed one last time and then turned around and began walking toward his team.


    They saw him coming, and he could see the question in their eyes. He simply nodded his head towards the gate that was slightly opened to allow passage into the city. They were still wary about another monster horde showing up so the soldiers wanted to make sure they could close it as fast as possible.


    <hr>


    They had to wait for Clarissa to finish with her current clients, but as soon as that was done, they booked back to the company headquarters.


    The streets of the city were full of celebrating or mourning people, and he could see that a lot of people used the catastrophic event to either settle disputes or simply cause chaos. Even the street where his own company could find was full of debris, and the walls of the building were scorched in several places, though the workers were already cleaning up the battle damage.


    Entering the building, he could see the bustle of people as they went around with either cleaning or construction equipment, or simply holding documents while they hurried to and fro.


    Sam said a quick hello to Lucy, but seeing the woman was busy taking care of all the issues that cropped up in the wake of the attack, he gave her the items that dropped to be identified and then simply retreated to his room to rest and go over his notifications.


    He made sure that his team also got back to their rooms, and that the maids were ready to take care of them. He turned to the maid following him.


    ¡°Please make sure my usual order is prepared,¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± came the prompt and demure reply. ¡°May I suggest some alcohol? My father always took it after a battle¡­¡±


    Sam smiled at the girl and shook his head. ¡°No, sorry, I don¡¯t drink.¡±


    The girl nodded and, without another word, hurried away to take care of his order.


    In short order, he was settled into a comfortable armchair in his room, in front of him a spread of delightful foods, with a selection of drinks, all without alcohol.


    He took a few minutes to fill up his tank, then he casually opened his notification screen and began to read. He finished two quests and killed a raid boss with a party of four people. He expected some really epic rewards.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You are now Level 40!]


    [Gained 4 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Gained 1 AGI for your speed at coming to aid your comrades!]


    [Gained 1 WIS for knowing that no man is an island!]


    He quickly assigned another point to WIS and another to END, and the last two went to PER. Then he continued to read.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 30!]


    [Mana Channeling is now Level 1!]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 65!]


    [Layered Mana Shield is now Level 3!]


    [Mana Resonance is now Level 3!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 30!]


    [Perception Filter is now Level 3!]


    [Mana Gaze is now Level 2!]


    [Double Mana Slash is now Level 10!]


    [Thanks to your mastery of the skill, you gained the sub-skill Controlled Slash!]


    [Controlled Slash: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to your inhuman control, your mana slashes are super efficient. The cost of your slashes decreases by 10% for every skill level.]


    [You¡¯ve learned Triple Mana Slash!]


    [Triple Mana Slash: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) Allows you to enhance the damage of your slashes with any weapon capable of slashing while moving so fast it triples the effect. The sub-skills of Mana Slash and Double Slash also affect this skill.]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 60!]


    [Mana Influenced Body is now Level 9!]


    [Mana Disruption is now Level 12!]


    [Spell Layering is now Level 13!]


    [Mana Construct is now Level 11!]


    Sam smiled a little when he saw the Triple Slash. It was one of the most basic skills, achievable by basically anyone who wielded any kind of bladed weapon. And most people stopped improving the skill after maxing out Triple Slash or took another skill that was similar, just with an elemental addition.


    However, he knew that there were some positives to the purity of his skill and he had no intention on giving up on the skill. After all, after Triple Slash, there were some insane options for it. All he needed was speed and even more speed.


    [Light Ball II is now Level 10!]


    [You¡¯ve learned Light Ball III!]


    [Light Ball III: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to conjure a ball of light to illuminate your surroundings. You have greater control over the movement and location of the conjured ball of light. You can greatly increase and decrease its intensity, shape, and color.]


    [Firespark is now Level 10!]


    [Clean III is now Level 10!]


    [You¡¯ve learned Clean IV!]


    [Clean IV: Level 0/10 (0%) A spell that allows you to clean a selected area. You can clean physical and magical contaminations. Grants 1% immunity to diseases per skill level. Above a certain level, the spell only weakens contaminants.]


    [Earth Wall III is now Level 9!]


    [Electric Spark II is now Level 5!]


    [Water Bullet II is now Level 8!]


    Apparently, the system judged that his use of Firespark was rather basic, so he didn¡¯t get the next spell, though if he wanted, he could go to any Mage Tower and purchase the next spell. However, Sam was happy with what he got. Clean was an often dismissed spell, but the increasingly larger bonuses it gave to disease resistance would immensely help with several quests, not to mention against the uncountable monsters that used diseases as attacks.


    Plus, he hated feeling grimy¡­


    [Wind Blade III is now Level 9!]


    [Wind Blade Storm is now Level 4!]


    [Wind Bullet III is now Level 7!]


    [Wind Bullet Barrage is now Level 10!]


    [You¡¯ve learned Wind Explosion!]


    [You learned Wind Explosion: Level 0/10 (0%) A spell that allows you to create a singular bullet of wind mana, and then fire it, which will, upon impact, detonate. The strength of the detonation depends on the amount of wind mana channeled into the bullet and your mastery over the Wind Bullet spell!]


    [Wind Movement is now Level 28!]


    [Thanks to your control over your movement, you gained the sub-skill Aerodynamic!]


    [Aerodynamic: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to your mastery over wind-natured mana, you become somewhat aerodynamic. Decreases wind resistance when moving at high speed and increases base speed by 5% for each skill level.]


    [Wind Edge III is now Level 4!]


    [Wind Affinity is now Level 55!]


    [Thanks to your mastery over wind you gained the sub-skill Gentle Wind!]


    [Gentle wind: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) You are a gentle wind, flowing around obstacles. Increased speed when not in battle. Speed increases by 5% for each skill level.]


    [Windstream is now Level 4!]


    His wind-related skills were coming along nicely. Maybe he could try a few combinations skills with his affinity over fifty¡­


    [Active Meditation is now Level 43!]


    [Serene Movement is now Level 5!]


    [Battle Awareness is now Level 4!]


    [Spirit Link is now Level 33!]


    [Spirit Connection is now Level 2!]


    [Advanced Shadow Footwork is now Level 7!]


    [Shadow Grace is now Level 3!]


    [You¡¯ve had a breakthrough with Shadow Burst!]


    [Shadow Burst Is now Level 10!]


    [You¡¯ve learned Shadow Burst II!]


    [Shadow Burst II: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) Activating the skill increases the speed by 200% plus 20% for each skill level for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 60 seconds.]


    [Shadow Mirage is now Level 29!]


    [Shadow Transformation is now Level 16!]


    [Shadow Shield is now Level 19!]


    [Shadow Cloud is now Level 3!]


    [Shadow Affinity is now Level 18!]


    ¡°Finally!¡± he exclaimed happily, throwing his arms in the air. Shadow Burst broke through, probably because he used it so much during the event, ¡®Though, as it is a very rare spell, it will be extremely hard to reach the next level¡­¡¯


    [Advanced Sword Mastery is now Level 13!]


    [Basic Armor Mastery is now Level 37!]


    [Advanced Breathing Technique is now Level 9!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 45!]


    [Steady Heartbeat is now Level 3!]


    [Flow is now Level 40!]


    [Focused Flow is now Level 4!]


    [Illusion Resistance is now Level 13!]


    [Corruption Resistance is now Level 10!]


    [Earth Resistance is now Level 6!]


    [Shadow Resistance is now Level 8!]


    [Multitasking is now Level 76!]


    [Parallel Processing is now Level 8!]


    Finally came Lucky¡¯s skill. This was punctuated by the silly wolf appearing from his shadow, already gnawing on a giant bone that he found somewhere. Sam smiled at the sight as the giant beast settled at his feet.


    [Shadow Jump is now Level 19!]


    [Shadow Claws is now Level 7!]


    [Thanks to participating in a fearsome battle, Lucky has learned a new skill!]


    [Lucky learned the Fear Aura!]


    [Fear Aura: Level 0/25 (0%) Your companion may project its primal spirit in the surrounding area, thus casting fear into the hearts of his enemies. Causes Fear status effect.]


    Naturally, Sam bent down while taking some choice cooked meat and offered it to the giant shadow wolf.


    ¡°Who is the good boy? Who is the good boy?¡±


    Lucky immediately forgot the giant bone, and began gobbling down the meat that Sam offered while radiating with his entire body, one thought: ¡®He was the good boy!¡¯


    Sam spent a few minutes playing with the happy Lucky, then done with the skill upgrades, he turned towards the quests and their corresponding rewards.


    [You completed the quest: Monster Parade!]


    [Your reward is a greatly increased reputation in the city of Ironwood and the areas it controls. For more tangible rewards, please wait for the official commendations.]


    [You saved the life of the Guard Captain of Ironwood City and helped him hold the gates, preventing the monster horde from rampaging through the city. Increased relationship with the Captain. Security around your company¡¯s buildings will be increased by 100% for an in-game year.]


    ¡®Now that¡¯s a good reward!¡¯ he mused. Increased guard presence around his buildings would simply negate a lot of plans that his enemies would try. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to see the results!¡± he murmured, which turned into an evil laugh.


    After he calmed down, he turned to the other quest.


    [You completed the quest: Topping the tree!]


    [Your reward is further increased reputation with the city of Ironwood and areas it controls. For more tangible rewards, please wait for the official commendations.]


    Sam¡¯s eyes grew to the size of an old silver dollar after reading it. Apparently, his reward from the city was going to be ludicrous if the two quests¡¯ rewards overlapped. He couldn¡¯t wait¡­


    [Your team was the first to kill the area¡¯s Fracture Boss. Your reward is one random high-tier skill!]


    ¡®What, random?¡¯


    Sam was a little happy and a little angry. Angry because it was a random reward, but also happy because random meant he could get something really great.


    For luck, he placed his hand on Lucky¡¯s head and prayed to every luck deity he could remember. The only solace he had was that the game would make sure that the skill would at least somehow fit into his skill repertoire and not wreck his build with an always-on passive skill.


    [Searching¡­.]


    [Skill found!]


    [You¡¯ve learned Illusionary Runes!]


    [Illusionary Runes: Level 0/100 (0%) (Active) You can project runes and activate them in the air without them being carved into a solid medium. Their strength is 1% of their full strength, which increases by 1% for every skill level.]


    Sam read the skill several times and shook his head. He really had the shittiest luck. He got an overpowered skill that would need weeks of dedication to get up to speed. Which he currently didn¡¯t have¡­


    ¡®Oh well, it would surely come in handy¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    After taking a well-deserved rest, he sought out the rest of the team.


    Following a little search, he found them in one of the meeting rooms, that has been repurposed as a dining room for them, with one of the maids standing around, ready to serve them.


    Nodding and smiling at the maid, he joined them at the table.


    Katie simply raised a drumstick belonging to some kind of fowl as a salute, then continued to savagely consume it. Dan simply grunted and continued to eat his meal. Clarissa sent an annoyed glance at the smaller girl and the giant musclebound pyromaniac, then greeted Sam.


    ¡°Hello. Everything alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we are in the clear! Now we just have to wait for the city to reward us¡­¡± he answered simply. "Anyway, what did you get for the dungeon reward?¡±


    Clarissa sent him a long look, but before she could answer Katie spoke up, mouth still holding a little food.


    ¡°Got a really awesome skill! It¡¯s Flying Slash!¡± Then, with a simple movement, she shared the skill with Sam.


    He blinked at the girl¡¯s abruptness, then began reading the notification screen that popped up in front of him.


    [Flying Slash: Level 0/100 (0%) (Active) Slash with your weapon and send whatever energies you control forward shaped like a crescent. Damage depends on the original skill that provides the energy. The skill increases the energy¡¯s damage by 1% per skill level.]


    Sam blinked and cursed in his mind. ¡®Why couldn¡¯t I get this¡­¡¯


    However, on the outside, he simply smiled. ¡°Good skill, indeed. Congrats!¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± came the reply with a blinding smile from the berserker girl. He then turned to Dan, who finished the last bite, swallowed and then simply sent his own to Sam.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the best, but I can see the potential.¡±


    Sam just stared.


    [Flame Freeze: Level 0/100 (0%) (Active) Allows you to freeze flames around you, turning them into solid ice. The ice¡¯s strength depends on the transformed fire. After 5 seconds, the frozen flames explode, dealing damage.]


    ¡°Not the best? You are a fire mage!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but the damage of the skill is not supported by my passives. I need to study ice magic to do impressive damage with the skill¡­¡± came the explanation.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t freezing the opposite of burning? Taking the energy out of a system?¡± he asked a little hesitantly. It was a long time ago he studied anything to do with physics.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± came the absentminded reply from Dan as he pulled out a notebook and began scribbling into it.


    Finally, Sam turned to Clarissa with a questioning look.


    ¡°And you? If you don¡¯t mind sharing, of course¡­¡±


    Clarissa looked thoughtful for a long second, then shrugged and sent the screen to Sam.


    [Hexagon is the Bestagon: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Instead of circular globes, all of your spells that use that kind of shape will instead use hexagons, increasing their defensive properties and their efficiency. Increases defensive properties by 2% per skill level and decreases mana cost by 0,5% per skill level. Also looks cool!]


    Sam looked at the description and then back at the healer, who could only shrug in exasperation.


    He then spent a few minutes mulling over the skills, while the others continued their meal.


    Eventually, he made a few decisions and spoke up.


    ¡°Good showing. For now, take your time to rest and we will go and hunt down a few more dungeons.¡±


    He stood up and bowed a little.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to it¡­¡±


    There was a moment of silence before Katie called out. "What did you get, boss?"


    Seeing the curious gazes on the rest of his teammates, Sam smiled and after messing around a few seconds with his own system screen shared his new skill.

 Chapter 84

    They spent a few more minutes talking, with some of it spent commiserating over Sam¡¯s new skill and how it was useless for now. Though even Katie, who usually only cared about killing the next monster in as gory a way as possible, recognized its future potential.


    In her words: ¡®You¡¯re already badass, what more do you want?¡¯


    Sam could only laugh at the girl¡¯s simple thought process. Clarissa just shook her head and Dan laughed along with Sam. Katie just went back to eating with disgusting speed.


    After a satisfying snack, and making sure everybody was alright, Sam left them there and headed back to the top floor of the headquarters.


    The door to Lucy¡¯s office was open, with the secretary standing next to the door and an endless amount of people coming up to her, or her desk and giving her or leaving on the desk documents or simple verbal messages.


    Occasionally, Lucy would yell out an order to one of the people that came up who nodded and immediately scurried away to fulfill said order. For a second, Sam wondered how she could do that, but then he saw several ravens sitting high up in the hall, with a perfect view of the incoming people.


    Sam looked directly at one of the birds and waved with a small smile on his face.


    ¡°Get in here!¡± came the yell from the room, causing the secretary to look up from the documents she was perusing.


    ¡°Master Samuel,¡± she greeted him with a short bow. ¡°The director will see you¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard,¡± he replied with a wry smile and with a few more steps found himself in the office of his friend-slash-co-worker with the door closing behind him, thanks to the secretary.


    He looked around and found that somebody had taken several other desks and cabinets into the room, which all were filled with documents and notebooks and a few unrolled scrolls, their end laying on the ground. He could even spy a few bootprints on a few of them.


    Lucy was sitting behind the desk, her jacket thrown aside, her shirt rumpled and stained with something, her hair going everywhere and a rather manic look in her eyes. Though Sam would say she didn¡¯t look exhausted, rather she was looking extremely happy. Apparently, she was in her element.


    ¡°Alright, you are here. That¡¯s good. The city is in chaos, that¡¯s not good.¡± she began rattling it off, not even looking up from what she was reading and annotating. ¡°We got attacked, once again not good. I was a smart cookie, so that¡¯s good. They fell for my trap, also good. A lot of destruction and death, not good. We managed to snatch up several properties, which is excellent.¡± She paused for a brief moment, took a deep breath, then continued. ¡°Used the prepared materials to provide relief to those affected. Once again, good. Too many sharks circling, not good. Got congrats from the mayor¡¯s office. What the hell did you do? Also, thank you for the familiar, came in really handy!¡±


    Sam spent a few seconds deciphering that stream of consciousness, then asked one simple question.


    ¡°You alright, Lucy?¡±


    The woman finally looked up and Sam was honestly a little scared of her bloodthirsty smile that rivaled Katie at her best.


    ¡°I¡¯m awesome, Sam. This is what I enjoy! Bringing order to this god-damned chaos!¡± She smirked a little. ¡°This is my jam! Plus, I¡¯m looking forward to seeing those assholes¡¯ faces who thought breaking into my ¡®castle¡¯ was a smart idea¡­¡±


    Sam hummed in agreement.


    ¡°Doctored documents?¡±


    Lucy¡¯s smile was positively shark-like.


    ¡°With creatively censored tax documents and some really imaginative development plans. As well as some contact information of people who were already selling information about us.¡±


    ¡°Feeding them trash data from multiple streams? Evil, but I like it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m running a business here, Sam. There is no evil, just gold.¡±


    Sam stared at his friend for a moment, then threw his head back and let out a long laugh.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Lucy snorted and joined his laughter.


    After a moment of hilarity, they both calmed down, and Sam took a seat on a miraculously empty chair.


    Before he could even open his mouth, Lucy pushed away the last document she was reading, put her elbows on the desk, and steepled her fingers in front of her mouth. A basic evil overlord pose.


    ¡°Now, tell me. What happened out there?¡±


    ¡°Only if you tell me what happened in here!¡± he replied with a smirk.


    Lucy returned the smirk and began talking.


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­so in summation, I fucked up a giant spider and probably pissed off all those big guilds, and you let people think they fucked up the company, and in the process, more than likely pissed off all those big guilds,¡± Sam stated with a deadpan expression.


    Lucy, hands still steepled, with one raven on her shoulder, nodded in reply.


    ¡°Basically.¡±


    For a long moment, they stared at each other, then a grin appeared on Sam¡¯s face. He raised one hand, offering it for a high-five.


    ¡°Hell yeah!¡±


    Lucy smiled and returned the high-five.


    ¡°We are so good!¡±


    ¡°That we are!¡±


    They spent some time congratulating themselves after a job well done before they returned to the task at hand.


    It was Lucy who posed the question.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°What now?¡±


    Sam hummed thoughtfully.


    ¡°We need to wait for the mayor¡¯s office to declare our commendations, as well as receive the rewards. More than likely, we will get some gold and maybe some tax breaks. Who knows¡­¡±


    Then he remembered something, and with a few deft movements of his finger, shared a screen with Lucy.


    ¡°Also, check out this reward.¡±


    [You saved the life of the Guard Captain of Ironwood City and helped him hold the gates, preventing the monster horde from rampaging through the city. Increased relationship with the Captain. Security around your company¡¯s buildings will be increased by 100% for an in-game year.]


    Lucy read it quickly and then began cackling.


    ¡°Oh boy! That¡¯s going to shut down so many plans¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it that bad?¡± he asked, suddenly worried.


    Lucy simply waved her hand dismissively.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just basic bumbling idiots. Nothing I can¡¯t deal with. However¡­¡±


    ¡°However, soon we will be needing a security team,¡± he finished it for her. His brain already working on a solution.


    ¡°Yes. For now, I can keep an eye on things, but soon we will need somebody to head the effort.¡±


    Sam hesitated a little before speaking up.


    ¡°I may have a solution for that, but that¡¯s a ways out¡­¡±


    Lucy nodded as if expecting it.


    ¡°Sadly, I don¡¯t know anyone who is into doing security. But for now, I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°Good, I will make sure to solve it as soon as possible!¡± he promised with a serious face. It would be a bummer if they would lose the company because they didn¡¯t take security seriously.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± said Lucy with a grateful look on her face. ¡°What are you planning to do now?¡±


    Sam snorted.


    ¡°First, log out and get a long shower. Then a good meal. After that, I¡¯m going to do a little research before going out and looking for other dungeons. I want to map them out, which will make it easier to help the government here to set up a system for that.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s wise? Wouldn¡¯t it be better if we took control of them?¡±


    ¡°With what army, Lucy? I¡¯m strong and have a group of crazies at my back, but we can¡¯t hold territory with only four people.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but are you sure that the government is the best possible solution?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re forgetting that this is a government that is partially run by the game system and developers. I¡¯m sure that at first, it¡¯s going to be pure chaos whether the guilds or the mayor¡¯s office are in charge, but I¡¯m pretty sure that in the long term, we are going to get a better deal with the government.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I need to do some research on that, but I can see your point,¡± Lucy said with a faraway look on her face as she contemplated the idea.


    Sam nodded, then stood up while slapping his knees. ¡°Welp, then it¡¯s time for me to go! Anything else?¡±


    Lucy shook her head. ¡°For now, I have everything handled, but I¡¯ll call you if anything comes up. Go and sleep a little, you look exhausted¡­¡±


    Sam gave her a small smile and turned around, heading toward his room, ready to crash.


    <hr>


    He slept like a log.


    He was both mentally and physically exhausted. Sam didn¡¯t even want to imagine how people who didn¡¯t exercise and keep a healthy body handled staying in the game for so long. He expected the news of medical emergencies resulting from long playtimes to reach the media soon.


    Based on his inherited memories, there would be a little drama, but then Future Unknown would point out that they had a health advisory on their site, with recommended exercises and diets, so it was the player¡¯s fault for ignoring the warning.


    Home exercise equipment prices would skyrocket overnight. He was already prepared to dump his shares in several larger companies when they hit the top. It would net him a nice chunk of money and allow him to invest in the next thing that would rise with the fickle nature of the gamers.


    Next, he did a round of exercise, making sure to maintain his body, lest he got hurt whilst playing.


    Then came the routine tasks, like shopping for groceries, making sure that the bills were caught up and the company¡¯s paperwork was in order in the real world, too.


    After that, he just relaxed, watching silly television shows and internet videos, while trying to avoid anything to do with Magic Unbound, simply resting his mind.


    Feeling restless, however, he soon turned off the screen in his living room and returned to his office to surf the net and to see if he could find anything interesting.


    Naturally, the only thing everybody could talk about was the Fracture, with the game¡¯s website showing a selection of videos from the event. He was a little dismayed, but not surprised to see that their fight was also showcased, though thankfully, they didn¡¯t show them killing the spider.


    That would have been too big of a target on their back¡­


    People are all up in arms about the destruction wrought by the event. Several smaller cities were destroyed by the monster horde where the players were not prepared or equipped to handle it, while the people from capital cities showcased high-level NPCs in action.


    Naturally, there was already a map being put together with all the locations of the known dungeons, with several bigger guilds blatantly claiming them for themselves on the official forums. The company stayed silent, but the other players raged loud enough that there was already drama brewing.


    The guild¡¯s response was simple: ¡®Come at me, bro!¡¯


    Sam didn¡¯t need to use his inherited memories to know that there were going to be some enormous fights around the dungeons. That¡¯s why he wanted the government of Ironwood city to take control. They would be able to act as a neutral party among the guilds, thus preventing needless bloodshed.


    Another thing he checked was the Shadowland site. Unexpectedly, the site was also full of questions about the dungeons, but at least here people offered money for actionable information.


    He looked around, but he didn¡¯t find anything that he could reasonably know, so he didn''t answer anything. Then came the check of his personal messages. He answered the ones about other games instantly, though he noted that the number of such questions has decreased greatly compared to the last month.


    Then came the messages about Magic Unbound.


    He answered some, mostly about Solar, his character. Sprinkling in some incorrect information so that he would know in the future who had bought the info he just sold. Then came the info request about AFK company, so he simply sent a message to Lucy for the same information she had let people steal and used those to make some money.


    By the time he was finished with it, there was an enormous grin on his face.


    ¡®I so love causing chaos¡­ I wonder what is going to happen¡­¡¯


    Stretching a little, he glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was almost time to log in.


    He closed down the computer and left for a quick bathroom break.


    <hr>


    When Sam returned to the game, he was once again met with a face full of fluffy fur, courtesy of Lucky. He spent a few minutes wrestling with the giant wolf, receiving a face full of slobber for his trouble.


    He spent a few moments cleaning himself up, then after a scrumptious breakfast courtesy of a well-dressed maid, he dressed up into some nice clothes, and after greeting Lucy who was still busy with handling the aftermath of the event, he left the headquarters.


    The increased number of guards on the street was instantly visible to him and caused a small smile to appear on his face.


    Apparently, his quest reward was already hard at work¡­


    Winding through the people filling the streets, he headed for the noble quarters, intent on visiting the Silvercrest family. He wanted to make sure that nothing surprised him when the Lord Mayor called on him.


    The people in the streets were equally happy and sad, with the happiness of the victory over the monster horde permeating the air around the city. He saw the evidence of several fights that had nothing to do with monsters, instead like with his company, some people wanted to take advantage of the chaos.


    The debris was being cleaned up, but even then the damage caused was rather significant.


    Walking up to the gates, instead of the usual two guards there were four guards at the gate, and he could sense a few more hidden mana signatures around that instantly honed on him as soon as he stepped over some arbitrary line.


    The guard closest to him recognized him and nodded at him.


    ¡°Greetings, Master Samuel. Please wait here until I report your arrival.¡±


    Sam simply nodded.


    ¡°Naturally,¡± he answered and watched as the guard stepped back through the gate and went to report.


    He spent a hot minute staring at the other guards before the first guard returned, followed by the elderly butler. Sam felt a small pulse of mana sweep through him, then the elderly man nodded.


    ¡°Welcome, Master Samuel. The Lord has been eagerly waiting for you¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s not make the Lord wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed, if you would be so kind and follow me.¡±


    With that, the butler turned around, and the attention of the hidden mana signatures was removed, with Sam following behind him.

 Chapter 85

    As Sam followed the elderly butler through the halls of the impressive manor, he couldn¡¯t help but note that while everything was the same as when he came last time, the faces of servants lacked the cheer that made the manor such a warm place to visit. Every maid, servant, or personnel that passed Sam and his escort was wearing a somber face as they hurriedly walked through the building, rushing forward to finish their tasks.


    Apparently, the battle both outside of the city and inside affected the people¡­


    He was led through the familiar corridors, to the doors that led to the office of the bombastic lord of the manor.


    The butler opened the door and motioned for Sam to step through. He did so and was met by the sparkling gaze of a giant man, and the calculating gaze of his wife, who set before the giant windows overlooking the gardens of the manor, elegantly sipping some kind of beverage.


    ¡°My lord, allow me to announce, Master Samuel the adventurer!¡± the butler announced Sam with a small bow towards his employer.


    ¡°My friend!¡± came the loud exclamation from the lord, who strode towards Sam and enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug. Meanwhile, the elderly butler bowed toward the lady of the house and with quiet steps left the room, closing the door behind him. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re alright after all that!¡±


    Sam awkwardly patted the larger man on his back and tried to get some air into his lungs. Finally, after a second, the older man let him go and took a small step back, almost next to his wife, who was sporting a bland face. However, between deep breaths, Sam could see the laughter in her eyes.


    He took a moment to get himself together, then sketched a short bow. ¡°My lord, and lady!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, my friend!¡± exclaimed the man, waving his hand in a dismissive motion. ¡°You are a friend of the family, especially after your last warning.¡±


    Sam nodded with a small smile, though he tactfully didn¡¯t note it aloud that the man didn¡¯t mention if he should throw aside the polite language used to speak to nobles and treat him as a friend. Thus he didn''t. Better safe than sorry.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Good, good!¡± the other man nodded, while his wife let out an incredibly small sigh. ¡°Now! Tell us about your adventure outside of our fair walls!¡±


    Sam opened his mouth to begin his tale once again, but he was interrupted by a delicate cough. A cough originating from the lady of the house. She didn¡¯t say anything but pointedly looked at her husband and then at the table set up with a tea set and all manner of small bite-sized delicacies.


    ¡°Right!¡± shouted the man, slapping his forehead. ¡°How uncouth of me? Please, would you take a seat?¡± he offered to Sam, who nodded, and with a quiet thank you sat down opposite the lord¡¯s wife, while the man himself took a seat next to her.


    They all took a moment to get situated, and the lady of the house made sure everyone had a drink, with the giant lord looking ludicrous, holding the small teacup in his overly large hands.


    Finally, fully comfortable, Sam placed his own teacup on the coaster and began retelling his story once again.


    ¡°It started with this fracture in the sky¡­¡±


    <hr>


    As soon as his story wound down, Sam leaned back in his seat, hoping that this was the last time he would have to recount the happenings of the monster siege.


    They spent a few minutes in silence as the two nobles processed the information that he just provided, with the lord nodding to himself, his eyes closed, and the lady of the house looking outside the window with a contemplative look on her face.


    Finally, it was Lord Silvercrest that spoke up, breaking the pervasive silence in the room.


    ¡°Well, that was certainly a story, my friend! I¡¯m glad you managed to return to your home hale and healthy!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± he answered. ¡°And how did you fare against your enemies?¡±


    His answer was a bloodthirsty smile on the older man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Those fools thought the chaos of the siege would mask their activities. They failed, naturally!¡±


    Sam nodded and asked another question.


    ¡°Their identities? And their purpose? Because from what I heard at the same time your family was attacked, so was my company.¡±


    ¡°I assume from your tone that your impressive assistant managed to beat back the rabble?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no¡­ They got away with some information¡­¡± Sam answered with an angelic look on his face that caused the other two to let out a chuckle.


    ¡°Well played, my young friend! Well played!¡± exclaimed the lord, then he fell silent for a moment and with a serious look on his face stared at Sam. ¡°But let us move away from the topic of fools, and let¡¯s get to the topic that you wished to talk about!¡±


    Sam nodded once again and immediately began talking.


    ¡°Yes, sir. As you may have known, I received a missive from the office of the mayor that I shall receive a commendation for my efforts.¡±


    ¡°As you should! Your actions were exemplary!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but I was wondering if you could intercede on my behalf with the mayor.¡±


    ¡°Oh, whatever for? You wish for a bigger reward?¡±


    While the jovial tone was still there, Sam could see in the man¡¯s eyes that there was only one correct answer if he wanted to keep the friendship between them alive.


    ¡°No, not at all! I just wish to ask that the good mayor keep the rewards private. I know my people and adventurers could get greedy,¡± he quickly reassured the man.


    ¡°Hmm, that is an interesting proposal,¡± the lord answered, looking thoughtful. ¡°I shall talk to him and see what his opinion is.¡±


    Sam bowed his head.


    ¡°Thank you, my lord!¡±


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°No problem! Anything for the friend of the Silvercrest family!¡± exclaimed the older man, once again in a jovial tone.


    Sam gave a tight smile, though he didn¡¯t miss the slight eye roll from the silent woman sitting next to the lord.


    ¡°And while we are talking about rewards, I was hoping that you would be interested in a business proposition?¡±


    ¡°Oh, what kind?¡±


    ¡°These fractures. They represent an untapped source of wealth. If one knows how to exploit it¡­¡±


    ¡°And I assume you know how?¡± came the response from the other man, with a giant grin on his face.


    ¡°I may have an idea, sir.¡±


    The grin on Lord Silvercrest¡¯s face grew even bigger, and he leaned forward, his hands steepled in front of him.


    ¡°Oh, do tell¡­¡±


    <hr>


    A few hours later, Sam left the office with a happy noble and a new quest. Happy that he managed to convince the lord of his plan, he followed one of the maids to the entrance door.


    However, before he could leave, another maid hurriedly approached him.


    ¡°Sir Adventurer! Sir, wait!¡±


    The maid that was escorting him stopped, and he followed her lead. Sam then turned towards the running maid, who managed to skid to stop in front of him. He saw that she was holding a small box in her hands.


    She took a few seconds to catch her breath, then straightened out and instantly bowed toward Sam.


    ¡°I apologize for disturbing you sir, but the young lady wished me to pass this on,¡± she stated in one breath, then thrust the box at Sam.


    He accepted it and then took a peek inside the box. He found several stacks of high-quality snacks and cake in it. Closing the box, he turned to the maid and gave her a small bow.


    ¡°Please, convey my thanks to the young lady. I appreciate everything she has done for me.¡±


    The maid gave him a brilliant smile, bowed, then without further words turned around and almost ran away.


    Sam gave the maid that was escorting him a questioning look, but all he received was a mysterious smile from the middle-aged woman. So, in the end, he shrugged and continued towards the gates. Ready to start on the next phase of his plans.


    <hr>


    Back in his room, he sat down and opened the box. He could never say no to high-quality confectionery. One of the reasons why handling his weight in his last life was so hard.


    However, when he placed all the available food on plates delivered by one of their maids, he found something interesting at the bottom of the box.


    It was a series of small paper cards, each containing a name and brief descriptions as well as a few actions they had taken.


    Quickly paging through the cards, he noted they contained the names of players and NPCs equally.


    ¡®It seems her infatuation with me is quite useful¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he went over the information the cards contained.


    The information ranged from what certain people¡¯s favorite food was (mostly for NPCs) and who they were currently talking with in regard to business and such. Sadly, most of the guild leaders young Lucrecia managed to get information on were so insignificant that he hadn¡¯t heard of them currently or from his inherited memories.


    Still, it would make gathering information on the players in Ironwood much easier.


    Resolved to do something nice for the girl, Sam put away the cards to give them to Lucy later, then turned to something much more important. His new quest:


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Reap what you sow!]


    [You approached Lord Silvercrest with a business proposition about the newly revealed Fractures. Go and make sure you fulfill your end of the bargain. Make sure to survey the locations under the Silvercrest family¡¯s control and find as many Fracture entrance locations as possible.]


    [Time limit: 1 week]


    [Penalty: Decreased relationship with the Silvercrest family.]


    [Reward: Contract with the Silvercrest family.]


    It was a hard quest as currently nobody really knew how to search for Fractures. Sam suspected that he could find them with his advanced abilities related to mana sense, but following the map that he created from perusing his inherited memories would also be of great help.


    He would need to play up the difficulty for the game system and the developers, but he got a nice map from the lords and he could pretend to do a little research while marking locations that he thought would hold fractures.


    For now, he had a few other things to do. He put away everything, then called one of the maids.


    ¡°Please, take all of this to the Director,¡± he motioned the scrumptious-looking delicacies.


    He could see the maid swallow her saliva upon seeing them.


    ¡°You can take a few for yourself if you want.¡±


    ¡°R-really, sir?¡± she asked with a hopeful look on her face.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± he hummed in agreement. ¡°Yeah, no problem. Make sure to leave a few chocolate ones, though. Those are the Director¡¯s favorites.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± she answered with a deep bow, and by the time Sam was out of the door, he could hear her chow down on one of the luxurious mini-cakes with a small moan of enjoyment.


    Chuckling to himself, he headed for his next target.


    <hr>


    The Auction House was full of people as always, but Sam had a sense that there were even more people there than usual. ¡®Probably hunting for the spoils of the event, and hoping that the team that killed the final boss put something up¡­¡¯


    They would be waiting for a long time, as the weapons that they couldn¡¯t identify inside the Fracture were already with a professional and Sam was just waiting for Lucy¡¯s call to go and see what the results were. As for the Phantasmal Silk, he would need to head to the capital to find a Master Tailor that could work it, or wait a long time for somebody with the tailor profession to develop their skills. So, for now, they were in his vault at the bank, ready to be used when he or the others found an appropriate craftsman.


    He wandered into the great hall of the Auction House and, after a few minutes of searching, managed to find an empty seat and immediately brought up the screen containing the list of items being auctioned.


    There were dozens of land plots being put up at ludicrous prizes, though he made a note to have Lucy look into it. Then there were the random item drops as well as crafting items. He bought up those that were cheap enough while making a note of the trends to see where the highest leveled people were.


    Then he went through the skill books to see if he could find anything interesting for himself or for his team. And as always, Lucy could always use skills that increased her efficiency and safety.


    For a while, he browsed the list of skill books, then he had to stop and reread an item.


    [Blood Magic Resistance Skill Book x17]


    Apparently, somebody was farming deep inside the marshes. From his memories, the book was a rare drop from one of the monsters that looked like it was halfway between a mosquito and a spider. It was a truly disgusting-looking creature that liked to use Bleed causing status skills and so on. ¡®To get enough skill books to put up for auction, they must have had spent a considerable time to farm that location¡­¡¯ he mused as he casually bought out all of them. ¡®Oh, well. If I meet them in the future then I will simply thank them¡­¡¯ Sam thought.


    While Blood Magic wasn¡¯t a big issue now, in the future this simple skill would be something that many people fought over.


    Happy that he gained something valuable for a relatively cheap price, he continued his browsing. Next, he took another look at the weapons and armor. They were around the time when several independent craftsmen (or craftswomen) debuted. And as Ironwood was a mining city, there were a lot of blacksmiths.


    And lo-and-behold the list was full of shoddily crafted equipment with names like ¡®Shadowfang¡¯ and ¡®Windripper¡¯ aplenty. Several guilds sold their own weapons, including Steel Lions who sold non-enchanted middling-quality weapons, including shields with their own insignia. They were useless to him, but they did give him an idea. He quickly jotted down some notes and continued to browse.


    Sam wanted to make sure he didn¡¯t miss anything.


    ¡®Huh, it seems I was really lucky today¡­¡¯ he thought as he beheld a simple sword. It was not the greatest sword, but the crafter¡¯s symbol on it was very familiar. Three stylistic rose petals. Clicking on the item, he saw it was from the Three Rose Petals workshop.


    Smiling slightly, he clicked on it to buy it. Then Sam closed down the auction screen and went to pick up his items.


    The books went into his inventory, with one of them being learned by him and the rest put away for the others. He took a few practice swings with the sword he purchased and he was happy to see that while it wasn¡¯t anywhere near his Moonlight; it was an item crafted with dedication and expertise.


    [Blood Magic Resistance: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Your blood is resistant to being affected by magic. Blood Magic has decreased effect on you. Each level increases this resistance by 1%]


    Now all he needed was to hire said workshop. Sadly, he didn¡¯t know where they were located, but that was Lucy¡¯s job¡­


    He needed to get his team together and begin the hunt for Fractures¡­

 Chapter 86

    Returning to the headquarters after his lucky find at the Auction House, he immediately headed for Lucy¡¯s office while simultaneously shooting off messages to the rest of the team, calling on them to gather at the gates, ready for a hunt in a while.


    Managing to complete the quest would boost the company¡¯s value beyond anything they could imagine. Just the few percentages that Sam would be able to negotiate, with the Silvercrest family, off the taxes would boost their income several fold. Not to mention any other income revenue¡­


    ¡®Maybe some souvenirs¡­¡¯ he mused as he climbed the stairs. ¡®A ¡®I completed this dungeon but only got this t-shirt¡¯ shirt would be a very funny idea¡­¡¯


    Reaching the door, he nodded to the secretary and, after seeing no indication of anybody being inside the office with Lucy, or her being otherwise engaged, he calmly opened the door and strode in.


    Lucy, as usual, was sitting behind her desk, reading over reams of documents. However, what was different was a small temporary table set up on the side of the office, holding three somewhat familiar items. A dagger, a shield, and a menacing-looking spear.


    ¡°Are those?¡± Sam asked as he automatically moved towards the hopefully identified weapons that dropped from the giant boss monster.


    ¡°Hello to you, too,¡± came the sarcastic reply from the woman behind the high-quality desk, which was followed by a tired sigh. ¡°But yes, those are the weapons you looted. They just came back.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± he called out, picking up the shield first and taking a look at it. It was black, with red accents at the edges. It was a simple shield, around four feet tall, triangular with the sides pointing downwards curved slightly, and the side connecting the top two corners flat as possible.


    [Arachnotum: (Shield) A shield born from the energies of the fractured dimensions. It is capable of channeling mana without deteriorating. Any defensive spell or skill used through this medium will have an increased effect. Harkening back to its namesake, those who wield it see more. While it doesn''t grant eight eyes, the wielders will still have an increased perception. (+20% to PER)]


    Checking the details, Sam noted that while it was a good shield, it wasn¡¯t the best. But still, it was one of the first dungeon drops and people would surely go bananas over it.


    ¡®Can¡¯t sell it in-game, so I¡¯ll need to do it through Shadowlands¡­¡¯


    Placing the shield back on the table, he picked up the spear. It was another weapon made of black material, however, here only the edges of the blade on top of the shaft, made from something that looked like a spider carapace, were deep red. The spear itself was simple. A long shaft almost nine feet, with a simple triangular blade on top that had a few inches of serrated edges.


    [Arachasta: (Spear) A spear born from the energies of the fractured dimensions. It is capable of channeling mana without deteriorating. Any single-target spell or skill used through this medium will have an increased effect. Harkening back to its namesake, those who wield it move faster. While it doesn''t grant eight legs, the wielder will still move with an increased speed. (Base speed is increased by 50% when wielding the weapon.)]


    The single-target spell and skill enhancement looked good, but another weapon he couldn¡¯t really make use of, nor did he have a person who used spears. ¡®Another for the Shadowland auction¡­¡¯ he grumbled a little, though the thought of the money coming in from the future sales cheered him up a little.


    Then came the last weapon. Exchanging the spear in his hands for the wicked-looking dagger. Also made from the same black material, it looked like a standard kris. However, only one side of the blade was wavy, and the other was covered with a dangerous-looking serrated edge. The red accent showed up as thin veins covering the blade originating from the handle.


    [Arachente: (Dagger) A dagger born from the energies of the fractured dimensions. It is capable of channeling mana without deteriorating. Any poison-type spell or skill used through this medium will have an increased effect. Harkening back to its namesake, those who wield it leave behind something that once belonged to a spider. While it doesn''t grant fangs, the wielder''s strikes will still leave poison behind. (Any successful attack with this weapon has a 50% chance of leaving behind traces of spider venom.)]


    ¡®Should I learn some poison spells?¡¯ he mused as he read over the description a few more times. ¡®I do know a few shadow-slash-poison types skills¡­¡¯


    ¡°Are you done?¡± came the call from the desk.


    Placing the dagger back on the desk, he turned around and smiled at Lucy. ¡°Indeed, I am. Thank you for taking care of it.¡±


    ¡°Anything useful to you?¡±


    ¡°Nah, none of them mesh well with any of our builds sadly¡­¡± he explained. ¡°Fancy one of them?¡±


    Lucy shook her head with a small smirk and reached into one of her drawers and retrieved a steampunk-looking pistol with several crystals visible on it, then placed it on the desk between her and Sam. ¡°I have this!¡±


    ¡°Ohhh!¡± Sam spoke up, amazed and somewhat excited. ¡°She started producing them?¡±


    Lucy nodded, then frowned. ¡°Only one-off production. We don¡¯t have the money, space, or even the tech to set up mass production.¡±


    Sam nodded in understanding and picked up the weapon, idly turning around the pistol in his hands.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that,¡± he spoke up and nonchalantly shared his newest quest with his friends.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    She read it, then let out a chuckle. ¡°So, he agreed to your idea?¡±


    He waved one of his hands that wasn¡¯t holding the weapon in a non-committal manner. ¡°He trusts me, but not so much as to invest a lot of money. First, I have to prove that he has a lot of fractures in his territory.¡±


    ¡°And does he?¡± she asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Sam shrugged. ¡°If he has, I¡¯ll be able to find them with my skills¡­¡±


    Lucy spent a few moments thinking then nodded. Sam placed the weapon back on the desk, from where it vanished into the desk in short order, then sat down and retrieved several documents that contained more detailed information about his deal with Lord Silvercrest.


    She reached out and took the first one into her hands and began to read. Sam simply sat back in the comfortable chair and began waiting.


    <hr>


    They talked for almost an hour, going over the details of the contract and what they could realistically expect from the noble house of Silvercrest, also speculating a little about what the rewards from the mayor¡¯s office would be.


    ¡°Did I get an invitation yet?¡±


    Lucy shook her head. ¡°Not yet. I think they want to finish the cleanup before doing any kind of event.¡± She smiled sardonically. ¡°You know how politics are¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ then I¡¯ll take the team and go start on the quest,¡± he said while starting to gather up the notes he had made. He would need to export them to his computer and do some organizing after gaming time was up. ¡°Any problem with that?¡±


    Lucy pondered for a moment, then once again shook her head.


    ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything. With the increased security thanks to your reward, we have enough guards to repel anything that comes our way. For now¡­¡±


    Sam nodded in understanding. ¡°I¡¯ll look into getting some more security that is better than the basic NPCs.¡±


    Lucy looked at him curiously, no doubt wondering how he would do that. Sam couldn¡¯t really tell her that he would simply look up a person that was dissatisfied with their position and poach them away from their current position.


    ¡°Alright, you do that. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll deal with the business side. As always¡­¡±


    Sam smiled at her and bowed a little. ¡°And I¡¯m eternally grateful for it, my lady!¡±


    Lucy smirked at him and waved him away. ¡°Go away, you goof, I have work to do!¡±


    He began chuckling and walked away while Lucy joined him in laughing behind him.


    ¡°See you later!¡±


    <hr>


    Sam made a quick detour at the bank, depositing the identified weapons and Blood Magic Resistance skill books in his vault, and made sure to talk to the account handler to see if there were any problems. Fortunately, there was nothing, but the man who handled his account was exceedingly polite to him, which raised some flags. But for now, he would shelve those thoughts while making a mental note to look into the situation.


    When he stepped out of the bank, he couldn¡¯t help but notice how many people were hiding in the shadows of the alleys in the surroundings of the financial building. No doubt, there to see who went in and did business with the institution.


    Thankfully, they couldn¡¯t get into the building to loiter in the lobby as the guards glared at everyone that tried. If you weren''t already an account holder, or weren''t there to open a new account, you were actively discouraged.


    So, those poor fools could only stare from a distance and wonder what went on inside.


    Leaving the masses of wannabe spies to their own, he left the bank and headed toward the gate, where he called to his teammates. He already received messages that Dan and Clarissa were on their way, while Katie has been blowing up his messages being bored waiting for them, as the young woman showed up almost half an hour ago.


    He arrived to see the area busy with the guards rushing to and fro with groups leaving through the gates and some arriving, tired and exhausted through the same gates.


    Katie, in her all-covering armor, sat leaning against the walls of the guard station on a bench placed there, with Puffball in her lap. The slightly terrifying familiar was on its back, enjoying its owner¡¯s ministrations.


    However, what was immediately noticeable was that there was a wide area empty around Katie, and her armor was sparking with furious bolts of yellow light. And her entire body posture screamed frustration and anger.


    He beelined for her while ignoring one of the city guards as they made some frantic abort motions with their hands.


    Upon his approach, she looked up, and Sam saw that her visor was up and a very expressive frown was on her youthful face.


    ¡°Hey, Katie, everything alright?¡±


    The frown looked like it wanted to turn into a smile, but in the end, it didn¡¯t succeed.


    ¡°Hey, boss¡­¡± came the dispirited greeting. ¡°I¡¯m good. Just had an argument with my father¡­¡±


    ¡°Anything I can help with?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± she waved her one hand not scratching her cat¡¯s belly in a dismissive motion. ¡°He is just a poopy head!¡±


    Sam blinked, then nodded.


    ¡°If you say so.¡±


    ¡°I do say so!¡± came the instant response from the girl, and Sam saw that she was smiling, albeit only a little.


    ¡°Good. Then I need to talk to the captain. Then hopefully the others will arrive and we can start.¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss!¡± came the more enthusiastic reply from Katie.


    With that, he turned around and headed for the captain¡¯s office.


    On the way, he ignored the soldier that previously tried to warn him, staring at Sam with wonder on his face, while his comrade sat next to him and was trying to bandage a burn on their hand.


    <hr>


    The discussion with the guard captain was short and to the point. He was told that his idea was received warmly by the leadership, but as of now, they were still working out the logistics and the politicians were jockeying for prominent positions in the project, so it would take a little time before anything happened.


    ¡®Probably the system¡¯s way to allow the players some freedom on handling the event¡­¡¯


    By the time he left the office, Clarissa was sitting next to Katie and talking quietly with the younger girl, while Dan was in some kind of flexing competition with a soldier who was almost as muscular as he was.


    The moment he stepped into view, Dan stopped to the disappointment of several people around the area and turned to him and waved.


    Sam simply motioned toward the gates with his head.


    Dan nodded in response and turned back to his ¡®enemy¡¯ and began saying goodbye.


    Meanwhile, Sam approached the girls.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°You are paying¡­¡± came the caustic response from Clarissa.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Rissa!¡± came the exclamation from Katie. ¡°You¡¯re part of the team!¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t ever call me Rissa again,¡± she said while staring with an unreadable expression at the other girl.


    ¡°Sorry, Sissy!¡± chirped Katie, while depositing Puffball on her head and standing up.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like Sissy? How about Clairy? Or maybe Cissy?¡± Katie asked in a pondering tone, a finger on her chin as she stared into the distance.


    Clarissa simply let out an exhausted sigh.


    ¡°How about you call me Clarissa?¡±


    ¡°Bleh, that¡¯s boring¡­¡± came the very mature response, while Sam just stared.


    ¡°How about we head out?¡± he interrupted as the two girls stared at each other, not really knowing what was happening, but not wanting it to escalate.


    ¡°Okay!¡± chirped Katie happily, which was followed by an eager meow from Puffball. Clarissa simply nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s go¡­¡±


    He turned around and began walking towards the gate, with Dan joining them halfway. Sadly, the two girls almost immediately began talking about nicknames, with Dan interjecting occasionally.


    Sam simply tuned them out and activated all his sensing skills.


    He would need them if he wanted to act like he was actually looking for fractures. Even though he actually knew the locations of several permanent fractures.


    But starting with one would be extremely suspicious, so Sam simply planned to go through several one-off fractures, cleaning them out then stumbling on one that could be visited repeatedly.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go make some money¡­¡¯

 Chapter 87

    They immediately headed for the mining area located a ways away from the city, where Sam, so long ago, faced the Gauntlet of Body and where he acquired that weird amulet.


    ¡¯I really need to figure out a way to get to the Dark Lands¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he ran alongside the others, Clarissa this time traveling on Katie¡¯s back as her physical stats were still not enough to keep up with the rest of them. ¡®I also need to look into getting mounts for the team, or maybe vehicles.¡¯ He spent a few moments thinking about it. ¡®Should I start a motorcycle gang?¡¯


    Snorting at his own joke, he shook his head and refocused on the target of their little excursion.


    The area they were heading toward was full of mines, and a lot of them were under the control of the Silvercrest family or families allied with them. It was in a rather prime position, both tactically and financially. As in, it was easy to defend, and they didn¡¯t have to travel with the mined ores far. There were even several smaller refining operations right outside of the mine shafts, but as the refined bars of metals were much more tempting targets than the raw ores, only a few smaller families made use of them.


    With the map (and a permission token) given to him by the lord of the Silvercrest family, he would be in a prime position to find any fracture (read dungeon) on said lord¡¯s land. Which in turn would lead to the lord setting up a business of allowing adventurers to visit said fracture.


    He was expecting to find several, even dozens of fractures, just in a day. Sadly, not all of them would be profitable.


    Around seventy percent of fractures were simple instabilities in the barrier between the world and the dimensional void and would vanish after whatever was created was destroyed. In gaming terms, they would get one visit, and after the defeat of the boss (if there was one) it would vanish. Sam expected that most of them they would be finding would be these kinds.


    As for the rest?


    About twenty percent was the permanent kind, ready to be plundered forever. Granted, they came with their own danger, as a permanent fracture that wasn¡¯t cleaned up regularly would overload and release a monster horde on the surroundings. One of the most important reasons Sam wanted to make sure that the NPCs set up an infrastructure to monitor permanent fractures. Dealing with monster hordes originating from fractures was rather annoying.


    The last ten percent contained the hidden fractures that were obscured from the world for various reasons, only waiting for the lucky adventurer to find them and exploit the hell out of them. Next to the hidden fractures were the quest fractures. Fractures that one could only enter or even find if they had the corresponding quest.


    They arrived at the abandoned mining site in a short amount of time and by the time Clarissa was getting down from the excited Katie¡¯s back while grumbling, his senses were expanding, probing the ever-present metallic and rough presence of the mana around the mountains.


    He could instantly feel several chaotic presences in the fabric of the mana. Though, unfortunately, where the famous treasure dungeon was in his inherited memories, he couldn¡¯t sense anything.


    ¡®Probably because I killed that annoying little dragon wannabe lizard¡­¡¯ he mused.


    With a small smile on his face, he turned to his team.


    ¡°Everyone ready for a small adventure?¡±


    Dan nodded eagerly, hefting his club up high, while Katie, as always, was bouncing in one place. Clarissa was, however, glaring at him slightly.


    ¡°It would be helpful if we knew what this ¡®small adventure¡¯ meant¡­¡± she spat out, using her hands to create quotation marks.


    Sam nodded and instead of saying anything, with a few motions of his hand, shared the quest with all of them.


    As they read, he began to explain. ¡°We are looking for fractures. As they¡¯re obviously this game¡¯s dungeons, we are looking for permanent ones that can be exploited. The local government is going to set up the infrastructure and tax the incoming materials. We, or rather the company will get a percentage of that income.¡±


    Clarissa blinked at him owlishly. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of money.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered with a challenging grin.


    The glare returned to her face. ¡°I¡¯m not joining!¡±


    Sam simply shrugged and gave her an impish smile. ¡°As you wish¡­¡±


    In the background, Katie let out a quiet and disappointed ''aww'' upon hearing Clarissa¡¯s declaration.


    He clapped his hands together once, gathering their attention, and spoke up.


    ¡°Any other questions?¡±


    Everybody shook their head, and Sam nodded happily.


    ¡°Excellent! Then let¡¯s go and plunder the shit out of the local environment!¡±


    And with that encouraging war-cry, they charged towards the opening dotting the mountainside leading towards countless abandoned mine shafts.


    <hr>


    The nearest bundle of chaotic mana led them through one of the lower mining shafts at the bottom of the steep cliffs that were the results of countless years of exploitation.


    With Katie in the lead, they entered the mining shaft, their journey illuminated by Sam¡¯s Light Ball.


    As he watched Katie go forward, small yellow arcs of electric energy radiating from the young woman, he made a note to recruit a proper tank for the team, as it wasn¡¯t the best post for the girl.


    Plus, a berserker was never the best idea for the main tank.


    As they headed deeper inside, the mana fluctuations became much clearer, telling him that something like the portal at the giant tree was inside, albeit with much, much less energy.


    ¡°We¡¯re going the right way, guys!¡± he spoke up softly and tightened his grip on his sword. He didn¡¯t want to miss any last-minute ambushes.


    Fortunately, nobody attacked them on the way and a few minutes later, they stood at a dead end of the mining shift, deep underground, in front of them a brownish portal swirling merrily.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Doing a last check of the surrounding, Sam glanced at his teammates, and when he saw everyone was ready, he simply stepped forward with the others following him instantly.


    There was a brief moment of disorientation, then they were standing right where the mining shaft ended. Only the dead end was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the shaft continued deeper, with the darkness hiding everything from their sight.


    Before they could start walking forward, a notification screen popped up.


    [You entered a new fracture!]


    [Fracture: Mining Shaft #17]


    [An old mining shaft that has been abandoned due to the ore veins drying up. Now it is home to something sinister. Go and deal with that something!]


    [Time Limit: No limit]


    [Charges: 1/1]


    Sam simply nodded after reading it, while the others had some questions.


    ¡°Hey, boss! What do the charges mean?¡± asked Dan.


    Sam simply shrugged. ¡°Probably that we can only run it one time.¡±


    ¡°So, then this is a bust?¡±


    ¡°I mean, from the perspective of our quest, yeah¡­ But, it¡¯s still a dungeon, so we will get rewards!¡± he explained, while keeping an eye on the darkness. His mana sense told him that something was indeed lurking down below.


    ¡°Cool!¡±


    ¡°What about loot distribution?¡± came the every-pragmatic question from Clarissa.


    Sam nodded at her and then started explaining. ¡°Whatever drops, goes to whoever needs it the most. If multiple people want it, we will roll the dice. The party menu has an option for it. Materials go to the company unless you need them for your own crafting. Anything else will be dealt with case by case.¡± He waited for a second for his party to digest, then continued. ¡°Any questions?¡±


    The others looked at each other, then back at Sam, and nodded as one.


    ¡°Good for me!¡±


    ¡°Acceptable!¡±


    ¡°I want a new weapon!¡± ¡°Meow!¡±


    Sam nodded in appreciation and then unsheathed his sword and pointed it downwards the slope.


    ¡°Then onwards, my friends! Let us kill everything that stands between us and loot!¡±


    With a resounding cheer, the entire team charged downwards.


    <hr>


    The first few steps were uneventful, but after a few dozen yards, they were finally met with resistance.


    The first thing they noticed was the sickly green eyes in the darkness, which revealed small, stocky golems, heads oddly shaped like mining helmets charging at them, raising their oddly long arms in the air.


    ¡°RAAAARGH!¡±


    Sadly, they were smashed to pieces by Katie who was at the front of their small procession.


    ¡°Golems?¡± asked Dan as he looked around with his club ready to strike.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± hummed Sam thoughtfully. ¡°They appear where the rock and metal type mana concentration is high. Probably the fractures will exacerbate this problem¡­¡±


    ¡°Any weaknesses?¡±


    ¡°Joints mostly¡­ and water, but these are simple, so you don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Sooo¡­.¡±


    ¡°So, go nuts. I¡¯ll warn you if anything dangerous comes out.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡±


    After that fateful exclamation, the small and rather adorable golems in the fracture could only cry out for help as they were destroyed by several enthusiastic adventurers.


    <hr>


    Due to being a small one-shot fracture, the mining shaft didn¡¯t branch out to any side shafts, only heading deeper and deeper.


    The golems didn¡¯t really provide much resistance. Which was natural, as they were in an area that had a lower average level than them. Though, the drops were rather nice, if a little useless to them.


    The golems, as expected, dropped mostly raw ores, including some small gold ones, and a few low-grade gems. Still, the drops were better than nothing.


    While Sam didn¡¯t mention, golems in dungeons had a very small chance of dropping skill books related to golems. Naturally, a low-level dungeon like this would only drop from the boss monster. He hoped with Lucky they would have a chance for it.


    He didn¡¯t want it for himself, because while it was a powerful way to play, it wasn¡¯t really to his taste. However, he did promise Lucy that he would get her a security person. And coincidentally, he knew somebody who wanted this exact skill. How fortuitous!


    ¡®Let¡¯s root for the boss monster to drop it,'' Sam thought as he stepped over the remains of the last golem that protected the entrance to the final chamber, where more than likely they would be attacked by a bigger and meaner golem.


    Taking a look at his team, he was glad to see that none of them were tired, instead even Clarissa was raring to go. It seemed the easy journey through the fracture had emboldened them.


    ¡®Glad I chose this first¡­ Going to a swamp fracture would have probably resulted in open rebellion¡­¡¯ he thought with a chuckle.


    He simply stepped over the threshold, followed by his teammates, and was instantly aware of the giant green eyes that opened up at the back of the giant cavern. They were considerably higher than the ones on the monsters they had seen so far.


    Then, with a small roar that shook the entire room, it stepped forward.


    The new golem looked almost the same as the smaller ones. Stumpy and long arms, ending in deadly-looking claws perfect for digging, and the top of its head looking like a miner helmet. The only difference between it and the smaller ones was that its mining helmet had a lamp at the front (shaped from rock) that shone with the same green light as the eyes.


    ¡°Katie, distract! Dan, try not to cook us!¡± he yelled out and instantly launched his own attacks, followed by a small and very hot flame lance from his pyromaniac friend, while Katie wreathed in yellow lightning and launched herself forward, the entire cavern echoing with her demented laughter mixing with the golem¡¯s roar.


    <hr>


    The giant golem didn¡¯t last long enough for the fight to become really enjoyable, especially, with the new spells that they were granted by the big quest during the event. Sam was pretty sure that even Clarissa could have taken the golem down if given enough time.


    As the carcass slowly turned into rainbow pixels and evaporated, he walked forward and picked up the drops. The others gathered around him, curiously looking at the items.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± he spoke out loud as he went through the meager drops left behind by the boss. ¡°Ore, ore, gem, some more ore¡­ Nothing exciting.¡± Sensing the other fidgeting behind him, he just smirked and continued. ¡°Oh look! More ores!¡±


    ¡°For fucks¡¯ sake, you idiot!¡± came instantly the yell from Clarissa. ¡°Just tell us if something good dropped¡­¡±


    Sam raised his hand in a placating manner. ¡°Alright, alright!¡±


    Turning back to the pile of items, he quickly sorted out all the crafting materials and chaff, leaving them with two books and a giant hammer.


    ¡°Well, we have a war hammer if anyone wants it?¡± he asked and then waited for a second for someone to speak up, but the silence was his only answer. ¡°Then it will go to the auction. I¡¯ll send you guys the money after it¡¯s sold.¡±


    Putting the weapon into his inventory, he picked up the two books.


    ¡°Hmm, one of them is Rock Barrage, which is a Rock Bullet skill, and the other is Earth Wall¡­ Anyone want it?¡±


    Disappointed at the low-quality rewards, his teammates shook their heads and began to wander around the cavern, probably hoping to find some hidden reward.


    Sam simply pocketed the spells, chuckling at them.


    ¡®What did they expect from a low-level fracture¡­ honestly¡­¡¯


    Next, he turned toward the notification screen that popped up as soon as the boss monster fell dead.


    [Congratulations, you cleared Mining Shaft #17!]


    [Exit: Yes/No]


    [Warning: If no decision is made within 30 minutes, the fracture will collapse and automatically eject the players!]


    Sam simply pushed the yes button, and once again, the world became a blur.


    <hr>


    They found themselves exactly where they entered the fracture, only the brown portal was nowhere to be seen.


    Turning around, they began trudging up towards the sun, ready to look for another fracture. Ignoring his party members, despondent due to a lack of amazing loot, Sam simply focused on his mana senses, trying to pinpoint the next fracture, while also making a hasty note about the details of the first one in a notebook.


    It would help the NPCs rate the dungeons if they had some kind of data to work from.


    Reaching one of the junctions, he stopped for a second, then pointed toward the right.


    ¡°The next one is that way!¡±


    Instantly, the previous disappointment vanished from them, and Katie, ever excited, ran forward.


    ¡°Come on! Maybe this time it will drop something cool!¡±


    ¡°Meow! Meow, meow, meow!¡±


    ¡°Excellent argument Puffball! We should move faster!¡±


    Sam watched as the girl vanished down the corridor and looked at the others with a wry smile. Dan was chuckling and Clarissa was simply face-palming.


    ¡°We should hurry up, otherwise she will finish the next one on her own¡­¡±

 Chapter 88

    After they left the first mining shaft, they followed Sam¡¯s mana sense towards several other one-shot fractures. And unfortunately, all of them were on the same level as the first one. A simple corridor, then a few chambers to battle monsters and one giant hall to fight the boss.


    Of the fractures they found and recorded, almost all of them were filled with golems, dropping all sorts of ores and metals with a sprinkling of earth-type skill books. Nothing special or anything that they couldn¡¯t buy at the Auction House or from the Mage Tower.


    Though both Sam and Katie kept a Ground Shake skill book as it was useful for both of their builds. And he saw Clarissa eyeing the many wall-type spells they found. Sadly, with Dan focusing on fire-type spells, there was nothing for him.


    [Ground Shake: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to stomp on the ground, releasing a pulse of mana, which shakes the ground in an area around you and breaks the ground up. The size of the area, the number of pulses, and their strength depend on the level of the skill.]


    It was a rather good AoE skill for interrupting casting and simply unbalancing one¡¯s opponent, and naturally, Sam knew a lot of alternate ways one could make use of it. The only reason he hadn¡¯t picked it up yet was that the Mage Tower would have demanded he do a very annoying and grindy quest, while the ones on the auction were priced ludicrously.


    Following the tenth one-shot fracture, they spent a little time resting, while Sam spent the duration of said rest casting his senses far and wide, pretending to try to find at least one permanent fracture in the area. When he obviously found none, as the only one he knew about didn¡¯t exist because of his own actions, he decided to move their team deeper into the mining area.


    Directly towards one of the most profitable permanent fractures.


    After all, a fracture that basically provided an infinite amount of ores, was rather valuable. Now he only needed to ¡®find¡¯ it and make sure nobody else was there.


    The team returned to the sunlight with their hands covering their eyes as it readjusted to the shining sun, and after a brief rest and equipment check, they turned their attention to the small mining town set up in the distance.


    Usually, players would find it hard to enter as it was considered a vital part of the city¡¯s infrastructure and was guarded twenty-four-seven by NPCs that were strong enough to one-hit anyone. Granted, there were ways around them, but why bother, when Sam had an entry token from the Silvercrest family who owned almost forty percent of the mines that the town serviced?


    The journey to the gates was rather boring. The most they had to do was walk around giant carriages and other transportation methods, hauling ores and sometimes bars of metals toward Ironwood city.


    At the gates, instead of heading toward the giant doors that were used by the miners and transporters, Sam directed them toward a smaller gate, guarded by two vigilant guards, clearly marked for entry for people who didn¡¯t work there. Probably decreased the chance of injury around the large and heavy vehicles.


    As the team walked up to the door, the guards¡¯ gaze instantly zeroed in on the team, and Sam could see their hands tightening around their deadly-looking spears.


    ¡°Halt! This is the Ironwood Mining Outpost. You can only enter if you have authorization!¡± exclaimed one of them, while the other just cast his suspicious gaze at them, until it landed on Puffball, who chose that moment to yawn showing off its maw. Which was too big and filled with too many teeth to belong to a normal cat.


    Sam could see that the man¡¯s grip on his spear tightened so much that his skin was turning white and the tip of the spear was being lowered, pointed at Katie and her familiar.


    Wanting to prevent any shenanigans, he reached into his inventory and took out the token that Lord Silvercrest had given him. It was a round token, around the size of his palm, naturally made from ancient ironwood and the Silvercrest crest prominently embossed on it with silver.


    The moment the token was revealed, both guards lost some tension.


    ¡°We¡¯re here on behalf of the Silvercrest family to conduct an investigation related to the¡­ event that happened recently,¡± Sam declared, in what he hoped was a tactful manner.


    The two guards nodded, and the one who spoke up reached out with his hand for the token. Sam simply handed it over, and they watched as the guards examined the item. A moment later, it was handed back, and the guard nodded.


    To Sam, it provided a brief, almost fleeting, glimpse at the magic used to verify the authenticity of the token as his Mana Sense skill was still active.


    ¡°Seems to be in order,¡± the guard said. ¡°What¡¯re you planning to do?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here to map out and observe any phenomenon left behind from the event,¡± he explained in a circumspect way. One never knew when they were being overheard.


    The guard nodded in understanding and didn¡¯t ask for more. He simply motioned toward the door while the other guard opened it.


    They were ushered through and found themselves in a short corridor. Sam could practically feel the myriad of artifacts and spells that scanned them as they walked through. ¡®Apparently, they take security seriously¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he led his team in.


    After getting through the wooden corridor, they emerged into a courtyard busy with guards rushing all over as well as official-looking people running while holding reams of papers.


    ¡°Ahh, I love the smell of bureaucracy in the morning!¡± he exclaimed softly.


    ¡°It¡¯s in the afternoon, boss,¡± came the retort from Dan.


    Sam just sighed and bid his team to follow him.


    <hr>


    ¡®Getting through the labyrinthine ways of the bureaucratic center of the mining outpost should have counted as its own dungeon¡­¡¯ Sam thought as they emerged into the proper area.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Katie¡¯s hands were being healed by Clarissa, and Dan¡¯s eyes looked empty enough that one would believe that he had lost his soul.


    Even with the token, they were made to sign enough paperwork that without the magic of druids, would have probably depopulated a small forest.


    But finally, they were through and ready to hunt for fractures!


    <hr>


    The area was bustling with activity. Miners coming up from their shifts, others starting their shifts. Material being moved all over the place, giant furnaces belting out thick, black clouds as they melted ores at stupendous temperatures with the heat and cloying smoke only held back by visibly straining magical barriers.


    It was as chaotic as it was organized.


    Sam had to work hard with his skill to pinpoint the origin of the fractures as the many pieces of equipment and artifacts being used by the miners in the outpost created a sort of mana-noise.


    For a brief moment he closed his eyes and fully focused on the mana he could sense in the air. He used the same technique he used back in the ancient forest when looking for the ruin with the chalice and slowly began to exclude things from his senses.


    Uniformly placed sources of mana? Excluded.


    Mana moving in straight lines? Excluded.


    And so on, until he only had solitary sources on his mental map. And because in his memories, the area looked different, as it was remodeled after one of the guilds tried to take control of the fracture, he really had to work hard to figure them out.


    Finally, he compared the sources remaining on his mental map to the fractures he had experienced already, instantly pinpointing several probably one-shot ones and one big one that had a slightly different feeling than the others.


    Opening his eyes, he looked at the others.


    ¡°I sense a few of them. One-shots first or the big one?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Oh! One-shot! I¡¯m so close to leveling up!¡± exclaimed Katie cheerfully.


    Sam looked at the others with a questioning gaze. Dan opened his status screen and then nodded. ¡°Me too. Probably a good idea to do the one-shots first.¡±


    ¡°One-shots,¡± came the short and sweet answer from Clarissa. Sam was happy to see (and hear) that her tone was less severe and she was looking around the mining outpost curiously.


    ¡°One-shots it is!¡± he confirmed, then began walking in the direction of the nearest one. The rest of the team followed him with their head on swivel, taking in the sights of the mining outpost.


    <hr>


    As they progressed through the bustling crowds and loud machines, Sam couldn¡¯t help but also look around. Seeing as the area looked very different from his inherited memories, he was rather curious. By the time the other Sam joined the game, the beginning of the fracture was over, and by the time he actually reached the level and ability to enter said fractures, the guilds were all over them.


    Most of the surroundings of the permanent fractures that people found were devastated by wars between guilds wanting to monopolize them or city defense forces subduing the warring factions. Even this mining post was half destroyed by the time he first stepped into the area. They rebuilt it later, naturally, but by then it was more geared towards the exploitation of the fracture than mining.


    Sadly, the miners'' revolt was put down very fast. ¡®Have to do something about that too¡­¡¯ he thought with a sigh. ¡®A reincarnator¡¯s job never ends¡­¡¯


    They reached the first one-shot fracture without trouble; the miners were avoiding them like lepers. Apparently, they weren¡¯t happy about the presence of the adventurers, based on the glares they were receiving.


    The mining shaft containing the first fracture was locked down with a simple sign saying it was out of order. They simply walked around the sign and ignored the cries of surprise and warning of the miners loitering around the shaft entrance.


    <hr>


    Finding the fracture was easy. They just had to follow all the signs saying that there was mortal danger ahead before arriving at another brown portal.


    They took a small break, eating their rations and drinking before they dived in without much fear.


    [You entered a new fracture!]


    [Fracture: Mining Shaft #1138-THX]


    [A working mining shaft that has been temporarily closed down due to anomalous events. The workers are afraid to step in after one of their own vanished into the portal. They are waiting for the competent authorities to arrive and deal with it.]


    [Time Limit: Until the Outpost Guard team arrives!]


    [Charges: 1/1]


    The environment inside was the same as in the previous ones, dark and rocky. However, instead of golems made of earth, they were only half earth. The other half was made of cloying clouds of coal smoke.


    They were basically pieces of rocks and earth kept together by the smoke. Thankfully, they could still be damaged by physical damage.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go for another localized genocide, guys¡­¡±


    Katie let out a roar and instantly charged at the first monster approaching them.


    The rest of them looked at each other, then rushed after the excitable girl.


    <hr>


    Sam jumped backward, shooting off a Wind Bullet to disperse the cloud of coal heading straight at him from the giant smoke golem. Dan was off to the side, holding back the small add-ons with a circle of white-hot flame, while Katie, with the support of Clarissa, was jumping around the giant golem, hacking away at its rocky surfaces.


    He took a moment to center himself and then raised his sword, enveloped it in wind mana, and shot it towards the already wounded and slowing down final boss of the fracture.


    The enhanced Wind Bullet ripped through the cloudy body of the golem, stunning it long enough for Katie to jump on its head and sink her razor-sharp greatsword sparkling with yellow energy into its head.


    There was a moment of silence, then the unnaturally green eyes of the monster winked out, leaving behind inert rocks and clouds of disgusting coal smoke.


    Then the rocks fell amid a giant roar, shaking the cavern they were in, while the smoke dispersed as if it was exploded from the inside. Sam simply raised a wall of wind between his team and the rushing clouds of material, watching as it was dispersed on it before turning into the now familiar rainbow particles as the boss vanished and left behind loot.


    Sam watched as Dan walked up to the small pile of loot, while the notification screen happily confirmed they were finished with the fracture.


    ¡°Anything good, Dan?¡±


    The scholarly pyromaniac reached down and picked up a shiny black crystal and a book.


    ¡°Err, it says that this is a Crystallized Coal, and the skill book is Ash Cloud,¡± he called out after examining them for a moment.


    ¡°Learn the Ash Cloud and give me the crystal. It is valuable to blacksmiths, so we can get a good price for it,¡± Sam instructed Dan.


    Instantly, the book vanished into a swirl of mana, and Dan was furiously pouring over the description of the spell after carelessly throwing the shiny black crystal to Sam. He caught it, examined it for a second, then tossed it into his inventory. After all, it was just a somewhat fancy fuel for magical furnaces.


    With that done, and the rest of the miscellaneous loot collected, they hastily exited the fracture and immediately headed for the next one.


    <hr>


    It took them the rest of the game time to go over all the one-shot fractures hidden around the mining outpost. The loot wasn¡¯t anything to write home about, but at least Katie and Dan leveled up and collected enough drops that Clarissa was over the moon with her share.


    Sam was glad to see she was warming up to the group.


    ¡®Maybe with more people¡­¡¯ he mused as they set down in one of the guest rooms at the offices after reporting to the outpost leader about the cleared fractures.


    They were immediately directed at the guest rooms, with the people rushing out to confirm the news, but based on the faces they made, Sam was pretty sure, that even though they had no quest for it, they would be getting a reward for all the work.


    Laying down on the bed, its quality rather middling, with Lucky curling around him, he closed his eyes and hit the log-out button.


    <hr>


    Waking up in his apartment, he put the helmet on its rack, stood up and stretched, then left the room to take care of his biological functions.


    Returning to his office, he sat down at his computer and checked his emails for anything important, but aside from a few reports from Lucy, nothing interesting was in them.


    So, he flexed his fingers gleefully, and with an evil smile, opened the Shadowlands website and began to type.


    After all, he had an auction to set up¡­

 Chapter 89

    The first thing he did was to import the recordings of the items he wanted to auction, then created a small slide show for them, showcasing their looks and their descriptions. After that was done, he did a little research, looking up the current prices and mood of the Shadowlands.


    It was funny to see that everyone was clamoring for super items in the game, hoping to gain an advantage over others. Apparently, the absence of the usual gear treadmill had thrown most of the gamers into chaos. Because they just couldn¡¯t buy or get the current best weapon, skill became the biggest difference between them. Even then, the internet was full of videos of people showcasing skills and giving tips or training instructions to them. Everybody had a unique way of interacting with the revolutionary system of the game and it was made very obvious by the comments under such videos.


    Instead of thankful messages, they were full of people complaining about how the instructions were a wash and nothing works.


    Sam had to admit, it was much easier to master skills with the memories of a person who watched instructional videos made after years of research and experimentation by professionals.


    Still, while procrastinating a little, he watched a few of those videos, especially ones focusing on swords and wind magic, to see if he could glean anything interesting.


    Sadly, it was a disappointment. Apparently, he was so far ahead of the curve that they were bragging about things he did in the first days. Nevertheless, this showed that while the masses were grappling with the general usage of the skills, the pros were comfortable sharing this kind of information, meaning they were way beyond it.


    ¡®Fights are going to become harder and harder¡­¡¯ he mused, a little sad, but mostly excited. After all, fighting in giant magical battles was a man¡¯s romance!


    Returning his attention to the planned auction after a bout of daydreaming, he began drafting the message.


    He outlined that he was working as a broker for an anonymous player, wishing to sell the items. Described their history, describing the boss at the end of the Fracture Dungeon, leaving out how it was defeated, and then simply posted the description of the weapons followed by the small slide shows that showed the weapons¡¯ look and in-game status screen.


    Sam spent a few minutes fiddling with it, formatting it until it was to his liking, then took a short walk to his kitchen for a drink and to think. Returning to his desk, he read through it once, then with a decisive movement, posted it to the site.


    He even set it so that people had to pay a small amount of money to see it. ¡®Why not make more money¡­¡¯


    Thanks to his work in the not-so-past, people avidly followed his account, as based on his inherited memories he had managed to become a rather famous information broker. This fame didn¡¯t disappoint. As soon as the post went live, it was bombarded by comments, and his private message box filled up within five minutes with people wanting to outright buy the items.


    To forestall these kinds of things, he posted a simple announcement:


    ¡®I¡¯m but a humble broker. My client deemed it necessary to auction these items off, thus that will happen. There is no buyout or any best offer. The auction will start in a week¡¯s time and you can bid on the items there! Thank you for your understanding!¡¯


    Naturally, this response didn¡¯t lessen the interest in the Fracture loot. Actually, it drove the members of the site into a frenzy, which was exactly what Sam wanted. The gaming news sites were full of people bragging about their loot from the Fracture Dungeons that spawned with the events (then whining about being spawn camped until they dropped it) and the people were thirsty to get their hands on these powerful items.


    Especially the players of Ironwood, where it was a mystery to the general populace the identity of the team that cleared the big dungeon. Naturally, the big guilds lost some face in the race, as they all bragged that they would be the first ones to the goal. And now that there was a chance to acquire at least one of the weapons, they were all chomping at the chance.


    Sam had the urge to buy a big wooden desk, set it up in the living room before the giant windows, and laugh manically sitting at it as he rubbed his hands together.


    ¡®Let the chaos commence!¡¯ he thought mirthfully. Then he shot off a message to Lucy to keep her abreast of the happenings and closed the tab which had the website on.


    He spent some more time on the computer dealing with things, then stood up and headed for his wardrobe. His kitchen was running low on things, so he needed to do a grocery run¡­


    <hr>


    Returning to the game, he once again found his mouth full of silken shadow wolf fur. Sam spent a few minutes ¡®fighting¡¯ with Lucky for the right to breathe, then he did a short wake-up routine; just stretches and a few basic magic exercises to get his engine running, then after a quick equipment check, he left his room to look for the others.


    He found them in the commissary, eating their breakfast with different levels of enthusiasm. Dan was reading a book while eating the seasoned porridge with giant spoon bites. Katie was basically inhaling the food, not paying attention to anyone else, while Clarissa was sitting next to her and trying not to look at the carnage.


    Sam chuckled seeing that and sat next to them after a short greeting with his own bowl and began eating.


    <hr>


    After breakfast, they had a little meeting, making sure everyone was on the same page, then after a quick report to the mining site¡¯s manager, they headed out.


    Sam was using his Mana Sense to pinpoint the biggest concentration of mana disturbance he could feel that felt like a fracture.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    They once again weaved through people going to work, returning from mining, machines belting out dark black smoke, wagons laden with ores and metal, and a few with precious crystals.


    The entire area has been mined for the last few decades, so there were deep holes surrounded by terraced mountainsides where people went up and down like ants in a busy colony. They descended amidst the general noises of the mine, with Sam keeping up a low-level wind shield to filter out the small particulates carried by the wind and the almost ever-present smoke that not even the enchanted shields around the kilns could keep in.


    After almost half an hour of journey, they finally reached the first mine entrances that lead even deeper. The team approached the shaft that was guarded by a team of mine guards, with two of them facing outwards and four facing inwards.


    Sam had to show off his token received from the Silvercrest family as well as the permission received from the mine manager before they were let in.


    The mining shaft was exactly the same as all the mining shafts they visited previously. Dark walls marked with the equipment that was used to create said shafts. The walls were supported by ironwood beams and at equal intervals lamps were radiating creepy yellow lighting, leaving small areas in shadows adding to the creepiness of the surroundings.


    ¡°Alright team, keep your eyes peeled. I can¡¯t sense anything but the fracture, but who knows¡­¡± he stated while giving them a warning glance.


    Katie stepped forward, ready to mince up anything that came at them. Dan and Clarissa followed her, walking next to each other while Sam walked at the back, making sure to protect the team¡¯s back.


    <hr>


    Surprisingly, their trip downwards was only met by gently misting powder falling from the ceiling as they headed deeper and deeper in the direction of the fracture. As they approached the mana vortex that was the entrance, Sam had to admire how much different the access to this fracture was in the future that he inherited memories of.


    The corridors were widened enough that almost ten people could walk side by side comfortably, with almost ten feet of ceiling height and a train track in the middle, where small carts ferried people up and down from the fracture.


    He couldn¡¯t help but look forward to the future when his company would be the one that would be operating the area. He could already see a small company-operated shop with amenities next to the fracture. ¡®Oooh, private carts for those who wish for it¡­ Damn, that¡¯s going to make so much money¡­¡¯


    Soon, they reached the swirling vortex of mana that was in the middle of a juncture, radiating brown light, tinted with sickly green and some metallic silver.


    They investigated the area, but they found nothing but the menacing-looking fracture entrance.


    After a short discussion, they simply decided to enter no matter what may happen.


    [You entered a new fracture!]


    [Fracture: Mining Shaft #789/IM/SE/B-42]


    [A working mining shaft that has been temporarily closed down due to anomalous events. The workers are afraid to enter it after an entire team bravely tried to investigate the portal in hopes of riches. The workers are waiting for the competent authorities to arrive and deal with it.]


    [Time limit: Until the Outpost Guard team arrives!]


    [Charges: Unlimited]


    <hr>


    As soon as they emerged into the dark corridor, Sam grinned at the others.


    ¡°It seems I was right! This is an unlimited one!¡±


    ¡°What does that mean, exactly?¡± Dan asked, though Sam could see the beginning of excitement in his eyes.


    ¡°That means, after we are finished with it, I can go back and report about it and we, as in the company, are going to set up the area,¡± he explained to the team. ¡°That means transportation, accommodations and most importantly, tickets and taxes!¡±


    Clarissa grinned, and Katie let out a delightful laugh.


    ¡°That means we get a lot of money, right? Right? I read the contract and it said we get paid a percentage from the dungeons!¡± she belted out, half happy and half worried, looking at Sam with big dewy eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, Katie, that¡¯s correct. For the exact amount, you¡¯ll have to get Lucy to calculate it for you, but you¡¯ll definitely get a discovery fee,¡± he said as he looked at them with an easy grin.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Dan uttered with a small wonder on his face, and Sam wondered if he even read his contract.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Katie celebrated by jumping up in the air and pumping her fist. ¡°New weapon, here I come!¡±


    Clarissa simply nodded in satisfaction, as if happy that Sam was keeping his end of the contract.


    He clapped his hands together, generating enough noise to get the others¡¯ attention and for the sound to echo down the corridor.


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t celebrate something that we don¡¯t have yet. Let¡¯s go, there is a dungeon waiting for us!¡± he exclaimed, then unsheathed his weapon and pointed down the corridor shrouded in mysterious shadows. ¡°To adventure!¡±


    <hr>


    The beginning of the dungeon was the same as the previous ones. Dark and empty. Suspiciously empty.


    They walked forward carefully, keeping an eye out for anything that may want to jump them, while Sam and Dan, who had Mana Sense, made sure they weren¡¯t attacked by something that was invisible to the naked eye.


    Clarissa made sure that the buffs were kept up on them, and Katie was like a revved engine, ready to be unleashed.


    After almost five minutes of walking, they finally heard something.


    A sort of shuffling sound could be heard from behind the darkness.


    Sam motioned them to stop, and they all got into ready stances and waited for the monster to be revealed. The shuffling sound continued until a shambling form entered the area, illuminated by Sam¡¯s and Clarissa¡¯s Light Ball spell.


    It looked like a zombie, but its skin was craggy as if covered in dried and cracked mud, with the cracks shining with black light. Its upper torso was covered with a tattered mining uniform while one of its arms was fully missing, replaced by a metal abomination that some demented people would call a prosthetic arm, ending in claws that dripped with disgusting green fluid. The lower part of its head was also covered by metal, adding an underbite made from the same material (and same style) with triangle-like teeth. The upper part of the head was covered by the same craggy skin. The eyes shined with malicious green light.


    As soon as the monster entered the illuminated area, it raised its metal arm, pointed at them, and let out a hoarse roar that had a metallic undertone.


    ¡°RAAARGH!¡±


    Katie responded with her own roar and launched herself at the monster. As Katie began to play with her prey Sam carefully observed the monster to make sure it was the same as the ones in his inherited memories.


    In his memories, they were called Cyborg Zombies by the players, even though the prosthetics were more in line with steampunk than cyberpunk. Their bodies were made from fallen miners fused together with simple golems, augmented by metal prosthetics and weapons.


    All in all, they weren¡¯t the most dangerous monsters, as they were mostly slow and dumb, but the mini-bosses and the final boss were decently big challenges. The drops were more important. They dropped a lot of ores, golem-related materials as well as mining-related equipment on account of being made by dead miners. Basically, even the smallest drop was worth enough money that in the future it was farmed twenty-four-seven by several guilds.


    As the first zombie fell under Katie¡¯s ministration, Sam took a deep breath and motioned to the others to move forward after picking up the simple ore that dropped from the poor monster.


    They had money to make¡­

 Chapter 90

    Their journey through the depths of the mine was neither slow nor fast. They walked at an even pace, destroying all the monsters that came before them. It started with one or two zombie miners attacking them, each augmented in a different place, but it escalated fast.


    After half an hour of walking through cramped corridors, they widened. Increasing in width enough that more than four zombies could march against them next to each other. Not that the monsters were helped by their increased numbers.


    Despite their chimeric existence and their clearly enchanted prostheses, they weren¡¯t much of a challenge for Sam¡¯s team. Because at their core, they were just zombies.


    And basic zombies like these were slow and dumb. So, very dumb.


    Sam was pretty sure that the only reason they didn¡¯t hurt each other with their wicked sharp prostheses was because whoever created them included either a friend-or-foe identification in the equipment or was simply controlling them through the enchanted metals.


    It was pretty interesting.


    While watching either Katie or Dan dismantling the current group coming against them, he cast his gaze on the prostheses decorating the bodies of monsters. Some of them had their arms replaced, some their legs, some had metal tails with spokes at the end. There were a few that had their whole upper torso replaced with enchanted gear, leaving only their legs and head free from modifications.


    Or there was one that had only its head replaced, which was adorned by one big eye. Naturally, it shot lasers at them through it.


    He spent some time focusing his mana senses on the metal equipment grafted onto the bodies of poor departed miners, and while the structure of the mana inside was fascinating, it was inherently chaotic and followed no rhyme or reason that would allow Sam to replicate it some way. Or learn new runes to add to his collection.


    Though in the end, the chaotic mana inside the monsters did give him an idea; however, inside a fracture was not the perfect time to experiment with new spells¡­


    They continued through the dungeon, bashing through every monster, no matter how fast or strong it came at them, their superior skills and teamwork making almost a mockery of them.


    Soon, they reached the end of the last corridor and all of them could see that it opened into a bigger hall, shrouded in darkness.


    Super conveniently, before the entrance to said hall, there was a small area, where the walls and ground were carved into chairs and tables, perfect for a party wanting to rest.


    ¡°So, I assume this means we are going to fight a mini-boss, right?¡± asked Clarissa as she poked one of the chairs with the butt of her staff.


    Sam nonchalantly reached out to Katie¡¯s collar, grabbing her and preventing her from sneaking into the cavern as he answered.


    ¡°More than likely. Or maybe an event. Monster waves seem to be popular nowadays¡­¡±


    Dan simply nodded and collapsed into one of the chairs. He spent a few seconds getting comfortable, then nodded again.


    ¡°Much more comfortable than I was expecting,¡± he stated, then leaned back with his eyes closed. ¡°Man, I love these skills, but the concentration necessary to do what you taught me, boss. It just turns my brain into mush¡­¡±


    Clarissa also took a seat and sat her staff next to her while folding her hands in her lap.


    ¡°Agreed. They make me much more powerful, but it¡¯s damn hard¡­¡±


    Stopping her struggling, Katie threw her head back and glared at Sam through her helmet, then relented and relaxed into his grip. Then, a moment later, she turned towards Clarissa.


    ¡°Dunno, I think it¡¯s fun! Sam¡¯s a good teacher! I just do whoosh,¡± she exclaimed demonstrating with her hands, doing some kind of motion that probably made sense to her. ¡°Then waaah, and then another whoosh then bamm! My enemy is dead and I¡¯m happy!¡± Every sound was punctuated by another weird hand gesture.


    Sam had to chuckle at the despair on Clarissa¡¯s face.


    ¡°Of course, she is some kind of idiot savant¡­ why not?¡± the healer muttered to herself.


    Sam let go of the excited berserker, who fell on the ground instantly, ignored the complaining meow from Puffball, and spoke up.


    ¡°Alright people, let¡¯s take five! Go over your gains, rest your eyes, and so on¡­¡±


    Receiving affirmatives from the team, he also sat down and opened his status screen. It had been a long time since he went over his gains. Unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t gained a level yet, but his skills went up plenty. Not by much, as the one-shot fractures weren¡¯t exactly monumental challenges, but he was still happy with getting even closer to his eventual goals.


    Sam eyed his skill collection for a few moments, then he turned his attention to the notifications screen where a list of changes awaited him.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 27!]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 66!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 24!]


    [Mana Gaze is now Level 5!]


    [Controlled Slash is now Level 1!]


    [Triple Mana Slash is now Level 1!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 62!]


    [Mana Influenced Body is now Level 10!]


    [Mana Disruption is now Level 13!]


    [Spell Layering is now Level 14!]


    [Mana Construct is now Level 13!]


    It was not a big growth, but he felt it was heading in the right direction. Plus, the synergy between his skills and abilities was just too nice. There were a few more skills he wanted to make his build complete, but he would need to prepare for them a little more. One of them was from a hidden fracture some distance away from Ironwood City, the other only had some stat requirements.


    [Light Ball III is now Level 1!]


    [Clean IV is now Level 2!]


    [Ground Shake is now Level 2!]


    [Wind Bullet III is now Level 8!]


    [Wind Explosion is now Level 1!]


    [Wind Movement is now Level 30!]


    [Aerodynamic is now Level 1!]


    [Wind Edge is now Level 5!]


    [Wind Affinity is now Level 58!]


    [Gentle Wind is now Level 1!]


    [Active Meditation is now Level 45!]


    [Battle Awareness is now Level 5!]


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    While he didn¡¯t have many chances to flex his bigger spells, the smaller ones still got their chance to shine.


    [Advanced Shadow Footwork is now Level 9!]


    [Shadow Grace is now Level 4!]


    [Shadow Burst II is now Level 1!]


    [Shadow Mirage is now Level 17!]


    [Shadow Shield is now Level 21!]


    [Shadow Affinity is now Level 24!]


    Thanks to his great control, now that he had the Shadow Affinity skill, it shot up rather fast as he applied all the tricks he learned from manipulating wind-natured mana to the shadows. He hoped that soon he would be able to catch it up to Wind Affinity.


    [Advanced Sword Mastery is now Level 14!]


    [Basic Armor Mastery is now Level 41!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 46!]


    [Flow is now Level 42!]


    [Earth Resistance is now Level 8!]


    [Multitasking is now Level 78!]


    [Parallel Processing is now Level 9!]


    Small it may be, but Sam was rather satisfied with his growth. Now he only needed to clear this fracture and then go do the two he knew were in the area that the Silvercrest family controlled, while also looking for one more where the treasure trove fracture should have been.


    Looking up from his status screen, he called out.


    ¡°Lucky!¡±


    The excitable wolf surfaced instantly from his shadow, filling the small area with his bulk and silky fur. Puffball hissed in a challenge, but after one growl from the giant wolf, the small unnatural cat familiar retreated behind Katie, while Lucky looked back at him with a proud look on his silly face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go boy, it¡¯s time to show the world what you can do!¡±


    Everybody looked up as Lucky began barking in excitement and then chasing his own tail while it wagged happily.


    Sam turned to the others and spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready. You guys?¡±


    Katie sprang to her feet with the same energy as Lucky. ¡°Ready to kill, boss!¡± She unsheathed her greatsword and began swinging it around to warm up.


    Dan opened his eyes and let out a sigh. ¡°Sure! With Lucky, I won¡¯t have to concentrate that much¡­¡±


    Clarissa also stood and nodded at him. ¡°I¡¯m also ready.¡±


    ¡°Good! Then let¡¯s go and see what the dungeon has for us!¡± he exclaimed and before he could even move one of his legs, Lucky shot off, bowling over Katie, and rushed into the cavern.


    <hr>


    Running after Lucky, they found themselves in an interesting cavern. The side where they entered looked like it was naturally formed, but around halfway through the cavern, it transitioned into clearly man-made stonework. As if the mountain simply swallowed an entire building. Stonework and mountain rock blended into each other seamlessly as if formed that way at the beginning of time.


    In the middle, where the man-made construction met the geological one, stood Lucky in an attack position, growling at a giant zombie, as it stood on the opposite end of the corridor, in front of a dilapidated gate.


    As it growled back and almost lunged forward, Sam observed it.


    It was bigger than any of the zombies they had met so far, almost two times as big. Its arms were long enough that its knuckles brushed the floor, and Sam could see that the craggy skin formed into formidable muscles, or at least a facsimile of them. One of its legs was replaced by an enchanted prosthesis, as were both of his arms up to the elbow, forming menacing-looking fists that radiated death. The only other thing that looked like it came from the same source as the prostheses was the helmet it was wearing. It had several antennae on it and a few blinking lights.


    By the time he finished his observation, the monster made its decision and lunged forward at Lucky, clearly threatened by the wolf¡¯s presence.


    Lucky in reaction let out a small howl, unleashing his Fear Aura, but to their surprise, a simple sickly green shield sprung up originating from the helmet it was wearing, which simply caused the aura to go around the monster.


    The wolf didn¡¯t much care. His claws shone with wispy shadows and jumped directly at the charging zombie.


    ¡°Shield him, please,¡± he called out almost silently to the watching healer.


    Instantly, barely visible hexagons surrounded the excited wolf.


    ¡°Thanks!¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± came the equally quiet answer.


    Then he turned back to the fight and called out to his companion.


    ¡°Go for the arms!¡±


    There was no reaction from Lucky, but he could see that the claws that were previously aimed at the jugular of the monster were moving just a little bit faster.


    However, the zombie wasn¡¯t idle. It raised its arms at the same time as Lucky¡¯s claws reached it, forming a cross guard and causing a great sound to echo around the cavern as claw met metal. Lucky, experienced in battle, used the monster¡¯s crossed arms as a platform to jump away, directly at one of the many shadows that obscured parts of the room.


    As the shadow swallowed him, the monster looked around confusedly for a second, but then its beady eyes found their group and it snarled in rage.


    Though, before it could charge at them, Lucky reappeared behind it, claws raised once again.


    Sadly for the giant zombie, this time it wasn¡¯t fast enough to react, and the team watched as both arms fell to Lucky¡¯s guillotine-like claws, separating them from the main body.


    For a long moment, it stared at nothing, then let out an earth-shattering roar.


    ¡°RAAAR ¨C urk¡­¡±


    Which was interrupted by Lucky going for the throat and ripping the monster¡¯s head off.


    Then, as the body fell, Lucky dashed around it to arrive in front of Sam, with his tail wagging proudly, ready for compliments. Sam naturally reached out and began to pet the proud wolf, with Katie joining him almost immediately.


    ¡°So, it was not a mini-boss,¡± spoke up Clarissa with a sigh, then joined Katie in providing some ministration to the wolf, who looked like Christmas came early for him.


    <hr>


    The mini-boss was in the next room. It was another bruiser like the one that stood guard at the gate, only once again, twice as big and the fists emitted a sickly green aura that was definitely not friendly to the living.


    Unfortunately, for the monster that is, they fell relatively quickly under their assault, as they simply sent in Lucky, and while the wolf distracted the not-so-bright monster, they unleashed their attacks on the monster.


    It made a very amusing gurgling sound as it was electrocuted, burned, and diced into pieces at the same time.


    Sadly, the drops were only more ores. While it was disappointing to them, it still showed that the fracture had a lot of future.


    After dealing with the mini-boss, they continued their journey.


    Sam knew that fractures like these had anywhere between one and three mini-bosses, and this particular one had two. The first one, the gate guard, was simply a bruiser, who specialized in physical attacks. If one distracted it, as they did with Lucky, it was child¡¯s play to defeat it with magic.


    The second one, however, was different.


    After trudging through several more corridors, made from stone bricks, stacked on each other with inhumane precision, illuminated by torches burning merrily with green light, and destroying zombie miners as they came at them, they arrived in front of another door.


    Over the door was a big plaque, showing a pickaxe and a shovel crossed over each other.


    Not pausing, Katie opened the door and stepped inside.


    She instantly had to bring up her sword as she was attacked by a monster. Their weapons clashed, sending out a clanging sound, but before they could retaliate, the monster jumped back, leaving them at the door, at the same time healing light enveloped Katie, returning the health she lost in the attack.


    Sam prepared for the fight, readying his skills and making sure his mana was ready to react while observing the monster. The other Sam had gotten lucky and managed to go through this fracture once, while two guilds fought over its ownership and freelancers were free to exploit it. Even then, the second monster was rather famous for its ambush at the beginning of the fight.


    The monster itself was the same size as the previous mini-boss, but it was much thinner, and both of its arms were fully mechanical. However, it also had a helmet that protected one from mind attacks.


    In its mechanical arms, it was holding a shovel that looked like a normal shovel in its hands but was almost ten feet in length and the edges of the shovel¡¯s head shone, showing it was razor sharp.


    On its back, affixed there in some manner, was an equally large pickaxe. Sam knew that after it lost fifty percent of its health, it would throw away the shovel and use the pickaxe to continue the fight. The trick was to kill it before that happened.


    Instantly, he began to issue orders.


    ¡°Clarissa, shields! Katie, distract it! Dan, blind it with Ash and Lucky, prepare for ambush!¡±


    There was no discussion. All of them followed their orders without any complaint. Katie dashed forward crossing her greatsword with the shovel in the monster¡¯s hand, while Lucky began prowling in the shadows behind the monster. Dan chanted for a moment, then pointed his weapon at the zombie, and a small ash cloud shot off toward its face.


    The moment the monster¡¯s head was enveloped in a thick cloud of ash, Sam exclaimed.


    ¡°Now! Aim at the neck!¡±


    Immediately, the entire party, including Lucky (and Clarissa with her basic offensive spells) unloaded on the blinded monster.


    A second later, its body fell on the ground with a meaty thud, sans its head, as it was obliterated by their combined attack.


    Sam glanced around and saw that Clarissa was doing a little dance.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I leveled up?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Congrats!¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± she replied with a smile, then focused on her notification screen.


    Sam turned to the others. ¡°How about you guys?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m about twenty percent from the next level,¡± came the report from Dan.


    ¡°I recently leveled up, so it¡¯ll take a while for me¡­¡± grumbled Katie.


    He nodded, then turned towards the loot. ¡°Let¡¯s see what our headless friend has for us¡­¡±


    Once again, he was met with a pile of ores and several magical crystals, all useful for creating or fueling magical furnaces. Finally, under all the material was a skill book.


    He picked it up and took a look.


    [Surprise Strike]


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Katie walked up to him and looked over his shoulder. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Surprise Strike! Mind if I learn it?¡± he asked while eyeing the others.


    Clarissa took a look, but after she saw the details, she nodded. ¡°Go for it!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not magic, ¡° came the agreement from Dan.


    Katie simply nodded with a smile.


    Sam returned the smile, then learned the skill in short order.


    [You learned the skill Surprise Strike!]


    [Surprise Strike: Level 0/25 (0%) Unleash a surprise attack. Can be only used as an opening move, and has no effect if used during a fight. The strike made with this skill has a 2% increased critical chance, per skill level and a 5% increased damage per skill level.]


    A very powerful opening move. Especially if leveled up, so Sam was rather happy with his gains.


    They spent a few minutes resting, waiting for Clarissa to deal with her level-up, then continued their journey.


    <hr>


    Once again, they cut through the small monsters with contemptuous ease, while making sure they didn¡¯t miss any hidden treasure. Sadly, they found nothing.


    Almost an hour after they entered the dungeon, they finally reached the last door. It was bigger, and instead of wood it was riveted steel, with a giant emblazoned skull on it.


    Sam looked at the others and spoke up.


    ¡°Ready?¡±

 Chapter 91 - Interlude 8

    ¡®I appreciate everything she has done for me.¡¯


    That sentence. Those words. He knew!


    Lucrecia threw herself onto the bed after the maid left, following her report of the meeting with her knight, grabbed one of her giant pillows, and screamed into it.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡±


    Despite being muffled, several maids outside of the young lady¡¯s door smiled slyly at each other, then continued with their tasks.


    She removed her head from the fluffy pillow and sat up on her bed. For a long moment, she reminisced about the novel she had read and the lines her knight had been quoting, trying to figure out the message. However, even after getting up from the bed, going over to her bookshelf, and flipping through the aforementioned book, she couldn¡¯t figure it out.


    With a big sigh, Lucrecia put the book back on the shelf, then walked over to her office. Which in truth was simply a giant desk, stolen from one of her father¡¯s offices, stuffed to the brim with documents, notes, and some lewd sketches.


    She spent a long moment admiring one of them where she was holding hands with her hero, for once appreciating all those art classes her mother forced on her, then with a despondent sigh she put it away. Instead, she took out the latest report about the nobles in the city.


    Their family came out very well after the attack, no doubt thanks to their hero¡¯s advice, but several other families managed to hire groups of adventurers to protect their holdings, thus only a very small amount of land was truly lost.


    Though, based on the information her little birdies gathered, there was some intentional sabotage, where adventurers were hired to disable the defenses of certain buildings or fields filled with alchemical plants.


    Based on the sales and purchases of those families, that was her best guess.


    Oh well, no skin off her nose.


    It would just give them ¨C her family and her knight¡¯s company ¨C more chances to develop and grow their holdings.


    Another report dealt with the adventurers that gained renown during, or even before, the giant monster horde.


    The list had their known affiliations, as well as the guilds, clans, or groups they belonged to. Though, sometimes there were some unknown factors that her birdies couldn¡¯t determine which meant that their affiliation wasn¡¯t as clear as possible.


    They would need to figure out those hidden connections if they wanted to gain a complete picture.


    ¡®Hmm¡­ I should probably insert some servants into their homes¡­¡¯ she mused. ¡®They would then talk, and I could figure out their secrets and how they determine their loyalty.¡¯


    Lucrecia looked up from her list and gained a faraway look in her eyes, looking out from her window, just taking in the parts of the city she could see.


    Looking down on her list, she decided that the current most important thing was to determine how the rebuilding efforts would work out, and where they could invest with the biggest potential payouts.


    She got up, the list forgotten, and took out a map that had scribbles everywhere. As Lucrecia looked at the map she felt that she really needed some kind of board she could affix it to.


    Alas, all she had to make do was her very finely crafted desk.


    Smoothing out the well-worn map, she took in the notes she had made based on previous reports, then took up her pen, sent over from the AFK company as a gift. Apparently, it was crafted from some unknown crystal, according to her father. No matter what it was made of, it was an excellent writing tool.


    Lucrecia¡¯s grip on the writing implement tightened then she began scribbling on the map, adding new information while erasing some old ones¡­


    <hr><hr>


    Once again, she was called for dinner. Dressed in a comfortable dress, coming down to almost her ankles, as god forbid she showed off her femininity, Katie dutifully walked herself to the dining room. Where she was met by the sight of her brother sitting in his preferred place, once again in jeans and a t-shirt. She had to drown the scowl that threatened to come upon her face upon seeing it.


    Her father¡¯s double standards when it came to her and her brother never ceased to enrage her. While her brother was free to dress and act as he desired, she had to follow a strict ¨C and honestly extremely antiquated ¨C rules of behavior, both at home and in public.


    It was rather unfair.


    Granted, she had her own money, and with the contract that Sam had given her, she would have enough income to live on if she desired, but Katie wasn¡¯t stupid enough to do it. No matter what she said or did, their family¡¯s enemies would still think of her as part of it and if she left her father¡¯s protection she wouldn¡¯t last even a day outside.


    And worst of all, her father knew this as well.


    So, for now, she had to endure his rules. There was some hope that when he stepped down, she would be free, but she didn¡¯t hold out much hope. Her father had ideas¡­


    Nodding in greeting, she took her customary seat and began her meal. As always, it was delicious. ¡®Maybe I should try out cooking in the game. Puffball would love it¡­¡¯ she mused, a little happy, thinking of that eldritch cat she got as a familiar. For now, it was just an eccentric pet, but based on the flavor text she had read, there would be some opportunity to upgrade it. Though, her research said that it would be extremely hard. No matter. She had seen what Lucky was capable of, and she wanted something like that. If she had to delve into the deepest pits of the abyss to get it, then so be it.


    Almost finished with the meal, savoring the last bites of the excellent duck breast, organic from a farm, not the lab-made meat that the ¡®peasants¡¯ ate, she looked up at her brother and father as they kept staring at each other.


    Her brother was sweating a little, but held his head high, while her father radiated disapproval.


    ¡®I don¡¯t even have to guess what this is about¡­¡¯ she cackled to herself, making sure to keep her face neutral. It felt so good for once to know something that her seemingly all-knowing father didn¡¯t know. It was a pity that her brother earned his ire, but it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ¡°You failed.¡± It wasn¡¯t an accusation, just a statement, from her father as he stared at her brother. Poor David looked rather uncomfortable.


    ¡°Yes, father.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    A small shrug. ¡°We weren¡¯t fast enough. I was only in Ironwood to set up an auxiliary base for recruitment, so most of my heavy hitters were still in Deepanchor.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have hired some help from the local talent?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that in the game, father. For something like this, you have to trust the people you fight alongside.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    There was a terse silence as her father processed David¡¯s words, then, to her dismay, he turned towards her. With a glance, she caught the apologetic look on her brother¡¯s face, but then she had to face her father.


    ¡°Katherine. You¡¯re in Ironwood, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, father.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you help your brother?¡± came the expected question.


    She didn¡¯t shrug, no matter how much she wanted. After all, proper ladies didn¡¯t shrug.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t ask, father. Plus, as I said before, I¡¯m contracted to another group. We had our own fight.¡± She hesitated for a moment but shrugged inwardly. In for a cent, in for a credit. ¡°Which we won.¡±


    David sent her a mock betrayed look, but her father didn¡¯t appreciate her sass.


    ¡°Cute,¡± he said, disapproval dripping from the lone word. ¡°I¡¯m going to buy out your contract. You¡¯ll head the guild¡¯s efforts in Ironwood.¡±


    Hearing that she broke a little.


    ¡°You can¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t think I can¡¯t afford it?¡± came the slightly mocking retort while her brother winced in the background. But her full attention was on her father.


    ¡°But can you afford the consequences?¡± she asked, desperately keeping her fa?ade up, while simultaneously fighting for her only ray of happiness.


    Her father just scoffed. ¡°What consequences. I looked into it. They are some small company. Two people with no background.¡±


    ¡°She meant the consequences in-game, father,¡± interjected David, and she sent a grateful look at him before refocusing on her current adversary.


    ¡°Yes, father. Breaking a contract comes with very steep reputation penalties in-game. No NPC noble will take me seriously if I break a contract like the one I have now. Plus, my¡­ boss¡­ is rather well known in higher circles.¡±


    The moment the last sentence left her lips, she knew she made a mistake seeing the sparkle in her father¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Well known, you say?¡± He turned toward David with a questioning gaze. ¡°What do you know about this AFK Company?¡±


    David blinked a few times, then answered. ¡°Nothing, father. I haven¡¯t looked deeply into the groups in Ironwood.¡±


    ¡°Do so,¡± he ordered. Then he turned back to her. ¡°And Katherine, you tell me what you know about your boss.¡±


    She knew it was not a request, but she couldn¡¯t help herself.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± came the incredulous response from her father.


    ¡°No,¡± she repeated with a nod of her head. Sam was nice enough to give her space to be herself while also supporting her. She would be a rat bastard if she betrayed him. Looking into the dark eyes of her father, she tried to convey this nonverbally.


    ¡°Katherine,¡± he spoke up, his words harsh and demanding. ¡°You will tell me about him. It¡¯s for the family!¡±


    This time, she didn¡¯t stop the scowl appearing on her face.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s about the family! Heaven forbid for once, what I want ¨C or enjoy ¨C could be more important!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re my daughter and part of this family! It is your duty to help the family prosper!¡± came the retort.


    ¡°So, once again, I¡¯m just a tool for you to use and not a living being. How surprising,¡± she called out, using a mocking tone she learned from all those snobbish girls she shared a class with. ¡°No, father. You won¡¯t ruin another good thing.¡±


    With that statement, she stood up, making sure that her serviette was folded neatly next to her empty plate. The meal was excellent, as always, but the sourness of the conversation washed away any enjoyment she may have had for the food.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Katherine! Sit down! Now!¡±


    ¡°No, father,¡± she answered, looking into those angry eyes. ¡°Come talk to me when you can treat me like a human being, not a machine that you can use as you wish.¡±


    Head held high, she marched from the dining room (definitely not retreated) toward her room. Leaving behind a bemused brother and a father simmering with rage.


    <hr><hr>


    Liz was feeling like she was in heaven.


    Her new apartment was far away enough from her mother that she couldn¡¯t just willy-nilly drop in. Her neighbors were pretty nice, and the company she had signed up with in her desperation turned out to be pretty legit.


    They helped her to find an attorney who, in turn, helped her with the paperwork for her lease, as well as the streaming business.


    The stream itself was going well. The monster horde was a perfect environment to test her new weapons from the safety of the walls while having a nice interactive stream with her followers. The graphics of her follower count, which had been stagnating before Magic Unbound, grew to another level after the monster horde. Every time she saw those numbers climbing even higher, she couldn¡¯t help but feel elation.


    The workshop she had been granted was another thing. So much potential, all for the low, low price of creating a few artifacts for the people working there.


    Her crafting streams were almost as popular as the hunting ones. Naturally, because of her adorable drones. They still looked innocent and cute, but on the inside, they were slowly but surely transforming into monsters. Thanks to the contract with the company, she suddenly had access to all sorts of materials that up north just weren¡¯t as accessible as in a mining city.


    Granted, she was constantly getting questions, some nice, but most of them were rather aggressive about her creations. She had to contact both the streaming site and the game developers because there were so many people harassing her.


    The results were a very carefully worded apology from both companies and several new filters for her incoming messages both on her streaming account and in-game.


    Still, all in all, the positives outweighed the negatives.


    Checking her list of tasks, she saw she was in a pretty good place with the orders from the company. ¡®I probably have time for a short stream¡­¡¯ she mused as she checked her reflection to see her make-up was proper.


    Nodding to herself, she took her position, made sure that the drones were following Adorable Protocol Mk. 2, and sent out a general notification to her followers. Waiting a few minutes she turned on the streaming application and smiled.


    ¡°Welcome everybody! Today I have a pretty special treat for you! I¡¯m going to try to build something very impressive,¡± she paused to take a breath and her smile widened a little. ¡°What exactly? Well, keep watching to find out!¡± She finished her spiel with a laugh, then walked toward the desk she used for streams, and began her explanation while motioning at the materials on the desk.


    ¡°As you can see, we have these things here. The first one is¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Once again, Sam came into her office like a mysterious hurricane and left Lucy dealing with the rubble. Granted, most of the rubble was made of silver and gold, but it still did give her enough work, that when she logged out of the game, she just sat before her computer and continued working.


    Not that she minded, as she tremendously enjoyed the challenge.


    With their gold income (and her investments), she was even contemplating giving her notice at her job and fully concentrating on the game and the company.


    It would need to be carefully thought through, as it was an important decision. She had a good thing going at her workplace. Easy work, bare minimum supervision, plus the benefits. Giving that up would mean that she would become self-employed.


    But for now, she had other things to focus on.


    While Sam was out with his team of crazies, she had a few things to do.


    The renovation after the attacks was almost completed, while the warehouse, shopping centers, and the Heavenly Forest continued to rake in money hand over fist. Their holdings in the nearby towns and cities were also expanding. The main one in Brightwood was almost ready to open its doors to the customers.


    The only thing limiting them was the time it took to communicate between holdings. Currently, they didn¡¯t really employ any other players in administrative positions, so they could only depend on in-game communication methods. Which meant mail. Not the most secure communication methods¡­


    Granted, some artifacts could be used, but acquiring them in big enough numbers to make a company work wasn¡¯t feasible.


    That¡¯s where Sam, or rather the streamer he brought in, came in. She was currently working on a crystal-based proto-computing device that could be used by a great number of people to communicate over great distances securely.


    Lucy had seen the few prototypes, and she was mightily impressed. Magic Unbound was truly a limitless game.


    Organizing her paperwork, she continued delving into the intricacies of bureaucracy.


    <hr>


    With several guards around here, mostly for show, and her adorable ravens creating a perimeter, she approached the workshop set up on the outskirts of the city. It wasn¡¯t because the land or rent was cheap here, but because any business that worked with metal had to be set around here. There were giant magical filters set up that made sure that the bulk of smoke and byproducts didn¡¯t fully envelop the city.


    This one was a simple rented workshop, with a well-made sign on it, declaring it as being rented by the Three Rose Petals workshop.


    Lucy had seen the weapons that came out of this workshop and she was impressed. Even her NPC advisors were impressed with them. So, following Sam¡¯s advice, she was here, personally, to offer them a contract to work with her company.


    She could have sent a simple message, but she felt they were worth a personal visit.


    Walking up to the door, she knocked lightly, then opened it.


    Inside was a stereotypical workshop, with metalworking tools on every surface, as well as materials and half-finished products. She looked around curiously, but in the end, her eyes came to a halt on a giant woman.


    The woman was very tall, maybe taller than six-four, wearing rough working clothes and a thick leather apron. With her modest height, Lucy felt that she could make a dress from the apron itself.


    The craftswoman gave her a blinding smile and spoke up. Her voice was gentle, but Lucy could hear the steel behind it.


    ¡°Welcome, customer! How can this humble workshop help you?¡±


    Lucy nodded and returned the smile.


    ¡°Hello! I¡¯m here as a representative of a company.¡±


    Instantly, the smile slid off the face of the woman. Lucy had a bad feeling.


    ¡°Ohh, well¡­ come in, I guess¡­¡± she spoke and hesitantly turned her head to look deeper into the workshop. ¡°Let me call my husband.¡±


    Lucy nodded and stepped inside, while her guards formed up around the door and her ravens went around examining the place.


    Half a minute later she returned with an equally giant of a man, filled with rippling muscles and one of the most impressive bushy mustaches that Lucy had ever seen.


    ¡°Welcome!¡± he exclaimed, his eyes warm, looking in a calculating manner at Lucy. ¡°I heard you wish to talk to us!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± she responded with a small bow of her head. ¡°I¡¯m here representing the AFK company, you may know them from¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­the warehouses and shopping centers. Yes, we are familiar.¡± He finished it for her while exchanging a look with his wife.


    ¡°Excellent. Then I don¡¯t need to explain more. We are currently in the process of diversifying the services we provide. And seeing the examples of your work on the Auction House, we want to offer you a chance to work with us.¡± She finished the spiel with a small smile and looked at the husband and wife pair.


    However, instead of happy smiles, or even angry shouting, she was met with some awkward looks.


    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked with a sinking feeling.


    ¡°This is mighty awkward, miss,¡± the man began explaining, scratching the nape of his neck with his giant hands. ¡°But we just signed up with a guild. They were offering some mighty good benefits.¡±


    ¡°They just left¡­¡± added the woman with a delicate smile.


    ¡°Ohh¡­ bummer.¡±


    They stood there in silence for a while, looking at each other, before Lucy sighed.


    ¡°Well, shows me about procrastination¡­¡±


    The other two chuckled along with her.


    She bowed and spoke up.


    ¡°Very well, then I won¡¯t bother you longer.¡± She held out a small packet of documents with her offer. ¡°If you ever change your mind, please don¡¯t hesitate to contact us.¡±


    The married pair accepted the documents and nodded with a warm smile.


    ¡°Of course, we will.¡±


    She smiled back at them and turned around to leave the workshop.


    However, before she left she turned slightly back and asked one last question.


    ¡°Who did you sign with?¡±


    ¡°Steel Lions, miss.¡±


    ¡®I need to look into them¡­¡¯ Lucy thought as she left the workshop behind. Apparently, she found her first economic enemy. She couldn¡¯t help but grin. ¡®Can¡¯t wait to face off with them¡­¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°So, what are the numbers after the big event?¡±


    ¡°We are in a pretty good place, boss. Our market share is continuously growing, and the player feedback was excellent after the event.¡±


    ¡°Any complaints?¡±


    The other man shook his head ruefully, while the others wryly smiled.


    ¡°Just the usual whines about not getting drops, dying, and accusing of people who did better as cheaters.¡±


    An eyebrow went up in a questioning manner.


    ¡°And? Were there any cheaters?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡±


    ¡°Pity. The people are getting antsy about finding the first one. Any candidates?¡±


    ¡°Some, but nothing concrete.¡±


    ¡°Disappointing, but oh well¡­¡± He sighed and then clicked around the screen in front of him. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s put idiots aside. What about the marketing for the event?¡±


    Another person started speaking, the first one leaning back in their chair.


    ¡°We collected the recorded material, anonymized the people in them, and cut together a rough highlight video to post on our website. We also created a few more to display some fighting styles.¡±


    The man in charge thought for a moment then asked a question.


    ¡°How much anonymization did you do?¡±


    ¡°We randomized the outfits and the faces. Left the skills as they were. Muted any communications.¡±


    ¡°Good, I don¡¯t want any accusation of doxing.¡±


    There was a general murmur after that statement, but then he continued.


    ¡°Any outliers?¡±


    ¡°There were several Azure level players, some Amethyst and one Emerald participating in the event.¡±


    ¡°Anything I need to know?¡±


    The man checked his notes and shook his head. ¡°No, sir. Nothing outstanding.¡±


    ¡°Good, make sure to shoot me a message if anything happens.¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss!¡±


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s go over the strategy about the release of the video¡­¡±


    Soon, the meeting room was filled with ideas and strategies¡­


    <hr>


    ¡°How is our favorite doggy owner?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a cute dog.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a wolf. Kinda.¡±


    ¡°Wolf, dog, who cares?¡±


    ¡°A lot of people, but it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s going around clearing fractures.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fast. Well, what did you expect from him? Sit on his ass?¡±


    ¡°Now that you say it¡­¡±


    ¡°I do say it!¡±


    ¡°Any new vids about Lucky?¡±


    There was a moment of silence.


    ¡°Your daughter?¡±


    ¡°I have already looked into getting a custom-made plushy¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow. But you¡¯re in luck! Lucky participated in some fights.¡±


    ¡°Awesome! Thanks! I¡¯m going to get some copies!¡±


    The first man watched the other run away excitedly and shook his head.


    ¡°Poor man, completely wrapped around that girl¡¯s finger¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Any feedback from the final fights in the Event Fractures?¡±


    ¡°There have been a few requests for us to check out one of the fights to see if we need to nerf some things.¡±


    ¡°Where did the request come from? Players?¡±


    ¡°No, marketing.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Alright, cue the video of the fight.¡±


    There was some keyboard clanking and one of the walls of the room was replaced with a crystal clear view of a dark cavern covered in shadows and spider webs, while several small auxiliary screens also popped up, showing several statistics about the situation.


    The people in the room turned towards the screen, or their own, smaller screens, and the video began playing.


    They watched with rapt attention as the team of four players took on a fight that should have been beyond them by any metric.


    As the video wound down, the people in the room looked at each other with bewildered looks on their faces.


    The moment the video ended, the person sitting at the head of the table spoke up.


    ¡°How the hell did he do it?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, sir,¡± one woman spoke up, browsing the screen in front of her. ¡°Apparently, it was a combination of a lot of skills. Very good synergy.¡±


    ¡°But this good?¡±


    Another person chimed in.


    ¡°It seems this player has been working towards a proper foundation in skill terms instead of going for the truly powerful spells and skills. Plus, his Mana Control stat is off the charts.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Literally. The system can¡¯t place it on the chart it¡¯s so high compared to the others.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, so one of those geniuses¡­ It clicked for him, so he went all in.¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Any chance of cheating?¡±


    ¡°Let me see¡­¡±


    They waited in silence as the person took a quick look through the system for the appropriate information.


    ¡°Huh, interesting.¡±


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°Apparently, we weren¡¯t the first one to raise the issue. They even sent some PIs after him. Came back clean. Currently, Code Azure.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll leave it as it is. It¡¯s not an exploit or cheating, so there is no reason to punish one player just because they¡¯re talented.¡±


    ¡°Understood, sir,¡± came the reply, and a note was made.


    ¡°Excellent, what¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡°Well, sir, we have this guild that is doing something to this volcano¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Did you see it?¡±


    ¡°Hell yes, I did!¡±


    ¡°Are you going to participate in the auction?¡±


    ¡°How? The big guilds will probably go all in to get those weapons¡­ What chance do we stand?¡±


    ¡°Still, I will try to get one of them, just to say I participated in the auction. That kind of rep would be good for something, right?¡±


    ¡°You speak the truth! How about we go together? It should be fun to see the big guilds and rich people fight over three weapons¡­¡±


    ¡°Awesome¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°What did you find out about the weapons?¡±


    ¡°They are legit, sir. And by our calculations, they would work very well with some of our builds.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ How much are we expecting to pay for one?¡±


    There was some hemming and hawing, but finally, they received an answer.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a lot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Do we have enough for all three?¡±


    ¡°Theoretically? Yes. If we liquidate some stuff. But with other guilds and groups aiming for them, I doubt it. Not to mention individual purchasers.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    ¡°My best advice is to go all in on one of them and ignore the others. That way we stand a bigger chance of acquiring it.¡±


    There was a moment of silence.


    ¡°What about approaching the seller? Could we pay them in credits and get the items?¡±


    ¡°We tried, but they only accept gold as a middleman.¡±


    ¡°Double damn¡­¡±


    <hr>


    That, and similar conversations happened all over between players of Magic Unbound as slowly but surely the information about the amazing weapons dropped by the Fracture Boss circulated among the player base.


    Those who didn¡¯t have the means just admired the weapons while daydreaming about what they would do with them. While those who had the means and interests were planning on how to acquire them. This included looking into the middleman behind the auction, but that came back without any information. So, they could only buckle down and start earning gold coins for the auction.


    As a direct result of the week before the auction, the RMT market fluctuated something fierce as more and more people decided that a week wasn¡¯t enough time to farm enough gold and decided to spend real money to acquire the necessary funds.


    Ultimately, the biggest winners of the week were the people who saw the writing on the wall and posted some gold for sale.


    The internet was full of people celebrating their windfalls in all sorts of manner, while other people looked on jealously, or rushed to post their own gold up for sale.


    Either way, with the fuss around the auction, even more people talked about the game, and thus even more people started playing the game to see what all the fuss was about.


    Even those companies who hadn''t yet started paying attention, turned their gaze toward the game, realizing that their competitors were doing the same thing.


    With it, a second rush to become the best player started¡­

 Chapter 92

    The final fight of the dungeon was in front of them, ready to be faced.


    After receiving their affirmative replies, Sam stepped forward and, with a mighty heave, pushed open the giant door made of steel. Despite the situation and environment, they opened quietly, not even squeaking. As if somebody made sure to oil the hinges every day.


    Inside the cavern was organized chaos.


    In the background, they could see even more corridors all barricaded with the same style of doors, though the symbols on them were different. However, all of them were rusted beyond any reason, and there was a greenish-yellow pus-like substance leaking through cracks, pooling around it, creating a nauseating vista.


    In the middle of the room, amidst ruins of ancient mining machinery, stalked the final boss of the dungeon.


    It trudged through the mud, the broken-up ground mixed with the disgusting green liquid seeping into the room. The monster itself was the size of three men, and based on the stitches, it was made from at least three men. ¡®Though looking at the size, maybe five or six¡­¡¯ he mused, with some dark humor.


    It generally looked like a ¡®roided out human, with some pretty heavy modifications.


    Both of the legs were enveloped in metal, though Sam could spot the originals under all the metal and mechanism. One of the arms was changed into a metal arm, ending in a drill that looked like it could spin extremely fast. The other was left as it was ¨C stitched together and macabre ¨C but it held a weapon resembling a military shovel, looking mighty sharp. The arm holding the weapon was unprotected, showing off the bulging muscles, however, the shoulder had a very spiky guard which continued into a breastplate that covered the entire torso. Naturally, it was also covered by mysterious mechanisms with steampunk vibes. It also had a neck guard, made of metal, and the head was covered fully by a helmet reminiscent of the mini-boss. The only thing they could see was the monstrous eyes, glowing dark green, fixed on them. And the entire body was covered in flexible tubing, through which the same disgusting liquid flowed that seemed to be seeping through the rusty doors.


    For a long moment, the team looked at the monster and it looked back at them, its angry gaze showing that there was a surprisingly calculating mind behind it.


    However, it allowed Sam to recall some lore about the dungeon.


    Apparently, in the olden times, the mine was shortly taken over by a necromancer who wished to use the metal for some experiments. The authorities at the time didn¡¯t want to dig out the dark mage, instead, they collapsed the mine on them. The monster was one of the servants helping to excavate the metal that the necromancer needed.


    After the explosion, it was trapped in here, inactive and forever waiting for its master to return. When the Fracture happened, the concentration of necrotic energy managed to attract one fracture, and thus the monster was woken up and locked into an endless cycle of struggling against greedy players wanting to get rich.


    To his knowledge, both acquired and inherited, there was no quest connected to it, but he would keep an eye out.


    Sam glanced at the others as they returned the look. He nodded toward the already snarling monster.


    ¡°Standard formation. Clarissa, watch out for poison! Lucky distract!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°Woof!¡±


    ¡°Wohoooo!¡± exclaimed Katie and instantly charged at the monster which roared at her and raised its military shovel while the drill on its other hand began spinning up. Lucky simply jumped into a shadow and vanished from sight.


    Dan flexed and raised his club, which was already shining with the white-hot heat of his spells. ¡®He is getting faster at that¡­¡¯ he observed with satisfaction. ¡®Apparently, my instructions didn¡¯t go to waste.¡¯


    Clarissa was already throwing out buffs by the time Katie¡¯s giant greatsword crossed with the monster¡¯s military shovel.


    At the same time, Sam activated all his speed-increasing spells and skills and dashed behind the stitched-together zombie, and unleashed his new Surprise Strike at the defenseless back of the monster.


    His sword was brimming with mana and all manner of energies, and his wind-natured mana spun around it, not unlike the drill on the monster¡¯s hand. The weapon met with the armor in a loud clang; echoing off the walls.


    The zombie monster showed that its boss status wasn¡¯t just for fun, only received a simple dent in its metal armor. Instantly it let out a roar, and Sam could feel the energies from the roar pinging off his Mana Shield while Clarissa was reacting immediately shooting off small heals at Dan and Katie. Though the berserker girl didn¡¯t seem to notice the damage, she just parried a strike from the monster¡¯s shovel and continued the movement into another strike, her weapon sparking with yellow light, pooling along the edge, buzzing with unrestrained power.


    With a giant yell, she cut upwards and unleashed the yellow light directly at the monster. The energy, in a crescent wave, traveled extremely fast, crossing the short distance in the blink of an eye, striking the zombie in the front, severing several tubes crossing its chest.


    Instantly, due to the pressure the system was under, the disgusting liquid began spraying from it.


    Sam could instantly feel that the mana in the artificial creation began to flow a little chaotically, and as he evaded the attack coming from the drill spinning extremely fast, thanks to the Flow skill he could see that the monster was a little slower than at the beginning.


    Connecting the dots instantly, he yelled out.


    ¡°Aim at the tubes! The liquid powers it somehow!¡±


    Right away, he had to launch himself backward as a missile made of extremely hot fire smashed against the zombie.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    He could see a few fixtures melting under the heat, and the mana inside continued to trend toward chaos.


    ¡°Keep that up!¡±


    The next second Lucky flashed forward from a small shadow and bit down on the monster¡¯s leg, rupturing a tube, then vanished back into the shadow, like some kind of assassin shark.


    <hr>


    For the rest of the fight, they simply kept playing keep-away with the monster. Thankfully, Katie had some aggro skills, and the zombie didn¡¯t have the highest intelligence stat, so they didn¡¯t have to expend too much effort to keep it distracted. And when Katie¡¯s aggro disappeared, Lucky was there to take its attention.


    Now, almost five minutes later, the monster was leaking the disgusting green liquid from several holes in its armor and body, while the military shovel was tossed aside in a crumpled ball after Sam simply tanked one giant hit with his shield when the monster decided to do the intelligent thing and went after Clarissa.


    Unfortunately for the zombie, it didn¡¯t help.


    And now it stood in the middle of the room, the ruined machinery in even more pieces, the drill on its hand stuttering, trying to spin up but ultimately failing and both Sam and Dan charging up some big attacks.


    It took a long look at them, then at Katie, who was no doubt grinning under her helmet and seemed to come to some kind of conclusion.


    The monster reached up to his chest with his ¡®organic¡¯ hand and toggled something that they couldn¡¯t see. Instantly, Sam could sense as the mana began churning even more chaotically, and the mana contained in the monster¡¯s body began increasing. ¡®Ahh, the self-destruct part¡­¡¯


    Basically, the boss monster had a rage timer. Around twenty percent of health it would trigger a self-destruct sequence. This meant that people fighting the monster should either burn through the phase with superior DPS or kill the monster within thirty seconds of the activation.


    Sam saw that Dan was ready and exclaimed.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    Instantly a blazing missile of roiling fire shot off toward the monster, followed by Sam¡¯s supercharged Wind Bullet, intending to feed the flames.


    Before the monster could even contemplate dodging, the missile arrived, then almost a millisecond later, the bullet also hit it.


    Sam had to avert his eyes as the giant body of the stitched-together zombie was replaced by a globe of light, radiating enough heat that the rusted pieces of ruined equipment melted into puddles of molten metal.


    Then, with a twist of his mana, he set up a wind barrier around the burning monster to prevent any more air from reaching the target. Slowly and surely, the globe of fire died down, leaving a small circular indentation on the ground and no monster behind.


    There was a brief jingle and with a flash of pixelated light a small mound of items fell into the still-sizzling hole in the ground, while a notification screen appeared in front of them.


    [Congratulations!]


    [You cleared the fracture for the first time!]


    [Due to accumulated dimensional energies, the amount of items found is increased!]


    [Fracture: Mining Shaft #789/IM/SE/B-42 is cleared!]


    [Fracture can be visited again!]


    [Cooldown: 600 seconds!]


    Sam read it and nodded. The accumulated dimensional energies were just the technical phrase for the first clear bonus. But if the fracture was left without clearing long enough, then the bonus could be acquired again.


    Dismissing the screen, he walked up to the mound of items, squatted down, and began going through them. Behind him, Lucky emerged from his shadow and began sniffing around.


    As expected, there were a lot of ores and other materials useful for blacksmiths, along with a nice collection of reagents for necromancers and poison users. The big thing was a small booklet, frayed at the edges with a strange symbol on it. It was a circle, half filled with gear and the other half with flames.


    [You found the blueprints of the Raging Furnace Mining tools!]


    [You cannot learn it!]


    Nodding slightly, he pocketed it with the intent on asking Liz to take a look at it to see if she could adapt it to her crystal construction. Coming out with a line of mining equipment would mean even more income.


    Then came a book. From the look of it, it was for a necromancer skill. Sadly, it would need to be identified to be sure. But based on the memories he inherited and the mana he was feeling from it told Sam that it had something to do with death mana.


    Taking another look around and not finding anything he stood up and looked at the others who were staring at him and the place from where the mound vanished with expectant gazes. With a wry smile, he shook his head, and his team let out a disappointed sigh as one.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry guys¡­ We still found a fracture that can be visited unlimited times. That means our quest is almost complete!¡± Sam reassured them as he walked back to them.


    Dan simply gave him a thumbs up and then returned to scribbling in his notebook. Katie gave him a cheery boo and then started petting Puffball. Clarissa just shook her head. Lucky sat down next to him, tongue lolled out and staring at him in a way that told Sam he wanted head patting.


    He didn¡¯t resist.


    <hr>


    They arrived back where they started, with the portal merrily swirling behind them. They had barely a minute to get their bearings when the light not originating from the portal hit the other end of the corridor.


    Sam turned around, the others following them, only to come face to face with a bunch of well-equipped guards, bearing the mine¡¯s symbol and the Silvercrest family¡¯s. Before he could even start to explain their presence, the lead guard looked them over and spoke up.


    ¡°Ahh, Master Samuel, the lord has told me you¡¯d be around here¡­¡± he spoke, giving Sam a thankful look. No doubt, grateful that he didn¡¯t have to go into the portal with his own men.


    Sam grinned and stepped forward, offering his hand.


    ¡°Indeed, good sir.¡± The other man accepted it and shook his hand. ¡°We just finished the fracture. I¡¯ll deliver my notes to the lord later after we are finished with the assigned tasks. Until then, I¡¯d beseech you to protect this site in the name of Lord Silvercrest.¡±


    The leader of the soldiers glanced behind Sam at the portal. ¡°There is no chance that monsters would erupt?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t sense any anomalous mana fluctuations, so probably not!¡± Sam said cheerfully.


    The man seemed to think about it for a while then nodded.


    ¡°You got a deal, Master Samuel!¡±


    <hr>


    They left the mining shaft behind filled with guards from the Silvercrest family, heading for another mana signature that Sam sensed. Dan was busily writing in his notebook, while Clarissa occasionally pushed or pulled him to prevent any collision. Katie was skipping next to Sam, while Lucky was back in Sam¡¯s shadow.


    Their target was almost on the other side of the mining outpost, in a natural cavern that was used as a storage for the outpost. It was used to temporarily store material headed out from there, so it was on the outskirts of the outpost, close to the gates. And in one of the side corridors appeared the area¡¯s second unlimited fracture.


    On the way they talked a little, discussing random things, as well as the state of the game. Everyone was very excited to see the player base go up. As the more people played, the more money the company had for improvements, as well as for payroll.


    Sam could feel that Clarissa was close to breaking. Soon, she would be asking to sign up as a permanent member.


    Finding the storage cavern was rather easy. The roads were clearly marked, and thanks to Sam¡¯s senses, they knew exactly where to go.


    However, when they approached the site, they were met with a rather unwelcome sight.


    A group of players, dressed in plate and finery, standing guard around the entrance. Sam could see the roaring lion symbol on their equipment.


    ¡®Steel Lion¡­ great. Pretentious fops, led by a rich guy¡­ I wonder if face slapping is going to happen?¡¯ he mused as one of the guards stepped forward.


    ¡°Halt in the name of the Steel Lions! This area is under our control! Turn around and go away!¡±

 Chapter 93

    The guy approaching them, with their hand on their weapon, looked like a knight from any movie about medieval knights. Their visor was up, and Sam could see the youthful face under it as they glared at him and his team.


    Not even looking, he could practically feel Katie fidgeting. ¡¯No doubt, she wants to murder all of them¡­ That girl is off her rockers¡­¡¯ he mused with some black humor.


    Sam stepped forward, made sure that his face was set in a scowl, and he spoke up.


    ¡°Yeah, no¡­ This is Silvercrest territory. You¡¯ve as much right to be here as we do.¡± He fished out the token given to him and began playing with it nonchalantly. ¡°Maybe less¡­¡±


    The guard¡¯s eyes were naturally drawn to the token in his hands, but in the end, he settled on glaring at Sam.


    ¡°Hah! As if some random coin will help you here!¡± he scoffed derisively. ¡°Our guild is here for a quest, and you shall not disturb us!¡±


    Several other players approached, some of them with their weapons already drawn. Sam saw several swords, battle hammers, halberds, and a few bows. The people not sporting weapons were obviously mages based on the mana he felt from them. Though why they were wearing heavy plates was beyond him¡­


    Feeling Katie¡¯s fidgeting increase, he spoke up before this ¡®friendly¡¯ exchange turned into a bloodbath. It was expected to get into conflict in this type of game, but he hoped to avoid them for a while.


    Based on the looks of the Steel Lion members, he had a feeling that it wouldn¡¯t happen¡­


    Sam sighed.


    ¡°Just call your leader here. I would rather speak to someone with authority¡­¡±


    In response, the man scowled even heavier and opened his mouth to answer, but before a sound could leave his mouth, they were interrupted.


    ¡°¡­that¡¯s just not possible! It is a place that requires authorization to enter as I said! You do not have that authorization!¡± Came the yell from nearby, coming closer and closer.


    Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, and they saw two people.


    One of them was obviously the leader of the Steel Lion contingent, based on how he dressed. They were still wearing heavy plates, but thanks to his inherited memories, Sam could recognize that they were wearing armor that was at least one magnitude better than the rest of the mooks¡¯. He was a handsome man, familiar to him from the Fracture Event, where he was with them at the base of the giant tree.


    The other was a portly man, almost a head shorter than the leader of the wannabe knights, and was dressed in the clothes of people working at the mining outpost¡¯s office. He was visibly sweating and was swabbing his head with an already-drenched cloth. No doubt, the situation massively stressed the man.


    The good-looking man¡¯s eyes were fixed on the short man, his expression rather flat.


    ¡°I understand, but it is still imperative that my group gains access to the caverns,¡± came the statement from the man, his eyes boring into the smaller man¡¯s. Naturally, it was rather intimidating to the other man.


    The portly official, desperate for an out, looked around and accidentally saw the token in Sam¡¯s hand, as he was still absentmindedly playing with it.


    The official¡¯s eyes lit up, and with surprising speed, he began speed-walking toward Sam¡¯s group, leaving a surprised knight behind.


    He raised his hand in greeting and gave Sam a maniacal smile that reeked of desperation.


    ¡°Adventurer! Good to see you!¡±


    ¡°Good to see you, too, sir!¡± Sam answered, wondering where this was going.


    The short man began nodding and continued to speak.


    ¡°I see Lord Silvercrest was wise to send you to help! It seems his wisdom is only eclipsed by the volume of his speech! Hahahaha!¡± he laughed awkwardly, while he reached out and awkwardly began shaking Sam¡¯s hand.


    Taking hold of Sam¡¯s hand, he began to tug him toward the storage cavern, ignoring the leader of the knights who was watching the entire sequence with an incredulous look on his face.


    Sam let himself move for a while, and as soon he was almost next to the knight making the weird face, he dug his heels into the ground and stopped all movement. The portly official continued to struggle for a second, then also stopped moving.


    He looked back at Sam nervously, his eyes glancing at the knight.


    Sam spoke up before the official could open his mouth.


    ¡°Excuse me, but what seems to be the issue? As a representative of the Silvercrest family, I want to make sure that there are no issues in their territory¡­¡± As he stated that, he kept an eye on the knight who visibly flinched at the information.


    ¡®So, they don¡¯t have equal backing from the nobles. Good to know¡­¡¯


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The official sputtered a little, but when he saw that Sam wouldn¡¯t move before he got any information, he let out a soul-deep sigh and began talking.


    ¡°Well, good sir, it seems these¡­ gentlemen¡­ wished to access the North Storage Cavern. However, access is restricted to those who have authorization on account of the valuables stored there. I was just explaining to them that just because they have a quest, it doesn¡¯t mean they can just walk in willy-nilly and do whatever they want!¡± As he spoke, his first hesitance to speak slowly turned into confidence as he began complaining about the knight.


    ¡°Understandable¡­¡±


    ¡°Right? RIGHT?¡± The man nodded heavily, jiggling his midsection, and Sam could see from the corner of his eyes as the Steel Lions members bristled at that. ¡°I would like to ask you, as the representative of the Silvercrest family, to help me remove these¡­ these ruffians from the premises!¡± He finished his speech, panting heavily, glaring at the Steel Lions, somewhat emboldened by the presence of Sam and his team.


    ¡®Now, how to play this¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he took in the situation.


    After a few moments of thinking, he turned to the knight and smiled.


    ¡°Well, what do you think?¡±


    The handsome man cast a look around, his eyes lingering somewhat on Sam¡¯s teammates. Then he looked back at Sam and smirked.


    ¡°It seems it behooves me to introduce myself,¡± he said while offering his gloved hand for Sam to shake. Naturally, he accepted it. ¡°Name¡¯s SilverLion, leader of this bunch,¡± he introduced them while motioning to the other knights dressed in heavy plate mail. ¡°I¡¯m the guild leader of the Steel Lion guild.¡±


    ¡°Good to meet you,¡± responded Sam with a fake smile on his face. He knew SilverLion. A moderately talented player who somewhat embodied the values of knights, while also rather na?ve for being born with a diamond spoon in his mouth.


    If he remembered correctly, the guild was later absorbed by one of the mega guilds on the ¡®good¡¯ side, where they acted as one of the heavy platoons of that big guild.


    Honestly, he didn¡¯t know much about him. He was a rich fop, but he rarely acted like it, so next to the other loud idiots that advertised their wealth, he simply vanished into the crowd.


    ¡°Name¡¯s Solar. These are my team,¡± he said while motioning towards his friends and then took a few seconds to introduce them, consciously ignoring how Katie was fidgeting and looked like she really wanted to take her sword and go through the people present amidst a rain of blood and dark laughter.


    Smirk still on his face, SilverLion nodded. ¡°With that out of the way, let us focus on the trouble at hand. We need to get into the Cavern Storage, and you seem to have just the ticket we need. Would it be possible to borrow it?¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± exclaimed the official. ¡°That token marks this esteemed person as the direct representative of Lord Silvercrest, the owner of this outpost! No lending it out! I won¡¯t accept it!¡±


    Sam ignored the angry official and spoke up.


    ¡°Why do you need to get in?¡±


    For a long moment, SilverLion looked at him, then sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like it is a big secret. Everybody is looking for them. But we think we found one of the fractures in there. We want to see if we¡¯re right,¡± he finally said with a wry smile on his face.


    Sam was pretty sure there was more to it, but it was stupid to expect the other guy to share more.


    ¡®What to do?¡¯


    On one hand, he could say nothing, and just go on while leaving them high and dry, making an enemy. On the other hand, Steel Lions were one of the good and honorable guilds and one could count on the deals they made with them.


    If he could somehow entice them¡­


    ¡®Well, it¡¯s worth a try¡­¡¯


    ¡°Cool. We are the same. Got a quest to investigate the fractures and were directed straight here,¡± he fibbed, ignoring the surprised look on the official face.


    SilverLion nodded happily and turned to look at his people. ¡°See, men? No need to worry!¡±


    While his back was turned, Sam looked at the official and winked.


    The man froze and leaned a little closer.


    Sam smiled and spoke out of the corner of his mouth. ¡°Pretend to be angry and go inform the lord. He¡¯ll know what to do.¡±


    He glanced at the portly official and Sam suspected that the man was close to crying from relief.


    The short man took a deep breath, then schooled his face into showing anger and exclaimed.


    ¡°Well, I never! I see what kind of man you are, adventurer! Rest assured the lord will hear about this! Hmmpf!¡± With his nose high in the air, the small man then speed-walked away as fast as possible without breaking into a run.


    SilverLion only chuckled. ¡°Won¡¯t you get into trouble for that?¡± he asked Sam, glancing at the token.


    ¡°Nah,¡± he waved his hand negligently. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±


    Nodding in understanding, the knight posed another question. ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°Now you follow me!¡±


    <hr>


    After that, they spent a few minutes collecting everyone, with SilverLion reassuring his people that everything was alright, they headed to the nearby entrance of the Cavern Storage. The entrance was carved into the mountainside, with giant gates barring any big incursion while to the side next to a small building ¨C a booth really ¨C was a person-sized door, probably for the personnel.


    They headed there, with Sam at the front of the progression, his team following him, staying silent, in turn being followed by the Steel Lions. Thankfully, SilverLion had the presence of mind to send away some of his people while retaining his core group of a dozen knights. Three of them were holding giant shields and thick swords, while the rest of them were holding a variety of weapons, or were ready to unleash magic. One of them even had a white armband with a red cross on it, denoting him as a healer.


    Sam wanted to have the knights leave even more people behind as he knew that the fracture would only take ten people maximum, but that wasn¡¯t known yet, so he had no excuse to send them away.


    He wasn''t afraid of the knights. Their mana was rather underdeveloped compared to his team. Though he didn¡¯t discount the possibility of them having something that could cause issues for him, for now, he felt that they had the upper hand. Not that the guild knew this, based on the arrogant and condescending look on some of the knights¡¯ faces.


    Approaching the door, he was met by one of the guards looking somewhat angry.


    ¡°You people? We told you. No authorization, no en¨C¡°


    His tirade was interrupted by Sam simply holding up his token.


    Afterward, their entry went as smoothly as silk.


    They were let in and simply directed toward the anomaly with dire warnings about what would happen if they touched anything that looked like merchandise.


    It took them almost ten minutes to reach the side room, which was only holding some old and dust-covered boxes, their heads on swivels as they took in the construction built into the mountain.


    Finally, the entire group was in the room, staring at the green portal as it swirled merrily at the back of the room.


    For a moment everybody was staring at it, then SilverLion spoke up.


    ¡°Alright, people! Take five! Do a gear check and then we start on the dungeon!¡±


    Sam nodded, knowing that they also needed that, plus he wanted to give some instruction to his team, as well as explain himself if needed.


    However, before anybody could do so much as sit down, Katie strode forward and brought one of her legs up and moving it through a rather magnificent arc, kicked SilverLion squarely in the family jewels.


    ¡°You asshole!¡±


    The resulting silence was only broken by the sound the man made as he collapsed on his knees, his hands moving to protect himself.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

 Chapter 94

    For a long while the only sound that could be heard, aside from the quiet whirring ¨C which sounded as if it was laughing ¨C of the portal at the back of the room, was the wheezing of the leader of the Steel Lion group as Katie stood over her victim.


    ¡°Did you follow me?¡±


    She kicked out again.


    Thud.


    More wheezing.


    ¡°Huh? Answer me!¡±


    Poor SilverLion just kept wheezing, grabbing his family jewels in pain.


    Katie raised her leg, intending to strike again, but the magic was broken. Sam sprung forward, grabbing the girl and jerking her backward while Silverlion¡¯s subordinates sprung to help their boss up.


    Surprisingly, Katie didn¡¯t fight against him, but for some reason, Sam couldn¡¯t sense the easygoing aura that almost seemed to envelop the cheerful (and murder-happy) girl. Instead, she was radiating cold anger, while her mana was rather agitated.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Sam asked quietly, wondering if he really wanted to know the answer.


    Katie shuddered a little and turned to him while using one of her hands to flip the visor of her helmet up. Her eyes looked rather sad, but determined.


    She answered quietly. Almost in a whisper.


    ¡°He is my brother¡­ I thought he followed me¡­¡±


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but blink. SilverLion was the preeminent berserker¡¯s brother. ¡®Now there is a pair¡­¡¯ he mused. ¡®Though that means that she comes from a rich family. According to the tropes, she must either be in conflict with the brother or parental units. If this is like the tropes¡­¡¯


    He nodded.


    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    It was Katie¡¯s turn to look in surprise at him.


    ¡°What? What do you mean?¡±


    Sam glanced at her brother, who seemed to be finishing pulling himself together and answered.


    ¡°You¡¯re on my team. I¡¯m in your corner. Do you want us to leave?¡±


    She opened her mouth, then closed it. After a few tries, she shook her head and gave him a weak smile.


    ¡°I made this problem. I¡¯ll deal with it.¡±


    Sam nodded.


    ¡°Alright. I have your back,¡± he told her, then took a step back next to Clarissa, who seemed to be excited at the prospect of drama, while Dan was anxiously holding his club.


    Finally, SilverLion managed to get enough air into his lungs to speak up. His face, instead of anger was filled with honest confusion.


    ¡°Katie, what the hell? What did I do?¡±


    Katie clicked her tongue.


    ¡°Why are you here, David?¡±


    ¡°To complete a quest to get reputation for our guild.¡±


    ¡°Your guild is based in Deepanchor.¡±


    SilverLion¡¯s, or rather David¡¯s eyes darted around, resting on Sam for a moment, before returning to the shorter girl, who, despite the height difference, seemed to be looming over the knight.


    ¡°You know why I¡¯m here¡­¡±


    ¡®Well, there is a flag¡­¡¯ Sam thought as he listened to the siblings talk.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re not following me?¡±


    ¡°No? Why would I follow you?¡± came the confused question from the brother.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± For a long moment, the siblings eyed each other, no doubt non-verbally communicating something, before Katie nodded. ¡°Alright. I believe you.¡±


    With that, she turned around and walked back next to Sam, slamming her visor down. Then she plucked Puffball out of nowhere and began to aggressively pet it.


    At that exact moment, Sam received a private message.


    [Katie (KittenKnight): I will explain later.]


    Sam reached up and patted the upset girl on her shoulder, then looked at the gaping knight.


    David pointed at Katie and exclaimed.


    ¡°You kicked me in the nuts!¡±


    Sam raised his hands in a placating manner.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s not squabble about who kicked who in the nuts.¡± He received a dirty glare from the brother and the sister simply snorted next to him. ¡°You seem to be healthy, so how about you guys continue the sibling quarrel out of the game and we can concentrate on the dungeon?¡±


    For a second, the leader of the Steel Lions gaped at him, and Sam thought he would continue with the argument, but in the end, the man swallowed and nodded tersely.


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    The rest of the knights looked at each other, and Sam saw one of them glare at him.


    ¡®Hmm, is he going to backstab me, or is he going to backstab me?¡¯ he mused as he observed the angry knight staying at the back of the group. ¡®The question is why? Is he angry about what happened to his boss or just doesn¡¯t like me?¡¯


    However, in the end, he knew it was just idle speculation. The angry guy could have been the leader¡¯s lover and was simply angry because he was worried.


    After a few minutes of preparations, which Sam used to give a few orders to his teammates, SilverLion and he stepped in front of the fracture portal.


    Instantly, a screen appeared before them.


    [A new fracture!]


    [Fracture: Auxiliary Storage Cavern #BC/G-7]


    [A rarely used storage cavern that was only filled with dust and some forgotten boxes. The workers of the Storage Cavern want the thing gone. Authorities were called in, but because it appeared in an empty Storage Cavern, it is not a priority. Help put the workers¡¯ worry to rest.]


    [Time Limit: Until the Outpost Guard arrives!]


    [Charges: Unlimited]


    [Entry Limit: 10 people]


    ¡°Ten people huh¡­¡± read out loud the knight in his literal shining armor.


    Sam nodded.


    ¡°Indeed. Though not much problem. There are four of us, so only you need to choose who you will take.¡±


    Still looking at the screen, David spoke up idly. ¡°And what if I only want to take my team and leave you out?¡±


    Sam just chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll stop holding back your sister¡­¡±


    David grimaced. ¡°Touch¨¦¡­¡±


    With that, he did an about-face and walked up to his team and began whispering with them, no doubt deciding who would come with them and who would stay to protect the site.


    Sam simply waved for his team to stand next to him. They spent the next few minutes watching as the Steel Lions organized themselves.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    <hr>


    The fracture from the inside was nothing exciting. Though, instead of going downhill or looking like an abandoned mining shaft, it looked more like a maze made from a warehouse. As they traversed through the maze, they happened upon all sorts of odds and ends. Everywhere they went, dusty boxes and ladders were lying on the ground, surrounded by remains of all sorts of tools and equipment. At first, they broke open all the boxes in the hope they contained some extra loot, but all they found was fluff and even more dust, so after the tenth box they simply ignored them.


    Though Sam made sure to check out each and every container with his sensing skills as he didn¡¯t want to be ambushed by a mimic or miss out on an artifact.


    Their team contained Sam, Dan, Clarissa, a still somewhat angry Katie, and from the Steel Lions, David led five knights, including the one that glared at Sam.


    They had two with giant shields acting as tanks, two of them were mages and David was holding a greatsword, though compared to his sister, his sword was much more elegant instead of the razor-filled monstrosity that Katie preferred. The angry guy was holding a spear, though Sam could feel that his mana was somewhat between the mages and the tanks. ¡®Probably some kind of hybrid class, a Spellspear¡­¡¯


    Their enemies turned out to be some kind of dust golems mixed with poison spirits. Apparently, the room was so abandoned that the fracture took it up as a theme. The monsters were basically some kind of sludges made from dust, mud, and poisonous substance. ¡®Probably the runoffs from the smelting and mining processes¡­¡¯ They fought by sending blasts of dust or spewing poisonous sludge at them. His cleaning spell was getting some real workout.


    Some were humanoid-shaped, and some were just giant blobs of materials, raring to devour the invaders. They came from the ground, walls, and even from the ceiling. And their drops were rather mundane. It was an eclectic mix of small crystals that Sam knew were useful for enchanting, and metal fragments. One of them also dropped a small wooden box that was bigger on the inside than on the outside.


    ¡®Useful items, if it can be monetized¡­¡¯ he thought as he dispatched another dust monster with his sword wreathed in spinning air.


    Around him, in the latest room filled with monsters emerging from all over, his teammates and the Steel Lions were doing the same.


    His inherited memories didn¡¯t tell much about the dungeon, as it was considered a low-value fracture. It only provided material for low-level enchantments and the drop rate for the storage chests was too low. If he remembered correctly, the fracture¡¯s loot table contained a few skill books, mostly poison or earth-slash-dust natured. There were rumors about somebody finding some kind of ultra-rare skill book, but nobody could prove it or find information about it. At least according to the memories that he had inherited.


    It could make money, but not as much as the one they had just left behind. Glancing at the Steel Lions who were excitedly collecting the recent spoils, Sam had only one thought. ¡®They don¡¯t know that¡­¡¯


    Sheathing his sword, he went up to the materials and waited until the Lions organized it.


    Before they entered, they agreed on a forty-sixty distribution of the miscellaneous materials, while they would roll for the important items. Thankfully, Magic Unbound had a built-in dice roller.


    Unceremoniously, he was handed a bunch of crystals and ores while the rest was pocketed by one of the tanks.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he spoke to the Lion, however he only received a grunt and glare. SilverLion¡¯s minions were surprisingly quiet.


    Instead of bothering them, he made sure his team was alright, then turned to David.


    ¡°Ready to continue?¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­¡±


    And on they went.


    They slew hordes of dust monsters, some of them amusingly shaped like bunnies, as they went forward.


    The Steel Lion team was at the front as they had actual tanks while Clarissa was smack dab in the middle, healing whoever was wounded, and valiantly ignoring as one of the mages set up near her continued to flirt with her.


    Apparently, they just didn¡¯t like to talk with Sam¡­


    Sam was moving around, striking at monsters that were occupied by the tanks, or distracted by Katie or David, making sure to showcase his mastery of wind magic. It was rather paranoid, but he simply didn¡¯t trust the Lions.


    Dan was the same, standing near Clarissa and the other two mages from the Steel Lions and taking potshots at the monsters. He was actually in charge of looking up and shooting down monsters that wanted to drop on their heads.


    His fire magic was much faster than the water and lightning magic that the other two mages specialized in. Especially, because the water mage was more of a healer than a damage dealer.


    As they walked through the maze created by the unstable dimensional energies, Sam spent some time observing the knights, leveraging his inherited memories.


    The two mages were nothing special. Granted, they had excellent equipment, but they were loud-mouthed and flirty. Sam suspected that they were ¡®friends¡¯ of SilverLion, moving in the same economic circles, or slightly below him. However, the Spellspear and the tanks were a much different story.


    They were silent and stoic, moving with precision and fighting, which seemed to come naturally to them. ¡®They probably got some training in real life¡­ Maybe bodyguards?¡¯ he mused as the group went forward.


    During their journey, nothing slowed them down much. There were three mini-bosses, but they were dispatched rather quickly. They were just bigger, stronger, and sturdier versions of the monsters they had met.


    The first one was humanoid, using its speed and transforming its appendages into weapons to try to kill them, the second one was a giant blob with an enormous amount of health points, while the last one was a giant bunny that breathed balls of dust and sludge at them.


    It amusingly dropped an enchanted broom, perfect for sweeping up dust efficiently.


    The Steel Lions were so disappointed by the drop they didn¡¯t even roll for it, so it automatically went to Sam¡¯s team.


    <hr>


    After the last mini-boss, they spent a few minutes resting, more for their mind than their body, as the fracture wasn¡¯t exactly a challenge.


    Sam used the time to check his notifications.


    First, he dealt with the messages from Lucy about the company, then he turned his attention to the rest.


    The first one was the long-awaited level-up.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You are now Level 41!]


    [Gained 2 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Gained 1 MAG for going on a cleaning spree!]


    He quickly assigned the two points to Endurance and Dexterity, then continued to read the rest of the notifications.


    [Mana Channeling is now Level 2!]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 68!]


    [Mana Resonance is now Level 4!]


    [Mana Tempered Body 25!]


    [Thanks to using both your mana and body in synchrony, you gained the subskill, Synchronization!]


    [Synchronization: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your body and mana move as one. You gain 2% casting speed and attack speed per skill level thanks to this.]


    ¡®Now that¡¯s a cool skill! It seems I was right in focusing on foundational skills¡­¡¯ he celebrated internally while keeping a blank face on. From the memories he gained, he knew that there was actually a temple in a high-leveled area where one could acquire this skill and it was a highly contested area in the future that may never happen, as it was a prerequisite of another martial arts skill that everybody wanted.


    [Mana Gaze is now Level 6!]


    [Controlled Slash is now Level 2!]


    [Triple Mana Slash is now Level 2!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 64!]


    [Mana Disruption is now Level 14!]


    [Spell Layering is now Level 15!]


    [Mana Construct is now Level 15!]


    [Light Ball III is now Level 2!]


    [Clean IV is now Level 6!]


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but chuckle seeing the Clean spell shoot up so fast. It was rather funny literally cleaning up the monsters in this fracture.


    [Wind Bullet III is now Level 9!]


    [Wind Explosion is now Level 2!]


    [Wind Movement is now Level 32!]


    [Aerodynamic is now Level 2!]


    [Wind Edge III is now Level 7!]


    [Wind Affinity is now Level 60!]


    [Active Meditation is now Level 47!]


    He couldn¡¯t help but look forward to seeing the Active Meditation skill at maximum level, as then he could learn Battle Meditation that would make him even more powerful. One of the core skills of monk-type players, but every warrior-type player worth their salt acquired it one way or another.


    [Spirit Link is now Level 35!]


    [Spirit Connection is now Level 3!]


    [Advanced Shadow Footwork is now Level 11!]


    [Shadow Grace is now Level 5!]


    [Shadow Burst II is now Level 2!]


    [Shadow Shield is now Level 22!]


    [Shadow Affinity is now Level 28!]


    [You immersed yourself in the shadows, moving ever-forward, granting you the subskill, Shadowstride!]


    [Shadowstride: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) The shadows lighten your body, allowing you to travel further than before. For each skill level, the stamina consumption of movement skills decreases by 5%.]


    Another excellent passive skill. Seeing as he focused a lot on speed and movement skills, it would naturally be a very useful skill.


    [Advanced Sword Mastery is now Level 15!]


    [Basic Armor Mastery is now Level 44!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 47!]


    [Steady Heartbeat is now level 4!]


    [Flow is now Level 44!]


    [Focused Flow is now Level 5!]


    [Surprise Strike is now Level 3!]


    [Earth Resistance is now Level 11!]


    [Multitasking is now Level 80!]


    [Parallel Processing is now Level 10!]


    <hr>


    After the small break, their journey continued.


    They slew monsters, collected the rather lackluster loot, and so on, repeating it until they reached the deepest part of the maze.


    How did they know it was the deepest part?


    The dust was literally standing in small hills and the stacks of old boxes created walls they either had to break through or go around.


    Finally, they reached a small hall that led to another bigger hall, the dust already spilling out of the door.


    No doubt, the home of the boss.


    Sam stopped for a moment, and the rest formed around him, staring at the doorway.


    He looked over at the leader of the knights and spoke up.


    ¡°Ready?¡±


    However, instead of an answer, Sam received something rather different.


    The spellspear roared a wordless battle cry (causing the Steel Lion players to glow with unearthly light) and shot off toward him, the tip of the spear wreathed in purple mist, while the two tanks jumped forward, attempting to box him in.


    ¡®Oh, dear¡­ It seems I have been backstabbed. Who could have seen this?¡¯


    He only had time for that one thought, as the spear wielder was in front of him, the spear thrust straight at his face.

 Chapter 95

    Following the sudden attack, a lot of things happened in short order.


    Sam¡¯s sword met the rushing spear, stopping it just in front of himself to the surprise of the spellspear.


    At the same time, SilverLion cried out with a horrified look on his face. ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    The spellspear face was set into bewilderment and as he jumped back, he couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. ¡°How? You¡¯re just Level 40!¡±


    ¡®So, that¡¯s why they were so confident¡­¡¯ he thought, as a small insidious smile formed on his face.


    ¡°Level is not everything, my friend¡­¡±


    The guy clicked his tongue. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. You die here!¡±


    With that declaration, he and the two shield bearers rushed forward, attempting to box him in and then skewer him on the still-shining spear.


    Sam simply activated his speed-increasing skills and began dancing around their attacks. Meanwhile, he kept an eye on the rest of the Steel Lions. The two mages looked at each other, shrugged, and raised their hand, which immediately began to glow with mystical energies.


    Meanwhile, SilverLion was calling them to cease their attack, but nobody listened to him.


    Sam danced around a heavy strike from one of the tanks, directly getting into the way of another strike from the other tank, but raised his sword to block the strike, coincidentally at the same time, the spellspear let loose a series of thrusts with his spear, aiming at the middle of his body, but Sam simply projected a gust of extreme wind, causing the spellspear¡¯s aim to be thrown off.


    Instead of waiting for them to attack again, he took another step and with a quick motion decapitated the first tank, then continuing the movement, he dispersed the lightning ball that was aimed at his head.


    There was a gasp from the mages, but the remaining tank and spellspear only had a determined look on their faces, the death of their friend not fazing them. He deflected another strike, then raised his hand and made a sign.


    Instantly, his teammates, who were watching the fight with blank looks on their faces, thanks to his previous orders, sprung into action.


    Katie launched herself forward up in the air, her greatsword crackling with barely restrained yellow energy. And as she reached the apex of her jump, she swung her sword, unleashing the energy contained in it in a crescent shape.


    The lightning mage had a brief moment to be surprised, then he was vaporized in a flash of yellow light while letting out a small scream.


    Katie landed delicately on the ground, her skills absorbing the shock of landing, and instantly the girl was once again swinging her sword, this time at the water mage. However, the water mage had enough time to react and conjured a shield of water around himself, while lashing out with tendrils of water at Katie.


    She danced between the strikes, however, the water seemed to be simply absorbing her attacks.


    ¡°Hah! Little girl, you are centuries too early to defeat me!¡± the water mage exclaimed, his face set into a proud look. ¡°This is the Shield of the Ocean! Nobody can defea¨C¡° His monologue, however, was interrupted by a lance of white-hot flame coming from his back, piercing through his chest and heart.


    For a long moment, he stood there as the water shield vanished, gaping stupidly, no sound coming from his mouth, before simply collapsing as if he was a puppet whose strings were cut.


    At the same time, Sam was still keeping the remaining tank and spellspear occupied.


    ¡°All of you stop!¡± cried out SilverLion, sadly, ineffectively.


    Sam was standing between the spear wielder and the tank and watched as the tank raised their sword and clanged it against his shield while mumbling something under his breath. Instantly, he could feel the mana surge from the man flow into his shield, and then with a visible pulse of light shot forward at him. The light formed a circle and with quick succession enveloped him, rooting him to the ground, and preventing any movement.


    ¡®Circle of Restraint¡­ Good skill¡­ But I have better!¡¯ he thought mirthfully. ¡®Mana Disruption!¡¯


    With a small twist of his mana, he reached out to the spell trying to restrain him, injecting his own mana into the matrix of the spell.


    ¡°Got you!¡± exclaimed the spellspear, and his spear began to glow pure black. ¡°Take this! Devastation Strike!¡±


    The man lunged forward, the black light swelling around the head of the spear, forming an ethereal spear, ready to destroy Sam. However, he just smiled and with a flex of his arms, broke the circle that he had disrupted, then ducked under the strike, letting it fly over his head, took a short step forward, and thrust his sword out, piercing the spellspear¡¯s body.


    Then with another twist of his mana, he let loose a Wind Drill, ripping the man apart.


    As he straightened out, the surprised tank was taken care of by Katie appearing behind him with extreme speed and beheading him.


    As the last body fell to the ground and slowly turned into rainbow pixels, Sam sheathed his sword and turned toward the gaping David.


    Katie walked next to him and put her hands on her hips.


    ¡°Well, brother? What¡¯s your excuse?¡±


    For a second, brother and sister stared at each other, with the brother¡¯s eyes jumping between the corpses of his minions and Sam and his angry sister. Then he hesitantly spoke up.


    ¡°Katie¡­ I¨CI didn¡¯t order them to do that¡­¡±


    Sam glanced at the girl and saw she deflated visibly.


    ¡°It was probably him¡­¡± she spoke with visible disgust.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    David took a moment to think it over and then nodded. ¡°I always suspected they were more loyal to him than me, but it is disheartening to see it confirmed.¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡®Ahh, family drama¡­¡¯


    Katie turned to Sam.


    ¡°Well, boss, what do you want to do?¡±


    Sam glanced between the siblings, one expectant and the other worried. In the end, he shrugged.


    ¡°I get that it is a family argument, but they still tried to kill us before the boss. That¡¯s a big no-no¡­¡±


    Kate looked visibly happier as he said that. She instantly turned to her brother and spoke up.


    ¡°Brother, we shall speak later. For now, goodbye!¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    But it was too late. Katie shone with light, Clarissa''s buffs enveloping her body, and before David could react, she was in front of him, her greatsword going through his neck.


    He fell to the ground and began to transform into rainbow pixels, which in turn began to vanish up into the air.


    Katie instantly turned to them and bowed almost ninety degrees.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡±


    Sam chuckled a little, while Dan called out to her.


    ¡°No worries! It¡¯s not like we were in any danger¡­¡±


    Katie straightened out and looked at them, worry still on her face.


    Clarissa just shook her head. ¡°People like that always backstab you¡­ It¡¯s not your fault¡­¡±


    Sam nodded in agreement. ¡°Indeed. It was pretty obvious what they were planning.¡±


    Katie looked at them, then a little hesitantly began to speak.


    ¡°My¡­father¡­ he probably¡­¡± However, she was interrupted by Sam.


    He stepped forward and put a hopefully comforting hand on her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it now. Let¡¯s kill the boss quickly so that I can deal with the quest. Then we can have a long talk. Alright?¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± she replied quietly.


    Sam nodded and turned to Dan, letting Katie compose herself behind him.


    <hr>


    They spent a few minutes resting, letting the skill cooldowns reset, then with a determined look, entered the dust-filled halls.


    Instantly, there was a roar, and the dust in the room began to swirl, as poisonous sludge began to bubble up from somewhere.


    The monster quickly took shape, with the lower part looking like a snake, the dust forming into scales; the sludge filling up the gaps between the so-called scales, while the upper body was that of a bodybuilder. Albeit one with no face.


    They had a moment to take in the monster, before it roared somehow ¨C despite not having any kind of orifices that could logically make a sound ¨C and one of its arms transformed from a giant fist into the head of a mace, with the spikes made from hardened sludge that were no doubt leaking lethal toxins.


    Then the mace slammed into Sam¡¯s shield spell, the force of the attack sending the remaining dust on the ground flying, and the fight was on.


    Clarissa immediately began casting buffs and protective spells on them, while white fire, originating from Dan, began to rain down from up high. The moment one of the ¡®raindrops¡¯ touched the dust, it let out a sizzle, and part of the monster¡¯s body fell to the ground, leaving it weaker and diminished.


    Katie simply jumped up, landing on the giant hand of the dust-slash-sludge elemental, and akin to an anime hero, began running up the monster¡¯s hand, raising her sword that was brimming with energy.


    Sam simply reinforced the shield protecting Clarissa and watched with amusement as Dan and Katie began systematically pulling the monster apart.


    Katie simply began a series of slashes at the monster¡¯s head, while Dan used his flames to try to destroy the material it was made from. Sadly, the moment a certain amount of material was lost, it let out another roar, and the dust began falling from the ceiling, reforming the monster¡¯s body.


    Sam let them have their fun for a moment, then while maintaining his shield, he reached out with his mana and tried to find the elemental¡¯s core.


    Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take long, and soon he managed to pinpoint its exact location, which was unsurprisingly in the middle of the dust elemental¡¯s body. In the later stages of the game, when people were much higher leveled, elementals would have their cores in odd positions, protected by extra appendages, or even hide them outside of their bodies.


    With one hand maintaining the shield spell, he held out his other hand and conjured a small ball of light. With barely any effort, he sent the ball of light at the monster¡¯s body, where it settled over the spot he sensed the core to be.


    ¡°Aim at the light!¡± he called out and watched as his teammates reacted to his order.


    Dan let out a great gust of flame aimed at the torso of the monster, where the dust and sludge instantly solidified and began to fall with a pitter-patter sound, and Katie rushed forward her greatsword coming down on the suddenly exposed dark green core.


    CRACK


    The core was cracked, but not broken.


    The monster let out a roar, the shockwaves of the roar sending Katie flying backward, landing with one knee bent next to Sam like a superhero.


    Dust and sludge surged, and instead of being covered by scales made of dust, the sludge from the ground swelled up, covering the body of the elemental fully and when it retreated, the monster was covered by scales made of the toxic sludge, inverting the color scheme.


    The hand made into the mace reformed, instead turning into a simple pipe with a hole where the hand should have been. Then the next second it glowed with the same color as the core.


    Sam strengthened the shield, with Clarissa triggering her own hexagonal shields as sludge bombs began to bombard them from the gun-turned hands.


    Reaching out with his mana, he searched for the core and found it in the same place, but now it was protected by a layer of scales made of crystalized sludge and under it the scales made of the solidified dust.


    Conjuring another ball of light, he sent it out.


    ¡°Once more!¡±


    And once again, fire and pain rained down on the elemental, this time with Sam joining in with a few precise Wind Blades to crack the sludge.


    Soon, under their barrage, the monster fell, leaving behind a pile of dust-covered loot.


    He shot off several large area cleaning spells, making sure to get all the dust he could. Mainly to make sure no more dust monsters attacked, but also because it was a nice chunk of experience points for his skill.


    Sam then walked forward and inspected the loot. It was mostly ores and crystals with several boxes and four flasks made of metal, with a pattern of scales on them.


    He picked up one of them and inspected it.


    [Congratulations! You found a Bottomless Flask!]


    [Bottomless Flask: A Flask made with enchanted material to be made bottomless*. Capable of storing all kinds of liquid, both cold and hot. Cannot hold acids. *Not actually bottomless.]


    He chuckled at the flavor text and put it away in his inventory. It would be an excellent holder for health potions. Quickly, he picked up the other flasks and threw them at his teammates, who caught them and began examining the artifacts.


    While they were reading the tooltips, he swept the rest of the loot into his inventory and stood up. Seeing as everyone was happily putting away their flasks, he opened the notification screen that was blinking in the corner of his eye.


    [Congratulations!]


    [You cleared the fracture for the first time!]


    [Due to accumulated dimensional energies, the amount of items found is increased!]


    [Fracture: Auxiliary Storage Cavern #BX/G-7 is cleared!]


    [Fracture can be visited again!]


    [Cooldown: 600 seconds!]


    Nodding happily at the information, he closed the screen and turned to the others.


    ¡°Ready to leave?¡±


    Clarissa spoke up. ¡°Won¡¯t they be waiting for us?¡±


    Katie shook her head. ¡°My brother is not like that.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t really seem like your brother was in charge¡­¡± came the sassy retort.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± agreed Katie with a shrug. ¡°But now that he knows they don¡¯t obey him, he will act¡­¡±


    Clarissa eyed the younger girl and nodded. ¡°Alright, if you say so¡­¡±


    Dan nodded, once again taking notes, and Sam simply pressed the exit button and they were away, the dimensional energies swirling around them.


    <hr>


    As usual, they were deposited in front of the swirling portal, the Steel Lion members nowhere to be seen.


    Katie looked at Clarissa smugly.


    ¡°See, I know my brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­Fine¡­¡±


    The two girls began walking out of the storage room, good-naturedly ribbing each other. Sam and Dan looked at each other and chuckled, and then followed them.


    His teammates would return to Ironwood to rest and do their quests or maybe do a little crafting, while Sam would be meeting with Lucy and then Lord Silvercrest.


    ¡®Money~ Money~ here I come¡­¡¯

 Chapter 96

    On the way back, they wrote down their observations of the two fractures, as well as summarized the drops, and described the fancier ones.


    These lists would be the most important thing in Sam¡¯s negotiations with the man ruling the Silvercrest family.


    He even set aside several samples from all the ores and other miscellaneous materials to show the man.


    Outside of the Storage Cavern, they were met by a group of guards arrayed around the portly official, who just stood there, wiping sweat off his forehead, while nervously glancing around. As if he was expecting to be jumped any time by angry adventurers.


    Sam made sure to reassure him, but after he mentioned that they had delved into the fracture, the guards interrupted their discussion and rushed into the caverns, to confirm the information. The poor official was left out there, surrounded by Sam¡¯s team.


    Instead of continuing the conversation, he said a hasty goodbye and rushed after the guards, leaving Sam and his team chuckling as they continued their trek toward Ironwood City.


    <hr>


    Inside the city, they dispersed, with each of them having different things on their to-do list.


    Dan was planning on heading to the Mage Tower to talk to the mages who specialized in fire magic for something. He told Sam that he was looking for more potent fire spells. Sam had to bite his lip to prevent immediately telling his friend where to acquire several rather potent ones. ¡®Maybe I could nudge things in a way that he will find them¡­¡¯


    Clarissa was also heading back to the Healing Guild, as thanks to her level-up, she was eligible to learn several new spells after some kind of test.


    Sam could only nod upon hearing that. Learning new spells in most guilds was not as easy as reaching the required levels. You had to prove to the people there that you were capable of wielding the powers of those spells and skills. This was doubly so for healers, who if miscast something could kill people.


    The other Sam wasn¡¯t big on healing, as getting good at healing was much harder than most basic magical arts. Plus, by the time the person whose memories he inherited transitioned into the information business, the guild¡¯s secrets were locked up tighter than a nun¡¯s knickers.


    And seeing the power most high-leveled healers held, they kept their mouths shut.


    Katie didn¡¯t say what she planned to do, but he saw that she was heading toward the training area of the city, so Sam suspected there would be some training dummies being destroyed in the near future.


    Sam did a quick stop at the Auction House, unloading the useless loot, then went by the headquarters where he dumped the rest of the useful loot on Lucy¡¯s secretary, before entering her office.


    As always, she was sitting behind her desk, in her immaculate dress, working away at the ludicrous amount of paperwork.


    However, before he could greet her, something captured his attention.


    On one of the walls was a painting.


    A painting showing Lucy, wearing a black and white period-appropriate dress, with one of her ravens sitting on her shoulder, looking demurely at the painter. Basically, she looked like some kind of Poe fangirl.


    Sam looked at the painting and then back at Lucy. He simply raised a hand and pointed at the art decorating the wall.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    His administrative-inclined friend looked away bashfully, and a small spattering of rosy color appeared on her face.


    ¡°Quest. Don¡¯t even ask¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ that¡¯s new¡­¡± he spoke out loud inwardly trying to comb through his inherited memories for a quest like that, but in the end, he came up with nothing.


    He turned away from the painting and sat down on one of the chairs in front of Lucy¡¯s desk.


    ¡°Was it worth it?¡± he asked absentmindedly as he took out the information gathered about the fractures.


    She gave a non-committal shrug. ¡°I got what I wanted¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, at least there is that,¡± Sam agreed with her as he handed over a copy of the information. ¡°Not to change the subject. But here is the info we got from the fractures.¡±


    She took the documents and gave them a quick read.


    ¡°Katie sent me a rather panicky sorry message¡­¡± she asked with a frown. ¡°What was that about?¡±


    Sam just waved his hand. ¡°Nothing much. Turns out there was already a group of people at the second big fracture we found. Their leader was her brother. Then, after we agreed to give the fracture a go together, they decided to kill us before the boss.¡±


    ¡°Were they in a guild?¡±


    ¡°Rich types, so yes.¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°Steel Lions¡­¡± It was hard to miss Lucy¡¯s wince. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I went and talked to the workshop you wanted me to recruit.¡±


    ¡°Three Rose Petals?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Them. They got signed by the Steel Lions right before I arrived.¡±


    Sam thought about it for a little while, then he asked a question.


    ¡°Do you think the information that you¡¯re going to talk to them leaked?¡±


    Lucy shook her head.


    ¡°Nobody had any idea I¡¯d do it.¡±


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Sam began drumming on the elbow support on his chair while processing the information. Finally, he just shrugged.


    ¡°Oh well. Happens¡­¡±


    Lucy let out a small, relieved sigh.


    Sam raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I thought you would be angry¡­¡± Lucy admitted hesitantly.


    ¡°Ehh¡­ More annoyed than angry. They were making really good swords,¡± Sam answered with a grin. ¡°Plus, I¡¯m pretty sure Katie¡¯s daddy is bankrolling Steel Lions. Her brother probably has to follow his orders.¡±


    Lucy looked into his eyes. ¡°Do you want me to go after them?¡±


    Sam returned the look with a thankful smile. ¡°No need to go that hard. Just make sure they don¡¯t gain too much hold on the area¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhhmm¡­¡± was the response from the woman sitting across from him as she made several notes on a fresh piece of paper.


    For the next half a minute, there was silence as both of them stewed in their thoughts. It was finally broken by Sam.


    ¡°How are we with the expansion?¡± he asked, changing the topic. Lucy knew more about economics than him, even with two sets of memories clanging around in his skull.


    Lucy gave him a look, then took up a set of documents that seemed to be prepared for this exact question.


    ¡°We are almost done in Brightwood. We set up one shopping center and one Heavenly Forest branch. We also reached out and bought buildings that have been unused for a while. One is set to be a theater for rent, while the other is for displaying art. I¡¯m still looking for a person to take over its management.¡±


    ¡°Excellent work! Other places?¡±


    ¡°Set up a few shopping centers in production towns. Also started expanding to Deepanchor as it is the nearest connection to the water trade for us.¡±


    ¡°How is it going?¡±


    Lucy waved her hand from side to side. ¡°Middling. They are mostly sea folk, so it¡¯s hard to get in.¡± She took a deep breath and appeared to think about it for a moment. ¡°We¡¯ll probably need you to go there and do your magic.¡±


    Sam gave it a quick thought. Deepanchor was one of the biggest commercial harbors in the kingdom. The only one bigger was the one that sat next to the capital of the kingdom. There were several quests there that would be profitable. Hell, he even knew the location of several pirate treasures. Not that it was a big secret in the future that would never happen. A group of friends found one of them, then opened a bar-slash-restaurant on the small sandy island where it was found. They named it the Big Treasure, and the story of the pirate treasure was put up on the wall with the tastefully (and slightly exaggerated) hand-woven tapestry. It became a sort of neutral ground, where people on opposite sides could meet up and hash out their differences, or for big meetings between people who didn¡¯t fully trust each other.


    Simultaneously, it started a pirate treasure frenzy that revealed the location of several other treasures.


    However, sailing randomly amongst lonely and uninhabited islands could wait.


    He had something else to do before that.


    ¡°I¡¯ll add it to the list. However, let¡¯s talk about the contract with the Silvercrest family.¡±


    Lucy nodded, put away the documents containing the details of their burgeoning economic empire, and retrieved another set.


    She shuffled it around a little as she began to speak. ¡°So, I went over the details, and I have a few ideas about what to ask and how¡­¡±


    Sam leaned back in his chair and listened intently.


    <hr>


    Donning his fanciest clothing, he once again headed for the Silvercrest manor.


    Thankfully, the guards and the staff knew him well, so the entry procedure went without a hitch and within minutes, escorted by the old butler, he stood in front of the lord¡¯s desk, while the giant man¡¯s wife sat next to the window, idly sipping tea.


    Though Sam dared not to underestimate the pair. They were successful enough that some people sought out very dark magic to bring them down.


    ¡°Samuel, my friend! Welcome to my home!¡± exclaimed the lord in his loud voice. ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°I finished the survey at the mining outpost and I¡¯m here for the report,¡± he said respectfully.


    The man, however, frowned.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree on the full survey of my holdings?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. But what I found necessitated a report right now.¡±


    An eyebrow rose on the man¡¯s face. ¡°Oh? Do tell!¡±


    Sam reached into his pocket and retrieved a scroll he had prepared before, then he raised it up a little so that the lord could see it. ¡°With your permission?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, my friend!¡± the giant man yelled with an excited grin and motioned at his desk.


    Sam nodded in thanks, stepped forward, and spread out the map of the mining outpost with the locations of the fractures marked on them.


    He began talking while pointing at the symbols one by one.


    ¡°These ones are fractures that vanished after clearing them once, and those are the ones that didn¡¯t. As you can see, we found two. One rather deep, and the other¡­¡±


    ¡°At the Storage Cavern,¡± finished the lord for him.


    ¡°Yes, sir. And we weren¡¯t the only ones.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I heard the report.¡± Nodded the older man as he scrutinized the map. ¡°Do you think the other guilds are going to fight for the right to ¡®own¡¯ the fractures?¡±


    Sam eyed the man as he was once again reminded that despite being so goofy and martial-focused, the man was no fool.


    ¡°Indeed, sir. If you act now, we can avoid all that fighting and make enough money that would make a dragon jealous.¡±


    The man just hummed thoughtfully.


    Sam wanting to strike while the iron was hot, retrieved a box from his inventory, then placed it on the desk while opening it.


    ¡°These are the materials we found in the permanent fractures.¡±


    The giant lord looked up from the map and at the samples. He reached out and with his giant hand picked up a few samples and raised them in front of his eyes. Sam could feel several smaller mana pulses originating from him. ¡®Some kind of analyzing spell¡­¡¯


    After several minutes of examinations, the lord of the manor placed the ore samples into the box, closed the top, and turned to Sam with a giant grin.


    ¡°Let¡¯s negotiate!¡±


    Sam nodded and simply dismissed the notification that popped up as he girded his loins and entered the battle of wits.


    [You completed the quest: Reap what you sow!]


    [As a reward you are able to negotiate a contract with the Silvercrest family. Good luck!]


    <hr>


    After several hours, Sam left the manor with reams of papers and an agreement with the Silvercrest lord that they would both sleep on the details and get together the next day to sign the contract if there were no issues.


    He quickly dumped the documents on Lucy, then retreated to his own apartment in the headquarters. Soon it would be time to log out, and he decided to log out early as he had a few things to do.


    As usual, he got comfortable with Lucky, then following several minutes of enjoying the wolf¡¯s luxurious fur, he hit the logout button.


    In the real world, he placed the headset in its place and went about his day. Ablutions and some exercises, then a little food, before returning to his work.


    He dealt with the usual emails and Shadowland messages before starting on the auction.


    After the RMT was announced, Future Unknown made it possible to open up an auction hall, that people could only access with invitation links. They would appear there as their characters, but it would only be cosmetic. No stats or skills could be used there.


    The auction house even offered the services of several auctioneers if the renter didn¡¯t have one they wanted to use.


    Thus, Sam logged into the game¡¯s website and went about organizing one of these auctions. Thankfully, he knew he could at least trust the anonymity that Future Unknown provided. Not that he trusted them, but he trusted that they would keep his identity from others. There were some really powerful or important (or rich) people playing. The company made sure that everyone¡¯s identity was treated the same.


    After setting up so that everybody would show up in a black robe, just for the funsies, and setting the basic layout and size of the auction hall, he went through the auctioneers and choose a busty blonde, that according to notes, knew how to hype the crowd up.


    With everything set up, he created the invitation link that would be granted individually after the person logged in with their Magic Unbound account. So, people couldn¡¯t share their invitation links.


    Then he created a post on Shadowland, and set the price high so that people could feel important as they got the invitation links.


    The moment the post went live, he watched with a smirk as the money kept rolling in. On another tab, he watched one of the popular social media sites as people began immediately boasting about getting a link.


    With that done, he stood up from his chair and headed for his jacket. He needed to touch a little grass¡­

 Chapter 97

    Sam spent some time outside, looking on as the weather slowly but surely turned into spring weather. There were already several trees in the nearby parks that were trying to show off their green crowns, and the fields were full of budding flowers.


    He spent most of his rest time sitting on one of the benches, looking up at the sky and just thinking.


    Thinking about his previous life, his current life, and everything that had happened and everything that would happen.


    The game was blowing up, and he already had some evidence that the rich people were present and trying to bend the game¡¯s economy to their will. Conflict with them was inevitable. After all, they wanted to own everything, and Sam didn¡¯t want to fall under anyone¡¯s control. It would require a balancing act, but he was sure he could do it. Especially, if he surrounded himself with people with the experience and skills that were needed.


    With Lucy already taking care of the administration, he would still need someone for security and leading the common troops while he was away gallivanting around the world of Magic Unbound.


    He had ideas about people he could approach, though as of now most of them were entrenched in their current position. However, one break was coming up soon. While the timeline was thoroughly fucked, thanks to Sam¡¯s action, there were still things he could expect to happen, as they were based on people he had no effect on. Hopefully¡­


    For a while, Sam also considered his plans for the company he had set up in the city of Ironwood. With the conclusion of the contract with the Silvercrest family, they would be definitely set for a while with gold income. However, he knew as soon as the contract was done, other players would hear about it and go about doing the same thing.


    Naturally, in the area around Ironwood, Sam was the leading economic power as of now, but if people started doing the same thing he did then expanding would become harder and harder. The only good news was that building the same level of relationship with the local nobles that he had with the Silvercrest family would take a lot of time for the guilds without his future knowledge. Still, he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to underestimate the other players. He may have been one of a kind reincarnator but there was no dearth of geniuses anywhere.


    For now, he would need to get the contract done, have a talk with Katie and figure out where to go with her family, then finish the auction, followed by getting more players to join the company.


    Closing his eyes as the spring sun came out from behind the clouds and bathed him in life-giving rays, he let out a slow sigh.


    He would be very busy in the foreseeable future¡­


    <hr>


    After returning to his apartment and going through his routine, Sam laid down on his divan and placed the helmet on his head. As the device turned on and the surroundings darkened, he had only one thought. ¡®I hope the capsules arrive soon¡­¡¯


    He already contacted several companies that were in the business of distributing VR helmets, asking them to notify him if any commercial VR capsule became available for gaming purposes.


    For now, he had a game to play.


    [WELCOME BACK TO MAGIC UNBOUND, SOLAR!]


    [LOG IN?]


    [YES]/[NO]


    Without hesitation, he clicked on the yes button.


    <hr>


    He appeared in the game where he left his character, in the bed, covered by Lucky¡¯s fur. Having gotten used to it, he spent a few minutes spitting out fur, then feeding and playing with the playful canine, he left the room with a purpose.


    Outside, he was met by one of the maids, handing over a no-doubt encrypted document inserted into a stereotypical light manila-colored file. He thanked the woman who scurried away after a short curtsy, then opened the file and began to read Lucy¡¯s report while descending the stairs.


    The businesses in the city were doing good. The identification and warehouse business was steady even with a dozen people and guilds trying to ape them. There was something to say about being the first to do something.


    There were some notes about one of the copycats simply stealing stuff, but there was nobody Lucy could trust to look into it.


    Sam scowled at that. The best person to handle the company¡¯s security both internal and external was still a ways away from leaving their current post, while Sam himself had to juggle a few million things at the same time.


    Granted, he could have gone and hired a random person that looked competent, but in the end, it was much easier to trust a person whose life story and motivations he knew. Making a note to check up on that clusterfuck, he approached the meeting room he had Lucy put aside for this exact talk.


    Opening the door, he saw Katie sitting in one of the chairs, looking out of the window, aggressively petting Puffball ¨C who was rather enjoying it ¨C and fidgeting. However, instead of the all-encompassing plate mail that he got used to, this time, she was wearing a simple dress with cloth pants and something that was called ballet shoes according to Sam¡¯s spotty memories of woman¡¯s clothing. She looked delicate, not like when she was wearing her armor that showed her brutal and menacing side. Sam could see why she choose to cover up. Nobody would take her seriously as a berserker if she revealed how she looked.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Plus, no doubt, she didn¡¯t want to get the same attention that all pretty girls got in games like these.


    When the door opened, she looked away from the window and upon seeing him, she smiled a little.


    ¡°Hope I¡¯m not late?¡± he opened with an easy-going smile.


    She shook her head.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not¡­I was just¡­ watching the city,¡± she answered quietly.


    Sam nodded and walked up to the desk, putting Lucy¡¯s report into his inventory. He sat down and looked at the young woman across from him.


    She looked despondent and fearful. As if expecting Sam to be wrathful.


    He considered the situation and at first, wanted to start with a joke or icebreaker, but after a second thought, he just went for it.


    ¡°Alright, we are both here. Let¡¯s talk!¡±


    She jumped a little but nodded without saying anything.


    Sam gave her what was hopefully a reassuring smile and continued. ¡°Let¡¯s see if I got it right. Your brother started a guild and your father saw the economic potential of the game, so he decided to help your brother set it up. He wanted you to be part of the guild, something akin to a figurehead, no doubt thanks to your beauty. You disagreed, your father got angry, and probably arranged something that would drive a wedge between you and me.¡± Sam paused a little, to take a breath, then continued. ¡°Also he probably tried to get information about me from you. How am I doing?¡±


    Katie blinked at him for a few moments, then opened her mouth.


    ¡°What? How? How did you know all that?¡±


    Sam just snorted.


    ¡°Guesses based on behaviors of rich people.¡± While adding silently in his ¡®and thanks to the massive amount of webnovels I¡¯ve read in the past.¡¯


    The young woman snorted. ¡°Well, you got it mostly right. He wanted me to leave your company and set up an auxiliary for the Steel Lions and help my brother lead the entire thing.¡± She took a breath, obviously trying to keep calm. ¡°He was very¡­ wrathful when I refused him. I have no doubts that those people who attacked us worked for him, keeping an eye on my brother.¡±


    Sam nodded, expecting it.


    ¡°However, my and your luck is that my father doesn¡¯t really understand games or how players think. He thinks that he could use his usual modus operandi to set up things here and rake in the money. He has been rather disappointed in my brother for not performing according to his expectations.¡± She scowled. ¡°Although, good luck to anyone trying to explain to him that he was doing it wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Sam spoke slowly, going over the information given. ¡°Do you think he would try to strike at me in the real world?¡±


    Katie¡¯s eyes grew to the size of coins and shook her head.


    ¡°God no! He is all about economic suppression. Finds physical fighting absolutely distasteful,¡± she explained. ¡°Though expect all manner of economic and political intrigue.¡±


    Sam let out a relieved sigh. For those he had people that he could rely on. But defending against physical attacks? Much harder, especially in this modern world where weapon technology had advanced well beyond what Sam was familiar with. Cybernetically enhanced leg-breakers would have been the least of his worries¡­


    ¡°Thank you for the information,¡± he said with a smile directed at the still-fidgeting girl. ¡°What about you? How are you handling it?¡±


    The young woman grimaced. ¡°Had a talk with my brother, he is very angry with father. But I¡¯m just his daughter, I can¡¯t really change his mind. It never worked and never will.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    The grimace deepened.


    ¡°He has beliefs about the place of women in a family¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ that makes it indeed hard¡­¡±


    For a long minute, he eyed the young woman and then posed a question that was spawned from an errant idea.


    ¡°Would you be willing to act as a double agent?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I mean go up and tell your father a bunch of useless facts about us and in exchange get some good intel?¡± he clarified upon seeing the slight confusion on her face.


    Sadly, she shook her head. ¡°It would never work. He doesn¡¯t trust me, never has. No matter what I tell him¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright! What do you think his next steps would be? He failed to kill us for a small dungeon. Do you think he will get someone to explain to him how games work?¡±


    Katie looked away thoughtfully, one of her hands coming up and scratching her chin. After a minute of thinking, she began talking slowly.


    ¡°For now¡­ I think he¡¯ll do what he thinks is best. Maybe he¡¯ll listen to my brother, maybe he won¡¯t, but I think he would need a bigger setback to seek external support. He doesn¡¯t trust easily,¡± she explained while Sam listened intently.


    ¡°Hmm, alright. Was a farfetched idea to start with¡­¡± he spoke, giving the young woman a warm smile, which was returned immediately.


    He drummed with his fingers on the table as he organized his thoughts. Finally, after a minute, he spoke up.


    ¡°What about you? How are you?¡± he asked.


    Katie blinked at him in surprise at the question, then looked a little vulnerable.


    ¡°I¡­I feel angry but also resigned¡­¡± She let out a great sigh akin to a gust of wind and aimed a fragile smile at Sam. ¡°I¡¯m used to my father ruining everything related to me.¡±


    Without saying anything Lucky silently emerged from Sam¡¯s shadow, sauntered up to Katie, and began rubbing against her. She looked surprised momentarily, but then let out a wet giggle and hugged the giant canine.


    Sam let the two work it out while continuing to organize the thoughts rapidly moving around in his head.


    <hr>


    After reassuring Katie that he still trusted her and that he had no plans of getting rid of her, Sam left the girl back at the headquarters, while he himself headed for the Silvercrest manor.


    Dressed in a suit that Lucy got him from somewhere, he cut a dashing figure, and people ¨C NPCs and players ¨C kept turning their heads as he walked by. He could have skulked along the shadows, but he felt like living it up for once.


    ¡®Plus, it would give the spies something to report¡­¡¯ he thought with a chuckle as he approached the manor.


    The guards snapped into a salute and opened the door for him immediately. Inside, he was greeted by the butler, who looked him over and nodded in appreciation.


    ¡°Very good, Master Samuel,¡± he spoke.


    ¡°Thanks, I asked for help¡­¡± he responded with a small chuckle.


    The butler just nodded. ¡°A wise man knows when to ask for help.¡± Then he motioned towards the doors. ¡°Now, if you¡¯d follow me, young master?¡±


    Sam nodded and started walking with the butler following him.


    <hr>


    He was led to the lord¡¯s office, where the man and his wife were waiting for him. Both of them were dressed up, though their clothing was much more high quality than Sam¡¯s. Clearly, everybody had the same idea.


    ¡°HAHAHA! Welcome, my friend!¡± exclaimed the lord, loud enough to rattle the windows. His wife just stood there without flinching. ¡°It is time to sign the contract!¡±


    He motioned toward a small table to the side, which contained two copies of the contract, with two fancy pens ready to be used.


    ¡°I trust you found no problem with the contract?¡±


    Sam shook his head. ¡°Neither my friend nor I could find anything, so I¡¯m ready to sign.¡±


    The older man nodded, and his wife smiled at Sam. He returned the smile and stepped next to the small table mirrored by the lord.


    Both of them reached for the pens, wetted them, and with a flourish signed the contracts placed on the surface.


    The moment Sam lifted the contract, both of them flashed silver and a small chime could be heard. Sam looked up and exchanged a smile with the lord. He lifted his hand and offered it for a shake.


    Lord Silvercrest grinned at him and slapped his plate-sized hand into Sam¡¯s, shaking it, while Sam took a look at the notification popping up.


    [Congratulations, you signed a major contract with the Silvercrest family!]


    [You gain +1 LUCK!]


    His smile widened.

 Chapter 98

    After the signing was finished, they toasted with a glass of wine, directly from the lord¡¯s wine cellar. As Sam left the noble couple behind, he saw they were going back for another round of the crimson ambrosia.


    He simply took the scroll and deposited it in the bank in his security box. Then he swung by the headquarters to notify Lucy in person that the contract went through.


    The woman just gave him a shark-like smile, and the next second the entire building was abuzz with activity as people rushed about to fulfill Lucy¡¯s orders.


    Knowing that he was probably worse than useless with administrative tasks, Sam left the building with a goal in his mind.


    His stats were looking great, and he had the minimum level required for a nice quest that he had planned to finish.


    Sam navigated around the people filling the streets, his Chameleon Mask used to hide his real face, a little worried that the Silent Step was still after him. The streets were filled with players, all of them smiling and delightfully enjoying the game. Though the crowd was a little annoying, Sam was still happy to see that so many people were present in Ironwood.


    After all, the more people there were, the more they would spend and the more his and Lucy¡¯s company would make. Everyone wins! But mostly him¡­


    Arriving at the Training Hall, he was met by a giant crowd vaguely settled into the shape of a line, as they waited for their chance to enter one of the side buildings that had several stone-faced guards standing around it.


    ¡®Ahh, the gauntlet has been finished, it seems¡­¡¯ he noted as he looked at the building.


    Ignoring the line, and the multitude of people waiting for their turn, he instead entered the main training hall, seeking the same trainer that administered his Gauntlet challenge.


    The hall, just like the city, was full of people training, watching other people train, spying on people who looked to be from guilds while guild guards glared at everybody, young masters posing for their posse and so much more.


    As he walked through the rooms of the building, Sam saw at least three different face-slapping events, at least two accidental gropings when two people of the opposite gender fell on each other in a tangle of limbs creating an awkward yet adorable air around them, and several feuds that started over which training dummy the people had chosen.


    Basically, a chaotic mess that smelled like old socks and desperation.


    He left the building, arriving at the black lot where unsurprisingly he could see even more people toiling under the strict gazes of muscled trainers.


    Sam was almost instantly approached by one of them, wearing a thin muscle shirt that was soaked through with sweat, and it took him a long second to recognize the man as the one who escorted him the first time.


    The man silently sent him a greeting by flexing his pectoral muscles. Sam tried to return the greeting but sadly failed. Instead, he gave the medieval gym bro an apologetic smile and spoke up.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m looking for¨C¡° He didn¡¯t have to finish as the man nodded and motioned for Sam to follow him.


    He turned around and began to navigate around the throngs of people doing all sorts of exercises, practicing with all kinds of weapons, or even fighting each other under the eagle eyes of other equally musclebound trainers, decked out in the finest gym finery.


    It only took a minute to find the trainer he was looking for in the giant back lot of the Training Hall, where he was, naturally, yelling at sweating players that seemed to be regretting ever entering this place.


    ¡°Faster! Faster! No, not that way! Hold your hand! The monster won¡¯t care for your weak grip! Do you hold yourself like that? My grandmo¡ª I mean the girls in the brothels have a stronger grip than you!¡±


    Sam grinned as the man ¡®instructed¡¯ the people as they tried to hold the sword just right. He wasn¡¯t a master of the craft in any measure but even he could see how several people were just doing it totally wrong.


    However, instead of speaking up and potentially embarrassing someone who holds grudges, he just stood there and waited until the instructor was ready to talk to him. The gym bro escorting him just flexed his muscles and left, leaving Sam alone.


    Half an hour later a group of players left the area of the field, tired, and sweaty but no doubt with several increases in their skill levels.


    The instructor tidied up, then turned to Sam with an expectant gaze. Sam could see how it took a moment for the man to recognize him. ¡®Wow, they really did put in a lot of effort into programming the NPCS¡­ That was freaking realistic¡­¡¯


    ¡°How can I help you, adventurer?¡± he asked as they stood in front of each other.


    Sam lightly bowed his head and began speaking.


    ¡°I was wondering if you could recommend me some way to further my training?¡± He didn¡¯t know the exact words to trigger this quest as it was one of the quests that were heavily restricted after a high percentage of the world decided to enter the game. Having the opportunity to take it was akin to winning the lottery or having a lot of money. But he felt that he could do it.


    The instructor didn¡¯t say anything, instead looking him up and down. Sam just stood there, trying to project a competent aura.


    After a minute of examination, the man nodded slowly.


    ¡°Your body seems to have improved, but let me see your footwork and swordplay,¡± came the order from the man.


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    Sam bowed his head and unsheathed his sword, then walked into the middle of the empty training field raised the sword, and began moving.


    He started slow, trying to warm up. Beginning with the normal movements he soon transitioned to the more complicated maneuvers while actively rotating the mana inside himself while also using several speed-enhancing skills, like Shadow Grace or Wind Movement, and maintaining Active Mediation. He wanted to make sure that he impressed the instructor, leaving nothing to chance.


    From the outside he looked like a blur, his sword slashes tearing the air of the training field apart while wisps of shadows tried desperately to keep up with his body.


    He continued this until the buffs ran out and he slowed down, with that he began to wind down, slowing his movements and swordplay down even more, until he stood in the middle of the field, sword held in a trembling hand while his lungs heaved in desperation for oxygen. Despite that, and being drenched in sweat, Sam was grinning like a loon.


    It felt amazing to do something like this. Something that was almost impossible in real life. As he tried to get his breathing under control he watched as the instructor walked around him, examining him.


    Finally, after several rounds, the man stood in front of him and nodded.


    ¡°You got the basics down, and you have some talent with the sword and mana. Mostly with mana¡­¡± He scratched his head a little then continued. ¡°While your talent with the sword is nothing to write home about, your mana economy and capacity and your control¡­ is out of this world, adventurer. I¡¯ve never seen anything like that.¡±


    Sam had to frown at the information about his sword skill, but in the end, he could do nothing but sigh, as he well knew that he was no sword prodigy ready to understand the dao of the sword. Though, the comment about his mana control lifted his spirit right up.


    As the instructor contemplated him he kept silent respectfully, hoping that his performance would result in the quest.


    Finally, as Sam started to fidget a little, the grizzled instructor nodded to himself.


    ¡°Your foundation is solid and I¡¯ve seen how you perform in the gauntlet. I¡¯ll give you a recommendation letter for a friend in the capital. They have much more knowledgeable people there who would be able to help you achieve much with your talent!¡± he stated with a small grin. ¡°Now, do it again!¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    <hr>


    It took him several hours to extricate himself from the clutches of the trainer who insisted on Sam doing his routine over and over until even his prodigious stamina and mana regeneration couldn¡¯t keep up and Sam was on the ground panting, limbs trembling and shaking and barely able to move.


    However, once again, he was left feeling satisfied. He loved to see the improvements that happened to his body in the game. It made him feel powerful and made him want to achieve more and more.


    Of course, after he managed to scrape himself up, the instructor gave him a letter and basically tossed him out of the training hall with a cheerful goodbye and flex of his biceps.


    Exhausted, Sam dragged himself back to his apartment, fell into the bed, and opened his notification page while cuddling with Lucky.


    [Congratulations, you impressed the trainer at the Training Hall of Ironwood City!]


    [You received a recommendation letter for the Training hall in the capital of the Kingdom of Emerald Crown, Vividora!]


    [New Quest acquired!]


    [To the city you go!]


    [You have been offered the chance of receiving extra training at the Training Hall in the capital of the kingdom. Go and deliver the recommendation letter and participate in the training.]


    [Time limit: None]


    [Penalty: None]


    [Reward: Extra training!]


    He read the words on the screen with great satisfaction and bone-deep exhaustion. ¡®Now I only need to take care of the rewards for the monster break and the auction, then I can load up on quests and head for the capital.¡¯


    Next came the gains from the training.


    [You exhausted yourself and your regeneration, you gain +1 END!]


    [Advanced Shadow Footwork is now Level 13!]


    [Shadow Grace is now Level 6!]


    [Shadow Affinity is now level 30!]


    [Wind Movement is now Level 34!]


    [Wind Affinity is now Level 61!]


    [Advanced Sword Mastery is now Level 16!]


    [Basic Armor Mastery is now Level 46!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 49!]


    [Flow is now Level 46!]


    It was a small list, but the gains were worth the effort. With a small movement, Sam dismissed the screens and then logged out of the game.


    Outside, while not as exhausted but still feeling tired he quickly jotted some notes about the happenings and then crashed face-first into his bed.


    <hr>


    Sam spent the next few days working with the people that Lord Silvercrest had hired to build up the equipment and accommodations around the observed fractures.


    He escorted caravans of materials heading for the mining shaft and storage cavern, with the people who would build them riding on the same carts, protecting them from roving monsters. They were besieged by goblin camps, orc wargroups, and even rabid rock bears.


    Naturally, he wasn¡¯t alone. The Silvercrest family hired other adventurers, but when possible he and his team were the ones escorting the long line of carts.


    At the location, he would answer the inexhaustible questions of scholars who were there to examine the location and report back to whoever sent them, while also giving detailed descriptions of the monsters.


    Occasionally, he would check up on the constructions, making sure that the AFK company sponsored rest stops were up to his standard. Meaning they got the people in, and had them spending money.


    It wasn¡¯t the most glamorous job, but it was something that needed to be done.


    He saw several player groups eyeing the caravan, or even spying on them, but for now, the crest of the Silvercrest family stopped them from acting.


    ¡®Probably, all the major players figured out what we were doing and are rushing to do the same at different locations¡­ Hah, good luck with that!¡¯ Sam mused to himself as he watched another spy, hiding up on the cliffs ¨C ineffectively, thanks to his mana sense ¨C look down on their caravan with undisguised curiosity.


    <hr>


    And then the time for the auction was there.


    Sam was logged in, present in a separate place, covered by a comfortable dark robe, with his own balcony ready for the event, and the entire building shining with glory and mystique.


    He went over the items he put up, the spear, shield, and dagger, as well as several additional items to whet people''s appetite.


    There was a pack of improved mana potions that the company alchemist made from the material he found, several rarer skill books, found by him or his team, a property that wasn¡¯t useful for the company, several beautiful dresses that Lucy donated that she got from some quest that she still refused to elaborate on and a few odds and ends.


    The three main pieces of the auction were set behind crystal clear glasses in the lobby, ready for anyone arriving to observe and check out. For a modest fee, they could get a copy of the weapon for a few minutes to try how it fits in their hand.


    NPCs were roaming around, ready to assist and direct everybody. The main AI of the place, appearing as a portly and jovial short man with a giant bushy mustache, approached Sam.


    ¡°Honored guest! We are ready to start!¡±


    Sam took a last look around and nodded.


    ¡°Open the gates!¡±

 Chapter 99

    The moment the order left his lips, the great doors of the auction hall were thrown open, seemingly on their own, and instantly, dozens of generic NPCs appeared, ready to greet the guests and direct them to their seats.


    Sam watched from the sidelines, with the main AI staying by his side, also observing the throng of people streaming into the virtual location. He had no doubt that everything that happened would be reviewed by the company. To his knowledge, it was one of the first major auctions using this system.


    Every person that entered the gilded halls was wearing all concealing robes, per his settings, either looking around curiously or proudly strutting with a gaggle of followers, as if expecting red carpets and fanfares at their arrivals.


    He could also spot several people slinking in, hiding in crowds or in the shadows, trying to remain inconspicuous.


    For a long moment, everybody acted like that, then the reality of the robes hit them and the sound of clamor rose as people began trying to pull them off, while auction house workers ¨C the NPCs ¨C rushed over to explain the settings of the place.


    Naturally, those who wanted to hide were happy and those who wanted attention were unhappy, but nobody wanted to leave. The weapons were that important.


    Of course, they weren¡¯t entirely unique, as many such magical weapons have been found by players. But most of them were in use, and convincing their users to part with them was an exercise in futility. Granted, some had the means to either economically or physically force these people¡¯s hands, but why do that when Sam was offering them a simple auction where they could use less money to acquire what they wanted?


    It took a few minutes, but the chaos generated by robes died down and soon the people were mingling around, checking out the items, swinging around their temporary counterparts, or simply talking with each other.


    As instructed by Sam, the NPCs would allow this for half an hour, then slowly escort them to their places.


    Knowing that he had some paperwork to get through Sam nodded to the portly man that stood beside him silently like a really out-of-shape guard, turned around, and began walking towards his own private balcony.


    Naturally, thanks to the auction hall being in virtual space everybody could have a private balcony. But as the setting up of the auction didn¡¯t cost anything, the company still had to make money off the people who used it.


    Sam paid for the NPCs and the auctioneer. The guests would pay for access to private balconies. Those who didn¡¯t want to, or didn¡¯t have the means, could only sit in the middle of the room on the prepared chairs with everybody else.


    <hr>


    Half an hour later he closed the window leading to a text processor where he was putting down ideas for the company expansions as well as a few things he wanted Lucy to look into.


    From his balcony he could see as the auction hall slowly filled up with people, all wearing ominous black cloaks eagerly chatting, hoping to gain one of the magical weapons on offer for themselves. Even though, deep down everyone knew that the ones who would be acquiring the weapons would be one of the rich guilds or even some rich individuals.


    There was a gentle chime, and the lights dimmed with the spotlight remaining on a small stage at the center of the wall opposite the balconies.


    The first chime was followed by two more, each louder than the last one. After the last the entire hall fell silent, and the curtains parted, revealing the lady of the hour, the auctioneer.


    She was a beautiful woman, with statuesque looks, great, heaving bossoms that were oh-so-tastefully revealed by her dress, and golden blonde hair that fell on her shoulder in bouncy tresses. She wore a coquettish smile as if she knew something that the audience didn¡¯t.


    Sam had to say, Future Unknown really knew how to design their NPCs. He could practically hear the neckbeards'' desperation from the regular seating. And the only reason he couldn¡¯t hear anything from the balconies was because every one of them came with sound isolation options by default.


    The lady¡¯s smile grew bigger, the spotlight narrowed, illuminating her enchanting figure, and she began speaking.


    ¡°Welcome, one and all, to this glorious auction!¡±


    She waited until the clapping died down, then continued.


    ¡°As you all know, the crown jewels of today¡¯s auction are the Arachne weapon collection!¡± she declared, and suddenly three smaller spotlights lit up the area behind her, each one illuminating one glass case filled with the weapons everyone wanted.


    Taking a dramatic pause and waiting until the clamor died down a little, the woman continued with a mischievous smile on her face.


    ¡°But first! How about we whet our appetite with something smaller?¡± Innuendo dripping from her words, she strode forward and pointed next to her where on a small stand a box of twenty-four mana potions rose up from the stage.


    ¡°Our first item on the agenda is Improved Mana Potions! Guaranteed to quench your thirst in any magical battle! If you wish to know the details about this excellent item, you can consult your complimentary guides!¡±


    She waited for a few moments as the rustling noise in the hall rose as many people began to page through the guide, then as if knowing the exact moment people finished reading the short description about the stats of the potions, she spoke up.


    ¡°We start bidding at fifty gold coins!¡± she declared in a loud voice, sweeping her arms out dramatically, which attracted all attention to artfully placed windows on her dress. ¡°Can I hear sixty? Sixty anyone?¡±


    For a long moment, Sam worried that nobody would bid, but then somebody from the audience raised their hand.


    ¡°Seventy!¡± came the call, and the magic of silence was broken.


    ¡°Eighty-five!¡±


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    ¡°Ninety!¡±


    He leaned back with a relieved sigh and smiled as the sounds of aggressive bidding washed over him.


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­and sold! The dress now belongs to the gentleman in balcony seventeen!¡± called out the beautiful auctioneer as the last dress up for bidding was taken off the stage by an equally gorgeous assistant.


    The moment the dress was out of view, a hush fell on the entire room, with everyone eagerly anticipating the final items.


    The woman smiled, not akin to a shark, at least from Sam¡¯s view, and spoke up in a husky voice.


    ¡°And now my dear guests, it is time!¡± One dramatic pause later she continued. ¡°Time for the last three items. The Arachne collection. A weapon collection crafted after the likeness of the great Arachne, and bestowed with powers that would grant its wielder enormous boons.¡±


    Two spotlights blinked out and only one remained, illuminating the shield that Sam held not so long ago in his hands.


    She stepped aside, and the stand with the shield moved to the front of the stage between two blinks.


    ¡°Arachnotum! The shield that will allow you to protect your comrades or charge into the enemy lines with impunity!¡± Above her a holographic image of the shield appeared, rotating around its own axis, showcasing the weapon for everyone. ¡°The details, as always can be found in your guides, dear guests!¡± The beautiful auctioneer finished the initial spiel and waited for exactly three breaths before continuing, only allowing the anticipation to build.


    ¡°And now, shall we start on the main meal?¡± she asked and there was an enormous roar from the audience, some even standing up and clapping for her. Sam just shook his head. ¡®They know that she is just an AI, right?¡¯


    ¡°Shall we start at ten thousand gold coins for the shield?¡± she stated and another hush fell on the audience, some even audibly sucking in the air at hearing the price. The auctioneer just smiled mischievously. ¡°Do I hear ten thousand?¡±


    Instantly, a distorted voice from one of the balconies spoke up.


    ¡°Eleven thousand!¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± she cheered, and Sam could practically see how several people¡¯s heads followed the ¡®cheering¡¯ movement. ¡°Eleven thousand for balcony twenty-three! Do I hear twelve thousand?¡±


    ¡°Twelve thousand!¡±


    ¡°Thirteen!¡±


    ¡°Fifteen!¡±


    ¡°Twenty!¡±


    And it was off¡­


    <hr>


    The shield was sold for almost sixty thousand gold coins. Naturally, the company behind Magic Unbound would get three percent of the sale price, and the rest would go to Sam. He could have circumvented this trade tax rather simply by using an external auctioneer website or virtual service, but he trusted them even less than Future Unknown. So, he swallowed the tax and instead spent his money on hiring an NPC that would drive the price up. And seeing the mood of the hall, he was rather successful.


    The shield was removed from the stage and it was instantly replaced by the spear, standing tall and proud, with a rather menacing aura.


    ¡°And now the spear that is akin to the Arachne¡¯s legs, ready to skewer the unwary enemy at the behest of its wielder! The Arachasta!¡± She began her usual spiel motioning at the weapon, while the 3D image of it rotated over her head. ¡°But beware, because whoever wields it, must know how to handle something so long and girthy!" She let out a musical laugh that had an edge of mischievousness.


    ¡°Now!¡± she clapped her delicately manicured hands together and another silence fell on the audience. ¡°Do I hear ten thousand?¡±


    ¡°Twenty thousand!¡±


    ¡°Thirty!¡±


    ¡°No! Forty!¡±


    ¡°Fifty!¡±


    And so it went until the spear was sold for a whooping seventy thousand gold coins. Sam was already planning to fund so many projects with the money.


    The spear was removed and the dagger was placed into the spotlight.


    ¡°The Arachente! A dagger for the truly dangerous! For those who call the shadows their home or those who wish to dance the dance of death!¡± she proclaimed, and Sam could feel the tension grow in the hall.


    While the shield and spear were great, with the poison on the dagger it was a much better deal. Plus the Assassin guilds mostly specialized in daggers so they were practically required to bid for it.


    ¡°People of the hall! The Abyss Vipers wish to purchase the weapon! Don¡¯t bid and we¡¯ll be thankful!¡± came from one of the balconies.


    ¡®Ahh, the drama! I was almost surprised it didn¡¯t happen earlier¡­¡¯ Sam mused good-naturedly as another balcony spoke up.


    ¡°The Grey Skull will bid! You don¡¯t scare us you venom chuggers!¡±


    ¡°Go to hell you edgelords! The dagger will be ours and anyone trying to prevent us will feel our wrath!¡±


    ¡°How dare you, we the¨C¡°


    CLAP


    The response was interrupted by a harsh clap originating from the auctioneer. She looked up at the balconies with furrowed bows which then smoothened and she smiled.


    ¡°Gentlemen, please sheathe your swords! Today is not a day for fighting with your bodies but with your economic might! How about instead of arguing, you prove your words with your purse?¡±


    She called out, hopefully defusing the situation. And as the yelling didn¡¯t continue, she nodded elegantly and continued the auction.


    ¡°My generous guests! Please feast your eyes on today¡¯s last item! Let us bask in its presence, as we call out our bids and finish this exciting event!¡±


    There was very short pause and she continued.


    ¡°Now, how about fifteen thousand?¡±


    ¡°Twenty!¡±


    ¡°Twenty-five!¡±


    ¡°Thirty!


    ¡°Thirty-one!¡±


    ¡°FIFTY THOUSAND!¡± came the loud yell from one of the balconies. If Sam remembered right it was the Grey Skull one. ¡°It is ours!¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± came the response from the Vipers. ¡°Fifty-one thousand! That¡¯s all you have, you pathetic edgelords?¡±


    Before the obvious provocation could receive a response another voice joined the bidding.


    ¡°Sixty!¡±


    And then it continued.


    <hr>


    Five exciting minutes later they were almost done.


    ¡°Ninety-five thousand for the gentleman in the back row! Ninety-five thousand going once! Going twi¨C¡°


    ¡°Ninety-eight¡­¡± came the desperate call from the Viper¡¯s balcony. Sam could hear the physical pain in the man¡¯s voice. ¡®Can¡¯t wait until the others see how much money we made¡­¡¯ he thought with a chuckle.


    ¡°Excellent! Ninety-eight going once?¡±


    ¡°Ninety-nine!¡±


    ¡°And the gentleman in the back row is back in the lead! Will anyone brave enough to take over from him?¡±


    Naturally, there was a response to that.


    ¡°Hundred thousand gold coins,¡± spoke an arrogant voice, as if they had been waiting for this exact moment.


    The beautiful auctioneer nodded, not even phased at the number. ¡°A-mazing! One hundred thousand gold coins, my dear guests! What an amazing price for this truly astounding weapon! Will anyone bid against it, or is the mysterious person going to take away the weapon?¡±


    For another long moment, there was silence. She looked around and continued.


    ¡°Then one hundred thousand going once! Going twice! Going thr¨C¡°


    She was, however, interrupted at the last second.


    ¡°One hundred and one!¡±


    Despite every balcony obscuring its occupants all eyes in the hall were trying to pierce this defense to see the person who went over one hundred thousand.


    The arrogant voice didn¡¯t even hesitate.


    ¡°One hundred and ten.¡±


    The NPC on the stage, reading the room¡¯s mood stood there silent, with a small smile on her lips, and waited almost half a minute for anyone else to speak up. But when nobody came calling she spoke up.


    ¡°One hundred and ten going once! Going twice! Aaaaand going three times!¡± She began gently clapping. ¡°The dagger goes to the extremely generous but oh-so-mysterious person! Congratulations!


    The dagger was removed from the stage and she began closing the auction.


    ¡°My dear guests, I admire your tenacity and I¡¯m glad that today you decided to participate in this extremely exciting event! We saw some ups and downs, while mystery and mystique surrounded us! I hope you enjoyed it and will return to us with good cheer and fat purses! Goodbye!¡±


    She waved excitedly, then turned around and sashayed off the stage directly at the curtains. As soon as the curtains swallowed her, three chimes sounded in succession, signaling the end of the auction for the audience.


    Sam just smiled in delight. He would be going home with more than two hundred thousand gold coins, plus with the satisfaction that he managed to screw over some rich people.


    ¡®After all, it¡¯s not my fault that soon, some crafters will figure out how to craft magic weapons¡­¡¯


    With a full belly laugh, he waited until the money was deposited in his inventory and clicked on the logout button. He needed to call Lucy and tell her the good news¡­

 Chapter 100

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, how much?¡±


    Sam told Lucy again the number of gold coins they gained after the auction, even after they paid the ¡®taxes¡¯ they owed to the company.


    His friend blinked at him, and for a long moment said nothing.


    Then she shook herself a little and nodded.


    ¡°Alright, we got some seed money. What do you want to do?¡± she asked, her pen poised to take notes.


    Sam smiled at her.


    ¡°Half of it for the company. Use it to spread the company into even more cities. Try to solidify the crafter guild we have been building.¡±


    ¡°And the rest?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m close to getting a person to run our player guild. So, it¡¯s time to start preparing for that.¡±


    One of Lucy¡¯s eyebrows rose inquisitively. Sam knew that she had practiced extensively and was rather jealous of the fact that she could do it on demand. He never managed to learn it.


    ¡°Close? How so?¡±


    Sam just smiled but said nothing.


    Lucy stared at him for a while then closed her eyes and shook her head.


    ¡°Alright, keep your secrets¡­¡±


    Sam¡¯s smile just widened.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about something else,¡± she continued, making a few notes. ¡°How about the rewards for the city defense?¡±


    Sam opened his inventory and pulled out an envelope made from high-quality paper and waved it around. ¡°Got it as soon as I got back from the auction. I¡¯m to show up at the mayor¡¯s office when I have time.¡±


    ¡°So, as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m here to give you the news then I¡¯m hightailing over there. It¡¯s getting kinda suspicious that we haven¡¯t heard anything about the award ceremony.¡±


    Lucy hummed thoughtfully then nodded. ¡°You usually have ideas. What do you think?¡±


    Sam joined her friend in the humming. ¡°Probably some other event preoccupied them.¡± He paused, thinking over everything that happened. Thanks to how much the game simulated life in its NPCs there could could have been hundreds of things that delayed the ceremony. Anything from assassination to a new baby being born to the family.


    Personally, he had other ideas.


    ¡°I think, the mayor¡¯s office is trying to handle the influx of adventurers and they realized that holding an award ceremony for all the adventurers at the same time would be futile,¡± he explained his thoughts then he cracked a smile. ¡°Or the mayor is knee-deep in prostitutes and doesn¡¯t have time between orgies¡­¡±


    Lucy snorted and then glared at him.


    ¡°Gross, but I think you are right. Not the orgies, but about the other one¡­¡±


    For a long moment they looked at each other, then Sam let out a small sigh and stood up.


    ¡°Alright, you do your thing, I¡¯ll do my thing. Meet back here whenever?¡±


    His only reply was the bird from his friend. He left the office laughing.


    <hr>


    The mayor¡¯s office was at the edge of the noble¡¯s quarter of Ironwood City, facing the non-noble part of the city, being the administrative center of the area. The plaza in front of the building was buzzing with activity, with players and NPCs going to and fro. The crowd was subdued, no doubt because of the bureaucracy weighing down on their soul.


    Following the instruction of his invitation, he cut through the apathetic crowd and entered through one of the doors of the building. Inside, he sought out one of the many receptionists (who for a change were actively working and not reading smutty romance novels) and simply showed them the letter.


    The woman behind the desk read the appropriate part of the letter, nodded, took out a heavy book, spent a few minutes looking through it, and then after finding whatever she was looking for, she looked up at Sam and gave him the patented customer service smile.


    ¡°Congratulations, sir. You¡¯re expected in room 38. Go through that door, then immediately right up the stairs. The door will be on the left in the middle of the corridor,¡± she explained, pointing toward the door guarded by one very bored guard. ¡°Keep the letter with you. Anything else I can help you with?¡±


    Sam smiled at her and shook his head. ¡°No, thank you.¡± He bowed his head a little. ¡°Have a nice day!¡±


    Then he turned around and headed for the door. The guard didn¡¯t even ask for any identification. The only thing proving that he was alive was the slow rise and fall of his chest.


    <hr>


    Letter in hand, he stood before the door, took a deep breath, and knocked.


    The reply came almost immediately. ¡°Come in!¡±


    He cautiously opened the door and was met with a rather upscale office. One wall was full of shelves and cabinets containing scrolls and books, while another had a shelf filled with awards, small portraits, or odd artifacts. Next to it was another door, closed without anything showing where it led. The wall behind the desk was filled with a window providing a view of the city street filled with people.


    The desk itself was almost buried under paperwork and in front of it was a rug and no chairs anywhere for guests.


    Behind the desks was an older gentleman, wearing glasses, his white hair falling everywhere, yet still showcasing the lustrous past of the hair.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    The man looked up from writing upon Sam¡¯s entry and gave him a genuine smile.


    ¡°Welcome, adventurer. My name is Hepzibah, but everyone calls me Heppy! How can I help you?¡±


    Sam blinked then smiled. The game never ceased to amaze or surprise him.


    ¡°Well, sir, I got this letter,¡± he explained by holding up the letter high in the air.


    Heppy squinted at it then grinned.


    ¡°Oh, yes! The rewards!¡±


    Instantly he sprung up from behind the desk and hurriedly retrieved a book from the shelf. Opening it on the desk. He began paging through it and called out.


    ¡°Name?¡±


    ¡°Sam.¡±


    ¡°ID number?¡±


    Sam took out the ID card he got when he arrived in the city and read up the number for the old man. For a minute he watched silently as the old man looked for his name, but in the end, Heppy was successful.


    ¡°Aha! Here it is. Samuel, the adventurer¡­ ID number matches¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­ Reward box¡­¡± He mumbled for a while then slammed the book shut. He put it back in its place and turned back to Sam.


    ¡°Just a minute, young man, and I¡¯ll retrieve your reward!¡± he declared cheerfully.


    Then without even waiting for an answer rushed to the unlabelled door, opened it, and stepped through. The door closed automatically behind him and Sam was left alone.


    He had time to blink a few times and the old man was already back.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky! Only a few boxes left,¡± came from the happy old man as he held out a box for Sam to take. ¡°Didn¡¯t have to look too long for it! But don¡¯t worry! That doesn¡¯t mean you get leftovers! The mayor¡¯s office made sure everybody got what they deserved in the protection of our glorious city!¡±


    Sam nodded and accepted the box.


    There was no fanfare, no choir of angels, or anything like that. Instead what he heard was Heppy clearing his throat.


    Sam looked up from examining the box. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°We still need to do the paperwork¡­¡± came the excited answer from the old man as he held up a small stack of papers.


    Sam could only sigh.


    <hr>


    Freed from the savage grip of bureaucracy, he left the mayor¡¯s office in a hurry. He really wanted to know what was in the box.


    Not even taking any shortcuts, he quickly rushed, covertly using some of his speed-enhancing skills to the headquarters. He dashed up the stairs, ignoring everyone until he was safely ensconced in his room with Lucky emerging from his shadow.


    The giant wolf sat down on the ground and Sam joined him, resting his back on his companion¡¯s side. And before him was the box.


    With trepidation, he slowly opened it.


    There was a brief flash and the box vanished. In its stead, he was left with a small mound of items in front of him.


    The first was a simple letter addressed to him, made from the same materials that his invitation was.


    Opening it he began reading.


    Respected Adventuerer!


    We, at the Mayor¡¯s office of Ironwood City, wish to convey our sincere thanks for your stalwart defense of our glorious and long-historied city. Receiving many tales of your courageous behavior during the recent Monster Break, and due to the unprecedented events that happened in parallel with said Monster Break, we, at the Mayor¡¯s office of Ironwood City, have decided to¡­


    Basically, the entire thing was a mass-produced thank-you letter. They didn¡¯t even take the time to insert his name randomly.


    Still, a thank-you letter was a thank-you letter. So, he simply folded it up and put it back into the envelope. Then returned his attention to the items still in front of him.


    There was a bulging sack of gold, which went directly to his inventory as he watched, satisfied, as the counter went up.


    The rest of the items were another small wooden box, containing a simple medal with a snarling monster face made from iron with silver accents, proving that he participated in the defense of the city.


    As soon as he touched the medal a notification popped up before him.


    [Congratulations! You have been granted the title of Defender of Ironwood City!]


    [Defender of Ironwood City: You defended the City of Ironwood when it was in danger and the city administration has acknowledged it. Increases reputation by 5% in Ironwood City and associated areas!]


    Then the last two things were two books. He could practically feel the wind and shadow mana seeping out of them respectively. Excitedly, he picked up the first one and opened the cover. Inside he saw a small scrap of parchment. On it was a simple sentence and a small drawing of a very familiar crest.


    Good luck!


    ¡®Apparently, Lord Silvercrest managed to get me some really appropriate rewards¡­¡¯ he mused as he began reading the book.


    Soon a light green light began to swirl around the book, then the light rose up from it and flew around the room. Following that it swirled a few times around him too before finally going straight for his torso and merging into his body.


    Then a notification popped up in front of him.


    [You have read the Grimoire of Winds of the World!]


    [Your Wind Affinity has been upgraded into Greater Wind Affinity!]


    [The experience points from the original skills will be added to the new skill!]


    [Greater Wind Affinity: Level 15/100 (21%) (Passive) You have an excellent affinity for the wind. Beings born of the wind will be very favorable to you. The cost of the Wind-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 1% for each skill level. For every skill level increases the damage of Wind-type skills by 0,5%. Grants the Wind Resistance skill.]


    [Wind Resistance: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to sudden enlightenment, you have been granted resistance against the wind. Each level increases the resistance by 1%.]


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but smile. Another passive skill for his collection. And one that was insanely hard to get after going through several quests that tested the player¡¯s knowledge of wind mana. ¡®It seems, I really impressed Lord Silvercrest¡­¡¯


    With anticipation, he turned toward the other book. He practically wrenched the cover open and began reading.


    After he finished the last page, there was a swirl of shadows around the book, then as before with the wind mana, it began moving around the room, mostly staying close to the ground and to the shadows. Though every time it moved through one shadow, said shadow became somewhat even darker.


    Finally, it landed on him, seeping into his body and the expected notification screen popped up.


    [You have read the Grimoire of the Deep Shadows!]


    [Your Shadow Affinity has been upgraded into Greater Shadow Affinity!]


    [The experience points from the original skills will be added to the new skill!]


    [Greater Shadow Affinity: Level 7/100 (11%) You have an excellent affinity for the shadows. Beings born of the shadows will be very favorable to you. The cost of the Shadow-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 1% for each skill level. For every skill level increases the damage of Shadow-type skills by 0,5%. Grants the Shadow Resistance skill.]


    [You already have the Shadow Resistance skill! Instead, you receive a one-time increase in skill levels!]


    [Shadow Resistance is now Level 18!]


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but let out a small chuckle. One hurdle down, a hundred more to go. But now that the contract with the Silvercrest family was set up and the development of the fractures in the hand of Lucy and the crafty lord and the rewards from the monster break were given out he could continue with his plan to establish himself.


    ¡®But first¡­ how about some traditional revenge¡­¡¯ he mused as he began running his fingers through Lucky¡¯s fur, enjoying the feeling.


    Katie¡¯s old man wanted to feel like a big man? Well, he might have the economic know-how, but Sam knew this game.


    The headquarter of the Steel Lion guild was in Deepanchor, so that was his next destination before going to the capital. According to Lucy, people were still trying to figure out how to get property deeds there, so he had time for a small detour.

 Chapter 101 - Interlude 9

    "So, how have you been?¡±


    Lucy looked over at her friend, lounging on her sofa and sipping some kind of soft drink that she had found in her fridge. With the amount of time the game took up, plus her original job, every grocery run was a mad dash of grabbing random things that seemed good on the surface, so Lucy had no real idea what was actually in her fridge.


    ¡®I really need to make a decision about the job¡­¡¯ she mused while smiling at her friend.


    ¡°Busy, I suppose¡­¡±


    Her friend nodded. ¡°Yeah, I heard the NPCs gossip about you,¡± Sarah said with a mischievous look on her face. ¡°Apparently, when you¡¯re not in your office planning world domination, you¡¯re out there charming nobles out of their money or more¡­¡±


    Lucy could only blush, while Sarah cackled on her sofa.


    ¡°I don¡¯t do that!¡± she protested. ¡°I just had a few¡­ interesting quests. That¡¯s all¡­¡±


    Sarah just grinned.


    ¡°Sure, sure. Whatever you say, honey¡­¡±


    Lucy glared at her friend while taking a calming sip of her own drink. Then she spoke up in an attempt to change the topic of the conversation.


    ¡°How is the project going in Brightgarden?¡±


    Sarah made a so-so gesture with her free hand.


    ¡°The mayor is annoying as he wants to know where every bronze coin is going, and there are too many animals but otherwise going well,¡± she explained with an annoyed look on her face.


    ¡°And the guilds?¡±


    ¡°No open fights, but there is definitely a fight going for people, as well as about who has the better pets slash summons.¡±


    ¡°Any winners?¡±


    ¡°Ehh, Fauna Ark was the first so they had a good headstart, but there are some others who are doing good work. Though, mostly it''s people setting up guilds to scam people with chickens or rabbits painted gold. So, you know¡­ Same old, same old.¡±


    Lucy only snorted. Painting rabbits gold to sell for some quick money was nothing compared to what the players in Ironwood were doing.


    There have been at least half a dozen shops that popped up with the name Heavenly Forest or some very minor variation, like Heaven Forest or Heavenly Forests just to capitalize on the name that hers and Sam¡¯s creation made for itself among the elite.


    She mostly left them alone, as their failures to live up to the expectations of the rich people would only increase the worth of Heavenly Forest where people got exactly what they paid for. After all bad marketing can also be turned into good marketing. The only people she went after were those who used the same name.


    And with the help of her connections and Sam¡¯s with the nobility, plus added to it the respect earned from the city guards, it was laughably easy to shut down those enterprising criminals.


    ¡°Good to know. Anything interesting?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± her friend said, perking up. ¡°I was thinking about getting a pet. I¡¯m so jealous of your ravens. Plus your friend has that giant cuddly wolf. I want something like that!¡± she declared.


    ¡°Any idea what you¡¯re looking for?¡± she asked, curious.


    Sarah leaned back on Lucy¡¯s sofa, looked up at the ceiling, and began listing animals she could possibly get as a pet, while Lucy listened with a soft smile.


    ¡®It¡¯s nice to have time to myself¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    Staring at the paperwork left by Sam, Lucy had to pinch herself.


    ¡®That is a lot of money¡­¡¯


    She knew that the weapons would be auctioned and expected some amount of money to come in but the end result threw her for a small loop. Plus the fact, before the auction they liquidated a lot of their gold reserves as the price of the gold coin shot up thanks to the auction and now most of that reserve was back in their bank vault.


    ¡®How the hell does he do this?¡¯ she wondered, still a little shocked.


    So, the company account was full of credits, and even in-game their bank vault was overflowing with gold. She couldn¡¯t even imagine what face the bank manager would make when she made her somewhat regular trips to the bank. They were already very accommodating thanks to their connections and rather large amount of money but with this¡­


    She began drumming her fingers on the table as she thought about the next step.


    There were the usual expenses, but those were handled by the regular income from any of their businesses. The same was true for the current expansions. Deepanchor was waiting for Sam to go there and do whatever he did. ¡®I really hope he is not cheating or hacking because then we are fucked as hell¡­¡¯


    Some part of the giant influx of gold coins was marked for the crafters employed by the company but at the shopping center and the company itself. Soon, she would need to look for a trustworthy assistant as handling the crafters was becoming an increasingly complicated process.


    The next part went into hiring people to survey the cities and towns around Ironwood, and some locations between it and the capital for further expansion. Viability studies were expensive but worth the price. Most of them would probably only get a small warehouse and shopping center business, but that was alright with Lucy. The main money was in the capital.


    And based on everything she heard, and was told by good friends, nobody had managed to get permission to buy property in the capital yet. And based on the whispers from other countries, the people there were also still trying. After all, everyone knew that in every game, businesses in the Capital earned the most, just like in real life.


    Lucy really hoped that Sam could do his usual voodoo magic and acquire a permit without a fuss because even with her connection to the nobility and after countless quests to raise her reputation, the nobles she talked with could only shrug and wish her the best of luck.


    Lucy grinned and pumped her arms up and down. ¡°I got this! We¡¯re going to be filthy rich!¡± she yelled, trying to psych herself up.


    ¡°¡­did you say something, ma¡¯am?¡± came the calm question from the secretary who was listening through the barely open door.


    ¡°Just talking to myself!¡± she called out, somewhat embarrassed.


    Then Lucy turned back to the documents, lists, and plans on her desk, and with a renewed determination, returned to her work.


    Outside of the building, if people were observing the headquarters of the AFK company, they could see a small cloud of ravens circling the building excitedly, until finally settling down on random locations, preening their feathers and watching the world go by with their intelligent eyes.


    <hr><hr>


    Life as a streamer was exhausting. But she was always somewhat of an extrovert so while she was physically exhausted after the longer streams, mentally she was always buzzing after finishing one.


    New ideas and new plans were flying through her head as she cleaned up the workshop after a nice and sedate crafting stream.


    Liz mostly focused on crafting vehicles and golems during her streams, no matter how many times her viewers demanded that she show them how to make crystal weapons. Thanks to the contract, AFK company has monopolized all of her weapon manufacturing quotas so she couldn''t really show it off.


    She could use them during hunting, or recently, when delving into fractures, but otherwise, they stayed a business secret. Not that she minded much, as even with the golem crafting streams she was pulling in decent numbers. Though the requests for life-like golems that looked like certain celebrities were eww, she still had fun.


    Granted, Liz wasn¡¯t as popular as the truly big streamers, but they were either wearing as little clothing as the guidelines allowed or were supported by a giant team that handled everything else. They just needed to sit or work in front of the camera.


    She was in a much better space than before her move, but she still couldn¡¯t afford that kind of luxury. The contract with the company promised a support staff for her, but she was well aware that it takes time to hire people as well as to arrange a place where they could work.


    With her cleaning up finished, and her adorable drones flying around aimlessly, she picked up the list of jobs that the company had sent over and began browsing it.


    Building the holdout pistols was a fun project and Liz made sure to make one for herself, but she wanted something different.


    Going down on the list, she finally spotted something interesting, a rebreather.


    Requirements were to have it fit all sizes and to be able to work underwater and in an environment where there wasn¡¯t breathable air. Altogether a rather normal request.


    So, without further ado, she pulled out her planning tools and began working.


    ¡®I really should¡¯ve gone to engineering university¡­¡¯ she mused as she began drawing the first line with the assistance of the system.


    <hr>


    ¡°Welcome everybody! This is your girl, SummerRose! Today we are going to delve into a small fracture!¡± she declared cheerfully, standing in front of the swirling portal.


    When Liz was looking for fractures that she could solo, the first thing she did was to contact the company. Surprisingly, she immediately received a small list of fractures that she could check out, but with no guarantee that she would be the first to do it.


    The first two were busts, surrounded by guards from guilds while several players attempted to complete them. But the third one, deep into the woods, almost hidden under a cliff, was unoccupied.


    She did a cursory check with her own senses and skills as well as having her adorable drones go around and scout out the area. Thankfully, it seemed she was alone.


    Then came the preparation for the stream, sending out notifications and such. But finally, she was ready and the people were showing up to the stream. She said hello to a few regulars, thanked the new and returning subscribers, then began explaining the program.


    ¡°Alright, as you can see behind me is a fracture. And we have already done a few fracture delves, but something is different about today¡¯s!¡± She waited a few seconds for the chat to guess her intentions before continuing. ¡°Nope! You¡¯re all wrong! But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m a generous woman and I¡¯m going to tell you.¡±


    She did a little shimmy while the drones swirled around her in the preprogrammed number three swirl pattern, then she continued.


    ¡°As you know, I mainly use these adorable drones to make sure I can solo the fractures,¡± Liz explained while patting one of the drones as it flew under her hand. The drone, as programmed, let out an adorable coo sound. Predictably, the chat liked it. She couldn¡¯t help but smile in satisfaction. ¡°But for a long time, I wanted something¡­ let¡¯s say stronger.¡±


    She prepared herself to make sure the timing was correct then raised her voice.


    ¡°So, my loyal watchers! Allow me to introduce you to the BIG BOY!¡±


    And the moment she said that there was a brief flash of blue light and another drone appeared next to her.


    While aesthetically it looked just like the previous ones, it was much bigger. While the first drones she crafted were the size of a volleyball, this was the size of a giant inflatable ball that people used in gymnastics classes. And thanks to how it hovered, people could feel, even through the screen how heavy it was. Plus the voice.


    Instead of squeaks or coos, that the previous drones used to communicate, it growled.


    Liz watched with elation as the chat went nuts over Big Boy then nodded. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see what Big Boy can do!¡± She turned to the heavy drone. ¡°Big Boy! Weapons out!¡±


    There was a deep growl, and the top of the drone opened and two weapons, eerily looking like Gatling guns emerged, made from silvery metals and crystals shining blue. It also raised its stubby hands, and the end of those hands transformed into holes which slowly began to shine with very dangerous-looking light with a small blue tint.


    Satisfied that the drone was working and that the chat was melting down, she turned to the fracture.


    [You entered a new fracture!]


    [Fracture: Shadow of the Cliffs]


    [A small half cavern, hidden under the shadows of a gigantic cliff. Nobody knows this exists. Go through and discover a new world!]


    [Time Limit: No limit]


    [Charges: 1/1]


    With a determined step and followed by a chunky drone armed to the crystal teeth she entered the swirling portal ready to test her new creations as well as wow her viewers.


    <hr><hr>


    So, operation ¡®Oh deer¡¯ worked. Somehow.


    They set up giant stables and grazing fields for the four-legged menaces and had some of the people who had taming skills working on taming the deer twenty-four-seven.


    Seeing as they received a lot of money from the city, the city representative, hounded by the mayor, was breathing down on their neck so Stephen was a little grumpy about the entire thing. Thankfully, AzureTiger had managed to recruit a few people to work in administration, and she always had someone babysit the representative when they wanted to ¡®inspect¡¯ the operation. Otherwise, Stephen was pretty sure he would have had Slathy tear the man apart.


    Otherwise, the guild, Fauna Ark was doing well. They managed to protect the city from the rampaging horde of monsters, though they couldn¡¯t find the big fracture in time, so somebody else got the rewards from it.


    Still, their reputation got a very nice boost with the city officials, and with the mayor perpetually in a mood, that was worth more than some exotic weapon. Plus, since they fought with their pets and summons, weapons meant little to their group. As long as their companions were with them they were good.


    Looking up at the almost hill-sized Slathy as he dozed off in the middle of their garden, next to several other giant rabbits as well as several other types of animals, he suspected they would be alright without magical weapons.


    Suddenly, one of his skills went off and he whirled around, weapon ready to strike. However, what greeted him was a shifty-looking fox with two solid-looking tails and one illusionary as it crept toward him, with a suspicious-looking balloon-like thing in its mouth.


    Stephen clicked his tongue and sheathed his weapon.


    ¡°How many times have I told you to not do that?¡±


    The shifty fox immediately pivoted, sitting up on its haunches and looking at Stephen with baby-doll eyes.


    ¡°Stop it. It won¡¯t work on me!¡±


    The eyes began to water.


    ¡°Go away!¡± He said while pointing away from the garden.


    The fox tried to sway him for a few seconds, then it also clicked its tongue, grabbed the balloon, and high-tailed out of there accompanied by the laugh of a fox.


    He looked after the fox dubiously, then he jumped a little as his notifications went off.


    [Danger Sense is now Level 74!]


    Stephen plunged his head into the sinfully thick and silky fur of Slathy and just screamed.


    <hr>


    ¡°The other guilds are getting annoying boss¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there have been two sales of ¡®golden¡¯ rabbits just this week¡­¡±


    ¡°People are starting to paint us with the same paint¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, boss, what should we do?¡±


    Stephen looked around the meeting room, where the leaders of their guild sat, Kim next to him, and were currently complaining about unscrupulous guilds that were scamming the populace at large. He studiously ignored the snake that was once again staring at him without blinking.


    ¡°Do we have a list?¡±


    ¡°List of what?¡±


    ¡°List of guilds, groups, and people who scammed or cheated people?¡±


    People looked at each other until AzureTiger spoke up. ¡°Yes, I have the list. Why?¡±


    Stephen just shrugged.


    ¡°We should publicize that list on the forums and wherever we can. That way people can know who to do business with!¡±


    AzureTiger nodded at him and made a small but precise note on the notepad in front of her.


    There was a quiet murmur around the room as people discussed the idea, but in the end, everyone agreed with it.


    ¡°Anything else to discuss?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, boss!¡± called out one of his friends. ¡°What about the AFK company?¡±


    ¡°What about them?¡±


    ¡°They have been building all sorts of stuff. Warehouses, shopping centers, hotels, and even theaters and art galleries¡­¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Stephen asked, not seeing the issue.


    His friend scowled.


    ¡°If they continue to build stuff, sooner or later they are going to own the entire city!¡±


    Before Stephen could answer, AzureTiger spoke up.


    ¡°Not happening. Already talked with the mayor. They love money, but they love their position even more. AFK cannot buy more property.¡±


    ¡°So, they are building on the plots they managed to acquire?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How many do we have?¡±


    ¡°Around twenty percent.¡±


    ¡°Is that a lot?¡±


    ¡°More than any other guild,¡± came the confident answer from the small girl.


    Stephen eyed the young woman for a moment then nodded.


    ¡°Guys, AFK is not our enemy. They are a merchant guild, we are a pet guild. Instead of fighting we should work with them to kill off all those scammers¡­¡±


    There was a brief moment of confusion then the people in the meeting room looked at him with smiles that reminded him of a shark. Kim patted his hand and gave him an encouraging smile.


    He returned the smile and then spoke up.


    ¡°Azu, can you contact the AFK and ask to cooperate?¡±


    Stephen¡¯s only response was a thumbs up from the poker-faced girl.


    <hr><hr>


    The spy ring was coming along well. She managed to place her people in all major shopping centers, taverns, inns, and bigger shops. She even had an entire group of girls who were working as waitresses forwarding information to her.


    Lucrecia looked up from her desk, out of the window, and sighed.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Once again, she missed meeting her hero while he was at the manor meeting with her father. Sadly, at the time she was meeting with one of her contacts who worked at the mayor¡¯s office. Granted, to an outside observer it may have looked like a tea party with one of her friends, but the topics they discussed didn¡¯t belong to a tea party.


    When she heard that her beloved wouldn¡¯t get a proper reward ceremony, she was incensed, but her friend managed to get enough information to soothe her rage.


    Apparently, there were so many adventurers aside from her hero, that the mayor couldn¡¯t have them attend the same time due to lack of space, and deciding who to invite first was just a major political headache. So, they instead put together reward packets and sent out invitations for the adventurers. Much easier on the administrators and had less chance of hurting their egos.


    She tried to exert her influence to get her beloved some more rewards, but according to her friend, Lucrecia¡¯s father already made sure he got what he deserved.


    Satisfied, she made sure that her friend was well taken care of, as she came from a lesser family, so the support from her family, even if that support looked like friendship, meant that her position was secure.


    Plus Lucrecia rather liked the girl. She got the best stories about work in an office. After all, Lucrecia would never work in an office, so she had to hear about it from others.


    Banishing the memories, she returned to her desk and continued to read the documents.


    ¡®A spy mistress¡¯ job never ends¡­¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    She watched as the latest official left after delivering their report and made a few elegant notes.


    Sylvia, being the Lady of the Silvercrest family, was in charge of handling the administrative tasks for exploiting the fractures while her husband looked after the safety of their people, plus made sure that other nobles didn¡¯t sabotage the efforts.


    Thankfully, with the resources that the AFK company brought to bear, things were looking good.


    The affected mining shafts were currently being widened with support beams being placed, while a few earth mages made sure that there were places for rest stops, guard garrisons, a few taverns, and workshops.


    Plus, with her darling daughter¡¯s spy ring, they could stay ahead of any of their enemies.


    Thinking about that, she couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    While Lucrecia¡¯s drive was rather questionable, she couldn¡¯t fault her for it. The adventurer was rather handsome in a scruffy-looking way, though he had nothing on her husband.


    The zeal that she used to approach it was rather admirable. And with a few pokes and prods from her, those who wanted to sabotage her daughter¡¯s effort were squashed in its infancy. She wouldn¡¯t actively help Lucrecia, but she still wanted to make sure she got a good start.


    As a good mother should¡­


    <hr><hr>


    Dan was rather exasperated.


    Everybody from the freshmen to the teachers (even some of the professors) were talking about the game. Which in itself wouldn¡¯t have been an issue, but every grade had that one person who decided to make a guild with their classmates.


    Then came the recruitment frenzy, and as the days went by, and the number of unaffiliated students dwindled, the recruitment efforts increased.


    Some of the richer guild leaders tried using money to entice people but that was quickly shot down by the teachers. Dan had heard whispers of a few teachers tempting people with better grades or bonus points, but that was also slapped down, hard, by the dean.


    And seeing as he kept his membership in Sam¡¯s small group a secret, his friends and classmates assumed he was still guildless.


    Which was a pain in the ass¡­


    ¡°Hey, Dan-man! Wanna join our guild? We are the Storm Hawks, the best mages in¡­¡±


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± he interrupted the person he had never seen before. ¡°I¡¯m not looking to join any guilds.¡±


    The guy opened his mouth to probably convince him, but he beat a hasty retreat before that could happen.


    On the way back to his dormitory he was stopped by at least half a dozen strangers, but he shook all of them off.


    Minutes later, finally back in his room, behind closed doors, he let out a shaky breath.


    ¡®This is just too much¡­¡¯


    He sat down in front of his computer, logged in, and then after the old thing booted up, he sent a message to Sam.


    For now, he kept his membership a secret, but he had enough of the annoying people.


    A minute later he received his reply.


    [Solar]: Sure, go ahead and tell them. It¡¯s not a big secret.


    Dan let out a relieved breath that he didn''t know he was holding and smiled. Finally, maybe he could get rid of the annoyances and concentrate on what was important. His dissertation and fire magic.


    After all, plasma doesn''t wait for no man!


    He logged into the university forums, navigated to the personal information section, and added the guild/group information to it. Thankfully, when the Magic Unbound frenzy began, the people taking care of the forums added a few fields that could be used to display information about the game.


    Dan added the company logo, plus he added that he was already in a group and sat back in his old chair with a grin.


    ¡®Finally, freedom!¡¯


    Before he could properly celebrate, there was a knock on his door.


    He stood up and cautiously opened it a little.


    On the other side, stood a woman, dressed in a rather tight and revealing clothing that showcased a rather sizeable tract of land, with the woman smiling at him, clearly knowing where his eyes wandered.


    ¡°H-how can I help you, err, miss?¡±


    She giggled. Giggled! He never had a girl giggle at him.


    ¡°I was wondering if you¡¯re playing Magic Unbound?¡± she began playing with her hair, twirling around her finger as she talked. ¡°Because, like, we are recruiting and I heard¡­¡±


    Dan didn¡¯t even listen he just silently began banging his head into the wall next to the door as the girl stared at him perplexed.


    <hr><hr>


    Well, that showed her.


    She came in suspicious of them, and all they provided her was friendship and kindness. And chaos and good-looking men shirtless.


    Clarissa shook her head and smiled.


    Her room in the inn she rented was starting to look rather bland. She knew that Katie and Dan both stayed at the headquarters with Sam popping in when he was in the area. And she knew that it was much more comfortable than her inn. But she also knew that if she moved in, that meant she was accepting being part of the group for good.


    And she was afraid of that.


    Her experience with the group so far told her that she had nothing to fear, but something deep inside her was still whispering that the moment she committed they would do an about-face and exploit her until the kingdom comes.


    It wasn¡¯t a baseless fear, as it happened to her several times in different games before she wisened up and only healed when paid.


    Although, the company and the group paid well, so she could think of it that way¡­


    ¡®Ugh, this is so hard¡­¡¯


    Clarissa looked around her room and decided that she needed some fresh game air. Currently, Sam was off somewhere doing something hush-hush, and the others had their own quests, she was between two class quests so she had nothing important to do. Perfect time for some musings¡­


    Walking out of her room and down the stairs she got a respectful nod from the innkeeper, and a few greetings from the regular NPCs while the players simply ignored her.


    Based on the glare the innkeeper sent the nearest players to her, the NPCs didn¡¯t appreciate it. ¡®Have fun, with the increased prices¡­¡¯


    She left the building with quiet but steady steps heading nowhere, intending to just roam the city of Ironwood.


    For half an hour she was alone with her thoughts as she moved from street to street, thinking about the situation and what she should do. She would have gone to somebody for advice, but neither her parents who only tolerated her ¡®work¡¯ because of the money, nor her sister who never cared for games would be able to provide any usable advice.


    Aside from them, she didn¡¯t really have anybody close to her. It was rather sad, but the closest friend she currently had was Katie and the rest of the group.


    She was mulling over her barely existent friend group when she was stopped by a rather crude yell.


    ¡°Hey, bitch!¡±


    Despite not being alone on the street, it was quite clear the yell was aimed at her. She turned around and beheld a guy she had never seen charging toward her with an angry look on his face.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± she asked with as little inflection as possible, while she eyed the guards walking behind the guy. One of them caught her eye and elbowed his partner. They eyed the aggressive guy and began purposely walking toward them.


    ¡°Yes, you can! Where the fuck have you been? My team needed a healer and you were nowhere to be found, bitch! We wiped like three times!¡± he yelled directly at her, spittle flying everywhere.


    Clarissa had to blink.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know who you are,¡± she stated while racking her brain to figure out what was happening.


    ¡°Because you didn¡¯t accept our contract!¡± he yelled.


    ¡®Ahh, one of those¡­¡¯


    ¡°And because of that we had to go with those shitty healers, so now you owe us!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, bitch! You made us lose out on the big prize, so you¡¯re coming with me and healing until we are satisfied!¡± As the guy said it, Clarissa saw the look on his face that showed that he thought that his logic was foolproof.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going with you anywhere. I don¡¯t owe you anything.¡±


    ¡°Bitch, do you know who I am?¡± he exclaimed angrily, raising one hand to no doubt strike her. Not that it would get through her shields.


    But before he could move, a gloved hand clamped on the guy¡¯s raised hand.


    ¡°Excuse me, could we have a moment of your time?¡±


    ¡°Who the fu¨C¡°


    Then the guy paled as he beheld the stone-faced visage of the guards.


    The one that wasn¡¯t holding onto the aggressive idiot turned to Clarissa with a kind smile.


    ¡°Good healer, we shall take over from here, please continue on your way¡­¡±


    She bowed a little and turned around to walk away.


    And as she walked away, listening to the idiot argue with the guards, she made a decision. She was going to move to the headquarters. They had better beds and service, and most importantly more guards.


    <hr><hr>


    She removed her helmet with one smooth motion, placed it in its resting place, stood up from the recliner, smoothed down her dress, and with determined, but still elegant steps, stalked out of her room.


    Katie didn¡¯t acknowledge the servants who jumped out of her way as she headed for her brother¡¯s room, straight on the opposite side of the manor. Another one of her father¡¯s idiotic ideas.


    It took several minutes to reach the room, and when she opened the door (she definitely didn¡¯t slam it open as ladies don¡¯t do something like that) Katie found her brother standing in front of one of the giant windows, in a perfect brooding position.


    ¡°David, what the hell?¡±


    He turned around and thanks to her long experience Katie could see the annoyance and anger on his face.


    ¡°Hello, Katie. Nice to see you too,¡± he said with a deadpan tone.


    Katie crossed her arms under her breasts and began tapping her foot on the floor. Elegantly of course.


    ¡°What. Happened. David?¡±


    He sighed. ¡°What do you think? Dad¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought it was your guild?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but after Dad realized that there is money in the game, he had some of his security start playing the game and made me accept them in the guild,¡± he explained with exasperation. ¡°I didn¡¯t see any problem with it as they are professional soldiers, so their battle instincts are excellent and with a small crash course in gaming they become rather potent players.¡±


    ¡°That was rather shortsighted of you. Father never does anything just to be nice.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know that. But I thought he just wanted to make sure we get enough manpower to stay afloat¡­¡± her brother answered while shaking his head. ¡°In retrospect, a bad guess.¡±


    ¡°Why did they attack?¡±


    ¡°Apparently, Dad wanted to punish you and see what your boss was made of¡­¡±


    There was nothing much she could say to that, after a minute of thinking she had only one question.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And what?¡±


    ¡°What does he make of my boss?¡± her entire sentence was dripping with disgust at the thought of her father being anywhere near her friends.


    David just shrugged.


    ¡°I have no idea. It¡¯s not like he shares his thoughts with me¡­¡±


    Katie snorted in disgust. That was just like their father. Doesn¡¯t even trust his own son¡­


    ¡°And what about your guild?¡±


    David grimaced.


    ¡°They were disciplined, but my father countermanded my orders.¡±


    ¡°He plays?¡± Katie asked, surprised.


    ¡°Nah,¡± David waved his hand. ¡°One of his assistants was helping with the finances of the guild.¡± Then he blinked. ¡°In retrospect, another bad idea.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really showing your genius brother¡­¡± she remarked with a heavy dose of sarcasm.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be mean, Katie,¡± came the pouting answer.


    She just sighed.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    David sighed again.


    ¡°Probably step down from the guild leader position seeing as father is the one in charge. I can¡¯t really leave it as father would make my life a living hell, so I¡¯ll make a small raid team and concentrate on the game while leaving politics and economics to father. He clearly understands them better than me¡­¡±


    Katie nodded. ¡°I would say you could join my guild, but I doubt father would go for that¡­¡±


    That caused David to blink in surprise. ¡°Your boss would allow it?¡±


    Katie smiled at him. ¡°I explained to him what happened. He was very understanding.¡±


    ¡°Well, sister, it seems you found a good one¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did.¡±


    <hr>


    A few hours later, the discussion concluded Katie was back in her room, laying on the bed, mindlessly doom-scrolling her holographic screen and thinking about her situation.


    No doubt, her father was already planning to use her membership in Sam¡¯s group to his own ends. But how to get out of it?


    She had known for a long time that there were only two ways she would get out from under her father¡¯s thumb. Either by death or by marrying someone.


    Her first instinct was to ask Sam if she could fake marry him, but then she threw away the thought. Those kinda things only worked in TV dramas and comic books. In real life, her father would throw a hissyfit and no government official would sign the documents.


    They could leave the country but that came with its own set of issues¡­


    For now, she was stuck in her gilded cage.


    But that didn¡¯t mean she was powerless. All she had to do was to figure out what her father planned to do, and work with Sam to counter it in a way that would be devastating to her father, but leave her and her brother smelling like roses.


    ¡®Though, based on Sam¡¯s past behavior, I¡¯m pretty sure he is already ten steps ahead of my father,¡¯ she mused with internal glee.


    She knew he was heading to Deepanchor where her brother¡¯s ¨C or rather father¡¯s ¨C guild was and she couldn¡¯t wait to see the results.


    Until then, however, she had a few cooking classes to attend after having decided to take up cooking as crafting. It was a rather easy decision. She liked good food and Puffball liked good food.


    And now, with the crafting skills she could make good food whenever she wanted.


    As she lay on the bed, stretching indulgently, she looked around and had a thought. ¡®I wish real life could be as easy as a game¡­¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    The tavern, as always was covered in fog and filled with people hidden by dark hoods sipping their drinks and waitresses fluttering about in enticingly short skirts. A perfect place to plan a rebellion or just have a dramatic discussion.


    ¡°How is the city?¡±


    ¡°The business side is starting to stabilize. Naturally, AFK is the biggest fish in the city. And I don¡¯t see anyone changing it soon¡­¡±


    ¡°How are our businesses?¡±


    ¡°So-so. They make money is the best thing I can say.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Do we have any better idea for a business aside from aping what AFK is doing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing that hasn¡¯t been done yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Stripper restaurant?¡±


    ¡°Against the guidelines, I¡¯m afraid, boss.¡±


    ¡°Stripper armor wash?¡±


    ¡°Still against the guidelines, boss¡­¡±


    ¡°Stripper sword sharpener?¡±


    ¡°Anything with a stripper in it is against the guidelines¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, fuck¡­ I don¡¯t have any other ideas.¡±


    ¡°Bummer.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    For a while they just sat there, enjoying the ambiance ¨C that is staring at the waitresses ¨C before the first guy spoke up.


    ¡°What did you find out about the auction?¡±


    ¡°Lots of money in from a lot of big names. All out of town.¡±


    ¡°Where did the money go?¡±


    ¡°No idea. The bank isn¡¯t talking, and the company is silent as a fart in a library.¡±


    ¡°Bummer.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Out of curiosity, who got the weapons?¡±


    ¡°The shield was sold for around sixty thousand to the Black Chimera guild down south. The spear was bought by that fanatic Spearmaster from the Eternal Spear guild. Guess why¡­¡±


    The first guy snorted at the sarcasm. ¡°And the dagger?¡±


    ¡°We think it¡¯s Silent Step, but thanks to their secretive nature we won¡¯t know for sure until they use it¡­¡±


    ¡°Once again, can¡¯t help but say it: bummer.¡±


    ¡°As you say, boss!¡±


    Another pause, another look at the waitress walking by before they continued with the discussion while sipping their delicious cocktails. With the increase of crafters, a lot of real-life cocktails found their way into taverns allowing people like them to plot in the shadows with their favorite drinks.


    ¡°How are our fracture delvers? Profitable?¡±


    ¡°So- so. So far every unlimited fracture was captured by the NPCs or one of the other guilds. It seems we are rather unlucky in this area. Our scouts have been looking for them but so far the result is nada.¡±


    The first guy grumbled a little. ¡°Then go on Shadowland and buy a location. We need that source of income!¡± he exclaimed smashing his fist on the table.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Walking in the city, now that winter was over was rather nice. It also helped that he was walking with his excitable and rather cute sister. Apparently, she wanted to check out some kind of game. And seeing as he had some time because he was on holiday, he volunteered to escort her to the shop.


    They walked along the street, sometimes talking, sometimes just in silence. Well he walked, his sister insisted on skipping. Not that he minded. It was nice to see her so happy.


    It was worth working so much so that he could provide his sister with anything that he went without.


    Soon, they reached the plaza that held the shop her sister wanted to visit.


    ¡°Look, brother, there!¡± she called out pointing high up in the air.


    He looked up and saw a giant billboard showcasing some kind of fantasy scene. He watched as a fire mage unleashed a torrent of fire at a giant bear covered in stone, as a beautiful archer turned a big snake into a pincushion, as a guy cleaved a giant spider of all things into two, as a very menacing-looking black wolf pranced around on a cobblestone street as children ran around it, grinning ear to ear, a group of knights clashing with a differently dressed group of knights, monsters devouring a small town, and a woman leaning over a bubbling cauldron then the cauldron began to froth and a giant bubble emerged that covered the screen and as it popped there was a small flash of light and the scene was replaced by a simple text.


    MAGIC UNBOUND


    PLAY NOW


    It took him a few seconds to turn back to his sister who was staring up at the billboard that was now advertising some kind of sports drink.


    ¡°Was that the game you wanted to play?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± came the enthusiastic reply from his little sister. ¡°Isn¡¯t it great?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a little too bloody?¡±


    ¡°Pffsh, don¡¯t worry, brother. They have a filter for that!¡± she explained with a grin, then grabbed his hand and began dragging him toward the store. He saw several other people in a similar situation as he was.


    ¡°You promised that you would buy it for me!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°How are we on merchandising?¡±


    ¡°Very well, sir. Shirts and other apparel are flying off the shelf. 3D-printed guild symbol stickers and pins are also big with people. We are currently monitoring the meme situation to see if we could turn any of them into merchandise.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s great. What about the plushies?¡±


    The person standing before the desk nodded and swiped right on their tablet. ¡°We made plushies from the common cute pets, as well as the not-cute monsters that the research team indicated would do well. They were right.¡±


    ¡°Glad to see the money we invested in them was worth it. Any issues?¡±


    ¡°People are clamoring to have unique plushies made of their own pets. We already had to slap down several companies that were making ¡®copies¡¯.¡±


    The man behind the desk looked at the first person and nodded thoughtfully.


    ¡°Makes sense. Hmm¡­¡±


    The man doing the reporting did nothing, staying silent as he waited for his superior decision. After a few minutes, the man behind the desk spoke up.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this. Go on the forums and select the ten most popular pets and make plushies of them. While you¡¯re doing that, have the research team come up with a process for people to order unique plushies from our stores.¡±


    ¡°Right away, sir.¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°What the hell do you mean we lost the auction?¡±


    ¡°We-we didn¡¯t have enough money to bid for the weapons, sir.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck? We prepared over forty thousand gold coins¡­¡±


    ¡°The cheapest was sold for more than fifty, sir!¡± came the report from Dave¡¯s underling. He had wanted to personally attend the auction but he had some meetings in his real life that he couldn¡¯t postpone. Those people weren¡¯t the type that allowed things like rescheduling. So, he sent his subordinates.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    The underling wisely stayed silent.


    After some grumbling, he finally calmed down a little. ¡°Where is the money?¡±


    ¡°In the vault, sir.¡±


    ¡°I will be checking that!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°What about the businesses we started?¡±


    His assistant, staying in the back stepped forward and the underling bowed and hastily left the room. Dave was pretty sure he stole some of the coins, but it would be a nice exercise to hunt him down. Plus, he knew the guy in real life, so he couldn¡¯t really run¡­


    ¡°The seedy taverns are doing well, but all of the counterfeit hotels we started have been shot down by the government,¡± his assistant began explaining.


    ¡°Did they track it back to us?¡±


    ¡°To my knowledge no.¡±


    ¡°Excellent, keep up the pressure. I want to cause as much trouble for those idiots as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± came the calm answer as his loyal assistant made a note.


    ¡°How about the fractures? Did we manage to figure out what the NPCs were planning?¡±


    This time the poker face of his assistant broke as he grimaced while taking a subtle step back.


    ¡°Yes, sir. Apparently, the Silvercrest family decided to set up a basic dungeon system with tickets, lines, and quotas. And lots of tax. The other noble families are doing the same with the fractures on their properties. It seems the Silvercrest family is supported by the AFK company.¡±


    For a moment there was silence, not entirely unlike the silence before the storm before an unarticulate yell ripped through the building.


    <hr><hr>


    Damien almost gave up. Almost.


    The dream of being a stupidly strong death knight seemed so far away after he died for the third time after successfully getting rid of the second Calon¡¯s Curse.


    However, it seemed luck was on his side.


    Because he got a motherfucking curse resistance skill!


    [Curse Resistance: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to suffering under several curses for a long time, your body naturally adapted to them. This skill will make it easier to deal with curses. Each level decreases the curse¡¯s effect by 0,5%.]


    It was not full immunity, but it was better than nothing. So, naturally, he did what every consummate gamer would do. He girded his loins and started grinding the skill.


    One of his friends with a dark magician build, so he approached him for help as he had several curses in his arsenal. However, his friend had a better idea.


    He simply took Damien and dragged him back to the mage guild where he was made to stand in the middle of a training hall, and prospective mages stood in line to cast curses on him.


    For the first hour, it was rather funny, and he made a few funny videos for his socials with the help of his friends that all came by to laugh at him, and maybe threw curse-like things at him.


    But after an hour he and his friends got bored so they told him to have fun and walked away to do their own practice. So, he sat down and began to meditate, intending on making use of the time he had to stay cursed.


    Then after an uncomfortable time, a notification pinged, awakening him from his meditation.


    [Curse Resistance is now Level 100!]


    [Thanks to your tireless effort to stay cursed your Curse Resistance has evolved into Greater Curse Resistance!]


    [Greater Curse Resistance: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to suffering under a multitude of curses your body became even more resistant to them. The curses from now on will have even less effect on you. Each level shortens the duration of the curse affecting you by 0,5% for each skill level.]


    [Your body has experienced so many curses that they became part of it, gaining the Cursed Blood skill!]


    [Cursed Blood: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Curses flow in your veins. Your body is even more resistant to curses, increasing the Curse Resistance skill bonus by 10%. When affected by a curse your magic damage is increased depending on the strength of the curse. When not affected by a curse, all of your stats decrease by 10%.]


    Damien just stared at the notifications, not knowing whether to cry or laugh¡­


    <hr><hr>


    Finally, they were finished. Countless quests, heaps of materials, and gold in amounts that were hard to think about, but they were finally ready to enact their plan. Somebody had found an old book that had described a pact made with a shadowy being that granted its users the unparalleled ability to vanish into darkness, as well as control shadows. And Tim¡¯s boss decided that it was exactly what they needed to make sure that Silent Step stayed ahead of everyone.


    They found an out-of-the-way location, and with painstaking effort built up a solid, yet simple temple for the being mentioned in the book.


    However, Tim had reservations. Magic Unbound wasn¡¯t a simple game. They could just simply roleplay as evil cultists as in other games. Here, pledging oneself to a mysterious being that lived in the shadows had consequences. Consequences he wasn¡¯t sure he was ready to deal with.


    He liked being an assassin, but he liked being a normal assassin, not some cultist dancing to the tune of an Old One.


    Sadly, he signed a rather comprehensive contract with Silent Step, and he didn¡¯t really have the money to buy out the contract. And anybody who had the money to lend him fast wasn¡¯t somebody he wanted to be indebted to.


    So for now, he was helping out with the ritual.


    With some finagling, he managed to get himself positioned as a guard, on the account that he was one of the strongest. But this also meant that he was on the outskirts of the ritual and the temple, giving him the chance to flee if it came to it.


    Granted, there was a chance that the shadowy Old One turned out to be a perfectly reasonable extra-dimensional being, but Tim wasn¡¯t ready to bet on it.


    <hr>


    Soon, the entire Silent Step was standing in the ritual room, the floor painted with the blood of several creatures that were light-natured or something similar. Everybody was wearing their customary hoods, and Tim was getting nervous.


    His boss wanted him at the center of the ritual at the place of honor, but he insisted on being the guard until the very end. His boss seemed to appreciate his dedication, as well as giving up the chance of getting better rewards.


    As for Tim, he was gripping his weapons, his knuckles turning white, and he was ready to activate all of his escape skills at a moment¡¯s notice.


    A few minutes later, he watched as the crowd began to chant, with his boss leading, and slowly but surely the blood on the floor, in the shape of unknown runes began to light up, radiating pure black light.


    How that worked, Tim had no idea, but it glowed pure black and it was properly sinister. He could even see the shadows stir in the corners and feel the mana churn around them.


    Then after exactly seven minutes of chanting, the mana began rushing toward the simple altar set up at the wall, until it was visible, then between two blinks the mana turned the same black color as the runes and began swirling in an oval shape just like the fractures.


    The chanting stopped, and everybody was silent, eagerly anticipating the arrival of their new patron.


    And it naturally came, unable to resist the siren song that had been sung.


    The being that came through the portal had no shape, no recognizable appendages. It was simply a mass of twisting shadows, with two blood-red eyes shining maliciously. Tim watched, somewhat horrified, as the being seeped through the portal, then as its tentacles of solid shadows seeped in turn into the altar, turning it from stone into some kind of black material with unknown runes on them.


    Tim took a small step back and glanced around. Thankfully, everybody else was staring, mesmerized at the being. Then his boss took a step forward and exclaimed.


    ¡°Oh, Great One! We greet you among us! Be welcome to this world!¡±


    Tim had to admit, his boss was pretty good at playing the cultist maniac.


    There was a terse silence, then the being spoke.


    ¡°That one didn¡¯t chant,¡± it growled in an unearthly voice as one of its many tentacles rose and pointed directly at Tim. ¡°Kill him!¡±


    ¡®Oh shit!¡¯


    Then Tim was off, running for his life as his former comrades chased after him.


    ¡®At least, that means they broke the contract first¡­¡¯

 Chapter 102

    Rewards squared away, body and mind rested, potions and other useful items stocked up, Sam was ready to head to Deepanchor and secure a few properties for the company as well as hopefully fuck with the Steel Lions.


    He made sure that Lucy didn¡¯t need him for anything, then warned his team that he was leaving. To his surprise, he found all three of them in one of the leisure areas of the headquarters with one of the maids serving snacks and drinks to them. Clarissa and Katie were talking quietly ¨C well Clarissa was quiet, Katie not so much ¨C as Dan pored over some magic theory books he had collected from the various shops of the city.


    Sam left them, happy to see that finally, Clarissa was feeling part of the team.


    The next step was the workshop of their in-house streamer.


    ¡®It¡¯s a pity that we can¡¯t let her stream from the Heavenly Forest¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he approached her workshop. Unfortunately, the whole mythos they built up around the fancy hotel excluded the possibility of a streamer walkthrough. Its current mysteriousness was its biggest selling point. The rich people they catered to liked the feeling of having something that the ¡®poor¡¯ didn¡¯t have any access to.


    Gently knocking on the door, he waited until he heard a quiet ¡®Come in!¡¯ and opened the door.


    Inside was an organized chaos. Small drones were flying everywhere, while a gigantic drone the size of a big beach ball was hovering in the middle acting as a mobile tool station. There were several tools and material boxes on the drone¡¯s head, while its arms were holding up several bags filled with the same.


    And in the middle of the chaos was Liz, practically dancing around her flying motorbike made of metal, leather, and a lot of crystals.


    As soon as the door opened, she looked up and smiled at Sam.


    He gave her a thumbs up.


    ¡°Very magic steampunk chic!¡±


    She snorted with a small grin.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Then she cleaned her greasy hands with a cloth that looked like it once had color but now just had a black-ish tint. Stepping away from the contraptions she had been working on, she spoke up.


    ¡°How can I help you?¡±


    Sam reached up and scratched the back of his head bashfully. ¡°I was wondering if you have finished the rebreather? I kinda need it for my next job¡­¡±


    She looked at him for a short moment then smiled and nodded. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s done. Didn¡¯t take much time.¡± Liz motioned him to follow and as he carefully stepped over unidentifiable components, tools, and who knows what, she retrieved a small-ish box from somewhere, then with a sudden movement swept a few things off from the nearest surface to them, the materials clattering on the floor, and placed the box in front of him.


    After getting an encouraging nod, he reached forward and opened the box.


    Inside was a rebreather mask, heavily reminiscent of any of the scuba rebreather masks Sam had ever seen. The only differences ¨C aside from the materials it was made from ¨C were that it had no hoses leading anywhere and that it had no glasses attached to it. Thanks to magic it had its own container of air but it was the user''s responsibility to protect the eyes. Thankfully, Sam had wind magic for that.


    ¡°Specs?¡± he asked while taking out the item from the box and turning it around in his hands.


    Liz immediately began to list them.


    ¡°Depth depends on you, but I guarantee a hundred yards, maybe a little more. Operates underwater, or in a poisonous environment. Acid resistance depends on the acidity of said gas. But I tested it on most basic acids that I can get around here and it will last a few hours against them. Air is good for 12 hours at rest. When exerting it depends on you.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± he said, amazed. He expected something cool, but this was beyond what he imagined she would be able to craft. ¡®It makes more and more sense why people were willing to go to such lengths to get the guy with this skill. If he had half of Liz¡¯s talent¡­¡¯ he mused as he brought up the system description of the item.


    [You gained Crystal Rebreather v1.789!]


    [Crystal Rebreather v1.789: Created by SummerRose the Crystal Geomancer, it allows the user to move in an environment where the air is not present or mixed with harmful substances.]


    ¡®Short and to the point¡­¡¯


    He looked up from his examination and smiled at Liz.


    ¡°This is excellent! Thank you!¡± He finished with a little bow of his head.


    Then as Liz did a little celebratory dance with her drones, he put the rebreather back into its box and then the box into his inventory. He would have to do a few experiments with it, but for now, he was set.


    Dance finished, and the young woman¡¯s attention was back on him.


    ¡°Anything else you need?¡± she asked with an eager look in her eyes. Apparently, this crafting thing was really agreeing with her. Sam smiled but shook his head.


    ¡°No, I only needed this.¡±He paused for a breath then continued. ¡°And you? Is everything good here? Any complaints?¡±


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    She shook her head with a wide smile. ¡°No! Everything is perfect! I love it here!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Still, if you need anything don¡¯t hesitate to contact Lucy or me. Alright?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± came the enthusiastic answer from the young woman.


    ¡°Great! Then I¡¯ll take my leave!¡± he said and began manoeuvering slowly and carefully around all the discarded or carelessly thrown away tools, materials, or half-finished components, while Liz giggled behind him.


    ¡°See you, Sam!¡±


    <hr>


    With another magical tool added to his arsenal, it was time for the journey. Using his Chameleon Mask he snuck out of the headquarters to the outside of the city then returned, riding Lucky with his uncovered face then entered the building with the guards and servants playing up his presence with loud greetings and questions.


    Then ten minutes later, once again hidden behind his Chameleon mask, Sam left the building attached to a group of workers who were on their way to dinner. He accompanied them, but when they entered the establishment he quickly entered the washroom, from where another person left the building.


    ¡®This item is the best¡­¡¯ he thought with a grin, outside of the city, on a small hill, looking back at Ironwood.


    He spent the first part of the journey on foot, to make sure to confuse any watchers that he couldn¡¯t sense with his Mana Sense. Then as soon as he stepped into the sparse forest and was shielded by the ancient trees, he called out.


    ¡°Lucky!¡±


    His loyal companion emerged from the shadows right in front of him, with a silly grin on his face.


    ¡°Well, buddy! Let¡¯s ride!¡± he exclaimed and with a running start jumped up onto Lucky¡¯s back.


    The giant wolf let out a small howl and began moving.


    And while Lucky was running faster than any carriage could move, dodging trees by the hairbreadth, Sam kept an eye on the monsters. Sadly, the running parallel to the road exploit was recently fixed according to the whining on the forums so he expected to be ambushed at least once.


    So, his Mana Sense was cranked to the max, and while one of his hands was holding onto Lucky, the other was on his sword, ready to strike at anyone or anything.


    <hr>


    And lo and behold, when they were around halfway between Deepanchor and Ironwood, he spotted something big and fast-moving in an interception course with them. Then he noted another thing with his senses, right after the first thing.


    ¡°Lucky! Slow down a little! We are going to have company!¡±


    The wolf slowed down a little but he could see small lights begin sparking around his claws and sense as the wolf began to ready the mana inside himself.


    He kept an eye on the two things, his sword ready to act.


    Then a few seconds later, amidst great cacophony two ogres broke through the forest, squabbling with each other.


    They were around two times the height of a normal male, with flappy fat skin the color of gray with splotches of green and brown. Their head was small and stubby with somewhat large ears. They were wearing ratty loincloths, from which a lot of small items, including still bleeding heads of monsters, were hanging like some kind of macabre charms. They were both wielding giant crudely-shaped clubs and were roaring at each other.


    However, the moment they broke through the thick trees, their beady little eyes, set deep back into their skull found Sam and Lucky rushing towards them.


    Sam saw them look at each other, then grin, showcasing their disgusting mouths, filled with razor-sharp teeth.


    Not even needing to give Lucky instructions, the clever wolf vanished from under him, returning to the shadows, while Sam, with the help of a few gusts of wind, continued toward the ogres who were already triumphantly raising their clubs.


    Then Sam used a few more gusts of wind to turn around his body so that his feet were facing the monsters, right before slamming into the club one of the ogres was holding, slamming it directly into the ogre¡¯s face, while at the same time, Lucky emerged from under the second ogre, his claws raking across its back ¨C causing the ogre to let out a screech of pain - until the shadow wolf reached the monster¡¯s head. Where he bit down.


    Comically, the ogre¡¯s head was small enough to fit into the wolf¡¯s mouth.


    CRUNCH


    Sam ignored the headless ogre and landed on his feet as the first one staggered around, no doubt concussed. A brief exertion covered his sword with wind, and another launched himself forward, just in time for the ogre to stabilize himself.


    The brutish monster shook itself, then just as it managed to refocus on Sam, it received a burst of deadly wind directly in its face.


    He made sure that both of the monsters were dead, then picked up the meager loot and harvested a few things from the bodies. A few minutes later, he was back on Lucky¡¯s back, the wolf running toward their destination as if nothing had happened.


    <hr>


    Deepanchor was like every seaside city. Full of beachfront properties, sailors, merchants, tourists, and enough crime to fill several other cities. Oh, and it stank to the high heavens.


    Even standing on a small hill overlooking the road leading to one of the gates, Sam and Lucky could smell the overwhelming scent of fish, oils, and an unmistakable stench from the direction of the harbor.


    Despite its foulness, Sam grinned.


    He turned to Lucky and spent a minute patting his head and running his hand through the wolf¡¯s fur.


    ¡°Thanks, my friend. But from here, I¡¯ll need to go alone,¡± he explained to his companion.


    The wolf let out a sad whine, then walked forward and rubbed his giant body to Sam, then with one fluid movement, vanished into Sam¡¯s shadow.


    Sam just chuckled before spending a few minutes changing his clothes to something a low-level traveler would wear, then used the Chameleon Mask to change his appearance once again and began walking toward the road.


    <hr>


    An hour later, he was approaching the open gates, mixed with merchants ¨C NPCs and players alike ¨C sailors returning from wherever, as well as the people visiting or leaving the City of Deepanchor.


    The guards stationed at the gates barely glanced at him when he walked through, not even asking for a toll. Apparently, the traffic was so high that the city decided it wasn¡¯t worth wasting everyone¡¯s time for some measly toll. This was a harbor town, full of merchants. The smallest amount of tax paid to the city was more than any toll fee.


    For a while, Sam walked around the city, dodging drunks, people fighting or trading, merchants hawking their products, and at least two dozen attempts to pickpocket him. Surprisingly, only half of it were attempts by the local ¡®children¡¯. He was tempted to ask them a few questions about the city, but now that he definitely knew they were fey, he was rather reluctant to treat with them. Who knows what would happen?


    Instead, he just observed.


    He watched as differently clothed guards patrolled certain sections, how certain warehouses were protected while others were left to fend for themselves, and he found out where the city guards patrolled and which areas they avoided.


    Listening to the conversations happening around him, he now knew who the big guilds were, who the dangerous people were (with a quick trip to the bounty board confirming it), and those that should be avoided.


    The true rulers weren¡¯t so easy to find out, but with a basic idea about the layout of the hierarchy of the city, he could begin.


    Donning his armor in a shadowy alley after making sure there were no people there, he walked out onto the main street and began heading for the Anchor Away Inn. It was the city¡¯s biggest, and thus most important inn, and where he knew a start for an important quest could be found.


    ¡®Can¡¯t wait to see the Steel Lion¡¯s faces when they find out that I stole it from under their noses¡­¡¯ he mused with a wicked grin on his face and a pep in his step.

 Chapter 103

    The Anchor Away Inn was like any other inn that was ever found in a harbor. It had a rustic charm that was hard to deny, but it also looked like it was in dire need of renovation and only the salt deposited by the sea winds was holding it together.


    It was illuminated by candles sparsely placed along the walls and on some tables, increasing the mysterious atmosphere of the building.


    And then there were the people¡­


    As soon as Sam stepped in a lot of people looked up and then returned to their conversation, disinterested. Seeing as he was dressed as a regular adventurer, without any guild or organization markings, nobody deemed him interesting enough, though Sam expected that at least several people made note of him. After all, a lot of people made money by selling information in a harbor town such as Deepanchor.


    As he looked around he saw grizzled sailors drinking themselves to stupor, fresh-faced adventurers bragging about their conquests, knights silently observing others, merchants haggling over papers while gesticulating with their cups, and shifty-looking individuals looking for their next marks. And amidst all this were the waitresses flittering about in short skirts and low-cut dresses, as they delivered alcohol and food to the tables, while a stereotypical old man stood behind the counter, with a scar over both of his eyes, slowly and methodically cleaning a glass with an old cloth.


    Sam calmly walked in, and without prompting took a seat and one of the small circular tables. Not even a second later, one of the waitresses appeared at his table with a well-practiced customer service smile. She was older than him, but the makeup and dress (and the low lighting) covered this up. She had brown hair, ending around her shoulders, falling in waves, and her dress showcased her well-exercised body.


    Taking a peek, he looked up into her laughing eyes as she smiled at him mischievously. ¡°What¡¯ll it be, hun?¡±


    Sam cleared his throat, wishing to hide his blush, and answered. ¡°A cup of ale, please!¡±


    ¡°Alright, hun. Anything else?¡± the waitress answered. Sam just shook his head.


    ¡°Alrighty! Be right back!¡± came the cheerful answer, and Sam could only watch as the waitress flounced away.


    ¡®That skirt is really short¡­¡¯ he mused.


    A minute later the pretty waitress returned with a cup of ale and Sam paid her with a silver. Her eyes widened when he placed the coin in her palm and Sam quickly closed her hand over it.


    She gave him a big smile, but before she could answer another patron raised their hand and called out to her.


    ¡°Oi! Waitress! Another cup!¡±


    She gave him another smile, then turned around and answered the man.


    ¡°Coming right up!¡±


    Sam watched her hurry away and raised the cup to his lips. He pretended to take a sip of the not-that-cold, almost tepid ale and began thinking.


    A city like Deepanchor was ruled by merchants, that was a fact. The city may have a mayor as the representative of the crown, but everybody with at least a minimal awareness about how the world worked knew that the real power was in the pockets of the merchants who owned the warehouses, ships that brought in products and the caravans that distributed said products to the wider country and beyond.


    Thus the only way one could acquire business property was with the ¡®permission¡¯ of these hidden rulers. That was the reason why Lucy had no luck getting anything done from Ironwood. These merchants wouldn¡¯t move unless they would make a profit from the action.


    He had several ways to circumvent this.


    There were several quests that would make it so that the mayor would come into some political power (if executed properly) or he could simply assassinate several merchants and have Lucy make a move in the chaos.


    Or, he could offer one of the merchants something irresistible. Something that would make sure they would cooperate with his company for a long while.


    It was a conundrum¡­ He had ideas for both but for now, he was undecided.


    ¡®Also, are there any people in Deepanchor I could poach?¡¯ he mused as he went over his inherited memories.


    Deepanchor was near Ironwood so the other Sam had heard a lot of things about the city. Mostly about pirate treasures, pirate attacks, pirate dramas and everything else pirate.


    One would think there were a lot of pirates and they would be right. Most players who arrived in the city only had one goal. Get a ship and go to the high seas to plunder booty.


    Thus, since the start of the game, the presence of pirates had increased exponentially in the surroundings of Deepanchor.


    He knew about several famous pirate captains as well as people who made it their job to hunt down said pirates. Sam even looked up a few streamers who streamed their efforts. Sadly, none of them were in a situation where Sam could help to gain their trust and poach them.


    There were a few who would be amenable to starting a new merchant company that could work with his own, but he was pretty sure that the moment he founded said company, the other merchants would do everything to destroy it, or if it was profitable, to acquire it.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    For now, he would need to be satisfied by annoying the Steel Lions and getting some properties for Lucy to play around with.


    But seeing the man approaching him with a confident grin, he knew he had some time to decide. Who knows, maybe he will come across some once-in-a-lifetime opportunity¡­


    The man was clearly an NPC, with a sleazy smile, a rumpled shirt, stained with wine and past meals, and a cup of ale in his hand. On his belt was a knife and a side bag. And based on his mana, a very average water mana affinity.


    ¡®A sailor, either here to scam me or try to sell my organs after knocking me out¡­¡¯ he mused as he eyed the man as he walked up to his table.


    ¡°Is this seat taken?¡± the man asked pointing at the other chair at Sam¡¯s table. And before Sam could answer, he pulled it out and sat down, plunking the cup on the table, spilling a few drops on it. ¡°Great! Name is Herbert! And you?¡±


    Sam smiled and answered. ¡®After all, it was Sun Tzu that said to never interrupt your enemy when they were making a mistake.¡¯ This man clearly thought that Sam was a fresh-faced adventurer na?ve to how the world worked. ¡®Or just very confident in his scamming skills¡­¡¯


    ¡°Tom¡¯s the name, Herbert.¡±


    The man grinned, took a swig of his drink, then used the hem of his dirty shirt to clean his face before continuing. ¡°Saw you moping here, all alone. And I thought to myself, Herbert, ol¡¯ pal, that guy there needs something to do with his life!¡±


    ¡°Oh? How did you know I didn¡¯t have a job?¡±


    The man¡¯s grin widened as Sam ¡®inadvertently¡¯ let out the fact he was without a job. A small hook to see what the other man wanted.


    ¡°Well, my young friend, if you become as experienced as me,¡± he thrust a thumb toward himself with a sly grin, then continued. ¡°Then you¡¯ll just have the eye for these kinds of things.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Sam nodded, playing up that he was impressed by the other man. ¡°I assume you¡¯ve got a job for me?¡±


    Herbert nodded. ¡°Of course! Ol¡¯ Herbert is here to help today¡¯s youth! Including you! Why when I was your age¡­¡±


    ¡®Wow, that is creepy¡­¡¯ Sam thought as he listened. Behind Herbert¡¯s back, he saw the busty waitress give Herbert a scared look and began bustling towards them but Sam sent her a subtle shake of his head and a cheeky wink while the scammer was waxing poetically about his obviously fake past. The waitress¡¯ eyes went wide, then she grinned and after a thumbs-up, returned to her duties. And he refocused on the man trying to make Sam believe that he was all about honest work.


    ¡°¡­ and then they said, Herbert my friend, you saved the day!¡±


    ¡°Wow! Amazing!¡± Sam couldn¡¯t help but let out a bit of sarcasm. Thankfully, the other man was so enthralled by his own story that he didn¡¯t even notice it.


    ¡°Yep, yep! Ol¡¯ Herbert is a big hero! And this hero is here to offer you a job! All to help the next generation get started!¡±


    ¡°Really? What kind?¡± Sam asked, leaning forward, pretending to be interested.


    Clearly, this was a hook for some kind of quest. And, well he needed a quest to get started with the locals.


    Herbert grinned, showcasing that a few of his teeth were missing. He leaned closer, lowered the volume of his voice, and motioned to Sam to also get closer. Sam did so.


    ¡°Listen here, young man. I have a crew, we do work around the city. And well, recently the work increased but the hands stayed the same. Maybe you could drop by and give us a hand, eh?¡±


    He finished his spiel with an exaggerated wink.


    Sam leaned back and pretended to think about the offer. Herbert watched him with hawk-like eyes. No doubt wanting to see if Sam swallowed the tall tale the man spun. Finally, after a minute of thinking Sam spoke up.


    ¡°Weeell, it sounds nice but how much does it pay?¡±


    Herbert chuckled and made a so-so gesture with the hand that wasn¡¯t clutching his cup. ¡°Depends on how hard you work, young Tim!¡±


    ¡°Tom¡­¡± he corrected the man.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± said the other man insincerely. ¡°Now, the most important thing. Are you in or not?¡±


    ¡°I do need the money,¡± he ¡®admitted¡¯, appearing a little vulnerable. Finally, after a few seconds of hesitation, he nodded. ¡°Alright, sounds great.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± came the small cheer from the man. Herbert thrust his hand forward, ready to shake. Sam reached out and accepted it. The other man shook it a few times then with a sudden movement stood up, and finished his drink.


    ¡°Well, then, young Terry! Let¡¯s meet later!¡± and with that the man hurriedly left the establishment, leaving Sam alone at his table with a small slip of paper in his palm with an address on it. He pocketed the paper and then finished his drink. He took a quick glance at the notification and then dismissed it.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Seaside opportunity]


    [A very helpful gentleman informed you of an opportunity where you may be able to make some money. Go to the address that was provided and do your best to impress your new friend!]


    [Time Limit: 24 hours]


    [Penalty: Your new friend will be disappointed in you and may seek you out to discuss it with you!]


    However, before he could stand up to leave the inn, the pretty waitress returned to his table.


    ¡°Young man, I hope you are not planning to go with that man?¡± she asked anxiously, biting her lip.


    Sam smiled at her reassuringly but instead of saying anything he just pointed down at his legs. Where Lucky¡¯s head emerged, grinning from ear to ear, showing enough teeth that a shark would become jealous.


    The waitress let out a little eep, and Lucky remerged with Sam¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°I¡¯m not as defenseless as that man thinks¡­¡± he said with an impish smile.


    <hr>


    Before going to the address he dropped by the bounty office to check out the available bounties, as he had a very strange feeling he would need it. Surprisingly, Herbert¡¯s face wasn¡¯t among the pictures on the bounty board.


    Still, he took one for everyone and bought a few restraining artifacts from the shop inside the building.


    Then he returned to walking around the city, but now instead of meandering around, he had a specific purpose. He wanted to know what the Steel Lions were doing in the city.


    It didn¡¯t take long to find the Steel Lion¡¯s headquarters in a building not far from one of the merchant princes¡¯ office buildings. ¡®So they allied with the¡­ White Albatross Company¡­ good to know!¡¯


    The building was protected by several Steel Lion players in heavy armor while a few players and NPCs entered through the door after showing some kind of identification. Following a few workers dressed with the guild¡¯s logo, he found several warehouses near each other that were also protected by stationary and patrolling guild players. Apparently, the guild didn¡¯t want to leave anything to chance.


    Though as Sam observed the patrols and guards, he could see several blind spots as well as holes in the protection setup. However, based on what Katie told him about her father and what he knew about people like that, he was pretty sure he had some security expert working on him.


    And that security expert probably left those holes there on purpose to see who would take advantage of them.


    For a moment he contemplated walking into the trap and wreaking havoc, but then he had a genius idea. Instead, he dug around his inventory and retrieved a few pieces of paper and a writing implement, and began scribbling down information about the patrols and the holes in them.


    ¡®After all, it is pretty rude to show up without a gift¡­¡¯ he thought with a chuckle as he continued to write.

 Chapter 104

    As the sun set behind the horizon, casting the city of Deepanchor into an orange glow, the shadows lengthened and beings who disdained the light began to stir.


    The city streets also slowly began to fill with the beginnings of nightlife that could be found in any port. The hawkers slowly packed up their stands or blankets, either happy with the day¡¯s earnings or disappointedly looking at their empty coin bags.


    Certain quarters of the city began to shine with inviting lights, women in all sorts of clothing filling the street, smiling flirtatiously at people walking by.


    Sam walked around a little, enjoying the sights, and the smells emanating from the restaurants and stands serving quick meals to those who wanted to fortify their body against the alcohol they would be drinking, or to those who were returning home from a hard day of work.


    He navigated around pickpockets that were attracted to the crowds filling the streets, as well as tiny maybe-fey children running around annoying people, or snacking on food and sitting on the edge of the streets and watching people while chatting and laughing with each other.


    As Sam walked by, one of the children, indistinguishable from the others thanks to their androgynous look and the dirt covering them, looked directly into Sam¡¯s eyes and smiled.


    The smile was unnatural, much wider than it should have been possible, and containing razor-sharp teeth.


    Then Sam blinked, and the child was back to normal, chatting with their friends as if nothing happened.


    He shook his head and hurried away. Fey always creeped him out¡­


    <hr>


    The meeting place on the small piece of paper that was given to him indicated a small square where a few warehouses had their entrance. The cobblestone streets were dirty, and based on the graffiti and the general gunk on the walls and the ground, Sam was pretty sure it was one of the less frequented areas of the city.


    As he approached the address, he saw a lot of homeless people, some of them real, some of them clearly there to keep an eye on the area, their generally higher amount of mana, and their control over said mana, giving them away.


    He studiously ignored them, as the character he was currently playing wouldn¡¯t notice them. Though he made sure to stop by a few of them and put a few coppers in their collection cups with a smile.


    Arriving at the square, with a small well in the middle covered by a wooden roof, for a minute he was alone, then the doors of one of the warehouses opened and Herbert appeared, furtively looking around then smiling at Sam.


    ¡°Timmy! You¡¯re here!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Tom, Herbert¡­¡± he said, acting exasperated.


    [Quest ¡°Seaside opportunity¡± completed!]


    [You managed to meet up with your new friend within the time frame specified. Go you!]


    [Reward: Increased reputation with Herbert]


    The other man walked closer and nodded with a smile. ¡°Alright, Rob! I¡¯m glad you came!¡±


    Sam just sighed, playing up the annoyance and gave Herbert an awkward smile.


    ¡°Hopefully, it will be worth it¡­¡±


    The other man slapped him on the back and exclaimed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my young friend. You¡¯ll make more money than you know what to do with¡­¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    Herbert smirked at him.


    ¡°You just need to help us move some merchandise,¡± he turned around and pointed at the warehouse he came out of. ¡°From there to the harbor.¡±


    ¡°This late?¡±


    Herbert just shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°The clients always want the product yesterday¡­ You know how it is¡­¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t even have to fake the commiserating tone of his voice. ¡°That I do!¡±


    Herbert laughed out loud, then looked around once again and began ushering Sam toward the warehouse door.


    ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s get started!¡±


    <hr>


    Inside the warehouse was bustling with activity. People looking much more suspicious than Herbert were walking around and placing crates on a horse-drawn cart at one end of the warehouse. None of them were wearing any kind of uniform, and most of them had a weapon on them.


    ¡®Can¡¯t look more suspicious than that¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he took in everybody. ¡®Sadly, none of them are on the top ten of the bounty board. But I can see a few who had a price on their head¡­¡¯


    As they stepped through the door all eyes fell on them scrutinizing both him and Herbert for a long moment before everybody returned to their job.


    Sam looked around curiously, as well as reaching out with his mana to see if there was anything dangerous close by. But the only thing he could sense were the broken defenses on the warehouse and the frankly tiny amount of mana these robbers had.


    He was then directed to the front of the warehouse (which he pretended not to notice) and was told to start taking crates from one of the stacks and put them near the carriage.


    ¡°And the contract?¡± he asked, looking worried.


    Herbert just smiled. ¡°Trust me, my friend! We need these crates to start moving, we can deal with the details tomorrow after we are finished¡­¡±


    ¡°A-alright, if you think so¡­¡± he answered causing an ugly grin to sprout on Herbert¡¯s face.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    <hr>


    For an hour he just did what they asked him. He took crates from one stack and placed them next to the carriage where one of the grizzly men looked them over and selected a few based on some unknown criterion. The rest of the people in the warehouse did the same, staying silent and only speaking in low tones near each other out of Sam¡¯s hearing range.


    Then his mana senses prickled and Sam had to hold back his smile.


    When he was at the bounty office, walking near a few grizzly people who looked like they ate gravel for breakfast without milk, he dropped off a small piece of paper with the address he was given, plus Herbert¡¯s name.


    It seemed the bait was taken.


    Not even a second later the activity increased inside the warehouse.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    ¡°Who tipped them off?¡±


    ¡°Who is coming?¡±


    And then after half a minute of a frantic discussion, one person had a very logical thought.


    ¡°Where the fuck is the new guy?¡±


    But Sam was already gone.


    <hr>


    Sam watched from the top of the nearby warehouse as several bounty hunters swarmed the warehouse and a fight broke out. He could¡¯ve taken out every one of them alone, but he had another purpose with this charade.


    He watched as the fight went on and crafty Herbert tried to sneak away holding a box in his hands tightly, stress clearly seen on his face.


    Sam raised his hand and formed a small sphere of wind, then after some calculation, he narrowed his eyes and released the sphere. The sphere of wind traveled too fast for anyone to see, impacting the side of the warehouse, instantly expanding, causing an explosion and a shower of debris that momentarily distracted everyone.


    But most importantly, it threw poor Herbert to the ground, having him let go of the box. Sam jumped down the roof and with the help of his speed-increasing skill quickly opened the box, noted the glass container full of some kind of white powder, and quickly deposited the notes he had made.


    Closing the box he put the box near Herbert¡¯s hands, and by the time the scammer gathered his wits, he was hidden by the shadows of a nearby alley.


    ¡°Holy shit! Holy shit! I have to get out of here¡­¡± the man muttered to himself as he scrambled to his feet, grabbed the box without looking, and sprinted away from the partially demolished warehouse as the bounty hunters began to holler in cheer as they identified a few men among the people stealing from the warehouse.


    Sam smiled and began walking away. After all, cool guys didn¡¯t look at explosions.


    ¡®A job well done, now how about that property deeds¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    Sam had two quests in mind that would allow him to get some properties in the city. The first one involved going around, talking with people, then killing something really strong.


    However, he preferred the other one. It involved going around, talking with fewer people, then going around again, and then killing something strong.


    The difference between the two quest chains?


    The Loot!


    He grinned, knowing he had sowed some rather chaotic seeds, and headed for another inn. He had a quest to get.


    His target was the Giggling Donkey Inn, where a well-known NPC resided. It was another NPC that became famous after people figured out their quest chain. Before that, they were one of those annoying NPCs that cried a river and gave a stupid quest that could be solved in five minutes but didn¡¯t give any more rewards. The man just cried more.


    However, once again, thanks to his foreknowledge, Sam knew where those people went wrong.


    The Giggling Donkey was a traditional inn, catering more to the low-level merchants compared to Anchor Away which was exclusively a sailor and ne¡¯er-do-well inn.


    The area was much cleaner, and the people looked less likely to shank him and more likely to cheat him out of his money.


    He entered through the door and was instantly hit by the sound level of the people chatting in the big hall of the inn. Wherever he looked, he could only see merchants and businessmen doing business, discussing business, or preparing to do the aforementioned two things.


    Sam nodded to the bartender ¨C another grizzled, old man cleaning a glass with a rag ¨C who returned the nod and then motioned with his head toward the back where Sam could spot a few empty tables. He bowed his head a little then held up a finger. The barkeeper in response put down the glass he was cleaning and went to get him a drink.


    He then maneuvered around people until reaching an empty table. Taking a surreptitious look around Sam smiled inwardly when he spotted his quarry.


    There he was, an old man, dressed in old clothes that had seen better days, stained with all manner of things, holding a pint of beer between his hands and looking like he had spent the past few years crying.


    As soon as he sat down, a waitress appeared, dressed similarly to the one he had met back in Anchor Away. She placed the beer in front of him, and he held a silver up in his hand. The young woman¡¯s eyes began to sparkle, and showing that she had been working for a while at this pace, instantly spoke up.


    ¡°How can I help you, sir?¡±


    Sam nodded toward the crying old man.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±


    The girl let out a disappointed sigh.


    ¡°Oh, I thought it would be more interesting. That old man is James Morrison. He was a merchant before handing over the reins to his son. Who went out one day and never returned.¡± She smiled sadly, looking at the old man. ¡°He spends most of his days here trying to find the location of his son on the bottom of a beer.¡±


    Sam handed over the silver. ¡°Thank you, miss!¡±


    The silver vanished between two blinks.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, sir!¡± Based on the smile on her face, Sam was pretty sure he had overpaid for the information. ¡°Anything else I can help you with?¡±


    Sam gave her a smile and a shake of his head. ¡°No thanks, but you¡¯ve been very helpful. I will make sure to find you if I want to know something!¡±


    The young woman grinned at him and leaned a little closer, showcasing her generous bosom, and began whispering. ¡°Name¡¯s Sandy. I know a lot of things, mister¡­¡±


    Sam winked at her and she returned it before flouncing away, heading toward another customer who was waving his hand.


    He waited for a minute then took his beer, stood up, and walked up to the old man¡¯s table along the wall.


    ¡°Is this seat taken?¡±


    The man just grunted, not even looking up from his drink. Sam took it as an affirmative and sat down across from the man.


    They sat there for a long minute, both of them occasionally sipping their drinks, then the old man let out a bone-weary sigh and looked up at Sam with empty eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re an adventurer, right?¡± he asked, his words slurring a little.


    ¡°That I am, sir,¡± he answered simply.


    ¡°You know how to search?¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°Worked with druids before. Got good senses.¡±


    The man nodded as if not even registering his words.


    ¡°Good, then go out and find my son¡¯s ship. I have only a need for one thing. A ring. A family ring,¡± the old man muttered, as if he was in a trance. ¡°Return that to me, and I¡¯ll reward you handsomely.¡±


    ¡°You got a deal, old man.¡±


    The older man nodded and returned gazing into the depths of his lukewarm drink.


    Sam, however, was distracted by the notification screen.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Another seaside opportunity]


    [This time you were promised reward by an old and sad gentleman. Let¡¯s see if this goes better than the last one! Go out and find the ship that carried the old man¡¯s son and retrieve the ring he wants to hold in his hand.


    [Time Limit: None]


    [Reward: A handsome reward]


    [Penalty: The old man will become sadder!]


    Nodding in satisfaction he downed the last of his drink, said his goodbye to the old man and then Sandy at the door, and left the Giggling Donkey Inn. He needed to hurry. There was research to be done to satisfy the system that he didn''t pull the location of the sunken ship out of his ass. Sadly, he knew from his inherited memories that the old man would be useless, as he was so grief stricken that he couldn''t even tell you what color his son''s eyes were. Thankfully, there were several information brokers in the harbor city who even knew what type of underwear the Morrison heir preferred.


    After that, the next step in the quest would be acquiring transportation. Thankfully, he had wind magic, so getting a small sailing boat would be enough for his purposes. While Deepanchor was next to a seacliff with unfathomable depth, the ship sunk at a part where the seafloor was merely deep and not abyss-deep.


    With his Mana Shield, Mana Sense, and the Rebreather Liz crafted it would be an easy journey¡­

 Chapter 105

    Sam stepped out of the Giggling Donkey satisfied and confident. He would need to do some research, as while he had a general idea of where the ship was, it would be much easier to find an information broker that would be able to tell him the coordinates.


    Still, time was of the essence, so he needed to hurry a little.


    Walking among the night crowd he thought about his options.


    The bounty hunter guild and almost every other guild had an information broker, but sadly, he hadn¡¯t joined any guild. He was holding out for the Runic Guild in the Capital. Sadly, one couldn¡¯t belong to more than one guild, unless they achieved master tier with the core skill of said guild, or paid a lot of money.


    So, the doors of those information brokers wouldn¡¯t be open to him. Though he had the money to pay the fees, he didn¡¯t want to waste gold if he had other options.


    The second option was approaching the ¡®homeless children¡¯ roaming the city. As the thought went through his mind, Sam shuddered and shook his head. ¡®No, for now, let¡¯s leave that alone¡­¡¯


    Coincidentally, as he walked by a small but very dark alley, he heard chilling laughter in the distance.


    Shuddering again, he began walking faster, trying to banish the images the laughter inspired in his mind.


    The last option was going to be the independent brokers. Who usually operated on the introduction system. However, now that he started a chain of events that would annoy the Steel Lions, he would have to alter his past plans. No doubt, thanks to his meddling, people ¨C NPCs and players ¨C would move around, invalidating a lot of his knowledge. ¡®Ugh, sometimes I hate my impulsiveness¡­¡¯


    Sam stopped near the water and looked out to the sea as it was illuminated by the lights from the night light and the rapidly rising moon.


    He leaned against the rails for a minute, mind furiously wondering how to deal with a situation of his own making. In the background laughter, general shenanigans, and people making merry provided background music to his thoughts.


    After almost ten minutes, he pushed away the railing, dodged a grabby lady of the night who seemed to be hunting for a client, then with another step, he avoided a pickpocket and began heading back to the city center, away from the merry crowds and petty criminals.


    <hr>


    The city center of Deepanchor was much smaller than Ironwood. It contained the building for the administration, which dealt with city business as well as some shipping things. A very big and rich-looking merchant association with a few more buildings that every city needed.


    He was heading for one of the smaller ones.


    Despite its size, there was a sizable crowd in front of his chosen building. He walked past the line of scholarly, or shifty-looking people, as they waited, either grumbling or doing something to pass the time. There were a few mocking looks as he approached the doors, but to his surprise, nobody tried to ¡®educate¡¯ him. ¡®They probably don¡¯t want to jeopardize their spot¡­¡¯ he thought with a chuckle.


    The guards eyed him, a little tense, prepared for a fight, but then he retrieved his library card and they visibly relaxed, while the people nearer the door let out an audible groan at the sight of the small card. Access to the libraries was still limited thanks to the large influx of people, and as the players were starting to get desperate, they started trying to do crazier and crazier things to enter, causing the libraries to lock down the facilities even harder. A vicious cycle that caused unending grief to those who entered the game too late.


    There was not an insignificant number of complaints on the official forums. However, the developers just told the players that the game was alive, and this was the reaction to the players¡¯ behavior. If they wanted more access they should behave better.


    That dev post resulted in a lot of salt but not much else.


    Not that Sam minded, he had the library card that worked in most libraries that were set up by the kingdom. With private libraries or guild ones, he would need to seek separate access.


    The guard raised his hand and cast a simple spell that caused a symbol on the card to glow with gentle light. He lowered his hand and gave Sam a respectful nod. ¡°Welcome, sir, to the Deepanchor Library.¡±


    Sam returned the nod and as the guard stepped aside to allow him to enter, he listened with relish to the players still left outside.


    Inside was just as silent as one would expect a library to be. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of people turning pages and a few people walking around.


    In the middle of the building, there was a circular desk -slash-counter with sea-themed reliefs on the lower part and an elderly librarian sitting behind it, writing into something.


    Sam walked up to it, as silent as possible, and placed his hand on the counter. The small sound his hand made upon contact was enough to get the old lady¡¯s attention. She looked up with a severe, but not unkind, look and quirked an eyebrow.


    He bowed his head and spoke up softly.


    ¡°Greetings..¡± Then he took his library card, put it on the counter, and pushed it forward. ¡°I¡¯m looking for information,¡± he explained softly.


    The woman took the card and cast a spell, a more complex one than the guard''s, based on the feeling he got through his Mana Sense.


    The symbol once again glowed on the card, then the woman frowned a little, and cast the spell again. However, the symbol stayed glowing. ¡®Probably checking if it is legit¡­¡¯ he mused as he waited for the verdict.


    Stolen story; please report.


    The glow died down, and the card was passed back to him.


    ¡°Before I can help you, young man,¡± the woman began, looking surreptitiously around. Sam raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°I would like to see your Grimoire, young man.¡±


    Sam blinked, surprised once again, but then shrugged.


    He brought both of his hands forward and with a brief exertion, he replicated the spell without saying anything.


    With a brief flash of light, the mysterious-looking book appeared on the counter. The book was around four fingers thick, looking black with white highlights and a snarling wolf emblazoned on it in silver.


    The librarian reached forward and cast another spell on the book. Sam felt the mana intrude on the construct, but it wasn¡¯t disruptive so he just let it happen.


    After a few seconds, the old woman retracted the mana and made a dismissive motion. Sam understood the message and dissolved the book.


    She gave him a deeper look, then nodded.


    ¡°Very well. How can the Deepanchor Library help you on this fine day?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for information on local ship accidents.¡±


    ¡°Sunken?¡±


    ¡°Yes, probably not over the cliff but I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    The old woman looked thoughtful. ¡°Do you have the ship¡¯s name?¡±


    Sam shook his head. ¡°No. But I have a name.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Morrisons.¡±


    There was an understanding on the woman¡¯s face. ¡°Ahh, you spoke with Jamie¡­¡±


    ¡°You know him?¡±


    ¡°We grew up in the same¡­ circles¡­¡± came the hesitant answer. She took a deep breath and then continued. ¡°We actually have a list and approximate location of all sunken ships, mostly to avoid ghost infestations and things like that.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s convenient¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed, young man¡­¡± She then stood up and gave him a small but sad smile. ¡°If you could follow me?¡±


    <hr>


    After a small journey, Sam was left alone with a giant book that was little more than several parchments bound together with thread, that contained the information he sought. Plus, on the way, he collected a few books about the local monsters he could come upon, plus a nifty little book that contained runes related to water.


    The librarian made sure he was comfortable and then vanished among the bookshelves.


    He looked at the pile of books and sighed.


    ¡°Oh, well¡­ No need to procrastinate! Let¡¯s start with some monster information¡­¡± he murmured, quietly of course, and took one of the books and opened it.


    He inhaled the scent of the book and started to read with a small smile on his face.


    <hr>


    It took him a day and a little more time to read the books he wanted, plus finding the probable location of the wreck he was looking for on the map he brought with himself.


    Though, after he finished reading the collected records of accidents, wars, monster attacks, and other types of conflicts that had sunk ships, he had a very strong feeling that he wasn¡¯t really supposed to have access to the information. It very clearly contained information that was not fit for general consumption.


    Like a full list of cargo, true and false associations. Real owners along with the fake names on the manifestos, as well as information about which ships participated in smuggling activities.


    Sam had hoped that the library worked as an information clearing house, but he expected that he would have to sweet talk the librarian to access it. However, it seemed his action back in Ironwood resulted in some nice consequences.


    Later, he would have to look into what that symbol meant on his card, but for now, he was happy that it allowed him easier access to restricted information.


    Aside from getting info on the sunken ship he was after, he also managed to raise one of his skills and a new title.


    [You learned the following runes related to the water: ¡­]


    [Journeyman Runecarver is now Level 13!]


    [Illusionary Runes is now Level 3!]


    [You researched more than a hundred monsters in detail, in different environments!]


    [You are granted the Sensible Hunter title!]


    [Sensible Hunter: Every hunter studies their prey. You do too. Increased critical chance by 5% against monsters.]


    Happy with his gains, he packed his notes and map up. He made sure to organize the books he had borrowed, but before he could begin to exit the labyrinth of bookshelves, the old librarian appeared and picked up the list of incidents with a deft movement.


    ¡°Found everything you needed, young man?¡± she asked with a knowing smile as the loose collection of papers vanished into the ether from her hands.


    Sam performed a forty-five-degree bow.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. Thank you for the chance.¡±


    He was rewarded with a warm smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see that my coworker wasn¡¯t wrong about you.¡±


    Sam wisely kept quiet. There was a time and place for that, and this clearly wasn¡¯t it.


    Before he could say anything she continued. ¡°I would dearly appreciate it if you could keep me appraised with your search¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, ma¡¯am. That¡¯s the least I can do¡­¡±


    <hr>


    He left the library with a similar line standing in front of it and guards giving him a respectful salute.


    Sam looked around, ignoring how several people in the line were trying to get his attention then after quickly organizing his thoughts, he began to walk toward the harbor.


    The harbor in Deepanchor was sectioned into several districts. One was for bulk products, for the big ships coming from all sorts of places. One was for the ¡®important¡¯ people, that is the rich people, behind locks so that the merchants who actually ruled the city didn¡¯t have to mingle with the ¡®peasants¡¯. Then there was the common area, where smaller merchants could dock as well as ships that operated as transportation for people. Hidden at one side, behind tall walls were the military docks, where the ships that patrolled the waters around Deepanchor rested after spending time on the open waters. And directly opposite of that on the far end of the harbor was the hobbyist district. This is where the smaller ships docked, anything from small fishing vessels to hobby sailors who only went out when the weather was excellent.


    And this is where he was headed.


    Sam looked around, watching as all types of people walked to and fro, while several player groups were embarking and disembarking small ships. No doubt coming back from fishing or pirate-hunting quests.


    Thankfully, according to the information he gathered, the sunken ship was at a calm part of the sea, which meant that either something catastrophic happened with the ship, or there was enemy action.


    The only thing giving him anxiety was that the coordinates showed that the ship was pretty close to the cliff that led to the deep abyss. He was strong, but even so, Sam doubted he could go toe to toe with the monsters in the depths.


    Shaking his head, trying to get rid of the errant thoughts, he began walking forward, his head on a swivel, trying to find a person who would be amenable to rent him their boat.


    After an hour of looking, he got lucky. A small twenty-foot skiff, with a grizzled old man who was a man of few words.


    ¡°So you are agreeable to taking me out to a spot?¡±


    ¡°Yepp,¡± came the short answer as the old man, with grey hair and a stained overall looked back at him with a placid expression.


    Sam nodded. ¡°Price?¡±


    ¡°Location?¡±


    Sam took out the map and showed it to the old man. He didn¡¯t see any recognition in the man¡¯s eyes, but one never knew with people like that. Plus, sailors were always mysterious¡­ especially old sailors like this man. Sam could even feel a solid core of water mana settled very comfortably inside the man, showing that he was once a force to be reckoned with.


    ¡°Nuthin¡¯¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Good spot. Good fish.¡±


    Sam nodded again. ¡°When do you go?¡±


    The man chewed something for a moment then answered. ¡°Now.¡±


    ¡°Then, permission to come aboard, captain?¡±

 Chapter 106

    After stepping onto the ship the captain busied himself with some tasks and Sam looked around. Honestly, there wasn¡¯t much to look at, but he took the time to fire off several Clean spells to clear up the decades of grime and muck from the gray deck of the skiff. Which turned out to be pine colored.


    ¡®Huh, well that¡¯s something¡­¡¯


    When the captain saw it, he just let out a pleased-sounding grunt and then pointed at several areas while Sam dutifully used his spell several more times. The end result was a clean ship, a less frowny old scallywag, and him sitting on a seat that wasn¡¯t sticky with grime.


    All in all, worth the mana spent on it.


    With the preparations completed, the captain pulled up the anchor and Sam felt the mana starting to move in the older man¡¯s body, heading somewhere at the bottom of the ship. ¡®Probably, a propeller¡­¡¯


    Soon, they left the marina, and with the sail unfurled they were heading toward their destination.


    Sam just sat at the back and enjoyed the sea, the wind whipping at his face, while using his Mana Sense to make sure that nobody followed them over the water or under.


    It took around an hour of leisurely sailing before the sails were taken in, and the old man let out a grunt.


    Sam looked up from his reading upon hearing it.


    ¡°We''ve arrived?¡±


    Another grunt for his answer.


    ¡°Anchor down?¡±


    SPLASH


    Followed by one more grunt.


    ¡°Thanks, Captain!¡±


    There were no more grunts. The old man instead busied himself with taking out a tackle box and a spiffy-looking fishing rod, ready to cull the local fish population.


    Sam also stood up and began his own preparations.


    He took off his cloak, placing it into his inventory, then he took off his boots and socks, replacing them with simple flippers he got in one of the hobbyist shops in Deepanchor. Then he made sure all of his armor was fixed properly and put everything that wasn¡¯t necessary into his inventory. No sense, after all, to lose something down in the murky depths. Finally, he retrieved simple diving goggles ¨C also bought in the hobbyist shop ¨C and the rebreather Liz crafted. He affixed them to his face, making sure there were no gaps, and began warming up while also circulating his mana and reaffirming the presence of his Mana Shield.


    Then with a final stretch, he stepped forward and launched himself off the ship, leaving an old man with his fishing rod staring at the spot where he had just been.


    ¡°Ridiculous¡­¡± the man murmured, then shrugged and sat down in his usual, albeit clean spot to wait for his client to return.


    <hr>


    The water was cold.


    Very cold, but thanks to his armor and mana, soon the cold faded into the background. Sam looked around and cast his senses out. It took only a few minutes, while he was heading deeper to find something that wasn¡¯t natural water mana. He sensed several low-powered artifacts, some of them familiar from when he was walking around in the harbor.


    Heading toward it, he made sure to be aware of everything. Water after all wasn¡¯t his preferred medium. Nemo he was not.


    As he sunk deeper and deeper, he could see less and less. This was solved by conjuring a ball of light and then strengthening it while constraining the light in front of him, essentially creating a high-strength light beam. Even with the magical light, the colors were rapidly washing out, leaving everything with a gray tint.


    However, before Sam could contemplate this, he soon spotted the first non-natural landmark. The deteriorated remains of a wooden mast.


    Directing his gaze, and most importantly his light downward, he finally laid his eyes on the missing ship. It was laying on its side, and Sam could see a giant empty area where the middle of the keel was supposed to be. Distressingly, the hole looked as if something had taken a bite out of it.


    Almost next to the ship, instead of the seafloor was inky darkness, as the ship slept eternally, only a few yards away from the true abyss.


    Sam spent a good minute taking in the site, as well as trying to pierce the all-consuming darkness with his light, but as he suspected, the abyss was an abyss for a reason.


    A simple light spell wouldn¡¯t reveal its secrets.


    Instead, he turned back to the ship and widened the light beam, searching for any identifying marks.


    It took a little swimming around the ship but he managed to find the logo of the Morrison Merchant Company on one of the pieces of wood debris, lying on the seafloor, heavily covered in sea life.


    Satisfied, he did another wide area check with his senses, but he could only sense the water mana swirling around the currents and the innumerable fishes and other life all around him.


    ¡®Welp, time to search the ship¡­¡¯


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    He did an imaginary knuckle crack and began moving toward the wreck.


    <hr>


    The search was useless.


    The ship had clearly been picked clean by people previously. He couldn¡¯t even find a skeleton, not to mention treasure. He searched the ship from the top to the bottom, from the front to the back, even going so far as to cut holes into the remaining walls of the ship so that he could access areas that other people seemingly didn¡¯t.


    But everything was empty. Suspiciously empty.


    Sam hovered in the water, his light beam going all over the ship while he probed the area with it, hoping to see something that would illuminate the situation.


    Sadly, it wasn¡¯t meant to be as he sensed something moving in the water mana. However, before he could react, a giant tentacle unfurled from the abyss beyond the ship and grabbed him with surprising speed.


    Sam felt himself rocketing toward the abyss, carried in the giant tentacle and thought.


    ¡®Now I know what took a bite out of the ship¡­¡¯


    He hurtled through the water, hands constrained by the tentacle. Finally, after a second of rapid movement, he came to a stop and his light illuminated a giant octopus-like monster clinging to the wall of the sea cliff.


    Naturally, it had eight legs, one of which was holding Sam, two were covered in barbs that looked rather unfriendly and were closing on Sam¡¯s head, while the rest of them were used by the monster to cling to the wall. Its skin was colored exactly like the wall, though whether it was natural or some kind of chameleon-like biological mechanism, was up in the air. Or rather water.


    And in the middle of its body was a giant beak, big enough to be the one that took a bite out of the ship, and as the monster opened it, ready to munch on Sam, he could see rows upon rows of extremely sharp-looking teeth.


    ¡®Oh, boy, time to get out of here!¡¯


    With barely a flex of his will, he activated Wind Blade Storm, turning into a small water tornado, while shredding the tentacle holding him at the same time.


    The octopus monster let out a screech, and another two tentacles joined the ones already heading for his head, while the damaged one retreated. Though Sam knew, or at least guessed, that the monster had some kind of regeneration.


    Honestly, without any specialized skill for fighting underwater monsters, he didn¡¯t have much chance against something that lived ¨C at least partially ¨C in the abyss.


    But he didn¡¯t have to win. Just get away from the monster.


    Thus started the battle.


    Sam began by sending several barrages of Wind Bullets mixed with Wind Blades at the giant octopus with tentacles that were thicker than a grown male.


    The tentacled monster retaliated by releasing a cloud of ink, muddying the water, not just by obscuring what little vision Sam had, but by also confusing the mana around him.


    Seeing as he couldn¡¯t sense the monster, Sam instantly enveloped himself with another Blade Storm, just in time for the two tentacles ending in barbs to crash into it.


    As the tentacles retreated a little, he used the momentary breather to shoot air downwards to propel himself back over the sea shelf. Fighting over the abyss was causing his anxiety to skyrocket.


    He barely moved a few feet before the tentacles returned and he was back fighting the monster.


    Activating his Wind Movement and Shadow Grace he managed to gain enough speed that he could somewhat react to the monster¡¯s movements as his Mana Sense was completely shot thanks to the ink dispersed in the water.


    Soon, the water was filled with tentacles flailing and him surrounded by a tornado worth of Wind Blades, while he dodged the water jets fired from the tentacled monster¡¯s mouth. Thankfully, the Flow skill was extremely useful in the water. He could feel and react to the smallest movement of the water. However, it was only thanks to his speed-increasing skills that he could complete said movements.


    The first tentacle he damaged was already back, completely healed, ready to rip him apart.


    Thankfully, despite the aggressive octopus, he was getting closer and closer to the shelf.


    Another tentacle tried to grab him by his leg to pull him down, but he just let loose an overpowered Wind Blade leaving a cut on the tentacle and causing the monster to retract it. Using this small break, he directed a giant wind bullet directly downward and shot up with incredible speed.


    ¡®Holy fuck! That¡¯s one tenacious fucker¡­¡¯


    He thought as he crossed the imaginary line between the sea shelf and the abyss.


    Sadly, the monster didn¡¯t much care for this line, and Sam could see the giant tentacles emerge from the darkness.


    However, thanks to the distance he put between himself and the monster he finally had time to take a breather and use a skill he didn¡¯t dare to use while he was over the abyss.


    He raised both of his hands as his flippered feet kept him in one place and began charging up a massive Wind Explosion.


    Sam took a moment to channel enough mana into the spell to cause some damage, then simply kept holding the swirling mass of destructive mana as the tentacles continued to grow bigger and bigger until the head of the monster emerged from the abyss.


    For the first time, Sam could look directly into the malevolent eyes of the monster.


    The only thing he could see there was hunger.


    He waited until he could see the maw of the monster and then let go of the sphere of destruction.


    ¡®Eat this, bitch!¡¯


    The ball of mana shot through the water, disturbing the sediment for a moment then¡­


    BAAAMMM


    The moment it happened, Sam was sent careening backward while everything was covered in ink and sand.


    <hr>


    He shook his head, trying to regain his bearing as he was buffeted around by the aftershocks of the explosion that he caused.


    Oddly detached, he absentmindedly noted that he had lost several layers of his Mana Shield and one of his flippers, and the right lens of his goggles was cracked.


    ¡®Right, time to get back to the ship¡­¡¯ he mused as he cast out once more with his Mana Sense.


    Sadly, the ink was still in the water so he only got back confusing images. However, there were no tentacles or giant octopus monsters. And as he looked around, there were no more ships either as a very big part of the sea shelf was missing.


    ¡®Better than being a meal for a sea monster¡­¡¯ he thought morbidly before turning upward and using gentle pushes with his wind mana began rising.


    He didn¡¯t want to get decompression sickness so he made sure to rest every few feet until he could see the surface light. Sam extinguished his own light and tried to not rush upward.


    Finally, he broke the surface near the boat.


    He grabbed hold of the edge and pulled himself upwards, until he was sitting on the deck, breathing heavily, exhausted.


    Sam ripped the goggles off, threw them into his inventory, then gently removed the rebreather and made an attempt to dry his face with a nearby towel.


    Then as he was partially clean, he frowned and looked up.


    Over him, grinning from ear to ear, was a person holding a crossbow aiming directly at his face.


    A quick glance to the side showed that the captain of the skiff was held up with a similar individual holding another crossbow.


    The man naturally noticed that Sam finally saw him and opened his mouth, showcasing his abysmal dental hygiene.


    ¡°Hands up, idiot!¡±


    Sam naturally raised his hands, stone-faced.


    ¡°Good! Now stand up slowly and don¡¯t even think about any funny business!¡± came the instruction from the man. He followed the instruction and as he stood he also looked around.


    To his surprise, next to the small skiff was a bigger ship, with several pirates looking down on them, also grinning.


    ¡°Now what?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Now you come with us, to enjoy our¡­ hospitality!¡± came the answer which was finished by a chortle, while the people up on the bigger ship openly laughed.


    ¡°Oh no, just not that¡­¡±

 Chapter 107

    In short order Sam was escorted at crossbow point to the bigger ship, while the old man was left on his small skiff, looking after them with an unreadable expression. Just to be sure, the pirate next to him slapped a cuff on his wrists.


    Sam sent the man a small wink as he walked up the gangplank, and he would swear that he could see a small smirk on the gruff sailor¡¯s face.


    The pirates¡¯ ship was an old caravel with two sails and almost no decoration. Apparently, these criminals knew how to keep a low profile.


    He was led up the gangplank, which was immediately removed, and several other pirates joined the one with the crossbow to escort Sam. Surprisingly, nobody stopped to give him a villainous monologue, and by the time he was led under the deck, he didn¡¯t even glimpse the captain of the caravel.


    In all honesty, Lucky could have destroyed the entire group, but as he read the notification screen before him, he simply bore the indignity and allowed himself to be chained up.


    [The quest ¡°Another seaside opportunity¡± has been completed!]


    [You found nothing but rotting remains and disgruntled locals, and then you were captured by pirates! Oh, the humanity¡­]


    [You received a new quest!]


    [The booty of mystery!]


    [You were captured by a mysterious group of pirates, who make up for their abysmal hygiene with their organizational skills. You are currently being taken somewhere. Make sure to survive! Also, if there is a chance, get some booty!]


    [Time Limit: Until you die!]


    [Reward: A handsome reward, survival]


    [Penalty: Death]


    As Sam was left alone in his new, but rather cramped home, chained to the ground, behind bars, all he could feel was bafflement.


    ¡®Why would they leave a mage alone?¡¯


    Then he cautiously extended his Mana Sense, only to recoil as his mana made contact with the bars. They actively repulsed his mana. Hell, even under the wooden floor he could sense some of the same material. ¡®Anti-magic metal¡­ how cute¡­¡¯ he mused with a smirk. Though why the cuffs on his wrist weren¡¯t made from the metal slightly confused him.


    Instead of stopping with his Mana Sense, he just took hold of it and began shaping it into a thin line, which he then threaded through the bars, making sure to avoid the anti-magic aura of the metal bars.


    In better prisons, sheets of the same metals were used to cover the entire surface of the prison, exactly for this reason.


    As soon as the mana was through the bars, he began inflating it at the end, like a balloon through a straw, then sent that mana through the ship as a pulse.


    He processed the information he got back from it, then leaned back to the wall, and relaxed while casting a Clean on himself to get rid of the sand and gunk from the fight.


    They were moving, away from the land, toward the open sea. Exactly where he wanted to go.


    Smirking to himself he opened his notifications and continued checking it out to see his gains from the last few days.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 30!]


    [Mana Channeling is now Level 3!]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 72!]


    [Layered Mana Shield is now Level 4!]


    [Mana Resonance is now Level 5!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 28!]


    [Synchronization is now Level 1!]


    Sam was very satisfied when he saw that Mana Well has reached Level 4 with 99% experience. An auspicious timing, as in the Capital he would be able to upgrade it.


    [Mana Gaze is now Level 8!]


    [Controlled Slash is now Level 3!]


    [Triple Mana Slash is now Level 3!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 66!]


    [Mana Disruption is now Level 15!]


    [Spell Layering is now Level 18!]


    [Mana Construct is now Level 20!]


    [Light Ball III is now Level 5!]


    [Clean IV is now Level 7!]


    [Wind Blade Storm is now Level 6!]


    [Wind Explosion is now Level 3!]


    [Wind Movement is now Level 37!]


    [Aerodynamic is now Level 3!]


    [Wind Edge III is now Level 8!]


    [Greater Wind Affinity is now Level 17!]


    [Gentle Wind is now Level 2!]


    Another increase in magical skills. Honestly, he was most interested in the cleaning spell. Sam knew from his inherited memories that it was a skill that most people acquired while playing for convenience, but seeing how the spell evolved he wanted to see what a really high-level Clean spell could do. The other Sam never heard about anybody who leveled the skill above IV, but Sam suspected this happened because the spell turned out to be too powerful to share.


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    [Active Meditation is now Level 49!]


    [Spirit Link is now Level 40!]


    [Spirit Connection is now Level 4!]


    [Advanced Shadow Footwork is now Level 15!]


    [Shadow Grace is now Level 7!]


    [Shadow Burst II is now Level 4!]


    [Shadow Mirage is now Level 19!]


    [Mirage Obfuscation is now Level 1!]


    [Shadow Transformation is now Level 17!]


    [Shadow Shield is now Level 24!]


    [Shadow Cloud is now Level 4!]


    [Greater Shadow Affinity is now Level 18!]


    [Shadowstride is now Level 1!]


    Reading over the Active Meditation skill and seeing how close it was to maxing out, Sam made a note to also seek out a trainer for that too. It would be a waste to ignore the potential of the skill.


    [Advanced Sword Mastery is now Level 18!]


    [Basic Armor Mastery is now Level 50!]


    [You thoroughly made use of your armor in multiple environments, granting you the sub-skill Resistant Armor!]


    [Resistant Armor: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to your practice, you can fully utilize everything that your armor provides, granting you increased resistance against the environment. Grants 2% increased environmental resistance per skill level. Environmental resistance protects against environmental effects only.]


    [Flow is now Level 50!]


    [Thanks to going with the flow, the flow is now going with you, granting you the sub-skill Controlled Flow!]


    [Controlled Flow: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your read of the flow is more controlled, allowing you to see the flow much better. Increases the flow visibility by 20% for every skill level.]


    [Surprise Strike is now Level 6!]


    [Multitasking is now Level 83!]


    Satisfied with his growth and with a few notes made for the future, Sam closed the screens and then reached into his inventory and removed a few snacks for Lucky who was gazing at him with big dewy eyes from the shadows.


    After satisfying his shadow shark, he closed his eyes and began to relax. After they arrived he would be neck-deep in action so he wanted to rest a little.


    ¡®I wish I could sing¡­ a sea shanty would be perfect for the situation¡­¡¯ he mused as the ship under him sailed through the waters toward an ¡®unknown¡¯ destination.


    <hr>


    A few hours later he was woken from his light rest by the pounding of boots on planks as several pirates came down to the brig with grins on their faces and crossbows in their hands.


    ¡°Well, moron, it is time to leave!¡± one of them called out, stepping up to Sam.


    He eyed the people aiming their crossbows at him as the first pirate took out a key and unlocked the chain that he pretended held him down.


    Now only in metal cuffs that were for some reason not made from anti-magic material, he was dragged up to the deck into the glaring sun.


    Squinting he stopped for a second and tried to readjust to the abundance of light. His respite was short as he was immediately shoved forward by one of his jailors.


    ¡°Move!¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure¡­ no need to throw a hissy fit¡­¡± Sam murmured under his breath as he moved toward the gangplank that was connecting the caravel to some basic wooden docks where more people were waiting for them, dressed in proper, if a little mismatched, armor.


    The man leading him stopped in front of them a threw a half-hearted salute.


    ¡°We¡¯re back, boss! Here is the guy!¡± he reported, motioning toward Sam.


    The guy in the middle, wearing visibly better-quality armor, frowned and then nodded.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like much. Was he really looking for information about the Morrisons?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he was¡­¡±


    The man scrutinized Sam and the pirate for a while then nodded.


    ¡°Good. Take him to the usual place!¡± the man gave the command, then turned around, and then Sam watched him walk away, leaving the armored guards behind.


    The pirate who ¡®captured¡¯ him grinned again and began nudging Sam. ¡°Come on, idiot. Let¡¯s get you a nice cozy place to¡­ rest¡­hehehehe!¡±


    As they also began walking in the same direction the rest of the people also laughed along with the man.


    Sam simply ignored them as he walked and looked around with interest.


    They were on an island, that was without a question. He could see palm trees as the gentle slopes of the sandy beach turned into something resembling a tropical jungle. Naturally, aside from the simple wooden docks and a stone path leading deeper into the jungle, there wasn¡¯t anything visible anywhere he could see. Though, thanks to his Mana Sense he could find the hidden guards and protection that was concealed on the beach.


    After leaving the stone path, they walked through the forest for a while until reaching a wooden fortification, guarded by even more pirates in towers that were just big enough to see the surroundings cleared of trees, but not tall enough to be seen from far away.


    After a minimal frisking, he was led deeper into the infrastructure.


    Sam watched with interest as the pirates simply lived their lives, trading coins and other precious resources as they played with cards, dice, or with chickens fighting it out in small fenced-off areas.


    ¡®A hive of scum and villainy,¡¯ Sam thought as he watched a pirate take up some obviously expensive paints and go to town on a beautifully painted nature scene.


    Not that it all mattered as he was taken deeper until they reached a robust-looking wooden building, guarded by dozens of pirates, all decked out in armor and weapons that felt enchanted to Sam.


    Another frisk and he was led inside. Surprisingly the entire building was there to provide cover to the entrance to what seemed like a mine.


    Naturally, they took him down there.


    <hr>


    Half an hour later, and deep underground, Sam and his escort were standing in a hallway which was filled with prison cubicles, lined with the same anti-magic material that the brigs were made of on the ship that brought him to the pirate island.


    Some of the cubicles were empty, but some contained people. People looking disheveled, tired, hungry, and despondent, as if they had given up on life. They were either laying on uncomfortable-looking cots or sitting on the ground staring at nothing.


    Sam was led to one of the empty cells and shoved in without hesitation.


    As the door slammed close behind him he turned around and the pirate spoke up.


    ¡°Enjoy your accommodations, because you¡¯re going to live and die here, moron!¡±


    Sam just looked back with a blank look on his face.


    The other man frowned at the lack of reaction, then spat at the ground in front of Sam¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Fine, play being badass¡­ But after one shift in the mines, you¡¯ll be begging to be let out!¡± The grin that spread on the man¡¯s face was rather ugly. ¡°Not that we will!¡±


    His jailor spun around and left him standing in the middle of his cell.


    <hr>


    The moment the pirate was out of sight the prisoner in the cell next to him got up from his cot and spoke up with a raspy voice.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Sam looked at the man and took him in. An old shirt that may have been white at one time, but now looked brown with a few suspicious-looking shapes that could have been dried blood. He was wearing shorts with frayed ends and sandals that looked like they would come apart the moment someone did something more than walk in them.


    ¡°Hello!¡± he returned the greeting while still looking around, using his Mana Sense to keep an eye on everybody in the vicinity.


    ¡°Why did they bring you in?¡± came the expected question.


    Sam just shrugged.


    ¡°Asked the wrong questions. Was looking for the Morrisons¡¯ ship, and a few hours later here I am!¡±


    The man visibly swallowed upon hearing that then snorted.


    ¡°Hah! You¡¯re not the first one. I think I saw a dozen people with the same story.¡± The man thought for a moment then continued. ¡°Though they were rather more vocal when were they brought in. Yelling about all sorts of things¡­¡±


    This time it was Sam¡¯s turn to snort. ¡®No doubt other players¡­¡¯


    ¡°What happened to them?¡±


    ¡°Dead¡­¡± the man stated plainly without emotion. ¡°The people here don¡¯t really appreciate backtalk¡­¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t surprise me too much¡­¡± he replied with a small smile. ¡°What¡¯s your name stranger?¡±


    The man looked back at him and then bowed his head a little.


    ¡°Gregory Morrisons, at your service. It appears you found more than my ship.¡±


    ¡®Hell yeah! The memories were right!¡¯


    Inwardly celebrating, but outwardly showing his poker face he nodded.


    ¡°Pleasure to meet you!¡±


    There was a moment of silence as they both processed the information.


    Then Sam spoke up.


    ¡°Ready to go home?¡±


    ¡°If you weren¡¯t aware, they got a magic inhibiting handcuff on you.¡±


    Sam stared down at the cuffs and with a flex of his will two small Wind Blades materialized in front of his gaping prison mate and cut the cuffs off his wrists.


    ¡°It seems I got lucky and they gave me the wrong cuffs,¡± he said with a grin.


    Then Sam began stretching, starting to circulate his mana while a notification screen popped up in front of him.


    [You accidentally received the wrong handcuffs, not that you needed the advantage! You gain +1 LUCK!]


    Looking back at the still gaping Gregory, Sam spoke up.


    ¡°Ready?¡±

 Chapter 108

    The gaping man didn¡¯t say anything as Sam stepped forward, the handcuffs landing on the ground, in pieces, with a clinking sound. He looked outside of his new prison and saw, satisfied, that nobody noticed his current level of freedom.


    By the time he turned back to look at his neighbor, the other man managed to gather his wits to speak up.


    ¡°What the hell? How did you do it?¡± he whispered harshly, yet as silently as possible, fearing discovering.


    Sam just shrugged. ¡°They mistakenly gave me normal handcuffs.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s lucky.¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed,¡± he answered with a smile. Then he called out. ¡°Lucky!¡±


    Before Gregory could question him, Lucky, in all his silken and shadowy glory, emerged from Sam¡¯s shadow.


    The proud wolf strutted in front of the downtrodden man as he once again gaped in surprise.


    Ignoring Gregory, he turned to Lucky. ¡°Make sure to protect him.¡±


    Lucky nodded his head, stepped forward, and rubbed his giant body against Sam¡¯s. He laughed quietly and ran his hand through his companion¡¯s fur. ¡°I know we haven¡¯t played much lately, but after this, we can spend a little time together¡­¡± he whispered, putting his head closer to the beast.


    Lucky let out a low whine, conveying his agreement and how much he looked forward to it, before doing one last rub, and then with a graceful dive returned to his shadow.


    [Spirit Link is now Level 41!]


    Then in the next second, a wolf head emerged from Gregory¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°By the gods!¡± he yelled in fright as the wolf head, with an appropriate wolfish grin slowly sunk back into the shadow.


    ¡°Shhh!¡± Sam chided him and the man immediately moved both of his hands to cover his mouth.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± he whispered, looking abashed.


    Sam simply waved it away as he slowly began to retrieve the equipment that he had put away before his journey to the deeps.


    Cloak on his shoulder, the sheath of Moonlight returned to his side. He unsheathed the magical sword and did a few warmup movements with it.


    He looked over at the other man and spoke up.


    ¡°What kind of weapon do you want?¡±


    The man looked away with a blush on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid¡­ I-I¡¯m not the best at fighting or magic,¡± he admitted while avoiding looking into Sam¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°No problem,¡± he replied with a hopefully reassuring smile. ¡°I can deal with them, but here,¡± he took out a dagger in a sheath and threw it to the other man. ¡°A dagger, just in case.¡± Then he looked over Gregory proper, retrieved a full set of clothing, including a sturdy pair of boots, and handed it over. ¡°Change your clothes while I open the cages!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± came the excited reply as Gregory clutched the new clothing to himself with one hand, while the other held onto the dagger with a death grip.


    Sam ignored the undressing man behind him and turned his attention to the door. It was a basic cage with bars thick enough and close enough to each other that no matter how thin one was, one wouldn¡¯t be able to slip out. And thanks to the anti-magic property of the bars, it was impossible to slip out with magic.


    Admittedly, Sam knew that it was possible to overload them, but even he didn¡¯t have enough mana currently to do that. And the local pirates were smart enough not to go after someone who could overwhelm these basic anti-magic metals. Not that a person like that would fall prey to this kind of piracy¡­


    He then kneeled next to the door and eyed the lock. ¡®Let¡¯s see if online tutorials will help me out¡­¡¯ Then Sam pulled out a set of lockpicks and began the arduous process of opening the lock.


    While he was doing that, a small part of his mind was thinking about other players.


    Poor Gregory had confirmed that other players had already reached the pirate haven, either by accident or by being captured. This meant they knew that there was an advanced pirate operation hidden on the island.


    Naturally, all of them would guess that if there were pirates, then there was also some treasure. This meant, they either planned to get that treasure on their own and kept the location secret until they could come up with a way to get in and get the loot, or they went and informed a friendly group about the location.


    Getting a big enough ship to transport the necessary manpower to this island to take care of the pirate infestation wasn¡¯t easy, and most importantly, cheap. So that excluded some of the smaller guilds.


    ¡®Can¡¯t ignore the possibility of several smaller guilds banding together¡­¡¯ he mused as he worked on the lock.


    That meant that he was working with an unknown deadline.


    Thankfully, he was mostly interested in Gregory and the rewards his rescue would bring him, but upon further thought, if he managed to find the location of the treasure he would undoubtedly scoop it up.


    CLINK


    ¡®Finally¡­¡¯ he thought as he managed to fully turn the lockpick and the door slowly opened.


    He stood up and pushed the door open, his hand ready to lash out with magic in case there was some kind of alarm he didn¡¯t notice.


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    Fortunately, no alarm sounded and he managed to escape the confines of the cage. Out of it, he spent a few seconds luxuriating in the feeling of freedom.


    ¡®Ten thousand years¡­ and I¡¯m finally free!¡¯ he thought with a chuckle, then he turned back to Gregory, his eyes looking at the other prisoners. Some of them were eyeing him, but all of them were smart enough to stay silent.


    Sam made eye contact with several of them and gave them a brief nod while holding up his hand in the universal wait-a-second sign. Instantly, several prisoners began cheering.


    Before he opened any more doors to the cages, he walked to the door that led into the prisoner hall and leaned against it to listen to the other side, while using his mana to get a sense of the other side. Surprisingly, he didn¡¯t hear anything but he could sense a few pirates patrolling not far away.


    Nodding to himself, he turned back and made a shushing noise to the prisoners.


    After he made sure that everyone understood the magic, he walked forward and began the tedious task of freeing people.


    <hr>


    It took an hour for him to let everyone who was still cognizant out of their cell, then dress them in random clothing he had in his inventory. He even threw a few weapons at them, at least to those who claimed to be capable of fighting. But as they were held for some time as prisoners and mine workers when the pirates wanted to punish them, Sam didn¡¯t expect much from them.


    Still, any backup was better than none.


    Finally, they all stood in front of the only door leading out of the prison hall, with Gregory near Sam with a worried look on his face.


    ¡°Are you sure this will work?¡± he asked, wringing his hands in worry.


    Sam looked back at the man, nodded, then gave him a reassuring smile and a thumbs up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got this!¡±


    ¡°A-alright¡­¡± the man replied, marginally more relaxed.


    Sam then turned back to the waiting crowd and called out in a loud whisper.


    ¡°Listen up, people! Here is the plan¡­¡±


    <hr>


    A few minutes later Gregory with Lucky in his shadow and Sam slipped out of the prisoner hall, with the door left wide open so that the others could see that they weren¡¯t being left behind, and began creeping through the catacombs.


    Their first task was to eliminate the patrols, and then figure out a way to escape the location. Then find a ship and return to the mainland.


    Easy-peasy, murder-clown-crazy¡­


    Eliminating the first patrol was laughably easy. Sam simply used his speed to get behind the first group and with a simple movement of his sword two heads were rolling on the ground while the Exp notifications went off in his ear.


    Gregory looked rather queasy, but thankfully he didn¡¯t say anything, or vomit¡­


    That was followed by a quick search of their bodies, with Sam pocketing anything that was worth something, and they continued on, looking for more patrols, while the rest of the prisoners followed them silently, keeping a healthy distance.


    ¡®Odd¡­ there should be more people down here¡­¡¯ Sam thought with a frown. He held up his hand in a fist and the entire proceeding stopped.


    He closed his eyes and focused on his Mana Sense. They were deep enough, and the entire facility was filled with spots of anti-magic metal, so he couldn¡¯t get a really clear picture, but from what he could sense, there were a lot of people running around.


    ¡®That doesn¡¯t look good¡­¡¯


    He was about to voice the information he gleamed, when the entire facility began to shake, with dust and sand falling on their faces.


    Gregory looked over at him with hope on his face.


    ¡°Friends of yours?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Sam answered cheerfully, popping the p sound.


    ¡°Oh no¡­¡±


    ¡°On the contrary, my friend. Oh, yes!¡± he responded with an excited grin. With the pirate base under attack, their escape would become much easier. From the pirates. The players would be another thing¡­ ¡°Our captors'' attention will be on the new interlopers, not on us¡­¡±


    Gregory''s eyes widened and a small smile appeared on his face.


    ¡°Now come on! Let¡¯s find out who is the newest enemy of our enemy!¡±


    <hr>


    It took them a few minutes to proceed further into the pirate facility and capture one of the panicky pirates who were running around not paying attention to the shadows.


    This, in turn, revealed to them, that it was a coalition of guilds bombarding the island, led by the locally famous Steel Lions. Sam had to force himself not to cackle at the opportunity that fell into his lap.


    After informing the rest of the captives about the arrival of the guilds, they decided to huddle up down there to wait for the rescue. Apparently, the Steel Lions had set themselves up as the local good guys, handling all sorts of criminals and other miscreants. The general populace rather liked them.


    Sam left them a few more potions and weapons and wished them good luck, before dragging the hopeful Gregory with him.


    ¡°Wait! Wait! Why are we not waiting for Steel Lions? They are great people so they¡¯ll surely help us leave this place!¡± he babbled as Sam used his Mana Sense to navigate the corridors.


    He looked back at the man and smirked.


    ¡°Maybe you¡­ However, they will kill me on sight.¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you some kind of criminal?¡±


    ¡°Of course not¡­ I¡¯m just friends with the leader¡¯s sister. And their father, shall we say, does not approve¡­¡±


    The other man¡¯s eyes went round in surprise.


    ¡°Oh¡­ then what shall we do?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy. While the pirates fight off the guilds, we rob the pirates blind and then escape in the chaos.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°How does a 90-10 split sound to you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡±


    <hr>


    Instead of heading to the surface, Sam led Gregory on a merry journey through the facility.


    Any pirate they met was instantly dispatched, and those who tried to ambush them were swallowed by shadows. Meanwhile, the entire structure was shaking and they could hear distant explosions. Sam had to use the Clean spell several times just to prevent looking like he just woke up from sleeping under a sand dune.


    Gregory was jittery and was eying his shadow with suspicious eyes as if expecting Lucky to emerge to feast on his legs.


    Finally, almost half an hour later, they found a giant door, made from anti-magic metal barring their way with several pirates standing guards.


    They were felled easily with a few pinpoint accurate Wind Bullets, and then they walked up to the door.


    Surprisingly, it was Gregory who spoke up first as Sam was examining the door.


    ¡°I recognize this. SUSNE vault door. Basic but sturdy. Impossible to open with magic, and takes hours to pick it. Hours we don¡¯t have¡­¡± he explained.


    Sam just chuckled and waved the other man¡¯s worries away. Then he walked up to the wall directly next to the seemingly impenetrable door and placed his hand on the stonework.


    ¡°Sounds tough. Thankfully, we are against complete morons,¡± he stated as with a brief twist of his own mana, reorganized the stone near the door, creating a hole big enough for a person to walk through.


    Then he stepped aside and bowed a little.


    ¡°After you!¡±


    Gregory sent him a withering look and walked through the manmade hole, Sam smirked and followed his newest friend. As soon as they were both over, he reached out and closed the hole, not wanting to give away their entrance method.


    After being done with that, he turned back to the new corridor and looked around. Sadly, it looked just like the others. However, there were more lamps and it seemed a little bit cleaner. On this side of the door, there was a small room carved into the stone, probably a security station. However, a quick cursory check made it clear that it was empty.


    Sam did a last check on his equipment and bade Gregory follow him.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re heading in the right direction, but my gut tells me that something is going to happen. So, when I give you the signal, run away and hide. Understood?¡±


    The other man didn¡¯t say anything, just nodded vigorously. Meanwhile, Sam thought about the possibilities that awaited them. He hoped he chose right, because if it turned out that the door only protected the creepy doll collection of the pirate lord, then he was going to do unspeakable things to people.


    A few minutes later, the empty corridor opened into a circular room that had a few tables and bookshelves with paper scrolls and books on them. Opposite the corridor entrance was an arch leading into another room that was surprisingly not illuminated by any light.


    ¡®Oh, wow, that is definitely not a trap¡­''

 Chapter 109

    Gregory gave Sam an encouraging, albeit rather shaky, thumbs up, turned around, and ran out of the room they found themselves in. Sam nodded to himself and faced the arch leading to the dark room.


    His sword was held in his hand, magic crackling around him as he filled up several layers of Mana Shield. His other hand was wreathed with wind, ready to strike at a moment''s notice.


    Slowly, but with measured steps, he walked forward after sweeping up the scattered documents around the room. He didn¡¯t think they were stupid enough to leave actionable information in the open, but based on how they installed the vault door, he wasn¡¯t going to hold his breath.


    The moment he crossed the arch light flooded the room.


    Squinting, he saw that several light artifacts affixed poorly to the walls lit up, illuminating the giant hall.


    Which was rather empty.


    He could see a few boxes and chests at the back, but nothing like a mythical pirate treasure.


    ¡®A clearing house¡­ great¡­.¡¯


    However, before he could ruminate more on this fact, and the loss of the imagined treasure, his eyes found the eyes of the man standing before the few remaining boxes.


    It was a big man, dressed in leather armor that had a lot of rather suspicious spots that looked like dried blood. In his hands, he held two axes, both of them covered by fresh blood. Seeing that, Sam quickly glanced around and spotted several pirates, hacked into pieces in one of the shadowy corners that weren¡¯t illuminated by stolen light artifacts.


    ¡°Done lookin¡¯ around, boy?¡± the man growled, and Sam returned his attention to him, gripping his sword in preparation.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered in a clipped tone.


    The other man just grinned, his face stretched with the grin, showing an ugly sight.


    ¡°I knew at least a few rats would be heading here to get some payout when we were attacked, but I never imagined that one of the prisoners would come here. How lucky!¡±


    ¡®And I sent Lucky with Gregory¡­ How unlucky¡­¡¯ he mused as he assessed his enemy with his skill.


    He had rather interesting but unfamiliar mana inside his body, oozing around inside his body disgustingly.


    ¡°Ready yourself, boy! I¡¯m going to show you why¨C¡°


    He was interrupted by Sam simply raising his hand and shooting a ball of wind directly at his face, not wanting to listen to the monologue of this small-time villain.


    The man¡¯s grin just widened as if loving the fact he was attacked, raised his axes in front of himself with the arms crossed, and simply tanked the attack.


    ¡°I like it! I¡¯ll show you, boy, what it means to kill!¡±


    Sam continued to bombard the man with Wind Balls, trying to figure out what his deal was. He refused to go near the man without knowing what kind of skills he had.


    The pirate let out a roar, hunching forward, and flicked both of his axes forward. However, instead of the blood flying off it with a splatter, the blood stayed on the blades, continuing to drip in a normal manner, pooling under the man¡¯s feet. Then the man glowed deep red, which lingered for a moment, the Wind Balls still ineffectively slamming against the pirate. Then the light expanded into a pulse that shot off.


    Sam jumped back and raised the Shadow Shield just in case, as the pulse passed by him. It hit the walls, bouncing off them and then dissipating.


    For a moment nothing happened, but Sam could feel the local mana being agitated, then he glanced over to the corpses that the giant man created and saw blood oozing out of them in the direction of the pirate who was grinning at him, now with red teeth as blood practically flooded out of his mouth.


    Despite that, his voice was clear and tinged with excitement,


    ¡°Let me show you the dance of my people, boy! The dance of BLOOD!¡±


    The slowly oozing blood sped up and flew towards the man, where it swirled around him like a bloody tornado before it calmed down and flew to his weapons, enveloping them.


    The end result was that the man was left holding two giant axes made of blood, while his arms were also enveloped by the sticky-looking blood, with his entire body radiating a gentle red glow.


    Sam just scoffed.


    A Blood Mage, and from the looks of it, a Blood Berserker. All might, no brain. Still, they were rather dangerous to those who didn¡¯t know what to do.


    The man let out another roar and charged forward with impressive speed.


    Sam simply activated his own speed-increasing skills and dashed out of the way, his sword raised and a barrage of Wind Blades slamming into his enemy¡¯s body, causing a few shallow wounds to appear. However, the blood that came out of the wounds just flew toward the weapons, adding to the bloody mass that was already there. Sam didn¡¯t mind. Just because the blood improved the weapon it didn¡¯t mean the man wasn¡¯t hurt. The joy of a berserker.


    They fight and fight and fight until they don¡¯t.


    The man skidded to a stop, only to stumble as Sam slammed one of his feet down and let loose a Ground Shake. As the man tried to get his bearings Sam raised his foot again and stomped on the ground, channeling his mana into it. Then watched with a smile as the pirate flew back as a column of earth emerged in front of the stumbling man with extreme speed.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    With another tap of his feet, another burst of mana, and the flying man was met with a wall of earth, slamming into it with high speed.


    Sam didn¡¯t let up. As the man tried to get his bearings and blindly swung his axes around while letting out pained and excited roars, he sent a Shadow Cloud at his face, tethering the cloud to himself with a thin thread of mana to make sure he could keep it around the man¡¯s face.


    Then with his sword held up, he walked toward the man. With a brief twist of his mana, three clones appeared next to him that instantly went around, just in time for the pirate to let out another burst of redlight that swept the flimsy Shadow Cloud away.


    Sam grinned and the clones followed along. However, instead of confusion, there was only deep-seated satisfaction on the enemy¡¯s face.


    ¡°I can smell your blood, little mage!¡± With that declaration, he shot forward, both axes held high, and swung down on the real Sam.


    He simply turned into shadows, ignoring the attack.


    The moment the man was away from him, growling confusedly, he let out a barrage of Wind Blades, mimicked by his clones.


    Sam was rather glad he had the skills he had because this way he could use the best way to fight against Blood Mages. The community called it the Keep-Away strategy, which was rather simple and revolved around one simple concept.


    Don¡¯t let the blood touch you.


    That¡¯s why Life Blood was such a dangerous skill. The Blood Mage could directly control the blood inside the person. After all, how would one get rid of all of the blood inside them?


    Another collection of wounds and the weapons grew even larger.


    The pirate swirled around with an angry snarl.


    ¡°You can¡¯t hide from me, little mage! I¡¯ll tear your body limb from limb!¡±


    Sam refused to answer, instead, he summoned another Earth Wall in the way of the charging berserker while dashing to the side and raining down deadly wind.


    This continued for a minute. The berserker charging, Sam dodging or deflecting the attack in some way while inflicting wounds on the man.


    Finally, however, Sam could see that the pirate was slowing down. ¡®His berserk skill is running out¡­¡¯


    One last charge with an inarticulate roar, and Sam transformed into shadows letting the ludicrously-sized Axes swing through the space he was in before, then dodged to the side and swung his sword enveloped by a wind construct in the shape of a greatsword


    The greatsword bit into the man¡¯s back leaving a giant wound behind, but most importantly severing the man¡¯s spine.


    Berserker or no, the man collapsed instantly on the ground, with the blood splashing down as it lost its coherence, creating a giant puddle of dirty and corrosive blood.


    Sam stepped backward, not wanting to touch the blood, and waited as the pirate in front of him gurgled in his death throes. He raised his hand and sent a final Wind Blade, mercifully ending the berserker¡¯s life.


    Instantly the EXP notification went off in his head and the corpse quickly transformed into rainbow-colored pixels that vanished in short order, leaving behind a trashed room and a simple book where the corpse was.


    He walked up to it and picked it up, reading the title.


    ¡°Blood Berserk¡­ fun skill. Not for me though¡­¡± he mumbled as he pocketed it.


    Quickly he rushed to the back of the hall, picking up the chests and boxes, not even checking what was in them, just as another explosion rocked the facility.


    ¡°Right! Time to get out¡­¡±


    <hr>


    He found Gregory and Lucky back at the guard station, miraculously alone and rather bored. It was rather funny, how the two of them perked up the same way when he showed up.


    Though, only Lucky got head pats¡­


    ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Gregory asked, wringing his head.


    ¡°Yeah, a Blood Berserker and some treasure. It seems this was just a pirate clearing house¡­¡±


    The young merchant nodded. ¡°Makes sense. However, how do you plan to escape?¡± he asked as once more they were covered in sand falling from the ceiling. Sam shot off two Clean spells and answered with a grin.


    <hr>


    After Sam took a minute breather to refresh himself after the fight, they returned to the vault door, where he created another opening and then they continued their journey toward the surface.


    It was rather uneventful.


    They occasionally met up with a few fleeing or looting pirates, but they fell quickly under Sam¡¯s sword or Lucky¡¯s claws. They sometimes had to go around collapsed corridors but they met nothing that could really stop them.


    Both of them agreed that more than likely the bulk of the pirates were fighting the invading guilds. And it seemed they were slowly but surely losing, hence the cowardly pirates breaking the lines and looting whatever they could.


    Soon they reached the stairs that lead upwards, half collapsed and filled with corpses and debris. And more blood than necessary. Apparently, the guy in the vault wasn¡¯t the only Blood Mage in the pirate group.


    His Mana Sense told him that there were no living beings upstairs so he used a little mana to create a safe passage amidst the debris and they left their prison behind in a short order.


    They emerged into chaos.


    Most of the buildings he saw when he arrived were turned into ruins thanks to the bombardment but the wall still held. From the cover of the rubble, they could see the frantic defenders rushing about, as they tried to protect the facility.


    Sam could sense an active shield over the facility, but based on the rainbow-colored holes in the sky, it wouldn¡¯t be holding out much longer.


    ¡°Now what?¡± Gregory whispered, his eyes darting around anxiously.


    ¡°We sneak,¡± he replied with a whisper, then crouched down and began to sneak toward the next cover. Gregory followed him after a few moments of hesitation.


    <hr>


    After some time of sneaking, while the shield protecting the facility became even more tattered as countless projectiles crashed through it, they managed to reach an intact building.


    They took refuge inside to rest and to evaluate the best escape route.


    Technically Sam could wait for the guilds to conquer the pirates and then negotiate a ride on one of their ships, but he didn¡¯t really want to deal with the Steel Lions right now.


    He could also hide and wait until the battle was over and sneak away while the guilds were looting, but that was also rather dangerous.


    ¡®Sadly, the best time to leave is now when everyone is distracted¡­¡¯


    Finally reaching a decision, he gathered himself and Gregory who was ravenously eating some kind of meal that the owner of the house left behind when the battle started and left the house.


    They slowly approached the wall opposite the beach where there were no attackers as the jungle was too thick for them to move around thankfully.


    Using his sword sharpened by the wind he cut a simple hole in it, and then used his own mana to disrupt the shield protecting the facility momentarily, they were out.


    They rushed through the empty space that was left between the wall and the jungle, but as the pirates'' attention was fully on the attackers, nobody was there to see them, and after that the jungle mercifully concealed them.


    ¡°Come on, Greg, let¡¯s get out of here¡­¡±


    <hr>


    The journey through the jungle was rather uneventful.


    They had a few scares when groups of players rushed past their positions, but thanks to Sam''s senses they always managed to hide away.


    Based on the sounds coming from the direction of the facility and the excited grins on the players¡¯ faces, they left just in time.


    Though by the time they reached the final treeline that lead to the beach, poor Gregory was a nervous wreck.


    Stopping before they left the cover provided by the tropical trees, he turned to the other man.


    ¡°Say, do you know how to work a ship?¡±


    Gregory looked at him taken aback, and shook his head with a blush on his face.


    ¡°I-I was always responsible for the business side of things.¡±


    ¡°Plan B it is then!¡±

 Chapter 110

    The part of the beach where they appeared was thankfully rather empty, but even so, in the distance, they could see half a dozen big ships, turned to their sides, occasionally letting out puffs of smoke, which were then followed by explosions.


    Not to mention the occasional flashes and flares of magic that were thrown around.


    To Sam''s senses, the entire area was like the ocean in a storm. Mana swirled around, threatening to swallow everything.


    On the other hand, in the other direction was a small dock, where several small fishing vessels were docking. Obviously, everybody ignored it as they weren¡¯t actually sea-worthy. But to Sam and Gregory, there were their tickets out of this fight.


    Sam tapped Gregory on his shoulder, causing the man to look away from the ships flying Deepanchor¡¯s and several guilds¡¯ flags and motioned toward the small fishing harbor.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡±


    ¡°O-of course!¡±


    They advanced slowly, keeping low and next to the tree line, ready to jump into cover at a moment¡¯s notice.


    But it was all just precaution. Despite the chaos that the battle caused in the local ¡®mana-scape¡¯, people still showed up clear to his senses. And he sensed nobody at their destination.


    With their sneaking, it took them a solid half an hour to reach the small harbor, while they were forced to listen to the oft-muddled sounds of the battle behind them, forced to imagine what was happening.


    Sam was pretty sure that the guilds would win, but he saw that Gregory was rather nervous about the outcome of the battle. This apprehension was evident in his behavior when he kept glancing backward as if expecting to be chased down by angry pirates.


    He said a few placating words, but his attention was on their journey.


    Reaching the small docks, he cast his eyes around while ushering the frantic man into the small shack that was the only infrastructure in the area.


    He quickly closed the door behind them and went up to the dirty window to look around while throwing glances at Gregory who took a seat on an upturned chum bucket and appeared to be hyperventilating.


    Momentarily confused at what to do, Sam stepped away from the window and placed a comforting hand on the man¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Come on, Greg, only a little more and we¡¯re home free!¡±


    Gregory looked up and gave him a shaky smile.


    ¡°W-well you haven¡¯t steered me wrong before, adventurer¡­¡± he hesitated for a moment, then continued. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°See those small boats?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°We are going to take one of them and escape the island!¡±


    Gregory looked at Sam for a long moment then shook his head. ¡°I may not know much about sailing, but even I know that we will not get far on those¡­¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. That¡¯s why our target is not Deepanchor, but the closest part of the mainland.¡±


    The other man blinked in surprise then looked thoughtful. ¡°And how are you planning to avoid the eyes of those ships?¡±


    ¡°Simple! Magic!¡±


    Gregory let out a sigh. ¡°Why did I expect anything different¡­¡±


    <hr>


    A short rest later, they rushed to the end of the dock, and jumped into one of the ships that fit them comfortably, while even laying down and with Sam keeping a lookout both with his eyes and his mana sense, Gergory untied the rope that kept the small boat in place and launched themselves toward the open sea.


    As the boat began moving, the currents of the sea imparting motion on it, Sam summoned his Grimoire and quickly found the page that he was looking for and then slowly took his own mana and began shaping small strands into a small chain of runes.


    Soon the boat was surrounded by a circle of runes that he had put together back in the library when he was working on runes. Originally, it was intended to be carved into stone to hide something, but with his Illusionary Runes, it should prove the perfect cover.


    The last rune to be placed was his Heart Rune and the moment the circle was finished with that, he called out softly.


    ¡°Runic Mirage!¡±


    Instantly he felt the mana being drained from him as a small haze formed around the ship with the runic circle slowly circling around.


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    Sam gave the other man a proud smile. ¡°If we are far away, they will think it''s just a mirage. Happens on the sea all the time¡­¡±


    Gregory nodded in understanding, however, he couldn¡¯t help but ask a question. ¡°That¡¯s great, but how are we going to reach the mainland with just paddles?¡±


    Sam made sure that thread of mana connected to the illusion around them, anchored to his Heart Rune, then he moved to the back of the ship and put his hand underwater.


    ¡°Why with magic, my friend!¡±


    A moment later Gregory watched with an open mouth as the water behind them began to bubble gently as the boat moved forward at a steady pace¡­


    <hr>


    The trip to the mainland exhausted Sam something fierce. Thankfully, he could dissolve the illusionary cover after they got out of the sight of the invading ships so he could concentrate fully on maintaining a steady burst of wind under the ship while also keeping the ship from capsizing. And with the tides changing the sea became a little more turbulent.


    Sometimes he even had to use shielding magic to make sure no water could get into the boat, while Gregory sat at the front and watched the horizon.


    Soon, however, the land was in sight. Gregory grew excited, while Sam let out a tired smile.


    He directed the boat to a sandy part of the shore and let out an exhausted sigh as soon as the bottom of the boat touched the grainy ground of the rocky beach.


    Retrieving his slightly wrinkled hand from the water he shook it off and used the Clean spell to get the salt still clinging to it off.


    Gregory happily jumped out of the boat and Sam suspected the man barely held back from kneeling down and kissing the ground. He soon followed the man while throwing a small fire at the boat, setting it aflame, wanting no evidence of their passing.


    They waited a few minutes for the boat to burn down, then he blasted the pieces back into the sea, before turning to Gregory.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to Deepanchor!¡±


    ¡°By foot?¡±


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    Sam looked at the exhausted man and thought about the existence of escort quests, and shook his head.


    ¡°Of course not! Lucky!¡±


    The wolf obediently emerged from Gregory¡¯s shadow, causing the man to jump in fright as he evidently had forgotten about the giant predator that Sam instructed to protect him.


    After finishing his quick chuckle at the man, he instructed the man to climb onto Lucky¡¯s back, then he followed him.


    Soon, Lucky was off with them, at great speed toward Deepanchor.


    <hr>


    Getting to the city took a while and Lucky had to take a few breaks because transporting two people was much harder than only Sam. Not that he minded. While they rested, Sam and Gregory talked, mostly about unimportant things, but Sam made sure to hint toward his business and the opportunities he was looking for. They didn¡¯t talk about anything concrete, but he was sure that Gregory was savvy enough of a businessman to understand what he wanted.


    The sun was descending by the time they reached the city gates, casting everything in bloodred light, but the smile on Gregory¡¯s face at the sight of the walls could have illuminated the entire city.


    Once again, the guards didn¡¯t really care for two people walking into the city without any visible product and they were soon on their way to the Morrison estate.


    This time it was the excited Gregory who led the vigilant Sam. They were on the last leg on the journey, so he expected at least one ambush to waylay them. To Sam¡¯s surprise, aside from a few drunken sailors who started drinking early (or never stopped), nobody was even bothered by their passing.


    Half an hour later, they were at the iron gates, rusted a little from the sea breeze, being greeted by one of the guards.


    ¡°What do ya¡¯ want?¡±


    Sam stepped forward and motioned toward the anxious Gregory.


    ¡°As you can see I brought back what the old man wanted!¡±


    The guard blinked in surprise then leaned forward to see Gregory better. Sam helpfully summoned a Light Ball that illuminated their immediate surrounding. The moment the light lit up the guard jumped back in surprise.


    ¡°Master Gregory! You¡¯re not dead?¡±


    ¡°It seems not,¡± the man answered with a small chuckle.


    ¡°The master should be told immediately! Come in! Come!¡± The guard exclaimed grabbing Gregory¡¯s hand and dragging him into the estate, while Sam followed them at a more sedate pace, closing the gate that was left open.


    By the time he reached the still-open door, the house was in pandemonium. Maids were rushing about, yelling and crying while Gregory stood in the middle looking mightily confused.


    Finally, a piercing cry broke through the chaos.


    ¡°What in the blazes is going around here?¡±


    Sam instantly recognized James Morrison¡¯s hoarse voice.


    It was Gregory who answered him. ¡°I¡¯ve returned, father¡­¡±


    Sam looked on as the old man gaped, then burst into tears, followed by rushing to his son and enveloping him in a bear hug.


    ¡°My son! I thought¡­ But how? By the gods¡­ It¡¯s really you!¡±


    As he kept babbling, Gregory just stood there awkwardly, trying to answer the questions pouring from his father but kept being interrupted by even more questions.


    Sam watched the scene satisfied while glancing at his notifications.


    [Congratulations! The quest ¡®The booty of mystery!¡¯ has been completed!]


    [You survived and escaped. You even managed to return something lost to the Morrison family. It¡¯s not a ring, but they are still very appreciative¡­]


    Nodding in satisfaction he dismissed the screen as one of the older, more composed maids approached him.


    ¡°Sir, if you would follow me? The master will be with you shortly!¡± she said, beaming at him.


    ¡°Naturally. Please, lead the way, madam,¡± he answered with a gentle bow of his head.


    He was then led into a small room, decorated with nautical themes, where he was told to sit and wait until the master of the house was ready to meet with him. Promptly, another maid appeared and he was served excellent tea and a small snack. Upon smelling the treats, Lucky emerged sniffing the delectable offerings. The maid squeaked in surprise and rushed away in fright. However, a minute later another maid returned with a plate full of jerky that was placed in front of the excited wolf.


    Lucky looked up from the plate at Sam for permission and he just smiled. ¡°Go on, buddy, you deserve it!¡±


    The wolf instantly threw himself at the small pile of jerky as if he hadn¡¯t been fed for weeks. As the preserved meat was being devoured, Sam began pulling out the small loot he gained from his short adventure, intent on going through it while he waited.


    Most of it, as he expected were coins. Mostly silver, with a few bronze coins here and there, and some bags of gold coins hidden under the pile of silver.


    Another contained jewelry, and Sam was surprised to find the ring that the old man Morrison was looking for, recognizing the crest on it from when he saw it on the gates. He set it aside and returned the jewelry, all with only very basic enchantments to the box, for Lucy to later get rid of for more money for the company. Or to use them for mysterious business purposes. Who knows what witchy things she did in her office¡­


    Sadly, aside from the money, jewels, and a few art pieces he didn¡¯t find anything that he could use. It seems he would have to be satisfied with the favors the old man now owed him.


    Finished with the rather disappointing loot, disregarding the fact that most players would have cheerfully murdered a small village just for the money he found, he turned his attention to his skill notifications.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You¡¯re now level 42!]


    [Gained 2 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Gained 1 END for holding out!]


    He immediately assigned one to STR and one to DEX, then continued with the rest.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 33!]


    [Mana Channeling is now Level 4!]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 74!]


    [Mana Resonance is now Level 6!]


    [Mana tempered Body is now Level 31!]


    [Synchronization is now Level 2!]


    [Mana Gaze is now Level 10!]


    [Controlled Slash is now Level 4!]


    [Triple Mana Slash is now Level 4!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 68!]


    [Mana Disruption is now Level 17!]


    [Spell Layering is now Level 19!]


    [Mana Construct is now Level 22!]


    A pretty respectable start, he thought as he leaned back in his comfortable armchair and sipped tea.


    [Ground Shake is now Level 4!]


    [Wind Movement is now Level 39!]


    [Wind Edge III is now Level 9!]


    [Greater Wind Affinity is now Level 19!]


    [Windstream is now Level 5!]


    [Gentle Wind is now Level 3!]


    [Spirit Link is now Level 43!]


    [Advanced Shadow Footwork is now Level 16!]


    [Shadow Grace is now Level 8!]


    [Shadow Burst II is now Level 5!]


    [Shadow Mirage is now Level 21!]


    [Shadow Transformation is now Level 19!]


    [Shadow Shield is now Level 25!]


    [You gained the spell Shadow Shield II!]


    [Shadow Shield II: Level 0/25 (0%) (Active) The spell allows you to conjure a strong shield made of shadows in front of you. The spell protects against physical and magical attacks. The defensive strength is increased by 1% per level in your Shadow Affinity.]


    [Shadow Cloud is now Level 5!]


    [Greater Shadow Affinity is now Level 14!]


    [Shadowstride is now Level 2!]


    He was happy to see the improvement, but the true transformation into a powerhouse still waited for him. However, for now, he was content. There may be people with much higher levels than him, but he doubted anyone had better mana control or foundation. And after he reached the capital he could go nuts with the leveling.


    [Basic Armor Mastery is now Level 52!]


    [Resistant Armor is now Level 1!]


    [Steady Heartbeat is now Level 5!]


    [Flow is now Level 52!]


    [Surprise Strike is now Level 8!]


    [Blood Magic Resistance is now Level 5!]


    [Multitasking is now Level 87!]


    [Illusionary Runes is now Level 6!]


    Satisfied with the changes, he closed the screen, and just as Lucky was finishing licking the plate clean, the door to the room opened and the old man of the estate strode in, still disheveled but the smile on his face making him look at least ten years younger.


    ¡°Adventurer! Welcome to my home!¡±


    Sam stood up and bowed his head a little.


    ¡°Thank you for the warm welcome, sir.¡±


    The man laughed out loud and stepped closer to Sam.


    ¡°No need for the sir, my young friend. As of now, you¡¯re family to us!¡±


    Sam was led back to the seats and shortly the tea was refreshed, and they were sitting across each other. The older man naturally noticed the ring on the table, but he made no move to retrieve it. He, however, leaned forward and smirked at Sam.


    ¡°Now, tell me how I can repay something that can¡¯t be repaid!¡±

 Chapter 111 - Interlude 10

    ¡°¡­as you can see, this piece here,¡± Liz motioned toward one of the countless crystalline parts on her workbench while throwing a quick glance at the chat. ¡°will allow me to channel the requisite mana into the receptacle and execute the enchantment that I want.¡±


    Liz followed that up by taking said part up into her hands and inserting it into the contraption that she had been making for the stream.


    Streams like these were usually very chill and she used them to unwind from the craziness that was combat in Magic Unbound. Plus, it allowed her the opportunity to sit down and talk with her fans. It was rather important to maintain a healthy para-social relationship with them. That is how she made her money, aside from the contract from the AFK company.


    ¡°And there we are!¡± she declared proudly, holding up the crystalline machine she had been working on for the past hour. ¡°My very own fart machine!¡±


    She grinned at the watchers and put the small box down and picked up the equally small remote controller and pushed one of the buttons on it.


    PFFFFTH


    Instantly, the sound of a fart echoed around in her workshop. Liz laughed out loud while the stream chat rejoiced.


    ¡°That¡¯s right people! This is peak magic engineering! Using the highest quality material to create fart machines! Coming near you in any retailer!¡± she exclaimed, pressing the button a few times to the delight of her audience.


    They clowned around for a few minutes, but alas everything has to end. She placed the machine back on the bench, in clear view of the viewers.


    She made sure her hands were clean with a quick spell, then made sure that the camera closed in on her upper body, making sure to leave the workbench in the periphery and her cleavage almost visible. Must keep the thirsty people engaged after all.


    ¡°And now, people, we come to the usual segment! The AMA part!¡± she announced and instantly emojis began scrolling down on the chat screen, most of them using her drones as the base. The artist who drew those emojis deserved every credit she paid out as the created art was very adorable, just like her drones that were buzzing around in the background following a semi-random path. ¡°So, prepare your questions, people! Because I¡¯m here to answer them!¡±


    Liz waited for a few seconds and watched happily the number of viewers climb up. It was, after all, one of her popular segments, though nothing beat when she was jumping around in the fractures.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ The first question is from¡­ Well I¡¯m not going to read your name out loud, sorry, but your question is good,¡± she said with a mock reproachful look at the crude nickname. ¡°Where do I get the ideas for the machines I make?¡±


    ¡°Good question. The answer is simple. I mostly craft what I need, or somebody else needs. Sometimes I create something to sell or entertain, like this machine here. I don¡¯t really have to create anything new, just translate the real-life equivalent into crystalline mechanics.¡±


    She watched the chat for a moment and selected another question.


    ¡°Next question then! Where did I get the skills for it?¡± she smirked directly at the camera. ¡°You guys ask the question every time. And the answer is still the same: I¡¯m not telling!¡±


    Liz let the chat be outraged for a while before choosing another question.


    ¡°One more then! Can you make something for me?¡± she read out the question and nodded. ¡°Another good one! Yes, I do commissions. On my website, there is a submission form that you can fill out, and when I get to it, we can do a deal,¡± she explained, pressing a virtual button on a screen that wasn¡¯t visible to the viewers and the link of her website instantly appeared in the chat. ¡°The link is there and you can check it out. However, a few caveats. Thanks to the contract I signed, I can¡¯t build weapons and a few other things (the list is on the site) but otherwise, feel free to ask for things.¡±


    The chat quieted down a little as people went to visit her site, but soon another question popped up.


    ¡°How do I decide which commission to take? I usually look at which one is the most interesting, or pays the most,¡± she admitted freely then shrugged. ¡°A girl gotta eat somehow¡­¡±


    She spent the next hour answering questions or banning people for their skeevy questions, however, finally, it was time for the last.


    ¡°Alright people, I¡¯m sorry to say that nature is calling me, so this will be the last question for today. Let¡¯s see who will it be¡­¡± she mused out loud as her eyes rowed over the rapidly moving chat. Then she spotted one that sounded interesting. ¡°Ahha! Found one!¡± She cleared her throat and then began to read. ¡°Would you join our guild?¡±


    Liz looked directly at the camera which was represented by a see-through drone generated by the game so that her eyes had a place to focus on.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the answer to that question is a no. Currently, I¡¯m signed by an in-game company, and they have been very generous with their compensation.¡± Not to mention the favors that hung over her head. ¡°So, I¡¯m currently not looking for a new place to call home. But don¡¯t worry, my loyal viewers! If I decide to part ways with them, you guys will be the first ones to know!¡±


    She smiled and watched as the emojis flooded the chat for a few moments then continued with her stream.


    ¡°Thank you for watching! This was Summer Rose and see you next time!¡±


    Upon hearing the words the virtual camera shut off and Liz collapsed on her desk, tired but elated.


    One of the drones broke their routine and flew closer to her and buzzed inquisitively as it observed their tired creator.


    <hr><hr>


    The city of Brightgarden was coming along nicely. Technically it was always nice, but ever since Stephen and his friends settled down with their guild, Fauna Ark, it could be said that the city had bloomed.


    And with the arrival of dozens of copycat guilds into the city and companies wanting to set up businesses, everything just kept getting more exciting.


    The copycat guilds were mostly annoying, though a few managed to anger him as they used honeyed words or copious amounts of money to poach people from his guild. Though, thankfully they didn¡¯t get anyone from the core group but several druids and herbologists were taken by people with money.


    Thankfully, with AzureTiger at the helm of the finances, they could add a little more money to the salary fund, thus decreasing the possibility of people leaving the guild.


    Then there was the AFK company. Building all sorts of facilities all around the city. Some advertised, some not. Honestly, he was a little jealous of the Heavenly Forest. Stephen did a little digging, and when he showed the prices he managed to find out to AzureTiger the girl almost punched him in the face.


    Though the shopping center that the company set up was rather nice, and they were currently in discussion with them to sell their excess mount/pet/summon feed for some extra income.


    Running a guild was hard work, but Stephen rather enjoyed it. Plus, he couldn¡¯t help but notice how different people looked at him. People were admiring him. Him! Even Kim¡¯s smile was different when she looked at him, not in a bad way, but there was something there that wasn¡¯t when they had begun dating.


    All in all, the game has improved his life in all manner of ways, now if he could find a way to armor Slathy, that would be the cherry on the top¡­


    <hr>


    Stephen was walking around Brightgarden, just having fun, window shopping, and waving the flag, so to speak. Slathy followed him until they reached the big square in the middle of the city, then simply plopped down and waited until children began climbing on him.


    He just smiled good-naturedly and began wandering around, looking for a gift to give to his girlfriend.


    Half an hour later he was contemplating visiting the shopping center when he heard a roar. A roar of a beast came right where he left Slathy. Knowing that his sweet little angel wasn¡¯t that big on roars he immediately turned around and began rushing toward the noise.


    Stephen arrived at the square to a weird sight.


    Slathy was standing in the middle with a gaggle of children cowering behind him, his fur puffed up to make him seem much bigger, though, with a rabbit that was almost ten feet tall when standing on its hind legs, that was rather unnecessary.


    Opposite his loyal rabbit stood a giant grizzly bear, fur matted with dried blood and its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth as it eyed the children behind his partner. Then a burst of laughter.


    ¡°What?! Is my bear not cute enough to play with?¡±


    Stephen looked over and saw a man, not unlike the bear, in scuffed armor, almost a head taller than him, with a giant axe affixed to his back and his hands on his hips.


    ¡°Come now, children! Boris here wants to play with you! Leave that stupid rabbit behind and come behold what a true man is!¡± he exclaimed then began flexing, comically the bear began to imitate him, its muscles bulging under the unkempt fur.


    Slathy just snarled and Stephen saw him tense, ready to launch himself at the bear. Knowing that the mayor would probably eviscerate him if there was a fight in the middle of the city, he decided to step in.


    ¡°Slathy, calm down!¡± he called out as he walked up to the commotion.


    The watching crowd parted with ease, the NPCs present ¨C and even the players ¨C recognizing him.


    The giant man turned toward him and Stephen saw on his face that the man also recognized him.


    ¡°Look, Boris, who graced us with his presence! The illustrious leader of a small pet shop!¡± The bear let out an approving roar but Stephen ignored it as he walked next to Slathy, placing his hand calmingly on the rabbit''s fur. ¡°Not like our amazing and manly guild, the ICE CASTLE!¡± he exclaimed, finishing the sentence with a roar while the crowd began to murmur. The NPCs were in awe, while the players realized instantly what this was. So did Stephen.


    ¡°Look, your bear is nice and all, but could you not? You¡¯re annoying people and scaring the children¡­¡± he spoke while motioning toward the children who were still covering behind Slathy, clinging to his fur for reassurance.


    ¡°Ho! Are you calling me out you chicken?¡± said the man, sending Stephen a rather condescending look. ¡°Not that I expect much from a guild that deals with rabbits, chicken, and deer!¡± continued the man. ¡°If I want to see something adorable I visit my niece! A familiar must be strong!¡± The beer flexed its arms. ¡°A familiar must be deadly!¡± The bear once again opened its maw, letting everybody see the deadly fangs in it. Some of the children had shorter arms than the biggest fangs. ¡°And yours is neither of those!¡± finished the other man, pointing at Stephen and Slathy. ¡°So the Ice Castle is here to show Brightgarden what a real guild is like!¡±


    Stephen blinked a few times, then apologized in advance to the mayor and AzureTiger who would be dealing with bills, and spoke up in a flat tone.


    ¡°Slathy, crush.¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Lucrecia missed her knight in shining armor.


    Granted, tales of his deeds were entertaining enough, but she wanted to feel his presence, bask in his aura of confidence. And most importantly, she wanted to know how to proceed with her plans. By now she had dozens of people placed in all sorts of positions in the city, all gathering information about the happenings, which was then fuelled to a small team of specialists that her mother put together, who in turn forwarded the important information to her and to her mother, and through her to Lucrecia¡¯s father.


    She then made sure that all applicable information reached the company her beloved owned, even if that disgustingly competent woman was in charge of the day-to-day business.


    Which left her with not much to do¡­


    Knowing that her admirable knight wouldn¡¯t want her to sit on her laurels, she threw herself into studying.


    Back when her mother started forcing lessons on her, they were rather boring. Who needed to know that much etiquette anyway?


    She knew that he was a mage with considerable talent. Even her father, who was one of the strongest people she knew about admitted that her beloved was in a class of his own. Thus her research led to the magic that would complement him.


    Shadow magic needed shadows to function, and what better way to create shadows than to shine a light on the area? Thus she chose light magic.


    Wind magic was strong, but could be stronger with some help. The best way to strengthen wind magic? With lots and lots of fire. Thus, her second choice was fire magic.


    Light and fire, just as her beloved used shadows and the wind.


    Just the chance to fight alongside her knight, working in perfect harmony sent Lucrecia giggling in glee every time she imagined the deadly dance they would be able to execute.


    For now, she was simply conjuring balls of light while throwing around fireballs, however, she couldn¡¯t wait until she could conjure firestorms and illuminate the world!


    And then¡­


    And then, nobody would stand against Lucrecia and her knight!


    <hr><hr>


    After Dan announced that he was part of the company, the invitation to guilds created by people at the university sadly didn¡¯t decrease in numbers. Hell, they even increased now that he showed that he was good enough to be recruited.


    The game craze gripped the entire campus and Dan saw no end of it.


    Everywhere he went, aside from classes, the only thing people could talk about was Magic Unbound and what happened in the game.


    The forums were full of people theory crafting and there were even some computer labs that were coopted by some guilds to run simulations about builds and scenarios.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    And to his astonishment, the phenomenon wasn¡¯t just present on his university campus, but all over the world.


    More and more websites were switching over to cover certain aspects of the game, while streamers all over the world followed along. Slowly, but surely (there were several news videos about it) the number of people playing other games began to decrease at a rather shocking speed. Not just to him, but to everybody else.


    With Sam at the helm of the AFK company, he knew he didn¡¯t need to fear missing out on interesting things, there was still a token of jealousy in his heart when he watched other people go on incredible adventures in the world of Magic Unbound.


    Naturally, his main focus, when watching content creators, was mages and people who used magic. Sam had taught him a lot about shaping mana, but he hoped to glean something from the countless videos that kept showing up on the internet without break.


    However, he was rather disappointed.


    Most of the information shared with people was things that he either heard from Sam in his introductory lessons or knew were wrong from said lessons. It took a while to see it fully, but after the fifteenth video of a person bragging about slinging fireballs with only a word, he realized that Sam was way beyond anybody who was currently sharing information about the art of mana.


    Thankfully, he was at a university, so there were a lot of people curious about the game, and they were also eager to apply the research skills that they had learned at school to the game, especially with the amount of money they could get for certain information.


    Because that was a thing.


    It was one of Dan¡¯s friends who showed him the site when they went out for a meal (his treat, thanks to the AFK company) but apparently, there was a site where people were paying ludicrous amounts of money for even the smallest scrap of information.


    When he got back home, he sat down and looked up a few things, and he was horrified to see that most of the things they did with Sam and the others would be worth enough money that he could live comfortably for at least a year.


    If he included the lessons on mana control and such, then based on some rough calculation he would be set for years.


    Not that he had any plans on revealing them, at least without Sam¡¯s permission. It was pretty clear that his teacher knew much more. And with the way the world was turning, one''s ability in the game soon would be rather important.


    So, instead of making a boatload of money, he hedged his bet on his new friend. With the way they were going, soon Dan would be one of the best mages in Magic Unbound¡­


    Now if he could figure out this pesky plasma magic¡­


    Sighing a little, he closed down the website about the game and pulled up his homework. Despite the craziness of the world and the popularity of Magic Unbound he still had homework to do and tests to finish.


    His future was pretty much set, but he promised to himself that he would graduate and he intended to keep that.


    And who knows, maybe his real-life research would lead to a breakthrough in the game¡­


    <hr><hr>


    With Sam away doing who knows what but probably equally exploiting somebody while making somebody else¡¯s day, Clarissa decided to knock out a few requests that came in for healing. With her new skills, knowledge, and items, going through those small fractures would be a child¡¯s play.


    Plus, while the money the company paid her was pretty nice, it never hurt to have more eggs in one¡¯s basket.


    Thus, it came to that she stood next to a swirling portal of a multi-use fracture, controlled by the guild, whose name she couldn¡¯t even remember, leaning on her staff, waiting for the rest of the group to show up.


    The first one to show up was the one who hired her. A man, with black hair and well-defined muscles wearing leather armor and wielding a spear. He smiled at her and greeted her with great enthusiasm.


    ¡°Hello, hello! Thank you for accepting our request once again! We have been having trouble with this one, and a competent healer like you would be a godsend!¡±


    ¡°You paid, I showed up,¡± she answered flatly.


    The other man opened his mouth but after several seconds he closed it, not knowing how to answer that statement.


    In the end, the two of them stood next to each other, Clarissa silently while the other man fidgeted a little.


    Thankfully, they didn¡¯t have to wait long until the rest of the team arrived. There were five guys, each of them wearing all sorts of armor and wielding different weapons, while the women wore robes that accentuated their figures excellently wielding all sorts of magical foci that sang to her Mana Sense.


    One of them, a pretty blond, who eschewed protection for looking well-put together and showcasing the figure god gave her in her designer robe colored emerald green, instantly zeroed in on Clarissa and exclaimed.


    ¡°Who is this?¡±


    The spear wielder stepped forward, hands held up in a placating manner. ¡°Now, now Isa, calm down. This is the healer I talked about. She is going to help us defeat the boss.¡±


    The woman crossed her arm under her bust, which naturally attracted the eyes of the spear wielder. ¡°That¡¯s stupid! We don¡¯t need some outsider to complete it! I can heal perfectly well!¡±


    ¡®Ahh, now it all makes sense¡­¡¯ Clarissa mused as the man who hired her tried to placate the target of his obvious affection while the girl in turn tried to use her wiles to get rid of Clarissa.


    In the end, they agreed to give Clarissa a try, mostly because the fee was paid already as she always made sure to get at least a deposit. This was not the first time that somebody tried to get rid of her before they even began the run.


    <hr>


    The fracture itself was nothing interesting. It was found in a brick building that was once used as an alchemy lab by some unknown alchemist. The guild found it when they were doing a cleanup after the Monster Break.


    Inside were corridors made of the same brick and mortar, the monsters were either golems made of sludge or alchemical chimeras, created from forest animals.


    They were not an issue, however, Isa was.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Clarissa finished healing one of the knights who was ambushed by a snake who was altered to spew acid and turned to the green-clothed girl.


    ¡°Healing,¡± she answered while trying to figure out what her angle was.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing it wrong! You should be focusing on the main tank!¡± she exclaimed, almost to the point of shrieking, and pointed at the spear wielder who was pretending to not hear the discussion.


    Feeling like she knew where this entire thing was going, Clarissa still hoped to salvage the situation.


    ¡°But he was not hurt¡­¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter!¡± the girl said, nose held high. ¡°A good healer knows that the most important thing to do was to keep the main tank alive. Everything else is secondary! If you want to be part of the group then you should pay more attention!¡±


    Clarissa stared at the girl who clearly had more boobs than brain and sighed.


    ¡°Sure, sure¡­¡± After all, it was useless to argue with idiots.


    The girl nodded, as if she won some kind of fight, then stalked forward to stand next to the spear wielder who looked rather uncomfortable.


    <hr>


    The rest of the delve went the same way.


    Clarissa would do her best to keep this group of amateurs alive, while dearly missing the chaotic yet professional behavior of her own team, while Isa would take every chance ¨C real or imagined ¨C to berate her and to educate her.


    It was rather annoying¡­


    ¡°Why are you shielding him?¡±


    ¡°What is that spell, why aren¡¯t you healing?¡±


    ¡°My mana is low, make sure it¡¯s filled up!¡±


    ¡°Where are you aiming¡­¡±


    Clarissa endured all with the stoicism that she gained by being a healer for the last several years. But she was pretty sure, that everyone aside from the idiot girl was aware that as soon as the contract was fulfilled she would be gone, and they would be blacklisted.


    They were in a giant room that was once an experiment room for creating chimeras. There was a set of artifacts that could not be removed from the fracture on one side of the room that needed to be activated that would give them a few seconds of protection against an explosion that would herald the next boss, according to the people she was partying with.


    As the party had done this several times, the parts needed to activate the shielding were found in short order and they were ready for the boss.


    Clarissa with the others stood in the small place, ready to act as soon as the boss appeared.


    She watched, interested as one of the people pushed a giant red button and the far wall began lowering with a hiss, releasing noxious green gas that began billowing toward them.


    ¡®Ahh, so the shield protects us from the gas¡­ interesting design¡­¡¯ she mused as she watched the first part of the gas cloud make contact with the shield.


    However, she couldn¡¯t continue to observe, as suddenly there was a fleeting pressure between her shoulder blades and she was flying forward, out of the shield and into the incoming gas attack.


    Sadly, even with her impressive shields and mana capacity, the entire event was designed to one-hit kill anyone on their level, so she could only watch in surprise as her health vanished.


    [You died!]


    [Do you want to resurrect?]


    [Yes/No]


    She clicked on the yes, and while the game played the usual resurrection scene, she called up the contract and sent a call to get the full fee plus the extra for the party killing her.


    Standing up, she ignored the DMs from the idiots and began walking back to the headquarters as the gas was slightly acidic and decreased the durability of some of her equipment.


    ¡®Yeah, I think I should take a break from the game¡­ I wonder if sis is free¡­¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°What were the gains?¡±


    ¡°Reputation, some gold, recycled equipment, a few minor quest completions.¡±


    His father looked back at the person talking, and David could feel the anger radiating from him. Meanwhile, Katie was sitting on the side of the room and elegantly snacking on some popcorn. Honestly, he really felt like joining his sister.


    The operation to root out the pirates that had been recently harassing the people of Deepanchor should have been the cornerstone of their plan to take over the city. Despite that, while managing to exterminate a satellite base of the pirates, they had little to nothing to show for it.


    With the vault empty and no notable prisoners, they couldn¡¯t even recoup their losses.


    However, what rankled his father, and caused his sister to laugh out loud while requesting popcorn, was that according to the person reporting, there was an unknown player who escaped with one of the prisoners. A player who used wind and shadow magic.


    ¡°What do you know about that specific prisoner?¡±


    ¡°Almost everything. It has become pretty big news in the city. Son of James Morrison, one of the bigger merchants. Thought to be lost at sea, however, it seems he was held by pirates and according to our questioning, they were planning to move him somewhere else. Most likely they planned to blackmail the family with his health and safety.¡±


    ¡°And the player who rescued him was¡­¡±


    ¡°Him, yes.¡±


    David¡¯s father said nothing, but he could practically hear the teeth grinding from where he sat.


    ¡°What did he gain?¡±


    ¡°The loyalty of the Morrison family,¡± came the prompt answer.


    ¡°Which he will use to set up a branch of his business¡­¡±


    ¡°More than likely, sir.¡±


    ¡°Sabotage it,¡± came the expected order.


    However, instead of agreeing the man fidgeted a little before answering.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have enough people for a proper job, sir,¡±


    ¡®Now isn¡¯t that interesting¡­ Wonder what happened?¡¯ David thought, ignoring his sister''s quiet cackles. Thankfully, no blame could be placed on him as he was away from the city, training with the elite in a fracture that their guild controlled.


    ¡°Why?¡± His father was beginning to look a little red from anger.


    ¡°We set up our headquarters with proper security, but the head of security left a few ¡®holes¡¯ in defense ¨C a rather common action, I was told ¨C to funnel anyone wanting to intrude.¡± David nodded in understanding. It was a pretty logical action as there was no unsinkable ship or unconquerable castle, better leave a few holes where they knew the enemy could get in. ¡°However, it appears that somebody leaked almost all of the holes to the criminal element of the city. We have been attacked several times since then, and not just by NPCs. Several criminal player groups tried their luck. So far we managed to beat them back, but if this continues then we will need more people.¡±


    For a while the silence of the room, as his father processed the information, was only broken by Katie munching on her food. Occasionally, when the sound got a little louder, his father''s eyes jumped to her, but David could only see a brief twitch before his eyes returned to the man who conveyed the report.


    ¡°How are our recruitments going?¡±


    ¡°Background checks holding everything up,¡± came another prompt reply.


    Nobody mentioned that the intensive background checks were his father¡¯s idea.


    ¡°What about hiring other workshops?¡±


    This time it was David who spoke up.


    ¡°Won¡¯t work, father. In gaming circles, hiring a gaming workshop for this kind of task is a clear signal of weakness.¡±


    ¡°How big of a signal?¡±


    ¡°Blood in the water.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Once more the room descended into silence, broken by the munching of popcorn. For a few minutes, this state of affairs was held up, but apparently, their father couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    ¡°Anything to add, daughter?¡±


    Katie giggled. Giggled! Then she finished the last part of the popcorn, stood up, smoothed out her dress, and gave their father a rather malicious smile.


    ¡°No, nothing, father. Good luck, though¡­¡±


    And with that, she practically flounced out of the room and the teeth grinding returned.


    David sighed and wished he could also leave, but alas fate prescribed a different journey for him.


    ¡°What should we do father?¡±


    His father turned to him, thought for a moment then began speaking. Both he and the man still standing awkwardly in the middle of the room began taking notes.


    The man may have been an asshole and a horrible father but nobody would deny he was a great businessman.


    ¡®It¡¯s a pity he is underestimating gamers¡­¡¯ David mused, his thoughts turning to his sister¡¯s mysterious boss who always seemed a step ahead of them.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°How the fuck did you do it?¡±


    ¡°A little elbow grease and some voodoo¡­¡±


    Lucy glared at her nominal boss and couldn¡¯t help but be astonished. He went out to check Deepanchor and came back with the support of a prominent merchant family after somehow finding the family¡¯s lost son in the clutches of pirates.


    ¡°And the money?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re pirates, they had the booty and now I, or rather we, have the booty.¡±


    Lucy looked back at Sam¡¯s innocent face and then let out a sigh.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll begin the expansion to Deepanchor.¡±


    ¡°Sweet, that means I can go to the capital¡­¡±


    Lucy knew to this day nobody managed to snag a piece of real estate at the capital, or any of the capitals around the world. According to the forums she frequented people had tried a lot of things from offering money to offering even more money and even simply taking it by force.


    Nothing worked.


    ¡°Do you think you can get us some properties there?¡± she asked worriedly.


    Sam shrugged.


    ¡°I have no idea. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going there to figure out a way¡­¡±


    Lucy didn¡¯t need a polygraph to tell that every word that left Sam¡¯s mouth was a lie. But she didn¡¯t mention it. Her friend earned at least that much trust.


    ¡°Alright, do you need any help?¡±


    Sam thought for a moment but then shook his head. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m pretty good. Not to change the subject, but how about we change the subject: how is Heavenly Forest?¡±


    Lucy nodded and took a moment to search out a few documents, if Sam was asking about the place then obviously he had something planned.


    ¡°We¡¯re doing pretty good. The light fixture refit has been completed recently with the lights that Liz made. Feedback is entirely positive from the staff, due to less maintenance and gentler light. I don¡¯t think the guests even noticed the change. The kitchen was also very happy with the equipment she built. Currently, she is doing a refit for the laundry room and cleaning team,¡± she explained. ¡°Never thought I would see the day when a magical vacuum would be so interesting to me, but here we are¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you have a contact at the arena?¡± The arena locally was simply a place where the city organized events and people could rent fields to fight or train. To the players, it was the place where they could PVP without the danger of PK.


    ¡°Sure, they buy a lot of stuff from us¡­ why?¡± she asked, looking at his friend with narrowed eyes.


    He only said three words.


    ¡°Pay-per-view.¡±


    Lucy''s eyes shone with surprise and then let out a full belly laugh.


    ¡°You¡¯re a fucking genius. After Liz is finished with the amenities around the hotel I¡¯ll get her to set something up.¡±


    ¡°Good, then I think I¡¯ll do a small resupply and then head for the capital.¡±


    ¡°Good luck, Sam!¡±


    ¡°Thanks! Have fun with the business stuff..¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Tim really liked the fact that he spent a lot of time making sure he had enough speed-enhancing skills, both passive and active.


    Otherwise, he would have long fallen to his ex-guild. Their contract was pretty clear on these things. If the guild attacked him without provocation, betrayal, and such, then the contract was null and void, plus a little compensation for the trouble. Funnily, the compensation became bigger if he could survive for a week after the guild decided to eliminate him.


    Not that he found much humor in it with his current situation.


    The ritual was done in an out-of-way place to avoid any nosy government officials, wandering adventurers, or their competitions.


    It took him an hour just to escape down the mountainside into the forest, where the chase turned into a hide and seek as several people from the guild tried to hunt him down, while no doubt several went ahead to block his escape routes.


    He had to constantly either move when his skills were on cooldown or take down people that tried to ambush him. Thankfully, he was one of the more competent fighters in the guild. Most of them only joined to play assassins, concentrating on assassin skills that made them look cool. Only a few of them took the auxiliary skills seriously and now those skills were paying dividends.


    Granted it also helped that while he worked in IT, his older sister was an amateur MMA fighter who liked to ¡®practice¡¯ with him when they were younger. While he hated every second of it, he at least learned a few things from it.


    Mostly that he hated getting punched. So, he made sure that he had skills that allowed him to avoid being punched.


    ¡®If I manage to get away in one piece, I¡¯m buying Nessy a fucking cake¡­¡¯ he promised to himself as he continued to dash between trees, constantly surveying the area.


    <hr>


    It took a few more hours to lose his pursuers for a little while, allowing him to rest and take stock. He was down to his last few health and mana potions and his weapon had a few chips here and there from when he used it to get down the mountainside.


    ¡®So, what now? They will want to complete the first mission their new god gave them or they¡¯re fucked¡­ which means, I¡¯ll need to hide out somewhere. But where?¡¯


    Sadly, his musings were cut short when one of his sensing skills pinged and he spotted one of his guildmates heading in his direction. He was up and running instantly, surprising the man by dashing in front of him.


    Thus, once again, he was running.


    <hr>


    By the time he reached the plains he was rather annoyed. No matter what he did, his enemies always found him sooner or later.


    ¡®No doubt, the demon¡¯s doing¡­¡¯


    He needed a shield, and fast.


    As he rushed toward the road that crossed the plains he saw something that sparked some hope in his soul.


    It seemed Fate hasn¡¯t decided to throw him away, as on the road he could see the very man that basically destroyed their group when they tried to assassinate him.


    There he was riding on his giant wolf that was almost as famous as he was, in some circles, more famous.


    Tim took a look behind him and activated one of his once-a-day skills and began running at an angle toward the road so that by the time the skill ended they would be at the same point.


    At least hopefully¡­

 Chapter 112

    They talked long into the night.


    With the older man offering more and more rewards and Sam trying to politely refuse them. He had no need for the hand of the old man¡¯s niece. In the end, he was saved by the son coming to his rescue, joining the discussion in clean clothes and with a relieved smile on his face.


    Sam¡¯s requests were rather easy. He wanted help to get his company started and maybe a few plots to rent or outright buy.


    The Morrison patriarch and his son were rather excited at the idea, as the last business idea they participated in resulted in the ship being sunk and Gregory spending quality time at the mercy of a pirate band. So, the possibility of a business that had nothing to do with the sea came as a stark relief.


    The discussion quickly devolved into specifics which made Sam a little uncomfortable. While he had a general understanding of business, he rather preferred that Lucy dealt with the details. So, he simply wrote everything that was said down, ready to hand over to his friend.


    Naturally, the two Morrisons praised him for making minutes of the meeting.


    Sam left the Morrison estate the next morning laden with paperwork, documents, and scrolls. Happy and immensely tired. He spent a little time packaging everything together, then sent it off to Lucy before leaving the game and falling face-first into his bed, mentally exhausted but exhilarated.


    **


    The next time he entered the game, he made sure that his equipment was in a good enough condition, then took a short detour toward the city library.


    The guard this time didn¡¯t even check his card. Sam simply received a respectful nod and the gate to the library was opened for him.


    Opposite the door, at the desk, was the librarian, who helped him the last time, sitting there, reading something.


    Upon his entry, the elderly woman looked up and even from a distance, Sam could spot the happiness in her eyes. With purposeful steps, he approached the desk and bowed his head a little.


    ¡°I have returned, as promised.¡±


    The woman put away her reading and gave Sam a gentle smile.


    ¡°I have heard.¡± She looked around a little, then gently waved her hand. Sam felt an equally gentle pulse leave her but hover around them in a globe. ¡®Ahh, an area of silence¡­¡¯


    He said nothing, waiting patiently for the woman to speak up.


    She took a big breath, then spoke up.


    ¡°I heard what happened. Thank you for saving my nephew¡­¡±


    Sam blinked in surprise, then smiled.


    ¡°No problem. After all, it was thanks to your help I managed it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so modest, young man,¡± she replied with a knowing smile. Sam opened his mouth to refute it, continuing to act humble, but the older woman cut him off. ¡°However, I¡¯m not here to exalt you, young man. A favor for a favor is what I wanted to talk to you about!¡±


    ¡°A favor?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you helped my family, thus I aim to repay that help.¡±


    ¡°Err, your family already repaid my help, ma¡¯am. There is no need for that¡­¡±


    The older woman just waved his hand away.


    ¡°Bah! That¡¯s that, and this is different! Plus, after you hear what I¡¯m offering, you will look at my help differently.¡± She spoke softly but managed to inject a little warning, causing Sam to swallow in trepidation.


    The older woman smirked at him, reached over to her desk and retrieved an envelope that had no identifying mark on it, then held it out to Sam.


    ¡°The deal is this, young man. I¡¯ve here a letter to a person who can help with your studies in the realm of runes. Should you accept it, they¡¯ll be able to help you master the art.¡± She held up a hand in warning. ¡°However, they¡¯re not the most agreeable sort. All I can offer is an introduction, nothing more.¡±


    Sam stared at the unassuming letter and swallowed again. He went with runes as the crafting skill as he needed it for Lucky¡¯s evolutions and the game had a lot of rituals that he could make use of. Plus, after he mastered the basics of runes, several branches of the art would grant the wielder of the art an overpowered skill or two in the future, not to mention the riches.


    Runic Masters was one of the best-paid jobs in his inherited memories. Mana activation rituals, and familiar evolution rituals, were just the basics of basics. Body refining, weapon and armor refining, area protection, and so on. There were rituals for everything. Of course, people mastering the runes could also pick up enchanting. While you could enchant without runes, the two together were more than the sum of the parts. In the future that would not be, a weapon without runic enchantments had no worth.


    Sam reached out and gently took the letter and placed it in his inventory.


    ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am, for the trust¡­¡±


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me just yet, young man. You¡¯ll have to work hard if you want to master the runic arts¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± he replied with another bow of his head. ¡°Anything else that I can help with?¡± he then asked with a small smirk on his face.


    The elderly woman just chuckled and waved him away. ¡°No thank you! Now go, and enjoy your adventure, and maybe when you feel like it, drop by and entertain this old lady with tales of your actions¡­¡±


    **


    Sam left Deepanchor cheerfully, the letter somewhat heavy in his inventory. Thankfully, the person it was addressed to was also residing in the capital. So, he simply refreshed his consumables, made sure that his Bottomless Flask was full of Health Potion, and his inventory had enough Mana and other potions, and left the city.


    He only came to alleviate Lucy¡¯s problem with the city, and now that it was finished, he could finally get back on the road toward his original destination.


    Outside the gates, he spent half an hour on foot, rushing away from the city, just in case somebody followed him that he couldn¡¯t sense. Those he could he already lost in the labyrinthian back alleys of the harbor city with the help of his shadow magic and Chameleon Mask.


    Standing in a small clearing, Sam stretched his senses as far away as possible and when he sensed nothing but the faraway bustle of the main road leading from Deepanchor, the occasional monster that roamed the well-maintained forest surrounding the city, he let out a sigh and called out.


    ¡°Lucky!¡±


    The wolf instantly resurfaced and took up a guard position, recognizing that they were out in the wilderness. However, when no attack came, his furry friend relaxed and turned toward Sam, and let out a happy little bark.


    Sam didn¡¯t even have to kneel down, he simply stepped forward to embrace the wolf.


    It was simply amazing how lifelike the game was. Simply hugging his companion was enough to make him relax. The wolf, naturally, like a dog, let him do it, and only the wagging of his tail told about how much he enjoyed it.


    After a few minutes of Sam enjoying Lucky¡¯s companionship, he stepped backward and looked into Lucky¡¯s eyes. ¡°My friend, we¡¯re going on a long journey! Are you ready?¡±


    Lucky nodded his head and let out an encouraging bark.


    WOOF


    Then he stepped forward and lowered his body so that Sam could climb upon it comfortably.


    ¡°You¡¯re too good to me¡­¡± he said, then began the process of climbing up.


    The journey would be long, and he wanted to be as comfortable as possible.


    **


    They sped past trees and monsters alike, ignoring everything that wanted to attack them. Lucky originally wouldn¡¯t have the mana capacity to last this long, but with Sam¡¯s control, it was child¡¯s play to channel mana into the shadow wolf, allowing him to travel farther.


    The usual miscreants that the system conjured tried to slow them down, but the player bandits were simply ignored, while the monsters were mowed down with judicious use of Wind Blades from Sam while Lucky focused on speed and maintaining the direction.


    Thankfully, his mana regeneration was pretty good, so he was able to maintain a steady supply of it for his companion.


    They were in a straight section, rushing through empty fields of green, occasionally dotted by trees and shrubbery with a few monsters and animals here and there. Fortunately, not many of them felt the need to try their luck with a ferocious-looking giant shadow wolf.


    Sam was pretty much zoned out, just going through the motions.


    Channel mana into Lucky. Fire off Wind Blades. Regenerate mana.


    And so on, in an endless cycle.


    However, he still kept up the Mana Sense, so he was shocked out of his reverie by a fast-approaching Mana signal. As he focused on it, he reached out to get a ¡®taste¡¯ ¨C for the lack of a better word ¨C of the approaching person¡¯s mana.


    It was tinged with shadows and poison, but he could detect other flavors of mana too. Yet, this was all overwhelmed by the sheer raggedness of the mana. As if it barely clung to the person.


    ¡®They are running from something¡­¡¯ he thought as Lucky continued to run. ¡®And he is heading right at me¡­ joy.¡¯


    Soon after, he could see with his own eyes as a man in a ragged cloak rushed toward him, while several other people in the same type of cloak appeared in the distance. Sadly, Sam recognized the cloaks, as they were rather distinct. ¡®Silent Step! What are they doing? Infighting?¡¯


    He reached out with his Mana Sense and other skills and took a look at the chasing people, hoping to get some idea about the situation. Instantly, he was slapped by the cloying stench of the very familiar mana of the Calon worshippers and the being that tainted the ancient forest. Sadly, it was a distinctly different flavor, so he couldn¡¯t really say which demon they made a deal with, but as far as Sam was concerned, making a deal with any demon was bad juju.


    It took him a few seconds to take in the situation, then he looked surprised and horrified at the same time.


    ¡®The Silent Step never went for demon summoning. They were always big on pure skill! What happe¨C Right, I beat them like an old drum¡­¡¯


    The man was approaching rather fast, and it was pretty obvious he was heading right toward Sam. To attack him or take shelter with him was not clear, but Sam didn¡¯t want to chance it.


    ¡°Lucky, start slowing down! When the man appears, ambush from behind!¡±


    The smart wolf let out a bark of understanding and Sam could feel the wolf gradually slow down.


    Possibly seeing this, the fleeing assassin sped up and soon Sam could see the exhaustion evident on his face.


    Lucky stopped under him and he hopped off while the wolf vanished into his shadows. He raised a hand and began gathering wind mana, shaping the wind into a small compressed ball. As the assassin kept running and the half dozen pursuers followed, he just kept feeding mana into it.


    And when the raggedly breathing man was close enough for him to hear Sam, he called out just loud enough that the people presumably wanting to kill the man (there was still a chance that this was some kind of elaborate assassination plot) didn¡¯t hear him.


    ¡°Duck!¡±


    The man threw himself into the dirt without hesitation and Sam let go of the magic in his palm. Instantly, a giant paper-thin wave of wind blade exploded from it, sweeping over the man on the ground and instantly slicing the first man into two. Sadly, the rest of the pursuers were far enough to be able to react and dodge out of the way.


    Instead, only the poor trees and ambitious bushes fell victim to Sam¡¯s spell.


    But even that was enough to grant the fleeing man a breather. Enough that he managed to spit out a few words.


    ¡°Demon¡­ Summon¡­ Fled¡­ Kill¡­on¡­ Order¡­¡± he panted, trying to get up on his knees, but it was obvious that the last skill he had used left him with a hefty debuff.


    Sam eyed the man and the rapidly approaching assassins. ¡°You owe me one¡­¡±


    The man on the ground managed a weak nod, but Sam¡¯s attention was on the attackers. However, before they could do anything, the last one, who was lagging behind for some reason let out a cry of pain as Lucky resurfaced from his shadow and used his deadly claws and magic to tear him a new one.


    The other assassins glanced back in surprise and Sam used the momentary distraction to unsheathe his sword, clad it in wind mana, increasing its cutting power and activating his speed-increasing skills, followed by launching himself at the assassins.


    With the taint on them, there was no need to hold back. After all, who knows what kind of ¡®blessing¡¯ the demon gave them?


    The assassins, proving that they had a little training, said nothing upon the death of their comrade, they simply raised their daggers and rushed at Sam, while behind their back Lucky followed them, tongue lolling out in excitement, his claws still dark with the first cultist¡¯s blood.

 Chapter 113

    Against four people while the fifth one was still lying in the dirt, breathing heavily, Sam didn¡¯t feel much fear. Granted, they were no doubt enhanced by whatever demon they pledged themselves to, but Sam was confident in his and Lucky¡¯s prowess.


    The four assassins fanned out, and despite the hood covering them, he could see that their aim wasn¡¯t him, but the fifth person trying to swim in the dust.


    They all unsheathed daggers, all covered by dark miasma that radiated the same stench he sensed from them. ¡®I really need to learn some anti-demon spells¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he covered his own sword with a layer of shadows, hoping that it would work better against demonic mana than wind mana.


    Meanwhile, Lucky prowled at the back, ready to strike. Over the time they spent together, the clever wolf had learned to wait for the opportunities that Sam created to strike instead of charging directly at their opponents. Plus, it was rather intimidating to face your opponent while a giant shadow wolf was waiting to jump on you if you showed any kind of weakness.


    Not even slowing down, one of the assassins attempted to speed past him on his right side ¨C probably counting on Sam not being able to react with the sword in his hand ¨C while the other three raised their daggers and shouted almost at the same time.


    ¡° ¡° ¡°Corruption Pulse!¡± ¡± ¡±


    Sam took in all of these actions and reacted.


    Within a blink of an eye, he simply swung Moonlight to the side and used the shadow mana around it to conjure a simple Shadow Shield in front of the speeding assassin, while also using his Shadow Burst ability in conjunction with his Wind Movement to jump upwards, avoiding the trio of corrosive projectiles that slammed into the ground a little behind him. To no one¡¯s surprise, the ground instantly began to sizzle as the mana began eating away the material it was made out of.


    The assassin that wanted to avoid him couldn¡¯t evade fast enough and slammed into the conjured shield that held just long enough to stop the man¡¯s charge ¨C no doubt enhanced by some manner of skill ¨C and crumbled into nothingness as the man staggered around attempting to recover from the collision.


    Making a quick decision, while the three other assassins tried to find him (nobody ever looked up) he used a few gentle wind bursts and altered his course as he reached the zenith of his jump and gravity began to reassert its cosmic given right.


    BAMMM


    CRUNCH


    ¡°Aaaargh¡­¡±


    Sam stepped forward, ignoring the broken body of the assassin, and took up his fighting stance as the remaining three enemies gaped at him and the remains behind him. Unfortunately for them, Lucky used their momentary confusion to strike.


    The shadow wolf charged forward, his deadly claws slamming into one of the assailants, sending them to the ground amidst a cry of pain. Lucky tried to lash out at the other two, but they were faster than that.


    They both jumped away and cried out.


    ¡° ¡°Corrosion Aura!¡± ¡°


    Apparently, their new demon overlord was rather generous with their power. Sam watched as the grass they were standing on began to sizzle and then vanish, while the ground turned brown, then a disturbing shade of black.


    ¡®Couldn¡¯t they have used a skill that told me what demon they were following?¡¯ Sam complained to himself as he considered how to deal with the two of them, now that they were wreathed in caustic magic.


    Lucky growled in disappointment, shook his head, and then refocused on the man on the ground who was trying to get up.


    CRUNCH


    Ignoring the sounds coming from those two, Sam raised his sword and made an inviting motion with his other hand while smirking at the assassins.


    ¡°Not what you expected, boys?¡±


    One of them growled in anger, but the other answered.


    ¡°You stand no chance, fool!¡±


    ¡°We shall see!¡± he replied while preparing his mana.


    His two enemies glanced at each other and then nodded. Both of them jumped in a different direction ¨C no doubt trying to confuse Sam ¨C but in the end, they pivoted once again, both of them rushing toward Sam as he seemingly stood there waiting for their attack.


    ¡°HAH!¡± one of them exclaimed, slashing down with his dagger while the other one slashed at Sam¡¯s midsection.


    However, Sam just smiled as the daggers found no purchase in his body, which dispersed into shadow particles a second later while the assassins regained their balance.


    Proving that they were not complete morons, one of them looked up, straight at Sam, who was once again falling down at them.


    ¡°Scatter!¡±


    They pushed away, launching themselves away from the epicenter as Sam landed, kicking up dust and slightly cracking the blackened ground.


    The next few moments were rather hectic as the two assassins fell on him. He used his sword to parry their strikes while keeping his body away from their corrosive auras.


    At this point, it was just a waiting game. They had much less mana and much weaker mana regeneration than he did. And he barely used any mana-intensive spells while they were using some big ones after a chase that lasted who knows how long.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Sam kept a slightly arrogant smile on his face, just to make sure to anger them as he dodged, parried, and redirected their strikes, while his two enemies grew increasingly tired and exasperated.


    ¡°Why!¡± A strike parried. ¡°Won¡¯t!¡± A slight dodge to avoid that nasty strike. ¡°You!¡± turning sideways to avoid two decently coordinated strikes. ¡°STAY!¡± A Shadow Shield allowed enough time to parry the other strike from the opposite direction. ¡°STILL!!!¡±


    Proving that fate had a sense of humor, at the exact moment the assassin seemingly became lost in anger, the aura around the two of them began to sputter and then vanished. Leaving them standing in an area with no grass, only blackened and cracked ground.


    Not far away, a rather brave but foolish bird flew down, no doubt to rest their weary wings, and as soon as their talons touched the cursed ground, they let out a panicky chirp and fell over, dead.


    The two assassins stood opposite Sam, breathing heavily, and through his Mana Sense, Sam felt that they were also running on empty tanks.


    ¡°Uh-oh¡­¡±


    ¡°This is not good, right?¡± The second one asked, while the first one scrambled for a mana potion.


    Sam just gave them a sardonic smile and shrugged.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Sam walked away from the rapidly dispersing bodies and approached the last assassin that was still lying on the ground, his face turned in the direction of the fight. Granted, the fight barely took a minute or two, but Sam expected a better recovery from an assassin.


    He crouched down next to the man after sheathing his sword and began poking and prodding him.


    ¡°You all right there, champ?¡±


    His answer was a tired groan.


    Sam continued his prodding.


    ¡°Come on, get up. Your friends are no doubt on their way. I don¡¯t want to fight all of you guys, no matter how easy it is¡­¡±


    The man mumbled something but still refused to move.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Not my friends anymore,¡± came the still mumbled, but better understandable, answer from the man.


    ¡°Right, right¡­ Let me guess! They decided to summon a demon, and you didn¡¯t agree. Demon didn¡¯t like that, and ordered you to be hunted down?¡± Sam asked with a smirk. It was such a clich¨¦ development, that it almost hurt him.


    Thankfully, the man managed to react to that. He turned to Sam, while reaching out with his trembling hand to push himself up, and stared at him with wide eyes.


    ¡°How¡­ How did you know?¡±


    ¡°The stench of demonic mana is rather unmistakable, you know¡­¡± Sam said while offering a hand to the other man, helping him stand up.


    As the probably ex-assassin gathered his wits, Sam asked a few questions.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you head to the nearest city?¡±


    ¡°They blocked the route¡­ and by the time I realized they were herding me¡­ it was too late¡­¡± came the slow answer.


    Sam nodded. ¡°Makes sense. Next question: Why me?¡±


    The other man, still leaning on Sam, managed to shrug his shoulder. ¡°Luck. Saw you and recognized the wolf. You defeated us when we tried to take you out, hoped you got stronger.¡± The man reached up and removed his cowl, revealing his ordinary looks. Brown hair, earnest but tired eyes, and a smirk on his face. ¡°I even got a luck increase from it¡­¡±


    Sam opened his mouth to answer, then closed it without saying anything.


    Lucky walked up to them and began sniffing the assassin.


    Finally, after a few seconds, he sighed.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, assassin?¡±


    ¡°Tim.¡±


    ¡°Ever thought about taking up enchanting?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    <hr>


    They spent a few minutes getting themselves in order. Using Sam¡¯s minimal healing skill and judicious use of healing potion got Tim in proper shape, though the last skill the man used left him with a debuff so he wasn¡¯t really battle-ready.


    But with the help of Lucky, they were soon on the road again.


    A little slower and it took more mana to replenish Lucky, but Sam could handle it.


    An hour later, they reached a small town that was basically just used as a stopover for travelers on their way to the capital. This could be seen from the dozen inns and pubs and a very nice hot spring bath.


    Deciding that he needed a longer talk with the man, Sam simply dragged Tim to the hot spring and rented a private area.


    <hr>


    The two of them luxuriated in the feeling of the virtual hot spring while Lucky paddled around them, clearly enjoying the new sensations that came with a giant hot water bath.


    ¡°So, not that I¡¯m not thankful, but shouldn¡¯t we, err..., get away from the area?¡± Tim asked, clearly confused a little.


    Sam just chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s what they¡¯re expecting. Never do anything that the enemy wants you to do¡­¡±


    ¡°Still, they found me pretty easily before¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can sense if they are near,¡± Sam answered with a smirk. ¡°Hell, there were already a few of them around the town. None of them came close to the hot spring.¡±


    ¡°Huh, well that¡¯s¡­ something¡­¡±


    For a while they stayed silent, each of them enjoying the experience or watching Lucky fool around. Then Sam let out a small sigh and posed a question that had been bothering him for a while.


    ¡°What¡¯s the name of the demon that you guys summoned?¡±


    Tim flinched a little but readily answered. ¡°I don¡¯t know the proper name, but the texts I saw called it The Shadowed One, master of shadows. The boss thought it would suit the assassin skills set¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    The Shadowed One¡­


    Sam had to really flex his mind to remember that one. It was a stealthy type of demon, preferring to skulk in the shadows as its name implied and set up ridiculous plots. But according to his inherited memories, it was only summoned much later by another group of people down south in the marshlands. A perfect area for the demon to take root¡­


    Not that it mattered. According to Tim, while the summoning took place in the mountains to avoid attention, it was still within Ironwood¡¯s sphere of influence. And he knew a rather aggressive group of druids who really didn¡¯t like demons¡­


    Opening his message screen, he wrote down the basics and sent it off to Lucy with instructions on where to deliver the message. The Silent Steps was a useful guild, but if they decided to summon demons, then Sam felt no remorse for siccing the druids on them.


    ¡®Git better guys for next time¡­¡¯


    Returning his attention to Tim, who was watching him awkwardly as he sent the message away.


    ¡°What are your plans after this?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, you¡¯re out of the Silent Steps by not participating in the ritual, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± the other man answered, a little confused.


    ¡°What are you planning to do? I mean, from what I remember, you got some skills¡­¡±


    Tim let out a sigh. ¡°I have no idea, man¡­ I really like playing Assassin. You know, sneaking around, getting into places that one shouldn¡¯t be, taking out the target, and things like that.¡±


    ¡°You any good at it?¡±


    He looked affronted at being questioned. ¡°You kidding? I¡¯m one of the best! I actually took some security classes at the local college to be better at games,¡± Tim explained with a proud look on his face. ¡°I was best getting in and out of places in the guild¡­¡±


    ¡°Sounds fun!¡±


    ¡°It was! We did so many things¡­ Get this¡­¡± The other man leaned forward and began excitedly weaving a tale of a daring infiltration, wrought with awake dogs and sleepy guards.


    <hr>


    Sometime later, after Tim finished his story, and all of them, including Lucky, were looking rather wrinkly, Sam finally spoke up.


    ¡°Want a new job?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I mean, it seems you¡¯re out of a contract, and I seem to find myself needing a security expert,¡± he explained. ¡°We have excellent healthcare¡­¡±


    Tim opened his mouth and then closed it. Then opened it again and spoke up, his voice incredulous. ¡°What? How? What if I¡¯m just a cleverly planned plant?¡±


    Sam just smirked at the guy as he began getting out of the hot spring.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the person who you¡¯ll be working with can smell shit like that from a mile away. ¡± He began toweling himself off while throwing a rather evil smirk at the gobsmacked assassin. ¡°Plus, imagine how easy I could destroy you if you decide to betray me¡­¡±

 Chapter 114

    After finishing with the hot spring, they retired to their rooms, logging out for the night, as Sam wanted to check up on a few things, while Tim needed to deal with the real-world fallout of the event that led him to meet Sam and get some rest as he was rather exhausted.


    Sam removed the helmet from his head, as it had become a routine. He placed the helmet on its stand and, after a satisfying stretch, approached his computer.


    The first thing he did was check up on Shadowland.


    The website was still in the middle of transforming into a Magic Unbound specific site, so one could still find requests and posts related to other games and software, but most of the site¡¯s traffic was dealing with the world sensation that Magic Unbound became.


    Countless requests for money-making guides, asking for exploits, sources of strong magic, or badass weapons. Then there were the expected money selling and buying posts, most of them promising tracking free delivery of the money, as some people didn¡¯t want it to become public knowledge that they had bought game money.


    Then there were his own posts.


    His posts about the old games were archived, but they still received a few visitors once or twice daily.


    The big money makers were the small guides he uploaded to some mundane stuff he had evidence that worked in the game. A few magic and skill tutorials, plus a few hints for the hidden bonuses that can be earned at the training hall.


    Then there were the requests. So many messages¡­


    Most of them were spam, as expected, but the in-built filter of the site worked well, so he didn¡¯t see much of them. But even so, he had to be careful what message he answered and what he did not.


    He ignored the messages that promised unbelievable information for only a small amount of money and went straight for the requests. Sam was hoping that the Steel Lions sent him something so that he could use it to make money and screw them over.


    Sadly, thanks to the anonymity that the site provided, he couldn¡¯t pick out if somebody from the Steel Lions wrote to him, so Sam simply picked out a few requests that offered a good payout and asked for information that he already had.


    He spent the next hour writing down the realities of Deepanchor which, thanks to his discussion with the Morrisons, was still rather vividly in his mind. The pair of them spent some time just complaining about the politics of the city. Then a few minutes to write down the mechanics of several spells as he understood them, with a few practice exercises, and then sent them away.


    Soon after, his messenger app dinged, showing that the promised money arrived in the temporary account he set up for this kind of thing. After pushing a few buttons, the money vanished from the account, went through a little journey, and arrived in his business account, billed as services provided. Sam disliked paying taxes as much as the next guy, but he wanted to get caught not paying taxes even less.


    The situation with the game was just heating up, so people were simply watching the game being played, but maybe in years, the situation would escalate so much that the people¡¯s lives would be entwined with Magic Unbound.


    While only the lowest of the low, and the criminals (or the insane) would reach for physical altercations in the real world to settle the score from the game, a lot of people instead used bureaucracy to stymie or even ruin their foes.


    He wanted to make sure that no matter who looked into his finances they would find nothing.


    Finished with his clandestine accounting, he turned his attention to the wider world.


    He scrolled through news sites, making sure to keep up with the news that had nothing to do with the game he was playing, while also checking to see if they wrote anything about the few movies he was interested in.


    Apparently, on some of the websites, there were already people considering doing a movie about Magic Unbound.


    However, the biggest news was that he spotted an article about the new generation of virtual reality pods.


    ¡®If they are writing about it, that means that the rich and well-connected would be soon getting them¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he browsed further. ¡®Hey! The Future Unknown has been using my image in a lot of commercials. I wonder if they could get me one¡­¡¯


    Feeling like he wouldn¡¯t lose anything by trying, he quickly typed up a letter to customer support on their official website and sent it off.


    Standing up from the computer, he looked around his office and shook his head.


    ¡°Welp, why not clean a little¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Returning back to the game, he was met by the still tired-looking Tim as they both emerged from their rooms at the same time, as previously agreed.


    ¡°Morning, Tim!¡± he greeted the assassin as they began walking down the hallway, ready for breakfast.


    ¡°Morning, boss¡­¡± the other man returned the greeting half-heartedly.


    ¡°Did you go over the new contract?¡±


    Tim shook his head.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t have time. Had to deal with the old contract,¡± he explained.


    ¡°Any trouble?¡± Sam asked.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Tim waved his hand around.


    ¡°Eh, so-so. They weren¡¯t happy, let me tell you. But they understood it¡¯s a game, and sometimes shit happens.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Sam asked skeptically.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Tim retorted while rolling his eyes. ¡°They were a bunch of drama queens, demanding that I go back, let myself be killed several times, then join them in their new cult,¡± he ranted while they took seats in the hot spring¡¯s modest restaurant.


    A moment later, a nicely dressed and super chipper waitress took their order, and they were back to discussing the situation.


    ¡°Did they pay the agreed amount of penalty?¡±


    ¡°They have no say over it. We uploaded the contract to the game and connected it to our accounts. As soon as the game¡¯s system recognized that they broke it, the money was wired to my account.¡±


    ¡°I assume they were not happy about it¡­¡±


    ¡°I wonder why¡­ Originally, it was made so that when one of us fucks up, the penalty fee could be deducted from our accounts without trouble. The leader really liked that part¡­¡± Tim explained as he began munching on some fresh complimentary bread slices. ¡°Plus, this way it was easier to get our share from the jobs we took.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. We set up a simple business in real life and it works that way. Little more complicated, but less prone to abuse.¡±


    Tim nodded and watched suspiciously as the chipper waitress arrived with their food.


    ¡°Here you go, guys! Have a fun meal!¡± she chirped as she placed the food before them while sending Tim a saucy wink before walking off to deal with the next customer.


    For a long moment, Tim blinked in surprise, then shrugged and tore into his food.


    ¡°I think she liked you,¡± Sam commented, starting on his own food.


    Tim looked up, and after swallowing his food, spoke up. ¡°Why?¡±


    <hr>


    After enjoying their meal, they paid the hot spring for their stay (or rather, Sam paid) and began heading toward the capital.


    They were well outside of the small town when Tim asked a question.


    ¡°If I¡¯m to be working with your guy, how am I getting back to Ironwood without running into my old friends?¡±


    Sam stopped in an empty clearing, cast his senses far and wide, and when satisfied that nobody was anywhere close to them, called out to Lucky. And while the affectionate wolf made sure to showcase his love for Sam, he answered Tim¡¯s question.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to take a ship. I have a contact in shipping who can get you to Deepanchor. From there you will take a caravan,¡± he explained while running his fingers through Lucky¡¯s luxurious fur to the obvious enjoyment of said wolf. ¡°As long as you keep to yourself, and nothing catastrophic happens, you could be in Ironwood within days.¡±


    Tim nodded while eyeing the giant wolf.


    ¡°Hey, sorry if it is too much to ask, but where did you get your pet?¡±


    Sam looked up from Lucky and smiled at Tim.


    ¡°Lucky? He is pretty unique. To my knowledge, you can¡¯t really get shadow wolves as pets¡­¡±


    ¡°Pity,¡± Tim replied with a sigh. ¡°Would have been cool to have one.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Lucky is magnificent. But if you want a pet, I heard that Brightgarden has dozens of guilds specializing in pets, summons, and familiars.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess¡­ you have a contact there?¡± Tim asked wryly while Sam hopped on the back of Lucky and motioned for him to follow.


    Sam waited until Tim got comfortable behind him, then gave him a glance and a smirk.


    ¡°Of course I do! Now hold onto your panties because this is going to be fast! Lucky go!¡±


    And then they were off, straight to the capital.


    <hr>


    A few miles off from the capital, they stopped riding on Lucky, and after the clever wolf returned to Sam¡¯s shadow, while Tim watched it happen a little jealously, they headed, on foot, toward the enormous road that led to Vividora.


    Soon, they were among the giant crowd that was headed for the obscenely big and green walls of the capital city of the Kingdom of Emerald Crown.


    The walls were dotted with guard towers, while under walls, beyond the moat filled with water, were golden fields of wheat and all sorts of other gardens and plant nurseries. They could even see a few small collections of houses, no doubt for the workers on the field, providing bare necessities.


    The closer they were to the gates, the slower the crowd moved. By the time they were under the shadow of the wall, their speed could only be called glacial. Thankfully, the system was well developed, so soon, they joined a line that held more people entering the city on foot, while those on mounts or carts were directed to a different line.


    Entering the city was a rather simple affair. The guards took the ID cards that they had made back in their starting town, ran some tests on them, asked for a one-time fee, and they were free to enter the great city of emeralds.


    Instead of sightseeing, Sam spent a few minutes getting oriented, thanks to a helpful street urchin, and after a loss of one of his silver coins, he grabbed Tim and dragged him to the office that the Morrison family maintained in the capital.


    He then dumped the confused Tim on the office manager with a small sack of gold, a flash of the sigil that the older Morrison gave him, and then he was off enjoying the sights and services offered by the capital.


    <hr>


    Before doing anything, he chose a caf¨¦ randomly, ordering a simple meal and drink, while people-watching and thinking.


    He had the letter to the library, the training hall, hell he could even approach the Magic Tower for some extra lessons. Then there were the countless quests he had knowledge of in the area.


    Not to mention the ¡®main quest¡¯. The game officially didn¡¯t have a main quest or main storyline, as the developers felt that adding one would constrain the players too much, but like the Fracture, there were several bigger quests that permanently and on a large scale affected the world of Magic Unbound.


    He could work for that, as while the people who managed to get those types of quests kept them as secret as possible, he could extrapolate from the effects that their completion had on the game world. Plus, several of them were made into videos after the guilds who laid claim to them finished extracting as much money and power from them as possible.


    The other Sam religiously watched those videos, either cursing those lucky fools or trying to glean some kind of information that the guilds missed and he could capitalize on.


    Sam spent almost an hour just snacking and drinking while going through his mental plans and trying to decide what to do with himself.


    Finally, after finishing his drink, he made a decision. His skills were looking rather anemic. While he had a decent foundation, aside from one or two skills, none of them were impressive in the damage-dealing department. He needed something with heft behind it.


    ¡®Well, it IS the emerald city, so time to see the wizard, I suppose¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    The wizard tower in the capital was much bigger than the one back in Ironwood. For one, it wasn¡¯t just one building, but an entire campus filled with thirteen towers and several buildings, small and big.


    The entire thing was surrounded by walls and, according to his Mana Sense, a dense wall of magic, either to keep unwanted people out, or keep things in.


    He approached the gate along with hordes of other people, mostly players, and was let through rather simply. He only had to show a membership card to an artifact, not unlike a metro card in his old dimensions, and the honest-to-God turnstile allowed him to pass.


    Then he meandered through the campus, taking his time to look at the busts of famous people, or enjoying the cool wind that flowed amidst the expertly taken care of trees that dotted the greenery surrounding him. Surprisingly, he couldn¡¯t really see any guards or servants anywhere.


    ¡®I suppose, on a magical campus, most things are done by magic¡­¡¯ he mused.


    After some sightseeing, he arrived at one of the biggest buildings that had the Magic Tower¡¯s symbol right over the giant double doors.


    Sam stood there for a few seconds, allowing people to pass by him, simply taking in the ambiance and preparing himself mentally for the ordeal. After a minute, he shook himself, took a big breath, and began walking toward the constantly opening and closing doors.

 Chapter 115

    The building was crowded with people, mostly players, standing in different lines. The staff, on the opposite side of the hall behind the counters, were working feverishly to process everyone.


    On the two sides of the hall were several doors that were continuously staying open thanks to the traffic going through them.


    Sam eyed the crowd, and with a great sigh, joined one of the lines that looked the shortest. Naturally, the line next to them instantly sped up. But he knew that changing lines now would just mean that the current one would become faster. Instead, he took out one of the books he got that described some esoteric uses of wind mana and settled in for a long wait.


    Almost halfway through with his book, he arrived at the counter where a harried-looking man looked up at him and then began talking.


    ¡°Hello, sir. Welcome to the Vividora Magic Tower. How can I help you?¡± He delivered the entire speech in a monotone, and Sam could see the exhaustion lurking behind his eyes.


    Sam simply slid over the ID he got at the magic tower in Greenwood with a simple request.


    ¡°Hello. I would like to speak about wind magic with somebody if it is possible.¡±


    The man behind the counter took the ID, frowned, but checked it. Then he walked away for a second, only to return with a book marked with the symbol of wind.


    He plopped it down on his desk, opened it, and began paging through it.


    ¡°According to your ID, you¡¯re a novice,¡± he murmured while still looking through the book. Sam wanted to gainsay him, but after glancing around, he decided he could deal with that later. ¡°We have a few masters available for consultation.¡± The man finally declared after another minute of search. He looked up from the book at Sam and continued. ¡°Consultation fee for members is a hundred gold coins for an hour.¡±


    Sam winced a little at the price. It wasn¡¯t a big issue for him, but he just knew that a lot of people were cursing the tower for ¡®being¡¯ greedy. ¡®Maybe a small loan service¡­¡¯ he mused as he took out one of his smaller money pouches and handed the clerk over the fee for several hours.


    ¡°Put me down for five hours, please,¡± he told the man, only to be rejected.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the maximum allowed time is three hours, sir,¡± the other man replied while casting his eyes around the room.


    ¡°Ah, yes, sorry about that. Then, three hours, please.¡±


    ¡°Naturally, please wait a second,¡± came the reply as the man took his seat and began scribbling on something that looked like a form while the money vanished into one of the drawers.


    Another minute later, Sam was handed a completed form and the clerk behind the counter explained what he had to do.


    ¡°There is a small map on the form if you get lost. Plus, we recently added bigger maps to the walls of the corridors.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Sam said with a small bow, and clutching the form in his hand, he began heading to where he was told to go to receive his consultation.


    Behind him, he could hear the clerk continue as the next person stepped up to the counter.


    ¡°Hello, ma¡¯am. Welcome to the Vividora Magic Tower. How can I help you?¡±


    <hr>


    His journey through the building was rather normal. Surprisingly, following the directions of the clerk, and referencing the form and maps on the walls, led him exactly to the place he wanted to arrive.


    It was a smaller hall than the one where he started, but it was still big enough that several mages could work with people without bothering others. Based on the colors and symbols on their robes, they were all masters of wind magic.


    Sam checked his form, then the plates with numbers behind the masters. He found number four in one of the corners just as he was finishing with a young man holding a very basic staff. ¡®Probably beginner¡­¡¯


    He approached the man who naturally eyed him, sending out a small pulse of mana, no doubt to gauge his level of mana and maybe a few other things. Feeling a little mischievous, he matched the pulse with one of his own, canceling it as soon as the two of them met.


    The mage¡¯s eyes widened, but otherwise, he didn¡¯t react in any other way.


    Sam walked up and bowed a little.


    ¡°Greetings, master.¡± He handed over the form. ¡°I¡¯m here for consultation for wind magic!¡±


    The mage took the form, looked it over, and frowned.


    ¡°But why did they send you to me? You¡¯re clearly not a beginner in the arts¡­¡±


    Sam just shrugged. ¡°The clerk was clearly swamped. I didn¡¯t want to complicate his life¡­¡± he explained.


    The mage nodded slowly, then after a few seconds of pondering, he spoke up.


    ¡°Just to be sure, please perform a wind spell for me.¡±


    Sam raised a hand and shot off a low-powered Wind Blade at the nearest target dummy. The top of the dummy instantly slid to the ground, leaving behind an extremely smooth surface.


    He turned back to the wind mage with a raised eyebrow.


    The man just sighed and nodded. ¡°Very well. Clearly you need more specialized help. Please, wait a second.¡±


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Sam watched as the man walked away to a small desk where he retrieved another form and began furiously writing.


    He spent a few minutes looking around the hall as the masters helped people with all manner of basic spells. It was rather interesting to see how most people approached magic. Though it was rather surprising he couldn¡¯t hear anything, as he could clearly see that most players were still in the chanting phase. With a little checking, however, he was enlightened. The entire hall was under a complex wind enchantment that separated and swallowed the sounds produced by every group. It was rather beautiful to his Mana Sense.


    By the time the mage returned with the filled-out form, he was rather entranced by the intricate work. However, he was broken out of his admiration by a gentle cough.


    He turned back to the other mage and gave him an apologetic smile.


    The man returned it and then handed over the previous form and the new one.


    ¡°Here is your new form. I added a few notes of my observation. Mistress Irina will be able to help you.¡±


    Sam bowed low. ¡°Thank you, master!¡±


    The other mage just gave a small laugh. ¡°No worries, my young friend. It¡¯s rare to see such talent!¡±


    He then said goodbye and restarted his journey.


    <hr>


    Another half an hour and he found himself in a different part of the complex, though still in the same building. It was just rather big. He knew from the memories he inherited that this building housed all the trainers with the oldest ones helping the newbies en masse, and the more specialized mages helping those who needed their help. It was like a teaching hospital. Instead of medicine, they taught magic. And in turn, those specialized teachers were tested on how well their students did.


    It was rather fascinating¡­


    He approached another hall. This time it was much smaller but still big enough that there was enough space to practice. Opening the door, he saw that the hall was empty, with only one simple desk at the back of the room occupied by somebody.


    ¡°Hello there!¡± he called out.


    He received a reply instantly. ¡°Welcome, student! My name is Mistress Irina. Please enter!¡± The voice was quiet and gentle, reaching him as if the wind carried it. ¡®That is sooo cool!¡¯


    Quickly, excited by the prospect of being taught by a master like this woman, he approached the desk. There, he quickly handed over the two forms and waited as the woman read through them. She was older than him, but not by much. She had light green hair, done in a fashionable updo, and was wearing an elegant robe that covered everything, yet still radiated a feminine charm.


    She finished reading them, put them away, pushed her chair away from the desk, stood up, and faced Sam.


    ¡°Well, how about we see where you stand!¡± she declared with a grin on her face. ¡°Let¡¯s see what you are made of, adventurer! Show me all of your spells!¡±


    ¡°Here?¡± Sam asked.


    ¡°Sure, the walls are enchanted. You can go all out if you want!¡±


    Sam eyed the still-grinning woman, then the hall for a moment before shrugging. ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    Mistress Irina nodded excitedly. ¡°I do say so! Now show me! Show me!¡±


    Sam eyed the animated woman as she stared at him, feeling the tendrils of mana emanating from her, ready to observe his casting, then turned back to the empty hall. In the middle stood several dummies, moved there, no doubt by the woman¡¯s magic, when he wasn¡¯t looking.


    He raised a hand and began concentrating. He needed to get something very specific, so he needed to do his best.


    <hr>


    An hour later Sam was still in the same position, but his mana was halfway exhausted. Even his prodigious mana regeneration could only barely keep up with Mistress Irina¡¯s demands.


    First, he went through all the spells he knew, casting them this and that way, then he spent a few minutes running around demonstrating his control over Wind Movement. The last and biggest part of the hour was using his Mana Construct skill to create constructs straight out of wind mana under the instruction of his new teacher.


    At first, they were simple shapes, like cubes and pyramids. Then the requests evolved into more complex objects. By the time the woman began demanding that he created a full person out of wind mana, he could feel that his control over the mana was fraying, unable to keep it together. And honestly, while it wasn¡¯t physically exhausting, his mind was basically running on fumes by the time the last construct that looked like a badly assembled mannequin collapsed into motes of visible wind mana.


    Panting slightly, he lowered his hand for hopefully the last time and turned toward his teacher.


    ¡°Well¡­ Mistress Irina, what¡¯s¡­ the verdict?¡± he asked.


    The woman looked up from her notes and smiled.


    ¡°Well, I gotta say, this wasn¡¯t what I was expecting today¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that a good or bad thing?¡±


    ¡°Good. I think¡­¡± she replied, while giving Sam a smile.


    ¡°So, any advice?¡±


    She walked around her desk until she was in front of it, leaned back, and crossed her arms under her bust while fixing her gaze on Sam.


    ¡°You¡¯re talented, Samuel.¡± Between a few spells, he actually managed to introduce himself, but for some reason, the woman refused to call him Sam. ¡°Your control is way beyond what I would expect from anybody at your level. However, your spells are rather basic. Granted, you have taken those same spells to a decent level,¡± she explained while Sam listened, hoping he managed to impress her enough. ¡°But there are still ways to improve.¡±


    ¡°What kind of exercises could you recommend, Mistress?¡±


    She frowned but continued her small lecture. ¡°You have two roads in front of you. In the first, I tell you how to break through with your spells, while in the second, you attempt to surpass yourself.¡±


    Sam almost didn¡¯t manage to hold back the grin. ¡®The words! She said the words! Yes!¡¯


    It was one of those pieces of information that everybody knew in the future, but it was basically useless to 99.99% of the player base as the results of this small exercise depended on one¡¯s own talent. He just hoped he was talented enough to do it.


    He pretended to think it over before answering.


    ¡°I would like to go with the second option!¡±


    Based on the smirk on the woman¡¯s face, he failed to fully hide the excitement on his face.


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s what I expected,¡± came the reply. ¡°Take a few minutes to regen your mana and call out your familiar from your shadow. They would only complicate the process.¡±


    Not even surprised that the NPC could sense Lucky, he did as she bid. ¡°Lucky, come out!¡±


    The wolf emerged while yawning, showcasing his fangs, then took a curious look around. The woman smiled and motioned for the wolf. ¡°Come here, cutie, while your master tries not to kill himself!¡±


    Lucky sent Sam a questioning look, and he just nodded, trying very hard to ignore the second part of his teacher¡¯s sentence. The wolf obediently trotted over to the woman and sat down on his haunches, tongue lolling out. Mistress Irina spent a few seconds patting the wolf on his head, clearly enjoying the silky-smooth feeling, before looking back at Sam.


    ¡°Divest yourself from everything but non-magical clothing. No enchantments. Then go stand in the middle of the room.¡±


    Sam did so, putting away his weapon, armor, and favorite boots (comfort enchantments were rather addictive), and walked to the center of the room in simple exercise pants and tunic he retrieved from his inventory.


    He didn¡¯t have to wait long as the next instruction came almost immediately.


    ¡°Now close your eyes and feel!¡±


    Sam did as she ordered and extended his mana sense in every direction. Almost instantly, he was overwhelmed by the sheer abundance of wind mana in the air. After getting over his disorientation, he found that the wind mana was coming from his new teacher, who somehow sensed that he came to this conclusion.


    ¡°Good, you are feeling it. Now take control of it. Don¡¯t shape it. Don¡¯t use it. Just control it!¡±


    Frowning at the order that didn¡¯t explain too much, Sam still followed along and did as instructed.


    He reached out with his own mana, trying to use it to control the wind mana, but as soon as he neared any wind mana, it slipped away, swirling around him like a summer breeze.


    ¡®Oh, so that¡¯s how it is¡­¡¯


    Sam furrowed his brows and thought hard. This was possible. He knew it. But he also knew that everybody¡¯s process was different. He would need to dig deep¡­

 Chapter 116

    It took him around half an hour, just to gain minimal control over the ever-elusive currents of wind mana swirling around him. It was like trying to grasp grains of sand as they fell, while you were distracted by the glare of the sun.


    In short, it was rather difficult¡­


    Meanwhile, Lucky and Mistress Irene watched him silently. He felt a little shameful being watched like that and continuously failing. However, with the knowledge that this kind of opportunity was rare, and would become even rarer in the future, he persisted.


    Drawing on countless anime training arcs, he continued to try to grasp the wind mana. Sam tried forcing it, tried to be gentle, tried coming from all sorts of directions, but nothing worked. He then tried focusing on only a single section of the room, but the wind mana simply slipped away from his attempts. Then he tried to control the entire room. However, he couldn¡¯t really split his attention that many ways so there was always a spot that wasn¡¯t as saturated with his mana as everywhere else, allowing the wind mana to escape his hold.


    This was very frustrating for Sam. So far, every time he attempted to do something with his mana, he succeeded almost always on his first try. But he had been trying to do this small exercise for an hour now, and he was still failing.


    ¡®I¡¯m not going to give up!¡¯ he promised to himself, eyes still closed, as he waited for his mana to regenerate from the last expenditure. ¡®There must be a trick to it¡­¡¯


    Instead of trying again, he simply stood there and watched the currents of mana that swirled and twirled around him. As he continued to observe it, it began to remind him of something. The wind currents, high up in the mountains. They were similar to what he was seeing now¡­


    ¡®Ohh¡­ I¡¯m so stupid¡­¡¯ Sam realized as soon as he made the comparison. ¡®I can¡¯t control the wind. The wind is free to go where it wants and the more you try to tighten your fist, the more it will slip out of it.¡¯


    Just to test his theory, he injected a little of his mana into one of the currents, and while keeping a tether to the mana, he otherwise surrendered all control of it. Sam watched as the currents grabbed the mana chunk and began taking it all over the room. Smiling slightly, he began to inject more and more mana into the currents, leaving only a slight tether to himself, letting the wind do as it wanted.


    Soon, the entire room was filled with his mana acting in concert with the other mage¡¯s wind. The two types of mana acting as two layers of sheets, undulating based on an unseen signal.


    Sam watched with his Mana Sense for a few minutes as the two mana types swirled around him when he was broken out of his reverie by his teacher.


    ¡°Good¡­ you realized the futility of controlling the wind. Now, turn your own mana into wind mana, and ride the currents.¡±


    ¡®Ugh, another unclear direction¡­ fun!¡¯ he thought while returning his focus to the surrounding mana.


    His own was still mixed with the wind mana originating from the Mistress, however, he instantly noticed that the woman had cut off the source of the wind mana and it was slowly decreasing as it dispersed into the world.


    Turning his own mana into wind mana was, thanks to his previous practice with the art, rather easy. However, replicating the freely flowing wind was another story.


    Sam let out a tired sigh. ¡®Well, back to practice¡­¡¯


    As the wind mana from his teacher dispersed so did the room fill with his own mana, but as soon as the supporting layer of mana vanished, his mana lost that ethereal quality that was present. It didn¡¯t feel like a light breeze swirling around; it felt more like a quagmire where he had to flex his muscles to even have it move a few inches.


    Yet, he wasn¡¯t completely lost. The previous epiphany left a little more in the tank. It was all about control. Wind cannot be controlled, yet he needed to control the wind to have any effect. An impossibility if one looked at it from one direction. But he knew that one can control something from the outside; there was no need to micromanage.


    Instead of controlling all mana in the room that had been turned into wind mana, he simply grabbed a few bigger chunks and gave them a little inertia, watching as they went around the room, agitating the rest to move.


    It was like dropping a stone into a pond. The effects of that little bit of inertia rippled out, causing his wind mana to shift a little more naturally. So he continued to do it. One after another he dropped great chunks of wind mana into the small sea of mana that he created in the hall and watched as the previously sluggish mana slowly but surely became like the one that his new teacher conjured at the beginning.


    Once again, the moment the sea of wind mana began swirling around chaotically, just as he remembered the other one, Mistress Irina spoke up again.


    ¡°Excellent! A little slow, but what can you expect¡­ Now claim it! It¡¯s your domain. Make it listen to you!¡±


    Sam nodded while also keeping his eyes closed.


    ¡°Wuff!¡± came the encouraging bark from Lucky, causing Sam to smile.


    He turned back to the sea of wind mana and began contemplating the task ahead of him. ¡®How the hell do I claim it?¡¯


    He thought for a few seconds, then shrugged. Might as well try the obvious first¡­


    Using the same technique he used to create the sea of wind mana, he slowly began to direct it toward himself. As the currents realigned, he made sure to prepare himself. He directed the first tendril of mana heading directly toward himself so that it would move around him, until he was in the center of a gentle tornado of wind mana, the area of it continuously shrinking.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Finally, the diameter of the tornado shrunk enough that it touched him. Using the momentum, he opened himself up for the mana and directed it into his mana circulation.


    It hurt. It hurt a lot. But with great experience and even greater mana expenditure, he slowly began matching his circulation to the swirling wind mana as it tried to move around his body.


    One circulation¡­


    Two circulations¡­


    His Mana Shield was dispersed as he didn¡¯t have enough attention to keep it up, the mana freed up this way redirected into his body, trying to stop the rampaging of wind mana.


    Three circulations¡­


    Four circulations¡­


    His body was locked up, unable to move, but he persisted.


    Five circulations¡­


    Six circulations¡­


    The wind mana was brimming inside him, trying to erupt while Sam tried to take control of it while also refusing to constrain, letting the wind fly free. Then, with great effort, he did one more.


    Seven circulations¡­


    The wind erupted from him amidst a great burst throwing equipment around the room, but unlike previous times, he didn¡¯t have to direct it, didn¡¯t have to coerce it. He simply reached out and took control of it like the neutral mana, bringing it down, calming it, and then dispersing it.


    It was at that time he collapsed, his limb shaking and his head ringing with notification sounds. However, his attention was on his teacher, who was looking at him with a pleased face while also making sure that Lucky wasn¡¯t rushing at him.


    ¡°Excellent work, Samuel. Took a little long and was somewhat rough around the edges, but you managed to surpass yourself. I believe, starting from now on, you can call yourself a wind mage,¡± she stated with a smile on her face. Then she looked away for a second and back at Sam. ¡°And with that, the consultation time is over. You can rest here for a spell as I¡¯m required somewhere else¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank¡­you¡­¡± he managed to spit out as he lay on the ground, trying not to pass out.


    The woman walked past him toward the door and sent him an amused glance. ¡°No trouble, Samuel. After all, helping someone break through will net me a not insignificant number of points.¡±


    He listened to her footsteps as she left the hall while Lucky walked up to him and wiggled around until his head was resting on his fluffy back comfortably. Sam feebly reached over and patted his loyal friend¡¯s head, then turned his attention toward his notifications. The ringing was rather insistent. The moment he opened the screen, he was flooded with information with the ringing mercifully subsiding.


    [Congratulations, you managed to break through with your wind mana control!]


    [You gained +1 WIS and +1 PER!]


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 40!]


    [Mana Channeling is now Level 5!]


    [Mana Resonance is now Level 8!]


    [Mana Well is now Level 5!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 33!]


    [Multitasking is now Level 94!]


    [Wind Resistance is now Level 15!]


    A few increases to his skills made him rather happy. Especially Multitasking almost reaching Level 100. The next tier of that spell would make him even more powerful, at least until the general player base managed to catch up to him. Next came the changes to his wind spells and skills.


    [Thanks to your breakthrough, you gained the skill Wind Mana Manipulation.]


    [Thanks to gaining Wind Mana Manipulation you lost the following skills: Wind Flurry, Wind Bullet Barrage, Healing Wind, Wind Jump, Wind Drill, Wind Blade I-III, Wind Blade Storm, Wind Bullet I-III, Wind Explosion, Wind Movement, Wind Edge I-III!]


    [The experience from the lost skills will be converted to experience in Wind Mana Manipulation.]


    [Wind Mana Manipulation is now Level 15!]


    [Every sub-skill belonging to the lost skills will be added to Wind Mana Manipulation!]


    [You can still use the skills, but thanks to your new skill, manipulating wind mana has become much more fluid for you!]


    [Wind Mana Manipulation: Level 15/100 (13%) (Passive/Active) You became one with the wind and the wind became one with you. You manipulate wind mana just as well as neutral mana. The wind will listen to your commands and take whatever shape you wish. However, beware, this comes with a price. Gain a 1% increase in damage and cast speed for each level in the skill for wind spells and skills. Decrease mana cost by 1% for each level in the skill for wind spells and skills. Current Spells:


    Wind Flurry


    Wind Bullet Barrage


    Healing Wind


    Wind Jump


    Wind Drill


    Wind Blade I-III


    Wind Blade Storm


    Wind Bullet I-III


    Wind Explosion


    Wind Movement


    Wind Edge I-III!


    ¡®Finally!¡¯ Sam thought, relieved, with a giant smile on his face. He achieved something that only around ten percent of the mages achieved in any group specialized in any of the mana natures. He would now be able to simply do whatever he wanted with wind mana without relying on the previous skills. It sounded really overpowered, but it required almost inhuman mana control, which in turn required a lot of attention and focus. So, people who cast spells like that not only had to keep an eye on their mana but their level of mental exhaustion. After all, everything had a price¡­


    [Mistress Irina granted you the title of Wind Mage!]


    [Wind Mage: You are a well-trained mage, specializing in Wind Spells! Increased reputation in the Magic Tower!]


    Sam let out a hearty laugh after he finished reading the notifications.


    ¡°Well, Lucky, it appears I managed to get something done¡­ How about we rest a little?¡±


    ¡°Wuff!¡± came the reply from the wolf.


    Sam, using Lucky as a crutch, slowly stood up and began hobbling toward the door.


    He was halfway to the exit of the complex by his measurement, when an out-of-breath mage run up to him, wearing a robe with the wind emblem, though a lot different from the masters from the first hall. It was a simple robe with no other embellishments on it. Meaning he was somebody low on the totem pole.


    ¡°Sir!¡± he called out, causing Sam to stop and look at him.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    The man took a breath and held out a small envelope. ¡°Mistress Irina instructed me to give you this!¡±


    Sam took the item and turned it over his hand curiously while asking about it.


    ¡°And what is it?¡±


    ¡°Your new ID, sir!¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you!¡± He pocketed the envelope, not having the mental power to look over it properly. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir! Mistress Irina told me to take you to one of our rooms to rest.¡± He bowed a little and motioned with his arms for Sam to follow him. ¡°If you could follow me, then I¡¯ll lead you!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    <hr>


    Sam placed the helmet on its stand tiredly, and stretched, trying to work out the kinks from his body. ¡°Ugh, they really need to come out with the pods because this is a murder on my back¡­¡± he murmured under his breath as he stood up and staggered to his computer.


    He dealt with a few emails and then clicked on the message from Lucy.


    Apparently, she got the information about Silent Step, and as requested she immediately informed, not just the druids but the Silvercrest family and with their help, the city administration. And now she was complaining that she got some weird quest¡­


    Sam chuckled at reading the details, sent back a thank-you message then, still staggering, he went to his room, fell face first on his bed and within a few seconds he was dead to the world.

 Chapter 117

    After waking up, he did his usual daily routine, followed by a quick cleaning and a trip to the store. The weather was firmly in the spring phase and the sun was shining down on the city with enough strength that he only needed a thin jacket.


    No matter where Sam walked, when he turned the music down in his headphones, he could only hear people talk about Magic Unbound. Young or old, it didn¡¯t matter.


    The elderly were chattering about how good it felt being young again in the game, while the younger people mostly bragged about their conquests, found loot, or damage numbers.


    Standing in line at the shop, holding his weekly groceries (he could have ordered them online, but he wanted to spend at least a little time out of his apartment) he couldn¡¯t help but overhear two young guys talking in front of him.


    ¡°¡­so you¡¯re saying it¡¯s possible?¡± asked one of them, leaning on the shopping cart before him.


    ¡°Totally!¡± exclaimed the other guy, widely gesticulating with his hands. ¡°You know Lee?¡±


    ¡°The dude from the e-department?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, him! He shared some tips with me, so I managed to get the chant down to only a few words!¡±


    ¡°There is a difference between few and few. What number did you manage?¡± asked the first guy, clearly skeptical.


    The other guy puffed up proudly, and Sam saw that two young women slowed down to listen to his words. His friend, leaning on the cart, saw them, but the second guy was oblivious.


    ¡°Be amazed, my friend! I got it down to three words! Three!¡± he declared proudly, and the skeptical look vanished from his friend¡¯s face, while the girls let out small gasps.


    Sam just shook his head as he watched the conversation degrade into half bragging and half the guys trying to pick up the eavesdropping girls.


    It seemed the game was truly becoming a worldwide sensation.


    <hr>


    Returning to the game, he woke up in a simple room on a bed that was neither too hard nor too soft. It reminded Sam of every hotel bed ever. Lucky was lying on the ground, between Sam and the door, clearly protecting him while he was out.


    Sam smiled and spent the next half an hour feeding the loyal wolf and playing with him. Then he opened the envelope, which to his surprise turned out to be bigger on the inside than its outward appearance would suggest.


    Inside was the promised updated ID, identifying him as a proper Wind Mage, granting him some amount of discounts on spell books that he didn¡¯t need anymore, now that he had Wind Mana Manipulation. Shaking his head at that, he reached further and took out a small scroll with the wind mana symbol on it. Wrapped around it was a small note.


    Congratulations and thanks for the successful breakthrough! Here is a little something ¨C Irene


    Apparently, she managed to ace her own test. Sam unfurled the scroll and beheld a simple spell scroll containing one skill, which he immediately learned.


    [Congratulations! You learned Silent Casting!]


    [Silent Casting: Level 0/20 (0%) (Passive) You can cast your spells silently without much effort. Increases casting speed by 5% for each skill level.]


    A very simple, but useful skill. Sam vowed to thank the woman in some way in the future.


    <hr>


    Leaving the crowded Magic Tower, with Lucky back in his shadow, Sam was once again left to decide what to do with himself. He could go to the Training Hall and get some extra training, but he felt like he had enough training for a while.


    ¡®I need to get started on getting some reputation around here¡­¡¯


    The capital city was filled with opportunities. He only needed to make use of them. There were the expected plots of nobles planning to rebel, scheming to bring their fellow nobles low or to summon demons to solve issues that simple communications could solve.


    Then there were the subversive elements originating from different countries that were in the city to destabilize the city and consequently the country. Greedy merchants manipulating events so they would become richer, psychopathic killers stalking through the night, and unknown monsters sulking deep below the city in the old abandoned mine shafts.


    Also, one couldn¡¯t discount the player base. The influx of players, guilds, and other player-led groups added to the chaos that embroiled the capital city. Because just like the NPCs, so did the players conspire to get more money, influence, and power.


    Nothing happened in a vacuum.


    Sam would need to maneuver through these happenings if he wanted to get some properties for his company.


    The question was: Which one should he go for?


    He spent some time walking around the city, just making sure that everything matched up to his inherited memories, getting to know the local landmarks, and memorizing the routes he would need to take to reach the Healer Guild or the Magic Tower if necessary.


    The city itself was humongous, the districts separated by walls from each other, clearly showing the incremental increases in the size of the area the city covered over the ages. The oldest walls were around the royal palace, towering over the entire city, built on a small hill where the original entrance of the emerald mine was. It was long empty but according to rumors, it was used as an extension for the royal palace, as well as a storage while having several escape routes connected to it. According to his inherited memories, there were some credible sources that claimed that the kingdom¡¯s secret police had their headquarters there.


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    Another busy area of the city, and the second oldest, was the Wharf district. It was a bustling district full of sailors and merchants as well as a rather extensive ¡®emerald¡¯ light district. Using the color red or ruby was frowned upon in the city. It made the city look like a mix between the emerald city from Oz and a generic fantasy city. Though the buildings at most were only painted green and not made from real emeralds. Naturally, some nobles had special greenhouses built from the precious stone to showcase their standing and loyalty to the city and kingdom.


    This in turn meant that they had to invest more into thief deterrents as the kleptomaniacs couldn¡¯t really give up on a freestanding building made of panes of emerald.


    A vicious cycle that only a few people truly profited from.


    The middle district of the city was where the government buildings and bigger markets were. The city and the army administration also had their headquarters there, causing the entire area to be full of self-important people trying to one-up each other. Naturally, as a consequence of this, this was the most expensive area of the city. Most players only entered if they had to because nobody had the money to participate in the ridiculous showmanship the nuevo rich insisted on.


    Between the literal city center and the royal palace was the noble¡¯s district, filled with giant mansions and mini palaces, surrounded by elaborate gardens filled with all manner of wonders from the kingdom and beyond.


    Next to the central district was the commoners¡¯ district, where most of the people lived and the guilds had their headquarters. This was where most players could be found, as well as several smaller markets for people to ply their trade and hawk their wares. It was also incredibly dense, with most buildings having at least one, if not more, upper floors. The alleys were particularly dangerous for the common people.


    And to the south was the newest district, part of which was filled with common households with a few smaller markets dotted here and there, while the rest was filled with all sorts of farms and processing buildings for said farms. The area was almost always filled with construction work, and this was also the place where the less affluent criminals congregated. They were hidden under the dense layer of small shanty towns, either created by farm workers who were too tired to return to their homes between work, or people seeking a better life themselves, but ultimately not managing to do anything. A few lost souls who fell from grace or simply wished to vanish from the eyes of society joined them.


    And all around the city, though more in the noble and central district, were patrolling guards. They called them the Emerald Guard, but most just called them Greenies affectionately, on account of the mostly green clothing they wore.


    To Sam it looked rather garish, but as they say, when in Rome¡­


    As he walked through the streets, watching and cataloging the players, he made note of their guild symbols trying to match them to the ones in his memories. He was mostly watching for those who would become the big players in the future.


    Sam meandered through the streets, from the commoners¡¯ district to the central district, where the guards took a look at him, but after seeing that he was in quality armor they left him alone.


    For a while he just wandered around, checking out the markets, writing down prices of things and simply looking for a perfect spot to buy property in the city. The other Sam didn¡¯t spend much time in Vividora, and only had knowledge about it because people bragged or sold information. By the time he reached a high enough level and was interested in visiting the city, he had other issues.


    But Sam was here, and he was determined to do the same in the capital that he did in Ironwood and Deepanchor. The game was rife with opportunities and he was determined to latch onto them.


    Speaking of opportunity¡­


    Sam eyed the small park in the middle of the city, dotted with quaint little gazebos and crisscrossed with walk paths. In the middle of it was a small lake, filled with docile fish that people could fish for. Naturally, poor people weren¡¯t allowed to fish, and any fish that was caught must be tossed back. If the fish was dead on arrival, the fisherman (or woman) must pay a fine. It was an activity made by and for rich people.


    He entered the park and began walking toward the small lake as he took in the people sitting around it. Most fishermen were dressed in simple clothing that, while undoubtedly of high quality, looked like rags. There were a few younger men entertaining people while pretending to fish, but Sam¡¯s target was one of the older gentlemen.


    Thankfully, the game wasn¡¯t completely heartless, and if somebody knew the hints, they could recognize these people.


    Just to cover himself, he made his way to one of the benches in almost hearing distance from one of the youthful groups and took out a small notebook, and began organizing ideas that he had during his walk.


    He wrote down fragments of plans, mostly for the benefit of the system, and partially to make sense of the chaotic thoughts swirling around in his head.


    Then when there was a big ruckus from the group as the lead person said something and the sycophants pretended that it was hilarious and let out a chorus of fake laughter, he closed his notebook in a huff, stood up, and stalked away pretending to be annoyed.


    Sam found his next spot to sit near an old man who had a rather big exclusion zone around him. Loud people kept far away from the man. As he walked closer, the old man looked up from his fishing rod briefly and looked at Sam who simply shrugged, pointing silently toward the loud group he was ¡®fleeing¡¯ from.


    The old man let out an almost imperceptible nod and returned to staring at his rod. Sam said nothing, just took a seat on the nearby bench, and continued to work on his notebook, while inwardly geeking out a little on his subterfuge. ¡®I love playing spy¡­¡¯ he mused as he crossed out a few things from one of his lists that wouldn¡¯t be feasible with the current budget of their company. Then he spent a few minutes making plans for his team and also wrote down a few ideas now that they had Tim for security.


    Finished with it, he packed away his notebook and writing utensils, stood up, stretched a little, then walked a few steps away and took a seat on the grass. He folded his legs in front of him and took up a meditative position.


    He took hold of his own mana and began circulating it. Then, after a few of those, he turned it into wind mana with a flex of his will and began gently playing with the surrounding wind. Nothing major, at maximum he only created a few delicate breezes.


    But it was still a new thing, and he rather enjoyed playing with the mana. ¡®I can¡¯t wait to use it in a battle¡­¡¯


    However, a rather rude poke to his forehead soon broke him out of his meditation and practice.


    His hands went up to the spot while he reflexively opened his eyes to behold the old man standing before him and staring at him slightly curiously.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    The man snorted and opened his mouth, completely obscured by his bushy mustache and beard combo.


    ¡°What¡¯re ya doing, kid?¡±


    Sam, still sitting, looked up at the older man with salt and pepper hair and durable but ragged clothing and bowed his head a little.


    ¡°Just had a breakthrough, sir. Wanted to get more comfortable with the new ability. Sorry, if I bothered you¡­¡±


    ¡°Why here?¡±


    ¡°I liked the silence, sir.¡±


    The older man eyed him for a moment. ¡°Why are you calling me sir?¡±


    ¡°Because you are older and more than likely richer than me,¡± Sam answered with a small grin.


    The man eyed him for a long moment, but before Sam could think that he made a mistake, the old man threw his head back and began laughing heartily.


    ¡°Hahahaha! What a cheeky boy! I like you!¡± he declared while reaching forward and slapping Sam on his shoulder. ¡°Come on! I was bored out of my skull. Tell me stories of your adventure!¡±


    Sam stood up, dusting off his pants, and followed the old man to the shore with a pleasant smile.


    ¡®I do love it when the fish bite¡­¡¯

 Chapter 118

    The old man led Sam to the shore where his equipment lay, took a seat gingerly, showcasing his age, and bade Sam to join him. He looked around but saw nothing that he could sit on. So, Sam simply shrugged and unceremoniously plopped down next to the old man.


    His elder chortled at seeing him do it, then picked up his fishing rod, and made sure everything was all right with the equipment. After assuring himself that no fish was biting, he spoke up in a low voice.


    ¡°Well, kid. Why don¡¯t ya start?¡±


    Sam looked around while gathering his thoughts, trying to decide how to phrase things to achieve the maximum result. While the other Sam didn¡¯t actually meet with this mysterious old man, there were hundreds of posts about him on the forums before too many people tried to approach him and the NPC relocated.


    Hopefully, he was one of the first ones. Sam wasn¡¯t expecting to be the absolute first one to do this, as a lot of people started in the capital and no doubt of those people, a lot of them were dedicated gamers who could sniff out important NPCs from miles away.


    Finally, he looked out to the lake, keeping the old man in the periphery of his vision, and began talking.


    ¡°So, I was new in the town and decided to get some paperwork done and¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­ and thankfully, she had fully recovered! The family was very happy!¡±


    The silence that followed his story about the retrieval of the chalice and healing of Lady Silvercrest, was rather heavy. Sam made sure to tell the tale in a rather upbeat fashion, making light of the situation as well as making fun of the demon worshippers, but the moment he mentioned the miasma and his fight with the demon, the old man¡¯s aura changed.


    And now, silently, he sat there and waited.


    Neither of them spoke for almost half an hour before the old man spoke up, asking a simple question.


    ¡°Which demon?¡±


    It was a question, but to Sam, it felt like an order. There was a feeling in the air that if he didn¡¯t answer or answered wrong, he would die. Despite that, he wanted to grin. ¡®Yes! I got it!¡¯


    ¡°Calon, sir.¡±


    The older man let out a small sigh of relief, his posture relaxing marginally but not fully. Sam had to agree with that. Calon worshippers were dangerous but not a major threat on the account all of them being backstabbing cunts.


    ¡°Hmpf¡­ Any other demons you met?¡±


    ¡°Zamor once,¡± he replied quickly.


    The old man just harrumphed again and waved his hand in a dismissive motion. ¡°Those bloodthirsty idiots are always alone.¡±


    ¡°Right, you are, sir! However, I recently came across an acquaintance who met with a cult that just summoned The Shadowed One¡­¡± he replied, keeping the grin in, while projecting a serious and slightly worried face. ¡®Anything to make those assholes¡¯ lives a nightmare¡­¡¯ he mused while the older man simply froze.


    ¡°What did you just say, kid?¡±


    ¡°The Shadowed One¡­¡± he repeated.


    The hands holding the fishing rod were white from the force the man was exerting.


    ¡°Tell me everything!¡±


    Sam said nothing. He just took out a few sheets of paper describing Tim¡¯s experiences and observations about his groups, as well as a few locations they liked to frequent.


    ¡°Here, sir!¡± he offered the document to the man. ¡°I had it written down.¡±


    The papers basically vanished from his hands and by the time he blinked, the man was going through the writings at impressive speeds while the fishing rod simply hovered in front of him.


    It took around a minute for the older man to absorb what was written on the papers he handed over. Then the document vanished somewhere from his hands and the next thing Sam knew, that he was being dragged away by the man who had a surprisingly strong grip on his arm.


    While trying to walk as fast as the spry old man, he glanced back to see if anybody noticed them leaving, but the only thing he could see was another old man, identical to the one dragging him walking up to the fishing spot, sitting down and grabbing the rod, acting as if nothing happened.


    <hr>


    They left the park rather quickly, the older man finally letting his arm go after Sam proved that he would follow him. Curiously, nobody saw them that stride across the park, people¡¯s eyes simply looking through them as the two of them walked by.


    They walked through crowds, ducking into alleyways as they headed somewhere unknown while the other man kept his head on swivel, watching for attackers or who knows what. Seeing as they were dealing with demons, Sam was also making sure his Mana Sense and every other sense he could activate was going strong. But aside from the everyday city things, he couldn¡¯t sense anything.


    After a few minutes of rushing, they reached the Wharf District and there the older man quickly navigated them to one of the countless identical dilapidated warehouses where he simply opened one of the side doors and ushered Sam in while glancing around.


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    Their journey didn¡¯t halt when they entered the warehouse. The interior of the building was filled with giant wooden crates, arranged neatly in rows. It was only when they began moving amongst themselves did Sam realize that the crates were set up in the shape of a small labyrinth.


    After another minute, they reached, by his reckoning at least, the middle of said labyrinth where the man who said nothing so far, simply pushed one of the smaller crates away, revealing a heavily enchanted trap door.


    The trap door was quickly opened by the man as he laid a hand on its surface and Sam was once again ushered through it, albeit this time, with an accompanied comment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother memorizing the route, kid. After we arrive, this all will be destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Sam had really nothing to say to that.


    They then found themselves in a small corridor, surrounded by earth and absolute darkness.


    ¡°Come, kid. There are a few things we need to talk about,¡± spoke up the old man, apparently not at all bothered by the darkness. ¡°No magic. I¡¯ll lead you.¡±


    Sam sighed and aborted his Light Ball, trying to use his wind mana to sense the contours of the ground and the man walking in front of him.


    <hr>


    They emerged into a lightly illuminated cavern more than likely far away from the warehouse where they descended. Sam slightly suspected they were somewhere in the vicinity of the infamous secret police headquarters under the royal palace. The distance was rather hard to guess underground in complete darkness, so as of now it was just a conjecture.


    The cavern was also filled with crates and all sorts of miscellaneous things that made the space look as if nobody had been there for decades. The layer of dust over everything was rather convincing.


    Once again, he was led through the chaos, and they stopped in front of a wall that looked like every wall in the cavern. Made from stone and ground, dusty and craggy. The old man simply waved his hand and a small part of the wall shimmered and revealed a door. He opened it and pushed Sam through it.


    Behind the door was a simple room, space enough for a desk an honest-to-goodness water cooler, one very anemic plant, and a bored-looking guard sitting behind the desk, reading some kind of book.


    Upon their entrance, the guard looked up and quirked an eyebrow.


    ¡°Already back, sir?¡± he asked, completely ignoring Sam.


    The old man grunted with displeasure before answering.


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ demons¡­¡±


    The guard, instead of panicking, simply sighed, exasperated.


    ¡°Again?¡± The old man nodded, and the guard shook his head. ¡°All right, you and the guest are verified. Head in!¡±


    With that statement, the wall behind the guard shimmered, revealing a bigger metal door, which opened automatically. Sam simply followed the old man through it.


    <hr>


    Long story short, Sam found himself in a room with several severe-looking men, staring at him from the other side of a big desk as he recounted his experience with demons while his escort vanished to who knows where. On the side of the room were several scribes furiously writing down every word he said in multiple copies. ¡®Apparently, they take demons very seriously¡­¡¯


    In turn, Sam observed the men who were ¡®gently¡¯ interrogating him. They wore uniforms without any discernible identifying marks, though Sam spotted a few odd geometric shapes that were probably used for that.


    Finally, after another hour of continuous talk, the men and the scribes stood up without another word and marched out of the room, leaving Sam alone sitting at the desk, blinking in surprise.


    Thankfully, he didn¡¯t have to wait too long, as the door opened again and another man returned. It took him several seconds to recognize the old man from the lake, as he had changed his clothing to the now familiar low-key uniform as well as taking a brush to his mane of silver hair.


    ¡°Well, sir, what now?¡± he asked, partly curious, partly worried.


    While he knew that the old man was on the side of angels (the good angels, not the crazy ones), he was still worried about what a mysterious organization like this would do to him.


    The older man simply took a seat opposite of him, steepling his hands in front of him.


    ¡°Now we talk.¡±


    Sam blinked and nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk then. About what? Is this the talk about that this definitely didn¡¯t happen and this place doesn¡¯t actually exist?¡±


    The other man simply smirked at him.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re smart enough to know the answer to that one,¡± he replied, and Sam nodded. ¡°No, the talk is about what I want you to do.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Why me? You seem to have a rather big organization here¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem. Most demons, at least the smarter ones would smell our involvement from miles away.¡±


    ¡°This is where I come in¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly. You¡¯re not one of us, but you¡¯re still against demons. We talked to the Silvercrest family, and they vouched for you,¡± explained the man whose name Sam still didn¡¯t know. Hell, nobody in this underground base even uttered a name. Not even codenames.


    ¡®Oh, nice. I owe them one for that¡­¡¯


    ¡°The question is: what do you want me to do?¡± he asked, staring directly into the older man¡¯s eyes.


    The man in question nodded and took out a small scroll and placed it just out of Sam¡¯s reach.


    ¡°As you may have figured out, we don¡¯t really like demons around here. Thus, we would like for you to investigate a few things.¡±


    ¡°Me against the Shadowed One?¡± Sam asked incredulously.


    ¡°No. That one is a smart one. No doubt the place where it was summoned has already been destroyed. No, it will take time for us to find their new lair. However, it would be a shame to waste your talents against demons. Thus, a small test.¡±


    ¡°A test?¡±


    ¡°Yes. One of the guilds found a fracture that is filled with demons. We managed to hide it from adventurers¡­¡±


    ¡°And you want me to clear it before a monster break occurs?¡±


    ¡°Correct. However, you have to do it alone as it is a test of your talents. Your team can¡¯t assist you this time.¡±


    Sam stared back at the older man, but a system sound distracted him.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Demonic demonstration!]


    [You have been tasked to clean one of the fractures from demons by a mysterious old man. This is a test to see what you are capable of. Go and successfully clear the fracture alone, without the help of a rather competent team, and you will be rewarded. However, if you were to fail, this never happened. Are you ready?]


    [Time limit: 1 week]


    [Reward: Mysterious]


    [Penalty: Even more mysterious]


    A pretty straightforward quest. Exactly what he wanted to receive. It was one of the easiest ways to increase one¡¯s reputation in the kingdom if one wanted to do it legally.


    Forcing himself to not smile, he nodded. ¡°I accept!¡±


    Then he blinked and found himself back in the room where he rested at the Magic Tower after his breakthrough, his hand holding the scroll the old man brought with himself.


    He looked around confusedly for a few moments before the reality of the situation hit him. The only thing he could do was laugh while opening the scroll.


    It contained the coordinates for the fracture, with instructions on how to reach it, as well as instructions on what to do in case he was successful. Though Sam expected that they would be observing him during the entire test.


    He put the scroll away and opened his messages, answering a few from Lucy, reassured Tim that he would be alright, and sent a group message to his team that they should start heading to the capital. Sam was pretty sure that after this test, he would need them.


    Finished with that, he left the room and headed for one of the smaller practice rooms of the Magic Tower. He still needed to practice his new skill a little more.

 Chapter 119

    He spent a few hours just holed up in one of the smaller practice rooms, either meditating or simply trying to get used to manipulating the wind mana around him. Which, naturally, netted him a few levels in the skill and allowed him to get familiar with the sensation of controlling it.


    Then he took a little break, just sitting in his living room, eating snacks and doom scrolling through the internet, mostly seeing what people were talking about the game, and most importantly, the magic in the game.


    It was really fascinating to Sam how the developers managed to create a feeling of casting magic with just a tiny piece of technology. Honestly, it was one of his favorite parts of the game. Watching the magic happen was simply, well, magical.


    When he wasn¡¯t logged into Magic Unbound, he tried a few other games that were slowly losing their popularity, and none of them managed to create a magic system that felt as natural as the one created by Future Unknown.


    And this fact was also reflected in the online discussion boards. Because while a lot of people complained, rather vocally, that the magic (and skill) system in the game was rather hard to master, nobody said that it was worse than any game that came previously. Just the opposite, really. Every player who managed to unlock Mana praised the system that the developers created.


    And as people were won¡¯t to do, the nature of the magic system gave rise to a new market.


    Online Magic Control lessons¡­


    Most of them, naturally, were scams, only repeating information that was available on the net. Some of them didn¡¯t even do that. Some were run by people who stumbled on a single secret and wanted to capitalize on it. Only the rare few were helpful for new players or to those who didn¡¯t really have a talent for controlling magic.


    Sam played with the idea of setting up some pay-per-view lessons for magic, but he didn¡¯t really have the time. And most importantly, he didn¡¯t want to share his secrets, no matter how much money that would make.


    ¡®Still, maybe later when the top players have somewhat caught up to me¡­¡¯


    He had no illusions about his talents. He may be on the forefront now, but that was only because he had his inherited memories. Those who were true geniuses would catch up to him in no time.


    Already, there were videos, pictures, and articles about these ¡®geniuses¡¯ as they went about in the game. Most of them were from bystanders either wondering how to replicate their skills or whining to the developers to ban the cheaters. And the rest were the guilds ¡®subtly¡¯ advertising their strength.


    The rumors were already going around about companies investing in the game, and guilds, thus everybody was aiming to get a slice of that pie.


    Sam thought back to the memories he inherited from the other Sam, the dark side of company sponsorship, and the contracts that were only a few steps removed from outright slavery. Sometimes not even that. He couldn¡¯t help but shudder when the memories of the ¡®contract¡¯ auctions resurfaced.


    Shaking his head, Sam banished those dark thoughts in a box labeled ¡®deal with later¡¯ and returned to his peaceful doom scrolling. After all, he wanted to relax a little before venturing into the demonic fracture.


    <hr>


    After returning to the game, he made sure to check his equipment, bought a few odds and ends that he would need, played with Lucky (very important), and then left the Magic Tower. Thankfully, the coordinates for the fracture indicated that it wasn''t far away. It would only be a short journey thanks to his loyal wolf companion.


    The fracture, according to the information he received was in a small ruin, remains of the previous kingdom, left for nature to reclaim. Only, some demons made it their home and when the Fracture happened, they were swallowed by the phenomenon and now they were doomed to repeatedly fight people until somebody figured out how to close fractures that could be visited unlimited times.


    Which they did in the far future. Thankfully, it required a rather lengthy ritual with very expensive ingredients, so people rarely used them. It was much more economical to take over the area from their enemy and make use of the fracture themselves.


    However, there were some fractures that contained monsters or beings that dropped loot that was abhorred by every sentient being, thus kingdoms made it a priority to destroy those.


    Sam was pretty sure that this fracture would also be on the list if people knew that the fractures could be destroyed.


    Leaving the city was not an easy task. Every day even more players were heading into the city, either trying their luck with finding a life-changing quest or trying to join any of the hundreds of guilds who set up camp in the newest district as nobody had managed to get a property anywhere in the city yet.


    After he managed to fight through the crowds, he simply headed away from the city with a leisurely walk. This close to the city, there were just too many people paying attention. He wasn¡¯t that famous, but still, a lot of people knew about Lucky, who wasn¡¯t exactly inconspicuous.


    Thus, he spent some time darting between groups of people, using his mask to change faces before he felt like nobody would notice him leaving the road for the forest.


    Then, just to satisfy his paranoia, he moved randomly around the forest for a while before he was satisfied and summoned Lucky.


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    The giant wolf emerged from his shadow with a wolfish grin on his face.


    ¡°Ready, Lucky?¡±


    ¡°Wuff!¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± he jumped on his back and pointed in the general direction of the ruins he was heading to. ¡°That way, my friend!¡±


    The wolf let out another bark, and they were off.


    <hr>


    Surprisingly, they weren¡¯t attacked even once. They simply sped through the greenery, occasionally stopping for Lucky to take a break, drink and refresh himself, while Sam kept an eye on the surroundings.


    Even without anything slowing them down, the sun was already going down, painting the world in hues of orange and red by the time they arrived.


    The ruins themselves were unremarkable. They were, as all ruins are, old and covered by foliage and the detritus of the passage of time.


    What was once a mighty castle was now nothing more than a crumbling tower surrounded by a foundation covered by moss and a wall that was still somehow standing in a few places.


    To Sam¡¯s surprise, there was nobody there, even though the disgusting mana of the fracture could be felt from rather far away by anybody who was moderately talented at sensing mana.


    He got off Lucky, who instead of returning to his shadow, began to sniff around curiously while occasionally glancing at Sam. He just waved the wolf away to enjoy the ruins as he didn¡¯t really sense any other mana signature aside from the portal and a very faint signature behind him in the trees.


    ¡®Probably my proctor¡­¡¯ he mused while pointedly ignoring the presence. ¡®It would probably be bad form to point them out¡­¡¯


    Instead, he did a last check of his equipment and armor, unsheathed Moonlight, and began walking toward the crumbling tower that looked like it would come down any second. Inside, as he expected, Sam found crumbling stairs and even more trash. The only thing that stood out was the hole in the ground.


    Walking closer, he noticed that there were remains of rotted wood that may have been stairs once upon a time.


    ¡°Ugh, basements¡­¡± he grumbled under his breath before turning his head toward where the hole was on the tower wall and exclaiming. ¡°Lucky! Come on, we¡¯re starting!¡±


    There was a cheery bark in response, and a few seconds later, Lucky came bounding through the hole, stopping right next to Sam with his tail wagging happily.


    ¡°All right, Lucky! We need to be very careful from here on. So, make sure to follow me very closely, okay?¡±


    The wolf nodded, his intelligent eyes shining brightly. Sam let out a sigh and simply jumped down. A cushion of wind mana caught him while Lucky simply re-emerged from his shadow. Sam could have sworn that the wolf sent him a cheeky grin.


    Sword held aloft, he began walking forward, keeping both his eyes and senses alert for everything. After a few steps, the light from the outside began to wane, so he simply conjured a Light Ball and continued to advance further.


    It took a few minutes to navigate around the fallen ceilings and other debris to reach the part of the basement where the portal was swirling.


    The portal itself was made of black light that to his magical senses dripped miasma and mana so caustic that it was almost abhorrent.


    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s not demonic, I¡¯m gonna eat my hat¡­¡± he murmured as he observed the fracture, ignoring the fact that he had no hats.


    Stepping closer, the expected window immediately appeared.


    [Fracture: Ruined Tower Basement]


    [Once a mighty castle with towers reaching into the sky, now a crumbling ruin in the middle of the wilderness. Left to the ravages of time, they become home to those who were outcasts from society or to those who wished to hide themselves. Reliable intel states that the current inhabitants are demons.]


    [Time Limit: A week]


    [Charges: Unlimited]


    ¡°Well, here goes nothing¡­¡± he exclaimed, then stepped forward, shuddering as the disgusting mana made contact with his own.


    <hr>


    After enduring the travel through the portal, he found himself in the same basement he left, only the walls weren''t crumbling messes, there was no moss-covered debris and the floor didn¡¯t have layers of dust covering it.


    The portal itself was positioned in a way that he couldn¡¯t go the way he came in, thus leaving him only one route to continue.


    Where outside of the portal was a big heap of stonework, here there was an archway leading deeper underground while torches on the wall cast dancing shadows on the walls.


    Still holding his sword before himself in a stance that would allow him to react instantly, he began circulating his mana, first making sure that his Mana Shield was functioning properly, then enveloping the sword in a layer of cutting wind, ready to be unleashed, while Lucky waited patiently behind him.


    Sam began his journey forward without a word, his companion following along. After stepping through the archway, there were a few yards of narrow corridor which expanded into a much roomier corridor, leaving enough space that three of him could walk shoulder by shoulder.


    The stonework was pristine, and the torches looked like they were put there only a few minutes ago.


    The entire thing created an environment that set Sam¡¯s teeth on edge. Coupled with the disgusting mana wafting around, he could only tense his muscles, ready for anything as he walked forward.


    He didn¡¯t have to wait long. From a small alcove, covered in shadows that the light from the torches didn¡¯t reach, a being emerged, causing Lucky to growl menacingly while Sam tensed even further.


    However, the moment the being stepped into the flickering light, he relaxed slightly.


    It was just a gremlin. A demonic gremlin, based on the mana coming from it, but it was still just a gremlin. If Sam had to describe it, then he would say that somebody took Gollum, gave him a head-to-toe shave, a can of energy drink, a few lines of hard drugs, and dipped him into black paint.


    A basic unit for the demonic forces. Easy to deal with when alone, but much harder when there were multiple ones attacking him. And they were never alone.


    The universe chose that moment to make a point, and the gremlin opened his mouth, filled with yellow shark-like teeth, and let out a screech that echoed around the corridor. To Sam¡¯s consternation, after the echo died down, another shriek sounded from the distance. Then another and another.


    Sam scowled and, with a swing of his sword, cut the disgusting little creature down, interrupting the annoying shrieking.


    He didn¡¯t even have time to check the notification or if it dropped anything as he could hear the clattering of uneven claws and nails on the stonework, heading straight for him.


    ¡°Lucky! Prepare yourself!¡±


    His companion acknowledged the order with a bark and jumped straight at the nearest shadow, vanishing.


    Sam didn¡¯t move, just took up his familiar stance, his body turned sideways, sword facing his enemy, and began gathering wind mana. The approaching group of gremlins would be the perfect medium to practice his new skill on.


    As the wind began swirling around him, Sam couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    ¡°Man, I love this game¡­¡±


    Then the next second, the corridor was full of shrieking and clawing gremlins that wanted nothing more than to tear him into small pieces to eat, or ritualistically sacrifice for their gods. One never knew with demons¡­


    He just let out a calm breath and began moving¡­

 Chapter 120

    The first strike went through the head of the first demonic gremlin to rush at him, cleaving its head in two. He transitioned the movement into a horizontal swipe, cutting two other gremlins into two as they foolishly launched themselves at him.


    However, it didn¡¯t really matter, as the number of monsters rushing at him seemed to be endless.


    Sam didn¡¯t stop with the swipe, instead, he spun around, bisecting another score of mindless monsters.


    But they didn¡¯t stop.


    He continued to move in an intricate dance with his sword, cutting down demonic gremlin after demonic gremlin, while his wind mana whipped around him, redirecting strikes, cutting down appendages and even heads.


    Shadow mana was mostly used for defensive and buffing purposes. Seeing as they almost vanished in the darkness, Sam felt that they would have at least some manner of shadow resistance. However, based on the carnage he was creating, they didn¡¯t have a lick of resistance against the wind.


    A minute after the battle began, Lucky emerged from the shadows landing on several unlucky gremlins, squashing them uncaringly and then he threw himself in the middle of the battle. With one swipe of his glowing paws, his loyal companion killed each and every one of the gremlins he laid his eyes on.


    Soon, Sam fell into a rhythm, one sword strike flowing into another, with each step forward another score of gremlins fell down on the floor, while small wind blades swirled around.


    Once again, he could only feel the mana thrumming in his body, ignoring the shrieks and growls of the monsters. He simply moved forward with determination and zeal as he reveled in the use of mana and the results it brought.


    Then¡­


    ¡°Wuff!¡±


    Sam stumbled as his sword didn¡¯t catch anything and he had to take a second to right himself.


    Confusedly looking around he came face to face with a grinning Lucky as they stood at the end of the corridor, behind them a charnel house and surrounded by blessed silence. Then the silly wolf stepped forward and gave Sam a lick on his face.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Lucky! Why?¡± he grumbled as he quickly used the Clean spell to get the animal saliva off his face.


    The wolf nodded to the ground and Sam followed with his eyes. Aside from the lack of gremlins and the abundance of blackish blood and body parts that were beginning to evaporate into multicolored pixels, there were a few items.


    Most of them were reagents that were barely worth any money, but there was one book amidst the junk drops. Apparently, killing so many gremlins meant that he got at least one good drop. Sam stepped over, while collecting all the miscellaneous loot to sell later, and picked up the book.


    [Congratulations, you gained the skill book, Summon Shadow Gremlin!]


    Sam grimaced at reading that and put the book away. Technically, it was a useful skill, with great late-game synergy potential, but it was incompatible with his build. ¡®Maybe Lucy would like it?¡¯ he wondered while continuing to pick up every drop.


    Soon, he stood at the end of the corridor, which was once again empty of anybody but the flickering torches and the shadows they cast on the walls, floor, and ceiling.


    He turned to Lucky and gave the wolf a pat on his head. ¡°Good job, buddy! Ready for more?¡±


    His answer was an enthusiastic bark and wagging tail. Thankfully, Lucky refrained from licking him again. Sam then turned toward the archway leading into the next area of the fracture and stepped forward.


    <hr>


    To nobody¡¯s surprise, as soon as he stepped through the archway at the end of the corridor, he found himself in another corridor. To be fair, this corridor had a bend in it and the torches seemed farther apart, but to Sam¡¯s eyes, it looked exactly like the one he just left behind.


    Shrugging, he began walking forward, his sword in his hand and Lucky following silently behind, eyes darting around, looking for any hidden enemies.


    Reaching the bend, he stepped next to the wall and leaned forward just enough that he could look around the corner.


    He wasn¡¯t disappointed.


    At the end of the corridor, still as wide as it was previously, was another archway, and in front of said archway was a giant of a man (though probably not human) with bulging muscles visible even under the dark gray metal armor, they wore.


    They stood at parade rest, their hands resting on the pommel of a giant greatsword with its tip piercing the stone floor of the corridor. The armor itself was made of overlapping plates with spikes placed at strategic and non-strategic places. The helmet was a type that only protected the nose, leaving eyes filled with fury visible. The sclera was pure black, while the rest of the eye was shining a malevolent red.


    Also, they were around eight feet tall, with thighs thicker than his torso. The very definition of an absolute unit.


    As Sam observed his next enemy, probing the being with mana to see if they would react, he let out a relieved sigh as the monstrous warrior didn¡¯t notice anything.


    He took a step back, closed his eyes, held his sword out, and began concentrating on the blade. Slowly, but surely, wind mana began to gather around the blade, swirling and swirling in a deadly but constrained dense shape. Keeping an eye on the warrior as they stood stoically at the archway, guarding it, Sam kept channeling more and more mana into the mana construct that began to take shape around his beloved Moonlight.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Then the moment he judged the construct dense and powerful enough, he jumped out of the cover and thrust his sword forward launching the dense mana construct at the warrior.


    To be fair, the warrior was fast enough to look up and wrench the greatsword from the stonework, ready to defend themselves, however, that did nothing against the pure devastation that headed at them.


    Sam walked forward and reached the archway just as the lower part of the warrior¡¯s body fell over, the armor pieces clattering around.


    He smirked and waited until the body evaporated. Sadly, it only left behind a few reagents, but at least it gave a good chunk of experience points. With the group of demonic gremlins and now this warrior, he was almost ready to level up.


    Entering the next room through a simple wooden door (Lucky following him with a wolfish grin on his face and tail wagging), he was finally met with more than clean stonework. There were desks and benches, with old but well-cared-for carpets on the ground. And, instead of torches, the illumination came from a chandelier. It wasn¡¯t a big room, maybe around two hundred square feet.


    He swept through the room both with his mana sense and by physically searching it. However, he came up with nothing. Shrugging again, though a little disappointed, he approached the door on the opposite wall and cast his senses beyond it.


    Nothing.


    He signaled to Lucky, who immediately jumped into the nearest shadow. Sam leaned against the wall and began waiting. A few minutes later, his companion reemerged, still grinning.


    ¡°Alright, how many?¡±


    ¡°Wuff! Wuff!¡±


    ¡°Two? That¡¯s not much. Are they like the one we just killed?¡± he asked, and the wolf nodded. ¡°All right, get into the shadows. I¡¯ll take one and you the other¡­¡±


    ¡°Wuff!¡±


    Sam spent a moment mentally preparing himself and then began walking toward the door.


    <hr>


    The two warriors went down just as fast as the previous one, finally pushing him to a level up, but for now, he ignored the notifications, wanting to finish the dungeon before he delved into the scary world of numbers.


    The room after was more like a barrack, with multiple beds and wardrobes along the walls. After that, more and more warriors came, never saying a word but attacking on sight. They usually only had greatswords, but some of them were wielding shields with swords, warhammers and one of them charged against Sam with a giant flail.


    A simple Earth Wall summoned before their feet caused the warrior to stumble straight into Sam¡¯s sword.


    By the time he and Lucky killed the twentieth warrior, he was rather sick of them. Though the number of experience points gained on kills was rather nice, they were clearly one-dimensional enemies.


    But as they approached the next door, Sam knew that the enemy behind it was different. Mostly because the door was made of metal instead of the usual wooden ones he found through his journey in this fracture.


    The metal itself wasn¡¯t one piece, instead, it looked like somebody used some fire magic to weld together a lot of different pieces of metal scrap resulting in a hodgepodge door. ¡®The real Frankenstein of doors¡­¡¯ he mused as he prepared to enter.


    As usual, he cast his mana forward to gauge the monsters on the other hand but instead of a few mana signatures, he was met with a churning whirlpool of dark mana, his mana probe slamming into it like a steel wall and instantly being swallowed by the churning miasma.


    Nodding to himself, Sam steeled himself and with a decisive move, opened the door and entered the (hopefully) last room of the fracture.


    Inside he was met by a stereotypical summoning room, the torches lit by blue flames, flickering to an unseen and unheard rhythm, bolstered by half-melted candles lit by the same flames placed everywhere, while in the middle of the room was a giant runic circle. The circle seemed to be made from blood of some kind that, thanks to some kind of unseen force, stayed in one place instead of seeping away.


    And in the middle of the circle, kneeling in front of a horrific altar, covered by even more candles and a veritable pyramid of human skulls was a demon, shaped like a woman. Her skin was light gray, pallid, her hair was dark brown, almost black, and she was wearing a robe without any embellishments.


    She was also chanting very loudly in a language that was familiar to Sam thanks to his inherited memories, but not understandable as he didn¡¯t have the skill yet. Though he managed to catch a few words here and there. Especially the word for ¡®portal¡¯¡­


    ¡®It appears she either wants to escape or summon something. How clich¨¦¡­¡¯


    The moment Sam¡¯s foot hit the floor of the room, her head snapped toward him and an ugly scowl appeared on her face.


    ¡°You!¡± she called out, pointing at Sam.


    ¡°Me!¡± he replied cheerfully, holding his sword ready and revving up his mana to be able to defend against any attack.


    The woman seemed to be taken aback for a moment, her face showing her confusion, then her scowl returned.


    ¡°You won¡¯t stop me! I will escape this accursed prison!¡± she yelled, and Sam felt the mana begin gathering around the woman while the maelstrom of miasma slowed down.


    ¡®Ahh, she is aware that she is in a fracture¡­ bummer.¡¯


    Before Sam could say anything, she flung her arm forward, her hand aflame with eldritch energies, resulting in a ball of said eldritch energies flying at breakneck speed at Sam¡¯s head.


    With nary a thought, he raised a Shadow Wall, reinforcing it with mana, allowing it to absorb the attack, and raised an eyebrow at the demonic mage.


    Her scowl deepened and soon Sam was bombarded with more and more balls of eldritch energies.


    ¡°Suffer, human!¡± she called out, bringing her hands together and then separating them, creating a giant ball that flew at Sam immediately.


    Judging that his shield wouldn¡¯t stand up to that, he waited until it was almost in touching distance of his Shadow Wall and used his superior speed to dodge the attack. The poor door wasn¡¯t so lucky and the giant ball of dark mana swallowed the hodgepodge construction in a second, leaving a circular hole in the wall and ground where the door was.


    This time, Sam replied with attacks of his own.


    The demonic mage had to conjure her own shield to protect against Sam¡¯s wind blade barrage while he eyed the ritual circle.


    It was indeed one that was intended to punch a hole through the dimensions, albeit with a random destination. This drastically decreased the cost of the ritual, which made sense as the demon was all alone in the fracture, with only those mute warriors as companions.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can defeat me with just those spells, human!¡± she spat at him and soon they were both jumping around as they exchanged spells. Though it was a rather tame exchange as neither wanted to damage the ritual circle. The demonic woman because her escape hinged on it and Sam because he was hundred percent certain if he interfered with the ritual the game system would activate it ¡®accidentally¡¯ and send him to a random destination. He had better things to do than to traipse around in some random desert or jungle.


    For a minute, they both stayed silent as they tried to nail each other with simple spells as the miasma of dark energy kept swirling around them. Sam was contemplating using his own runes to contain the ritual somehow when another idea occurred to him.


    Waiting for a moment for a lull in the fight, he spoke up.


    ¡°Hey! How about ¨C¡° he ducked under a spear of viridian magic as it impacted the wall behind him, melting the stone into a sizzling puddle. ¡° ¨C instead of fighting ¨C ¡° This time he had to concentrate on casting a wind spear of his own, taking down several balls of dark mana that looked dangerous. ¡° ¨C I help you escape?¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyes opened wide in surprise. ¡°What?¡±

 Chapter 121 - Interlude 11

    ¡°What the hell is going on? Can somebody tell me?¡± The man in the suit looked around the room, eyeing mostly the people who weren¡¯t wearing pristine suits. ¡°I have seen the reports! Why haven¡¯t we gone after this guy?¡±


    Several people looked at each other, daring each other to answer, while the rest of the suits watched impassively.


    ¡°Well?¡±


    Finally, one of the people, in a hoodie that depicted a black wolf, spoke up.


    ¡°Because we found no explanation for how he does it, sir.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, no explanation?¡±


    The guy in the hoodie reached up and adjusted his glasses. ¡°Well, sir, we sent a PI after him. Nothing. We went through his records. Nothing,¡± explained the man, nervously shifting in his seat. ¡°We even sent the PI into his home.¡±


    ¡°And did they find anything?¡±


    ¡°Lots of encrypted notes¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me we couldn¡¯t break some no-name person¡¯s encryption?¡± came the angry question from the suit.


    ¡°No, sir. We broke it almost instantly.¡±


    ¡°Aaand?¡±


    ¡°We have no idea what any of that means.¡±


    The suit blinked at the man, while the rest of them just thanked whatever deity they believed in that they hadn¡¯t opened their mouth.


    ¡°What do you mean? You guys are the smartest people in the world. You made an MMO that has the entire world salivating over it. We have at least a dozen AIs working for us! Are you saying none of you have any idea what that guy wrote down in his diary?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, sir,¡± came the hesitant answer.


    The suit opened his mouth, probably to continue to berate the other man, but one of the other suits weakly cleared their throat, and the man slumped back into his seat.


    For a long moment, nobody spoke until the suit finally gathered enough wits to speak up.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why what, sir?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sass me. Why can¡¯t you understand what he wrote?¡±


    This time, a woman spoke up, wearing a ratty shirt with a few coffee stains. ¡°Because he is using an internal reference that makes no sense, or at least we haven¡¯t been able to figure it out. We can read everything he wrote down, but it makes no sense. We tried looking for a key, but no bueno, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    The suit opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the man who had previously cleared his throat held up a hand.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough Andrew.¡± The suit slumped back into his chair again and the man turned to the bespectacled man who spoke up before. ¡°Answer me this: Is he cheating?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡±


    The man eyed the other man and nodded.


    ¡°Good. Then we don¡¯t have to waste more time on this man. Clearly, he is either a once-an-eon genius who can see clearly through our game or receiving revelations from some kind of heavenly being, according to some crack-pot theories. Or very, very good at cheating. But clearly, he is not exploiting the game more than any other pro player, nor is he trying to ruin the game for others. Heavens, thanks to his actions, the game¡¯s valuation has even risen.¡± The man explained while looking around the room. A lot of people were nodding, but a few suits looked disappointed that they wouldn¡¯t be bringing down the hammer on the guy. ¡°So, for now, let¡¯s leave him and stop spamming the office with warnings about his cheating. Unless somebody has something concrete, I say let him play. Hell, even if he cheats, he is an interesting player and sure to cause interesting things to happen!¡±


    "¡°Yes, Sir!¡±¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Stupid Sam left her alone in this dreary city, and now she had to look for her own adventures. Katie hugged Puffball closer to her while the cat-like being struggled in her arms.


    It was that, or logging out of the game and watching her father stewing over her insolence and Sam¡¯s awesomeness while her brother fretted.


    Admittedly, it was hilarious, but she wanted to spend as little time with her father as possible. Even though she knew that he would strike back, carefully planned to make sure it hurt her too, Katie just couldn¡¯t make herself care.


    She didn¡¯t mind a little setback in the game, after all, it wasn¡¯t like she needed the money she was making from her contract. And if she was forced to make a new character if her father somehow managed to ruin her current one¡­ Well, she didn¡¯t really mind. With a new character, she could avoid a lot of early mistakes she had made and create a much more powerful class. Especially if she asked Sam for help.


    She couldn¡¯t help but grin, thinking about her friend. He was mysterious and prone to keeping secrets, which her finely honed senses and things learned from her family told her were massive secrets. On the other hand, he always listened, never ordered her around outside of battle, and made sure she was having fun. And naturally, he had the best advice about how to use her skills¡­


    And he gave her Puffball! The most important thing.


    While she was woolgathering, the eldritch cat managed to wiggle herself out of her hands and plopped down on the floor of her room in the company headquarters. The cat shook itself and without pause headed for the door.


    Katie only looked up when her familiar let out a meow, trying to jump up and turn the doorknob.


    She stood up while snickering, and with a few steps of her long legs, arrived at the door. ¡°Silly little Puffball! Here, let me help you!¡± and with a simple twist, opened the door.


    However, instead of rushing away as it usually did when she let it out for a stroll in the evening, the familiar instead pawed at her feet, then walked forward a few steps, its tail up and her cute little butt wiggling.


    Katie just looked at her familiar confusedly.


    The cat looked back at her, let out a very cat-like sigh, sauntered back to her feet, pawed at her boots, and once again took a few steps away.


    This time Katie understood.


    ¡°You want me to follow you?¡±


    The familiar let out a meow in agreement and began walking toward the stairwell, while Katie followed it without hesitation.


    In short order, they left behind the headquarters and kept going deep into the city. They went through small alleyways, wide open streets, areas filled with people, and locations where Katie felt more alone than it was physically possible.


    It took Katie a while to realize that her adorable little familiar was making a pattern. Sadly, she didn¡¯t really study things like that, content to train her chef skills to provide more and more delicious food to her angelic little kitten.


    For a moment, she was a little sad that Sam wasn¡¯t around to explain to her the purpose of this, but then she cheered up at the thought that she could tell him later.


    Around an hour later, Katie was still enthusiastically following Puffball when her familiar stopped in the middle of a random alleyway and turned toward one of the walls. Katie soon caught up with it and stood there and looked at the wall.


    It was a wall not unlike any other wall. Maybe it was a little grimier than others, but otherwise, Katie couldn¡¯t pinpoint any difference visible to the eye. Instead, she turned to her familiar.


    ¡°Now what, Puffball?¡±


    The cat, instead of answering, took a few steps forward and pawed at the wall.


    Instantly, a jagged scar appeared on its surface, the edges glowing with off-white light that seemed dirty to her, and behind the scar was darkness darker than she ever saw. Closing her eyes would seem blinding light compared to the darkness that she witnessed behind the scar on reality.


    Then the scar began to widen, big enough that an adult could cross without touching the edges. Which some hidden sense told her would be bad.


    And as Katie looked deeper into the dark, the darkness looked back at her.


    Eyes as far as she could see, all of them judging and measuring her.


    Honestly, they reminded her of her father¡¯s eyes every time he looked at her and saw that she was still a woman.


    Then she looked down at Puffball who looked back at her with the way most cats look at their ¡®caretakers¡¯ general disinterest mixed with a little contempt and elation at the coming carnage.


    ¡°You want me to go in there?¡± she asked her familiar, whose shadow seemed to vanish somewhere.


    ¡°Meow!¡±


    Katie thought for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°Well, if you say so¡­¡±


    Then she unsheathed her greatsword, activated her skills the beginning of yellow energy starting to appear around her, and with an enormous war cry she jumped forward ready to meet in a bloody battle whatever was on the other side.


    The cat blinked in surprise, let out a sigh that no cat should be able to, and looked around, both left and right, then up and down. Finding nobody it jumped after its mistress, the scar on reality closing up behind it instantly, leaving the alleyway as it was, with only one of the trashed cabbages having grown tentacles.


    <hr><hr>


    Lucy kinda hated Sam right now.


    She spent a lot of money trying to set up a beachhead in Deepanchor with no success and he goes there and within a fortnight they were merrily setting up shops and warehouses while the money was simply flowing in.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    They even had a company from whom they could rent ships. Real, big ones, not those small dinky ones that people were bragging about on the net. Sometimes she really wanted to lock him in a basement and wring his head of all the little secrets he knew.


    Hearing her notifications ping she put aside one of the reports of one of Liz¡¯s creations and opened the system interface.


    ¡°What the hell, Sam! How the fuck do you do this?¡± she whispered in disbelief, then began massaging her forehead.


    Demons and now this?


    She leaned back in her super comfortable chair (made by Liz, modeled after modern ergonomic chairs) and let out a sigh while closing her eyes.


    An assassin¡­ Who knew about security¡­


    ¡®Well, he did promise he would send me a security expert¡­ But how the hell did he arrange all of this to happen right at the moment he could make use of it?¡¯ she wondered silently as she contemplated the message that her friend-slash-coworker sent.


    They were actually in dire need of a security expert, as while her skills were not insignificant, they usually hinged on being useful against NPCs. People were rather more complicated than that. And bastards.


    For now, she could keep up by using her own knowledge, the NPC guards, and the city¡¯s favorable impressions of their company as well as her awesome familiars, but sooner or later people would reach levels that would trump her own skills, and then that would spell their doom.


    Because while their success created wealth aplenty for her and Sam equally, it also created a bevy of enemies both high and low.


    The lowlifes were easier to take care of, yet they were numerous. The higher ones were a mystery.


    She knew they were out there and even knew about a few of them, but she was sure there were at least as many lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike down and gobble up their fledgling empire.


    Naturally, she had plans, but those plans would work better with someone who had the required experience to bring those plans to life.


    Lucy sat up in her chair, cracked her neck left and right, and dived back into the paperwork.


    The expert was on his way. For now, she would need to take care of other issues.


    <hr>


    He sat there on the other side of her desk, sitting up straight with an honest-to-God bowtie affixed at his neck, wearing a spiffy vest and a medieval shirt.


    Basically, a quintessential IT worker. The only way he could have been more clich¨¦ was with glasses and a pocket protector.


    If Lucy didn¡¯t know any better, she wouldn¡¯t be able to tell that his seemingly normal-looking man was a top-tier assassin from the Silent Step guild, feared across many games.


    ¡®I suppose that¡¯s the point¡­¡¯ she mused while smiling at the man. Too bad the creepy raven on her shoulder ruined the atmosphere.


    ¡°Tim, was it?¡±


    ¡°Er, yes, ma¡¯am. I think¡­ Or I suppose, yes. I mean, yes I¡¯m. That is, I¡¯m Tim. And not enchanter!¡± he rambled at her seemingly in panic.


    ¡°Enchanter, what?¡±


    ¡°Er, Sam mentioned something about enchanting and I was worried¡­¡± he admitted ruefully while scratching the back of his head.


    Lucy made a note to send a death threat to Sam while continuing to smile.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s forget that happened, and let us talk about your duties! We¡¯ll need to¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Tim sat on his old sofa and held his head.


    So many things happened in such a short time that his head was spinning from the events that transpired.


    He was tapped for a demon summoning, then got cold feet, which in turn resulted in a chase that exhausted him beyond belief. Then he somehow found himself in a hot spring with a mysterious player who seemed to have an answer to everything, yet the more he talked with him the more confused Tim became.


    Following that, he spent a day or two on a ship where everybody treated him like a prince for some reason, only to land in Deepanchor where he was put in a carriage almost instantly and sent to Ironwood.


    There he met with the mysterious player¡¯s partner, who was just as mysterious and rather creepy (though a total babe, not that he had any chance with her). The eyes of those ravens even haunted him in his dreams. Or rather nightmares¡­


    And now he was officially out of the Silent Steps, the contract concluded automatically. His bank account connected to his gaming had swelled nicely with the influx of paid penalties from his previous boss and the bonus he was paid from his newest boss.


    Sadly, the new contract was just as comprehensive as the previous, if not more. Clearly, these people know what they are doing.


    His messages and email account were already being filled with messages from his previous boss and comrades. Unfortunately, most of them were rather negative, though he made sure to answer those who were worried about him. While making sure not to give out any actionable information about his current whereabouts and situation.


    ¡°What the hell should I do?¡± he growled out loud to his empty apartment.


    Sadly, only silence was his answer.


    After an hour of contemplation, he finally got up from his seat and went to bed. He had work tomorrow, and he had no idea what to do, so sleep was a better alternative.


    ¡®Maybe when I wake up things will make sense¡­¡¯


    For a while he laid in bed, tossing and turning, before reluctantly he got up and settled in front of his computer and began drafting his plan on how to upgrade the security of the company that the Boss Lady asked him to.


    ¡®Sleep is for the weak, after all¡­¡¯ he mused as he continued to type.


    <hr><hr>


    Life at university was always a challenge.


    To Dan, whose interest only encompassed plasma until recently, it was even more chaotic. He was never what other, well-adjusted people would call a people person, so now that Magic Unbound was basically transforming everything about social life at his university, he was even more troubled.


    Seemingly unbreakable bonds were broken every second while new relationships started at the drop of a hat (or drop of a loot) while he just sat there with his notes on his newest experiments. The notes about his magical research were locked deep into his own security box. He was even halfway through encrypting it with encryption that one of his favorite professors recommended. According to the professor with modern technology, it was rather easy to break, but without some hard social engineering, they wouldn¡¯t understand anything.


    So, he only had to keep his mouth shut and whoever got their hands on his research wouldn¡¯t know what to do with it.


    Which wasn¡¯t that hard as he was naturally a silent person, enjoying listening to others rather than talking.


    This in turn was rather hard, as everybody who wasn¡¯t talking about homework or actual real-life issues like sickness or death in the family was only talking about one thing.


    Magic Unbound.


    The game permeated the university in such a way, that people were even changing majors based on which guild they belonged to or what magic they practiced in the game.


    It was chaotic and rather foolish, but what did he know?


    After it came out that he was already part of a group, a lot of people spent an inordinate amount of time and effort to uncover which group he belonged to. He even got bribed to join several people¡¯s guilds.


    Apparently, he was a desirable person¡­


    There were girls approaching him. Him! Though why, he couldn¡¯t tell. Still, he made sure to enjoy the attention while it was possible. He even had a date for the weekend. He was pretty sure it was a honeytrap, but Dan hadn¡¯t had a date in ages, so went along with it.


    With Sam away in the capital trying to find a way to buy property, he had time to delve deeper into the mysteries of magic. He went to the Magic Tower and bought all the available fire spells and went to town on them.


    Using what he learned from Sam, he tried all of them, trying to see how they fit his skill set, as well as to see if he could learn anything from them.


    And oh boy, did he learn¡­


    He even paid for the undivided attention of one of the masters to see if they could offer any advice.


    They were rather complimentary and dropped several hints that to him seemed to lead to further heights.


    But for now, he had a class to take¡­


    Dan stood up from the bench and began ambling toward the classroom, ignoring the excited chatter around him as people bragged or whined about the game that seemingly everybody was playing.


    <hr><hr>


    Liz was enjoying her life. Her new apartment was great, her neighbors were a joy, and the game was becoming better and better.


    She had an endless amount of work to do for the company, which paid very well, especially when she had to make luxury items for her bosses. Apparently, talent was very well rewarded at AFK.


    Her streaming numbers were shooting up, and no matter what kind of content she was doing, at least a thousand people were watching her every move.


    Granted, Liz was pretty sure that most of those people were only watching to figure out how she did her crafting, but she always made sure not to show the skill-specific action required to create her crystal creations.


    Her cute little drones were hers and hers only.


    She looked up at the Big Boy hovering protectively next to her and she smiled.


    Not that they were little and harmless anymore.


    Though the ones she designed for the Heavenly Forest to aid with the cleaning were made to be cute and to be able to blend in with the background. So far, the reports coming back were all positive from the maids working with them.


    Currently, her biggest project was working on the elevator for the headquarters. Though from what she had heard, they were soon getting a new head of security, so she would see what they would have her do.


    She was getting rather attached to the people there, and she and Lucy had some rather nice talks while both of them were taking a break. There were even talks about getting together outside of the game and going out to have fun.


    Maybe she could make some friends?


    <hr><hr>


    There was just something about the magic in the game that came easily to her.


    She started out with the goal of becoming an ice mage, trying to fashion herself into an Ice Queen image, but the details of the game ruined that dream rather swiftly. It only took her a few hours to realize how inferior she was to any of the NPCs.


    In other games she had played previously, the NPCs were only there as set dressing or puppets for the players to play around.


    It was not like that in Magic Unbound. Here the NPCs were an integral part of the world and were dynamic and natural enough that without the system¡¯s help, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell the difference.


    But back to the matter at hand.


    Magic.


    It was a phenomenal system.


    With just a bit of effort, and some muttered words she could summon blizzards to devastate her enemies. If they stood still in a very small area.


    Granted, the words to cast the spells were rather cringy, but it only took her a week to figure out how to cut the words down to less than a dozen. Then another two to figure out how to move the ephemeral mana that the game developers created with only one keyword.


    Just that alone granted her untold prestige in her clan.


    She even managed to clamp down on the smugness when she began instructing the other inner circle member how to achieve the same thing.


    Thanks to all of them mastering the skill more or less, their damage potential rose enough that when the Fracture came, they were one of the first to reach the big dungeon.


    All those scrubs who had to chant for several seconds, correctly, to summon whatever effect they desired, held no candle to her team.


    Ice, fire, lightning, and other elements eliminated all manner of enemies for the price of yelling one word. It was rather familiar, as many games utilized the keyword system for magic in previous games.


    With the skills helping her mana regeneration that their guild bled for, she could sling ice spears until the kingdom came. It was rather a pity that they couldn¡¯t acquire more of that skillbook, but any mana regeneration skillbook at the Auction House was picked up the moment it was put on. Still, they had people monitoring the place, and they were ordered to spare no expenses.


    Plus, with the Life of Blood, they didn¡¯t need much healing. Thankfully, with the influx of players who went out to hunt the trolls, the price of the book dropped, hard. Nowadays, every new player was recommended to get the book once they had at least a little money. It was a pretty good sustain spell, especially for close combat characters.


    Sometimes, she pitied those noobs who couldn¡¯t even grasp the intricacies of the mana system. The developers created such a beauty that every time mana moved inside her, she could only be amazed.


    She couldn¡¯t even imagine what the future of that part of the game would be.


    For now, she had skills to master and try to figure out a way to acquire Silent Casting. The NPC wizards could do it, so it would be possible, but so far none of them managed to figure it out, or managed to get it from some quest or said NPCs.


    She could feel it in her bones: the answer was so close she was practically smelling it, yet paradoxically it was farther away than ever.


    And if even she couldn¡¯t figure it out, then she doubted the noobs below her would be able.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°We found him, sir.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°In the capital, Vividora. One of our people who was there on business spotted him at the Magic Tower.¡±


    ¡°Any idea what he was doing?¡±


    ¡°Probably getting further training. From what we know, he is a hybrid swordsman and mage.¡±


    ¡°Are the teams ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Those assassin wannabes?¡±


    ¡°Those too. I made sure they were up to the task. Apparently, they summoned some kind of demon.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that made them powerful, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Could we do that?¡±


    ¡°I recommend against that, sir. The stigma is not worth it. It¡¯s much better if the Steel Lions stay above the line and we simply¡­ outsource undesirable tasks to those kinds of people. Much better PR.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Make sure to begin the takeover process of that guild. They sound useful.¡±


    ¡°Already started, sir.¡±


    ¡°Good initiative. What about Katherine?¡±


    ¡°We¡­ err¡­ lost her.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Suddenly she began wandering around Ironwood without rhyme or reason, then pooff; she vanished.¡±


    ¡°Keep an eye on her. As long as she can¡¯t warn her friend, we are good.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. However¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes? What seems to be the problem?¡±


    ¡°Is it necessary?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is! They dared to attack us! We have to strike back!¡±


    ¡°But we don¡¯t know if he was behind the atta¡­¡±


    ¡°He was! I know it! It was payback for my little test. I know his type. After all, that¡¯s what I would do¡­¡±


    ¡°As you say, sir.¡±


    ¡°Any other issues with the operation?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡±


    ¡°Very well, then let¡¯s shelve the issue until our friend resurfaces. How about the finances?¡±


    ¡°Well, sir, I have some good news! We managed¡­¡±

 Chapter 122

    There was no time for anything else. Sam used the momentary lapse of attention that his surprise question netted him, and nailed the gaping woman with a simple wind spear, aimed directly at her heart.


    She had a moment to realize what had happened and the next second, Sam watched as the demented and cursed life flowed out of her eyes.


    Falling to the floor like a marionette that has its strings cut and with her, the magic in the room was gone, too.


    It swirled around in an anticlimactic manner before sinking down to the level of the floor and into the blood left there. The blood shined brightly and Sam took a big step backward, not wanting to be in the radius of anything that was going to happen. But in the end, the blood simply burst into black flames and while it burned, Sam could hear a demented laughter in the distance.


    As soon as the flames were out, he could see the ash on the ground, the barely existent breeze in this underground complex already messing up the circle that it was.


    He spent a few minutes looking around to see if the final fight dropped anything, but it seemed the system deemed him too powerful for the fracture thus the demented demonic woman also only dropped a few reagents.


    ¡®Pity¡­¡¯


    Then he turned his attention to the notification screen.


    [Congratulations, you cleared the Ruined Tower Basement]


    [Exit: Yes/No]


    [Warning: If no decision is made within 30 minutes, the fracture will collapse and automatically eject the players!]


    For now, he clicked on no and spent a few extra minutes by noting down the remaining runes that hadn¡¯t been disturbed yet. The circle would be incomplete, but at least this way he would have access to some demonic runes for later. Plus, thanks to his future knowledge, he understood a little of the chanting so he knew what the purpose of the ritual was, so if he wanted he could, theoretically, restore it.


    <hr>


    He found himself back in the same basement where he started with an additional notification.


    [You defeated the final boss before they could activate their ritual. As the final boss was aware they were in a Fracture, you ¨C with this action ¨C have broken the Fracture. Fracture: Ruined Tower Basement has been destroyed.]


    Sam whirled around, just in time to see the portal behind him sputter a few sparks and then blink out of existence.


    [Extra Experience points have been awarded for the deed!]


    Sam just blinked and dismissed the prompts. He cast out his Mana Sense and had Lucky smell around to see if anyone was there. The only thing he could somewhat sense was the very faint signature that followed him from the capital.


    Relieved that he was still alone, almost expecting an entire army waiting when he emerged from the fracture, he found the nearest chair-size rock and plopped down on it unceremoniously. Lucky walked around a little, then he also laid down next to Sam, just in patting range.


    He did so while opening the system and checking up on his gains. He had a weird feeling that this initiation-slash-test thing would more than likely escalate, and he wanted to see what he was working with. According to the forums, the highest leveled player was around the high sixties, which meant the power players were nearing Level 75, the first hurdle. Until then the leveling requirements were pretty linear, but at seventy-five until hundred that changed into a very steep exponential curve.


    It was when the first players reached that barrier that the general public realized that the game wasn¡¯t really intended for power players who chased after levels, and that foundation and skill control were much more important.


    Granted, most smart people realized that and the guilds were probably having a conniption fit right around now when their scholars and researchers became aware of these exact issues, but the chaos would be truly ignited when this information trickled down to the ignorant masses.


    According to his inherited memories, the game devs and the company behind Magic Unbound would weather the storm but there were moments when it was touch and go after they came out with their no character reset policy. It was either to continue with the seemingly gimped character or make a completely new one.


    It was not a popular decision, but the devs stood by it.


    He couldn¡¯t wait to see it happen. So many guild businesses started at that moment that took off like rockets¡­ Which he would copy like nobody¡¯s business. There was money to be made, and he was going to be the person who made that money.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You are now Level 44!]


    [Gained 4 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Gained 1 AGI for tearing through your targets!]


    [Gained 1 DEX for being so accurate!]


    After a moment of indecision, he quickly assigned his points, refusing to store them for later. Two went to STR to bring it up to the level of the others, still keeping his build pretty uniform. He planned to do this at least until thirty, but who knows what might happen?


    Then one to PER and another to WIS. He took a moment to forlornly stare at his abysmal Luck but there was nothing to do about that. You can¡¯t make yourself luckier. Plus, he was pretty sure the system was holding a grudge against him. Having a luck value of thirteen for so long was pretty suspicious.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 35!]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 74!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 35!]


    [Mana Gaze is now Level 12!]


    [Controlled Slash is now Level 5!]


    [Triple Mana Slash is now Level 5!]


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 70!]


    [Synchronization is now Level 3!]


    [Spell Layering is now Level 20!]


    [Mana Construct is now Level 24!]


    [Light Ball III is now Level 6!]


    [Clean IV is now Level 8!]


    [Ground Shake is now Level 5!]


    The first part was pretty mundane. Some numbers went up, and he was looking forward to what skill he would get once he managed to max out the Triple Mana Slash skill.


    [Wind Manipulation is now Level 17!]


    [Aerodynamic is now Level 4!]


    [Greater Wind Affinity is now Level 20!]


    [Silent Casting is now Level 4!]


    An expected increase, but nothing amazing. After all, he didn¡¯t have to struggle much to reach this point. However, the next few notifications managed to get Sam to smile a little while he patted his companion¡¯s head, who was very much enjoying the attention based on the panting sounds.


    [Spirit Link is now Level 47!]


    [Spirit Connection is now Level 5!]


    He couldn¡¯t wait until the Spirit Link was maxed out. The other Sam never managed to reach that kind of level, but every summoner who was brave enough to bare their skills to the public claimed that Spirit Link was the basis of much of their success.


    Granted, that was one type of summoner, but he was trying to emulate them and not those who had thousands of different summons for every possible scenario. It was much easier to build up the skill with only one summon.


    [Advanced Shadow Footwork is now Level 17!]


    [Shadow Grace is now Level 9!]


    [Shadow Burst II is now Level 6!]


    [Shadow Mirage is now Level 22!]


    [Shadow Transformation is now Level 20!]


    [Shadow Shield II is now Level 3!]


    [Shadow Cloud is now Level 6!]


    [Greater Shadow Affinity is now Level 16!]


    [Shadowstride is now Level 3!]


    Another good haul. He was growing well with his shadow skill, however, sadly the same chance to upgrade his skill as he did with his wind magic was too far away for him now. The capital had a trainer in Shadow magic, but not a master who could help him evolve. Capital cities mostly had the opportunity for the players to upgrade their basic affinities and they needed to seek out trainers or opportunities to upgrade the more niche affinities. Shadow was in the middle, but in Sam¡¯s inherited memories he knew someone who had Fear affinity mana and had to go through hell several times before they managed to upgrade it.


    [Advanced Sword Mastery is now Level 19!]


    [Basic Armor Mastery is now Level 55!]


    [Resistant Armor is now Level 2!]


    [Flow is now Level 54!]


    [Controlled Flow is now Level 1!]


    [Surprise Strike is now Level 9!]


    [Corruption Resistance is now Level 12!]


    [Shadow Resistance is now Level 20!]


    [Multitasking is now Level 95!]


    [Journeyman Runecarver is now Level 14!]


    Satisfied with his growth, he gave the rest of the screens a once over, made sure that his meager loot was organized from the Fracture, and then stood up while stopping the patting of Lucky¡¯s head who noted this with a small whine, but returned to his shadow in short order.


    Sword still in hand, he looked around to make sure he didn¡¯t miss anything, but after seeing nothing he let out a breath and with senses spread to the maximum, he headed toward the same hole he entered the basement.


    It took a short jump, helped by the wind to arrive in the crumbling tower. The scene was the same as he left it, with one very stark difference.


    Right outside of the tower, leaning against a chest-height crumbling wall, was a person.


    They looked middle-aged in a dark uniform that had no identifying marks with their hands crossed in front of them. They had dark hair that was kept short and Sam could see the effect of sun on their skin, indicating that they spent a lot of time outside.


    ¡®Probably my escort¡­¡¯


    Before he could speak up, the man shoved himself away from the wall, stepped forward, and gave him a shallow bow.


    ¡°Congratulations! You managed to complete the task assigned to you. Are you ready for the next one?¡±


    Sam waved away the quest complete notification and eyed the man. A brief check with his Mana Sense told him that he had no chance in hell even harming a hair on the man. The mana inside him was like an overbearing mountain, tinged with the ferociousness of a volcano. The only indication that the other man noted what Sam did was a small raise of an eyebrow, but otherwise, he ignored it as he waited for Sam¡¯s answer.


    Sam, knowing he had no choice if he wanted to complete his goals, nodded and returned the bow, a little shallower just to spite the man. When he saw the small twitch in his escort¡¯s eye, he had to suppress his smirk.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    The man nodded and continued.


    ¡°Your next task is to survive,¡± he stated, and within two blinks, vanished.


    Sam stood there and let out a sigh. ¡°At least they didn¡¯t teleport me again¡­¡±


    After another look around, he found his escort, his mana now more familiar at the edge of his senses. Now, he was pretty sure the man stayed exactly there to make sure Sam knew he was there but could hide from him if he needed. It was pretty freaky¡­


    Then he turned his attention to the notification he ignored.


    [You completed the quest: Demonic Demonstration!]


    [Your reward is to participate in another test. Lucky you! Very Lucky!]


    [New quest acquired!


    [The Test of the Survivor!]


    [Another mysterious person from the mysterious organization has given you a task. Very spooky. Also very creepy. Make sure you survive! Of what? Who knows¡­]


    [Time Limit: Death or ???]


    [Reward Mysterious]


    [Penalty: Death]


    Dismissing the screen, he looked around, hands on his hips. ¡°Now what?¡±


    <hr>


    Not knowing any better and not finding anything that he should survive around the ruins, Sam gave up and simply began heading back to the capital. At first, he wanted to do the journey on Lucky¡¯s back, but the task he was given made him paranoid, so he simply used his shadow magic to cover himself and used wind mana to glide along the ground. Well, it was running with extra-large steps, but it was still enough for him to cross a rather large amount of space.


    By his estimate, he was around halfway through the forest, near a small rocky outcropping, when he felt the need to stop a little and have a small snack. With a hop, skip, and jump, he was on the outcropping, covered by the rocks themselves from one side and the mountain on the other.


    He quickly summoned Lucky, put out the wolf¡¯s food, and then retrieved a canteen of water and a sandwich.


    It only took a few minutes to polish off the midday snack and as Sam idly waited for his wolf companion to lick their bowl clean, he cast out his Mana Sense once again.


    However, this time, he felt something.


    Sam froze, closed his eyes, and focused on the skill.


    He could sense at least a dozen people with the putrid mana leaking from them in small amounts, yet the rest of their mana was pretty well hidden.


    ¡®Assassins!¡¯


    At first, he hoped that they weren¡¯t after him, but then the quest came to his mind and realized that the assassins were definitely after him. However, Sam couldn¡¯t help but frown. The enemy after him wasn¡¯t strong enough to cause much trouble. That wasn¡¯t exactly the greatest test¡­


    Straining himself even more, he thinned out the mana that made up the Mana Sense spell and cast it out farther. The return information would degrade exponentially, but he only wanted to know if there were more people behind the assassins.


    As the signatures began to appear on his senses, arrayed in a half circle exactly in the direction he was going, he couldn¡¯t help but curse.


    ¡°So the demonic assassins are bait¡­¡± he mused as he retracted his mana sense and returned his attention to his would-be hunters. ¡°How should I turn around this trap?¡±


    There was no question to him about who was behind the trap. There was only one person he pissed off and influential enough who could accomplish this.


    For a few minutes, Sam rested, making sure that his satiety was full and there would be no issue with going into battle and then stood up, stretching a little. He cracked his neck to the left and then to the right.


    ¡°Alright, Lucky. Let¡¯s go ruin some assholes¡¯ day!¡±

 Chapter 123

    His first task was to take a measure of the enemy and to see if he could figure out the plan. He wasn¡¯t expecting anything bigger than a few mages with CC skills that would try to stop him from moving, and then the rest of the people would blast him into smithereens.


    Granted, there was a chance that they found some kind of area of effect enhancement that would be able to lock him down, so he was keeping it low-key.


    The person after him was a person of means, so it was realistic that they could be able to buy the best. But the question was: Would they do that?


    Sam definitely would, but according to Katie, her father wasn¡¯t that game-savvy. However, he was surrounded by people who were.


    So, recon it was.


    He had Lucky return to his shadow, and he covered himself with shadows while creating a small field of wind mana around him that swallowed any sound he would make.


    Meanwhile, using his Mana Sense he kept track of the demonic assassins who were wandering around in a pattern that would have them cover a rather sizeable area. Probably, trying to maximize the chance that they would run into him.


    Sam spent some time just observing what he could, trying to create a complete picture of the enemies arrayed against him.


    While doing that, he spotted a group of mana signatures moving along the road that crossed through the area that was surrounded by his enemies. But they vanished in short order after the local mana showed some disturbance.


    ¡®They¡¯re killing everybody. That¡¯s stupid¡­¡¯ he mused while continuing the observation. ¡®They would be bleating on the forums about it within seconds¡­¡¯


    Moving to a different spot, a little higher to get a better vantage point, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡®The guy probably hired some military expert who only played mobile games on the toilet. Genius on the field but fish out of water in a game¡­¡¯


    Still, the number of players against him, who were more than likely higher-leveled than him was daunting. One-on-one it wouldn¡¯t matter, but quantity had a quality of its own.


    ¡®Right. Avoid direct fights. Now the question is, should I go higher and go over the mountains or try to find a weak point¡­¡¯


    Suddenly, the assassin group stopped and turned on the dime, directly at him, causing Sam to curse heavily.


    ¡®Fucking divination¡­¡¯


    The scrying probably wasn¡¯t very accurate, but it was enough to show his location. Sam immediately jumped into action, rushing away from the boulders he was hiding behind while heartily cursing the fact he had forgotten about the divination skills.


    He was proven correct when the assassin didn¡¯t change direction when he began running away, still heading directly to his previous hiding place.


    ¡®Hmm. If they have only one person who can cast the spell, then the cooldown is around a few minutes, assuming they have above-average mana control,¡¯ he mused while heading toward the next hiding place. ¡°Let¡¯s test it then!¡± he declared softly. The grin appearing on his face would have scared his enemies if they could have seen it.


    Alas, they did not¡­


    <hr>


    The next hour was spent by him running around and watching with his Mana Sense as the group of demonic assassins ¨C who were undoubtedly very tired and annoyed ¨C follow him around the mountainside and forest as he pretended to be trying to evade the people chasing him.


    The results were pretty satisfying.


    It took the diviner around ten minutes to recover to cast the scrying spell. Which meant that no matter what, he only had a ten-minute window to act.


    While he was running around, he also made sure to check upon the forces trying to encircle him. To his luck, around halfway through his hide-and-seek the leader of the forces decided to shrink the encirclement, giving him an excellent view thanks to his Mana Sense.


    Most of the people were only there to create the circle. They had average reserves that felt absolutely normal. However, at each cardinal direction, he could sense a team with a much stronger presence that radiated danger thanks to his Discerning skill.


    Added to this were several people seeded around the intercardinal directions. Probably mages to make sure they could slow him down if he decided to head their way.


    Unfortunately for his enemies, Sam could see precisely where those mages were hidden among the masses. They were still at the beginning of the game so there weren¡¯t many mana-concealing items or skills, for example, he had nothing aside from his own iron control over his mana. ¡®I really need to speed up some acquisitions¡­¡¯


    For a long moment he thought about playing an endless game of mouse and cat with them until the masses they brought along got bored and left, or the money ran out for the mercenaries, but he didn¡¯t have that time.


    So after relocating once again, he took a look at all the mages that were hidden, trying to choose one that would be the easiest to defeat.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­ That one is earth, so no go. Fire? Meh, could be. Wind? Could overpower them, but would give away too many secrets. A water one? In the middle of the forest? Probably trying for ice magic¡­¡¯


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    He went one by one until he returned to the one directly to the southeast of him, in the direction of the capital city. Any military expert would consider that one of the most logical directions to try to escape the encirclement and thus place the most powerful members there. But they would also expect that he would know the same thing.


    It was a gamble, but he felt up to it. He wasn¡¯t here to min-max and always use the perfect strategy for every situation.


    ¡®I play because it¡¯s fun. So, let us have some fun!¡¯ he mused while checking over his gear.


    <hr>


    He then started slowly relocating toward an ideal position from where he could attempt his break out. Naturally, he made a little detour, trying to make it seem he was going for a different point. And based on the movements of the stronger players, the enemy swallowed his fake out.


    Wearing a nasty grin, Sam couldn¡¯t help but feel gleeful. He couldn¡¯t even imagine how much money that asshole was spending on this¡­ ¡®Just for little ol¡¯ me¡­¡¯


    Despite his good cheer, he knew that it wouldn¡¯t be easy. No doubt there were a multitude of traps and other enchantments that would hinder and slow him down. He would have to take them as they come.


    Waiting in a hidden spot, he silently counted down, waiting for the disgruntled and agitated demonic assassins to follow him as the scrying spell was activated.


    Three¡­


    Two¡­


    One¡­


    And the direction of the assassin team shifted once again and Sam was off like a bullet. He didn¡¯t use any of his support skills, wanting to reserve them for the big fight, so he simply used the Mana Body Enhancement, pushing it to the maximum while supporting it with Wind Manipulation, pumping any excess mana into his Mana Shield layers.


    He had around ten minutes to reach the area before they realized he was attacking, and by God, he would do it.


    He simply flew through the forest, using his Mana Sense and the trees¡¯ weak mana signature to avoid any collision.


    By his count, it was around six minutes later when he reached an area that was more plains than forest with sparse bushes and only a few trees dotting the landscape. In the distance, he could see the dozens of players arrayed around some camping supplies.


    And as he got closer, he could sense something that was impossible to sense from a distance. A thin wall of mana covering the back of the ¡®army¡¯. ¡®A shield? They need a keystone for that.¡¯


    Not stopping his rush, he cast his mana in the direction of the crowd, trying to spot the keystone. To his dismay, he found it exactly where the mage was, practically sitting on it. ¡®So that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t sense it¡­ Clever¡­¡¯


    But he couldn¡¯t stop. He started it so now he would have to finish it.


    He was around a hundred yards away from the crowd that was milling about listlessly, probably bored out of their minds, sitting there for hours on end when they noticed him.


    ¡°He is coming!¡±


    ¡°Sound the alarm!¡±


    ¡°Archers fire!¡±


    ¡°Where is my sword?¡±


    Instantly, the sky was filled with a cloud of arrows and several other magical properties, but the designated mage was silent.


    He just smirked and continued moving forward at great speed, ignoring the arrows heading for him. Suddenly, several walls of earth sprouted in front of him but he simply jumped on top of the first one, then launched himself up in the air, avoiding the obstacles and the cloud of arrows that landed impotently in the ground without grazing him.


    The moment Sam was at the apex of his jump, he let loose a barrage of Wind Blades aiming at nothing in particular, just wanting to cause chaos.


    Then he had to activate his Shadow Transformation skill to avoid an incredibly fast Water Bullet that went through where his torso was a moment ago. Looking down, he saw the mage, a grumpy guy in deep blue robes holding a staff with a blue gem on it, looking up at him.


    Their eyes met, and Sam smirked.


    Using his wind mana, he accelerated his descent as the mage continued to try to turn his upper torso into fine bloody mist and as he reached the ground he shot a Shadow Cloud forward falling directly into it.


    Before the players could recalibrate their aim, he was out of the shadow, as were several of his clones, all of them heading in different directions.


    This naturally caused a bit of chaos in the ranks of the enemy.


    ¡°Shit! Which one is the real one?¡±


    ¡°My skill says the left one!¡±


    ¡°Which left?¡±


    ¡°They are coming at me AAAAARGH!¡±


    Sam stood on the corpse of one of the players, the guy dead from a simple wind spear, among his foes.


    Granted, he was surrounded, but this prevented them from aiming at him with a big area of effect spells.


    Fate, however, lived to play with him.


    As soon as he stood in one place for a moment, the water mage let loose a torrent of water that swept through the surrounding scrubs, crying out before their digital lives were snuffed out.


    ¡°What the hell, man?¡±


    ¡°We are on your side!¡±


    ¡°Gurgle¡­¡±


    Sam took a solid stance, summoned a wedge-shaped shield made of wind mana, and hunkered down.


    ¡®Always be where the enemy doesn¡¯t expect you¡­¡¯


    The torrent of ice-cold water surged around him, filling the area with said water, and battering his shield, but thanks to his constant reinforcement only a few drops of water fell on him.


    Then, a few seconds later, the tsunami subsided, but he still didn¡¯t move. Instead, he reached out through the ground and located the mage.


    He waited for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and launched himself forward. In the first moment of the movement, he summoned a wall directly in front of the water mage. The next second, he cast Shadow Burst, enhancing his speed, which resulted in him reaching the wall extremely fast. As soon as his feet touched the wall, he used Ground Shake to explode it into the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Aaargh!¡± the mage yelled out. In surprise or pain, Sam didn¡¯t know. But the momentary distraction was enough for him to condense some mana into a spherical vacuum and shove it into the man¡¯s surprised face.


    The explosion was a little gory but he just cast a Clean spell and began looking around for the keystone.


    Spotting the big slab of rock under some artfully placed supplies, he took a look at the runes shining on it, nodded to himself after memorizing the runes for later, and then, with a simple swing of his sword, cut it into two. Instantly, the shining vanished and he could feel the shield coming down.


    Ignoring the surviving mercenaries, he let himself feel a small amount of satisfaction. Turning around, he was about to head away from the battle when he felt the buildup of an enormous amount of mana right in front of him.


    Instinctively, he jumped back, raising a shadow shield as a giant flash blinded everyone in the vicinity.


    As the flash died down, so did Sam¡¯s smile.


    In front of him, arrayed in a circle, was a group of players ready to fight an army. Then the seriousness of the moment was gone as the person in the middle toppled over and fell to the ground. One of the women in the group rushed to him and began taking care of him, but the rest of them were eyeing Sam like sharks.


    Most of them were wearing Steel Lion regalia, but Sam could see several players who were wearing this spring cult fashion in the back of the group. Hooded black robes covered everything and miasma radiated off of them. How the others could stand to be near them was a mystery to Sam.


    ¡°I swear they were like this when I arrived!¡± he called, indicating at the soggy ground as he stood over the remaining half of the water mage while the ground around him was littered by battered corpses of the mercenaries.


    As expected, nobody laughed.

 Chapter 124

    For a long moment, he stared at them, and they stared at him. Then a guy in the back snorted, and the silence was broken.


    Sam gave them a sloppy smile and shrug as the rest of them ignored the guy¡¯s guffaws and stared at him stone-faced.


    ¡°So, what seems to be the issue?¡± he asked. Naturally, not because he wasn¡¯t clear on their goal, but because he hoped to keep them talking while he figured out a way to get out.


    Apparently, the guy behind the encirclement was smarter than he thought. Using the entire thing as a simple bait was inspired. No matter where Sam decided to break through, they would just have to teleport there with the elite team while the rest of the force converged on the target. Hella exploitable now that he knew about it, but for the first time, it was rather annoying.


    Still, all was not lost.


    The guy in the lead had taken the bait, took a measured step forward, lifted his longsword, pointed it at Sam, and began talking.


    ¡°You were foolish to tangle with the Steel Lions, idiot!¡± He grinned, showing off his wicked grin, and the rest of his team began unsheathing their weapons. Sam could even feel mana gathering around several of them, in a few different flavors, but mostly fire. The demonic assassins slowly began to shuffle around, trying to spread out. ¡°And now you¡¯ll taste our power!¡±


    ¡®Right, so he is not the leader. Who is it, actually?¡¯ The guy was too arrogant to be a leader. A public puppet leader, sure. But not an actual one. ¡®There!¡¯ He saw one of the women glancing at the rogue at the back, dressed in a complete leather outfit with no identifying marks or symbols, head hidden under a hood.


    ¡°Right, that¡¯s why you are up front, ready to be made into a meatshield¡­¡±


    The guy just snorted at him.


    ¡°I lead this team, fool. What I say goes!¡± he declared proudly, puffing up his chest and glancing back at his teammates. Some of them gave him an insincere smile, but the rest kept their eyes on Sam. It clearly showed who was ex-military and who was just a player playing their part.


    He had to admire their discipline, but it was rather annoying. Still, he had a pretty good map of the surroundings and had some idea about how his enemy would behave when the fight began.


    The fight was inevitable, but Sam still wanted to see if he could talk them down, giving the good ol'' charm a last try.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose we could talk it out?¡± he asked, lowering his sword ever slightly while pretending to shuffle around in fear, but instead he took up a stance.


    The future meatshield just scoffed again.


    ¡°Hah! Keep on dreaming, fool! The boss has ordered your death and we¡¯re here to deliver your head to him!¡±


    Sam saw several people wince when the guy said that.


    ¡°Oh, really? Your boss? Who is it? Because, honestly, I don¡¯t remember pissing anyone off so much that they would roll out the red carpet this much¡­¡± he spoke, keeping a confused look on his face while he prepared his spells. It would be a tricky bit of timing, but he was confident he could pull it off.


    ¡°Haha, what a noob! You don¡¯t even know who leads the Steel Lions? Let me tell you, it¡¯s better if you learn now and bow your head because we are going to rule this game! Steel Lions is led by¨C¡°


    He was interrupted by one of the stone-faced military types. ¡°Shut the fuck up, Brad!¡±


    ¡®Because, of course, his name is Brad¡­¡¯ Sam mused. ¡°What? Is it a secret?¡±


    Brad stayed silent, realizing that he might have almost said something that he shouldn¡¯t, and the unnamed guy who interrupted him continued talking. To Sam¡¯s senses, he felt the most like fire. Probably one of the strongest ones in the bunch.


    ¡°You!¡± He pointed at Brad. ¡°Shut up!¡± Then he pointed at Sam. ¡°And you! Just fucking die!¡±


    Instantly, at least a dozen spells were fired at Sam. Everything from Flame Spears to fireballs, to some rather weird things, including a dagger radiating heat as the blade was iridescent orange. The assassins simply vanished, but Sam still could sense their odious presence through his Mana Sense.


    He simply cast a Shadow Cloud on himself, which was instantly pierced through by the spells, skills, and miscellaneous ammunition. Then he used his earth mana to open a hole under himself and dropped down, dodging all the attacks without any trouble.


    They were professionals, so they aimed everywhere. To his sides, above him, and body center. Sam smirked and waited a few heartbeats for the call while he prepared the next spell.


    ¡°He is underground!¡± came the call, and Sam moved.


    In the same movement, he affixed the Crystal Rebreather to his face, just in case they decided to use some kind of poison, and launched himself high up in the sky with his Wind Manipulation while releasing several illusions of himself with Shadow Mirage as they seemingly sprung from nowhere. They ran away, each in a different direction.


    Naturally, he knew they wouldn¡¯t fool his enemies long, but it was enough to give him a little breathing room.


    He hung up in the air for a second and zeroed in one of the demonic assassins.


    Sam grinned, focused on his sword to envelop it with wind, and then began falling.


    ¡°Dead!¡±


    ¡°Fuck! That was an illusion too!¡±


    ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°I can still sense him!¡±


    He landed on one of the demonic assassins with a wet thud, the guy just splattering into a fine mist with a little help of a small wind bomb.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Unfortunately for the group against him, he landed opposite of his starting position, directly behind the group. He could have used the opportunity to flee, but he was sure that they had something that would prevent that. No, he had to keep close to the group, which meant killing them.


    As the people whirled around, he grinned, raised one of his feet, and slammed it down, letting loose a literal earth-shaking Ground Shake spell.


    The stagger didn¡¯t last long, but it was just enough for him to spring forward, skewering another hidden demonic cultist, and then he found himself awash in a sea of fire.


    He could feel the Mana Shield getting damaged, but thankfully, the skill wasn¡¯t geared toward damage but instead area and vision denial. Through his Mana Sense, he could already see them spreading around, probably expecting him to be disoriented and damaged.


    The disgusting magic of the cultists surged and rushed toward his position.


    ¡®I really need to get those purifying spells¡­¡¯ he lamented to himself as he hunkered down, exactly two steps away from his original position, and summoned a shield made of wind while covering its existence with a Shadow Shield.


    While the fire raged around him, he had a short second to communicate with Lucky. ¡°Attack the mage on signal!¡± he blurted out, facing his own shadow. And then the demonic mana slammed into his shield.


    This time, he had to actively channel mana into the shield to prevent it from breaking down. Sam gritted his teeth as he sensed another surge of fire magic heading toward him. The dark magic assaulted his shield and the sea of fire began to die down around him.


    ¡°Blessed by the forges of Tarn, let my enemies be consumed by the all-consuming fire!¡±


    He heard the spell incantation and just let out a sigh. Instead of reacting he let the wind mana surge around him and waited for the spell while the remnants of the dark miasma splashed down on the surrounding ground, sizzling with malevolence.


    The spell was a simple spear of fire that he knew would explode on hit. The incantation was much longer than the woman used, so he expected the fire would probably eat through several layers of his Mana Shield.


    He straightened out, casting a dismissive glance at the warriors ready to act if the magic didn¡¯t work, and looked directly at the mage as the fire spear sizzled about her outstretched arms and readied his own magic.


    Then before he could blink, two of the warriors held out their hands, their gloves glowing in mystical runes as chains appeared around his ankles rooting him to the ground. He looked down at the glowing chains and then back at the warriors as he flexed his mana against it. The shine on the gloves intensified, and the warriors began to sweat. Apparently, the gloves, while prime artifacts, used the owners¡¯ mana.


    ¡°So, not fair¡­¡±


    ¡°BURN IN THE NAME OF TARN!¡±


    The spear was let loose, and a lot of things happened.


    Sam used his Mana Disruption to shatter the chains and threw his wind mana against the incoming spear. True, he could¡¯ve easily dodged it, but there were more ways to skin a cat. At the same time, the woman who cast the rather powerful spell let out a scream of pain as the giant jaws of a wolf appeared under her and chomped down on her legs.


    The cracks and screams coming from her were however swallowed by the rush and roar as wind mana and fire mana clashed.


    For a long moment, the flash of explosion blinded everybody as the fire raged, fanned by the wind that he kept feeding, and even he had trouble keeping the fire back.


    Naturally, using his focus, the remaining two demonic assassins launched themselves at his seemingly unprotected back.


    The moment the two daggers would have pierced his back, he once again activated Shadow Transformation, its cooldown finished and let the two idiots fall forward, straight into the blazing inferno right in front of him. He also, accidentally, mind you, let up on his control so the fire ¡®managed¡¯ to get dangerously close to him. The two assassins were turned into ash within a brief second by the wind-enhanced blazing inferno, fueled by the god of fire.


    He didn¡¯t have any breathing room as he could sense several groups approaching the area, while the remaining enemies rushed forward with swords and other implements of death swinging with anger and disbelief.


    Sam gave them a smirk and simply stopped the wind mana holding back the fire in front of him. The blazing inferno instantly exploded, bathing the area with another sea of fire. However, this time, he wasn¡¯t the only one suffering from it.


    As the fire washed over him, he could hear the cries of pain from the remaining enemies as he rushed forward, directly at the two remaining mages who were still chanting, their words almost inaudible.


    Their mana was also weird. Instead of gathering around them, it was evenly distributed around them in a wide area. Sam suspected that it was what would prevent him from leaving.


    Lucky was kept occupied by one of the people with a giant shield and enough metal on him to build a bridge, so he was the only one who could take them out.


    He was halfway there when the warriors recovered and the chains once again began to bind his feet. A dismissive Mana Disruption was sent at them, but to his surprise he was stuck in one place, his spell having no effect.


    Looking back, he saw the singed group facing him, two people with hands outstretched and glowing while two others behind them, their hands on their shoulders. ¡®Mana Transfer, huh?¡¯


    He deliberately ignored the rogue who was prowling around, as he vanished the moment the battle began. Sam expected him to strike the moment Sam thought he had won. ¡®What a pragmatic guy¡­¡¯ Sam sighed, half in admiration, half in exasperation.


    Then he raised his sword and sent a barrage of Wind Blades at the two chanting mages. The barrage was interrupted by a thin shield that sprung up in front of them. One of the mages stopped chanting, opening his eyes and stared at Sam.


    Sam simply grinned and upped the speed at which he sent the blades.


    One second. The guy¡¯s eyes widened. Behind him, he could hear cursing. The army of people was a few minutes out.


    Two seconds. The guy visibly shuddered under the strain, and Sam could feel the fragility of the shield. The other one¡¯s chanting turned a little desperate.


    Three seconds. The first crack on the shield.


    Four seconds. Cracks crisscrossed the shield, and the guys behind it were visibly sweating.


    Five seconds.


    CRACK


    The shield shattered and the first mage threw himself in front of the other with a silent cry, absorbing most of the Wind Blades, falling to the ground, dead.


    The chains around his legs tightened, but he still ignored them. Instead, he raised his sword again and called out while he gathered the required mana. Behind him, he could hear the unmistakable sound of a cork being removed from the bottle. Probably mana potions¡­


    ¡°Lucky, fear!¡±


    Instantly, his trusty companion let out a howl that echoed around the scorched plains, causing every person to flinch a little. The chanting stopped and his sword swung down, letting loose his own spear construct of elemental magic.


    The mage tried to raise a shield but thanks to the flinch, he was too late. The spear went through his torso, leaving a nice hole and a dead body behind. Instantly the weird mana began to disperse with Sam still having no idea what it did.


    He turned around, still rooted to one place, the chains holding him down not vanishing just because of a small flinch.


    Taking stock of his mana, he couldn¡¯t help but wince. The prodigious mana reserves that so far allowed him to skate through everything were dangerously low. His Mana Shield had at most two layers to it and he was rather exhausted from the mental strain.


    Still, as he watched the remaining players regroup around the two holding him still, while the rogue lurked behind him, observing, he couldn¡¯t help but feel exhilarated.


    This was the true magic of the game.


    Elemental energies clashing, gambits played against each other, secret techniques revealed and countered.


    Truly a wondrous game¡­


    Sam would definitely be rewatching this fight after he was finished. But for now, he fought to finish before the horde of players arrived. A quick calculation told him he had around two minutes before the closest group arrived. ¡®Just enough time for me to finish¡­¡¯


    The spell that they would have used to keep him there was gone, so he could have fled, but Sam wanted to finish the fight. It was irrational, but still, he wanted to prove to himself and to these idiots that he wasn¡¯t somebody worth messing with.


    Now the only question remained: Would Katie¡¯s father understand that?

 Chapter 125

    It may have been the hubris talking, but Sam felt pretty good about his chances.


    Granted, his Mana Shield was down to the last layer and he was pretty much running on fumes. As well as expecting his enemy to still have a few arrows in their quivers.


    But the allure of the battle and tempting call of gratuitous action was just too big to ignore.


    This was a moment that showed why so many people fell in love with the game, why so many people all over the world spent so many hours playing it, and why it was slowly but surely taking over the gaming entertainment industry.


    Sam grinned and looked at the wary people staring at him, taking stock of them.


    The rogue was still prowling around waiting for who knows what, while the four people that used their artifacts to chain him down were sweating bullets trying to hold the spell in place.


    ¡°Getting tired, boys?¡± he threw out a jeer, but he only received glares as an answer.


    The six people against him grouped up and the other two people also stepped closer to the two people holding the gloves, placed their hands on their shoulders, and visibly began channeling mana into them.


    Well, visible to him thanks to his Mana Sense and connected skills.


    The chains in response, from a bunch of static chains, weighing his feet down, turned animated, and began to crawl up on his legs, no doubt attempting to bind his body fully.


    One more minute before the mob and the big group of cultists that have been hunting him would arrive.


    He ignored the chains for now, as fighting against the binding spell would cost more mana than killing the people using the artifacts. Instead, he raised his trusty sword, Moonlight, and channeled his wind mana into it, and let loose a simple blade of wind, wide enough to scythe through the entire group attempting to hold him in place.


    Based on the memories he inherited, they were rather amateurish in their actions trying to lock him down. Players in the future would use giant rituals to lock down entire areas or use expertly crafted artifacts to create kill zones wherever they wanted. The other Sam didn¡¯t witness it, but there were even rumors about one of the ¡®evil¡¯ guilds using mountains of human sacrifices to lock down one of the smaller nations. But as there was not much news about it, the other Sam always suspected that was just the guild talking themselves up.


    And those were just the things that could be crafted. The spells that players would create were downright devilish. Infinite mirror mazes, nightmare-inducing foggy swamps, eternal darkness consuming everything. All of that was summoned by talented mages all over the world of Magic Unbound.


    So, while with his strength he would have to fight hard to escape, the attempt still looked rather laughable to Sam.


    The spell released from his sword flew true and crossed the distance between him and the group in a rather short time.


    However, between two blinks, the rogue jumped between the spell and the group and intercepted the spell with his dagger.


    To Sam¡¯s surprise, the dagger shone with white light and simply sucked the spell in.


    ¡®Oh, one of those mana siphon weapons¡­ smart, but annoying,¡¯ he thought while the second spell left his sword.


    Which was absorbed by the dagger.


    So were all the following ones. Granted, Sam was using Wind Blades, but it was still annoying.


    The dagger, however, was starting to shine with a rather ominous light.


    Sam¡¯s grin widened.


    ¡®So, that was his plan. Get it fat with my magic then turn it around on me¡­¡¯ he mused while continuing to send blade of wind after blade of wind at the rogue who kept jumping around with an impressive set of acrobatics to catch each and every one.


    Half a minute¡­


    Watching the guy jump around was funny as hell, but he was running out of time.


    ¡°Lucky!¡± he cried out while increasing the pressure on the rogue whose face he couldn¡¯t see but his Mana Sense told him was also using a massive amount of mana to keep up with him.


    As a result of his call, Lucky instantly surfaced under the people keeping him locked down, swiping with his claws around, not doing much damage thanks to their armor and buffs, but sending them flying.


    The crafty wolf used the moment all the attention was on him and his dance partner to retreat to the shadows and now he was back, teeth bared and with a growl so deep that Sam could feel the vibration in his bones.


    Players went flying, and the chains shattered on him.


    He reached out with his mana, saturating the area with his own mana, and turned it into wind mana in short order.


    ¡°Well, gentlemen and ladies, this was great fun, but I¡¯ve other things to do. So, we must say goodbye to each other!¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Finally, the rogue seemingly had enough and answered him.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere!¡± he spat, his voice low and a little hoarse.


    Using the wind mana, he began carving runes into the ground around the group.


    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s not like you can keep me here¡­¡± he continued talking, while he carved the simplistic runic circle into the part soggy and part charred ground.


    The man let out a low chuckle as his compatriots started getting back up behind him. ¡°Let me show you the power of¨C¡°


    ¡°LIGHT BALL!¡± Sam roared, pumping mana into the spell, effectively creating a massive flashbang.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    ¡°My eyes! My eyes!¡±


    He launched himself away from the rogue, using the speed gained from Shadow Grace and Shadow Burst.


    His timing was rather exact as the groups of people that were barreling toward their destination just arrived.


    Some of the archers and mages were already in the process of flinging projectiles in his direction, but as he was almost next to his enemies, they were seemingly hesitant.


    Then, as his feet touched the ground, it landed on one of the runes he carved with the wind mana. It was a crude and simplistic circle, as he didn¡¯t have time for anything more complicated, but it was enough for his purpose.


    A brief burst of mana through his feet, which activated the circle, and he was off while the runic circle began to shine.


    Inwardly, he began to count down while running as fast as possible. Lucky was running parallel to him, tongue out and visibly enjoying himself.


    One¡­


    Two¡­


    Three¡­


    BAAAAAAAAMMMM


    The ground shook, and the cries of the wounded filled the air behind him.


    Sam just grinned and continued running.


    <hr>


    Half an hour later Sam was lying in a small clearing with Lucky standing guard, exhausted both physically, and mentally and his mana reserves were dry as the desert.


    His hands and feet flopped uselessly on the ground, shaking from the loss of adrenalin and exhaustion, while his face was filled with a giant smile.


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but laugh out joyously.


    He didn¡¯t even care who he defeated. But the battle¡­


    ¡°Holy shit, that was amazing¡­¡± he spoke out loud. ¡°This game fucking rocks!¡±


    Laughing to himself, he hauled himself up into a sitting position. His knees were drawn up to his chest and his hands resting on them.


    He quickly took the time to send a few messages to Lucy about the ambush, then checked the status of his quest.


    Which, to his surprise, was still incomplete.


    ¡°Right, I probably have to reach the capital¡­¡± he murmured while making sure he didn¡¯t miss anything.


    Then he took a quick breath, grabbed the slowly regenerating mana and suffused the air around himself then began drawing the mana ever so closer to himself until it was touching him and his equipment.


    Using this mana, he began going over every square inch of his body, making sure that those idiots didn¡¯t leave any kind of marker on him. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t find anything, which resulted in him releasing a relieved breath and dispersing the mana.


    ¡°Alright, Sam. You¡¯ve escaped, the goal is near, now you just have to move¡­¡± he told himself, trying to be encouraging as his exhaustion was trying to convince himself that a nap would be just excellent right about now. ¡°You can sleep at the Magic Tower¡­¡±


    Slowly, fighting the exhaustion suffusing his body, he clambered to his feet and, with Lucky running around him, began walking in the direction of the capital.


    His plan was to walk a little, recover, and then continue running.


    He didn¡¯t want to ride Lucky because at the moment he didn¡¯t trust himself with a toothpick not to mention Moonlight, so his loyal companion was playing the role of a bodyguard.


    <hr>


    Not really measuring the time, he kept going forward, keeping an eye on the surroundings and occasionally giving Lucky a command. The wolf was pretty good about dealing with the random monsters that decided to make Sam their next snack, but even so, some encouragement was never amiss.


    He was resting a little in another clearing, mostly trying to work through the headache he was left with when the air above him was literally rent asunder.


    [Perception Filter is now Level 5!]


    [Curse of Madness resisted!]


    Sam read the notification as they popped up immediately when he looked at the darkness behind the wound on the world and the darkness looked back.


    ¡®What the hell is that?¡¯


    He was truly panicking. Not even the other Sam ever saw anything like that or even heard about it. Not to mention the notification¡­


    However, for some reason, he couldn¡¯t tear his eyes off the phenomenon. It was as if a two-dimensional crack was painted on the air. No matter where he stepped, it looked flat, yet he could see that it had a depth.


    Peering deeper with his own eyes (he didn¡¯t even dare to use his Mana Sense on it) he could see vague shapes moving around while several eyes looked back at him. With every blink, eyes vanished and reappeared. Each eye was different, with different pupils and sclera. Sizes also varied. Giant eyes that seemed as big as worlds to eyes that would probably fit on a fly.


    Sam was at a loss for what to do, as several notifications rang out.


    [You gazed into the darkness. The darkness looked back at you and deemed you rather cute.]


    [The Perception Filter subskill was upgraded into a full skill!]


    [Perception Filter: Level 5/25 (0%) (Passive) You are able to filter out that which should not be seen.]


    Then there was a brief scream, and he saw a figure falling out of the crack, which as soon as the body crossed the threshold vanished as if the sanctity of the world¡¯s structure wasn¡¯t just violated by something that really shouldn¡¯t exist.


    The body landed on the ground with a thud and a quiet cry of pain.


    Then the scar reappeared, a little smaller, and another figure, this time fully black, was practically spat out and the scar on reality vanished once again.


    Sam looked down at the figure, wearing fully black armor as they lay on the ground, groaning and mumbling. However, what gathered his interest was the rather familiar cat landing on the armored figure gracefully, stretching a little, then hopping off them and sauntering away just to jump onto Lucky¡¯s back and settle down into a little ball to sleep.


    ¡°Katie?¡± he called out hesitantly.


    ¡°Arglmbrasdas¡­¡± came the incomprehensible answer.


    ¡°What?¡±


    He watched as she slowly pushed herself away from the ground and sat up. She reached over with her armored hand and pulled her helmet off.


    Sam was greeted by Katie¡¯s grinning visage, her eyes dancing with laughter and a rather large amount of madness.


    He couldn¡¯t help himself as he offered his hand to the girl. ¡°What the fuck, Katie?¡±


    She grabbed his hand, and he had to use some Body Enhancement to help the young woman into a standing position.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, boss! Just a small quest¡­¡±


    ¡°Katie¡­ did you violate the natural order?¡±


    She at least looked a little abashed. ¡°Maybe a little¡­¡± she answered, refusing to look into his eyes.


    Sam just let out a sigh and motioned forward. ¡°Come on. You can tell me what horrible thing you did to the universe and I¡¯ll tell you what your dad did¡­¡±


    Katie was instantly walking next to him as Lucky followed along, Puffball comfortably riding on his back, still apparently asleep.


    ¡°What did that asshole do this time?¡±


    ¡°Well, it starts with demon cultists¡­¡±

 Chapter 126

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that asshole dared to do that!¡±


    Sam watched as Katie raged around while they were walking toward the capital city. A few shrubs and trees fell to her rage, but in the end, she calmed down somewhat and turned back to Sam. Her eyes were radiating murderous intent.


    ¡°Say the word and I¡¯ll raze their headquarters to the ground!¡± she declared while hoisting her greatsword over her head.


    He simply shook his head and placed a calming hand on the younger girl¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Calm down, Katie. It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t expect it. Your father is a businessman. I interfered in his business so he will naturally lash out. That¡¯s just how his nature is¡­¡±


    Sam was quite frankly talking straight out of his ass. Neither the other Sam nor him had any connection to high-level businessmen. The closest would be his late father, who was a mid-level manager in several companies. He was mostly basing his opinion on the tropes he had read in the past about this genre.


    As so far, every trope came true, although, with a rather small amount of face slapping and young masters (but he was hopeful), he was operating on the belief that everything would work the same. Naturally, after Katie told him about her father, he made sure to research the guy. Business moves and decisions, rumors online, and everything else.


    To Sam, the guy looked like a standard businessman obsessed with the idea of power and money, which could be exploited if one knew how.


    In the end, while playing the same game, Sam and Katie¡¯s father were playing fundamentally different games.


    Katie¡¯s father was all about maximizing the profit he could get from the game. That¡¯s it, while for Sam the money was secondary. He only pursued making money to make sure he could play in comfort.


    So, as long as Katie¡¯s father was after profit, Sam would always know what he was going after. Maybe the method would be hard to figure out, but the end goal would always be obvious. On the other hand, his friend¡¯s father would be forever guessing about his motives.


    Katie put her sword away and crossed her hands in front of her with a pout on her beautiful face. ¡°I still don¡¯t like it. They could have killed you!¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    Katie opened her mouth and then closed it. ¡°Oh, right. This is a game¡­¡±


    Sam just chuckled. ¡°It would¡¯ve been a hindrance, yes, but not the end of the world.¡±


    ¡°Hmmpf¡­¡±


    ¡°Would it help that the fact that your father¡¯s men worked together with demon cultists would cause him a lot of trouble?¡± he asked, looking at Katie¡¯s face.


    Katie looked back at him, confused for half a second, then her eyes widened in realization.


    ¡°Oh, yeah! Everybody hates those guys!¡± she declared with a massive grin.


    Before Sam could answer, however, another voice cut into their conversation.


    ¡°That is indeed correct, young lady,¡± came the cultured voice from behind them.


    There he was, his escort, still in his dark uniform, not looking like somebody who spent the last few days in the wilderness.


    ¡°Ooooh! Who is this?¡± Katie asked, looking the man up and down.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t the foggiest¡­¡± he answered truthfully.


    Katie only squealed and jumped forward, only to begin circling the slightly bewildered man.


    ¡°So cool! So mysterious!¡± She made to poke the man in the shoulder, but before her finger could make contact, a well-callused hand gently grabbed it. ¡°Oh, and he is not an illusion!¡±


    She took a step back and eyed the man in a way that women stand when they try to judge a man. ¡°And not bad looking!¡±


    Another step closer, almost in the man¡¯s personal place. ¡°So, who are you, mysterious handsome man?¡± she asked, batting her eyelashes in a cutesy way.


    Sam just watched with Lucky at his side (and Puffball sleeping on Lucky¡¯s back) as Katie tried to ¡®charm the man. Sadly, most of her ¡®charm¡¯ was covered by spiky black armor that evoked slightly different feelings from the man than the one she was hoping for.


    The uniformed man closed his eyes, took a deep breath, held it in for another breath, then exhaled dramatically. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked directly into the grinning Katie¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Miss Katie, please respect my personal space.¡±


    Katie looked surprised for a moment at the man knowing her name but she nodded and took a few steps backward, enough to stand slightly behind Sam, covering his eight. ¡°Sure thing, Mister Mysterious!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, miss,¡± nodded the man, then he turned to Sam. ¡°Congratulations! You managed to complete the task assigned to you. Are you ready for the next one?¡±


    Sam raised an eyebrow at the word-for-word exact sentence that was said to him when he completed the demonic fracture and nodded.


    ¡°Yes, sir. What¡¯s the next one?¡± he asked, ignoring the notification sound.


    There was a long silence in the clearing with the two men eyeing each other while Katie looked from Sam to the mysterious man and back, similar to how one would view a particularly fast-paced tennis match.


    Finally, it was the mysterious man who broke the silence. Sam suspected that it happened because the man was worried that the vibrating Katie would explode.


    ¡°There is none. You passed,¡± came the unexpected statement from the man.


    The man¡¯s hand rose, holding a scroll bound together with a black ribbon. ¡°Your instructions are here. Your¡­ team can be told, but you¡¯re the only official member. If they want to join, they will have to go through the quest. We will contact you when you¡¯re needed.¡±


    And then within two blinks the man vanished and Sam could feel a very faint mana signature heading insanely fast away from them before even that blinked out.


    The scroll, however, remained in the air, as if laid on an invisible table.


    ¡°Wooow! That was so cool! All mysterious!¡± she exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement. ¡°Was it some kind of spy organization? Sam, are you now a spy?¡±


    Worried that his friend would explode from the anticipation Sam stepped forward to grab the scroll while answering her excited questions.


    ¡°I have no idea. They basically kidnapped me and threw me into a fracture. But I suppose we¡¯re about to find out¡­¡± he explained while gently unraveling the scroll.


    The moment the ribbon left the scroll, he once again heard the notification sound, but he once again dismissed it in favor of reading the scroll.


    He unrolled it enough that Katie could read over his shoulder and began reading.


    <blockquote>


    Greetings Adventurer!


    You have passed many trials, both ours and Fate¡¯s. We are happy to welcome you to our group. As you may have known, demons infest our world, and it is our sacred duty to oppose them wherever and whenever. And now you have joined our organization.


    As you are still a new member, not much more information will be shared with you. However, work hard and prove yourself and we will embrace you fully as a comrade!


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Your tasks are as follows¡­


    </blockquote>


    ¡°Booo! You¡¯re not a spy!¡± exclaimed Katie in a disappointed voice. ¡°Kinda lame¡­ We were already fighting demons¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, but now there is a chance we get paid for it¡­¡± Sam told her with a smile while finishing reading the scroll.


    Katie instantly perked up. ¡°Now I can be happy about that. Do you think I can also join them?¡±


    Sam put away the scroll and took a long look at Katie.


    Standing at the height of five-six, and covered head to toe with a black heavy plate armor that had more spikes than was necessary while his Perception Filter gained experience points every time he took a look at the young woman with his Mana Gaze. He considered the idea for a few seconds.


    ¡°Sure. You¡¯ll fit right in!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯m¡­¡± Katie stopped speaking when she realized he was joking, huffed, and looked away. ¡°You¡¯re so mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­ don¡¯t be like that, Katie. How about I tell you how I¡¯m planning to fuck over your father?¡± he rushed to reassure the young woman.


    Naturally, she instantly turned back to him with a dangerous grin on her face and rubbed her hands together. ¡°Will it be humiliating?¡±


    ¡°Only if you help me!¡± he told her with a grin while gesturing forward.


    The two of them once again began walking with their respective familiars following them. Well, Lucky followed them. Puffball didn¡¯t even wake up for the excitement.


    ¡°Say, you guys have servants right?¡±


    ¡°Tons!¡±


    ¡°Do they spy on you?¡±


    ¡°All the time! Can¡¯t even buy anything naughty without father knowing about it¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, that is a little more information than I needed but oookay.¡±


    ¡°Hehehee¡­ sorry!¡±


    ¡°Anyway, does your brother keep your secrets?¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah! Brother has a spine made out of a cardboard box when it comes to father, but he can keep a secret!¡±


    ¡°Good. Then I want you to tell him the following while making sure there are servants around¡­¡±


    The resulting laughter scared the wildlife enough that several squirrels enjoying the bounty of nature simply seized up and fell to the ground, dead.


    <hr>


    They reached the capital without any issue, mostly spending the time updating each other on how their respective quests went and Katie showing off some of her gains, causing Sam to question the sanity of the developers.


    ¡®Why the hell did they include Eldritch gods in the game?¡¯


    He naturally knew they existed in the lore, and the other Sam gave him some memories where he watched spells related to them, but he had no memories of a person so deeply immersed in the ¡®darkness¡¯.


    Thankfully, the old gods in Magic Unbound, while inscrutable and generally madness-inducing, were mostly just that. Bored old gods that had nothing better to do than to play around. They were not evil, just chaotic. Their closest ¡®friends¡¯ were the Fey¡­ Even then, they fucked with each other all the time.


    It fit Katie perfectly. Probably why the system made the connection between Katie and the old gods.


    After telling Katie to try the training grounds to get used to her new powers, he retreated to his room in the Mage Tower, and made sure that Lucky was given some high-quality meat as thanks for his help with the fight, he shucked off his armor and finally took a moment to rest on the provided bed.


    It wasn¡¯t as luxurious as the one back at the headquarters but it was enough to relax a little.


    Finally, feeling the urge to fall asleep, he forced himself into a sitting position, and with one hand running through Lucky¡¯s fur, he opened his menu.


    Instantly, he was bombarded by a deluge of notifications.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start with the quests¡­¡±


    [You completed the quest: The Test of the Survivor!]


    [Your reward is joining a mysterious organization that you don¡¯t know the name of. Don¡¯t you feel lucky you?]


    [Thanks to surviving something unlucky, you gained + 1 LUCK]


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Eternal Vigilance!]


    [The demons are everywhere in the world, and now it has become your job to stop them from causing chaos. You have an entire organization supporting you, but you are still a greenhorn. Prove your mettle by destroying demonic plots or killing demons.]


    [Time Limit: Until Revocation]


    [Reward: Increased reputation with ???]


    [Penalty: You don¡¯t want to know]


    [Contribution: 0/1000]


    Sam stared at the quest for a while, then shook his head. It was a hard quest. Correction, it would be a hard quest for anyone that wasn¡¯t him. Thanks to his inherited memories, he knew at least half a dozen demonic plots just in the capital and its vicinity.


    ¡®The first level will probably be easy, but after that, the enemies will also get stronger¡­¡¯ he mused as he dismissed the notifications and turned back to the rest.


    Lucky once again raised his level and his skill level, even upgrading a skill and gaining a new one.


    [Lucky is now Level 22!]


    [Shadow Jump is now Level 20!]


    [Lucky learned the skill Shadow Dash!]


    [Shadow Dash: Level 0/20 (0%) (Active/Passive) Wherever the wolf steps, he can leave small pools of shadows that the wolf can use to jump into. When diving into the shadows, the wolf can travel at an even greater distance with his speed increased by 2% for each skill level.]


    [Shadow Claws is now Level 14!]


    [Fear Aura is now Level 9!]


    [Your companion, thanks to your close connection, has learned a new skill, Spirit Armor!]


    [Spirit Armor: Level Max (Passive) The durability of the wolf¡¯s hide is increased depending on the connection between the spirit and the contractor. Armor is increased by 2% for each level in Spirit Link. Can be evolved when Spirit Link evolves.]


    Sam stared at the skill, then at Lucky, who was enjoying his ministration with a blissful face and let out a content chuckle. ¡®Finally, one step closer¡­¡¯


    Satisfied with the growth of his companion, he turned to his own skills.


    Granted, after the solo dive of the fracture, he didn¡¯t expect much but he at least hoped for some improvements.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 37!]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 78!]


    [Layered Mana Shield is now Level 5!]


    [Thanks to your continuous use of Mana Shield, you gained the subskill Second Skin!]


    [Second Skin: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) You have used the Mana Shield so much that it became like a second skin. Thanks to that, for each level of this skill, the corresponding number of layers becomes cheaper to maintain. Mana Shield maintenance cost decreased by 10%. Currently affected layer number: 1]


    [Mana Resonance is now Level 9!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 37!]


    Once again, Mana Shield proved its superiority. While it took a while before it ramped up compared to the Magic Armor, it was very much worth it.


    [Perception Filter is now Level 10!]


    [Mana Gaze is now Level 15!]


    [Triple Mana Slash is now Level 6!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 73!]


    [Mana Disruption is now Level 18!]


    [Spell Layering is now Level 21!]


    Sadly, he didn¡¯t get the next level for Mana Construct that would grant him a subskill, but Sam was still very happy with his gains.


    [Light Ball III is now Level 7!]


    [Ground Shake is now Level 6!]


    [Wind Mana Manipulation is now Level 19!]


    [Aerodynamic is now Level 5!]


    [Greater Wind Affinity is now Level 22!]


    [Gentle Wind is now Level 4!]


    [Silent casting is now Level 7!]


    [Spirit Link is now Level 44!]


    [Spirit Connection is now Level 5!]


    The elemental skills didn¡¯t grow much, but that was to be expected, he didn¡¯t use them too creatively or heavily.


    [Advanced Shadow Footwork is now Level 18!]


    [Shadow Grace is now Level 10!]


    [You learned Shadow Grace II!]


    [Shadow Grace II: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) When activated, your grace, stability, and speed increase even further by 25% for each skill level and increase the stealth effect when covered by shadows by 5% for each skill level.


    [Shadow Burst II is now Level 7!]


    [Shadow Mirage is now Level 24!]


    [Mirage Obfuscation is now Level 2!]


    [Shadow Transformation is now Level 22!]


    [Shadow Shield II is now Level 6!]


    [Shadow Cloud is now Level 9!]


    [Greater Shadow Affinity is now Level 19!]


    [Shadowstride is now level 4!]


    A much better haul with the shadow skills. However, the accumulation of the skills once again reminded him that he needed to find a teacher for his mana nature fast.


    [Basic Armor Master is now Level 58!]


    [Resistant Armor is now Level 3!]


    [Flow is now Level 56!]


    [Controlled Flow is now Level 2!]


    [Surprise Strike is now Level 11!]


    To his surprise, Advanced Sword Mastery had reached the breakthrough level, making his decision on what to do pretty clear. He had the quest to the Training Hall and they would probably be able to help him break through.


    [Multitasking is now Level 97!]


    [Journeyman Runecarver is now Level 15!]


    Finished with his inspection, he looked at the clock and swore a little. He was almost late from his meeting with Lucy. Sam quickly got comfortable on the bed, with Lucky jumping up on it to settle in next to him and pushed the logout button.


    There was chaos to organize!

 Chapter 127

    The restaurant was nothing to write home about (not that he had anybody he could write) but the food was solid, and most importantly, they had private booths that would allow them some space for a private discussion.


    As was his habit, he arrived around ten minutes before the agreed time and was sitting in the booth, sipping the lemon water that a clearly disinterested waiter brought to him, looking at the door, and waiting for his friend.


    Exactly on time, he saw Lucy, dressed in a somewhat conservative but clearly good-quality dress, enter through the door. It was clear she spotted him and by the time the hostess began to wake up from their daze (Sam suspected they were on something) she was already power-walking in his direction.


    The hostess sent him a questioning look as Lucy¡¯s trajectory crystallized in their mind and Sam just smiled at her. The woman nodded and returned staring at her giant book while oddly swaying a little from side to side.


    Lucy sat across from him and nodded with a friendly smile. ¡°That hostess is high as a kite¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you think she is on?¡± he asked idly while searching for a waiter with his eyes. He spotted them and indicated that they needed some attention.


    ¡°Probably Glitter,¡± was her matter-of-fact response. ¡°That¡¯s the most popular currently. Apparently, it makes everything look like it is covered in glitter.¡±


    ¡°Glitter? What a clich¨¦ name¡­¡±


    Lucy snorted, and the waiter arrived next to their table. He offered them the menu and spoke up.


    ¡°Would the madam like something to drink?¡±


    <hr>


    They ate their food quietly, occasionally talking about mundane things, like their health or family situation. The food was edible but Sam wouldn¡¯t be coming back as the chef clearly had no idea how a kitchen worked.


    Still, the company more than made up for the tedium of the food.


    They were waiting for their dessert when the talk turned serious.


    ¡°I read your report about the ¡®organization¡¯. Not much info and anyone I asked refused even to entertain my questions.¡± She stated while idly swirling around her drink, looking into the glass. ¡°I even offered¡­well, never mind. So, spill, you always know more than possible¡­¡± she finished while playfully glaring at Sam.


    Sam desperately wanted to know what she offered, but Lucy was notoriously tightlipped about her quests among the high society people. Whether they were embarrassing or she liked to annoy him with the mystery was unknown to him.


    Instead of probing further into the topic, he decided to be magnanimous and began to explain.


    ¡°They¡¯re basically the kingdom¡¯s secret service, from what I figured. They mostly deal with domestic threats, including demons and nefarious cults.¡± He didn¡¯t say the name on purpose, as that was impossible to figure out without completing the quest. There would be no excuses about how he knew the name. There would be no escape from ¡®justice¡¯¡­ ¡°I got lucky and told some of my stories to the best random old person, and they turned out to be a member. Or a leader, I don¡¯t know. We didn¡¯t discuss organization hierarchy much.¡±


    Lucy gave him a look that said that she barely believed what he said, but Sam just gave her a shrug. This was the best he could do.


    ¡°They sent me against a demonic fracture, then they warned me about the ambush from the Steel Lions. Well, kinda warned me. However, they didn¡¯t act when the clearly demonic cultists attacked me. So, I think they¡¯re playing the long game.¡±


    ¡°Bait and reel in?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your next quest with them?¡±


    ¡°To destroy demonic plots.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, that will take ages¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, not really¡­¡±


    She looked at him with a curious gaze, clearly waiting for him to continue.


    ¡°Steel Lions are clearly using the Silent Step who, as you know, turned to summoning demons. This, with the transitive properties of demon cultists, every Steel Lion plot will count as a demonic plot.¡±


    Lucy looked at him and shook her head, exasperated. ¡°That¡¯s such bullshit. Do you think it will really work?¡±


    ¡°Who knows¡­ Worth a try.¡±


    ¡°What if it doesn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°We have Tim. We can go after the Silent Step, they will count,¡± he told her with a smile and raised his glass in salute. ¡°By the way, how is he working out?¡±


    She returned the salute. ¡°Well, I still think your recruiting skills are bullshit. The man clearly understated his security expertise. When we were negotiating the contract, he showed me his certificates.¡± She explained, then grimaced. ¡°I had to sign a governmental NDA just to look at one of them, Sam.¡±


    Now that was surprising!


    ¡°Then why is he working in IT?¡± he asked curiously.


    ¡°Apparently, because that leaves him with more time to play¡­¡± came the answer, accompanied by an eye-roll. ¡°But returning to your question¡­ He is great. The security system has already been revamped at all locations in Ironwood, and he is currently working on the other locations. We caught several infiltrators and traitor NPCs after he came aboard.¡±


    ¡°Did you turn the traitors?¡±


    ¡°Naturally¡­¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Excellent. What about Liz? Anything important?¡±


    ¡°We are still modernizing Heavenly Forest and the Headquarters. I think we are doing the illumination system, but she is also working on some kind of security system for Tim.¡±


    ¡°Cool. Any issues with her streaming?¡±


    ¡°No. A few fans tried to follow her to find out where she works, but thankfully she noticed them, but we can assume that soon her place of work will be an open secret.¡±


    Sam thought for a few seconds, then nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s assume that the really competent ones already know. Much easier that way.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Crafters?¡±


    ¡°Chugging along. We hired everyone you marked and put them to work in the supermarket. But nobody special. They keep doing all the usual stuff, but nothing exceptional has been created yet.¡±


    Sam frowned. ¡®Maybe I can help with that? What was it they used? Some kind of magical technique¡­¡¯


    Lucy saw the frown and chuckled. ¡°I know that look. You have an idea, right?¡±


    ¡°That I do, my friend. But I¡¯ll need some time for that,¡± he explained. ¡®And I¡¯ll also need to raise my own crafting skill levels¡­¡¯


    Then he put down his drink, leaned forward, and looked directly into Lucy¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s shelve those discussions. I had a new business idea.¡±


    His friend also leaned forward with interest. ¡°Oh, do tell¡­¡±


    ¡°You know how we have a large influx of new people coming into the game, either starting the game or re-rolling the characters they gimped?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    ¡°And you know how I¡¯m really good at mana stuff?¡±


    ¡°Clearly¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, all you need to do is contact the training ground, buy them out, and share some of my tutorials I¡¯ll send over, and then¡­¡±


    He watched as Lucy sat there, eyes glazed over at the thought of the amount of money they would be raking in. Then she shook herself.


    ¡°Do you think they would go for the buyout?¡± she asked, a bit anxious.


    Sam shrugged. ¡°If we phrase it the proper way. They¡¯re clearly getting overwhelmed. The forums are full of people complaining about the long wait times.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± she murmured, clearly going over the logistics in her head. ¡°It would also be a great place to recruit people for our player guild.¡±


    ¡°We just have to be careful about smurf accounts¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Now, what exactly were you thinking¡­¡±


    The two of them descended into a hushed discussion about the details while they munched on their marginally better desserts.


    <hr>


    Returning to the game later, he disentangled himself from his companion and stood up, stretching. But before he could do anything, he found a scroll on the desk that came with the room.


    To his magical senses it seemed as if it was as mundane as they came, but seeing as he was working in circles where hiding the mana signature was rather easy to do, he didn¡¯t really trust it.


    Getting out a wooden stick, designated as the poking stick from his inventory, he took a step closer and poked the scroll.


    To his surprise, nothing happened. So, he poked it again.


    Still nothing.


    ¡®Hmm. It needs more pokes.¡¯


    Thus, he spent the next half an hour poking the scroll around from all sorts of direction and strength. He only stopped when Lucky woke up and began to whine.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look, Lucky,¡± he told the wolf, who somehow managed to roll his eyes. ¡°It could be rigged to explode when a human touches it.¡±


    ¡°Wuff!¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not paranoid!¡±


    ¡°Wuff, wuff!¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± he threw the poking stick back into the inventory and carefully touched his index finger to the scroll.


    To his surprise, nothing happened. Feeling the superior gaze from behind him, Sam ignored the wolf, took up the scroll, and opened it. Unscrolling it, he saw it was a small map of the country. The main cities were marked, and they added a few borders to show which city was responsible for them. But the most important part was the glaring red marks in several spots.


    There was only one legend on the entire map, aside from the compass. It indicated that every red spot contained at least one demon.


    Sam smiled and put the scroll away. Sadly, it didn¡¯t indicate the difficulty, but as he recognized a few city names; he didn¡¯t mind.


    For now, he had another quest to finish.


    <hr>


    Before heading to the Training Hall to deliver the recommendation letter, he stopped for a few minutes at the local Auction Hall.


    The building was bigger than the one at Ironwood, and according to it, the crowd was also much bigger. The armor, robes, dresses, and other alternative clothing looked marginally more expensive than what he saw back in Ironwood. The guild representatives here didn¡¯t really hide themselves. They all had their little area, surrounded by either goons or guards, depending on how much they cared about their image. Granted, to Sam, they all looked like mooks, anyway. They were staring intently at the screens in front of them, occasionally speaking into the air and then going on a spending spree based on how their arms moved around at a rapid pace.


    A few times, some people who looked unaffiliated approached them, but they were either intimidated by the goons or gently shoved away by the guards.


    Shouts filled the entire hall, either happy or angry, and he could see at least three people get financially ruined by the time he reached a free seat. He opened the auction site and began browsing while unloading some of the junk that had no actual value that he had in his inventory.


    Naturally, the first thing he looked through was the skill book section. He browsed through until something caught his eye. The Life of Blood skill books at a ludicrously cheap price. Checking the names selling the books he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    BrotherBloodTheLeft


    One of the infamous pairs that managed to declare war on the entire game. Apparently, they already started and were pushing the skill books. ¡®Well, one more thing to deal with¡­¡¯


    He had no plans to stop them as the chaos they would cause would be great for opportunities, especially if he managed to set up a guild that only had people who didn¡¯t have the skill or had defenses against blood magic.


    Plus, it would be glorious and he wanted to sit on the sidelines and watch the entire thing unfold while eating popcorn.


    Having an idea, he bought one of the cheapest books and put it away. It would come in handy later.


    Sadly, he didn¡¯t really find anything interesting, though the information that the Blood Brothers were active was interesting in itself. For a brief moment he played with the idea of recruiting the brothers, but then he threw the idea away. They did a lot of interviews after the event wound down, and they were very clear about their chaotic neutral nature. They lived to cause chaos and belonging to any guild would only slow them down.


    Still, maybe in his information broker persona, he could approach them¡­ That would give him an insight into their actions. ¡®Yeah, that sounds right.¡¯ He declared to himself and left the Auction Hall behind, heading toward the Training Hall.


    <hr>


    The crowd was even bigger at the Training Hall, which looked similar to the one in Ironwood, but it was, as with everything else in the capital, much bigger. There was a clear line snaking through the street. He considered just waiting out the line, but then he just shrugged and headed directly to the double doors.


    There were some calls, some curses about being a line cutter, and more than a few people laughed at him, undoubtedly expecting him to be thrown out.


    Dodging around the grumbling people in the line, he entered the hall and was immediately hit by the smell of hundreds of people exercising. It was horrible.


    He instantly used his wind mana to direct the smelly air away from himself and looked around.


    Spotting a counter that had several buff women in medieval exercise clothing standing and dealing with the players who wanted to get some training.


    Spotting one of them who was just observing the masses and not dealing with players, he headed for her.


    The players around naturally noticed this.


    ¡°Look at the noob!¡±


    ¡°He is going for the queen! Can¡¯t wait to see him shot down!¡±


    ¡°Man, I did that yesterday. So much burn!¡±


    ¡°Haha, what a loser!¡±


    ¡°A silver on him getting kicked in the head!¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s going to be a punch!¡±


    Sam just ignored them and locked eyes with the impressive woman, her muscles clearly showing that she took exercise seriously. She raised an eyebrow but otherwise didn¡¯t react.


    Hidden from the watchers in the line, he took out the letter and flashed the symbol on it to the woman. She nodded and beckoned him to get closer.


    The chorus of disappointed groans around him was music to his ears.

 Chapter 128

    After that, the woman turned around and began striding away to the dismay of everyone watching while Sam followed her with schadenfreude barely visible on his face.


    They didn¡¯t walk far, just until they were out of hearing range of the people standing in line and out of sight behind a simple wooden wall.


    The woman stopped and gave Sam an expectant look and he bowed a little and handed over the letter.


    She took it, ripped it open, and gave it a read.


    A minute later, she looked up at him and scanned his body from top to bottom. She made a slight twirl motion with her fingers and Sam, with a reluctant sigh, did a three hundred-sixty. She nodded and went back to the letter.


    After some time she looked up again, crumpled the letter, and tossed it aside as it fell apart into dust that was swept away by a convenient gust of wind.


    ¡°Name¡¯s Martha,¡± she grunted while flexing a little with her arms.


    Now used to the behavior of the people in the Training Hall, Sam raised his own arms and attempted to flex as well. ¡°Charmed. Sam.¡±


    Based on the look on her face, and the barely restrained laughter, he more than likely failed his attempt at muscle communication.


    She snorted, then waved him forward. ¡°Come. The letter speaks highly of you, but I wish to ascertain the truth with my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    <hr>


    He was led to one of the open training fields. All around him, countless players (and a few NPCs) were doing their level best to exhaust themselves under the strict gazes of the trainers who worked at the Hall.


    Sam could see absolute beginners sweating under the sun wielding wooden weapons while trying to pretend they knew what they were doing. But he could also see countless players who already had some manner of equipment, wielding their own weapons under the direction of trainers. Some were middling even to his eyes, but he could spot a few gems as he followed his own trainer through the crowd. Sadly, all of them were guarded by their guild mates, who glared at anyone who even thought about going in their direction.


    It didn¡¯t help that those players who he could see were talented were either good-looking guys, who made sure to exercise in thin shirts that showed off their glistening torsos to the staring audience, or beautiful women, who would look good even if they were wearing burlap sacks.


    ¡®Man, either they look like that in real life, or they really went ham on the character creation¡­¡¯ he mused as his eyes took in the sights. ¡®Still, a damn good PR move¡­ After all, rule number one of being successful is to be beautiful.¡¯


    They left behind the walking, talking advertisement boards and approached one of the corners of the field, far from any of the groups. There were also a few strategically placed shrubs and other plant life that protected whoever used the training field from casual observers.


    They stopped in the middle and by the time Sam¡¯s eyes landed back on her, she was holding a simple sword, only adorned by the symbol of the Training Hall, a clenched fist crushing a sword and stave in its grasp.


    He simply nodded and unsheathed his own sword, Moonlight. Then he took up the usual stance he used and raised the sword in a position that could be used to either defend or attack, not knowing what the woman, Martha, planned.


    She eyed him for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Solid stance. Now, prepare yourself!¡± she declared, and Sam had only a moment to react.


    ¡®Prepare for wha...¡¯ However, before he could finish his thought, the sword of the woman crashed into his own that he raised in reflex at the incoming attack. ¡°Ugh!¡± he grunted in exertion as he looked directly into the eyes of the grinning woman who was now in front of him, pushing down on his sword with her own.


    ¡°Show me what you can do!¡±


    Sam just grunted and used his mana to enhance his body to throw the woman off.


    It didn¡¯t work.


    <hr>


    Half an hour later, Sam was lying on the ground, his training clothes in tatters, his sword lying somewhere in the dust, Lucky resting in the shadow of one of the shrubs and utterly exhausted.


    Martha, as he expected, beat the literal living shit out of him. No matter what he tried, how he enhanced himself with mana, it was all useless in the face of destruction that Martha was with that simple sword.


    And every time she beat him, she grunted a few things that he could improve or pointed out his mistakes before going back to beating him black and blue (and some red from the blood). Still, he was getting better. Probably¡­


    She walked up to him and poked his exhausted body with her boots.


    ¡°Get up! We are not finished,¡± she declared with an imperious tone.


    ¡°Ughh¡­¡± Sam moaned in pain, but he still used Healing Wind on himself to get some of his stamina back and pulled his drained body into a standing position. A small flex of wind got his sword off the ground, cleaned, and back into his hands. ¡°A-all right! What¡¯s next?¡±


    As he stood there, the woman began to circle him, sword pointed downwards. ¡°While your skills are impressive for someone of your age, you¡¯re still not at the top,¡± she began explaining while Sam nodded along.


    He always knew that sword-wielding wasn¡¯t his strong suit. The only reason he managed to accomplish this much was because of the memories of the other Sam.


    ¡°But you substituted talent with hard work, and I can respect that,¡± she continued with a neutral face. ¡°The letter recommended that I allow you access to our Gauntlet, but with the way you are now, I can¡¯t really do that.¡±


    Sam opened his mouth to argue, but the trainer simply raised a hand to stop him.


    ¡°Allow me to finish, please.¡± Sam nodded, and she continued talking. ¡°You can¡¯t have access now. But I¡¯ll show you a few things, and when you are well-practiced in them, come back and I shall retest you.¡±


    Disappointed a little, Sam nodded once again. ¡°What can I do to improve my chances?¡±


    ¡°You have no talent in sword-fighting,¡± she told him bluntly. ¡°There is no need for anything fancy. Go with the simple and efficient. Learn a Sword Art that complements your magic and you¡¯ll be a force to be reckoned with.¡±


    It hurt a little to hear that he had no talent in it, but even he knew it was the truth.


    ¡°Understood. What¡¯s next?¡±


    The woman, still circling him, which started to get a little dizzying, hummed for a few moments, then tilted her head to the side. The action on any other woman would have looked cute, but seeing it on her, Sam felt more like a prime meat being scrutinized to ascertain which method to cook it with.


    ¡°We will start with the breathing. You are close to a breakthrough, then we will take a gander at your sword skills to see if we can do something about it. Sounds good?¡±


    Sam thought for a second, then accepted. It wasn¡¯t like he could get a better deal. ¡®Probably need to be at least Level 50 to get access to the Gauntlet here¡­ Oh, well¡­¡¯


    ¡°Sounds fine. I¡¯m ready!¡±


    She grinned at him, sending a shiver down his spine. ¡°Then breathe!¡±


    <hr>


    The exercise was rather simple. He had to use his Advanced Breathing Technique while keeping his Active Meditation active, all the while doing whatever the woman told him.


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    At first, it was just taking simple steps this way and that way, but soon it turned into using his footwork skills to walk along the border of the training field while Martha yelled at him to correct this and that, or simply pelted him with stones which he had to deflect with his sword.


    If he took more than the necessary movement to do it, his ¡®reward¡¯ was a barrage of stone pellets aimed at his most vulnerable points. It hurt like the dickens.


    But slowly and surely, he got into the rhythm.


    Step forward, raise the sword, pivot a few degrees, take another step, move the sword into another position, and then take a breath. And so on, until it became a blur, not unlike when he trained back at the Ironwood Training Hall.


    It was exhausting and Sam knew that he would be feeling this even in his real-life body, as the focus these actions required would tax his mind to the extreme. At least for him, who had no talent for things like that.


    In the future, according to his inherited memories, there were ways to measure the body¡¯s response to the stimuli coming from the game and measure the talent of the players. It wasn¡¯t universal and there were a lot of people it didn¡¯t work with, but by the time the other Sam died, most guilds could tell after a simple test what the player would be capable of in the future with around seventy percent accuracy.


    The other Sam also participated in one of those tests, mandated by the guild that ¡®owned¡¯ him, only to be told that his talents were trash tier and nothing more. His dimensional twin always maintained deep in his mind that they were jealous of his talents, that¡¯s why they tried to suppress him so hard.


    Sam was at least more realistic. The people running the guild probably knew that the other Sam didn¡¯t like them, so they didn¡¯t want to expend the effort to raise him for him to inevitably betray them despite his clear talents with the sword.


    Or they were trying to suppress him. It wouldn¡¯t be strange, after all, he himself witnessed several tropes come to life.


    Another step, another slight movement with the sword. Pause. Deflect the stone, take a breath, and move again.


    And again, and again, and again¡­


    Until he couldn¡¯t even feel anything, he just moved to the rhythm until a voice broke him out of his fugue.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±


    Before he could move, his arm was grabbed, and he was wrenched away from his current position.


    For a moment, Sam was confused then he looked around. The sun was clearly on a downward trajectory, and the noises originating from the rest of the training grounds decreased by a good amount.


    ¡®Huh, I must have been doing it for a looong time¡­¡¯ he mused before looking at his trainer.


    Martha gave him a once over and nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re good to go for now. Come back to me when you feel you¡¯re ready,¡± she told him while also handing over a wooden token engraved with the symbol of the Training Hall as well as a few more symbols that probably were there to prove its authenticity as he could feel mana emanating from it. ¡°Bring this back when you¡¯re ready. Goodbye!¡±


    With that she turned around and began heading toward the building, leaving him standing, exhausted in the middle of the training field with only Lucky looking on with a concerned gaze. He looked around dazed and simply plopped down on the ground, sending up dust in the air.


    For a few seconds, he just stared at nothing, still coming back from the fugue as well as marveling at the technology that the developers created, then he shook himself and brought up the notification screens.


    [You completed the quest: To the city you go!]


    [You were justly rewarded with extra training! However, your access to the Gauntlet was refused. But don¡¯t worry, you will have one more chance to access it!]


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Returning Champion]


    [You were told that your current strength and ability are not enough to attempt the Gauntlet at the Training Hall in the capital city, Vividora. Return when your skills reach the required level. Be careful, you won¡¯t get another chance!]


    [Requirements: Reach Level 50, ???, ???]


    [Time Limit: None]


    [Reward: Even more training]


    [Penalty: You can¡¯t access the Gauntlet in Vividora]


    The Level 50 requirement was expected, but the other two were a mystery. ¡®Probably some kind of skill check,¡¯ he thought while dismissing the quest screen and bringing up the skill screen with hope in his chest. ¡®Please, have a breakthrough, please!¡¯


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 39!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is Level 76!]


    [Thanks to your tireless training under the guise of a competent teacher, you gained the subskill, Mana Attuned Body!]


    [Mana Attuned Body: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your body has started to become attuned with your own mana. Increases the effect of the main skill by 20% for each skill level!]


    [You achieved a breakthrough with Active Mediation!]


    [Active Meditation is now Level 50!]


    [You learned the skill Battle Meditation!]


    [Battle Meditation: Level 0/100 (0%) (Active/Passive) You mastered mediation and have taken it to the next level. You are always meditating, but when the time comes to raise your weapon, you can immerse yourself in the feeling even deeper. Grants you increased mana and stamina regeneration passively. When activated your stamina and endurance consumption decreases, and your mana regeneration increases even more.]


    [You achieved a breakthrough with Advanced Sword Mastery!]


    [Advanced Sword Mastery is now Level 20!]


    [Advanced Sword Mastery has reached Level 20 and can be upgraded into Epic Sword Mastery. However, thanks to immersing yourself in the shadows and the very wind, you are capable of upgrading the skill into either Silent Shadow (Sword Mastery) or Elegant Wind (Sword Mastery).]


    [Upgrading into either of them will leave you with the abilities granted by the Advanced Sword Mastery, but you will not be able to learn Epic Sword Mastery and above, locking you into the path of Shadows or Wind.]


    [Upgrade into Silent Shadow (Sword Mastery) or Elegant Wind (Sword Mastery)?]


    Sam stared at his choices for a minute, then made a quick decision. Wind was his sorcery element while he used shadows more for the physical aspects of his fights.


    [Advanced Sword Mastery has been upgraded into Silent Shadow Sword Mastery!]


    [Silent Shadow (Sword Mastery): Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Your sword has become one with the shadows, becoming just as silent and deadly. Striking from the shadows is silent and grants you bonus damage. Decrease the mana and stamina required for sword-related skills while increasing the damage of shadow-natured skills cast or used through the sword.]


    Satisfied with the gains related to the sword, he looked over the rest.


    [You achieved a breakthrough with Advanced Breathing Technique!]


    [Advanced Breathing Technique is now Level 10!]


    [You learned the Epic Breathing Technique!]


    [Epic Breathing Technique: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) You breathe, and the world breathes with you. You move along your own rhythm. Decreases stamina consumption even more during any activity and further increases stamina regeneration when not in a fight. Gain +2 Stamina Regeneration for every skill level.]


    The skill wasn¡¯t the best, but he didn¡¯t have access to anything rare that he could use to supplant it. Breathing techniques were always guarded jealously thanks to their effects, so the other Sam only knew how to get a few of them and none of them were great for his build. For now, he would need to go with the basic skill-line and find something later.


    Closing the screen, he put away the sword, motioned Lucky to get back to his shadow, and dusted off his clothing, grimacing as he saw the myriad tears on it. Heading toward the exit, he had to come to a halt immediately as he left the covering of the bushes around the training field.


    In front of him was an extremely attractive woman, wearing tight training pants and a black shirt with enough space to show off her cleavage. Her skin was shining brightly with sweat, while a few strands of hair escaped her ponytail, giving her a rather charming look. She was a little shorter than him and as he stood there staring at her she smiled impishly, leaning forward with her arms behind her back, inadvertently pushing her breasts upward.


    ¡°Hello!¡± she chirped, ignoring how his eyes dipped below her own.


    ¡°Er, hi,¡± he replied awkwardly. ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± she replied cheerfully. ¡°Saw your training and I was wondering if you¡¯re interested in joining our guild?¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t think anymore that her actions were accidental.


    ¡°Which guild?¡± he asked carefully.


    She straightened out, jumping a little, her movement drawing his eyes to a certain part of her, and she clapped her hands together. ¡°Oh, we are the Eternal Light! Great guild, super friendly! Like a family, really¡­¡±


    ¡®And it gets better and better¡­¡¯ Sam thought morosely. Eternal Light was famous for being one of the most aggressive guilds that wouldn''t take no for an answer. You were either with them or dead soon. They were not an evil guild, and everyone agreed that they paid fairly and well, even those who were counted as foot soldiers. They took loyalty to the guild seriously, but they had plans for the game, and damn anybody who opposed them.


    Looking deep into her earnest blue eyes he shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I already have a guild.¡±


    She pouted but didn¡¯t give up. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry! We can pay any penalty if you¡¯re worried!¡±


    Sam gave her an apologetic smile. ¡°That¡¯s very nice, but I¡¯m playing with my friends, so¡­¡±


    Her pout increased, and she leaned forward. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    He managed to keep his eyes looking into her eyes and nodded. ¡°Pretty sure! Sorry! Bye!¡± Then he stepped around her and hastily made it toward the exit of the training grounds.


    <hr>


    Behind Sam, the woman stood like a statue, her earlier playful nature nowhere to be seen, a frown on her beautiful face.


    Soon another woman joined her, maybe a little less beautiful, but still gorgeous.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°I want him.¡±


    ¡°Him? Why?¡± she asked curiously.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t see him train. I want that dedication.¡±


    ¡°Of course, ma¡¯am. What if he says no?¡±


    The first woman shook her head and also began walking away.


    ¡°Nobody says no to me. Especially not twice.¡±

 Chapter 129

    ¡°Damn! Damn! Damn!¡± he cursed as he beat a hasty retreat from Training Hall after his brief but memorable meeting with the girl from the Eternal Light. As he bade goodbye to Martha, who was back standing next to the line of people waiting for training, glaring at anybody who acted out, Sam couldn¡¯t help but curse.


    He didn¡¯t recognize the girl, so he couldn¡¯t exactly plan around her personality or past (or in this case future) history. And the fact she was drop-dead gorgeous didn¡¯t really help. With the fact that the game allowed one to edit their appearance during character creation, drop-dead gorgeous girls were a dime a dozen. But if she was really part of the Eternal Light, there was almost a hundred percent chance she would be coming after him for recruitment.


    At least they played Lawful Good most of the time, so they wouldn¡¯t be sending assassins after him, only very aggressive recruitment attempts. According to the other Sam¡¯s memories, there were rumors that they even used honey traps to get some players to join their guild, but nobody ever confirmed it.


    For a short moment, he felt excited that they would be coming after him (the girl was hot), but then his rational mind defeated his libido and he was back to cursing.


    Now he had to be content with a secretive demon gunning for his head, a vengeful billionaire business magnate hunting him, and a giant guild trying to recruit him.


    Scowling a little as he walked along the street, he sent a brief message to Lucy to warn her, then another to Katie to meet him at the Mage Tower after he was finished with his errands. He then went around to fill up his bag with consumables while looking around the capital city to gauge the players'' mood.


    Almost everybody was in great spirits, rushing around gathering supplies, chattering about fractures, and heading to grind away from the city. There was actually a fracture in the city, but no player knew about it. It would be revealed later when an enemy agent manipulated events in such a way as to cause a monster break to destroy the capital.


    Thankfully, the NPC army locked down the fractures around the capital, so the guilds had no chance to monopolize (they still tried to), making it the preferred location for unaffiliated players to grind their levels.


    The situation around the smaller cities was much different. Where the local nobility or government forces were strong, they did the same with around an eighty percent success rate while where the local governmental forces were ineffective the guilds were running rampant.


    This didn¡¯t even account for the hundreds of fractures hidden in the mountains, deep forests, or endless deserts. Sam shuddered to think about going deep underwater. The shit that could be found in those fractures was more madness-inducing than anything that Katie had access to.


    Fortunately, for some reason, underwater fractures only very rarely had monster breaks. He knew from his inherited memories that some people had a shrine that was prayed to every day to keep it that way. Plus, they used the donations to the shrine to send cupcakes to the dev team for a totally unrelated reason.


    He left the shop selling trail rations and shook his head.


    All this rumination about what would be was getting rather confusing. He needed to concentrate on the here and now and not on the infinite possibilities of the future according to a very smart and wise turtle.


    As he neared the entrance to the Mage Tower, he saw a small group of eccentric people standing around and waiting for somebody.


    Dan was wearing leather pants that molded to his legs and a shirt that looked high quality with visibly shining runes on it that showed off his muscles to the delight of everybody around him. Clarissa was there dressed in a conservative healer dress that nonetheless also showcased her figure. However, she had no idea about the reaction she was causing as she was busy glaring at people who were staring at Dan. Katie was in her edgy and spiky armor, her helmet hiding her face from the watchers, idly vibrating in place.


    He walked up to them with his hand raised high as a greeting.


    ¡°Hey guys! Where did you come from?¡±


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Sup! Lucy sent them after you,¡± came the surprisingly helpful explanation from Katie.


    Clarissa nodded while Dan grinned at him.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan, bossman?¡±


    ¡°I need to level up, so we¡¯re going to grind. A lot.¡±


    ¡°Yessss!¡± Katie ¡®silently¡¯ celebrated with a fist pump, while Clarissa grimaced.


    ¡°Fracture?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, they have a lot of those around here. We are just going to run them until we¡¯re bored with them.¡±


    ¡°But they have taxes¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, and guards. We don¡¯t have to deal with annoying guild politics,¡± he explained, with Dan nodding excitedly in the background.


    Clarissa stared at him for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Well, you are the boss.¡±


    Sam smiled at her, then motioned toward the direction of the gates of the city.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, people. Grinding is waiting for us!¡±


    <hr>


    Their trip to the first fracture they planned to conquer was spent mostly getting each other caught up and bragging about new skills and Clarissa complaining about annoying people wanting to get healed but refusing to learn any game mechanics.


    Sam just walked along the team and soaked in the interactions. Back in his old life, he was a solitary creature, only venturing out of his den if it was important to one of the few friends he actually had. And the less said about the eternally paranoid other Sam¡¯s private life, the better.


    He tried to be better in his new life, but it was still hard to shake off the habits he accumulated over the years. But with these people, he was getting better and better. At least he hoped so.


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    Dan managed to get some semblance of control over his ice and fire spells while keeping up complaints about the people at his university.


    Based on the description, Sam was pretty glad that the person he replaced didn¡¯t go to one because he already spent enough time in university in his previous life. He didn¡¯t need that much chaos in his life. From what he gathered from Dan, most of the decisions in the guilds that were created at Dan¡¯s university were done at the urging of hormones. Sam doubted that any of them would survive until the new year.


    Hormones and long-term planning weren¡¯t exactly compatible¡­


    Clarissa spent the time while Sam was running around trying to survive doing small healing commissions around Ironwood and Deepanchor, and she was visibly fed up with the stupidity of the players.


    Enough time had passed that builds, competent builds, had started to appear on trustworthy forums that the general public could access. The problem with that was that those people who downloaded those builds, expected it to work like in any game.


    Just choose the OP skills and be ready to do the OP damage.


    Magic Unbound wasn¡¯t like that.


    If you didn¡¯t put in the work, then it didn¡¯t matter what kind of OP skill they had, they wouldn¡¯t be having fun.


    Sadly, these types of people were exactly the type that had the money to hire mercenary healers to keep them alive. And Clarissa liked making money¡­


    ¡°Seriously, you pay me enough that I¡¯m considering giving up this healing for money thing¡­¡± she ranted at him. ¡°The last group looked like a herd of supermodels, but based on their speech, they were at least fifty, if not more. They propositioned me several times. They even asked me if I offered a happy ending!¡±


    Sam and Dan scowled, but Katie grinned. She skipped next to her friend and looked up at the taller girl with a vicious grin. ¡°Want me to sacrifice them to my new gods?¡±


    He was about to speak up, but Clarissa beat him to it.


    ¡°You¡¯re sweet Katie,¡± she smiled at the other girl. ¡°But I doubt even those eons-old monsters from beyond the edge of the universe want to do anything with those assholes.¡±


    Katie placed a finger against her lips in a pondering manner. ¡°You may be right. They must taste horrible¡­¡±


    Clarissa stared back at the younger girl and let out a quiet chuckle that soon turned into a full belly laugh, though Sam could hear notes of relief behind the laughter.


    ¡®Was she maybe relieved that we are supporting her?¡¯


    <hr>


    The area where their chosen fracture was around halfway developed with the workers from the city tirelessly working on it, joined by a lot of players who wanted to grind some crafting experience or simply make a little money.


    Looking around, Sam compared the location to the one in his memories.


    It was mostly the same as the sight of the location blurred together over the years when the other Sam visited it.


    Before the Fracture it was a simple outpost, here to house the militia that patrolled the region, rangers who scouted around the forest and to function as a staging point for adventurers who had tasks in the area.


    There was a well surrounded by wooden buildings and a half-built wall made of stone brought in from a nearby quarry. Surprisingly, the portal to the fracture appeared in the trunk of a tree, surrounded by a small amount of vegetation that refused to stay down despite players and NPCs trampling on it twenty-four-seven.


    Around the portal was tight security, with elite soldiers from the capital glaring at anyone who even looked suspicious. There was no line to get in as the portal and tree itself were enormous enough that not even ten people could circle it if they were standing with only the tip of their fingers touching.


    However, there was a building where they had to register.


    The process was pretty simple. They provided their identifications, and they received a token that functioned as an access card through the magical defenses that the soldiers set up. Further, they were given a bag which expanded the space that they would need to collect the material that was dropped. Exceptions were personal items (that is, quest items) and spell or skill books.


    Mostly because even the NPCs realized that the people could just learn the skill in the books and they would never know it dropped. However, they made sure to set up a small shop that bought any skill or spell book that the players didn¡¯t want.


    As for the materials and other drops?


    They didn¡¯t have a way to check if the players placed everything in the bag, but unless every player made sure to skim off the same amount, sooner or later a trend would be created from the drop amount. And if you were reporting less than the average drop rate¡­ well, you would soon get a visit from some concerned people.


    In the future, there were compilations of people being caught. The officials of the country were very efficient.


    <hr>


    A few minutes later they were standing in front of the tree and the swirling portal. The blended green and brown lights were rather mesmerizing.


    [Fracture: Vividora Outpost #42]


    [A frequently used outpost near the capital city Vividora. After the fractures, it was quickly occupied by the country¡¯s soldiers and now it is in the process of being transformed into a small village, all centered around the portal leading to the fracture. No drunken shenanigans!]


    [Time Limit: No Limit]


    [Charges: Unlimited]


    Sam took a look at his teammates and nodded.


    ¡°Shall we?¡±


    <hr>


    Inside, the tree was reminiscent of the first fracture they braved, though with fewer spiders (to everyone¡¯s relief) and more forest animals.


    The first level, as they headed upwards, contained rabid rabbits, hulking hogs, and furious foxes. They dropped meat, fur, leather, and other animal products with a few reagents here and there. Not big money, but consistent money.


    They went through the poor animals like Dan¡¯s precious plasma through butter. Even Clarissa¡¯s spells managed to vaporize the poor rabbits, to Katie''s dismay, who thought they were cute.


    Sadly, all the rabbits were either too rabid or ran away in fear thanks to the girl¡¯s eldritch aura.


    His teammates were rather disappointed at the haul, but Sam just bade them to be patient. The Fracture had several more levels.


    The second level was filled with even more of the same animals, but they were giants. Once again, destroyed rather easily.


    On the third level, the giant animals began to use earth or nature magic, and in turn, started to drop magical material. Sam already earmarked some nice fox fur he would use to commission some gifts.


    By the time they reached the fifth level, his teammates weren¡¯t complaining.


    Not when they had to beat back hordes of rabbits using earth magic to appear from under their feet while giant hogs, clad in poisonous thorn armor, charged at them.


    On the sixth level, the foxes began to use illusions.


    Thankfully, with their Mana Senses and Katie¡¯s indiscriminate murder-blender playstyle, the illusions weren¡¯t really that effective. Though it was rather annoying to clean the blood off after Katie got going.


    Unfortunately, while the experience points and regular drops kept coming, they didn¡¯t even have one rare drop. Sam felt it was a pity, as there was a pretty good illusion skill book that he wanted that dropped here. But that was rare even in the future where they perfected the art of farming this fracture so he wasn¡¯t disappointed. Much.


    On the seventh and last floor, they faced a gigantic rabbit as a final boss, who transformed into a giant boar when defeated, only to transform into a giant fox that in the end turned out to be an extremely powerful illusion cast by a very old and gray rabbit who was crushed by a crying Katie.


    <hr>


    They reappeared at the other side of the tree, only to be greeted by a politely smiling official.


    ¡°Welcome back, adventurers! If you would follow me, we can deal with the taxes,¡± he stated with a firm look on his face as if already expecting an argument.


    ¡°What if we want to go for another run? Can we deal with that after we¡¯re finished?¡± Sam asked politely.


    The man blinked and nodded after a few seconds. He reached into one of his pockets, took out a slip of paper, wrote a few words, and then stamped it both with a physical stamp and a small amount of mana.


    ¡°Here, take this and have it stamped every time you finish the fracture.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Sam took the paper and placed it into his inventory, then turned to his friends and smiled.


    ¡°How about another round?¡±

 Chapter 130

    The next few runs were the same.


    Thanks to their power and party composition, they basically flew through the fracture. They killed everything in their way, then demolished the final boss without trouble while collecting all the loot. Unfortunately, their luck was abysmal and they only got a few common skill books they already had and a few alchemical ingredients that were worth some money.


    None of them minded though. The experience points were generous for people at their level and Sam had no doubt he had leveled up several times. However, the team was moving with a pretty good rhythm and he didn¡¯t want to sit down for ten minutes to manage his notifications, so for now the amount of growth he achieved through this mad dash of grinding was unknown to him.


    Still, they had fun.


    Thanks to the monsters not posing much danger to their collective strength, he had time to actually instruct his friends on the intricacies of using mana in battle and how to get better with mana control.


    Katie didn¡¯t much care for it as she was a hack-and-slash girl, but she still paid attention and Sam noticed through his own senses how her mana, tainted with the madness of Outer Gods had grown stronger and more controlled, yet at the same time remained chaotic.


    ¡®Her entire skill tree is probably just as bonkers as she is¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he watched the object of his observation clash with several giant hogs.


    Dan, as always, was pretty focused on fire, specifically on his dream of conjuring plasma. He was the one, aside from Clarissa, who really profited from the knowledge Sam had shared.


    ¡°Wait, are you saying that the spells will transform into one giant skill?¡± Dan asked incredulously as Sam recounted his experience at the Mage Tower while they traipsed through the dungeon.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure, yes.¡±


    ¡°Do you think healing has something similar?¡± Clarissa asked while Dan was deep in thought.


    Sam shrugged. ¡°Makes sense that there would be something like that.¡±


    Clarissa looked thoughtful and Dan looked excited.


    ¡°Do you think if I evolve my fire magic I could get to plasma?¡±


    Sam frowned thoughtfully. ¡°I think you should stay with fire and ice and concentrate on the thermal aspect. Then when you have enough synergies go for evolving both of them. Then you can concentrate on merging the two different magics,¡± he explained to the avidly listening muscled mage.


    Dan began nodding and was about to open his mouth when a bunch of giant foxes burst through the foliage, distracting him from the topic.


    Sam just smiled and raised his sword joining the fray.


    <hr>


    Half a dozen runs netted them some serious amount of materials. They even had to ask for several more bags to hold them as the first one started to overflow after the third run.


    They stood before the tree and the swirling portal and watched as other people kept going into the dungeon.


    Sam turned to the others.


    ¡°One more run for the luck?¡± he asked a little salty that even after six runs the skill book he wanted didn¡¯t drop. While they were idling around between the runs waiting for their turns to enter, he heard several people brag about getting the book as a drop.


    Sadly, all of them learned it immediately so he couldn¡¯t really offer to buy it off them.


    Thankfully, his teammates were nice enough and agreed to his request.


    ¡°Death to the foxes!¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m pretty close to a breakthrough with a spell¡­¡±


    ¡°As long as we make money¡­¡±


    Sam smiled at them. ¡°Thanks, guys!¡±


    <hr>


    Their last run, at least for now, started the same. First rabbits, hogs, and foxes en masse, with regular size but extra vicious.


    Katie made another try to pet one of the fluffy rabbits, however, this time she was stopped by Puffball who the moment the terrified little animal stopped in petting distance, sprung forth, opened his jaw, and swallowed the rabbit in one bite.


    They all stared at the scene with wide eyes while the definitely-not-a-cat simply licked his lips and began sauntering back to Katie.


    A glance at each other and after a mutual decision to never mention what they saw again, they proceeded further into the fracture.


    The second level was just as fast as the first, the fact the animals were giants didn¡¯t help the mobs at all. Especially after they had learned the mechanics of their fighting style. The third level was a little more exciting, but once again thanks to Clarissa they had access to enough defensive magic that they could ignore the stray shots and forge ahead. The fourth and fifth were nice exercises for their magic skills and by the time they reached the end, Dan was bragging about how one of his skills had leveled up.


    On the sixth, Sam began to focus. The book he wanted started dropping here, the chances for it growing bigger the closer they got to the final boss. The boss itself had around a few percent chance to drop it according to the memories the other Sam half-remembered.


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    Sadly, it didn¡¯t happen. The materials and alchemical ingredients kept dropping but no skill books.


    <hr>


    They were fighting the final boss and Sam was rather cross. Somewhat with the game for not dropping the exact skill book he wanted, but mostly with himself for getting this obsessed with a skill book.


    For a moment he hung back and watched as Katie, still the adorable murder-blender that she was, fought the giant boar, the second phase of the final fight.


    Lucky was hanging on the back of the solid illusion while Dan kept shooting spears of flame at the animal.


    He let out a deep breath and refocused.


    ¡®Forget the drops, just go and deal with the boss!¡¯ he told himself and with a silent warcry, he flew forward aided by the flighty yet loyal wind that was always surging around him.


    <hr>


    ¡°Anything?¡± he asked in desperation as the rest of them went through the pile of drops that appeared after the poor old rabbit was practically vaporized by flames.


    He refused to touch the loot for fear that he would bring bad luck and had the others go through it. Clarissa thought he was stupid but Dan gave him a clap on his shoulder and began sorting through the pile of junk in search of treasure.


    ¡°Hah!¡±


    Sam¡¯s head snapped up, landing on Katie who was standing triumphantly.


    ¡°Did you get it?¡± he asked hesitantly.


    Katie looked back at him and quickly hid whatever was in her hand behind her back. ¡°Um, no. I was just surprised, by the¡­ view! Yes, the view!¡±


    Sam gave the girl a deadpan look and she sheepishly brought her hands forward. He leaned forward to get a better look, but what he saw just made him more disappointed.


    On the younger girl''s hand was the dried and prepared leg of a rabbit attached to a small chain.


    A lucky rabbit¡¯s leg.


    It usually had the effect of increasing the players¡¯ luck by a few points. The only downside to the item was that it only worked for the person who found it. Basically, you have to be lucky to get it.


    He shook his head and was about to return to watching the others sift through the loot when something impacted his head.


    ¡°Ow! What was that for?¡±


    ¡°I found your stupid book!¡± came the acerbic response from Clarissa.


    He picked the skill book up and couldn¡¯t help but laugh as he read the title.


    [Congratulations you¡¯ve found a skill book!]


    [How to make the moonlight touch the real world and how to touch the moonlight. Corporeal Illusions and their many uses.]


    Grinning wildly, he immediately learned the skill.


    [Congratulations, you learned the skill, Corporeal Illusions!]


    [Corporeal Illusions is compatible with two of your skills! You can set it as a subskill for them!]


    [The two skills are Shadow Mirage and Illusionary Runes!]


    The choice was obvious.


    [You have chosen to add Corporeal Illusions as a subskill to Illusionary Runes!]


    [Corporeal Illusions: Level 0/50 (0%) (Passive) Your illusions have weight and presence to them. You can interact with your illusions as if they were real-world items. The higher the level of this skill the more real your illusions become. Increases the strength and resilience of your Runes by 2% for each skill level.]


    ¡°Happy?¡± asked Clarissa with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Oh, hell yeah!¡± he answered with a wicked grin. ¡°Just what the doctor ordered.¡±


    <hr>


    Soon after they left the fracture, they were in an office and watching as several city officials went through the bags and counted up their value.


    Sam simply luxuriated in the feeling he got the drop, while the others were going through their notifications and level-ups. He had a feeling that his would be a little long, so he left it for later.


    ¡°Sir, we have counted up the materials,¡± came the placid voice of one of the officials.


    Sam looked back at him with a small smile. ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°You have two options, sir,¡± the man explained. ¡°You either take the value of the materials in gold, minus, of course, the taxes, or we take some of the materials as tax and leave you with the rest. Minus, of course, the loaned bags.¡±


    ¡°The materials, please.¡±


    ¡°Very well, sir. It will be just a minute.¡±


    <hr>


    Happy and sated with loot, they were heading toward the exit of the outpost when Sam saw a big group of people enter the facility, all of them adorned with a pretty familiar symbol.


    A sun with nine rays around it.


    ¡°Oh, no¡­¡± he murmured and to his bad luck Clarissa was close enough to hear him.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    But before he could answer a voice interrupted them from behind.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    He whirled around only to behold a very familiar young woman. She wasn¡¯t wearing the rather revealing exercise clothes he saw at the Training Hall, but whoever crafted the armor she was wearing knew what they were doing.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly the fantasy-standard boobplate, but it still showed off her figure enough that she could add a little cleavage without sacrificing the defensive capabilities of the armor. Her hair was done up in a ponytail, held there with an artifact that to Sam¡¯s senses sang with protectiveness, while her eyes were staring at him with greed.


    ¡°H-hey!¡± he returned the greeting hesitantly, ignoring the squeak that originated from behind him.


    ¡°Watchu doin¡¯?¡± came from the girl in a sing-song voice.


    ¡°Leaving?¡±


    She had the temerity to pout.


    Sam glanced around and was dismayed to see only people from her guild around them, strategically placed so as to prevent his team¡¯s escape. Dan was nervously looking around, and Sam could feel the heat of Clarissa''s glare on his skin.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you join us?¡± the young woman asked with an impish smile. ¡°We can do a few runs together, see if we are¡­ compatible¡­¡±


    Another squeak from behind and he gulped. The girl was dangerous.


    ¡°Sorry, but we just finished a long run. Good luck with your runs!¡± he said as cheerfully as possible.


    The girl didn¡¯t frown but her smile dimmed a little. She stepped forward and gently placed her hand on his, looking as if it was the most natural thing to do. And thanks to the height difference she looked up at him the smile back in force.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that¨C¡° She was, however, interrupted by a third squeak, loud enough that everybody could hear it. For a moment she looked at Katie and spoke up. ¡°Excuse me! Do you have a problem with me?¡±


    Katie angrily yanked the helmet off her face and began shouting at the other girl.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing, Isabella?¡±


    Thanks to the surprise she let go of Sam¡¯s arm and he took the opportunity to take two giant steps backward.


    ¡°Katie? What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°What do you think? Picking flowers?¡±


    ¡°He is on your team?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m on his team!¡±


    The two girls glared at each other and Sam could feel the mana stir around them. Before the entire thing could escalate, he stepped forward, hands raised placatingly.


    ¡°Ladies! Do you perhaps know each other?¡±


    It was Katie who answered.


    ¡°We were classmates in high school¡­¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately¡­¡± came the scoffing remark from Isabella before she shook her head. She glared at Katie one more time, then returned her attention to Sam with an angelic smile.


    ¡°I shall leave, now that she is here. Don¡¯t worry, we shall meet again. Ta!¡± she declared while throwing him a kiss and sauntering off to join her guild while her hips moved hypnotically.


    Sam was distracted from the view by a growl coming from Katie who was doing her level best (and succeeding) to crush her own helmet into a ball of metal.


    ¡°So, not a friend?¡±


    The ball crumpled into dust.

 Chapter 131 - Interlude 12

    Lucrecia looked through the window of her much-upgraded office, walls covered with maps and graphs while several people ¡®disguised¡¯ as maids puttered around several tables covered with documents pertaining to the people of the city of Ironwood and surroundings.


    Next to her, on a well-made (and extra fluffy) rug, was her favorite familiar, her gift from her beloved, Fortuna. The no-longer small shadow wolf was now big enough, thanks to some magical enhancements courtesy of their family mages, that she could ride on the fluffy predator if she wanted.


    Granted, thanks to the luxury of the Silvercrest manor, the wolf was a little pampered, but he was still loyal to her. Already, there were several people who tried to insert people into her little operation and her loyal companion managed to smell them out. A little discussion with her parents in one of the cells in the dungeons and they sang like songbirds.


    She sighed, and for a moment moved her eyes to the document that was on the desk in front of her. The movements of the recently created guilds were often confusing and maddening. The new adventurers behaved oddly and obviously had different goals compared to the ¡®normal¡¯ people who populated the city.


    Still, several trends have emerged, mostly thanks to the people placed at the fracture that her family claimed for themselves in conjunction with her beloved, who reported everything they observed and overheard. Fortunately, most adventurers tended to treat the help and officials working at the fracture (and everywhere else) as air or as furniture. This meant they were rather free with their secrets, as long as no other adventurers were present.


    Her people, directed by herself and her mother, made sure to make use of this phenomenon.


    Already, they had mapped out most of the relationships of the newly sprung-up guilds with only a few holdouts proving to be hard to infiltrate. That, plus their access to the Heavenly Forest, made sure that they had been raking in money like nobody¡¯s business.


    On the advice of her mother, she hadn¡¯t shared the information with her beloved, as according to her mother, it wouldn¡¯t do good for her if she acted too ¡®accommodating¡¯.


    Her current plan was to take the information and make sure that her beloved knight would reward her properly.


    The only obstacle to her genius plan was that Samuel was nowhere to be seen. Her latest information put him in Deepanchor, from where he vanished to her consternation.


    Still, she was always ready to act to help her beloved, no matter what.


    ¡°Young miss,¡± came a placid voice from behind her.


    Lucrecia turned around and looked at her ¡®maid¡¯ as she stood before her, hand clasped in front of her, wearing an immaculate uniform. She was one of the new hires, recommended by an old acquaintance of her father.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It appears one of the factions has decided to raid our fracture installations.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, another?¡±


    ¡°Yes, miss.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± she mused as she idly scratched Fortuna¡¯s head. ¡°Surgical strike?¡±


    ¡°I believe a distraction would work better, young mistress,¡± came the answer from her subordinate.


    She thought about it a little and nodded.


    ¡°A capital idea!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, young miss.¡±


    ¡°Now, show me what you have!¡± she spoke, reaching out with a hand.


    The ¡®maid¡¯ took out a sheaf of paper from somewhere and handed it over. Lucrecia took a few minutes to read it over and ruminate on the contents. Those adventurer guilds that kept themselves in the shadows were rather annoying.


    They would do anything for money, including murder, though she hadn¡¯t heard about any rape cases, so she thanked the gods for that small mercy. This looked like some other family had hired the dark guild to cause the Silvercrest family trouble.


    With a quick motion, she jumped up from her seat, Fortuna immediately following after her, and with both wolf and maid following her, she strode toward the door.


    She had to have a short talk with her father about allocating some personnel. Plus, maybe her beloved had sent some message to her. There was constant communication between the Silvercrest family and the AFK family, but it was always that tart who ran things while her beloved was off to do more important things.


    Soon, she stood in front of her father¡¯s desk with the maid and Fortuna at her side, while her father perused the same documents she had read.


    While he was reading over them, she was imagining how thankful her beloved knight would be when he found out how she had protected their joint investment.


    It would be perfect for the future when their two families joined¡­


    <hr>


    In the office, the maid, the wolf, and the lord of the manor watched with deadpan faces as the young lady of the house looked into the distance and began to murmur to herself while occasionally giggling and twisting and turning around and finally hugging herself rather pervertedly.


    The lord exchanged a long-suffering look with the loyal wolf and returned to the documents. There were certain things that no men were meant to know and that involved the thought process of teenagers. His darling wife assured him that she had it well in hand, but sometimes he really worried¡­


    The young maid was just really reconsidering her employment as she beheld her nominal superior giggling to herself.


    ¡®This wasn¡¯t worth leaving the army for¡­¡¯ she thought while holding in a long-suffering sigh.


    <hr><hr>


    Lucy sat back and looked with satisfaction at what she had wrought.


    The various subsidiaries of the AFK company created an oh-so-satisfying picture on her desk. They had covered several bigger cities in the kingdom, with their Heavenly Forest being one of the best and biggest chains of luxury accommodations. Their supermarkets were a hit everywhere, and the only thing holding them back was an approval to set up shop in the capital. If that was given, they would be spreading like wildfire around the area.


    Her current goal was to set up shop in the Emerald Kingdom, effectively creating a monopoly of services with their shops.


    Granted, there were dozens of copycats and while she could crush them in the kingdom, outside of it her power was almost non-existent, thus she could only watch through the internet as several people and guilds copied their concepts. There were at least a dozen chains of supermarkets, warehouses, and identification businesses.


    The only condolence was that the Heavenly Forest was still the best. Thanks to Sam¡¯s connection to the nobility and the creations of Liz, their advantages were hard to overcome by anybody. Plus, with the access to the sea through Deepanchor, the amount and quality of food and other products they could offer to their guest increased exponentially.


    She reached over and picked up a deep-fried shrimp and dipped it into the pink sauce.


    ¡®Mhmm, doing business is¡­ delicious¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    Thanks to Tim, the security of their businesses had also increased. They used to get saboteurs and infiltrators almost all the time, and only thanks to her encryption spells and adorable familiars was she able to maintain any semblance of security.


    But the moment the new guy started, he started implementing new processes and practices.


    Password rotations, randomized patrol rotations, and some enhancements to the physical security of the shops thanks to some simple creations by Liz. Even now, the industrious streamer was working on magical locks and things like that.


    Lucy was pretty happy that, seeing how effective those tools were, Tim decided to take up enchanting as a crafting disciple. She wondered what artifacts would be borne from the mind of somebody so paranoid.


    Seriously, Tim was so paranoid that it almost hurt sometimes to watch.


    ¡°Please stop hiding in the wardrobe, Tim,¡± she spoke up, keeping her eyes on the document.


    There was a little grumbling and her security officer clambered out of the wardrobe that she didn¡¯t have yesterday.


    ¡°Hello, Lucy!¡± came the greeting from the man. He was wearing a hooded robe that hid everything and his voice was muffled by a simple artifact, once again crafted by Liz.


    She looked up from her work and glared at the man.


    ¡°Tim. We talked about this. One, no hoods in the office. Two, no placing random items into my office that you can hide in.¡±


    The man once again grumbled but with a smooth motion removed the hood covering his head, revealing his rather normal-looking face while he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.


    ¡°Sorry, but it¡¯s a lot of fun,¡± he admitted while taking a seat. ¡°I¡¯m here to report.¡±


    She took a moment to sign the latest document, then placed it on the out tray and moved an empty paper in front of her, raising her pen, ready to take notes.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening¡­¡±


    Tim took a look around and moved his hands in front of him as Lucy watched a dark light appear between his palms which pulsed for a second then it expanded to cover the room, coating the walls of the room in darkness that seemed to swallow the light coming through the windows overlooking Ironwood.


    ¡°Do you see anything?¡± he asked the moment the spell was finished.


    Lucy rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Every moment there are at least two dozen trying to look through the windows. I had Liz create something that made sure that glass is one-way.¡±


    Tim looked like he would continue with his paranoia, but she stopped him.


    ¡°Tim, we¡¯re as secure as possible. Now, stop worrying and tell me what you¡¯ve found!¡± she demanded.


    Tim took a deep breath and nodded.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Alright. You are the boss!¡±


    Lucy just looked back expectantly.


    Tim coughed into his fist, then straightened out and began talking.


    ¡°I finished with my full review of the Deepanchor locations. Here is what I found¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Tim was pretty happy.


    Working with the Silent Step was exciting and everything, but roleplaying as an assassin was always so exhausting. Plus, he always preferred the missions where they had to break into somewhere and steal something. There was just something about figuring out a location¡¯s weaknesses that excited him.


    And now that the Silent Step has done away with him, and managed to square away the issue of his contract with them, he was excited to work in an area that always interested him.


    Getting into security in the real world was rather hard. Most security experts come from one of the militaries around the world and are ¡®raised¡¯ internally by corporations. A person of his pedigree (see: none) had almost no chance to get into the industry without major luck. And as he wasn¡¯t the type of person who would gamble his life on a small chance, he went with the safer choice, IT.


    Silent Step provided him with an outlet, but it was always killing people on behalf of other people.


    The AFK Company was different. A lot different.


    The moment he started working for them, life became much more complicated.


    He would travel around the Emerald Kingdom, looking at the locations where their company was set up and see how he could make them more secure.


    Which was also pretty complicated.


    After Lucy decided he could be trusted (and he signed at least three different NDAs) they introduced Tim to Liz, the very familiar-looking streamer, who turned out to be a crafter with a ridiculously busted crafting discipline.


    The options that this crafting disciple opened up for him almost made him salivate.


    Instantly, he commissioned several new tools from the young woman, ready to defend the company the best he could.


    Back in the real world, he took out his old study materials to shake off the dust from his knowledge while also trawling through the net, hunting for more information while also looking up new courses where he could improve his knowledge.


    The world of security was ever-evolving and Tim wouldn¡¯t be caught with his pants down!


    Plus, he expected that his old guild would definitely want to take revenge on him and his savior and he wanted to make sure that when they tried, they would be greeted with defenses strong enough to hold back a conquering army.


    <hr><hr>


    Dan was once again stupefied.


    He sat on one of the benches in the park next to his dorm, eating some snacks and getting his required fifteen minutes of sunlight (prescribed by the school), and listening to one of his sorta friends, Roger telling him the latest gossip going on around the school.


    Even though he didn¡¯t ask.


    But Roger was kinda his friend, and he was nice enough to share his notes with him when Dan was out sick, so he could do at least this much.


    Predictably, most of the gossip was either about romance or Magic Unbound.


    ¡°So, Stacey decided that if Joe wanted to hang out with Lacey, she was going to show him by doing it with Gregory,¡± his friend explained.


    Dan couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Roger, why are you telling me this?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, Dan, for a moment I thought you were a regular human,¡± came the sarcastic answer from the man.


    Roger was a tall man, built like a beanpole with dark brown hair that stuck up everywhere no matter how much time the man spent combing it, with an impressive beard that gave him a crazed look. Given that the man was doing his major in quantum mathematics, it fit him to the tee. Dan heard rumors that several firms were already in the process of headhunting him.


    ¡®I wish they would headhunt me, but nobody appreciates plasma like me¡­¡¯


    Instead of voicing his slightly jealous thoughts, he brought up something else.


    ¡°At least talk about the game instead of about who is fucking who¡­¡± he grumbled while reaching for more snacks.


    ¡°It¡¯s all part of networking, my friend!¡± Roger grinned at him, but to Dan¡¯s relief, he did as he asked. ¡°But sure, I can talk about that too!¡±


    ¡°Wonderful¡­¡±


    ¡°So, the Atomic Samurais merged with the Fierce Tigers after the guild leaders started dating last week.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± he asked between two bites.


    ¡°So, that means the Gerbil Collective is hunting them as their guild leader had a crush on the Fierce Tigers¡¯ leader. Which means there will be a guild war soon!¡±


    ¡°Fun¡­¡±


    ¡°It is indeed fun, my friend!¡± His friend declared with good cheer. ¡°We can sign up as mercenaries and make bank by working for them,¡± Roger said excitedly.


    For some unfathomable reason, no guild would accept his friend, so he was currently playing the game solo. From what he understood, he was working toward some kind of math-based class, that nobody understood, so nobody wanted him on their team.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m close to a breakthrough, but I need money to get some lessons at the Mage Tower. Getting help with the theoretical is damn expensive¡­¡±


    Dan looked over at his friend, and then down at his snack that was gone. He balled up the bag and with a smooth motion threw it into the trash bin next to their bench, and then he turned back to his friend.


    ¡°If you need money, I can spot you. I know you are good for it,¡± he told the weird math guy.


    Roger sat up straight, emphasizing his height. ¡°Really? You would do that? Wait! Do you even have that much money? The Mage Tower is pretty expensive!¡±


    ¡°How much do you need?¡± Dan asked with a frown. ¡°I can spare a few thousand gold. If you need more than that, then I need to talk with some people.¡±


    Instead of answering, Roger just gaped at him.


    ¡°How the hell do you have that much money?¡±


    ¡°Er, farming?¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Katie put down the helmet on its stand and stood up from her bed. She couldn¡¯t wait until the pods arrived. According to the information she received, they were already en route and by the next week, her playtime would become much more comfortable.


    She wondered how the others would enjoy it before remembering that she would only have access to one because they were rich. Scowling a little, she went through the stretching routine that their physician recommended then grinned.


    Sam came up with an excellent plan that would annoy her father and would cost him a lot of money. With how much her life was controlled by her father¡¯s whims, Katie delighted in every moment where she could annoy or otherwise bother the man.


    She stopped the stretching and began shucking off her playcloths. She wanted to be at her best when executing the plan, and that required a shower and fresh clothes.


    <hr>


    Katie sat in her brother¡¯s parlor in one of the dresses that she hated but was forced to wear and looked back at her brother as he looked over the small slip of paper, she handed over to him, while she chattered about inconsequential things, fully aware of the maid that stood outside of the parlor, ready to be of service.


    David looked up from the paper and gave her a searching look. She kept up the chatter and tried to convey how much she wanted this to happen through her eyes. Eventually, he just rolled his eyes, but nodded and then joined her in the chatter.


    They started talking about the news and discussing the economic implications. With her being part of the AFK company and listening to Sam and Lucy discuss business, she had some rather unique insight into the topic. Not that she planned to share any of that with her brother and father. They were already rich enough; they didn¡¯t need the help.


    ¡°So, what are you up to now?¡± David asked, following the small script she had prepared while also sounding genuinely curious. That¡¯s why she loved her brother. He wasn¡¯t much for rocking the boat or going against their father in major ways, but he was always up to helping her play pranks or annoy their father. The fact their ¡®prank¡¯ would cause millions of credits worth of damage to the man would probably horrify most people.


    ¡°Oh, you know, the same old, same old¡­ Mostly grinding to raise our level in one of the fractures.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the target?¡±


    ¡°I think between fifty and sixty. The current one is starting to get easy, so we were looking for a harder one.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± David asked, following the script.


    Katie grinned, leaned forward, and lowered her voice while glancing at the door that was only slightly ajar. Not enough to look to be done on purpose, but enough that the maid outside could hear everything.


    ¡°Get this! My boss found out that the officials in the capital are ready to open up a new fracture.¡±


    ¡°Really? A new one?¡±


    ¡°Yes! His sources told him that they were finished with the investigations and the outpost was built to handle visitors. Probably, in a few weeks ¨C game time ¨C they would open it to the public!¡±


    David hummed and nodded while Katie took a small breath, sent a prayer to anyone listening, and continued. ¡°But get this. My boss¡¯s sources told him a little secret.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re allowed to tell me?¡± asked David skeptically.


    Katie just shrugged.


    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s that important.¡±


    ¡°Then lay it on me, sis¡­¡±


    ¡°So, basically the fracture has some pretty vicious monsters that are very big on area of effect poison skills. Poison fog everywhere¡­¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°It requires some pretty specific antidotes. Normal antidotes don¡¯t work because of the dimensional nature of fractures.¡±


    ¡°And let me guess, your boss has the recipe¡­¡±


    Katie just did a finger pistol at her brother.


    ¡°Right on, oh brother of mine.¡±


    David looked back at her and nodded while throwing a glance at the door, then back at Katie with a questioning look. She went over the information Sam asked her to share and then subtly nodded, signaling that their ¡®prank¡¯ was finished.


    They only needed to wait and see if the fish took the bait¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not even going to try to get the recipe from you. I probably don¡¯t have enough gold in my entire guild to buy it.¡±


    ¡°Hehehehe,¡± she giggled, then switched the subject.


    ¡°And how is the guild?¡±


    David immediately perked up. ¡°Oh, we went to raid the fracture near the silver mines. The golems were really cool¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you have any pictures?¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I asked around, and it seems one hundred percent true. The people I paid off even gave me some poison samples.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Pretty nasty stuff. No player has resistances high enough to get in there without the antidote.¡±


    ¡°The recipe?¡±


    ¡°We had to burn some assets and intermediaries, but we got it.¡±


    ¡°Start producing it immediately. I want the entire market.¡±


    ¡°I doubt we are the only ones who got the recipe. After all, even our source¡­¡±


    The man leaned back in his chair and considered what the man standing before him said.


    ¡°You may be right. Hmm, we have two options. Sabotage the others or increase the market¡­¡±


    ¡°Increase the market, sir?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Start spreading rumors about the fracture. I want every streamer, blog, and whoever talks about stuff like this to be discussing this fracture,¡± he ordered and the other man immediately started making notes. ¡°I want to see that little asshole outproduce our production department.¡±


    The other man wisely said nothing. After a few moments of silence, he spoke up again.


    ¡°Make sure we are ready for the rush and start preparing our raid team to clear the fracture. I want to make sure we get the valuable drops first.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Do you think he bought it?¡± Katie asked as they ambled through the garden with her brother.


    David shrugged. ¡°Who knows? He is not stupid, but this really looks like a surefire way to make a lot of gold, so it¡¯s fifty-fifty.¡±


    Katie just giggled. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to see his face when he realizes he has been had¡­¡±


    David just shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re one dangerous menace, Katie¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, father shouldn¡¯t have been an asshole, then I wouldn¡¯t have to do this!¡±


    ¡°Seriously, Katie. One day, he¡¯ll snap and lock you into a tower.¡±


    ¡°As long as I have internet I don¡¯t mind. At least then I wouldn¡¯t have to attend those stupid parties¡­¡±


    David looked back thoughtfully, then nodded.


    ¡°If he figures it out, make sure to mention I helped. I call dibs on the east-facing room in the tower!¡±


    The two siblings looked at each other and then broke out in laughter. For a moment, everything was alright in the world. There was no pressure from society, from their positions, and most importantly, from their father. They were a brother and sister pair, just having fun.


    <hr><hr>


    Isabella stomped away from the outpost surrounding the nature and illusion-themed fracture in a foul mood. Her assistant trailed behind her with a worried look on her face while the rest of her team was following at a safe distance.


    Finally reaching an empty clearing she stopped in front of a tree. For a long moment she stared at the trunk, and then with the accompaniment of a scream, she punched clear through the poor tree.


    She couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Her mortal enemy. Here in the game.


    She expected that, of course. Katie loved games like that, but still, coming face-to-face with her mortal enemy shook her.


    Especially in the company of a man she wanted to get for her team, and maybe more¡­


    But that stupid gremlin was way ahead of her.


    They had met at the beginning of middle school, thanks to both of their families being rather affluent. And those families only used a few schools. Thus, they spent a lot of time together.


    Isabella didn¡¯t really remember who started it, but one day they found themselves amid a war of pranks that would have caused them to be expelled from any school if it weren¡¯t for their families.


    Katie would spike her food with chilies, while Isabella would lube up surfaces that the other girl frequented. Then, in retaliation, Katie would plant glitter bombs everywhere Isabella went, and so on¡­


    They fought over grades and tests. Sometimes Isabella taking the lead in certain subjects, sometimes Katie dominating them. It annoyed her that Katie, the little chaos gremlin, could defeat her in any school subject. Her parents probably only bailed her out because thanks to these events, her grades were phenomenal.


    This ¡®rivalry¡¯ also transferred into games.


    Both of them were avid gamers, and every time they ran into each other, they would make sure to fuck with the other. Monster trains, PK, and every other tool would be used to hamper each other.


    And now, they were close enough that she had to prepare for the attack she just knew was coming.


    ¡®Maybe a pre-emptive strike?¡¯ she mused as she lashed out with her fist and punched another hole through the tree that had the bad luck to stand before her. ¡®But I don¡¯t know anything about her team. I need to prepare. She could be preparing right at this moment!¡¯


    ¡°Alice!¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Have you made progress about the man?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. The report is ready in your office.¡±


    She turned from the tree and grinned at her assistant, who, for some reason took a step back.


    ¡°Tell everyone to be careful. You can never know with that gremlin. She could be lurking around right now!¡± she told her, glancing around furtively as if expecting Katie to jump out of the bushes while yelling ¡®boo!¡¯.


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ma¡¯am.¡±


    She would prepare. She would be ready. No chaos gremlin can defeat her. Especially not with a guild like Eternal Light supporting her.


    ¡®Still, to be sure I have to get some anti-stealth and anti-glitter spells¡­¡¯

 Chapter 132

    ¡°Want to talk about it?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Sam watched with a furrowed brow as Katie stormed away, uncharacteristically serious. He shared a glance with Clarissa and Dan, but both of them just shrugged. They had even less idea of what had just happened. And Sam had no idea¡­


    He jogged next to Katie and took a deep breath.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s up with that girl?¡±


    Katie instantly whirled around and grabbed his shoulders, shook him a little while, looking directly in the eye. ¡°Did you make a deal with her?¡±


    ¡°Um, no¡­¡±


    She sagged a little and let go of his shoulders. ¡°Good. Nothing good comes from dealing with that cow!¡±


    Sam wisely said nothing.


    Katie also stayed silent for a second, then continued. ¡°I went to school with that cow! You can¡¯t believe anything she says! I definitely didn¡¯t put a glitter bomb in her locker! I also didn¡¯t soak her socks in milk, then let it dry and put it back in her bag. And I most definitely didn¡¯t redesign the cheerleader uniform to say Suckleader and exchange all her uniforms with it!¡±


    Looking directly into the fervent eyes of the smaller girl, Sam did what anyone sane would do.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t do that, Katie,¡± he agreed with her.


    They stared at each other while their other two teammates watched the exchange with interest.


    ¡°Just out of curiosity, what did she not do in return?¡±


    Katie just scowled in response and crossed her arms in front of her.


    ¡°Alright, then what do you want me to do with her?¡± he asked, then he smirked mischievously. ¡°She offered me space in her guild, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°What? How dare she! You cannot do that, Sam! No! I won¡¯t allow it!¡± came the vehement refusal from the girl.


    ¡°I refused, Katie¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh..,¡± she looked taken aback for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Good. Nothing good comes from associating with that cow!¡±


    Sam just sighed.


    ¡°She¡¯ll come after me after this, you know that right?¡± he asked exasperatedly.


    Katie nodded, and the fire was back in her eyes.


    ¡°I will protect you! I still have some leftover glitter bombs and I know where she lives!¡± she promised with a fist pump.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do that¡­¡±


    Dan and Clarissa just tried not to laugh behind them.


    <hr>


    The rest of the way back to the city, they mainly listened to Katie explain their sordid history with Isabella and how it was definitely not her fault.


    Once again confirming that the girl was bonkers.


    They arrived back and separated to refuel and take a little break before returning to grinding. Sam spent the time answering messages from Lucy and Liz and getting caught up on some happenings with the company.


    The company was heading in the right direction and the income was enough to fuel their expansions for the while. With the access to the sea in Deepanchor and the support of the Silvercrest family, their economic supremacy in Ironwood was all but guaranteed. In other cities, it was a little different, but they were well on their way to becoming big players in the Emerald Kingdom. Sadly, a lot of people saw their success and were imitating them. However, not all of them could get the same level of support from the local nobility or rulers, so their success was a hit-and-miss.


    Plus, the crafting skill Liz got made their Heavenly Forest still the best among all the luxury accommodations. There were several videos about it on Shadowland, with comprehensive reviews (naturally behind paywalls). It was pretty sweet that he didn¡¯t even have to advertise it.


    After an hour, the others returned, Katie somewhat calmer, with Puffball in her hand being petted into bliss.


    He stood up from his seat at the caf¨¦ and walked up to them.


    ¡°Ready for another round?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m burning with excitement!¡± Dan responded, raising his hands in the air and waving them around.


    Clarissa gave the man a sidelong glance and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve restocked and am ready for another run.¡±


    ¡°We have to make sure we¡¯re stronger than that stupid cow!¡± exclaimed Katie with Puffball jumping up on her helmet to survey all his domain.


    Sam just sighed and waved them toward the city gates.


    <hr>


    Their second Fracture target was another outpost made by the city thankfully. Sam really didn¡¯t want to do anything with guilds for now. Already, Lucy and the Silvercrest family had to work overtime just to stymie the groups around Ironwood who decided they wanted to take control of the Fracture and the outpost they had set up.


    Thankfully, the Silvercrest family had an expansive spy network, so for now, they were managing. And with Katie¡¯s act, her father was equally distracted by other things to bother them or his company.


    The fracture they were heading for was next to a cliff, where the fracture appeared in a small cave only visited by bears and adventurers fleeing from the rain.


    Which meant they had to deal with a fracture that had a lot of bears and other bear-like creatures.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    However, as they approached the road heading toward the outpost protecting the fracture, just outside of the view of the towers, they were stopped by a group of seedy-looking players.


    They dressed trashily and looked like every stereotype of ¡®evil¡¯ gamers. Multicolored mohawks everywhere, grungy armor, extra spiky weapons and pervertedly leering at anything that identified as female.


    Poor hedgehog.


    ¡°Stop there! If you want to access the fracture, you have to pay up!¡± The lead idiot exclaimed while the rest of them laughed like hyenas.


    ¡°Hahahaha! Maybe you could have some fun with us, eh?¡± one of them leered at Clarissa.


    ¡°You do know that the guards will have your ass for this, right?¡± he asked, making the barest attempt to avoid the inevitable aggressive negotiation.


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± the idiots laughed. Their leader grinned at him and began loudly explaining their plan. Like a chump he was. ¡°We have them distracted so we can do whatever we want! And we want to take a toll! So, pay up or suffer!¡±


    ¡®Wow¡­¡¯ he thought, amazed at the idiocy in front of him.


    A quick pass over them with his Mana Sense told him everything he needed to know.


    ¡°Dan, make them burn¡­¡±


    <hr>


    The rest of the trip was miraculously empty of any more idiots, though they still made a report about them at the gate.


    The officer taking Sam¡¯s report just let out a tired sigh.


    ¡°Another group?¡±


    ¡°Got a lot of them?¡± Sam asked commiseratingly.


    The man just nodded tiredly.


    ¡°Every other day there is another group that thinks it''s such a smart idea to set up shop, just outside of the view of the towers. As if we didn¡¯t patrol. Then they try to distract us with something else¡­¡± he explained while writing down the details of their encounter. ¡°Thankfully, there is always someone ready to clean them up, so we don¡¯t have to do too much, but it¡¯s still annoying.¡±


    Sam took the receipt the overworked city official offered him and pocketed it.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you have adventurers patrol the area to take care of them?¡±


    ¡°And have them turn into another toll-taking group? Tried already, didn¡¯t really work out¡­¡±


    Sam scratched his chin in thought.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you extend the outpost to the crossroad?¡±


    The officer looked up at him thoughtfully.


    ¡°Could work¡­ Anyway, thanks for reporting. Have fun in the fracture!¡± he said, offering his hand for a shake.


    Sam shook it and left the room behind.


    <hr>


    The outpost was almost the same as the other one, seeing as it was built by the same people, but while the other was centered around a giant tree this one was a half circle, and in the center of the straight side was the cave where the fracture was.


    The people from the city had expanded the cave and inserted a few supporting columns to make sure as many people as possible could access the fracture.


    Even now, there was a steady stream of people coming in and out of the silver-brown portal.


    The crowd was even bigger than back at the other fracture.


    Sam could see several big groups that dressed rather low-key, in a rather familiar manner.


    ¡®Gold farmers¡­¡¯


    Among those people, there were always at least a few scary-looking individuals directing the blandly dressed people around who looked around apathetically.


    The only good thing he could say was that the gold farming groups that operated so openly weren¡¯t the worst. They were still farming gold without any break and only paid the least possible amount to the people who did the actual farming, but they made sure they didn¡¯t suffer and had them work in shifts.


    The worst one used migrants, or those who had nowhere to go. Locked into some seedy apartment and forced to play the game without pause at the threat of starvation, or worse.


    Sadly, to his knowledge, while the developers behind the game tried to fight against those kinds of gold farmers, it was and would always be an uphill battle. They were always operating in the dark, through several cutouts and whenever the police managed to bust one, they would burn a patsy and set up shop somewhere else.


    And the leaders atop those organizations were always affluent people, well protected from the long arm of the law.


    The presence of these groups made sense, as the fracture had a habit of dropping silver and other valuable ores. Granted, one would expect that this would cause massive inflation, but thankfully the game developers made several consumables that used silver or silver powder as an ingredient.


    Most of those consumables would be used until the very late game.


    For example, several resistance potions required a pinch of silver powder that the potions used to cling to the surface they were applied to.


    Thus, it was economically sound to mine the poor fracture to death.


    And they were here to join the crowd that was excited to delve into the bear-infested caverns.


    <hr>


    They went through the registration, got the bag for the loot, and received a bunch of warnings about drop bears.


    They entered the fracture without any further fanfare.


    [Fracture: Vividora Outpost #37]


    [An outpost built around an old cave that was home to a lone bear ages ago but stood empty until a fracture appeared in it. The government of Vividora runs the outpost and everybody who causes any trouble is going to be punished by the full force of the army of the country.]


    [Time Limit: No Limit]


    [Charges: Unlimited]


    The inside of the fracture looked like a cave, hewn from the rock with the claws of some kind of animal.


    ROAAAAR


    A normal-sized bear charged at them, with its claws shining with a metallic sheen and eyes filled with madness.


    ¡°Ready team?¡± Sam asked as he unsheathed his sword. Dan took out his giant mace that was already sizzling, Katie naturally began to cackle while eldritch yellow light began to cover her body and Clarissa simply began casting buffs on them. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I want a bear rug!¡±


    <hr>


    The first floor of the fracture was a simple maze of caverns, full of angry bears with metallic claws that wanted to tear them apart.


    As the fracture was around Level 60, they had their work cut out for them.


    In turn, their levels were practically shooting up.


    Sam still hadn¡¯t checked his notifications, wanting to make sure he had mastered his current skills. Plus, he wanted to work on the advice he got back at the Training Hall.


    Every time he fought, he tried to minimize his movements as much as possible. By the time they reached the end of the first floor, he felt like he was starting to get the hang of it.


    The second level was still filled with bears with metal claws, but they were Rock Bears. Dan took over leading the group, as he was the most familiar with those kinds of monsters.


    The drops were pretty good, mostly from a monetary viewpoint.


    They got silver ore, iron ore, some magical ores, and a few crystal reagents here and there of which the biggest ones were earmarked for Liz, but otherwise nothing much.


    The third floor had much bigger bears, the rock on their bodies starting to transform into proper metal.


    On the fourth floor, the metal on the bears fully transformed, and the drops of silver ores grew in number.


    Finally, on the fifth floor, the silver metal has fully taken over the bears, creating silver golems in the shape of bears.


    <hr>


    They took a little rest at the beginning of the fifth floor after defeating the first golem.


    ¡°Let¡¯s rest here for a moment¡­¡± Sam said as he sat down on a stray rock. ¡°These bears are rather exhausting.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it, boss!¡± Dan agreed with him. ¡°I thought those Rock Bears were annoying near Ironwood, but these are much harder to melt¡­¡±


    Clarissa just groaned. She had been overworked thanks to her shielding spells. Katie really liked to charge into the enemy, but she wasn¡¯t high-leveled enough to survive more than one or two strikes from the enraged bears even with her berserker skills and armor enhanced by the Old Ones.


    Sam looked over at Katie, ready to explain to the excitable girl once again why charging into the middle of mad bears made of metal wasn¡¯t the best idea when he saw that she was scowling.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.


    She looked back at him and made a hopeless motion toward her screen, which was only visible to her.


    ¡°That cow keeps sending me messages¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, put that down and come here. We need a tactics meeting.¡±


    She looked back at the screen, then at Sam, repeating the motion a few times, before sighing and making a motion that hopefully meant she closed down the messaging application.


    ¡°Now come here, and please, for all that is unholy, listen to what I¡¯m saying!¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Sam!¡± chirped the girl, her earlier mood already forgotten.


    ¡°Okay, Katie, this is very simple.¡±


    Katie nodded enthusiastically.


    ¡°Do. Not. Charge. Into. The. Group. Of. Metal. Bears!¡±

 Chapter 133

    Naturally, Katie charged at the first silver-colored bear that she spotted.


    The rest of the team just looked at each other and followed with a weary look.


    The fight was much more interesting now that the monsters offered more resistance. Thanks to their bodies being made of that silvery metal, they were much more resistant to Sam¡¯s wind attacks.


    He enjoyed the challenge.


    Dan was busy practicing with his fire, making sure not to fry them while also doing damage to the monsters. Katie mostly ignored the fire in favor of whaling on the poor bears.


    The drops were much more generous, their bags being filled up with a lot of loot.


    Mostly different types of ores, but there were a few reagents that would be worth a lot of money. Even a few crystals dropped that would be a nice material for Liz to work on. They even dropped a few skill books, mostly useful for Katie, but one of them was a pretty nice Iron Hide buff skill for Clarissa.


    The others were pretty useless for them, so they went to the inventory to be sold later at the Auction House.


    At the end of the floor, they met and fought a giant bear that was intent on stomping on them. The sixth floor was filled with even more metal bears, with the corridors of the caverns growing enormous to allow the equally enormous bears that tried their best to tear them apart and for some reason eat Katie.


    Once again, they were almost buried under mountains of ores.


    The last floor was interesting. The bears went back to the usual size of bears, which were still threatening but not as giant bears with claws the size of Sam¡¯s forearm and teeth the size of his shins.


    However, in exchange, each bear instead of looking metallic, was made of actual metal, resembling golems.


    They were also fully capable of using lightning magic, which was rather annoying. Mostly because they had to deal with partial paralysis thanks to errant electric strikes. Thankfully, his wind magic managed to protect them from the majority of the damage.


    In the end, they stood in front of the entrance to the last cavern.


    Sam looked over at them.


    ¡°All right, guys! We can expect a bear golem and lightning magic, so we will go with the same plan,¡± he exclaimed, then began pointing at his teammates one by one. ¡°Dan, you will go for the joints. Lock it up!¡±


    ¡°Got it, boss!¡±


    ¡°Clarissa, as usual, keep Katie alive¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Katie¡­¡± he turned to the excitable but crazy girl who grinned back at him.


    ¡°Yes, Sam?¡±


    ¡°If I can¡¯t stop you from charging in, at least pay attention to what the others are doing. All right?¡± he asked, a little exasperated. He knew from his inherited memories that the girl was a dedicated berserker, but he expected at least a minimal amount of teamwork from her.


    Katie pushed up the faceplate on her helmet and grinned at him while giving him a thumbs-up.


    ¡°You got it!¡±


    Sam eyed the shorter girl, trying to see if she was sincere, but in the end, he just gave up.


    ¡°Very well!¡± He turned to Dan and Clarissa and spoke up. ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡±


    ¡°As I will ever be¡­¡±


    He stretched a little, grabbed his sword, and patted Lucky on his head for luck, then Katie took it when he saw her pouting and headed for the cavern entrance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say hello to Metal Pooh!¡±


    <hr>


    After exiting the fracture, they were greeted by one of the officials who took the bedraggled team aside and made sure they paid the taxes. After that, they were sent over to the resting area where many other teams and guilds were lying about, looking as exhausted as Sam¡¯s team.


    ¡°Are we doing it again?¡± Clarissa asked as they situated themselves around one of the quaint picnic tables that were set up.


    Sam looked at Dan, who just shrugged.


    ¡°I got time¡­¡±


    Katie just enthusiastically nodded.


    ¡°Sure, a little rest, then a few more turns. With Iron Hide, the first floors are going to be much easier.¡±


    ¡°Then I need a little time for a bio break,¡± Clarissa said.


    Sam nodded.


    ¡°All right, how about we return here in an hour? Everybody can snack, drink, or whatever?¡±


    Dan nodded and, with a few movements with his fingers, vanished from the table, followed by Clarissa. Katie just picked up Puffball, retrieved a brush, and began working on the fur of the eldritch cat.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you taking a break?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I got the pod yesterday. It¡¯s pretty sweet!¡±


    ¡°The pod?¡±


    ¡°You know, the gaming pod! You can stay inside for weeks if you need to. I think they adapted it from medical tech,¡± came the explanation.


    Sam had to blink in surprise after hearing that.


    ¡°Huh! Sometimes I forget you¡¯re a really rich girl¡­ So, they¡¯re out?¡±


    Katie just giggled. ¡°Yes, but only for certain customers. If you want, I can ask them¡­¡±


    ¡°No, thank you. I don¡¯t want to owe your father anything¡­ I already put my name on a list. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get it soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± she chirped and returned to her familiar.


    Sam looked at the girl for a while and just rested. Then, after a few minutes of staring into nothing, he also logged out of the game.


    <hr>


    After reuniting with the team, they returned to the fracture with renewed spirit and the knowledge they had gathered during their previous run.


    Altogether they did five runs, but by the end of it, every one of them was utterly exhausted. Happy with the drops, yes, but mentally they were just a bunch of rocks.


    By the end of it, Sam was in no mood to practice his efficient sword-fighting technique, so he practically overpowered the metal bears. Some of them were torn apart by hurricane wind enhanced by Dan¡¯s fire and his sharp wind blades diced some of the monsters into little cubes.


    They did their duty, gave the officials their due, and practically collapsed on the picnic table they claimed as their own.


    Dan was lying face first on the wooden table staring at nothing, while Clarissa buried her head into her arms, refusing to look at them. Even Katie, who always looked like someone who ate batteries for breakfast, looked like she would drop any moment.


    Sam was also barely keeping himself straight, with Lucky already sleeping in his shadow, clapped a little, gathering their attention.


    ¡°All right, team! Excellent work! Thank you for participating. I¡¯ll leave your take with Lucy!¡±


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Yay¡­¡± came the tired mumble from Clarissa, who barely lifted her head from her arms. ¡°Can I go to sleep?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing! Go and rest!¡±


    There was only a grumble, and she vanished from the game.


    ¡°Dan?¡±


    The fire maniac slowly sat up and rubbed his tired face. ¡°I think I¡¯ll also leave. I had some ideas and I want to make a few notes before crashing¡­¡±


    ¡°Good luck, man!¡±


    ¡°Thanks ¨C boss!¡± Dan answered with a yawn in the middle. He vanished mid-wave, and Sam turned to Katie.


    ¡°And you?¡±


    Katie looked around and then back at Sam.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll also log out.¡± She grinned evilly. ¡°I need to see what my father is up to¡­¡±


    It took the tired Sam a few seconds to get what Katie was referencing, and then he also grinned. ¡°Good luck!¡± he said, offering a high-five to the girl.


    Katie returned the high-five and vanished from the game, leaving Sam alone at his table.


    ¡®Ugh, need to check the gains, then I can also crash¡­¡¯ he mused as he sluggishly brought his system screen up.


    Instantly, he was flooded with notifications.


    [You are now level 52!]


    [Thanks to your tireless efforts, you gained +3 End, +2 MAG, +1 WIS, AGI and DEX!]


    [You gained 16 Unassigned status points!]


    Eight levels! That was some haul¡­


    Sam instantly assigned the points to even out his stats. Five went into Wisdom, four into Strength, two into Perception and Vitality, and Magic, Dexterity, Agility got one each. Creating a pretty nice status screen for him to look at.


    ¡®Only a few more level-ups and I¡¯m well on my way for those cushy quests¡­¡¯ he mused as he went over his decisions once more before hitting the confirm button. Instantly, a shot of energy ran through him and he felt a little lighter. And he could feel as the magic thrummed a little stronger inside him.


    Grinning, Sam continued to read his notifications.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 41!]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 85!]


    [Second Skin is now Level 2!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 50!]


    [Thanks to your continuous use of the skill, you gained the subskill, Ethereal Channels!]


    [Ethereal Channels: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) The channels through which your mana moves have started to evolve. Decreases the cost of body-enhancing skills by 5% for each skill level.]


    [Synchronization is now Level 4!]


    It was pretty crazy to see his Mana Tempered Body skill shoot up so much, but as he had basically overused the skill in the fracture, it wasn¡¯t actually that big of a surprise. Still, seeing all his stats shoot up so high was a pretty nice feeling.


    [Perception Filter is now Level 12!]


    Naturally, thanks to the skills Katie learned from the Old Ones, they all were subjected to visions not meant to be seen by human eyes. By the second hour, both Clarissa and Dan gained the same skill.


    [Mana Gaze is now Level 17!]


    [Triple Mana Slash is now Level 8!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 80!]


    [Mana Attuned Body is now Level 2!]


    [Spell Layering is now Level 23!]


    [Mana Construct is now Level 29!]


    [For your less than creative use of the skill, you gained the subskill, Simplicity!]


    [Simplicity: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) The simpler your creations, the less mana it costs.]


    The new subskill gathered a small smile on his lips. It was one of the more common subskills, as a lot of skills could get it. But it was exactly what fit his fighting style.


    [Light Ball III is now Level 8!]


    [Clean IV is now Level 9!]


    [Ground Shake is now Level 8!]


    [Water Bullet is now Level 9!]


    [Wind Mana Manipulation is now Level 31!]


    [You have started to become one with the air and gained the subskill, Aura of Air!]


    [Aura of Air: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Controlling the surrounding air becomes much easier. The size of the aura depends on your Wind Affinity and Wind Mana Manipulation levels.]


    [Greater Wind Affinity is now Level 28!]


    [Gentle Wind is now Level 5!]


    [Your control over the air has impressed the very air, and you gained the subskill, Elemental Affinity!]


    [Elemental Affinity: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your affinity with air elemental beings is increased.]


    An interesting subskill, but not the one he hoped for. Still, it would most definitely come in handy later down the road.


    [Battle Meditation is now Level 5!]


    [Silent Casting is now Level 13!]


    [Spirit Link is now Level 47!]


    [Advanced Shadow Footwork is now Level 23!]


    [Silent Shadow is now Level 9!]


    [Shadow Grace II is now Level 2!]


    [Shadow Burst II is now Level 9!]


    [Shadow Mirage is now Level 27!]


    [Shadow Transformation is now Level 24!]


    [Shadow Shield II is now Level 10!]


    [Shadow Cloud is now Level 11!]


    [Greater Shadow Affinity is now Level 25!]


    [Your control over your shadow mana has granted you the subskill, Solid Shadow!]


    [Solid Shadow: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) The shadow mana you use is more substantial than other shadow mana. It hits harder and has actual weight behind it. Increases shadow damage by 5% for each skill level.]


    Once again, a nice increase to his Shadow skills. He was especially happy about his new subskill. It would provide a nice amount of increase in damage, plus it would also influence future subskills. Though he was a little unhappy about the new sword mastery skill. He expected it to grow more, but apparently, it wasn¡¯t much use against bears, who for some unfathomable reason didn¡¯t use swords to fight.


    [Basic Armor Mastery is now Level 65!]


    [Resistant Armor is now Level 4!]


    [Epic Breathing Technique is now Level 3!]


    [Flow is now Level 61!]


    [Controlled Flow is now Level 4!]


    [Surprise Strike is now Level 16!]


    Sam looked at all the skills that were stuck at 99% and frowned. ¡®I hope that I can advance them with the Training Hall quest¡­¡¯


    [Earth Resistance is now Level 20!]


    [Thanks to being exposed to so many lightning strikes, you gained the skill, Lightning Resistance!]


    [Lightning Resistance: Level 7/100 (14%) (Passive) Thanks to continuous exposure, you have been granted resistance against lightning. Each level increases the resistance by 1%.]


    [Multitasking is now Level 99!]


    Finished with his own status screen, he changed over to Lucky¡¯s. His mighty familiar has participated in the fracture clearing enough that Sam expected a good amount of growth from the fluffy menace.


    [Your Runic Shadow Spirit Wolf, Lucky, is now Level 31!]


    [Shadow Dash is now Level 6!]


    [Shadow Claws is now Level 20!]


    [Fear Aura is now Level 11!]


    [Your familiar gained the skill Shadow Bite!]


    [Shadow Bite: Level 0/20 (0%) (Active) Your companion enhances their bite with shadow mana, increasing the area and strength of the bite.]


    Satisfied with the gains and the new skills, Sam was about to leave the game when he heard somebody sitting down at the table. He looked up warily, just to meet with the visions of an out-of-breath Isabella, wearing a rather revealing white shirt.


    ¡°Oh, hey! Fancy meeting you here!¡± she greeted him with a blinding smile like a liar who lies.


    ¡°Yes. Hello to you too, Isabella,¡± he returned the greeting. It was his policy to be polite to crazy people. ¡°Why did you follow me?¡±


    She tilted her head aside, probably in an attempt to look cuter.


    It worked.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t follow you¡­¡± she spoke, pouting a little.


    Sam just stared at her with a deadpan look.


    After a few seconds, she let out a sigh, and crossed her arms in front of her (Sam tried to ignore what it did to her anatomy).


    ¡°Poo, you are no fun!¡±


    ¡°What do you want, Isabella?¡± Sam asked, pretty exhausted.


    She grinned and leaned a little forward.


    ¡°I heard through the grapevine that the Steel Lions really don¡¯t like you¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Katie¡¯s dad is really angry at me¡­¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he doesn¡¯t like anyone who goes near her. Especially if they¡¯re boys. We had several people transfer out of our class after they got too close to her¡­¡±


    ¡°Lame¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but what can you do¡­¡± she said. ¡°But that¡¯s not what I wanted to talk to you about. I heard that they¡¯re planning to monopolize the new fracture that the city is opening up. They got the antidote and have started manufacturing it like crazy!¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Sam asked with a raised eyebrow, secretly happy that the Steel Lions swallowed the bait so thoroughly.


    ¡°Weeell¡­¡± she stretched out the word, leaning even more forward. ¡°We managed to secure some of that antidote, and I was wondering if you would like to join us in raiding the place?¡±


    Sam sat back a little and looked at the young woman in front of him as he considered the situation. He really didn¡¯t like the Steel Lions, but his only beef with the Eternal Light was that Isabella was annoying. Plus, she was Katie¡¯s friend. If you squinted really hard.


    ¡°Ignore that fracture and the antidote. Go for a different fracture,¡± he said finally after a minute of thinking. ¡°But you didn¡¯t hear that from me.¡±


    Isabella just blinked at him in surprise. ¡°What?¡±


    Sam just smiled mysteriously and slowly stood up from the table.


    ¡°I¡¯m also angry at Katie¡¯s dad¡­¡± he finally said before quickly hitting the logout button. Leaving a befuddled young woman behind, who let out an enormous laugh after a few seconds of thinking.

 Chapter 134

    The real world snapped back like a fresh coat on his brain. He looked around as he took off the helmet and for a long minute just sat there on his gaming couch taking in his room. Things, on the edge of his vision, were a little fuzzy, and the color of everything in the room was shifted toward gray scale a little, but as he recuperated, everything came back into focus and color.


    Playing the game so actively, especially with the way Sam used the skills with the first-generation helmet, always put a strain on the body. One would expect the strain on the mind, but for some reason, the entire body was affected by it. There were little shakes and sometimes when he moved, there were phantom pains shooting through his body. Sam mostly chalked this up to the gaming helmet not being up to the task. While it was a rather mature technology, having reached the thirteenth generation, this was the first time a game like Magic Unbound was played on it. The game was simply too different and the helmet didn''t really have the tools to properly handle it. It was safe. There was no question about that. The regulatory authorities made sure, as there had been several accidents, murders, and even a few death games reminiscent of the anime he watched in his past life. But that was all in the past when the technology first came out. There were so many safeties in the thing that doing anything to it would be almost impossible.


    And Magic Unbound was all about the impossible...


    With the way it was affecting his body, Sam was reminded of all the stories he consumed during his last life, and he almost expected that he would need to fight invading inter-dimensional aliens who gave the virtual reality tech to the world¡¯s governments to prepare the populace for a deadly dimensional arena fight. That wasn''t going to happen though. At least not for the next ten-ish years, unless his actions affected the timeline in a really unexpected way.


    Idle musing aside, he sat up from the couch, placed the gaming helmet on his stand, and stretched a little. The bone-weary exhaustion he felt in the game was not fully gone, but he didn¡¯t feel like he would collapse into a puddle of bone dust only to be ferried away by a gentle breeze.


    Sam left the room, took a shower, ate a healthy meal, checked the news, and made sure that his investments that were independent of the game and his gaming company were still doing good and just lazed around a little. He even played some small indie game that was basically asteroid but on steroids. It was a good time waster.


    But in the end, the call to work was too strong.


    Sam stood up from his couch, stretched once again, groaned in satisfaction when he heard his back crack, and with a sigh, returned to his office, plopping down in front of his computer.


    Half an hour later, he was also caught up with the gaming news. Magic Unbound was increasingly dominating the fantasy and roleplaying genre, with a lot of people clamoring for a game made of the same quality but sci-fi-themed.


    Magic Unbound was a fantasy game, but with the technological development they were capable of, Sam suspected that the endgame would probably happen in space after somebody fully conquered the planet.


    Thankfully, other types of games weren¡¯t really feeling the squeeze as Magic Unbound really didn¡¯t have car racing or first-person shooter. Though, tragically, most farming simulators died a quick death as Magic Unbound provided a much more realistic and fantastical experience for those who wanted to take joy in raising the flora of the world.


    Another industry that was majorly affected by the game was the streaming industry. When the game came out a lot of small names jumped to try the game, just to ride the initial wave, but with the ever-increasing popularity, not long ago, even the big names jumped ship.


    As he casually scrolled through the streaming site, he saw everything from people doing fracture speed runs to scantily clad women and men prancing in front of the camera or in medieval jacuzzis.


    He had to scroll down a few seconds to even find the first, a stream that was not about Magic Unbound.


    Liz wasn¡¯t currently streaming, but a quick click on his favorites led him to her site and another few clicks provided him with her public-facing statistics. Lucy got the full raw data per the contract so he could have asked for it, but he only wanted to do a simple check.


    Her numbers were good, much better than the ones he saw when he looked her up a few months ago. Liz wasn¡¯t the top streamer, but being a woman and having such a unique skill made sure that she was very visible.


    Satisfied, he turned his attention toward Shadowland. Where he found, to his joy, that most of the attention, at least in the Emerald Kingdom section, was centered around the new fracture that was going to be made available by the kingdom.


    The same one he tricked Katie¡¯s dad into focusing on.


    It was a pretty great dungeon if you had the money to fund your expeditions. Most people did it once, just to say they did it and gave up on it. Farming it was economically impossible. At least with the current level and magic knowledge.


    Any of the powerhouses from his future knowledge would have been able to bulldoze through it with the sheer amount of health and defenses they had but for the current players?


    It was mathematically impossible!


    Why? Because the poison was a rare type of dimensional poison that required an equal amount of antidote to fight against. In short, the dimensional nature of the poison actively destroyed the antidote in the players¡¯ system. This meant that no matter how long an antidote lasted, if you got hit by an ounce of venom, you would need to drink an ounce of antidote.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    And the antidote wasn¡¯t cheap.


    More importantly, the entire dungeon was filled almost to bursting with this exact type of poison gas.


    But nobody knew this, so everybody was hoarding the antidote and planning for the riches that would come from the dungeon. Granted, there were a few skill books and materials that were worth a lot of money, but their drop rate was so low that it was worth importing them from other countries that had easier fractures that dropped them.


    Sam just made sure that the AFK company bought a lot of base materials for the antidotes and their supermarkets sold them with a hefty markup.


    Grinning evilly, he connected to the server where Lucy stored some of the data for the company, and after entering a rather lengthy password and biometric identification, he took a quick peek at the income from those materials. He couldn¡¯t help but let out a cackle.


    ¡®Try to kill me, hah! I will kill your purse!¡¯ he gloated in his mind as he took in the amount of money they generated from the sales. And when the time was ripe for it, Lucy would dump the remaining materials on the market, causing another frenzy.


    ¡®I do love when a plan comes together¡­¡¯


    His joy was short-lived, however, when his thoughts turned to another task he wanted to deal with.


    Sighing quietly, he minimized the windows and opened up one of his messaging apps, the one used to communicate with his team. A few messages back and forth to make sure the person on the other end was online, and he was listening to the call ringing.


    In short order, he was face to face with a short brown-haired girl, sitting elegantly in front of whatever device they used, the high quality of everything behind them clear to him even with his amateurish taste. She was also shifting anxiously and frowning a little.


    ¡°Sam? You wanted to talk?¡±


    He sighed again.


    ¡°Yeah, Katie. Nothing bad, but I needed to have a word with you,¡± he said, and the frown on the girl deepened.


    ¡°Is this about my dad? Did he offer you something to dump me?¡± she asked, and while it was well hidden, Sam still could hear a little quiver in her voice.


    ¡°Nothing like that!¡± he was quick to reassure the girl. ¡°It¡¯s about the fracture run¡­¡±


    Instantly, she perked up and the dullness of her eyes was lost. ¡°Oh, what about that? It was awesome! All those stupid bears¡­¡± she began to chatter excitedly.


    Sam held up a hand and waited until the girl quieted down.


    ¡°Exactly. The bears,¡± he began, steeling himself. ¡°Look, Katie. I like you. We all like you. But your roleplaying is going a little too far. I get it that you like to play the berserker, but you take it too far.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°When I say ¡®Don¡¯t charge at the bears!¡¯ I mean it. And I would like if you listened to my instructions.¡±


    ¡°But we killed them!¡±


    ¡°Yes, because we¡¯re OP as fuck. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t say anything there. I didn¡¯t want to ruin the mood,¡± he explained. ¡°Anywhere else, however, we would have been dead five times over because Clarissa had to focus on healing you because you were always charging at things¡­¡± he finished with a pleading note, hoping that Katie wouldn¡¯t take it the wrong way.


    The girl tilted her head to the side (rather adorably) and, after a few seconds, spoke up.


    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is¡­ that I can¡¯t charge at things?¡±


    ¡°No, no¡­ You can! I just want to make sure you follow my orders. You do whatever you feel like and works, but the moment I say don¡¯t charge, you don¡¯t charge. Got it?¡±


    Katie looked back with that stereotypical rich girl look that somehow looked cute but at the same time conveyed the feeling that the owner of the look was considering how to fillet up the one they were speaking with.


    Finally, after a full minute of silence, Katie looked away from the camera.


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± she murmured.


    It was Sam¡¯s turn to be surprised. ¡°Why are you sorry?¡±


    She hesitated for a few seconds, even looking around furtively before speaking.


    ¡°I was just having so much fun that I kinda forgot about all that. When I¡¯m in the game, I¡¯m not the same person. It¡¯s really easy to get lost in that¡­¡±


    Sam listened, then nodded.


    A pretty common issue from what he could tell from his inherited memories. Fortunately, thanks to that, there were also a lot of common techniques to deal with that.


    He smiled at her encouragingly and began speaking.


    ¡°Alright, Katie. Here is what you do¡­¡±


    As he spoke, the young woman on the other side went from morose to attentive with a small smile playing in the corner of her mouth.


    <hr>


    Dealing with Katie was emotionally draining. Neither the other Sam whose body and memories he inherited, nor he, were great with people. Hell, in his past life he only left his apartment when he needed food or one of his very few friends dragged him out. So, dealing with Katie, who was very much an emotional person, was a challenge. Still, Sam believed that he had nipped a developing issue in the bud and now he could focus on something else.


    Which, naturally, was creating even more chaos.


    Returning to the Shadowland boards, he spent a few minutes looking through the requests that he had received and finding the ones about the new poison fracture.


    Sam, the nice man he was, sold them everything that was known currently about the fracture. Thankfully, to cover for himself, he had Lucy investigate and acquire the antidote recipe and stuff like that, so nobody could say he was pulling the information out of his ass.


    And nobody would be able to complain that he didn¡¯t know about the nature of the poison in the fractal¡­


    ¡®Sometimes, my evil even surprises myself¡­¡¯ he mused as he continued to answer requests from all sorts of people while making a decent amount of money.


    <hr>


    The game welcomed him with open arms, exactly where he left his character in his own tent built in one of the corners of the outpost set up for this exact purpose. In the game, the reason was that the government didn¡¯t want to pay for accommodations for the flighty and destructive adventurers thus they just provided a fenced-off area and told the adventurers to solve their own issues.


    He exited his tent, stretched, and looked around. The crowd was still the same. The majority of them were gold (and silver) farmers, going through the motions with a few flamboyant groups intermixed with them all congregating toward the cliff face.


    Wandering over to one of the unoccupied picnic tables, while making sure there were no hidden Eternal Light members ready to ambush him, he opened his skill and status screen and stared at it, pondering the possibilities.


    ¡®Level 50 was given, and I got it. But I doubt my sword skill will be enough to impress them¡­¡¯ he mused as he thought back to the NPC at the Training Hall. ¡®I¡¯ll need to level up the skills a few more times before I go back. But where to?¡¯


    He had several options, including continuing farming the silver bear fracture, as it was currently called by people on the net. But honestly, he was a little sick of it. Then his eyes fell on one of his other quests.


    ¡®I do need to kill a lot of demons¡­ Why not two birds with one stone?¡¯


    Decisions made, he stood up, closed the screens, took a last look around, and headed for the gates while starting to send out messages. First his team, so that they would know where to go, and then to Lucy to make sure everything was prepared for his arrival.


    ¡°Back to Ironwood we go¡­¡± he murmured.


    Leaving the outpost, he followed the road for a while, then quickly veered off it and entered the sparse forest with all the speed he was capable of. Not sensing anyone following him, he called out to Lucky who emerged from the shadow of a tree branch up high, scaring a poor squirrel almost to death, and landed in front of him with a wolfish grin.


    ¡°Ready for a long run, buddy?¡±

 Chapter 135

    As he rushed through the greenery of the kingdom toward the city of Ironwood, Sam began musing about his plans. The ultimate goal, of course, was the Dark Lands, home to one of the biggest demon polities. Sadly, even with his recently raised level, the area was way out of his league, but he could certainly start making progress toward it.


    The Dark Lands were nowhere in the world, as it was banished long ago in a pocket dimension without sun, only the light of the moon illuminating it by ancient archmages after an apocalyptical battle.


    All pretty standard fantasy stuff.


    Reaching the hidden realms could be done through one of the nine official gates that anchored the pocket realm to this one, each guarded by elite squadrons of paladins in the employ of the biggest empires around the world. Not even saving the life of an emperor would grant him the chance to even look at them.


    They were also protected from the other side by the demons as the gates made sure that the pocket realm that held the Dark Lands didn¡¯t drift off into the infinite emptiness in the dimensional sea. Nobody wanted that. Thus, going there through official channels was impossible in the short term.


    And Sam doubted the demon he had met in that Administration building would be patient enough to wait for him to ascend to the throne of an emperor. By the time the other Sam died, there were rumors that one of the guilds was close enough to place one of their own on the seat, but both he and his alternate self firmly believed that those were just that, rumors.


    The developers made sure that while smaller towns and cities were ¡®relatively¡¯ easy to take over, going after a country or even an empire would be a logistical, economic, and organizational nightmare. If the players wanted to rule, they would have to fight for it. Or play the deadliest game of all, politics, and ascend to the throne that way.


    And even smaller cities that were ¡®relatively¡¯ easy to take over were nightmares in their own right. The guards could be supplanted by any medium guild, but if the person placed to lead the city didn¡¯t have the right connections, titles, and most importantly, reputation that was required of the person of that station, they would soon find themselves at first ostracized from the circles of nobility and then kneeling in front of the king, queen or whatever the local ruler called themselves, while behind them the executioner sharpened their blade.


    The forums were already full of guilds bragging about being ready to take over villages, towns, and even some third-tier cities. Sam just made sure Lucy had a list of those imbeciles in the Emerald Kingdom so their company was ready to swoop in after their ¡®genius¡¯ plans failed.


    But back to the Dark Lands.


    The official routes were barred for him for the foreseeable future. However, as expected of the demons, there were probably thousands, maybe even tens of thousands, of unofficial ways to access the Dark Lands.


    Most of these involved arcane rituals or building your own gate using some kind of reagent or artifact from the Dark Lands to anchor the ritual, but those were mostly there to call upon certain denizens of the pocket dimension.


    He already had the attention of one of them. He didn¡¯t need more.


    Thus, his options were narrowed down to the Shadow Tunnels. Which were small dimensional tunnels anchored to specific spaces or even artifacts that allowed hidden access to the Dark Lands.


    Naturally, they were expertly hidden and protected by all manner of magic, curses, and monsters. Over the decade of memories that he had about the game, there were only three of these tunnels mentioned, and always in hushed whispers, with nothing ever being confirmed. They were insanely valuable. That¡¯s why Sam spent so much time and effort to hunt for one of them, in the end, succeeding against all odds.


    It was one of the pieces of information that the other Sam was killed over. He planned to smuggle goods through it and make a bank, then after acquiring initial funds, knowing he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep it secret forever, he planned to approach the nearest kingdom to the location and offer up the tunnel for a position in their government.


    The plan was much more complicated than that, but Sam had no need for that. The location of the Shadow Tunnel was seared in the other Sam¡¯s mind, and thus into his. Reaching it would have to wait until he was around Level 100 and had a few more skills to his name, but starting on the journey would only make his life much easier later.


    The Emerald Kingdom, or officially, the Kingdom of the Emerald Crown, was a country with much greenery but at least as much as a mountainous area. The lower parts of these mountains were part of the kingdom, but the very tops were usually a no man¡¯s land thanks to the fearsome monsters and other fantastical magical phenomena. And to his knowledge, the best target for his demon-killing quest was to be found there.


    Thankfully, he could get the resources necessary in Ironwood and start on the roads carved through the centuries by miners, explorers, and merchants.


    <hr>


    He approached the gates of Ironwood with a hood on and the Chameleon mask activated. Back at the capital, he was a small fry, but here, countless people wanted his head, or worse. Sam was happy to see that there was a sizeable crowd entering the city, most of them players, who would no doubt head to the supermarkets operated by his company to stock up and head back out to farm the fractures or the monsters of the world.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Navigating through the streets, he took a little detour, making sure to check on the aforementioned supermarkets. Sam was pretty happy to see that the customers, merchants, and craftsmen (and craftswomen) were happily interacting under the new crystalline skylights.


    Soon, however, he was at the company headquarters. In a side alley, he took off the hood, then meandered through several other alleys where he used the mask to change his appearance back to the original.


    He walked into the building, head held high, and guards bowing to him. He smiled at them and nodded in greeting, but his eyes were on the shiny new doors behind the receptionists.


    ¡°Welcome back, my lord!¡± they greeted him at the same time with polite smiles on their faces.


    ¡°Thank you. Is everything in order?¡± he asked, casting his mana afar to make sure somebody didn¡¯t plan an attack on the building at the exact moment he returned. Thankfully, aside from a few suspicious mana signatures, he didn¡¯t see anybody.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± came the answer from the woman, while the man simply smiled. ¡°As you can see, we recently installed the¡­ elevator,¡± she stated, a little hesitant on the last word. ¡°You can only use it to access the public spaces. You will need to request a key from the Director, my lord,¡± she explained with a small bow.


    ¡°Does it have access to the first warehouse?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°That will do for now. Thank you for the information. Have a nice day!¡± he told them and walked over to the doors of the elevator. He pressed the button, which lit up with magic, and he simply waited for the elevator to arrive.


    A few seconds later, with the most stereotypical ding, the doors withdrew, and he was met with a pretty sizeable room. He stepped in, pressed the button for the warehouse where he could unload the loot he gathered, and watched with glee as the door closed in front of him.


    ¡®Finally, no more stairs¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    Dropping the mountains of loot from the two fractures they ransacked into the warehouse where workers would sort and store them, he returned to the elevator and ascended to the highest floor possible. There, he left the elevator and returned to the stairs.


    Lucy was sadly not available, as she was out of the office having a meeting with some city officials, but her loyal secretary was already waiting for him with the key, shaped like a metal card the size of an old credit card, made from a unique alloy and a strip of crystal that was the mainstay of Liz¡¯s creations.


    Sam pocketed it, left a few instructions and packets of information with the secretary for Lucy to peruse later, and returned to the streets. Ready to do a small sightseeing in the city as well as stock up on basic tools and resources while he waited for the others to arrive.


    ¡®Maybe we can get some mounts while in the mountains¡­¡¯


    After being done with the round trip around the city for those, he headed for the Merchant Association.


    He needed a reason to head into the mountains, and why not make some money off it?


    The Association was bustling with people, all of them in pursuit of one thing.


    Money.


    He was very quickly recognized as one of the biggest business owners in the city and led to a separate room by a woman, who looked at him like Lucky looked at juicy steaks.


    She bowed a little and took a seat behind the desk.


    ¡°How may the Merchant Association help you today, my lord?¡±


    He gave her a tight smile. ¡°I¡¯m here to check what kind of requests the Associations have. We¡¯re planning on heading to the mountains and I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­why not mix business with pleasure?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± he answered the woman, who was already paging through documents looking for the requested information.


    ¡°As you may know, we, here at the Merchant Association, are always looking for profitable opportunities,¡± she explained, while slowly selecting a paper. ¡°For example, we recently received a rather sizeable request for materials from beyond the border of the country.¡± She then handed over the paper to Sam.


    He took it and began reading it.


    It was a list of materials that the Merchant Association would buy from them, minus, of course, the handling fee. And taxes.


    ¡°This seems exactly what I¡¯m looking for!¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± she beamed. ¡°Then let¡¯s get a contract and¨C¡°


    ¡°Indeed. Let¡¯s talk about prices¡­¡± he interrupted her with a grin.


    Her professionalism only allowed a minor twitch of her eyes to show upon hearing that. She picked up a pen and held it ready.


    ¡°What were you thinking, my lord?¡± she asked with a flat face.


    Sam just grinned again and began the negotiations.


    <hr>


    He met his team at the gates of the city, where a small temporary rest stop was set up for travelers who came on caravans or for those who didn¡¯t want to chance the streets of the city with their carts. It also quickly became the official meeting place for adventurers.


    ¡°Looking for a tank! Minimum Level 30!¡±


    ¡°Healer! We need a healer for the mine!¡±


    ¡°Fire mage looking for a party!¡±


    ¡°Ice mage looking for smart people who don¡¯t take fire mages into narrow tunnels!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    On and on it went, the guards having to break up several fights that broke out between aspiring players. He could even spot some guild recruiters who were skulking around, and watching everybody.


    He simply sat there and watched the people. It was rather relaxing, actually.


    Soon, however, he was broken out of his reverie.


    ¡°Hey, boss! We are here!¡±


    He looked up and saw Dan with Clarissa and Katie in tow, heading toward him. Just as they got off some rented horses, the poor, exhausted animals were instantly led away by the stable workers for their well-deserved rest.


    ¡°We really need to get some mounts for you guys¡­¡± he mused out loud as he got up from his seat.


    Katie instantly grabbed poor Puffball from her head where it was dozing and hugged the eldritch cat to herself. ¡°My precious Puffball is almost ready! I don¡¯t need any stinky animals to ride!¡± she declared while the cat tried to claw itself out of the death grip.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, one of my skills needs a few more levels, and bamm! Instant big cat!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great and all, but we don¡¯t have eldritch abominations as pets, so we actually need mounts,¡± Clarissa grumbled as she motioned at herself and Dan who nodded in agreement.


    ¡°I was thinking about hellhounds. Those are always on fire¡­¡±


    Sam just shook his head good-naturedly while beginning to walk away.


    ¡°Come on, guys. I have an idea for the mounts!¡±


    Clarissa grinned, mirrored by Dan, while Katie just petted her cat, who seemed to have accepted its fate with great resignation.

 Chapter 136

    Their trip toward the mountains was as leisurely as possible.


    They discussed current news about the world of Magic Unbound as well as a few real-world events. When they ran out of topics to talk about, Sam began explaining the concept of Evolution Ritual in case they managed to find mounts or familiars for the rest of the team.


    He didn¡¯t have the time to deep dive into the topic, but he had Lucy do a little research about the topic and had been reading the copied material in his free time. After all, the other Sam didn¡¯t really know much about runes, so he wanted to make sure he didn¡¯t miss anything.


    Plus, he wanted to see if he could improve on the process. It was a long shot, but it was an interesting project.


    They made sure to stop for a few minutes at the entrance to the mine shaft where the fracture was that the Silvercrest family controlled. Long lines of players were waiting to get underground, and the area on one side was full of people yelling loudly, trying to put together competent teams to challenge the fracture. On the other side, exiting the underground structure were exhausted but happy people, returning from challenging the fracture, either boasting to each other, and the surroundings or simply waving around their newfound items.


    Sam suspected they would be deprived of said objects in short order after leaving the vicinity of the mine shaft entrance based on some covetous looks on people¡¯s faces.


    Satisfied that the business was going well, they simply walked through the crowd and stepped upon the road that led through the mountains. It was still an area that was patrolled by the guards of Ironwood and a lot of adventurers so, they didn¡¯t really expect much action.


    The winding road only went up midway through a small mountain, but even at its highest point, you could see the forests surrounding the base of the mountains and the plains of the Emerald Kingdom.


    Sam and his team were attacked by a few lone earth golems, but they were quickly defeated by Lucky while they didn¡¯t even stop to look at the monsters.


    A few hours after they started their journey, they reached a rest station up in the mountains. It was a flat recess in the mountainside where the Merchant Association had carved a simple structure into the stone while leaving enough space for a few dozen carts to rest. It was mostly there so that merchants could rest the animals that pulled their wagons, and so that people who ventured deeper into the mountain range would have a base to return to if needed.


    Currently, it was empty, so Sam directed his team to one of the tables that was set up so that it provided an excellent view of the surroundings and motioned them to sit down while joining them.


    He retrieved the list he was given back at the Association and laid it on the table with a rudimentary map.


    ¡°This is one of our tasks,¡± he waved his hand at the list of materials. ¡°The other one is to look for errant fractures.¡±


    ¡°Do you think there are fractures up in the mountains?¡± Dan asked.


    Clarissa snorted. ¡°Of course, there are. Probably hidden, so we either find it or the monsters inside break free.¡±


    Sam nodded in agreement. ¡°That was my thought, too. There are probably fewer of them up there, as fewer players frequent the area, but my gaming senses tell me that there is treasure up there!¡±


    Clarissa nodded. ¡°No doubt, deep inside jungles and deserts, as well as under the sea, the situation is the same. A few hidden fractures that, if not found, erupt with monster waves. Basic game design, but make sense in the lore.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you convinced me,¡± Dan said. ¡°What about mounts?¡±


    Sam just shrugged. ¡°There are a lot of weird or powerful monsters up there. There is a chance that we can find something that you would like to tame, or maybe, if we are extremely lucky, we find eggs.¡±


    ¡°Like the one Katie got her crazy cat from?¡±


    ¡°Exactly¡­¡±


    ¡°Any idea what we could find?¡±


    Sam knew every one of them, as they would become a major export of Ironwood. ¡°Not a clue!¡± he cheerfully told his friend. ¡°That¡¯s why we are here. To find them! To boldly go where no players have ever gone before!¡±


    ¡°And have sex with them?¡± Katie asked rapidly, with a mischievous smile on her face.


    ¡°Ye¡­ No, Katie.¡± He replied, glaring at the smaller girl while Clarissa snorted and Dan let out a guffaw. ¡°Bad Katie.¡±


    She just giggled.


    Sam was happy to see that his earlier admonishment didn¡¯t diminish her cheer. Now he only needed to see if her behavior also changed in battle.


    ¡°Anyway¡­¡± he spoke up and began pointing on the crude map. ¡°As you can see the map I managed to get,¡± read: he asked Lucy to get him one. ¡°is pretty basic. We are going to leave the road here, then go up on this path until we reach there. From there, we have several options, but we can only make decisions up there. Any questions?¡±


    ¡°What kind of opposition can we expect?¡±


    Katie perked up instantly and Dan nodded along to Clarissa¡¯s question.


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    ¡°Golems. A lot of golems. Goats, bears, and birds of all sizes.¡±


    ¡°Demonic goats?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡±


    ¡°Any other questions?¡±


    They all shook their heads, and Sam nodded. ¡°Then a final check of the equipment and we can go!¡±


    Sam watched as they began to open their status screen to check this and that and turned to take in the sights.


    The mountain range touching the Emerald Kingdom was breathtaking. It touched several countries as it almost bisected the continent, but to his knowledge, at this time only the rare expeditions tried to approach the middle mountain.


    In the future, there would be countless player-led expeditions trying to reach that specific mountain, as it was rumored to hide some great secrets. But thanks to the monsters unleashed by the fractures plus the already present monsters on the mountain that were already pretty strong, nobody had accomplished it according to his inherited memories.


    His reason for heading to the mountains was connected to this tangentially.


    Years later, there was a monster break that almost destroyed Ironwood and the surrounding area that was found to be originating from up high in the mountains. A fracture that wasn¡¯t cleared finally broke and unleashed a demonic horde of monsters on the world.


    And he was here to make use of it. He didn¡¯t know exactly where the fracture was, only that it was around the peak of one of the closest mountains to Ironwood. He hoped that with his Mana Senses stretched to the maximum, he could sense the turbulent mana of the portal and head there directly.


    He looked back at his team and saw they were all ready.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Adventure awaits us!¡±


    <hr>


    Predictably the golems that called the mountains their home began bombarding them with attacks the moment they entered the path leading deeper into the mountain range. However, thanks to Clarissa and Sam¡¯s shields they didn¡¯t really have many problems with the periodical stone avalanches they tried to bury them under.


    As the golems weren¡¯t high enough level to provide them with many experience points, they simply ignored them and charged through whenever the simple constructs tried to block their way. Or had Puffball and Lucky have a little fun with them.


    Heading deeper, the golems got bigger and rarer, also much calmer. As the earth-attuned mana grew, so did their intelligence. They saw several towering earthen constructs tending to their rock gardens, or simply sitting in the middle of flat space and staring at nothing. They even spotted a smaller one that was spending its time carving figures into rock. The figures themselves were misshapen and unrecognizable to Sam and his team, but the golem seemed to be having fun.


    As they went by the golem proudly gestured toward its latest work that reminded Sam of a pool noodle that was halfway melted then somebody tried to use a knife to carve away the melted parts.


    They gave the proud golem a small applause and headed higher and deeper.


    <hr>


    Leaving behind the eccentric golems, though Sam suspected they walked over a few of them, as he knew from his memories that most of the bigger golems simply sit so long in one place that they become part of the scenery, forming their own mountains.


    One theory was that the central mountain was actually an ancient golem that was protecting some insane treasure.


    Their first non-golem enemy was, to everybody¡¯s surprise, a goat.


    It was the size of a pony with a wicked sharp horn and used its ear-torturing cry as a sonic attack.


    Sadly, they didn¡¯t stop it in time, and the first cry echoed around the walls of the mountains, which was soon answered by more and more bleating and rumbling.


    ¡°Well, great¡­ Goat avalanche¡­¡± Dan muttered as he stared at the quickly destroyed corpse of the goat monster. ¡°Do they even drop anything interesting?¡±


    Clarissa quickly opened up the forums and did a quick search while Sam kept an eye out. He knew the answer, but he didn¡¯t want to become the guy who had all the answers.


    ¡°Not much drop research, but the skin, meat, and other products sell for a nice amount. Horns are the most sought-after. The bigger, the better,¡± she reported after skimming through the forums. ¡°Somebody apparently also got a Sonic Scream skill book¡­¡±


    ¡°Any good?¡±


    ¡°Eh, according to this, if you don¡¯t have some way to protect your vocal cords you get a debuff after using it¡­¡±


    ¡°Lame¡­¡±


    Sam nodded, knowing that such skills could be easy to find. Hell, his body enhancement skills would probably do the trick. A little practice with his mana, and he would be golden.


    ¡°We can sell it if it drops unless one of you wants it,¡± he spoke up as he began dismantling the corpse. ¡°We still need to hunt them. They¡¯re on the list.¡±


    He was sure that his teammates said something, but the next second, another goat monster jumped up to where they were and let loose an earth-shattering scream.


    Rubbing his ears after Katie simply shattered the poor beast with one strike, he turned to them. ¡°Channel mana into your ears and coat them with it. That should protect you from most of the damage.¡±


    According to his senses, Clarissa managed on the first try, while Dan took a few tries and by the time he finished salvaging what he could from the second goat, Katie managed to create a bubble of mana around her head, looking through his Mana Sense as if she was walking around with a fishbowl on her head.


    They spent the next few hours fighting goats.


    The bleaters were pretty easy to deal with when they were alone, but when in groups their screams became brutal barrages that taxed Clarissa and Sam¡¯s shields to the maximum. Still, the materials kept piling up and even the experience points were coming in a non-negligible amount.


    They didn¡¯t stay in one place, continuously heading forward with Sam searching with his Mana Sense. Thanks to it, they found a few small deposits of magical ores, but so far nothing interesting.


    <hr>


    It was after another battle with a herd of goats that contained a bigger goat than the others (around the size of a small adult horse) that something happened. The monster itself surprisingly didn¡¯t use sonic scream but earth magic to create concave walls of the earth to further reflect the sound coming from its brethren.


    Ground Shake was an excellent tool to destroy those walls¡­


    But the event that happened was that something finally pinged at the edges of his Mana Sense.


    ¡°I found something!¡± he called out, and they all stopped harvesting the dead animals surrounding them.


    He began turning, looking in the direction his senses were telling him the mana signature was. He raised his hand and pointed.


    ¡°There! Something is there!¡±


    His friends stepped up next to him and began straining their eyes to see.


    ¡°In that clearing almost opposite of us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¡°The one that has only one visible path to it that is teeming with herds of goats?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¡°The one that has giant birds flying above it? Oh look, one of them just snatched a goat away. Aaand the goat looks tiny in its claws. That one?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Sam looked at the others and motioned toward the rest of the carcasses. ¡°Let¡¯s go deal with the bodies first, then we can do a little more scouting before heading over there.¡±


    Clarissa nodded glumly, as she hated handling dead animals and Dan didn¡¯t answer as he was constantly looking up, probably seeing if any of the giant birds were there to snatch them up. Katie was already butchering one of the goats.


    ¡°Ugh, I hate the blood¡­¡±


    ¡°There is a glove spell, you know¡­¡±


    Clarissa¡¯s head snapped up, and she stared at Sam, aghast. ¡°THERE IS?¡±


    Sam just looked confused. ¡°They teach it at the Healer Guild. But you need to be part of the guild to learn it. So, it¡¯s the Clean spell for us plebeians¡­¡±


    Clarissa just stared at him for a few seconds then returned to the butchering while angrily muttering under her breath about annoyingly cryptic teachers while the rest of them shared a glance and tried to keep their giggling to the minimum.

 Chapter 137

    Thankfully, the giant birds ignored them in favor of feasting on the loudly bleating goats, who somehow seemed to be fighting back.


    It was really weird seeing giant goats blasting sonic shockwaves at giant birds who retaliated with either beaks and claws or great gusts of wind mana.


    As they clambered over the mountainside, trying to find a route that would take them closer to their target, he eagerly watched the birds, the lords of the sky, use their wind mana. It was extremely valuable to watch monsters in their natural environment using their preferred mana. Several players in his inherited memories claimed to have studied monsters to attain great powers. Naturally, they didn¡¯t share any secrets, but Sam didn¡¯t need those.


    It just made sense to learn from those who instinctively used the mana he also wielded.


    His senses, at least those not keeping an eye out for an ambush, were aimed at the giant birds, Storm Eagles, and he kept watching as the wind mana swirled around them in an oddly hypnotic pattern, before swelling momentarily and then being let loose against those blasted bleating goats.


    His team walked behind Sam in a single line, gingerly stepping around loose stones while also keeping a wary eye out for attacks.


    There were some really sneaky goats¡­


    For a moment, Sam considered convincing Dan to take one of the goats as a familiar, but he realized that the loud bleating would become annoying quickly.


    Plus, his scholar friend¡¯s heart was set on a fire-type monster¡­


    It took them only half an hour to reach the area where the battle was happening, wading through several groups of goats that seemed to be guarding the area. However, as they had already fought a lot of these monsters, they had learned their behavior, so it was pretty easy for the team to destroy them.


    Because of the urgency of their movement, they only picked up the most important parts, leaving the carcasses in the open for any predator to finish them off.


    He held up a hand, and the group stopped.


    ¡°Ready?¡± he whispered, not taking his eyes off the battle in front of them.


    ¡°We just head for the cave?¡± Dan whispered back, nervously clutching his already sizzling club.


    ¡°Yeah. The birds are still too strong for us in these numbers,¡± he explained.


    The Storm Eagles were strong, yes, but when alone, their team would be able to take them down. In a group supporting each other, the battle could be won, but he didn¡¯t want to bother for now.


    His target was the anomalous mana signature that he suspected to be a fracture.


    ¡°So, we Leeroy?¡±


    ¡°We Leeroy,¡± he agreed, inwardly extremely amused that the famous meme was alive even in this dimension.


    Clarissa just sighed while Katie giggled in anticipation.


    <hr>


    They huddled down and while Clarissa began layering them with buffs, the others began picking targets that they would need to eliminate on their way to the cave entrance they could see from their hiding place.


    The monsters, meanwhile, just kept going at each other.


    Sam frowned. Usually, monsters kept to their own areas, rarely leaving it. This fight, this battle, was extremely uncharacteristic of them.


    Granted, the goat monsters were jerks at the best of times, but Storm Eagles were pretty chill unless somebody spent a long time pissing them off. ¡®Probably the bleating¡­¡¯ he thought. Even taking their young wouldn¡¯t piss them off this much. They were pretty bad parents¡­


    ¡°Everybody got their targets?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡±


    ¡°Sure do!¡±


    ¡°Buffs are on.¡±


    Sam took a deep breath and let his mana loose. He spent a few seconds getting familiar with the turbulent mana in the area before unsheathing his sword.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    They rushed out of their hiding spot with great explosions thanks to Dan. A sea of flames covered the flat piece of ground that was worn down by eons of geological movements, monsters, and natural phenomena. Or somebody with a very sharp sword.


    Sam used his control over the air to send out pockets of wind that caused localized explosions that distracted the goats, killing several of them, and sending the eagles high up in the air with cries of distress.


    The team just rushed forward, covered by Clarissa and Sam¡¯s shields, while Katie sent out giant crescent-shaped yellow energy from her sword leaving goats and a few daring Storm Eagles with bleeding wounds that looked rather jagged.


    The distance between their hiding space and the cave entrance wasn¡¯t that long, but there were at least a hundred, if not more, goats between them and the cave and the air was teeming with eagles eager to gather some snacks for later.


    The first few seconds were filled with goats dying left and right, but the monsters soon gathered their wits, and while a lot of them kept bleating at the aggressive birds, the nearest ones turned toward Sam¡¯s team.


    Smiling grimly, he let loose several Blade Storms in their direction, hitting them head-on. The bleating was particularly painful.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Thanks to the speed-increasing buffs, they made good time. Granted, Sam, and probably Katie, could have crossed the distance in a few seconds, as they were more physically focused.


    But teamwork made the dream work¡­


    Halfway through the rocky clearing, the Storm Eagles realized that there was more food on the battlefield and one of them tried to dive-bomb them. Claws out and beak open in a hungry cry, it dove at them at impressive speed.


    It was only Sam who could see the wind mana swirl around the gigantic monster, with a wingspan of at least twenty feet, as the mana boosted the monster¡¯s speed. And more than likely, its deadliness.


    Still running, he raised his trusty sword and after a brief moment of concentration released a sharp burst of wind mana, stabbing toward the rapidly approaching bird monster.


    The attack wasn¡¯t strong enough to kill the bird as he was running while also keeping up a shield and making sure nothing surprised them, but it contained enough of his own wind mana to disrupt the bird¡¯s dive, causing it to crash into their shield with a surprised squeak.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Clarissa grunted. ¡°That took out a big chunk of the shield¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there!¡± Katie cried out excitedly, waving her giant sword around.


    They were indeed closing in on the cave entrance.


    Thankfully, the goats seemed disinterested in preventing them from reaching it. They just tried to attack them. With attacks and sonic shocks that were easy to block or avoid.


    Plus, Sam got the sense that they didn¡¯t really like the blazing hot fire sea that Dan conjured up.


    The Storm Eagles, seeing one of their own fail at attacking them demonstrated much more intelligence than the goats that still tried to find a way through the blazing inferno while their own infernal bleating did its best to drive them insane, and turned their attention back to the distracted goats.


    They practically fell through the cave¡¯s entrance as behind them, the goats and eagles continued their clash in the ashes of Sam and his team¡¯s spells.


    The moment they were a few yards in, Sam stomped on the ground and raised several layers of Earth Walls at the entrance, blocking monsters from following them, only leaving enough space so that the air could flow.


    He straightened out, sword still in hand, and cast his Mana Sense deeper into the cave system while the rest of the team caught their breath.


    ¡°So, what is it?¡± Clarissa asked after finally evening out her labored breath while Sam made a note to have the young woman acquire a few physical passive skills.


    Sam frowned, closing his eyes and focusing on the magical phenomenon while trying to ignore the sounds of carnage outside of the cave. By the decreasing amount of bleating, he suspected the local population of Storm Eagles would be eating well for a while.


    Following the flow of mana, his senses soon arrived at the thing he sensed so far away. The pattern of the mana movement seemed like a fracture portal, but there were countless other things that it could be out here.


    He knew that there were actually space-mana-attributed ores that could, if collected in enough concentration, create ¡®natural¡¯ portals leading to random locations, including the bottom of the sea or over the clouds. For a while, in the future that would never be, it would become a popular assassination tool. Mostly for the views¡­


    ¡°I would say seventy percent chance it¡¯s a fracture¡­¡± he spoke up after a few seconds of contemplation.


    ¡®The question is¡­ is this the demonic portal?¡¯ he mused as his team began their newest spelunking adventure while trying not to step into goat droppings.


    <hr>


    Thankfully, the journey was rather short without any monsters attacking them. Their path was illuminated by Sam¡¯s Light Ball spell, with Katie walking ahead as a vanguard, as she was the most likely to survive any ambush or trap.


    However, aside from a lot of dried goat droppings, they found nothing dangerous.


    Then they were standing before the portal, and Sam frowned. He couldn¡¯t sense an ounce of demonic mana from the fracture. The portal swirled in front of them merrily with white-colored swirls mixing with earthly colors.


    ¡°Well, that is a fracture¡­¡± the team healer deadpanned. ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°A break and then we clear it,¡± Sam stated while stepping close enough that the notification would pop up.


    [You and your team found a new fracture, untouched by anybody!]


    [Fracture: Where the buck stops]


    [A Fracture high up in the mountains, surrounded by sparse flora but a rather loud fauna. If you don¡¯t go in and clear it, the people of the kingdom will probably dislike what¡¯s going to happen.]


    [Time Limit: ???]


    [Charges: 1/1]


    ¡°Good news, it¡¯s a small fracture!¡± he called out after finishing it.


    ¡°And the bad news?¡± Dan asked, coming up next to him, peering at the portal with concentration. No doubt trying to level up his own Mana Sense skill.


    ¡°If I read my clues right, we are going to throw down with goats again¡­¡±


    His only answer was a chorus of groans from the rest of the team.


    ¡°Cheer up! I sense this may have a surprise for us at the end!¡± he called out despite not sensing anything like that, but needs must, as they say. ¡°Let¡¯s take five, do a bio break, and then we can dive!¡±


    <hr>


    The fracture itself surprisingly wasn¡¯t a cave but a giant rocky clearing dotted with monolithic rocks that created a simplified maze.


    Filled to the brim with goats that started bleating the moment they sensed any movement, the gigantic rock formation echoed their voices around, creating a disorienting and dizzying environment.


    ¡°Hey look on the bright side, it could be worse!¡± Sam told the others as he tried to ignore the dirty glares.


    ¡°How?¡± Clarissa asked while putting an earmuff on. Why she had it in her inventory, Sam didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Dunno, imagine if they could fly¡­ Or fart lightning¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not¡­¡±


    Katie just snickered at their byplay and hefted her giant sword on her shoulder.


    ¡°Can we start? I haven¡¯t had a good fight in a while!¡±


    Sam exchanged a look with the others and nodded. ¡°Make sure to strike hard and fast. We want to prevent them from opening their mouths as much as possible.¡±


    This just made Katie even more excited.


    <hr>


    They blazed through the small fracture fueled by annoyance and pain in their ears. Sam was just thankful that they couldn''t get tinnitus from the game.


    The goats dropped the same type of materials as the ones outside of the fracture only a little higher quantity and quality with a few extra reagents and junk materials added. They still harvested every one of them, as selling goat¡¯s meat straight from an unknown fracture would net them a good amount of money.


    The maze was simple. They only had to use the wall-following method.


    They tried to jump up and simply run along the top of the monolithic stone structure, but the moment they reached a certain height, they found themselves touching down on the ground. It appeared that the fracture was really small.


    The final boss of the fracture was a three-headed goat who bleated to the rhythm of a song they had to figure out to get close to the loud menace and decapitate it.


    It dropped three Sonic Scream skill books and an old leather-bound journal that contained all manner of recipes for materials gathered from goats.


    They stood in a small circle, staring at the open journal with disappointment.


    ¡°No treasure?¡±


    ¡°No treasure¡­¡±


    ¡°Bah¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Thankfully, they didn¡¯t have to go back through the maze to leave the fracture as another portal was behind the stone circle that the three-headed goat boss used as its home.


    They approached the portal, all of them happy to leave those annoying goats behind, and stepped through the swirling dimensional magic.


    However, what they found on the other side stunned them speechless.


    It took an entire minute for one of them to break the silence.


    ¡°Hey, Sam, didn¡¯t we start at the top of a mountain?¡± Dan asked as they all looked at the deep valley, teeming with greenery, where they suddenly found themselves.


    Sam could only laugh nervously. ¡°Surprise?¡±

 Chapter 138

    ¡°How are we getting back?¡± came the expected question from a frustrated Clarissa. Katie just kept taking in the view, pointing out things for the clearly disinterested Puffball, and Dan, while listening with half an ear, was examining the place where the portal vanished.


    ¡°I, of course, have a plan!¡± he declared while he absolutely didn¡¯t have any plans.


    ¡°What is it?¡± came another predictable question from the irate healer. Sam had a feeling that she saw right through him.


    ¡°All in due time, my friend. First, let¡¯s look around. There must be a reason why the system led us here¡­¡± he answered, ¡®cleverly¡¯ sidestepping the main issue.


    Clarissa eyed him for a moment and then let out a sigh. ¡°Fine, but I¡¯m not walking back.¡±


    Sam nodded and silently joined Katie, also taking a look at the magnificent view provided by nature.


    Travel fractures, as the players called them, weren¡¯t exactly rare, but they weren¡¯t common either. They usually showed up when the system really wanted a player to show up somewhere. Sadly, not even his inherited memories held clues about how to recognize travel fractures. The most common theory was that the system altered the exit portal when the fracture was finished, so no player would be able to tell the difference.


    Still, while he didn¡¯t have an idea how they would get back to Ironwood, he hoped that the reason the system brought them here would also provide a way back. Maybe with another travel fracture, or a ¡®randomly¡¯ generated portal, or some other way.


    For now, the most important task was to find out where they were and why they were there.


    ¡°Anybody found anything?¡± he asked as he took in the tall mountains enveloping the rather sizeable valley in front of them. They probably wouldn¡¯t be leaving via mountain climbing.


    Clarissa just shook her head, but Dan was ready to report.


    ¡°Portal vanished like a fart in the wind. Can¡¯t sense even remnant mana.¡±


    Sam used his own mana sense to confirm the report and nodded in agreement. If he hadn¡¯t personally used the portal to arrive here, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell that there was once a fracture portal there.


    ¡°Katie? See anything interesting? Maybe some shenanigans?¡±


    ¡°More birds on the other side of the valley. And something is moving in the forest,¡± came the disconcerting report from the short woman.


    Sam turned back to the valley and cast his sense out.


    He instantly recoiled as the sheer chaotic madness of the local mana hit him in the metaphorical face.


    Either there were defenses set up and something hinky was going on, or the sheer amount of magic thrown around by the local flora and fauna was creating this chaotic mess.


    ¡°Boss? What do you sense?¡± Dan asked curiously, knowing that Sam¡¯s Mana Sense was leagues ahead of his.


    ¡°Shenanigans¡­¡±


    <hr>


    The descent from where they arrived happened at a slow pace as they kept an eye out for anybody trying to take them out. Fortunately, nothing deemed them worthy to eat, thus their journey so far was undisturbed. Katie went ahead, followed by Clarissa and Dan walking side by side in the middle and Sam brought up the rear, sword and magic ready to strike down anything.


    Lucky was instructed to stay in the shadows but be prepared to jump out at a moment¡¯s notice. Who the hell knew what the mysterious valley would produce?


    Upon finishing the descent, the team found themselves in a small-ish clearing with vibrant green grass and a few sparse trees. The trees themselves were tall, with sparse crowns and similar green leaves.


    Now closer to the actual happenings, they could hear the familiar cries of the Storm Eagles they had seen battling the rather annoying goats.


    ¡°Eagles? What are they fighting now?¡±


    ¡°Well, how about we find out?¡±


    There wasn¡¯t much they could say against that, thus they girded their loins and began their trek toward where the sounds of battle originated.


    <hr>


    They were, by Sam¡¯s estimation, halfway there when they met the first monster of the valley. Sadly, thanks to the chaotic mana in the air, he had trouble pointing out distances exactly.


    The meeting itself, however, was rather humorous.


    When they began their journey through the sparse forest of the valley they kept the lineup, thus all of them had an excellent view when a thick green vine snapped down with extreme speed, grabbed Katie by her waist, and yanked her up in the air.


    Before any of them could react, the berserker let out a yell of rage and slashed with her giant sword, cutting the vines holding her. She fell a short distance, landing on her feet, glaring up at the tree next to them.


    The tree, now revealed to be a monster, grinned maliciously. The bark creaked and opened, revealing a dark light, in three places, respectively creating the malicious grin and angry eyes gazing at them with hunger.


    The moment the tree moved, Sam¡¯s Mana Sense was hit with the unmistakable stench of demonic energies.


    He absentmindedly reached out and pushed down Dan¡¯s sizzling club as the pyromaniac prepared to unleash fire in a forest, and watched Katie dice the tree monster up into firewood while keeping an eye on the demonic mana.


    Finally, after a few substantial hacks, the tree collapsed and the demonic mana rose above, leaking out from the eye and mouth holes.


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    ¡°It¡¯s demonic¡­¡± he declared while the rest of the team gathered around the monster to see what it dropped. It was a few wood and plant reagents, nothing extremely valuable.


    However, Sam was more interested in what the demonic mana did. It didn¡¯t disperse, instead, it hovered in the air for a heartbeat, then shot off toward a point in the distance. Quickly memorizing the distance, he drew an arrow into the ground with a quick slash of his sword.


    ¡°We need another one to find the source!¡±


    The only response he received was by an excited yell from Katie, who instantly raised her sword and cut down the next tree.


    ¡°Not that one!¡±


    CRASH


    ¡°That¡¯s still a tree!¡±


    SNAP


    ¡°Go to the next one!¡±


    CRASH


    ¡°No! The other next one!¡±


    ROAR


    ¡°Yeah, that one!¡±


    The second tree monster, probably a treant corrupted by demonic energy, revealed itself with a great roar and vines waving angrily around in the air, lashing out every second at the grinning Katie.


    Not wanting to let only the girl have fun, yet at the same time not wanting Dan to burn down the forest (for now) he raised his sword and called out to their nominal tank.


    ¡°Stay still!¡±


    Katie froze and instantly half a dozen vines were wrapped around, tugging her in several directions, but for some reason, she was stuck in the spot.


    Sam didn¡¯t wait a second and let loose a piercing spear of wind, aimed directly at the demonic face of the treant. It pierced through the tough bark of the monster after a very brief struggle. Like the first one, this tree also fell to pieces, the demonic energy escaping through the holes.


    Sam watched intently as the mana fled and drew another arrow on the ground. Then they connected the two points, which in turn, pointed them toward the other end of the valley. Not exactly the middle, but slightly to the right.


    Sam was glad they did this because, at this distance, that would have meant a rather large area to search through for the source.


    ¡°So, we know where the demonic energy goes. Let¡¯s take a quick break. Make sure Dan knows he has to be careful about using fire magic in a forest and then we can find out what the hell is going on,¡± Sam said, turning toward the pouting pyromaniac.


    ¡°Dan. My friend,¡± he began, throwing a hand over the muscled scholar¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know, but only you can prevent forest fires¡­¡±


    Sam hoped that if not his speech, then the giggling girls would stop the man from unleashing an impromptu and unwanted forest fire on them.


    <hr>


    They trudged through the forest in the direction of the fleeing demonic mana rather slowly, as at Sam¡¯s insistence, they tried to find all the corrupted treants and kill them. Treant wood was needed for some crafting professions, so Sam wanted to stack up on them.


    The fact that the counter in his quest went up after each kill was just a nice bonus.


    Sadly, no skill books or interesting things dropped.


    However, the closer they got to the source, the denser the forest got and the more frequent the treants became. It wasn¡¯t rare that after a battle, they left behind entire clearings empty of greenery, only a few pockmarks and grooves in the ground remembering their presence.


    ¡°This is so boooooring¡­¡± Katie whined as she cut down another treant. ¡°These stupid trees are so stupid!¡±


    ¡°Must you challenge fate at every opportunity?¡± Clarissa asked before Sam could.


    ¡°Because I want bigger battles?¡± asked the girl with her head tilted to the side.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll get your wish,¡± Sam said while pointing up in the sky where a gigantic group of Storm Eagles, wreathed in lightning and dark clouds, were descending on the valley. Behind the group was the biggest, and naturally meanest, looking Storm Eagle, its size dwarfing the other birds by a wide margin. ¡°The boss arrived!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°No! We¡¯re not fighting a Storm Eagle boss monster!¡±


    ¡°But why not?¡±


    ¡°Because we can¡¯t fly, that¡¯s why!¡±


    ¡°Then what are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°Run!¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Where the demonic source is! If we destroy it, the eagles will probably leave!¡±


    ¡°And if they don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°We learn how to fly¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Rushing forward, they ignored most of the treants, instead cutting through the ensnaring vines that tried to capture them, while in the background the Storm Eagles, with the boss perched high up on a cliff and observing, began to systematically destroy the poor forest. Thankfully, their attack started on the opposite side of where they were heading, so for now they were safe.


    They dashed between real trees and treants, giving a silent thanks that the valley¡¯s floor was pretty much flat.


    With the literal storm gathering at their back, it took them only half an hour of running to reach the part where the valley¡¯s floor changed from lush greenery into rocky surfaces that kept getting taller and taller, terminating in mountains.


    Not far from the treeline where a group of treants tried to get into each other¡¯s way to get at them was a cave entrance.


    At a first glance, it looked natural, but Sam suspected it was anything but that.


    ¡°In there!¡±


    They followed him without a comment and after a few seconds, breathing heavily, all of them stood in the shadows of the cave¡¯s entrance looking outside, watching as the storm and eagles slowly ground away at the forest.


    Sam wondered for a moment how the treants managed to piss off the ornery birds, but then shrugged. For now, they had a different thing to deal with.


    Turning around, he took in the cavern, unhappily noting that his guess was spot on. The first few dozen yards of the cave looked like it was created by nature over the eons, but then it transitioned into a smooth but simple surface, obviously created by earth magic.


    That was the lesser issue. The bigger one was sitting in the middle of the corridor, probably staring at them. He couldn¡¯t really say, as he didn¡¯t see any eyes.


    But the sentient pile of moss, known from the thousands of vine-like tentacles at its feet wiggling excitedly (or hungrily), was pretty big.


    It was almost as big as Katie, with her armor on. The moss that made up its body was layered upon itself, with a few mushrooms growing randomly and small bugs and insects skittering around.


    Then the body split open in the middle, revealing a gigantic mouth, filled with gray shadow, the teeth and tongue made from darker shadow, more than likely intent on devouring them.


    ¡°Fire! NOW!¡± Sam yelled and used his own wind magic to boost the fire spear that instinctively left Dan¡¯s club.


    The fire spear boosted by wind magic, almost blue, hit the monster right in the tongue which caused the monster to automatically shut its mouth as if swallowing. For a moment, they could only see a small amount of smoke leaking from the seams of its mouth, then¡­


    BAMMM


    The monster exploded, showering them with bits of damp soil and pieces of moss.


    <hr>


    ¡°So! Many! Tentacles!¡± Clarissa cried out as she cast another cleaning spell on Katie, who was drenched in moss monster pieces.


    Dan and Sam exchanged a glance and quickly averted their eyes while snickering. Clarissa simply snorted in derision. ¡°Men¡­¡±


    The simple corridor led them deeper underground, the floor sloping every so little downward. Their journey was hindered by the giant moss monsters. All with gigantic mouths, ready to devour them.


    Thankfully, they were susceptible to fire and Dan had a lot of fire. Their strategy was rather simple. Katie gathered one to three of the monsters, Clarissa kept her alive while the monsters tried to gnaw on her and Dan unleashed some manner of fire spell while Sam boosted it. He also made sure that the fire magic didn¡¯t consume all the air they needed to breathe because whoever created the underground installation didn¡¯t really create it with people who actually needed to breathe in mind.


    Fighting through the moss monsters, they soon arrived in a chamber. Where Sam could finally see the source of the demonic magic.


    The others were surprised, but he was rather happy. There was a stone platform, above which was a familiar fracture portal, swirling with demonic mana. And in front of the platform, similarly made from stone, was a pedestal with a crystal globe, so dark it swallowed any light that shined on it. At regular intervals, a small wisp of visible smoke-like demonic mana appeared from the portal, which was then absorbed by the crystal.


    The reason he was happy was that the crystal absorbing the demonic mana meant that it was placed there by a demon, which meant they had a way to access this place rather fast. Which, in turn, meant there was a Shadow Tunnel access point nearby.

 Chapter 139

    After arriving at the cavern housing the fracture portal and the crystal that was absorbing mana from said portal they first settled down for a proper rest. After quickly taking care of his own issues, that is cleaning his armor and weapon while making sure that Lucky got enough pats on his head for his help, Sam stood up and took a quick tour of the chamber.


    Aside from the portal on the stone platform and the pedestal, there was nothing interesting.


    His next stop was the pedestal. He leaned closer, taking a look at the minuscule runes inscribed on the pedestal holding up the ball-sized dark crystal. Focusing his Mana Sense on the runic sequence, he tried to memorize how the mana flowed in them while his hands flew over his notebook, copying down the runes.


    Seeing as the rune sequence, aside from being rather small, wasn¡¯t hidden, it only took a cursory inspection to find the heart rune. It was a ghastly thing, but even so, it wasn¡¯t shining with evil intent as Sam expected.


    As he savored the mana pulsing from the unique rune, he felt dark determination and purpose tinged with great amounts of bloodlust. Thus, he concluded, hopefully correctly, that whoever placed the pedestal here had more purpose in mind than mindless slaughter.


    That meant they were smarter than the run-of-the-mill demons. Which in turn could mean good or bad things¡­


    Either Sam could talk them out of it, or they would become an enemy that is wicked hard to defeat.


    With the runic sequence stored for later, as he planned to submit that and his report about this entire situation to the organization he had become part of, he straightened out, his back letting out a satisfying crack, and turned to the team.


    ¡°Ready to continue?¡±


    Dan nodded silently while putting away his own notebook, no doubt filled with information about his experiments with fire and ice magic.


    Katie simply jumped to her feet from where she was petting both Puffball and Lucky at the same time. The two animals whined in synchrony, but after a few seconds, they also joined their masters.


    ¡°Are we going to deal with the fracture?¡±


    Sam nodded and stepped closer to the portal, wanting to see the details. As soon as his hand neared the swirling mass of mana, a notification screen instantly popped up.


    [You and your team found a mysterious fracture by chance, however, somebody already interacted with it!]


    [Fracture: Demonic Taint]


    [A fracture containing demonic taint. However, somebody made sure that the taint didn¡¯t leave the vicinity of the fracture. Enter and maybe you will figure out why they did that. Don¡¯t enter and wonder forever about what could have been¡­]


    [Time Limit: Until the crystal is filled]


    [Charges: 7/7]


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s interesting¡­¡± he mused out loud after reading the screen.


    Clarissa just raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°There is something weird about this fracture. And it seems we have seven chances to figure it out.¡±


    She stepped closer and reached out with her hand. Sam waited until she read the notification screen too and for her take on what was written there.


    ¡°What did you get from the pedestal?¡± she asked, clearly still thinking.


    Sam shrugged. ¡°Not much. It gathers specific mana and fills the crystal with it. I would need more time to find any purpose in that sequence.¡±


    ¡°Do you think somebody wanted this hidden?¡±


    ¡°So, they set the crystal to absorb any leaking demonic mana?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Probably some of it leaked either before the crystal was placed, or the crystal is not perfect. The eagles probably reacted to the demonic treants. If we get rid of the crystal and fracture powering it, then the eagles will probably also leave¡­¡± she said confidently.


    Sam knew it wasn¡¯t that simple. He suspected the Storm Eagle was a guardian of the mountain and valley and they received a revelation from a ¡®god¡¯ (the system) to do a little cleanup. Probably, if Sam and his team hadn¡¯t arrived, they would have spent who knows how much time fighting the treants as the demonic plants grew stronger thanks to the leaking magic. Then, sometime in the future, they would be defeated and the monster horde would be unleashed on the world.


    He had a few ideas, just based on tropes and previous quests about what was happening, but he didn¡¯t dare to voice them. The system could be rather mischievous. He wouldn¡¯t put it past the system to change the parameters of the fracture based on his guesses.


    Still, Clarissa and the others were waiting for his verdict.


    ¡°Honestly, this could go in so many directions,¡± he said with a small smile. ¡°How about we see what this is about?¡±


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    Dan and Katie nodded immediately, and Clarissa followed after them with a sigh. Lucky pranced around a little, then with a small jump returned to his shadow while Puffball gracefully jumped on Dan¡¯s shoulder from where he jumped on Clarissa¡¯s head, ¡°Hey!¡± and landed smugly on Katie¡¯s helmet.


    Sam shook his head, gave his small team a last once over, and approached the fracture portal.


    <hr>


    On the other side of the portal, they found themselves in a much more natural cavern. The only difference was the size.


    While the one they used to find the portal was wide enough that a few people could walk next to each other comfortably, the cavern system in the portal was big enough that there was an actual forest growing in it.


    Everything was dark and covered by murky fog. The ceiling and some of the walls were covered by fungus and moss that glowed in an unearthly blue color, providing some limited illumination for people who dared to enter.


    Just like the walls and ceiling, the trees were also covered by fungus, looking more like mushrooms with bark than any normal tree that one could find anywhere on the continent. Still, they had trunks, branches, and crowns covered by extremely dark-colored leaves. Which in turn hid their enemies from them.


    Because as soon as they got into tentacle strike distance of one of the trees, they saw countless eyes open and zero on them.


    ¡°More of those moss monsters¡­ ugh¡­¡± groaned Clarissa.


    ¡°Dunno, I think they¡¯re kinda cute¡­¡± came the chipper answer from Katie who was already warming up, the familiar wild yellow energy coursing through her armor and sword.


    Sam saw that Clarissa was about to answer, but thankfully the moss monsters hidden around the trees decided that their team needed some hugs from their tentacles.


    And the battle was on¡­


    <hr>


    Thanks to their familiarity with the monsters, they quickly removed the ones that were hidden around them, leaving them with an empty clearing covered by disgusting pieces of moss and soil, mixed among the burned foliage.


    However, all of them noted that the moss monsters inside the fracture were much stronger than outside. They still tore through them, mostly thanks to Dan¡¯s fire magic, but they had to spend a little effort.


    This showed them that the later mobs would be much stronger.


    And lo-and-behold, they were once again surprised by the game.


    From the direction of the other end of the cavern, covered in darkness and fog thanks to the distance came a crazed battle cry, causing the entire team to jump into readiness, weapons raised and magic charging up.


    Sadly, once again, thanks to the thick mana in the air, his Mana Sense could only tell him the most basic information about the monster. It was fast approaching and basically saturated with demonic mana.


    ¡°Prepare yourself!¡± he exclaimed, raising his sword while the others got ready too.


    Apparently, there was no end to surprises this day.


    Out of the fog and darkness came charging three disheveled demons, clad in tattered armor wielding equally tattered and rusted swords. Sam would have despaired at the sight if it weren¡¯t for their empty eyes.


    The eyes were empty of any thought. There was only hunger and rage in them.


    ¡°They''re crazy! Katie go! Lucky, distract the last one!¡±


    Katie acknowledged his order with a battle cry and the next second, the clash of great sword and demonic blade echoed around the cavern as she clashed with the one at the forefront of the rabid charge.


    The second one was instantly engulfed in an explosion of energy as the thermal bloom illuminated the cavern for a second as if the sun itself shined down on them. The last one took only a few steps before Lucky pounced on it from the side, sending it tumbling away, letting out roars as it hit the ground hard.


    Sam didn¡¯t know how much of that was anger and how much was pain, but he didn¡¯t want to wait to figure it out.


    He raised his own sword, concentrating briefly. Demons had an innate magic resistance that would need to be broken before they could be defeated. Granted, these were ravening berserkers, lacking any capacity to use their defenses aside from any instinctual usage.


    Wind mana swirled around his sword, creating a rather sharp spear that started to let out a keening noise as the ever-sharp wind blades came into existence. With a little flex of his will, he added a minuscule amount of shadow mana to it, the dark color almost invisible in the thick wind mana.


    ¡°Katie, disengage!¡±


    Katie did as she was told, unleashing a crescent of yellow energy, causing the arms of the demon to lock up as energy not unlike electricity coursed through the raging demon. In the next breath, Sam let loose the spear of wind mana he created and watched as it instantly crossed the distance between him and the monster, skewering it just under its throat, leaving a baseball-sized hole in the torso as his magic construct exited in the back only to continue forward and finish its journey in the ground creating a short groove.


    By the time the body of the first demon hit the ground with a meaty thud, Katie was already on the other demon, Sam was charging up another spear while Lucky kept taunting and distracting the last one.


    In the next few minutes, the remaining two raging demons fell one after the other, leaving the team once again alone in the cavern.


    They gathered the drops, first from the moss monsters, then from the three demons. They dropped a lot of unrefined gold but no reagents or materials. However, after searching their tattered armor, they found the remains of a journal. Before it fell apart, finally giving in to entropy, Sam managed to copy down a few sentences that were legible.


    ¡°Anything, Sam?¡± Dan asked as they gathered around a hastily created table thanks to Sam¡¯s earth manipulation skills. ¡°If I remember correctly, you speak several languages¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, elven, dwarven, and sand people¡­ There are no Demon Language 101 books in the library¡­¡± he explained as he kept going over the short few sentences trying to make sense of them. ¡®Well, with my connection, there is a chance they would have helped, but demons are a pretty taboo topic¡­¡¯ he mused.


    They spent a few minutes staring at the text before giving up on it. Sam stored it in his inventory in a rather nice box and they gathered their wits and tools and headed deeper into the fracture.


    <hr>


    The deeper they headed, the fewer moss monsters they met, and the more rampaging demons tried to make mincemeat of them with a few demonic treants ambushing them. After the first few scared the crap out of them, they made sure to burn every visible tree they came across.


    More often than not, it was actually a treant.


    Once, funnily, they caught a demon hiding in the crown of a simple tree munching on a poisonous-looking mushroom. It made pretty funny noises as it fell, fully on fire.


    Apparently, you can¡¯t actually screech with rage when your mouth is full¡­ Who knew?


    Two hours later, they were sitting in the middle of a clearing, using Earth Walls raised by Sam as stools and tables.


    Arranging the many pieces of texts looted from the berserker demons.


    They couldn¡¯t read them, but there were several symbols that looked like numbers that allowed them to put them in a hopefully good order.


    ¡°Still no idea?¡±


    ¡°Well, at this point it¡¯s about what happened to them here in the fracture or maybe before,¡± Sam spoke up thoughtfully as his eyes kept taking in the text written in an unknown language. The other Sam knew the language but used it so little that barely any of that remained in the memories he inherited. He thought he recognized a few words, but without anything or anyone confirming his guess, he couldn¡¯t really say one way or another. ¡°My best guess is we¡¯ll find the answer at the end of the fracture,¡± he finished, looking in the distance, trying to peer through the obscuring fog and shadows.

 Chapter 140

    Sam stared intently at the pages scattered around haphazardly on the impromptu table he had created. The others, after a brief discussion about taking a break, were around the room.


    Dan was taking a very quick bio break, Clarissa was scraping off some unusually colored moss from the wall and then putting it into small glass bottles, and Katie was furiously messaging somebody, sitting on the ground while fiercely scowling.


    While Sam was curious about who managed to rile the young woman up so much, he was also wise enough not to ask.


    After all, he had a bigger issue.


    When he first saw the writings on the torn pages, he instantly recognized them as the demonic language thanks to his inherited memories, yet there was barely anything about the language in those same memories.


    And now that he had a little time to think about it, he found it rather weird. The other Sam specifically made sure to study the demons and everything about them, to find one of the Shadow Tunnels and make bank.


    He leaned back in his seat, with his hands in his lap, closed his eyes, and began meditating.


    Battle Meditation was always on not unlike a passive buff in any other game, but simply meditating still helped him. Sam cast his mind back, going over the memories he inherited from the other Sam.


    Some were vague, cloud-like, clearly not important to his dimensional counterpart, yet others were as clear as any current video he could watch over the internet, and a select few were so vivid because they have been seared into the mind of the person to who the memories originally belonged to.


    Every betrayal and loss was showcased in high fidelity, oddly clinging to his mind, making a real effort to disassociate from them and not get consumed by the rage and sadness suffusing them. With a real effort, he cast them aside and concentrated on the strongest memory in the deluge.


    The moment when the other Sam died. It was basically burned into his head, unable to be forgotten, and hard to ignore. Working backward from that second, knowing that the death was related to the Shadow Tunnel, he soon arrived at the relevant topics.


    ¡®Oh¡­fiddlesticks¡­¡¯ he thought as he realized the issue.


    Demons weren¡¯t united. No demon would use the demonic language, understandable by all demons and a lot of non-demons if it meant that their work would be understandable by any looky-loo. Instead, they used codes. So many codes¡­


    Sam had a rather sizeable headache as he quickly skimmed the other Sam¡¯s effort to decrypt several pages of codes that he had found.


    The reason the other Sam spoke the basics of the demonic language was for the same reason. He thought it would help him, but when he realized that it was basically useless, he threw it aside.


    The fact was that most demons didn¡¯t even use the demonic language as the base for the codes was another thing. Apparently, being locked behind gates guarded by elite soldiers forced them to face off against each other. Thus, most demons when they had to write codes, used a language from another race, or simply made up a new language.


    He opened his eyes, head slightly aching, and stared at the still unknown symbols on the old pieces of paper.


    ¡®It seems I have to do it the hard way¡­¡¯ he mused as he saw Dan logging back in. He stood up and stretched, then carefully collected the papers. ¡®Those people in webnovels have it so easy¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    Gathering the team back together, they soon continued their journey forward into the belly of the fracture.


    Soon, the fracture ran out of moss monsters, and felled trees replaced the demonic treants, forming rudimentary defenses as crazed demons kept swarming them. The demons themselves came in several flavors.


    There were ones that tried to use the sword, hacking at the air, bulky ones hefting giant greatswords going even more berserk, while slightly saner ones used bows to snipe at them from behind the rudimentary defenses.


    Rarely, mostly part of big groups, they happened upon demons that were clearly mages in the past, yet now they simply stood there with open mouths and bulging eyes, pointing at Sam¡¯s group and letting out guttural screams as demonic magic headed for the team.


    The demons were strong, no question about it, but they were very, very dumb.


    It was rather easy to funnel them and deal with them one on one. Though Clarissa had to work her magic to make sure their tank survived the first strikes.


    And all the way, they collected small pieces of paper, hoping that in the end, they would get something for their efforts.


    The drops were middling at best, lots of coins, some of them from the demonic realm, which Sam took citing a quest as a reason, while Katie needled him for the details.


    They also dropped a few demonic-looking swords, but as they were not enchanted, or the passage of time or some other phenomena has corroded the enchantment that had been there, they only collected them for the metal they contained.


    By Sam¡¯s estimation, it was around three-quarters toward the end when the first valuable thing dropped. Naturally, it was a skill book.


    Dan picked it up and read it out loud. ¡°Poison Purge. Purges poison from the target in a short amount of time, high cooldown.¡± He instantly handed it over to Clarissa.


    Sam nodded and waited alertly while the healer learned the spell. It was a good one, though thanks to the speed it purged poison, it had a chance to add debuffs to the target.


    Mostly vomiting.


    Sam couldn¡¯t wait for the compilation videos, as a sufficiently trained and talented healer could cast it with a zero chance of the debuff, or they could force the debuff.


    <hr>


    Finally, after another gigantic cavern traversed and with countless demons defeated, they reached walls made from the same wood that made up the improvised defenses they had seen on their short journey.


    Instead, they saw tall, imposing walls made with inhumane precision, shooting holes paced evenly and Sam could practically smell the enchantment of durability wafting from the walls.


    Too bad the gates were torn asunder, leaving a gaping hole in the otherwise magnificent fortification.


    As soon as they made this observation, the team heard a roar and soon demons came pouring out of the gate.


    ¡°Retreat! Retreat to the turn!¡± he exclaimed and the team, thanks to the time they spent fighting alongside each other followed his command to the letter, retreating as one unit, with Katie in the front fending off the fastest attackers while Clarissa shielded them from arrows and other projectiles and Dan and Sam unleashed their magic on the crazed crowd rushing at them.


    Reaching the turn in the cavern system, Sam unleashed his meager earth-shaping skills and created some fortification for himself. It wasn¡¯t anything grand, but it was enough that in conjunction with the bend in the cavern wall and the stupidity of the insane demons, it would lead them to their death.


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    Readying his magic, Sam grinned, raised his sword, and exclaimed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s show them our power!¡± He then unleashed a barrage of wind, each of them piercing fireballs originating from Dan, turning them into blazing infernos. All this happened, with Katie¡¯s maddened laughter giving a rather enchanting background music.


    <hr>


    The boss, as expected, was another demon. The only difference was that it was twice as big as the biggest one they had seen so far, with a twice as big sword, and wore armor upgraded with metal parts.


    ¡°Plan?¡± Dan asked, standing next to Sam as the giant let out a roar that shook the walls, causing a minuscule amount of dust to fall on them.


    ¡°Distract, Dissect, Dead¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so lame¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, still workshopping¡­¡± Sam admitted with a little embarrassment, then called out. ¡°Lucky! Bite from behind!¡±


    Thankfully, thanks to the insanity, they didn¡¯t really need to hide their intentions.


    There were a few heartbeats of silence as the monster picked up speed and then Lucky emerged from the shadow of a fallen tree being splintered by the rushing giant.


    Apparently, the monster still had enough awareness to recognize when it was being attacked so it instantly whirled around, protecting itself with the wide and flat blade that it wielded with Lucky¡¯s enhanced fangs clashing against it.


    This was a fatal mistake as Dan and Sam rained magical death on the poor monster, with Katie ready to strike. The monster recovered after a second, singed and a little bit damaged but still had enough health to earn the boss title.


    Katie rushed at it and her sword strike was met with another, pushing the girl back, but this meant that the monster was once again distracted. Ready for another barrage.


    And that¡¯s how it went¡­


    The moment Katie took more damage than advised Lucky would jump in, distracting the monster with a bite or claw strike at the head with Clarissa healing up their berserker tank.


    It took a while, but with an insane monster, this was their best bet.


    Granted, Sam could have created a giant hole with his earth magic and lured the monster in, but that wouldn¡¯t have allowed them to practice their skills in a ¡®real¡¯ scenario.


    Skill levels go brrrrr¡­


    <hr>


    Gathering the drops, even more demonic weapons, with some demonic metals in ingot form as well as a few more Poison Purge skill books that Sam would be auctioning off to people who were going to try that insane poison fracture. It wouldn¡¯t work as the poison wasn¡¯t fully physical, but it would be very funny.


    They crept through the destroyed gate, alert, ready for more monsters but what awaited them was silence and even more destruction.


    The walls gleamed with hardiness and durability, but the inside of the fortification was much more chaotic and less cared for.


    It seemed whatever befell the demons started after they had finished the walls.


    He spread his mana far and wide, but from what he could gather, trying to ignore the cloying demonic mana and the chaotic haze of dimensional mana from the fracture, he could only sense one thing of importance.


    But better to be safe than sorry.


    ¡°Right. No splitting up. We go around in a spiral and finish in the middle at the only semi-standing building. Questions?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clarissa spoke up with a dry voice. ¡°Why not head for the building directly?¡±


    ¡°Because this is a game and I don¡¯t want to miss any hidden loot.¡±


    She didn¡¯t have any good answer to that¡­


    <hr>


    Their trek through the detritus and chaos of the inside of the fortification was slow at the beginning as they sifted through the rubble, but as they got their practice in and found no evidence of any more monsters, their operation sped up.


    Sadly, they found nothing.


    No hidden cellars, no hidden doors leading to vast vaults filled with mountains of gemstones, and no small safes filled with ancient scrolls of wisdom. Nothing.


    And now they stood before the dilapidated building waiting for Sam¡¯s signal.


    ¡°Alright people. By the book! Katie goes in, then Lucky. If they survive, we follow!¡± he announced cheerfully. Katie agreed equally cheerfully, but Lucky, demonstrating his constantly growing intellect visibly glared at Sam.


    However, he had a hidden weapon.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have your favorite rabbit stew made!¡±


    The next second the already falling apart door was in splinters and Katie was yelling for Lucky to wait for her.


    Fortunately, neither Lucky nor Katie died, so the rest of them followed inside.


    The house was in disarray and parts of the outer walls were missing, with holes in the roof, displaying the roof of the shadowy cavern.


    There were three rooms, but only one had something interesting in it.


    Sam, Dan, and Clarissa found Katie and Lucky standing next to a bed, on which lay an emaciated corpse of a clearly female demon, garbed in a once ceremonial garb. ¡®A priestess¡­¡¯ he mused as he took in the scene.


    And right where her heart should have been was an irregularly shaped dark crystal that was constantly emitting demonic mana. ¡®And the source¡­¡¯


    ¡°Look around and see if we can find a clue about what happened,¡± he told the team while closing his eyes and starting to scan the building with even greater focus.


    <hr>


    They found only one thing: a bag, in surprisingly good condition, in another room, under some rubble.


    To their surprise, it only had some moldy food, a small velvet case, another collection of writings, more money, and a spell book.


    Naturally, they checked the book first.


    ¡°Huh, Clarissa, this is your lucky day¡­¡± Sam said with a smile while handing over the book. ¡°Purge. It purges mana from the target. The more will and control they have over their mana, the more mana it takes to do it.¡±


    She took the book, and it instantly transformed into motes of white light that swirled around her before vanishing. Clarissa, the smart woman she was, instantly got the rather heavy-handed hint.


    ¡°Give me a few minutes to practice before trying it on the crystal,¡± she replied before sitting down and closing her eyes, starting to familiarize herself with the spell.


    Sam gave her a thumbs up and turned back to the velvet case.


    Opening it gently with the others and two very curious familiars watching, he revealed a simple monocle surrounded by a rather thick silver band with writing on it. Sam couldn¡¯t help but let out a big sigh¡­


    ¡°At least that I recognize¡­¡±


    ¡°Then what is it?¡±


    ¡°Elvish. Enchanted¡­¡± he picked it up and carefully looked it over, even though he recognized it immediately. ¡°¡­to translate. How lucky for us¡­¡±


    ¡°Then we can read what we found?¡± Katie asked excitedly.


    ¡°I can. It translates into elvish.¡±


    ¡°Booooo¡­.¡±


    ¡°Them''s the breaks¡­ now let¡¯s get a table and we shall see what befell these poor fellows¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Sam sat at the table outside of the building, not wanting to distract Clarissa with Dan and Katie staring at him in anticipation. Puffball wandered away after the first minute, and Lucky was gnawing on some robust snacks at his feet, content to be just near him.


    He theatrically cleared his throat and began reading his notes after translating them into elvish, then into proper human language and putting them in order.


    ¡°Day three of our trip. We found an excellent spot to rest. The priestess has blessed us with¡­¡±


    ¡°Day seven. Last night some manner of beast attacked us. Small wounds, no death. Priestess is unbothered.¡±


    ¡°Day eleven. First death on our journey. His soul is with the Goddess. Priestess is unbothered.¡±


    Here, Sam was interrupted by Katie. ¡°All of them are like that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the first ones are pretty boring, but the latter ones are much more interesting.¡±


    ¡°Then skip to it, please, before I get bored to death¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure, princess¡­¡±


    He reshuffled the notes a little, cleared his throat again, and began reading.


    ¡°Day thirtieth. We have not seen the road in a while. Priestess is unbothered.¡±


    ¡°Day thirty-third. We ran out of fresh fruit. Thankfully, one of the scouts found an orchard near a cave. Priestess is unbothered.¡±


    ¡°Day thirty-fourth. Great rain stopped us from traveling. The cave was ideal for a rest. Priestess is unbothered.¡±


    ¡°Day thirty¡­something. The rain hasn¡¯t stopped. A nearby river has flooded. Fruit is tasty. Priestess is unbothered.¡±


    ¡°Day something-something. Still enough fruit. Rain is so-so. Priestess is unbothered.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a day. Got food and water. Cave comfy. Priestess is unbothered.¡±


    ¡°Day. Food. Cave. Priestess is unbothered.¡±


    ¡°Sad. Sad. Sad. Priestess is unbothered.¡±


    ¡°And there the rest of them are just scribblings of the phrase ¡®Priestess is unbothered¡¯,¡± Sam finished his retelling. ¡°I think some of them were written with blood.¡±


    Katie was openly crying. ¡°That was so sad!¡±


    Dan cast a nervous glance at the girl and nodded hesitantly. ¡°So, they ate some kind of fruit that drove them mad?¡±


    ¡°Probably the reason we got all those Poison Purge books.¡±


    ¡°Great, but why does this fracture have seven charges? It wasn¡¯t that hard¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably, because the next time we will reveal different information.¡±


    ¡°Oh, one of those¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Their discussion was interrupted by Clarissa coming to get them, ready to try the new spell on the dark crystal.


    Soon, they found themselves back at the small cavern where the portal was still merrily spinning.


    They looked at each other, and as one, the team charged at the fracture.

 Chapter 141 - Interlude 13.1

    Running a business was always exhausting, but it was also very rewarding thanks to the game showing with numbers how exactly she, and through her, Sam, was doing.


    They had multiple income streams, with the identifying locations in the city centers they had access to, the supermarkets filled with all kinds of shops, and the one and only Heavenly Forest.


    Currently, they had two locations for the luxury accommodations. The first one, naturally, was in Ironwood, serving as a flagship location and one recently finished, in Brightgarden.


    While the building in Ironwood looked, at least to the outside observer, like every other high-rise building. Not that high-rise meant much in this medieval world, the building in Brightgarden was more of an estate, thanks to the abundant green space and fantastic view, incorporating a small forest in its territory. It still contained the developments created by Liz, and provided high enough service that they even got several nobles spending time at their luxury hotel.


    Thanks to Sam¡¯s machinations, their connection to the Silvercrest family was enough to provide enough people to staff the places. Lucy even branched out and contacted some of her old friends, who she knew loved playing maid games if they wanted to take a gander at it in Magic Unbound.


    Naturally, she wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to give them too much control and information, in case they were plants from their enemies, as Katie¡¯s family had enough power to figure out her real-life connection, but still enough that the people could prove themselves.


    And the loyalty would be taken care of with a few periodic tests. With the help of her ravens, encryption skills, and Tim, it would be a child¡¯s play to place a few tantalizing pieces of information in their reach. And depending on their actions, they would be promoted, or escorted out of the back door with a complimentary dagger between their floating ribs.


    The supermarkets were also operating with full steam. Around the ones in Ironwood, Lucy was in talks with most business owners about expanding the buildings and adding their shops to the lineup.


    This, in turn, inspired her to approach the leaders of the city to establish a commercial district around her supermarkets. The talks were ongoing, but the amount of politicking and talking was doing wonders for her skill levels. While Sam could probably take on a moderately sized army, she was well on her way to doing the same in boardrooms, or at least ballrooms as medieval society wasn¡¯t really into boardrooms.


    These talks even granted Lucy her current favorite skill.


    [Soft Power: Level 15/100 (14%) (Passive) You are a power behind a throne. While you don¡¯t wield the big stick, you at least have access to one. And others know this well. When you talk, they listen. Your ability to convince people increases with skill level. But never take their words for granted as the world of politics is painted by all manner of shades of betrayal.]


    The moment she acquired the skill, the dance of politics became so much easier. However, in turn, many powerful nobles put her in their scope.


    It was all manner of excitement.


    Sometimes, Lucy cursed and celebrated the day when she met Sam. As she looked through the reinforced windows of her office, courtesy of Liz and Tim, both with her own eyes and the murder of ravens at her beck and call, and smiled.


    ¡®Celebrated, most definitely!¡¯ she decided.


    After all, this opportunity provided her the chance to get out of a rut that she didn¡¯t even notice, get a better job, and make some ungodly amount of money.


    Sometimes it was really hard to believe how much gold flowed through the RMT markets. Thankfully, most of the gold they sold instantly came back through the markets and the luxury accommodations. Those rich second-generation heirs really knew how to spend. And Lucy was ready to fulfill all their requests, as long as they could pay.


    She turned back to her work and frowned a little.


    With Tim¡¯s inclusion into their little team, the security of their enterprises shot up, and a burden was taken off her shoulders. But as soon as one problem vanished, another appeared.


    The constantly rising popularity of the supermarkets caused them a little trouble in the logistics department.


    They could always count on the players bringing back crafting material en masse, but it wasn¡¯t anywhere close to consistent enough to be able to provide consistent and quality products to the populace at large.


    Metal and adjacent products were easy thanks to the vicinity of the mines and the fractures that appeared in the mines. They only had to post the repeating request at the Merchant Association before the Association took over and gleefully exploited eager players to gather as much raw materials as they could get, then turned around and sold to the supermarkets making a tidy profit.


    Lucy could have gone and negotiated with them a contract to provide those materials, but after some number crunching and skulking around, she came to the conclusion that ¡®tricking¡¯ them would be cheaper.


    Still, soon they had to look into properly setting up a crafter branch for the company because more and more crafters were coming to sign up with them.


    Lucy made a note to herself to talk about it with Sam, because while she was admittedly great at administration, she simply didn¡¯t have Sam¡¯s knack for finding the exactly right people.


    ¡®Super sus, but as long as money comes in, I don¡¯t really care¡­much.¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    Life was good.


    Exhausting but good.


    Her streams were steadily gaining followers, making her a nice sum of money just through the ads, not to mention the subs and other donations. The pay from AFK was also worth mentioning.


    Liz¡¯s new home was finally feeling like she actually lived there instead of existing. She had every room decorated and set up how she liked it. There was no trace of her mother¡¯s garish taste, nor remnants of her days when she had to survive on cup noodles. Everything was brand new and that, above everything else, provided her with a serene calm that she hadn¡¯t felt in a long time.


    Her mother was still sending her messages every once in a while, ranging from begging for her to come back to her to curse her out for leaving. Including criticizing her choice of clothes she would wear in her streams, her makeup, and even her creations.


    Seeing as her mother probably never touched a game, her insults were rather stupid and Liz was pretty sure that the woman blindly copied them from the hate comments she would sometimes get on the video site where she posted the more interesting or funnier clips from her streams.


    Now that there was an actual distance between her and her mother, these insults hurt much less than when she lived practically next to her.


    She was simply tempted to block the woman, but she feared that would spur her to do something stupid. Her mother was still wealthy, which afforded her tools that Liz had no idea about.


    Instead, she set up a filter, with Tim¡¯s help, their in-house assassin-slash-security specialist, that would collect all her messages and warn her if certain keywords showed up.


    Her attention currently was divided between crafting upgrades for the buildings that the AFK company operated out of, mostly quality-of-life stuff that most people didn¡¯t even notice but massively improved the whole ambiance of the buildings.


    The testing for the first elevator was going well, and she had already several orders lined up as soon as the testing cleared it. She would probably work with the Silvercrest family first, on account of them being their company¡¯s biggest supporters.


    She couldn¡¯t wait to level up her skills. One of the newest ones, the one she got when they finished installing the elevator and gained experience every time somebody installed something that she had created was the most exciting one.


    [Crystal Architect: Level 9/100 (49%) (Passive) You have branched into the field of architecture with your crystalline creations. The skill increases the structural integrity of all of your crystalline creations by 1% per skill level, as well as for a further 1% per skill level if the creation is built into a building.]


    She could see how the skill would be a powerhouse if she managed to level it up. Sadly, to do it faster, she would need to start working on automatic manufacturing, because only she could work with the crystals at this moment.


    Liz already started on it, but it was mostly stuck at the programming stage. Her level was too low to set up exact commands for the crystals to follow. When not in the game, she was busy studying low-level programming to see if she could just copy the entire thing into the game.


    Tim was an excellent help in this area, and when he had time, the assassin would join Liz in her workshop and help her brainstorm or simply hang out and help by handing her stuff.


    It was¡­nice.


    <hr><hr>


    The house was the same as always. Small garden, with a small plot for her father¡¯s herb garden and the apple tree that her late grandfather planted when she was born. Nowadays, it was tall and thick enough that it provided enough shade in the summer that anybody could spend their days comfortably under it.


    As Clarissa moved through the garden path, she patted the thick trunk of the tree in greeting. Soon, she was in front of the door and pressed the doorbell. She had a key, but she felt a little lazy. Plus¡­


    ¡°Sister!¡±


    The door slammed open and her younger sister, clad in simple clothes, hair pulled in a ponytail, that indicated she was studying, stood there with a grin on her face. Clarissa simply opened her arms and the younger girl slammed into her.


    For a short moment she luxuriated in the feeling of sisterly love before gently pushing the younger girl away and giving her a quick once-over. She looked healthy if a little tired, but that was expected from anyone who was studying for their first degree.


    ¡°Hey, sis! How are you?¡±


    She grabbed her hand, dragging her into the house while starting to tell her tale.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m super! The last exam was super easy and then they said that¡­¡±


    Clarissa simply let the chatter wash over her as she listened to her sister talk with a small but content smile on her face.


    A few minutes later, she was seated in the living room with her sister snuggling up to her, a grin on her face, while her father and mother sat opposite of them, also sporting smiles.


    The table was filled with snacks, and they were all holding drinks.


    ¡°So, Clarissa, how have you been?¡± asked her mother.


    ¡°Can¡¯t complain. Work''s going well and I¡¯m making decent money, as you know¡­¡±


    Her mother frowned a little but said nothing. They still couldn¡¯t really accept that she eschewed traditional jobs for gaming. Not that they voiced those concerns, as her parents admitted to her that they were worried because they knew how fickle the gaming industry could be. So, she didn¡¯t take it personally. Plus, with how Magic Unbound was going, she could foresee a rather stable line of work for at least a few years. And if the game failed, well, there were always new games coming out. And if that didn¡¯t work out, in her own opinion, she was pretty enough to stream, so Clarissa wasn¡¯t too worried about her future.


    ¡°I heard about the game you¡¯re playing,¡± continued her father. ¡°Magic Unbound, was it? It¡¯s all over the news. Even my colleagues are talking about it.¡±


    Her sister giggled. ¡°She is not only playing the game but dominating.¡±


    At her parents¡¯ questioning look, she shrugged. ¡°That would be a strong statement, but I do alright. Plus, as a healer, I don¡¯t do much damage. I just keep my party members alive.¡±


    ¡°Pssh! I saw some clips with you in action, sis! It was awesome!¡± Her sister bragged in her stead with a big grin.


    ¡°Really? Can we see?¡± came from her mother and she saw a mischievous glint in her eyes.


    Letting out a despondent sigh she nodded.


    ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll get it set up!¡± her sister cheered, jumping up from the position toward the screen in the living room where soon they were enjoying Clarissa¡¯s non-classified escapades.


    It was rather embarrassing, but as she watched the smile and excitement on her parents¡¯ faces, as well as saw her sister jumping around doing weird karate moves belying her age, she decided it was worth it.


    Finished with the videos, her father turned to her.


    ¡°Do you think we should try it out?¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°I really need to move¡­¡± Dan murmured as he looked out of his dormitory window.


    Outside, in the park in front of the building, two groups were in conflict, yelling at each other, looking like it was coming very close to an all-out brawl.


    About what?


    About Magic Unbound, naturally.


    The situation at the university had escalated again. The smaller guilds had been gobbled up by the bigger guilds, leaving only a few insular groups behind who refused even to entertain the idea. They were mostly crafters or people with enough social (or financial) credit that would deter the eager guild recruiters.


    Even some of the teachers were getting on it, favoring certain guilds and so on. It was maddening to Dan, who simply wanted to proceed with his experiments. Thankfully, his own professor was of the same mind. The older man admitted to Dan that he also enjoyed the game, but kept it secret so that the idiots wouldn¡¯t approach them. His age worked well to camouflage his interest.


    But even the elderly professor couldn¡¯t protect him from all those people eager to recruit him to win brownie points from their crushes or impress rich people or any other idiotic thing.


    Even the fact that he told people he was actually contracted to a group didn¡¯t stop them. After it got out that he lent some money to his friend, people decided that he must be really rich in the game, and as most people spent time schmoozing and networking in the game, they wanted to attach themselves to a moneybag.


    Thankfully, they didn¡¯t actually know much about the group he belonged to - mostly the name only - because he was pretty sure Sam or Lucy would throttle him if the idiots found their contact information and university students flooded the company with inane requests.


    Ignoring the group outside of the building, now with several girls sending judging glares at a guy while another girl stood next to him, holding him back by his arm, he returned to the computer in front of him. Thanks to his ¡®work¡¯ with AFK, he could finally afford to buy something better than the one he got from his parents. It could even run some of the basic simulation software.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    His research was going well, and the experience with fire in the game provided invaluable inspiration. His teacher was of the opinion that if the tests went well, then he would have his degree basically in his hand.


    Dan, wanting very much to be done with university life, took that statement to his heart and any time he spent outside of the game was dedicated to his research. Plasma waited for no man (or woman)!


    He was broken out of his thoughts by a gentle knock on the door. He quickly put away the papers into his vault, closed it, double-checked that he had closed it, and then made sure that he was clean in the small mirror on the wall.


    Opening the door, he beheld his date. She was pretty, no question about it, with a tight blouse that accentuated her assets and jeans that might as well have been painted on her. Wavy brown hair framed her face and intelligent blue eyes. Because, based on the conversations they had she was wicked smart too. A math major, but Dan wouldn¡¯t hold it against her. He was almost seventy percent sure she was another honeypot scheme to get him to divulge information about his group and contract.


    But well¡­


    ¡°Ready to go?¡± she asked with a grin on her face and a small spring in her step.


    ¡°Sure. Let me close up¡­¡± he replied with a small smile.


    Then he offered his arm to her, and she grabbed it with a grin.


    ¡°My, what a gentleman¡­¡±


    He just grinned harder as she ¡®accidentally¡¯ felt his muscles up.


    ¡®Ugh, I¡¯m so weak¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    Katie watched with a blank face and suppressed smile as her father stared with a furrowed brow at the projected screens while they were eating their dinner. Her brother was also carefully schooling his expression but Katie could sense that was also entertained by their father''s behavior. Currently, he was ''happy'' with the process of manufacturing antidotes and preparing for the fracture. Katie just loved watching him, while imagining what kind of face he would make when reality came knocking.


    For once in her lifetime, she was glad for the training she received about concealing her feelings because without it she would be laughing and rolling on the floor twenty-four-seven.


    Occasionally her father or one of his flunkies attempted to get more information from her, but she just repeated the same information (after some concessions) that she got from Sam, mixing in a few tantalizing bits that would make sure that her father would keep on task.


    As long as he was focused on this venture, she could play in peace with her team.


    Her team¡­


    They were pretty great. Clarissa was always up for some gossiping and exchanging ideas about the game, Dan was pretty hot and smart enough to not talk like all those muscleheads in her school who thought that having muscles exempted them from having a functioning brain.


    And there was Sam.


    Katie honestly was terrified when Sam called her up. She expected a lot of things. Sam admitting that her father paid him to kick her out, blackmailing her with her identity or even doing something salacious, but the speech she received was like a cold shower.


    Still, in the end, she came away with something more than she began, and her respect toward Sam just grew.


    The man was an enigma. Her finely honed bullshit senses went haywire every time he weaved something mysterious under their noses, and she suspected the small number of secrets he shared with the team were only the tip of the iceberg.


    As she calmly and elegantly combed her hair, she grinned at the thought.


    She really lucked out with him coming across her being accosted by those idiots.


    That grin immediately fell off her face as soon as she remembered her newest annoyance.


    Isabella¡­


    That annoying woman somehow found her in the game, and she must prepare for the strike that would be coming. She was pretty sure that the other woman was already on her way to prepare a trap for her.


    She had several ideas, but after putting her notes together, she would ask Lucy and Liz for some help. Lucy was a wiz at planning, and Liz had all those awesome gadgets.


    It shouldn¡¯t be hard to put together a glitter cannon, right?


    Katie wasn¡¯t really worried about Isabella¡¯s feminine wiles working on Sam, as the guy clearly had much better taste than an annoying cow. She looked down at her chest and frowned; it was just not fair. Still, maybe she should share a few pictures about her enemy in pigtails and missing teeth?


    ¡®Workable idea, but that would mean she could do the same to me¡­ hmm.¡¯ She mused as she continued her self-care routine. ¡®What could I do with milk?¡¯


    ¡°Computer, bring up files for Cow-deterrent, please!¡± she called out calmly, not stopping her actions.


    Instantly a holographic screen popped up over her desk and the built-in VI started scrolling through files before bringing up the requested ones.


    She looked through them with a thoughtful look before a grin appeared on her face.


    ¡°Computer, open file number seventy-two.¡±


    The file opened, and as she read her own notes, the grin on her face grew another size.


    ¡®Oh yes, it¡¯s all coming together!¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Captain! How are we doing?¡±


    ¡°Young miss, we are ready to strike!¡± reported the captain, clad in armor and with grim determination.


    Lucrecia gave the man a serious nod and with her loyal maid behind her back, looked over the preparations.


    The city of Ironwood contained several dark guilds, black markets, and flatly an inhuman amount of illegal activity. Thanks to her education, she knew that one couldn¡¯t really eradicate them, but striking back when one of them got too big for their britches was alright. At least according to her father¡¯s lessons.


    On her side was Fortuna, now the size of a small pony after the training her father put the wolf through, with big enough teeth and claws that some of the soldiers were glancing enviously at it while shaking their heads at their own implements.


    The location they were currently in was a small house, occupied by the guards who escorted her.


    Naturally, she could have sent the guards out to deal with those immoral criminals, but her beloved was out in the world actively working toward his own goals, so Lucrecia felt that she should do the same.


    Though she suspected her parents had sent a few hidden protectors in case anything happened.


    Shrugging a little, she refocused on the table in front of her as Fortuna stalked around the room, keeping an eye out for trouble.


    On the table, she could see the map of the area around the house, including the dilapidated building that housed their targets. They were criminals, selling all manner of shoddy quality potions that caused a lot of deaths, as well as smuggling drugs and other potentially dangerous substances.


    Usually, this was taken care of by the city guards, or some powerful adventurers, but the Healer¡¯s Guild petitioned her father directly, thus the Silvercrest family had to act.


    And what better way to dip her toe into keeping their family¡¯s domain safe than a routine criminal elimination operation?


    ¡°Are our targets present?¡±


    ¡°Yes, young miss. All of them are. They are currently holding a meeting, I believe,¡± came the report from the man, and another man, wearing a cowl that covered their face, nodded along.


    She went over all the available information in her head for a few moments, then nodded. ¡°Captain, in your opinion, is there anything that would prevent us from executing a perfect operation?¡±


    The Captain gave her a look but then glanced at his men, who nodded or shook their heads in order. Finally, he turned back to her.


    ¡°No, young miss. We are ready to start!¡± he stated, standing ramrod straight.


    Lucrecia went over the information they gathered through their investigation and finally, she also nodded and straightened her body, looking directly in the Captain¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Then the operation is yours, Captain,¡± she gave the order. ¡°Bring me their heads!¡±


    The Captain¡¯s face looked downright vicious.


    ¡°My pleasure, young miss!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Oh, dear, look at her. Leading her first raid! Why, it reminds me of my youth!¡±


    ¡°Yes, dear.¡±


    ¡°Look at them, following all her commands, just like I taught her!¡±


    ¡°Yes, dear.¡±


    ¡°And there they go! I bet they will get everyone! It was an excellent plan!¡±


    ¡°Of course, dear.¡±


    The parents of one Lucrecia Silvercrest stood in the shadows of a tall building looking out as their family soldiers under their daughter''s command began raiding the hideout of a criminal group.


    They had to do a little manipulation in the background to make sure their lovely daughter would be successful, but they wanted her first experience with leading a group to be a positive one. The following ones could be failures, but this one would be a major success.


    Or else.


    <hr><hr>


    May you live in interesting times.


    Tim never expected that he would one day understand the ancient proverb.


    His work at the company was all sorts of interesting, frankly making his daily work boring in comparison. He had to plan out the security of several buildings and businesses, while also advising his own boss about security issues and deals.


    He even had to take care of several assassins who thought they could sneak into the company headquarters.


    It was pretty fun, to be honest. Back with the Silent Step, they were always on the move, following the money and the jobs to make sure they made a profit. Here, his income was guaranteed. The expectations were clearly defined. If he did anything above it, and it actually merited it, he got a quick congratulatory message from Lucy, or even Sam, and a nice bonus landed on his account.


    Even his new skills reflected his mood.


    [In-house Cleaning Service: Level 3/50 (78%) (Active/Passive) You are able to become one with the building and thus are considered part of the building. Any skill or spell that affects the building also affects you at 50% strength while inside the building. When activating this skill, the strength of your stealth is increased by 5% for every skill level and the skill and spells that affect the building affect you at 50% strength +1% for each skill level. Grants you the Cleaning spell.]


    It was a rather nice skill, especially because, thanks to Liz and Lucy, there were several skills that were constantly active in the building that basically increased several of his stats by a large margin.


    The Cleaning spell confused him a little, but after Lucy gave him a short manual from Sam, he was enlightened. Instantly, he threw himself into mastering the spell and he was pretty happy he managed to bring it up to Clean III.


    Now people couldn¡¯t see and sense him, and with the spell, they would never know if he stopped by.


    An assassin¡¯s dream!


    <hr>


    In the outside world, he mostly spent his time working on paperwork for the company, while just puttering around the house. Most of his old friends were in Silent Step, as he had long lost any flimsy connection he had with anybody from high school or university. People at work were mostly like him, people keeping to themselves, so there wasn¡¯t much chance of making friends.


    Thankfully, he had been getting along with Liz, or at least the woman hadn¡¯t told him to take a hike, so he would take a win where he could.


    He rather enjoyed watching her work, as all the adorable drones flew around, obeying her every command. So much so, that he even began dabbling in enchanting. It was slow going because he specced the character for assassination, but thanks to Sam¡¯s tutorials, he was doing well. Tim was hoping to surprise Liz with an enchanted item that he would use to ask the woman out.


    Maybe. He wasn¡¯t a hundred percent on the plan¡­


    Currently, he was heading to a nearby caf¨¦ where he would be meeting with one of his old guildmates who reached out to him.


    He saw his old friend sitting at an outdoor table, already sipping his coffee. He walked up and raised his hand in greeting.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    The other man¡¯s head snapped up from his phone and grinned.


    ¡°Hey, man!¡±


    They shook hands then Tim ordered something to drink and sat down across each other.


    ¡°So, why did you call me?¡±


    ¡°Mostly to check how you are?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You left in a big hurry so I wanted to make sure you are alright¡­¡±


    ¡°If you remember, you guys were the ones who were chasing me¡­¡±


    The other man shrugged.


    ¡°That¡¯s just the game, man. We won¡¯t follow the commands of a crazy demon in the real world.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just roleplaying, man!¡±


    They argued for a while, ultimately agreeing that they wouldn¡¯t agree on the topic.


    Tim took a sip of his drink and spoke up.


    ¡°So, why did you actually call me here?¡±


    The other guy shifted around, looking a little squirrelly into Tim¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Listen, we heard you got a job at Heavenly Forest and the boss was wondering if you got any information to share. You know, for old time¡¯s sake¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We would compensate you for it naturally. But we got a job for a target and they are constantly there¡­¡±


    Tim looked at the other guy and let out a disappointed sigh.


    He really needed better friends.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Is this correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°And you think what they are saying is true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. My senses tell me he wasn¡¯t bullshitting.¡±


    There was a quiet laughter in the room as Isabella¡¯s superiors took in her statement.


    The man he was talking to looked back at her and snorted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. The man was probably trying to impress you,¡± he claimed, his own eyes dipping well below her chin. ¡°We investigated the fracture and found the antidote. Plus, a lot of other guilds are planning to raid it. The government placed some really great bounties on the materials from the fracture.


    ¡®The chaos gremlin wouldn¡¯t work for an idiot. He wasn¡¯t trying to impress me, no matter how much he stared¡­¡¯ she thought but kept her mouth shut.


    They were her superiors and time and time again they proved they didn¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass about her opinion. They only accepted her into the guild because of her connections and the people she brought with her. That much was clear. But at the time she didn¡¯t have a better option, and she loathed being a guild master.


    ¡°So, just go back to farming and prepare for the rush. There will be a fight amongst the guilds for the first clear, and I want Eternal Light to be the first one.¡±


    ¡°Did you check up on Solar?¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Some pissant from a small guild. The guy doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so obsessed with him.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t explain that the fact that the chaos gremlin¡¯s father hadn¡¯t bought the guy off meant that he was either super stupid or had balls of titanium. Her enemy¡¯s father was crazy about guys getting close to his precious daughter.


    Just the fact he was independent in the face of all that meant that the guy knew something.


    Isabella stared at the idiots in front of her and let out a small sound of disgust.


    ¡°Alright, but don¡¯t come crying to me when everything goes to hell¡­¡±


    Only laughter was heard behind her.


    Sometimes, she really hated her past decisions.


    Reaching her room, she fumed a little, then as she calmed down, she retrieved a notebook titled ¡®Chaos Gremlin Attack Plan¡¯.


    Isabella would leave the fracture to the idiots. She had more important things to plan for.


    ¡®Now, where can I get a glitter detector?¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    Brightgarden was coming right along as he stared out of the roof garden of their guild house.


    They even had their own Heavenly Forest. The most luxurious and mysterious hotel in the country. Naturally, he only heard about it from the net, as he didn¡¯t have the gold or real-life money to even enter, but its presence meant that their city was clearly important.


    Fauna Ark was coming right along. The million little guilds that tried scamming people with low-quality or fake pets and familiars vanished as soon as they made some money, leaving mostly the bigger guilds.


    Stephen had his own, centered mostly around druids, rangers, and related magicians. There was one where they specialized in elemental spirits, one where they worked with golems, and one which only accepted people with flying pets. There were rumors that there was a dark guild that settled down somewhere under the city, specializing in shadowy and poisonous animals.


    Thanks to AzureTiger their own administration was in a pretty good order. And while the rest of the guilds were playing catch-up, they could concentrate on developing their own guild.


    Currently, they owned a rather big estate (though not as big as Heavenly Forest) with stables and other buildings housing a myriad of different animals and any area that wasn¡¯t home to said animals was used to grow things that would be turned into feed.


    They even had a small array of greenhouses, specifically to grow potion ingredients.


    His loyal pet, and lovely rabbit, was almost close to the level cap, and he was currently trying to figure out how to evolve his partner.


    The first time was rather easy. He just threw in whatever reagent he could find, and bamm, giant rabbit. But now that he knew more about the entire procedure, he was practically paralyzed by the choices.


    Some of them were given. Troll hides for protection. A lump of earth crystal for the magic, and some smoke from one of the monsters from the swamp that could turn its body into said smoke.


    He wanted a giant pocket rabbit, and he would get a giant pocket rabbit.


    ¡®Maybe I should go around with a top hat and pull Slathy out when the fight begins?¡¯ he mused to himself as his eyes went over the list of materials they had access to for the umpteenth time. ¡®I should run this by Kim first, though¡­¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    Cold was around her, she was the cold.


    She was becoming ice.


    She ignored the growing pain as the cold seeped into her body and fully concentrated on grasping the intricate magic suffusing the surrounding air. She let out a breath, watched as it instantly turned into fog, and then froze, falling to the ground.


    It took her a while to reach this stage, but after spending almost all waking moments practicing her magic, even going so far as going alone into the middle of a blizzard, she felt she had reached a very important line.


    Now the only question was: what was on the other side of the line?


    She returned to the local Magic Tower and requested a consultation with one of the ice mages. After demonstrating her skills, quite proud of the silent casting that she had acquired through a rather grueling quest, the man just took a look at her and nodded.


    ¡°You are ready,¡± came the statement from him, the voice almost causing her to freeze in place. ¡°Sit. And watch.¡±


    That was all he said before she was engulfed in a storm of ice and cold, stronger than ever.


    But she watched and learned, and now she, in turn, reached out to the frozen air and grasped it.


    The feeling was indescribable. She moved the ice around as if it was an extension of her. No spells were needed. No silly spell names. Just her and the ice.


    She grinned, opened her eyes, and beheld the notification screen.


    [Thanks to your breakthrough, you gained the skill of Ice Mana Manipulation.]


    [Thanks to gaining Ice Mana Manipulation you lost the following skills: Ice Lance I-IV, Ice Lance Barrage, Ice Shot I-VIII, Ice Storm I-II, Ice Shield I-IV, Ice Bunker, Conjure Ice Spear I-II, Conjure Ice Armor I-IV, Summon Ice Golem I-III, Icey Aura I-III, Ice Spike I-III¡­]


    [The experience from the lost skills will be converted to experience in Ice Mana Manipulation.]


    [Ice Mana Manipulation is now Level 21!]


    [Every sub-skill belonging to the lost skills will be added to Ice Mana Manipulation!]


    [You can still use the skill, but thanks to your breakthrough, manipulating ice mana became much more refined for you!]


    [Ice Mana Manipulation: Level 21/100 (69%) (Passive/Active) You became one with the ice and the ice became one with you. You manipulate ice mana just as well as neutral mana. The ice will listen to your commands and take whatever shape you wish. However, beware, this comes with a price. Gain a 1% increase in damage and cast speed for each level in the skill for ice spells and skills. Decrease mana cost by 1% for each level in the skill for ice spells and skills. Current Spells:


    Ice Lance I-IV


    Ice Lance Barrage


    Ice Shot I-VIII


    Ice Storm I-II


    Ice Shield I-IV


    Ice Bunker


    Conjure Ice Spear I-II


    Conjure Ice Armor I-IV


    Summon Ice Golem I-III


    Icey Aura I-III


    Ice Spike I-III¡­]


    Grinning like a loon, she looked up from her reading and looked at the mage who started this test. In other games she would have probably gotten a world-first announcement or something, but Magic Unbound didn¡¯t care for who was the first. A little disappointing, but she could deal.


    The man nodded at her and after vanishing all the ice and restoring the room to its pristine condition, he left the room without even saying goodbye.


    The only reason she didn¡¯t complain was because another screen popped up in front of her.


    [Master Jacob granted you the title of Ice Mage!


    [Ice Mage: You are a well-trained mage, specializing in Ice Spells! Increased reputation in the Magic Tower!]


    Another win for her. She couldn¡¯t really wait to show it to her friends! They would be so jealous¡­

 Chapter 141 - Interlude 13.2

    Slathor the Younger, Destroyer of Worlds, Ender of Universes, Ripper of Throats, Consumer of Lettuce, Rightful Ruler of the Burrow, Master of All, and the Most Fluffiest Amongst Royalty looked upon all he wrought and rejoiced for it was good.


    The giant golem, now in pieces, didn¡¯t really agree, but the thoughts of lesser creatures didn¡¯t really affect Slathor the Younger. The only opinion that mattered to him was the Provider of Headpats and Food.


    He came upon the young human when he was just a small one, ready to make his mark on the world and declare himself its ruler. Alas, it was rather hard, with only the tools provided to him by cruel Mother Nature. But then he came and everything became clear to Slathor.


    He would ally with the Provider of Headpats, and would, with his help, conquer the world.


    And lo and behold, his genius plan actually worked. Food Provider gathered servants from all around the world, ready to obey all of his commands.


    They fought many battles, against foes that would have taken great effort previously to defeat, but now with the support of his army and the training his loyal servant provided him, Slathor was ready to fight anything.


    Deer thinking beyond their stations? Slathor was there to show them the error in their thinking with his powerful kicks and teeth sharp enough to tear apart armor.


    Miscreants aiming to kill his servant? Slathor would slaughter them to the last. After all, if his servant died, who would provide him with his royal feed? Who would clean his burrow? Who would chase away the annoying fox playing tricks on him with his illusions?


    Admittedly, the small blue human was equally good with providing headpats and feed, but she was connected to something that gave even Slathor nightmares.


    Tentacles just weren¡¯t natural¡­


    And now he stood before the great circle, created by the servants of his servant, welcoming him to its embrace.


    It would change him. Make him stronger according to his loyal servant. But Slathor was hesitant. What if he lost his luxurious fur? His powerful kick? His sharp teeth? His magnificent aura? What would he become? Would the snake laugh?


    ¡°Come on, Slathy, don¡¯t be afraid. It¡¯s perfectly safe!¡± came the reassurance from his servant, who once again butchered his proper name. But Slathor would forgive him because he was generous royalty, and he felt that his servant¡¯s loyalty should be rewarded.


    Casting one last glance at the smiling human, he bared his fangs, expressing that he would return, and calmly hopped into the middle of the ritual circle, ready to accept whatever was to come, with a calmness that was the trademark of exalted beings such as he.


    Soon, he lost sight of his servants as the fog of mana engulfed him, and then even thinking got harder.


    A few moments later he succumbed to the darkness, ready to face whatever happened, because Slathor the Younger, Destroyer of Worlds, Ender of Universes, Ripper of Throats, Consumer of Lettuce, Rightful Ruler of the Burrow, Master of All, Denier of Fear and the Most Fluffiest Amongst Royalty was ready to face anything no matter what happened.


    <hr><hr>


    She was a Great One, older than the universe, older than some concepts. She did great things, small things, and even medium things. She wandered all over the universe, mostly doing whatever she felt like, but sometimes she felt like sleeping, instead of curling up in a distant corner like her compatriots, she much preferred to sleep in odd places.


    In the core of a star, hidden in the sand falling in an hourglass, driving whoever measured time with it to madness, a solitary tree on the top of the mountain, grass on the lawn of an emperor, rocks tumbling through silent space, wind caressing empty planets and so much more.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    And this time, she had a great idea. What if she slept in the shadows of a world?


    Thus, she did so, found a random world, and nestled deep into the shadows, enjoying the calming cold and soon she was asleep.


    However, when she woke, nothing was the same.


    She was in an extremely small container, and when she tried to strain against the barrier, she found that unless she brought forth her full power, whatever contained her wouldn¡¯t budge.


    Instead, still half-asleep, she cast her senses out of her cage and took in the world.


    Apparently, while she slept the eons away, somebody found her body and managed to lock it away in an egg. An egg that would soon become somebody¡¯s familiar if she read the currents of Fate right.


    She grinned and ceased straining against the shell of the egg. Being somebody¡¯s familiar sounded like an excellent distraction from the eons of boredom.


    So she settled down and began waiting.


    Not much time later - she didn¡¯t really count - she felt the first tendril of mana seeping into the egg, looking for purchase. With another grin, she extended a minuscule sliver of her own mana and grabbed the searching tendril.


    Nobody heard it, felt it, or sensed it, but the moment the mana and her own power touched, she intoned one sentence in a language nobody remembered, or ever spoke.


    ¡°I accept your deal!¡±


    The connection was forged, and she escaped the shell that had tried to imprison her, taking up a form that the locals wouldn¡¯t count as dangerous and beheld her new ¡®master¡¯.


    She was perfect.


    Thus, Puffball, now named by her new ¡®master¡¯, jumped into the lap of said ¡®master¡¯ and began purring.


    ¡®I really should do this more often¡­¡¯ she mused as she gave in to the blissful feeling of her fur being gently combed.


    <hr>


    Looking up at the bored human that Puffball called master, she had an idea. Interfering with humans was usually frowned upon. Not because somebody would punish them, but because humans were annoyingly innovative, and if one of the weirder ones got a whiff of her and her kind¡¯s existence they would do everything to reach them and ask for power.


    She didn¡¯t mind. She loved watching them fumble around with phenomenal cosmic power for a few minutes before exploding. They always made the funniest sounds. But her¡­ brethren didn¡¯t like it, and whether she liked it or not, they had the power to annoy her. And she hated that.


    But, if she was careful, then she could help her ¡®master¡¯ and annoy everybody! A win-win¡­


    So, acting as the felines on this planet, she managed to get her ¡®owner¡¯ to follow her. Arriving at a spot where even those annoying fey stopped watching them, she quickly looked around with her senses and before anybody could spot her little mischief, she slashed forward and opened a door to a place where she knew her ¡®master¡¯ would receive the training she needed.


    Plus, it would annoy those assholes. So once again, a win-win situation.


    Puffball, first of her name, so loved when things came together.


    She didn¡¯t really know who locked her away, but if she found them, she would thank them first, and only then would she erase them from existence.


    No matter how much she enjoyed the current situation, messing with somebody¡¯s nap just wasn¡¯t done!


    <hr><hr>


    They were many. They had many eyes and they watched.


    They watched the Mistress. They watched the nest. They watched the stone and wood forest where the nest was.


    They saw many things. They didn¡¯t understand them, but the Mistress was patient and taught them many things. In turn, they protected the Mistress and made sure that the nest was clean from anybody who dared to invade it.


    They accompanied the Mistress when she went for a walk; they were there when the Mistress talked with the other two-legs. They didn¡¯t care for the other two-legs, but they still watched. Mistress must be safe.


    Sometimes, stupid two-legs tried to harm the Mistress. However, the Mistress was smart, and they saw that the two-legs were eliminated. They learned.


    Then they started asking questions.


    The beings the Mistress was talking to weren¡¯t called two-legs, but humans. They were actually ravens. The humans all had names. Mistress had a name. They asked if they had a name.


    Mistress asked if they wanted a name?


    They didn¡¯t know. Mistress was patient and told them that she would give them a name when they asked for it.


    They accepted the gift. They continued to watch.


    They learned the language to better protect the nest and Mistress. Mistress rewarded them with tasty morsels. Much better than the others in the sky that inhabited the stone and wood forest. A city. They were in a city.


    They learned. Mistress taught them language, letters, and numbers. They watched and read and their Mistress wrote it all down. They were proud.


    Still, they watched and made sure that Mistress was safe.


    Another human, the one smelling of the wind and shadows often visited. They watched him but didn¡¯t follow. Mistress trusted that one. They didn¡¯t. But Mistress ordered and they obeyed.


    They made their own nest. They showed it to Mistress. Mistress was happy and gave them many twigs. Mistress was kind.


    They watched from the nest and protected it.


    Many humans came, and many wanted what they protected. But they saw everything, and they spoke to Mistress.


    Mistress always rewarded them. They were content.


    Still, they always watched, ready to protect the nest and Mistress.

 Chapter 142

    The second run was the same, though Sam would have said that the raging demons charging at them seemed to be a little angrier. It wasn¡¯t visible in the damage they did to the team. Neither did Clarissa complain that she had to heal more than previously.


    Katie wasn¡¯t asked about this, naturally, but even so, every one of them noticed the difference.


    An hour later, after fighting through the throng of demonic moss monsters with treants trying to tie them up with their non-consensual vines, they once again stood at the bend that led to the giant cavern that housed the dilapidated fortress, protected by gleaming walls and a broken-down gate.


    Sam looked around the corner while the others hid behind him like extras from an eighties movie and took in the scene. Still the same as previously.


    He retreated from his lookout and turned to his teammates.


    ¡°I know so far there wasn¡¯t much difference, but still, keep your eyes peeled. I don¡¯t want to have a party wipe because of a surprise second phase or hidden boss. Alright?¡± he told them, then watched their reaction.


    Katie eagerly nodded, probably already imagining what it would be like to fight a boss like that. Dan and Clarissa weren¡¯t as confident, but even they weren¡¯t too worried.


    ¡®Ugh, sometimes this time-travel business is a pain in the ass¡­¡¯ Sam mused as they got ready for the fight.


    He cracked his neck, and readied his weapon, before pointing it toward the gate.


    ¡°Katie, go fetch!¡±


    The berserker girl let out a loud whoop, no doubt warning the demons of their presence, and with the assistance of her skills she was inside the fortress within a few seconds, bisecting an unfortunate demon.


    Soon, they were fighting the same horde as previously, until there was a familiar roar and the giant demon appeared.


    And for the first time, they could see a visible difference.


    The monster was still twice as big as the regular demons, it was still garbed in leather armor reinforced with metal, and the sword it wielded was still big enough that it was more like an enormous sheet of metal.


    However, the sword¡¯s edge was lit by sickly blue flames that ran along it, sometimes dripping, but before the somehow liquid-looking light could hit the floor it vanished.


    Katie immediately charged at the monster, ready to repeat their strategy with Lucky lurking nearby for the same reason. However, when she parried the first strike, the liquid-like flame splashed at her as the demon¡¯s sword made contact with hers, causing Katie to cry out in pain.


    ¡°Shit! It¡¯s DoT damage!¡± she cried out while executing a backward jump. Lucky didn¡¯t waste a second, appearing from a nearby shadow, sending the monster stumbling.


    Clarissa didn¡¯t even need an order. She was ready to act, proving once again that she was a rather competent healer.


    ¡°What kind of DoT?¡±


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    Her next spell caused Katie to sigh in relief. The berserker girl sent the healer a thumbs up and was back in the fight.


    Now that they knew what the effect on the sword did, Clarissa could cleanse it at a moment¡¯s notice and they could continue the fight just as they had previously.


    <hr>


    As the monster lay before them, the liquid blue fire sizzled a few times along the sword, then it went up in a literal puff of blue smoke.


    ¡®So many IT jokes¡­¡¯ Sam thought while swallowing a few snickers as they collected the loot. Even more metal ingots, and for some reason a scroll that contained a cookbook.


    Unscrolling it, he saw that it was a recipe made for the fruit that the demons found and caused their demise.


    As the others read through it, Clarissa was the one who voiced what all of them were thinking. ¡°This is a goddamn poison recipe!¡±


    ¡°A poison that only we know about,¡± Sam stated with an evil smirk. ¡°And based on the evidence, Poison Purge doesn¡¯t work on it.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    He nodded with a smile, pocketed the recipe, knowing that they would need the actual fruit to make use of it. Until then, it was just a simple curiosity that added to the lore of the game.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the house¡­¡±


    Approaching the house, they were once again vigilant, but to their relief, they could move without anyone bothering them. Everything was the same, even the ruined parts were in the same place.


    However, here once again, a small difference appeared. The dark crystal, where the priestess¡¯s heart should have been, was still as black as the blackest night, but they could see a small spark of familiar blue light in its depths.


    ¡°Oh, boy¡­¡± Sam murmured, then he shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s check the loot to see if it shows anything new.¡±


    They all agreed and as a team, they gathered around the book under the rubble and, as one, they looked inside when Sam dug it out.


    This time there was no case, just a skill book and the same collection of notes, but visibly different.


    ¡°Huh, Stasis. Places people under five percent health into stasis. They are unable to move but they can¡¯t lose health from DoT damage. Nice¡­¡± he said before handing it over to Clarissa, who simply learned the spell without a word. Then he took out the monocle and began the translation.


    <hr>


    Half an hour later, they were all ready to listen to the story he was reading them out loud. Sam put away the monocle, took a look around with a smile, and began.


    ¡°This was clearly written by somebody else¡­¡± he stated, before continuing with the actual notes. ¡°Day Forty-five. The fruit found is oddly filling, but something is suspicious about it. There were no animal tracks around the tree, nor were there any other remnants of the local wildlife.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Day Fifty. Still haven¡¯t eaten the fruit, keeping to the supplies, letting the rank and file eat the fruit. They seem very happy to do so but I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Day Fifty-six. The rain is still horrible. Something is blocking any magic that we are sending out. Priestess is still unbothered.¡±


    ¡°Day Fifty-eight. Got bored. Tried the fruit drink they made from the fruit. Pretty nice. Priestess is still unbothered.¡±


    ¡°Day Sixty-apple? It¡¯s fruit punch day! A pretty bird flew by. Today¡¯s we meat, boys! Priestess is still unbothered.¡±


    ¡°Day something¡­ I should write here something. A number, I think? Dunno¡­ let¡¯s go drink! Priestess is still unbothered.¡±


    ¡°The rest is just mad ramblings about the perfect preparation of alcoholic drinks made by the fruit,¡± Sam finished the reading and put away the notes, making sure that the part about the brewing process went next to the recipe they found earlier. ¡°Go purge the crystal. We still need to do it five more times¡­¡±


    <hr>


    The third time, the flames on the boss monster¡¯s blade were much bigger, and every time the monster swung it, it launched a crescent of liquid flame that tried to burn everything that it touched.


    At the end of the run, they found no skill book, only a few magically reactive crystals, perfect for enchanting and more writing. This time, they read the notes about the scout who found the tree.


    Apparently, the tree was exactly in the middle of the area where they set up the fort, but for the life of them, they couldn¡¯t even find an odd root or rotten trunk anywhere.


    When Clarissa went to purge the crystal on the dead priestess, the blue flame was noticeably stronger, yet still remained the size of a spark.


    <hr>


    The fourth time, the flames weren¡¯t only the giant blade wielded by the equally giant demon boss, but the metal parts of its armor let out an occasional burst of liquid flame that burned whoever touched the monster carelessly. Poor Lucky got the brunt of it before the clever wolf learned to only touch the demon with his claws.


    Thankfully, the magical flame, which was in no way suspicious, still only did fire damage, so Clarissa¡¯s spell took care of it pretty handily.


    Burned Shadow Spirit Wolf fur smelled like smoke from a kiln, at least according to Dan, who identified the smell. Who knew?


    They looted the bag, as they named it, which contained even more writings and a skill book. This time, it was called Life Burn, a skill that allowed the player to sacrifice their life for more mana. This one went to Katie because it synergized with several of her berserker skills.


    The notes this time contained the records of a cook-slash-quartermaster who was charged with feeding the party.


    From the notes, they learned that the party set out at the priestess¡¯ order once she received a revelation, though the demon writing the notes didn¡¯t mention what the revelation was before inevitably going crazy from taste testing all the meals made from the mysterious fruit.


    At least the demonic cook managed to leave some more notes about the fruit that was added to the recipe they found in the second round.


    <hr>


    The fifth round also went off without a hitch, but they were starting to tire mentally. One can only discuss the same news so many times while slaughtering oddly cute moss monsters before they give up on it.


    The boss monster this time was fully wreathed in the blue fire, and they had to time their hits to the blue fire. When it vanished for a few seconds, they could hit the enormous monster without punishment, but the DoT damage from the fire also got stronger, which meant that Clarissa actually had to pay attention to cleansing it.


    Still, it was a mad beast that had no clear thoughts or knew the concept of tactics, so as long as they played it smart and used distractions, they easily circumvented the fire.


    Some time ago, Sam convinced his teammates to turn their notifications off in the same way he did, and all of them were super eager to see the fruit of their labor.


    The loot bag, once again, contained only magical crystals perfect for enchanting and would make Liz pretty happy, but it was a little disappointing. The notes were much more interesting.


    A direct servant of the priestess wrote it. It was rather cryptic because the writer clearly didn¡¯t trust that the text would remain private but it still revealed some much-needed information.


    ¡°Mistress has ordered us to gather¡­ Mistress received revelation today. Mistress was very angry¡­¡±


    ¡°I was chosen to accompany Mistress. It is a great honor!¡±


    ¡°When the rain started, Mistress got sad. Mistress ordered us to make camp and sent the scouts out. They reported they found a nice clearing with a copse of fruit trees. How lucky! Clearly, the Gods favor my Mistress!¡±


    ¡°The fruit is tainted by darkness, but Mistress shouldn¡¯t be bothered. I don¡¯t know what to do¡­ My prayer hasn¡¯t been answered¡­¡±


    ¡°I took the darkness inside me. The hunger was too much¡­ Mistress shouldn¡¯t be bothered.¡±


    ¡°Mistress shouldn¡¯t be bothered.¡±


    There were a lot of repeating sentences, then one clearly written line.


    ¡°I have awoken. Mistress spoke to me. I shall be her blade.¡±


    And nothing more after that.


    The dark crystal was almost three-quarters filled with blue fire when Clarissa went to purge it.


    It looked rather foreboding.


    <hr>


    Before the sixth run, they took a brief break, organized the random loot they got, and checked up on the battle happening outside of the cave.


    The Storm Eagles seemed to be winning, but most of the forest still stood. They had to retreat when a conjured storm cloud started spewing lightning strikes too close to the mouth of the cave.


    The boss monster looked the same as previously, with blue fire dripping from its sword and its armor pulsing with the same substance. However, this time one of its eyes shined with inner blue light. Which, in turn, meant that the demon didn¡¯t act like a fully crazed berserker.


    It was finally capable of thought, and it ignored the simple distractions in favor of delivering devastating strikes. Still, this only meant that instead of passively sniping at the monster, Sam and Dan had to join Katie in actively fighting the demon.


    Defeating it took a little more time, but it still fell all the same. Though it was still stingy and only dropped a greatsword skill that Katie already had, so it went into the to-be-sold-later pile.


    The notes this time were simple, but were visibly written by somebody who had trouble holding a pen or whatever these demons used to write.


    Didn¡¯t take long to figure out it belonged to the giant demon they had been fighting. It mostly talked about the journey and his annoyance at protecting the priestess when the demon could be out fighting the enemy of their ruler. Still, the demon was rather dedicated to its duty.


    Sam looked at the others and sighed.


    ¡°The next time its full mind will return, that¡¯s clear. That will be the hardest fight.¡±


    Clarissa frowned. ¡°We only have so much time before our playtime is up. Can we do it?¡±


    Sam shrugged. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t change the attack pattern radically, then I think we¡¯re golden.¡±


    ¡°What if it changes?¡±


    ¡°Continue tomorrow?¡±


    She stared at him for a moment then shrugged before standing up and going back to the crystal that was shining with ethereal blue light, its previous black appearance nowhere to be seen.


    <hr>


    On the last run, the moss monsters were extremely aggressive, trying to swarm them, and the treants changed from molestation to full-on hardcore bondage.


    Katie seemed to find it funny, with Puffball laughing at the treant, once again proving it was not a normal cat, with a deep reverberation that came out of nowhere. Very disconcerting.


    Then they reached the still gleaming walls of the fortress.


    However, this time they couldn¡¯t sneak around as instead of a mad rush of mad demons, they were met with the silently standing enormous demon, holding its greatsword in one hand and both of its eyes shining with blue light and cruel intelligence.


    The other hand rose and pointed directly at the approaching team, then the demon let out a roar. Instead of an incomprehensible sound, it was in an accented but clearly understandable human language.


    ¡°Defilers! Intruders! I kill you ALL!¡±

 Chapter 143

    For a terrible moment, all of them froze, staring back at the monster.


    Then it was broken by the demon snarling and swinging his greatsword at them, unleashing a torrent of blue fire. The fire threatened to swallow them but, in an instant, a hexagonal shield manifested between them and the attack, supported by Sam¡¯s Shadow Shield while Katie began to cast her own skills and Dan seemed to be trying to take control of the blue flames with little results.


    The flames battered the shields, but they ultimately held under the onslaught.


    As soon as the flames died down, leaving only a few patches on the ground still burning, Sam¡¯s Shadow Shield was broken by the charging demon, greatsword held aloft and murder in his eyes.


    Before the monster could also crash through, the hexagonal shield cast by Clarissa vanished, and the demon was intercepted by Katie, blocking his greatsword strike with a blade of her own. Before the monster could react, he received a face full of a white-hot spear of fire, courtesy of Dan.


    Sam simply stepped back for a moment and observed the fight, staying out of the sight of the demon. He watched for almost half a minute as Dan, Katie, and Lucky played keep-away with the monster, occasionally burned by the blue flames that sometimes acted like fire and sometimes like liquid.


    Clarissa was sweating from exertion, but she was keeping up with the damage.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± she yelled over to him between two breaths as the monster pushed Katie away with a mighty effort and let out a roar.


    ¡°Looking for a weak point,¡± he replied calmly and raised his sword.


    With a brief effort, wind mana began to swirl around the blade, being compressed to the edge, increasing its size and cutting power. Around him, the rest of the wind mana took the shape of countless spears, hovering over his shoulder, ready to strike.


    He waited two breaths, raised his right foot, and slammed it down with full force, directing the Ground Shake at where the demon was currently crossing blades with Katie while Dan tried to break through the blue flames.


    ¡°Disengage!¡± he yelled while activating all his speed-granting skills like Shadow Burst and Shadow Grace with the wind granting him an extra boost of speed. ¡°Purge after strike!¡±


    The monster, momentarily unbalanced glanced at him, and Sam exploded forward. But to the demon¡¯s surprise, instead of one Sam, there were five more copies of him, all of them moving forward with the same speed while the Wind Spears he had prepared, began raining down.


    The boss was instantly overwhelmed, however, the demon proved that he wasn¡¯t chosen by chance to protect someone so important and recovered quickly. It raised his greatsword, ignoring the Wind Spears striking his body, and swung it in a great circular arc, bisecting all the Sam¡¯s that were heading in his direction.


    Upon seeing the sword go through all of them, he was surprised, but the surprise only lasted until Sam¡¯s enhanced blade struck.


    Moonlight, enhanced by the wind, bit into the armor of the demon, creating a sizeable gash. Before the demon could even register the hit, he grabbed hold of the wind mana in the cutting blade and simply detonated it, thereby increasing the size of the gash and creating an area where the liquid-like blue flame wasn¡¯t covering the demon¡¯s body. With a simple exertion, he launched himself backward, avoiding Clarissa¡¯s next spell.


    ¡°PURGE!¡±


    The white light of the spell flew forward, expertly striking the patch of bleeding skin that Sam created.


    The white spell splashed against the skin of the demon and he let out an unearthly scream, parts of the armor began to spew flames, but they didn¡¯t return, leaving the armor without its burning protection. The patches were maybe the size of a small hand, but that proved Sam¡¯s theory.


    He didn¡¯t have to explain anything. They were all seasoned gamers. They all understood the assignment when they saw what happened after the Purge spell hit the monster.


    Wanting to make sure that nothing could play them, while bombarding the monster strategically with his magic, allowing Katie, Dan, and Lucky to create openings for Clarissa to cast her spell, he ran around and carved runes into the ground around the fight.


    It was nothing special, just a simple containment circle. He hoped it wouldn¡¯t be needed but there were so many suspicious things happening that he wanted to make sure.


    He watched from the sidelines as Purge spell after purge spell hit the monster, destroying more and more of the flame armor, allowing them to damage the demon properly.


    The moment he carved his Heart Rune into the ground and channeled his mana into it, thereby activating it the last of the flame armor was banished, leaving the demon bleeding from several gashes wrought by Katie and Lucky, and burns covering his extremities courtesy of Dan.


    Puffball was sitting on a pretty nice rock and cleaning herself.


    The only place where the blue flame was visible, aside from the randomly burning patches on the ground, was the demon¡¯s eyes. They shined with even more intensity and Sam could feel through his Mana Sense some kind of ¡®otherness¡¯ through it.


    ¡®It seems my hunch was somewhat correct¡­¡¯


    With a roar of her own, Katie wreathed in her customary yellow lightning which pooled around her sword, sprung forward, and with a mighty strike cut the monster¡¯s arm off. Sadly, it was not the one holding the weapon. While the demon was wounded and ravaged, he still had enough presence of mind to dodge the strike aimed at his weapon-holding arm.


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    Sam shot forward and while the demon tried to get his equilibrium back, struck from the back and severed the other arm at the shoulder, leaving the monster wide open for Clarissa to hit him with a Purge right between the eyes.


    Again, for a moment, everything was frozen then the demon, bleeding from his stumps and multiple lacerations, burns sizzling sinisterly, threw his head back and let out a scream that shook both the cavern and the people in them.


    As the blue light began seeping from the eyes, creating cracks on the haggard skin of the demon, Sam¡¯s eyes widened. He knew what was going to happen.


    ¡°Second phase! Out of the circle!¡± he yelled while jumping outside of the runic circle he created. Lucky simply vanished into a small shadow. Katie looked like she wanted to continue hacking away, but, in the end, she followed the order while Dan simply turned around and ran. Clarissa was already outside of it, so she simply watched as the cracks spread, turning the monster into something looking like a porcelain doll repaired with gold. But instead of the porcelain¡¯s white color, the body was dark, and the blue fire replaced the gold.


    Then the monster exploded.


    Thankfully, without throwing chunks of flesh everywhere. The blue fire was hot enough to vaporize the flesh.


    In its place was left an amorphous blue light, vaguely looking like a humanoid with tentacles everywhere.


    ¡°A malicious spirit¡­¡± Clarissa whispered in realization.


    ¡°Yup. Prepare your Purge,¡± Sam agreed and began channeling mana into the runic circle¡¯s heart rune while weaving another circle in the air, made from illusionary runes as a backup.


    It was a common mechanic. Kill the monster possessed by the spirit, and the spirit would in turn possess somebody from the players, forcing the team to fight against themselves.


    But he was a smart cookie and had the tools to prevent that. Hopefully¡­


    The spirit didn¡¯t even need a second to start moving and instantly honed on the nearest being, Katie who was standing at the boundary watching the spirit with interest.


    It flew forward silently but was thankfully repulsed by the circle.


    Sam felt the strain and knew that the circle had at most two or three chances to rebuff the spirit before it burned out.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to restrict it, use all the mana on that Purge,¡± he murmured under his breath at Clarissa and then began focusing on the spirit to the exclusion of everything else.


    He was vaguely aware of Lucky resurfacing behind him. The loyal wolf watching his back, but most of his attention was solely on the illusionary runic circle he was constructing.


    Using runes he had learned, he put together a binding circle and restriction circle on each other. Then while the spirit finished with its observation and readied itself for a second strike, he began to decrease the circumference of the illusionary runic circle around the monster.


    CLANG


    The monster slammed against the circle and Sam saw some of the hastily carved runes begin to sizzle.


    ¡®Okay, one more and it goes puff¡­¡¯ he mused as he began to tighten the other circle even faster.


    The spirit floated backward a little, ready to charge, and that was when Sam struck, knowing that his piddly little illusionary circle wouldn¡¯t hold long.


    Bands of runic script encircled the tentacled spirit, freezing it in place with Sam channeling an immense amount of mana into his creation to make sure it worked for even a few seconds.


    He didn¡¯t have the ability to give a signal to Clarissa, but she was a pro, and the moment the spirit was bound, she sprinted forward, swung her staff, shining with the light of the Purge spell, straight through the spirit.


    Wherever the staff went, the spirit¡¯s body was simply erased. Surprisingly, the spirit didn¡¯t let out any sound, but Sam had to channel even more mana into his binding as the spirit began to struggle even more.


    Clarissa, seeing the effect her attack had, did it again. And again. And again, until there were only pieces of spirit-like blue light floating around. Then she stepped back and called out. ¡°Let it go!¡±


    Sam let go and let out a breath of relief. A quick glance at his mana told him that even his incredible mana regeneration was almost overtaken by the spirit¡¯s struggle.


    Clarissa simply raised her staff with both hands and let out a simple cry.


    ¡°Begone foul spirit! Banishment!¡±


    The remaining parts of the spirit that seemed to be drifting close to each other instantly began to sparkle with rainbow light, then simply vanished in an anti-climatic puff, leaving the team flabbergasted and staring in disbelief.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ supposed to happen r-right?¡± Dan asked worriedly as he stepped forward, gripping his club that was still covered with white-hot fire.


    To their relief, Clarissa nodded. ¡°Yeah. Surprised me too the first time I used it. Holy Banishment has a light show, but the simple Banishment just sends them over to the other side,¡± she explained.


    Sam let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Now we just need to deal with the priestess¡­¡±


    Hearing that, all of them grimaced. The last time they purged the crystal, it was almost full. They knew that something was going to happen, but not what exactly.


    ¡°But first a little break¡­ I need to get some mana.¡±


    <hr>


    A few minutes of break, a mana potion or two, and they were ready to head into the city, leaving the scorched and practically destroyed area before the destroyed gates.


    The ruined buildings still looked the same, but when they reached the abode that hid the priestess¡¯ body, they noticed a small light seeping through the holes in the building.


    Carefully, they entered the dwelling and sought out the loot bag, which this time contained no notes, but a ring shining with almost holy light, a skill book on the language of the demons, and another that contained the spell, Sacred Flame.


    The book about the demon language went to Sam while Clarissa and Dan had a little rock-paper-scissors tournament about the skill. In the end, Clarissa won the game and quickly learned the spell, though Dan didn¡¯t really look too disappointed. The spell was clearly intended for a healer or priest¡­


    They would have the ring identified back in the city, but Sam suspected that it would be something useful for healers.


    ¡°Wow, this dungeon was basically created for you¡­¡± Katie remarked. ¡°We barely got any cool loot, and you got like half a dozen spells. No doubt the ring will be yours as well¡­¡± she finished with a pout.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Sam called out as he learned the skill book. ¡°The game is fair. Clarissa got some awesome loot, but I doubt we¡¯ll be left out¡­¡±


    Giving the devastated room a last look, Sam nodded and motioned toward the room where the priestess slept her dreamless sleep. The rest of the team followed him and soon they were silently standing around the body of the priestess, all their eyes glued to the crystal shining with blue light.


    Sam met Clarissa¡¯s eyes and nodded. She returned the nod and, after a brief murmur of the incantation, she reached forward, her hand shining white.


    The moment her hand touched the crystal, she called out.


    ¡°PURGE!¡±


    The crystal shined even brighter until the light grew strong enough that none of them could see.


    Then a sound¡­


    CRACK


    The light vanished, the crystal was gone and instead, there was another spirit hovering over the decaying body of the priestess.


    Thankfully, this one didn¡¯t have any tentacles. Instead, it, or rather she, looked exactly like Sam imagined the priestess would have looked if she were alive.


    Luscious hair, falling in waves from her head, reaching the small of her back, decked out in fine clothing and many religious-looking jewelry.


    For a brief moment, there was disdain on her face, but sadness and bittersweet happiness instantly replaced it.


    ¡°Humans¡­¡± she spoke up, her voice ethereal yet commanding. She spoke like someone who expected to be listened to and brooked no foolishness. ¡°You freed us¡­¡±

 Chapter 144

    Sam and the rest of the team wisely decided to say nothing, allowing the apparition to gather her thoughts. She looked around, more than likely seeing more than them or maybe she was just seeing more as a spirit.


    Finally, her attention returned to the team and began speaking.


    ¡°You managed to undo what I have wrought. Thus, I must thank you for it. If not for your actions, I fear my people and I would have been forever trapped in this infinitely repeating nightmare. I have no knowledge of who built this edifice of madness, but if I were alive, I would do everything in my power to find them and show them the error of their ways!¡± By the end, she was angrily shouting.


    Not at them but at the world.


    Sam exchanged a glance with his friends and after a brief non-verbal communication, he turned back to the raging spirit.


    ¡°Er, what exactly happened? If you don¡¯t mind us asking?¡± he spoke up a little hesitantly, fearing that he would trigger the spirit even more, driving her into a mad rage. But to their luck, the spirit realized what she was doing and made the effort to calm down with a few deep breaths.


    A minute later she closed her eyes and then opened them, staring directly at Sam with an intense gaze.


    ¡°Why what else, but one of the oldest sins? I was betrayed.¡±


    ¡°Betrayed?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I received a revelation from my goddess calling me on a journey.¡± She took a fortifying breath and continued. ¡°I went, of course. It was a call from my goddess, as such I couldn¡¯t possibly refuse. My enemies knew this as well. I noticed too late that somebody had sabotaged one of my protections that defended my mind.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, indeed,¡± she nodded with a small smile. ¡°It wasn¡¯t the only defense for my mind, but it protected me from a specific subset of attacks. Can you guess what happened?¡± She asked sardonically.


    Sam said nothing and she simply continued.


    ¡°I suspect that one of my scouts was subverted because when it began to rain, they directed us to a well-protected grotto, where we found trees bearing scrumptious-looking fruit,¡± she explained. ¡°By the time I realized what happened, it was too late. The grotto ensnared us.¡±


    ¡°The grotto?¡± Clarissa quietly asked.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a malevolent spirit that inhabits small grottos, or other natural phenomena and uses beguiling magic to draw its victims to them. They project an aura that promises safety and you shall never leave after stepping foot into its domain.¡±


    ¡°Then why hasn¡¯t it attacked us yet?¡±


    Here the spirit¡¯s sad smile turned into a vicious one.


    ¡°It may have ensnared us, thanks to sabotage, but it took a while to subdue all of us. I suspect you may have found some of the mad ramblings of my followers. It made sure to lock me down immediately, knowing that I was the most dangerous to its existence.¡± She grinned. ¡°But I wasn¡¯t fully helpless and a priestess has many more tools than our enemy knows. With their minds weakened thanks to the beguiling magic, it was child¡¯s play to act through the bodies of the true believers.¡±


    ¡°You had them cut down the trees and make the walls¡­¡± Sam whispered, impressed.


    The spirit of the priestess nodded proudly. ¡°Indeed, I did. The spirit couldn¡¯t stop me, but neither could I free myself. And after the last tree was cut down, it jumped into the body of my guardian.¡± She continued the explanation, however as she talked she lost her vicious grin and her expression once again turned to deep sadness. ¡°I couldn¡¯t let it escape. Especially not with the body of my guardian¡­¡±


    None of them spoke up, really wanting to know what actually happened.


    ¡°Thus, with my last strength I scattered the soul that the spirit latched on to,¡± she declared proudly. ¡°But the spell has its drawbacks. It creates an anchor ¨C the crystal ¨C and if enough pieces are returned to it the malevolent spirit would be revived. I was hoping that a search party would find us and exorcise the spirit, but alas¡­


    ¡°The Fracture happened¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what they call it?¡± she asked idly but nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes, the madness that swept through the world reached us too, creating these caves around the fortification. I suspect we may have been doomed to languish forever here if it weren¡¯t for your actions¡­¡±


    Sam wisely didn¡¯t mention the altar and crystal that was siphoning demonic energy from the fracture. There was no point in upsetting the spirit even more.


    For a minute they stood there in silence while the spirit hovered in front of them, seemingly lost in her thoughts.


    Sam cleared his throat and spoke up.


    ¡°What now?¡±


    The priestess''s head snapped at Sam, and his hand tightened on the pommel of his sword, mentally preparing a spell that would hopefully affect the spirit.


    Then she smiled.


    ¡°You need not fear, human. I am not for this world anymore, nor are my followers.¡± She fell silent but once again, as did Sam and his team. ¡°Sometimes, the vision from my goddess was about this moment,¡± she murmured, seemingly to herself, but they all heard it clearly. She shook her ghostly head and refocused on Sam. ¡°I simply wanted to thank the intrepid team that freed me from my self-made cage.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± she replied with a small bow. ¡°But fret not, I know the nature of adventure. You seek riches and treasure and I shall provide.¡±


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Now that sounded much more appealing to Sam who expected another quest from the demons. Maybe to fulfill the aforementioned prophecy of a demonic goddess.


    ¡°I can¡¯t provide anything tangible, but while locked away I had nothing but time on my hands,¡± she said, while holding up her right arm, a finger pointed at the team. ¡°But I suspect, you would like this better than any gold I could bestow upon you.¡±


    The moment she finished speaking a gentle white light in the shape of a beam left her finger and after travelling a yard away from her it split into four and within two blinks arrived in front of them. And right there, before hitting their bodies the light stopped and formed into four identical crystals made of the light.


    None of them touched it, of course.


    Seeing their hesitation, the spirit just smirked. ¡°Go on, it won¡¯t bite¡­¡± she spoke, making a shooing motion with her hands.


    They just looked at Sam who stared at the slowly spinning light crystal, both with his eyes and Mana Sense. But the only thing he could sense was holy mana¡­ Finally, after a few minutes of scrutiny, he nodded and reached for the crystal in front of him, the others mirroring his movement.


    The moment his fingers made contact with the crystal it dissolved and the light seeped into his hand and a notification appeared in front of him.


    [You have freed the Priestess of the Dark Lady from her torment and she rewarded you with a skill that she developed during her imprisonment.]


    [You gained Spirit Protection!]


    [Spirit Protection: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Your connection with your partner spirit grants you an ethereal protection for your mind. The skill grants you a flat amount of protection as long as your spirit partner is near you. Protection increases by 1% per skill level.]


    He read the skill information and grinned. Based on the small noises the others were making they also got some nice skills. He returned his attention to the spirit who was watching them rather smugly. Noticing his attention she winked at him, bowed once again and then simply faded away.


    Instantly the cave began to shake as the anchor for the fracture left the material world.


    <hr>


    A minute later they were back in the chamber where now the only thing that provided light was the crystal absorbing the demonic energy until Sam summoned a light of his own.


    Sitting on a chair he created with earth magic he looked at the others then clicked on a button and shared the screen of his new skill. ¡°I got some mind defenses. What did you guys get?¡± he asked excitedly.


    Katie grinned and immediately showed all of them a skill window.


    [Spirit Bolster: Level 0/100 (0%) (Active) Bolster your spirit with this skill when besieged by beguiling or befouling spells. Activating the spell gives a chance to break mind-based spells affecting the user. Chance depends on strength difference, and status points but is increased by 1% for each skill level.]


    ¡°Fancy¡­¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    Dan sat up and also shared his screen. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s my turn¡­¡±


    [Spirit Fire: Level 0/100 (Active) Burn your spirit to increase the damage of your flames. Each second of activation gives the user a debuff that decreases the mental defenses. Maximum channel time: 10 seconds. For each skill level +0,5 seconds of channel time.]


    ¡°Hmm, good for DPS checks and burning down bosses¡­¡±


    ¡°My thoughts exactly!¡±


    Finally, they all turned to Clarissa who huffed a little but also shared her new skill.


    [Spirit Relief: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Your spirit is strong and honed for healing. Increases the strength of heals that affect others by 1% for each skill level.]


    ¡°Not as good as the others¡­¡±


    Sam just shook his head. ¡°Right¡­ because doubling your outgoing healing is not good¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but how long will it take me to level it up?¡±


    For that, he didn¡¯t actually have an answer. Thankfully, Katie was rather impatient.


    ¡°Now that we have finished with the fracture what¡¯s next? Are we fighting the eagles?¡± Based on the look in her eyes, Sam suspected that she wanted him to say yes.


    He just rolled his eyes and waved his hands at Clarissa. ¡°My dear Clarissa, if you would?¡±


    She scoffed haughtily but stood up and stepped up to the dark crystal, raised her staff, and murmured a quick incantation, causing the head of the staff to shine with a familiar light and within the next breath brought it down on the crystal with a mighty yell.


    ¡°PURGE!¡±


    For a moment Sam was worried that the crystal would resist but in the end, nothing happened. The head of Clarissa¡¯s staff crashed into the crystal and in turn, shattered it into tiny pieces that flew everywhere. Some pinged off Katie¡¯s armor, while Dan dove for cover, which turned out to be Katie for some reason.


    Instantly, Sam could feel the mana around them calming down, the cloying miasma slowly evaporating into the ether.


    <hr>


    Knowing that the end of their game time was close, they decided to take a quick look at the outside to see what was going on and then log out. They would deal with the Storm Eagles after resting a little.


    Surprisingly they couldn¡¯t hear much as they approached the exit, though the cries and calls of the Storm Eagles were still present.


    They crept along the cavern, wary of any foul play, but they reached the end of the corridor without trouble.


    There they were met with a rather ghastly sight.


    The surroundings were destroyed, previously green grass now blacked or outright missing, and great furrows breaking up the flat terrains, no doubt the results of wind-type attacks from the aggressive eagles.


    And to their shock, right in front of the exit sat on the ground the biggest Storm Eagle that any of them ever saw. Sam instantly recognized that it was a boss and he didn¡¯t need his skills to know that they stood no chance against the guardian of the mountains.


    And as they observed the monster it opened its giant eyes, each the size of a small child, and looked directly at them.


    ¡°Humans.¡± The voice came from everywhere and nowhere and reverberated around the cavern and in their heads.


    Knowing that hiding was useless, Sam stepped out of cover, making sure that his hand was nowhere near his weapon, and bowed, almost at a ninety-degree angle.


    ¡°Greetings, Guardian of the Mountains!¡±


    Getting the message, the rest of the team scurried after him and copied him. Except for Puffball who followed them out of the cavern, but without a care in the world sauntered away and within seconds found a nice flat rock, directly in the sunlight, to lay on.


    ¡°Is it gone?¡± came the query from the giant monster.


    Sam simply nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Good. I don¡¯t have to destroy the mountain then.¡±


    He didn¡¯t have anything to say to that. Nor did the guardian. Between two blinks, the giant predator opened its wings, and with a powerful beat launched itself up in the sky, the rest of the birds following their leaders, leaving Sam and the others in the middle of a charred and destroyed clearing.


    Bewildered, they just looked at each other until Lucky let out a loud bark.


    They found the wolf under one of the few remaining trees, though it had very little leaves remaining on its branches but at least it was standing. Under the tree, nestled between uncovered roots were two round objects, radiating mana.


    Eggs.


    Sam chuckled. ¡°At least the guardian made sure to pay for our tribulations¡­¡± He reached down and gently picked up the eggs. Carefully observing them told him what he already suspected. They were eggs for familiars. Without much hesitation, he instantly offered them to Clarissa and Dan. ¡°Here, you guys don¡¯t have one yet¡­¡±


    Katie pouted a little, but Puffball chose the moment to jump into her arms, so she had to devote her attention to pleasing her feline companion.


    They spent a few minutes setting up a small camp near the clearing, and then after a brief talk, they logged out.

 Chapter 145

    Even after several months since being reborn, looking out at the futuristic city visible from his apartment window caused Sam to feel strange things. It was one part homesickness and one part stomach-churning anxiety with a dash of blood-pumping excitement.


    As Sam stood in his window, with his hands behind his back, pretending to be an evil mastermind overlooking his domain, he went over the latest happening in the game, while contemplating his next steps.


    They were finished with the fracture, arriving there just in time to prevent the Storm Eagles from going crazy, no doubt the system of the game directing them, and now were ready to leave. He was pretty happy that his friends managed to gain familiars of their own, though there was a small amount of jealousy because they would be flying familiars. Granted, he had wind mana, but still¡­


    The dark crystal that was absorbing demonic mana was a bigger problem. He had a few ideas, based on half-remembered events from his inherited memories, but his best guess was that whoever betrayed the priestess wanted to harness her and her followers¡¯ energy for some malevolent reason.


    No doubt, by now they figured out what happened and were furiously hunting for Sam and his team. If they were lucky, their new enemy wouldn¡¯t find their tracks, but in the end, it was up to the system to decide.


    With the multiple runs, his demon kills almost completed his newest quest. A quick jaunt into a smaller fracture that contained demons would grant him a quest completion and in turn, bring him closer to the mysterious organization.


    Sam grinned as he watched a few flying vehicles zoom past his building.


    The situation with the other gamers was also developing.


    Player numbers were still going up, as well as the number of player-created businesses. Gold was flowing into the pockets of the players just as fast as they spent it on weapons and equipment. The game¡¯s system wasn¡¯t conducive to the usual gear treadmill, but there were always better weapons and armor found, and by now there were at least a few crafters that managed something better than the players could get from the merchants.


    Most of those players were, of course, controlled by guilds, but most guilds also needed money, so they chose to use those crafters to bring in the gold.


    There were naturally guilds that were supported by businesses from the real world or rich people. Most of those rich people were rich second-generation youngsters, ready to leave their mark on the world with the newest and best game.


    Most of them blazed like a candle doused by gasoline and by the next day, they were yesterday¡¯s news.


    There were a few here and there that were chugging along, but those people rarely had the personality and skills to lead anything bigger than a bar crawl. The bigger guilds quickly gobbled up those who were good, along with any talent they attracted.


    The political landscape was also taking shape.


    The Emerald Kingdom was a medium-sized country, with a capital city, robust army, hidden secrets, and at least two dozen big cities and a few hundred towns and uncountable villages. The biggest guilds looked ready to solidify their area of control, most of them ¡®ruling¡¯ over at least a city, maybe more.


    The only areas of contention were Deepanchor and Ironwood thanks to Sam and Lucy¡¯s presence as well as Brightgarden because most of the pet guilds were straight-up bonkers.


    The guilds had already divided the rest of the country up, at least according to the forums. The Steel Lions had already moved up north into Anvildown, a well-named city, famous for its blacksmiths and iron mines.


    They probably moved, because politically their presence in Deepanchor was unstable, and with Katie¡¯s father preparing for the rush at the poison dungeon, Anvildown would be much closer to the location.


    Deepanchor was also flowering, with the money their business was bringing in, all the local merchants were ready to sell their firstborns for the chance to do business with them. According to Lucy, it was a veritable smorgasbord of opportunities.


    Sam expected the first guild wars would kick off soon.


    Of course, there were skirmishes, battles, and such between various guilds, but a war between them supported by their crafters and the local populace, maybe even rulers was a much more different type of event.


    Thankfully, he remembered that the first big battle happened in one of the desert nations over water sources as the guild didn¡¯t have enough for the players. It was televised from the start, with both guilds making a big deal out of it and using it as an opportunity for a PR move.


    Sam was more interested in the gambling aspect. The moment the news came out, instantly it was followed by at least a dozen analyses by armchair generals and the gambling sites using those to set up some outrageous odds.


    Turning away from the wind, as the setting sun illuminated the futuristic city, casting a very dramatic shadow over his living room, he began walking toward his door. He had a meeting with Lucy in a restaurant and he didn¡¯t want to be late.


    He nodded to the lightly dressed neighbor, a pretty redhead, who silently returned the nod as she hauled her groceries toward her apartment and began whistling (rather badly) as he ambled toward the elevator.


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    <hr>


    They returned to the game refreshed and excited.


    Both Clarissa and Dan were holding the eggs left behind like they were bombs, afraid that if they did something more than holding it, they would break it and be left without anything.


    Katie was holding Puffball, the chaotic cat that Sam was pretty sure was never a cat, who was enjoying her ministrations while the girl was excitedly grinning.


    Sam stepped forward and spoke up.


    ¡°Who wants to go first?¡±


    Clarissa and Dan looked at each other, and after a few seconds, Dan bowed his head a little while still carefully holding the egg.


    ¡°Ladies first,¡± he said with a small smile, somehow flexing his pectoral muscles. Sam was kinda jealous of that talent.


    Clarissa huffed a little, but Sam could see the smile appearing in the corner of her mouth and then she stepped forward, turning to Sam.


    ¡°Do I have to do anything special?¡± she asked, her eyes on the egg.


    Sam shrugged.


    ¡°Just channel some mana into it and it will hatch,¡± he explained.


    ¡°Does it matter what type?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Sometimes, but it is not guaranteed,¡± he replied. ¡°Those look like neutral eggs, so who knows¡­¡±


    Clarissa nodded and a second later Sam could feel her mana move through her body, into her hands, and then into the egg. Unsurprisingly, she was channeling healing mana into the egg.


    For a few minutes, they all watched in silence as she channeled, before a small shining crack appeared on the top of the egg.


    CRACK


    There was a breath of silence and cracks began to spread from the top, shining with the gentle light of healing. Soon, Clarissa was left holding an egg-shaped light, before it flashed strong enough that all of them had to look away and blink the spots out of their eyes. By the time Sam looked back, Clarissa was staring in wonder at her palm where a small white bird was sitting and letting out surprisingly melodic and calming chirps.


    Sam stepped close and took a look at the white bird. As soon as he was next to the healer, the little bird noticed him and stopped chirping, instead, it tried to vanish into Clarissa¡¯s palm, hiding from his gaze.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked gently, trying not to frighten the bird anymore.


    ¡°She,¡± came the answer from the young woman as she read the screens in front of her. ¡°¡­is a Spirit Arcane Swan.¡±


    ¡°Spirit Arcane Swan?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I got the Mana Channeling skill, and the Spirit Link skill,¡± she explained, not even taking her eyes off the little bird that had begun once again chirping now that she realized that Sam wasn¡¯t trying to eat her. ¡°I think I¡¯ll call her Melody. She seems to like singing.¡±


    ¡°Swans honk, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, my Melody doesn¡¯t.¡±


    Knowing that it would be useless to argue with the healer, Sam left her to get to know her new pet and turned to Dan.


    ¡°Ready?¡±


    After seeing Clarissa¡¯s new pet he was even more excited. ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Without waiting anymore, Dan closed his eyes and began concentrating and Sam could instantly feel as sizzling hot fire mana began to move toward the egg.


    Behind him, Katie moved over to the healer who was joyously petting the newly born swan. As she moved, she had to simultaneously hold back Puffball who seemed to be wanting to get a taste of the small bird.


    Not much later, there was another sound.


    CRACK


    SIZZLE


    The air wavered around the egg, it was so hot, and when the cracks began to spread over it, every one of them let off steam and smoke and even more heat. A brief sizzle and crackle, and Dan was also holding a small bird.


    This one was blue with some orange highlights, and instead of chirping, it sounded like a pot letting out steam.


    A whistle and sneeze and Dan was holding a handful of flames while the bird let out screams of happiness.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a little fiery¡­¡± Sam spoke with a smirk. Dan just let out a long-suffering sigh as he began to pet the newly born bird. ¡°What did you get?¡±


    There was a pause as Dan read over the screens, then he spoke up. ¡°Spirit Searing Hawk. I got the Spirit Link, and it has a Fire Aura as a starting skill.¡±


    ¡®Two spirit familiars? The system is trying to tell me something¡­¡¯ Sam mused as his teammates began to compare the two birds with Katie watching and Puffball eyeing the small birds.


    <hr>


    Sometime later, done with the celebration of the birth of Clarissa and Dan¡¯s familiars who were respectively sitting in Clarissa¡¯s hood and a small pouch fastened to Dan¡¯s belt. Both of the birds were eagerly looking around while their owners were in the discussion.


    ¡°So, how do we get out of here, oh fearless leader?¡± Clarissa asked with her hands on her hips. ¡°I seem to remember you mentioning that you have plans¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I do,¡± he replied, a little nervous before noticing something. ¡°However¡­WHAT¡¯S THAT?¡± he suddenly yelled, pointing up at the sky.


    His team didn¡¯t even twitch. They just sent him disappointing looks. However, before any of them could voice their opinion about his mental well-being, they were suddenly covered by gigantic shadows.


    Looking up, all of them could see four giant, though smaller than the guardian, Storm Eagles descending toward them.


    Before they could even start to run away, the first one landed, surprisingly gently, in front of them with a flare of their wings.


    ¡°Get on, losers. The boss told me to take you guys out of the valley!¡± came the deep and grouchy voice from the lead bird.


    Sam and the others looked at each other and as one, shrugged.


    It beat hiking out.


    <hr>


    Traveling on a giant bird was rather nice. Thanks to their innate understanding of wind magic, the team wasn¡¯t freezing to death despite the heights they were traveling at and they could appreciate the view.


    Not even half an hour later, the birds carrying them began to list to the side and then began to descend despite being nowhere near any city.


    The grouchy voice of the lead bird came with the explanation. ¡°You can find your way from here, losers.¡±


    They were unceremoniously deposited on a flat area near one of the peaks, with an obvious trail leading downward showing that it was, if not frequented, occasionally visited by humans. The moment Katie disembarked from her bird, naturally after giving it a few appreciative scratches, the birds returned to the sky without a word, though ever so faintly, they could hear a last sentence being carried by the wind toward them.


    ¡°So long, losers!¡±


    They wisely decided to ignore it.


    <hr>


    The trip down from the mountain was uneventful. They were attacked by a few monsters, but they were turned into mincemeat in short order.


    As they were heading downward, they discussed the next step of Sam¡¯s plan. Mostly they needed to go over their gains, deposit the materials they gathered, and then head for a small fracture that was currently controlled by the Abyss Vipers to hunt more demons.


    ¡°Do we have to go there? The Vipers are all assholes¡­¡± Clarissa argued.


    ¡°Think of the fights!¡± came Katie¡¯s contribution.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can fight an entire guild¡­¡±


    Sam just shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll play nice. Pay the entry fee. I don¡¯t really care for the drops. I just need to kill a few more demons¡­¡±


    ¡°What if they start something?¡±


    ¡°As long as Katie can control herself, we¡¯re good¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Sam sent a look at the berserker, then raised an eyebrow.


    Katie held out for a few seconds, then began to grumble.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be mean about it¡­"

 Chapter 146

    They trudged down the mountainside, heading for the nearest town they saw from high up.


    It was a small town, almost a village, but it had a wall. Granted, even from afar, it could be seen that it was rather rudimentary, but having it entitled the population to call it a town.


    The team just needed a place where they could rest momentarily and then head off toward the city that the Abyss Vipers called home.


    Walking into the town, curious and suspicious looks met them in equal amounts, which made sense, as they couldn¡¯t see any players.


    ¡®There is a chance we are the first players that ever came to this little town¡­¡¯ Sam mused.


    Thankfully, the town only had one inn, so their destination was quite clear.


    They barely took a seat and ordered a meal when the first rube approached them. It was an older man, wearing worn clothing and stereotypically wringing an old hat in his hands while his face was etched with worry.


    ¡°E-excuse me? A-are you a-adventurers?¡± he asked, stuttering a little. Whether from fear or anxiety, was not clear.


    Dan was the one who answered. He straightened out in his seat, turned to fully face the worried man, and grinned at him. ¡°Sure we are! Do you need help, sir?¡±


    The man rapidly nodded, and the words began to stream from his mouth. ¡°Yes! Yes! We have these monsters! Goats that can do wicked magic! Can you take care of them?¡±


    Dan glanced at them, silently asking if they wanted to join him, but Clarissa just grimaced and even Katie sniffed.


    ¡°Goats are boring!¡±


    Dan shrugged and turned back to the anxiously waiting man. ¡°Well, my good sir. It seems you¡¯ve found your man.¡± He stood up, waved to the team, and began to herd the man away. ¡°Now, tell me. Do these goats bleat?¡±


    The answer was swallowed by the small rush of locals as they besieged their table and soon Sam found himself alone after Katie was dragged away by a forceful grandma who wanted her to take a look at her cats after seeing Puffball and Clarissa was asked to check up on a few people who came down with something.


    He quickly inhaled his food and after a minute of rest and a glass of juice made from a local fruit that tasted halfway between pear and apple, he finally opened his status screen and looked over his gains.


    [You are now Level 55!]


    [Thanks to your effort, you gained +1 PER, +2 WIS!]


    [You gained 6 Unassigned status points!]


    As always, the first task was to assign his points. After a brief thought, he continued with his balanced build. Three went to VIT, two to DEX, and one more to PER. He was once again getting closer to having fifty in every row aside from Luck.


    Confirming his choices, Sam then turned toward the skill notifications.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 45!]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 89!]


    [Second Skin is now Level 3!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 54!]


    [Synchronization is now Level 5!]


    [Ethereal Channels is now Level 1!]


    [Perception Filter is now Level 14!]


    [Mana Gaze is now Level 19!]


    [Triple Mana Slash is now Level 9!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 85!]


    [Mana Attuned Body is now Level 3!]


    [Mana Disruption is now Level 19!]


    [Spell Layering is now Level 24!]


    [Mana Construct is now Level 35!]


    [Simplicity is now Level 1!]


    Looking at the great number of skills near a breakthrough, Sam couldn¡¯t help but smile a little. A big fight, or maybe a sudden bout of Enlightenment, would increase his power by a large margin. Of course, that made him think of death. Specifically, about how he still hadn¡¯t died in the game. Sam knew that there was some kind of achievement for not dying until level hundred, but the guild who achieved it never released the details.


    Even so, they only managed it by basically surrounding a guy with a dozen healers and at least two tanks at all times while an elite assassin squad dogged their shadows to make sure nobody got close to the player.


    He hoped he could achieve it but realistically there was only a very very small chance of that ever happening. Still, it was a little exciting to think about where and how his first death would happen.


    [Light Ball III is now Level 9!]


    [Clean IV is now Level 10!]


    [You gained the skill Clean V!]


    [Clean V: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) Your dedication to cleanliness is very impressive. This spell allows you to clean a greater area than previously. Physical and magical contaminants are easier to clean. Grants further 1,5% immunity to diseases per skill level. Above a certain level, the spell only weakens contaminants.]


    [Earth Wall III is now Level 10!]


    [You gained Earth Wall IV!]


    [Earth Wall IV: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to create an earth and stone construct in the shape of a wall. You have control over the strength, shape, density, and measurements of the wall. Allows you to strengthen the created wall with extra mana. Allows you to change the wall¡¯s shape using mana.]


    [Ground Shake is now Level 9!]


    [Electric Spark is now Level 6!]


    [Water Bullet II is now Level 10!]


    His elemental skills were also growing nicely. It was a pity that the Water Bullet spell stopped growing, but he barely used it. Mostly to put out a fire or to help Dan set up some ice attack. He expected that his Electric Spark spell would ¡®suffer¡¯ the same fate. However, Clean looked rather promising. The other Sam only managed to get the skill up to Clean III and barely thought about the skill at all. Sam was rather excited to see what happened when he reached Clean X with it.


    [Wind Mana Manipulation is now Level 39!]


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    [Aura of Air is now Level 2!]


    [Greater Wind Affinity is now Level 35!]


    [Battle Meditation is now Level 9!]


    [Discernment is now Level 10!]


    [You gain Improved Discernment!]


    [Improved Discernment: Level 0/10 (Active) Your eyes are experienced enough that you can gauge the strength of those whom you lay your eyes on. Aside from knowing their mana level, you also get an idea of their affinities.]


    [Silent Casting is now Level 15!]


    It was going well. With Improved Discernment, he would get a much clearer image of his enemies. Now if only he could get some kind of danger sense skill¡­


    [Spirit Link is now Level 50!]


    [Thanks to fighting alongside your chosen companion, you gained the subskill, Spirit Defense!]


    [Spirit Defense: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your connection with your companion allows the connection to shield your very soul as long as your companion is near you. Increases the defenses of your soul by 5% per skill level.]


    [Spirit Protection is now Level 3!]


    Sam stared for a while at the newest subskill he gained. ¡°Soul protection¡­¡± he murmured almost silently as he re-read the text of the skill. There weren¡¯t many skills that directly attacked the players¡¯ ¡®souls¡¯ as that was mostly the territory of necromancers and most of those people were still playing with zombies, skeletons, and simple abominations. But later¡­


    [Advanced Shadow Footwork is now Level 25!]


    [Silent Shadow (Sword Mastery) is now Level 13!]


    [Shadow Grace II is now Level 4!]


    [Shadow Burst II is now Level 10!]


    [You gained Shadow Burst III!]


    [Shadow Burst III: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) Activating the skill increases the speed by 250% plus 25% for each skill level for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 60 seconds.]


    [Shadow Mirage is now Level 29!]


    [Shadow Shield II is now Level 13!]


    [Shadow Cloud is now Level 14!]


    [Greater Shadow Affinity is now Level 29!]


    [Shadowstride is now Level 5!]


    [Solid Shadow is now Level 1!]


    It would have been nice to get a level-up for Shadow Transformation, but he probably hadn¡¯t reached the threshold yet. It was a pity because Sam was very clear about what came after.


    [Basic Armor Mastery is now Level 69!]


    [Resistant Armor is now Level 5!]


    [Epic Breathing Technique is now Level 4!]


    [Flow is now Level 64!]


    [Controlled Flow is now Level 5!]


    [Surprise Strike is now Level 19!]


    [Corruption Resistance is now Level 15!]


    [Elven Language is now Level 7!]


    [Basic Cryptography is now Level 4!]


    [Journeyman Runecarver is now Level 18!]


    [Illusionary Runes are now Level 9!]


    [Corporeal Illusions is now Level 2!]


    Finished with his own skills, he turned to Lucky¡¯s, who in the intervening time managed to find a gaggle of children and was playing a rather spirited tag with them while one of the younger girls was sitting on his back and gleefully waved a stick around while ¡®bellowing¡¯ her battle cry.


    [Lucky is now Level 36!]


    [Shadow Dash is now Level 10!]


    [Fear Aura is now Level 16!]


    [Shadow Bite is now Level 5!]


    Not much, but enough to see that Lucky was also growing both in power and experience. Sam closed the status screen, finished his drink, and stood up from the table while waving goodbye to the gentleman behind the counter who was, unsurprisingly, cleaning a glass.


    <hr>


    They spent a little time in the town, named Stonedrop, on the account that when the town was founded a giant stone dropped in the middle of the town. Nowadays, it was used as a memorial for those who were lost to time or war.


    The team quickly cleaned up the few quests in the area, to the delight of the locals, but it didn¡¯t net them much more than some experience points and increased reputation with the same locals.


    Though the newly ¡®born¡¯ familiars benefited from the experience gained and managed to gain a few levels. Not enough to be anything more than target practice for anyone competent, but they wouldn¡¯t need to be coddled so much.


    Dan¡¯s Searing Hawk preferred to stay up in the air, only occasionally landing on Dan¡¯s head to rest a little.


    However, the Arcane Swan was a right menace.


    It followed Clarissa everywhere, and whenever it didn¡¯t like somebody (based on something that none of them could pinpoint) the swan would change from being graceful to a honking murder machine. Sam suspected that if the swan could have figured out how to hold a knife, a lot of people would have been bleeding out.


    Still, he made a note to keep an eye out for a swan with a knife.


    <hr>


    They left the town of Stonedrop in high spirits, laden with gifts of fruits, vegetables, mince pies, and a few bottles of locally brewed hooch. Storing them away, they began their surprisingly short journey toward the marshes within the border of the Emerald Kingdom.


    It was as if the game was listening to them¡­


    <hr>


    The closer they got to the marshes, the murkier everything got. An ever-present fog hung in the area, and Sam could tell there was some kind of natural mana that mixed in with the fog that probably prevented it from vanishing.


    Their target was the aptly named Marshgate, a town at the edge of the marsh, protecting the kingdom from those that lurked in the swamps. It was also home to the Abyss Vipers, who according to the forums were the undisputed rulers of the area after they managed to backstab, blackmail and just straight up stab everyone.


    As they entered the city, paying a few coppers as entry tax, they could see the green viper symbol everywhere. The people weren¡¯t unhappy, but just like the murkiness of the area, the people also radiated a kind of swampy aura. Players they could see could be generally sorted into three groups.


    First, the players belonging to the Vipers, proudly wearing the symbol on their armor or clothing, practically lording it over everybody. The second group were the transient players who were in the town just to restock. They didn¡¯t much care for the state of things and simply hurried from one shop to the next. The third group of players were those who wanted to play in the area but didn¡¯t join the guild, or belonged to another guild. They always looked a little paranoid, as if any time somebody could show up and sink a dagger between their ribs.


    Which, when speaking about the Abyss Vipers, who were all-around bastards, was a real possibility.


    ¡°Remember. In and out. We don¡¯t want any trouble!¡± he told the others. Dan nodded a little nervously, Clarissa was stone-faced and Katie looked really excited.


    <hr>


    Finding the fracture wasn¡¯t hard, as the guild was advertising it everywhere. No doubt because it was a major moneymaker for the Vipers. And as they got closer, they could see why.


    There were signs everywhere proclaiming the rules.


    ¡°Sixty percent of the materials?¡± Clarissa asked, outraged. ¡°Are they crazy?¡±


    Sam just shrugged. ¡°For now, they can get away with it. Marshgate is a nothing town next to a marsh nobody likes. But as soon the government back in the capital gets wind of it¡­¡± he answered leadingly. Clarissa nodded thoughtfully and continued looking around.


    ¡°Still a lot of people around¡­¡±


    ¡°They are probably hiding the materials¡­¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡±


    They stepped in the line waiting to enter the fracture. The portal itself was half submerged in swampy water and surrounded by the rotted remains of what was once been a giant tree. As soon as it was their turn, the guard at the fracture ¨C a player ¨C took a simple look at them, taking in the two visible familiars and the quality of their items, and spoke up.


    ¡°Fiv¡­ty gold coins to enter!¡± he declared with a victorious smirk.


    Sam just quirked an eyebrow and paid the amount without batting an eye. The goon may have thought that he was clever, but the demons inside were worth much more to Sam than some coins.


    ¡°Here is your bag!¡± the goon quickly vanished the gold coins into his inventory as if afraid Sam would ask for it and threw a rather shabby-looking holding bag at them. ¡°And don¡¯t forget! The tax is sixty percent! Sixty and not six!¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Sam replied calmly with a placid smile. ¡°Can we go in?¡±


    ¡°Er, yeah, sure!¡± the goon said while moving aside.


    Sam reached out and made contact with the fracture


    [You are entering a new fracture!]


    [Fracture: The stump that stumped the swamp]


    [A Fracture at the edge of a marsh. It hides many things, mostly mud and dirty water. It is regularly being delved so there is no chance for a monster break.]


    [Time Limit: ---]


    [Charges: Unlimited]


    Sam chose to enter and in the next blink, they were awash in rainbow colors as the team was transported inside the fracture.


    <hr>


    Unsurprisingly, they found themselves in a swamp. A rather dark swamp, where the trees were tall, and their crowns covered most of the sky, only occasionally letting through a stray light beam. The ever-present fog was also there, swirling around them, but leaving a rather sizeable area visible to them.


    The ground was muddy, but there was an actually visible path through the swamp where the ground looked much more solid.


    ¡°Keep an eye out for ambushes and have fun!¡± Sam declared as he brandished his sword. Clarissa stayed put, but instantly different types of buffs began to envelop them. Meanwhile, fire began to hover around Dan and Katie was warming up with a few swings of her giant sword.


    To their luck, they didn¡¯t even have to take more than a few steps forward on the narrow but thankfully solid path before the surface of the swamp water broke, and a humanoid being, covered in mud and all sorts of watery plants, roared at them as it jumped out of the water with a spear made of bone in its hand.


    The poor guy was bisected and then burned to ashes a second later.


    ¡°Cool, they count as demons¡­¡± Sam said as he kept an eye on his quest screen. He closed the screen and gave the others a nod. ¡°Let¡¯s destroy this swamp!¡±

 Chapter 147

    The swamp was like every swamp. A few rocks here and there. Admittedly, they were very nice rocks, but it was mostly damp ground, fallen trees, and other natural detritus while towering trees blocked the light and cast shadows over everything. The shadows did what they did best and concealed all manner of beasts and monsters from sight, allowing them to ambush Sam and his team.


    Thankfully, they were high-level enough that as long as they watched out for the non-stop stream of poison that the demons and monsters were throwing at them; they were golden. Even then, thanks to their adventure in the far-off mountains and the skills Clarissa learned, the poison that did get on them was quickly purged and healed by their steadfast and rather talented healer.


    Not that that stopped her from grumbling about the work they were giving her.


    The monsters were either half-feral demons - hiding in the bushes or under the murky swamp water, waiting to ambush them - or all manner of snakes. Which, unfortunately for the squeamish were hiding next to the demons in the bushes, or dropping on them from the top of the trees.


    They even found one demon that had a sack with him and when it spotted Sam and his team, it threw the almost disintegrated sack, which to their surprise contained a bunch of angry snakes.


    Clarissa was not happy¡­


    The drops were rather varied. They found a bunch of alchemy ingredients, on the ground, growing in the water or on the barks of the trees or, in the case of snakes; their venom, skin, and fangs. It made a certain amount of sense why the Abyss Vipers made Marshgate their headquarters.


    The demons themselves only dropped half-processed alchemy ingredients. Good for practicing alchemists and for those who were making things in big batches, but otherwise uninteresting for them. Clarissa pocketed a few to provide some samples to the Healing Guild, but even she only took the raw stuff.


    ¡°Do you really think we should simply pocket the drops, Sam?¡± she asked, a little worried.


    Sam just smiled at her sardonically. ¡°What makes you think those idiots won¡¯t try to gank us as soon as we leave the fracture?¡±


    She opened her mouth and then closed it, unable to refute Sam¡¯s statement, while Katie giggled and Dan smiled.


    ¡°And we all agree it was not my fault, right?¡± Katie asked after a second.


    Sam just sighed. ¡°Yes, Katie. It was not your fault¡­¡±


    She did a fist pump, but before the conversation could continue, another half-crazed demon jumped down from the treetops, shaking its spear at them.


    <hr>


    As they went deeper, the solid ground widened and more and smaller trees showed up, which sometimes began to hide small make-shift towers from where the demons tried to snipe them with either bows or magic.


    Their shield spells and skills got a pretty nice workout. Except for Katie, who simply laughed, echoed weirdly by Puffball and simply smashed into the make-shift constructions head first. As it wasn¡¯t a dangerous fracture, Sam just let the younger girl have her fun.


    And tried to ignore the screams from the demons as they were devoured by Puffball¡­


    The other two familiars simply absorbed the experience points and continued to grow. The murderous swan was already the size of two swans and four times as murderous. According to Clarissa, after one of the level-ups, the swan gained the Knife Beak skill, which allowed Melody to use her beak as a knife.


    Sam was totally not worried¡­


    The Searing Hawk simply followed along with Dan, placidly attacking whatever his owner was targeting, otherwise, it was content to stay silent and observe. Just like his owner.


    Sam forcibly didn¡¯t think what this said about Clarissa¡­


    In the end, they found themselves in a huge glade, bordered by enough small trees that breaking through them would be a hard task, even with magic. Inside, covered by the ever-present shadows was a makeshift fort, covered in moss and murky detritus while all sorts of symbols resembling runes were painted everywhere in suspiciously looking black paint. This look was compounded by all sorts of hair, skin, and bones hanging from thread everywhere.


    ¡°That¡¯s blood, right?¡± Dan asked.


    ¡°Better than faces¡­¡± Sam answered glibly while focusing his considerable mana sense on the area. Sadly, all he could sense was a thick, swirling demonic miasma, tainted by a small amount of blood magic.


    The others just grimaced and readied themselves for a fight.


    <hr>


    Once again, they walked into the ¡®fortification¡¯ without anyone bothering them.


    Around the edge were various storage ¡®buildings¡¯, mostly four stakes, with a few harshly worked planks acting as roofs.


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    The things in the middle were more interesting. There was a stereotypical hut that one would find in a fantasy swamp and next to it a giant bubbling cauldron full of frothing and swirling blackish red liquid. Standing on a small stool next to it, stirring it with a giant ladle, was a hag. Hunched over, wearing several layers of ragged clothing, alchemical and magical ingredients hung from any free space, and wearing a pointed hat.


    It was softly murmuring some kind of incantation, but as soon as they stepped over an imaginary line, its head snapped up and stared unnervingly at Sam and his team.


    ¡°Hihihihihi! Hahahaha! New meat for my pot! My pot! Fresh meat to feed my pot!¡± it half screeched and sang while doing a very little dance with her foot clad in pointed boots that looked like they had several inches of layers of dried blood and mud on them. ¡°Come! Come! I invite you to supper!¡±


    The liquid in the pot began to bubble and within two blinks, it surged up like a geyser and fell on the ground in front of them, forming half a dozen blobs with three arms ¨C the third growing for their ¡®head¡¯ ¨C and standing as tall as the tallest of humans.


    Sam calmly stepped forward and cast one simple spell.


    ¡°Mana Disruption!¡±


    He had to focus and force his mana to invade the newly constructed blood magic elementals, but thankfully, the hag wasn¡¯t that powerful. There was a blink of delay and the blobs simply collapsed, tainting the ground with the foul liquid.


    ¡°Noooo! My precious soup!¡± came the desperate cry from the hag. Instantly, her eyes zeroed in on Sam. ¡°My dear boy, come here so that I can punish you properly! Hihihihihi!¡±


    Their response was to throw everything and the kitchen sink at the hag.


    <hr>


    ¡°Anything good dropped?¡±


    ¡°A few recipes. Most of them need freshly harvested human blood. Should I burn them?¡±


    ¡°Nah, keep them. They could come in handy¡­¡±


    ¡°We also got a few bottles of hag poison, a ton of ingredients, a small amount of gold, and the Black Blood skill book.¡±


    Sam never heard of that skill. ¡°What does it do?¡± he asked curiously, going over to Katie, who was holding the skill book, his boots treading over a fine layer of ash.


    The berserker girl simply handed the book over.


    [Black Blood: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Your blood is turned black, giving you resistance against most common poisons, as well as turning the blood into poison. Letting anyone ingest the blood will cause them to get poisoned. If you drink advanced or higher-leveled poison, there is a 1% chance per skill level that the poison will be added to your blood, strengthening it. Drinking any kind of antidote or healing potion will hurt you.]


    He stared at it for a while, then snorted. ¡°Only an idiot would use this¡­¡±


    They looked at each other and nodded, coming to the same conclusion.


    ¡°They probably farmed this fracture to death until all of them had it.¡±


    ¡°Yep¡­¡± Sam agreed while taking out his bottomless flask filled with health potion and raising it to show to the others. With a grin on their faces, they did the same.


    ¡°Well, we have a beginning of a plan,¡± he stated, then began walking out of the ruins of the hag¡¯s place where he could find some drier ground. Finding a small patch, he took out his trusty poking stick from his inventory and began drawing a crude map of the infrastructure that the Vipers built up around the fracture.


    ¡°So, we are here, and they will be probably there¡­¡± he started explaining, pointing at the specific points. ¡°I think we should do the following¡­¡±


    <hr>


    After the dizzying array of colors that happened when one left a fracture, they found themselves in the exit area of the fracture. The smarmy and greedy guy who charged them the inflated entrance price was there, grinning at the sight of them appearing.


    Sam just sighed internally.


    ¡°Greetings, my friends!¡± the man called out. It appeared he was aiming at a jovial tone, but all Sam could hear was greed. ¡°I hope the run was successful?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it was,¡± he replied and held out their loot bag, holding a token amount of materials.


    The man stepped forward and gently pushed Sam¡¯s hand down. ¡°Oh, my friend, it appears there was a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Sam asked with an arched eyebrow while the guy from the Vipers guild grinned.


    ¡°Yes! There was a new tax created just as you guys went in. My apologies, friend.¡±


    ¡°What is this tax?¡± Sam asked, stone-faced.


    The man¡¯s grin widened even more and he stepped into Sam¡¯s personal space.


    ¡°As you may know, our guild, the Abyss Vipers, work extremely hard to maintain this facility and allow adventurers like you and your lovely lady to delve into the facture,¡± the smarmy guy explained while leering at Clarissa, ignoring Katie and Dan. ¡°Thus, we would like to be paid for our trouble.¡±


    Sam had a rather hard time keeping a straight face.


    ¡°Naturally.¡±


    It was a really ugly grin on the guy¡¯s face. Sam glanced around and he could only see people from Abyss Vipers watching with excitement. Most looked like they enjoyed the same song and dance several times a day.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you agree!¡± The idiot in front of him exclaimed. ¡°It warms my heart that people realize our efforts. It really does¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say¡­¡± Sam said with a bit of sarcasm. Thankfully, the other guy was so far up in his own intestines that he didn¡¯t notice, just kept nodding.


    ¡°Now, my new friend. Allow me to explain the new tax,¡± he began, raising a hand and unfurling a finger. ¡°First you entered. That¡¯s twenty percent.¡± Another finger added. ¡°You came out. That¡¯s another twenty-five. There are four of you, which means you have to pay ten percent tax for each of you. That brings it up to eighty-five. And naturally, we can¡¯t forget our glorious city and country. They also deserve their due. That would be five for the city and ten for the country.¡± He finished holding up five fingers for some reason, looking inordinately proud of himself.


    ¡°You want us to pay a hundred percent of our loot?¡± Sam asked, trying to inject a minute amount of disbelief into his voice. Not with a lot of success, though the guy was still oblivious.


    ¡°Oh, no no, my friend.¡± The man replied while shaking his head. ¡°We want everything you own¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Sam asked flatly while eyeing the slowly approaching guild members. The plan called for them to stall until they had a bunch of Abyss Vipers as close to each other as possible, but it was really hard to stand so close to the smarmy guy and on top of that, listen to the stupidity that was flowing from his mouth.


    ¡°Well, my friend,¡± the guy began to speak as he finally stepped out of Sam¡¯s personal space and took out a dagger while his friends formed a half circle behind him. ¡°To put it simply: Strip or we will do it for you!¡±


    ¡°Can I?¡± Katie suddenly spoke up next to Sam eagerly.


    ¡°Yeah, go ahead¡­¡±


    There was some bemusement on the idiots¡¯ faces but before any of them could voice their apparent confusion, Katie blurred forward and punched the guy so hard in the face ¨C already being buffed by Clarissa before they left the fracture ¨C that the game system instantly turned him into rainbow pixels.

 Chapter 148

    For a long moment, there was silence as the vaporized man¡¯s guildmates stared in disbelief at Katie¡¯s armored form before their faces distorted, all of them becoming angry.


    Instantly, weapons were unsheathed, and magic began brimming around them. Sam could see their veins lightly showing through their skin, black as a moonless night.


    However, they made a rather big mistake.


    They didn¡¯t move away from Katie, a bona fide berserker.


    Her jagged greatsword moved with impressive speed, raising and moving vertically amongst the gathered Abyss Vipers.


    The next moment, they, and Katie, were showered with black blood, the wounded people crying out in pain and surprise.


    Sam waited for another second, then quietly spoke up.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    All three of them took their prepared bottomless flask and flung the open containers at people. The red liquid flew through the air, and with a simple flex of his will, the wind picked it up and halfway aerosolized it.


    Another beat, and then an ugly sizzling sound, filled the area as the exposed wounds of the Abyss Vipers first began to smoke and sizzle, causing the people who had them to spasm, and then fall to the floor.


    There were even a few in the back row, who hadn¡¯t been wounded by Katie¡¯s opening strike, but their mouth was open, and they swallowed some of the potion.


    The rest?


    Well, Katie didn¡¯t really know how to hold back.


    Soon, they were standing amidst a lot of bodies, most of them still sizzling, releasing a disgusting odor that only Sam¡¯s wind mana manipulation ability managed to keep at bay.


    Katie was poking one of the dead bodies while the rest collected the meager drops from their would-be-assaulters as other players watched from far afar.


    Because the system judged, correctly, that they were going to be assaulted by the miscreants, Sam and his team didn¡¯t get PK status, but because they were much stronger, or smarter, the Abyss Vipers didn¡¯t drop much. The funniest drop was a stack of Black Blood skill books. With the one they got in the fracture, they got an even twenty to their names.


    ¡°So, what was that?¡± Clarissa asked semi-loudly as she walked up to him while he made sure that the wind carried their voices.


    He looked down at the corpses, making sure not to look at the players who were pretending that they were not listening, and answered.


    ¡°Black Blood. Healing Potion hurts them if it gets into contact with it.¡±


    Clarissa shook her head.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk. So¡­ immature of them to use that spell.¡±


    Sam just shrugged. ¡°What can you do? It is a useful skill¡­ if used correctly.¡±


    He actually knew a skill that would negate the Black Blood¡¯s curse, but you would need to get it before the Black Blood. Poor Abyss Vipers¡­


    Information imparted to the eagerly listening crowd, which was probably already on the forums, bad time arranged for the Abyss Vipers, new enemies acquired it was time to make like a tree.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here before they get back in bigger numbers¡­¡±


    <hr>


    They quickly hightailed out of the city that seemed to be a hive of activity as the knowledge of how to ¡®hinder¡¯ people with Black Blood spread through the city with alarming speed.


    The alchemist and potion sellers were raking in great amounts of gold based on the grins on their faces that they saw on their way out.


    No doubt the Abyss Vipers would try to hunt them down, but first, they would have to deal with all the players they exploited and abused.


    They quickly departed from the road leading away from Marshgate and dove into the forest, trying to leave no clue of their passing.


    Stopping in a relatively dry and covered clearing, they finally sat down to rest and discuss the next steps.


    It was Clarissa, once again, who asked a very pertinent question as they took seats on fallen trees and rocks protruding from the ground. Katie was already scratching Puffball¡¯s back as the eldritch cat lazily lay in her lap. Melody was angrily eyeing a generic plant, no doubt planning on how to shank it, and Dan¡¯s hawk, who still didn¡¯t have a name, settled on a branch above his owner.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t people know that you can use health potion to hurt them? We can¡¯t be the only ones who got the book in the fracture¡­¡±


    Sam smiled at her sardonically. ¡°My best guess is they interpreted it in a way that said that the skill holder can¡¯t drink a health potion.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    And as they say: that was it.


    Giving them a moment to think, he turned to his notification screen and finally opened the full quest screen.


    [You completed the quest: Eternal Vigilance!]


    [You proved your mettle. Return and deliver your report.]


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    It was bare bones, but it was enough for him.


    Closing the screen, he returned his attention to his teammates. While he checked the quest, Melody won her fight against the plant and was proudly presenting the remains of her enemy to an exasperated Clarissa.


    Sam cleared his throat and began speaking.


    ¡°I have to finish the quest, and then I have some skill stuff to do.¡± Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to him. ¡°Dan, go do magic stuff. We will need it.¡±


    ¡°Got it, boss.¡±


    ¡°Clarissa. Deal with the Healers¡¯ Guild and the poisons.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Katie asked excitedly, leaning forward.


    ¡°You go and deliver these books and the loot to Lucy and then go and have fun.¡± He said and handed over the items to the young woman.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± she replied with a disappointed pout.


    ¡°You can go and hang out around the new fracture and keep an eye on the Steel Lions?¡±


    ¡°Booo! That¡¯s boring!¡±


    Sam thought for a moment, then had an idea. ¡°Any class quests?¡±


    ¡°Err, I don¡¯t kno-¡° She never finished her sentence as Puffball let out a giant yawn, showcasing her terrifying teeth and a portal made of darkness and everlasting slothful sleep opened under her and swallowed her between two syllables. The cat gave them a cheery wave with her tail and jumped after her ¡®mistress¡¯ and the portal closed with a disgusting squelch.


    [Perception Filter is now Level 15!]


    Sam and the other two blinked in surprise and then, silently, agreed that they wouldn¡¯t even mention it.


    He stood up, dusting off his pants, and turned to them.


    ¡°Any questions?¡±


    Clarissa shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure they know about the poisons we found, then spend some time making sure Melody grows.¡±


    Dan nodded. ¡°Good idea. Hawky also needs to get bigger to be able to carry me. Want some company?¡±


    Clarissa raised an eyebrow. ¡°Hawky?¡±


    Dan shrugged. ¡°He likes it.¡±


    <hr>


    Soon Sam was astride on his faithful Lucky, riding toward the capital, Vividora. He would finish the quest and hopefully get a follow-up quest. With that finished, he would take a trip to the library and see if he could get some extra training. Lastly, he would then need to return to the Training Hall and see what happens.


    The trip back to the city was nothing interesting, with only a few monsters trying their luck.


    He arrived at the city, where the crowds were still the same size, players, and NPCs mingling with each other in a cavalcade of noise and movement.


    Sam hopped off his loyal ¡®steed¡¯ and the wolf vanished into his shadow immediately, the noise of the crowd bothering his sensitive ears.


    He entered the city, navigating the crowd without any target in mind.


    He was barely halfway through the first district when he felt someone bump into him, even though he kept a small pocket of air around himself as a buffer, to prevent pickpockets and the like.


    Before he could even turn around, Sam felt the weight of a small box in his pocket. Standing on the side of the street, he slowly and carefully took out the box that was somewhat bigger than an engagement ring box and opened it, pointing away from himself.


    When no magic or curse manifested, he turned the box back to himself and took a look at it. Inside was a simple compass. However, as Sam took a closer look, he noticed it didn¡¯t point north.


    Chuckling a little, he took out the compass, chucked the box into his inventory, and began following the compass.


    <hr>


    The little artifact led him through countless alleys, giant roads, and sometimes even through houses.


    Naturally, at first, Sam thought he would triangulate the objective, but that simply led him to the park where he first met the old man.


    Thus, he learned that he had to follow the instructions to the dot. Every time he reached the target, the compass would spin for a second, then lead him toward another destination.


    Still, an hour wandering later, he stood in front of a door of a nondescript warehouse. He only knew that it was the end of his weird journey because after he arrived, the compass didn¡¯t spin.


    Sam stepped up to the door and knocked once, twice, and thrice.


    The door opened and the man who appeared in a warehouse worker¡¯s uniform took a look at him and, with a glance, took in the area behind him, grunted, and motioned Sam to enter.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± the man growled and began to lead Sam deeper.


    <hr>


    After another labyrinthian maze, he was finally back in the same room where he was originally ¡®interrogated¡¯ about the information Tim had given him.


    He didn¡¯t even have to wait long before the door opened and the old man stepped through the threshold; the door closing behind him silently.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re back, kid. Good. What have you found?¡± It was phrased like a question, but Sam knew an order when he heard one, so he immediately began describing his experiences with demons. Though he made sure to mention the Abyss Vipers¡¯ excessive use of Black Blood.


    The man looked at him with a searching gaze before speaking up.


    ¡°You think they¡¯re cavorting with demons?¡±


    Sam shook his head. ¡°No. Not yet, at least. But with the amount of Black Blood and the way they were focusing on poison, it is only a matter of time before¡­¡±


    ¡°Before the Vile One makes contact,¡± the old man spat. Sam simply nodded in answer.


    ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡±


    As it was clear from the name, the Vile One was a demon who preferred using poisons. Sam didn¡¯t really have much memory of the Abyss Vipers, as they were quickly destroyed in some guild battles, and relegated to the bottom of the food chain.


    The man sent him a sharp look.


    ¡°You know the Vile One?¡±


    ¡°No, sir. But it¡¯s obvious from the name,¡± he replied instantly while cursing inwardly.


    The old man continued to stare at him for a long moment, then nodded.


    ¡°Aye, the Vile One is a vile and willy bastard. Always with its concoctions and stuff.¡±


    Sam simply listened.


    The old man grumbled a little more, then his attention returned to Sam.


    ¡°Alright, kid. You proved yourself. You¡¯re in.¡±


    ¡°In? In where?¡±


    The man¡¯s smile was positively devilish.


    ¡°Nowhere.¡±


    <hr>


    They left the room behind, with Sam following a step behind the old man and listening to his explanation.


    ¡°We are not exactly in the group of kill-all-demons, more like kill-all-asshole-demons,¡± he explained as they walked along a long corridor. ¡°The group was put together way back when the seals went up. Even back then, they knew that those who had the will would find a way. Thus, Nowhere. Because nowhere is safe for those who circumvent the seals.¡±


    Sam listened and nodded along. The other Sam never heard the name, and now it made sense why, but at least he knew most of the history of the group.


    ¡°We find people who fight against demons and make sure they have the support they need.¡±


    ¡°Is it an international group?¡±


    The man waved his hand. ¡°Eh, more like most countries have their own group and we keep in contact. Postcards and shit.¡±


    ¡°What would be expected of me?¡±


    ¡°The same thing you''ve done so far. Kill the demons who are causing trouble and report any information about major demons.¡± He paused a little and continued a little softer. ¡°And try not to die early.¡±


    Before Sam could react, the man stopped in front of an unassuming door and opened it. Behind the door, Sam could see another room, looking well-lived-in and decorated with pictures of dogs and other cute animals.


    Along the walls were giant cabinets, and paper files covered every available surface. In the middle, a giant desk was almost completely buried with files. Behind the desk sat a mousy little woman, graying hair held in a simple ponytail, and simple glasses adorned her aging face.


    The old man waved to the little lady and turned to Sam.


    ¡°Doris will handle your onboarding. Good luck!¡± And without a word he began to power walk away, leaving a gaping Sam behind.


    He turned back and swallowed heavily.


    Bureaucracy. The enemy of mankind.


    The old lady gently smiled at him, but he could see in her eyes that she was the veteran of many battles and feared no men or gods.


    ¡°Welcome, dearie to Nowhere!¡± came the sweet voice and Sam suddenly found himself sitting in a rather comfortable chair that was nowhere to be seen a second ago.


    Doris, holding a rather high-quality ink pen, looked up at him and asked a simple question.


    ¡°First name, honey?¡±

 Chapter 149

    ¡°You utter bastard!¡± Sam seethed quietly, as he massaged his aching wrist after leaving the deceptive little woman¡¯s office.


    Doris was all smiles and sweetness, but she hunted after information with a relentlessness that Sam usually only saw in bloodhounds. Every time he hesitated to give a piece of information the sweet little woman turned into a bloodthirsty piranha as if smelling blood in the water and began barking interrogative questions at Sam.


    He really didn¡¯t understand why the hue of the color of his eyes was so important¡­


    But in the end, he came away with his own file added to the group¡¯s cabinet and a nice badge that only contained a circle within a bigger circle, slightly off center, and under it a few runes and numbers acting as his identification number.


    The badge itself was highly magical, but when Sam took a look at it, the sheer complexity almost blinded him. He wouldn¡¯t be decrypting it in a long time¡­


    [You gained an Identity Badge for the group, Nowhere!]


    [Nowhere Initiate Badge: A badge made from a mysterious metal, enchanted by masters. It was given to you by the mysterious organization, Nowhere, and allows you to call yourself a member. With a specific spell, it can act as an identification to certain people. Losing it means death.]


    He didn¡¯t really like the part about the death in case of losing the badge, but as Doris explained, the group took secrecy very seriously. If their bureaucrat was as bloodthirsty and dangerous as Doris, he didn¡¯t even want to think what their hunting squads would be like.


    The old man, already standing next to him, sipping from a simple white cup just chuckled.


    ¡°Well, she is the deputy leader of the entire group here in the Emerald Kingdom¡­¡± He said with a small smile.


    Sam froze for a second, then mechanically turned toward the old man. ¡°That sweet little lady is the deputy leader?¡±


    The old man nodded sagely. ¡°Has been as long I have been here. And that¡¯s a long time, young man,¡± came the explanation.


    Sam hesitated for a second before speaking up. ¡°Is she¡­ uhm¡­¡±


    The older man just kept smiling over the rim of his cup.


    Sam spent a few seconds stumbling over his words, before taking a deep breath and letting it out.


    ¡°Is she a demon?¡±


    ¡°How rude¡­¡± demurred the old man then he turned around and began walking away, motioning Sam to follow him.


    As he saw the corridor again, he noticed that the previously nondescript walls were filled with paintings, and the walls were lined with all sorts of plants. Some exotic, some mundane but all bristling with life.


    The doors now contained name signs and Sam even saw a few evacuation maps and direction-giving maps.


    ¡°Now that you have the badge you can see more of the base. It also works with the compass you got.¡± The old man explained as they kept walking toward a nebulous destination. ¡°Just touch the compass to the badge seven times, and it will lead you to the nearest entrance.¡±


    Now it made sense why it was bad to lose it. Sam nodded and made a note to have Liz make him a few copies that he could lose if the situation demanded it.


    ¡°For now, you are an initiate.¡± The old man continued his explanation. ¡°You have access to the base and the basic library. You get nothing else and your job is to be out there and if you come across any ¡®bad¡¯ demon presence to immediately report it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, young man. You¡¯re untested and green. You¡¯ll have more to do if you prove yourself.¡±


    The moment the old man finished his sentence Sam heard the sound of notification going off in his ears.


    Opening his screen, he saw his new quest.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Prove yourself!]


    [Congratulations on joining Nowhere! You are finally getting somewhere in the world! Now your task is to prove yourself in their eyes. Go around the world and find traces of demonic activity and report it.]


    [Demonic presence reported: 1/10]


    [Time Limit: None]


    [Penalty: Death]


    [Reward: Become an Associate of the organization]


    [You are granted the Initiate title]


    [Initiate: You are part of an organization. You can now access the basic facilities.]


    Sam quickly read it then dismissed the screens and returned his attention to the old man who finally stopped next to a door. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a simple sign reading ¡®Library¡¯.


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    ¡°You can start here. I¡¯m sure you can find something interesting even in the basic library,¡± he said before instantly continuing. ¡°And that¡¯s about all I can tell you now. Next time we meet, maybe I¡¯ll tell you my name.¡±


    Before Sam could answer, the man vanished between two blinks.


    Cursing mysterious old people, he let out a sigh and opened the door to the library.


    There were no librarians but a few signs and labels quickly provided him enough information.


    Every book needed to stay there but he could make notes. The books that appeared were based on his badge, so this was actually just the basic library. Another sign explained how it was organized.


    Checking the time, Sam set himself a reminder and then quickly dove into the books.


    <hr>


    Sadly, he didn¡¯t find anything new to him. Mostly thanks to his future knowledge, but now that he read a lot of things, he could use it as an excuse to do a lot of things.


    He looked for skills and knowledge that could be useful for his current build but sadly nothing appeared. Still, a few rune sequences were added to his Grimoire.


    Closing the last book, about several rarer plants, he put it back into its place as he was not a barbarian and left the library. He still had a question and sadly he only knew one person.


    A few minutes later he gently knocked on Doris¡¯ door.


    ¡°Come in!¡± came the sweet voice of the scary lady.


    He took a deep breath and opened the door. Instantly, the little old woman perked up behind her giant desk. ¡°Oh, welcome back, deary! Did you leave behind something?¡± she asked while smiling at Sam as one would smile at a small child.


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am. I just had a question,¡± he told her, stepping fully into the room and closing the door behind him.


    ¡°Well then ask, young man! I¡¯m not getting younger here, hehe!¡± she cheerfully replied.


    Sam nodded and began. ¡°I was wondering if there is a way for me to get a permit to purchase a plot of land in the capital?¡±


    ¡°For your cute little company?¡±


    Sam cringed a little at the description but nodded. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    The little woman picked up a few papers on her desk, and shuffled a few documents around, while continuously murmuring to herself. After a few minutes, she nodded, put the document on the desk, and looked Sam in the eyes.


    ¡°Well, young man. I don¡¯t see any reason to deny you. Your cute little project could be even more useful for us. Go to the nearest administration office and you will get your permit.¡± After a brief pause, she continued with a slightly joking tone. ¡°The money, however, must come from you.¡±


    Sam bowed deeply. ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am.¡±


    <hr>


    Leaving the base, he was left on the other side of the city, almost next to one of the administration buildings. Quickly going in, he took the permit from the surprised official and quickly high-tailed it out of there back to the Mage Tower, so that he could be alone.


    Once he was safely ensconced in the room, he dialed Lucy.


    ¡°Yes? I¡¯m a little busy here,¡± came the slightly anxious voice of his friend.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing important ¨C Back! Back I say you foul beast! ¨C Now what is it?¡± she replied while Sam could hear grunts and impacts in the background.


    ¡°Got your permit for the capital. It¡¯s for three buildings, but¡­¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± came the celebratory exclamation from Lucy while in the background something loudly expired, punctuated by the caw of a raven. ¡°How the fuck did you do that?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really tell you, but it¡¯s legit¡­¡±


    There was a sigh and a disappointed chuckle. ¡°One day, Sam, I promise I¡¯ll get your secrets out of you¡­¡± There was the sound of walking, then a quiet sigh as Sam heard Lucy sit down on a chair.


    ¡°Now tell me what you can!¡±


    ¡°So we are just ignoring what you were doing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened, Sam.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­.¡±


    ¡°Nothing! Happened!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay¡­¡±


    <hr>


    After finishing with Lucy, he spent a few minutes just meditating and patting Lucky, going over what happened and organizing his thoughts.


    ¡®What should I do first? Go to the library and get extra training or go back to the Training Hall and chance failure?¡¯


    He went over his inherited memories to see if there was anything that he could do before his eyes lit up. ¡®Oh, that fracture!¡¯


    Standing up he began to pack his stuff away while opening the forums and searching for fractures around the capital. He quickly hit pay dirt.


    ¡®Walking armor fracture¡¯


    Grinning, he checked to see if it was still at its original place and after confirming it he left his room at the Mage Tower.


    As Sam headed toward it, he went over all the information he had.


    The fracture was a small curiosity. It appeared in an actual museum that was full of old armor and antique weapons. This led to the fracture being populated by autonomous armor wielding all sorts of weapons. And they always wielded the main weapon of the first person of the group entering.


    It had a few interesting drops, but as of now, it was just an eccentric fracture that most serious players avoided as it didn¡¯t provide enough experience points or drops to make it worth delving it. But once again, thanks to his future knowledge it was perfect for him.


    And in the future, a lot of people would recognize the same thing. Thankfully, it was under the control of the city, so they only needed to pay an entrance ticket. After the popularity of the fracture skyrocketed, the museum housing it became the most well-funded museum in the country.


    <hr>


    Walking into the old building, curiously checking out the exhibited places, Sam approached the receptionist.


    ¡°Hello, I heard there was a fracture here. If I buy a ticket, can I check it out?¡±


    The man boredly sitting behind the counter simply nodded and held out his hand. ¡°Three silvers.¡±


    Sam paid it without complaint. Even though the ticket was ten bronze coins.


    The money vanished quickly. ¡°Go up to the second floor and you can find it in the ancient armor section.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    <hr>


    He found himself in an arena, built from mortar, stone, and wood, looking as if somebody had taken the museum and transformed it into an arena. The ground was covered by sand, and on the opposite side was a grate that was slowly rising into the air.


    Sam could hear the rhythmic thump of metal-clad feet coming from the darkness.


    Settling into his stance, raising Moonlight into a defensive position, he simply began circulating his mana.


    Out of the darkness came suits of armor, holding their own long swords.


    The thirteen suits stopped in a line and for a moment they just looked at each other and the first one stepped forward.


    Sam grinned as he followed along.


    This was the secret of the fracture. The fact that the fracture appeared in a museum influenced what it contained. A museum is there to teach and showcase what the ancients knew. And if somebody entered alone, they would be able to call upon this knowledge.


    The suit shot forward, belying its weight, and Sam had to work fast to block the strike. Moving a little to the left, he countered the strike with one of his own, which the suit of armor blocked by holding the sword facing toward the ground which then transitioned into a lunge that Sam swatted aside with his mana-enhanced arms and struck at the shoulder plates.


    They gave way and the arm holding the sword fell to the ground which allowed Sam to quickly cut down the armor.


    However, he didn¡¯t have any time to rest because by the time the pieces of the armor fell to the ground, lifeless, two other armors were upon Sam, their swords aiming at his throat and stomach respectively.


    Grinning, relishing the challenge, Sam took a graceful step back and avoided the strikes. The armors simply continued the motion and transitioned into a half-circle movement, cutting at Sam from two directions.


    He ducked under them and couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    The game was really marvelous¡­


    ¡®And hopefully, this will allow me to figure out what the trainer wanted from me¡­¡¯ he mused as he went on an offensive against the two suits of armor.

 Chapter 150

    A strike from the left.


    Duck and swing upward.


    Pivot to the left and cut the next one.


    Another step, another parry, then a transition into a strike.


    Then back to ducking.


    Sam felt rather nice as he weaved between the endless number of empty suits of armor.


    After defeating the first batch of enemies, the fracture started sending more and more enemies in his direction, causing the floor of the arena to be filled with fallen armor (and some loot) while he danced between the sword strikes.


    There was a rhythm to it, and somehow, he managed to flow into this rhythm.


    It was quite magical to Sam, who had never been a sports person in his previous life. But now here, in this fantastic game, he was like the heroes of old. Just him, his sword, and countless enemies trying to bring him down. Yet, he resisted, dancing between strikes, parrying swings, and ducking under cleaves.


    As he went through the movements of his sword skills, breathing skills, footwork, and other miscellaneous skills Sam felt them simply click with each other. The simple fact that he could practice them in a situation where he didn¡¯t have to pay attention to at least seven other things helped immensely.


    He could feel as his footwork synchronized with his breathing. He could see as his body flowed from one movement to another and could see what effects the minute changes he had made to those movements caused.


    It was clearly visible when he made a wasteful movement, and after amending his approach a little, it was quite clear why Martha, back at the Training Hall, told him that simplicity and efficiency were his best bet.


    Every modification showed him a new way to cut down on the movement, a new way to defeat his endless opponents with less and less movement and stamina wasted. He purposefully locked everything out, just focusing on his own breathing and the sword in his hand.


    A heartbeat.


    A swing.


    Another heartbeat.


    A strike.


    Beat.


    Swing.


    Beat.


    Strike.


    Then, as he was in the process of hacking a suit of armor into two pieces, something gave. The next movement was easier, faster, and stronger.


    His movement wasn¡¯t just synchronized with his breathing and footwork, but all of them worked together at the same time.


    Beat and swing.


    Strike and a beat.


    Beat and duck.


    Step and a beat.


    Sam grinned, but he didn¡¯t stop. He simply luxuriated in the feeling as the movements came much smoother and the monsters fell much faster before him.


    Then, as he went to execute another finishing move, his trustworthy sword found no purchase.


    Sam blinked and looked around.


    The arena was silent except for his own heavy breathing. The floor was littered with monster ¡®corpses¡¯ and loot.


    Opposite where he entered the arena was a merrily swirling portal signifying that he finished the fracture.


    Then, as this information reached his brain, his body suddenly realized that it was beyond exhausted and he collapsed on his knees, letting out a tired grunt.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Fumbling a little, he got out a stamina potion from his inventory and downed it with a pained grimace. Alchemists currently were only focusing on brewing the most potent and powerful concoctions and gave no thought to the taste of the potions.


    ¡°Tastes like socks¡­ bleh¡­¡± he grimaced as he downed the foul drink.


    After a few seconds, he could feel the potion working and he began working his limbs slowly to stand up. Another minute was spent calming down his trembling limbs and collecting the meager drops.


    Mostly old knick-knacks, a few devices used for navigation, scrolls in different languages, and the odd skill books for basic sword skills. Sadly, he had all of them, with the exception of one.


    Taking the simple-looking book with two swords on the cover, he channeled a little mana into it and instantly the book broke into motes of light that swirled around him for a second before being absorbed by his body.


    [You learned the skill, Parry!]


    [Parry: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Decreases the stamina consumption of defensive weapon movements. It allows you to more efficiently and accurately parry incoming attacks. Decreases the damage of the blocked attack by 0,5% for each skill level at the moment of blocking.]


    It was a pretty good skill, that¡¯s why it was never up at the auction house. No matter who got it, they learned it or gave it to a person who needed it. Naturally, Sam could have gone through a very involved quest with certain NPCs but honestly, there was always something more important happening.


    ¡®Still, better late than never¡­¡± he murmured as he went over the skill.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Next, he opened his notifications.


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 57!]


    [Ethereal Channels is now Level 2!]


    [Battle Meditation is now level 15!]


    [Advanced Shadow Footwork is now Level 30!]


    [Silent Shadow (Sword Mastery) is now Level 20!]


    [Epic Breathing Technique is now Level 7!]


    [You achieved a breakthrough with Calm Heart!]


    [Calm Heart is now Level 50!]


    [You learned the skill, Tranquil Heart!]


    [Tranquil Heart: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Your heart beats to the same rhythm as your body. It¡¯s efficient and harmonious. You have an even easier time resisting mind-altering effects and a portion of of those effects are reflected back to the source. The portion is 1% per skill level. You also radiate an aura of tranquility that confers the resistance portion of the skill to your allies near you.]


    [Flow is now Level 69!]


    [Surprise Strike is now Level 20!]


    [You achieved a breakthrough with Multitasking!]


    [You learned the skill, Adaptive Coordination!]


    [Adaptive Coordination: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Improves the user¡¯s adaptability by reducing the casting time or cooldown of skills when used in combination.]


    Sam grinned as he read the skill he got. Adaptive Coordination wasn¡¯t the best, but still, it made sense why he got it. Most people aimed to get the Adaptive Combination skill that allowed them to start making skill combos, but he wouldn''t complain.


    And with all the other skills, he felt much more confident in tackling the Training Hall again.


    He lifted an arm and took a sniff.


    ¡°Ugh, first a shower and nap¡­¡±


    With tired steps, he began walking toward the portal.


    <hr>


    Sitting in a private room of an expensive restaurant, Sam leaned back in his seat and dialed a number.


    It only rang three times before he was greeted by Lucy¡¯s face.


    ¡°Heeey Lucy!¡± he called out with a smile. ¡°Everything is ready for the¡­ event?¡± he asked, whispering the last word dramatically.


    His friend just rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Yes, Sam. We¡¯re ready.¡± She replied as she followed his example and got comfortable in her chair while running her fingers through her raven¡¯s feathers to the immense pleasure of the bird. ¡°We recently released the last of the stock of antidote ingredients we earmarked for this operation. Prices have risen by almost two hundred percent. There is a lot of hype!¡±


    Sam nodded as he absorbed the information. ¡°The Black Blood books?¡±


    ¡°Sold for a premium to the stupid,¡± she said with a vicious smile. ¡°I made sure to ¡®subtly¡¯ warn the people in the Heavenly Forest to avoid it.¡± She rolled her eyes again. ¡°They were very thankful¡­¡±


    ¡°Good to hear. How is the situation at ground zero?¡±


    ¡°Abyss Vipers are kicking up a fuss, but after the ¡®accidental¡¯ reveal of their weakness¡­¡± here Lucy sent Sam an amusing side glance to which he just smiled. ¡°Their effectiveness has decreased. I believe they¡¯re still looking for something that can negate the skill¡¯s weakness. Do you know anything?¡±


    ¡°What makes you think I know something about this?¡± Sam asked with a small smile playing on his lips. Lucy just sent him a scathing look.


    Finally, he just raised his hands in surrender and laughed a little. ¡°Fine, fine. There is a skill, or curse more like, I saw mentioned once in a book,¡± he explained while internally giving thanks to the library back at the base.


    ¡°Curse?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It prevents any healing potion from coming into contact with you,¡± he replied with an enormous grin.


    Lucy just sighed again.


    ¡°Why do I feel like this is not that simple?¡±


    ¡°You have to ingest the curse via a modified healing potion!¡± he declared with a giggle.


    Lucy stared at him for a moment, then also began to laugh. ¡°Haha! That¡¯s so ironic¡­ I love this game!¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    They spent some time discussing the minute details of the event, and how they would weather the shit storm that would break out when people realized that no antidote would work properly in the fracture. Before Sam asked about other things.


    ¡°How are things in the capital?¡±


    Lucy instantly perked up and began talking.


    ¡°We got a pretty good warehouse, a shop location for a supermarket in the commoner district, and also managed to snag an old building in the noble district. It¡¯s a fixer-upper, but with a little gold infusion, we can get back our investments in short order.¡±


    ¡°Any obstacles?¡±


    Lucy shook her head. ¡°Thankfully, none. However, I¡¯m sure the other guilds noticed that we managed to get a permit, so I predict we¡¯ll get some gentle and not-so-gentle inquiries about it soon. The spies have already started sniffing around.¡±


    Sam looked away, out the window of his room at the capital city thoughtfully. ¡°If they ask, tell them it was an epic quest chain.¡±


    ¡°What is an epic quest chain?¡± Lucy asked bewildered, as Magic Unbound didn¡¯t give ranks to the quests.


    ¡°Dunno. But it sounds special¡­ Don¡¯t you think?¡± Sam asked slyly.


    Lucy opened her mouth, but for a few seconds, nothing came out of it. Finally, she wrote something down and then shook her head in exasperation while the raven in her lap glared at Sam. ¡°I¡¯m so glad we are not enemies¡­¡±


    ¡°Me too. Me too¡­¡±


    Then came the final discussion.


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to be there to do your usual chaos-sowing thing?¡± Lucy asked.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m pretty sure we added so much crazy stuff that I would be useless there. Plus, I have a quest to do.¡±


    ¡°Another one?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, pretty important. I¡¯m not sure how long it will last, but it probably will be finished by the time the event with the fracture finishes.¡±


    ¡°That long?¡± Lucy asked in surprise.


    ¡°Honestly? I have no idea. Could be five minutes, but it could also last a week.¡± And this time, Sam didn¡¯t even have to lie. The other Sam never managed to enter the second Gauntlet because by the time he realized it existed, the waiting line was so long that without guild support, you would need to wait months (in real life) to get in.


    He was honestly rather excited.


    ¡°You? Not knowing something?¡± Lucy ribbed him playfully. ¡°Where is the world going?¡±


    Sam just chuckled along good-naturedly.


    <hr>


    Not long later, he was at the same training field, opposite Martha, as she surveyed him.


    ¡°I see you took my advice to heart,¡± she grunted after a minute of observation.


    Sam simply nodded. Lucky was sitting in the shade of the nearest tree, nibbling on some bones that Sam got him and watching him attentively.


    Martha took out her simple sword, settled into a stance, and called out. ¡°Now let¡¯s see how much you improved!¡±


    Then it was pure pain.


    No matter how much he improved, how many levels he got, how much his skill grew, Martha matched every strike, dodged every swing, and Sam could barely block or parry her attacks. And what got through was just strong enough that Sam wouldn¡¯t fall over. Still, Sam knew what was at risk, so he soldiered through.


    Finally, after he was once again beyond exhausted, with Martha still breathing calmly and hardly any sweat showing on her expertly sculpted body, she stopped. Stepping back, she raised her hand to her chin and looked at Sam thoughtfully.


    ¡°You still have no talent, but I respect hard work and those who listen to my advice.¡±


    ¡°T-thanks¡­¡± Sam replied while taking big gulps of air to refill his aching lungs.


    ¡°You even learned to parry. A little,¡± she told him with a smirk. Before Sam could open his mouth, she continued. ¡°So, I promised a second chance, and you¡­ passed.¡± She declared placidly.


    ¡°Yay?¡±


    ¡°Yay, indeed.¡± She stepped closer, grabbed his arm, and began pulling him toward one of the buildings bracketing the training fields while absentmindedly calling out. ¡°Hey, wolf, follow us!¡±


    Lucky looked up from his meal, which instantly vanished into the shadows, sprung up, shook himself, and began trotting after Martha and Sam, who was basically flopping in the woman¡¯s iron grip like a kerchief in the hands of a woman who is saying goodbye to her boyfriend as he went to war.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already done the first Gauntlet, but the second one is not like anything you ever experienced. Allow me to explain¡­¡±


    [You completed the quest Returning Champion!]

 Chapter 151 - Interlude 14.1

    As her friend ended the call, Lucy let out a sigh. It was irritating how he always knew what was going to happen and how to profit from it.


    Granted, the entire spectacle with the poison fracture was blindingly obvious to anyone, with a modicum of skill and the observational powers of a blind pet rock.


    What stumped her was how he managed to get the permit to purchase property in the capital, Vividora. Even with her connections, there was nothing she could do that would have gotten them the permit. Nor could anyone else based on the whining of the public and non-public forums.


    When she went over to Vividora to look around the available properties, every time she met with the bureaucrats they treated her with derision and outright contempt until she revealed the document proving her legal right to purchase those properties, then the same people who glared at her for daring to waste their time suddenly became all sunshine and smiles.


    Every time this happened, she noticed the NPCs eyes dipping to the bland seal on the scroll, their eyes tightening and some kind of emotion flashing through their eyes.


    She didn¡¯t recognize the symbol on the seal, even after some thorough research, but she didn¡¯t hesitate to take advantage of it.


    The payment for the buildings went through cleanly and surprisingly fast, and now she had three different properties in her hands. All of them in a city that everyone wanted to conquer.


    The warehouse was rather easy. She just had to throw money at Tim to spruce up the security and their friends within the merchants, and even the Silvercrest family did everything else.


    After all, even if the Silvercrest family was a big name in Ironwood and the surrounding area, in the capital they were simply one of the many, many noble families who made the Emerald Kingdom their home.


    The building in the commoner district was earmarked for a supermarket and she had already started the renovation and construction process.


    However, the building in the noble¡¯s district was another kettle of fish.


    The property that she managed to snag was at the edge of the district and old enough that the city was considering demolishing it before auctioning it off to the highest bidder. Luckily for her, she managed to buy it just in time.


    However, this also meant that she had to have it renovated to the exacting standards of the fussy nobles while making sure that the usual quality that Heavenly Forest was famous for would be represented.


    Lucy was already hard at work churning out items and parts and the basic construction had started, but she had already received a letter from ¡®concerned¡¯ nobles who wanted to make sure she did everything ¡®correctly¡¯.


    ¡®No doubt they¡¯re either angling for bribes to leave me alone or are going to try to sabotage me so that they can buy up the property even cheaper¡­¡¯ she mused as she re-read the latest letter where the concerned noble kept prattling about some kind of building code that she knew had been removed from the law books years ago. However, according to the writer, it was vitally important that her construction paid attention to it.


    She snorted and threw the letter into the fire while the ravens perched above her let out a creepy chorus of caws that reminded her of laughter.


    ¡®Some people are just too stupid to live¡­¡¯ she thought mirthfully while reaching for the next letter.


    <hr>


    The preparations for the poison fracture were going well.


    As she had told Sam, she had released the earmarked items, making a tidy sum of gold on the market, but she still had a few boxes left that she was waiting until the last minute to sell.


    The prices were still going up as more and more people received the information about the fracture that was going to be open soon.


    She was in no way or shape responsible for that. No sireeee¡­


    Most guilds operating in the Emerald Kingdom, and even a few from the neighboring countries already knew about and were preparing for it in hopes of striking it rich. And now the common people were also flocking to the fracture, setting up public groups, hoping to conquer the fracture first.


    There were two types of competition.


    The first one was to conquer the fracture first and then sell the guide of it to the government and to the people later. Naturally, this included the prestige of being the first, thus a lot of people planned to stream their attempts. The big guilds were also recording, but they were either running ticketed streams with very steep prices or simply gathering material to study later.


    Liz also wanted to participate as she didn¡¯t really know about the machinations that Lucy and Sam had going on in the background, but a quick discussion with their incredible crafter, and the younger girl was convinced.


    While waiting for the action to commence, she simply went over the situation.


    The Steel Lions under the leadership of Katie¡¯s father were dominating the scene, setting up a defensive fortification near the entrance of the fracture while their members went around saber rattling and having brawls with other guilds and intimidating regular players.


    The Abyss Vipers were in the process of once again proving their general idiocy by indiscriminately killing anyone who made fun of their Black Blood skill and tried to set up a fortification like the Lions, but they didn¡¯t have the same logistical skills or general intelligence.


    So while the Steel Lion fortification looked like a well-organized military camp, the ¡®infrastructure¡¯ that the Vipers set up looked more like a circus camp that was overtaken by murderhobos with an unhealthy fixation on poisons and venoms.


    The Eternal Light was also present, with a sizeable force of theirs waving their banners. They even set up an impromptu recruiting booth.


    Naturally, the other guilds copied them and soon the area turned into a guild recruitment fair with the other lesser guilds swarming to the area, increasing the number of players present.


    There were dozens of lesser guilds present, and from what she had heard from her sources, thanks to the abundant recruitment material, there were several guilds founded there by random players who wanted to take advantage of the situation.


    She simply kept an eye out for promising talents and kept her own ¡®resources¡¯ away from the area. There were countless crafters employed by the AFK guild who wanted to head there, set up a small stand, and hawk their wares.


    Lucy had the distasteful job of denying them. There was a lot of yelling and threats, and a few even left them. She didn¡¯t much care. They would be back after experiencing the world outside of the perfectly supplied workshops that her company provided them.


    ¡®It is a given that this will blow up¡­¡¯ she mused. ¡°I just hope it blows up in our favor¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    The Healer¡¯s Guild was a hive of activity, as always. A healer sitting calmly and sipping tea meant that the healer wasn¡¯t saving a life.


    At least, that was the main tenet that the leadership at the guild held. Thus, there was always more work to do for any aspiring healer.


    Clarissa, escorted by a murderous swan (and Dan), simply walked up to the building, dodging all the annoying people who were there to hire a healer or find one that would join their parties.


    ¡°Looking for a healer to join our party!¡±


    ¡°Two tanks looking for a pretty healer!¡±


    ¡°Steam Lords are looking for 50+ healers! Levels not age!¡±


    ¡°Fracture delve team looking for a healer!


    ¡°Hey, pretty lady! Wanna join us?¡± a smarmy guy called out to her. Clarissa just rolled her eyes and held back Melody, who looked ready to shank the idiot, while Dan stepped forward, flexed his impressive muscles, and glared at the guy.


    The guy shrunk back, but before Clarissa could take another step forward, another took the guy¡¯s place. The next guy glanced at Dan but simply ignored him and smiled at Clarissa.


    ¡°Hey, you look like a high-level healer. How about a steady income helping us conquer fractures? We¡¯re a pretty big deal!¡±


    Clarissa just raised a judging eyebrow. ¡°What group do you belong to?¡±


    The guy puffed up his chest proudly and exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m one of the main leaders in the Forest Fighters guild!¡±


    Instantly, the nearby people who were listening in began to whisper to each other.


    ¡°Oh, wow. The Forest Fighters? They have several level sixty mages!¡±


    ¡°I heard one of them managed to master earth magic!¡±


    ¡°They are awesome! They conquered several fractures! I watched the videos! Super cool!¡±


    The guy listened to the empty praises of sycophants and began to puff even more, his face showing how much he enjoyed the praise.


    ¡°Sorry, never heard of it,¡± said Clarissa simply, and began walking away, leaving the flabbergasted recruiter in his place. Dan followed her with a chuckle. Melody, however, stopped in front of the guy, honked at him aggressively, and then began to waddle after her.


    <hr>


    After giving the poison samples she had collected to the healers in charge of creating new antidotes, she reported on her experiences as well as having one of the senior healers check up on her skills. The healer in charge of it simply nodded after some demonstration, told her to practice more, and shooed her out of the guild building.


    She left with her small entourage at one of the hidden backdoors, avoiding the crowd of recruiters, and headed for one of the smaller fractures near the city.


    Her new pet, and Dan¡¯s too, needed a few more levels. Thus, she and Dan planned to farm a little.


    In a small fracture, Dan¡¯s fire magic and her healing and shielding would be enough. And if they needed more muscle or help, they could get one of the players who always hang around fractures looking for a quick run.


    She hoped that by the time Sam returned from wherever he went, Melody would be big and strong enough that she would be able to carry at least her.


    Admittedly, she was a little worried about what would become of her little murderous swan, but in the end, she just shrugged.


    If her swan shanked everyone who annoyed her, then her life would become much easier.


    <hr><hr>


    Dan let another spear of flame loose from his club and speared the angry wolf that was trying to attack them.


    The small fracture provided just enough experience that their pets, Melody and Hawky, were growing ever so slowly.


    Melody, the brutal swan, was almost the size of Clarissa and used her beak to spear her enemies with uncommon brutality. Hawky, on the other hand, was pretty chill for a bird that was almost permanently on fire.


    The hawk used the flames to join him in burning their enemies or to burn away minor wounds on their bodies.


    It was a rather big surprise when it first happened, but Dan was happy with his gentle and very useful pet.


    Clarissa grumbled a little at that, something about losing out on revenue, but Dan didn¡¯t care much. The healing that the healer provided was much better than the one Hawky provided.


    Still, it gave him some ideas.


    Dan planned to research it at the Magic Tower library after they got their pets up to the current max level, ready for their first evolution.


    Sam had already given them the formula and a few common reagents, but the most important key ingredients were left to them.


    As they tore through the fracture, they spent time discussing the pros and cons of all the reagents they knew about.


    ¡°What about some super metal? Giving Melody extra defense?¡±


    ¡°I have Katie for that. I want more utility. There is this alchemical material that is used for a lot of high-level healing potions. I¡¯m thinking about buying some from the guild. I¡¯m hoping if I tell them why I want it they will give it to me for free¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a star healer so the answer is probably yes¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very expensive¡­¡±


    ¡°How expensive exactly?¡±


    ¡°I doubt even Sam could afford it.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s a lot of money.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ What about you?¡±


    Dan just simply shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything expensive, just something that fits.¡±


    ¡°Like?¡±


    ¡°Something like a shard of a frozen flame, or maybe a blue spark. Don¡¯t know yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Blue spark?¡±


    ¡°Apparently it¡¯s the captured spark of the lesser dragons, that they use to light their fire breaths¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ they can do that?¡±


    ¡°Stasis spells¡­ They¡¯re wacky¡­¡±


    There was a silence as they bravely ignored Melody brutalizing a giant boar, then Clarissa spoke up.


    ¡°Cast a flame!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Cast a blue flame. I want to try it.¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡±


    Dan simply held out a hand, palm pointing upward and simply created a small ball of blue fire which was hot enough that the air around instantly began to waver.


    Clarissa reached out with both hands, holding it as close to the flame as she could, and after a brief concentration, she exclaimed.


    ¡°STASIS!¡±


    He could feel the mana in the air struggle for a moment before it snapped into shape and a distinct bubble appeared around his flame and he lost his connection to it.


    He stared at the bubble as it contained the frozen flames, then back at Clarissa.


    ¡°We are going to be so fucking rich!¡±


    <hr>


    Returning to the real world was always trippy.


    Dan put the helmet back in its place and looked around his dorm room. The new computer was still visibly struggling with his latest simulations, while several newer clothes were thrown around, courtesy of his girlfriend.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The jury was out on if she was a honeypot, but so far, she hadn¡¯t asked anything about the company or Sam, or asked him to do anything weird or suspicious, instead other people started to notice him.


    Apparently, his girlfriend, Lara, was pretty popular, both for her looks and academic skills and a lot of student-created guilds wanted to have her join their guilds. Some for her skill, but most because they want the chance to woo her.


    She admitted that she approached him because he didn¡¯t participate in all the posturing and petty drama.


    They also had some rather stimulating discussions about his specialty. Lara was studying energy systems, so her insights were rather useful for plasma research.


    He stretched a little and took a quick whiff of his clothing. It was okay, so he simply took his jacket and headed out. He was a little hungry, and the cafeteria called out to him.


    On the way, he was acutely aware of the countless eyes following him. Some of them in awe, the university gossip twisting every small piece of information about him into an epic worthy of Gilgamesh, some of them jealously.


    Lara was really pretty.


    He deftly ignored them and simply hurried along the stone path connecting the dorm to the cafeteria building.


    He really hoped that the girl was not some stupid scheme dreamed up by one of the rich bastards attending the university, because he really enjoyed spending time with her.


    <hr><hr>


    Liz decided she would take a day off.


    Her plan to stream at the newly opening fracture was shot thanks to her bosses, and she wasn¡¯t feeling up to a crafting stream.


    Thus, a day off.


    Her audience was understanding enough, so after posting the announcement on the stream¡¯s website, she chose a simple dress and headed for a day in the streets of Ironwood.


    On the way out of the headquarters, she met up with Tim, who upon hearing her plans offered to escort her to make sure nobody tried anything with the company¡¯s crafter.


    Knowing how many people wanted her for her skills, she readily agreed.


    So, the two of them headed out into the city.


    At first, they visited the supermarkets, looking around, checking the different shops, mostly looking for inspiration, but Liz was also hoping to find some enchanted jewelry that would help her with crafting.


    Tim followed along, occasionally giving his opinion on the artifacts they found, or shooing away annoying people who wanted to suck up to somebody that was employed by the biggest company-slash-guild in the city.


    In exchange, she helped him choose a new snazzy cloak that would be perfect for his skullduggery. Plus, it looked rather fetching on him. All mysterious and spooky.


    Though his bowtie looked decidedly out of place. However, after some contemplation, Liz decided that it just added to the charm.


    They spent some time sampling the newly opened restaurants, going through a few tasting menus, and drinking some outrageous concoctions.


    Her with her overalls and Tim in his bowtie looked rather out of place at those locations, but after people noticed their guild emblems, they ignored their mode of dress and instead served them with a smile.


    Tim grumbled a little about revealing their guild symbols, but Liz wanted to make use of the reputation that their fearless leaders built up.


    ¡°Plus, what¡¯s the point of working so hard, if we can¡¯t enjoy the fruit of our labor?¡± she posed the question to Tim.


    ¡°You have a point¡­ but from a security standpoint¡­¡± he answered after a moment of thought.


    She smiled and stepped next to him, looping her arm with his and leading him to his next destination.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re too paranoid. Lucy is watching us with the ravens. There is no way anyone would try anything. Plus, if they attack us, we are pretty strong¡­¡±


    Tim didn¡¯t have an answer to that one.


    <hr><hr>


    Escorting VIPs was always a tedious task.


    Especially in a game like Magic Unbound. Thus, Tim was rather nervous as he followed Liz around the city.


    He made sure to interact with her, help her choose some new clothing, and buy a few exotic materials for experimentation while keeping an eye on the surroundings.


    Tim had to make sure that a few suspicious-looking men didn¡¯t approach Liz, stealthily sabotaging their advance. Thankfully, they were low-leveled thus his job was surprisingly easy.


    They spent the day walking around the city, arm in arm, to make sure they didn¡¯t lose each other in the crowd, enjoying the constantly growing food and drink scene.


    Checking all the stuff Liz ordered for poison and other additives was annoying, but it was nice to see the girl smile as she enjoyed the small bites of food that they were served.


    Sometimes, she convinced him to taste the food by waving her fork in front of him and entreating him to take a bite. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, he just smiled and took a bite of the food.


    Some of them were even nice enough that he made a note to return to the establishment later¡­


    They ended the day by watching the sunset on one of the higher points towering over the city, where people could relax and just enjoy the sights. It was artificially made platforms, carved from steel to resemble ancient ironwood trees, and had benches and small tables at the top.


    Liz and Tim just stood there and watched as the sun set behind the horizon, illuminating the city they worked in.


    He made sure to watch their backs as Liz enjoyed the event with a few small oohs and aahs. A few times she grabbed his arm and pointed at buildings that reflected the vanishing light spectacularly.


    As a cold breeze swept through the platform, he noticed Liz shiver a little, so he took off his jacket which was bigger than the one the girl was wearing, and offered it to her. She gave him a thankful smile, accepted the piece of clothing, and stepped closer to him.


    He rather liked that, as that would make protecting her much easier.


    With the increasing size of the shadows, he expected at least one attack.


    As Tim held the girl close to him, his eyes continued to move around continuously, trying to spot any enemy, while above him a raven watched him and his charge in an exasperated manner.


    <hr><hr>


    The space she was deposited, by the random portal that appeared, was rather interesting. No matter what direction she looked she always saw either the back of her armor, the top of her head, or the bottom of her armored boots.


    And when she started to move, the world moved with her. Sometimes.


    Other times she moved, and the world was left behind and Katie landed on something new. She couldn¡¯t always tell what she landed on, but so far there was only one time when she landed on something that was alive. Not after she landed, but based on the remains, it was alive before she arrived.


    The walls sometimes pulsed with quiet sighs and sometimes they were filled with rather friendly tentacles that wanted to high-five her.


    Pretty funky¡­


    She hadn¡¯t seen Puffball in a while, but she was sure that the silly cat could take care of herself. Cats were like that.


    Instead, she wanted to find something that she could fight and gather more experience.


    No sooner than she had the thought then one of the walls blinked and she found herself in a field where flowers were singing a rather metal song, with the bushes providing musical accompaniment and a phalanx of wolves, dressed in grandma clothing were marching toward her.


    Katie just grinned and unsheathed her greatsword.


    Seeing this, the lead grandmawolf took off her helmet-bonnet from her three heads and let out a roar with four mouths, which the other wolves followed along. To the rhythm of the metal song.


    Katie made sure that the VR pod was recording and, with a roar of her own that blended seamlessly into the song, shot off toward the wolves that were raising their cooking pans, rolling pins, and silver cutlery.


    They clashed over rocking out flowers as the stars fell and turned into butterflies that tried to eat her with their giant mouths, only to burst into sparkles after being cut into two as she continued to rampage through this exciting new place.


    Finding herself on top of a mountain, she faced the world-sized dragon that breathed fire at her and turned into flocks of dogs made of fire, flying with wings.


    Every time she defeated an enemy, another appeared. Sometimes between blinks, sometimes things transforming torturously slowly, but always providing some manner of a challenge for her. She had to use every skill, every spell she had in her arsenal, sometimes in ways she never had previously.


    Letting out a laugh as a school of fish in schoolgirl uniforms tried to drown her in a river of orange juice, and simply swept aside the incoming liquid with a wave of her own energy.


    The chorus of disappointment from the fish was like music to her ears. Still laughing she raised her weapon and began turning the fish into sushi.


    <hr>


    Puffball watched from her perch as her mistress went around and around in the space between spaces, as she, a cat the size of a moon that was sometimes the size of a regular cat, arranged events to happen that would help her mistress to improve.


    Sometimes she allowed one of the denizens to try their tentacles at defeating the girl, but she always stamped on anyone that wanted to really hurt her provider of scratches.


    That was just not how things were done.


    Licking her lips after swallowing a bear-sized duck that wanted to take a bite of her master, she began calmly cleaning her paws.


    Around her, the space between space contracted and swelled, direction reversed, up became down, and left turned into triangles as her powers insidiously created scenario after scenario for Katie to test her mettle. Or sometimes just to have the girl laugh.


    Puffball found that her mistress had a rather similar sense of humor to her. It was almost enough to forgive whoever tried to seal her away.


    Almost.


    <hr><hr>


    They really didn¡¯t listen to her.


    Isabella sighed as she watched the preparation below her.


    The fractal that the government of the Emerald Kingdom found was in a location where a small inn once stood. The inn used the local hot springs to tempt the people to visit this out-of-place location. However, after a minor earthquake, the hot spring turned poisonous as arsenic and other odorous gases began to seep through the water.


    And after the Fracture, this exact location turned into a fractal that, according to the reports they managed to get their hands on, was ¡®mighty poisonous¡¯.


    This also meant that there were several small and big cliffs around the area that provided an excellent view of the area where the kingdom set up the entrance area for the fracture.


    In the end, she couldn¡¯t convince the leaders of the guild to abandon this fracture and thus she simply volunteered for security, giving up her place for other people in the delving parties, earning a few queer looks but a buttload of favors.


    She and her assigned team were set up on one of the cliffs, ready to act if anybody wanted to do something unwise.


    Honestly, at this point, seeing the immense crowd gathered around the fracture, she was waiting for the spark that would ignite the fire.


    No doubt, if that happened, her superiors would probably blame her for not warning them of the dangers.


    She could already see them shifting the blame to her, as she was the one who brought up the dangers first.


    Isabella knew Katie and knew that despite being a chaotic gremlin, the girl wasn¡¯t stupid. If she followed that Solar guy, then that meant that the guy was real.


    And with the way he warned her, she knew a hundred percent that he planned something. Katie would never follow somebody who was not at least on her level of chaos.


    Sadly, she didn¡¯t have any evidence to support her feelings.


    And with the amount of money and fame on the table with this new fracture, she doubted she could have convinced the leadership to back down from it.


    While there was no announcement from the game company or devs, everybody knew that this was one of the bigger fractures that appeared, with seemingly almost every country having one of these appear at the same time.


    It was simply the Magic Unbound¡¯s way of announcing the first raid.


    At least that was the prevailing theory on the forums and the eggheads her guild employed.


    Sitting on a small seat, she watched as the crowd milled around, waiting for the fracture to open.


    Sighing after a few seconds, she turned away, trusting the others to keep an eye on the situation, and took out her planner.


    She would become a scapegoat. There was no doubt about it. But if the guild leaders were stupid enough to fall for something like this, then she definitely wanted out of it.


    There was no doubt that any other guild would welcome her with open arms, but the bigger guilds she would like to join were already named in her contract with Eternal Light as competitors. Thus, thanks to the non-compete she signed before she knew how stupid and single-minded they were, she couldn¡¯t really apply to them.


    Thus, her only options were to continue solo, create her own guild¡­ Or to join a small guild.


    From what little she saw of Solar, she knew he was a competent leader with a steel will to be able to resist Katie¡¯s dad. She liked that.


    Plus, seemingly, he had more than two working brain cells. A big plus in her book.


    Now the question was, how to approach them without the Gremlin torpedoing her attempt.


    She tapped her pen on the open page and looked away, staring at nothing, musing on the possibilities.


    ¡®I wonder¡­ could I seduce him?¡¯ she thought, but then she shook her head. ¡®No, Katie would stop me¡­¡¯


    Another few seconds of thinking.


    ¡®Maybe have one of my friends seduce him? No, they would never go for him, he is not rich enough for them.¡¯


    ¡®Do I have anything worth trading?¡¯


    It was a rather depressing realization that aside from her real-life wealth and connections, which Solar didn¡¯t really need with the chaotic Gremlin there, she had very little to offer upon joining aside from her personal power.


    ¡®I do have a lot of knowledge about Eternal Light¡­ If they are already going to name me a traitor might as well go full in¡­¡¯


    She wrote down a few notes, encrypted of course. No need to take a chance.


    ¡®What about items?¡¯ she mused as she quickly opened her inventory and took a look through it. ¡®Hmmm¡­ this has potential¡­¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°A new fracture? What type?¡±


    ¡°Poison, Cactus.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Stephen turned to AzureTiger sitting on the opposite side of the table, her octopus partner placidly sitting on her hair, calmly combing it. ¡°Do we have anything aside from antidotes for that?¡±


    The small girl took a moment to think and then shook her head.


    ¡°I got the recipe for the antidote that the guilds are using, but according to my analysis, the first raid fracture wouldn¡¯t be defeated by a simple antidote.¡±


    ¡°I saw that recipe,¡± spoke up the guy representing the alchemist of the guild. ¡°There is nothing simple about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it wasn¡¯t found in the dungeon. That¡¯s why I doubt it can protect people from whatever is in it.¡± Came the argument from the girl.


    The alchemist thought about it and nodded thoughtfully. ¡°That makes sense¡­¡±


    Stephen also nodded and got a little more comfortable leaning against Slathy, who recently decided that Stephen was forbidden to use chairs. Instead, Slathy would serve the same function.


    ¡°Anybody else have any questions about it?¡±


    There was a little shuffling before somebody called out. ¡°Aren¡¯t we missing a lot by not participating?¡±


    Stephen shook his head. He didn¡¯t need AzureTiger to speak up here (as she told him before the meeting) to answer the question. ¡°Maybe. But more than likely, there will be a big battle amongst the guilds. I don¡¯t want to participate in that. Much better to let them work it out themselves, wait for the guides, and then attempt the raid.¡±


    Kim visibly agreed with him. ¡°We don¡¯t lose money this way, and our precious partners don¡¯t suffer. You know how long it takes for them to respawn.¡±


    Everyone stiffened upon hearing that.


    As a summon and pet centric guild, their pets and summons were rather high-leveled, thus their respawn time grew accordingly. The pet or summon of a guild higher up dying would seriously set back every timetable that AzureTiger had worked really hard on.


    They looked nervously at each other, the various pets letting out sounds of agreement. Stephen subtly kicked the stupid snake that was slithering near his feet, not wanting to repeat the snake-in-boots situation.


    The hisses it let out sounded a lot like laughter.


    Stephen shook his head and spoke up.


    ¡°Alright, then it¡¯s decided. We sit back and watch and when the guilds finish with it, we go and give it a try. Any objection?¡±


    Nobody spoke up, and he could see the ghost of a smile on AzureTiger¡¯s normally placid-looking face. She really liked it when people listened to her advice.


    And people didn¡¯t like her reaction when they didn¡¯t follow her recommendations. Most people in the guild learned after the first ¡®accident¡¯ that it was something they wanted to avoid.


    With the issue dealt with, he spoke up again.


    ¡°Now with that dealt with, let¡¯s talk about that annoying Fyre guild. Are they still randomly summoning fire elementals?¡±


    One of their mages nodded and spoke up. He was dressed in a red robe, and a small fire sprite was hovering over his shoulder.


    ¡°Yeah, boss. One of the Higher Elementals even contacted me to¡­ register their¡­ displeasure.¡±


    It was implied that said displeasure was not something they wanted directed at their guild.


    ¡°What do they want?¡± Stephen asked.


    The mage just gave him a look. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Complete and utter destruction, plus salt the earth just to be sure?¡±


    He received a nod.


    ¡°Yes, but I managed to get a good deal for the salting.¡±


    Hearing that, everybody perked up. The Higher Elementals had some rather nice stuff to give out.


    The rest of the meeting was spent discussing the actions they would take against the guild that decided that using young elementals as suicide bombers was a good idea and what they would do with their rewards.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°How is the raid-that-is-not-a-raid going?¡± he asked as he took a sip from his mandatory industrial-grade coffee with a dash of creamer because he was not a savage.


    ¡°Things are heating up,¡± came the response from one of the people sitting in front of several screens observing several graphs. ¡°As of now, around half a dozen wars broke out, thanks to the new fractures.¡±


    He hummed appreciatively. ¡°Reactions online?¡±


    Another person spoke up. ¡°Mostly positive. The people who were complaining about the lack of raids are now complaining about how there aren''t more raids.¡±


    ¡°The people who don¡¯t like raids are complaining that it takes attention away from other events.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°So, the internet is the usual schizo self¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°What about our special players?¡±


    There was a murmur that filled the room after he asked the question. Most of it was exasperated¡­


    He just sighed.


    ¡°What did he do this time?¡±


    ¡°Well, sir. According to the system, he tricked several guilds into investing a lot of money into this fracture delve by manufacturing a lot of antidotes that will be completely useless in it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, boy¡­¡±


    There was a general agreement throughout the room, as they all brought up the screen that described the player¡¯s information.


    ¡°What about the wolf?¡±


    ¡°Lucky is still cute, sir.


    ¡°Thank the gods. At least that¡¯s safe.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    There was a moment of silence as he sipped the coffee again.


    ¡°What are the projections for the action?¡±


    ¡°Well, sir, it¡¯s not good. For the other people.¡±


    ¡°Anything that people will complain that it¡¯s cheating?¡±


    ¡°Plenty¡­¡±


    ¡°Joy¡­¡±


    ¡°Any actual cheating?¡±


    ¡°Naturally none, sir.¡±


    ¡°I hate my job.¡±


    ¡°As you say, sir.¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Have you seen what¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°The new raid?¡± his friend asked as they ate their subpar public school lunch.


    ¡°Yeah. Want to give it a try?¡±


    ¡°Do we have enough healing? It¡¯s a poison fracture, right?¡±


    He thought about it for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s just a raid. We have done raids in other games. We get Mike to do the healing. Danny will take care of the tanking and we can do the DPS.¡±


    ¡°Would that be enough?¡±


    ¡°Mike is pretty good at healing. I think it will be enough.¡±


    ¡°Then sure¡­¡±


    As the two friends talked about Magic Unbound, a lot of people around the world did the same. A conversation like that happened countless times, with countless variations.


    Some were confident, some were anxious, but most people were looking forward to the first raid in the game.


    The fracture in the Emerald Kingdom was a poison-attributed fracture, while in other countries there were fire, ice, water, and other elemental ones, providing a lot of variety.


    The emotions were high everywhere, and most of the gaming-related news sites were dealing with it.


    Guilds were online bragging about how they would be the first to deal with the local fracture and how they would humiliate their local competition.


    It was a veritable feast for internet trolls.


    There were streamers covering every facet of the event, from the small streamers with only a few views to the big streamers that thousands or even tens of thousands of people watched.


    At this point, most of the gaming population was watching Magic Unbound, some with interest and excitement, while some were openly rooting for the game to fail¡­


    <hr>


    ¡°Do you think this will be enough?¡±


    They looked over the piles of piles of antidotes and health potions.


    ¡°Pretty sure!¡±


    He picked up one of the antidotes and looked it over. ¡°Are you sure that the antidote will work?¡±


    ¡°Hell, yeah! I got it from my contacts at the Abyss Vipers. They know their shit!¡±


    They looked at each other and grinned, and then high-fived.


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen! We are here in the Emerald Kingdom at the old hot springs where the new poison fracture appeared.¡± The dolled-up woman exclaimed, holding something that looked like a microphone in front of her as behind her the government facility protecting the fracture was visible while all kinds of players were milling in the surroundings. ¡°We, here at GamingNews 3, are going to follow along the first delves and report live about the efforts!¡±


    The screen changed, her face relegated to one of the corners, and an infographic took over.


    ¡°As you know, the current predicted winners are the Steel Lions, as everybody agrees they are the best prepared. However, it is not out of the question that a surprise contender would beat them to it.¡±


    The picture changed to a list of guild names.


    The pretty reporter smiled a little and then continued talking.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go over the known contenders. First, the Steel Lions¡­¡±

 Chapter 151 - Interlude 14.2

    David glanced around the meeting happening in the tent they had set up near the new fracture and had to work really hard to swallow his frown. The room was full of people that his father brought on, most of the security and ¡®security¡¯ professionals he poached or hired, here to provide their expertise, while the rest were pro gamers hired for no doubt an obscene amount of money.


    The original players he collected for his guild were nowhere to be seen, forced out by his father¡¯s men.


    David could only be present because he was actually related to the big boss. As he wasn¡¯t a pro gamer and neither had credentials in the security business, he could stay, but he had no voice in deciding what would happen.


    It was incredibly frustrating.


    When this began to happen, he already decided to leave the guild, to hell with his father. But when Katie came to him with her crazy plan, he chose to stay to see it to the end. Plus, he didn¡¯t really want his father to suspect he had anything to do with it.


    Even so, David was pretty sure that the man would blame him and Katie for the travesty that was about to happen.


    Katie wasn¡¯t exactly forthcoming with what she and her ¡®boss¡¯ planned, but he knew his sister. And while to others she may seem like the perfect princess, he knew she was a chaotic gremlin, taking delight in causing chaos and devastation wherever she went.


    ¡°How much time left?¡± came the gruff voice of a man he didn¡¯t even bother to learn the name of. He worked for his father, and that was enough for David.


    ¡°An hour, sir.¡±


    ¡°Good. How are the defenses?¡±


    ¡°Ready for anything to happen!¡±


    ¡°The stocks of antidote?¡±


    ¡°Enough for a dozen parties.¡±


    ¡°Healers learned enough cure spells?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. We bought all the highest-leveled spells we could find and made them learn it. Nothing will be able to hurt us in there.¡±


    David resisted the urge to point out how stupid that was.


    It might have worked in other games, but in Magic Unbound, just learning the highest-leveled skills and spells wasn¡¯t enough. They would need the supporting skills, have time to acquire enough subskills, and get enough experience with using the actual skills. Just shoving expensive skill books down the throats of healers would lead only to death.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Naturally, the man his father hired knew nothing substantial about the game. David hoped that the pro gamers would speak up but most of them just nodded along, dashing all his hopes. He didn¡¯t even dare to imagine what went through their heads.


    ¡®They probably think they could carry the raiding party with their own power,¡¯ he mused.


    ¡°Any indication that someone would interfere?¡±


    Another man, dressed as a bona fide ninja, spoke up, his voice soft but carrying an underlying danger.


    ¡°We made sure to sabotage the other guilds¡¯ efforts to set up anything competent. Our biggest competitor at this point is Eternal Light locally. Internationally, however¡­¡± the guy trailed off as the people around the table scowled.


    ¡°I know. There are a lot of other guilds trying to get the first clear on their local fracture, but we need to concentrate on the here and now.¡± His father¡¯s stand-in declared. ¡°Is the first party ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°Good, I managed to negotiate with the government and each guild gets to send in one party at the same time.¡±


    ¡°No more?¡±


    ¡°They are careful, as they want to make sure nobody brings out something infectious.¡±


    There was some nodding around the room after hearing that.


    ¡°Any other question?¡±


    Silence enveloped the room.


    The man stood up and nodded. ¡°Excellent. Then those who¡¯re in the first party go and prepare. We need to make sure that we get the first place. I don¡¯t tolerate failure. Understand?¡± He finished the small speech with a glare directed around the room.


    Most of the people who were also security professionals sat up straighter, but the pro gamers just scoffed at the declaration.


    David once again resisted the urge to sigh.


    <hr>


    He checked his sword, making sure that the edge was without any chips, as the rest of his team did the same, checking their gear.


    They stood around the entrance of the fracture, at a safe distance from the other guild groups, who were doing the same thing.


    Several officials from the kingdom were standing and walking around while high-leveled soldiers in enchanted armor who were the envy of every player present were standing in front of the building that was housing the portal leading to the fracture.


    The Vipers were their unruly selves, clowning around, trying to intimidate the guilds near them, the black blood showing under their skin.


    Eternal Light was much better, showing discipline and training with all their shiny gear that tried to blind people who looked at them.


    David saw several dark guilds also preparing, the players belonging to them trying to avoid attention from anybody, yet at the same time, he could see the excitement in them.


    A brief trumpet sound coming from nowhere broke his silent observation.


    All the heads snapped up and fixated on the kingdom official who stepped in front of the building built recently. By David¡¯s guess, it was big enough to hold all the present guilds.


    The official coughed into his fist and then looked around impassively.


    ¡°It¡¯s time. Please, follow me,¡± he said, then turned around and began walking toward the doors of the building.


    The leader of their party raised their longsword and called out. ¡°STEEL LIONS! TO VICTORY!¡±


    People banged their weapons on their armor and joined it with their own cries. ¡°RAAAAH!¡±


    The rest of the guilds did the same, some with more enthusiasm, some with less, but in a second the area was just a cacophony of noise.


    <hr>


    The room was empty aside from the poisonous green portal that merrily whirled at the back of the room. However, David could see all the enchantments around the room, there to prevent anything escaping from it.


    The official stopped a little before the portal, cleared his throat again, and began speaking.


    ¡°Party leaders, step forward.¡±


    Several people stepped forward, including David¡¯s team¡¯s leader. In the next second, a screen appeared in front of him.


    [Your team is entering a new fracture!]


    [Fracture: Poisonous Hot Springs, Where Relaxation Goes to Die]


    [Old hot springs that were abandoned after the healing waters turned noxious. This noxious water merged with the dimensional energies and created something so poisonous that most people would die with one second of contact. Aren¡¯t you glad you prepared? Or did you? The government wants to know everything about it. Your job is to go in, reach the end, and come back alive.]


    [Time Limit: None]


    [Charges: Unlimited]


    [Current Best Clear Time: N/n]


    ¡®Well, that didn¡¯t sound ominous at all¡­¡¯ David thought before his vision was swallowed by the usual rainbow light that signaled that they had entered a fracture.


    <hr>


    They found themselves on a stone path, surrounded by small and carefully taken care of bushes and trees, leading up to the gates of typical hot springs. That¡¯s where the normality ended.


    Behind the only wall visible, they could only see clouds illuminated with green light, and the building that was once an inn exploded into the air, the pieces hanging up in the air as if time had stopped happening for them.


    ¡°Gear check!¡± came the call from the team leader and instantly everybody was busy doing it. They were allowed to bring twenty people, most of them basically strangers to David, but all of them paid for by his dad to make sure that his name and the family¡¯s name would be next to the first clear of the fracture. ¡°How is the stream quality?¡±


    ¡°Base says they¡¯re getting everything clear, no issues,¡± he received the report instantly from the designated contact guy.


    They couldn¡¯t see the streams of other groups, or receive info from the team back at the base, and the system added randomized delay to the outgoing video, thus it would be probably useless.


    ¡°Everybody ready?¡±


    Hearing the agreement from everybody, they began heading for the door on the lone standing wall, David at the head of the spearhead, his shield ready to protect him and the team from whatever the dungeon would throw at them.


    ¡°Antidote everybody!¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    As one, they uncorked the antidote bottles and downed them. David could instantly see the antidote appear on his HUD, a small countdown next to it.


    ¡®Well, sister, let¡¯s see what you have planned¡­¡¯


    With a deft motion, he reached for the doorknob and turned it.


    <hr>


    Behind the standing wall was devastation.


    The first thing he saw was a series of craters that dotted the land, among several bigger craters that let out continuous green smoke that pooled around the craters, looking like weird green lakes. The smaller craters only had rubble and a few small pools of green water.


    He took a step forward and instantly had to cough as he took a breath.


    When he recovered, he noticed that his antidote countdown had started to speed up.


    ¡°Air is poisonous!¡± he yelled before reaching for another antidote and downing it. To his surprise, the countdown reset, but the speed of it didn¡¯t slow down. After half a minute as the rest of the team entered the area and one of the mages who knew about air magic set up a bubble of clear air, the countdown reached the halfway point before returning to the usual speed.


    However, not before a few more people also breathed in the dangerous air.


    They also chugged a new bottle of antidote down.


    The team leader looked around with a scowl and turned to the mage. ¡°Can you keep up the bubble?¡±


    The mage looked affronted that the man even dared to ask. ¡°Hell yeah! This is nothing!¡±


    ¡°Good. He is in the middle. We stay around it.¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°Roger!¡±¡±¡±


    David scowled, suspecting that there was something else happening with the poison and that a simple air bubble wouldn¡¯t be enough to protect them. Alas, he had no say, and at this point, he didn¡¯t want to do anything that would call attention to himself.


    Instead, he waited as the group situated themselves around the proud-looking mage.


    Organized, they began marching slowly but surely.


    <hr>


    They stepped off the wooden remains of the inn onto the cratered ground, illuminated by a green light coming from nowhere. The exploded pieces of the hot spring casting odd shadows on the ground on them, while the entire area was eerily silent.


    A few hisses and odd noises could be heard, but otherwise, there was nothing aside from the sounds their gear made.


    They didn¡¯t have to wait long. As soon as they reached the first crater¡¯s middle part, one of the bubbles began to sizzle, and then erupted like a geyser, showering them in a green liquid that was no doubt poisonous.


    The countdown on his antidote speeding up proved it true not even a half second later.


    Before they could react, the geyser vanished, leaving behind a monster that looked like a water elemental, but the blue water instead was green and oddly viscous. It reminded David of the experiments they made with starches in chemistry class in elementary school.


    It had black eyes on it, cartoony, but nonetheless, it was rather threatening.


    It ¡®opened¡¯ its mouth, which was just a gaping black hole, and released a gurgling and bubbling roar.


    The nearest knight instantly swatted it with their greatsword.


    It let out a shriek, sounding like somebody was being waterboarded, and exploded into a tidal wave of green liquid, soaking the entire team in it. Naturally, the air barrier did nothing to prevent the liquid from reaching them.


    However, none of them had time to complain, as the antidote countdown sped up and they had to chug more to keep the defenses up. The speeding countdown stopped for David after his second bottle of antidote, allowing him to exhale in relief and take a look at the rest of the team.


    The leader was being bathed in healing light, as he had forgone chugging down the antidote for the opportunity to tear a new one to the knight who destroyed the poison elemental.


    <hr>


    A few minutes later they were moving once again, the air bubble still staying up and several mages ready with shields to prevent any liquid from reaching them.


    Then it began to rain, and the icon of his antidote vanished from his HUD within seconds.


    ¡®Oh boy¡­¡¯ David thought while reaching for his antidote while the mages tried to conjure up a shield to protect them and the healers tried to expunge the poison afflicting them. ¡®I hope we¡­have¡­enough¡­ THAT BASTARD!¡¯


    As the realization hit him, David couldn¡¯t help but feel some level of admiration for his sister¡¯s boss. It was the perfect setup.


    Before they could get comfortable and figure out how to proceed, the puddles left behind by the noxious rain began to explode into geysers, spewing even more liquid into the air, and turning into very angry poison elementals.


    Soon, they were surrounded by slowly advancing elementals, all of them filled with poison.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°THEY ARE COMING AGAIN!¡±


    ¡°AAARGH! It got me in the leg!¡±


    ¡°Heal it dammit! HEAL IT!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m healing as fast as I can, but the damn rain!¡±


    ¡°Earth Mages! COVER!¡±


    Instantly, several slabs of stone rose, enveloping the party.


    As the healer acted to rid them of the poison, and the elementals started to pound at the slabs, trying to get them, the few people remaining of the twenty people that came in with them looked at each other, exhausted.


    By their estimation, and from what they saw, they reached around halfway on the crater highway as they called it, but the constant attacks of the elementals, the noxious rain and everything else had slowly whittled down the twenty people into eight.


    Not to mention the lack of enough antidotes.


    They brought enough that by their calculations it would have lasted for hours, yet they had almost used up all of them.


    ¡°How many bottles do we have?¡±


    ¡°I have three¡­¡±


    ¡°Two.¡±


    ¡°Ten,¡± said the healer, exhaustion clearly visible on his face.


    And so it went, people declaring the meager number of antidotes they had on hand.


    They all knew what this meant.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have enough¡­¡±


    Nobody answered. They just hung their heads in shame.


    Sadly, there was no exit mechanic for the fractures. You either conquered it or died.


    He looked around and took in the defeated aura of the remaining people. Leaning forward he slapped his fist into his palm and exclaimed.


    ¡°Alright, people! We may not conquer the fracture fully, but that doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t try!¡±


    People looked up, and he saw several small smiles.


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¡°We can at least try!¡±


    ¡°Good! Now-¡°


    However, a giant roar interrupted his planned heroic inspirational speech as something ripped away the top slab protecting them. Before their eyes was a giant elemental, its body dotted with rocks emitting dark green puffs of gases where the joints should have been, creating an illusion of the elemental wearing some kind of armor made of noxious gases.


    It roared with the same gurgling sound that the smaller elementals did, and to their horror, opened its maw and vomited an unending tide of green poison on top of them. The created defenses worked as a bowl and soon, all of them were sent back to the respawn point, slightly traumatized.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°HAHAHAHA!¡±


    ¡°This fracture was made for us!¡±


    ¡°Fuck yeah!¡±


    They ran around, enjoying the cool rain as poisonous water fell on them, their black veins bulging as they processed and dealt with the affliction.


    This was just what the doctor ordered for them after that public humiliation with the health potion.


    The leader of the Abyss Viper team watched as his guild mates ran around like excited children, occasionally killing the few elementals that spawned but otherwise unbothered.


    Then he saw one of the idiots lean down and take a cup, fill it with the acid-green liquid in the ground, add a little alcohol from his inventory and a small paper umbrella that was almost instantly consumed by the water, and then chug it to the cheers of his peers.


    The guy raised the empty cup in the air and let out a proud belch while the rest continued to cheer and were reaching for their own cups.


    He was standing a little away, so he could see exactly as the guy frowned, his eyes moved frantically around, and then¡­


    BAAAAAAMMMM


    Exploded into a mist of blackish-green liquid, drenching everyone.


    Apparently, there was such a thing as too much poison¡­


    The cups vanished very quickly after that.


    However, with the people calmed down, he could finally start on this stupid fracture.


    ¡°Form up people! And remember! Don¡¯t drink the obviously magical water! Alright?¡±


    <hr>


    The first half was child¡¯s play thanks to their black blood. They only lost one other person, and that was thanks to the giant elemental that appeared, which was filled with giant rocky joints.


    Being slammed to death wasn¡¯t the nicest way to go.


    However, as they began walking away from the giant elemental¡¯s corpse, naturally after thoroughly looting it and storing some of its body for later experimentations, the local weather changed.


    The gentle rain of deadly water changed into a typhoon. The wind howled and brought the poison from every direction, covering them in liquid from head to toe.


    And this time, the poison changed. For the first time, their black blood wasn¡¯t enough to protect them from the deadly material.


    ¡°Healers!¡± he called out as the icon of the poison appeared on his HUD while he took out the prepared antidote. Thankfully, they had the forethought to test if their black blood conflicted with it, and to their relief, drinking it didn¡¯t cause any trouble.


    Thus, just in case, they prepared a few of them for the fracture. Naturally, stolen from other guilds.


    Downing the vial, he threw it away, wiped at his mouth, and called out, pointing his dagger forward. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Navigating the area with the typhoon was insanely hard, and then the ground began to rise, breaking into chunks that hovered above a sea of green gas that turned insanely acidic as they learned when one of them fell into it. Watching someone turn into a skeleton within seconds was rather gruesome¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t falter! THE LIGHT PROTECTS US!¡±


    He called out, using his light-based spell to renew one of the countless shields they used to keep at least part of the poison at bay. As he looked around, watching as his guild members dealt with the swarming poison elementals, he couldn¡¯t help but internally scoff at Isabella.


    The girl might have had the looks, but she clearly lacked in the brain department. Why the hell had she thought this would be a waste of time? The loot they gained so far was enough to recoup the loss that the antidotes caused.


    Suddenly, he heard a plink sound.


    Looking over, he watched as the armor covering one of their tanks fell to the ground, bouncing a few times before falling apart into irregular shards, the edges visibly decaying.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    The tank looked back at him with wide eyes.


    ¡°Sir! I just got a message that the durability of the armor reached zero¡­¡±


    Instantly, everybody was checking their gear.


    Even he wasn¡¯t immune, noticing that the metal of his sword had developed a dark-colored patina in a few spots.


    Cursing like a sailor, he turned to the others.


    ¡°What¡¯s the damage?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s bad, captain,¡± came the not-so-calm report. ¡°Most tanks still have some time left on their armor but if we don¡¯t find a way to protect ourselves, we won¡¯t reach the end.¡±


    ¡°The light?¡±


    ¡°It slows it down, but we need an actual repair skill that can undo the damage that the acid causes.¡±


    ¡°Do we have anything like that?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    He looked around, and after a few seconds, he spoke up. ¡°Double the light shields and double the speed. And get the backup armor on, soldier!¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°Yes, sir!¡±¡±¡±


    With renewed vigor, the light covering all their bodies, the rains almost uselessly splashing against it, they continued their march from one floating platform to another, hoping that they would beat the other guilds.


    <hr><hr>


    David, at the moment, really hated Katie and her damnable boss. And he did not doubt that after this day, his father would do everything to bring the guy down.


    Just the amount of antidotes they consumed was enough to bankrupt several guilds. Following that, the acidic rain and elementals destroyed enough equipment that the pro gamers looked ready to log out.


    Only by reminding them of the contracts they signed and the remuneration they would get later did they manage to keep their hands from clicking on the logout button. Damn the penalties.


    Even he had to take out a backup shield, as his first one was consumed by the countless elementals that found themselves crashing into it. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t bring his nice enchanted shield, as he didn¡¯t know how the death penalty would work in this special fracture. Luckily for him, the shield he brought with him looked just like his enchanted one, so nobody realized the switch.


    He was very happy that he made that decision.


    But, it seemed they were reaching the end of this damnable fracture.


    The floating platforms gave way to a giant platform, surrounded by clouds of acid, buffeted by hurricane-level winds, and drenched by constantly falling poisonous and acidic rain.


    His taste buds were already gone, the amount of antidote he chugged killing all of them. A quick check of his inventory showed that he still had a few health potions and a stack of antidotes. Probably enough for the last fight.


    The team trudged forward, with David still in the lead, their numbers diminished, but not so much as to make the fight impossible.


    Hopefully.


    As they reached an arbitrary line, the slight fog of war obscuring their vision, despite the wind, cleared away and they could only see a pile of rocks.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be a golem!¡± he called out and raised his shield in front of him. Not a moment later, the pile of rocks shivered, and the golem unfolded in front of them.


    It was gigantic, easily towering over them. Most of it was rock, lined with glowing veins of green light, but between the stone was the now familiar viscous liquid connecting them, giving the golem a rather menacing air.


    The head, instead of rock, was made of liquid, with only the eyes made of the same rock, almost consumed by the green light.


    It moved a little in place, then its attention snapped to their group. David braced himself for the incoming attack, and he could hear the instruction being issued behind him as everybody prepared.


    The giant black maw on the liquid head opened into a mockery of a smile and the monster let out a gurgling roar that was loud enough that for a short moment, no rain fell in front of the gigantic monster.


    Then it returned with renewed vigor and David could practically hear as his armor began to break down.


    The golem lowered its head a little, and its maw opened to impossible proportions, but instead of a roar what came out was an insanely fast and turbulent river of poison.


    David just let out a tired sigh and hid behind his poor shield while the rest of the team began casting magics to hopefully survive the tide of death and misery heading for them.


    ¡®Katie, if we don¡¯t get the first clear, I¡¯m going to fucking steal your dessert¡­¡¯ was his last thought before the only thing that dominated his mind was survival.

 Chapter 151 - Interlude 14.3

    Their reappearance wasn¡¯t met by cheers but cold silence.


    David looked around, taking on how he and the team he went into the fracture looked, and then stared back at the guy meeting them. His father¡¯s lackey, who had basically taken over the guild, died in the last minutes of the battle, swallowed up by one of the waves of the giant poison elemental, so he was still waiting to respawn. Instead, his second in command was there to greet them.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t the first.¡± Was all he said before turning around and leaving the room where they appeared, ignoring the tattered armor hanging off them.


    David just sighed and followed him back to their camp. On the way, he saw their second team heading toward the fracture, no doubt to try to farm it more. His father, after all, had invested a lot of money in antidotes and training.


    A few minutes later, he was out of the game and in a general virtual reality space, used for meetings and discussions.


    Naturally, it was set up as a conference room straight out of the buildings where his father¡¯s headquarters were. His father was at the head of the table, dramatically standing with his back toward them, looking out of the virtual windows.


    ¡°You were not the first,¡± he repeated the lackey¡¯s words, then he turned around looking at everybody sitting at the table. ¡°At least you managed to kill the boss.¡±


    ¡°Sir, we weren¡¯t equipped to deal with the equipment destroying environment, plus with the weird poison¡­¡± one of the people sitting at the table began to speak, only to be silenced by David¡¯s father raising a hand. David suspected that the man wouldn¡¯t be invited back next time.


    ¡°I know.¡± From his long experience, David knew that his father wanted to say much more, but he held back. Only the slightest of twitches around his eyes betrayed this fact. ¡°I know,¡± he repeated as he looked around. ¡°According to our sources, the kingdom determined from the samples that the poison has merged with dimensional energy, thus the amount of antidote you need to purge it equals the amount of poison you took in. They¡¯re working on developing a proper antidote for these specific poisons, but according to their best estimates, it will take at least a month of hard work before there is even a prototype.¡±


    David had to hand it to his sister and her boss. They magnificently baited his father into this. And now if he pulled out, he would look like a fool. On the other hand, if he wanted to see any profit from this venture, he would have to invest even more money and manpower to realize it. And based on the slight twitches he saw on his father¡¯s body, the man himself also realized this.


    It took a lot of effort not to grin.


    ¡°What¡¯s the next step?¡± came the question from his father¡¯s second in command.


    There was a terse silence before his father looked around the room, making eye contact with everybody, and then continued.


    ¡°We reorganize,¡± came the expected answer. His father hated looking weak. ¡°One part of the guild sets up a research outpost near the fracture. There are some possibilities in the liquid that were retrieved.¡± A lot of nodding and relieved faces greeted the information around the room. ¡°We will set up a secondary team to¡­ farm the fracture, while the rest will focus on furthering the Steel Lion name in other arenas.¡±


    The people around the conference room digested this information and then, a few seconds later, the air was full of questions. David just sat back, knowing that no matter what he would say, it would be ignored, and enjoyed the sight of his father trying to make sense of a gaming world.


    <hr>


    ¡°Well, sister, I would say congratulations, but I¡¯d rather not,¡± David said while glaring at his sister, who was grinning ear to ear. ¡°I warn you, however, that my revenge will be brutal.¡±


    Katie¡¯s grin just widened as she curtsied with the elegant dress she was wearing. ¡°Best of luck, brother. Best of luck.¡±


    They continued their walk toward their father¡¯s office in companionable silence, though his sister skipped a few times.


    David just made sure to steel himself. He doubted their father was in a joyous mood.


    Opening the door, he let his sister go before him, like a true gentleman, or like a true sibling, letting their other sibling absorb their parents¡¯ anger.


    As expected, their father was sitting behind his giant desk, looking absentmindedly out of the window and spinning an expensive pen in his hand.


    They stopped in front of the desk, standing up straight, just as they were taught as children, and while Katie continued to grin cheekily, David spoke up.


    ¡°Father. You called us?¡±


    This finally caused his father to break out of whatever was going through his head, then swivel around in his chair and look at them. Naturally, he first noticed Katie¡¯s grin before his eyes landed on David.


    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± he said in a calm voice that caused not a small amount of confusion in David. His father should be frothing with rage, not being calm and all¡­


    ¡®Maybe he is so angry it looks like he is calm?¡¯ he mused.


    ¡°This¡­event¡­was a major loss to us. Both to the budget and to our face.¡± The man began talking in a voice that told David he was right. His father was beyond furious. ¡°The¡­fracture¡­has demanded more resources than we expected. I was told that if we don¡¯t find a proper antidote, then it would take years in-game to recoup our losses.¡± He continued while eyeing a still-grinning Katie.


    ¡°Oh, no! That¡¯s horrible!¡± Katie exclaimed, slapping her hands together and tilting her head sideways. David even saw the beginning of a crocodile tear come into existence in her eye. He just stood there and stoically watched as his father took a calming breath, no doubt swallowing a lot of curse words.


    ¡°Katherine!¡± he snapped.


    ¡°Yes, father?¡± came the saccharine sweet response from his sister.


    ¡°What have you got to say for yourself?¡±


    The saccharine-sweet tone changed into a confused one. ¡°But father! I was nowhere near that¡­fracture.¡±


    ¡°Katherine¡­¡±


    She clasped her hands together, and the confusion bled into cold fury.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t be meaning that you had your staff listen in on a private conversation, then used that information to make a business decision that backfired and now you are blaming me for it? Right?¡±


    David felt a shiver go down his spine.


    ¡°There is no such thing as private information in this house. What you know, the family knows,¡± came an angry response as his father leaned forward and slapped both his hands down on the desk, the sound echoing around the room.


    From the corner of his eyes, David saw his sister smirk.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ then maybe the family should start making wiser decisions¡­ Will that be all?¡± she asked and before their last remaining parent could answer, she dropped into a shallow curtsy and practically flounced out of the room, leaving them with a parting goodbye.


    Taking his chance, David raised his hand to gather his father¡¯s attention.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving the guild, father.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    David simply shrugged. Naturally, as elegantly as possible; no point wasting all those hours spent in etiquette training.


    ¡°I joined Magic Unbound to play the game, not to do business¡­¡± With a nod, making use of his father¡¯s confusion, he also said his goodbye quietly and left the room, hurrying after his sister.


    Alone in the room, their father stared after the children, anger, and confusion warring on his face before he let out another word.


    ¡°What?¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°So, that happened¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°How much did we lose?¡±


    ¡°Enough that there will be a lot of blame going around. Nobody in the guild is happy, nor are our supporters.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ at least nobody in our country managed to get the first place.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I was dealing with my equipment and didn¡¯t have time to pay attention. Who did get the first place?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, yeah, I watched the stream last night. The guys down south had an undead dungeon. Less powerful mobs, but enough for several legions.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that makes sense. Were we the only ones who got something like that poison?¡±


    ¡°No. Every undead had this aura that ate away at anything organic. Metal was left alone, but everything that had wood or leather in it was falling apart.¡± He shrugged and then continued his explanation. ¡°Then there were the necrotic effects. Took extra mana to heal them. Basically, you had to do overheal to negate its effects. They were chugging mana potions like we did with the antidotes.¡±


    ¡°So we weren¡¯t the only ones to get a sucky raid¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I did a quick search and every one of them was like this.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The fire fractures melted equipment and caused dehydration. In the water, you had to have breathing equipment or a spell to go underwater, plus it rusted everything metal. Ice was dealing with freezing and hypothermia, and so on.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense, I suppose. Poison still sucks the most.¡±


    ¡°What did you expect from the first raid of the game? That we will waltz through and claim the trophy looking like heroes from a fairy tale?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but snicker. ¡°Our fearless leaders sure did.¡±


    His friend joined him almost immediately with his own snicker and giggles. ¡°Hehe, yeah¡­¡° Then he leaned forward and began to whisper.


    ¡°Have you heard who they are blaming?¡±


    ¡°Izzy?¡±


    ¡°Who would have known?¡± he asked sarcastically.


    His friend nodded in agreement. ¡°Shame, she has nice tits.¡±


    <hr><hr>


    She was furious. Absolutely mad.


    ¡°They dare?¡±


    ¡°Yes, miss.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are they thinking?¡± she yelled, huffing in frustration.


    Her assistant answered blandly, as always.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they are thinking about their wallets. Somebody has to take the blame¡­ miss¡±


    ¡°And I was the only one who objected to going in, so naturally that means I sabotaged the run¡­ They are really idiots, aren''t they?¡±


    Naturally, her assistant recognized a rhetorical question and stayed silent as she stewed and angrily walked around in the room she had rented near the guild headquarters.


    She watched the guild stream of their team attempting the poison fracture, while she had countless other windows open, watching several attempts from other parts of the world.


    At first, she was incensed when she saw that not everybody had to brave acidic and poisonous rains, but then slowly but surely the streams revealed that every fracture that was raided had some kind of effect that ruined equipment and caused the players to use too much heal, mana or antidote potions.


    And this unexpected event hit everyone differently.


    Isabella could understand why.


    Fractures, compared to dungeons in other games, were much simpler. It was a rare fracture that wasn¡¯t just a straight line where you just had to kill monsters.


    This change of paradigm was unexpected, to say the least. Though not unwelcome. Isabella was a little afraid that fractures would become too boring. But with this, she could see the vague plans that Future Unknown had weaved around them.


    However, marveling at the game that this production company had produced was the furthest from her mind.


    As expected, those blithering idiots, decided they would sacrifice her on the altar of excuses.


    Apparently, her actions had contributed to Eternal Light¡¯s failure in finishing the fracture first among the guilds gathered around it.


    Some were pointing out that she refused to add her considerable power to the first team, which meant they went in with a suboptimal formation. Some tried to blame her for not figuring out that the poison inside would be special.


    After all, she did warn them about it¡­ it made sense, at least to those morons, that her source shared more with her.


    Isabella knew that they couldn¡¯t really kick her out of the guild without causing drama with her family, but she knew very well that they would try to pass on the monetary losses to her.


    Granted, she wouldn¡¯t really feel it, but it was the principle of all.


    Calming down a little, she turned around and turned to her loyal assistant, a friend from school who absolutely loved organizing things and had a not-so-secret fetish for playing maid. Not Isabella¡¯s thing, but she respected the girl¡¯s dedication. Plus, she was the best assistant ever.


    Even her father tried to poach her a few times.


    ¡°What do you think, Claire?¡±


    She tilted her head to the side, thinking before elegantly leafing through the papers held in her hand before looking back at Isabella.


    ¡°I believe Plan Fuck Those Assholes is the most appropriate, miss,¡± came the placid answer, but Isabella could see the judgment in her eyes.


    She clapped her hands together and nodded with a grin on her face.


    ¡°Then we will do that!¡±


    ¡°Claire! Prepare the messages!¡±


    ¡°Yes, miss.¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Lucy looked over the incoming documents and couldn¡¯t help but let out a satisfied smile.


    The furor over the new fractures was still going on, even though the first place had been decided. The people delving into the undead fracture were not actually stronger than any of the other teams attempting any of the raid-level fractures, they were simply luckier.


    She wanted to make sure that she kept up with the local powers, in her country and outside of it, so she made sure to watch all the streams about the fracture, at least the successful ones.


    The undead one, located south of the Emerald Kingdom, naturally in a cemetery hidden deep inside a forest belonging to an ancient ruler¡¯s family, was just as treacherous as the poisonous one in her kingdom.


    The guild that managed to clear it first was called Tempest and specialized in mages. Most of the players had a build that made use of elemental or other kinds of magic. Even the tanks used elemental spells with their shields and weapons.


    Their luck manifested in that one of the healers had acquired a spell that kept out the foul wind that blew through the fracture and carried a decaying effect with it. She had checked and the Sanctuary Aura skillbook¡¯s price had risen by several hundred percent.


    The skill had a rather long cooldown, but the moments of rest that it provided to the party allowed them to go faster and hit harder as less of their equipment turned to dust or decayed into an unrecognizable mass.


    The fracture itself was similar to the other ones.


    Single ¡®road¡¯ leading forward. Environmental effects hindered the players; here, foul wind flew through the air, and the ground was dotted with physical obstacles. The undead dungeon appeared in a cemetery; thus the inside of the fracture was also shaped after that.


    The players had to navigate through collapsed mausoleums, and piles of broken tombstones as skeletons, zombies, and ghouls randomly emerged from the ground, grasping at anyone¡¯s ankles with hunger.


    There was already a compilation of people being grabbed by the ankles by mindless undead and screaming like little children.


    After the random zombie attack came the ¡®organized¡¯ army of undead, led by death knights and wights, with a few banshees thrown into the mix.


    The middle boss was an undead abomination, created from countless zombie corpses, looking like a giant corpulent human, wielding a giant butcher¡¯s knife for the sake of stereotype.


    After they were done with that, Lucy watched them march through a battlefield, littered with dead and undead, only to be met with an even bigger army while the wind visibly became blacker, causing what little greenery that survived to wither and turn to dust.


    Naturally, the last enemy was a bone wyvern with glowing ice-blue eyes that breathed equally blue flames at the players.


    While the information about the capabilities of their neighbors was interesting, Lucy was more interested in her own business.


    The income from the antidote material was great, huge even.


    She would be using it mostly to fund the construction in the capital, easing their burden on that project. Because while it was great that Sam managed to get the property rights, way before anyone else, it was still the capital of the Kingdom and everything was much more expensive than in Ironwood.


    Plus, they didn¡¯t have someone like Lord Silvercrest at their back to smooth over bureaucratic snafus and talk obstinate officials out of hindering the construction on their new properties.


    ¡®Maybe I should move to the capital temporarily to make sure everything goes well¡­¡¯ she mused.


    Then she opened her quest window and winced.


    ¡®Yeah, no¡­ I have too much to do here¡­ Maybe Tim could use the exercise?¡¯ she pondered before shaking her head. ¡®Nah, I don¡¯t want to break up the lovebirds¡­¡¯


    Then she shrugged. ¡®Sam is the co-leader of this little shindig. I¡¯ll let him deal with this¡­¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    Katie walked back to her room, made sure it was closed, the noise canceling gadget that she had Isabella get her while wearing a wig and fake mustache, was on, then took a furtive look around and flopped onto the bed with a wide grin.


    She grabbed one of the numerous pillows she had on it, pressed it hard against her face, and screamed.


    After half a minute, she ran out of breath, let go of the pillow, sat up, and simply laughed.


    ¡°Hah! Father¡¯s face! I love it!¡± she exclaimed out loud.


    This continued for a few more minutes as she danced around the room, laughing at her father¡¯s misfortune and the faces he made, before sitting down in front of her computer.


    She brought up recordings of the streams, mostly streams that happened in the poison fracture, or as people called it Poison Spring, but she also checked out recordings from other fractures. She wanted to make sure to study them.


    With Sam, she was sure that sooner or later that information would be needed.


    ¡®Maybe I could ask the nice things in the darkness to give me some extra training?¡¯ she mused before a ping on her personal messenger interrupted her software. It was encrypted to hell and back, and after a few tutorials, she even fiddled with it to make it more secure. No doubt, her father¡¯s men could break it within seconds, but it was useful against everyday idiots.


    Opening the application, her eyes widened and she couldn¡¯t stop a soft exclamation from escaping her mouth.


    ¡°Oh my, the cow really is shameless, isn¡¯t she?¡±

 Chapter 152

    The second Gauntlet Sam participated in was underground. Thanks to the Training Hall being in the capital of the kingdom, they didn¡¯t really have conveniently placed empty mines or other locations where they could set up something like this.


    Thus, they built it underground.


    After being dragged through the building, the woman, Martha, opened a door and began leading down a set of stairs. Then a few more until they reached a small house-sized space where there were several benches, a door leading somewhere with the sign saying it was a bathroom. Opposite from where they emerged, there was a giant metal gate.


    The woman gave him a small rundown about what to expect, naturally without giving any information away about the run he would be going through, had Lucky take a seat next to her, then the gates opened on their own, and before he could react, he was flying through the air.


    It took him a moment to realize that Martha simply kicked him through the gate. By the time he landed in a heap on the ground and the gate closed behind him with an almost silent thud, he was still flabbergasted.


    <hr>


    The Gauntlet he went through was similar to the one in Ironwood, only bigger, harder, and overall more difficult.


    It started with simple tests measuring his intelligence that he had to solve using his body. Sam went through basic puzzles, from playing some strange twisted twister on the ground that probably measured his flexibility to simply taking giant weights and carrying them around the rooms he went through.


    Then, he had to use his own body, thankfully he could use mana to enhance it, to compete with incredibly well-made (and well-muscled) golems that despite being carved out of metal looked like they regularly lifted.


    Sam was less clear about the bonus objectives of the second gauntlet, but he knew that completing it without using non-neutral mana skills was applicable to every one of them. Hopefully, doing it without any support would also count here.


    His Battle Meditation was active, so based on the last one, that would also net him something here too.


    For the next few hours he ran, jumped, lifted, squatted, did pushups, burpees, and all manner of usual and strange exercises while the rooms and buff golems tried to kill him.


    And yes, they tried to kill him.


    Every time he had to fight in a small arena against golems, they came with lethal weapons, intent on skewering him.


    Thanks to his practice in the fracture at the museum, he managed to keep up with his own sword arts while at the same time, he tried to improve himself. There was no point wasting an opportunity.


    During the entire ordeal, he mainly focused on sharpening his physical and neutral skills, trying to master and perfect them.


    Although there were a few times he was tempted to use his other skills as the golems fought really annoyingly but, in the end, his clearer thoughts prevailed and he managed to defeat them with only his sword and body.


    Then, after he was physically, mentally, and even spiritually exhausted, he dragged his body into the last room, where he was met by a very familiar slab.


    No doubt there was also a runic circle around it.


    He stepped forward, took up a stance that had become very familiar to him, closed his eyes, and began focusing on his own mana.


    Compared to the past, the mana flowed through his system rapidly with almost no disruption. The mana itself was clear and homogenous, feeling like clear liquid flowing through surgical tubes. For several minutes he just followed the circulation, pushing the mana to become faster and faster, accumulating more and more of it in his fist, then his arm and his entire body, ready to make the punch.


    But he still waited.


    The circulation continued, and he kept forcing it into his body, filling up every crevice and making sure that there was no empty space inside his body. Sometime later, feeling as if he was stuffed, like after a satisfying holiday dinner, and Sam felt that the mana would either erupt from his body, taking his entire concentration to keep it contained, or his body would simply explode, he opened his eyes and stared at the stone slab.


    Then he released the punch.


    With but a thought, he unleashed all the stockpiled mana, letting it rush through his body, straight to his punching arm, terminating in his fist right at the moment his fist made contact with the slab.


    BAAAAAMMMM


    There was the sound of the hit and he had to instantly close his eyes as the unleashed mana let out a very bright flash.


    Opening his eyes, blinking away the spots he took stock of his own body, breathing in relief as his body once again felt like he just came away from a massage. Tired, and a little abused, but much better than at the beginning.


    The unleashed mana didn¡¯t go anywhere.


    As previously, it began to swirl around him and the giant stone slab as the first one, then a second concentric runic circle lit up around him and the rock he just tried to punch into the next year.


    He made sure to step into the exact center of the circle, close his eyes, and relax.


    However, Sam¡¯s Mana Sense was sharply watching the mana move around the room. Slowly, the mana swirling in the air began to sink into the circles which lit up and caused them to pulse with gentle blue light.


    Then, after a few seconds, the circles began to discharge the mana they had absorbed, creating a cyclone of very uniform mana with a slight metallic tint.


    The cyclone began to revolve around him in ever-increasing speeds, which he tried to match with his own mana circulation. It was hard as the cyclone was getting faster and faster, then as he felt he managed to match the rotating phenomenon, another cyclone appeared on the outer runic circle, rotating almost at half the speed of the first cyclone. Sam frowned a little and thought about it.


    It was a strange thing, and he wasn¡¯t sure what to do, but he felt it was worth an attempt.


    He kept the mana circulating in his body at the same speed as the inner runic circle, while slowly taking his regenerating mana outside of his body and trying to circulate it there at the same speed as the outer mana cyclone.


    For a few long minutes, he struggled, the mental effort almost destroying his concentration before the system seemingly had enough and the cyclones converged on him and began to tear through his body.


    As he stood there, paralyzed by the stampeding mana and runic circle, the mana simply went through his body, entering and then leaving with something. Every time that happened, he felt just a little lighter, just a little stronger.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡®Man, they¡¯re really playing up this Xianxia angle here¡­¡¯ he mused as his body went through a transformation.


    Fortunately, they only picked up a few things from the genre and he wouldn¡¯t need to deal with the more egregious parts of the style.


    The entire session lasted almost three minutes before the cyclones died down and he regained control over his body.


    Taking stock, he noticed that he was covered by sweat, dirt, and a disgusting black material that already started to drip down onto the ground.


    It also smelled horrible. ¡®Ugh, they could have at least left that aspect out¡­¡¯ he grumbled to himself while casting a sweeping cleaning spell on himself, removing the gunk and leaving behind an exhausted but sparkling clean body.


    Sam eagerly raised a hand and looked at his skin. If tropes were to be believed then his skin would turn into a jade-colored silk-like existence. However, to his disappointment, while his skin indeed became clearer and more supple, it was very far from the jade-like existences from those stories.


    ¡®Still better than nothing¡­¡¯


    Then, without any aplomb, he plopped down on the ground, settling into a comfortable position as he opened his notification screen with great anticipation. The results of the first Gauntlet were enormous, and he couldn¡¯t wait to see what the reward would be for the second one.


    [Congratulations, you have successfully completed the Gauntlet of Body II!]


    [The quest, ¡®Self-enlightenment is the path for self-actualization.¡¯ is completed!]


    [Your time was: 06:59:03!]


    [You completed the following bonuses:


    1. Go through the Gauntlet of Body II without any help. That means no pets, minions, summons, followers, or anything similar helping you.


    [You completed the following hidden bonuses:


    1. Only use neutral attributed mana skills.


    2. Only use one weapon during the entire trial.


    3. Complete the Gauntlet while under the influence of a Meditation type of skill!]


    A little disappointed that he only managed to finish one main objective, Sam turned to the skill gains. He rubbed his hands together and then opened the next screen.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 54!]


    [Thanks to your amazing control you gained the subskill, Mana Rebirth!]


    [Mana Rebirth: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) The more mana you are missing, the higher your mana regeneration is. Gain 0,1 Mana Regeneration for each skill level per missing mana percentage.]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 94!]


    [Second Skin is now Level 4!]


    [Mana Resonance is now Level 10!]


    [You learned the skill Mana Flux!]


    [Mana Flux: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) The resonance between your skills is enough that if you cast more than one spell or use more than one skill at the same time, then they may induce each other. This induction allows your mana to gain a unique property. This property allows your spells to slip through magical shielding. Effectiveness depends on the strength differences between you and the target. Your spells gain 1% True Damage per skill level.]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 69!]


    [Ethereal Channels is now Level 3!]


    A good change. Mana Flux was a pretty good skill from what he could figure out from the description. Not even the other Sam heard about it, so Sam was rather excited. This mana thing was getting more and more exciting to him!


    The effect, True Damage, on spells was, however, not unknown to him. The other Sam knew it, but he also knew that it was ¡®common¡¯ knowledge that it was almost impossible to acquire this effect without specific enchantments on magical focuses or weapons. Though both the past Sam and he suspected that was just because those who got it kept it super secret. After all, it was a rather big advantage over others.


    [You achieved a breakthrough with Triple Mana Slash!]


    [Triple Mana Slash is now Level 10!]


    [Thanks to your skillful use of the skill, you learned the subskill, Accurate Slashes!]


    [Accurate Slashes: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to your skill and control, your slashes are extremely accurate. Hitting the same spot increases the damage of the next slash by 2% for each skill level.]


    [You learned Illusionary Mana Slash!]


    [Illusionary Mana Slash: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) Your mana slashes have become one with your intent. You don¡¯t fight with strength but with guile. For every slash you release three illusionary slashes. These slashes don¡¯t cause any damage, but are rather distracting.]


    Weird skill, but Sam rather liked it. It would fit into his repertoire much better than the basic slash skills.


    ¡®I wonder if I could add Illusionary Runes into the slash skill¡­¡¯ he mused thoughtfully as he reread the skill.


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 92!]


    [Mana Attuned Body is now Level 5!]


    [Clean V is now Level 1!]


    [Battle Meditation is now Level 29!]


    [For excessive use of the skill, you gained the subskill, Internalized Meditation!]


    [Internalized Meditation: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) You have internalized the practice of meditation so much that some of its effects are increased and always active. Further increased mana and stamina regeneration per skill level.]


    [Basic Armor Mastery is now Level 91!]


    [You gained the subskill, Durable Armor, thanks to the beating you have taken!]


    [Durable Armor: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) You learned how to roll with the punches. This includes knowing when your armor can take a hit and when it can¡¯t. Increased durability for any armor you wear from incoming damage from non-environmental sources.]


    [Epic Breathing Technique is now Level 9!]


    [Tranquil Heart is now Level 11!]


    [Flow is now Level 77!]


    [You immersed yourself into the flow and the flow took you to a new place. You gained the subskill, Immersed Flow!]


    [Immersed Flow: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) When you start reading the flow a counter starts. After every ten seconds, the effect of the Flow skill increases by 1% for each skill level. Maximum 600 seconds.]


    [Surprise Strike is now Level 23!]


    [Parry is now Level 24!]


    [Adaptive Coordination is now Level 13!]


    As expected, everything went up, and he gained a lot of useful skills. It was a pity that the breathing skill didn¡¯t evolve but he didn¡¯t mind that much. Sam already had a plan, but before he commenced it, he wanted to see if he could do it manually. Alas, it was not to be.


    [Your body has been cleansed for the first time. Thanks to this you gained the skill, Cleansed Body!]


    [Cleansed Body: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your body has been cleansed of impurities, giving you a more charming aura. NPCs and players will treat you slightly differently depending on their tastes. You can upgrade this skill by further cleansing your body.]


    Reading the skill, he couldn¡¯t help but snort at the description. Body cleansing became a small craze for the people in the future that was never going to be, for people who wanted to look even more beautiful.


    So, the information about common rituals became rather common. Those would be useless for him, but as he read the skill, he realized something very profound.


    ¡®I can fucking sell it for enough gold to build a skyscraper! I need to write this shit down¡­¡¯ he grinned to himself as he slowly stood up from his sitting position.


    He executed a short series of punches and kicks, enjoying how his body felt, then with a pep in his step, Sam headed for the gates. He had a lot to do.


    <hr>


    He was greeted by a bored-looking Martha who seemed to be playing some kind of fetch game with an excited Lucky.


    She looked up from the game and gave Sam a look-over before nodding.


    ¡°Good, you didn¡¯t disappoint.¡± Lucky ran up to Sam and began sniffing him curiously. Sam reached down and petted the excited shadow wolf on his head while the woman continued. ¡°There is nothing more I can say. Come back when you feel you¡¯re ready to attempt the next one.¡± She flexed her impressive muscles and grinned. ¡°But that is very far away for you. I assume you can find your way out?¡±


    Sam bowed his head a little, and Lucky adorably followed along.


    ¡°Yes, Martha. Thank you for your help!¡±


    Another flex of her biceps and soon, Sam was left alone.


    Turning to his loyal companion, he smiled and spent a few minutes just recharging his mental batteries by playing with Lucky to the animal¡¯s great joy.


    Finally, his batteries a little fuller, he straightened out and called out to the wolf.


    ¡°Come on, Lucky. We have a lot to do¡­¡±

 Chapter 153

    The first thing was taking a short and quick walk back to his accommodations and taking a long, cleansing shower. Cleaning spells were good and all, but nothing beat a hot shower.


    Then, after putting away his clothing drenched with dirt, dust, and body fluids, he took out a fresh set, dressed and simply collapsed on the bed. Lucky instantly jumped up next to him and Sam just smiled and began running his hand through the wolf¡¯s fur as he idly navigated to the logout button.


    He regained his consciousness in the real world within seconds. He tiredly shuffled the helmet off his face and got up from the couch. A shower was waiting for Sam with his name on it¡­


    Refreshed, and marginally less exhausted, he returned to his room in simple exercise clothes and sat down in front of his computer.


    Going over the usual notifications, he made sure there was nothing wrong with his financial situation. The small investments he managed to acquire before the value of the Future Unknown company shot up were paying really nice dividends. The rest of his portfolio was performing well enough that even if he stopped playing the game, or rather gave up on the AFK company, he would be well off and never have to work a day in his life.


    ¡®Future knowledge for the win!¡¯ he mused as he quickly went over the seemingly random investments he made with the money he acquired on Shadowland. Just to be less suspicious, he invested in well-known companies, as well as a few who performed well for a few moments but then spectacularly failed.


    Whoever checked his investment history would find nothing suspicious aside from the fact that he had an excellent eye for picking out companies that would perform well.


    Added to his income from the company in Magic Unbound and Sam could say he was very well off compared to some of the people on this little planet.


    Granted, compared to the true moneybags, he was nothing, but it felt rather nice to have an amount of money that he could have only dreamed of in his previous life.


    Clicking away from the secure software he used to check his investments, he started checking his email.


    Instantly, he was all smiles.


    He finally received his confirmation email that his own virtual reality pod had been posted.


    ¡®Finally! I can give up the couch¡­¡¯ he grumbled a little. The couch was the highest quality he could find, but it was still uncomfortable laying there for hours on end.


    Then came the questions on Shadowland.


    Slowly but surely, the site had begun to transform into a site dealing with Magic Unbound primarily, compared to before when it was a clearing house for information about all sorts of games and software.


    Now it was full of questions, information, and conversations about Magic Unbound as parts of it that were dedicated to other games were slowly shutting down, due to lack of engagement.


    The people who ran the site knew what the masses wanted.


    He quickly checked the questions, and requests aimed at him. He refused a few, making sure they knew he wouldn¡¯t be dealing with that kind of information, posting a simple announcement about the fact.


    Some people were just unrepentant perverts¡­


    Most of them were ignored as they were full of whining people, begging or even demanding that he give them information about all sorts of stuff. Granted, he had the information, but he couldn¡¯t prove how he got hold of them for at least ninety percent of it.


    Then came the legitimate ¡®business inquiries¡¯. Most of them were simple questions with an offer of money if he could provide.


    And provide he did.


    For the next few hours, he just sat there, taking a short walk a few times, and kept answering questions from low-IQ people.


    The money was nothing much, but the reputation increase was very welcome.


    Sam explained skills, spells, and items. Skill interactions were clarified and confusion about game mechanics was resolved.


    He even revealed a few secrets here and there to maintain his reputation for knowing things that other people didn¡¯t.


    It was quite the heady feeling knowing that any moment he could simply write a few hundred words to blow people¡¯s minds. Or send them to their doom¡­


    There were even questions about the AFK company and Solar, his player account.


    Some of them were clearly only fishing for information, but Sam was almost eighty percent sure he could pinpoint the person who worked for Katie¡¯s dad. They had this arrogant way of writing that showed that they always expected to be obeyed.


    Sam leaned back in his chair and contemplated the message on the screen. It was requesting any actionable information about Solar with a guaranteed bonus if he could provide his exact coordinates when he was out of the city in a remote location.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    He could have sold them some bogus information, but his alter-ego on the site was neutral and if he sold false information even once, his pristine reputation would be in tatters. Nobody would believe anything he tried to sell. Granted, Sam could claim that he also received false information or made a mistake, but that would only work for so long¡­


    ¡®But if I start selling them information that is useful, then they would come back to me for more information,¡¯ he mused. ¡®And that would mean I know what kind of information they want¡­ Which could be very useful¡­¡¯


    In the end, he couldn¡¯t really decide, so he simply sent back a reply saying that he would check on his sources and get back to them, then left the site.


    ¡°It would be a problem for future Sam¡­¡± he chuckled as he switched over to the server they used for the company.


    The first tries of the raid fractures were over and he was curious what their gains were.


    The antidote materials sold very well and the construction works in the capital would proceed with a little more ease. He chuckled when he read Lucy¡¯s notes about how most people who professionally frequented the Auction Houses were either horrified or amazed at their activities.


    In summation, they made a buttload of money and enemies.


    ¡®Totally worth it¡­¡¯


    Sam was about to continue reading the notes and documents left for him when his communication app began to ring.


    Clicking over, he was met with Katie¡¯s face, with her richly (but tastefully) decorated bedroom in the background.


    ¡°Katie?¡± he asked, inwardly worried that something happened.


    ¡°Hey, Sam!¡± she greeted him with a small wave and a smile. ¡°How is it going with your quest?¡±


    ¡°Just finished. Why did you call me?¡±


    She fidgeted a little before taking a calm breath and began speaking. ¡°Well, I just received a message, and seeing as you¡¯re the party leader and owner of the company we operate under, I thought I would bring it to your attention. Just in case.¡± She hesitated a little, then continued with a weird look on her face. ¡°Please, feel free to throw it into the trash where it belongs!¡±


    Sam blinked, then gave her a look. ¡°Katie, what did you do?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± she asked with an innocent look on her face. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just the messenger.¡±


    For a long moment, they just stared at each other before Sam just sighed and made a move on motion with his hand. ¡°Just tell me¡­¡±


    Katie nodded, sat up straighter, and began to talk.


    ¡°Remember that co¡­girl, called Isabella?¡± she asked with a small scowl. Sam just nodded but said nothing. ¡°Well, she sent me a message.¡±


    ¡°Eternal Light, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It seems they want her to take the blame for the losses¡­¡±


    ¡°And she is hoping we could help her?¡±


    Katie shook her head. ¡°No. She is hoping we could take her in.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it seems this was just the last straw on the cow¡¯s back. She wants out, and this is the perfect opportunity.¡±


    Sam took in the information and mulled it over. ¡°She is rich, right?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because that means she is not just making a decision for herself, but for her family,¡± Sam said.


    Katie opened her mouth to answer, but after a few seconds just closed it. Then opened it again.


    ¡°You know what? Just talk it out with her.¡± She instantly began to click around before turning back to Sam and pointing straight at his face. ¡°But don¡¯t even think about it, buster! I¡¯m staying and making sure that¡­ woman doesn¡¯t do anything nefarious!¡±


    Before Sam could even put together a coherent answer, the screen split down the middle and the enchanting visage of Isabella appeared. She was dressed in a sporty getup, but the background was just as posh as Katie¡¯s, if in a different style.


    ¡°Hello, Solar!¡± she called out a greeting with a blinding (and probably well-practiced smile) then her smile turned into a scowl as she sent a withering glare at Katie. ¡°Goblin.¡±


    Katie nodded in greeting. ¡°Cow.¡± Her eyes dipped a little lower than Isabella¡¯s eyes. The girl in question just smirked victoriously before her attention turned back to Sam.


    ¡°I really wanted to talk to you. I don¡¯t know what the goblin told you, but I¡¯m¡­¡±


    Sam interrupted the girl by raising his hand.


    ¡°I know. She told me. The question is what do you want? What does your family want?¡±


    She sent him a searching look but took his questions in stride.


    ¡°While my family is invested in the game, they are mostly focused on my sister,¡± she explained professionally. ¡°She set up a guild far from the Emerald Kingdom, so there is no problem with me joining you. In return, I won¡¯t be bringing with me any financial support.¡±


    ¡°It was my understanding that the Eternal Light had benefited from your presence?¡± he asked.


    She just shook her head. ¡°They did. There¡¯re people there who move in the same circles as my family, if a little lower,¡± she explained a little condescendingly. ¡°You know how it goes¡­ Their family talked to my family and things happened¡­¡±


    Sam nodded in understanding. ¡°I suppose, I have even less chance of getting whatever support the Eternal Light got¡­¡±


    She gave him a rather gallic shrug. ¡°You could try to talk to them, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I understand.¡±


    Instantly, she was beaming at him. ¡°Thank you!¡± She clapped her hands together which did some amazing things while Katie simply scowled. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not coming with empty hands. And I don¡¯t mean my winning personality!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Do tell¡­¡±


    She made a few motions and Isabella sent a simple text file over to Sam.


    He ran a quick check for viruses and other hidden nasty surprises and when none were found he opened it.


    To his surprise, it was a list of items. Some were worthless, though the current player base thought they had some amazing potential, but a few were rare enough that he didn¡¯t even plan on trying to acquire them. The chances for those items to drop were ridiculously low. Only very lucky people could get them or guilds who had the manpower to farm the areas where they dropped until they got it based on pure statistics.


    ¡°Is this your peace offering?¡±


    ¡°A weregild, sort of¡­¡± she answered with a smile. ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    He made a waffling motion with his hands. ¡°Some of it is good, but¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Sam simply motioned toward Katie. ¡°Are you able to work with Katie?¡±


    ¡°The goblin? Sure thing! I have already prepared my defenses against her!¡±


    Sam simply ignored Katie¡¯s menacing ¡°You wish!¡± whisper.


    ¡°And you Katie? Can you constrain your tendency to devolve into a maniac?¡±


    Very visibly the girl didn¡¯t deny the accusation, she just simply crossed her arms, turned away with a pout, and mumbled something.


    Isabella just grinned, and the next second, Sam got the notification that the girl was recording the session.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t hear you clearly!¡± he spoke up a little louder.


    Katie stayed like that for a moment before sighing and turning back. ¡°Fiiiiiine¡­. I will tolerate that annoying cow. But if she tries anything, I¡¯m bringing out the glitter cannon!¡±


    Sam ignored the second part, like the brave man he was, and turned back to Isabella.


    ¡°So, with that done ¨C and hopefully not blowing up in my face ¨C let¡¯s talk about your list.¡±


    Isabella perked up, shot a victorious look at Katie, who very maturely stuck out her tongue in response, and nodded.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s talk. Which one are you interested in?¡±


    Sam brought up the list again on his screen and opened a document to take notes.


    ¡°Now, what about this Tablet of Light? What can you tell me about it?¡±

 Chapter 154

    ¡°So we are in agreement?¡± Isabella asked with a tired look on her face. The negotiations went on for a long time. Long enough that Katie got bored and began playing a game while Sam and Isabella went over the list she had prepared.


    The first task was to ensure Sam didn¡¯t step on some big toes by taking these items from Isabella. However, the young woman was quick to reassure him that all those items were hers, acquired through her own work.


    Looking at some of those items, he had to curse her luck.


    Looking back at her, Sam nodded. ¡°Yes, we are. You can join us.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± she cheered, pumping her fist up and down, which did things that drew Sam¡¯s eyes while Katie groaned in disappointment in the background.


    ¡°Awwww¡­¡±


    Sam shot her a glare and she mimed zipping up her lips. He turned back to Isabella.


    ¡°We will start slowly. You¡¯ll join us with your assistant, as agreed, but you¡¯ll be on probation for a while.¡±


    ¡°Yessss¡­¡±


    Sam heroically ignored Katie and waited for Isabella to respond.


    ¡°How long would the probation last?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°Depends on your actions. My¡­ business partner will decide when the probation is over.¡±


    ¡°Fair,¡± she said with a nod. ¡°What about the rest of my people?¡±


    Sam grimaced. ¡°Katie, no matter how reluctantly, vouched for you.¡± They once again ignored the almost inaudible boo sound in the background. ¡°However, neither you nor she can guarantee their character. I¡¯m running some sensitive operations here. I don¡¯t want to jeopardize my company with potential saboteurs. Unless you changed your mind about leading a guild?¡±


    Isabella shook her head vehemently. ¡°No. Dear god, no. Never!¡±


    ¡°Alright. Then, as soon as I can find a competent person to lead a guild, they can cross over. Would that work?¡±


    She bit her lip in thought before sighing deeply. ¡°For some, but a lot of people only follow me because of money. If I can¡¯t provide instant benefit, they won¡¯t care.¡±


    Sam nodded in understanding. ¡°That¡¯s life¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    They stayed silent for a little while, only Katie¡¯s gaming and grumbling breaking the silence. But, in the end, Sam had to break it.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s talk about the elephant in the room.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, elephant¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Eternal Light.¡±


    ¡°Yes. What can you tell me about their reaction to me ¡®poaching¡¯ you?¡± Sam asked while doing the quotation marks with his hands.


    Isabella frowned but then began talking.


    ¡°Some wouldn¡¯t care. They hate me and you don¡¯t even have a proper guild. They¡¯ll probably think I¡¯m desperate.¡±


    ¡°And those who understood what happened?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll, naturally, lash out.¡±


    ¡°With force?¡±


    ¡°Bah, of course not. They¡¯re rich kids. They¡¯ll use daddy¡¯s money.¡± She smirked. ¡°Which will fail because you¡¯re one of the richest players around.¡±


    Sam just smiled a little while inside he was sighing. ¡®At least some of them probably are guests of Heavenly Forest so we can spy on them¡­¡¯


    ¡°But they will lash out, so you¡¯re going to work with my security personnel to hopefully preempt any kind of damage to the company. Fair?¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡±


    ¡°Good. Katie!¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss?¡±


    ¡°Meet me at the HQ as soon as we log in. Escort Isabella there, please.¡±


    ¡°Aww¡­ must I?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Can I accidentally have her banished into eternal darkness?¡±


    ¡°If that happens, I¡¯ll find a dimension filled with fluffy peaceful bunnies that never fight and never cuddle you.¡±


    Katie¡¯s gasp was loud enough that it was almost enough to muffle Isabella¡¯s snort of humor.


    <hr>


    Returning to the game, he did a quick inventory of his character, made sure there was nothing important happening in the capital, then quickly headed back to Ironwood to meet up with the others.


    With his skills in mana control and Lucky¡¯s improvements, it took a comparatively short time to reach the city where his friends were waiting for him.


    They rushed through the countryside, and Sam felt rather lucky that the monsters roaming said countryside only tried attacking him three times. One irate giant bear he interrupted mid-meal, tried to express its displeasure with a swipe of his giant paws and a roar. Lucky, however, was faster. His roar caused the bear to flinch and his claws were strong enough to separate the poor monster¡¯s head from its body.


    The other two attacks were probably from the same goblin camp. Sam simply obliterated them with a few Bladestorms and made a note of their approximate location for culling at a later time.


    He arrived at the Ironwood gates with an exhausted Lucky who was probably only on his feet thanks to the regular injection of Sam¡¯s mana. The moment they stopped, the wolf let out a proud howl then practically tumbled forward into the nearest shadow.


    A moment later Sam could hear a gentle snoring.


    Smiling gently, he spoke up quietly. ¡°Thank you, Lucky¡­¡±


    Dusting off his clothing, he straightened it out and joined the crowd streaming through the gates of Ironwood.


    As he went through nobody stopped him, but the guard who saw him threw a quick salute and a respectful nod at him. He returned it and then continued navigating through the main street of the city.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    <hr>


    Sam arrived at the headquarters a quarter of an hour later and, after straightening his clothing once more, he entered the building while greeting the guards quietly. In the entrance hall, dozens of people were walking around either with purpose or waiting quietly in front of the reception counter. Off to the side, he could see Katie in her armor, the visor of her helmet up and clearly in a bad mood.


    Next to her stood Isabella, in light armor, with two swords at her hips, hair up in a tight bun. Her assistant, wearing stereotypical maid clothing and glasses that seemed to be always reflecting light, was standing behind her with a neutral expression on her face.


    However, the moment he stepped through the doors, the maid¡¯s head snapped up and zeroed on him. She leaned elegantly forward and whispered something into Isabella¡¯s ears, who instantly looked up and found him. She grinned and waved while Sam saw Katie let out a sigh.


    Sam knew it was a bad idea to put the two girls together and more than likely it would either end in tears or the two girls trying to tear each other apart, but he found the entire thing hilarious. Plus, he wanted to see if someone would try to use the ¡®apparent¡¯ discord in his team to try to pull something stupid.


    As much of a ditz as Katie was, Sam trusted her. And he trusted the fact that despite declaring to the world that she hated Isabella, the moment the other girl asked for help, Katie practically begged him to help.


    Naturally, Katie would never admit anything, but Sam could read between the lines. Plus, the world was practically functioning on tropes, so he had a few guesses about the reason for Katie¡¯s behavior.


    He returned the wave and approached the group.


    Katie was the first one to greet him. ¡°Hey, boss! I got you a pretty plump cow! When is the butcher coming?¡±


    Isabella shot a withering glare at the slightly shorter girl but instead continued to smile at Sam. ¡°Hey! Nice to officially meet you,¡± she said while offering her hand.


    Sam grabbed it and shook it firmly. ¡°Nice to meet you, too. Hope we will have a fruitful cooperation.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± came the placid response.


    Sam let go of her hand and motioned toward the lift. ¡°How about we move this meeting to somewhere more private now that we gave the spies something to talk about?¡±


    She nodded with a smile and began following him, with Katie doing the same, albeit a little more angrily. ¡°It will be my pleasure!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Lucy, this is Isabella and Claire. Isabella, Claire, this is Lucy, my business partner,¡± Sam introduced the women to each other. Then he simply stepped backward, standing next to Tim, who was staring with fascination at the four women in the middle of the room as they stared at each other.


    Well, Isabella and Lucy stared at each other. Katie was visibly trying to get one of the ravens to fly on her arm so that she could pet it and Claire was just standing there, acting as a perfect maid.


    ¡°If something happens, jump through the window,¡± Sam whispered out of the corner of his mouth at Tim.


    Tim just shook his head and answered the same way. ¡°Can¡¯t. We have enchanted it to be unbreakable and damage anybody who breaks through.¡±


    ¡°Damn, what a mistake¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that now¡­¡±


    However, they were interrupted by Lucy. ¡°We can hear you talk. You know that, right?¡±


    Sam looked back at Lucy and gave her his most charismatic smile.


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Then a moment later.


    ¡°Oh, hey! You improved your withering glare!¡±


    <hr>


    After the initial murder attempts via glares from Lucy, the group settled into their seats and the discussion began in earnest.


    ¡°So, she will be joining your team?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She is a Bladedancer. Buffs and decent DPS. Pretty good fit.¡±


    ¡°And the maid?¡±


    This time, it was Isabella who answered. ¡°I was hoping, or well¡­ Claire was hoping that she could get a job in the Heavenly Forest. She''s heard there were some pretty awesome maids there.¡±


    The woman they were talking about just fidgeted slightly behind her mistress.


    Lucy sent him a questioning look, but he simply nodded slightly. It was taking a chance, but Sam had a good feeling. Plus, the girl was so focused on her fetish that he doubted she would go for betrayal. ¡®Hopefully¡­ you never know with perverts¡­¡¯ he mused while Lucy mulled over the request.


    Finally, she nodded. ¡°We can arrange that. She would start at the bottom and getting an apprenticeship would be on her. Is that acceptable?¡±


    Isabella grinned and nodded while throwing out a thumbs-up. ¡°Perfect!¡± She turned back to look at Claire. ¡°Happy, Claire?¡±


    The maid visibly reined in her emotions and nodded elegantly. ¡°Yes, mistress.¡± She then turned at Lucy and curtsied. ¡°Thank you, miss, for the opportunity.¡±


    Lucy gave her a weird look but then shook her head. ¡°Tim!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± The assassin stepped forward and spoke up.


    ¡°Please take Claire and get her situated.¡±


    ¡°Right away!¡± He turned back to Claire and gave her a small bow and a smile. ¡°Please, follow me, miss.¡±


    The maid returned the smile and Sam could even spot a little red coloring on her cheeks, then followed the deceptively dressed assassin out of the room.


    Katie meanwhile stood up and also began heading for the door. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m needed here, so I¡¯m going to see what Clarissa is up to. See ya guys later!¡±


    As the armored young woman left the office and the door closed behind her, Sam turned back to Lucy and Isabella and the mood of the room instantly changed. The levity was nowhere to be seen, instead, everybody was serious and focused. Lucy leaned forward, steepling her hands before her while resting her elbows on her desk, and began speaking.


    ¡°Now¡­ let¡¯s talk politics¡­¡±


    <hr>


    The discussion was rather fruitful, and from what Sam saw, Isabella was pretty satisfied with the outcome. And he would no doubt get some complaints from Lucy later for dumping all of this on her, but he simply had to take the opportunity.


    Eternal Light would be a pretty big guild in the Emerald Kingdom, occupying a sizeable area. He didn¡¯t have any inherited memories of Isabella, but as she moved in the same circles as Katie, he was pretty sure he just managed to remove a sizable support pillar from Eternal Light.


    They wouldn¡¯t get the same support from her family, at least until they proved themselves, but it was enough that the other guild would lose out on the support.


    Then there were the items she brought with herself.


    Tablet of Light was a pretty good item that the Eternal Light guild used in the future to create some pretty great things. But now it was in his hands. And he was going to do something very crazy with it.


    He walked through the headquarters, then upon arriving in front of a specific door, checked that the light over the door wasn¡¯t on, and knocked.


    ¡°Come in!¡± came the call, and he opened the door, and then stepped through.


    Inside, he was met with the chaotic sight of Liz¡¯s workshop as dozens of cute drones flew around doing odd tasks or just simply dancing in the air. Liz was hunched over a big desk, her hand using some weird tools while another drone was in front of her, disassembled.


    She looked up and grinned as she put down the tools. ¡°Sam! What brings you here?¡±


    Sam stepped forward and took out the tablet from his inventory, which instantly began to pulse with gentle light.


    ¡°Brought you a gift!¡± he grinned.


    The girl¡¯s eyes went wide as she beheld the stone tablet in Sam¡¯s hand. ¡°Is that¡­?¡±


    ¡°Something like the tablet you told me about? Yes.¡±


    ¡°And you think it will synergize with the other one?¡±


    ¡°Bingo!¡±


    She thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°Worth a try.¡±


    As if knowing that it was a momentous occasion, the drones all around the room slowed down until all of them were hovering in the air or lying on some surface.


    Sam held out the tablet, which pulsed a few times before it started to hover in place. He took a step backward while Liz stepped forward and touched the hovering tablet.


    The pulses instantly sped up and the tablet began shedding light, which in turn started to swirl around the girl before simply sinking into her body.


    She stood there for a minute, eyes closed, silent, and barely moving, only the slight rise of her chest showed she was alive. Then she opened her eyes, which coincidentally were shining with ethereal light, and grinned at Sam.


    Liz moved her hands, which told Sam she was doing something with her screens before a screen appeared before him.


    [Your friend shared her screen with you!]


    [The Tablet of Light found you worthy of its gift as you have already proved yourself!]


    [The Tablet of Light granted you the Knowledge of Light Geomancy!]


    [Light Geomancy: Level MAX (Passive) You are able to summon an ethereal book that contains the knowledge of how to build artifacts, items and, most importantly, golems out of light.]


    [The Tablet of Light granted you the Blood of Light and Eyes of Light skills!]


    [Blood of Light: Level MAX (Passive) Your has body stopped producing regular blood, instead, light flows through your veins. This light will confer to you and your body several blessings. You gain immunity to curses. The strength of your body is increased. Your base Stamina regeneration is doubled. Grants you the Light Affinity.]


    [Light Affinity: Level MAX (Passive) You have a great affinity for light. Light-like beings will be more favorable to you. The cost of the spells and skills dealing with and using light is halved.]


    [Eyes of Light: Level MAX (Passive) You are able to see the structure wherever the light touches.]

 Chapter 155

    For a drawn-out moment, they stared at each other and the system screens before them alternately, before Sam grinned and began to chuckle.


    ¡°Well Liz, it seems the next time your contract is up for renegotiation we are going to have to pay through our nose to retain you¡­¡±


    She snorted and returned the grin. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. I¡¯ll only ask for a small ransom¡­¡±


    ¡°Good. We only have so much money¡­¡± Sam replied sarcastically. ¡°Make sure to hide your light crafting in the streams.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°People are already hunting for you¡­¡± he didn¡¯t even have to finish the sentence and Liz was already nodding in understanding.


    While Sam left the handling of the stream to Liz and Lucy, he still got the report and sometimes watched the streams to see what the general populace thought about Liz. And sadly, there were a lot of wannabe stream snipers and people who were trying to suss out how she got her unique golems.


    If they added the light crafting¡­


    ¡°Do you have anything you want me to craft with it?¡± Liz asked excitedly, looking at Sam with anticipation.


    Sam just shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything. This was just a spur-of-moment decision to see if it would synergize with your skill.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡± Liz looked down, disappointed.


    ¡°So, please do some experiments and see what is possible. Maybe hard light projectors?¡±


    Liz looked up and then away at her screens, frowning in thought. A few drones started flying around gathering materials and tools while Liz began to mutter under her breath.


    ¡°If I do this¡­¡±


    Sam smiled and bowed his head a little.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave you to it. Bye, Liz!¡±


    He never received an answer to his goodbye.


    <hr>


    Shaking his head mirthfully, Sam stopped a few steps away from the room in thought. Then quickly he sent a message to Lucy about Liz¡¯s new skill and to have her upgrade her security.


    ¡®I really need to beef up the security around here,¡¯ he began to muse as he continued toward his next destination. ¡®Tim was a good start, but we really need a guild to use as security and beating stick against everybody else¡­¡¯ Slowly, he walked up the steps. ¡®Pity Isabella refused to lead the guild, but there is still that guy.¡¯ Making a note to check out his target and their status he refocused on his journey.


    A few minutes later he arrived in a meeting room in one of the upper levels of the headquarters. Inside he was met by Dan and Clarissa sitting next to each other, quietly talking. Dan in exasperation and Clarissa was nodding with an understanding look on her face. Katie was sitting near them, with the eldritch cat in her lap. Isabella was sitting on the exact opposite of the berserker girl and was staring suspiciously at the young woman.


    He took in the sight and sighed. ¡®If I manage to get them to work together, I will petition the dev team to add an achievements system just so that I can get one for it.¡¯


    Outwardly, however, he just smiled, clapped his hands together, and called out.


    ¡°Who wants to do some fractures?¡±


    Naturally, everyone was in.


    <hr>


    As they headed for the coordinates that Isabella brought with her, Sam spent some time talking with every one of his party members.


    Katie and Isabella were easy. When they weren¡¯t trying to kill each other with snippy comments, they were geeking out over some other niche game or celebrity news. Clarissa was pretty satisfied, and they mostly talked about how proud she was of her sister.


    It was all very uncomplicated. The pets, Lucky, Melody, and Hawky, were following along with only Isabella casting the occasional jealous glance at them.


    Instead, Sam¡¯s attention was on Dan.


    As they were following Isabella who was reading from a scroll, they had to walk, so Sam simply walked next to Dan.


    ¡°So, I heard you got yourself a girlfriend¡­¡±


    Dan¡¯s head snapped up and looked at him. ¡°W-who told you?¡±


    ¡°Clarissa told Katie, who told Lucy who, for some unfathomable reason, told me.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t the foggiest¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    For a few minutes, they continued their journey in companionable silence before Sam spoke up again.


    ¡°Everything all right with her?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I think.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    Dan took a deep breath and then began talking. ¡°I¡¯m just worried. You know the situation around the uni has been crazy. We have enough rich kids that one of them could, theoretically pay for all¡­ this¡­¡±


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    Sam just waved away his worry. ¡°Heh, you worry too much. Most of those silver-spoon-fed bastards only know how to ask their daddy to take care of stuff. What¡¯s her handle anyway?¡±


    Dan just chuckled. ¡°Yeah, sometimes even that is too much for their remaining two brain cells¡­ Handle?¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°Yeah. I have a few contacts that can look her up and we can see if she is on the up¡¯n¡¯up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nice! Her name¡¯s Lara and her in-game name is SilentTomb¡­ Are you choking?¡± Dan asked worriedly as Sam tried to pretend he wasn¡¯t actually choking on his saliva.


    Coughing a few times until he regained a little equilibrium, he smiled at Dan. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it just went down the wrong pipe. Anyway, I¡¯ll check her out and get back to you, OK?¡±


    Dan gave him a grateful nod and fell silent again.


    Sam was meanwhile freaking out inwardly. It seems the universe was listening to his woes. ¡®If I can get her on my side¡­wow¡­ so many issues would be solved¡­¡¯ he mused.


    Naturally, even if those issues got solved many more new ones would crop up.


    The other Sam didn¡¯t know SilentTomb¡¯s name, but the in-game name was famous enough. The woman was like Tim, obsessed with security. She built a guild that set up shop in an abandoned castle and turned into a bustling metropolis that had never been conquered. Sadly, he didn¡¯t really know much, as the woman kept private information very close to her chest. True to her name, she only spoke when she needed and never more than needed.


    But if Sam could recruit her and then go after the guy, he wanted to lead his guild, then they, plus Lucy and Tim, would probably create a very impressive guild.


    ¡®I need to start looking for the guy like right now!¡¯


    After putting his thoughts in order, he smiled at Dan and began asking him questions about university life. No matter how much Dan complained, that shit was hilarious to Sam¡­


    <hr>


    The fracture¡¯s location they were heading for was given to Isabella by a seer whom she saved from brigands, around the time the fractures first appeared. And now, deep into the countryside, they were standing at the edge of a small meadow where a menacing fracture portal was merrily swirling in the middle of a ring made of mushrooms.


    Or as they were known¡­fairy rings.


    Sam stared for a second, then spoke. ¡°Yeah, no. I¡¯m not going in there.¡±


    His teammates looked at him with visible surprise. ¡°Why not?¡± Katie asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s a fracture with fey in it. I¡¯m not going to mess with them¡­¡± he said while pointing at the portal that somehow looked extremely cheerful at his declaration.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boss,¡± Isabella tried to reassure him. ¡°The fey hasn¡¯t been introduced yet to the game¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah! They usually keep that for the late game!¡± Katie added her two cents while Clarissa looked curiously at the portal.


    Dan was simply petting Hawky who was resting on his hand.


    Sam, however, frowned. ¡°Wait, I never told you guys?¡±


    ¡°Uh, told us what?¡± came the general response to that.


    Sam slapped his head in disbelief. ¡°Can¡¯t believe I forgot¡­¡±


    Isabella frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of it¡­¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Yeah, you won¡¯t. Fey are already here¡­¡±


    ¡°Where? Not even guild intelligence heard of them? Otherwise, they would have tried to get some quests and artifacts from them.


    All of them tried to ignore the giggling mushrooms.


    ¡°The children,¡± said Sam simply.


    ¡°The children?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Any city. Any slum or dark district with a lot of orphans. Chances are, most street urchins you meet are fey.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°They like to protect children and fuck with people. Two birds with one joke¡­¡± he explained to his team as they listened to him.


    ¡°How do we recognize them?¡± came the expected question from Dan.


    Sam just spread out his hands helplessly. ¡°That¡¯s the best part. You don¡¯t.¡± He fished around in his inventory and retrieved a small token. ¡°The seer that gave you the map probably was also a fey¡­¡± Wordless he shared the screen with the others.


    [Token of Friendship (Fey): A coin bearing the mark of the fey. Can be exchanged for favors with the fey. Be warned, they are not obligated to accept it.]


    Seeing them finished with the short reading assignment, he put away the coin, ignored the dancing mushrooms under the portal, and posed one simple question to his team.


    ¡°Do you guys still want to do the fracture?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t really surprised that all of them said yes.


    Katie smiled at him and gave him an energetic thumbs up. ¡°I trust you, boss!¡±


    Sam just sighed and walked forward, careful not to step on the mushroom, and reached toward the fracture.


    Instantly, another screen popped up.


    [Fracture: Yonderland]


    [A portal in the middle of a fairy ring. How coincidental¡­ Enter at your own risk and try to exit. Or not¡­ Be careful with the scenery. And the locals. And the space-time continuum. Basically, hold your britches because this is going to be a wild ride!]


    [Time Limit: Between last week and sometimes never, or Tuesday]


    [Penalty: You can¡¯t leave]


    [Charges: Depends how funny you are!]


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s as clear as expected.¡± He looked back at his teammates and animal partners. ¡°Last chance to stop¡­ any takers?¡±


    Hearing no response, he let out a disappointed sigh and touched the enter button.


    His sight was immediately awash with rainbow light.


    <hr>


    They appeared in the exact copy of the meadow they started in, minus the portal. The fairy ring was there and in the background, Sam could hear the chorus of the fairy¡¯s chime-like laughter.


    ¡°Weapons ready. Actively look for illusions and traps.¡± He unsheathed his sword and began pulsing mana in a random pattern, looking for irregular mana formations that would be used to anchor illusions. ¡°Also, never split up.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Clarissa just grunted as she began layering buffs and shields on everybody. Isabella took her two swords and began, gently, hitting the blades against each other with rhythm. A few seconds later waves of mana began cascading off her, covering them and granting them some smaller buffs.


    She grinned at them. ¡°That was the basic layer, the important bits come in the fight!¡±


    Sam said nothing as he knew how bladedancers worked. Instead, he made sure nothing snuck up on them.


    ¡°There!¡± he called out and pointed among the trees. Thanks to his ability to see mana and the flow of action he could see the hazy outline of something big.


    Clarissa instantly shot off a spell that disrupted the invisibility and revealed three small bears on each other¡¯s shoulders, wearing the pelt of an even bigger wolf. Not leaving anything to chance, before the small bears that looked like full-grown bears, just small, could react, Sam was cleaving through them with his sword.


    As the pieces of the animals fell to the ground, he heard Katie exclaim.


    ¡°Ugh, I wanted to see if they had a good excuse¡­¡±


    <hr>


    The first part of the fracture was pretty straightforward for a fey fracture. They had to contend with all manner of hidden animals in all manner of shapes and sizes.


    Not that Sam minded. It was a pretty good opportunity to fold Isabella into the team. As a bladedancer, every hit of her sword caused some kind of effect. If she managed some kind of rhythm according to her skills, then those effects were amplified. Sam had no doubt the girl had extensive dance lessons in real life.


    They met with more miniature bears dressed up in all sorts of pelts, snakes in suits, trying to convince them that they were just lost and so much more. Thankfully, all of their stats were high enough that those attempts at charms and mind control didn¡¯t really work. They were still annoying, along with the incessant low-key laughter in the background.


    Reaching another meadow, this one without the mushrooms, but pretty nice benches to rest upon. Which turned out to be mimics.


    As Sam watched the girls go to town on the poor mimic after it made some suggestive moves with its barbed tongue he had only one thought.


    ¡®Of course, there are mimics here¡­¡¯

 Chapter 156

    After thoroughly exterminating all the mimics from the meadow, they spent a few minutes resting, discussing what they saw so far, and going over things Sam noticed in their teamwork.


    Like how Katie still liked to charge forward a little too much, or how Isabella used healing ¡®dances¡¯ that healed basically nothing compared to Clarissa. It was a waste of mana, so Sam had Isabella delete it from her rotation for now. She was a hybrid damage dealer with some buffs and condition damage. There was no need for healing.


    For once, Dan was rather conservative with his flames, not wanting to set the entire forest they were in aflame. Sam just told him to go nuts. The fey would probably get a kick out of it.


    Melody, the murderous swan, the size of a big pony, was turning out to be a talented damage dealer while Hawky occasionally rained down precise bursts of flames. Lucky, meanwhile, was having fun tearing apart their enemies. And thanks to his nose, he could instantly spot most illusions, thus making him a rather efficient hunter in this pocket of fey insanity.


    Sam stood up from his seat, slapped his knees, and spoke up. ¡°Alright, people! Let¡¯s continue!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± came the expected celebration from Katie, who immediately jumped up, ready to tear into the enemy. The rest of them followed the excitable girl with a touch less enthusiasm.


    The meadow had one entrance and one exit.


    This exit led to a small path that meandered through the dense forest. Sam was rather keyed up, as during their short journey nothing attacked them and he could sense nothing through his own mana senses.


    Then, to his relief, the path soon widened, and they stepped onto the edge of a field. The field looked rather fantastic, with rolling hills as far as the eyes could see, a smattering of trees in ideal picnic locations, and a beautiful bevy of flowers painting a breathtaking sight.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± he let out audibly, marveling at the sight. However, instead of agreement, he received nothing but silence from his team.


    Swirling around, he found all of them missing, even his loyal companion, Lucky.


    Instantly, he turned around and lifted his sword, because he didn¡¯t notice the rest of his team vanishing, but he noticed the very prominent mana signature heading at him with breakneck speed.


    CLANG


    Their swords clashed, and Sam looked into the eyes of a pasty-skinned elf with a too big smile, sharp teeth, and mirth dancing in their eyes.


    His enemy said nothing, and Sam similarly stayed silent. There was no point bandying words with a fey. It was like arguing with a stupid person. They had the home-court advantage.


    Swords danced as the probable fey did everything to try to skewer Sam with their sword.


    However, it soon became obvious that no matter what move Sam made with his sword, the fey was just a little bit faster, a little bit stronger and a little bit more talented.


    Every strike was deflected, and every feint was seen through. While he managed to deflect and protect himself from a lot of strikes and swings, just as many got through, leaving small wounds and scratches on his armor and body.


    So, Sam did what he always did in situations like this. Poured more mana into it.


    He used mana to further enhance his body, making him faster and stronger. Sadly, the fey just smirked at him and did the same.


    Sam knew he could use his spells to absolutely wipe the smirk off the bothersome fey¡¯s face but despite his growing annoyance, he still wanted to use this opportunity to further his sword skills.


    He didn¡¯t have time to worry about the others, he had to focus on the now.


    Naturally, the fey couldn¡¯t leave him in silence. The disturbing smile never left his face and after a few minutes of clashing, they began to taunt him.


    ¡°Oh, a little short on that strike, weren¡¯t you, dear?¡±


    ¡°Oh my! That almost got me!¡±


    ¡°My, my¡­ you¡¯re improving¡­¡±


    ¡°That seemed¡­unwise¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you pay me, I¡¯ll throw this fight¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t really the trash-talking that got to him. As a person from the twenty-first-century internet, he heard much worse things. It was a tone of voice. The fey talked like Sam was a small, mentally challenged child in need of babying. In other words: the fey¡¯s voice was bloody annoying. This made Sam contemplate trying to use his token to make the being in front of him go away, but his prideful nature won out.


    ¡®I¡¯ll defeat him!¡¯


    <hr>


    Sam stood in the middle of the pockmarked field, ignoring the surrounding devastation, as he panted tiredly. In contrast to his tattered armor and clothing, the fey in front of him looked like they had just come out of the salon, not even a hair out of place.


    He knew it was just an illusion, but nothing he did with his mana had any effect. No matter how he tried to disrupt it, the image didn¡¯t waver.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Maybe, it¡¯s time to contemplate giving up, my dear?¡± spoke up the fey with a shit-eating grin on his face. A grin that was bigger than it had any right to be. It went almost ear to ear, showcasing the fey¡¯s almost shark-like teeth.


    Sam once again refused to speak up.


    The grin on his opponent¡¯s face got bigger. ¡°Oh my, it seems you¡¯re one of those silent and brooding types. Don¡¯t worry, dear. Time spent with me will surely loosen up your¡­tongue¡­¡±


    Sam just gave the fey a look, to which he received a short chuckle.


    ¡°But alas, your time is not infinite, thus I¡¯ll have to¡­ nudge you a little. Don¡¯t you think?¡± came the needling comment from the ethereal being.


    Sam frowned but still said nothing.


    In turn, the fey launched himself forward, even faster, with stronger and stronger strikes coming. Sam could barely keep up, with more and more strikes slipping through his defenses, destroying both his armor and Mana Shield.


    No matter where he moved his sword, how he followed his skills¡¯ suggestions, how he tried to parry, all he received were strikes on his body and an infuriating smirk on his opponent¡¯s face.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this great? You, under my blade¡­¡± his enemy practically purred.


    Sam grimaced and then made a quick decision. Suffering under the attacks wasn¡¯t really as enjoyable as he expected. With a quick push against his opponent¡¯s blade, creating a little bit of breathing room, he then took the mana inside him, and with a mighty push, through his free arm, his palm pointing toward his enemy, he released a ball of storm.


    Wind blades danced around in a ball the size of a human, screeching as they rubbed at each other, only Sam¡¯s will keeping them in a coherent form. It flew for a second, then as it reached the fey, Sam let go of his control.


    The ball of wind magic instantly expanded, creating a deep circular furrow in the ground as the wind blades tried to annihilate everything.


    Unfortunately, the enemy swordsman simply jumped back, barely getting scratched by magic. However, Sam didn¡¯t stop. With every new swing of his sword, a new wind blade was created, aiming at the monster in front of him.


    The fey simply dodged or used their sword to protect themselves against the deadly wind blades.


    ¡°Haha! Now that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡±


    Sam just doubled down, now actually angry with himself for not using the magic that he had worked hard for. He conjured bigger and bigger blades, cutting deep furrows into the scenery while the fey danced between them.


    Great gusts of winds tried to unbalance the fey as they left his hands.


    As the mana began churning in his body and around, he felt more and more invigorated. His anger slowly bled off, and Sam found that he was grinning. Not as creepily as the fey, but still grinning. The wind blades became more alive. They danced in the air, trying to find a purchase on the fey¡¯s protection.


    Finally, after almost exhausting himself, completely devastating the scenery, with only a small circle of green grass remaining under him, his enemy was down on their last legs.


    The fey was kneeling, leaning on his sword and panting deeply.


    ¡°Haaa¡­haaa¡­ isn¡¯t this amazing, my dear? You shouldn¡¯t neglect your magic¡­¡± they panted.


    Sam kept his mouth shut and raised his sword one last time, the edges swirling with wind magic, that somehow came much more easily as if he had broken through something. And as he did some quick introspection, he realized he actually had.


    He had been following the rigid build that he had envisioned in the beginning, and he had sort of forgotten how to have fun with his own skills. He was so focused on using them in the perfect way that he didn¡¯t even try to let loose and just simply use them.


    As he raised the sword above his head, the fey spoke up again.


    ¡°Haa¡­ha...there is no need for that, my dear. You learned your lesson, I think. Maybe next time we can have some more fun?¡±


    And then, between two blinks, Sam was back at the edge of the field, his clothing repaired, consumed mana and stamina restored and another fey token in his palm. He ignored the notifications blaring in his head.


    He quickly looked around and saw his team was around him, all of them blinking owlishly, as if they were surprised.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked, pocketing the token and trying to forget momentarily what had just happened.


    ¡°What do you mean, what happened?¡± Clarissa spoke up rather angrily. ¡°We thought you attacked us!¡±


    ¡°I did?¡±


    ¡°Well, it turned out to be a bloody fey after we defeated it. But it was super annoying!¡± Katie continued as she crossed her arms in front of her. ¡°Your skills are so annoying!¡±


    Dan nodded while Isabella was looking at him with a different stare as if she was seeing him the first time.


    ¡°What happened after you defeated¡­me?¡± he asked, a little perturbed.


    Katie just grumbled. ¡°Everything vanished, and we found ourselves here¡­ You didn¡¯t even drop anything. I wanted to ransom your sword back to you¡­¡±


    Hearing that, Sam nodded a little and thought a little. His inherited memories had a lot of gaming knowledge, mostly about Magic Unbound, but his alternate had never heard of anything like this. He was completely flying blind here.


    ¡°Then we should continue¡­¡± he was about to recommend when there was last chime-like laughter and with sparkles and glitter, a fancy chest appeared in front of them, while an exit portal appeared behind it.


    ¡°Or not. It seems we¡¯re finished with the fracture.¡±


    ¡°Yay! Loot!¡± Katie exclaimed and rushed over to the chest, slamming its top open, and immediately started rummaging through it.


    She soon began throwing things at people.


    Sam received a scroll that he held far away from himself, learning from his last experience. He was vindicated when a puff of glitter appeared around the scroll as soon as he touched it with his hand.


    Wondering how Katie knew what to give everybody, he took a closer look at the scroll and saw that his name was written on it.


    Clarissa received a small box with a many-faceted gem in it, that would work as a focus if processed by a craftsman. Or in their case, a craftswoman.


    Dan received a simple torch that was immediately lit up by a rainbow fire as soon as the fire mage touched it.


    ¡°Fairy fire¡­¡± Sam murmured as he watched Dan stare at the flames in fascination.


    Isabella got a guitar. An ordinary guitar.


    The woman stared at the musical instrument in dismay while the others politely tried to hide their chuckles. Except for Katie, who was naturally howling.


    Next, it was Isabella¡¯s turn to laugh, as Katie pulled out a mouth gag.


    <hr>


    They exited through the portal and found themselves back in the fairy ring, with the portal gone and the ring of mushrooms rapidly decaying into nothingness. To their surprise, the guitar in Isabella¡¯s hand turned into a choker with tiny bells on it, while the mouth gag turned into a mask that would filter out harmful substances in the air. The bells emitted a pleasant chiming sound as long as Isabella took care to walk carefully. According to her they provided benefits to her buffs.


    Then, for a few seconds, they just stood there and looked at each other.


    It was Sam who broke the silence.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not do that again¡­¡±


    Katie had the temerity to pout. ¡°But I wanted to fight against a boss that is you, boss!¡±


    Melody honked murderously at them, probably trying to fill the silence. Lucky just glanced at the swan and growled once, causing the swan to let out a surprised honk and quickly huddle behind Clarissa¡¯s leg.


    Sam sighed and shook his head. ¡°I need to watch the recording of your fights against me, then we will have a discussion about teamwork and how we can work together better.¡±


    Hearing the general agreement from his team, he turned around and began the trek back to civilization.

 Chapter 157

    They returned to the city in great cheer and retired immediately to one of the meeting rooms of the headquarters to discuss the results of the fracture.


    Sam had them sit down, with some snacks, courtesy of Claire, who was present when they arrived and took it upon herself to furnish them with some food. Now she was patiently standing behind her ¡®mistress¡¯ as Isabella, with assistance from Katie, gorged herself on finger sandwiches. Compared to them, Clarissa and Dan were sedately munching on the provided nourishments. Lucky, Melody, and Hawky were on the other end of the meeting room, congregating around food bowls, and enjoying them.


    After the refreshments were served and consumed, Sam brought up the recording of their fracture delve and began the discussion.


    They went over the first part, pointed out things they noticed, and put together a few tactics that seemed to be viable for the future. With Isabella¡¯s addition to the team, they were at the five-person limit. Most fractures were either five or ten people. There were a few solo ones, but those were special. This way, they could enter bigger fractures with equal power to anyone who joined them.


    They still lacked a proper tank, but with Katie and Isabella working together, they could take most of the monsters¡¯ attention while the rest of them demolished them.


    Naturally, not just Sam commented on the happenings in the fracture. While he definitely had more knowledge about fractures, thanks to his inherited memories, he would be a fool to dismiss his teammates¡¯ opinions and observations.


    For example, Clarissa made sure to point out that he clearly favored the left side to strike from, as his sword was in his right hand and he used the left to cast magic. A rather exploitable habit.


    For the rest of the day, they simply went over everything and everybody noticed and talked about solutions.


    Halfway through, it turned into an impromptu magic lesson given by Sam as he began sharing his ¡®discoveries¡¯ with the others.


    Dan and Clarissa simply opened their notebooks and began writing down what he was saying, but it was really funny to see the look on Isabella¡¯s face.


    In the end, Sam told them he had a few things to finish before they could go on an adventure as a team. Clarissa simply told him that she had a few skills to learn from the Healers Guild now that she leveled up, Dan mentioned meeting up with his girlfriend and sounding her out about a meeting with Sam, Katie was instantly swallowed by a pitch-black portal that blew a raspberry at them while it closed, and after Isabella finished processing this fact, she mentioned that she also had a few things to deal with related to her old guild.


    Sam was tempted to ask, but in the end, he decided that the young woman deserved a chance. Most people, from what he could remember, in the Eternal Light guild, weren¡¯t deceitful and traitorous bastards. Though when you were one of the strongest guilds in the game, there was probably no need to play in the shadows. Granted, it was a given that every big guild had a special group who dealt with things behind the curtains, but Isabella didn¡¯t really look like the type.


    ¡®Though, I suppose, that¡¯s what she wants me to think¡­after all, look at Tim...¡¯ he mused good-naturedly as he dropped a message to Lucy that he was going for one more recruitment, before leaving the headquarters.


    <hr>


    The man he was after was already pretty famous in certain internet circles. Naturally, he was a gamer and excelled at building up guilds.


    And why was he famous?


    Because every guild that he had a hand in forming, reached almost impossible heights, no matter what game the guy played. The man was a genius in directing people, organizing battles, and simply recognizing talent in people.


    He was also pretty infamous. At least in the future, he would be.


    One of the target''s ¡®friends¡¯ who was always there, supporting him and helping with the guilds, got a little drunk one night and let loose, in front of a pretty diverse audience, that he had been using his target¡¯s tendency to hyper-focus on things to skim an ungodly amount of money off from their projects while outwardly playing up the supporting friend act.


    Interestingly, the memory of the other Sam watching the shaky footage of a private booth in some high-end, yet trashy, party place had been burned into his memory. It resonated enough with the other Sam that after he watched the recording, he went and got shitfaced just to try to forget it.


    Obviously, it didn¡¯t work.


    Unfortunately, by the time the video surfaced, somebody already used its existence to blackmail the loose-lipped guy to gain control over the guild and everything in it.


    Sam didn¡¯t really have a memory of what happened to the scumbag¡­


    But the target he was going after was one of the biggest examples of how the in-game ¡®slave¡¯ contracts ruined lives.


    Sam hoped that he would be able to provide an alternative to the man while protecting him from vultures.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    There were, naturally, more options, maybe even better, but as the other Sam spent a lot of time in the Emerald Kingdom, he was the most familiar with the happenings there. At least currently, in the future as the game slowly started to be consumed by everybody over the world, his attention widened. Sam felt that following along that route and picking up people who deserved a second chance would be the best decision.


    <hr>


    Finding his target wasn¡¯t hard.


    As soon as the game started and he managed to gather up enough resources to found a guild ¨C naturally without his supporting friends¡¯ help ¨C he did so, and thus the Cyclical Circle was born.


    Currently, it was a small guild, albeit one that had a very nice quest completion rate, and a nice headquarters in a city in the middle of the Emerald Kingdom. The city was called Gladerest, surrounded by big swathes of rolling hills, forests, and farmlands. Most of its industry was invested in hunting the animals in the forests ¨C and making sure to have animals in said forests ¨C to later sell the wild game and products made from the carcasses to the wider country.


    On Lucky¡¯s back, with his wind mana bolstering them he would arrive there by sundown.


    Thankfully, he had confirmed with Lucy that they had set up a presence there already. No Heavenly Forest, but their supermarket and warehouse business was booming.


    Lucy, the ever-helpful person that she was, arranged for every building they owned to have a set of apartments for their use only.


    He could then use that as a base for his recruitment while questioning the staff about the local rumors.


    Sam already had a plan for dealing with the guy¡¯s friend, but if a better opportunity showed itself, then who was he to say no to fate?


    <hr>


    Entering the city he disembarked his loyal companion who gave him one giant lick with panting breath then returned to his shadow to rest.


    The guards eyed him for a second, but when he did nothing suspicious, they moved their attention from him to gaze at the road leading to the city. As the sun was going down, the number of merchants were dwindling, but the adventurers¡¯ numbers were keeping steady.


    He navigated through the crowd, curiously looking around and taking in the sights. The other Sam had visited the city, but there was nothing memorable or interesting about it. The entire thing was destroyed and rebuilt a few times while the other Sam played the game, but nothing really noteworthy happened here.


    Gladerest was as unremarkable as they came¡­


    Entering the supermarket, creatively named Gladerest Supermarket, mostly for the ease of documentation and log keeping. Or so Lucy claimed, but Sam suspected the woman was just bad at naming things¡­


    Flashing a token to the guards that denoted him as somebody high up in the company he was allowed through the service entrance.


    A short while later, he was in the main office, standing in front of a modest office desk, as the director of the supermarket looked at him with an inquisitive look. He was an older gentleman, weathered by age, but with a hidden steel. An NPC, but Sam didn¡¯t much care. With the quality of the game, there wasn¡¯t much of a difference¡­


    ¡°Welcome! How may I help our esteemed leadership this evening?¡± he asked in a deep voice. Sam couldn¡¯t see if his presence bothered the man or not.


    He smiled at the man. ¡°Thank you for the warm welcome. I¡¯m just here to touch base and to see if you have access to some information that I seek.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What kind of information?¡± came the expected question.


    In lieu of an answer, Sam simply retrieved a small sketch of the man he was looking for. His likeness wasn¡¯t hard to find, after all, they made a lot of videos to advertise their guild and, of course, to cash in on that sweet, sweet ad revenue.


    The man took the sketch and looked at it. Sam saw him frown, but otherwise, nothing changed on his wizened face.


    ¡°I know of him. Why do you seek him?¡± Apparently, the guy already had a reputation.


    Sam smiled and began explaining.


    <hr>


    Half an hour later, he was standing in a shadowy corner of an entertainment establishment. All around him people ¨C both NPCs and players ¨C were making merry and enjoying the fruits of their labor. Or the fruits of their employees¡¯ labor.


    Thanks to his Chameleon Mask, he was wearing a handsome but unremarkable face, while also eschewing his usual practical clothing, and instead wearing something that, while muted, still screamed that he had money.


    Sam was usually pants at picking out clothing so he had Lucy prepare a few sets for all sorts of occasions.


    And now, he stood there, nursing a small non-alcoholic drink, almost inaudibly humming the perfect song for spying on people and keeping a discreet eye on his target. The scumbag he was looking for was with several people in an open booth, visibly and loudly having fun.


    He waited until two of the hostesses walked by him, who were giving coquettish looks, to flag them down. They immediately hurried over to him, smiling ear to ear. After all, he looked rich and bored. The perfect combination for this establishment.


    ¡°Hello, handsome!¡± they greeted him in synchrony as they shimmied up to him. Sam spent a brief moment admiring them. ¡°How can we help you today?¡±


    Sam smiled at them and motioned toward his target with his drink. ¡°See that guy?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, sure do, handsome¡­¡± one of them replied as she absently played with the hem of his shirt. The implied question was unmistakable in her voice.


    ¡°I need you, lovely ladies, to get him talking about money and work. You know, the usual¡­ have him brag about how big his¡­ money pouch is.¡±


    She didn¡¯t react in any way, as if she heard the same request every day.


    ¡°Sounds¡­ intriguing, handsome. And why would we do that?¡± asked the other one. A pretty brunette with a deep d¨¦colletage.


    Sam grinned at them roguishly and stealthily retrieved a pouch full of money.


    ¡°Because I can assure you, my¡­ money pouch is bigger.¡±


    <hr>


    The girls left him with his drink but without his gold and he relocated to another spot, pretending to watch a few alluring dances, keeping his target in the corner of his eye. Soon, he saw the two girls approach him with drinks in their hands and a few on a tray.


    The scumbag, naturally, cheered and instantly invited them to join. Moments later, they were drinking and laughing, clearly trying to impress the two women.


    Sam gave them half an hour, then he would start on what he called Project Gladerestgate. Stupid name, but he was feeling dramatic.


    <hr>


    Obviously even more intoxicated, both from the extra drinks and the presence of the ladies, his target was oblivious to his approach. Granted the game simply emulated drunkenness, but aside from giving a slight debuff the next morning, it also stopped several skills from working. Mostly perception-type skills. He stepped over to the booth, nudged one of the hangers-on to slide aside to give him some sitting space, and unceremoniously sat down across from the man.


    The man was tall, with black hair, and an arrogant look on his face that not even the intoxication could mask. Currently, he had his arms around the two ladies and grinning ear to ear, as if he was on the top of the world.


    ¡°Gentlemen, what a nice evening, isn¡¯t it?¡±

 Chapter 158

    The man, despite being high on life, with two lovely ladies on each of his sides, surrounded by like-minded friends, looked suspiciously at Sam, who in his disguise looked rather untrustworthy. At least to people like the scumbag who exploited his friend to make himself richer.


    The hangers-on tensed, ready to throw him out if their ¡®boss¡¯ said so, and the man in charge scowled.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    Sam just grinned roguishly at them. ¡°Name¡¯s George¡­ when I¡¯m here¡­¡±


    The girls tittered hearing that, and the people sitting around the table relaxed a little. Sam mentally made a note to add a little bonus for their performance.


    ¡°I just saw you gentlemen having a ruckus and thought I would join you on my lonesome. After all, having fun alone is not fun at all!¡± he declared while raising his glass that looked like it contained something alcoholic while it was a simple virgin cocktail.


    The man across from him thought for a moment and then shrugged. Raising his own cup, he exclaimed. ¡°All right! Let¡¯s have some more fun!¡± The rest of the group joined quickly, following his cues, but they still cast suspicious gazes at him while outwardly grinning and cheering.


    ¡®They think I want to join in on a good thing and mooch off the idiot¡­¡¯ he mused as he kept up the grin on his face.


    ¡°Very well! Then let¡¯s drink on our new friendship!¡± Sam motioned for the nearest scantily dressed waitresses who instantly hurried close to them.


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡±


    ¡°A round for my new friends!¡±


    A resounding cheer was his answer. Getting totally drunk in the game wasn¡¯t really possible, but the game recreated every taste and feeling with a great amount of fidelity, so drinking good alcohol felt good.


    ¡°Hell yes!¡±


    ¡°To Greg!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he Gabe?¡±


    ¡°No, it was Gabriella!¡±


    ¡°No, it was Grug!¡±


    Sam just smiled, while inwardly deadpanning at their stupidity.


    <hr>


    Sam spent an hour just plying them with drinks and inane stories to lower their suspiciousness as well as garner some measure of trust. The girls did their best to distract everyone, either by their smiles or other body parts.


    Soon, however, Sam had to shepherd the conversation in a specific direction.


    ¡°¡­and then he said it would be a hundred gold! I just threw a bag at him! HAHAHA!¡± One of the lackeys finished his story about financially abusing some poor craftsman and the rest of the group broke out in cheers. Sam chuckled along good-naturedly while the girls continued to titter as if it was the funniest thing they ever heard.


    ¡°Alas, my fortune is not the same as yours¡­¡± Sam lamented dramatically while letting out an equally dramatic sigh. ¡°Recently, my businesses all went up in flames thanks to¡­¡±


    ¡°The AFK company?¡± the scumbag in front of him asked with a knowing look. Sam simply nodded in response.


    ¡°Exactly. They seem to be everywhere. No matter what I try, they¡¯re always there first. And if not, their contacts are better, so I can only watch my sources dry off.¡±


    One of the guys sitting next to him reached over and patted his shoulder sympathetically.


    ¡°They are scum!¡± his target spat with vehemence. ¡°We are only lucky that we set up shop in this city. We are far enough from their interests that they only had the resources for a few buildings¡­¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t have the heart to tell the guy that they didn¡¯t do more in Gladerest because there was nothing and nobody important there.


    ¡°Ahh, but doesn¡¯t that mean you don¡¯t have anything to do business with¡­¡±


    The man just grinned at Sam and tapped the side of his nose.


    ¡°You should see our income!¡± one of the hangers-on bragged. ¡°We are raking it in!¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Sam asked with an interested look on his face.


    ¡°Oh, yes! The boss has this guy¡­ He is a genius! He does all the work and we just enjoy the rewards!¡±


    The leader of the bunch quickly hid a wince on his face, but Sam noticed. Inwardly smiling gleefully, he turned back to his target. Ready to reel in the bait.


    ¡°My¡­what an efficient enterprise¡­¡± he spoke up with a smirk of his own. ¡°But rather admirable. After all, some people are just that better at leading than doing. Am I right?¡±


    Naturally, this just spoke to the other guy¡¯s ego. He returned the smirk and nodded. ¡°Naturally.¡± He took a sip of his drink while the girls giggled around him and looked back at Sam. ¡°I was lucky that I found him. He is very dedicated to every task. And cheap too! It is, after all, thanks to him that we can enjoy this bounty!¡± he declared while leering down at the giggling girls.


    ¡°¡°¡°To Adam!¡±¡±¡± the rest of the group cheered, raising their cups high in the air.


    Sam hummed thoughtfully before asking a question. ¡°If he is so¡­ talented, as you say, might I inquire how much it would take to borrow his stated talents? After all, with how my business is going, I¡¯m open to any possibility.¡±


    ¡°So, how would I go about hiring this¡­ Adam?¡± he asked, projecting curiosity and, most of all, an all-encompassing greed befitting a try-hard businessman.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Naturally, his ¡®opponent¡¯ instantly noticed this. Say what you will about the man, and Sam had some very specific opinions about him, but he knew when he saw a good opportunity.


    ¡°Weeeell, that depends on how much you can pay¡­¡± the scumbag grinned and then leaned back his chair, drawing the girls closer to himself, sure that he had reeled in a big money bag.


    Sam nodded and began the ¡®negotiations¡¯.


    <hr>


    Another hour later, he left the much happier, and theoretically richer, group to themselves, citing the need to gather the gold together. They let him leave with their well wishes and congratulations about the business. Nobody talked about Adam¡¯s opinion or brought up asking him if he wanted to do this. To these people, he was just a commodity to barter with.


    Shaking himself, Sam dropped the greedy grin and headed toward one of the exits of the establishment. On the way, he stopped the waitress who served their table and cleared his own tab, leaving the woman a hefty tip for his sleazy behavior and another bag of coins for the two girls who helped him out.


    ¡°My compliments to them,¡± he told the bewildered waitress, then walked out of the building, and within seconds, he melded into the crowd, becoming just another uninteresting face among the masses.


    He quickly returned to the room they set up for him at the supermarket and logged out.


    After taking a quick shower to get rid of the greasy feeling that clung to him after participating in that discussion with those scumbags, he sat back down in front of his computer and brought up his VR recordings.


    Sam didn¡¯t really need to edit what he recorded, simply just cut it out, put it in a consumable format, and set it so that he could send it easily. Though he made sure to go through the recording to see if it would be enough, just the negotiations were nasty enough that he could help Adam realize what a scumbag he had for a friend.


    ¡®Now comes the second part¡­¡¯ he mused to himself and began getting ready for the bed. Tomorrow would be a big day.


    <hr>


    Returning to the game, he spent some time playing with Lucky, going over a few reports that Lucy sent over, mostly instructions to check out the local scene and see if there was anything they could improve or take advantage of. He was also discreetly told to check what kind of boss was leading the supermarket.


    ¡®I have never been an undercover boss¡­ kinda cool!¡¯ he mused as he wrote down things he noticed. Then he met up with the old man at the head of the supermarket to see if he had anything to report or had any questions, then after receiving a negative answer, he left the building through the back door.


    He was dressed in his usual armor, and the face was his own.


    Full honesty was needed if Sam wanted to recruit Adam after revealing the treachery that surrounded him.


    Cyclical Circle was easy to find, they didn¡¯t really hide their headquarters. Later in the game, a guild headquarters, due to vaults being full of valuable items, would be one of the biggest secrets a guild could have. Naturally, that would require having the talent or money to set up teleportation gates, but for now, most guilds were content enough with guards and some enchantments.


    That¡¯s why he was looking forward to meeting SilentTomb. That woman practically pioneered the maze teleportation traps. Well, it was revolutionary for the people in this dimension for some reason. Sam had been dealing with them since the first handheld gaming consoles came out decades ago in his original dimension. It was fascinating to see that so many normal things in games that he took as given, were either non-existent in this dimension or people took them for revolutionary ideas.


    ¡®Not that I¡¯m complaining¡­ it makes my life much easier¡­¡¯ he mused as he approached the building that housed the guild that Adam led.


    Entering the building was pretty easy. The NPC guards took one look at him, making sure he wasn¡¯t there to cause trouble, and he was immediately let in.


    Inside was full of bustling guild members, NPCs, and other players. There wasn¡¯t much decoration, as most guilds currently focused on logistics and becoming the dominant guild in their area.


    He approached the NPC secretary with a modest smile.


    ¡°Hello there!¡±


    The pretty NPC returned the smile and greeting. ¡°Hello, sir. How can the Cyclical Circle help you today?¡±


    ¡°I would like to set up a meeting with the guild leader,¡± he stated a little loudly. Knowing that the guild leader returned to the guild around this time, thanks to the reports he got, he wanted to get his attention.


    ¡°Nature of meeting?¡±


    ¡°Business.¡±


    ¡°Very well, sir. It seems we have an opening for¡­ tomorrow afternoon?¡± she told him after looking through the giant book in front of her.


    However, before he could confirm his acceptance, his luck held true.


    ¡°Belay that!¡± came the order from behind him.


    Turning around, he beheld a tall man, black-haired with a square jaw that made him classically handsome (Lucy¡¯s words) and enough muscles that Dan looked positively tiny next to him.


    Apparently, when Adam hyper-focused, he hyper-focused hard.


    He was the classic example of a man who started lifting and never stopped. Adam wore a simple but sturdy armor that looked unenchanted, but despite the attempts to hide it, Sam¡¯s Mana Sense told him that it was enchanted well enough that he was feeling a little self-conscious.


    ¡®Maybe time to get a better armor?¡¯ he mused, glancing at his own leather armor.


    Reaching Sam, the giant man gave him an awkward smile and spoke up. ¡°Nancy, thank you, but since I¡¯m here, I¡¯ll take this meeting.¡±


    The NPC instantly nodded and began writing. ¡°Understood, my lord. I¡¯m going to pencil the guest for the next¡­ half an hour?¡± she finished with a questioning tone, looking at Adam.


    The man in question glanced at Sam, who nodded.


    ¡°Half an hour will be enough, thank you.¡± He turned to Sam. ¡°Please, follow me.¡±


    In silence, they headed deeper into the building while Sam took the time to look around. It was fascinating to see which guild members greeted the guild leader with genuine joy or which were there, pretending to respect the man.


    Sadly, there were more of the second type than the first.


    Reaching the office took only a few minutes, then a few seconds of getting situated, and Sam was sitting before the giant man, who practically dwarfed the small and cheap-looking desk with his giant frame.


    ¡°So¡­how can I help you today? Something about business?¡± Adam spoke up with a much more awkward smile. ¡°I¡¯m afraid my business partner is out today, but I can take notes and he will get back to you¡­¡±


    Sam simply shook his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s all right. I wanted to talk to you¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I have something to show you¡­¡±


    As Adam looked back at him with interest, Sam sent a request so that he could share a screen.


    <hr>


    The results weren''t pretty.


    Listening and watching the recording, Adam¡¯s face was totally blank, but Sam could see the aura of misery starting to envelop him.


    Finishing with the recording, Sam closed the screen and waited. He felt a little scummy doing this, but honestly, he had no idea how to do this without ripping the bandage off.


    Finally, after staring at nothing in particular, Adam spoke up. ¡°W-why are you showing me this?¡±


    ¡°Originally, I heard about your organizational skills and wanted to hire-slash-buy your guild to head my own with some support from my company. But before that, I had to do my due diligence. That was when I found this,¡± he explained, indicating the recording. ¡°As a person who had less than ideal friends in the past, I felt that sharing what I¡¯ve found would be the right thing to do¡­¡±


    Adam blinked at him, still not completely processing the information.


    ¡°This could be fake¡­ right? He¡­he has been my friend since we were children¡­¡±


    Sam gently smiled at him. ¡°You tell me¡­ You know him the best, right?¡±


    ¡°I-I thought I did, but if this is true¡­then¡­¡± he devolved into mumbling to himself until Sam cleared his throat.


    Adam¡¯s head snapped up as if he forgot that Sam was present. ¡°Right¡­ err¡­ what was your name again?¡±


    ¡°Solar, but that doesn¡¯t matter.¡± He sent over a simple message. ¡°Here are my details. Send me a message if you want to talk. Or if you need the full recording.¡±


    Adam nodded, then turned back to his own screens.


    Sam smiled sadly and left the room, leaving the giant man to his thoughts.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see what happens next¡­¡¯

 Chapter 159

    He left the guild building with conflicting emotions.


    On one hand, Sam helped out a person who was being preyed on by a scumbag. On the other hand, the way he did it was pretty underhanded, too. Plus, he just ruined at least a decade-old friendship. But after witnessing the other Sam¡¯s memories and knowing about Adam¡¯s future ¡®prospects¡¯ he felt that while his soul felt a little heavier after his actions, it was, in the end, worth it.


    Before leaving the city for greener pastures and maybe starting once again on leveling up as the current highest leveled player (at least the one who publicized it) was approaching level eighty while he was still around fifty. And with how the skills worked, the next time somebody with higher levels decided that he needed to die, his technical knowledge of said skills wouldn¡¯t solve the issue. He would be deleted faster than a level-one bunny.


    Thankfully, most of those people who were at the top of the charts were only grinding experience points and not really developing their skills, their only goal being the first to reach level one hundred.


    Sam was looking forward to the explosion that would result from that.


    In most games, level one hundred was a milestone, but the developers at Future Unknown decided to be cheeky and put the milestone at level one hundred and one. Thankfully, the step between one hundred and one hundred one was a simple and easy step, but it was still a pretty good mind fuck for all the people who were aiming to be the first to reach that level.


    And the best part?


    The developers only did it there, nowhere else.


    The bastards¡­


    He was currently Level 55, which meant, that if he wanted to stay ahead of his enemies, which he was slowly but surely gathering, he needed to get at least between thirty and forty levels in short order.


    As Sam slowly planned out his leveling tour, he walked around Gladerest and checked out the city. He ambled around, looking for opportunities, but aside from some delicious food stalls, he only found a few shops selling luxury quality wild game. He shot off a message to Lucy to have them import some for Heavenly Forest (and charge extra for it) before ambling back to the supermarket to take a little real-life break, as his body was telling him it was time for some real food.


    But before he could even start walking toward the accommodation that was arranged for him, he received a message.


    [MonsterMind: Come back. Have questions.]


    Sam was a little taken aback, but he still answered.


    [Solar: Same place?]


    [MonsterMind: Yes.]


    [Solar: Be there in a sec]


    [MonsterMind: I¡¯ll be waiting.]


    Shaking himself a little, he put away all the useless thoughts percolating around his head and refocused on the current issue.


    ¡®What did Adam want?¡¯


    <hr>


    When he arrived back at the guild building, nothing was different. Nobody was giving him death glares, nobody was sobbing in devastation, and the secretary was still very perky and nice.


    ¡°Welcome back, sir!¡± she greeted him with cheer. ¡°The guild master told me to direct you to his office. Would you like an escort?¡±


    Sam shook his head with a smile. ¡°No need, I remember.¡±


    The receptionist nodded cheerfully. ¡°Very well, sir. Have a nice meeting!¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sam said, then he headed deeper into the building, back to Adam¡¯s cramped office.


    At the door leading to said office, he hesitated a little, but after taking a deep breath, he nodded to himself and then knocked.


    ¡°Come in!¡± came the deep, yet gentle voice, tinged with a little sadness.


    The man was sitting behind his desk, several crumpled papers sitting around the table, and his face looked as if he had aged a good few years.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Sam greeted him a little awkwardly, raising a hand. ¡°Why did you call me back?¡±


    Adam gestured toward the chair in front of his desk and, after Sam got situated, he began to talk.


    ¡°After you showed me that¡­¡± he fell silent before shaking his head and then continuing. ¡°Well, after you left, I took a quick look around. I keep good records and my memory is pretty good. The easiest to check was the money. I hate dealing with banks, so it was always¡­him¡­ doing the accounting, but I remember how much the income should have been. My name was on the accounts because we needed it for tax reasons¡­ Though, now that I checked on it, I suspected it was another way for him to avoid paying his fair share.¡±


    Sam said nothing as the man sitting opposite him was clearly working things through in real-time.


    ¡°I compared the numbers there to my memories. It was¡­bad. Very bad. So now I¡¯m in a very bad situation, thanks to you.¡± Adam¡¯s head rose, and he looked directly into Sam¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m terrible at acting. The next time I meet him, he will know that the jig is up. I¡¯m not well-versed in legalese, but I¡¯m sure he placed several contingencies in case I discovered his ruse or something else happened.¡±


    Sam felt it was time to speak up. ¡°We have accountants and lawyers on call. Say the word, and we can help you.¡±


    ¡°If I sign up with you, right?¡± came the acerbic question from the giant man.


    Sam shook his head. ¡°No. Well, I wouldn¡¯t say I would be sad if you signed up, but I would like to think I¡¯m a decent person. If you need help, I will offer it even if you decide you don¡¯t want to play the game anymore.¡±


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Silence followed Sam¡¯s declaration.


    Finally, after almost a quarter of an hour of contemplation, Adam spoke up.


    ¡°I hate moving¡­ Always so bothersome¡­¡±


    <hr>


    After that declaration, he set up a quick three-way chat with Lucy and they hatched out a quick and dirty plan of action for Adam.


    By the time they were finished, Lucy had already logged out of the game, with Adam soon following her, and no doubt calling up the experts they kept on call. Sam was pretty sure that with Lucy¡¯s administrative skills, and enough money, they would be able to solve Adam¡¯s issues.


    And while it was a gamble to not get the man to agree to sign up with AFK, he felt that based on what he knew about the man, he would still join. If not? Adam would feel indebted to him and would be a great ally later, and he would have to go with his Plan B for the guild.


    Leaving the guild building the second time, he headed back to his accommodation directly. He suddenly remembered, that he never opened the scroll the fey gave him in the fracture.


    ¡®Probably, because I thought it was some kind of prank¡­ you never know with those people¡­¡¯ he mused as he ascended the steps leading to his temporary abode.


    Closing the door behind himself, he used his illusionary runes to set up an area of silence as well as something that would hopefully cancel any long-distance observation. Though, he doubted how useful that would be against the fey.


    Lucky immediately jumped out of his shadow and Sam was momentarily distracted as the shadow wolf used his mighty cute eyes to beg for snacks.


    After satiating the cute wolf, he sat down next to the table and placed the scroll on it with the same care as one would handle a live bomb.


    Careful study didn¡¯t reveal much, so he picked up the small note attached to it with his name on it. Turning around the small piece of paper, he saw a few words written on it with elegant calligraphy, the ink shining in rainbow color.


    Sometimes it takes a while to find the edge pieces¡­


    ¡°Well, that was vague as hell. As expected¡­¡± Sam spoke up tiredly, then after a few seconds reached for the scroll and carefully unrolled it.


    Instead of the expected glitter bomb, he was bombarded with illusionary fireworks, causing Lucky to instantly abandon his snack and look around alertly while Sam blinked the spots out of his eyes.


    ¡°Fucking fey¡­¡± he grumbled and began reading the scroll.


    It was, as expected of the tricky fairies, a gift and curse rolled into one.


    An extremely rare skill that would collate several of his skills, creating something that would be better than the sum of its parts, but at the same time, would have tremendous experience requirements and upgrading would be almost impossible without the help of the fey¡­


    [You received the scroll containing the skill, The Way of the Forerunner!]


    [The Way of the Forerunner: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) You are ahead of the pack, yet your skills are merely a small piece of a greater puzzle. However, as a forerunner, you have nothing to base your development on. This skill will be your first edge piece to this puzzle.


    It absorbs the following skills:


    Basic Armor Mastery


    Epic Breathing Technique


    Tranquil Heart


    Flow


    Parry


    The experience earned and subskill attained in these skills will be also absorbed and transferred to this skill.


    The skill allows you to fight to your heart¡¯s content, yet not be hampered by unconnected skills.


    Allows you to wear any armor, as long as you make sure to understand how it works and what it does. Decreases Stamina consumption when wearing any type of armor.


    You breathe, and the world breathes with you. Now that rhythm will be to your own heartbeat. However, anybody trying to get a read on your breathing or disrupt it will face great opposition. Raises stamina regeneration by 2% for each level of this skill.


    Your heart moves you and moves with you in an efficient and harmonious dance. You resist mind-altering effects and a portion of those effects are reflected back to the source. The portion is 3% per skill level.


    You also radiate an aura of tranquility that confers the resistance portion of the skill to your allies near you.


    You read the flow of mana as easily as a book. And now you can write your own book. Increases your stability and the bonuses any movement or martial art skill provides by 2% per level in the skill when using more than one skill at a time.


    Blocking has become even easier for you. As long as you are not disrupted, you are in the flow and only wielding one weapon in one hand, the defensive weapon movements¡¯ stamina consumption is decreased. It allows you to more efficiently and accurately parry incoming attacks. Decreases the damage of the blocked attack by 1% for each skill level at the moment of blocking.]


    [Would you like to learn it?]


    It was a massive skill, that would absorb and alter several skills based on his preferences demonstrated so far. Fighting with a weapon in one hand, the other hand slinging magic, rushing about, and dancing to his own tune.


    Yet at the same time, the experience points demanded by the skill would be tremendous.


    ¡®Probably the system¡¯s way to slow me down¡­¡¯ he theorized as he pored over the skill.


    But in the end, he didn¡¯t have much choice. His physical skills were lagging behind his magical ones, and this would eliminate the need to focus on them one by one and simply go on with his play style.


    ¡°Not much choice there¡­¡± he grumbled out loud before clicking on the yes button.


    Instantly, the scroll dissolved into light particles that swirled around him before shooting directly at his heart.


    Sam immediately noticed how the game forced him to breathe differently. Yet it wasn¡¯t uncomfortable, instead, he felt as if he had been breathing the wrong way all this time. The feeling was really hard to describe. It wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t breathe before, but now it felt¡­ right.


    ¡®The game is scary sometimes¡­¡¯ he mused as he stood up and began to move around the room.


    Everything felt just a little smoother and a little better. However, only time will tell if he made the right decision.


    He was about to log out when he received one more message.


    [FireHotHot: Hey, bossman! Do you have time to meet my girlfriend?]


    It seemed he was in luck. If he managed to get the woman on his side, then he would be set and he could focus on leveling finally.


    [Solar: Here or IRL?]


    [FireHotHot: IRL.]


    [Solar: Ok. Call you in a sec.]


    Closing the message screen, he lay down on the bed and closed his eyes as Lucky jumped up next to him and logged out of the game.


    Exactly five minutes after he logged out, a bubble emerged from the table where the scroll touched it, rose into the air, and after a few seconds, exploded, painting the entire room with glitter.


    <hr>


    Thankfully, the university Dan attended was in the same city Sam lived, although almost on the opposite side.


    Still, with modern transportation, it was just half an hour in a futuristic taxi, that somehow still smelled and looked like it came from the nineties.


    The square where the restaurant he was heading to, was filled with university students, all of them talking about Magic Unbound. Sam overheard several people bragging about things in the game as he cut through the crowd, some of them pure nonsense and it took real effort not to burst out laughing.


    Finally, he arrived at a mid-tier restaurant and entered it. It was some kind of fusion restaurant that had trouble deciding what kind of food it served. But they were serving big portions at affordable prices so uni students ate there no matter the confusion.


    He spotted Dan sitting in a booth in the back, awkwardly glancing around while an admittedly beautiful girl sat next to him, cool as a cucumber, sipping on her drink. Sam waved at them, catching their attention and he headed over to them, mentally bracing himself for a tough negotiation.

 Chapter 160

    Sam, having a quick thought, quickly detoured toward the bar, picked up a glass of water with a slice of thin lemon and bendy straw (that sparkled), and headed toward them with a few mischievous thoughts percolating around his head.


    Upon his approach, the other two looked up at him, the girlfriend with a cool look, while Dan was still sitting there, awkwardly.


    Making a decision, he plopped down on a free seat, and before anybody could speak up; he began talking, looking at Dan with a small smirk on his face.


    ¡°Well, Dan, I¡¯m happy to report that I¡¯m ordained as a minister at the Universal Life Church, so as soon as you guys are finished with your drinks, we can start. Even brought the paperwork too!¡± he exclaimed happily.


    Dan, in the middle of taking a sip of his drink, did a double take as soon as Sam began to talk, and when he reached the word ¡®ordained¡¯, he sprayed his drink across the desk, astonished. His girlfriend just raised a carefully maintained eyebrow and reached over and began dabbing up the sprayed drink with a napkin.


    ¡°Cute,¡± she said in a low voice, though Sam could hear the laughter behind the stoic words.


    He grinned and then looked back at Dan, who was wiping his mouth clean. The muscled physicist put his drink down and glared at Sam. ¡°That was not funny!¡±


    ¡°I beg to disagree,¡± Sam said, but before Dan could argue further, he raised a hand up in a placatingly. ¡°How about you introduce me instead?¡±


    Dan continued to glare for a few seconds, but after a small elbow blow from the young woman next to him, he let out an explosive breath, closed his eyes, and then looked back at Sam.


    ¡°All right, all right¡­¡± he pointed at Sam and then, in turn at the young woman. ¡°Sam, this is Lara. Lara, this is my¡­ guild master, Sam.¡±


    Sam held out his hand, which Lara returned, grasping it hard and then shaking it. ¡°A pleasure.¡±


    He just grinned as he shook her hand. ¡°No, the pleasure is all mine!¡± He let go of her hand and then returned to his drink, taking a sip while the others followed along, casting the group into a temporary silence.


    ¡°Sooo¡­ why did you call me here?¡± Sam finally asked, breaking the silence. Then he grinned. ¡°Doubt it was for my stand-up routine¡­¡±


    Dan snorted, but it was Lara who spoke up.


    ¡°Maybe next time¡­¡± she started with a coy glance thrown at a grimacing Dan. ¡°We¡¯re here because I have been inundated with requests to join the guilds we have here at the university. It¡¯s rather vexing.¡± Sam had the feeling that she wanted to use much harsher words than vexing. ¡°My rather uncouth boyfriend here,¡± she continued, indicating a bashful, yet proud-looking, Dan. ¡°told me about you and how you¡¯re looking for talented people.¡±


    Sam nodded but said nothing, wanting to see what she would say. She in turn waited for him to speak up and when Lara saw he wouldn¡¯t, she sent him a look that told Sam she knew exactly what he was doing. However, despite that, she continued.


    ¡°Danny told me you recognized my handle so that takes care of my resume. What do you say?¡±


    ¡°I did not say that!¡± exclaimed Dan.


    She shook her head while patting him gently on his muscled arm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can read between the lines.¡± Dan looked back at her, then after a few moments, he shook his head and let out a few almost inaudible grumbles. Lara turned back to Sam, her hand still resting gently on Dan¡¯s.


    Sam stared back then spoke up. ¡°And the real reason?¡±


    Dan opened his mouth to probably argue but Sam simply held up a finger to silence him. He fell silent as Lara let out a rather lady-like laugh. It looked and sounded well-practiced.


    ¡°I did my research. You have potential. Plus, I want to spend time with this oaf,¡± she said, patting Dan on his arm.


    ¡°You or your family?¡± Sam asked. He had no idea who she was aside from her accomplishments in the game, but with the way she looked and talked, and what Dan told him about what was happening at the university he was pretty sure she was the daughter or granddaughter of someone important. The narrative practically demanded it.


    Every time he heard Dan¡¯s woes, Sam was a little more glad he wasn¡¯t reborn as a university student.


    She raised an eyebrow again but otherwise didn¡¯t react. If she found Sam¡¯s skepticism offensive, it didn¡¯t show.


    ¡°My family,¡± she agreed with a respectful nod. ¡°Grandfather does like to make sure I don¡¯t hang around with¡­ unsavory people¡­¡± she finally said after a few seconds.


    ¡®Fucking knew it¡­¡¯ Sam grumbled inwardly while outwardly he held his poker face. He glanced around as he took a sip of his drink and now that he knew what to look for, there were at least two people who were pretending very hard that they weren¡¯t paying attention to them. ¡®All right, protective grandpa character¡­ Lucy will have kittens¡­¡¯


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I suppose I can respect that, ¡° was what he said, looking at Lara. She inclined her head while Dan was gaping at her.


    ¡°What? Your grandfather looked into Sam?¡± he asked, bewildered.


    Lara just smirked. ¡°Oh, honey. He looks into all of my friends.¡± Her hand slipped from the top of Dan¡¯s into his palm, which led them to quickly intertwine their fingers. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I made sure he didn¡¯t put any bugs in your dorm.¡±


    Sam snorted and before Dan could freak out, he spoke up again. ¡°Why now?¡±


    She took her eyes off her boyfriend and looked back at Sam. ¡°After meeting Dan, I made my way toward Ironwood because he is based there and I had nothing better to do. I wanted to link up with him and do a few quests or just enjoy the game together,¡± she started to explain. ¡°But on the way, I was attacked by a horde of monsters and had to do a quick strategic retreat.¡±


    ¡°Which led you to an opportunity¡­¡±


    She nodded, a small smile on her lips. ¡°Which indeed led me to an opportunity¡­¡±


    ¡°And you want, my or rather, our guild¡¯s help to make use of it.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Grandfather offered to buy me a guild, but that would be just¡­ugh¡­¡± She demonstrated her feelings with a dramatic hand wave.


    Sam understood it. For a woman who prided herself on building unconquerable fortifications, using a bought guild with bought loyalty was something that would be hard to stomach.


    ¡°What were you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°Well, I found a ruin of a fort that would be great to build up into a city. There is everything for it. With a few applications of mana, I could make it entirely self-sufficient.¡±


    ¡°And you need gold.¡±


    ¡°Gold and connections.¡±


    Sam sent a side glance at Dan. ¡°I suppose Dan has been talking.¡±


    Lara grinned upon hearing that. ¡°Heavens, no! It has been so adorable to see him trying to avoid certain topics. But as I said, I can read between the lines.¡±


    Sam raised his glass at Dan for the effort, who, in turn, tried to hide behind his own drink while Lara quietly giggled a little.


    He took a moment to think, his fingers playing along the rim of his glass before looking up at Lara. ¡°You know¡­ a merchant¡¯s most valuable commodity is trust. Once broken, they can never get it back. And here you are, trying to sell me something conjured out of the wet dreams of scam artists.¡±


    Lara nodded in understanding. ¡°You want loyalty.¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°Yes. I want trust and loyalty. Dan vouched for you, but we both know that the moods of the¡­ let¡¯s say elderly can be quite mercurial,¡± he stated with a hard look.


    The woman grimaced but didn¡¯t disagree. ¡°We have several investments of similar natures and I have siblings and relatives. You don¡¯t have to worry about the¡­ weather changing,¡± she replied while Dan blinked owlishly.


    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± he asked in a whisper.


    Lara just reached over with her other hand and patted his cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later, now shush. I¡¯m enjoying this.¡±


    Sam watched it play out, then posed his next question. ¡°What about when this opportunity proves profitable? How many relatives will come to request shelter?¡±


    Lara just smirked. ¡°They know I don¡¯t share.¡±


    Sam idly looked at Dan, who looked completely lost. Poor guy was a genius with plasma physics but was pants at people. Admittedly, Sam was only keeping up because he was heavily relying on recognizing tropes and using quotes from his past life.


    Finally, after a minute of thinking he nodded. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s the best I can get, isn''t it?¡±


    She grinned at him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send someone over with the contract and we can start with that,¡± he said then downed the rest of his drink. ¡°Now, tell me what you found.¡±


    Lara straightened out with a relieved smile on her face then began regaling them with the harrowing details of her adventure.


    <hr>


    By the time Sam got home, he already received a message from Lucy that their lawyers were talking with Lara¡¯s lawyers. Then another message cursing him out.


    Chuckling to himself, he quickly typed out the opportunity that Lara would provide and sent it off to his friend.


    With that done, he would need to wait for the legal side of things to resolve, so he had time to take care of the other issue.


    Returning to the game, he opened his eyes and then closed them.


    Opening them again, he carefully looked around then without moving an inch, he flexed his mana and cast a Clean spell. ¡®That hopefully removed most of it¡­ Fucking fey¡­¡¯ he cursed inwardly as he clambered off the bed.


    It didn¡¯t escape his notice that the glitter that somehow clung to the walls had several glitter colors that were in the shape of a smiley face.


    Next to him, Lucky also woke up and sneezed, shooting glitter out of his nose.


    For the next half an hour, Sam made sure he hunted down the last of the damned glitter while inwardly planning his revenge on the fey.


    ¡®Maybe¡­ an orphan outreach program¡­ a dress an orphan event¡­ hmm¡­ those perverts might even enjoy that¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    Leaving the room, he instantly headed for Adam¡¯s guild building.


    This time, however, he was in disguise.


    He wanted to see if anything got shaken up around there.


    However, when he arrived at the guild building he was rather surprised.


    There was a sizeable crowd, with the city guards holding a perimeter. Behind them, the building was in ruins with guild members picking through the debris. Stepping next to a gawking player he spoke up in a low voice.


    ¡°What in the nine hells happened here?¡±


    The guy turned to look at him with an astonished face. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear?¡±


    Sam shrugged. ¡°Just logged in¡­¡± Inwardly, he cursed the glitter again.


    ¡°Oh, well, I heard somebody attacked the Circle!¡± he gushed pretty loudly.


    Another person naturally heard this and scoffed. ¡°Bah, that¡¯s old news! It was a civil war! Somebody tried to take over!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s stupid!¡± a third voice added. ¡°This was clearly sabotage from a rival guild!¡±


    Soon Sam¡¯s surroundings devolved into an argument that spilled over the rest of the crowd with people gearing up to support their ¡®arguments¡¯ with steel and magic. As the guards rushed over to quell the rising tensions Sam slipped away.


    Hidden in a dark alley, he opened the messenger screen and sent a message to Adam.


    [Solar: You good?]


    It only took a few seconds to get a reply.


    [MonsterMind: You saw it?]


    [Solar: Yeah, it¡¯s ugly]


    [MonsterMind: Offer still open?]


    Sam grinned in triumph before sending a message.


    [Solar: Here is an address in Ironwood. Meet me there]


    [MonsterMind: OK]


    Satisfied with what he wrought, he took a look around and then sped away. He needed to prepare a few things just to make sure everything went well.


    With his current speed, he reached the supermarket building in a minute. He rushed in, dropped off a goodbye note to the old man leading the enterprise, then he was once again rushing toward the gates.


    Outside, he called out.


    ¡°Lucky!¡±


    His loyal companion emerged from his shadows, ready to be ridden.


    He jumped up the still-growing wolf and pointed toward the road.


    ¡°To Ironwood!¡±

 Chapter 161 - Interlude 15

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Dan asked as he watched his friend and boss leave the restaurant citing something or other, but clearly leaving them to discuss the things that were said.


    Lara took a dainty sip of her drink and then gave him a small, yet warm, smile. He involuntarily returned the smile.


    ¡°Negotiation,¡± she answered.


    ¡°But you were like¡­ and then he was like¡­¡± he spoke, trying to express his confusion and jumbled thoughts.


    Lara just giggled. Then she leaned over and bumped her head against his for a moment.


    ¡°Your boss clearly knows how the world works. And made sure to do his homework on me, just as I did on him.¡±


    ¡°But you barely said anything!¡± he exclaimed, still not really understanding what just happened.


    ¡°Because we didn¡¯t really need to. We simply talked, he threatened me, I reassured him and so on¡­¡± she explained patiently to the frowning Dan.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Lara put her hand back on Dan¡¯s and interrupted him.


    ¡°Look. You know how my family is kind of a big deal. We talked about it¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°He knew it too. And your boss was familiar with how families like mine work. He didn¡¯t want to support someone who would leave the moment somebody snapped their fingers.¡±


    ¡°That could happen?¡± Dan asked worriedly. He knew a few things about Lara¡¯s family. Mostly that they were rich and had a lot of holdings, and that¡¯s why a lot of guys were trying to get into her pants.


    Lara shrugged causing Dan¡¯s eyes to wander. Refocusing on his girlfriend¡¯s eyes he saw she was smirking.


    ¡°Yes. Some families are like that. Family over anything,¡± she explained. ¡°But as I told him, I¡¯m not in line to inherit anything important and some of my cousins are already leading a guild supported by the family.¡±


    Dan listened intently, then nodded. Then he had a thought based on his experience with Sam. Swallowing slightly, he spoke up.


    ¡°What about¡­ when this venture turns out to be a goldmine? Sam is basically Midas in the game! Wouldn¡¯t they want it for the family?¡±


    Lara looked back at him with a warm smile, then shook her head. ¡°The contract will be me, as a private individual and your boss, not the family.¡± Then she frowned, playing around a little with the straw in her glass. ¡°And if they get uppity, grandpa is on my side!¡±


    It was Dan¡¯s turn to smirk. ¡°Grandpa¡¯s favorite little girl, eh?¡±


    ¡°Something like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Do I have to do something to help you?¡±


    Her smile widened. ¡°You¡¯re very sweet, but this is family politics.¡± Then she got a funny look in her eyes. Her smile turned into a salacious grin. ¡°You can help with giving me some good massage¡­¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have the training¡­¡± Dan muttered.


    Lara cleared her throat and gave him a pointed look.


    It took Dan a moment to understand the implications, then his face lit up with a blush.


    ¡°Oh¡­OH!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Liz carefully picked up the metallic part with her tweezers, her eyes shining with the light of her newest skill, and placed it inside the first of what would become the next generation of drones.


    Her cute little helpers were adorable and made her streams pretty popular. A company even approached her about making plush figures of them. So now that the process had begun, she was locked into the shape she first created for them.


    ¡®I hate branding¡­¡¯ she grumbled as she made sure that the last part fit into the drone. Then, slowly and meticulously, she closed up the drone lying on the work desk in front of her.


    Liz took a long minute to take in the new drone and let out a satisfied smile.


    Thanks to her new skills, her crafting had improved by leaps and bounds as the synergy between crystals and light was just too good.


    With one last look, aided by her new eye skill, she made sure there was no visible error on the wire model made up of light and nodded. Laying her hands on the drone, she sent a minuscule amount of mana into it, giving it a spark of life.


    Ignoring the notification screens, she watched as the drone, at first hesitantly, then more assuredly, rose above the desk. First, it hovered there, turning this and that way, before fully focusing on Liz, dipping the front of the drone downward in its best approximation of a bow.


    Liz reached out and gently pat the drone on its head. ¡°Hello, little one. Welcome to the family!¡±


    The drone buzzed adorably, then seemingly noticing the rest of the drones busily flying around the workshop while several Big Boys hovered around the room, guarding it vigilantly.


    She watched for a while as the new drone almost seamlessly melded into the organized chaos, albeit flying and maneuvering more smoothly than its predecessors, then she turned back to the game and opened up her notification screens.


    [Congratulations! You finished the first of the second-generation drones!]


    [Drone v2.0 is finished and activated.]


    [You have crafted over a hundred Tier 1 drones and one Tier 2 drone. Would you like to select Drones as your crafting specialty?]


    Liz opened the screen and touched the crafting specialty expression, which opened up a small explanation window. It was vague, but it still provided some much-needed clarification.


    [Crafting Speciality: No crafter can master all disciplines. Sooner or later one needs to choose a direction, or rather a speciality. Crafting items belonging to the specialty will be easier, and cheaper, and the items themselves will be stronger, faster, and altogether work better, where appropriate. As you progress with your specialty, items outside of its range will become harder and harder to craft to the same quality. You can only achieve the highest tiers within your specialty.]


    Frowning slightly, she touched her finger to the Drone Specialty, but the game frustratingly remained silent.


    ¡°Ugh, what should I do?¡± she exclaimed with a deep sigh.


    Drones were cute, cool, and rather good force multipliers, as well as allowing her to go solo clear several fractures.


    But with the crafting she was doing for the company, Liz felt it would be stupid to lock herself into the Drone specialty. She doubted she could consider the lights and quality of life items she crafted for the Heavenly Forest drones.


    For a long moment, she just stared at the system screen, then leaned forward and began banging her head on the desk in a futile attempt to dislodge the answer to the question from the deep recesses of her brain.


    <hr><hr>


    The room was dark. There was not an iota of light.


    He stood still in the darkness, covered by his new cloak, and reached up to adjust his slightly skewed bowtie. After all, even if one was an assassin, that didn¡¯t mean they could present themselves with a sloppy appearance.


    Naturally, Tim could see in the darkness just as he could in daylight, thanks to his skills.


    The waiting part was harder, but he was doing his job so there was at least some excitement.


    One of the bean counters that worked with the Heavenly Forest in Ironwood noticed some discrepancies in the receipt and incoming money and through a few cutouts, not that the bean counter knew about it, Tim received the notification.


    Taking his job very seriously, he immediately began to hunt down the offender. Naturally, knowing how things worked, and having a lot of practice finding weak points in organizations, he started at the very bottom.


    The people ¨C NPCs ¨C who nobody paid any attention to. The menial workers, busboys, and such.


    Not that he didn¡¯t respect them. Work was work, and he worked in a grocery store during his university years, so he knew the pains of customer-facing jobs, but he also acknowledged that there was an inherent ¡®disdain¡¯ toward those kinds of workers.


    So he skulked around, talked to people in disguise and most importantly, he followed the clues until he found it terminating at one of the warehouse shift managers. Important enough to sign some papers, but not enough to pay attention to.


    ¡®Smart¡­¡¯ he mused as he kept standing behind a well-placed stack of crates. ¡®According to what I found, he usually comes here to do some overtime. I really have to hand it to Future Unknown. The NPC AI is top-notch¡­¡¯


    And Tim was waiting for him to commit some kind of crime that could be used as leverage to figure out his motives and to find the people behind his actions.


    Heavenly Forest housed a lot of important ¨C or rather rich ¨C people whose itineraries and actions were in high demand.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Hearing the footsteps coming toward this smaller warehouse, Tim couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡®Right on time¡­¡¯


    Soon, the room was flooded with light, however, his skills prevented him from going temporarily blind and he could see the shift manager enter the room with a small box in his hands, nervously glancing around.


    Tim waited patiently as the corpulent man fully entered the room, closing the door behind him, and approached a few crates that Tim knew he would access, thus his hiding place providing an excellent view of the crime being committed.


    As he watched the man trying to put the box into the bigger crate without leaving anything out, showing his lack of skill with Tetris, Tim couldn¡¯t help but smile as he began recording with a handy-dandy recorder, courtesy of Liz, crafted from the finest roadside crystals.


    All right, it was thrown together in five minutes after he forgot that he couldn¡¯t use the game¡¯s in-built recorder as evidence at the in-game courts, but it was still nice and Liz only glared a little.


    ¡°¡­damn them all¡­why do I have to¡­who cares about some fop¡¯s¡­¡±


    His target kept mumbling, his voice raising in volume as his frustration grew. Finally, he managed to shove the smaller box into the crate and put the crate lid back into its place. Naturally, the amateur didn¡¯t even notice the small bits and bobs he disturbed and knocked onto the ground, plus all the dust that managed to gather in the warehouse.


    Instead, he threw his hands up, let out a curse-filled cheer, and then stalked out of the room, nervousness forgotten. He even forgot to turn off the light.


    Tim approached the crate, and with gloved hands, recorder still rolling, opened it and retrieved the box.


    Giving it a cursory look, making sure it wasn¡¯t enchanted, but he saw nothing.


    ¡®Probably easier to sneak in an¡¯ out.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t even locked properly, just a simple metal latch and nothing more.


    So, Tim, the curious person he was, opened it.


    Inside he found a bottle of expensive alcohol that he knew the Heavenly Forest directly imported from the bottler, as it was only accessible by nobles. He knew it fetched a good price on the secondary market. Next to it was a bunch of papers, held together by twine.


    He took the first, slipping out of the tightly bound stack, and gave it a glance over.


    ¡®Fuck. Timetables for some big names¡­ Lucy won¡¯t be happy.¡¯


    Paper still in hand, he looked away and began thinking and after a moment, he let out a positively evil chuckle. Opening his inventory, he scrounged around until he found one of the pencils that were in use around the hotel. He then gleefully ¨C after taking some pictures ¨C began to alter the information on the papers. Not much, but enough to cause some confusion.


    Plus, this would provide him enough opportunity to go after the people behind the shift manager.


    <hr>


    Half an hour later, bowtie once again adjusted, he stepped out of one of the lavatories, sans his cloak with a gentle and reassuring smile on his face. He walked through the service corridors of the Heavenly Forest, the workers all greeting him jovially or simply giving him a nod of respect as they rushed around doing their jobs. After all, he worked for the big boss, so naturally, he spent a lot of time helping around so his presence wasn¡¯t out of the ordinary for anyone.


    After walking through several service corridors, he finally arrived at his destination.


    Opening it, he saw it was full of maids and butlers as they sat and relaxed, clearly resting between work. He looked around and instantly found his quarry.


    ¡°Claire,¡± he greeted the young woman as he approached her, ignoring the giggling maids around them. ¡°You wanted to speak to me?¡±


    The woman adjusted her glasses and smiled at him. ¡°Yes, Tim. I have a few questions¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    This time Katie arrived in a meadow in the middle of a normal forest.


    She had a few seconds to get familiar with the environment before the nearest tree broke open its dark maw and tried to gobble her up.


    After that, it was just once again a non-stop rush through.


    She first had to fight through the forest as the local flora did its best to consume her while the yellow energy crackling around her destroyed everything in her path.


    Then after she finally left the forest, she arrived in the fields where she fought the specter of Sam. And naturally, dozens of similar specters showed up. One hand holding a sword and the other crackling with magic.


    The only difference was that instead of Sam¡¯s head, all of their heads were replaced by fish heads. Ignoring the beady eyes, Katie threw herself into the fight, remembering how annoying it was to fight the illusion imitating her boss.


    Katie knew that Sam was better at the game, but seeing how easily the illusion handed them their asses was eye-opening. They only won because they had the numbers advantage and the illusion was rather predictable with their movements.


    She wanted to be that strong!


    She knew that in real life, there wasn¡¯t much chance of acquiring that kind of power, but here in the game, everything was possible, and Katie wanted to be one of the strongest.


    And if that required defeating dogs with heads on both ends, spewing fire at her while flying through the air like helicopters, then by Jove, she was going to do it!


    Plus, with the Cow¡¯s inclusion into the group, she would also need to prove that she was stronger than her. Lucy had pulled her aside and told her that no large-scale tomfoolery would be accepted by her. Not unless it was aimed at their enemy.


    And sadly, Isabella counted as an ally¡­


    ¡®But I¡¯m not giving up! I will show her who is the best!¡¯ she thought while carving through a crowd of mad cows, all of them standing on one biological and pirate leg as they waved scimitars at her.


    ¡°RAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!¡± she roared, aided by her skill, and it caused the cows to flinch, giving her enough time to let lose a whirlwind of blades that destroyed them, only for the bloody pieces to turn into butterflies that flew up into the sky, raining pixie dust down that within two blinks turned the semi-destroyed field into the desert.


    Barely a few steps later, the ground shook, sending sand everywhere, and a gigantic form broke out of the ground, creating a giant sand cloud, obscuring Katie¡¯s vision.


    Despite wanting very much to rush in, Katie waited patiently ¨C if vibrating in one place counted ¨C until the cloud of debris and sand dispersed and she beheld the majestic visage of a blue and red worm with a diameter of thirty feet. It had no eyes but one mouth with concentric circles of teeth. Each circle of which she could see at least seven, spun in the opposite direction than its neighbors, generating an incredibly horrible screeching sound.


    Katie just grinned and raised her greatsword.


    ¡°This is going to be bloody great!¡± she exclaimed, then the next second she was off, trying to hack the worm into pieces.


    <hr><hr>


    Leaving the Steel Lions was an easy decision after what his father did to it, but David was starting to regret it.


    Soon after leaving, depositing all the items and gear that the guild provided him to make sure there were no accusations about stealing that his father could use, he spent some time just enjoying the game and doing a few fracture runs with random groups.


    They failed some and won some.


    But most importantly, there was no heavy air of expectation or the knowledge that if he fucked up something, then the first thing anybody seeing it would do was to tell his father.


    David hadn¡¯t enjoyed the game so much since before he founded the Steel Lions. It was really liberating, explaining somewhat his sister¡¯s behavior. Not all of it, of course, but at least some of it¡­


    However, after enjoying his freedom for a while, he decided if he wanted to seriously play the game, he would need a permanent group. That is a guild.


    Only it appeared that nobody wanted him.


    Oh, they could cite increasing prices, not enough equipment, too low level, but he could see clearly what was going on. Most bigger guilds were created by people of means. People who could supply the needed gold to start the guild, who in turn were all connected somehow.


    And David knew his father was petty enough to blacklist him everywhere.


    Cursing softly, David sat on the beach near Deepanchor, watching as ships left the harbor with sails up, vanishing into the sunset while the city began to light up as dusk approached.


    ¡®It appears I have to do with pugs for the time being¡­¡¯ he mused while he kept watching the idyllic scenery.


    Then he shrugged. ¡°Ehh, who cares? The game is fun, I¡¯m having fun. Fuck the old man!¡± he exclaimed, raising a fist at the sky. He felt oddly free after his declaration.


    ¡®I wonder when Katie¡¯s boss is going to make a guild¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure Father can¡¯t blacklist me there¡­¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    Adam sat in his room, on his favorite chair, where he always sat when he wanted to think, or according to his grandmother, brood, and well, brooded.


    When that man approached him and offered proof of his friend cheating him, well, he simply humored the man. After all, he was pretty successful in several games, so it wasn¡¯t the first time somebody tried the same tactic.


    Sadly, this time, it was pretty much real.


    It wasn¡¯t some computer-generated fake conversation, or people pretending to be his friend, or rather ex-friend, but an honest-to-God recording, authenticated by the game itself. Honestly, he didn¡¯t even need the authentication proof.


    He knew his friend enough to realize that he wasn¡¯t lying. However, based on how long he had pulled wool over his eyes, he really began to doubt himself.


    Adam hated dealing with money. It just felt icky to him, putting a price on people¡¯s actions and behavior so he was happy to leave it to his ex-friend and ex-partner. Thankfully, he had a rather airtight contract with the man, that included several provisos that in this new light were rather unfair to Adam and favored his ex-partner in case something happened.


    Unless Adam had some very specific proof. Like authenticated video proof of a confession, notarized document copies from the accountant, and a few more things.


    Basically, now that he looked at it closer it was written in a way that he would have to jump through dozens of hoops before he could do anything to his traitorous ex-friend.


    Letting out a deep sigh, he closed his eyes, counted to thirteen, then opened them and reached for his phone.


    Slowly and carefully, he navigated through the menus until he finally arrived at a number. He loathed to do this after all he had achieved, but he needed someone who was only in his corner no matter what happened in the past.


    Pushing the button, he dialed the number and held the device to his ears. He could have called through video chat, but Adam felt it would be hard enough over sound. There was no need to increase the difficulty by seeing the other person¡¯s face.


    It rang exactly seven times. He counted.


    ¡°Hallo? Is that you, Adam, dear?¡±


    He took a deep breath and spoke up. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, grandma. Hello! How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my gosh! It¡¯s really you, dear! So good to hear your voice! I have been busy, as you know¡­¡±


    As he listened to his grandmother rambles, Adam leaned back in his chair and marginally relaxed. The old woman might have liked to put up a visage of a dotty old lady, but she was still a vicious lawyer. With her in his corner, Adam didn¡¯t have much to worry about.


    Now he only needed to survive the social necessities and admonishments about family.


    <hr><hr>


    Lucy was busy.


    So busy¡­


    After the inclusion of Isabella in the group, just as she was finished with all the paperwork, Sam sent over more information about potential people.


    A woman, who was Dan¡¯s girlfriend, from an affluent family, wanting to build a city. A betrayed guild leader who loved organizing people just like her, that was exploited by their partner.


    ¡®Seriously, is he building a group based on psychological damage? Or just collecting damaged people?¡¯ she mused, studiously ignoring what that said about her.


    Still, according to Sam, they only needed to bring the ex-guild leader on board, and then they would be finally able to start building their own proper guild.


    Per the plans, Sam would lead a small team to do very specific things that advanced guild and company interests, or hindered others, while Lucy, the newly approached Lara, and Adam would hold the fort, both figuratively and literally.


    Lucy would deal with economics, politics, and human resources. Adam would lead the guild, while Lara would build them the perfect city to call home.


    It was a bold plan.


    Unfortunately, based on the things Sam had accomplished so far, she expected it to turn out just like all those things. And if she counted Liz into the group with her extremely unique crafting discipline and Tim with his odd approach to security, then they would be set for a long time.


    Or unleash some kind of eldritch monster that devoured universes¡­


    Naturally, this would attract a lot of attention, both good and bad. And with Katie¡¯s dad no doubt already gunning for them after Sam clowned him with the first raid, Lucy knew it would be an uphill battle.


    Despite that and a thousand other things that told her that the endeavor would be torture, Lucy couldn¡¯t help but feel excited.


    Here was the chance to make her mark on the world of Magic Unbound, the world¡¯s current best game, as the entire world watched. And if she managed to do this while half the world was working against her, well then¡­


    They were already making enough money through all their ventures that if they stopped and just concentrated on the business, they would live very comfortably, especially if they invested some of that money.


    But Lucy wasn¡¯t new at games. She knew that in games, especially roleplaying games like Magic Unbound, personal power mattered.


    If they couldn¡¯t protect their properties, then as soon as somebody out-leveled them, they would be coming to destroy them and take over the business.


    That¡¯s why they needed the guild. To shield the business and to distract the battle-hungry idiots with juicy targets while they fleeced the rich for their money.


    Lucy couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at how much her life changed ever since that fateful day when a weirdo sat down across from her at the coffee shop while a worried waitress waited for her signal to kick out another creep.


    ¡®Heh¡­ Good times¡­¡¯ Lucy chuckled as she went through another document. ¡°He''s still a weirdo, tho¡­¡±

 Chapter 162

    Even in the technologically advanced future, dealing with legal matters took time, so Sam was left with no recourse but to cool his heels in one place while his dream team assembled.


    Not that he really did nothing.


    The legal matters were done in a week, which was hilarious to someone who grew up in the twenty-first century, but according to Lucy, it was still slow compared to other matters.


    With AI and high-tech computing, digital databases, and search algorithms, it was a rare case that lasted more than a few days, at least on their level.


    Even here, the delay came from Adam¡¯s lawyer, a vicious old lady ¨C according to a grumbling Lucy ¨C who tried to nickel and dime them on everything.


    Sam wondered a little why Adam fell in such ruin in the future he had memories of if he had such an impressive lawyer on call.


    ¡®Maybe too little too late? We shall never know¡­¡¯ he mused.


    The situation with Adam¡¯s old guild had also stabilized somewhat. Neither he nor his ex-partner released the reason why the guild building was destroyed, but everybody in Gladerest was talking about how the ¡®famous¡¯ Adam decided that he didn¡¯t appreciate his partner¡¯s efforts and thus sought different opportunities somewhere else.


    Clearly, the bastard ex-partner was in ass-covering mode.


    Adam didn¡¯t really care much, trying to put the entire thing behind him. At least that is what Sam got from the scarce messages they exchanged. Some of the loyal people left with him, so that was a piece of good news for their soon-to-be-born guild, but he would leave it to Tim and Lucy to filter out all the spies that stayed.


    Lara was an altogether different kind of fish. She no doubt had bigger and better lawyers than he and Lucy did, but after only a few back and forth ¨C once again Lucy¡¯s words ¨C she simply signed the contract. No overbearing grandpa, annoying second cousins who haven¡¯t dislodged the silver spoon shoved up in their asses. Nothing. Sam expected at least one mysterious meeting with the grandpa just to make sure Sam knew he was watching.


    And while Lucy was doing the administrative tasks, Sam spent the time running around the game.


    He visited locations with Lucky¡¯s help where the company had supermarkets or other business interests. He snooped around, checked the local situation, took out a few corrupt NPCs, and made sure they were doing good business.


    Sam also scouted locations, including the ruin Lara found.


    While she stayed vague on purpose, no doubt not wanting to give him the exact location, however, from his inherited memories he was very clear on which ruin she was talking about.


    Only, in his memories, while there were attempts to build it up, it ended in supreme failure due to infighting and external attacks. Sam wasn¡¯t sure Lara was part of that effort, but it made sense that she may have contracted some other guild, and eventually, greed took over.


    The location was pretty good. A wide river, with a beautiful waterfall, over an underground water source, wide plains, and a tall mountain at its back. The ruins were clear evidence that it was an excellent place to have a town, but based on the buildings and historical records Lara managed to dig up, it was a mining town and when the ore dried up so did the town. And as with a lot of things in history, people soon forgot the place even existed.


    Sam already had Lucy looking into acquiring the rights to the territory. He wanted to make sure that nobody could steal it from under them. If it wasn¡¯t possible for them to take land ownership, then he planned to bring in the Silvercrest family even deeper.


    No doubt the loud and boisterous lord would be delighted to have his daughter ¡®rule¡¯ over a new town. He tried not to think about what Lucrecia would think about the opportunity.


    He also spent some time gathering supplies and equipment, looking into getting something better than his troll-hide armor, but so far none of the crafters he knew could produce something he wanted and Liz, at most, could only do heavy armor. Sadly, crystals weren¡¯t as flexible as leather.


    So far, his semi-regular auction house browsing hadn''t produced anything worthy of his attention. People had realized that enchanted gear was pretty rare, so even if any appeared it vanished just as fast, or went for such outrageous prices that Sam refused to pay.


    However, he managed to spot a few bargains and had Lucy buy up some materials that would be useful for them in the short term. Sadly, even with his access to the secret library, he couldn¡¯t do pinpoint precise long-term investments.


    Sam also picked up a few skill books that would be useful for his friends. He wasn¡¯t clear about Lara¡¯s ¡®class¡¯ but Adam¡¯s was pretty well-documented thanks to his competence. The giant of a man used a warhammer and went around smashing things with pinpoint precision. He wasn¡¯t a berserker, but neither was he a paladin archetype. Solid DPS with some pretty good CC and tanking capabilities.


    He didn¡¯t know the exact setup of their skills, like with Dan or Katie, but he could extrapolate from his inherited memories and general knowledge of the game. He sent Adam a copy of the basic mana knowledge and a simple message to Dan that he was free to share the basics with his girlfriend as long as she kept it to herself.


    ¡®It will be a good test to see how trustworthy she is¡­¡¯ he ruminated. She would probably clock it instantly as an attempt to gauge her trustworthiness, but it would still send a message. Hopefully, the right one¡­


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Interestingly, the Auction House was in flux currently.


    Information about the worth of certain items, mostly enchanted ones, had spread, which was already causing some chaos, but there was also a big emptiness where once stood giant mountains of unsold skill books.


    The number of people entering the game grew big enough that the Mage Tower and other sources of skill books simply couldn¡¯t keep up as there wasn¡¯t some game mechanic that spawned those books ex nihilo.


    While the association of mages could have created more, only the high-level mages, wizards, sorcerers, and other ¡®classes¡¯ had the knowledge of how to do it. And they all felt that the task was beneath them. Physical skills were a little easier as they could be taught manually by an instructor to a large group of people who were also bottlenecked by available space and actual willing instructors who didn¡¯t charge through the nose.


    Funnily, at the moment, high-level or niche skill books were sold more slowly than basic skill books.


    Granted, it was common knowledge that all skills can be learned through effort and practice¡­ but who had time for that?


    Naturally, most players took to the official forums to complain but Future Unknown just declared that it was a free market, and if the players were annoyed with the shortages, they could either ¡®git gud¡¯ or do something about the shortages.


    Currently, players were in their outraged phases, but according to the chatter on the forums and in Shadowland, a lot of guilds were looking into getting their own trainers, as well as searching for information on how to create skill books.


    Sam knew, of course, but that was one thing he wouldn¡¯t be sharing with anybody but his guild when he was reassured that the people chosen for the task were loyal. Plus, the whole cheating thing¡­


    Sam paused for a moment then shrugged, Lucky under him not even slowing down his run.


    ¡®That¡¯s future Sam¡¯s problem¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    They used one of the bigger meeting rooms.


    Lucy was sitting at the head of the table, Sam next to her, leisurely leaning back in his chair, trying to project confidence while Lucky practically crawled into his lap. It wasn¡¯t going well. Dan, Clarissa, Katie, and Isabella were sitting a few chairs down, with Dan and Clarissa sitting between the two feuding girls. Their pets, Melody and Hawky, were behind them, craning their necks and looking around with interest.


    Surprisingly, Lara wasn''t next to Dan, instead, she sat alone with a large stack of documents, scrolls, and binders. Sam already knew that the young woman would be great friends with Lucy.


    On the other side of the desk was the hulking figure of Adam, stone-faced with his own set of documents in front of him, plus a neat little notebook, his pencil ready to take notes.


    Between Adam and Lucy was Tim, sitting there all prim and proper, looking like he stepped out from the front page of a magazine named Average IT Employee Monthly.


    They were all there to start organizing the guild that the AFK company would support.


    <hr>


    ¡°So, we are all in agreement with the distribution of future profit, correct?¡± asked Lucy, looking up from her own notes.


    There was a round of nods and agreements from everybody, though Dan and Clarissa were both a little glassy-eyed. Unsurprisingly, both Katie and Isabella could follow perfectly along.


    ¡°What about if someone leaves the guild and the company?¡± Lara inquired with an innocent look on her face.


    ¡°They are forced to sell and the company has first refusal. After the company it¡¯s Sam, then me personally,¡± came the response from Lucy instantly. ¡°We really don¡¯t want anyone else trying to control things. We are here to make sure everyone is fairly compensated for their efforts.¡±


    Adam nodded, then spoke up quietly. ¡°What about the people who would join thinking they would be entitled to discounts to other businesses owned by the company?¡±


    It was Sam this time who answered. ¡°Bummer for them. No discount for new people, that just leads to misuse. If they want discounts, they get to earn it. Heavenly Forest is out. That will be entirely separate from the guild,¡± he explained. ¡°I don¡¯t want a bunch of munchkins to grind out enough contribution points on day one to get a place in Heavenly Forest and drive out the paying guests.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t be happy about it¡­¡± Adam pointed out.


    Sam shrugged. ¡°Not my problem. We have some of the best information about mana training, connection to trainers, and so on. They can also earn discounts for our other businesses. If that¡¯s not enough, then they¡¯re clearly in the wrong place.¡±


    ¡°Just wanted to make sure you¡¯re aware. Something similar happened to u¡­me in another game. It was a PR disaster,¡± the giant man grumbled. ¡°Though now that I think back, I know why¡­¡±


    There was an awkward air around the room until Lucy clapped her hands together, refocusing everyone on her.


    ¡°With that done. How about we talk about the crafters?¡±


    ¡°Subguild,¡± came the answer immediately from Adam. ¡°In my experience, that¡¯s the best way to deal with it. Clear line of command, less chance of abuse by the fighting players.¡±


    Lucy nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Good idea. My friend is bored after we finished the last building project, so she will be perfect for taking the lead on it.¡±


    ¡°Fully?¡±


    Lucy just snorted. ¡°Hell, no! She is too lazy. But excellent figurehead. All extrovert and everything. We can deal with the details and she can schmooze and touch grass.¡±


    To Sam, Adam looked a little relieved. ¡°Trustworthy?¡±


    ¡°Mhmm.¡±


    Adam nodded, then looked around. Most people shrugged, but Tim and Sam nodded. Satisfied with that, he wrote a few notes.


    Lucy looked around and then took out another document. ¡°All right. Then how about we talk about income for the guild?¡± She took a brief breath, then continued. Sam watched her talk and couldn¡¯t help but smile seeing his friend so happy. The knowledge of what would have happened to her if he hadn¡¯t interfered made the situation even better. ¡°Naturally, guild players could deposit items and resources into the guild warehouse for contribution points, but we will also set up teams to farm certain fractures.¡±


    ¡°Crafters?¡± came the question from Isabella. ¡°Are they going to be working on outfitting the guild? That¡¯s a pretty big money sink.¡±


    Lucy shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll have proper R&D that will work on making better things.¡± Liz wasn¡¯t mentioned yet as she was their ace in the hole. ¡°So, the rest can focus on improving. We¡¯ll set some quotas and the rest can go on the public market with first refusal going to the guild. Sound right?¡±


    Another round of nods and agreements.


    ¡°Understood. Then the last thing we need to discuss is the recruitment,¡± stated Adam, and Sam saw everybody perking up. Even Melody, who was in the process of stealing finger sandwiches from the catering table, looked at Adam. ¡°There are around a hundred people I got from the¡­ let¡¯s call it divorce. With the current climate, that does not make a guild.¡±


    Lara snorted. ¡°And how many of those are spies?¡±


    Adam opened his mouth, preparing to say something then closed it and shook his head a little defeated.


    Tim sat up even straighter, adjusted his bowtie, and spoke up with a gentle voice. ¡°Allow me to deal with them. If handled well, we can use them to our advantage.¡±


    Adam turned to Tim, looking at him as if he saw him for the first time. ¡°What were you thinking?¡±


    Tim¡¯s smile was truly sinister, contrasting with his gentle demeanor. ¡°Oh, just a little misdirection here and there¡­¡±

 Chapter 163

    They stood in the shadow of an alcove, overlooking the small plaza before the building they had spent the last week in-game buying, cleaning, repairing, and building up into a temporary guild hall.


    Their permanent one was going to be the entire city that Lara was planning to build, but for now a simple few-story-high building in Ironwood, not far from the company headquarters, would be the home to their new guild.


    Adam was standing on a stage, clad in armor shined to perfection, behind him several guild officers who followed him from Gladerest. Around the stage was a middle-sized crowd. Mostly people from all around the area showed up. They didn¡¯t want to overwhelm the rudimentary security system they had set up. Thus, they only advertised around the city and left the forums for later.


    This amount of people would be enough to see how the system they set up for the guild would function and where they would need to improve.


    Tim was also about, spreading all sorts of rumors about the guild vault, discounts, and whatnot. Sam was looking for the eventual teeth gnashing and lamentations.


    As he looked over the slowly gathering crowd, he spotted a few people ¨C all of them very beautiful ¨C speaking into the air.


    Reporters.


    AFK Company was big in Ironwood and its surroundings, but not many people knew that they were behind the Heavenly Forest, so he hadn¡¯t expected much turnout from the press.


    Next to him stood his party as they watched as Adam walked forward to the podium and the crowd fell silent. Sam had to admire the man¡¯s sheer presence.


    ¡°Welcome! Welcome, everybody!¡± Adam started out loud and instantly even the last straying eyes zeroed on in his hulking form. ¡°I¡¯m here to announce that today we are starting a new journey. With the help of friends, I¡¯m here to declare that a new guild is going to be calling this place, this city, their home. And I¡¯m also glad to announce that our doors shall be open to anybody who wishes to join us!¡±


    Immediately, a low-level buzz enveloped the plaza as people began to converse in excitement. A new guild always created a buzz, as they used all sorts of tactics to get people to join. A lot of people simply joined every new guild, used their recruitment freebies until they were revoked then left, only to join the next newest guild.


    A good living for now, but Sam knew that most guilds kept a list that held the names of the ¡®guild-surfers¡¯ and if they changed their mind they would only be let back in if they brought something very valuable with them. Or paid a lot of money¡­


    Thankfully, Lucy was rather diligent and did her research, so they were ready for the influx of guild-surfers and grifters. The spies were Tim¡¯s duty and the bowtie-wearing man was rather excited to flex his counter-espionage skills.


    Isabella was mostly happy that she wasn¡¯t leading the guild while Katie and Clarissa were cooly indifferent. Clarissa was happy as long as her pay was coming and she was working with competent people who actually listened to the healer.


    Dan was nervous for his girlfriend and was mostly fretting around.


    Liz was also present somewhere, far from the group, so that nobody would think they were connected, but according to the crafter she was also very excited to work with this many people. There would finally be enough people to do some large-scale experiments with her inventions.


    Lara also looked indifferent but seeing her and Dan talking before the event began, Sam knew that even if she looked unflappable, she was pretty nervous.


    Sam was just happy that his plans were progressing pretty nicely and that while the minutiae of his future knowledge was pretty useless at this point thanks to the butterflies he had introduced, the major things were still more or less on track.


    Meanwhile, Adam continued his speech. ¡°Recruitment starts tomorrow bright and early, so those who wish to give it a try can find us here, in the building behind me,¡± he explained, then briefly pointed at the building which had a prominent spot covered by a cloth. ¡°But be warned!¡± he suddenly exclaimed loudly, causing a lot of people to jump in fright. ¡°We have a very exacting and rigorous test for those who want to join our new guild!¡±


    The crowd tittered politely, not taking his words seriously. Basically every guild said the same thing, and the only thing they asked when people went to join up was if they were alive or not. Some, not even that¡­


    ¡®Oh, boy, are they in for a surprise¡­¡¯ Sam chortled to himself as he watched the smug looks on the crowds¡¯ faces.


    Then a brief lull and a yell from somewhere in the throng of people. ¡°What¡¯s the name?¡±


    Everybody perked up again, and Sam had to hide another snort. It was such an old trick¡­


    Adam smiled, and Sam could see several ladies, both NPC and players, swoon. He was mature enough that he could admit that he was a little jealous of that.


    ¡°Of course, how forgetful of me¡­¡± he said with a small smile, then turned halfway, raising his hand toward the cloth covering on the building wall and waited for three breaths, and on an invisible signal the cloth fell and he spoke. ¡°Please welcome the guild, Chrysalis!¡±


    The cloth fell, and the sign appeared under it. Simply stylized letters and behind them an abstract representation of a butterfly chrysalis. Sam and the others felt that it fit the people who founded the guild. After all, it represented freedom, transformation, and the cycle of life.


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    There was a polite applause and several reporters stepped forward to ask questions.


    Already knowing what Adam would be saying as they went over the extensive information during their meetings while the building was prepared Sam stepped away and headed for the headquarters.


    Apparently, Lucy wanted to talk about something¡­


    <hr>


    He found himself sitting in Lucy¡¯s office as she glared at her paperwork, while her shadowy and clawed familiar glared at Sam with bloody red eyes. It was rather disconcerting¡­


    ¡°So, what did you want?¡±


    Lucy looked up from her paperwork. ¡°I need you to go back to the capital and do your¡­ magic,¡± she said while vaguely wiggling her fingers.


    ¡°Magic?¡± he asked bemusedly.


    ¡°Yeah, magic. I don¡¯t know how you got the properties, but a lot of people are unhappy. And not just the players.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ any of the guilds are causing trouble?¡±


    Lucy just smirked evilly. ¡°Well, they are trying. It¡¯s rather cute¡­¡±


    ¡°Then¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the NPCs that are annoying¡­¡± she admitted with a frown. ¡°The nobles don¡¯t really care, we¡¯re too small fries, plus neither of us have titles.¡±


    ¡°Merchants?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Sam closed his eyes, fell silent, and thought about it. Nowhere could help him with it but they would either laugh into his face or demand some outrageous price. No. If he wanted this taken care of, then he needed to do it on his own.


    ¡®Hey, weren¡¯t there rumors that a bunch of demons used the harbor in the capital to smuggle drugs in to try to destabilize things?¡¯ he mused, as a sudden memory came to the forefront. Sadly, it was just the rumor that the other Sam had heard, as he wasn¡¯t really on a level where he could do quests in the capital. ¡®Plus, the government probably suppressed the news to avoid panic and to not look bad. Mostly for the second one, I suspect.¡¯


    Opening his eyes, Sam looked up and saw Lucy had returned to her work. He cleared his throat and waited until Lucy looked up.


    ¡°I think I can sniff around and do a little this and that to discourage people from annoying us¡­¡±


    Lucy raised an eyebrow. ¡°This and that? Are you going to give them something to worry about or solve issues that nobody but you know about and have them turn into your best friends?¡±


    Apparently, he was becoming predictable. ¡°Hoping for the second, planning for the first.¡±


    Lucy scrutinized him for a second, then sighed.


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t start a rebellion¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡±


    ¡°I hate you¡­¡±


    <hr>


    They left the city of Ironwood behind with a large line forming in front of the new guild hall, Sam riding on Lucky as the giant wolf rode over the road, charging around people, flipping skirts, and casting dust in eyes.


    The rest of the team would follow him to the capital after they helped around a little, with the guild recruitment allowing Sam to sneak around a little.


    He arrived in the city sometime later, with the sun already going down. He entered the city in disguise, then took a rather convoluted way to enter the headquarters of Nowhere with the help of his mysterious badge on the enchanted compass.


    Sam simply checked in to see if they had anything for him, but he was politely informed that first, he had to prove himself further before they would trust him with anything more dangerous than hunting down dust bunnies.


    However, he made sure to take a small detour in the library to check a few things, mostly to have an excuse to reveal hidden information after ¡®he put it together¡¯ and to satisfy his own curiosity.


    Then, after making sure to avoid the old lady, he left Nowhere on an entirely different route, and found himself somewhere in the middle of the capital city. All around him, the crowd moved to and fro, entirely ignoring him.


    However, compared to the last time he was there, Sam saw many more players. They were mostly looking around with a glum look on their faces as the prices in the capital were much higher than in other cities. There were a few players with their own followers strutting around, no doubt enjoying the fact that they could spend real-life money to purchase gold. He saw a few notorious and famous guild signs but didn''t recognize anyone.


    Instead, he entered the nearest alley, and half an hour later, he emerged from a very different alley dressed entirely differently and wearing a newly created face. He spent some time walking around, pretending to be window shopping then ducked into the nearest alcove and pulled up his hood, obscuring his face, but ¡®badly¡¯. It would allow people to give descriptions and, in turn, would give him another layer of protection.


    Back in Deepanchor, thanks to the revitalized Morrison family, he could have just gone to them and had a full dossier on the malcontents who were trying to disrupt their business, but here in the capital, he was pretty much fangless.


    ¡®Well, that¡¯s nothing that a little derring-do and sneaking around can¡¯t fix¡­¡¯ he mused to himself as he swept through the darkening streets of Vividora with a stealthy swirl of his cloak.


    <hr>


    Lucy was pretty thorough.


    That¡¯s why Sam had a pretty good starting point. One of the warehouses was next to several others, as they are wont to do, and those belonged to a wealthy merchant called Halisen, who, according to Lucy¡¯s research, had been wanting to buy up the warehouse that Sam laid his hands on.


    And as he stood in the shadows of the corner of a small intersection, he could understand why. His warehouse was much bigger than several of its neighbors. ¡®Well, we know why he is angry¡­ now let¡¯s see if we can do something about it.¡±


    However, before he could head away, he spotted some movement on the other side of the warehouse. Within two blinks he was enveloped in shadows, concealing himself from sight, and thanks to the wind he was up on the roofs, running toward the suspicious movement.


    From his vantage point, perched on the edge of the roof, he saw a suspiciously dressed group of people wielding all manner of tools. They ranged from giant hammers to wrenches, with one of them wielding an odd-looking plier.


    All of them wore cloaks, hiding their faces but not the simple and faded clothing under them.


    ¡®Thugs¡­¡¯


    Instantly, he raised a hand and silently began weaving his magic, casting illusionary runes around the group to cut off any escaping noises while he dealt with them, adding a little something to capture any runners.


    The warehouse district was patrolled so any sound of fighting would call over the guards immediately, and he wanted to prevent that to be able to spend some time speaking with his new friends.


    He watched as the thugs gathered up near one of the side doors to the warehouse and appeared to discuss something. Silently dropping to the ground using the wind to swallow any noise he would make, he crept behind them.


    ¡°¡­and I¡¯m sayin¡¯ we need to start inside,¡± one of them said in a hushed voice.


    ¡°Why tho?¡± asked another, not looking particularly smart.


    ¡°¡¯Coz that way we have more time before the guards come!¡± came the report.


    ¡°Why do we have to do this again?¡± Sam asked in a similar voice standing behind the group.


    The apparent leader just scowled but didn¡¯t turn around. ¡°¡¯Coz we got paid for it, dumbfuck.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ yeah, that makes sense¡­¡± Sam answered, inwardly cackling. Several others nodded as if reassured.


    ¡°Of course it makes sense, ya idiot!¡± exclaimed the leader and whirled around, no doubt to berate the speaker. ¡°You know the big man offe¡­re..d¡­¡± he slowly stopped talking as his eyes widened when he spotted Sam just standing there with a smile on his face.


    Sam waved. ¡°Hi! We need to talk!¡±


    ¡°KILL HIM!¡±

 Chapter 164

    ¡°So, what have we learned?¡± Sam asks, squatting next to the groaning leader of the thugs.


    The man, and all of his companions, didn¡¯t answer. They just continued to writhe on the floor after Sam went through them without even unsheathing his sword. He quickly checked that his runic ward was still up and then returned his attention to the man, who was still moaning in pain.


    Taking out his trusty poking stick, Sam used it to poke the man. ¡°Come on! It isn¡¯t that painful! Say something¡­¡±


    The thug moaned a few more times, but then he opened his eyes, glared at Sam, and spat a giant loogie at him, which splattered cleanly at a miniature wind wall in front of Sam. They both stared as it simply hung in the air for a short second then fell to the ground with a disgusting but rather quiet splat. Sam simply poked the man again.


    ¡°Come on! Just talk. I promise I won¡¯t hurt you again¡­¡± he lied.


    The man¡¯s eyes darted between Sam and the other thugs until he finally relented and let out a defeated moan.


    ¡°Okay, okay! I¡¯ll talk. Just stop poking me, you asshole!¡±


    Sam nodded and took away the poking stick, though he made sure to keep it visible. Just in case.


    The thug, still on the ground, swallowed and began to talk in a hushed voice.


    ¡°We were¡­we were told by the boss to go to this building here,¡± he started to haltingly explain, nodding his chin toward the building that Sam¡¯s company owned. ¡°And to go inside and to break some stuff.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Dunno, man¡­ Boss don¡¯t tell me nothin¡¯¡­¡± came the expected answer.


    ¡°Alright, then how about you tell me where your boss is?¡± Sam asked in turn.


    The man looked back at him and shook his head. ¡°Not tellin¡¯! Not tellin¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Or I could introduce my little friend,¡± he raised the poking stick high, ¡°more vigorously.¡±


    Uncomprehending eyes looked back at him.


    There was a lot of yelling and cursing after that. However, when he managed to calm the idiot down, he sang like a canary. A canary desperately trying to stay alive. A few minutes later, he had a route to the base of the thugs and the other ones were visibly glaring at their boss.


    ¡°Anything else I should know?¡± he asked curiously as he stood up and stretched a little.


    The thug looked up at him uncomprehendingly, as if the mere questions short-circuited his brain before the NPC answered with a dark grin.


    ¡°The boss got some strong people. They¡¯ll kill you, bastard!¡± the man spat in anger.


    Sam simply nodded again. ¡°Good to know¡­¡± In the next second, several distinct but low-leveled wind scythes were unleashed, and soon the bodies of the thugs were turning into pixels.


    ¡°Now what should I do?¡± he murmured to himself as he jumped up to the nearest roof and headed directly to the location that the lead thug fingered as their nightly gathering point. Apparently, they always met in different locations to stay safer and the location of the next meeting would be sent to them via a dead drop. However, if he wanted to get some actionable information, then he had to get there before sunrise, otherwise, they would realize that the thugs sent on the job were killed.


    Quickly sending a message to Lucy about adding a few more guards to the warehouses, he suddenly stopped in the shadow of a chimney and looked around as a bizarre feeling enveloped him.


    ¡®Where the fuck are the guards?¡¯


    He looked around, using his vantage point from atop the building he was standing on, and found that there were no patrols going to or coming from the direction of the company¡¯s warehouse. ¡®All right¡­ that¡¯s not at all suspicious...¡¯


    Sam made a note to figure out who was responsible, then restarted his journey toward the criminal hideout. The building that was pointed out to him was in a more crowded part of the city, right at the edge of warehouses and the night activities. It seemed to house several businesses on the lower floors, but the second floor was a mystery. Well, not to him.


    Before moving on, he brought up his mana and focused it on the building. Instantly, he found the gentle light of wards overlaying the structure, covering every door and window. Even the one on the roof.


    Shaping his mana thinly, he wound it to the nearest part of the ward, gently touching it. The moment he touched it, Sam stilled and waited for a reaction. But nothing happened. No ripples, nothing. At least nothing was visible.


    Grinning to himself, he took out a small stone from his inventory, charged it with a little chaotic mana, and threw it on the roof while he was still connected to the ward to see what the reaction would be.


    Once again, nothing. The charged stone landed on the roof with a small plink noise, rolled around a little, and then stopped. No reaction from the ward, no reaction from anywhere around the building, and nothing from the inside.


    ¡®Well, fortune favors the bold¡­¡¯ he mused as he prepared to infiltrate the building. First, he sent out a gentle pulse of mana to see if anyone or anything was paying attention. Naturally, as he was inside a city, the pulse came back with a lot of false readings. From the people on the streets, random artifacts on them, untrained players blazing their mana everywhere, and products in shops, but all of them felt neutral. None of them were in a convenient place to observe the building. Granted, there was every possibility that the person doing so could totally suppress their mana, or had an artifact that did it for themselves, but Sam felt the risk was worth it. ¡®Plus, I doubt anyone has anything like that around here. They seemed too low on the totem pole for that¡­¡¯


    He made sure that the pulse didn¡¯t go into the building he was observing, so for now he was blind to the insides.


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    Looking around from the edge of the roof, he spotted a group of players making merry and just generally being loud. They were obviously untrained, as none of them had any but the barest control over their mana. But that suited Sam just fine¡­


    He cupped his hand in front of him, creating a small ball of condensed wind, and gently began guiding it down to the ground with expert mana control, avoiding attention. Then he waited.


    The moment the big group was under him, he guided the ball of wind in the middle of the group and let it go. Instantly, there was a small explosion throwing up skirts and cloaks, accentuated by screams and laughter. By the time the first scream could be heard, he was already in motion. Clad in shadows, held aloft by the barest of wind magic, he jumped, covering the distance between the two roofs in a blink of an eye. He landed softly, barely making any noise.


    Ignoring the impromptu brawl that broke out in the street ¨C based on the sounds he was hearing ¨C he began creeping toward the window on the roof, near the chimney that was mercifully not in use. First, just to cover all his bases, he checked the chimney, but as he looked down into it he saw it was too narrow for his body and there were also several grates preventing birds and other animals from flying down. ¡®Ugh, if I could transform into a cloud of gas, I could¡¯ve solved this easier¡­¡¯ he grumbled to himself as he moved to the dust-covered window.


    Before doing anything physical, he took his small and thin thread of mana and began enlarging it, until it was as thin as a pencil, then it had enough bandwidth to handle his mana before fracturing. Pushing more mana through it, he covered the ward around the building until he blanketed the area of the window.


    Then, just like in heist movies, he moved his mana around and cut inside the line his mana created, while the rest of the mana took hold of the mana of the ward, not letting it escape. With the hole created, he moved the captured mana far from the building and released it. Thankfully, once again, the ward didn¡¯t react.


    Sam then took out a small knife and shimmied the window open enough that he could slip in.


    As the window closed behind him, he slowly let the ward regenerate, withdrawing his own mana, and landed in a dust-covered, spider-webbed attic filled with all manner of boxes and detritus. Clearly, nobody had visited the room in a while.


    Not even moving a pinky finger, he sent out another gentle pulse of mana through the building. Instantly, he was flooded with information. He counted almost a dozen minimal mana signatures on the top floor, twice that on the bottom floors, but he ignored that for now. There were businesses there, and the mana signatures that he sensed were moving like customers.


    And on the top floor, aside from the probable thugs, he sensed two anomalies.


    One was clearly a player, with blazing mana that they were trying to restrain, tinted with some familiar darkness. The other anomaly was barely there. If he didn¡¯t know his tropes, he would have dismissed it as nothing, or maybe as a pet. ¡®Okay, OP enemy found. With player apprentice? Probable. Conclusion: be dramatic.¡¯ He already found something worthwhile, now he just needed to gather a little more information.


    Slinking along the wooden beams, he headed toward a small hole in the ceiling where load-bearing wooden beams met and a gentle light was seeping through, casting gloomy illumination on the attic.


    Looking down the hole that was big enough to jump down, he saw several people sitting around. Positioning himself a little, he could see more of the room. On the other side, he saw a being in a cloak, the one with the static-like mana signature, next to another, a somewhat shorter person in a cloak, but their hood was off and Sam could see their spiky black hair with a streak of white and heterochromatic eyes. ¡®Dear god, my guy. Can you be more edgy?¡¯


    Around them stood several thugs, mean-mugging them. And as luck would have it, they just restarted their argument.


    ¡°How long do we hav¡¯ ta stay here, creep?¡± Came from the meanest-looking criminal. The rest of the guys nodded along, crossing their arms across their barrel-sized hairy chests and continuing to glare at the cloaked strangers.


    The one fully covered remained silent, but the player clearly had no interest in listening to the thugs again. He stepped forward and snarled.


    ¡°Shut the fuck up, idiot. You¡¯ll stay here until we say so!¡±


    The thug didn¡¯t budge. ¡°You hired us to do a job. We¡¯re doin¡¯ the job. Why do ya need us to stay here?¡±


    ¡°Because I said so. Now stop yacking about and leave us!¡± came the snarled response from the edgy guy. The other one was still silent.


    The thug shook himself and opened his mouth to answer, but the cloaked being held up a gloved hand and everybody fell silent, from the thugs playing and just talking with each other to the edgy wannabe.


    They spoke up, their voice a little sibilant and hoarse, with an undercurrent of darkness. ¡°We are here, my friend because I needed to be here today. And you, my brutish friend, are here to enjoy my exalted presence.¡± A small pause, and then the hand motioned toward the edgy guy as if it was an afterthought. ¡°And my apprentice.¡±


    The heterochromatic guy grinned savagely, and Sam could see small dark sparks racing across the cloak.


    The stranger hiding his face continued to talk. ¡°And now I take my leave, while my apprentice cleans up the rats.¡±


    There was a confused silence, both from the thugs and the apprentice. However, Sam was very clear about what was happening. Sighing slightly, he unsheathed his sword silently and scrambled around the wooden beams until he could jump down. Taking a deep breath, he did just so.


    As soon as he landed, every eye snapped onto him.


    Inwardly glad he had a different face on, he grinned and raised his hand. ¡°Hello there!¡±


    The cloaked stranger cackled and raised their hand. Instantly, a very familiar ¨C demonic ¨C energy swept through everything and covered the walls. ¡®Oh, hello consequences of my actions¡­¡¯ Then the cloaked individual turned to their apprentice. ¡°Take care of him. Do not fail me.¡± Following that, they executed a rather dramatic swirl of their cloak and vanished into a wisp of darkness.


    Sam made eye contact with the player and took in the dark electricity that swept over the cloak he was wearing. He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°No hard feelings, right?¡± And while the edgy guy was opening his mouth to reply, with no doubt something very dark and mysterious, Sam quickly spun around, releasing a disc of whirlwind which expanded into a cutting force, only stopped by the wall oozing with dark demonic energy.


    Unfortunately for the thugs, they weren¡¯t as tough as the newly enchanted walls. Returning to his starting position, Sam was met with the snarling visage of the heterochromatic edgy mage and a beam of darkness that had a thin core of light.


    ¡°Dark Beam!¡±


    Naturally, he didn¡¯t try to block it. He simply stepped to the side, and the beam splashed against the wall ineffectively.


    ¡°Multiple Dark Beams!¡±


    Another barrage of beams, same width as the first one, but now they practically filled the room as they flew at Sam. He dropped flat on the ground, letting the beams go over him. He sprung up as soon as the last beam vanished and launched himself toward the mage.


    Sadly, the mage was on the ball, and Sam¡¯s sword only hit a shield made of mana. Then the guy¡¯s other hand came up with an honest-to-god enchanted knuckleduster. Naturally, the weapon was made of silver material criss-crossed with some other dark material and inlaid with red and blue gemstones. Just like his eyes.


    Sam made a quick note to show the recording to his friend to laugh at later, and as the right hook came at him, he lashed out and grabbed the hand. There was a brief moment of confusion from his opponent, and then Sam braced himself and pulled the guy towards himself. However, only his enhanced mana sense saved him. He had a brief window as he sensed the activation of a spell, allowing him to let go of the hand and conjure his own shield.


    ¡°Dark Nova!¡±


    An explosion of dark energy erupted from the body of his opponent, going everywhere and destroying anything that remained intact after Sam¡¯s little spinning.


    He was also pushed backward.


    For a moment, they stood there, looking at each other. Sam curiously as he took in the situation, trying to gauge the other guy¡¯s level, while the edgy wannabe was already raging.


    ¡°How the fuck did you take that? That should have destroyed you!¡±


    Sam grinned and shrugged. ¡°Talent?¡± Which only further enraged the other guy.

 Chapter 165

    There was a brief pause as his opponent expressed his opinion of him in a rather crude manner and Sam took the time to take in the situation. The guy was several levels above him, just based on the amount of mana he was leaking, so he would have to be extra careful.


    ¡°JAGGED WOUND OF THE NIGHT SKY!¡± the guy exclaimed and true to his words, jagged two-dimensional wounds appeared in the air that showed the dark night behind the wounds. Ignoring how edgy the name was, Sam stepped forward and launched a barrage of wind blades at his enemy.


    The moment the wind blades materialized, the jagged wounds in the air glowed with mysterious dark light and unleashed their own magic. Dark light without shape spilled forth and soaked up the blades. Within a second, the light retreated as if nothing happened.


    The other guy just laughed. ¡°Hah! What a scrub! Did you try to overcome my ultimate defense with your puny spell?¡± He chortled a little, not even moving or doing anything, probably confident in his defense and, in turn, in his victory. He took another good look at Sam and smirked. ¡°What are you, Level 50? It can¡¯t be more than that¡­ And even so, you have a pitiful amount of mana!¡±


    Sam raised an eyebrow but didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he spent a few precious seconds observing the ¡®ultimate defense¡¯. It pretty obviously used the caster¡¯s mana to counter incoming magic, and thanks to the almost random placement of the wounds, he couldn¡¯t even try for an attack from an odd angle. His only options were to overpower it, which was blatantly impossible with the level difference, or¡­ disrupt it.


    Meanwhile, his opponent, like any good villain, continued to monologue, raising his hands dramatically in front of his face. ¡°I¡¯m already over Level 70! Soon, I¡¯ll be breaking into the top ten list with my power! You don¡¯t stand a chance, assassin!¡±


    ¡®Around twenty levels of difference¡­ehh workable,¡¯ he mused as he continued to probe the magic the other person conjured up, knowing full well he would only have one chance. As soon as the monologuing bastard realized that Sam was an actual threat, they would obliterate him. Confined to this place, he wouldn¡¯t have much chance to provide any resistance.


    ¡°But enough talking! Let me show you the true power of darkness!¡± the guy called out, raising his voice. ¡°Rise darkness! Rise and capture my foe!¡±


    Instantly, black miasma began to leak from under his robe, blanketing the floor. Before it could reach Sam, he simply created small platforms out of wind magic and casually stepped onto them, standing just barely above the miasma roiling over the floor.


    ¡°Fool! If you think that will be enough to avoid my encroaching darkness, then you¡¯re even stupider than I thought!¡± came the somewhat unhinged answer to his actions. In response, Sam cast his own Shadow Cloud, creating a cloud of shadow around him, obscuring him slightly from the mage¡¯s vision. It wouldn¡¯t give him full cover, but that was never the goal.


    He directed some part of the shadow upwards to cover several spots, while he arranged the rest haphazardly around.


    The dark mage just snorted and made a motion with their hand and the so far placid black miasma suddenly rose into the air, as if it was a tidal wave rushing to swallow Sam.


    Fortunately, this took Sam out of the view of his enemy for a second. Which was enough to create a shadow clone, and jump aside, shrouded in shadows, as his clone began jumping back, dodging the wave of miasma that wanted to swallow him.


    Knowing he had only a fraction of a second, he focused all of his attention on the jagged wounds in the air and cast his own spell.


    ¡®Mana Disruption!¡¯ unleashing his own spell he strained against the mana making up his enemy¡¯s spell. However, he had a distinct advantage. While his opponent was clearly more powerful stat-wise, even with his mana amount, he had piss-poor control. To his Mage Sight, the spell looked slapdash and inefficient as hell. It was pretty easy to find a hold on it.


    Glancing back at the heterochromatic mage as he laughed with his demented laugh and played with Sam¡¯s shadow clone as it dodged and weaved between waves of miasma.


    ¡°See?! SEE?! YOU ARE NOTHING! YOU EXIST BECAUSE I ALLOW IT!¡± the crazy guy yelled. Sam held back a snort and gave his spell a last push. It cost him a great amount of his mana, but the jagged edges blurred until they turned oval before simply vanishing.


    ¡°What?¡± came from the mage, but Sam was already in motion. His sword blurred, surrounded by deadly wind, his jump propelled by the same wind, coated in shadows, and enveloped by his mana shields.


    A fraction of a second later, Sam¡¯s sword was directly over the guy¡¯s heart, only to skitter away from a dark shield, only causing the mage to stumble backward.


    ¡°Hah! You can¡¯t do any- ¡° His enemy was interrupted, as Sam, still sped up by all the buffs on him, simply punched forward, Mana Disruption on his fist.


    This time, the shield didn¡¯t hold, shattering under his admittedly weak punch. ¡®Probably a last resort shield¡­¡¯ he thought as he watched the mage stumble once again, clutching his nose.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°You hid my nuse!¡± came the muffled cry from him.


    Still not saying anything, Sam raised his sword, still clad in buzzing wind, ready to cut the guy¡¯s head off, but the moment the sword was a hair breath away from his opponent¡¯s neck, the sword was stopped.


    Looking up from his target, Sam saw the mage¡¯s master standing behind the guy, one hand gently extended and one finger stopping his blade. Their face was still covered, but Sam had the distinct feeling that the guy was grinning.


    ¡°My, my¡­ what a talented rat¡­¡± came the mocking call while Sam¡¯s eyes darted around, trying to figure out a solution to the problem. After all, the NPC probably had at least more than two IQ points.


    ¡°Mather!¡± cried out the dark mage. ¡°I could had kithed them!¡± Sadly, his nose was still broken, so he sounded rather stupid.


    ¡°No,¡± came the merciless denial. ¡°You¡¯re still too weak. Return and await me for further training.¡± Sam watched as the player he was just fighting visibly flinched before the miasma on the ground gathered around him in an instant. The miasma covered his entire body between two blinks and a second later both vanished in a puff.


    Using the momentary distraction, Sam jumped back, sword raised ready, and his mana churning. Though, he suspected the being in front of him let him do it.


    They let out a sinister chuckle and fully turned toward Sam.


    ¡°You have been very naughty, my new friend,¡± they stated as Sam felt the mana gather around them, much more efficiently than their apprentice. ¡°So naughty, indeed¡­. Going around, disrupting plans¡­¡±


    Instead of answering, Sam pulled back his free hand and then pushed forward releasing the biggest gust of wind he could, laced with a swirling mass of chaotic wind blades. It rushed forward, but with a negligent wave of his new opponent¡¯s hand, the destructive attack turned into a gentle wind with only enough strength to push the hood off the being¡¯s head.


    Dark skin, long and pale hair, and a look of superiority. A demon.


    Raising his sword in a guard position, he moved his hand behind his back, as if taking up some kind of stance, while his fingers moved to carve immaterial runes into the air behind his back.


    ¡°Still no words for me? I¡¯m heartbroken¡­¡± spoke the demonic man, affecting a disappointed air. ¡°Alas, I have no time to wait for you to share your feelings¡­¡±


    Sam estimated he needed around a minute to create something that would allow him to escape. Probably. Hopefully. He opened his mouth to keep the demon talking, but before a sound could leave his lips the demon continued.


    ¡°I have no time to waste on dregs the likes of you¡­ Thus, take this as a warning. Stop, interfering!¡±


    And before Sam could say or do anything, the man raised one of his glove-covered hands and pushed forward and Sam only saw darkness.


    [You died!]


    [Greetings Solar! This is the first time you died! If you need more information, then please click on the following¡­]


    [If you experience any psychological or physiological effects of the death, please don¡¯t hesitate to call our emergency number, which is¡­]


    [If you think that your death was due to a bug or glitch, don¡¯t hesitate to send a bug report! You can open the bug report system¡­]


    [You can respawn in 3:59:48¡­]


    <hr>


    Sam took off his helmet and shook his head in disgust. ¡°Ugh, death by an overpowered NPC¡­ so lame. I hate when games do that¡­¡± he mumbled as he stretched out his slightly aching body.


    He knew that going deathless was impossible, but it still felt pretty nice that he hadn¡¯t died yet.


    ¡°Oh well, it happened. No need to cry over spilled milk¡­¡± he finished.


    Picking up his phone, he shot off a quick message to Lucy to update her about what he found, then walked out of his office. He needed a little rest.


    Then he stopped and smelled himself. ¡°First a shower, then I should touch some grass¡­¡±


    <hr>


    After a refreshing shower, he took stock of his kitchen and realized that he was running out of some stuff, so grabbed a lighter jacket, and headed for the grocery shop. True, this being a modern world, he could have ordered the groceries, but he wanted to leave the apartment for a while.


    Leaving his home, he came face to face with his neighbor, a young woman, probably around his age, also coming out of her apartment. Over the time he lived there, he met her a few times; they said hi but overall, they didn¡¯t interact with each other. He didn¡¯t know her name.


    ¡°Hey!¡± he greeted her. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    She looked over at him and spoke up in a small voice. ¡°Shopping.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m also doing a grocery run. Wanna do it together?¡±


    She considered him for a few seconds, then nodded. ¡°Sure¡­¡±


    Sam grinned and motioned her to go ahead. She smiled slightly and began walking toward the lift with Sam following her.


    <hr>


    He returned to his home with a bag full of food and a lighter mood. He still didn¡¯t know the woman¡¯s name, but they had a nice conversation about the weather and the latest elections. Just what he needed, an interaction with somebody without any stakes.


    After putting away the majority of the food and whipping up a dinner for himself, he sat down on his couch and turned on the TV, starting a new movie. Ever since he arrived in the future, he made sure to regularly watch a new movie that he had never seen. New world, new entertainment.


    <hr>


    Returning to the game, he woke up at the nearest resurrection point in the capital. It was a mausoleum-style building with players milling around, waiting for their friends or just keeping an eye on people. Notably, there were no NPCs around.


    Most NPCs knew that ¡®special adventurers¡¯ didn¡¯t fully die, but they had no idea how it worked. And the mausoleum was shrouded by a memetic barrier that made the NPCs ignore it, maintained by the system. The in-story explanation was that the death god decided to try something different, but they didn¡¯t want anybody to get too curious or try to emulate what they did.


    Not that players didn¡¯t try. It even turned into a worldwide event in the future memories he received. A guild far away from the other Sam, specializing in death magic and enchantments managed to decipher some percentage of the barrier and resurrection magic.


    Naturally, they did this so well that the magic doing the resurrection spread to every cemetery, tomb, and grave in the world. Thus the zombie apocalypse event was started¡­


    He sat up, and took stock of his items, happy that he didn¡¯t drop anything after being annihilated by the powerful demon. Then he simply walked out of the dreary building.


    Outside, he immediately walked away, until he reached the first alleyway. He ducked inside, and emerged later with a different face, holding his special compass.


    Sam needed to make a report¡­

 Chapter 166

    ¡°So, how did the mean demon look, deary?¡±


    ¡°Tall, pretty menacing, skin like a demon, and dressed in a dark robe. So, typical demon-slash-cult behavior.¡±


    The old woman on the other side of the desk tittered a little before asking another question.


    ¡°Any identifying mark?¡±


    Sam shook his head. ¡°Nothing that stood out. Their apprentice was more remarkable¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? How did they look like?¡± came instantly the question.


    Sam just sighed and gave an accurate description of the edgelord he had just fought.


    ¡°Thank you, deary,¡± the old woman said with a smile, then she turned back to her work.


    Sam was a little taken aback. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    Now it was the old lady¡¯s turn to look surprised. ¡°Yes, dear. Thank you for your report. Was there anything that you want?¡±


    He blinked a few times, trying to make sense of the situation. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about this demon? And I thought you would have me followed by somebody¡­¡±


    The old lady looked at him, then raised a hand elegantly in front of her mouth and began to chortle. ¡°Oh, honey¡­ you are not that important,¡± came the unexpected, yet at the same time damning, response. ¡°And not all demons are bad. We actually are in amicable relationships with some of them. And the rest¡­ well, dear, we do have people for that. Rest assured, this one will be investigated, but that has nothing to do with you, young man.¡± She spoke, still chortling a little. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and play with your little friends, hm?¡± she reached out and somehow patted his head.


    While Sam sat there bewildered as the old lady petted his head, he suddenly found himself outside of the office, alone in the corridor.


    He looked around, let out a disappointed sigh, and then headed for the library to check a few things.


    At least with the report, his quest progressed¡­


    [You successfully reported the presence of demons!]


    <hr>


    Sitting in the library of Nowhere, a book about runes sitting in front of him, in a futile effort to figure out a sequence of runes that would have allowed him to break out of the spell that the demon cast if they met next time. And thanks to his genre-savvy and trope knowledge, he knew they would be meeting again.


    ¡®Probably the system¡¯s way of telling me I¡¯m overreaching¡­¡¯ he mused as he listlessly paged through the book. ¡®Or maybe I¡¯m just overthinking it and it was a coincidence? Though, I did stop some demonic activity¡­¡¯


    Shaking his head, trying to dislodge his thoughts about the situation, Sam brought up his notification screen and checked out the ¡®gains¡¯ from his little adventure.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 56!]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 96!]


    [Mana Flux is now Level 1!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 70!]


    [Perception Filter is now Level 16!]


    [Illusionary Mana Slash is now Level 1!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 94!]


    [Mana Construct is now Level 36!]


    [Wind Mana Manipulation is now Level 42!]


    [Greater Wind Affinity is now Level 37!]


    [Battle Meditation is now Level 31!]


    [Improved Discernment is now Level 1!]


    [Silent Casting is now Level 17!]


    [Advanced Shadow Footwork is now Level 41!]


    [Silent Shadow (Sword Mastery) is now level 31!]


    [Shadowpoint is now Level 1!]


    [Shadow Grace II is now Level 5!]


    [Shadow Burst is now Level 1!]


    [Shadow Mirage is now Level 31!]


    [Shadow Shield II is now Level 15!]


    [Shadow Cloud is now Level 16!]


    [Greater Shadow Affinity is now Level 31!]


    [The Way of the Forerunner is now Level 3!]


    [Immersed Flow is now Level 1!]


    [Surprise Strike is now Level 24!]


    [Corruption Resistance is now Level 16!]


    [Shadow Resistance is now Level 21!]


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    [Adaptive Coordination is now Level 14!]


    A good list, but nothing to write home about. The Way of the Forerunner still stumped him, as he had never heard of a skill like that. And even the library in the Nowhere base did not provide any information about it. Apparently, he was really a forerunner, whatever that really meant.


    However, amidst the lukewarm news was one shining light.


    [Mana Disruption is now Level 10!]


    [Your understanding of the mana has granted you two paths. Choose one!]


    [You understand how to build up spells and constructs with mana, thus you know how to deconstruct them! You can gain the Mana Deconstruction skill!]


    [Your control over your own mana, and skills within your sight, allows you to see even the smallest imperfection in the mana being weaved. You can gain the Mana Unraveling skill!]


    It was a nice surprise that the game offered him the choice, but he had heard about Mana Unraveling, after an unfortunate occasion where a mage was accused of cheating. The backlash of the mage¡¯s action was so strong that the company decided to reveal the base skill for the skill the mage used to accomplish what many deemed impossible.


    Which was Mana Unraveling.


    He couldn¡¯t help but shiver in anticipation.


    [You choose Mana Unraveling!]


    [Mana Unraveling: Level 0/25 (0%) (Active) You can spot even the smallest imperfection in the weave of the mana. If your control is better than the one who wove the spell, then you can attack those imperfections and unravel the spell or magic in front of you.]


    Naturally, if he tried to unravel a spell that was actively cast, then the opponent¡¯s will, or rather mana control level, would be set against his, and that would add another layer to the fight. But if he tried to unravel a stationary ward that nobody was paying attention to, then it would only depend on him if he succeeded or not.


    He could already see the possibilities¡­ and the tears. Mostly the tears.


    Closing the screen, he returned his attention to his book. A little rest, then he would take another gander at solving the warehouse issue.


    <hr>


    The area where his fight took place was still the same when he returned. People were still lively and nothing alluded to the fact that a strong demon appeared there. Sam took a moment to take a look at the building, but aside from a few spots of blood, there was no trace of the fight or bodies.


    ¡®Criminals are apparently highly efficient¡­¡¯ he mused mirthfully as he took in the scene with his eyes and Mage Sight. But there was no trace of the demonic energy. ¡®Shame. Not that I expected it would work¡­¡¯


    Wearing a face that nobody ever saw, dressed in clothing over his armor that he would be disposing of after this, he simply walked around the area, listening to the crowds and the people on the street. During his walk, he stopped next to an alley that had no people loitering nearby and while leaning against the wall he casually flicked a piece of silver into the darkness.


    There was no landing sound.


    ¡°What do ya¡¯ want?¡± came the squeaky voice. There was no ethereal sound to it, so Sam suspected he actually found one of the real orphans and not the fey masquerading as one.


    ¡°Halisin. Who does he hire?¡± he asked casually. Not loud and not whispering. After all, whispering was suspicious. Talking to himself was simply crazy.


    There was a small sound of two coins rubbing together. Sam scowled and flicked a gold coin inside.


    This time, he heard a small jump as the child got the coin.


    ¡°Ugly Mike.¡±


    He took out another coin and, with a lazy movement, flicked toward the voice. ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°The Giggling Tuna.¡±


    Sam stopped leaning against the wall, flicked one more coin inside, and left with a few parting words. ¡°Spread the word: Halisin is wanted. Dead.¡±


    He took a cursory look around to see if anybody paid attention to him, but it seemed everybody was interested in their own lives around the area.


    Thankfully, he knew where the Giggling Tuna was.


    <hr>


    Sam walked into the bar, ignoring the bustling crowd, women selling their affections and pickpockets plying their trade, and headed directly to the deeper part of the building, where he could see Ugly Mike sitting.


    It was pretty easy to get a description from one of the pickpockets who tried to empty his purse. And Sam could say with one hundred percent certainty that the guy was not ugly. He wouldn¡¯t be winning any beauty competitions, but he looked normal, if a little grumpy.


    As he strode over eyes firmly locked on the man, one of the heavies standing guard, stood to stop him but a simple wave from Ugly Mike as he returned Sam¡¯s look stopped him.


    Sam walked over, took a chair, and set down across from the man.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± the man grunted, while his tablemates eyed him with murder in their eyes for his brashness. ¡°I don¡¯t shoot messengers, but don¡¯t test my patience.¡±


    ¡°Halisin. You hire for him.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°You sent out people.¡±


    This time the criminal sat up, interested. ¡°And they went missing, the bastards!¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t missing,¡± Sam stated, and it took only a second for Ugly Mike to understand the implication.


    ¡°So they paid the blood price.¡±


    Sam simply said nothing. The man spent a few seconds contemplating the issue, then returned his attention to Sam.


    ¡°What¡¯s the message?¡±


    Sam smiled grimly. ¡°Halisin is wanted.¡±


    ¡°Dead?¡±


    ¡°Very.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡± the man grunted, and Sam could already see how he was planning to distance himself from Halisin. Not mentioning a bounty meant that it was personal, which meant highly skilled assassins. No two-bit criminal wanted to mess with that.


    So, with a few words dropped, the problem would self-correct. Much easier than finding Halisin and convincing him to stop his attempts at hindering their company.


    He shook his head and stood up. ¡°Good luck!¡±


    Turning around, he then left the establishment, leaving behind a pensive criminal.


    <hr>


    ¡°How is the guild?¡± Sam asked as he took a seat in the meeting room. After that unpleasantness in the capital, he had to return to Ironwood as they agreed that at least in the beginning they would hold the meetings in person.


    Adam had several stacks of documents in front of him, and so did Lucy. Lara only had a few, but she looked exhausted. Tim looked as prim and proper as ever, sitting up straight and playing with his bowtie.


    It was Adam who began. ¡°People are streaming in, but Tim pegged almost half of that as surfers, the rest are mostly spies, noobs, and saboteurs.¡±


    ¡°It will need time before we can select the diamonds from the scum,¡± Lucy added with a grim look. Probably not looking forward to that task. Tim was the exact opposite.


    ¡°I have been leaking information about the guild vault to select people,¡± he began proudly. ¡°But I also left out a lot of requirements. We can see who is complaining the most¡­¡± he finished with a rather sinister smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s good for the surfers, but what about the spies?¡± Sam asked curiously. ¡°Those usually have at least a modicum of patience¡­¡±


    Tim nodded. ¡°The plan is simple. We¡¯ll organize the surfers in groups and send them after ¡®priority targets¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Which we¡¯ll then leak¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Depending on who reacts, we can see who the spies work for.¡±


    This time Lara spoke up. ¡°That could hit our reputation hard if we lose a lot of fights.¡± She pointed out.


    Tim¡¯s smile was rather ferocious. ¡°Just because we leak the info doesn¡¯t mean we need to lose the confrontation¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ that could work.¡± She replied with a thoughtful look on her face.


    ¡°It could be a good chance to evaluate those who are deemed ¡®diamonds¡¯,¡± Sam advised.


    Adam nodded. ¡°Could work, but for now we¡¯re still just organizing the people into squads and holding tryouts to get rid of the true chaff.¡±


    Sam nodded again and hummed thoughtfully. ¡°Any news of your ex-business partner?¡±


    It was Adam¡¯s turn to smile like a shark. ¡°Thankfully, none whatsoever. The evidence you gave me was enough to turn the contract against him.¡±


    ¡°He is going to try to get revenge.¡± Lucy pointed out, not even looking up from her work.


    Adam just scoffed. ¡°Let him try. With Lara¡¯s ideas, Tim¡¯s spookery, and Lucy¡¯s support, there is little he can do.¡± Then he turned to Sam with a bewildered look on his face. ¡°How the hell did you get so much gold? RMT?¡±


    Sam smiled mysteriously. ¡°Pure talent.¡± He ignored Lucy¡¯s scoff. ¡°Got lucky a few times and invested it wisely.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it wasn¡¯t ¡®luck¡¯?¡± the giant man asked, putting quotation marks around the word with his fingers.


    ¡°You mean cheating?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t really want to mix up with something like that¡­.¡±


    ¡°Heh, don¡¯t worry. Everything was acquired legitimately, maybe a few idiots were harmed, but no puppy was kicked¡­¡±


    Adam eyed Sam for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll accept that for now¡­¡±


    Lucy took this small silence to speak up. ¡°We still need to decide the first few targets for the guild. I recommend these locations¡­¡± As she talked, she spread a rather detailed map of the kingdom, or at least detailed around Ironwood.


    The others leaned forward, and the discussion began in earnest.

 Chapter 167

    After dealing with the nitty-gritty details of the guild and listening to a riveting presentation from Lara about the state of the ruins she had found, Sam collected the condensed information in the form of a stack of documentation and then took a short trip to his room.


    There, he took out a nice outfit from the wardrobe which contained several sets of clothing, prepared by Lucy in case he needed something more than his tried-and-true armor that he should be really updating.


    Still, he made himself presentable, took the information packet received from his guildmates, and set off to visit one of his loudest allies.


    <hr>


    The Silvercrest manor was still as stately as he left it last time, though Sam could spot several places where some renovation or upgrades had been done, showcasing their improved income now that several other families weren¡¯t trying to suppress them. The income from the fractures also helped.


    Guards stood to attention the moment he approached the door, and while he wasn¡¯t let in immediately, one of the guards hurried away and came back with the stone-faced old butler.


    ¡°Master Samuel,¡± he greeted Sam with an elegant bow. ¡°Lord Silvercrest is waiting for you. Please, follow me.¡±


    Sam acquiesced with his own bow and as the butler turned around, he too began to walk toward the manor.


    Inside, he was met with bustling maids and servants, all making sure that the manor was always spotless. Though the way some of them eyed him, he suspected those were guards, there to make sure nobody snuck in.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the duo to reach the familiar office door. The butler stepped forward, opened the door, and announced Sam.


    ¡°Master Samuel, adventurer.¡±


    There was a brief laughter of joy that was probably heard around the city, and as Sam stepped forward ¨C the butler closing the door behind him ¨C he was met with the grinning face of the lord of the manor, Lord Silvercrest himself.


    ¡°My friend! Welcome! Welcome back!¡± came the boisterous greeting from the finely dressed man, whose muscles were straining against the no doubt expensive fabrics. Now that Sam met with Adam, he would have to admit that while the guild leader was taller than the lord, the noble¡¯s muscles looked much more dangerous.


    He bowed before answering. ¡°Lord Silvercrest, it¡¯s heartening to see you in good health. I hope there haven¡¯t been any issues with the fractures?¡±


    ¡°None at all!¡± the giant man waved away his concern with a grin. ¡°There have been a few troublemakers, but my darling daughter has been stepping up her efforts in leading a specialist group of soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Truly?¡± Sam asked, wondering how that happened. The other Sam had never heard about anything like that.


    The man beamed proudly, puffed out his barrel-like chest, put his hands on his hips, and began to sing the praises of his daughter. ¡°Yes! She has taken to directing people like a duck to water! Clearly, she had inherited her talent from her mother! I¡¯m fiendishly proud!¡±


    ¡°Congratulations?¡± Sam spoke up hesitantly, still a little confused about an NPC-led task force. ¡°What is the goal of this task force?¡±


    ¡°Task force? What a good expression!¡± exclaimed the noble, as if Sam had just shared divine wisdom with him. ¡°I shall call it a task force from now on! Yes, what a splendid name!¡±


    ¡°And the goal?¡± Sam repeated himself, hoping he wouldn¡¯t need to listen to the man¡¯s loud voice too long. Even now, he had to use some extra mana around his ears to protect them.


    ¡°Yes! The goal!¡± came the roaring answer. The lord of the manor bade Sam to take a seat and he himself also sat down in his chair that looked more like a throne, mostly due to necessity because of the lord¡¯s size. ¡°My friend, the amount of criminals has simply skyrocketed in recent times. Thus, I have taken upon myself, or rather my adorable daughter has taken upon herself, to cleanse our beloved city and its surroundings of the criminal element wherever it reveals itself.¡±


    ¡°So, no hunting for them, just taking care of those that are¡­ visible?¡± Sam asked.


    ¡°Yes, my friend! I¡¯m glad you understand! Destroying crime is impossible for us. At least for now! But keeping the environment clean? Well! That we can do!¡±


    Now it made sense. Players weren¡¯t regulating themselves, at least here in the Emerald Kingdom, thus the system made sure that there was at least some manner of punishment for criminals. He nodded to himself and smiled at the man.


    ¡°Well, sir, it appears I just came at the right time.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± the noble inquired with a magnificent raised eyebrow. Sam was a little jealous of the other man¡¯s talent.


    Instead of asking for lessons, he reached into his inventory and pulled out the stack of documents that Lara ¨C with the help of Lucy ¨C had prepared for him. He handed it over and began to talk. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you know, we recently have founded a guild called Chrysalis.¡±


    ¡°Indeed! What a splendid name!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but we did so because one of my acquaintances found something that would be perfect for a guild.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°My friend! Don¡¯t dangle interesting information in front of me! Quick! Tell me!¡± The man leaned forward, a grin still on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s in the documents¡­¡± Sam pointed with a coy smile at the papers in his hands the size of bin lids.


    The man blinked, then sat back in his chair and began to read the documents with extreme vehemence.


    <hr>


    A few minutes later, Lord Silvercrest looked up from his reading with a serious look on his face, his eyes boring into Sam¡¯s.


    ¡°This¡­ this is something else, my friend.¡± His boisterousness was nowhere to be heard, his voice was carrying deadly intent. ¡°But you realize that founding a new city would carry with it some implications.¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t need the man to mention it. He had the memories of people in the future trying to settle in random places to create player cities. Their biggest obstacles weren¡¯t nature, monsters, or other players, but the government of the area. The noble NPCs protected what they believed was theirs with greed and an adamantine fist. And swords. And arrows. And lots of mages.


    He stood up and took out his map of the area and spread it over the desk. Then, as the lord watched him, he began pointing at things. ¡°As you can see here and here, the ruin is close enough that we can call it an outpost for Ironwood. If you support and send a¡­ representative while the mayor¡¯s office also sends one, then we avoid the whole issue.¡±


    ¡°A representative, you say?¡± the other man asked, rubbing his chin as he beheld the map. ¡°Maybe¡­ my daughter?¡±


    Sam nodded emphatically while smiling. ¡°Good experience for a talented, young noble. They can learn so much while leading a small outpost,¡± he said leadingly.


    The lord of the manor considered the map and the documents before him for a little more, then looked back at Sam, his eyes shining with respect.


    ¡°An excellent idea, my friend! I can already see my darling daughter leading your outpost to a glorious future!¡±


    There was a distinct scream of happiness from outside the door leading to the office that all three men in the room nobly ignored.


    ¡°Then the question is: are you in, sir?¡± Sam asked, standing up and holding out his hand.


    There was no hesitation. The muscled noble slapped his lid-sized hands into Sam¡¯s and vigorously shook it.


    ¡°It will be my pleasure!¡± he grinned.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s talk about details¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Sam left the Silvercrest manor satisfied and relatively unmolested by the young lady of the family. On the way out, Lucrecia managed to catch him, and regale him breathlessly about her accomplishments. He only managed to extricate himself from the conversation by promising that he would spend more time with the young woman when their ¡®outpost¡¯ was up and running. Which practically conjured flames of passion in her eyes and before Sam could blink, he was watching as the young woman was rushing away, followed by a group of exasperated maids that sent pitying looks at him.


    Shrugging and putting the mysteries of NPCs and young ladies behind himself, he headed back to the headquarters to update Lucy about the Silvercrest family.


    Then he would be hunting for new armor.


    <hr>


    ¡°Any good armor crafter in our employ?¡±


    Lucy looked up from the documents he returned with and thought for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°Liz can do heavy armor, but you need light, right?¡±


    ¡°I can do light or medium, and well, technically even heavy, but I would prefer light.¡±


    ¡°Then we don¡¯t really have anybody outstanding. A few have started enchanting what they do, but I haven¡¯t heard about any successes¡­¡± she said.


    ¡°Hmm, where can I find the highest-leveled armor crafter?¡±


    <hr>


    Before approaching the crafter, he made sure to take a quick trip to the Auction House to check if they had anything. The Auction House was bustling with people as always, with even more guild representatives ¨C one even from Chrysalis ¨C and merchants trying to find the thing that would make them the most money.


    Sam could have pointed out dozens of materials, heaps of ¡®junk¡¯ items that one could buy up and flip for a massive profit later, sadly the system was too good for him to take advantage of them. Though, in his free time, he was trying to brainstorm how to ¡®find out¡¯ about opportunities like that.


    He took a seat and opened the interface.


    As always, he checked the skillbooks first. He saw several other passive blood magic skills going for crazy prices and just shook his head while making a note to see if Adam kept to his ban on the skill type. Soon he would need to ¡®find¡¯ the cleansing ritual for those who had the Life of Blood and other blood magic skills, but for now, they were okay. He hadn¡¯t seen any indication that the Blood Brothers were up to something.


    Quickly scrolling through, he saw a skill book for a surprisingly cheap price. Shadow Control for a measly amount of gold. ¡®Huh, weird¡­¡¯ he immediately bought the item, learned it, and took to the forums to see what the issue was.


    [Shadow Control: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Increases your ability to control your shadows by 1% for each skill level.]


    A simple but excellent skill for somebody like him.


    The forums were full of people complaining that the available shadow skills were either lame or not strong enough, while the known stronger spells were practically impossible to get unless one got extremely lucky during fractures. According to a site that tracked auction statistics for those kinds of skillbooks, no one has ever sold one at the Auction House. This made the skill off-meta according to several popular theorycrafters.


    This meant the general populace followed their words as gospel and instead focused their attention on elemental spells that were much more available for the common man.


    No doubt, the bigger guilds didn¡¯t much care for that kind of thinking, and Sam only got lucky with acquiring it. Shadow skills were pretty popular for guild execution squads and scouts.


    Aside from that, he didn¡¯t find anything else amongst the deluge of skillbooks.


    His foray into the armor section only yielded a great amount of shoddily manufactured and haphazardly enchanted armor, placed there so that the crafter could recoup some of their costs.


    ¡®Well, bespoke is always better¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    He found the workshop that Lucy told him about in one of the supermarkets operated by their guild. It was out of the way, with few people around, but he trusted Lucy¡¯s evaluation.


    Entering the shop, he was greeted with nicely crafted pieces of armor. He could see everything from leather pieces to chain mail and scale mail on mannequins standing around, gleaming in the light provided by the magical artifacts that Liz created.


    There was a small tinkling sound and the curtain separating the shop from the workshop was pulled to the side and a man stepped out. He was as tall as Sam, wiry, and wearing a leather apron that had some small pockets on the front, stuffed full with tools and whatnot.


    ¡°Hello, sir! Can I help you?¡±


    Sam nodded with a polite smile on his face. ¡°Indeed. I need a new light armor.¡±


    ¡°Reinforced?¡±


    Sam thought about it for a moment, then nodded. ¡°If it isn¡¯t too restrictive.¡±


    ¡°Enchanted?¡±


    ¡°The best you have¡­¡±


    The craftsman looked over him, taking his old and rather bedraggled armor, then raised a skeptical eyebrow.


    Sam didn¡¯t let him voice his doubt. Instead, he took out the company token and waved it in front of the man. The craftsman immediately perked up.


    ¡°Oh, why didn¡¯t you say you were from the company?¡± He bowed his head a little and motioned toward the curtain. ¡°Please, this way. Let¡¯s see what we can find for you, okay?¡±


    Sam grinned and followed the man. ¡®Being rich is indeed a superpower¡­¡¯

 Chapter 168

    Choosing a new armor wasn¡¯t a simple affair. His old one, made from high-quality troll leather, had served him faithfully so far, but it was time to upgrade. More and more people were walking around in expertly crafted enchanted armor. They were far from the ones that provided stat boosts like in other games, as here, in Magic Unbound, crafting items that boosted stats without any drawbacks was exceedingly hard.


    The forums were awash with crafters debating the best way to alloy metals, use leathers from different monsters and beasts, products from said creatures, and naturally, how to apply magic to the entire process. The game¡¯s robust magical system created some kind of schism between crafters.


    One group claimed that the process should be separated. One crafter should only focus on the physical crafting part, while another should be doing the actual enchanting and other magical improvements, thus maximizing gains and minimizing losses.


    The other group claimed that this was bullshit, as the magical enchantments were much stronger and more potent if somebody who had intrinsic knowledge of them applied it during the crafting process to the artifacts.


    Both groups had their detractors and supporters, though the merchants and suppliers simply enjoyed the ¡®arms race¡¯ as both groups tried to prove they were right.


    Sam had his money on the second group¡­


    His first task was choosing the shape. The troll leather armor was simple, providing protection for his upper body, but he wanted something more. In the end, he chose one that protected him from every side and came with armored pieces for his legs. It wasn¡¯t full body protection, but on the upside, it allowed a full range of movement. There was protective armor on his shins, added to his boots, and some on his thighs.


    It was made of some rare ¨C and very pricey ¨C wyvern leather, reinforced with metallic scales crafted from some mana conductive alloy that the armorer developed himself. The man was very proud, calling it his masterpiece. While trying on the armor, he sent a quick message to Lucy to make sure the armorer was brought into the guild fully.


    Sam had no doubt that was the reason the man unveiled his creation. He glanced at the shrewd man, but he just gave him a cheerful wave as he flitted around Sam, making sure that the armor would be a perfect fit.


    The enhancements were a bit tricky. Despite the superior quality of the alloy, the base materials still weren¡¯t amazing, thus the crafter could only add so many enchantments, but still, Sam was satisfied.


    Standing before a mirror that was covering a good part of the wall, he turned around and wondered at his new armor. No pinches, chafing, or anything like that. Plus, it looked badass¡­


    Opening the screen for the item, he read it again.


    [Scaled Wyvern Leather Light Armor Set: Created by an experienced journeyman crafter employed by your company. They worked extra hard to make sure they would be well compensated later. Excellent quality, shy of being masterwork. It is resistant to magic and physical damage and is made of a material slightly heavier than the usual light armor. It is enchanted to decrease the sound it makes during movement, aids with channeling mana, and was made very aerodynamic.]


    It wasn¡¯t made exactly to aid in channeling mana. Instead, it was made to not impede his mana channeling like most metal armors. Perfect for Sam.


    Doing a little twirl before the mirror, Sam spoke up. ¡°What do you think, Lucky?¡±


    His loyal companion, who watched the entire process while gnawing on spare wyvern bones, courtesy of the craftsman, looked up from his snack and barked once happily before returning to his meal.


    Sam grinned and turned to the craftsman who was watching him with an experienced customer service smile, though Sam could see the hidden anxiety in his eyes.


    ¡°Excellent work! I love it!¡± he declared.


    The other man let out an almost inaudible sigh before responding. ¡°I¡¯m very glad, dear customer.¡± The man never asked for his name and Sam never provided it. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll take my skills into consideration¡­¡± he hinted, not so subtly.


    Sam just gave the man an enigmatic smile. ¡°Naturally¡­ now, how much do I owe you?¡±


    This time, there was no anxiety in the man¡¯s eyes. Only greed.


    ¡°Oh, my dear customer, it¡¯s not much, but¡­¡±


    And thus began the ancient dance of haggling.


    <hr>


    Sam left the workshop poorer but with respect for the other person¡¯s social skills, leaving behind an elated craftsman. Not that he minded. His new armor was pretty sweet.


    As he walked away, he went over his tasks.


    ¡®Alright, armor get. That¡¯s done. I still have the rune teacher, but let¡¯s shelve that for later. I really need to catch up with leveling¡­¡¯ he mused.


    Some guilds were all yelling from the rooftops that their people would be the first to reach Level 100. It hadn¡¯t happened yet, but Sam knew they were getting close. According to some generous estimates that he made thanks to the information Lucy painstakingly collected from the forums and other parts of the internet and his access to the Shadowland forums, he knew that people would be soon reaching Level 90.


    He would need to use a few shortcuts to catch up, but that would be no problem. They were mostly exploits that could be found by anybody. Will they get patched out after he used them for a while? Most definitely. But it would still provide a modest boost to his leveling.


    ¡®I need to put together a schedule and a plan. The team will follow, but we will need a lot of supplies. What else?¡¯ he pondered as he walked through the city.


    <hr>


    ¡°How was the crafter?¡± Lucy asked from the seat across from him. They decided to meet up in a restaurant that provided private rooms and didn¡¯t mind if they spent time talking instead of ushering them out as soon as they finished.


    ¡°Splendid! We need him in the guild,¡± Sam answered as he speared another morsel on his fork.


    Lucy nodded with a mischievous look on his face. ¡°Then he passed his last test¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Making an armor for you was the last test for his entry. He was pretty excited to do it,¡± she explained, chuckling a little.


    Sam was surprised, but in the end, he joined her. ¡°Pretty smart.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± They fell silent and spent some more time with their excellent food. It was after they were finished with the dessert and were picking through some snacks that Sam brought up the reason why they were meeting in real life and not in the game.


    ¡°What¡¯s your opinion about my plan?¡±


    Lucy wiped her mouth daintily and retrieved a small laptop that Sam knew had its internet capabilities removed. You could never be too careful.


    ¡°I went over your schedule and plans and it seems solid, but I do have a few suggestions¡­¡±


    Sam took out his own device, opened it, and waited for his friend¡¯s advice.


    ¡°I¡¯m all ears¡­¡±


    ¡°Right! Well, first of all, you need to take into account that¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Returning to the game, Sam made sure his armor was in all right condition, Lucky was happy and sated, then went to pick up the first part of the supplies prepared by Lucy. He would need to pass a little time while his teammates gathered and Lucy got the rest of the supplies for him, but he had a few ideas for that.


    First, a visit to the temporary guild headquarters.


    The building was bustling with people, not dissimilar to the one back in the previous one Adam led, but as Sam walked around, he could see that the very air was different. There were fewer people eyeing him as a juicy target and more people happily spending their time training or just resting.


    Lucy had made sure that the temporary building was not only equipped with a decent training hall ¨C plus the required silencing and odor wards ¨C but also several cafes operated by the company. The guild members, at least the new ones, got some decent discounts, but they would still have to pay for their food and drinks.


    Those who were elevated higher, after some tests and contracts, would receive ever-increasing discounts until the service provided would be free. But based on the few grumbles he had heard as he walked around, not many had that privilege.


    There were offices for several NPC-led departments, mostly to process the incoming requests for the guild. They were loaned from the company or were hired after they were ''coincidentally'' let go by several noble houses. Sam was a little worried about them, but Lucy and Tim reassured him that this was all part of the game.


    ¡®Ugh¡­ that¡¯s why I hate politics. Thank the gods for Lucy and Tim¡­¡¯ he grumbled to himself.


    There was also an office where guild members could exchange their earned points ¨C no gold accepted ¨C for items from the vault. Thankfully, the game system provided an excellent interface where they could set up the system.


    People could get contribution points for all sorts of things. Donating materials, gold, and even information to the guild, going out, and fulfilling requests sent to the guild. These could range from patrolling mountain passes to clearing randomly appearing fractures. They could also protect the guild from assailants.


    Sam was set up as a guild officer in the system, with almost the maximum number of permissions, though some of them required approval from Adam and Lucy too.


    Satisfied, he left the building and returned to headquarters, where the second part of the ¡®supplies¡¯ was waiting for him.


    <hr>


    Under the building, inside a stone room with smooth walls, was a simple ritual circle carved into the ground. A basic focusing circle. Around it was another more complex circle, also a focusing one, and then a final circle enveloped the two inside it, creating three very complex concentric circles.


    ¡°I hope this will work because it cost a lot of money to hire a ritual master¡­ We could only do it because Lord Silvercrest vouched for us.¡± Lucy said a little waspishly as she stood at the door watching Sam inspect the circles.


    He looked up and gave her a thankful smile. ¡°Thanks! This is perfect!¡±


    ¡°Do you think it will work?¡± she asked, chewing her lips with worry.


    Sam took another look and then nodded. ¡°My runic skills are not too high, but from what I know this should work¡­ if not, then I will pay for it from my own pocket.¡±


    Lucy cast a worried gaze at him, then at the runic circles before nodding. ¡°I will trust your assessment.¡±


    ¡°Much obliged¡­¡±


    ¡°I will leave you to it then¡­ Good luck, Sam!¡± she called out before turning around and leaving the room, closing the door behind him.


    Sam chuckled a little, then spent a minute divesting himself of his armor and every magical artifact he wore, only leaving some cotton pants and a simple shirt on his body.


    ¡°Lucky, go play with Lucy a little, please!¡± he called and waited until he heard a small echoey bark before his loyal familiar¡¯s comforting ever-present presence faded from his shadow.


    He took a comfortable seat in the middle of the circle, and spent a few minutes just meditating, making sure that his breathing was as calm as possible, then he opened his eyes and with a twist of his mind, illusionary runes began appearing around the third circle, hovering in the air, their smokey forms pulsing with mana.


    One circle to connect with the rest on the floor.


    Another circle to create a bridge.


    And one more to extend that bridge.


    That was six circles. He checked his mana levels and then decided to go for one more to make it extra magical.


    With a great effort, sweat falling down on his brows, after more than half an hour, he crafted the last circle of runes. This one was for stabilizing the entire ritual, with his Heart Rune sitting in all cardinal directions.


    He smirked a little, knowing that most players would be green with envy, as this was only possible thanks to his eclectic collection of skills that allowed him to multitask and layer a number of spells on each other.


    Then Sam closed his eyes and starting with the first circle, the one that stabilized everything, he began feeding his mana into it. Slowly, and cautiously, he made sure that every nook and cranny was filled, then using the bridges built, he led the mana from the seventh circle into the sixth. And when that was full and shining strong enough that he could feel it through his closed eyelids, he turned his attention to the fifth. Soon, the fourth followed. The third was carved into the ground, and thanks to its high quality was extremely easy to fill up, the second and first were the same.


    There was no need to speak out loud, but Sam felt a little dramatic.


    ¡°Three to focus, three to cast my eyes far. One to bind them and be the fulcrum that reveals the truth to me!¡±


    The circles pulsed one after another, first the seventh, then the sixth, and so on. Then the order reversed.


    ¡°Three to focus, three to cast my eyes far. One to bind them and be the fulcrum that reveals the truth to me!¡±


    The pulsing sped up, and Sam could feel the mana from the environment being siphoned to the circles carved into the floor. He was pretty sure if he opened his eyes, he would be blinded by the intense light that the mana was giving off.


    ¡°Three to focus, three to cast my eyes far. One to bind them and be the fulcrum that reveals the truth to me!¡± he repeated for the third time, just to keep up with the nature of magical numbers.


    He was rewarded by another pulse, this one big enough that he couldn¡¯t differentiate where it originated from, before the mana quieted down for half a breath, like the calm before the storm.


    He waited another breath, letting the ritual and spell settle before exclaiming. ¡°Release!¡±


    Instantly, the gathered mana exploded from the circles. But instead of destroying, the mana simply passed through everything, doing nothing to the material world. Instead, in Sam¡¯s mind, a very vague map bloomed, that was slowly increasing in size.


    First, the vague mana blob that was the city, then the nearby fractures, and the outposts built around them. The resolution on the ¡®map¡¯ was crap, but Sam didn¡¯t care. He was only looking for one thing and one thing only.


    The Valley of Distortion.


    Well, technically he already knew where it was, after all, he had the memories of a person who spent years reading about it. Real-life years, even. But alas, this was not something he could accidentally discover.


    But fractures were easy to sense, and with the ritual he could amplify his sensing skills, sending the mana out in the world along the ley lines. He watched as his awareness grew and grew, soon reaching the mountains and valleys bordering the country, while he tried to sense his target.


    ¡®There!¡¯ he exclaimed in his mind as his skill showed another distinct blob of weird mana, which even from a distance, felt like fractures. The blob was ever-shifting in size and intensity, hidden in a valley, both by the environment and the mana leaked from these fractures.


    He quickly memorized the location, as well as the location of a few fractures that seemed strong and were not being exploited. Then he simply waited for the spell to run its course. Sadly, he couldn¡¯t really sense geographical features through the spell, only a very crude and abstract representation of mana concentration. The price of the ritual¡­


    As the wave of mana began to peter out, he let it escape his grip and waited until the mana fully left the runic circles. His own illusionary runic circles were gone, but the ones on the ground were slightly sizzling, and Sam saw several places where the stone was melted, ruining the circle.


    He waited a little more, then stood up, stretching with a grin on his face.


    ¡°Leveling, here I come!¡±

 Chapter 169

    As he tried cleaning up the room with the ritual circle carved into it, Sam felt an urgency as the knowledge settled into his mind that he found the perfect leveling place. He was hilariously behind the other top players. Granted, he had access to skills and knowledge that would turn those people neon green with envy, but sadly, thanks to the game being based on numbers, they would, in turn, turn him into a smear on the ground.


    It was getting a little ridiculous.


    Yes, he had a company like no other in the game, he had connections in places that ninety-nine percent of the players didn¡¯t even know existed and had skills that would be overpowered. Later. When he had the stat points to give the extra oomph to it.


    As Sam futilely tried to make sure nobody noticed that he accidentally melted part of the runic circles, he opened his notifications.


    [Congratulations! You successfully performed a modified focusing ritual¡­.]


    [Would you like to name it?]


    Sam smiled a little, then spoke up. ¡°Ritual of Atlas.¡±


    [Name accepted!]


    [Ritual of Atlas successfully performed!]


    [Runic construction of the ritual added to your Grimoire!]


    Suddenly, his grimoire appeared in front of him, opened in the middle, several pages fluttered by and Sam saw the runic circle being etched into the page with a brief flash of yellow light. The book then closed with a small thud and vanished.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 60!]


    [Mana Flux is now Level 2!]


    [Mana Construct is now Level 38!]


    [Adaptive Coordination is now Level 17!]


    [Journeyman Runecarver is now Level 20!]


    [Illusionary Runes is now Level 15!]


    [Corporeal Illusions is now Level 5!]


    A very respectable growth in his skills for only one ¡®small¡¯ ritual. Finishing that thought, Sam couldn¡¯t help but chuckle a little. Most rituals that players performed were maybe one or two circles and required them to pay exorbitant money to ritual masters to set up. There were a few players everywhere who tried their hands at it, but so far nobody had realized their importance. Or if they did, they weren¡¯t sharing¡­


    And he even had a breakthrough!


    [You broke through with your skill, Spell Layering!]


    [You managed to connect the material with the immaterial while holding several separate threads of mana together! How?]


    [You learned the skill, Spell Matrix!]


    [Spell Matrix: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) You mastered layering spells as very few have before. You can layer ( or connect any other way) together as many spells as you can. The cost of this action is increased by 5% (cumulative) for every two layers or spells.]


    ¡°Wow, the system is sassy today¡­¡± he muttered as he read over the skill. ¡®One more skill I have never heard of¡­ At least it¡¯s OP as hell!¡¯


    Satisfied with his gains, he closed the screens and looked back at the carnage on the ground.


    ¡°Lucy will kill me¡­.¡±


    <hr>


    He had met up with his team in the lobby of the headquarters, inventory full of supplies, armor not shined to avoid being spotted, and his trusty Moonlight sharpened by the best whetstone money could buy.


    Katie and Isabella were standing next to each other, chattering about something excitedly while Clarissa and Dan were next to each other, looking over some kind of document. Sam knew they asked Lucy for help with setting up some kind of business that had something to do with frozen flames, but he wasn¡¯t really interested in it. Frozen flames were a valuable ingredient in a lot of crafting recipes so he didn¡¯t mind, but the other Sam didn¡¯t have a memory of the item being needed for anything special.


    Still, as always, with special materials and ingredients, Sam made sure that Lucy set aside a good number of them in a hidden vault, just in case.


    He was mostly happy that the two of them were making more money for them and the company.


    Also ¨C he took a deeper glance at them ¨C not interfering with their business, he would have the chance to win the betting pot about their love life. True, Dan had a girlfriend, but Sam had some money on him getting a small harem. With Tim, it was just a question of how many girls he would accidentally seduce. Funnily, nobody bet on Katie and Isabella as everyone was pretty confident about what was going on there¡­


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Hey everyone!¡± he called out with a smile on his face as he approached the group. ¡°How is it going?¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    ¡°Pretty good!¡±


    ¡°The cow is wrong, as always!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to this annoying gremlin!¡±


    He gave the two girls a deadpan look, then slapped his hands together while sending out the expected party invitations. They accepted immediately. ¡°Everyone ready?¡±


    Before anybody could answer his questions, they all snapped their heads up as a tiny but angry scream echoed through the building.


    ¡°You know what? How about we just go!¡± Sam exclaimed hurriedly as he began to shepherd the group toward the double doors. ¡°Preferably before Lucy finds me!¡±


    <hr>


    They left the city of Ironwood behind with Sam riding on the excited Lucky and the others on rented horses. They would use them until the last outpost near the direct route toward the Valley of Distortion.


    They would hike through the mountains, preferably without much hassle, but knowing the system their journey would definitely not be peaceful, then set up a camp in a safe spot and go farm the countless and ever-changing fractures that could be found in the Valley.


    The place was kind of a raid area, as once in, you couldn¡¯t get out before solving the main issue. Which was the randomly appearing fractures that distorted both space and time (and sometimes more).


    In the other Sam¡¯s life, the place was found some time later by an exploration team sent out by one of the dark guilds to look for a convenient hiding place for their ¡®nefarious deeds¡¯. Naturally, the information was leaked within seconds as the criminal element didn¡¯t waste a second to betray, backstab, and do other things to each other¡¯s backs. This meant that the bigger guilds instantly descended on it and turned the entire area into a bloodbath.


    In the end, the people who entered were an amalgamation of a group made up of people from the winning guilds and those who had money to pay for a spot. Sadly, that was the last credible information that the other Sam and the common people could access.


    Nevertheless, rumors had run rampant about what those who entered the Valley of Distortion found. From what the other Sam found, almost everybody who returned was at a much higher level and decked out in awe-inspiring artifacts.


    That, in turn, birthed another bloodbath. As expected of gamers¡­


    Sam hoped to avoid that fate. They would go in, all sneaky, then plunder the place for all its worth and leave like nothing happened. Then, if the place was still standing, they would then ¡®discover¡¯ it and show Adam the place. A nice training ground for the guild as well as bait for spies and opportunistic people.


    ¡®If I survive Lucy¡­¡¯ he thought as he studiously ignored the incoming messages from his irate business partner.


    <hr>


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Katie asked as they were resting in a meadow after entering the forest near the last outpost. Horses were left behind in the care of the soldiers, and they then proceeded on foot.


    Everybody else also looked up, a curious look on their faces.


    ¡°You know, I expected you guys to ask much earlier,¡± Sam admitted.


    Dan just shrugged, but it was Clarissa who spoke up.


    ¡°You always have a good reason for your mysteries and at this point, I personally had given up on making sense of them. So, for now, I¡¯m assuming that we are going to a hidden place that is totally awesome and we¡¯re going to loot something valuable¡­¡± she explained rather sarcastically.


    Katie nodded along while pointing at the other young woman. Dan just gave him a sheepish smile and nodded, while Isabella simply looked at him with an expectant look.


    Sam reached behind his hand and awkwardly scratched his nape. ¡°Well, broadly speaking, yeah¡­¡±


    Clarissa nodded with satisfaction, while Katie and Isabella simply grinned. ¡°Then why don¡¯t we continue?¡±


    Sam returned the grins and stood up. ¡°Very well! Team, roll out!¡±


    There was a moment of silence.


    ¡°Your references are seriously ancient¡­¡±


    <hr>


    The first leg of the journey was rather simple. Cut through the forest and head toward the mountains hiding the valley. Based on the maps he had access to, there should be a small pass they could go through, but before that, they would still have to do some mountain climbing.


    Which meant monsters¡­


    ¡°Get the legs!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting them!¡±


    ¡°Well, get them faster!¡±


    Sam pivoted around a swipe and parried the claws on another giant squirrel. They came in droves, and not even some heavy fire barrage, courtesy of Dan, deterred them from trying to consume them.


    Katie was amid three squirrels the size of two humans stacked on top of each other, whirling around as she tried to protect herself from the fast strikes while trying to slice¡¯n¡¯dice the monsters.


    Isabella was protecting Clarissa as the healer made sure to rain healing energy on everybody. It was Sam¡¯s duty to protect Dan while the mage tried to freeze the annoying overgrown critters in place.


    He sprung forward, releasing a slash which in turn turned into several illusionary ones, and the squirrel, with a vicious look on his face, failed to dodge. ¡°One done!¡± he called out, only to have several other squirrels, even more enraged, fall on him, trying to get revenge for their fallen comrade.


    ¡°Hah! I already killed at least five!¡± Katie responded happily to his call.


    ¡°So lame!¡± Naturally, Isabella had to react to that. ¡°I¡¯m at seven!¡±


    That was enough for Katie to prove why she was called a berserker. Sam just chuckled at their playfulness and refocused his attention on the squirrels. They were fast, dexterous, and given their nature, very squirrely. By his estimation, they were around Level 60 and some. Thankfully, their skill superiority carried them through.


    ¡°WUFF!¡±


    Sam turned around a little and watched as Lucky, tail wagging, happily chased one of the squirrels up on a tree. ¡®Are you a dog or a wolf?!¡¯


    <hr>


    A few minutes later they stood over the corpses of their foes and were checking out their notifications.


    ¡°Oh, I leveled up,¡± came from Clarissa.


    ¡°Anybody else?¡± Sam asked.


    ¡°Soon¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe a few more squirrels¡­¡±


    ¡°If you allow me to kill a gremlin¡­¡±


    Ignoring the last line, Sam asked another question.


    ¡°Found any interesting loot?¡±


    ¡°Nah, mostly crafting materials¡­ Unless we want to process the corpses¡­¡± came from Dan who currently had the duty to collect the scattered loot.


    Sam took in the damage and outright destroyed bodies of the monsters and shook his head. ¡°Not for this batch¡­¡± He received a grateful thumbs-up from the muscled mage.


    ¡°Ready to continue?¡±


    <hr>


    The rest of the trip was the same.


    Monsters of all kinds beset them, trying to prevent them from reaching their goal.


    More squirrels than one could find at a peanut factory. Bears of all types, including rockbears the size of houses, berserker boars with tusks as big as Katie¡¯s giant greatsword (though thankfully not as strong), rabbits with spikes instead of fur, and one very annoying invisible weasel.


    Still, the army of monsters trying to eat them, granted them enough experience points that most of them leveled up at least once.


    Sam knew he leveled up, but he would wait until they reached the Valley before checking it.


    It took them almost half a day to reach the pass that Sam spotted on one of the old maps after leaving behind the forest and getting through some heavily rocky terrain. The walls of the pass looked like they were sheared away with razors and they could see how the stone was layered there through the ages.


    ¡°Careful as we go through,¡± Sam whispered as he cast his mana sense far and wide. Sadly, thanks to the abundant earth mana, he knew he couldn¡¯t sense most mountain monsters. ¡®Ugh, I just know the system is planning something¡­¡¯


    As if to answer his unspoken grumbles there was a rumble in the distance and Isabella called out.


    ¡°AVALANCHE!¡±


    The rumble intensified, and Sam refocused on it, only to sigh.


    ¡°Those are golems¡­¡±

 Chapter 170

    These golems were not like the ones Sam had already met. For one, these were at least twice the size, walking on legs the size and girth of young redwood trees. While their skin was made of rock and quite craggy, they also had some interesting and rather threatening additions to their bodies.


    Pauldrons formed of granite-like rock, dotted with arm-sized and sharp-looking spikes.


    Speaking of spikes. They had them on their backs, knees, elbows, and even on the top of their heads. However, the spikes on the heads were swept a little backward as if the spikes were the golem¡¯s hair.


    On their chest was another granite-like layer, forming in the rudimentary shape of a breastplate. Naturally, it had several spikes on it, though they were smaller than the others. But it provided a way to make sure that getting closer to the golems would not be a bloodless affair.


    Their hands were enlarged somewhat, the fingers distinct and thick, ready to grab anyone. Most of the golems that fell in front of the group were empty-handed, but several of them were holding giant clubs made from the dark material their proto-armor was made of. The biggest, meanest looking one, right at the forefront, was holding an actual morning star with deadly-looking spikes on the ball at the end of the rod made of rock.


    Sam looked over at their growling enemies as they gathered themselves and began slowly but surely to advance on his team.


    ¡°Well, that looks rather spikey¡­¡± he spoke up softly as he began to get ready. ¡°Dan, fire won¡¯t work well. Keep to ice. Start with the ground.¡±


    ¡°Sure, boss!¡± replied Dan in affirmative and Sam could instantly feel the temperature of the air decrease around them as the muscled mage began gathering mana.


    ¡°Lucky,¡± he called out his familiar next. ¡°Remember the last time? Do the same, but be careful with the spikes!¡±


    ¡°WUFF!¡± came the excited sound from his shadow and he felt it lighten as Lucky began heading for their targets.


    ¡°Isabella, you¡¯re on deflection duty. Make sure nothing reaches us.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, boss man!¡± came from the cheerful young woman as she unsheathed her swords, her eyes already on the menacing golems.


    ¡°Clarissa, you do what you do best.¡±


    ¡°Keep Katie alive?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much¡­¡±


    There was a beat of silence, and then Katie spoke up.


    ¡°What do I do?¡±


    Sam just waved his free arm in the general direction of the golems. ¡°You go and kill them. Be careful of the ice!¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± she shouted joyfully. In an instant she was off, leaving Clarissa, who was shaking her head in exasperation behind, and Sam chuckling to himself.


    Instead of wading into the battle, he took a solid stance, grabbed the sword¡¯s handle with both hands, pointed it directly at the mass of golems advancing on them, and began channeling mana into it.


    While that was going on, he watched as several of the marginally smaller golems slid on the ice conjured by Dan, while Lucky ran around and tried to trip them into the jagged ice spikes that emerged from the conjured ice after a short chant from the muscled mage. Katie was at the forefront of the incoming golems and already crossing weapons with the lead golem.


    The clang that the greatsword and morning star made upon contact echoed through the pass, causing several miniature avalanches along the edges, though thankfully no more golems fell with them.


    Another beat and several golems in the back rows hefted solid rocks from the ground before throwing them with roars at the party, causing Isabella to spring forward and cut them to pieces.


    Clarissa meanwhile continued to dish out heals whenever somebody was clipped by the shards of rock flying everywhere. Occasionally she had to cast a few shields here and there, mostly on Katie, who wasn¡¯t exactly watching where she was stepping, though Lucky received his fair share as the giant wolf raced between the legs of the golems.


    Sam was meanwhile gathering mana around his sword, shaping it, and condensing it. He watched the swirling mana construct with a small smile. If his attack worked, then he would be able to add a rather strong weapon to his arsenal. He would only need to work on making it faster.


    Slowly, the mana took the shape of a rotating bullet-shaped mana construct made of condensed wind mana. The mana was so solid that he couldn¡¯t see through it. Around it, rings of wind mana took shape, swirling like buzz saws.


    Another second to make sure the construct was holding enough mana, and he raised the sword, aiming at one of the golems that were staying in one place as it tried to stand up after Lucky tripped it. He watched as an ice lance barrage annihilated another golem, courtesy of Dan, and with a huff of exertion ¨C and a prayer on his lips ¨C thrust his sword forward, launching his projectile.


    The next few seconds were interesting.


    There was a whining sound as the projectile swallowed the distance between him and the golem, and it was only thanks to his excellent control over mana and senses that Sam felt when the wind bullet impacted the golem, allowing him to weaken the shell holding the condensed mana. Then¡­


    BOOOM


    ¡°FUCK!¡±


    ¡°What the hell, dude?¡±


    Ignoring the curses, he sent a small gust to remove the cloud of dust formed around his target and looked on as the mangled corpse of the golem was revealed. Granted, he was not high-leveled enough to turn the monster into dust, but the attack was still strong enough to clearly blow a decent-sized hole into the golem and eliminate the core.


    ¡°Well, that worked¡­¡± he murmured as several golems turned toward him. Thankfully, the biggest one was still occupied by Katie. However, the giant rocks flying toward him were of slight concern.


    He was about to dodge when Isabella flashed by. ¡°Do that again!¡± As she obliterated the incoming artillery strike.


    Sam grinned savagely, raised his sword again, and watched as the wind bullet began to form. After another second of waiting, he was ready to fire.


    BOOOM


    He grinned as another golem fell, while shards of rock flew everywhere. By the time the projectile left the tip of his sword, another was already forming. He quickly checked his mana and saw that with the current amount and mana regeneration, he could eliminate another half a dozen golems.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    His grin widened, and the pass soon echoed with explosions.


    <hr>


    It took a rather short time to thin the golem herd with Sam bombarding them, Lucky running around causing chaos, Dan using ice to skewer them and Katie preventing the boss from advancing on them. By the time Sam had to stop, there were only a few shambling golems and the boss remaining.


    As he contemplated getting through the giant golem¡¯s armor, another lance of ice went forward, skewered a stumbling golem, and then erupted into spikes of super cold ice that turned the golem into pieces. Taking her cue, Isabella sprang forward and began hacking at another one, while at the same time, Lucky emerged above the last normal golem and crashed down with claws surrounded by vicious shadow energy, practically cutting the golem into two.


    Leaving them with the boss.


    Upon the death of the last golem minion, courtesy of Isabella, the boss stopped for a fraction of a second, probably taking in the situation, and let out an enormous roar.


    RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR


    Instantly, the slightly falling avalanche of loose stone and rock falling from the edge of the pass intensified, causing rocks, dirt, and dust to practically rain on them.


    Instantly, Sam used his remaining mana to create a barrier covering him, Clarissa, Dan, and Isabella, while Katie simply ignored the falling rocks and continued to try to slice the monster into small places.


    As the deluge of detritus was impacting his shield, it was soon joined by one cast by Clarissa and Dan, made from ethereal mana and ice respectively, Sam glanced around and watched for a few incredulous seconds as Puffball, the odd eldritch cat was calmly napping on a flat rock that was illuminated by a gentle sunbeam while the falling rocks avoided it.


    Shaking his head, he canceled his own shield, knowing that Clarissa¡¯s would hold up, and refocused his attention on the enormous golem.


    Looking closer, he saw a few cracks in the dark-colored armor. ¡°Dan,¡± he called out, pointing at the cracks. ¡°Follow my lead.¡± The mage nodded and began conjuring ice. ¡°Lucky!¡± Sam called out to his familiar, who instantly reappeared from who knows where on a bigger rock, surveying the scene with his tail wagging. ¡°Vanish!¡± The wolf looked a little disappointed but still, followed the command immediately and jumped off the rock gracefully, only to land in a pool of shadow.


    As he watched Katie parry a strike from the golem, the giant morning star drove the girl into the ground as she absorbed it with her own greatsword.


    Not waiting anymore, both Sam and Dan let loose a barrage of attacks. Dan with ice lances and Sam with slashes of mana. For every wind mana slash, several illusionary ones followed up, creating an enormous barrage of attacks. They didn¡¯t do any damage and probably were useless against a construct, but he still wanted to practice the skill.


    All were aimed at the cracks in the armor that no doubt protected the core of the golem monster.


    The spells achieved their goal and after a second, the crack widened until it covered the distance between the top and bottom of the armor. Then, as Katie delivered another strike, there was another sound.


    CRACK


    The crack covered the entire thing, and within a blink of an eye, it crumbled to the ground.


    However, before Sam could call out an order to target the core, Katie did a little jump backward, swung her sword also backward, and paused for a moment. Then there was a very slight echo of a meow and suddenly Katie was enveloped by an eye-searing black void that then traveled to her sword, which in turn was swung forward, releasing a crescent-shaped energy that was black and at the same time showed them a galaxy being devoured, then birthed and then transformed into a duck that started to swim in a lake of fire¡­


    Despite his skill level-up notifications being disabled temporarily, one still popped up.


    [Perception Filter is now Level 17!]


    He forcefully closed his eyes, then opened them after taking a deep breath. Thankfully, by the time he opened them, he could only see Katie standing on the collapsed corpse of the monster, a great rent in the middle of the body with shards of the core sticking out, slowly turning into pitch black dust that dissolved into mist. Meanwhile, Katie was standing there like a conquering queen and making stupid faces at a camera only she could see.


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t take selfies without us!¡± yelled Isabella as she ran toward her ¡®friend¡¯.


    <hr>


    The fight with the golems done, loot collected, mana regenerated, and selfies taken they continued through the pass.


    After fighting through the avalanche of golems, it was mostly smaller groups of monsters that lived amongst the rocks littering the pass, or in the numerous caves carved into the walls of the pass. They faced the same annoying goats they met once already, more rock bears that were more rock than bears, the elemental energies abundant in the area practically transforming them into golems, spiders that were quickly eliminated by judicious use of fire, and even more fire, and one very determined scorpion that tried to poison them.


    But in the end, they were successful and reached the end of the pass, entering the last leg of the journey.


    As they sat on a few smaller rocks in a circle, having a snack and resting, more their minds than their bodies, Clarissa spoke up. Behind her, Sam could see Katie feeding Puffball small pieces of tuna, while Lucky watched the feeding with interest from behind a rock. Thanks to the temporarily peaceful environment, both Dan and Clarissa brought out their pets. Melody was trying to stab a bush and Hawky was simply flying above them, taking a look at the surroundings.


    ¡°Where to now?¡±


    Sam took out his map and the directions he had drawn on it after the ritual. After consulting it, he looked up and took in the vista before them. He pointed at a cliff.


    ¡°See that cliff there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°We go around that, then we should be there.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Instead of answering, he closed his eyes and cast his senses forward. For a while everything was normal, but on the edge of his senses, he could feel the churning dimensional energies. Their chaos prevented him from sensing anything else.


    He nodded. ¡°Pretty sure¡­¡±


    Clarissa also nodded. ¡°How the hell haven''t the other guilds tried this yet?¡± She asked, referring to Sam¡¯s use of runic rituals.


    Sam just chuckled. ¡°Well, they would need to have the idea first of all. Then the exact runic and ritual knowledge. Then the access and money to set up the ritual. And mana control on my level.¡± He explained with a proud grin and a wink. ¡°Not the easiest collection¡­¡±


    ¡°And how the hell do you know about it?¡± She asked the logical question.


    Sam just shrugged. ¡°During a quest, I got access to a pretty advanced library. Granted on the first tier, but it was enough to give me an idea.¡±


    Clarissa blinked, clearly not expecting a clear answer. ¡°And is it possible for us to also access this library, or was it a one-off?¡±


    Sam cocked his to the side and thought about it. Nowhere was pretty accommodating, so it couldn¡¯t hurt¡­


    ¡°I will ask the next time I¡¯m there. Sounds good?¡± he replied with a smile.


    Clarissa returned the smile. ¡°Perfect!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Thanks, boss!¡± came from Dan, who was also listening. ¡°Your notes on mana control are awesome, but maybe something from an actual fire mage would help more¡­¡±


    Sam nodded in understanding while inwardly grumbling. ¡®If it weren¡¯t for that stupid system, I could share with you all the awesome fire mage secrets¡­¡¯ Fire mages were one of the most common and easiest to get into ¡®class¡¯ in Magic Unbound. Thus, there was a ton of information about them on the net.


    <hr>


    The rest of the trip through the perilous mountain passage that led them toward the Valley of Distortion was surprisingly uneventful. A few sneaky goats still tried to yell them off the mountain as they surprised the team by jumping down from up high, but the system seemed to be content with allowing them access to the location without any further trouble.


    With Lucky skulking in the Shadows, Puffball slinking around rock formations, and Hawky flying high above them, they managed to avoid any of the larger golem groups, only taking out single ones standing in their way.


    The sun was leaving its zenith, oddly still casting illumination over them, when they reached the top of the cliff that Sam pointed out and cast their eyes over what lay behind it.


    A valley lay before them, once no doubt beautiful but now was hosting only the chaotic swirling energies. To them, it looked like a lot of miniature and blurry storms, surrounding portals glowing with the color of the rainbow. While the portals themselves didn¡¯t really move, they all still got the sense that space was being stretched, compressed, and played with like dough by forces beyond their comprehension.


    Sam stood still and placed his hands on his hips, proud. ¡°Well, here we are, guys! A beauty, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­. So pretty! Look at the shapes!¡± Katie called out, eyes shining as she took in the valley.


    The rest weren¡¯t so cheerful.


    ¡°What the hell is that?¡±


    ¡°How can I look at the same tree three times from four different directions?¡±


    ¡°My eyes hurt¡­¡±


    Sam just chuckled and bade them to follow him. ¡°Let¡¯s go, gang. We have some leveling to do¡­¡±


    They walked after him, some happy, some grumbling. As soon as they stepped through a line, Sam felt his mana senses swamped by the chaotic energy and a screen popped up in front of them.


    [Congratulations! You found the Valley of Distortion! You gain +1 LUCK!]


    [Tread carefully as space is mostly a suggestion around here. Just be happy that time hasn¡¯t become wibbly-wobbly¡­]

 Chapter 171 - Interlude 16.1

    ¡°You look lovely, my dear!¡±


    Lucy gave a wan smile, ignoring how the noble¡¯s sunken eyes were entirely focused on the d¨¦colletage of her currently fashionable dress, and returned the greeting.


    ¡°Thank you, Lord Orgon,¡± she said with as much fake enthusiasm as she could. The man smiled ¨C a really ugly smile ¨C hearing his own name spoken and continued to stare. ¡°I heard you have been having¡­ troubles with your farms, Lord Orgon.¡±


    Immediately, the corpulent noble¡¯s head snapped up, and he stared at Lucy as the party ¨C something or other organized by one of the nobles trying to gather political support for their latest idiocy ¨C continued around them without anybody paying any attention.


    Visibly.


    She knew of at least three silent and hidden observers thanks to her ravens, but she was pretty sure there were more.


    This was a party organized by one of the local nobles, so naturally everybody would want to know what happened behind the closed door.


    ¡®Mostly a lot of inappropriate comments and behavior¡­¡¯ she grumbled to herself as she waited for the noble to answer.


    Lord Orgon owned a lot of farmland, some of whose produce the AFK company bought to use at their shops or the Heavenly Forest. However, recently some monsters were driven off from their natural hunting grounds by the numerous outposts being set up by the country around important fractures. And naturally, those homeless monsters decided to make a home in the lands of Lord Orgon.


    He had his usual guards and recently started to hire adventurers to take care of the infestation. However, as expected, the noble was rather cheap and refused to hire some of the bigger guilds, instead trying to have solo (and cheap) players take care of the monsters. Who inevitably would miss a few and within a few days, the damn monsters would be back to raid the farmlands.


    Lucy suspected that the man was also worried that if the news of the infestation spread, then the price of his products would drop. She had to hold back a scoff. ¡®As if it was a secret¡­ Everybody who matters knew about it hours after he received the first report¡­¡¯


    She was already almost done finalizing new contracts with a few smaller producers. Some of their products were of even higher quality than what Lord Orgon produced. Naturally, she couldn¡¯t really break the contract with the noble, as that wouldn¡¯t fly in this politically charged environment.


    The man may have been a lecher and a bumbling fool, but he was a noble with vast amounts of money and ¡®friends¡¯ in all the high and low places. Damaging his reputation or God forgive, his feelings would also damage Lucy¡¯s and, in turn, her company¡¯s and guild¡¯s standing.


    ¡°Yes¡­yes¡­¡± the man finally answered after clearing his throat for an unnaturally long time. ¡°It seems some pests have been extremely courageous lately¡­¡± he told her, almost mumbling the last part, his eyes darting around anxiously.


    Lucy gave a fake sympathetic smile ¨C though based on the man¡¯s reaction, he didn¡¯t notice ¨C and spoke up with conviction in her voice. ¡°That is indeed¡­ frustrating. But, Lord Orgon, are we not business partners?¡±


    ¡°Er, indeed we are, my dear! Why?¡± the man replied, a smidge confused. She suspected this was not the first time it had happened.


    Lucy tilted her head to the side, trying to convey innocence and a sense of naivety while ¡®accidentally¡¯ drawing the man¡¯s gaze to her assets. ¡°Well, it appears that this pest problem would need a rather concentrated effort to get rid of. And as a business that relies on Lord Orgon¡¯s produce, it behooves me to provide that effort.¡±


    Now Lord Orgon¡¯s eyes were shining with excitement. ¡°Really?¡± The hint of free help seemingly reenergizing the man.


    ¡°Oh, yes, my lord. I¡¯m not sure you have heard, but recently our company has begun supporting a new mercenary guild. They¡¯re really effective and I¡¯m hoping, with your approval, to send them to the affected regions.¡±


    ¡°Brilliant!¡± the lord exclaimed, and Lucy had the honor to watch as the man¡¯s three chins jiggled at the movement.


    ¡°May I cut in?¡± came a new voice from the side. Lucy looked over to see a tall man, thankfully without three chins, wearing a distinguishing suit in muted colors. Lord Orgon almost fell over himself trying to greet the man.


    ¡°Lord Magistrate! What an honor! I hope you¡¯re enjoying the party. Why, I was just discus¨C¡°


    ¡°Indeed,¡± cut in the man, his voice instantly silencing the corpulent noble. ¡°May I borrow the lovely Lucia for a brief discourse?¡± While it was framed as a question, Lord Orgon understood the message.


    ¡°Yes, yes! I¡¯m just going to go¡­over¡­there!¡± the man spoke fast, then hurried away, targeting some other hapless lady.


    Lucy turned to the gentleman, her smile still on her face. Before she could speak up, the man stepped forward and offered her his hands. ¡°May I have a dance, Miss Lucia?¡±


    She gave him a gentle nod and accepted his hands in hers. A few seconds later they were gliding over the dancefloor among the other noble couples.


    ¡°My¡­ Lord Magistrate, that was downright cruel to Lord Orgon¡­¡± Lucy spoke up with a small smirk on her lips after a minute of dancing. ¡°One would think that the Lord Magistrate might not like the man¡­¡±


    The man returned her smile, and after another twirl, he answered. ¡°I simply wished to discuss things with you, Miss Lucia. I hope I didn¡¯t interrupt your conversation with the venerable Lord Orgon?¡±


    Lucy tittered a little but ignored the question. ¡°What would the Lord Magistrate wish to talk with me about?¡±


    While the Lord Magistrate was a distinguished gentleman, Lucy knew from her participation in the local political games, that the pleasant demeanor only hid a ravenous monster, always hunting for more power.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see what he wants¡­ Then use him for all he is worth!¡¯ she thought, hiding her sinister thoughts behind a toothy smile. The Lord Magistrate inclined his head in respect, then as they continued to elegantly dance between the crowd of fancily dressed nobles, he began to talk while Lucy intently listened (and recorded everything for later analysis).


    The dance of politics had just begun.


    <hr><hr>


    There was something liberating about playing the game without any expectations from his father. David rather enjoyed himself as he tried to avoid the places that had him blacklisted thanks to his father, but with Katie¡¯s boss owning several supermarkets, it was pretty easy. ¡®Which no doubt infuriates father¡­¡¯ he mused as he continued to browse the selection in the shop he was currently in.


    In the end, he took up a smart-looking shield, made sure it set securely and stably in his hand, did a few movements, and after he was satisfied with it, he took it to the counter to have it sized for his arms. It cost extra, but in his experience, it made fighting with a shield much more comfortable.


    As David paid the smiling sales girl for the new shield, he couldn¡¯t help but frown looking at his wallet. While he was ¡®leading¡¯ the Steel Lions, most of his needs were met by the crafters the guild employed and his gold was always enough, as any competent guild, they employed gold farmers.


    But now, without support, he had to make every last gold coin count.


    If David was honest with himself, it felt pretty great. It added a thrill to the game that he missed before.


    ¡®Still¡­ not having money is a problem¡­¡¯ he mused.


    He tried to farm fractures, but as soon as his father¡¯s spies saw him with a new group, they either threatened or bought them off when the first one didn¡¯t work. Thus, he had to look for a new group after every few runs¡­


    It was extremely annoying, but it also made David a better player. Forced to always play with different players, he didn¡¯t have the luxury to get used to his teammates, so he had to always be on his toes. And naturally, his skills reflected that.


    He even got a new skill thanks to the spies.


    [Vigilance: Level 14/100 (14%) (Passive) It is not paranoia if people are really out to get you. Thanks to keeping a constant eye on your surroundings, your awareness has expanded. You cannot be backstabbed thanks to this. Increases armor effectiveness by 1% per skill level. This is doubled when observed by an enemy.]


    And thanks to his father¡¯s people always hanging around, the skill was constantly growing and providing him with a doubled buff.


    ¡®Heh¡­ even when you¡¯re trying to make life hell, you¡¯re still helping me father¡­¡¯ he mused mirthfully as he left the supermarket.


    Half an hour later, he made his decision about what his next step should be and headed for the building that was occupied by Chrysalis. He would be starting from the bottom, but David was strangely looking forward to it.


    Joining the line snaking around the building, he stood there with a small smile on his face as he imagined Katie¡¯s face when he achieved a higher title in the guild than her. No doubt, she had friends who liked her, but David was also sure that no sane person would give his sister a leadership position after talking to her for at least five minutes.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Granted, that Sam guy didn¡¯t seem to be fully there¡­


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that!¡±


    Adam turned around, holding his grocery basket in one hand, and reaching into his pocket with the other upon hearing the oh-so-familiar voice of his ¡®friend¡¯. He looked rather disheveled. Clothing hung upon him, looking like it was at least a size too big.


    He gave him a grunt but otherwise didn¡¯t react. His grandmother¡¯s advice still percolated around his head.


    ¡®Don¡¯t initiate if you meet him. Stay where cameras can see you. And for all that is holy and unholy, record everything he says.¡¯


    Despite his ex-friend following him, he continued his shopping, even slower than before. He only needed a few items, but he needed to stay in the shop to have the cameras record everything.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you would throw away our friendship just like that! Do you know what that means? Do you?¡± Marcus ranted, his voice low, but full of suppressed rage. Adam usually didn¡¯t realize things like that, but now that he was hyper-focused on the man, it was rather obvious.


    Another grunt as he took a can of peas off the shelves, then pretended to read the label on it. Hopefully, Marcus didn¡¯t know he hated peas.


    ¡°You are nothing without me! I was there, doing everything that made you great!¡± continued the rant. Adam really wanted to shove the can of peas into his face, but after wrestling with his emotions, he simply placed the can back in it''s place, the label facing correctly outwards, just as the shop assistant had placed it there.


    He slowly walked away, knowing that Marcus would be following him.


    ¡°Come on, maaan! You can¡¯t keep silent. You owe me! I made you! I did everything that you were too weak to do! And look! We made bank!¡±


    Adam checked out a cereal, the colorful pictures promising boundless fun in the morning. Turning around the box, they probably relied on the maximum allowed added sugar for the boundless fun.


    It seemed this action had infuriated Marcus even further.


    ¡°You can¡¯t hide forever! I will have my revenge! You signed the contract! I OWN you!¡± came the vitriol from a person he once called friend. Adam allowed himself a small frown and flex of his muscles. Marcus wasn¡¯t stupid. He knew he stood no chance against Adam in a physical fight. That, however, didn¡¯t put a lock on his mouth.


    ¡°Fine! Fine! Be that way you big pussy! See who is laughing after I¡¯m done whipping your ass in the game with a whip!¡± with that ludicrous exclamation Marcus turned around and stormed away, leaving a very confused shop assistant looking after him with a queer look on her face.


    Adam let out a sigh, already lamenting the fact that he would need to move if he wanted to avoid the repeat of this event, put a smile on his face, and approached the sales assistant.


    ¡°Excuse me, miss. Could I talk to the store manager?¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°How are you, granddaughter?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well, grandfather.¡±


    ¡°How is the game, granddaughter?¡±


    ¡°Exciting, grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Trouble with your cousins, granddaughter?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not even in the same country, grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Still, a grandfather worries. Especially after you refused to join the guild that the family endorses.¡±


    ¡°I simply wanted to do my own thing, grandfather¡­¡± Lara replied, taking a slurp of her drink. The first time she did that was when she was small, her parents were scandalized, but her grandfather found it funny, so whenever she was with him, she did it a few times for old times¡¯ sake. Seeing her grandfather¡¯s smile was worth looking like a slob. Especially after her grandmother died. Precious little managed to get that smile on her grandfather¡¯s weathered face since then¡­


    ¡°Anything interesting, granddaughter?¡± her grandfather asked, just after taking an equally loud slurp of his tea from a cup that was probably worth more than some highrise apartments. ¡°Still, refusing to introduce your boyfriend to me?¡±


    Lara chuckled at her grandfather¡¯s behavior before shaking her head. ¡°He is not ready yet¡­ I tried to explain, but¡­¡±


    Her grandfather raised a hand placatingly. ¡°Understood, granddaughter. I shan¡¯t push it further. You can introduce him when you deem him ready. Preferably before I join your grandmother, please.¡±


    ¡°Grandfather! Don¡¯t say that!¡±


    ¡°Just kidding!¡± he spoke with a smile on his face. ¡°You know how we old people are¡­¡±


    Lara glared at him, knowing full well that her grandfather was far from senility. There was a reason he was still the head of the family. There was a brief silence as both of them loudly slurped their drinks before the older man spoke up again.


    ¡°What¡¯s your opinion about your new¡­company?¡± he asked idly. Lara just narrowed her eyes, knowing that it was far from an innocent question.


    ¡°Sam is¡­ interesting,¡± Her grandfather said nothing, so she continued. ¡°Dan told me some about him, but he is hilariously tightlipped about secrets. From what I learned, he plays the game completely differently than anyone else. Just the notes on mana control that I got access to when I joined are worth enough money to kit out the family.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ any chance of sharing them, granddaughter?¡±


    ¡°And have them treat me as a traitor, grandfather?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ life is indeed pain, when one wants to be an upstanding citizen¡­¡± her grandfather lamented dramatically. ¡°And what about your super-duper-extremely-secret project that I know nothing about?¡±


    ¡°Going well, grandfather. The local noble that Sam has in his pocket has lent us a lot of men. We are currently excavating the location. Defenses are currently manned by the noble¡¯s guards, but we¡¯re planning to have the new guild do the guard duty after the basic fortifications are done.¡±


    ¡°What about industry, granddaughter? You can¡¯t have a city without industry.¡±


    ¡°There are some mines that look promising¡­¡±


    ¡°Then why was the city originally abandoned?¡±


    ¡°According to the old records, it was a combination of war, monster horde, and insufficient technology,¡± she answered vaguely. She trusted her grandfather with her life, but ever since she was a small girl, she tried to withhold information, and in turn, her grandfather would try to find out what she was hiding. It only dawned on her in university, that while she had her fun, her grandfather fully trained her up in cybersecurity and other related topics. Unfortunately, this also meant she spotted every lie from a mile away, which made making friends and having boyfriends rather hard.


    Thankfully, when Dan didn¡¯t want to tell her something, he just awkwardly told her that he didn¡¯t want to tell her, and tried to redirect the conversation.


    It was honestly super adorable¡­


    Not so much Dan¡¯s friend, and now her new nominal boss¡­


    She could practically smell the secrets and lies dripping from the unassuming man. He was simply too aware compared to his background. He knew too much about how families like her¡¯s worked. And the things he knew about a game that revolutionized the industry and had systems that nobody had seen before. It was simply mindboggling.


    And she wanted to know everything!


    The fact that the morsels of information that Sam had dropped had propelled her way ahead of any of her relatives was just icing on the cake.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°What the hell do we do?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Look around!¡±


    He looked around, then took another look at the waitress¡¯ shapely rear and turned back to his friend. ¡°I see the tavern. Foggy and dark, as always.¡±


    ¡°Not the tavern, you idiot! The city!¡±


    ¡°The city?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the city!¡±


    ¡°What about the city?¡±


    His friend, covered by this hood let out a soundless roar, then continued. ¡°The AFK company, you imbecile. They¡¯re taking over everything!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ they are schmoozing with the politicos, have those super popular supermarkets, not to mention the Heavenly Forest, and now they''ve even created a guild too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a new guild, pretty late in the game. I doubt we have to worry too much,¡± he replied with a shrug.


    His friend, however, shook his head despondently. ¡°I know the guy who they got as a guild leader. Super competent.¡±


    ¡°Better than us?¡±


    ¡°Better than ninety percent of the current guild masters.¡±


    ¡°Bugger¡­¡±


    His friend hung even lower.


    ¡°Indeed. I talked to the boffins and according to their projections, our revenue is going to decrease soon. There are already rumors about Chrysalis taking over some big contracts.¡±


    ¡°Dude! You know Anna hates it when you call her a boffin!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, but it¡¯s such a fun word¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ if you like sleeping on the couch, then power to you, my friend. Power to you¡­¡± he said, raising his cup in salute.


    There was some grumbling as his friend contemplated his odds before he posed another question.


    ¡°Do you have a plan?¡±


    His friend let out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s clear that AFK is planning to become the top guild in the kingdom. We can fight against them with the other guilds, or simply leave.¡±


    ¡°I vote for leaving,¡± he reacted without hesitation. ¡°Those guilds will ally with us, then instantly backstab us as soon as AFK is gone. Not worth taking a chance on it.¡±


    ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡±


    He was happy to hear that his friend wasn¡¯t a moron. Just dramatic and dorky as hell¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s the destination? Are we going north or south?¡±


    ¡°South. I hate the cold. And with the fire mages we have, those undead fractures are going to be child¡¯s play¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re sure, boss!¡±


    ¡°The boffins told me it is a solid plan!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling Anna you called her boffin twice!¡±


    ¡°Please, no¡­.¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Isabella was having fun. If one discounted the chaos gremlin hanging around, but over the years, she had developed techniques to deal with the annoying pest. Joining Katie and her band of weirdos was definitely the right decision.


    Her family didn¡¯t like it, but she threw a few bits of information at them ¨C courtesy of Sam ¨C and they were content in letting her ¡®play around until she returned to her senses¡¯ as phrased by one of her cousins. In retaliation, she leaked that the cousin had a boyfriend to their parents.


    Playing with the team was simply exciting. There was none of the usual jockeying that she got used to in Eternal Light. Nobody wanted to prove that they had the biggest balls, wallets, or some combination of the two.


    In her new team, everyone had a place and nobody wanted to leave that place.


    Clarissa, while always grumbling and complaining, was pretty happy to heal them until the kingdom came. And the fact that the young woman was so far able to outheal anything that they met just proved that the healers back at Eternal Light didn¡¯t know what they were doing.


    Granted, it helped that Sam was some kind of Mana Control prodigy, and basically showered them with information about the topic. With his express permission, she took one piece of the information and discreetly checked its worth on the web.


    The number she received made even her think twice about selling it.


    The magic system in Magic Unbound was so new and different, that what scant information players had managed to discover was hidden behind layers of security, providing the discoverers a boost in their power.


    Even the NPCs refused to share much information, especially after the player population began to grow exponentially. They just mumbled about vague feelings and mysticism, leaving whoever was talking to them confused.


    The internet was also full of people peddling vague advice on mana control for incredible prices, saying a lot of things, with little or no substance. She knew that several people in her family were paying good money to some of these ¡®gurus¡¯, just to eke out some kind of advantage.


    It was pretty funny seeing them strutting around, their noses in the air, bragging about acquiring Basic Mana Control after months of effort.


    It took her a session with Sam and an afternoon.


    Katie was Katie, enough said.


    Dan was pretty solid and dependable. Sadly, he already had a girlfriend, and Isabella was no home-wrecker. Even worse, they looked pretty solid and cute together so she couldn¡¯t even wait for them to break up.


    There was always Sam, but for some reason, while she looked at him - was handsome and well-kept - she always felt that she was talking to her father or one of the elders in the family. Which was massive yuck!


    Then there were the pets!


    So many cool pets! Lucky was adorable, fluffy, and a murder machine at the same time! Melody was a stabby birb, and Hawky was just an all-around sweety. Puffball belonged to Katie (or did Katie belong to Puffball?) so she didn''t like the cat. She couldn''t wait until she could get her own stabby-and-or-cute pet. Who cared if her cousin tamed a bear? She would have an ultra-mega-laser-death....shark!


    All in all, as they descended into the Valley of Distortion, she couldn¡¯t help but feel satisfied about her current situation.


    However, she still tried to trip Katie into one of the space anomalies.


    To her bad luck, the mindboggling distortion in the air simply giggled, caught the stumbling Katie with arms that looked like glass twisted into pretzels while hot lava flowed through it, stabilized the gremlin, patted Katie''s head then blew a raspberry at Isabella that smelled surprisingly like raspberry and went inert.


    Well, as inert as a constantly moving and changing distortion in space could be.


    Isabella vowed that she would try harder next time!

 Chapter 171 - Interlude 16.2

    He stepped forward, sipping on his industrial-strength coffee, and took in the countless monitors, screens, projections, and doohickeys as they continuously showcased information about the game.


    It had been quite nice recently.


    Most of the player population was staying quiet, doing their usual grinding and killing each other. Just like in any MMO.


    But Magic Unbound wasn¡¯t just like any MMO. No. It was THE MMO.


    And while the ninety-nine-point-ninety-nine percent of the players were utterly boring, the last zero-point-zero-one percent caused the biggest headache.


    These were mostly separated by the Threat Assessment Team into different categories. The gold category was for rich people, mostly second-generation heirs who thought that the sun was shining from their assholes and nobody in their little bubble said no to them. They mostly kept an eye on them to avoid frivolous lawsuits and cheating. Most people had their money on one of the privileged assholes being the first one to be caught cheating.


    He agreed with them.


    Silver was for people who were important to the company. Relatives of workers and other associates. They were observed mostly to avoid people accusing them of collusion and cheating.


    Bronze was for famous people. Celebrities, influencers, sports people, and other famous entities who felt they deserved more just because they knew how to kick a ball, or got naked in a movie about mutant rats or whatever.


    Black was for known white and black hat hackers and anyone whom they felt was trying to find vulnerabilities in the game¡¯s system. Selene kept an eye on them, ready to bring out the big guns if they even found a hairline fracture.


    Vermilion, Viridian, and Azure were for people in the game. People who achieved records that were almost impossible, or unimaginable. People who achieved feats that the developers thought were beyond them.


    Vermilion had the most people. These were, in general, the top players in the game. Viridian was the cream off the top. The pioneers. The inventors. The people who discovered things that should have been hidden. Who killed monsters that seemed to be invincible.


    Then there was Azure.


    Or as they called them in-house: the fuckers.


    After some rebalancing and reevaluating their grading criteria in light of several events caused by one of the fuckers, it held only one person.


    The chief fucker.


    He was pretty sure the guy was cheating. Nobody was that good and talented. But no.


    Dozens of private investigators found nothing. Selene reported no intrusions. They basically had nothing on him.


    Hell, he was pretty close to believing in the theory that the guy was some kind of alien using their unknown technology to have fun on their vacation on a primitive planet. Or he was magic¡­


    At this point, the leadership had decided that as long as the fucker didn¡¯t do anything too exploitative, he could play.


    When he heard the decision, he wanted to yell that anything the fucker did was exploiting something, but¡­ THERE. WAS. NO. CONCRETE. EVIDENCE!


    He said nothing that would show his sources, yet every action he took dripped with suspiciousness.


    Then there was his ¡®talent¡¯ with mana control.


    They designed the game with longevity in mind. They created skills that took time and effort to master. And here came the fucker with his adorable pet wolf and mastered it in record time.


    Once again, without any evidence of cheating.


    The fucker¡­


    He was about to imagine how he could punish him when a soft chime went off near him. He froze, and he could see that everybody around the speaker which let out the chime, also froze.


    Instead of replying immediately, he took another fortifying sip of his drink. Then, as he lowered the cup from his mouth, he let out a tired sigh.


    ¡°What is it, Selene?¡±


    The gentle voice of the game¡¯s system came from the speaker, as her beautiful face appeared on one of the nearby screens.


    ¡°You told me to report if that¡­fucker¡­ has done anything noteworthy, sir,¡± she reported with an air of amusement. While the staff of Future Unknown despaired at the fucker¡¯s actions, Selene thought it was simply funny.


    ¡°What did our most annoying customer do this time?¡±


    He looked at the AI, and based on the smirk on her face, he was pretty sure he wouldn¡¯t like the answer.


    ¡°He created a ritual that allowed him to scan a great amount of area for fractures and found one of the Valleys of Distortions.¡±


    For a moment, there was a complete silence in the room.


    In the end, he broke it. ¡°He-he created a ritual?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± came the cheery reply. ¡°He used an actual Ritual Master to carve the basic focus circles, then used his own skills to create an ad-hoc ritual for this purpose. The resolution of the scan wasn¡¯t great, but it allowed him to find almost all the fractures in the area.¡±


    ¡°Ad-hoc ritual circle?¡± he was feeling rather faint.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    She waved her hand a little. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure he worked it out in real life, but he used Illusionary Runes to create the circles.¡±


    ¡°Circles?¡±


    ¡°Four circles, seven in total, sir.¡±


    He closed his eyes and counted to ten. Then to a hundred before opening them again and looking at the amused AI. ¡°Let me guess¡­ no evidence of cheating?¡±


    ¡°Just pure skill and tenacity!¡±


    ¡°That fucker!¡±


    He turned away from the laughing AI and began to yell. ¡°Get me the stats! I want to see the recording! Someone check their destination! I want to know everything about that Valley! Chop-chop people before the fucker does something else annoying!¡±


    There was a general noise as people hurried around. Keyboards clacked, mice clicked and computers made all sorts of noises.


    Then, as he managed to calm himself down a little, Selene spoke up.


    ¡°He had one of his friends unbury an ancient outpost. Bye!¡± then she vanished from the screen.


    He stared blankly at the dark screen for a long moment.


    ¡°OH, FOR FUCK¡¯S SAKE!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Liz was very surprised at how much she enjoyed crafting in Magic Unbound.


    Usually, as a streamer, she preferred to play much more active classes to keep the watchers entertained. Plus, magic¡­


    But ever since she found that crystal tablet, she had been delving deeper and deeper into crafting. Hell, even when she wasn¡¯t playing, she was active on crafter forums, arguing about metal alloys, enchantments, and whatnot.


    She even downloaded a few technical articles about topics she was a little confused about, while continuously lamenting about the fact she never finished her degree. ¡®Though, why a degree in journalism would help, I don¡¯t know¡­¡¯


    And then Sam came and threw that other tablet at her¡­


    She was part happy and part angry about it. For one, it elevated her crafting skills to another level, on the other hand, she had to scrap almost every plan for her future projects thanks to the new information.


    Lucy was not happy when Liz told her that, thanks to the new skills, she would need to restart Project Alexandria. Thankfully, most of that anger was directed at Sam. Then she revealed what changes she had planned and her boss instantly lost her anger and turned all sweet smiles and laughter.


    Liz quickly retreated to her workshop, which had recently become her haven, before Lucy decided to do something to her.


    She took a moment to center herself, dressed in her usual overalls, which left just enough space to keep the perverts from complaining but covered everything to keep herself from feeling weird. Then she pulled out some materials, made sure her adorable drones were doing okay, checked that the few she had set up to manufacture light fittings and other miscellaneous stuff for the hotels and supermarkets were also working without any issues, and sat at her streaming desk. She took a small cloth and covered the items on the desk.


    In a minute, the stream was online.


    ¡°Hello everyone! Drone Jr, come say hello!¡±


    One of her newer drones, at least a hundred percent more adorable than the first ones she created, obediently floated over and bobbed around as if bowing before the stream.


    Instantly, the chat was flooded with exclamations and emoticons.


    ¡°As usual, today is a crafting stream,¡± she announced and smiled as she read the happy reactions.


    - Finally! I have been waiting for a week! I want to see cute drones with deadly weapons!


    - Gatling gun go brrrrrr


    - Mama wants big booms!!


    - What are you going to build, Rose?


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked!¡± She then dramatically pulled the cloth away from the items. ¡°Today, we are going to build a grenade launcher!¡±


    - WOW


    - Mama got big booms!


    - I want to have your babies Rose


    - Can I has grenade launcher too?


    - Are you going to sell it?


    She read the chat, ignored the silly ones, and chose one of the more serious ones to answer. ¡°Sorry, but my contract prevents me from selling the weapons. But rest assured, you¡¯ll be able to see my cute drones destroy monsters with them!¡±


    She picked up one of the metal alloys and held it up to the camera.


    ¡°So, as you can see, I have been doing some research and managed to put together a pretty nice alloy that will allow some good mana conductivity.¡± She took a cute stance and sent a small kiss at the camera. ¡°And no. I¡¯m not sharing the recipe!¡±


    She pulled out one of her tools and began to shape the metal while keeping up some small talk with the chat.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s up with you guys? Anything interesting in the big damage world?¡±


    Instantly, the chat was flooded, but Liz just smiled, nodded when appropriate, and made all the right noises as she worked. She did not doubt that Tim would be combing through those chat logs.


    <hr>


    With the stream over, she lost her smile; her face hurting a little, but still, she was in a great mood. Lots of interaction, donations, and whatnot. Even without the company paying her, she would be doing well with just the income from the stream.


    But now there was something else to do.


    She didn¡¯t mention it to her watchers, but the new drones were built by using Light and Crystal Geomancy at the same time. Crystal for the body and light for the mind and some of the abilities. Her shields were much stronger than at the beginning.


    She even had a small belt tool that cast a personal full-body shield around her.


    Opening the notifications, she went through the usual skill level ups after crafting something new-ish, then took a look at the important ones.


    [Congratulations! You managed to combine two different disciplines of Geomancy!]


    [You crafted more than ten Tier 1 drones and one Tier 2 drone.]


    [Due to your accomplishment, you receive +1 WIS and +1 DEX!]


    [You haven¡¯t selected your crafting specialty yet! Would you like to see a list of available specialties?]


    She clicked on the yes button.


    Instantly, another window appeared before her with the list.


    [Your available specialties are the following:


    Drones


    Manufacturing


    Enchanting


    Design


    Jewelry


    Home appliances


    Joke products


    ¡­


    ..


    .


    Geomancy!]


    She read the entire list, and while several from the list tempted her, in the end, there was only one logical choice.


    [Congratulations! You selected Geomancy as your crafting speciality!]


    [Geomancy Speciality: You wish to focus on Geomancy, master all its secrets, and revel in its intricacy. It is a heavy road you chose, but the final destination should be everything you ever wished for. The effectiveness of Geomancy-related crafting is increased, while the effectiveness of anything else is decreased. Grants you the Critical Crafting skill!]


    [Critical Crafting: Level 0/13 (0%) When you craft there is a chance that some of or the entire item is upgraded a quality tier. This chance depends on your LUCK, knowledge, mindset, and the general disposition of the universe. Additionally, this skill only gains experience points when you achieve a critical craft. Grants a base 1% critical crafting chance per skill level.]


    She stared a little longer at the skill, trying to see if there was a way to reliably use it, but in the end, she just shrugged and closed the window. She never liked relying on chance.


    Hard work was much more reliable¡­

 Chapter 172

    The first task, after arriving in the Valley of Distortion, was to find a spot where they could set up camp, and deal with all the fractures.


    As Sam looked at the distorted valley where up was down and left was fish, he knew that a lesser man, or rather any man (or woman) would have despaired upon laying their eyes on it. But he was not a lesser man. He had future knowledge and an aerial view on his side.


    From his future knowledge, he knew that all valleys like this one had a way in and a semi-central location where a camp could be set up, like some kind of eye of the storm.


    And thanks to his foray into ritual magic, he had been provided a very nice aerial view with his mana sense, which in turn gave him the clues to find the way in.


    ¡°Follow me, don¡¯t stray, and stay silent. If somebody or something talks to you, ignore it.¡± He spoke up before closing his eyes and ignoring the quiet murmuring behind him.


    Instead, he used his mana sense and turned it toward the distortion. Immediately, his mental eyes were assaulted with what was basically visual chaff. The mana in the area churned like during a storm, big currents of mana going every which way, constantly changing the manascape.


    However, like streams in the oceans, there were several gently flowing mana rivers deep under the churning surface, and of those calm streams only one led to the outside. It was kind of lucky that it terminated not far from the location where they had rested.


    Eyes still closed, he spoke up. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± And began walking in the direction of the calm manastream.


    While he could only see the vague outline of his teammates, thanks to his mana sight, Sam still saw their heads turn to each other. He imagined they were wondering what he was up to¡­


    They didn¡¯t have to walk far and soon they stood before the entrance to the Valley of Distortion.


    ¡°Once again, I repeat. Follow me, stay silent, and if somebody or something speaks, ignore it. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Sure, boss!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°What if they are cute?¡±


    As one, they turned to Katie. She smiled cheerfully but didn¡¯t seem to be joking. Finally, it was Sam who spoke up. ¡°If they¡¯re friendly, you can talk to them.¡±


    ¡°What if they¡¯re mean?¡±


    ¡°You have a weapon, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ that doesn¡¯t sound fun.¡± She raised her finger to her chin, deep in thought, before her face brightened as if a light bulb had turned on. ¡°I know! I¡¯ll feed them to Puffball!¡±


    ¡°Meow!¡± the aforementioned ¡®cat¡¯ chose this moment to announce their presence with an approving meow.


    Sam opened his mouth, and after giving it a thought, he closed it. He just shook his head and turned back toward the distortions.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start before I think about that too much¡­¡± he murmured, then closed his eyes again. And with trepidation tinged with the excitement of adventure, he took his first step on the road toward the center of this particular storm.


    The first few steps were easy, as if the area was lulling them into a false sense of security, then as they took maybe the twentieth step, suddenly the mana in the air changed.


    Before, it felt like a refreshing breeze on a slightly windy spring day, but now it turned into a cloying tropical wind. However, instead of being saturated with water, it was mana itself that they had to wade through.


    The next part of the journey felt like every one of them had heavy weights on their bodies, making every step extremely hard. Credit where credit is due, nobody let out even a squeak.


    Sam could feel his mana shield straining against the pressure from the manastream, but thankfully, his prodigious mana regeneration managed to keep up with the damage. So far¡­


    Keeping an eye on the snaking manastream, he continuously led the team deeper into the valley. Sometimes they went forward, sometimes they went in slalom, a few times they zigged and zagged, and Sam was pretty sure they had to go around a specific stone several times before Puffball ate something and the manastream led them away from the area.


    And all through their journey, there was a constant murmur of whispering voices, audible but not understandable. As if a vast audience was observing them from high up in balconies, discussing them with casual disinterest.


    An hour into the journey, the surrounding pressure changed once again. Instead of heavy pressure, the mana seemed to solidify, and the pellets of mana began to pelt them, not unlike hail.


    For a second, he wondered what it looked like from the outside, but he had to focus on the mana hail. He quickly summoned his own mana, and with a flex of will, that somehow still managed to amaze him to this day, shaped his own mana into the well-known shape of snowplows.


    Instantly, he could feel mana slamming against his mana walls and his own mana being consumed, but after doing quick math, Sam decided that it would last. Then, with renewed vigor, he continued his journey, the rest of the team following him silently. Though he heard a few relieved sighs.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    By his estimate, they were almost through the hail, somewhere near the exit to the calm part of the valley, when he heard a yelp, which caused him to stop and turn around. He saw, through his mana sense, some kind of shapeless blob, made of rainbow-colored mana, swoop down, right at Dan¡¯s fiery yet extremely controlled mana.


    However, before he could react, the disturbing mana of Puffball, who unsurprisingly blended in well with all the surrounding distortions, jumped up, enlarged, and swallowed the incoming attacker. At least Sam hoped it was an attacker¡­


    He waited until the ¡®cat¡¯ got situated back on Katie¡¯s head, whose yellowish-blue mana was jumping around in her body like a hyperactive five-year-old who found the candy drawer, and continued plowing through the mana hail.


    Then, as he saw they were getting closer to the calm eye in the distortion storm, he felt the hail decrease to his relief.


    Ten steps¡­


    Five steps¡­


    Three¡­


    Two¡­


    And they were free of the manastream.


    Sam shut off his mana sight and finally opened his eyes and beheld a clearing the size of a small city block, dotted with trees, some rocks, and a quaint little lake. He nodded in satisfaction then turned toward his friends.


    Clarissa looked bedraggled, Dan looked like his hair had gone through at least three carwashes, Isabella was glaring at Katie (though that was not that surprising) and the berserker woman was petting Puffball while smiling excitedly.


    ¡°That was awesome, Sam! Can we do it again? Can we?¡± she asked excitedly.


    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± came the not-so-calm rebuke from Clarissa as she crossed her arms in an x shape. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see any more of¡­that!¡± she exclaimed, panting slightly and waving her hands vaguely in the direction of the wall of distortion that looked oddly smug.


    ¡°But¡­but¡­the cuties!¡±


    Sam looked on as Clarissa stalked forward to no doubt educate Katie on the fact that not everybody found non-Euclidean monsters cute, with Isabella looking excited at the prospect of violence, while Dan was gearing up to intervene when they all froze as they heard a throat being cleared.


    Sam had only one thought: ¡®Finally¡­¡¯


    They all turned around in a second, only to behold a person-shaped indentation in the world. It had legs, arms, and a head, but all they saw was an empty space where the body should have been.


    Out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw his teammates reach for their weapons, but he simply held up a hand, stopping them. Then he addressed the being in front of them.


    ¡°Hello! Can we help you?¡± he asked as normally as he could. There was still a chance that what the other Sam had heard was a complete fabrication, but for now, he would go with what he knew.


    They saw a being nod. ¡°Yes, you can.¡± The voice was oddly deep and male-sounding. ¡°I prefer not to waste my words, especially on primitives like you. So here is the short and sweet.¡± He began talking, but surprisingly, they couldn¡¯t hear one iota of condescension in their voice. ¡°Twenty words or fewer: Dimensional energy go big boom. Holes on the barrier between our world and yours. Go destroy fractures to close holes.¡± They let the words hang in the air for a moment before continuing. ¡°Understood?¡±


    Sam inwardly celebrating, but showing none of that on his face, nodded. ¡°Yes. We understand.¡±


    The being nodded once again. ¡°Good. I¡¯ll keep this area safe while you¡¯re alive.¡± Then it vanished, leaving a small football-sized black energy, which hung there for a moment, before exploding and sending out a wave of energy that completely ignored Sam and his team, terminating at the edge of the calm zone where they could see a thin line of the same energy, acting like a fence.


    Sam even turned his mage sight back on temporarily to check it out. To him, it looked like the distortion was straining against an invisible film. Sometimes the film bulged, but it didn¡¯t pop, keeping the crazy mana back.


    Then, as he opened his eyes, a new quest appeared in front of him and the others.


    [Congratulations! You have been chosen to close this cluster of chaotic fractures to heal the fabric of the universe!]


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Volatile Valley]


    [Through unconventional ways (still wondering how you did that!) you found something called a Valley of Distortion. There you managed to navigate to the center (what are you?) and met a very unhelpful and inscrutable being who charged you and your team to destroy these fractures. Why they want to do that, what they get out of it, you don¡¯t know. But does it matter?]


    [Time Limit: As long as you persevere]


    [Penalty: Getting lost in the area between dimensions, which would deposit you in a random place after you exit. Including on the top of active volcanos. Not very healthy!]


    [Reward: Maybe]


    ¡®You¡¯re getting sassy, game¡­¡¯ he mused as he read through the quest description. He looked up from his reading and waited for the others to finish.


    Once everyone finished the reading, he clapped his hands together and began to distribute the tasks.


    ¡°Katie, go patrol.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± she saluted smartly and within a second, she was off with Puffball snoring on her head.


    He turned to Clarissa. ¡°Go check the water and flora.¡± She nodded and also left.


    Next was Isabella. ¡°Go check all the fractures we can reach from here to see what the system says about them.¡±


    ¡°You got it!¡± came the chirpy answer.


    Then finally Sam turned to Dan. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s set up a camp. I have a feeling we are going to be here for a while.¡±


    Dan could only wryly smile at hearing that.


    <hr>


    An hour later, there was a small circle of tents, reinforced by stones they dug up while trying to make the ground even, shaped by Sam¡¯s oft-neglected earth magic. They also cut down some trees to make some benches and a rudimentary table.


    Clarissa checked everything, and while she found a few interesting specimens among the local flora, nothing was dangerous to them.


    Katie found a few more of those ¡®things¡¯ that Sam had no name for, or desire to think about, but all of them ended in the belly of one satisfied eldritch being that liked to masquerade as a cat. Lucky was off chasing butterflies, his tail wagging as he jumped around the flower fields dotting the area where they set up.


    Hawky was sitting on a nearby branch, watching as his master, Dan, was cutting down trees.


    Melody the swan somehow managed to get hold of a small knife and was shadow-fighting with it in her beak with Isabella cheering her on and giving advice here and there after she returned from her scouting.


    Altogether, a very idyllic scene.


    Sam smiled, then returned to the piece of paper on the hastily put-together table. On it, a rough drawing of their location with all the fractures that they could reach without going inside the distortion marked on it, courtesy of Isabella.


    There were even a few notes about them.


    He started reading Isabella¡¯s elegant writing.


    Small fracture, five people, plants, three charge


    He nodded, just as he expected.


    Back in the future of the other Sam, he watched in envy as guilds bragged about all the fascinating loot and skills they managed to get from the first Valley of Distortion. By the time it was finished, every guild all over the world was looking for these. And when one was found¡­ It was almost as big of an event as finding an unattributed crystal mine.


    No matter what, blood always drenched the ground enough that there were several groups of blood mages, hired by the local government that were sent in to clean up the carnage, almost like crime scene cleaners.


    Sam hoped to avoid such bloodshed...

 Chapter 173

    Before going in, trying to tackle the first fracture, they spent a little more time reinforcing and prettying up the camp.


    Dan collected stones that weren¡¯t tainted by space-time fuckery and used them to build up the small wall around the wall, as well as adding more weights to the tents in case of a storm.


    Clarissa already dug up a small patch of ground and planted a few seeds, wanting to see what happened to common medicinal plants grown in such an unusual environment. Though everyone agreed to keep an eye on them in case they gained sentience and ran away. Or heaven forbid, decided to eat the team.


    Isabella was trying to construct training dummies out of the wood that was left over from the construction of the furniture. Sam had to admit, the girl had some talent in carpentry¡­


    Katie was having a¡­tea party¡­ with Puffball and something that Sam didn¡¯t want to think about, so instead he turned back to his own task.


    [Perception Filter is now Level 18!]


    He took some thick wood branches, and using his illusionary runes as overlays, carved a few runic circles in them. Mostly, it was for the quality of life. They had such things as insect repellent, air freshener, silencing ward to avoid spooking the ¡®wildlife¡¯ (or rather to not hear what the wildlife was doing), and one that repelled lighter rain.


    There was one runic circle that would repel all rain, but ordinary wood wasn¡¯t exactly the best material for that kind of enchantment.


    He finished the process by taking one of the smoothest and roundest looking stones from the shore of the small lake, used his fledgling skill in earth manipulation to make it even rounder, and then simply carved into it his Heart Rune and placed it under the firepit.


    With the briefest touch of his finger, he activated the rune and watched with his Mage Sight as the bubble of delicate magic went up around the camp. As he covered the stone with soil and rocks, he only had one thought. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t stop anything determined, but by god we¡¯ll be comfortable!¡¯


    Then, as he was satisfied with the runic circle, he turned his attention to Clarissa¡¯s little garden.


    ¡®I¡¯m going to have to create one for that too¡­ Not keen on fighting rabid carrots¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he began to consider the garden and what kind of runic circle he could weave around the damn thing.


    Meanwhile, Melody, with a garden shovel in their beak, was delightedly stabbing the ground repeatedly while Clarissa spread seeds into the holes created by the stab-happy swan.


    <hr>


    ¡°Sam, can I ask something?¡±


    He turned to Dan and took in his slightly anxious face.


    ¡°Sure, bro. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°What happens when we max out the Perception Filter skill?¡±


    ¡°What level are you at?¡± Sam asked.


    ¡°Just seven, but it leveled up twice since we arrived here,¡± the muscled mage replied while trying not to stare pointedly at Katie.


    Sam just shrugged. ¡°My best guess is that we¡¯ll see the same thing Katie sees¡­¡±


    For some reason, Dan looked even more alarmed.


    <hr>


    They gathered around the table, some snacking, some sipping on drinks, but all of them looked at the map that Isabella put together.


    She began the debrief after taking a big sip of her own tea. ¡°So, the situation is that we are in the center of several concentric circles of fractures. My best guess is the farther from the eye of the storm they are, and the deeper they are in this space distortion, the harder they¡¯ll become.¡± She explained while everybody nodded along. ¡°I checked the first circle, and we have four fractures. One with plants, one with rocks, one with wood, and one with water.¡± She scowled a little, then continued. ¡°I asked Katie to take a look and the second circle has six fractures and the third around nine or more.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t really see the exact numbers as everything is pretty hazy that far out there¡­¡± Katie interjected with a small shrug as she continued to pet Puffball.


    ¡°Right. Yes, that,¡± Isabella agreed, then she motioned toward the map again, where the four fractures that were accessible to them were marked. ¡°I think we should start with the plant one as we have a fire mage with us.¡±


    Nobody had anything to say against that, thus the meeting broke up, everybody taking a few minutes to prepare before heading toward the first fracture.


    They agreed to try to finish it before they had to log out.


    <hr>


    Sam walked up to the swirling portal that wasn¡¯t exactly perpendicular to the ground it hobbled around a wonky axis causing some eyestrain if someone looked at it for a long time. It was a green-colored portal with specks of brown mixed in.


    He reached forward and touched the haphazard dimensional energy and started immediately reading the screen that popped up.


    [Plants! Plants! Plants!]


    [Get them while fresh! Fracture that has been overtaken by Mother Nature. And she is not happy. Your job is to go in there and show Mother Nature who is the boss. Preferably with lots of fire. Do you have napalm? Just asking¡­]


    [Time Limit: None]


    [Penalty: Getting swarmed by poison ivy at the exactly wrong moment]


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    [Reward: You can rest easily]


    [Charges: 3/3]


    [Hidden Bonus: ???]


    Sam waited until everyone signaled that they had read the screen and then motioned toward the portal leading to the fracture.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°HAHAHA! DIE! Burn! Buuuuurn!¡±


    ¡°Should we stop him?¡± Clarissa asked idly, as they stood at the edge of the forest clearing amid charred wood and other detritus as they watched Dan go at the plants.


    Surprisingly, the fracture was rather easy. The entire fracture was set up as an interconnected series of meadows and the moment they stepped into one, the flowers and other plants uprooted themselves and set themselves on the party.


    They barely had to do anything, as Dan¡¯s fire magic made short work of them. Though, just for the experience, they had Hawky, Melody, and Lucky fight some of the bulkier monsters.


    As Dan walked forward, acting like a war criminal, their only job was to collect the eclectic collection of loot. Though, the experience points were also nice.


    [Crystalline Fertilizer: Fertilizer that crystalized due to the presence of mana. Extremely effective on any plant.]


    ¡°Ooooh, that will be perfect for the garden!¡± Clarissa basically cooed as she collected all the Crystalline Fertilizers that the monsters had dropped. The rest were random plant materials useful for alchemy, cooking, or both.


    So far, the fracture also dropped a few skill books, but they were extremely common. According to Clarissa, one could get them after doing the basic reputation quests at the Healer Guild. Or if they joined the guild. So, they went into one inventory and were forgotten about.


    They were halfway through the plant fracture when the monsters became strong enough and, more importantly, numerous enough that the rest of the team had to join the disappointed Dan.


    The small flowers and plants that uprooted themselves were joined with trunks that had dark craggy maws on them and walked with their roots, smaller treants, waving their branches threateningly, and a few snakes that looked like fat ivy.


    Sam just smiled and raised both of his hands, shining with magic. He thrust them forward, sending a blast of air filled with vibrating wind blades that shredded the first line of the plant offensive.


    Next to him, Katie was already wreathed in yellow-colored lighting and running forward, yelling in excitement with Isabella not far behind her. Clarissa, standing on his other side, just sighed, raised her own staff, and began to shoot a short burst of white flames.


    He sent her a questioning look. ¡°Sacred Flame?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Best I got¡­¡±


    Sam just grinned, put his hands together in front of him, and summoned a dense ball of wind mana. ¡°Add it here!¡±


    Clarissa took a long look at him, then returned his grin and a brief burst of Sacred Flame impacted the ball of dense wind mana. Which, in turn, was transformed into a shining ball of light that was radiating heat.


    A lot of heat.


    Before it could seriously harm either of them, Sam simply threw the ball of mana at the approaching horde, well away from the other rampaging teammates and pets.


    They watched as the ball of light arched over the plant monsters and then not-so-gracefully impacted the face of one of the treants. Where it promptly detonated, covering the area surrounding the now dead treant with almost liquid-like white flames that merrily burned anything that went near it without seemingly trying to spread out.


    Sam took in the destruction, then looked at Clarissa. ¡°Did we just create napalm?¡±


    Clarissa nodded dumbly before speaking up. ¡°Can we try again?¡±


    As Sam reached for his mana to repeat his earlier feat, there was one thought in his head. ¡®Good to know, she is just as big of a pyromaniac as the rest of us¡­¡¯


    Then there was only fire¡­


    <hr>


    The boss, as expected, turned out to be a giant treant who commanded an army of leafy-looking ivy snakes. Sadly, no matter what it controlled, they were still no match to the power of fire.


    The team stood amongst the ashes of their enemy and leisurely gathered the loot.


    ¡°More reagents¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­this is some good wood¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, a book!¡±


    Hearing that, all of them looked at Dan, who was holding up a skill book.


    ¡°What kind?¡± Sam asked curiously.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ it¡¯s Green Thumb!¡± he declared after a short inspection.


    Sam nodded, satisfied. That was indeed a good book. Not an exclusive drop to this fracture, but rare enough that if a copy appeared in the Auction House, it never stayed there more than a few minutes.


    ¡°Can I have it?¡± Clarissa asked. ¡°They sell it at the Healer Guild, but it has some really stupid requirements¡­¡±


    The others looked at each other and shrugged as one. Dan then handed over the book to Clarissa who then promptly learned the skill.


    ¡°What does it do?¡± Isabella asked as they began walking toward the exit.


    Clarissa played a little with her interface and soon all of them were reading about the skill.


    [Green Thumb: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) You have a green thumb. The effectiveness of every action related to plants is increased by 1% per skill level. Sentient plants may be more friendly with you, depending on how you use your thumb.]


    ¡°Oooh, kinky¡­¡± was Katie¡¯s contribution.


    <hr>


    They left the fracture and made sure that nothing disturbed their camp. Katie shooed away a thing that looked like a raven, but to Sam, it seemed to have just too many beaks and eyes to be anything natural. All of them looking in different directions.


    Then they returned to the plant fracture to further terrorize and commit war crimes on poor plants.


    Already knowing the setup and layout of the fracture made the second run much easier and simpler, though they still let the familiars deal with the earlier waves to have them gather a little more experience.


    The second run ended with fewer skillbook drops, but an ungodly amount of special fertilizer that made Clarissa very happy. Happy enough that Sam had to inquire about the reason.


    ¡°Back at the guild, I can exchange this literal magical shit for reputation points and money. No more grinding those stupid hospital quests¡­. Do you know how many people hit on me while I¡¯m healing them? DO YOU?¡± she asked with a slightly crazed look on her face. Sam, in the end, wisely decided to back off after reassuring her that she could have all the fertilizer. Though he kept a small amount, just in case he needed it in the future.


    The third time was much luckier.


    One of the random monsters dropped another Green Thumb book, which Isabella took for her friend Claire, as the maid was trying to breed some super tea plant. None of them minded. If a super tea would be developed that would mean that Lucy would have it sold at Heavenly Forest for an incredible price, which in turn meant that their income would also rise.


    Sam even saw Clarissa force some fertilizer on Isabella so that the young woman could give it to her maid friend.


    ¡®That¡¯s friendship right there¡­¡¯ Sam chuckled to himself.


    Then came the final boss. The treant looked a touch meaner than the last two, but under the combined assault of the team, it fell before it could do more than summon a small army of leafy snakes and snarl in their direction.


    However, as they combed through the loot, Sam found a thin green book with a plant symbol on it, surrounded by runes.


    Opening it, he was pleasantly surprised.


    [The Gardener¡¯s friend: This runic circle was developed for aspiring gardeners and alchemists to protect their gardens and to promote growth. Successfully deploying this runic circle increases the effect of fertilizer and decreases the chance of illness taking root in protected plants or insects swarming them. The strength of the effects depends on the skill of the one who draws the rune. Please consult a professional before using it!]


    As they left the fracture for the last time, and the green portal shrank into a pinprick and then exploded into green sparks, Clarissa was already pestering him to set up a circle around the small garden she had created.

 Chapter 174

    They left the fracture, with Sam wondering what the hidden bonus could have been. However, as they walked back to their little camp, it soon became apparent what the reward was.


    Next to their little garden, another small plot of land appeared, the ground was loose, and glistened as if it was recently watered, and in it, nestled comfortably in the middle, was a crystalline plant shoot. Sam could practically feel the mana radiating from it.


    Clarissa gasped, rushed forward, and began fussing around the new plant.


    The rest of the team stood back and watched the young healer warily as she ascertained what happened.


    Finally, after ten minutes, she looked up from her screens, grinned, and then sent one of them to each of them.


    Sam quickly took a curious look at the new screen.


    [Tree of Rewards: A small plant, recently born from the seeds of your team¡¯s labor. Grows into ???]


    He had to hold back hard to avoid gasping. It was the Tree of Rewards! No wonder countless guilds were massacred when one of these distortions was found. The other Sam managed to participate in a raid where a Tree of Rewards was at the end. Naturally, as a lowly guild member, he could only watch from the sidelines as the leaders harvested the tree for all its worth.


    Still, the opportunity allowed the other Sam to catch a glimpse of the special tree and the reward it provided. The Tree of Rewards grew as many fruits as there were people on the team. And each fruit was a condensed wonder of dimensional magic. Full of chaos and possibility.


    Then the person who harvested it could channel the mana into it and receive something aligned with the mana. Mostly insanely rare raw materials, seeds, eggs, and a few rare people received skill books or even fully formed weapons.


    ¡®But why is it so small?¡¯ he wondered. The image of the tree he had in his memories was of a fully formed crystalline tree, at least the size of two grown men.


    Then the realization hit. Both him and the others.


    ¡°Hah! Probably it will grow with every fracture!¡± Katie called out in an excited voice as she also rushed over, closely followed by Puffball, and began to coo over the small plant while Clarissa tried to make sure no damage came to the new growth.


    Dan, Isabella, and Sam soon followed them.


    <hr>


    After logging back from a brief rest in the real world, they set their sights on the next fracture with the wood element.


    They left their camp behind, the new growth protected by a carefully crafted barrier made from wood, stone, and animal feathers ¨C donated by Hawky and Melody ¨C with some fur from Lucky and Puffball added. Sam also made sure it had some runic circles protecting it, while also adding the Gardener¡¯s friend to it and the original garden plot.


    Walking up to the swirling portal, the energy tainted with brown, yellow, and smattering green, the team approached and Sam touched it.


    [If a tree falls, is it a clumsy treant?]


    [Don¡¯t miss the trees from the forest. Hint, hint! Or is it? Mother Nature is still cranky, go and give her a hanky, or a spanky! Hah! Get it?]


    [Time Limit: None]


    [Penalty: Splinters! All the splinters!]


    [Reward: You can rest easily]


    [Charges: 6/6]


    [Hidden Bonus: Additional growth for the Tree of Rewards]


    ¡°Did you all get that weird message?¡± Sam asked idly while he processed the information.


    ¡°Yup!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Kinky¡­¡±


    ¡°I worry about the system¡­¡±


    Sam grinned, dismissed the screen, and turned to the team.


    ¡°Everyone ready?¡±


    After receiving affirmative calls from everyone and a cheering meow from Puffball, he turned around and stepped forward with a confident step.


    <hr>


    The fracture was similar to the previous one, but while the first one was a series of meadows surrounded by a sparse collection of trees, in the new one they had to follow a small, well-trodden path through a dense and dark forest. There was even a small amount of fog to add to the atmosphere.


    And despite being alone, they could hear the numerous calls, noises, and other sounds produced by a busy forest.


    Sam sent out a pulse of mana and kept watch with his Mana Sight, instantly spotting several monsters hidden in the fog and forest.


    He glanced at Dan and nodded toward the local flora. ¡°Dan, if you could start?¡±


    The muscled mage grinned. ¡°With pleasure!¡± He then raised his club, concentrated for a moment, and released a blast of flame in front of them that instantly annihilated the first few trees, and based on the extremely short cries, even a few animals that called them their home.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Then it was Sam¡¯s turn, and within a few seconds, a bona fide flame tornado was rampaging through the fracture while Isabella and Katie went around to deal with the straggler monsters.


    Soon, they created their own meadow, made from ash and the corpses of the slain monsters.


    Aside from the expected treants, they saw a few wood golems ¨C the size of children, crawling out of holes, wielding rudimentary wooden weapons ¨C and some of those ivy snakes.


    Sam suspected that this was just the first salvo. The true monsters would probably show up when they progressed deeper into the fracture.


    They quickly picked through the drops.


    ¡°Anything good?¡±


    ¡°Could be¡­¡± Isabella spoke up as she held up something in her hand. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    He looked over curiously to see a small seed with gentle sparks of rainbow light appearing around it, only to vanish in the next second.


    ¡°Clarissa? Can you identify it?¡±


    The healer came closer, took the seed from Isabella, and started examining it.


    Then, a few minutes later, she gasped. ¡°Wow!¡±


    They didn¡¯t even have to ask. The screen instantly appeared in front of them.


    [Transformation Tree Seed: A very versatile tree that takes up the properties of whatever seed it is planted next to. The higher the quality of the seed the more mana is needed for the transformation.]


    ¡°Well, I now know how to get the local druid circle on our side¡­¡± Sam spoke as he read through the description.


    ¡°Would that work?¡± Dan asked.


    Sam shrugged. ¡°Worth a try¡­ They have been after more Ironwood seeds.¡±


    ¡°How much do we need?¡±


    Sam looked down at the seed, and then back at the forest, trying to guestimate how many would drop. Sadly, while the other Sam heard about it, it was well known that the Transformation Tree Seed was a rare drop in most nature-based fractures.


    Finding them in the world? Impossible! They would be sensed as they were created and a nearby monster or NPC would pick them up. Create them artificially? Well, there were rumors, but nothing got revealed to the world at large¡­


    ¡°I think we should aim for ten¡­ that sounds like a nice number.¡±


    ¡°What about the extra?¡± Clarissa asked, clearly interested in the seeds as they would be a boon to an alchemist.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re into plants, so some will go to you and I need one for something else, but that can wait until you already have a few to play with. The rest can go to Lucy and she can auction them off. Same deal as the last one¡­¡±


    ¡°Last one? When did you have an auction?¡± Isabella asked, surprised.


    Sam just grinned. ¡°Well, let me tell you what your fearless leader did!¡±


    As he began to regale the young woman with tales of financial exploitation of the mentally challenged, Dan raised his club once again and unleashed another torrent of flame.


    <hr>


    It was after the third batch of forest being burned to cinders that they came across a new monster. It was a wood golem, made from treants. In the joints, instead of wood as nature intended, there were only masses of solid-looking shadows, with a giant maw making up the entire torso.


    It was bigger than everybody on the team, but with Dan¡¯s fire and Katie¡¯s general craziness, the first of them fell within minutes and many more followed after it.


    <hr>


    ¡°Hey, look what the golem dropped!¡±


    Sam ambled closer to Katie, who was holding a black book. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Shadow Tendrils! Do you want it?¡±


    ¡°Let me check¡­¡±


    He took the book and touched it to begin reading the description.


    [Shadow Tendrils: Level 0/25 (0%) (Active) Summon shadow tendrils in an area to restrain your enemies. Capable of doing psychological damage in the right hands.]


    Sam thought about it and decided that this was a skill that shouldn¡¯t fall into Katie¡¯s hands. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to learn it.¡±


    Katie smiled at him and returned to looking through the rest of the loot. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m sure more of them will drop!¡±


    Sam really hoped that wouldn''t happen. He then channeled a brief amount of shadow mana into the book, which instantly transformed into a dark cloud that go sucked into his body.


    [Congratulations! You learned Shadow Tendrils!]


    <hr>


    In the area that looked like the center of the forest, the entire area around it burned, smoldering, and smoking, they found the next boss; a gigantic wood golem, also made from treants, with ivy snakes and smaller treants growing and living on its body.


    As they watched it stand up, shaking loose dirt and other detritus (and a few unlucky minions) Sam idly spoke up.


    ¡°Do you think if we carved out the inside, we could create a giant wood mecha?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I want one!¡± was Katie¡¯s response. Puffball meowed in agreement with his ¡®master¡¯.


    <hr>


    ¡°So what did the giant wood mecha drop? Please tell me it dropped plans for other wood mechas?¡±


    ¡°No such luck, boss! Sorry!¡± came from Isabella as they gathered in the middle of the pockmarked area, next to the shattered remnant all of them holding the scattered loot in their hands.


    ¡°A few more seeds¡­¡± Dan began as he counted out the Transformation Seeds in his hand. ¡°How many does that make?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ we got the initial ten for the druids. Clarissa took another half a dozen, I have one, so we have¡­ three extras,¡± Sam declared after a small amount of mental math.


    ¡°Wow, the fracture is really generous¡­ and this is only the first run!¡± Isabella said while she cheerfully examined the loot before her.


    ¡°If we¡¯re lucky, we¡¯ll get the same amount in the next run.¡±


    ¡°Same distribution?¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright! Anything else?¡±


    Katie simply pouted. ¡°No Shadow Tendril book! So unfair¡­¡±


    Sam just patted her on her pauldron. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we still have five chances!¡±


    <hr>


    They left the fracture in high spirits, returning to their small camp. The team spent a few minutes arranging their inventory, making sure the garden was intact, chased away the unwanted eldritch carrions that were eyeing the small crystalline plant, and returned to the fracture.


    Seemingly, the most common major drop was the Transformation seed in this fracture, though Clarissa reassured them that the reagent and ¡®junk¡¯ drops were also valuable to healers and alchemists.


    Sam¡¯s heart ached a little as he knew very well, he could have made bank by buying up all those potion ingredients at the beginning¡­


    It was around the fourth run when an idea occurred to Sam. Before going in for the fifth time, he took Isabella aside, put a seed in her hand, and whispered a few hasty instructions in her ear. She sent him a queer look but said nothing.


    <hr>


    They were halfway through the fracture when Isabella shot forward, her hands shining with rainbow light as she simply punched her hand into the maw of one of the smaller treants. Instead of pulling out her hand, she kept still as the light that previously vanished in the dark and the shadowy maw of the monster began to shine through the darkness. First, it was only a few spots as the monster stood there surprised and paralyzed, then the light spread, causing cracks to spread through the body.


    The rest of the team finished the rest of the monsters, then slowly gathered around the bladedancer watching the process. Sam just grinned.


    It took an entire minute for the light to fully swallow the monster and when it happened, Isabella finally pulled away her hand and watched the monster with trepidation.


    Soon the shape of the monster, which was a wooden stump with arms and roots for legs, started to morph. It became thinner, slightly taller, and lost the roots. Instead, it gained a distinct human-ish shape. A head, two arms, two legs, and a body.


    Soon the light died down and the result of Sam¡¯s harebrained idea was shown.


    Before them, standing on the ground with closed eyes, was a small plant person thingy. It had armor made of leaf, but the body looked slightly wooden. Its hair was made from grass, falling daintily down on its shoulder, edgily covering one of the eyes. Basically, to Sam, it looked as if somebody had made an emo from a tree. It even had spiked bracelets made from thorns.


    It opened its eyes, showcasing their darkness and endless depths, locked eyes with Isabella, and opened its mouth too, showcasing a small maw of darkness, reminiscent of treants, and let out an adorable cry.


    ¡°Oh my gosh! So cute!¡± was all Sam heard before Isabella shot forward and glomped the newly born being that would become her pet. Or eat all of them.


    ¡®Can¡¯t wait to see¡­¡¯ Sam mused while watching the team fuss over the new plant monster.

 Chapter 175

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we try to put the seed next to the tree?¡± came the expected question from Dan the moment after they emerged from the fracture for the fifth try. ¡°Could we grow another reward tree?¡±


    Isabella was violently hugging her new forest spirit, or whatever it was, while the little thing squirmed around in her vice grip while cutely glaring daggers at everyone. Soulfully¡­


    Ignoring that little byplay, Sam addressed Dan¡¯s question.


    ¡°I have no fucking idea¡­¡±


    They looked at each other and then at Clarissa, who was already holding one of the seeds. She slowly walked over to the small crystalline plant, that has already grown an inch or two, and began carefully digging up a small hole where she nestled the shining seed into the ground, covered with dark and luscious soil, then she stared a moment at her screen and waved her gently glowing hand over the mound of dirt hiding treasure next to the plant of the Tree of Rewards.


    Then she waved her hand again. And again.


    Finally, after a few minutes of frantic waving and screen opening, she turned back to the others with a small frown on her face.


    ¡°Good news or bad news first?¡±


    ¡°Bad news!¡± came from Katie as she watched the proceedings with Puffball in her arms as the cat tried to swipe at the newly born plant spirit playfully.


    Clarissa simply waited and after Sam nodded, she began to explain. ¡°Bad news is that we could sit here and feed mana to this seed for weeks, and it wouldn¡¯t be enough.¡±


    ¡°And the good news?¡±


    ¡°The tree can absorb the seed and grow more powerful.¡±


    ¡°Pity the devs thought about this loophole,¡± Katie pouted, still holding Puffball as the cat tried to escape from her grip.


    Sam¡¯s attention, however, was on Clarissa. ¡°What happens if we feed one or more seeds to the tree?¡±


    He had never heard about something like this. After all, finding the two items, the Tree of Rewards and Transformation Tree Seed in one place was unheard of.


    ¡°It just says that increases the growth and quality of the plant. Nothing exact,¡± came the prompt answer. Then she perked up. ¡°How many did we get after the last run?¡±


    Sam just grinned and opened his hands, which were already full of seeds they didn¡¯t intend to save for other projects.


    <hr>


    ¡°So, what exactly is it?¡±


    ¡°She!¡±


    ¡°What exactly is she?¡±


    ¡°Pretty cute, I¡¯d say!¡±


    They sat around the camp as the small plant spirit walked around hesitantly, observing everything while Lucky, Melody, Hawky, and Puffball were watching her with interest from a respectful distance.


    That is, following her around, barely giving her personal space.


    The little plant spirit looked supremely unconcerned.


    There was a little back and forth, but soon Isabella relented and shared her new pet¡¯s information.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Wooden Shadow Spirit,¡± she declared proudly as the little plant spirit plopped down in the middle of a bunch of wildflowers and began to tear the petals off one by one while sighing melodramatically.


    The rest of the spirit animals just watched her in confusion.


    ¡°I also got the Spirit Link, and the little cutie got a transformation skill.¡±


    ¡°Can it transform into a mecha?¡±


    Isabella just pouted and shared the skill.


    [Compounded Transformation: Your little spirit is rather empty. She can devour defeated foes (See exceptions <u>here</u>.) and transform into their image. Only one form can be stored currently. Your spirit¡¯s strength and skills will depend on the consumed form.]


    Sam stared a little at the skill, then nodded. ¡°Pretty OP, I say¡­¡±


    Isabella threw up a victory sign and laughed a little. ¡°And imagine how much we can make if we sell the information before putting up the seeds for auction.¡±


    He returned the laugh. ¡°Maybe not all information¡­¡±


    <hr>


    They returned to the fracture for the last run after laughing a while, then playing with the newest member of their party for a time.


    The forest was still as foreboding as the first time, but thanks to going through it five times already, they simply smashed through it. Though, they made sure to take a few seconds to let the little wood spirit gobble up one of the treants.


    The transformation animation was pretty nice. The spirit walked closer to the corpse, glowed green, and touched the corpse transferring the glow, which in turn, intensified, before flashing once, and where before there was a corpse of a treant and a small wood spirit, now there was only a wooden cocoon.


    The cocoon wiggled a few times, before cracking and roots and shadowy tentacles shouting out of it, which wiggled around until forming into the approximate shape of the treant ¨C though a bit smaller ¨C then flashed green again.


    Once they blinked the green spots from their eyes, they could see the spirit¡¯s new form. It was shaped like a treant, but you could definitely tell it was more feminine. She, after all, wore a flowing dress made of dark, almost black leaves, decorated with wooden skulls and thorns. And her head was still covered by dark green hair made of grass that covered one of her eyes. However, this time there was a small hairpin with skull decorations.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    There was a surprised gasp from Isabella and the next second they watched as the treant was getting a super powerful hug as the transformed spirit tried to act bashful, pretending that she was not enjoying the treatment.


    <hr>


    They managed to get a few more seeds, even one more Green Thumb skill book, and some reagents that Sam thought would be wonderful for the newly born plant spirit¡¯s eventual evolution.


    The boss was destroyed by Sam this time, as he used the opportunity to practice his physical skills. In the end, it died just as it did the previous five times. However, they were a little lucky this time.


    Sam held the wriggling ball of shadow in his hand and couldn¡¯t help but feel satisfied.


    [Medium Shadow Essence: A condensed ball of shadow essence. Good with noodles!]


    ¡®One more ingredient for the next evolution¡­¡¯ Sadly, he would need a few dozen of these essences for what he planned, but for now, he was satisfied.


    <hr>


    They left the fracture, satisfied and eager to see what would happen to the crystalline plant. They quickly headed over, looking for any changes. And what changes they were.


    ¡°It¡¯s taller¡­¡±


    Clarissa bent over and measured the little plant. ¡°By a few inches¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey even a few inches matter!¡± exclaimed Dan indignantly, only for Katie and Isabella to break out into giggles.


    The plant indeed grew, and now Sam could spot at least two distinct leaves, shining with rainbow light as the sun shined on the crystalline material that made up the tree that was growing.


    He let them giggle a little more, as Dan tried to pretend he didn¡¯t actually say what he said, then clapped once, the sound echoing around the clearing where they had set up their camp.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a few minutes, then we are going for the next one!¡±


    He received several smart salutes and calm nods from his teammates in response.


    <hr>


    Refreshed and rested, ready and raring to go, they approached the next fracture. A quick rock-paper-scissors decided that they would enter into the rock fracture first.


    [Rocky Rock Show]


    [A symphony of rockslides echo around the mountains of this dimensional place. Go forth and show them your rocking skills! Show them who is the master rocker! This is a proper rock-off!]


    [Time Limit: None]


    [Penalty: Pebble in your shoes every morning]


    [Reward: You can rest easily]


    [Charges: 9/9]


    [Hidden Bonus: Additional growth for the Tree of Rewards]


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this escalation of charge amounts,¡± Isabella stated. ¡°When I first did my rounds, it said three-per-three.¡±


    ¡°It will probably grow more, but I think it¡¯ll cap at certain numbers¡­¡± Sam spoke as he thought about the situation.


    ¡°What if it grows infinitely? By the time we reach the last fracture, we would have to do hundreds of runs¡­¡±


    ¡°Doubt the system would be so cruel¡­¡± added Dan, with Katie and Clarissa nodding beside him.


    ¡°We shall see. For now, let¡¯s start!¡±


    <hr>


    The fracture only contained a few dried-out trees, clinging to life, as they clung to the sheer cliffs surrounding the team as the heat of midday sun blasted them with enough sunshine to fry an egg. And as they looked up at the cliffs, covered in sand, squinting thanks to the strong light, they were met with a cacophony of sounds as several rock golems headed directly at them.


    ¡°Golems again?¡±


    ¡°Yep¡­¡±


    ¡°Booooring!¡± came the singsong voice of Katie.


    ¡°How about a competition?¡± Sam asked.


    ¡°Oh? You dare to challenge me?¡±


    Sam smirked. ¡°I do indeed, young lady!¡±


    Her smile faltered for a fraction of a second, then the grin was back in full force. ¡°You¡¯re on, boss!¡±


    Then she was off, cackling madly, heading in the direction of the sand cloud enveloping the charging golem mob.


    Sam wasn¡¯t far behind her.


    <hr>


    ¡°Hah! I won!¡± said Katie as she stood upon the corpse of the last golem of the fracture, doing some kind of dance that involved a lot of pelvic thrusts and fist-pumping. Isabella was holding her face in her hand, refusing to look at the other girl with Clarissa and Dan pretending to go over the loot. "Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Who is the best? Who is the best?"


    "Meow!" Puffball cheered on her mistress gleefully.


    It seems their luck wasn¡¯t the best in this run.


    Aside from a metric ton of different metals and rocks, the golems didn¡¯t really drop anything. The boss dropped a manual for weapon forging, but neither of them was a blacksmith, so it would simply go back to the guild or company where Lucy would make sure a deserving craftsman would get it.


    Ignoring Katie for the moment, Sam turned to the others. ¡°This one is an easy one, let''s quickly finish it before we have to log out.


    <hr>


    The next three runs were pretty much the same. Sam and Katie competed in killing as many golems as they could, with Katie leading the competition with three to one. Mostly because, in the second run, Dan and Clarissa began to help the berserker with some crowd control and buffs.


    Another few weapons forging manuals were added to their loot pile, as well as a nice shiny mountain of different metals. Sam made sure to select a few special ones for Lucky¡¯s next evolution, but otherwise, everyone was rather disappointed by the fracture.


    Thus, they decided, or rather Clarissa browbeat Katie, that they should go as a party and leave these types of competitions for later. United, they blasted through them like they were tissue paper.


    They spent a little time debating whether to have Isabella¡¯s new pet, now officially called Sable, gobble up one of the golems, but as the treant-shaped spirit simply turned up her cute nose that actually had a wooden piercing in it, Isabella decided to leave the rocky corpses behind.


    ¡°Alright, people! I know it¡¯s getting late, but we need to clear this once more!¡±


    ¡°Did we even get anything worth the time spent here?¡±


    ¡°Aside from several metric tons of metal, not much¡­¡±


    ¡°Bummer¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, the profit from the first two is enough to satisfy a smaller guild¡­¡±


    Clarissa just pouted.


    <hr>


    The last run of the fracture went off without a hitch and they returned tired but triumphant to their camp where the crystalline plant of the Tree of Rewards had grown another few inches, gaining a few more leaves.


    The team also spent a few minutes sorting out the materials they got, making sure to have them organized for later.


    They then returned to their tents and logged out of the game.


    Sam took off his helmet and shook his head, feeling his hair swishing around.


    ¡®I think I need a haircut¡­¡¯


    But before he could contemplate this further, his phone began to ring. With a quiet sigh, he placed his VR helmet back in its place and went to find his phone.


    Finding it under a few documents, he saw it was Lucy calling.


    ¡°Hallo?¡±


    ¡°Sam, we have a problem!¡±


    He let out another sigh.


    ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°Several seers have released prophecies¡­ about great arenas of fractured space where the worthy go to be rewarded,¡± she spoke, quoting the last part.


    Sam blinked in surprise, then snorted.


    ¡°That¡¯s just the system making sure we have a deadline. Plus, to prevent us from getting too far ahead of the others.¡± He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, a mischievous spark dancing in them. ¡°Give me a second to check my notes¡­¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Got anything to write with?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Here are a few coordinates¡­¡± he began dictating some vague coordinates that he sensed on the edge of his expanded senses when he did the ritual.


    ¡°Is this?¡±


    ¡°Probably. Go sell the information to the government. They¡¯ll leak it and the players will go nuts. That¡¯ll give us enough time to finish ours and reap all the rewards.¡±


    There was a moment of silence, then Lucy began to chuckle.


    ¡°I love it when you¡¯re evil¡­¡±

 Chapter 176

    He made sure to settle the particulars with Lucy and received some reports about the company and the guild. As they were in an area where leaving wasn¡¯t really an option, he couldn¡¯t ride in to save anybody if it was needed.


    Apparently, the new prophecies had stirred up some epic shitstorm.


    By the time Lucy ¨C through several intermediaries and patsies ¨C leaked the technical information of the Valley of Distortion and one probable location, there was almost an all-out brawl in the streets.


    Funnily enough, only seers, shamans, and soothsayers in the Emerald Kingdom received these visions. But as the saying goes, rumors circle the planet before the truth can even tie its shoes.


    Everyone was looking for these places. Everyone.


    Sam didn¡¯t really get why. They only had the word of the seers that they would get rewarded, nothing concrete ¨C or official from the devs. Still, when they heard the name, everybody¡¯s gaming sense started firing at full cylinders.


    According to Lucy, there were even guilds from nearby countries that decided to head for the leaked coordinates, as they believed that the original location would have the biggest reward.


    He just prayed they would be distracted by tantalizing bait and didn¡¯t start searching for other valleys.


    Sam personally only knew the location of three of them. The coordinates that he gave to Lucy were a total surprise to him. ¡®Either nobody found it, or they managed to keep it very quiet¡­¡¯ Sadly, the other two were on a different continent, in a location shrouded by a magical mist that swallowed whoever entered it. The mist would be removed later by a legendary quest chain, allowing the players to descend on the area and loot it to the ground.


    ¡°Any prominent guilds trying their luck in our kingdom?¡± he asked absentmindedly as he ate his breakfast. Lucy¡¯s face on the projected screen looked down at her notes, then back at him.


    ¡°No. The big guilds actually sent some emissaries to the kingdom and to the bigger guilds to reassure them they would be focusing on the distortion in their area,¡± she stated, stone-faced.


    ¡°So they¡¯re already here in disguise.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. Tim found the Dread Lords¡¯ strawguild, so we can assume the rest also sent some representatives,¡± came the report from his friend.


    ¡°Dread Lords are not bad. Pretty goth and dramatic, but for necromancers, they are pretty chill¡­¡±


    Lucy just groaned.


    Sam ignored her sweet-sweet pain and continued. ¡°What about Shadow Step?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve some reports of lone assassins, but they seemingly returned to their old profession. They¡¯re just much stronger¡­¡± she reported with a disappointed shake of her head. ¡°Do you have anything that could bait them out?¡±


    For once, Sam was stumped. He had a few things, but even revealing that he knew about them would get him bonked by the banhammer and probably a lawsuit of epic proportions. He quickly wiped his hands and began operating his screen, looking for his encoded calendar.


    ¡®The reveal of the cheaters should be soon-ish¡­¡¯ he mused before stopping on a particular page. On it, in a coded form, was one of his notes, indicating the time when the first and probably last cheaters of Magic Unbound were found and destroyed by the company.


    Private details weren¡¯t revealed about the people, as they were rich, but the other Sam knew enough about the situation. They managed to gather some insider information about some items becoming valuable soon thanks to a quest and went ham on monopolizing it. Then they made a bank and bragged about it.


    Thus ended the saga of several very rich and very smart people¡­


    ¡°I think¡­¡± he began hesitatingly. Lucy was instantly alert. ¡®It seems she knows me well¡­¡¯


    ¡°I think, we need to set up people to start watching the market.¡±


    Lucy didn¡¯t even blink. ¡°Why?¡±


    Sam chose his words very carefully. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that it is weird that nobody has tried to manipulate the market yet?¡±


    ¡°I assumed you were already doing that,¡± came the retort instantly from his friend.


    ¡°Haha¡­ very funny¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought so too,¡± chirped Lucy, with a big smile on her face.


    ¡°To be truthful, I thought about it, but it seemed too much work,¡± he lied seamlessly, though he was pretty sure that Lucy saw through it. ¡°But I think enough time has passed that people learned enough about the world in the game that they could play around with market manipulation.¡±


    ¡°Do you want us to do it?¡±


    Sam shook his head. Knowing that several hidden groups hunted down disruptors made sure he shied away from the activity.


    ¡°I just want to make use of the chaos¡­¡±


    ¡°Gotcha¡­¡± Lucy replied with a knowing grin.


    <hr>


    They returned to the game at the same time, walking out of their respective tents, only to see Lucky sitting at the edge of a small clear area with Hawky on his head, as they watched Melody and Sable square off ¨C the wood spirit returned to her cute form ¨C holding small knives and intently staring at each other.


    ¡®We need some dramatic music and some tumbleweeds,¡¯ he mused humorously.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    And just at that moment, one distortion contracted near the edge of the camp and expanded by spitting out a pitch-black tumbleweed that let out a low keening noise as it rolled between the two spirits.


    The moment it left the area between them, the two spirits sprang forward and the clearing was filled by the sound of adorable knives clashing.


    <hr>


    After they watched the two spirits train and made sure they were all right after they beat the living shit out of each other, the team gathered in front of the last ¨C water-themed ¨C fracture portal.


    [Don¡¯t be a waterfowl!]


    [Water is the source of life. Here it is the source of frustration. I suppose we will see if your blood is thicker than the water. Keep your head above and eyes alert! No sharks, though¡­]


    [Time Limit: None]


    [Penalty: Wet socks. Every morning!]


    [Reward: The distortion eases]


    [Charges: 12/12]


    [Hidden Bonus: Additional growth for the Tree of Rewards]


    They looked at each other, nodded, and stepped forward as one.


    <hr>


    They arrived in a small bay, bracketed by impossibly tall rock walls preventing them from going backward, and in front of them a pool of water, that upon further look, was almost impossibly deep. And beyond that pool was a bunch of rocks that formed a small hill.


    And there was a hole there, leading further down.


    ¡°I think we need to head there!¡± Dan pointed toward the hole in the rock pile.


    Their sarcastic answer was swallowed by a gigantic roar as a massive water snake surfaced from the pool, its maw open and serrated teeth dripping with green poison.


    The body was at least ten feet thick, protected by slick scales and the maw was big enough that Sam could stand there upright.


    ROAAAAAAR


    ¡°Firelance!¡± came from Dan, and a lance of blue fire slammed into the monster, scorching its hide. The action galvanized the rest of them, and soon the monster was bombarded by all sorts of attacks.


    Finally, after a minute of fight, the snake monster slumped down, scorched, scarred, and missing chunks of its flesh, courtesy of Katie.


    However, before they could celebrate, Sam called out. ¡°Quick! Let¡¯s harvest it!¡± Then he ran forward and began enthusiastically cutting into the beast.


    ¡°Ewww!¡± came the response from Isabella. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The meat is super valuable. Ponce nobles go bananas for this stuff!¡±


    ¡°How bananas?¡±


    ¡°Do you want new swords?¡±


    In an instant, the rest of the team was next to him, kneeling in the mud mixed with the monster¡¯s blood and carving into the monster under Sam¡¯s direction.


    <hr>


    After collecting the snake meat, some of the scales, and the remaining poison from the sacs, they cleaned themselves with the Clean spell and entered the hole.


    Which, in turn, led them underground into a damp cavern with stalagmites and stalactites illuminated by gentle blue light originating from some weird moss on the ceiling of the cavern.


    There were several pools dotted around the cavern, but because of the low level of illumination, they couldn¡¯t see if all of them were as deep as the one above ground.


    The team cautiously walked forward, all of their senses trained on the area. It was naturally Sam who found the first monster thanks to his advanced mana sense skills. He motioned to the others, but by the time they looked in the indicated direction, they could all hear the chittering sound coming toward them.


    Weapons ready, they prepared for the fight.


    Only to see a bunch of giant horseshoe crabs turn the corner around a gigantic stalagmite. Their shells were dull gray and covered by the same moss that was illuminating the cavern. They clacked their claws menacingly and rushed forward.


    Then the cavern shook a little, dislodging a little dust from the ceiling, and another giant snake emerged from one of the dark pools and snatched up one of the giant crabs, and after a loud crunch sound, it returned to its hiding space.


    ¡°All right, guys! Make sure you pay attention to the giant hidey-snakes!¡± Sam called out as he directed a mass of wind blades at the crabs, intent on turning them over to expose their less protected underside.


    ¡°I wonder if their blood is as valuable as real crabs¡­¡± Clarissa mused as the rest of the team decided to have crab for lunch.


    Sam shrugged. ¡°We can collect it and see if it is useful. I have some empty barrels in my inventory.¡±


    <hr>


    The horseshoe crabs were pretty good mobs as they dropped an actual Healing Blood skill book. Which would allow the person to use their blood as a healing agent or alchemical reagent.


    ¡°Does this count as blood magic?¡± Clarissa asked, remembering Sam¡¯s ban on said magic.


    He looked over and smiled at her apologetically. ¡°Pretty much, yeah. But don¡¯t sell it. I¡¯m working on protection, so when we have it, you can learn the skill.¡±


    ¡°Cool,¡± she answered, and the skillbook vanished into her inventory.


    <hr>


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°Ceiling snake.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    ¡°Ceiling snake.¡±


    They stared up at the roof of the cavern where a ¡®snake¡¯ crawled on uncountable tiny legs, upside down, while the serpentine head at the end of a long neck snaked around, dripping saliva and poison on the damp ground.


    Clarissa turned to Sam. ¡°Please make the ceiling snake go away!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°What did it drop?¡± Isabella asked as they butchered the ceiling snake. Clarissa was especially brutal during the process, as she really didn¡¯t appreciate the monster.


    ¡°Some really valuable scales for armor crafting, poison sacs, and of course, Healing Blood and Poison Blood skillbook.¡±


    ¡°Lame¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Sam agreed while continuing the butchering process.


    <hr>


    ¡°Soooo¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°What even is that?¡±


    ¡°Apparently ceiling snakes and giant horseshoe crabs can breed.¡±


    ¡°But, why?¡±


    ¡°Dunno¡­ devs were horny?¡± Sam answered while shrugging as they eyed the chimeric amalgamation of horseshoe crab and ceiling snake as the monster crawled toward them. It had thousands of tiny legs, a scaled body, and a long serpentine neck, but the body had random shells placed with spikes protruding from them and the head had two small arms growing out of it that ended in giant claws. Perfect for shoveling food into the monster¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Make it go away!¡±


    Sam sighed, looked over to Dan who nodded back and soon a firestorm enhanced by a generous amount of wind mana was consuming the crime against nature, humanity, and just general good taste.


    <hr>


    They ended up in a giant cavern, half of it covered by water and no exit in sight.


    ¡°Boss room?¡± asked Katie excitedly.


    ¡°¡°¡°Boss room.¡±¡±¡± Came the unanimous answer from the rest of the team.


    To prove their words, the cavern shook, and dust fell, with some weaker stalactite joining them, and a giant snake¡¯s head emerged from the water. Thankfully, it was crab free. Then another head joined. And another.


    They watched as seven heads altogether emerged, attached to a rather robust body but comically small appendages. All fourteen eyes were focused on Sam and his team.


    ¡°Anyone not clear how to deal with a hydra?¡±


    Sam made sure that nobody answered negatively, then took his sword and motioned toward the monster that was opening its mouth, showing green light gathering in all its maws.


    ¡°Then please be my guest¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Wow¡­ Hydra Blood¡­ extreme regeneration, but your blood turns poisonous.¡±


    ¡°We can sell that to those addicts¡­¡±


    ¡°Better to auction it off¡­¡±


    They chattered among themselves while butchering the boss monster and going through the loot.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Dan called out, waving a skillbook around. ¡°Check this out!¡±


    They gathered around him and took a look.


    [Hydra Breath: Conjure a small amount of poison and shoot it at speed. The poison conjured depends on what poison you have ingested last.]


    Sam simply gave the book to Clarissa. ¡°Here, this will be a nice offensive option for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± replied Clarissa as she quickly learned the spell.


    They spent a few more minutes cleaning up the scene, collecting material from the corpse, and then headed for the portal that appeared after the boss monster was defeated. They had eleven more runs to do¡­

 Chapter 177

    The next three runs of the water fracture were filled with ceiling snakes and hydras, trying to swallow them whole or just drown them in putrid poison. Despite Clarissa¡¯s completely understandable aversion to the mobs, they mowed them down like kids did unattended candy at a Halloween party.


    Drops were so-so, mostly consisting of more high-quality water snake meat, literal barrels worth of poisons, and other useful reagents.


    ¡°We can¡¯t keep going like this!¡± Isabella declared after they finished the fourth run.


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Sam asked as he finished his stretching. Always staying alert and ready to strike to deflect incoming attacks, gave him a crick in several places.


    ¡°The loot! We have so much stuff that a few more runs and it¡¯s going to be full!¡± she almost yelled looking at Sam with concern.


    Sam just smiled.


    At this point in time, the inventory was simply normal, they had a lot of slots, more if your Strength or Endurance was high. Most important items couldn¡¯t be stacked, like IDs or important quest items. But hundreds of meat pieces of a monster? They could stack that high. The stack height was based on Dexterity for some reason. Every ten in Dexterity increased the stack height by fifty, with a base number of fifty. However, there was no weight limit. It worked on the principle of ¡®if it fits, it sits¡¯.


    However, Sam knew that for some reason they changed that so that there would be an actual weight limit. The developers never released the official reason, but Sam posited that they also realized that the inventory, as it was now, was severely invalidating the existence of objects capable of carrying products or materials.


    Weird oversight for a game that was this advanced¡­


    ¡®Maybe we will be the final impetus for that update¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he beheld Isabella.


    ¡°Just craft some crates. I¡¯ll then add some stasis and expansion runes, and tada! We have containers that we can stack hundreds high,¡± he told her.


    She blinked, then facepalmed. ¡°Ugh, duh. Of course¡­ Just add more containers¡­¡±


    Sam watched as she did an about-face, headed for the nearest tree, and began cutting it down. He made a motion toward the others and they soon joined the bladedancer to remove a greater part of the local forest. He, however, didn¡¯t join them. Instead, he took a seat at their small camp table, took out a few sheets of paper, and began drafting the runic circle they would need for the containers.


    ¡®Well, at least my skill levels will go up¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    Took them a few hours to take down enough trees to craft crates according to Isabella¡¯s plans. Magic made things rather easy and convenient. Especially as some trees were so steeped in dimensional energy that Katie managed to intimidate them into transforming themselves into finely crafted crates¡­


    The moment one simple crate was done it was sent over to Sam, cutely carried by one of the familiars ¨C except, of course, Puffball, who was leisurely cleaning himself ¨C and he would inscribe a simple runic circle that would enlarge the inside by a small margin, almost doubling the capacity, add a certain level of stasis and would make sure the items placed inside wouldn¡¯t move around.


    Sam was glad they were in the middle of a distortion as the dimensional energies in the air had soaked into the plants found in the area where they made their camp, and that made the wooden material especially suitable for that kind of enchantment.


    Then, when they had enough, they all emptied their inventories of rocks, metals, ores, monster meat, scales, bark, and other materials sorting them into crates. They even filled one with just wood from the trees the crates were made from. Just in case.


    The full crates then went to Katie¡¯s inventory, as she had the highest physical stats and thus the deepest inventory.


    Then they spent a few minutes prettying up their inventory, making sure everything was in their proper place, and dove back into the water fracture.


    <hr>


    With renewed vigor and freshly freed-up inventory space, they went into the fracture with renewed spirit.


    The crabs were still crabs, striking extremely fast with their giant pincers, but with Sam¡¯s wind magic and Katie¡¯s manic energy, it was child¡¯s play to flip them over and destroy them through their softer underbelly.


    Sadly, the ceiling snakes were still creepy.


    Their chimeric versions even more.


    Still, that didn¡¯t stop the team from massacring all of them, collecting the loot ¨C including a bunch of Poison Blood skillbooks ¨C and harvesting the carcasses, then playing whack-a-hydra with the boss.


    There were a few notable drops, though mostly special scales, from the boss that could be used in blacksmithing. Melting the scale into special alloys would allow a good enough blacksmith to draw out the hydra¡¯s special attributes.


    <hr>


    They were doing their ninth run in the fracture when that changed.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± came the unexpected call. By now had they practically perfected their moves in the fracture, moving like a well-oiled machine. So, for somebody to break that flow, it must have been very important or weird. Or both.


    Based on the ceiling snakes, Sam¡¯s money was on the second one.


    ¡°What did you find, Katie?¡± he asked as his friend moved out of the cover of the giant snake that had crab legs and one pincer as a mouth. She stepped forward and held out her hand, showcasing what she was holding.


    It was a weirdly shining ore around the size of a fist. It had an aura of deep blue, reminding them of the depths of the ocean, but also had a layer of silvery light that pulsed very slowly.


    ¡°Any idea what is it?¡± Katie asked as she leaned closer to inspect it.


    Clarissa took one look at it and saw where it came from and simply turned away.


    Dan wasn¡¯t so squeamish. ¡°Did you just cut that out of its stomach?¡±


    Katie nodded, head tilted to the side. ¡°Yeah! Why?¡±


    Sam was meanwhile blinking in surprise. That was indeed a good find. It was basically a water snake bezoar. The snake swallowed materials that it couldn¡¯t digest, which over time would be collected in a specific spot and transformed by absorbing the monster¡¯s mana. This type was called water iron and could be used to craft a rather potent magical focus for water mages.


    ¡®Pity none of us are water mages¡­¡¯ he mused as he moved closer and aimed his mage sight at the curious metal. ¡®But there are other uses¡­ Liz is going to love this.¡±


    Sam smiled at Katie, then began to explain what he knew.


    <hr>


    On their tenth run, the hydra changed. So far, it was always a simple hydra with seven heads that would grow back unless they burned the tissue in the neck hard enough that it could be smelled from miles away.


    This one, however, had more armor, suspiciously looking like a crab shell, and had some bigger arms that were formed, almost like pincers.


    As they watched it roar, Clarissa couldn¡¯t help but speak up. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to fight a big chimera, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Look on the bright side¡­¡± Sam replied, deadpan.


    ¡°What bright side?¡± came the acerbic reply.


    ¡°We get to kill it!¡±


    Clarissa thought for a little, then nodded. ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Their guess was right and the moment they stepped into the boss¡¯ chamber for the final time, they knew it would be different. Instead of the stone ¡®d¨¦cor¡¯ they got used to, there were creepy wall carvings of crabs worshipping a giant snake with multiple heads.


    The pool of water was more circular, with a well-defined and worked edge that had small statues of crabs in various states of chimeric transformation facing the water.


    Not long after they took in all the splendor of the cavern, it began to shake, raining stone and dust on them, while the water began to churn.


    ¡°That looks bigger than the other ones,¡± Isabella idly commented.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    They didn¡¯t have to wait long, and soon the heads began to emerge. However, instead of the usual seven, Sam counted thirteen.


    Six were normal. Well, as normal as a hydra¡¯s head can be. Six were clearly crab hybrids, covered by spiky shells and having pincers in front of their mouths. And the last one ¨C the biggest one ¨C had four eyes, surrounded by spiked shells, fangs the size of a man, and the scale shined with unearthly light.


    It roared, and Sam could feel that not only the ground and walls shook, but the mana in the air also rippled.


    ¡°Well, ladies and gents¡­¡± he spoke casually, raising his sword and aiming at the biggest head. ¡°As the saying goes¡­Fire when ready!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Did we get anything good from this abomination?¡±


    ¡°Another one of those weird bezoars. A few skillbooks. And a lot of scales,¡± came the report.


    ¡°Any good?¡±


    ¡°A Poison Blood, another Healing Blood, a Chimera Scales, and two Hydra Breaths.¡±


    ¡°Chimera Scales?¡±


    ¡°Check it out!¡±


    [Chimera Scales: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Your blood produces a special substance that turns your skin scale-like. The scales are miniscule, so from a distance, your appearance doesn¡¯t change. However, it massively increases your durability both against physical and magical attacks. Ingesting hydra blood also increases the skill levels.]


    ¡°Pity it¡¯s blood magic¡­¡±


    ¡°Are we going to sell it?¡±


    Sam shook his head. ¡°No. This is too powerful.¡±


    <hr>


    They left the abomination-filled fracture relieved. Their first task, before unloading the ungodly amount of hydra and ceiling snake meat into crates, was to check up on the Tree of Rewards.


    The small plant had grown during their plundering of the water fracture and after the final one, it had grown enough that it became knee-height with a crystalline shaft that had a wood-like pattern on it.


    Clarissa made sure to feed it one seed after every fracture clear, but so far, they couldn¡¯t see any result from that.


    However, before they could do anything, they were distracted by the distortion around the camp. Slowly it began to pulse with eldritch light, ebbing and flowing to an unseen rhythm, then as they were just wondering, if they would have to fight some kind of monster, the distortion simply vanished leaving behind pristine green fields, trees, and a few flowers.


    Though one of the flowers had fangs and was trying to eat the nearby flowers.


    The newly revealed area also uncovered six more fractures, each portal shining with malevolent energy.


    Isabella didn¡¯t waste a second and ran to the nearest one.


    ¡°Rock and plant! Only four charges!¡± she yelled back and the team as one released a relieved sigh.


    <hr>


    After they were finished organizing the loot in freshly crafted crates, the cannibal flower was hunted down and placed in a pot for Katie to admire while bugging Clarissa for tips on caring for plants, Sam sat down at the table and opened his system screens. They were finished with the first layer of the fractures, so he felt it was time to check his gains.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You¡¯re now Level 66!]


    [You gain 22 unassigned attribute points!]


    [I don¡¯t know how you do this. You gain +3 MAG, +3 WIS, +3 AGI, +1 DEX, +1 PER!]


    Sam ignored the snarky message from the system and grinned at his unspent points while he rubbed his hands together. Five went to Strength and Vitality each, getting them to thirty. Three to Endurance for the same reason, then two to Dexterity and Agility followed. Perception only needed one extra point to reach thirty. The last four points were then invested in Wisdom. Sadly, luck stayed the same.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 67!]


    [Mana Rebirth is now Level 2!]


    [Mana Shield is now Level 99!]


    [Second Skin is now Level 5!]


    [Mana Flux is now Level 5!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 79!]


    [You gained the subskill, Reinforced Musculature!]


    [Reinforced Musculature: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your mastery over your body and mana grants a reinforced musculature which increases any body-enhancing skill by 3% per skill level.]


    [Reinforced Musculature is now Level 1!]


    [Ethereal Channels is now Level 5!]


    It was nice to see his favorite foundation skills grow, however, the Level 99 Mana Shield caused a frown to appear on his face. Technically, the skill didn¡¯t have an upper limit, but after breaking through, the increases would slow down drastically.


    [Perception Filter is now Level 19!]


    [Accurate Slashes is now Level 5!]


    [Illusionary Mana Slash is now Level 6!]


    [Mana Body Enhancement is now Level 99!]


    [Mana Unraveling is now Level 4!]


    [Spell Matrix is now Level 13!]


    [Mana Construct is now Level 46!]


    [Simplicity is now Level 3!]


    [Light Ball III is now Level 10!]


    [You learned the spell, Light Ball IV!]


    [Light Ball IV: level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell that allows you to conjure a ball of light to illuminate your surroundings. You have greater control over the movement and location of the conjured ball of light. You can greatly increase and decrease its intensity, shape, and color. Thanks to your mastery over your mana, summoning a light ball basically costs nothing.]


    [Clean V is now Level 7!]


    [Earth Wall IV is now Level 5!]


    [Ground Shake is now Level 10!]


    [You learned Ground Rhythm!]


    [Ground Rhythm: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) You don¡¯t stomp, you step. Despite that, every step of yours shakes the world. The pulse of mana is much more controllable and you are able to affect the created earth detritus much more easily. The size of the area, the number of pulses, and their strength depend on the level of the skill.]


    [Electric Spark II is now Level 10!]


    Two new skills and his Electric Spark didn¡¯t grant him a new skill. Granted, he could go to the Mage Tower and buy an Electric Spark III skillbook, but he knew it was useless. He barely used the spell. It was a miracle it reached Level 10!


    [Wind Manipulation has reached Level 58!]


    [You gained the subskill, Guiding Storm!]


    [Guiding Storm: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Despite being surrounded by a storm, either your own make or fate¡¯s, you always find your target. Increases your skill accuracy with wind-natured spells.]


    [Aura of Air is now Level 4!]


    [Greater Wind Affinity is now Level 48!]


    [Battle Meditation is now Level 41!]


    [Internalized Meditation is now Level 2!]


    [Improved Discernment is now Level 6!]


    [Silent Casting is now Level 19!]


    [Spirit Link is now Level 67!]


    [Spirit Defense is now Level 3!]


    [Spirit Protection is now Level 17!]


    A good haul, with a nice subskill. He actually heard of this skill. It was apparently the favorite skill of a wind mage who used long-distance spells to assassinate their targets. Though, Sam doubted he would ever have the patience for that.


    [Advanced Shadow Footwork is now Level 49!]


    [Silent Shadow (Sword Mastery) is now Level 47!]


    [Shadowpoint is now Level 5!]


    [Shadow Grace II is now Level 9!]


    [Shadow Burst III is now Level 7!]


    [Shadow Mirage is now Level 43!]


    [Mirage Obfuscation is now Level 5!]


    [Shadow Shield II is now Level 24!]


    [Shadow Cloud is now Level 20!]


    [Shadow Control is now Level 19!]


    [Shadow Tendrils is now Level 5!]


    [Greater Shadow Affinity is now Level 37!]


    [Solid Shadow is now Level 3!]


    ¡®Ugh¡­ I was on the verge of greatness¡­¡¯ he lamented as he looked at all his skills at 99%. ¡®So close, yet so far away¡­¡¯


    [The way of the Forerunner is now Level 11!]


    [Durable Armor is now Level 5!]


    [Immersed Flow is now Level 3!]


    [Illusion Resistance is now Level 17!]


    [Corruption Resistance is now Level 24!]


    [Earth Resistance is now Level 27!]


    [Dimensional Mana Resistance is now Level 30!]


    [Adaptive Coordination is now Level 23!]


    [Basic Cryptography is now Level 9!]


    [Journeyman Runecarver is now Level 29!]


    [Your creative and tireless work granted you the subskill, Steady Hand!]


    [Steady Hand: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) When carving runes, your hand is as steady as a stone. Increases the quality of the runes by 5% per skill level.]


    [Illusionary Runes is now Level 19!]


    [Corporeal Illusions is now Level 9!]


    And with that, he gave the list another read, then closed every window bar one with a satisfied smile on his face. The last was, of course, for Lucky.


    [Lucky has leveled up! And he is now Level 62!]


    [Shadow Dash is now Level 20!]


    [Fear Aura is now Level 20!]


    [Shadow Bite is now Level 20!]


    [Your loyal companion has learned the skills, Shadow Steed and Shadow Bleed!]


    [Shadow Steed: Level 0/50 (0%) (Passive) Your companion has learned how to run while being ridden. Stamina consumption is decreased when being ridden and can carry bigger loads.]


    [Shadow Bleed: Level 0/50 (0%) (Passive) Your companion¡¯s claw has been enhanced by a chaotic shadow field which rends the area where the claws strike, causing extra bleeding.]


    Closing the last screen, Sam let out a quiet sigh and called over his familiar. Lucky performed excellently during the snake hunt, thus Sam decided both of them deserved a little break. If he spent that break neck-deep in Lucky¡¯s silky fur, well¡­ Nobody could really fault him, could they?

 Chapter 178

    ¡°Sit rep!¡±


    ¡°Plants are doing okay! Tree is still weird, but I fed it another seed and it grew another inch or two.¡±


    ¡°Distortion is still pretty cute!¡±


    Sam bravely ignored Katie¡¯s remark and turned to Isabella. While he was busy arranging their loot in the ever-growing pile of crates ¨C for some reason the organization would get messed up the moment they looked away ¨C Isabella ran around, followed by the loyal Sable, and took down information about the new fractures.


    She smiled and took another look at her notes. ¡°Checked and all of them start with four charges, so we can¡¯t really tell how far that number will rise. The first one is probably rock and plant, based on the description. The rest are all combinations.¡±


    ¡°Anything special?¡± Sam asked curiously as he idly played with Lucky¡¯s fur to the pleasure of the wolf.


    The young woman shook her head. ¡°Nothing I saw implied that.¡±


    Clarissa spoke up with a frown on her face. ¡°This won¡¯t be sustainable, you know¡­ We¡¯ll spend half our lives in these fractures if the charges grow every time we defeat one. And we don¡¯t even know how many layers are to this damned distortion¡­¡±


    ¡®Three. There are three layers¡­¡¯ Sam wanted to say, but he knew that would be impossible to explain away, so instead, he just kept his face impassive. ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to worry about the charges. I think the maximum would be twelve or maybe thirteen if the game wants to be cheeky. We can do that with our hands tied behind our backs. If we really need to hurry, we can do two teams and stagger the entries.¡±


    Clarissa considered that for a moment, then nodded. ¡°That makes sense, but this thing,¡± she motioned all around here as they all ignored Katie playing ball with Puffball with a piece of eldritch energy in the approximate shape of a ball. ¡°was created for bigger teams. You saw the news. Guilds are all over the other one. If they found that one, what¡¯s to say they wouldn¡¯t find this one?¡±


    ¡°Because I had Lucy leak the location?¡± he asked with a sly smile.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°So, anybody got anything good after leveling up?¡± Sam asked as they sat around their camp table, munching on the meal that Katie had put together for them. The team had followed his lead and turned off the immediate level-up notifications to increase their gain.


    Sam wasn¡¯t sure that the experience point gain would grow, nobody could prove it even in the future, even with guilds who tried to do clinical experiments to figure it out, but somehow something always happened that ruined the experiment.


    But it decreased the obsession with the numbers and had people focus more on the game and not just making the numbers bigger.


    Dan just shook his head. ¡°Fire got stronger, ice got stronger and magic also got stronger. No special subskills sadly¡­¡±


    ¡°I got a pretty nice True Damage subskill!¡± came from Isabella.


    ¡°Oh, how much?¡± Sam asked curiously.


    ¡°Nine percent, fully leveled!¡± she declared with a smile and peace sign.


    ¡°Nice!¡± he returned the gesture with a thumbs up.


    ¡°Still growing my mana reserves,¡± added Clarissa after she swallowed her bite of food. ¡°I have been trying to do split healing, but my Multitasking is still not high enough.¡±


    ¡°You only need Multitasking for that?¡± Sam asked.


    ¡°According to the forums, most healers who managed to figure out split healing without the spellbook, did it after maxing out Multitasking.


    Sam nodded, leaned back, and considered the issue. ¡®Now how to tell her what to do without outing myself¡­¡¯


    Clarissa and the rest stayed silent, as all of them knew that in the matter of mana and spell control, Sam was the undisputed champion in their team.


    ¡°I think¡­ you should consider this from a different direction¡­¡± he began explaining, while Clarissa leaned forward, clearly interested. ¡°Instead of casting one spell in multiple directions, why don¡¯t you try to cast the same spell multiple times, then merge the thing together?¡±


    ¡°Would that work?¡±


    ¡°It worked for me¡­¡± he replied while sharing his Spell Layer and Spell Matrix skills.


    ¡°I want this so much¡­¡± Clarissa whispered as she quickly noted down the details.


    Sam smiled, then turned to the others. ¡°Katie? Any gains?¡±


    She looked back with an innocent expression, then down at her armor-clad body. ¡°Are you saying I gained weight?¡± by the end of the sentence her voice went into the shrill category.


    Sam gave her a deadpan look, then turned back to his food. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to share¡­¡±


    Katie just crossed her arms in front of her and pouted.


    <hr>


    After making sure all their video game bodily needs were met, the pets and familiars were happy with their playtime, then they returned to the fractures.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    There was a small discussion about which one they would be attempting, but Isabella wanted a new, stronger monster for Sable, so they went for the rock and plant one.


    However, Sam was sure most of them, including him, were hoping that more seeds would drop.


    Sam, as usual, stepped forward and touched the swirling energies making up the portal to the fracture. The colors, as expected from the portal, were dark brown, the color of good soil, mixed with a dark green color that reminded Sam of lush jungles.


    [This is no monkey chase!]


    [Life¡­always finds a way. Now, if humanity appreciates this¡­ that¡¯s always a question. Go in and do your usual adventure things! You saw Mother Nature angry once already, but how about once more, with a supporting cast? A small hint: prepare to duck. Another hint: No ducks.]


    [Time limit: None]


    [Penalty: Sweaty pits. The sticky kind.]


    [Reward: The distortion eases]


    [Charges: 4/4]


    [Hidden Bonus: Additional growth for the Tree of Rewards]


    ¡°That¡¯s singularly unhelpful and fucking creepy¡­¡± Isabella deadpanned as they all read through the screen that popped up.


    ¡°Look on the bright side!¡± chirped Katie, with a giant grin on her face.


    ¡°What, you goblin?¡±


    ¡°There are no ducks!¡±


    Sam quickly activated the portal before a fight could break out!


    <hr>


    They appeared in a damp clearing, surrounded by foliage, trees, and even more dampness.


    As far as they could see, which wasn¡¯t much, they could only see thick trees and dense foliage dotted with a few dangerous-looking colorful flowers here and there.


    ¡°A jungle?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m already sweating¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that noise?¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Over there!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, those are some big mosquitoes¡­¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯re coming right for us!¡±


    ¡°Dan, for the love of all that is unholy, use your fire!¡±


    <hr>


    As it turns out, mosquitoes ¨C even if they were giant ones ¨C burned pretty easily. However, after the first batch of monsters was destroyed, Sam immediately summoned a giant dome of swirling air that kept out the buzzing menaces and allowed the rest of them to snipe them from afar.


    Katie was very deadly with her energy slashes¡­


    Then they began to head toward the only visible path, sneaking through the dense forest. They were barely a few yards in when Sam felt a mana signature approaching them from underground at extreme speeds.


    ¡°Under us!¡± he exclaimed and by the time the team jumped back, the ground broke and a new monster emerged.


    It was a star-nosed mole with actual eyes and wriggling tentacles on their face. And a nice big circular hole where the mouth should be, decorated with circular teeth that whirled around, creating a nice buzz saw sound.


    For a moment they stared at the abomination against nature, and the abyss stared back with small black beady eyes that radiated a sort of hunger that could never be satiated.


    Clarissa was the first one to break the silent staring by launching a glob of poison right into the maw of the monster.


    It flew in a straight line, and the monster swallowed without a thought, causing it to instantly begin to choke.


    They watched in silence as the monster rolled around, pounded the ground and even dramatically wheezed as it died.


    Then as it disappeared in the familiar explosion of rainbow pixels, when none of them went forward to harvest it, there was only one thing left behind. A skillbook.


    Sam stepped forward, bent down, and picked the book up.


    [Congratulations! You found the skillbook for Acting!]


    <hr>


    Their trip through the jungle was beset with hordes of star-nosed moles breaking through the ground and trying to devour them, while literal clouds of giant blood-sucking mosquitoes ¨C thankfully, the non-sparkly kind ¨C tried their best to break through their shields.


    At least the drops were somewhat interesting.


    The star-nosed moles always dropped ore slivers, but there was always one in every group that dropped one small sliver of star metal. Granted, it was just a dramatic name for meteorite ore, but it was still valuable.


    Sam hoped they would be able to gather enough to create some fantastic weapon from it. If not, he planned some jewelry made from it for the core members of the guild and the company.


    The mosquitos, unsurprisingly, dropped mostly reagents related to blood magic, even some special blood in crystalline form.


    <hr>


    Sam made sure that the latest batch of moles was destroyed after finishing their dramatic death sequence, or at least those that had their bodies in one piece, and headed for the shiny thing he spotted falling from the last cloud of mosquitoes.


    He reached down and picked up the dark red irregularly shaped crystal and took a long look at it.


    [Drop of Crystallized Blood: A drop of crystallized blood from some magical being. Has many uses.]


    ¡°What does it do?¡± Clarissa asked as she stepped next to him, also staring at the blood.


    Sam shrugged. ¡°Haven¡¯t the foggiest, but we¡¯re not selling it.¡±


    Naturally, he knew exactly what it was used for. One could gather them and take them to a vampire or blood mage, who would then identify the type of blood or even its origin. Then came the fun part. Using several blood magic rituals, one could enhance themselves with the blood. Or enchant artifacts¡­


    Alternatively, blood mages were known to use them as projectiles. If Sam remembered correctly, there was one guy in his inherited memories who crafted senbons from thousands of this item. They called him Crimson Rain for one glorious afternoon, then he went bankrupt, as it was not cheap to get that much crystallized blood.


    Still, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to collect some¡­


    ¡°Do you think we could feed it to the tree? Blood is rich in minerals¡­¡± came the unexpected question from the team¡¯s healer.


    ¡°You know what? That sounds like something we should try¡­¡± he replied with a smile, then turned to the others. ¡°Hey guys! If you see shiny blood crystals, make sure to get them!¡±


    <hr>


    Soon, however, they reached the end of the road and found themselves in a clearing with an enormous mound of soil, artistically piled high.


    The clearing itself was surrounded by trees with thick trunks, with the random foliage making sure that there wasn¡¯t even an inch wide hole in the wooden barricade.


    Then the earth shook, and the sky was rent apart with the buzzing of a million wings.


    The enormous soil mound¡¯s top was blown apart, raining down dust and soil on their shields while the biggest star-nosed mole revealed itself. It had two layers of tentacles and at least three circular sets of teeth in its mouth that all rotated in a different direction.


    However, instead of roaring, it released a whining sound, high-pitched enough to hurt their ears. Sam instantly reinforced his barrier while Dan pointed upward.


    ¡°Look! The sound is attracting the mosquitoes!¡±


    Sam took in the situation and made up a quick plan. ¡°Right. We need to do this quickly before the mosquitoes overwhelm us. Dan, you¡¯re on zapping duty. Izzy, perimeter. Katie, we are going to hack¡¯n¡¯slash!¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Katie celebrated with an enthusiastic fist pump.


    ¡°Sure, boss!¡± was Dan¡¯s reply as he instantly began weaving the fire around himself, ready to take care of the bloodsuckers.


    Sam unsheathed his own sword, summoned even more wind around his other hand, and looked at Katie next to him as Clarissa made sure they would survive the action with buffs and Isabella and Sable turned to face the other direction. ¡°You ready?¡±


    ¡°I was born ready!¡±


    They launched themselves forward, ready to rend the giant boss monster into several smaller pieces but Sam was still able to hear Isabella¡¯s call.


    ¡°You were born as a chaos gremlin!¡±

 Chapter 179

    After leaving the first fracture in the second layer, they did a little strategy meeting about the situation. The new fracture had some things that showed that the new fractures would be more complicated. And based on all that, the next layer would be even more difficult.


    They discussed trying to do the fractures by separating into two teams and staggering their entries, but in the end, the consensus was that it would be much safer if they went together, no matter how it would slow them down. However, after they did another run of the mole-slash-mosquito fracture, they found their groove and the speed seemed satisfactory.


    ¡®At least I hope it will be enough¡­¡¯ Sam mused as they headed back to the portal. The situation outside of their little isolated world was starting to get crazy.


    Thus began a crazy rush to use up all the charges of the fractures. Thankfully, there were only two left.


    Took an hour or two, but finally, the last mole boss and several armies'' worth of bloodsucking mosquitoes were eliminated.


    The drops were okay, a few hundred more drops of crystallized blood, some blood magic skillbooks, and even a few runic rituals for blood magic. The moles dropped almost two crates worth of star metal and a few earth magic skillbooks. Sadly, most of them were way out of Sam¡¯s wheelhouse.


    Still, he knew they would sell well, and that was enough.


    They spent an hour resting and arranging the loot and then directly headed for the next fracture. This one was shining with a bright red color, hinting at the elements found within.


    [Let¡¯s bring the heat!]


    [The earth is torn asunder as big blobs of lava try to suffocate the living. Make sure to prepare some fireproof equipment and watch out for splatter.]


    [Time limit: None]


    [Penalty: Burning.]


    [Reward: The distortion eases]


    [Charges: 6/6]


    [Hidden Bonus: Additional growth for the Tree of Rewards]


    Sam instantly turned to Clarissa, who nodded with a proud look on her face. ¡°Of course, I have buffs for raising fire resistance!¡±


    Satisfied, the team simply stepped forward.


    Thankfully, instead of a land covered with pools of lava, it was more like small rivers of lava running down a sizeable mountain¡¯s side, crisscrossing over the land. Despite that, the environment was hot, stuffy and so dry that Sam could already feel his mouth drying out. Then a gentle light enveloped them, and suddenly they couldn¡¯t really feel the effects of the lava coursing through the ground.


    They were in the middle of thanking Clarissa, as well as praising her ¨C Isabella and Katie stood there giving her an enthusiastic golf clap ¨C when one of the nearby lava rivers erupted, sending lava, rocks, and other material in the air. In the wake of the eruption came a great lizard, covered in metal and rock, with rivulets of lava running down its back like water off the hides of alligators.


    The lizard and its emerging cousins were the size of rhinos and looked rather hungry, which was expected as the air was probably toxic and nothing green could survive the constant high temperature, eruptions, and earthquakes.


    ¡°Dan, you¡¯re on defense! Make sure no fire comes close to us!¡±


    ¡°Got it, boss!¡± came the energetic reply from the muscled mage.


    Then Sam cleared his throat, causing the women in the party to remove their eyes from Dan¡¯s muscled torso as sweat cascaded down as if he was in some kind of soda commercial.


    ¡°The rest of us will first try the flip and stab the belly tactic. If that doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll try overwhelming force,¡± he explained his ¡®plan¡¯ with a smile.


    ¡°I like that. You can¡¯t go wrong with overwhelming power¡­¡± commented Isabella while grinning.


    Sam bowed his head and then took another look at his team as the first lizard finally managed to fully claw its way out of the lava onto solid ground, ready to take them on.


    ¡°Any other question?¡± The team shook their head.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡±


    <hr>


    The fracture was mostly filled with lizards ranging from the size of rhinos to giant elephant-sized ones. The end boss was an even bigger lizard that was so big that it only managed to heave its gargantuan front half onto solid ground to face Sam and his team.


    But with Dan redirecting any fire-type attack, Clarissa making sure that the environment didn¡¯t cook them, and Sam using his wind magic and amateurish earth magic to take care of those types of attacks, the humongous lizard fell in short order.


    They speedran the loot collecting and harvesting part as even with Clarissa¡¯s skill the heat of the lava pool from which the boss emerged was so brutal they were practically drenched in sweat. Some of the lighter clothing had its edges begin to blacken and smoke¡­


    Sadly, they didn¡¯t manage to fully harvest the big boss, as that would have probably been just too much material, but even the meat from one of its arms was enough to feed a lot of people, not to mention the hide.


    The drops were more star metal, fire, and earth magic skill books with a few sub-elements added in, like lava, magma, ash, and smoke. Some of the fire magic spellbooks were picked up by Dan, but Clarissa also took some basic ones. Isabella learned one of the smoke spells to try to create an environment where she could strike from cover, but she didn¡¯t have a skill that allowed her to see through the smoke she created, or even breathe inside it without Clarissa¡¯s buffs.


    At least Sable, Isabella¡¯s familiar, ate one of the bigger lizards, allowing the small wood spirit to transform into the wood and shadow version of the lava lizards.


    The biggest drop was once again a material excellent for crafting.


    [Ever-burning Coal: Despite its name, it doesn¡¯t burn forever, however, it outputs heat in an extremely consistent manner, making it excellent for blacksmiths who need to maintain delicate temperatures for a long time.]


    It went into its own crate, with some fireproofing enchantment around it, as Sam didn¡¯t want it to accidentally catch on fire.


    Then came some cleaning, clothing drying, and hair washing to get the smell of sweat out of their noses.


    Sam wanted to head back in directly and found the idea of washing up and not just using the Clean spell rather stupid as they would need to do the fracture five more times. But the girls voted Dan and him down.


    ¡®Man¡­ I get it¡¯s sticky, but come on¡­¡¯ he grumbled to himself as he reluctantly washed his hair. He was all for the girls to get clean, but they insisted that he and Dan also get clean, as they didn¡¯t want to smell their sweat. ¡®Absolute bonkers¡­¡¯ he continued to grumble as he exchanged a look with Dan.


    <hr>


    The next five runs were done in an orderly manner while taking a cleansing bath between each of them as they tried to reduce the lava lizard population to zero. They collected the Ever-burning Coal, the spellbooks, and the random materials, ores, and reagents while also harvesting meat, hide, bones, and blood from some of the more impressive monsters.


    They left the fracture after the sixth run relieved, drenched in sweat, dirt clinging everywhere, clothes singed and some of the fixtures even melted a little. Somehow, the last boss was even bigger than the others and delighted in slinging lava everywhere with every breath and movement.


    <hr>


    The third fracture of the second layer recreated a muddy farmland with scarecrow monsters running at them with pitchforks and other agricultural implants.


    [Fields of Nightmares]


    [Once a proud farming community, now ravaged by a cruel curse, turning all scarecrows into cruel puppets of some dark being. They hunt the living and have no mercy. They cannot be cowed easily, so make sure to prepare your heart and mind for the challenge of taking them on.]


    After the first run, they voted for the one scarecrow with the wheelbarrow as the scariest.


    Something about a deranged scarecrow running at them with a wheelbarrow held in the air menacingly¡­


    The scarecrows themselves were something of cursed monsters with some undead styling. They liked to use fear spells and rooting spells, allowing Sam and the others to practice their counter crowd control spells.


    The boss was a giant cow with a peg leg and rapier. It was surprisingly fast. And with the scarecrows trying to root and fear the team, dodging the attacks from the boss became a true challenge.


    At least the meat from the boss was premium, and the scarecrows dropped enough Fear Resistance skillbooks in the first three runs that all of them managed to learn and level it to an effective level.


    The rest of the drops were naturally agricultural-related with a very weird and at the same time amazing fertilizer.


    [Suspicious Fertilizer: A fertilizer that is just too jampacked with nutrients for the plants. If you would look closer, you could spot a few concerning things. But nobody wants to do that. Increases crop yield and may have some extra effect on a select few plants.]


    They made sure to try it out on a normal seed, and the growth was almost twice the usual amount. Thus, they decided to dump a lot of it under the Tree of Rewards, which was slowly but surely turning into a sapling worthy of its name. There were small branches and a ton of leaves.


    The biggest find was a rather eccentric artifact. It was made from wood, hewn roughly in the shape of a bird that resembled a raven or maybe a crow and the size of a palm.


    [Totem of the Raven: A small totem imbued with the spirits of ravens slain over the fields. It was set up to prevent the accumulation of vengeful bird spirits. In the correct hands, it would show its true worth.]


    ¡°Lucy?¡±


    ¡°Totally!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°How is the situation around the world?¡± Sam asked, leaning back, enjoying the atmosphere of the caf¨¦. They were out of the game currently, and Lucy wanted to get together quickly to discuss developments over some drinks and desserts.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    She was dressed in professional (and high quality) clothing, yet looked utterly at ease as she lounged in her seat. When looking at the young woman, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little satisfaction at preventing what may have happened. Nobody would know what he did, but he didn¡¯t mind. Having friends was better¡­


    Then she leaned forward, forearms on the table, and opened her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s all shit, Sam.¡±


    He just smiled and took a sip of his lemonade. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s an MMO. What did you expect?¡±


    She just shook her head. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. I saw the numbers. They¡¯ve been funneling an insane amount of gold in the distortion ever since they found it. And this time the government is not playing nice.¡±


    ¡°They also want a slice?¡±


    ¡°More like the entire pie¡­ Thankfully they didn¡¯t send anybody important, so I don¡¯t think they really understand what the Valley of Distortion represents.¡±


    ¡°I mean, based on the drops so far¡­ I kinda understand the frenzy¡­¡± he admitted. Even with his foreknowledge, some of the drops truly surprised him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even mention that,¡± she sighed, resting her forehead on the table for a moment before raising it and looking back at Sam. ¡°I¡¯m already having a headache just thinking about how to handle all that shit. Tim is already updating the vault¡­¡±


    ¡°What about Lara? How is the construction?¡±


    Lucy waved her hand around in a non-committal way. ¡°The Silvercrest family has thrown their weight into the project, and thanks to our heads up, they haven¡¯t slowed down due to the current events.¡±


    ¡°Oh? They didn¡¯t send people?¡± Sam asked curiously.


    ¡°I may have promised some loot in your name¡­¡± Lucy admitted without an ounce of guilt.


    ¡°Fair enough. We got enough that giving them a few crates wouldn¡¯t impact the bottom line¡­¡±


    Lucy just snorted upon hearing that. ¡°Just the theoretical profit will be bigger than some guilds¡¯ entire operating budget¡­¡±


    ¡°Speaking of guilds. How are Chrysalis and Adam?¡±


    ¡°Legally good. His grandmother is some big-shot lawyer. The guild is¡­eh¡­¡±


    Sam mulled over the words and then asked a question. ¡°Not unified?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, as soon as Lara has the basic fortifications up, we can move the guild over there. The constant battles in defending that place will forge them into a true guild.¡±


    Lucy looked back at him with a contemplative look, but before she could comment, they were interrupted by a blaring sound from the nearby television set.


    It had been constantly broadcasting gaming news, and the sudden noise attracted everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Breaking news!¡± came the voice of the excited news anchor. ¡°Several Distortion valleys have been found all over the world! Thanks to the tireless work of several guilds, including¡­¡±


    The sound from the device was washed away by the excited chatter of the caf¨¦ patrons while Lucy and Sam looked at each other. They then shrugged and returned, discussing the details of the guild and company.


    Sam knew that ever since the system ¡®leaked¡¯ the existence of the Valley of Distortions, not just people in the Emerald Kingdom but all the players all over the world started looking for them. Just like in his inherited memories. The entire world was abuzz with the news. Telling him something that he always knew.


    A bloodbath was inevitable¡­


    <hr>


    The fourth fracture in their isolated little valley was much calmer than the last one. Similar to the lava one, it was filled with rivers full of life, crisscrossing over a mountainside, creating small pools and beautiful waterfalls all over the area.


    Opposite of the lava-filled one, the air was basically fully saturated with water, thus they were once again drenched in water and sweat.


    [The hills are singing!]


    [And they are very bad at it. Make sure to watch out for slippery rocks and slippery monsters. Something is wrong with this idyllic environment and it¡¯s up to you and your troublesome team to find it.]


    The hints in the fracture description were rather crude, as the first monster they came across was a water snake that blended in with the rocks protruding from the water, looking perfect for crossing the stream they were staring at.


    The water was also filled with all manner of mundane and magical fishes, perfect for feeding the giant water snakes populating the rivers.


    Often, they would find water snakes just lying with their mouth open and allowing the current to simply wash the fish into their endless bellies.


    The boss was once again a giant monster, a water snake of epic proportions manipulating the water to try to dice them into sushi-sized pieces.


    Once again, Dan with his ice magic, was the MVP of the fracture while the rest piled on the damage as he kept the monster occupied.


    There was a ton of water magic, fishing, and fish-rearing skillbooks, but the best item they found by accident.


    They were taking a break at one of the small lakes created under a waterfall, far enough to avoid the splatter and to hear each other, and when they went to refill their flask, they saw something shiny in the water.


    Naturally, they had to check it out.


    They were fish eggs.


    [Chameleon Fish Eggs: Eggs from a chameleon fish imbued with dimensional energy. The fish born from these eggs will take on the attributes of their environment.]


    ¡°Well, another industry for the company¡­¡± Sam spoke after they all read the description. They could set up a magically charged environment with some other effects and create perfect fishes.


    <hr>


    Nine charges in the water snake fracture were a lot, but the view was beautiful, and the snakes were easily baited by raw fish. The only problem was their water magic, but by the end of it, all of them were able to read the signs and dodge incoming water spears, lashes, or whips.


    Once again, Clarissa learned a few water magic skills, just to make sure she would have tools for all occasions. Thus, she got the only item worth mentioning that dropped from one of the snakes.


    [Ring of the Current: An ordinary ring swallowed by a water snake that was shaped, molded, and transformed by the magic of the monster. Increases water spell damage and reduces its mana cost.]


    Aside from that, they had piles and piles of weapons, armor, and other trinkets, but nothing they would be happy to use. Katie made sure to try out a few cool-looking weapons, but in the end, she returned to her trusty greatsword.


    The clearing of the fracture was followed by another break where they organized the loot in their ever-growing pile of crates, made sure Clarissa¡¯s garden was growing well, and fed the Tree of Rewards with magical seeds and horrific fertilizer mixed with some crystallized blood, ground to dust.


    The tree didn¡¯t complain, so they made sure it had everything it would need to grow into a strong and independent tree. It already had a small crown and was tall enough that Sam didn¡¯t have to duck down when he stood under it.


    The fifth fracture was equally ¡®peaceful¡¯. It was a desert, filled with enough sand to make anybody hate it due to its roughness, coarseness, and ability to get everywhere. Sam hadn¡¯t checked yet, but he was pretty sure his Clean spell gained at least a few levels just in the first run.


    [One! Two! Three! Oh, no, that¡¯s a mirage¡­]


    [A desert can be a dangerous place. Make sure to keep an eye out for things lurking behind sand dunes and to step out of rhythm. Also, if a stranger offers you a weird sand and their eyes glow, reject it! Dare to say no!]


    The fucking desert was full of mirages. Not just oases, but even simple cactuses had mirages. Often, what they would think was a hardy cactus forest would turn out to be one lonely cactus.


    They saw giant buildings in all manner of shapes and sizes, but all of them turned out to be mirages. And meanwhile, the wildlife, consisting mostly of giant scorpions, tried to ambush them. Mostly by casting illusions.


    Though, why the scorpions thought that a lone sheep standing in the desert would lower their defenses, Sam would never understand.


    Thankfully, he had his illusion resistance, and after a while, the others also started picking up the skill to spot the illusions. Unsurprisingly, Katie was totally unaffected by the weirdness projected by the hungry scorpions.


    The team had to navigate a maze of mirages beneath the sun that was always at its zenith until they reached an actual pyramid guarded by a sphinx of all things. The construct turned out to be the sphinx¡¯s nest, and instead of asking riddles, it tried to eat them.


    All of them picked up the Illusion Resistance skill during their runs, which surprisingly was still at nine charges. That made the subsequent runs much easier.


    The drops were predominantly desert clothing and armor, with a few bottomless bottles added for convenience.


    The few cactuses that turned out to be monsters instead of plants also dropped a very useful skillbook.


    [Dowsing: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) Use your mana to attune yourself to the environment and to figure out where to find a water source.]


    As expected, they couldn¡¯t find any water sources in the desert. Even the water in the cactuses that were real was poisoned.


    All in all, it was a miserable experience that they were all glad to be done with.


    <hr>


    The last portal was shining in several colors, including red, brown, blue, and yellow. The team approached it with a bored look on their face as if nothing could surprise them anymore. Which made sense to Sam. Some of the fractures were ludicrous.


    [Storm on the horizon]


    [The world was shaken by an earthquake. Volcanos erupted, the weather changed and a storm descended. Head into the Eye and do what you do best.]


    [Time limit: None]


    [Penalty: Burning. Electrocution. Drowning. Being Crushed. Pick your poison!]


    [Reward: The distortion eases]


    [Charges: 12/12]


    [Hidden Bonus: Additional growth for the Tree of Rewards]


    <hr>


    The inside of the fracture was pure chaos. A giant volcano in the middle spewed ash, dust, and smoke in the air, as periodically it would launch balls of lava-covered rocks in the air that would land somewhere far away, kicking up even more dust and setting things on fire. Which would then be instantly doused by the raging storm surrounding the entire area.


    Black clouds, tainted with gray, were covering the sky, lightning flashing inside of them, trying to bring some manner of illumination to the world. Occasionally, lightning would strike the ground, causing explosions as electricity arced around.


    And among all this chaos were thriving wyverns dancing a macabre dance in the sky.


    They were covered in dark blue scales that would absorb the electricity from the lightning and would be untouched by the raging fires from the volcano.


    The wyverns were currently happy trying to establish a pecking order, snapping and roaring at each other, but the team knew the moment they attacked the first one, all of the wyverns would try their best to demolish them.


    Sam looked over at his team and spoke up. ¡°Everyone ready?¡±


    He received a few grunts, chirps, honks, and an enthusiastic roar from Katie and Lucky. ¡°Then let¡¯s go once again. I¡¯m feeling like wyvern steak for dinner¡­¡±


    <hr>


    The boss, to nobody¡¯s surprise, turned out to be a gigantic wyvern. Of course, before the behemoth would descend from the middle of the storm, they had to go through treacherous terrain, dodging flaming balls of exploding lava, wyverns dive bombing them, wyverns trying to roast them, wyverns trying to grab them, and basically, everything that the monsters in the fracture were trying to do.


    At least the wyvern meat, scales, and blood were a good consolation prize. As well as the great amount of random equipment that was dropped from the monsters. A few skillbooks dropped that were mostly basic wind spells that Sam either already had or had no interest in learning.


    After all, who needed a spell just to flip skirts?


    The moment they killed the last wyvern, a great roar shook the sky, causing some of the clouds making up the storm to fracture and they were instantly beset by the enormous behemoth, ready to tear them apart. There was no posturing nor preparation, nothing.


    One second, the last wyvern died, and the next they were face full of an angry wyvern mother.


    <hr>


    ¡°Doing this twelve times is fucking unfair¡­¡± Clarissa grumbled as they left the fracture for the first time.


    ¡°At least the rewards are worth it!¡± replied Dan cheerfully as he swung his new bone club around, dropped by the boss. Made from wyvern bone, it was an excellent material to channel destructive magic through.


    ¡°And the money we¡¯ll get!¡± added Isabella excitedly.


    Clarissa thought about it for a moment, then nodded. ¡°The money is indeed nice¡­¡±


    The price of in-game gold had dropped as more and more people farmed and then sold it, but the game was popular enough that even with that drop, if one sold a good amount of gold they could rake in enough money to live comfortably for a while.


    <hr>


    Twelve runs. Twelve angry mother wyverns. Twelve times wading through a battlefield against wyverns and the environment. But they had done it.


    They were laden with piles of wyvern drops: meat, scales, blood, bones, and equipment enough to outfit an army. Or a guild¡­


    But the most important thing they found were two intact eggs.


    One of them was earmarked for Lara after Dan made an impassionioned speech that ended with a quiet: ¡°¡­I really like her.¡±


    Nobody had the heart to say no to that. In the spirit of that, the other egg would go to Adam. At first, Sam wanted to give it to Tim or Liz, as they had been with them longer, but neither would fit with a wyvern pet.


    ¡®Maybe later we¡¯ll have the opportunity to get them pets¡­¡¯ he mused as they headed for the exit portal, glad to be rid of the oppressive aura of the storm.


    They emerged into the valley with the portal blinking out of existence behind them. The distortion around instantly began to move. First slowly, but then it picked up speed. Within seconds, it looked like they were standing in the middle of a fucking weird storm that began to rise into the sky. And as it rose, it began to thin out, until nothing remained except a small breeze that ruffled their clothing as the air settled down.


    Instead, they were left with four portals, each of them radiating mana in the four cardinal directions.


    ¡®That looks suspicious as fuck¡­¡¯ he thought as he looked around.


    It was time to rest a little, but before that, they approached the nearest one, situated on the east side of the valley.


    Sam reached forward and touched the swirling portal.


    [Dawn in spring]


    [With every year comes spring, where nature sheds its winter coat and clothes itself in the accruements of spring.]


    [Time limit: None]


    [Penalty: Super Death]


    [Reward: The distortion eases]


    [Charges: 1/1]


    [Hidden Bonus: Additional growth for the Tree of Rewards, ???]


    ¡®Oh boy¡­¡¯

 Chapter 180

    ¡®This doesn¡¯t make sense,¡¯ Sam thought with a frown on his face as he read and reread the text on the screen that popped up in front of them.


    Naturally, he didn¡¯t say it, but he clearly ¡®knew¡¯ how this Valley of Distortion would go. This one, as the first one, was pretty well documented and studied by the scholars of the game. Thus, the other Sam also had access to the stories and information about it.


    Three layers. First four fractures, then six, and finally twelve in the third, with a thirteenth one containing the final boss. Though, he should have expected this because nobody had said anything about the void-like person-thing who gave them the quest to go through all the fractures.


    Still, it was mighty suspicious that there were only four of them.


    The theme was pretty on the nose, but just to make sure, he quickly jogged over to the others to take a peek at their screen, too. The rest of the team followed him, silent and confused.


    From the east, he went to the south portal.


    [One last summer burn]


    [The summer burns hot, yet warmth permeates everything with leisure and serenity. It¡¯s time to shed our feathers and grow new ones.]


    Then another quick hop and skip and they were at the west one.


    [The herald of fall]


    [Darkness stalks dusk, hiding behind clouds and storms. Let the song of the raindrops wash away your troubles!]


    And finally, to the north one, with the team following him like confused ducklings.


    [Patience of winter]


    [Snow provides comfort and chilling danger, but as long as you are patient and careful, only joy and merry will your life be!]


    He stopped and took in all the screens together, then turned to the others.


    ¡°We¡¯ll start with this one,¡± he declared, to the surprise of the others.


    ¡°But¡­why?¡± Isabella asked, her wood spirit perched on her shoulder, cutely observing everything around them.


    Sam blinked in surprise, then looked at the others. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    Dan looked back and shook his head. ¡°Obviously we¡¯re missing something¡­¡±


    Clarissa also did this, but Katie was smiling. ¡°I know! I know!¡± she exclaimed as she weaved her hand in the air like an overexcited schoolgirl.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The four animals, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly! The four cardinal animals. North, turtle, and water,¡± he began explaining pointing at the nearby portal. Then continued by pointing at each corresponding portal. ¡°West, tiger, and metal. South, bird or phoenix, and fire. Finally, in the east, we have the dragon and wood element.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°So, four bosses¡­¡±


    Sam took a thoughtful look at the portal, then shook his head a little. ¡°I think it¡¯s a little more complicated than that. But I can¡¯t tell more without going in¡­¡±


    ¡°Turtle seems a good starting point¡­¡±


    <hr>


    The fracture was pretty simple.


    A snow-covered mountain ridge made up of seven mountains, with a small flat valley in the middle. The only thing that was moving in the entire area was a river flowing down from one of the mountains ending in a waterfall that terminated in a medium-sized lake with a small pile of rocks in the middle of it.


    Nothing moved, not even the wind blew through the valley.


    Sam mimed silence and began slowly tracking down the small path that appeared in front of them.


    It took them around half an hour to clamber down the side of the mountain and reach the lake.


    By the time they reached it, it turned out the pile of rocks they saw was actually the shell of a giant black turtle. The mythical beast was the size of a small car, but nothing that would seem threatening.


    Before they could even think about what to do with the sleeping beast, the turtle shook itself, and they found themselves in the focus of two small black eyes. Then the eyes turned to a rainbow color, which within moments spread to the entire body until it covered everything.


    ¡°Get back!¡± Sam yelled while jumping back as the turtle began to grow big enough that the small lake it called its home looked more like a puddle that one wouldn¡¯t even notice.


    In the end, Sam looked up at a giant black turtle the size of a small commercial building with malevolent rainbow eyes, and couldn¡¯t help but curse.


    ¡®Ugh, I bet this is the system¡¯s doing¡­¡¯ he grumbled to himself, then he spoke to his team, his eyes not leaving the beast that seemed to be familiarizing itself with its new size. ¡°Go for the soft parts. Try not to hit the shell. With our luck, it reflects attacks.¡±


    Katie slowly lowered her greatsword with a sheepish look on her face.


    Sam gave her a nod, glad she was finally learning to hold in her impulsiveness.


    Then the black turtle roared, and they were washed away by a tidal wave.


    <hr>


    Sam moved his wet hair out of his face, breathing heavily as he watched the damned turtle finally flop to the ground and let out a final breath.


    Clarissa was behind him, on her back, lying on the muddy ground, the pristine snow nowhere to be seen, uncaring of the dirtiness. Her eyes were closed and the soft movement of her chest was the only indication that she was still alive.


    Lucky was doing his best to shake off the mud, splattering all of them with great enthusiasm. Dan was currently trying to climb out from under a pile of rocks as poor Hawky tried to help him rather ineffectively.


    Isabella and Katie were helping each other up from the ground, with Melody landing elegantly on the corpse and letting out a triumphant honk. Naturally, Puffball was lazily sunbathing on a flat rock, illuminated by a very visible sunray. Sable simply returned to her original form and was patiently waiting behind her mistress.


    It was a very muddy fight.


    Thankfully, in the end, they managed to bring down the monster.


    His mana was almost empty, all of his Mana Shield layers destroyed, and honestly, he was feeling like someone wrung him out like an old dishrag. The defenses of this mythical beast were beyond anything that they so far had fought.


    ¡®Still¡­the level-ups will be pretty nice¡­¡¯ he mused as he began slowly shambling toward the corpse of the beast while hitting himself and the others with his Clean spell.


    Gathered before the corpse, they watched in silence, licking their wounds as it shone with dull rainbow light and deflated to its original size, though luckily still dead.


    ¡°Wonder what it will drop¡­¡± Dan muttered as he brushed even more dust off his clothing.


    The turtle chose this moment to turn into a transparent ghost of itself, gave the team a long look, and then flew away into the sky.


    They stared after the ghost for a moment, then back at the ground where several items were shining.


    The first one was a small necklace with a turtle made from obsidian on it.


    [Obsidian turtle necklace: An obsidian necklace made in the shape of the Turtle of the North. Grants its wearer 0,5% extra defense per their actual level. Has additional effects.]


    It went to Katie, who was always in the middle of the biggest fights. Over a long time, this would make her ability to survive much stronger. The second was a skillbook. It had a black cover with a bronze turtle emblazoned on it.


    [Turtle Shell Shield: Level 0/25 (0%) (Active) While casting it you are immobilized, but for five seconds you are surrounded by an extremely strong shell of magic in the shape of a turtle shell. Duration increases by 0,2 seconds for each skill level.]


    After a rough series of rock-paper-scissors, it went to Clarissa to improve her survivability.


    The last item was a small obsidian container, the material so thin that it was see-through. Inside, they could see some kind of liquid sloshing around.


    [Drops of the Winter Dew: A water containing the longevity of the Turtle of North. If used to water plants, it would increase their vitality and endurance.]


    ¡°A little on the nose¡­¡± Sam mused out loud as he tossed the small bottle to Clarissa. ¡°Make sure the tree gets this¡­¡±


    The healer cradled the probably invaluable liquid in her hands while Melody stood next to her with a puffed-up chest, looking around and acting like a bodyguard.


    Sam knew that it could be used for hundreds of different things, or simply sold to the highest bidder, but he knew a hint when he saw one.


    They had already collected so much loot that it will make several guilds insanely jealous. It was probably the system¡¯s gentle way of telling them that there was a line. If they wouldn¡¯t heed the hint, then probably a lost dove would swoop down and knock the bottle out of their hands or something equally silly would happen.


    <hr>


    Upon their exit from the first of the four fractures, they immediately noticed a change in the tree.


    It grew enormously, the trunk widening and the crown growing big enough that its shadow covered some of their tents. And on one of its branches was one faceted fruit the color of the blackest night.


    After a quick celebration of the first fruit, then they went to their tents to properly clean their armor, as even with Sam¡¯s overpowered Clean spell, they needed to change some pieces.


    ¡°What¡¯s the next one?¡±


    ¡°Well, we did the water-slash-winter one, so how about the summer one?¡±


    ¡°Makes as much sense as anything in this cursed place¡­¡±


    <hr>


    They entered the south portal, only to be met by the heat of a late summer afternoon. The sun was blasting them with life-giving rays, immediately causing perspiration to appear on their skin.


    Another valley stretched before them, but instead of silent winter snow, it was full of green and the sounds of a lively forest plus a chorus of cicadas were also somewhere, singing their oft-irritating song.


    They found their target on a cliff jutting out from one of the mountainsides. On the tip was a vermillion phoenix perching on a small tree and watching over the valley, much like a lord would look over his subjects.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    The moment they stepped forward, even from a distance, they could see the phoenix look up and focus on them. It raised its head and let out a haunting cry and the world quieted ¨C except for the cicadas ¨C and the heat grew from a pleasant experience to feeling like standing on bare concrete in the middle of the day.


    Grumbling about the heat and needling Dan about finding weather-controlling magic, they began their short trek into the valley.


    Only for the phoenix to let out another cry, grow to a gigantic size just like the turtle, and shoot off toward them, vermillion fire trailing behind it.


    <hr>


    ¡°It burned my hair off!¡±


    ¡°There are hair growth potions¡­¡±


    ¡°It ruined my hair! My hair!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay for an appointment at the salon for you¡­¡± Sam muttered as he tried to motivate Isabella to stand up after she fell dramatically to the ground to mourn her precious hair. Sable, the loyal familiar, was next to her and patting Isabella on the shoulder.


    Sam ignored her for a moment and took a long look around the valley. The silence permeating the area was only broken by the slight sizzling, as the phoenix had burned everything to ashes. Or Dan¡­ It was hard to differentiate.


    Lucky and Melody were next to the bladedancer, whining and mournfully honking as they inspected their fur and feathers after the fight. Hawky was currently eating a mouthful of vermillion fire that was still burning on a stump. Puffball was playing with a ball of yarn that somehow wasn¡¯t catching on fire.


    Dan was reading over several system screens, as he was once again called upon to match the enemy¡¯s fire with his own. No doubt, he gained a lot thanks to the fight.


    Clarissa and Katie were simply sitting next to each other, supporting each other from falling over. Even the usually hyper girl was tired out by the boss fight.


    Sam walked forward to the pile of ash that the phoenix turned into, but before he could start collecting it for future use, the ash turned into a red light, which in turn transformed into the shape of the phoenix that they had just fought.


    Instead of a haunting cry, it let out a trill of joy, and vanished into the sky, leaving behind the loot.


    He reached down and picked up a small necklace in the shape of the beast.


    [Ruby phoenix necklace: A ruby necklace made in the shape of the Phoenix of the South. Grants its wearer a 0,5% increase in magical fire damage per their actual level. Has additional effects.]


    Without even thinking he threw the necklace at Dan, who fumbled a little, but soon was jumping around in joy.


    The next item was another skillbook.


    [Dance of the Vermillion Summer: Level 0/25 (0%) (Active) The dance of rest and relaxation. The dance of heat and sweltering summer. When using this skill, your allies gain health and stamina regeneration and whilst the health and stamina regeneration of your enemies decreases.]


    The book went to Isabella, who, upon reading the title, suddenly forgot about her missing hair and instantly learned the skill and went to brag to Katie about it.


    The last item was a small satchel filled with ashes.


    [Ashes of the Summer Harvest: Ashes containing the life and vitality of summer harvests. Mixing with the soil around a plant would increase its growth rate and decrease the chance of disease.]


    ¡®Well that makes it a pattern¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he began herding his team toward the exit portal. ¡®One skill and item for everybody, and something that would make the Tree of Rewards better¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    The tree had grown even more, the crown resplendent with thousands upon thousands of crystalline leaves, and one freshly grown blood-red fruit.


    Sam spent a little time with Clarissa mixing the ash into the soil around the tree¡¯s roots, and by the time he turned back to the camp, Isabella was back with her hair long again.


    ¡°You had a hair growth potion with you, huh?¡± he asked with a chuckle as he took a seat near the girl.


    ¡°Of course! Never go anywhere without it! What if I want to change my style? What if I¡¯m invited to a deathmatch and I want to look fabulous?¡±


    Sometimes, Sam forgot that Isabella was almost as weird as Katie.


    He chatted with them for a few minutes, but soon it was time to log off. He made sure to give some reward snacks to Lucky and returned to his own tent.


    <hr>


    In the real world, he made sure to exercise, spend some time keeping his home clean and orderly, or at least not looking like a cloth bomb had exploded, did a little grocery shopping, and spent some time with things that weren¡¯t related to the game. Mostly making sure he was up to date with his bills and that his taxes were properly paid. He did not want to give his enemies a chance to go after him.


    Then a quick jaunt through the Shadowland, answering messages, dispensing nuggets of information, and collecting information about what people were looking for. It was mostly about the Valley of Distortions. Though, as usual, there were requests for cheap gold, easy gold-making opportunities, and all sorts of random questions.


    ¡®Why the hell do they need to know where to get troll lingerie?¡¯ Sam stared aghast at the question, then with a trembling, but definitely curious, hand he moved his mouse over it and clicked on the question.


    He needed to know¡­


    <hr>


    They returned to the game refreshed and raring to go. They had two more fractures to do and all of them were kinda over it, so they wanted to finish it fast.


    Sam approached the west portal, glanced at his friends, who nodded at him, then stepped forward into the swirling chaos.


    Once again, they appeared in a valley. It was filled to the brim with tall trees, all of their crowns colored yellow, orange, red, and brown, with a few green spots here and there. The underbrush was also similarly colored, casting the entire valley in fall colors.


    The environment was also filled with the sounds of animals doing animal things as they lived their life.


    ¡°This is the tiger, right?¡± Katie asked as they overlooked the valley.


    ¡°The White Tiger of the West, yes,¡± Sam answered.


    ¡°Cool. Where is it?¡±


    ¡°Probably in the forest, hunting¡­¡±


    They watched as a few birds flew up in a group, letting out distressed calls in a distant spot.


    ¡°Well, we have a starting point¡­¡±


    <hr>


    As it turned out, they didn¡¯t need to look far for the white tiger, as it found them first. It leaped at them from up high, trying to crush them with its wicked claws and powerful muscles. Surprisingly, this mythical beast didn¡¯t grow gigantic. Instead, when its eyes began to glow with rainbow color its speed rose, becoming nothing more than a blur. Still, its white and black striped body was still visible long enough that they could admire its majestic form.


    CLANG


    Katie was thrown away as she managed to block a claw attack with her greatsword.


    CRASH


    She flew through a tree, breaking it into splinters, and landed on the ground, rolling a few times. The berserker instantly jumped, yellow sparks flying off her, seemingly in synchrony with her excitement.


    ¡°Hell yeah! Let¡¯s do thiiiiiiiis!¡± she exclaimed as she charged forward, her sword raised high.


    <hr>


    ¡°Maaan, we really need to stop destroying the local environment¡­¡± Sam groaned as he looked around at the devastation they created during the fight. Almost half of the forest was demolished during the high-speed chase that the fight turned into halfway through as the mythical tiger realized it had a very low chance of winning.


    Still, now the monster¡¯s corpse lay before them, as they tried to pick out leaves and sticks from their hair.


    As with the other ones, the corpse glowed for a second then transformed into a white ghost that vanished with extreme speed.


    Collecting the loot after that was just a simple formality.


    [Jade tiger necklace: A jade necklace made in the shape of the Tiger of the West. Grants its wearer a 0,5% increase in attack speed per their actual level. Has additional effects.]


    After a brief discussion, the necklace went to Isabella as Sam felt it would be better for her build. He was already fast enough with the help of wind magic.


    Then came the skillbook.


    [Claw of the Tiger: Level 0/25 (0%) (Active) A strike in the style of a tiger. Strong, fast, and comes out of nowhere. Counts as a surprise attack. Can be performed with any weapon. Upon activation of the skill, it grants the user 5 seconds of stealth, which is canceled when the user attacks. Duration increases by 0,2 seconds for each skill level.]


    The skill was handed over to a basically vibrating Katie, who instantly learned it and began practicing it on the poor surviving trees.


    The last item was another plant supplement.


    [Mulch of Falls of Past: Mulch made from carefully selected leaves, only containing the first leaves that fell from a tree. Grants increased weather resistance to any plant it is used on.]


    Not very interesting, but he knew that even if the description sounded simple, it was an incredibly potent material. Sadly, it would be used on the Tree of Rewards.


    <hr>


    The Tree of Rewards didn¡¯t grow much, but there was another new fruit, this time a white one.


    They spent a little time doing maintenance on their equipment and simply resting.


    ¡°The dragon is the last one, right?¡± Clarissa asked as she did her usual gardening, making sure her plant experiments were doing okay ¨C and not trying to start a revolution ¨C while also adding the new material to their crystalline tree.


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Sam answered leisurely, eyes closed, facing the sun. "The four cardinal beasts are usually grouped with a fifth beast. The yellow dragon.¡±


    ¡°Two dragons? How redundant¡­¡±


    ¡°They do like their dragons, don¡¯t they¡­¡±


    <hr>


    The last valley was filled with spring flowers, creating a picturesque view from where they arrived. And on the other side of the valley, in an exquisitely built pagoda, was the curled form of a long dragon. The horn on its head was visible from afar, as it was seemingly made of blue sapphire.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go bonk that dragon and go home¡­ I''ve had enough of these fractures¡­¡± Clarissa declared as she strode forward, her staff held aloft. The rest shared a look and followed the irate healer.


    The dragon, naturally, noticed their presence and lazily unfurled from its sleeping position, revealing its impressive length and causing Sam to hold back several inappropriate jokes. Though, as he glanced at Dan, he wasn¡¯t alone.


    A gentle spring breeze flew through the valley, bringing with it the smell of thousands of flowers in bloom.


    For a long moment, nothing was happening.


    They stood there, in formation, staring at the hovering azure dragon with the sapphire horns. Then a flash of lightning, followed by a bang and Sam had to react fast to raise a wall of earth between them and the dragon that just fired a beam of pure electricity at them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle the magic! You guys take it down!¡± he yelled as he readied his own magic, ready to redirect or protect against further strikes.


    <hr>


    Thankfully, after the first lightning strike, the dragon mostly used earth and wood-type attacks. It hurled rocks and the ground at them, leaving holes in the previously pristine field. It even used the petals from all the destroyed flowers as projectiles to pelt the team with. However, it turned the petals with magic into a hardened substance similar to throwing stars.


    He countered that with his own wind magic, either redirecting projectiles or cutting them into small enough pieces that they could ignore them or use shields to absorb them.


    But finally, they brought it down.


    ¡®Pity it¡¯ll vanish¡­ that sapphire horn would look good on the wall¡­¡¯ Sam thought as he watched the heavily damaged corpse of the mythical beast transform into an azure-colored spirit that flew away after letting out an echoing roar.


    And in the dust, as expected, was the loot.


    One sapphire necklace, a skillbook, and one scale, presumably from the dragon.


    [Sapphire dragon necklace: A sapphire necklace made in the shape of the Dragon of the East. Grants its wearer a 0,5% increase in buff effect per their actual level. Has additional effects.]


    Without a question, it went to Clarissa, who immediately put it on and began dragging Katie away for a little testing.


    The skill book was pretty interesting.


    [Dragonfire: Level 0/25 (0%) (Active) Conjure fire strong enough that dragons wouldn¡¯t laugh at you.]


    It went to Dan, who learned it with gusto, vowing to research every little detail of the spell.


    The last item was the scale. Sam picked it up and turned it over in his hand. It was azure with a metallic tint and practically sang to his mana senses it was so full of mana. Mana that reminded him of the dragon they had just fought.


    [Juvenile Dragon Reverse Scale: The reverse scale of a young dragon. They often keep them, and then feed it to their young to jumpstart the growth of new and stronger scales. Can be absorbed by anyone with dragon-level mana control.]


    Sam raised an eyebrow, but instead of saying anything, simply held the scale, closed his eyes, and began channeling mana toward the small scale. He surrounded the small piece of material, probing it from every side until he found purchase and broke the ¡®shell¡¯ of the scale. Instantly, mana surged forth from the scale, straight through the connection he had established with his own mana.


    He was surprised for a second, but then he took control of himself and began circulating the new mana through his body using his old and trusty method.


    Soon the mana coming from the scale exhausted itself, and he was left holding nothing but blue dust that was soon blown away by the spring breeze that had slowly returned to the valley.


    He opened his eyes to see the rest of the team sitting around him, chatting, clearly waiting for him to finish.


    Before he could declare it a success, he had to check his notifications. He ignored the level-ups and everything else and went for only the latest one.


    [Congratulations! You successfully absorbed the Juvenile Dragon Reverse Scale!]


    [The Juvenile Dragon Reverse Scale was found to be compatible with your Mana Shield skill!]


    [Mana Shield has transformed into Mana Scales!]


    [Mana Scales: Level 100 (1%) (Active/Passive) Using mana, you can form a shell around yourself, made up of tiny scales. This increases your defenses and decreases the damage you take. Damage decrease depends on the amount of mana invested. For every unit of Mana invested in the spell, the shield will protect you from 0,2 damage per level (Current amount: 20). Grants a slight passive increase of defenses.]


    With a laugh, he quickly sent the skill description to the others and began an awkward but energetic dance to celebrate the new skill. Soon, the others joined him and laughter filled the valley.


    <hr>


    They left the last fractal in a great mood and eagerly looking forward to their rewards. The tree that had painstakingly grown and been fed an unspeakable amount of precious ingredients was sporting an azure-colored fruit, and with that, the set was complete.


    Carefully approaching the tree, they looked up, wondering what the next step would be. But before that, they turned around for a last time and watched as the last remnants of the dimensional energies swirled around and rose into the sky, vanishing in seconds.


    [You completed the quest: Volatile Valley!]


    With the valley free from the dimensional energies, they returned ¨C for the final time ¨C their attention to the tree. Only to see the void-like being that had greeted them upon arrival.


    It was leaning at the tree and softly clapping.


    ¡°Good job! You didn¡¯t die,¡± it said in a deadpan manner.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± replied Sam calmly.


    The being¡¯s head turned to the tree and back at them. ¡°I believe a reward is in order.¡± Then it knocked into the tree with its elbow, or rather the elbow-shaped void which caused the tree to shake a little. Then, before their eyes, a fifth fruit was formed alongside the rest of the colorful bunch. ¡°There, that should suffice. Now excuse me, I have better things to do. See you never.¡±


    Then it vanished just as mysteriously as it appeared leaving them with the tree and its fruits.


    Sam stepped forward and placed his hand on the tree and channeled a little mana into it. The fruits shook and then fell to the ground one by one, leaving the tree bereft of any produce. Which, in turn, started a chain reaction.


    First, the leaves started to curl up, then the branches began to turn into smoke, until the entire tree vanished into the air from the top to bottom, leaving them with a hole in the ground and five fruits radiating mystery.

 Chapter 181 - Interlude 17

    The restaurant was nice, not some place he could have afforded before signing up with Sam, but not one of those super expensive and exclusive ones. The atmosphere was pleasant and, based on the smells he had been smelling, the food was also amazing. Lara was sitting across from him, in a nice dress that he knew probably cost more than his tuition.


    Still, that dress looked amazing on her.


    ¡°I bought it on sale in the department store¡­¡± she spoke up suddenly with a mischievous smile on her face.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You had a look on your face when you were looking at my dress¡­ You thought it was some super expensive thing, right?¡± she asked, a smile still on her face.


    Dan couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed. ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    She just chuckled and waved her hand in a dismissive motion. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I do look good in it¡­¡±


    Absent any idea, Dan just nodded his head in agreement.


    ¡°Probably better out of it¡­¡± she whispered impishly, causing Dan to choke on the drink that he was taking a fortifying sip of.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that to me!¡± he coughed as he tried to make sure he wouldn¡¯t be choking on his own drink.


    Thankfully, Lara¡¯s laughter was cut short by the arrival of an indifferent waiter as he placed the food in front of them. Lara was a bit of a foodie, so while she examined the meal provided by the restaurant in front of her, Dan had time to gather himself.


    A few minutes later, with a big part of the meal consumed, they resumed their earlier topic.


    ¡°I¡¯m still a bit miffed you didn¡¯t take me with you,¡± Lara said. Thankfully, Dan could see that she wasn¡¯t really angry.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like Sam told us what we''d be doing, you know¡­ And you were occupied with the fortress, so¡­¡±


    She frowned a little then nodded. ¡°Fair enough, I suppose. Now, you were just about to tell me what you got as a reward. The other guilds are practically drowning fields with blood trying to kill each other to be the first to harvest those fractures so I expect something special!¡± she declared as if she was ready to march down to the headquarters of Future Unknown and demand to speak to a manager on his behalf.


    If Dan wanted to be honest, it was a pretty nice feeling. Also, hot.


    ¡°Well, the fruit we got provided a lot of experience points¡­¡±


    ¡°How many?¡±


    ¡°After completing all the fractures, we were around eighty. The fruit straight up gave us ten levels.¡±


    ¡°Ten?¡± His girlfriend¡¯s eyes were the size of a coin. ¡°At that level?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was also surprised. But that¡¯s not all. I also got two skills. One big one and a small one,¡± he continued to explain while he also fished out his phone from his pocket. Magic Unbound, as with everything else, had its own app. It was more to check bids at the auction house, keep track of owned items, and stuff like that. But you could also open your skill and status screen any time and use it to brag to others.


    There were already public service announcements about the safe use of the application and how not to get mugged while using it. Apparently, some people thought that if they stole the phone, they could transfer those items that were showcased. Fortunately, the app was only to look at things, you couldn¡¯t affect the game in any way through it. Sadly, there were a lot of people who wanted to try it which paired well with the people who liked to brag.


    Dan quickly went through the menus and opened his latest skill.


    ¡°The small one just transformed my Fire Resistance skill into Lesser Fire Immunity. Gives one percent total immunity to fire per ten skill levels.¡±


    She grinned. ¡°That¡¯s amazing¡­¡±


    Dan nodded his head, then grinned and slid his phone over to Lara, who gingerly picked up the device to read the skill he had gained after ¡®consuming the red fruit from the Tree of Rewards.


    [Eternal Heart Flame: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Your heart has been ignited by the True Flame. It will burn as long as you hold fire close to your heart. Grants you a 1% increase in the effectiveness of your fire skills per level and increases health and stamina regeneration by 0,5% per skill level. Your fire spells also have True Damage. Every fire spell will gain 1% True Damage per 5 skill levels. May have other properties.]


    For some time Lara just stared at the skill, then quickly scrolled up, checking his other skills. Dan just grinned.


    ¡°That¡¯s a¡­lot of True Damage,¡± she finally said after staring at the screen a little more.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he nodded in response.


    Honestly, his own response was similar when he first saw the skill. It was truly worth the amount of resources they invested into that tree. He already had a True Damage skill with a pretty long cooldown, but with this new skill, even his most basic fire spell would do True Damage. It would probably wreck a lot of things.


    ¡®I wonder if there is protection against True Damage¡­¡¯ he wondered as his girlfriend was doing some kind of math on one of the napkins. ¡®Sam probably knows¡­¡¯


    He almost snorted at that thought. Of course, his mysterious boss would know things like that. It seemed nothing really could surprise that man. He had an answer to everything that happened in the game. And even though he always shared whatever information was needed, Dan had the feeling that the man knew much more.


    ¡®I wonder what is preventing him from sharing? It¡¯s not like he doesn¡¯t trust us¡­¡¯


    His thoughts were interrupted by the dismayed cry of Lara. ¡°Damn!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I just did the math. With your basic fireball, you could destroy my best defense and kill me in thirty seconds!¡± she explained with a sour look on her face.


    He reached over and grabbed her hand, intervening his fingers with hers. Then stole a fry from her plate with the other hand. Payback was demanded after the last date, after all!


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure not to attack you¡­¡± he said, trying to be comforting.


    She just gave him a look.


    He sighed. ¡°Alright. Next time the boss takes me somewhere, I¡¯ll call you¡­¡±


    She reached over and patted him on the head.


    ¡°Good boy¡­ Now how about we pay for this lame food and take our discussion to a more private place?¡± she asked with a raised eyebrow and negligent wave toward her half-eaten food.


    For a moment Dan wanted to protest, but then the words penetrated his mind. He took one last bite of his burger ¨C which was not bad, but nothing special ¨C and nodded enthusiastically.


    ¡°Yeah! We can go over the math with the computer¡¯s help!¡±


    As he turned around to find the waiter, he missed his girlfriend¡¯s eye twitching.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re the luckiest son of a bitch that I¡¯ve ever met!¡± she said while glaring at her friend and business partner.


    The asshole had the temerity to shrug and grin at her.


    ¡°I saw your quest list! You basically go to afternoon tea parties and get experience points from that. Now, who is the lucky one?¡± Sam said while leaning back in his chair.


    ¡°Those are not afternoon tea parties!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Those are very delicate political discussions!¡±


    ¡°With pastries, cakes, and fancy dresses?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I would call them social lubricants¡­¡± she said, trying to ignore as his eyes landed on a box of opened high-end pastries she was munching on when he entered her office. Her trusty familiar was picking away at an almond-topped one high above her, showering the poor carpet with crumbs.


    Sam just snorted. ¡°Sure, sure¡­ whatever makes you sleep peacefully.¡± He then sat up fully, his entire body language shifting from a joking one to a serious one, causing Lucy to also sit up straight. The time for friendly jokes was over. It was time to talk about business. ¡°Not to change the subject, but how about the materials we brought back? Is there enough space for them in the warehouse?¡±


    She had to glare at that. If she hadn¡¯t started a new expansion due to some cryptic comments from the man in front of her, they would be in a hot mess right now. Thankfully, they had the space to put the ungodly amount of materials Sam and the team returned with.


    Surprisingly, some of them could be used to complete some of her own quests. There were a lot of nobles who would ¡®casually¡¯ mention that they were looking for certain materials. Then somebody would ¡®mysteriously¡¯ find it in their storage and hand it over as if it was nothing and they would be thanked and promised favors. Pretty basic stuff, but she could use everything to strengthen her position. Most nobles were pretty sexist and the fact she wasn¡¯t about to open her legs for the likes of them limited her somewhat.


    Her backing from the Silvercrest family, their company, and guild somewhat negated the fact she was born with ovaries, but surprisingly ¨C or not if you knew the man ¨C it was Sam¡¯s own mystery that was her biggest supporter.


    After her purchase of properties in the capital, it seemed the stamp on the paperwork was circulated in certain circles. Nobody even dared to mention it and immediately changed the topic if she asked about it, but Lucy could see the fear in their eyes.


    ¡®What the fuck kind of quest did you do, Sam?¡¯ she wondered silently to herself.


    She didn¡¯t get instant respect from anyone based only on that stamp, but the moves against her were seemingly being limited.


    According to Tim, there were barely any assassins. Even if they came, they were the most basic ones, as if those nobles were simply going through the motions. It was fascinating, but she wasn¡¯t about to question a good thing.


    ¡°What about the other distortions?¡± he asked, breaking her train of thought.


    ¡°Bloodbath,¡± she answered simply while reaching for a document. ¡°The one we leaked has already been found and attempts were made to enter, but too many people are fighting.¡±


    ¡°Who has the best odds?¡± her friend asked with a thoughtful look.


    ¡°Who else?¡± she asked with a wry smile.


    ¡°Steel Lions?¡±


    ¡°Steel Lions.¡±


    ¡°Not Eternal Light? What about the poison crazies?¡±


    ¡°Light is pretty much in the second place. The poison guzzlers are trying to get rid of the Black Blood.¡±


    ¡°Still?¡±


    ¡°I heard they apparently figured out how to ask for help last week¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ Have they tried reading the books in the library?¡±


    She just snorted. ¡°Do they look like people who go to libraries?¡±


    Sam chuckled. ¡°Point.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± she asked curiously.


    ¡°There is a pretty complicated purifying ritual. You need a high-level priest and a rune master, but with the money a guild has, it¡¯s doable.¡±


    That was surprising. ¡°That simple?¡±


    He just grinned. ¡°Well, there are some penalties¡­¡±


    She hummed a little as she went over the new information. ¡°Can it be improved?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± came the expected response. ¡°It¡¯s complicated, but basic. That¡¯s why it can be found in the library. If you want something better and less complicated, then you need to pay for it.¡±


    ¡°Pay where?¡±


    Her asshole business partner just smiled mysteriously.


    ¡°Fine. Keep your secrets¡­¡± she grumbled, crossing her arms in front of her while Sam just snorted.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡®One day, I¡¯ll know your secrets and then you won¡¯t be able to laugh at me! Mark my words!¡¯ she vowed to herself.


    Then Lucy cleared her throat and continued. ¡°With the income of this much material, we can start raising a few more promising crafters. Also, some of it will be useful at the fort Lara is building.¡±


    ¡°How is that going?¡±


    ¡°Pretty good. Adam made sure there was always a contingent of guild people doing monster clearing and other useful things around. However, on the downside, we can be certain that other people know we¡¯re doing something there.¡±


    ¡°Do you think they know our plan?¡± he asked, not even looking worried. Lucy really envied Sam¡¯s nonchalance.


    ¡°Maybe some distractions?¡± he offered.


    She couldn¡¯t help but grimace. ¡°We¡¯re using that tactic a lot. I don¡¯t want other people to catch on¡­¡±


    He nodded. ¡°True¡­ true. What about having another auction with a few seeds and other nice stuff from the distortion while telling people explicitly that it was from a secret Valley of Distortion?¡±


    ¡°So, you want more bloodbath?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not our blood¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯re not wrong¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    His new business partner was a monster.


    Adam looked over the mountains of new gear in the guild vault and couldn¡¯t help but shake his head.


    After joining up with Sam and the others, he decided to do his due diligence and asked his grandmother for help to do a background check on Sam. According to his grandmother, it came back without any issues, though Adam suspected there was more to it as when they were discussing the results over Sunday lunch ¨C mandatory now that he was talking to his family again ¨C there was a peculiar look on his grandmother¡¯s face.


    Sadly, he was always bad at reading other people, so he couldn¡¯t figure out what she was thinking. In the end, he just gave up, content that Sam wasn¡¯t like his old friend. Who he last heard had joined some dark guild. Probably promising them information about him¡­


    Thankfully, he had a boatload of processes worked out that he had never used in previous games, so knowing his ex-friend, he changed everything in the new guild. Made much easier by the huge influx of monetary support thanks to the AFK company.


    All new password schemes, patrol patterns, organization charts, and everything else. He had almost half a dozen distinct templates at home for running guilds, but he mostly used the same one, as it worked perfectly well. The rest were only put together for fun.


    It felt nice to make use of his hobbies¡­


    ¡®What the hell do I do with this many weapons?¡¯ he mused as several trusted NPCs were organizing the received items per his orders. ¡®Wait, how are the contribution points?¡¯ He quickly called up the system screen to check the point tally.


    It wasn¡¯t something new. Most big guilds had something like that, but they usually only provided scraps to the regular members. You needed to sign a contract to receive anything good.


    But with all this new stuff that Sam and his team brought back, he could do a little PR.


    Calling up the list of items in the guild warehouse, he quickly filtered out a few things he wanted to keep back, set up a few tiers for the rewards, and then sent out a message to the entire guild to check the contribution page.


    So far, they mostly had things there from the company¡¯s crafters. High-quality stuff, but nothing earthshaking.


    The reaction was instantaneous. Even far away from the common rooms of the guild headquarters, he could hear the dull roar of people as they reacted to the new items.


    Adam calmly walked back to where most people were congregating and stopped at the door, watching as everybody was excitedly discussing the new items.


    ¡°What the hell! How did they get this much?¡±


    ¡°Did you see? We can get basic enchanted weapons!¡±


    ¡°There are ice bows! Perfect for my build!¡±


    ¡°Dibs on the blood axe! I need it for my berserker build!¡±


    ¡°Hah, don¡¯t worry¡­ there are like three of them.¡±


    ¡°This is the best damn guild¡­¡±


    ¡°How do we get more points?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! There are only so many guild quests and donating stuff doesn¡¯t get much¡­¡±


    That was by design. Neither Lucy nor Adam wanted somebody to use money to get ahead of others. But hearing the guild members complaining, he simply pushed a button, and another notification went out to the players.


    ¡°Wow! Look at that! New quests!¡±


    ¡°Who wants to go troll hunting with me? Need a tank and healer!¡±


    ¡°Looking for fire mages! Anyone?¡±


    ¡°Earth mages come to me! We¡¯re going as a team!¡±


    And on it went, the people grouping up and heading out to do quests. Or more like gathering building materials for Lara. And run errands for her. And clean up the area around their new fortress.


    Thankfully, Lucy helped with the wording so the players wouldn¡¯t suspect they were basically doing chores. However, based on their reaction to the weapons, armor, and other items in the guild warehouse, they probably wouldn¡¯t mind doing chores.


    ¡°WOOOOHOOO! I¡¯m getting new armor!¡± One person yelled excitedly as they ran by Adam, completely ignoring the guild master.


    ¡®I could probably ask them to shovel shit and they would do it¡­¡¯ he mused. The game was pretty miserable with equipment drops. Getting good and well-enchanted equipment was pretty rare. Though, with the rise of craftsmen and women that would soon be a thing of the past.


    However, for now, if regular players wanted proper equipment, they either had to be incredibly lucky, pay a lot of real-world money, or join a guild that was willing to share in exchange for services rendered.


    Shaking his head, Adam turned around and began walking to his office.


    He still had to go over the details, and then arrange for his own training. With the new guild, he temporarily put it aside, but knowing that Lucy was always near to keep an eye on the happenings and Tim running security, he wanted to use the opportunity to run a few fractures.


    From what he had heard, Sam and the rest came back over level ninety, so he had to catch up with them if he didn¡¯t want to be ashamed as a guild master. Quickly, he sent out a message to his current team to have them gear up in half an hour.


    Then he shook off his coat and sat down in front of his desk, buried under a mountain of paperwork.


    ¡®I can¡¯t wait until those projects Lucy mentioned are finished¡­¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Why did you change it?¡± he asked, sipping his coffee with his personally added fortification. Especially prepared for these kinds of situations.


    Selena just smiled on the big screen. ¡°By my calculations, if they completed all the planned fractures, the loot would simply make them invincible. Better to give them something a little overpowered and shiny, than let that happen.¡±


    He hated that he agreed with that statement. Anything that made the life of that asshole better just exacerbated his ulcer.


    ¡°What about the other locations? How are they going?¡±


    The AI¡¯s digital face vanished from the screen and was replaced by a map with a few red dots representing the other valleys.


    A few of them were highlighted and Selena began to talk. ¡°At these, the attack on the first layer has begun.¡± The highlights changed to a few other dots. ¡°At these locations, the fights are still ongoing.¡±


    He took another sip, just immersing himself in the sound of clacking keyboards and mouse clicks before speaking up. ¡°Can¡¯t we make it easier to break through the distortion for those groups?¡±


    Selena¡¯s face reappeared, and he was met with a reproachful look.


    ¡°Alright¡­ no cheating to fuck with that fucker.¡± He thought for a second, then continued. ¡°Any catastrophes we could unleash on him?¡±


    Selena just sighed. ¡°The next event is almost a month away, barring anything happening.¡±


    ¡°What are the chances of that?¡±


    ¡°Seventy-eight-point-ninety-five percent,¡± came the robotic reply. ¡°Rounded up.¡±


    ¡°Is it that fucker¡¯s fault?¡±


    ¡°Partially.¡±


    There was a tense silence as he stared at the cheeky AI, then he sighed again. ¡°That fucker¡­¡±


    Selena just smiled again. If he didn¡¯t know better, he would have suspected that the AI was on that fucker¡¯s side. But he was reassured repeatedly by the experts, his wife, the janitor, and a very confused barista down in the cafeteria that no, the AI was not out to get him.


    ¡°What skill did he even get?¡±


    The digital avatar of one of the game¡¯s main AIs vanished again and the descriptions of the skills the man got were displayed as well with a small plain character model executing it, showcasing the graphics of the skill.


    ¡°He gained two skills,¡± came the explanation from the beautiful voice. ¡°The first one is Lesser Physical Immunity, which grants him one percent immunity against physical attacks per ten skill levels.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not bad¡­¡± he murmured while inwardly going over what he remembered of the fucker¡¯s skill list. ¡°What¡¯s the big one?¡±


    ¡°He got two medium ones.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, giving him a big one would have been a little too much.¡±


    ¡°Thank the gods for the small mercies¡­ What did he get?


    The screen changed, and another skill appeared.


    [All-Speak: Level MAX (Passive) You speak all mortal, non-magical tongues.]


    He read it and let out a breath of relief. ¡°That¡¯s not bad. At least it excludes magical languages.¡± Not that it helped with how much the fucker did with runes, but at least this would slow him down. Upgrading this skill would be rather hard at the current level.


    However, he couldn¡¯t help but feel some fear at the thought of what the other skill would be.


    ¡°And the last one?¡±


    There was a brief black screen, and then another skill appeared.


    The other people in the room who were definitely not paying attention to the conversation between their boss and the AI ¨C and were definitely not taking bets about his reaction ¨C watched as the man read the text on the screen, let out an inarticulate yell, turned around stomped out of the room.


    One of them leaned out from behind their monitor and read the text that caused his boss to storm out.


    [Shadow of the Dragon: Level 0/100 (0%) You have been under the shadow of the great dragon ruling over the mythical cardinal beasts. It has enhanced your abilities with shadows by absorbing all of your shadow-natured skills.


    Increases your ability to control shadow-natured mana by a large degree.


    Grants you 0,1% True Damage with shadow skills per skill level.


    Allows greater ease of mixing shadow-natured mana with other types.]


    <hr><hr>


    Katie happily left the headquarters after they returned from their awesome adventure. She needed to stock up on cooking ingredients and while Lucy offered to have it done for her, she wanted to do it herself. She had her favorite shops to get stuff from and had raised her reputation enough that she could ask for some high-quality or special stuff.


    Then she suspected Puffball wanted to whisk her away for another trip through the great unknown to test her new skill.


    Or the cat was hungry.


    Sometimes she had a hard time reading that adorable face.


    Then a small portal opened up under her, showcasing a galaxy swimming in a soup inside a bread bowl, and suddenly she was somewhere else.


    Grinning, she looked around, trying to spot her adorable familiar.


    ¡°Hey, Puffball!¡± she waved at the cat who was lying on a perfectly fluffy-looking cat bed. The cat opened his eyes, looked at Katie, then closed it down and went back to sleep.


    Katie just grinned and unsheathed her sword. She had a new skill to test.


    After consuming the fruit granted by that tree, she got some awesome skills.


    One of them was a little lame, but probably useful.


    [Instant Death Resistance: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) If an attack would kill you instantly, there is a chance that you won¡¯t die. The chance is 0,75% per skill level.]


    Good for a berserker, but nothing special. Still, she doubted anybody had that one, as she had no idea how one would get this type of resistance.


    The next skill was much more useful.


    [Armor of Greed: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) As you rampage and go through the excess mana left behind by your enemies, you absorb that mana and create a shield around you. The more you fight and the more enemies (or friends; we don¡¯t judge) you kill, the stronger the shield becomes. As soon as you stop fighting, the shield will dissipate. You absorb 0,9% per skill level of the mana in the air left behind by your victims.]


    While it wasn¡¯t too useful for her, she still made sure to pay attention to Sam¡¯s lectures about mana control, so Katie knew very well that nobody was a hundred percent efficient with their mana usage. This skill, when leveled up, would be a great way to support her fights. Especially against mages¡­


    The last one was the one she was excited to try out.


    [Fractured Strike: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) You witnessed the fracturing of the dimensions, you plundered their depths and saw their transformations. This allowed you to master a small part of it and made it your own. Every strike you make will summon a random number of ethereal weapon strikes copying your weapon. The number can be 0,1,1,2,3,5¡­ with decreasing chance as the number goes up. The ethereal weapon strikes do the same damage as your own weapon and have a 0,66% per skill level chance to inflict a random debuff on the enemy.]


    Very good stuff.


    ¡°Alright, sweetie! Mommy is ready!¡± she called out to the cat, who naturally didn¡¯t react.


    However, the environment around her immediately changed. Instead of pure darkness, she was in a meadow, with roses singing ballads in the background and minotaurs wearing cute cooking aprons charging at her.


    The aprons were covered in pink hearts.


    ¡°Heh, cute.¡±


    Then she launched herself forward, intent on trying out her super-duper new skill. By the time she reached the enemy, she was in a fight with turtles hurling magical ice at her over a field of fresh toast.


    Though, one of the minotaurs was next to Puffball grilling up some fresh fish with a terrified look on their face.


    <hr>


    ¡°How are you, brother?¡±


    ¡°Pretty good, why?¡±


    ¡°I know father made sure no guild would accept you.¡±


    ¡°Except for one¡­¡± David answered with a grin.


    Katie couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°What if he wanted you to join them?¡±


    David, sitting across from her on her balcony, enjoying the fresh spring weather, drinking their favorite tea, and snacking on pastries, frowned.


    ¡°Why would he want them to?¡±


    Katie thought about then shrugged. ¡°I have no idea. Knowing him, it could be a dozen things¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, after what he did with the Steel Lions, he can expect stuff, but I won¡¯t be doing anything to help him.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s what he wants?¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s just paranoia for the sake of paranoia.¡±


    Katie nodded and took a sip of her drink. ¡°He could be waiting until you get some rank in the guild and pump you for information.¡±


    David nodded. ¡°Thought about that. But I have a plan for it.¡±


    ¡°If they want to promote me to an officer or higher, I¡¯m planning on telling them not to tell me any important information.¡±


    ¡°Simple, but effective,¡± Katie replied, eyeing her brother. ¡°Father won¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Tough¡­¡± he answered with a grin. ¡°He fucked with my game, it¡¯s natural I get back at him¡­ But enough about me. How was your trip to¡­where did you even go?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t tell you where, but I can tell you some of what happened¡­¡± she replied demurely. The valley was gone, with only a few plants that had a dimensional nature remaining behind, so his father couldn¡¯t really do anything to them, but there were still ways to harm them with the information.


    But sharing some random things about the fractures wouldn¡¯t tell her father anything actionable. At least according to Sam. Katie wondered if this was another step in a plan to fuck with her father, but ultimately, she was just happy that she could share it with her brother.


    She hated seeing him sad.


    ¡®Maybe some tales about my fights will cheer him up!¡¯ she mused happily as she settled back into her comfortable chair and looked at her expectant brother.


    ¡°So, there I was, surrounded on all sides¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Naturally, everyone in the family knew she had acquired a high-quality pet the moment she arrived back at Ironwood. Thankfully, they had the patience to wait for her to log out before pestering her for information.


    Thankfully, Isabella managed to hide behind the NDA that Sam had her sign and thus left behind a gaggle of frustrated relatives.


    Sadly, it wasn¡¯t left at that.


    While the others went around to stock up their stocks, deal with the company, or report to the healer¡¯s guild, she was left alone. And her relatives tried to make use of that.


    Several cousins tried to beat the secret out of her for some reason.


    Isabella sometimes wondered how they managed to talk and breathe at the same time with that kind of intelligence.


    She simply had Sable transform into her wyvern form and go to town on the idiots.


    Her new skills supporting the endeavor.


    [Battlefield rhythm: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Every battlefield has its own rhythm. You are experienced enough that you can attune yourself to this rhythm. Takes 100 seconds to attune to it, which decreases by 0,9 seconds for every skill level. After attuning and as long as the battle lasts, you are more accurate and faster and your critical chance is increased. You are less able to be snuck upon, easily spotting any attacker.]


    She didn¡¯t know she would be leaning into the dancing and music aspect of her ¡®class¡¯ but with her new over ninety levels this skill practically guaranteed her win against anything her cousins could throw at her. Mostly because she kept them talking for a minute or two, then simply danced around Sable as her cute but deadly spirit played the role of the tank.


    Isabella was disappointed she didn¡¯t get a big active skill, but after thinking about it she was pretty satisfied with the skills she got.


    [Magic of Music: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Music has its own magic. You have begun to understand this. The more you know, the more secrets of this skill will be revealed. Currently, it grants you a decrease in the cost of music-related skills (including dances) and an increase in effectiveness. Also grants a 0,5% chance per skill level to activate another music or dance skill when casting one, creating harmony. If attuned to the battlefield, you gain a 50% base chance of that happening. May have other properties.]


    A skill with secrets and immense synergy with her other skills? Yes, please! Just what the doctor ordered.


    However, she reluctantly closed the screen and moved to log out of the game. After she destroyed those meddling cousins with their brilliant plans, they naturally went to cry to their parents.


    And her parents, in turn, called her for a discussion. For a moment she watched all the regular players walk around town freely without the same issues she had to deal with.


    ¡®Sometimes I wish¡­¡¯

 Chapter 182

    It was rather freeing sitting in front of his giant high-fidelity television set in his boxers after a good workout ¨C not something he expected to say ever ¨C and eating his breakfast just in his boxers.


    He was watching nothing in particular, simply surfing through the channels that sometimes showed things he found interesting. Mostly news about Magic Unbound, the company that created it, and the players. Though, occasionally, he spent some time sampling the various news channels. After all, he had already changed things. He couldn¡¯t rely on his spotty future knowledge about real-life events.


    Sam was off in his own head, not really listening, when a soundbite managed to break him out of his fugue.


    ¡°¡­and in other news, the man responsible for burning down the Fairlight Apartments has been apprehended. They¡¯re currently facing prosecution and are expected to serve at least three years.¡± The announcer took a short breath, shuffled around a few papers that somehow stayed around in the world of news despite everything being digital, and then continued. ¡°If you¡¯re not familiar with the event, then allow me to summarize it. It started when¡­¡±


    Sam tuned out the announcement and looked at the mugshot of the stone-faced thug that burned down the rundown apartment building he, or rather the other Sam, lived in before the universe decided to be weird for a few seconds.


    The same guy did it with the events playing out the same way. Naturally, back then the other Sam wasn¡¯t in any position to appreciate the fuckery going on in a nice apartment, as he was in the process of trying to survive after losing a lot of possessions in that fire.


    A few months later ¨C after some ¡®anonymous¡¯ tips led to new information ¨C it turned out that the guy who got caught was paid by a ¡®reputable¡¯ businessman to take the heat while they bought up the burned-down property and started building another highrise.


    Basically, the circle of life in any world.


    Sam was rather glad not to be living there anymore. While his apartment wasn¡¯t as luxurious or big as one would think with his income, he didn¡¯t feel he needed it. He had every creature comfort he wanted in his current abode.


    ¡®Maybe in a year or two I''ll move¡­¡¯ he mused as he got up from his sofa. Seeing that man on the news made him want to check out a few other things.


    Still in his boxers, he padded over to his office and plopped down in front of his computer. Soon he was clicking away, going through websites, both domestic and foreign, trying to dredge up fragmented memories from what he had inherited.


    Sadly, just as the other Sam remembered, there were a slew of murders, attacks, and even other types of foul crimes related to the game. However, it was obvious some crimes were egregiously attributed to the game by sensationalist news organizations or governments. Mostly right before trying to implement a new tax on the income generated by the game or other fun stuff that local governments liked to do.


    Still, what Sam saw matched mostly with what he remembered from his inherited memories. Naturally, there were a few new names and occurrences as well as a few that he knew died or suffered that didn¡¯t in this new timeline.


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but grimace. He had helped a few people here and there, and he knew he prevented at least one or two deaths, but as he took in the enormous amount of people who got hurt because of anger, greed, or some misplaced sense of justice, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that he could have done more.


    Here he was, living in the lap of luxury ¨C at least compared to ninety percent of the people ¨C enjoying playing a game with no worries while people out there died after making a bad decision or trusting the wrong person.


    He knew that it wasn¡¯t really his fault, but the guilt still stayed.


    Sam closed his eyes and shook his head. ¡®No. I could wonder about what-ifs for as long as I live. I need to do what I can and accept that I can¡¯t save everyone¡­¡¯


    Even as he thought it, he knew it may have sounded nice, but it was still a bitter pill to swallow¡­


    <hr>


    Returning to the game managed to cheer him up a little after his little depressive episode. Especially after Lucky walked up to him and simply thrust his silky, furred face into him, demanding to be patted and played with.


    Playing with the giant shadow wolf did wonders for his soul.


    After Lucky felt that he had received enough attention, love, and care, he simply laid down at his feet and began gnawing on something that once was a giant bone from some animal. Sam leaned back in one of the most comfortable armchairs Lucy could find and looked around his room at the headquarters. It was tastefully decorated but rather impersonal. Which made sense, as he mostly used it to log out or to read over documents that Lucy didn¡¯t want to leave the building. But still, there were hints of their improvements.


    The light fixtures were all from Liz, radiating gentle light that didn¡¯t hurt the eye yet illuminated everything. A heater made by the same person, keeping the room at the perfect temperature. Another device kept the air quality always high and finally, another device, looking like a random ornament that Sam knew prevented a lot of listening and scrying working in the area it covered. The headquarters were littered with the devices, always in a different form to prevent their enemies from realizing what they were.


    Most of the improvements created by Liz were used to secure the building and provide basic level creature comforts to those who worked here. The moment Lara was brought in and Lucy realized the enormity of the project Dan¡¯s girlfriend had embarked on, she stopped all frivolous spending and focused all her available attention on the fortress, making sure that it would succeed.


    And it would work!


    Lucy was already hard at work making sure that the political ¡®elite¡¯ wouldn¡¯t interfere by redirecting their attention to business opportunities surrounding the Valleys of Distortions. These phenomena were rare, but with the fight going on ¨C and the system not gimping the number of fractures present ¨C it would last for a long time. Plus, while people were freaking out about them and rushing them to conquer the area and reap the rewards, Sam knew that more would appear. Or at least, in his inherited memories, more appeared. He had no idea what the new future would hold.


    It was very apparent that the system was reacting to his actions, but none were so blatant as changing the fractures to those previously experienced. The others were in awe of the rewards, and he was definitely satisfied, but he was a little salty at missing out on those shadow-natured fractures. In the original timeline, it came out that all natures were represented in the fractures. He had hoped to get some drops for himself as well as for Lucky¡¯s next evolution.


    Sadly, it wasn¡¯t to be as the system judged that it would be too much loot for them and changed the situation. At least, that was his best guess. There was a chance that it just wanted to fuck with him.


    But at least he got a nice skill to gather all his shadow skills under one umbrella. It wasn¡¯t the skill he was aiming for, but Sam couldn¡¯t say he wasn¡¯t happy with it. On its own, it didn¡¯t provide much, but the synergy effect was really nice.


    He held out his hand and with a flex of his will ¨C still marveling at the technology behind this action ¨C called up shadow mana. It coalesced in his hand like a ball of total darkness. Another flex and it expanded, then covered his hand like a perfectly fitting glove.


    Opening and closing his fist, he felt the shadow covering his hand, basically feeling like a second layer of skin. The closest analog he could find was having a thick layer of very silky and smooth sunscreen on his skin.


    Then he relaxed the hold over the mana and it vanished.


    Nodding in satisfaction, he opened his status screen and checked his gains. After returning to Ironwood, he was always rushing around, delivering materials, talking with people, and helping Lucy and Lara handle the fortress.


    He even took time to visit the always-excitable Lucrecia so that Lucky and her wolf, Fortuna, could have a small playdate. Keeping the reputation gains with NPCs was a never-ending job¡­


    After checking his status screen, Sam was pretty satisfied to see that he had reached Level 92. Currently, the top players were hovering around Level 95, but it was questionable how much of that was true. The closer they got to a hundred, the more experience points they would need with the lower leveled monsters providing almost none. They could farm boars for one experience point for weeks or simply run a dangerous, high-leveled fracture.


    The gains were also pretty nice. For Strength, Endurance, and Vitality, he gained two points, and for the rest, four more after the level-ups. Except for Luck, which stubbornly refused to move from fifteen.


    Then came the unassigned attribute points. Fifty-two, to be exact. Thankfully, he had the plan well prepared. Thirteen was directly dumped into Magic, increasing his spell power and mana capacity. Eight into Endurance and seven into Wisdom. Six each into Agility, Perception, and Dexterity. The last few points were added to Vitality and Strength.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Then came the skill gains.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 77!]


    [You gained the subskill, Mana Surge!]


    [Mana Surge: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) When you move a great amount of mana at the same time its effectiveness increases depending on the amount of mana you use.]


    [Mana Rebirth is now Level 5!]


    [Mana Flux is now Level 8!]


    [Mana Tempered Body is now Level 99!]


    [Reinforced Musculature is now Level 5!]


    The best gain was the almost maximum leveled Mana Tempered Body. He would only need to wait a little and he would gain an opportunity to upgrade it into something very special.


    [Perception Filter is now Level 23!]


    [Illusionary Mana Slash is now Level 9!]


    [Mana Unraveling is now Level 11!]


    [Spell Matrix is now Level 31!]


    [You gain the subskill, Solid Spell Foundation!]


    [Solid Spell Foundation: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your foundation is solid and unshakeable. The stability of layered spells is increased.]


    [Mana Construct is now Level 69!]


    [You gain the subskill, Infusion!]


    [Infusion: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Infusing different mana types into your mana constructs becomes easier.]


    [Light Ball IV is now Level 3!]


    [Clean V is now Level 10!]


    [You learned Clean VI!]


    [Clean VI: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) Your dedication to cleanliness is very impressive. This spell allows you to clean a greater area than previously. Physical and magical contaminants are much easier to clean. Grants a further 3% immunity to diseases per skill level. Above a certain level, the spell only weakens contaminants.]


    [Earth Wall IV is now Level 8!]


    [Ground Rhythm is now Level 6!]


    A nice slew of level-ups with a few impressive subskills. And naturally, his Clean spell had also leveled up. Not that it was surprising with how obsessively he used the spell. Though, as he went over his elemental skill list, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little sad. The list looked rather anemic, but that was the price to pay to master one specific element.


    [Wind Mana Manipulation is now Level 80!]


    [You gain the subskill, Cutting Wind!]


    [Cutting Wind: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) You honed your ability to cut with the wind to new heights. Every time you use wind mana to cut, the spell will cut deeper. Cutting wind spells gain 10% extra damage per skill level.]


    [Aura of Air is now Level 5!]


    [Guiding Storm is now Level 3!]


    [Greater Wind Affinity is now Level 67!]


    [Elemental Affinity is now Level 1!]


    [You gained the subskill, Wind Sense!]


    [Wind Sense: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your mastery has granted you an almost supernatural level of sense of the surrounding air. You will feel things moving through the surrounding air. This area is 3 yards per skill level.]


    Wind Sense was an amazing skill. If there were ever a time when his mana senses were trumped, it would provide a last-second warning in case of an attack. Even if the enemy could turn intangible, they would have to solidify for the second they strike him down. ¡®Well, there are a few skills that allow you to strike while intangible, but meh¡­¡¯ he mused while continuing down the list of level-ups.


    [Battle Meditation is now Level 66!]


    [Internalized Meditation is now Level 5!]


    [You gained the subskill, Clear Mind!]


    [Clear Mind: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your mind is exceptionally clear during meditation. Increased resistance against effects that would influence your mind.]


    [Improved Discernment is now Level 9!]


    [Dowsing is now Level 1!]


    Another nice set of upgrades. Mind defenses were worth their weight in gold. Especially in later levels, where monsters using mind-altering spells would become common.


    [Spirit Link is now Level 80!]


    [Spirit Defense is now Level 5!]


    [You gained the subskill, Spirit Enhancement!]


    [Spirit Enhancement: Level 0/5 (0%) Thanks to your connection with your companion, you are able to channel your mana without any backlash into their body and enhance their attributes even further.]


    [Spirit Protection is now Level 24!]


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but smile, seeing the spirit skills go up. For one, seeing numbers go up was always nice, but it also meant his long-term plan was working. For now, at least¡­


    [Greater Shadow Affinity is now Level 54!]


    [Solid Shadow is now Level 5!]


    [You gained the subskill, Dark Vision!]


    [Dark Vision: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Thanks to your mastery over the shadows you are able to see through even darkness of not your own making. You can see in the darkness 10 yards for each skill level.]


    [The Way of the Forerunner is now Level 20!]


    [Immersed Flow is now Level 5!]


    [Illusion Resistance is now Level 27!]


    [Corruption Resistance is now Level 30!]


    [Earth Resistance is now Level 37!]


    [Blood Magic Resistance is now Level 14!]


    [Wind Resistance is now Level 24!]


    [Lightning Resistance is now Level 17!]


    [Adaptive Coordination is now Level 38!]


    [You gain the subskill, Combinatorics!]


    [Combinatorics: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Combining skills is not an exact science, but you somehow managed to figure out a system that works for you. Increased effectiveness when combining skills and less chance of failing.]


    Very nice haul. Everything increased, granting even more synergy with his skills. His Resistance skills were also increasing but not as fast as if he focused constantly on them. If he were to put his mind to it, he could probably level them up to one hundred in a few days, but that would always result in weird skill upgrades. For now, slow and steady was his motto.


    [Journeyman Runecarver is now Level 34!]


    [Steady Hand is now Level 5!]


    [Illusionary Runes are now Level 30!]


    [Corporeal Illusions is now Level 14!]


    [You gained the subskill, Lingering Effects!]


    [Lingering Effects: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) The effects of your runic circles last longer.]


    And finally, a new title he gained.


    [Congratulations! Thanks to defeating the echoes of the four cardinal beasts you gained the title, Directed!]


    [Directed: You can always sense where Cardinal North is.]


    Thankfully, Lucky also received his fair share of experience points. He only reached the high eighties and mostly leveled his attack skills, but he still received a few new skills. Mostly supporting ones, but that is how Lucky fought. From the shadows, striking when the enemies¡¯ defenses were lowered.


    Not that it mattered. Lucky was adorable, and Sam would have kept the wolf with him, even if that was his only virtue.


    <hr>


    Finishing with the skills and spells, he went out just to get the feel of the city, walking around in disguise, checking the company stores and competitors. Sam also sampled some food stalls, stuffing a few sticks of meat into the shadows so that Lucky would have something to munch on and not spend the time looking at Sam with baby doll eyes from random shadows. There was only so much his soul could take.


    The people were energized and raring to go adventuring. Most people were talking about the valleys or the raid fracture. As of now, there still wasn¡¯t a proper antidote, but thanks to the repeated clearing, the strategy was well-known, thus people could calculate exactly how much antidote and healing to take with them.


    Sam also planned to go a few rounds there, but with the Steel Lions settling in around the fracture and the local government looking ready to hand over the rights to the guild, he felt it would be too big of a risk to do so.


    ¡®There is always a chance I will want to fuck with Katie¡¯s dad¡­¡¯ he mused mirthfully as he looked over the city from a lookout point.


    He was about to head back to the headquarters, stock up, and head out for some leveling before going questing when he received a call. Seeing that it was Lucy, he immediately picked it up.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    She didn¡¯t even greet him, simply started to talk with a serious expression and flat voice.


    ¡°Have you seen the RMT market?¡±


    ¡°No. What happened?¡±


    ¡°The gold prices seem to be crashing!¡± her voice was flat but Sam could hear a bit of fear. It was probably the equivalent of other people sobbing in the corner while hugging their knees.


    ¡°Really?¡± he asked while inwardly noting the time. ¡®Seems to be about the time for them to strike¡­¡¯


    ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded, seemingly gaining a little courage from his nonchalance. ¡°Someone started to dump a great amount of gold on the market.¡±


    ¡°Low price?¡±


    ¡°No, they are following the market always with the highest price,¡± she explained with a pained look on her face. ¡°We¡¯re losing money every second.¡±


    ¡°Did you sell our gold?¡±


    ¡°I was about to, but first I wanted to see if you knew something,¡± came the response as his friend eyed him. ¡°Do you know something?¡±


    Sam just maintained his own poker face. ¡°Haven¡¯t the foggiest!¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure¡­ so what now? Sell or no sell?¡± she asked with a snort, used to Sam¡¯s eccentricities.


    ¡°For now, hold onto it. Wait until it dips to the lowest and then buy.¡±


    Lucy blinked in surprise at his words but demonstrating that she was far from stupid, it took only a second for her to understand the unspoken words.


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    The call was cut and Sam was left alone at the lookout, watching as the sun set and panic slowly suffused the city as people realized their hard-earned gold was slowly but surely losing its value.

 Chapter 183

    ¡°What is going on?¡± Clarissa asked, worriedly chewing on her lip. Sam knew she always worried about money, making sure that her sister could attend university and not have to worry about the cost, plus taking care of her two parents. ¡°All I¡¯m seeing is the price of gold plummeting!¡±


    The rest of the people participating in the video call all nodded or noted their agreement. Adam was stone-faced, and Lara was casually sitting next to Dan, who looked uncomfortable sitting on a high-quality-looking sofa. Katie was on her stomach, her legs up in the air, wearing a onesie made to look like Puffball (thankfully minus any eldritch effects) munching on something from a box, while Isabella was sitting on a balcony with Claire next to her serving tea and scones. Tim was calling from a dark room, only illuminated by the screen, casting him a pale light. Liz was also in her room but it was well-lit, full of whiteboards filled with plans and enough plants to repopulate a small jungle.


    Lucy cleared her throat, calling attention to herself, shuffled a few pieces of papers around ¨C looking rather official ¨C then began speaking.


    ¡°Yes. The price of the gold is going down. Apparently, somebody or a group has been injecting gold into the market at regular intervals.¡±


    ¡°So, hyperinflation of gold?¡± Lara asked, sitting next to her fidgeting boyfriend. ¡°My family has been all up in arms over this. Calling it the death of the game¡­¡±


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but snort.


    Lara nodded. ¡°Exactly¡­¡±


    ¡°It happens in every game. Some idiot finds a way to cheese something or simply exploits a glitch and floods the market with infinite gold.¡± Lucy continued.


    ¡°So, are we like going to be poor?¡± Katie asked between bites, looking supremely unconcerned.


    Sam had to snort again. However, before he could open his mouth, Lucy beat him to it.


    ¡°Hardly. In real life, hyperinflation has several causes, including¡­¡± She, however, fell silent seeing the looks on everybody¡¯s faces. Lucy harrumphed a little, then continued. ¡°I suppose we don¡¯t need to talk about what causes hyperinflation in real life. Even if it is fascinating. But¡­ Games behave differently. We¡¯re looking at somebody trying to make bank by slowly flooding the market with gold. The price has already halved.¡±


    ¡°What about our pay?¡± Dan asked hesitantly.


    Lucy nodded as if expecting the answer. ¡°Sam insisted that we have some reserve cash, thus we¡¯ll be able to pay your expected salary and other things for at least six months.¡±


    Instantly, all eyes were on Sam. He just shrugged with a small smile. ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m paranoid¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­ And I¡¯m Mother Mary¡­¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah, boss!¡±


    ¡°Shocker¡­¡±


    Lucy cleared her throat, but this time, Sam beat her to it. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and steepling his fingers in front of him. Like a proper super-villain, or at least a minor anti-hero about to monologue to their loyal minions.


    ¡°Look, this is an issue, but not that big of an issue. Yes, the RMT market is crashing, but that happens with every game. If the gold fails, we¡¯ll find some other item to trade, so no worries. But the game is pretty big, so expect the devs to step in and regulate the market at any time. Plus, if you have checked, then you would know that while the RMT market is crashing, the in-game market was barely affected.¡±


    ¡°Prices have gone up¡­¡± Lucy added.


    ¡°Yes, by¡­¡±


    ¡°Four percent as of now.¡±


    ¡°See, the in-game markets will take more time to be affected, which shows that the person or people behind this are focusing on making money from the players.¡±


    Isabella elegantly raised her hand.


    ¡°Yes, Izzy?¡±


    ¡°Why hasn¡¯t the system patched their exploit? The last time I found one, it was gone within an hour,¡± she asked with a sour look on her face.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t the foggiest,¡± Sam lied like a champ. Seeing the looks on people¡¯s faces ¨C well, aside from Adam, who hadn''t known him for long ¨C they clearly didn¡¯t believe him. But seemingly everybody got the unspoken message and didn¡¯t ask for more.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you wanted the guild not to focus on gold¡­¡± Adam spoke up with a thoughtful look. ¡°The members are really appreciative.¡±


    Sam bowed his head a little.


    ¡°What about the shops?¡± Liz asked worriedly. ¡°The crafters won¡¯t be happy with the drop in income¡­¡±


    Sam looked at Lucy, who returned his look, and then he nodded at her to take over.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to continue accepting gold and I¡¯ll make sure to send out a message that we are going to compensate everybody¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± came from Liz.


    There was a beat of silence before Lara spoke up, holding a small glass of wine. ¡°Should we sell our gold? My family expects that it will halve at least a few more times.¡±


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    ¡°No,¡± Sam stated, looking directly into her eyes. ¡°I think we should hold¡­¡±


    She looked back at him with a small smile, sipped her glass, then nodded. ¡°Then I suppose I will recommend my relatives to sell as much as possible¡­¡±


    It took a second, but soon everybody was sporting all sorts of evil expressions.


    It was Tim who raised his hand and asked a very logical question. ¡°Will the system punish us for what is clearly market speculation?¡±


    Sam shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re not using information gained in illegal ways or insider information. We¡¯re also not the cause behind this. That¡¯s not illegal. Right?¡± he finished by turning to Lucy.


    Lucy nodded. ¡°Technically, no, it¡¯s not illegal. But if it works out how we expect it to work out, then we should expect the system to react in some way.¡±


    ¡°So, make sure to wait until the gold prices are at the bottom¡­¡±


    <hr>


    After dealing with the gold crash and other company, guild, and fortress-related business, the team left the video chat one by one until Sam remained alone with Lucy.


    ¡°How is Heavenly Forest?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re spending like no tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Good. Make sure we add a few ¡®seasonal¡¯ services¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± she asked, pen ready to take notes.


    ¡°Hmm, have we allowed them to redecorate their rooms?¡±


    "Not really, aside from souvenirs and trophies..."


    ¡°Well, set up a small selection of premium furniture they can choose from. Maybe a few tasteful color schemes.¡±


    Lucy nodded back at him and he nodded back with a sly smile. ¡°Damn, why didn¡¯t I think about that¡­ What else?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ ¡° He looked away, thinking hard about how to separate people from their hardly-earned money. ¡°What about training?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Our servants are trained, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Based on the manuals you gave me¡­¡±


    ¡°Good. Then have some of the more good-looking gals and guys set up some basic lessons. Yoga, Tai Chi, and everything else. Rich people are suckers for that¡­¡±


    ¡°They are going to get skills from that¡­¡± Lucy reminded him as she made copious notes.


    ¡°Basic ones¡­¡± Sam waved it away carelessly.


    ¡°Or experience points in not basic ones.¡±


    ¡°Not much, but enough to make them go back to the lessons. Also, if we¡¯re so deep into being evil capitalists, make sure that the lessons have a sign-up fee and a cancellation fee.¡±


    Lucy nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Indeed, after all, our elite teachers¡¯ time is very valuable¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Sam looked around his office, taking in all the coded plans and whatnot. Some of them were created before Magic Unbound was released and they were hilariously out of date. Or were invalidated by his actions.


    Sighing quietly, he stood up, stretched, and began removing those plans he knew were impossible to achieve. However, he made sure to read over every one of them and note down a few promising ideas he could make use of in other plans.


    It took a few hours, but his office was finally cleaned up, the superfluous documents containing his plans shredded and burned.


    He stood in front of his windows, just looking out at the city, but seeing nothing, going over the events that had recently happened.


    Future Unknown had made sure that everybody knew what had happened and who was behind it. It wasn¡¯t enough they sued them to the ground, they also made sure that everybody hated them. After all, it was common knowledge that gamers were like dragons. And like dragons, they hated to be separated from their hoards.


    The entire thing was a masterclass in legal maneuvering, public opinion manipulation, and PR.


    He knew that they could make some profit from the crash; the company wasn¡¯t that cruel, but it was revealed that those who acquired an excess amount of gold would get a visit from company lawyers who would offer a one-time purchase contract for that gold at a highly reduced rate. If they didn¡¯t agree, the gold would be simply deleted.


    As the price they offered was somewhat above the purchase price, people wouldn¡¯t suffer a loss, but they still wouldn¡¯t make as much as they expected.


    However, nobody dared to complain according to his memories¡­


    The fate of the people who were behind the inflation was still in everybody¡¯s mind.


    Sam even suspected they let them do this just to establish that the company indeed had some big sticks.


    <hr>


    He was about to head out for an early dinner when his phone rang. He went over to where he left the device and picked it up after he saw it was the doorman calling.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Hello, sir. We are calling because you received a rather sizeable package,¡± came the pleasant voice of a woman.


    It took him a second to remember then he grinned.


    ¡°Future Unknown?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Should I send them up?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please!¡±


    ¡°No problem. Have a nice day!¡±


    ¡°You too!¡±


    He hung up, walked over to the door, and opened it, excited at the prospect of finally getting his own VR capsule.


    Opening his email client on his phone, he saw that he already received a set-up email. Still grinning, he leaned against the door frame and waited for the quiet ding of the elevator.


    <hr>


    The delivery people were professional and even though they could clearly see that Sam was practically vibrating with excitement, they stayed calm and made sure the pod was installed properly with every safety feature Sam had ordered.


    Two extra batteries connected at different locations, health monitoring connected to his computer, extra ground and insulation, proper connection to the wall outlet with a power meter, and all sorts of odds and ends that would come in handy in the future. It cost a pretty penny, but it wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t have the money.


    Most people were buying the basic unit, and it was perfectly serviceable for what it was, but Sam had read enough webnovels to know when to double up on safety technology.


    After an hour, he saw the nice delivery people off after a quick coffee break and gave them a tip.


    He stalked back to his office, where his sofa was replaced by the VR capsule. He walked over and placed his hand at a certain place, which caused a small light to illuminate his hand as it scanned his appendage, and then a ping noise was heard. With a quiet hiss, the glass cover of the pod opened and Sam saw the insides.


    It was gray with thin fabric covering sponge-like material made from some specially made gel that conducted bioelectricity and had some kind of special vibration conductivity. Sam wasn¡¯t a scientist, but from what he understood from the manual, the pod used bioelectricity and pinpoint accurate vibration to stimulate the entire body, preventing it from going numb.


    Sadly, it wasn¡¯t one of those magical VR pods from the stories that transferred the accumulated training from the game into the real world, but at least it would reduce muscle mass loss and body pain.


    He quickly undressed, leaving himself in his boxers, and stepped into the pod, then nestled into the gel interior. Undressing wasn¡¯t exactly necessary, but he knew from his inherited memories that it should be much more comfortable without clothing.


    ¡®This is so fucking comfortable¡­¡¯ he mused as he pulled down the small headband with the attached visor that replaced the VR helmet and situated the device on his head.


    <hr>


    He reappeared in his room at the headquarters and couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    Playing the game with the helmet was amazing, as there was a reason why so many people were doing it, but now that he finally had the chance to try it with the pod, the feeling was very different.


    It was like before stepping into the pod he had been playing with a weighted vest and now it was removed. He felt so much lighter and freer. Even the feeling of his magic was much clearer. The difference was probably not big enough to provide an advantage for the regular players but to him?


    Grinning like a loon, he called out. ¡°Lucky!¡± The excitable wolf instantly surfaced from a nearby shadow, sat down in front of him on his haunches, and looked up at him. ¡°We¡¯re going testing!¡±


    ¡°WOOOF!¡±


    He swept out of his room, with the eager wolf following him, grin still on his face.

 Chapter 184

    The new pod was amazing!


    He felt like a new man. Well, that was a little exaggerated, but he did actually feel the difference compared to when he was only using the helmet. It was as if something had been weighing him down, and now it had been removed.


    He didn¡¯t suddenly become more powerful, as his stats didn¡¯t change, but he could control his body better.


    ¡®And this is only the first-generation pod¡­¡¯ he wondered as he jumped around in the first chamber of the fracture that the Silvercrest family had taken over at the mines. It was low-leveled, but it had enough monsters in it to allow him to test things.


    He slowly went through all his skills, first using only basic elemental spells, then shadow, and finally wind spells. Finally, he did a run with only his sword. And one where only Lucky fought as the loyal wolf decided he wanted to have a go too and Sam didn¡¯t have it in him to resist the puppy-dog eyes.


    Sam just stood in the back and occasionally supported his companion as it tore through the horde of monsters populating the fracture.


    He left the area with a quiet thanks to the staff who were very accommodating, satisfied with the properties of the pod. He also sent off a quick message with the results to Lucy and asked her to make sure every key player in the guild and company would have access to one. Isabella, Katie, and Lara probably wouldn¡¯t have issues with it, but Dan and Liz would need the help as they didn¡¯t have the same resources as the others.


    Returning to the city, he took some time to walk around and see what the general response was to the continuous crash of the gold¡¯s worth.


    Donning a disguise both with clothing and with his Chameleon mask, after sending a happy Lucky back into his shadow, he entered the city.


    After barely five minutes, he had a small glimpse into how the populace was handling the event.


    Most NPCs were indifferent, as the gold in their world usually fluctuated. Mostly because of some magical catastrophe or somebody finding a new mine. So, a few percentages here and there didn¡¯t mean much.


    Though, as the consummate business people they were, they naturally made use of it and raised the prices, citing inflation with a face carved out of stone and eyes glittering with greed.


    Most everyday players ¨C people who logged in maybe once or twice a week ¨C were pretty bummed but seemed to also not care. They just played the game, not caring about the higher economics.


    The most outspoken group about this event were, naturally, the professional players. Players whose salaries depended on the gold they made.


    Of course, some guilds and groups provided some basic salary, but most of them just took the gold the players made and converted that to real-world money. Consequently, most of these guilds relied on the members using their gold to pay for various services. Like housing in the guild building, access to training locations and personnel and even to borrow some high-quality equipment.


    Most of them, naturally, either shut down these services until the gold situation stabilized or increased the price to match the real-world value of gold from the game. Which made it impossible for the regular players to access them.


    There were already grumblings on the streets and taverns. Sam walked around, joined some groups gathered here and there, and listened to their complaints, adding his own opinion here and there.


    ¡°Oh, yes! It is horrible what those greedy guilds are doing!¡±


    ¡°Exactly! What were they even thinking?¡±


    ¡°Completely ruins the game! I agree!¡±


    ¡°We should take back the means of production! Glory to the people!¡±


    And so it went, sowing a little chaos everywhere while gathering information. He ended back in one of the biggest plazas of the city, full of people hawking their wares and people trying to enjoy their days.


    He was about to buy some snacks, as the smell was heavenly, when his messenger rang. It was Adam.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Get back to the guild. It¡¯s a madhouse,¡± the man said before hanging up.


    Sam blinked in surprise, then cast a longing look at the tantalizing meat skewers, sighed, and turned toward the direction of their guild headquarters.


    Between two blinks he vanished, nobody but some lone ravens noticing his sudden departure.


    <hr>


    Madhouse was not really a good word to describe the situation. But he didn¡¯t hire Adam for his skills in the art of wordsmithing.


    When he arrived at the building, he was instantly beset by the loud voices of the group of people who had gathered in front of the headquarters of Chrysalis. It took only a few seconds to find out what they wanted.


    He slunk away into the shadows, going around the building, avoiding the crowd, to the back of the building.


    There Sam was met with a group of players from the guild, standing guard, looking rather frazzled.


    He slowed down as he emerged from hiding, not wanting to scare them.


    The moment they spotted him, they all stood to attention, their hands on their weapons or their magic, ready to strike.


    ¡°Halt!¡± the person in front called out. ¡°This is private property!¡±


    Sam just smiled and took out a guild token and showed it to the guard.


    The guy frowned but accepted the token. The rest still kept an eye on him and the surroundings, ready for anything. Sam approved.


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    After a quick test, the guy handed the token back and gave him a quick and sloppy salute.


    ¡°Welcome back, sir! Sorry for¡­¡± he began to explain but Sam just held up a hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I get it,¡± he smiled at the worried-looking guy.


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± The relief was very audible in his voice.


    ¡°Has anyone tried anything?¡± he asked curiously as the rest of the group relaxed finally.


    The guard, whose name Sam still didn¡¯t know, shook his head. ¡°No, the crazies are at the entrance, trying to get into the guild. But¡­¡±


    Sam raised an eyebrow. ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°Several thieves tried their luck.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    The guy just smugly shrugged. ¡°They tried¡­¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Sam said, then clapped the guy on his shoulder as he walked by. ¡°Keep up the good work.¡±


    <hr>


    The inside of the headquarters wasn''t any calmer.


    People were standing in line, while guild officials sitting behind desks tried to determine at first glance if they were flakes or had a chance to pass the guild test. The rest of the guild stood around, decked out in armor and weapons unsheathed, glaring at anyone who tried to act out.


    Even as he walked past the chaos, he saw them drag out several people who tried to cut the line by insisting that they were stronger than any of the people there.


    In a minute, he found himself in Adam¡¯s office, watching as the other man went through reams of documents with blinding speed.


    ¡°Do you actually have a skill for that?¡± he asked bemusedly, as he felt the small emanations of mana as the muscled guild master handled the documents.


    Adam just grunted but didn¡¯t look up.


    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked with a grin.


    Adam sighed, put his pen down, and looked up at him with a frown. ¡°You clearly planned for something like this with our contribution point system. I assume you also have a plan for this?¡±


    Sam smiled and nodded. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Adam said nothing, just sat there and stared at him expectantly.


    ¡°Just accept everyone that comes our way and have them do the test. If they pass then good, if not then it¡¯s no skin off our nose¡­¡±


    ¡°What about the spies? Perfect time to slip in some¡­¡±


    ¡°Leave that to Tim and Lucy.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Sam walked forward and took the only seat present. ¡°Look, I know your trust has been¡­shaken¡­ but we are not playing around. Lucy and Tim have my trust, just as we trust you.¡±


    Adam opened his mouth to reply, but Sam held up his hand. ¡°I know we haven¡¯t been working together for long, but I like to think that I and the rest of the team aren¡¯t going to do you like your ex-friend! By the way, how is it going with him?¡±


    ¡°He tried to break into my old apartment,¡± came the deadpan delivery.


    ¡°Anyone hurt?¡±


    ¡°No, it was being aired after cleaning, so nobody was there. Just the cameras¡­¡±


    ¡°You expected this?¡± Sam asked, surprised. Adam was a genius when organizing things, but planning for this kind of human behavior seemed a little out of character for him.


    Adam blushed a little. ¡°It was my grandmother who set it up,¡± he explained.


    ¡°Ah! Smart woman¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡­¡±


    They lapsed into silence after that and spent a minute eyeing each other. Finally, Adam broke the silence.


    ¡°Look. Sam. You helped me with something big. Nothing will change that. Which means I owe you big. And I¡¯ll make sure to pay it back. But you¡¯re seriously creeping me out with your knowledge and I simply want to know if I should expect a high-powered corpo lawyer from the game company to knock on my door with a contract I can¡¯t refuse.¡±


    Sam just chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not doing anything illegal¡­ or immoral.¡±


    Adam digested that statement before asking another question. ¡°Then¡­ how are you doing this?¡±


    Sam just leaned back and spread his arms wide while grinning. ¡°I¡¯m just that good, baby!¡±


    The man sitting in front of him sent a withering glare, but in the end, let out a quiet sigh and nodded.


    ¡°Alright, I suppose that¡¯s the best I¡¯ll get for now.¡±


    Sam gave an apologetic shrug. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know what else to tell you¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no¡­ I get it. Everyone has their own secrets. I just wanted to make sure yours don¡¯t fuck up my life even more than the secrets that my previous ¡®friends¡¯ held.¡± He took a deep breath, then continued. ¡°Alright. Enough about that. Let¡¯s talk business¡­¡±


    Sam nodded and leaned forward, watching as Adam took out a few documents.


    ¡°So far, we''ve got around a few hundred viable applications.¡± He showed Sam the list. ¡°It¡¯s just not viable to test them one by one. Especially with the way people are gathering at the front. We already had several visits from the guards. I don¡¯t think they are going to stay happy for long. Especially if the players start to riot when we refuse them.¡±


    Sam took the document, scanned over it, looking for interesting names, but he didn¡¯t spot anyone.


    ¡°Then just do the test in batches,¡± he commented with a shrug. ¡°Have them pair up, let¡¯s say in three people groups and assign one guild member as observer for the first test. Then off they go to the fractures.¡±


    ¡°That will give us a very biased result¡­¡± Adam warned him.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ true. What about a free-for-all? Hundred people go in, ten leave?¡±


    ¡°Unfair to support classes,¡± came the rebuttal.


    ¡°Damn¡­ How about a mix? We set groups of DPS and tanks and have them fight against each other while a randomly assigned support class helps them. We judge the support classes by how well they keep the players alive, while the rest about how well they can kill other players.¡±


    Adam looked thoughtful for a moment. ¡°That¡­ is a little rough around the edges but it could work. How about¡­¡±


    As the other man¡¯s brain kicked into high gear, Sam just sat back and smiled while listening to him.


    <hr>


    He was just climbing out of his pod, having dealt with the Great Guild Recruitment Catastrophe and then doing some work around the company headquarters, when his phone rang again.


    ¡°Yes?¡± he answered, holding the device between his ear and shoulder while pulling his pants on.


    ¡°You doing anything important?¡± Lucy asked, and Sam could hear the frown in her voice.


    ¡°Nothing important, just trying to put on pants¡­¡± he said while trying to put his leg in the bunched-up leg of the pants.


    ¡°What? Nevermind. Check the news!¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter!¡±


    He walked over to his living room and turned on the giant screen. After a few seconds of clicking, he had one of the local news channels playing.


    ¡°¡­currently the drop in the price of the in-game currency, known as ¡®gold¡¯, has caused severe chaos in the market. With the rise of the Virtual Reality game, Magic Unbound, their in-game currency has embedded itself into the lives of many people with remarkable speed. However, this fast expansion seems to be the undoing of this phenomenon.¡± The pretty newscaster read this with a routine smile as various images of despairing people played in the right corner of the screen. ¡°Later, we will be discussing the issue with an economics professor, here at Channel Five, but for now, let us turn our attention to the presence on the street¡­¡± The screen changed to another journalist standing in front of many Magic Unbound stores where a throng of people were kind of demonstrating and begging for the company to do something.


    ¡°What the hell, Sam?¡± Lucy asked.


    ¡°It seems the company is really drawing this out¡­¡± Sam commented. While to him personally, it was really weird to see it, thanks to his inherited memories, he had already lived through these times once. Sadly, the other Sam was one of those unlucky people who could only despair as they watched the value of their meager amount of gold evaporating.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t the foggiest,¡± and this time he was one hundred percent correct. Nobody knew why Future Unknown delayed intervening for so long. They could have had the cheaters within seconds thanks to the system. ¡°Maybe the exploit is not in the game and they need to gather evidence?¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Best guess is that they''ve got insider information. That takes a while to prove¡­¡±


    ¡°And if they¡¯re smart, practically impossible to prove¡­¡±


    Sam just scoffed. ¡°If they were really smart, they wouldn¡¯t have crashed the gold market.¡±


    Lucy chuckled weakly. ¡°Does this change our plans?¡±


    ¡°No. But make sure to spread the information a little to the masses. They should be buying gold. With the current price, even a small amount of money will net them a steady profit when the market resurrects.¡±


    ¡°Spread the joy, eh?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, something like that¡­¡± he answered as he settled in comfortably and began switching between channels. ¡°How about something like this¡­¡±

 Chapter 185

    ¡°How is it going?¡± Sam asked as he stepped next to Adam, who was observing the goings-on from one of the balconies of the guild building. Not far from them, hidden from casual view but visible to them, a raven was also observing the happenings.


    Under them, in the courtyard of the building were several prospective players, demonstrating their knowledge and ability via casting spells or using skills. There were a few squares hastily drawn on the sand-covered ground and around them observers from the guild both players and NPCs were making notes as players stepped into the squares and used their ¡®most impressive¡¯ skill or spell. They cast them either on themselves, the area inside the square, or at the provided target dummy.


    If they couldn¡¯t control it to stay inside the lines, they would automatically fail.


    Most people were standing as close to the line as possible to make sure that if there was some splash damage, then they could immediately point it out.


    When they announced that this would be the first test, there was naturally ¡®some¡¯ grumbling, but in the end, Adam¡¯s stature, muscles, and glare quieted the loudest ones. And those who didn¡¯t get the implied message were dragged away by the guards¡­


    Sam didn¡¯t mind. Those who were loudly complaining were probably the least qualified.


    ¡°Look at that girl,¡± he pointed to the nearest square where a small mousy girl stood in robes that hid everything about her body and her brown hair up in a simple bob. She was holding an average-looking white staff, practically radiating ¡®shy anime healer¡¯ energy.


    She was also precisely filling up the square with green healing energy. The magic quickly spread to all corners, stopping inches before touching the lines in the sand, to the disappointment of the onlookers.


    A quick look with his senses told him that there were no fluctuations in the mana, meaning the girl was fully in control of the spell.


    ¡°I want her!¡± Sam declared.


    Adam nodded and made a note in his notebook while the raven let out an indignant squawk. Sam just waved at the bird. ¡°Oh, you know what I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°She is that good?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Excellent mana control. Best I¡¯ve seen so far,¡± replied Sam as he kept an eye on the girl and the surroundings. No doubt, several other guilds¡¯ observers were also in the courtyard looking for promising candidates.


    At least, that¡¯s what he would do¡­


    As he watched the girl cancel the spell, Sam noticed several individuals standing up from where they were surreptitiously resting and heading for the square where she was doing the demonstration.


    ¡°Lucy,¡± he called out softly.


    Instantly, the raven took flight and within a second was sitting on a surprised girl¡¯s shoulder, eyeballing everyone.


    All those heading for her froze, realizing what this meant. He saw anger, frustration and all sorts of emotions flash through their faces, but ultimately, all of them turned around or simply left. After all, it was an open secret that Lucy¡¯s familiars were ravens.


    There was even an open bounty on the Shadowland website about figuring out a way to differentiate between normal ravens and the familiars. And also, several standing bounties for killing Lucy.


    But that was par for the course. All the guild leaders and famous players had bounties on them. Why, Sam was sometimes tempted to have himself killed just for the in-game gold the people were promising for his death.


    Then one of the guild NPCs stepped forward and offered to escort the shocked girl inside the building under Lucy¡¯s watchful eyes.


    Adam made a few notes, no doubt writing down the details of who were the ones excited to ¡®chat¡¯ with the small healer, and then both of them returned as people tried to showcase their abilities, no doubt the appearance of the infamous raven lighting a fire under them.


    A few showed promise here and there and Sam made sure to point them out to Adam, who then made some kind of signal and the individuals were escorted inside. Even a few who failed the test were asked to join the guild, as they had useful abilities that would be great to have at hand in the future.


    Adam just cast an annoyed glance at him but didn¡¯t argue.


    <hr>


    Hours later, bored out of his mind, Sam decided it was enough for him and left Adam in the company of another raven, heading out of the building.


    The ongoing ¡®financial crisis¡¯ made him curious.


    In his inherited memories, there was a brief mention of opportunities in the Auction House, but nothing concrete. Now that he finally had some time, he wanted to check it out.


    ¡®Maybe I could even buy up a few useful things, claiming that the low price made it worth it¡­¡¯ he mused as he walked through the streets.


    He was shaken out of his thoughts when his passive senses ¨C always active, just in case ¨C warned him that a blob of very excited mana was heading towards him. However, as he sensed no active use of mana, he simply relaxed, moving his hand near his sword sheath, and turned toward the approaching person.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    It was a woman, wearing a white shirt with a black vest over it and actual suspenders. As she ran toward him, waving excitedly, Sam couldn¡¯t help but take another look. Thus, when the woman skidded to a halt next to him, he only had one question.


    ¡°Where the hell did you get suspenders?¡± he blurted out.


    The woman beamed at him, hooked her fingers into the elastic bands of the suspenders, and flexed them proudly. ¡°Cool, huh? Had a crafter friend make it for me!¡±


    ¡°I mean, yeah¡­¡± Sam answered, still taken aback by the appearance of the clothing article. Then he shook his head and looked back at the beaming woman. ¡°Anyway, did you want something?¡±


    She continued beaming and, to Sam¡¯s horror, conjured an artifact dreaded by everyone.


    A microphone. Well, a magical device that worked as a microphone.


    ¡°I was wondering if you would have time for an interview?¡± she asked while thrusting the device in front of Sam.


    ¡°Me? Why?¡±


    She blinked twice.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you Solar, the owner of AFK Company and the Chrysalis guild?¡±


    ¡°Co-owner, but yes,¡± he admitted by reflex while inwardly he castigated himself for forgetting his disguises. Apparently, he was so bored he was operating on autopilot.


    ¡°Co-owner,¡± acknowledged the woman with a smile. ¡°So, interview?¡±


    Sam glanced around, noting a raven that was staying silent but was obviously radiating schadenfreude. He subtly raised an eyebrow, and the raven nodded its head imperceptibly.


    He returned his focus to the woman, who hopefully didn¡¯t notice the small byplay. ¡°Again, why me? And why now?¡±


    ¡°Well, you have the most successful player-run companies in this country, and your actions with the guild have garnered some interest,¡± came the reply.


    ¡°That¡­actually makes sense,¡± he admitted. ¡°But who do you work for?¡±


    Her anticipating looks vanished, and she was beaming again upon hearing that question.


    ¡°Nobody! I¡¯m¨C ¡° she flexed her suspenders again. ¡° ¨Can independent streamer who hunts for the freshest and most interesting stories! You can call me the¡­ News Hunter!¡± she exclaimed, striking a pose by using one of her hands to flex her suspenders and the other in a victory sign vertically in front of her eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re new huh¡­¡±


    ¡°N-no! I¡¯m a very respectable streamer with an international audience¡­¡± she told him with a slight blush on her face.


    ¡®Have I heard her name somewhere?¡¯ Sam wondered as the woman tried not to fidget under his gaze. But he was drawing a blank¡­


    Up on a ledge of a building, the raven was nodding its head very insistently¡­


    Sam let out a sigh and nodded. ¡°Fine. You got an hour¡­¡±


    She immediately jumped into the air, pumping her fist. ¡°Yes! First story!¡± Then she realized what she said and tried to hide it for some reason by coughing into her fist. ¡°What I meant was that it will be my first story today! Yes!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure¡­¡± Sam replied bemusedly. ¡°How about we relocate somewhere more private?¡±


    ¡°Oh, how about Heavenly Forest? I always wanted to see how it looks inside!¡± came the excited reply as Sam began walking with the ¡®streamer¡¯ following him.


    He just snorted. ¡°If you need to ask, you won¡¯t get inside¡­¡±


    She had the temerity to pout. Though Sam had to admit it was a powerful pout.


    ¡°How about one of the meeting rooms at the company?¡±


    ¡°Did you choose that place because that way you can easily get rid of me if I ask inconvenient questions?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure¡­ let¡¯s go with that¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Half an hour later they were sat in one of the countless meeting rooms of the headquarters, with the streamer ¨C whose proper name Sam still didn¡¯t know ¨C oohing and aahing at everything. She was in the middle of organizing her notes and affixing the microphone artifact to the middle of the desk. Then Sam watched bemusedly as she began playing around with her system screens.


    They were interrupted by the door opening and Claire entering with a placid smile and pushing a cart filled with all sorts of snacks and drinks, including tea.


    ¡°Oh! Even maid service? How amazing!¡± she exclaimed as she eagerly accepted the offered cup of hot beverage. Sam was then served ¨C including a small slip of paper ¨C then the snacks were placed between them, surrounding the microphone.


    Claire then curtsied. ¡°Would you like anything else?¡±


    Sam directed a questioning gaze at his guest, but she was still gushing over the spread, visibly taking photos, so he just smiled at Claire. ¡°No, thank you. This is splendid.¡±


    ¡°Of course, sir,¡± she answered with a small bow and left the room, head held high.


    It took his guest a few minutes to return from her enjoyment of the various foods that Claire provided, which ¡®surprisingly¡¯ included a few of her favorites. That time allowed Sam to check the paper.


    On it were just a few words.


    Joanna, streamer, potential asset


    ¡®Well, if Lucy thinks so, then who am I to gainsay her¡­¡¯


    He cleared his throat and put his friendliest smile on his face. ¡°So, Joanna, how about we get started?¡±


    Her eyes went round. ¡°Woah! How did you know my name? I watched you! You didn¡¯t even open any screens!¡± She looked around suspiciously. ¡°Is there an invisible ninja here whispering things to you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. We keep our ninjas in our castle.¡±


    ¡°Then how¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just that good!¡± he declared with a mischievous smile.


    She, once again, pouted at him, but he held strong. Finally, she shook her head and let out a sigh. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s start¡­¡±


    Sam made a go-ahead motion, but he said nothing.


    Joanna took a few calming breaths, glanced at a screen only she could see, and began.


    ¡°You are Solar, the co-owner of the AFK Company and Chrysalis guild?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me¡­¡±


    ¡°Excellent! The players have long been curious about you and I¡¯m here to ask some questions that are on everyone¡¯s mind!¡± she declared.


    Sam nodded with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m at your service, as they say.¡±


    She took another deep breath, leaned forward, and then continued.


    ¡°Tell me, Solar, were you the one behind the current crash of the gold market?¡± She slapped her fist down on the table, rattling the silverware and cutlery. ¡°The people have the right to know!¡±


    He just stared back, bemusedly.


    ¡°Why do you think it was me?¡±


    She looked back intently, as if expecting him to confess to causing the gold market crash, faking the moon landing, and assassinating at least three medieval kings. Finally, she shrugged.


    ¡°Eh, worth a try¡­¡± she said with a small smile. ¡°But! How about something more interesting?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all ears!¡± Sam chuckled. ¡®How interesting¡­ I wonder if she is really like that or just playing it up?¡¯


    ¡°Then what is your opinion on the market crash? As a well-known businessman in the game, you must have felt the sting of the crash more than others. How does it affect your businesses?¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t have to think much about the answer.


    ¡°Well, Joanna. It¡¯s very simple. We expected this to happen, so we were prepared.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Sure. In every game that has some kind of market, somebody inevitably figures out a way to cheese or glitch unlimited money, thus crashing the market. Usually, this necessitates a switch over to some other item as a replacement currency until the admins or developers intervene.¡±


    ¡°And you are prepared to do this in Magic Unbound?¡± she asked with an arched eyebrow.


    ¡°Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°And what item had you chosen?¡±


    Sam leaned forward with a little smile and tapped the side of his nose. ¡°Now¡­ that would be tellin''."


    Once again, she tried to use her pout, but Sam heroically resisted. And when she saw it was ineffective, she immediately continued with her questions.


    ¡°Next question then. Why do you think the developers haven¡¯t addressed this issue?¡±


    ¡°Now that is a good question, Joanna. In my private and not at all professional opinion, there could be many reasons behind it, but the most likely scenario is¡­¡±

 Chapter 186

    The interview ended with a happy Joanna clutching her notes to herself as she hurried out of the building, claiming she had some editing work to do.


    Sam just sat there for a moment, contemplating his decisions while taking in the sight through the windows lining the walls.


    ¡®I wonder if it was the right choice to give this interview¡­¡¯ he mused to himself. He, of course, knew that people were aware of his face and, no doubt, his identity, as he didn¡¯t hide it much. But giving this interview, especially with a few carefully worded statements, he would be directly calling attention to himself.


    It took only a few minutes for the door to the meeting room to open again. Casually turning his head toward it, he watched as Lucy was escorted in by Clair, served tea and other refreshments before she left the room.


    Sam waited until Lucy had time to take a few sips and nibbles of the finger food before speaking up.


    ¡°Was it worth it?¡± he asked idly while picking up a small sandwich for himself. ¡®I wonder what I should make for dinner¡­¡¯ he mused.


    Lucy nodded. ¡°I looked into her. Unorthodox, but not conspiracy theory crazy.¡±


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but snort. ¡°Really? Couldn¡¯t tell¡­¡±


    Lucy just shook her head. ¡°She clearly plays that part up. She actually has a degree in journalism and marketing¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, so she knows what people want?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Then why haven¡¯t I heard of her?¡±


    ¡°She only started around a year ago¡­¡± Lucy replied, then took a dainty bite of the cookie she was holding. ¡°According to what I managed to find there were a lot of orgs that wanted to hire her, but she refuses to give up her independence.¡±


    Sam nodded at that. He could appreciate that kind of dedication.


    ¡°Are you planning on¡­ acquiring her?¡± he asked, smiling. ¡°Because I don¡¯t know if you know, but there is a rumor going around that you¡¯re collecting nubile young women in your decadent harem¡­¡±


    Lucy looked back, flabbergasted. ¡°Me? ME? You¡¯re the one who always comes back with more women to hire!¡±


    ¡°But you hire them,¡± he pointed out gleefully. ¡°They only see that!¡±


    Lucy opened her mouth and then closed it as she apparently had nothing to gainsay Sam¡¯s statement. Then she huffed and crossed her arms in front of her.


    ¡°Whatever. I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Still. Are we getting her to join?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°As a proper member? Too soon to tell, but I doubt it.¡±


    ¡°So, like a Liz-lite?¡± he asked. ¡°We bankroll her and she helps out when she can?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan¡­¡±


    Sam nodded and took a sip of his drink. It could work. Lucy was a wizard at management and administration, but they didn¡¯t have anybody with PR or marketing experience. The only reason Sam was so successful with his ventures was because he based his decisions on his future knowledge. Knowing what worked and what didn¡¯t was somewhat cheating¡­


    However, sooner or later a time will come when his inherited memories will be of no help¡­


    ¡°You need any help?¡±


    She shook her head again. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. She is pretty simple under all that bravado.¡±


    ¡°Good. Call me if you need any help.¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± she replied with a smile, then after taking another bite of the delicious food, she posed a different question. ¡°When do you think the devs are going to intervene?¡±


    Sam looked out of the window thoughtfully. ¡°Panic has fully set in. Most gaming-related news media is talking about this. People are practically running around like headless chickens.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°It took me a while to realize, but this is simply a demonstration of their power. Not to the masses, but to the individuals with ideas¡­¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°How else would you explain their actions?¡±


    ¡°Point,¡± she admitted. ¡°Then, the next question should be why haven¡¯t they tried to hunt you down?¡±


    Sam looked back, surprised, then smirked as he saw the smirk on his friend¡¯s face.


    ¡°Because the simple fact is that I don¡¯t cheat.¡±


    Lucy looked at him with a knowing look, but in the end, she just shook her head.


    ¡°Fine, keep your secrets. ¡°She rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about some stuff.¡±


    ¡°Here or in the office?¡±


    ¡°In the office. Better security.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    Sam nodded, downed the last of his drink, and then followed his friend out of the meeting room. A few seconds later, a maid entered and began cleaning up the room, cheerfully humming a song.


    <hr>


    Finished with the discussion about their move to the fortress that Lara was handling, he left the building, now properly disguised, through one of the secret entrances that Tim utilized, ignoring the assassin who seemed to be surrounded by a gaggle of giggling maids with Claire standing there, glaring slightly¡­


    ¡®Ah, to be an anime protagonist¡­¡¯ Sam chuckled to himself as he carefully donned a new face courtesy of his artifact and headed for the Auction House.


    The streets were surprisingly empty of players, though still full of NPCs going through their days. ¡®Probably out there, trying to make money¡­¡¯ With the price of gold dropping, the real-world price of materials has risen, thus everybody started farming base materials to sell instead of trying to make money.


    It would probably work in the long-term but people haven¡¯t had the time to switch over, so that meant that a lot of people were trying to hoard as much as possible for when it would be viable to sell them for real-world money.


    Unfortunately for them, soon the devs were going to announce the corrections and the prices of those materials would not go up as they had expected.


    Entering the Auction House he saw the usual crowd: guild representatives and workers shifting through the almost infinite number of lots that were continuously put up for auction, people in rather shabby gear feverishly searching for the one thing that would reverse their wretched fortune, clueless noobs trying to buy themselves some enchanted gear and cursing when they saw the prices and so on and so forth.


    This time, however, instead of sitting amongst the masses, he approached the receptionist and asked for a private room.


    He was shortly escorted to the third floor, where one of the doors was opened for him. Inside was a simple room, well-appointed, but nothing special. The armchair was comfortable, at least.


    Soon, he was seated in a comfortable armchair and the screens of the Auction House were open in front of him.


    Usually, he would be somewhat conservative with his money, but with the speed gold was being devalued and the amount Lucy bought up, he currently had a decent amount to play with.


    He started with the raw materials.


    ¡°Ahh, iron ore, come to papa,¡± he mumbled as he gleefully bought up a good amount of material on the market. The price was naturally raised compared to before, but even with that, it was worth it. Then he bought all sorts of wood, both for decorations and constructions with other assorted materials that would be useful for that. After all, a fortress didn¡¯t build itself¡­


    ¡°Oh, is that mana-infused water? Why is it so cheap? Who cares? Bought!¡± he chuckled as he bought it. It was a good alchemy ingredient, but some blacksmiths used it to quench weapons as it aided the process. ¡®Somebody probably found a well¡­¡¯


    ¡°Hey, seeds! Ringing Kudzu? Awesome! Pepper Puffs? Insomnia Lily? It seems I¡¯m getting a new garden,¡± he spoke to himself as he went through the pages and brought up dozens of distinct seeds.


    For example, Ringing Kudzu was a special plant that made a very annoying ringing sound when touched by something that had active mana running through it. Some kind of defense mechanism against ¡®predators¡¯¡­


    Pepper Puffs were dandelion-like flowers that exploded when disturbed. The resulting seeds were like peppers and were great irritants. Insomnia Lily, despite its name, caused sleepiness with its pollen.


    All of them were perfect as passive defenses for the fortress. Plus, some genuinely nice potions and other alchemical creations could be crafted from them.


    Then came other materials. He bought up several types of coal and other burnable fuels that were used by blacksmiths and other crafters.


    Clothing material and a few other odds and ends were also purchased, all in preparation for the fortress.


    ¡®I hope we have enough space for it in the warehouse¡­¡¯ he mused as he switched over to another screen.


    Thanks to their excursion to the Valley of Distortion, they had enough weapons and armor to sustain several guilds, thus he just did a quick cursory check to see if he could spot something useful for him or his team.


    Fortunately, there was one thing that caught his attention.


    [Ring of the Hunter: A small, expertly crafted, enchanted ring. Completely erases the wearer¡¯s natural smell.]


    A pretty useful ring for anybody, but knowing that several groups out there wanted to hunt him down, Sam bought it immediately.


    He also took the time to search for an upgrade for his Ring of Minor Health Regeneration.


    [Ring of Health Regeneration: A ring made from adequate materials and decorated with a good-quality gem. As long as the gem holds mana, it aids with health regeneration. Can hold 10000 Mana Points, and regenerates 10 health Points for every point of mana Consumed. Activating the enchanting costs 100 Mana Points. Current Mana: 0/10000.]


    Knowing that there were always hidden gems in the listings, he spent almost an hour just scrolling through the endless listing of shitty and even shittier weapons.


    However, on the verge of giving up, he found his treasure. It was priced high for the average player as it was an enchanted item, but to him, it was basically pocket change.


    On the screen, he could see the image of another ring, made from a dark, almost black metal, with a simple white line going around it made from white silver.


    [Ring of the Shadow Fang: Made from shadow metal and accented with white moon-silver, this ring allows the wearer to summon a dagger made from shadow. The strength of the dagger depends on the wearer¡¯s shadow mana control. The distance the dagger can move from the wearer depends on the mana control of the individual.]


    It was probably because of the last sentence that it was unsold. Leveling up Magic Control was rather hard, after all. Still, it was an excellent holdout weapon for him. Plus, it would give him a stealthier way to attack if needed.


    And to finish his shopping spree, he bought a nice belt.


    [Belt of Holding: A belt made to hold up your pants. Prevents pantsing and accidental mooning. Enchanted to stay clean and on the wearer.]


    Mostly because he thought the description was too funny.


    Satisfied with his haul, he turned his attention to the skill books. He began by buying up basic books that he knew most guild members would not think about getting, making sure the guild would have enough for those who would pass their loyalty tests.


    Then he began hunting for more valuable ones. He bought up healing skills by the dozen, as well as rare elemental attacks. Shield spells were also added to his basket, plus any skill that caught his fancy.


    For himself, however, he went for a few books he knew were easy to get, but he was just too lazy to get. He picked up Carving, which allowed him to easily carve runes into hard surfaces and Air Purification that would synergize with his Clean spell excellently.


    [Carving: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) A spell made to carve into stone. Allows the user to carve stones in the shape they desire.]


    [Air Purification: Level 0/10 (0%) A spell made to purify the air of contaminants. Can purify non-magical contaminants and have some effect on magical ones.]


    Two simple spells that would sooner or later come in handy.


    <hr>


    He was about to finish up when he received a call from Lucy.


    ¡°Sup?¡±


    ¡°At least you could have warned me!¡± she began angrily.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. I bought some stuff at the Auction House¡­¡± he replied with a lazy grin.


    ¡°I noticed,¡± came the deadpan answer.


    ¡°Nice. Why did you call me?¡± he asked. While he knew Lucy would be a little cross with him, he also knew that she would understand his decision and simply deal with the influx of materials. It must have been important¡­


    ¡°My computer just pinged me. Future Unknown has set a date for a press conference!¡± she stated.


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°Three days from now.¡±

 Chapter 187

    Three days.


    That was indeed some news. Sam¡¯s inherited memories didn¡¯t contain the exact date as the other Sam was so devastated by the losses he suffered that his life at the time was practically a haze. He only played the game so he could keep up with his debt payments that seemingly increased day by day due to the price of gold falling. Or because he borrowed money from loan sharks who saw a vulnerable person that they could exploit.


    Sam made sure to write down any information he could remember, just in case he came across them. He currently didn¡¯t have any plans to meddle with the underbelly of the city, as he knew very well that once he made that move, it was irreversible.


    For now, he was just happy to set up contingencies in case he ever had the misfortune to come in contact with them and simply ignore their existence. He was aware that there were many things wrong in the world and he was extremely lucky to live the life he currently lived, reincarnation and time travel notwithstanding, but Sam was also realistic enough to understand that there was very little he could do to change the status quo.


    Naturally, he had plans, but those were for far in the future.


    Currently, his concern was the press conference announced by Future Unknown. The gold market would rise and the lives of a lot of people would change. This would just add to the general chaos the news would generate when the company behind the current number one game would reveal what they had done.


    Sam had no doubts that a lot of people would try to sue the company, but his own lawyers assured him even after a cursory reading of the ToS and other agreements that players had to sign before playing the game, there was little chance of any suit succeeding. After reading them thoroughly and doing some preliminary analysis, they told him that there was a bigger chance of Sam becoming the Grand Sultan of Earth than anybody successfully suing the game company.


    After all, it was not the game company¡¯s fault that so many people placed their hope on the game¡¯s economy.


    But even so, he had to prepare. Lucy had been spreading the idea of buying up cheap gold to profit later and, based on the few forum posts he had seen, the idea had spread far and wide. Of course, it was mostly armchair economists deriding it as some kind of scam while hopefuls argued for it. How many people actually took the advice? He didn¡¯t know. But from what Lucy told him, a lot of people in the guild ¨C at least those who were actually there for their own interests ¨C followed the recommendation coming from the leaders of the guild.


    Sam knew for a fact that some of them would leave as soon as they figured out how much they would gain by selling their once again valuable gold, but Lucy and he hoped that this would once again weed out those who were unloyal and reinforce the loyalty of those who remained with gratitude.


    A risky game to play, but one that needed to be played. Tim was slowly but carefully weeding out the spies and saboteurs from the members, but there was always a chance that someone managed to slip by the eagle-eyed assassin. Plus, it wasn¡¯t out of the question that a lot of darker groups, like Tim¡¯s former ¡®friends¡¯ now demon worshippers, would use the chaos of the reveal to further their nefarious goals.


    The city guards were informed, as were the noble houses ¨C via the Silvercrest family ¨C and the defenses on their own company and guild headquarters were also raised. Similarly, they also made sure that Lara was protected in the fortress. The area was still being excavated, with the mines being inspected, but Sam knew several guilds and groups were watching to see what they were looking for.


    No doubt they decided to let them do the lion¡¯s share of the work of finding whatever Lara was looking for, then swoop in at the last minute to take over. Good-ish plan if it wasn''t so transparent and basic.


    Sam didn¡¯t even have to do anything. Lucy took care of everything. She made sure there were some rumors, then prodded a few people here and there and voil¨¢. Several groups were watching and waiting, all planning to strike at the last minute.


    He would enjoy watching the bloodbath from the refurbished walls¡­


    But for now, he had other matters to attend to.


    Lucy and Tim, with some help from Adam, had declared there was a rather large chance of an attack on the headquarters of the company after the announcement and he wanted to be present to make sure nothing went wrong.


    But that also meant he had to find something to do while waiting.


    He turned away from the window from which he was watching the city of Ironwood and took in the materials present on the table in the middle of his room.


    There were the usual assortments of metals like low- and high-carbon steel, pig iron, bronze, copper, tin, and everything he ¨C or rather Lucy¡¯s people ¨C could find, with a few alloys from the company crafters that showed great promise. Next to them were rolls of leather from all sorts of animals, scales, and a few magically reactive cloths. Wood from several trees, including ironwood, was included in the collection along with a few bones mixed in from various magical beasts.


    Sam eagerly stepped forward, raising a hand and summoning a small knife made of solidified shadow mana. While the skill would be excellent as a holdout weapon, it was also great for carving runes into things.


    Picking up a piece of oak, according to the label attached to it, he moved the knife made out of shadow mana and began speaking. Lucky, meanwhile, lay on the floor, energetically gnawing on a giant bone.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Experiment number one, oak¡­.¡±


    <hr>


    DING


    Sam opened the futuristic microwave, which for some reason still had an unnecessary number of buttons of which he only used one or two, and took out the steaming bowl of popcorn. ¡®At least the popcorn tech evolved¡­¡¯ he grumbled to himself as he took the bounty of technology into his hands after dividing into two smaller bowls and headed for his living room. There, dressed in casual clothes ¨C or pajamas if somebody else was asked ¨C was Lucy in all her glory, lying on his couch, sipping her drink with several screens open in front of her.


    ¡°Popcorn is ready,¡± he announced uselessly, as the smell of the snack had already permeated his home.


    ¡°The forums are about to melt down¡­¡± his friend announced as she took her bowl without taking her eyes off the screens.


    He plopped down next to her and took a cursory glance at the rapidly flowing comments.


    ¡°What is the most popular theory?¡± he asked, then threw a few pieces of salty goodness into his mouth.


    ¡°Doomsayers allege that they will be announcing the end of the game and everything will be lost,¡± came the dry reply from Lucy. ¡°Then there are the copium groups that say that the company is about to announce that they will be compensating everybody for the losses.¡±


    Sam had to snort hearing that.


    Lucy just grinned. ¡°Exactly my thoughts.¡± Then she leveled a small glare at Sam. ¡°Still not sharing what you know?¡±


    Sam answered with an innocent look. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡±


    Lucy eyed him for a long moment, then huffed and turned away, returning to her screens. ¡°I hate when you do that¡­¡± she mumbled.


    He couldn¡¯t do much, just shrug his shoulders. They weren¡¯t in the game, but he couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that somebody had bugged his home. It wasn¡¯t exactly the most defended location. There was a reason all of his important notes were on actual paper and encrypted¡­


    Then he saw the countdown on the big screen opposite them and he pointed at it. ¡°Oh, look! A distraction!¡±


    Lucy let out a chuckle, but she still pushed her numerous screens to the side and settled back into the couch, shoulder to shoulder, with the bowls of popcorn in their laps, eagerly waiting for the countdown to finish and for the press conference to start.


    ¡°You know,¡± she began, munching on the snack. ¡°I always hate how Sarah nags me to leave the house, but this is nice¡­¡±


    ¡°Does she know where you are?¡± he asked idly.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not like I hide that I know you¡­¡±


    There was a moment of silence.


    ¡°So she thinks we are doing it?¡± he asked as they watched one of those nameless PR people walk into the picture.


    ¡°Totally,¡± Lucy replied while rolling her eyes. ¡°She even offered to take me shopping¡­¡±


    Sam chuckled. ¡°Let it be. She just worries¡­¡±


    ¡°Still annoying¡­now hush, it is starting!¡±


    The nameless PR person took a few seconds to arrange a few blank pieces of paper while the media sitting in the room was in a frenzy, taking more photos than was humanly possible.


    How did he know that the papers were blank? Because it could be clearly seen that the papers only had one word printed on them.


    BLANK


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our news conference,¡± came the very bland greeting from the man. Clearly, he was chosen to be a disposable announcer, and from the look in his eyes, he knew it very well. No real person at Future Unknown would want to do it. ¡°We are here today to discuss the current situation of the Real-Money Trading Market of the game, Magic Unbound.¡± The man took a look around, took an elegant sip of his water, then continued. ¡°A lot of interested parties have been questioning the company¡¯s motives and lack of communication in relation to this issue. I¡¯m here to explain the actions the company has taken and the actions it will take.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t mention they are going to rectify it¡­¡± Lucy murmured indignantly.


    ¡°Why would they? It¡¯s a player-controlled market¡­¡± Sam replied, then tried to pretend the jab into his ribs didn¡¯t hurt.


    ¡°As you may be aware, the company has refused to comment on the issue, but there were actual reasons for this silence. Mainly, the true reason for the dramatic drop in the value of the in-game currency compared to the real-world currencies.¡± The room fell silent, everybody sitting on the edge of their seat, waiting for the revelation. ¡°I¡¯m here to announce that Future Unknown, as of a few hours ago, working in concert with the authorities has managed to bust a ring of cheaters who used inside knowledge to influence the ma¡­¡± The rest of the sentence was drowned out by the outrage in the room and the flashes of cameras.


    ¡®It¡¯s the future, why the hell are they still using flashes?¡¯ Sam mused as he watched Lucy quickly scan through all her feeds.


    ¡°Well?¡±


    ¡°People are demanding names, and asking where they could buy pitchforks¡­¡± she reported with an amused tone. ¡°So, that¡¯s why¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just trying to comprehend your totally bullshit existence¡­¡±


    ¡°Look on the bright side. At least you got hella rich¡­¡±


    ¡°One way to look at it¡­¡± she agreed, but before they could continue, the people in the press conference also quieted down and the PR puppet could continue.


    ¡°Thank you. As I have been saying, the individuals were carefully identified and their sources were investigated. The company has stayed silent on the issue so as not to give away our internal investigations. Currently, they are under arrest and Future Unknown will do everything in its power to make sure the perpetrators are going to be punished to the full extent of the law. Now, any questions?¡±


    Instantly, the area in front of the podium from where he was speaking was like a forest of hands.


    ¡°You, in the first row!¡±


    The man chosen stood up and didn¡¯t even bother to introduce himself. ¡°What assurances does the company have that this incident isn¡¯t going to be repeated?¡±


    The PR representative nodded. ¡°We have investigated the way this leak occurred and made sure nobody else would be able to repeat what happened. As of today, we can happily announce that all vulnerabilities have been eliminated.¡±


    A nothing answer, but nobody expected more.


    ¡°Next question! You, over there!¡±


    Another man stood, clad in a suit and having at least three camera-like devices hanging from his neck.


    ¡°What about the losses? A lot of people lost a lot of money when the prices fell¡­¡±


    The room fell silent again, and Sam could see from the corner of his eyes that even the chats and forums had slowed down. Clearly, this was something everyone wanted to know.


    The man behind the podium clearly saw the eager looks, but he didn¡¯t falter. He cleared his throat and continued to talk.


    ¡°Currently, the company is working on a program to help those who lost a great amount of gold due to this incident. We are going to use the logs from the market, but it is still in the planning stages. We will be able to offer specifics at a later date.¡±


    There were more questions after that but Sam was more interested in other things.


    ¡°How are the prices?¡± he asked trying to act nonchalant.


    Lucy seemed equally interested and was already looking at the website.


    ¡°Going up¡­ ten percent in the last few seconds¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­ profit?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°And the people?¡±


    ¡°Angry and rioting¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing new then¡­¡±

 Chapter 188

    They made sure to watch the press conference until the conclusion, but it was mostly ¡®journalists¡¯ asking lowball questions. Sam suspected that most of them weren¡¯t even journalists, as the camera made sure not to show most of their faces.


    Then both Lucy and Sam hopped on the internet on their respective devices, screens, and whatnot to see how the populace at large reacted to the news.


    Predictably, there were some people who overanalyzed the press conference, going over every word spoken, even going so far as to try to explain the blinks of the presenter as some kind of code. There were the paranoid ones who declared it was a cover. Naturally, they couldn¡¯t really agree on what the company actually was covering up.


    Just after a cursory check, Sam saw people calling it an alien hoax, lizardmen exerting influence, garden gnome uprising, and simply the elite of the world suppressing the hard workers.


    Of course, people were already digging into it, trying to find the culprits of the gold crash and the people behind them.


    Sam gave it a few days before the names were leaked ¡®accidentally¡¯.


    Even Shadowland was full of posts of people looking for the perpetrators, either to ¡®thank them¡¯ for their efforts or to link up with them and make big bucks, thinking that there was always time to make more money in their delusions.


    He knew some of those were made in jest, but a depressing number of them were honestly trying to do it, and that made him weep for humanity.


    While Lucy was going over the economics forums ¨C which were abuzz with speculations about the crash reversal ¨C he sorted out his incoming emails on the shady website.


    Most of the questions were about the people behind the crash, so he simply deleted them. Then there were the usual scammers and malcontents that he didn¡¯t have time recently to delete, so those went into the trash too.


    Surprisingly, it still left him with a sizable list of messages.


    He quickly went through them, erasing those who wanted to sell him stuff ¨C mostly ¡®secrets¡¯ he already knew or were obviously not secrets ¨C leaving him with a few legitimate messages.


    For those, he made sure to read them carefully and send back a price for the information requested or a polite rejection email, as he either didn¡¯t know or more likely couldn¡¯t share if he didn¡¯t want to be pegged as a cheater.


    Still, even if only half the people answered his offers, that would net him a decent amount of money. Not that he needed it.


    With only a small rise in the price of in-game gold, they had already made enough money to make several guilds jealous.


    ¡°How are the people handling the gold price changes?¡± he asked after a quick look at the account that was connected to the RMT market.


    Lucy hummed for a few seconds before answering.


    ¡°The people who listened to us, or knew to do it, are very happy, or suspiciously silent. Already have a few messages of people wanting to leave the guild.¡±


    ¡°That was fast. Did they sell the gold as soon as the price rose?¡±


    ¡°Doubt it, even a blind person can see that the price is going to grow further¡­¡± she replied with a shake of her head.


    ¡°Do you think it will reach the same price as it was?¡± he inquired curiously.


    ¡°Nah¡­ confidence is shaken. I think¡­maybe seventy-five percent of the original price?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­we shall see¡­¡± he replied without looking up. From his memories, he remembered that the price shot up higher than it was originally for a little time, netting a good amount of profit for those who were patient.


    However, he changed so much that he didn¡¯t have the confidence to say that it would happen again. Economic markets were volatile on their own, taking into account time travel shenanigans they were inscrutable¡­


    Lucy sent him a suspicious look, but he just shrugged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I have no idea what¡¯s going to happen. There is a chance it could shoot up, but also that it will falter.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± she hummed suspiciously.


    Sam just huffed and then chuckled a little.


    ¡°I hate when you do that¡­¡±


    ¡°Now you know how I feel when you do anything¡­¡± came the cheeky reply from a grinning Lucy.


    <hr>


    Returning to the game, Sam made sure to quickly check over his gains from the experimentations with a happy look on his face while squishing Lucky¡¯s face between his hands, to the delight of the wolf. ¡®God damn, the fur is super silky¡­¡¯


    ¡°Who is a good boy? Who is a good boy?¡± he asked, while Lucky¡¯s tail thumped rhythmically on the floor.


    ¡°Woof! Woof!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are!¡± he cheered, making sure to run his hands through the silky-smooth fur.


    With his experiments, he mostly wanted to practice the basic runic circles, going through the list to make sure he knew how they worked and to be able to recognize them on sight and with his magical senses.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Then he used the available materials to see if some of his thought exercises were viable or not.


    Finally, he tried to create a small runic circle that he could use to anchor his own illusionary runes. When he did the ritual to look for the Valley of Distortions, it worked as though the runic circles carved into the stone slab were done by a master.


    His experiments were fruitful, and he managed to find a circle that would allow him to anchor an illusionary runic circle for at least some time. Thus, while he waited for the signal that would indicate that somebody was attacking, he used different materials to carve the anchoring circle onto them. Later, when he needed them, he could just throw them to the ground and start casting.


    It was a little wasteful, using them as disposable items, but with the current skills he had that was the best Sam could do.


    Still, even with that, the gains were very respectable.


    [Shadow of the Dragon is now Level 12!]


    [Greater Shadow Affinity is now Level 56!]


    [Journeyman Runecarver is now Level 48!]


    [Illusionary Runes is now Level 41!]


    [Corporeal Illusions is now Level 11!]


    [Lingering Effects is now Level 23!]


    [Carving is now Level 3!]


    Good enough for now. He still had the recommendation from the library, so after this whole chaos was finished, he planned to take a short trip there and see if they could help him improve. Unless something came up¡­


    He was about to head out to walk a little with Lucky when he heard an incoming message.


    ¡°Yes?¡± he answered immediately when he saw it was from Lucy.


    ¡°They started moving,¡± came the answer without any preamble.


    He was instantly checking his gear, while Lucky, sensing the change in his mood, went into lookout mode, his head swiveling around, looking for threats.


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Not the HQ as we expected¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, it took time, but they realized that¡¯s an impossible task,¡± he answered with a chuckle while heading out of his room. ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    ¡°I sent Katie and Izzy to one of the warehouses on the outskirts with some guild personnel. Less chance for damaging the surroundings.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Dan?¡±


    ¡°He is with Lara. Clarissa is staying here in the HQ, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Where do you want me?¡±


    ¡°The newest warehouse. It¡¯s the least upgraded one¡­¡± came the prompt reply. Sam could hear Lucy also walking around, no doubt putting on her armor and other equipment.


    ¡°Any idea who is doing it?¡±


    There was a moment of silence before Lucy answered. ¡°From what I can see there¡¯re several groups, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s probably one instigator covering their tracks¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m going to try to figure out what they¡¯re after while you keep them occupied¡­¡±


    ¡°Not Katie and her friend, who is a girl?¡± he asked sarcastically.


    Lucy just laughed a little. ¡°Do you expect her to play with her food?¡±


    He stepped out of one of the hidden entrances, nodding to Tim, who was skulking around and laughed a little.


    ¡°Touch¨¦!¡±


    Then, with a twist of his mana, he vanished into the shadows.


    <hr>


    He appeared near the target warehouse, his sensing skill firing at maximum, trying to suss out any attackers. Around the building, he could see several guild members and NPC guards patrolling, while he could feel another group inside the building, no doubt, there to react in case of an attack.


    Thanks to his badge and Lucy calling ahead, he was allowed in almost instantly by the guards. Inside, he was met with a group of players, lazily sitting on crates or leaning against shelves as they talked amongst themselves.


    Entering their sight, he was greeted with a few half-hearted waves and plain indifference.


    The supposed leader, clad in very shiny and visibly enchanted gear, gave him a once-over and shook his head.


    ¡°Hey, buddy¡­ I don¡¯t know how you joined this guild, but going around with that kind of gear is practically offensive¡­¡±


    The surrounding people chuckled at his ¡®witty¡¯ remark, while he seemed proud of his accomplishment. Sam just gave him a small smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need anything more¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, buddy¡­¡± came the condescending answer from the guy. ¡°Just don¡¯t expect to be saved¡­¡±


    Sam was about to retort when he heard some noise outside.


    At the same time, he could feel through his senses as several people appeared after removing whatever hid them. He rushed over to one of the few windows near the door. Around it was a desk and a filing desk, probably a station for the guard.


    Outside, he could already see the players and NPCs getting ready to confront the approaching cloaked people.


    He quickly dialed Lucy.


    ¡°Hey, just out of curiosity, how important are the items in here?¡±


    ¡°Mostly raw materials, why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later,¡± he replied, then canceled the call and reached for his sword.


    Behind him, there was a motion, and then the rush of magic. However, thanks to his own skills he was already out of the way when the magic, some kind of ice magic splashed against the wall, creating an area filled with extremely sharp ice crystals jutting everywhere.


    He landed not far away, sword unsheathed, but pointing downward, looking at the group of people in the middle of the warehouse.


    One of them was holding a staff, pointing exactly where he stood a moment ago, while the group leader was grinning.


    ¡°It seems, today is not your lucky day, buddy!¡±


    Sam just arched an eyebrow. ¡°So, what? Kill me, then rob the guild?¡±


    The idiot just nodded. ¡°Of course! Everyone knows that AFK has the best stuff. The things here should be worth a lot of money!¡± he declared while casting a greedy gaze at the crates.


    Sam had to hold in a tired sigh. Instead, he asked a question.


    ¡°Did anyone pay you to do this?¡±


    ¡°Hah! I¡¯m Boris, and I only work for myself!¡± the guy declared proudly while his men shifted around him, getting ready for a battle. Meanwhile, outside the warehouse, the battle had begun in earnest.


    ¡®So, he is not the mastermind behind this¡­ great¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he used his own senses to get a measure of the people in front of him. All of them were around level eighty, with a nice selection of elemental leaning. One was obviously an ice mage, but he could also feel the icy grip in Boris¡¯ mana, while one of the others was a water mage, their mana feeling fluid. ¡®Good synergy¡­¡¯


    Boris took his silence as an affront to his manliness. Or something equally asinine and began yelling while pointing at Sam.


    ¡°Kill the bastard and we can start looting!¡±


    Instantly, half a dozen weapons were aimed at Sam, letting loose a barrage of icicles, water, wind bullets, a few arrows, and some more esoteric effects that would affect his mind and root him to the ground.


    Sam had around half a second to make a decision.


    In the end, it was about the reputation of his company, so he chose to stay put.


    They were level eighty, but their control was atrocious. They still had to yell the skill names¡­


    He simply raised his shield spells and ignored the mind-affecting spell and rooting spell. Not like he needed to move to deal with this group of imbeciles.


    The spells crashed into him, creating a great deal of steam, fog, and cloud of detritus as they destroyed some of the boxes around him, as the bastards couldn¡¯t even aim properly.


    He watched as his mana dipped to around half, then began rapidly regenerating with a grin. ¡®It was worth investing so much into that¡­¡¯


    Another twist of mana caused the appearance of a well-directed gust of wind that dispersed the cloud of icy air.


    He looked directly into Boris¡¯ eyes, watching as the realization dawned on the man.


    ¡°My turn.¡±

 Chapter 189

    Boris let out a choked laugh as if finally realizing that the company wouldn¡¯t just send one random person to protect their warehouse. Either a proper team would be sent, or somebody so powerful that they could stand against a group of attackers.


    His compatriots looked equally shocked at the ineffectiveness of their barrage.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t that work?¡±


    ¡°Is he hacking?¡±


    ¡°He must be!¡±


    Boris, naturally, had to respond to that. ¡°Shut up, you idiots! He clearly used an ulti!¡± The people around him immediately calmed down, relief and realization spreading through their faces. ¡°And now that it is on cooldown, we can destroy him!¡± the big man exclaimed while also pointing at Sam.


    The rest of the imbeciles, instead of understanding his unspoken command, just began nodding.


    ¡°You''re right, boss!¡±


    ¡°Hah! Stupid to use the ulti as the first spell!¡±


    Sam watched with the same fascination as one would watch a documentary about lesser lifeforms as Boris¡¯s face spasmed with pain and the man roared.


    ¡°Get him, you idiots!¡±


    Sam chuckled a little and before the comedy troupe in front of him could start flinging magic at him, he rushed forward, thrusting his sword, coated in oscillating wind mana, into the first mage¡¯s chest.


    Then, he let go of the magic holding the wind mana there.


    Thankfully, the system simply turned the man into rainbow pixels instead of a gory horror show as he exploded across the warehouse.


    But Sam didn¡¯t stop. Using the momentum from his charge, he went low, ducking under a barrage of ice spears intent on skewering him, and pivoted into a parry against the weapon that Boris finally revealed. Naturally, it was a wicked-looking axe, dripping with malice. Very edgy¡­


    However, Sam¡¯s sword was enhanced with his mana, thus stopping the much bigger weapon.


    CLANG


    He used his other hand, holding his palm toward the bigger man, to shoot off a gust of wind, pushing the angry man away.


    This created enough space for him to throw himself forward as he sensed more water being shot in his direction. Luckily, the high-pressure attack splashed against some of the boxes, splintering them, and causing raw ores to fall everywhere.


    Righting himself, Sam smirked and broke into several clones that all kept the smirking face as they ran in three different directions while he jumped upwards, settling on the top of one of the giant shelves almost touching the ceiling of the warehouse.


    His clones, no longer statuary, as the game system had learned how he moved, ran around keeping the attention on them.


    ¡°There he is!¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s a clone!¡±


    ¡°No no! That was the real one!¡±


    ¡°Hell no! My Mystic Eye spots illusions! That was def a clone!¡±


    Silently chuckling as Boris roared ¡®encouragements¡¯ at his minions ¨C that is, threats of dismemberment ¨C Sam summoned enough wind spears near him to skewer every wannabe gangster in the warehouse twice over and slowly, using his senses, began tagging them with a minuscule amount of mana.


    And just as his last shadow clone was dispersed, he called out.


    ¡°Hey, idiots!¡±


    Instantly, all of them looked up at him, Boris¡¯ face turning into an interesting shade of angry red and nauseous puce.


    ¡°There he is!¡±


    ¡°Get him!¡±


    ¡°How did he get there?¡±


    Sam smiled and lazily waved his hand at them. ¡°Goodbye, idiots!¡±


    With incredible speed, not his top speed, but these scrubs couldn¡¯t even keep up with it, the wind spears fell like rods from heaven, opening several new holes in their bodies and turning them into rainbow pixels that evaporated into nothingness.


    Boris had a bit more health, so he was mostly disabled and close to death, furiously moving around, trying to free himself and cursing the spears made of wind mana.


    ¡°What the hell! Why aren¡¯t they dissapearin¡¯?"


    ¡®Because I¡¯m keeping them there¡­¡¯ Sam answered inside his mind as he languidly jumped down from his perch and walked closer to the struggling man.


    ¡°Soooo¡­. Who hired you?¡± he asked as he used more wind mana to paralyze the man, only letting his head move about. His senses were primed, ready for anything Boris could throw at him in desperation while keeping a careful eye on the happenings outside the warehouse. The guild members were holding the line for now, but he suspected the enemy was just putting up a show¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not a rat, you fucker! Now, let me go!¡± Boris roared.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t believe you¡­¡± Sam answered carelessly, hand still on his sword.


    ¡°Well then, go die, you asshole!¡± exclaimed Boris, then with a crazed look in his eyes continued. ¡°They told me to use it on somebody disposable, but if I can fuck up your day, then I''ll gladly take the death penalty!¡±


    Sam raised a few more layers of wind between him and the man and watched in fascination as a ring on the man¡¯s finger glowed with the characteristics of demonic mana before the body of the man in front of Sam dissolved into a cloud of darkness that contracted for a few seconds pulsing exactly three times before exploding almost silently.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    WHUMP


    Sam felt the magic go through him, but to his surprise, nothing happened. Scowling, he focused on his senses and managed to watch as the pulse of demonic mana spread out until it reached the defensive magic on the building, parts of which were used by the defenders to keep back the black-robed assailants, and slowly began to eat it for the lack of a better word.


    ¡°Well, dang¡­ demons be demoning¡­¡± he murmured as he slowly walked toward the main doors and slowly began to throw out the plates with runes on them.


    Thankfully, he already had a few relevant runic circles made up, thus by the time the attackers took out the rest of the defenders and began congregating toward the doors, he had several prepared for them.


    Curious to see where this was going, he pulled over a new chair where the previous guard sat and plopped down, waiting for the enemy to enter.


    The door creaked open, at first a little hesitantly but more confidently after a few seconds. And with that came the voice of the enemy.


    ¡°¡­I told you it would work¡­¡± came the proud statement from one of them.


    Another scoffed. ¡°Having the riff-raff doing the dirty work is easy¡­¡±


    ¡°It was just some gold that we got because of the crash. There is plenty remaining¡­¡± came the retort. Sam was glad to see they also took the opportunity to enrich themselves.


    There was a brief pause as they all walked into the building, completely ignoring Sam as he sat next to the door, immobile, watching them with his cheek in his hand and elbow resting on the windowsill.


    ¡°Still, why did the lord want us to do this?¡±


    ¡°Who the hell knows how an elder demon thinks?¡± came the logical question.


    Another shook their head. Their gender was very well hidden by the robe, but the voice that came from under the cowl was unmistakably female. ¡°Nah. The company is hiding Tim, so the guild master wanted to punish him.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I heard from¨C¡± She continued to explain but was interrupted by another cloaked individual.


    ¡°Uhm, guys? Does the AFK company deal with runic plates?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The previous speaker just nervously pointed down, which caused all the robed individuals to look down in horror.


    ¡°Oh, fu¨C¡±


    He didn¡¯t have time to finish as Sam simply activated his circles, causing seven concentric illusionary runic spells to flash into existence. With another twist of his will, they activated at the same time, burning up the anchor plates and the people caught inside the circle.


    Sam watched in silence as the ashes turned into rainbow pixels¡­


    ¡®Man¡­ there is overconfident and then there is this¡­¡¯ he shook his head as he closed the warehouse door behind him and began to head back to the headquarters.


    <hr>


    ¡°So, the Silent Step, or whatever they became, has targeted the warehouse?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. Sadly, I couldn¡¯t give them time to say more, as they noticed my trap¡­¡± Sam admitted while scratching the back of his neck. ¡°Anyway, did you know about Boris?¡±


    Lucy shook her head. ¡°Not me. Tim found that he has been selling our ¡®secrets¡¯ and now that he had enough money thanks to the crash, he decided to go out with a bang¡­¡±


    ¡°And you sent me there knowing I would be able to take care of them¡­¡±


    ¡°Or, at least, not die¡­¡± she admitted.


    ¡°Cool.¡±


    She glanced at him from her desk and countless documents. ¡°Are you angry?¡±


    ¡°More like a bit annoyed¡­¡± he replied with a small frown, then shrugged. ¡°I could have known to keep them talking if you had told me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that next time,¡± she said with a small smile, visibly relieved that he wasn¡¯t angry.


    ¡°How did the rest go?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re currently cleaning up. Death in the guild has been compensated.¡±


    ¡°Losses?¡±


    ¡°A few items here and there, but nothing much.¡±


    ¡°Good job!¡± Sam told her with a smile. ¡°Do you know who was attacking?¡±


    ¡°Well Silent Step, that¡¯s for sure, then there were¡­¡±


    As Lucy began to list the people and organizations that took their chance to attack them, he settled back into his chair, listening to his friend¡¯s voice.


    It hurt a little that Lucy didn¡¯t tell him everything about the mission, but after a brief introspection, he realized she was just simply copying his modus operandi. Thus, he didn¡¯t really have any reason to complain¡­


    ¡®Well, if that was a veiled attempt at teaching me a lesson, then it was a well-done one¡­¡¯ he mused.


    <hr>


    Finally, he had time to finish one of his quests.


    The chaos with the gold crash was done. Though the price was still going up, the people were no longer despondent and instead eagerly waiting to see the highest price that would be achieved.


    The attacks on the guild were dealt with by Lucy, Adam, and Tim. Lara was doing well with the fortress, so he finally had time to deal with the runic teacher.


    The letter he received way back was still in his inventory, but the name was a mystery. As this was a completely unknown path to the other Sam, he had to rely on his own investigation and wits to find the person.


    Thankfully, the library at the Nowhere base had a really nice directory about the people living in the capital thus, it took half an hour to find the name he was given. Naturally, only after he spent almost an hour getting to the base.


    Lauren Fitzgerald


    A very¡­ interesting name.


    Sadly, the basic library only had his name, latest address, and occupation listed.


    ¡°A runic enchanter¡­¡± he murmured as he looked down on the page. Those were rare and usually very crazy. A life spent studying arcane sigils and how to apply them to various objects seldom led to balanced individuals.


    ¡®What does that say about me¡­¡¯ he contemplated as he wrote down the address.


    <hr>


    Finding the man¡¯s home wasn¡¯t hard, as he lived on the edge of the noble district in a small two-story house.


    Sam steeled himself, holding the letter in his hand, and stepped up to the door and knocked three times.


    Surprisingly, he didn¡¯t have to wait long. The door flew open, causing him to stumble back a little as the man of the hour stood there staring at him with crazed eyes.


    Lauren Fitzgerald looked like every crazy scientist who had ever tried to figure out what lies beyond the unknown. He wore black slacks and a checkered suit vest over a white shirt. The arms of the shirt were pulled up to his elbows, revealing forearms that were full of small wounds that had healed, leaving behind a multitude of scars crisscrossing the skin.


    He had stubble and his hair, salt and pepper colored, stood every which way giving him a truly crazed look.


    ¡°Excellent! Just in time!¡±


    ¡°Um, what?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t dawdle, young man! Come on!¡± he exclaimed, grabbed Sam¡¯s arm, and dragged him into the building, the door closing automatically behind them. Inside was just as chaotic as Sam expected.


    The foyer, holding mostly coats and a few boots and an umbrella stand that had a bow and spear in it, opened into a giant room full of desks covered in all manner of things. Some he recognized; some he was totally confused about regarding their use. The air shimmered from countless runes that were projected into the air as if they were drawn on a whiteboard.


    ¡°You came exactly at the right time!¡± the man stated proudly as they skidded to a halt near one of the ends of the room, where a contraption was present.


    ¡°For what exactly, sir?¡± Sam asked as he tried to make sense of the confounding mess in front of him. Whatever it was, it was brimming with magic. Far more magic than he had.


    ¡°To hold a box!¡± the man declared proudly, eyes locked on the monstrosity made of magic, metals, and who knows what¡­


    Then he flinched and turned back to Sam. ¡°You can hold a box, right?¡± he asked worriedly.


    ¡°Depends on the box¡­¡± Sam answered slowly.


    The man grinned and pointed to a simple wooden box with no top. ¡°That one!¡±


    ¡°Well, then yes. I can.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± the man exclaimed again, then exploded into action. He grabbed the empty box, shoved it into Sam¡¯s arms, and as Sam tried to awkwardly not drop the box, the supposed expert turned back to the contraption and eagerly snapped his finger.


    Before Sam could say anything, the device came to life, runes appearing and disappearing as fast as possible, making it impossible to make them out, the magic reaching a height that caused Sam to worry that it would explode, but before he could try to think a way to shield himself the magic gathering in the device began flowing out, creating a perfectly circular portal.


    Sam didn¡¯t need a PhD to know what this was.


    The madman created a fracture portal¡­


    Said madman turned to Sam, grabbed his hand, and simply jumped forward dragging him with surprising strength.


    ¡°Come! Adventure awaits!¡±

 Chapter 190

    Despite participating in hundreds of fracture fights, the trip through this artificial portal ¨C not that any of the others were in any way or shape natural ¨C was in many ways, different from those experiences.


    While using the ¡®natural¡¯ fracture portals the experience was smooth and at most the players would be blasted with some swirling lights of the rainbow (though you could turn them off if you were prone to epilepsy) and then they would be standing inside the dimensionally isolated area, ready to demolish anything that showed up, like the good murderhobos they were¡­


    After a moment of disorientation, Sam felt himself whisked along a pathway of pure light and darkness, high-speed winds whizzing by, and a low hum penetrating everywhere. All he could do was to hold on to the box for his life and hope he survived the journey.


    His ¡®abductor¡¯ was still gripping his arm, but instead of being terrified, they were hooting and hollering, enjoying the ride as if it was an everyday amusement park contraption.


    Then the sensation abruptly ended, sending them hurtling through proper air, landing without much dignity on the ground in a heap. By some miracle, the box was still in his hand.


    Slowly, the two of them untangled themselves from each other and stood up. Sam made sure to keep hold of the box while he quickly cast two Clean spells at himself and the mad scientist, removing the dust that settled on them after their ignoble landing.


    Not even slightly perturbed, the other man was already running around trying to take in everything. Which also allowed Sam to look around.


    They arrived on some kind of platform, presumably made of dirt and dust with a few scattering of rocks and such to break the monotony. The background was pure black, only broken by flashes of rainbow light, behaving like meteors. They appeared brightly, then they fell or flew upwards on a parabolic path until they became a simple pinprick of light before they ultimately vanished.


    The platform they landed on stretched out before them and Sam could see several platforms in the distance, weirdly illuminated by ¡®something¡¯ he couldn¡¯t see or sense. The further he looked, the more the shadow of the area swallowed the platforms, obscuring their final destination.


    ¡°Sir?¡± he spoke up slightly hesitantly, eying the clearly unstable portal that brought them here. ¡°Where are we?¡±


    The other man, squatting on the ground and using a small shovel to move the dust into a small container, looked up at him, blinked a few times, as if surprised Sam was still there, then answered.


    ¡°I have no idea!¡± he said cheerfully.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The mad scientist sprung up and walked over to Sam while depositing the container with the dust in it into the box Sam was holding.


    ¡°You see, young man, I was inspired by these fractures! I wished to create my own! And I did! And do you know why?¡± he spoke rapidly, staring squarely into Sam¡¯s own eyes.


    ¡°No, sir,¡± he replied, swallowing slightly.


    ¡°Travel, young man! TRAVEL! Imagine, just a portal away from ANY city!¡± he exclaimed with a crazed look in his eyes.


    ¡®What? Travel?¡¯ Sam was rather surprised. In his memories there were portals, but they were giant round artifacts made after years of effort, and most were used to move between capitals and the continents. It took such an effort to build one that even after years, none of the guilds had the resources to own one.


    The amount of money made by the countries owning these rings was ridiculous. They had to hire more soldiers just to protect it from the greedy players.


    But the most important thing was that the inventor of the devices was a think tank supported by a coalition of countries ¨C probably at the instigation of the game system ¨C and not one random mad scientist.


    ¡®Could be that he died and then later somebody used his research as the base for those?¡¯ he mused as he stared back into the man¡¯s eyes, noting the sheer madness and brilliance in them. ¡®Then the question becomes: how did he die?¡±


    ¡°Travel, sir? Where?¡± he asked, playing up his naivete.


    ¡°EVERYWHERE!¡± Fitzgerald yelled while thrusting his arms up in the air. ¡°Imagine! Portals in the middle of the cities! You just step through and you are in the next country or on the other side of the continent! The possibilities are endless!¡± Then, as if a switch was flipped he calmed down and began looking around. ¡°If we can get out of here¡­¡±


    Sam glanced back at the unstable portal but before he could voice his confusion, the mad scientist spoke up while awkwardly scratching his face while refusing to look into Sam¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hehehehe¡­That might have been a one-way portal. If we try to go back, it would implode and scatter our constituent parts across several dimensions.¡±


    Sam sent a withering glare at the sheepish rune master then began to look around while straining his senses to make sure nothing could sneak upon them.


    ¡°Anyway¡­ who are you, young man, and why did you visit me?¡± the older man asked with a bright expression as if he didn¡¯t just endanger both of their lives.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Sam wanted to yell ¡®You are just asking that now?¡¯ but he reined in his rage, put the damn box into his inventory, and retrieved the letter he was given.


    ¡°I was about to deliver this letter, sir,¡± he said while handing it over.


    ¡°Oh, goodie! I love getting letters!¡± the man celebrated while ripping the flimsy paper envelope apart like a kid on a sugar rush on Boxing Day.


    There was a little humming as he read the letter, occasionally glancing at Sam, and when finished, he simply folded up the paper and put it in one of his pockets, but instead of commenting on it, he just turned around and began marching toward the darkness covering the land.


    ¡°Come, my young friend! Adventure awaits us, and it behooves us not to make our flighty temptress wait!¡± he exclaimed while pointing towards the darkness.


    Sam sighed and unsheathed his sword.


    ¡®I just know this is some kind of punishment from the game¡­¡¯


    In the end, however, he simply began walking after the excitable man.


    <hr>


    At first, there was nothing, just the dusty gray ground, dotted with scattered rocks made from the most mundane materials to the disappointment of Fitzgerald.


    Still, Sam didn¡¯t relax his vigilance as they were technically in a fracture, even if he didn¡¯t get any system screen telling him about it.


    As they went forward, the shadows and darkness began to lift in front of them, revealing even more dusty ground while behind them, the same darkness swallowed the sight of the portal they used.


    Soon, they just walked forward, endless darkness on all sides, with only the chattering of the excited Lauren Fitzgerald filling the suffocating silence.


    ¡°Look at that rock! What an ordinary rock! How extraordinary!¡±


    ¡°My¡­ what a view! What do you think about this view, young man?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, nothing beats exploring the unknown!¡±


    Sam mostly answered in grunts and mumbles as most of his attention was on keeping an eye on monsters or other hazards. But aside from when he had to pull the other man back from the edge of the platform when he ventured too far to sate his curiosity, Sam couldn¡¯t find anything.


    However, to his surprise, after almost an hour of walking, they reached the end of the platform.


    They stood there, shoulder to shoulder, staring into the darkness, occasionally illuminated with brief flares of light.


    ¡°Now what?¡± Sam asked, maybe a little sarcastically.


    The other man, instead of replying, simply reached out with his hand and eyes closed.


    Sam instantly felt the mana around them swell and watched, fascinated as hundreds upon hundreds of runes appeared in the air, before they disappeared, only to be replaced by new ones. It reminded him of the visual effect that was used on television when the character was doing math and the audience saw all those equations and numbers fly around.


    Fascinated, Sam took a small step back to be able to observe better and just watched as the master worked.


    He tried to figure out what the man was doing but the runes appeared and disappeared too fast. Still, he managed to recognize a few sequences that were similar to some runic circles he had seen in books, but more elegant and refined. Truly the work of a master¡­


    He was broken out of his admiration by a yell of triumph.


    ¡°Aha! I found it!¡± exclaimed Fitzgerald as several runes, looking more substantial than the previous ones, flew around, shining blue, before settling in a circular pattern. ¡°I knew there was something here!¡± The runes flashed and a blue line appeared between them, connecting all of them together.


    Which, in turn, resulted in another portal appearing in front of them.


    Less glitchy and unstable than the one they used to enter, but it was still¡­wonky.


    ¡°These dimensional bubbles, despite being circular with no end, always have two endpoints or poles, young man. Make sure to remember that.¡±


    Ignoring how the geometry didn¡¯t make much sense, Sam just nodded.


    The man looked back at him and grinned.


    ¡°Trust me! I know what I¡¯m doing!¡± And then jumped into the portal headfirst, like an Olympic diver.


    Sam shook his head in exasperation.


    ¡°Lucky, make sure to watch his back on the other side¡­¡± He waited until he received a faint wuff of confirmation and he also jumped into the portal.


    Though he did it feet first.


    <hr>


    He landed next to the mad scientist as he was on all fours spitting out dust from when he landed straight on his face.


    While he may be a magical genius, his body wasn¡¯t in the best shape. Sam reached down and helped the older man up and hit him with a few cleaning spells.


    ¡°Everything all right?¡± he asked gently.


    ¡°Perfect! Everything is perfect,¡± the man answered. ¡°Thank you, young man.¡±


    ¡°No problem, sir.¡±


    While Fitzgerald made sure he was presentable, Sam looked around.


    Unsurprisingly, they found themselves in a lightless void where the area was still illuminated.


    However, this time, the rocks dotting the gray platforms weren¡¯t the size of footballs, but menhir-sized, obscuring what lay behind them.


    ¡®Say ambush without saying ambush¡­¡¯ Sam mused, as his grip tightened on his sword.


    As soon as his hopefully future teacher was presentable, he was striding forward, ready to embrace whatever came next.


    Sam sighed and followed a few steps back to be able to react better in case of an ambush.


    The older man reached the first menhir, when what Sam expected actually happened. Something sitting in the shadow of the giant rock shot forward, no doubt intent on consuming the master of runes.


    However, before it could reach the man, Lucky shot forward from the man¡¯s shadow and clamped his giant jaws on the monster, shook it once, and sent it flying against another menhir. The monster slammed against the menhir, where the monster let out a squeal mixed with a yip and fell on the ground, breathing heavily.


    Sam watched as the monster, an odd mixture of liquid shadow with lights for eyes and gray dust, in the shape of a cat-like body, stood once again and snarled at them.


    ¡°AAAAAIEEEEE! Save me!¡± screamed the older man abruptly, finally realizing he was in danger and running behind Sam with all the haste he could.


    Sam sighed, again, then raised his sword and cast a singular wind blade, while Lucky prowled around them, loyally following Sam¡¯s order and watching out for the other man.


    The wind blade slammed into the liquid cat and cut it into two before it could even react.


    Sadly, the two halves of the monster didn¡¯t fall away¡­


    Instead, there was a swell of magic around it and the two halves became two smaller cat-like monsters, snarling at Sam and the others.


    Instantly, two more wind blades slammed into them as Sam wanted to see how long the division would go on. Surprisingly, these two wind blades managed to destroy the monsters, leaving behind nothing but rainbow-colored pixels rapidly vanishing.


    As soon as the monster vanished, the scared look on Fitzgerald¡¯s face vanished and he was curiously looking at the spot where the monster stood.


    ¡°What a fascinating being¡­¡± he murmured excitedly. Then he turned to Sam and grabbed his hand once again. ¡°Come, my friend! We must see more¡­¡±


    Walking forward, dragging Sam with him, they stepped around the menhir, only for Lucky to jump forward and grab another of those monsters while Fitzgerald screamed like a pansy.


    Sam just let out a bone-weary sigh.


    ¡°I hate escort missions¡­¡±

 Chapter 191 - Interlude 18.1

    The setting sun illuminated the balcony at the restaurant where they were sitting, casting a rather fetching orange and red pallor on the building, which the current decoration complemented excellently.


    Not that Katie was surprised. Just spending one hour on this balcony cost more than what some families made in a year. And it didn¡¯t even include the price for the food.


    But it was the favorite of her late mother, so she made sure to visit the place at least a few times a year, just to relive some of the happier memories from her childhood.


    Usually, she would come with her brother, but this time Isabella declared that she wanted to discuss something, and if she was forced to spend time with that cow then she was going to do it while sitting on a sinfully comfortable chair, watching the beautiful countryside and munching on delectable food made by professional chefs.


    ¡®Maybe after father calms down I can invite the others¡­¡¯ Katie mused as she cast an annoyed glance at Isabella.


    Said ¡®friend¡¯ was eating the prepared food with great relish while looking just as impeccable as Katie. After all, it wouldn¡¯t do for two daughters of two great families to show something uncouth to the world.


    She took the porcelain teacup in front of her, and raised it gently to her lips, resisted the urge to sip it loudly, and instead did it gently, her lips barely touching the rim of the cup. Then she placed it down with equal gentleness and spoke up.


    Despite the restaurant assuring every one of their guests that their secrecy was well maintained, and the location was swept for bugs and other listening devices regularly, Katie still made sure to choose her words carefully.


    In their life ¨C and the world ¨C there was no such thing as a private moment or full secrecy.


    ¡°Why did you want to talk to me?¡± she asked placidly while trying to make sure that her eyes were conveying the true message.


    Isabella swallowed the last bite of the expertly crafted tea sandwich, made sure to wipe her hand in the available napkin before answering Katie.


    ¡°My family has been rather insistent that I divulge information about the company¡­ I was looking for advice on how to deal with them,¡± she replied with a small but cute frown. Say what you want about the woman, but Katie knew that she could act cute when she wanted.


    She nodded while mentally translating the question.


    Apparently, Isabella¡¯s family has finally realized how much she gained by being kicked out of Eternal Light and wanted in on it, which surprised Katie, as she expected it to take longer. She had met Isabella¡¯s family many a time and their heads were so far up in the clouds that she didn¡¯t expect them to admit they made a mistake.


    ¡°Did you remind them of their actions?¡± she asked with a pointed look.


    Isabella elegantly scoffed, just as they were taught when they were younger.


    ¡°It seems, the family believes that blood is thicker than weeks of insults and disparaging comments¡­¡± came the stone-faced reply, but Katie could read the cold fury in her eyes thanks to experiencing it through their adversarial relationship.


    ¡°And they want you to do what, exactly?¡±


    Her frenemy looked away, taking in the beautiful sights for a few moments before answering.


    ¡°To share the information that I gained. They want to know where to get powerful pets and mounts, how to use mana expertly, and everything I know about the distortions¡­¡±


    Katie had to blink at the audacity.


    ¡°And I assume they would thank you properly later¡­¡± she commented with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Not even that,¡± denied the other girl angrily. ¡°Apparently, it¡¯s my duty to elevate the family above others¡­¡±


    Katie looked back at the other young woman, knowing that she was in the same position she was, and couldn¡¯t help but feel some manner of kinship. Not that it was the first time she felt something like that. After all, it was this feeling that made sure that they spent their school years either fighting against each other or helping the other one annoy their families.


    Still, while she never really knew how to get back at her family, more specifically at her father, meeting with Sam had opened her eyes to a world of possibilities.


    Ever since that fateful time when her boss bade her to confound her own father with seemingly actionable intelligence, she had been inspired.


    Inside her own mind, she wove countless plans in the same vein, trying to see if she could improve on it or maybe even diversify into different plans.


    And now, as she listened to Isabella¡¯s woes, she had to hold back the most wicked cackle that was threatening to come out of her own mouth. While she managed that, the grin that appeared on her face seemed to surprise the other woman.


    Isabella glanced around furtively, then leaned forward with interest shining in her eyes. Katie knew many men would give any of their appendages just to have the same view she had during that action, but she couldn¡¯t have cared less.


    ¡°You have a plan, you crazy gremlin?¡± Isabella asked, scared and excited at the same time.


    ¡°Of course, I have a plan!¡± Katie declared proudly while patting her own, visibly smaller chest. Then she abruptly stood up and grabbed Isabella¡¯s hand. ¡°But not here!¡±


    The employees of the restaurant watched as the two young women, dressed in clothing worth more than their salaries, ran out of the building while giggling to themselves like two teenage girls who just found out that their idol was going to visit their town.


    <hr><hr>


    Clarissa sat in the room and waited for her next client.


    As the Healer Guild building operated as a hospital, they made sure that healers would always have to do a few shifts dealing with the walk-ins. They were mostly NPCs with very common issues like catching a cold, slight fever, not knowing they were pregnant, and so on.


    Occasionally, a player would walk in dealing with some kind of curse or permanent debuff that their healer couldn¡¯t remove. And thanks to her skills, the women at the intake desk sent those hapless fools to her.


    Granted, it increased her reputation with the Healer Guild and provided a lot of experience points, but sometimes it was really hard not to punt those idiots out of the window.


    Like the fool in front of her.


    ¡°¡­and our guild has many great facilities. I¡¯m sure a healer of your caliber would feel right at home,¡± the useless fop declared after Clarissa healed him of some permanent debuff that she knew could be removed with some of the most basic skills.


    So, either their guild was so incompetent that none of their healers knew that skill, or they were just sending people into the Healer Guild to recruit healers while receiving treatment.


    Plus, he was staring at her breasts during the entire conversation.


    Somehow Clarissa didn¡¯t think she would be happy in their dinky little guild.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m already part of a guild, so I have to politely decline your invitation,¡± she stated, stone-faced.


    Instantly, the guy¡¯s face turned red. ¡°You think you can reject us? Huh?¡± he exclaimed while standing and leaning over her. ¡°Do you know who we are?¡±


    ¡®God save me from men with fragile egos¡­¡¯ she complained inwardly while only saying a few words in response.


    ¡°Melody. Snack time.¡±


    For a long moment, there was silence, then the medical examination room was filled with the sound of the most deadly noise imaginable to mankind.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°HONK!¡±


    <hr>


    She was organizing her reports, making note of the name of the player who tried this recruiting shtick after checking his paperwork when the door opened and one of the guild workers stuck her head in.


    ¡°Another one, Clarissa?¡± she asked with an amused air around her.


    The first time she showed up with Melody, that stab-happy swan instantly captured everyone¡¯s heart. Thus when the workers and other healers saw a man being chased by an enraged swan holding a knife in her beak they just cheered the bird on.


    ¡°Yes. Another one of those,¡± she said then turned toward the other healer. ¡°Can¡¯t we exclude them?¡±


    Sadly, the healer just shook her head. ¡°I know how much they annoy you and the others but we swore an oath. Healing everyone, no matter of alignment, race, or background. Just because we suspect they are pretending, we can¡¯t simply refuse to heal them. What if they are actually infected with something deadly?¡±


    Clarissa just sighed. ¡°You are too nice, Healer Nancy.¡±


    The other woman just tittered at her, then smiled gently. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a few minutes to rest, then I¡¯m going to send the next one. All right?¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    <hr>


    She sat, leaning back in her chair, painted white because why not, and stared at her skill list.


    After she had returned from the valley, her life became rather hectic. When she wasn¡¯t at the headquarters helping out Lucy, she was in talks with the other healers about the plants, poisons, and other materials she had found in the valley.


    Donating those samples allowed her to skip an entire level in the reputation system, making her one of the most promising healers currently enrolled, according to one of the Head Healers.


    However, while she freely shared the materials, she kept the new skills she had acquired to herself. Clarissa felt that if she showed those off then she would never be allowed to step outside the building.


    The first one was simple yet effective. Not one that would confine her to the building, maybe even the opposite.


    [Overheal: Level 5/100 (12%) (Passive) Your healing is excellent. Such excellence shouldn¡¯t be wasted. For every 100 health points you overheal, the target gains 1 health point buffer per level. This buffer does not act as a shield but if the target is wounded it will be used to heal. The maximum buffer is 1% per skill level of the target¡¯s maximum health except for yourself where it is 2%.]


    A skill that once again enhanced her healing capabilities, but even if it was powerful, it had nothing on the other two skills she gained.


    [Body Autonomy: Level 3/100 (9%) (Passive) Your body is your own and nobody can tell you otherwise. Spells that would target your body have 0,75% per skill level less effect. You are also immune to possessions.]


    The possession line was interesting, and she did a brief tour of the library to see if there were monsters that did that, but she only found a few scant mentions of ghost-type monsters. Which made her think that she would need to watch out for players trying to possess her¡­


    ¡®How dreadful¡­¡¯ she mused as she read the last spell for the hundredth time.


    [Path of Least Resistance: Level 11/100 (0%) (Passive) Your magic has been learning alongside you. And now it follows the path of least resistance. Every spell affecting the body costs less and is more effective. Spell costs are decreased by 0,1% per skill level and the effectiveness is increased by 3% per skill level.]


    It was simply bonkers, how powerful the skill was. Though based on the gossip she had been overhearing in the guild building, she would need every ounce of that healing power in the future.


    <hr><hr>


    Liz looked over her workbench and clenched her fist in happiness.


    She had finally done it.


    On the table was a small box, maybe a foot in all dimensions, with blue lights running along the faces of the box, all of them terminating a small half-globe in the middle that was radiating the same light.


    Liz has been on and off working on this one device ever since she accepted her contract with the AFK company. It was one of the first things she and Lucy had talked about, but until she gained the Tablet of Light, the entire project was only meandering forward.


    But with the addition of the new element in her arsenal and increased proficiency with said element, as well as a lot of studying, Liz finally managed to finish the first prototype.


    Now the only question was: would it work?


    Several drones buzzed around her as she stared at the box with trepidation, but in the end, she gathered her courage and reached out with one hand, waving her palm over the half-globe.


    ¡°Activate!¡± she called out, a little louder than necessary in her nervousness.


    There was a brief hum as the device turned on, the light intensifying until the small half-globe in the middle was shining strong enough to cause spots to appear in someone¡¯s vision if they stared at it for too long.


    Then there were a few cracks, pops, and electric discharges, but the device flashed exactly three times and a flat blue screen made of blue light appeared in front of Liz.


    The screen was broken up with occasional static and glitches and it never stayed in the exact same place, causing it to look oddly distorted, but even through these things Liz could see the text on the screen.


    NAME:


    PASSWORD:


    With an underscore symbol flashing rhythmically after the first word. Under the two words was the universal symbol for keyboards.


    Carefully, turning her body sideways in case of explosions, she reached forward and touched the symbol with one finger.


    Instantly, the device hummed even stronger and she could smell smoke, but the screen flashed once and another smaller screen appeared at an angle to the first one, offering her the sight of a proper keyboard.


    Grinning triumphantly, she used one finger to enter the required information.


    ¡°What did I set the password as?¡± she mused loudly as she entered the word ¡®drones4ever¡¯ as the name. ¡°Oh right, password. Silly me¡­¡± she chuckled and entered the password before pressing the enter button.


    The device buzzed a little as it processed the operation, but to her relief, the screen flashed once again and the password screen was replaced by a new one.


    There was an adorable minimalistic drawing of one of her drones with glowing eyes and next to it a name.


    LightOS


    It stayed there for around half a minute as even more smoke started appearing from the device. Ignoring it, Liz waited as the loading screen vanished and she was face to face with the ¡®desktop¡¯ of her homebrewed magical operating system.


    Granted, it only consisted of a blank screen with four icons. One to turn the device off, one to lock it once again, one to show the readings of the sensors, and the last one was a rudimentary Pong application.


    She moved her finger over the icon for the sensor and touched it.


    There was a brief pause and a low-frequency whine started coming from the device. Her eyes, however, were only focused on the screen.


    Another flash and the new screen appeared, but before any useful information could appear, she was interrupted by a very familiar sound.


    CRACK


    The half-globe on the top of the device cracked, and the screen vanished within a blink while very foul-smelling blue smoke started emerging from the cracked part.


    Liz stared at it for a second, then clicked her tongue in disappointment.


    ¡°At least it didn¡¯t explode this time¡­¡±


    One of the drones flew closer to her face, and she reached up to pat the adorable creation while it automatically nuzzled into her hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, honey. The next one is going to work! I think I know where I went wrong¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Dan walked back and forth in front of the door, which separated him from the biggest decision that would affect his life.


    Every time he looked at the clock on the wall or the watch on his wrist, it showed a different time, yet for the life of him, he couldn¡¯t tell what the actual time was. Or the date, or his birthplace.


    All he could think was that if he failed, then every second of the work that he did in the last few years would be for naught.


    ¡°Would you stop pacing?¡± Lara asked with a bored voice as she paged through some manner of a magazine. ¡°I read your paper and it is good. Your adviser read it and said it was good. They allowed you to finish the defense, so it was not bad. Don¡¯t worry, you got it.¡±


    Dan just shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t understand! I¡¯m pretty sure that I made a mistake somewhere¡­ I think it was¨C¡°


    Fortunately for Lara, before he could get into his rant, the door opened, choking his words into his throat.


    The man, dressed in a suit sent a commiserating look at Lara and then grinned at Dan while motioning for him to enter.


    ¡°Doctor.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°To Dan!¡±


    ¡°Congratulations!¡±


    Dan watched, still somewhat dazed, as his friends raised their glasses around the table at him. They were in a private room in a restaurant with a name he couldn¡¯t pronounce. He knew it was expensive because Lara refused to let him see the menu.


    Said girlfriend was sitting next to him, one hand holding a glass of beer, the other interwoven with his own arm. And around the table was the rest of the team. Sam with Lucy grinning at him, Tim quietly talking with Claire while Isabella and Katie sniped at each other while sipping wine.


    There were a tremendous number of feelings rushing through his body and he was incapable of articulating what he was actually feeling at the moment.


    Relief and satisfaction that he finally finished his degree and not a small amount of horror knowing that he would be leaving the world of academia and finally stepping fully into the real world.


    ¡°So, Dan¡­ or rather Doctor Dan,¡± Sam spoke up, gathering all the eyes in the private room. ¡°Now that you finished school, what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    Instantly, all the other eyes turned to him, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I have been working on it so long that it feels weird not to do it¡­¡± he admitted.


    ¡°Any offers from companies?¡± Sam asked.


    ¡°Tons¡­ So many¡­¡± he grumbled.


    ¡°Had to have my people check them over. There were so many¡­¡± Lara interjected with a cheeky smile. ¡°Ninety percent turned out to be scams¡­¡±


    ¡°The rest?¡±


    ¡°Not worth the email they were written on¡­¡± His girlfriend stated with a laugh.


    ¡°Bummer¡­¡± Sam answered with a smile on his own.


    Before they could plan to overthrow some country, he interrupted.


    ¡°I was planning to focus on the game for a while. You know, relax and stuff¡­¡± he admitted abashedly.


    Sam just gave him a thumbs-up. While the rest of the group voiced their approval.


    The next hard-hitting came from Lucy.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯re finished with school, where are you going to live?¡±


    Once again Lara spoke up.


    ¡°We¡¯re looking for a nice apartment near you guys!¡± she declared with a smile.


    He turned to her. ¡°We are?¡±


    She just smiled at him. ¡°We are.¡±


    Dan was about to complain when he realized that he hated dealing with that kind of thing and that he would be living together with his gorgeous girlfriend. So, he simply nodded and turned back to Lucy.


    ¡°We¡¯re looking for an apartment near you guys,¡± he repeated what Lara said with a small smile.


    Lucy just chuckled and raised her own glass in salute while the room was filled with laughter.

 Chapter 191 - Interlude 18.2

    The meeting room was dark, both because of the dramatic lighting that the architect insisted to be added and because the person in charge insisted on using the aforementioned function to emphasize the seriousness of the situation.


    On one side of the table sat several people wearing bespoke suits and with severe frowns on their faces, while on the other side sat several people from the Observation Team, wearing mostly hoodies, shirts, and in one case, a rather colorful Hawaiian shirt.


    Despite the ridiculousness of the situation, nobody mentioned the clothing worn by the team. Even if any other time, half the meeting time would be spent commenting on the bespoke suits and why they insisted on wearing them for internal meetings.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡±


    ¡°We found them.¡± Came the report from the Observation Team.


    ¡°Action plan?¡±


    ¡°Observe and see what they do.¡±


    ¡°What about the person who leaked it?¡± asked one of the men wearing a suit.


    ¡°We are feeding them some more information to see how far the issue goes.¡±


    ¡°Anything they can use?¡±


    The egghead shook his head. ¡°No. Nothing actionable, just things we can follow.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    The man at the head of the table also nodded before speaking up.


    ¡°What are our expectations?¡±


    ¡°In what manner, sir?¡± came a hesitant question.


    ¡°Losses man! Losses!¡± exclaimed the man angrily.


    The people from the Observation Team and the suit team exchanged glances, nonverbally trying to select who would report on this issue. Finally, after a few seconds, one of the people on the Observation Team lost the battle ¨C while also winning several favors and a nice bottle of alcohol ¨C and spoke up.


    ¡°In the real world, we expect a few points of drop, but if the projections are correct, then we can gain those points back in short order while also successfully sending the message that management wanted.¡±


    The man listened to the report, nodding occasionally. ¡°And in the game?¡±


    Another glance battle, but the man who did the previous report simply nodded, accepting the responsibility, and continued to speak.


    ¡°Well, sir, we expect complete fucking chaos.¡±


    That took the man back as his eyes flew wide open at the choice of words.


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°Well, sir, you may have not played a lot of games,¡± he continued, after waiting for the man to nod. ¡°But, based on¡­well, empirical data, the players are going to freak out. Like a lot.¡±


    ¡°Can PR help?¡±


    The eggheads exchanged a glance, then the first man continued, not even waiting for the others to make him. ¡°We would need a sacrificial lamb. Whoever goes out on that stage will lose all credibility in the eyes of our players.¡±


    ¡°What about corrective actions in the game?¡±


    This time, the man grimaced. ¡°We¡¯re not sure. Our economists have been hard at work to figure out a proper response, but even with Selena¡¯s help, it¡¯ll be a tough cookie¡­¡±


    The man leaned back in his seat, eyes closed, visibly thinking.


    The rest of the room simply waited for the final word.


    Then, after a few minutes, the man opened his eyes and began speaking.


    ¡°Right! Let¡¯s go with the patsy play for PR and work on the corrective action. However, before we implement it, I want to see the hard numbers.¡± He grinned a little. ¡°After all, a little chaos is healthy for the game¡­¡±


    The man on the other end of the table, nursing an extra strong coffee, let out an exasperated and exhausted sigh.


    ¡®This is why we can¡¯t have nice things¡­¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Well, there is crazy and there is this¡­¡± he commented as he watched the giant screen in the room.


    The rest of the people sitting behind computers, screens, and other devices either nodded or voiced their agreement. He took another sip of his coffee from his mug, made by his daughter, showing a small stick-figure girl riding on a pretty good rendition of Lucky.


    Super adorable¡­


    However, none of that helped with his growing headache.


    He understood that the upper management wanted to generate news about the game, but he and his team worked fucking hard on the game and now they wanted to inject extra chaos just because it would generate more clicks?


    Weren¡¯t they having enough trouble with that fucker running around and doing his fucking things?


    No, of course not. Let¡¯s have them deal with people panicking because of falling gold prices, rioting, and general tomfoolery.


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    ¡°Selena!¡±


    The AI¡¯s digital avatar instantly appeared on a nearby device, looking at him with a sympathetic gaze.


    ¡°Yes, sir? How may I help you today?¡± she asked sweetly.


    ¡®We really lucked out with her¡­¡¯ he mused. Most AIs were rather surly, but Selena was pretty happy-go-lucky if one didn¡¯t count her sass and occasional shenanigans.


    ¡°How is the first item on the priority list going?¡±


    Selena sent him a look, and he heroically ignored the snickering behind his back.


    ¡°Well, sir, Operation Is The Fucker Cheating still hasn¡¯t had any results.¡±


    ¡°Darn¡­ and the rest of the list?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Well, we made sure to move around a few assets as well as adding a few fake gold mines here and there while also starting a few quests. That allowed us to place the perpetrators¡¯ characters in scenes which would lead NPCs to the proper conclusions.¡±


    ¡°And the market?¡±


    ¡°Recovering. Apparently, somebody had released an analysis about the situation and encouraged people to buy cheap and wait for the game to recover¡­¡± she replied with a mischievous smile on her face.


    Hearing that and seeing the look on her face, he couldn¡¯t help but freeze. Mechanically turning his head away, looking at the bigger scene where he watched as one of the members of the team was observing a Bronze-rated player after following up on a report, he waited for a few moments before asking his question.


    ¡°Was it him?¡±


    ¡°Oh wow, sir, you managed to figure it out without any hint!¡± Selena exclaimed while showing the digital avatar clapping her hands together while she grinned at him.


    Once again ignoring how people were exchanging money as somebody with a bookie visor was writing on a whiteboard he didn¡¯t officially know existed, he let out a very long sigh and took another sip.


    Then another, as the first one didn¡¯t help.


    ¡°How¡­much¡­money¡­did¡­the fucker¡­make?¡± he asked while clenching his teeth together.


    Selena just let out a giggle. ¡°None so far. They¡¯re waiting for the price to recover.¡±


    ¡°Do your best to estimate¡­ I know you did the math, you damn AI!¡± he grumbled.


    Selene just giggled again and vanished from the screen only for a simple document replacing her beautiful digital head, showcasing the estimated earnings for the AFK guild and specifically for the fucker.


    She even helpfully labeled the fucker''s column with a hand giving the bird¡­


    He looked at it, then looked away and back again. ¡°Damn¡­ I¡¯m kinda jealous¡­¡±


    Sadly, as he went for another sip, he realized his coffee was gone.


    Placing the mug on the nearest flat surface, he called out to the room.


    ¡°All right people! I want to see how people react to our actions! Get me eyes on the quests Selena mentioned!¡±


    Instantly, the entire room jumped into action. ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°And somebody get me more coffee!¡±


    ¡°Uh, sir, that¡¯s your seventh one today¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care¡­¡±


    Behind him, he once again had to ignore the mutterings.


    ¡°Huh, maybe he¡¯ll reach the legendary ten mugs.¡±


    ¡°Hold me, I¡¯m scared!¡±


    He could feel his left eye twitching.


    ¡°Get back to work!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    For once, he was enjoying himself. They were currently collecting footage for the next marketing project and the people over there had some rather specific requests so the entire team, with the help of Selena, and dozens of algorithms were combing through footage from all over the world of Magic Unknown to satisfy the PR machine.


    While he was doing that, he was stealthily watching footage of Lucky playing around on his third monitor, making sure to cut out the more impressive parts. Then he would sanitize the videos and later show them to his daughter.


    However, his good mood didn¡¯t last long as Selena appeared on the same screen where Lucky was chasing after a rather big stick.


    ¡°Guess what happened?¡± she asked cheerfully.


    He froze upon hearing those words and almost automatically he reached for his trusty mug, only to realize that he was forbidden to touch coffee after his last bender.


    Instead, his hand curled into a fist, his gnawed-on nails digging into his palm.


    ¡°What happened, Selena?¡±


    Instead of answering, the AI just grinned and the sound of fanfare sounded from the speakers in the room, scaring half the room to death. Based on the sounds of crashing, several people actually fell out of their chairs.


    ¡°Somebody started the Portia quests!¡±


    ¡°Oh, no¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes!¡±


    ¡°Please tell me it¡¯s not¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that, sir¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought we arranged enough distractions to make sure he didn¡¯t reach it!¡± he yelled while furiously clicking through his computer files looking for specific ones.


    Selena nodded. ¡°Yes, we did. But get this! He ignored them! Isn¡¯t that amazing?¡±


    He sent his strongest withering glare at the AI and continued to look through the systems connected to the game.


    ¡°Where is he in the quest?¡±


    ¡°At the beginning escort mission!¡±


    ¡°Increase the difficulty! I want that fucker dead!¡±


    Selena sent him a disappointed look. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s against the rules, sir.¡±


    ¡°Then increase the difficulty to insane! I want him to work for it. I¡¯m not handing over the Portia project to that fucker!¡±


    ¡°The best I can do is hard difficulty¡­¡±


    He was about to argue with the AI when he had a genius idea.


    ¡°Wait! What kind of monsters are there?¡±


    ¡°Crazed elementals that were driven mad by the dimensional energies when they were torn away from their home planes.¡±


    ¡°Scrap that!¡±


    ¡°And what should we replace them with?¡± Selna asked curiously.


    He finally gave up on his computer and called out. ¡°Jane!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, boss?¡± came the yell from somewhere within the room.


    ¡°Did you finish that project you were talking about?¡±


    ¡°The new monsters?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, those!¡±


    ¡°Last week!¡± came the glorious answer.


    ¡°Good! Upload it to the main server!¡±


    Finished with his ¡®conversation¡¯ he turned back to Selena and waited until the AI managed to take a look at the files.


    ¡°Well, what do you think?¡±


    The AI just giggled. ¡°Very well, sir. New monster with increased difficulty. However, I must warn you that the increased difficulty means that the rewards are also going to be increased.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­what¡¯s the reward?¡±


    ¡°Well for our person it¡¯s personal tutelage from the NPC if they survive,¡± she explained. ¡°Proper education not just throwing a skill book at him and being done.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bad, right?¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°Statistically speaking it doesn¡¯t matter, sir,¡± came the supremely helpful comment from the AI. ¡°Either he finishes the quest without our interference and starts the Portia project properly or finishes it on hard difficulty and does the same but with more rewards.¡±


    ¡°No chance of the fucker failing?¡± he asked with a glare.


    Sadly, Selena just continued to laugh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but previous data points suggest unless we plan to place unfair and frankly illegal roadblocks in his way, then he will be successful.¡±


    He looked around and leaned closer to the screen. ¡°What if we¡­ don¡¯t tell anyone about those illegal things?¡± he asked in a whisper while sending several winks at the AI.


    As he waited for an answer, he heard a noise behind him. He whirled around his chair and saw Jane standing there with a rolled-up stack of documents. Which she instantly used to whack him in the head.


    "Ouch!"


    ¡°Bad boss. No,¡± she declared. Then she turned to the monitor with a smile. ¡°Was that enough, AI overlady?¡±


    Selena just nodded. ¡°Yes, thank you, Jane.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t try to do illegal things, sir.¡±


    ¡°You never let me have fun¡­¡±


    ¡°I like my job, so I¡¯m just making sure I¡¯ll still have it next week,¡± came the dry reply from the AI.


    ¡°Hehehehe¡­¡± he laughed awkwardly. ¡°But we can still do the new monster thing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did some simulation and the monster would fit right in. Plus, this way we don¡¯t have to torture those poor elementals. They have enough trouble with the summoners using them as explosives¡­¡±


    ¡°Right those people. How is the situation?¡±


    ¡°Well, there is a civil war in Brightgarden,¡± replied Selena.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not good¡­ Show me the situation.¡±


    Soon, he was immersed in the intricacies of elemental summoners versus rangers wars that have been ravaging Brightgarden, the fucker temporarily forgotten.


    However, that didn¡¯t stop people from updating the betting board¡­

 Chapter 192

    The first part of the escort mission was comparatively easy.


    They simply headed forward, going around the great menhirs dotting the platform in this eternal darkness, while cat-like monsters made of shadowy liquid and dust tried to ambush them. Thankfully, the scaredy Fitzgerald had at least that much presence of mind to stay still and not endanger them by acting crazy.


    Though, Sam could have done without the constant screaming.


    ¡°Sir¡­ this is like the fifth one you saw. Is it really necessary to scream?¡± he asked, exasperated after he destroyed the multiplying monster.


    The man at least had the decency to blush. ¡°But, my young friend, is it not thematic, that the dashing hero saves the damsel in distress?¡±


    ¡°You, sir, are not a damsel,¡± Sam stated while he tried to calm down his twitching eyes.


    Fitzgerald just grinned cheekily, then pointed behind Sam. ¡°Another one!¡±


    Sam swirled around and instantly noticed the two monsters stalking forward, maws open and dripping whatever they used for saliva.


    ¡°This conversation is not over!¡± he exclaimed, then he launched himself toward the monsters.


    By the time he was finished, Fitzgerald was done with screaming and was curiously peering at something only he could see.


    Sam patiently waited until the man was finished and looked ready to move on.


    ¡°Ready to continue, sir?¡± he asked, just to make sure he was correct in reading the man.


    Fitzgerald sent him a searching look, then nodded with a knowing smile.


    ¡°Indeed, I¡¯m ready, young man. Please, take care of me,¡± he declared, followed by a shallow bow.


    Sam returned the bow, then he was surprised by a notification screen.


    ¡®Finally!¡¯


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Ride forward to be not killed in nasty ways!]


    [Due to the enthusiasm of one Lauren Fitzgerald, you were dragged into a very dangerous experiment. You are beset on all sides by unknown enemies and your goal is to make sure that you and your charge survive the ordeal. We apologize for the screaming!]


    [Time Limit: None]


    [Penalty: ???]


    [Reward: ???]


    A very vague quest, but he was at last not flying blind.


    Nodding back to the other man, he turned toward the only way they could go and started walking, sword held in a guard position and mana brimming around him, ready to react to the ambushes.


    <hr>


    Worryingly, for the next while, they were only met by the smaller variants, which split into two before being destroyed. Sam was worried that after every corner, there would be a bigger one, able to split more times.


    As they were walking on a part of the platform that looked exactly like every other part of the platform, with giant menhirs and dust everywhere, when Fitzgerald stopped him.


    ¡°Wait, young man.¡±


    Sam immediately stopped and brought up at least two layers of shield, his head turning every which way, trying to spot the enemy.


    Then the other man placed a hand on his shoulder and pointed at a spot in the air, barely being able to be seen from their location behind one of the enormous menhir.


    ¡°Focus on the air¡­¡± came the cryptic instruction.


    Sam narrowed his eyes and focused his mana senses on the indicated spot. Instantly, he felt it. The mana at the location was basically undulating as if something was trying to get through the layer of reality that was separating Sam and his charge from the all-consuming darkness.


    Then there was a hairline fracture, which rapidly widened into an invisible gap in reality as Sam watched through his mana as a few drops of very familiar liquid were squeezed through the hole before the gap was healed by seemingly nothing.


    The liquid fell on the ground and then began to grow and grow until there were three puddles on the ground. Then finally, the puddles began to move, picking up dust as they transformed into the shape of a cat.


    ¡°Fascinating, isn¡¯t it?¡± Fitzgerald stated with awe in his voice. ¡°The very essence of the dimensional gap, leaking into this dimensional pocket, given shape by the will of the world.¡±


    ¡°Then why do they attack us immediately?¡± Sam asked as he directed the customary wind blades at the angry monsters as soon as they spotted the duo, cleaving them into pieces.


    To Sam¡¯s consternation, Fitzgerald just shrugged. ¡°Maybe the world doesn¡¯t like you?¡±


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    ¡°Me? It was you who opened the portal!¡±


    ¡°Yes, but well, I may not be a fighter of your caliber, young man, but even my eyes can see that they always go for you¡­¡±


    Sam had nothing to say against that.


    ¡®Maybe the system is making sure that I have an easier time protecting the NPC?¡¯ he mused as they continued their journey.


    Which didn¡¯t last long, as soon they were beset with even more monsters. However, this time there was an even bigger cat-like monster.


    ¡°MEOOOWR!¡± it roared at them as Sam tried to guess how many times it would divide based on its size.


    The previous monsters were maybe twice as big as a normal house cat, but this one was maybe twice as big as the big cats on Earth. It looked like a very beefy and insanely angry panther. Next to it were a few more of the smaller monsters, ready to tear Sam¡¯s throat out.


    This time he sent forth a veritable storm of blades, dicing the smaller monsters into chunks. Sadly, the spell only scratched the bigger monster as it launched itself forward.


    However, before it could reach Sam and Fitzgerald hiding behind Sam, Lucky launched himself out of a conveniently placed shadow and slammed into the monster¡¯s body, sending it skidding on the ground, almost off the platform.


    Then Lucky stood before the duo, growling menacingly at the cat-like monster.


    Sam relaxed minutely and called out to his loyal companion. ¡°Watch out for the claws, Lucky!¡±


    Monster and familiar looked at each other, then began to walk in a circle, each of them emitting a low-level growl.


    Then, as Sam was about to issue a command to his loyal wolf, Lucky, and the monster jumped forward, forelegs outstretched and claws visibly glowing with magic.


    Sam barely blinked and the action was over.


    Lucky was standing on the ground and the monster was in two halves falling to the ground. Thankfully, Lucky saw what happened when Sam did the same so he didn''t let his vigilance down.


    In short order, the two halves of the monster began to bubble forming two marginally smaller monsters. Though one of them was rather deformed with three eyes and a tail growing out from the middle of its back.


    ¡°Again, Lucky!¡± He called out, which was acknowledged by a quiet huff as the wolf eyed the approaching enemy.


    ¡°Yeah! Go vicious wolf!¡± cheered Fitzgerald while looking at the fight with stars in his eyes.


    Sam could only roll his eyes. ¡°Take the left one, I''ll deal with the right one!¡±


    ¡°Wuff!¡±


    And then there was carnage¡­


    In the end, the bigger monster divided twice more, creating eight house cat-sized monsters which were easily dispatched by Sam''s magic.


    <hr>


    Their journey seemed to stretch endlessly as they once again reached the end of the pocket dimension where Fitzgerald performed his magic and in short order, they emerged into a new realm.


    Fortunately, in this new dimension ¨C still grey, dusty, and covered in giant rocks ¨C something changed. Barely visible from the spot where they emerged, this time Sam going first and catching the runemaster before he could faceplant, was an elevated spot.


    It was circular and in the middle was a giant crystal slowly pulsing with unearthly blue light.


    Naturally, when Fitzgerald saw it, he lost all rationality and started running toward it.


    Sam let out a few quiet curses but he had no choice but to charge after the mad scientists.


    ¡°Lucky, scout!¡± he called out on the way as he took in the sights of this dreary dimension he realized very quickly what was going to happen.


    He followed the other man as he climbed up to the elevated ground and approached the crystal while Lucky vanished into the shadows.


    For a minute he watched as Fitzgerald pranced around the crystal while he kept his senses out for the monsters. Thankfully, Lucky made sure to clean up the smaller ones skulking around.


    ¡°What is that, sir?¡± He asked while making sure to keep a healthy distance between it and himself. He was in no mood to figure out how to cure fantasy cancer just because he stood too close to a shiny crystal.


    Fitzgerald very much didn''t share his unspoken concerns as he was all over the crystal, running his hand over it and Sam even saw the man sticking his tongue out as if contemplating licking it before shaking his head.


    ¡°This, my young friend, is something very amazing! A shard of material soaked with dimensional magic.¡±


    ¡°A way out?¡± He asked in turn.


    Fitzgerald raised a hand and began casting, once again summoning myriad runes that appeared and vanished extremely fast.


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± he finally declared. ¡°It appears to be the thing that is anchoring this entire pocket dimension here. My device seemingly targeted its frequency when opening the fracture portal.¡±


    ¡°So, don''t destroy it?¡± Sam asked.


    ¡°No, I don''t think we would enjoy that experience,¡± the other man replied with a chuckle. ¡°However, it does provide us with an excellent chance to escape this rather welcoming locale¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, the act of doing that would attract all the monsters nearby¡­¡± spoke Sam with a weary voice.


    Fitzgerald said nothing just slightly turned toward him and touched his nose while grinning.


    Letting out another sigh, Sam turned around. ¡° Give me a few minutes to prepare¡­¡±


    ¡°I need five minutes to start the spell!¡±


    <hr>


    His first action was to use earth magic to raise a rampart around the area of the crystal was while scattering all of his remaining runic plates. When he had thrown out the first one, the master of runes made a noise but Sam was too occupied to deal with that.


    Unfortunately, five minutes flew by rather fast and as Sam was strengthening one side while giving orders to Lucky at the same time, Fitzgerald called out.


    ¡°Prepare yourself!¡±


    A moment later Sam felt an enormous pulse of mana causing him to turn back to the crystal, just in time to see the light within the crystal explode, flooding the area with sickly blue illumination while blinding him for a second.


    As he blinked out the spots from his eyes and grumbled about lack of warnings the light from the crystal shot up in a column of light piercing the ¡®ceiling¡¯ of the area.


    There was no noise, no sound, yet Sam could have sworn that he actually heard the barrier between the dimension and whatever was on the other side crack.


    Instantly, very familiar mana began to trickle and then flow toward their location. Instead of drops of foul liquid, there were veritably fountains all around the area expelling a large amount of the shadowy liquid which immediately began spawning monsters.


    Once again proving that the universe was out to get him, or at least the game system, some of the monsters came with wings. Some were very stubby and malformed, clearly impossible to use for flying but a decent percentage of the monster horde had proper wings.


    Grumbling once again he closed his eyes and spent a few moments just centering himself, then as he sensed the approach of the first wave his eyes snapped open and he launched a bubble of wind encapsulating the crystal, the concentrating Fitzgerald, and the created ramparts.


    It was basically a globe of storm, hopefully enough to at least slow down the flying monsters.


    Lucky¡¯s job was to watch out for sneaky monsters that could avoid Sam¡¯s senses as well as to occasionally take out some of the bigger monsters.


    He watched as the first flying monster reached the barrier, only to splatter into countless drops of the same liquid it was made out of.


    Sadly, those same drops fell on the ground inside the barrier and instantly began to wiggle toward each other, intent on forming a new monster.


    Then the rest of the monsters arrived and Sam¡¯s world became a whirlwind of action. Drenched in monster ¡®blood¡¯ he simply destroyed everything that came before him. Both wind and shadow mana sang in a glorious duet as Sam wielded both elements to communicate his wrath to the enemy.


    For every enemy he had slain two others took their places. And when those were slain? Two more formed from their remains. They were not strong but they were many¡­


    Sam relished in the feeling. He didn''t have to aim or think about weak points, he just had to let go and watch as magic happened¡­

 Chapter 193

    Carnage.


    That was the only word Sam could use to describe the situation he found himself in. Endless waves of mysterious monsters, dripping black ichor while their roars echoed around in the empty dimensions.


    Most of the smaller monsters that recklessly threw themselves at the wind barrier Sam erected were minced instantly into unidentifiable chunks that by now almost coated the entire platform with small parts of it slipping through the dense blades making up the barrier and falling on the ground or sometimes splattering either Sam or Lauren.


    Thankfully, his Clean spell was strong enough to remove the filth from him, because he just knew that the liquid would somehow cause some kind of debilitating condition if left alone long enough. Thus, he made sure to shoot a few Clean spells at the other man, just in case.


    The smaller monsters were ground into dust by the barrier, but the bigger ones needed his own intervention. He flew around the platform, sword in hand, falling on the bigger monsters, cutting them into pieces only to watch the pieces gather and form new monsters.


    And as the fight went on, the shape of the monsters slowly began to change.


    They started out as cat-like, with the usual four appendages: tail, head, eyes, and teeth, but as time went on, they slowly morphed. Some lost half the appendages, turning more into a naga-like form, though with fur instead of scales, while some gained even more legs, becoming weird and very creepy centipedes covered in fur.


    Then there were the giant ones, covered in segmented armor, made from the same liquid, yet having the property of proper armor plates, making Sam work to get through them.


    Following them were the gorilla-sized and shaped monsters, with lions, rhinos, and other animals being imitated by others. The flying ones ranged from cat-shaped monsters with wings, to pelicans the size of small airplanes carrying smaller pelicans in their beaks dive-bombing the barrier.


    ¡®Fucking bizarre¡­¡¯


    The worst was that Sam had absolutely no idea what the monsters were. He didn¡¯t read about anything like that in the library at Nowhere, nor did the other Sam see them during their life.


    ¡®It¡¯s as if the system had figured out what I know and now it is setting me up against new monsters to give me a handicap¡­¡¯ he mused as he danced between two gorilla-shaped monsters as they used their gigantic arms to slam down on Sam, intent on squashing him. ¡®Or maybe nobody managed to reach this quest and thus the monsters were never revealed?¡¯ He shook his head as he raised his empty hand to conjure a shield to block a glob of black liquid that one naga-like monster spat at him. It hit the shield and sizzled against it, much like acid would, but the shield held. ¡®No, that¡¯s not it. The gates were set up and used by everybody, so the quest was completed¡­¡¯ He lashed out with his sword, obliterating the monster and several behind it. His clones refreshed the moment the cooldown was over and were running around distracting them with Lucky jumping in and out of shadows.


    As he tried to work through the conundrum, he noticed that the attack of the mysterious monsters abated for a moment. He hit himself with another Clean spell and turned back to the master of runes who was still visibly straining with his magic around the crystal in the middle of the platform. The blue light radiating from the crystal was picking up speed and the runes appearing and disappearing around them were also visibly bigger and denser to Sam¡¯s senses.


    ¡°How much longer, sir?¡± he asked, despite knowing that if things followed the usual gaming conventions, then there would be at least two or three more waves. But he wanted to build his rapport with the man, so he would ask these useless questions.


    Apparently, he didn¡¯t manage to mask his true feelings as Fitzgerald sent him an amused look before answering.


    ¡°I¡¯m around twenty-five percent.¡±


    ¡°Three more waves then?¡±


    The man shook his head. ¡°No. It isn¡¯t linear. Currently, I¡¯m laying down the foundation, so naturally, it went slower. But now that I did that, the spell will go faster.¡±


    ¡°Ahh! So how many waves should I expect?¡±


    Still casting the magic, showcasing his incredible talent and ability, the man turned to him with a smirk. ¡°Maybe two¡­ One like the first one, and a big one as a finisher.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think that, sir?¡± Sam asked curiously. He knew to expect the last wave to be bigger ¨C probably with a boss monster ¨C but that was because of his experience with playing games.


    ¡°Come now, young man¡­¡± Fitzgerald spoke in an admonishing tone. ¡°I¡¯m not blind nor clueless. Whatever intelligence is behind those creatures obviously doesn¡¯t want us to activate the crystal. But at the same time, something is preventing them from entering the dimension we¡¯re currently in. I don¡¯t know if it is some kind of dimensional law or maybe they don¡¯t wish to pay the entry price¡­ However, I expect that the closer we get to finishing this spell, the more desperate they will become.¡±


    ¡°Maybe even desperate enough to pay the price of entry,¡± Sam finished the thought.


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    Fitzgerald just smiled. ¡°Indeed, my young friend. Indeed¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe they also want to escape?¡± Sam voiced his latest thought.


    The grin on the other man¡¯s face vanished, to be replaced with a deathly pallor and a frown.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­very probable¡­¡± he finally said after a few moments.


    Sam just reached forward and patted the man on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sir. Lucky and I will deal with it!¡±


    ¡°ARF!¡± came from Lucky, who was currently peeing on one of the giant menhirs.


    A shaky smile returned to Fitzgerald¡¯s face, and he opened his mouth to presumably respond, but instead, his mouth snapped close and he whirled back to the crystal as the eerie blue light radiating from it began to intensify.


    ¡°Round two, my friend! Be ready!¡±


    Sam nodded at the man, raised his sword, and turned his back, ready to welcome the next wave of monsters.


    <hr>


    Thankfully, the second wave was almost the same as the first one, only with more monsters. And bigger monsters. However, functionally they were the same, so Lucky, Sam, and his barrier made short work of them.


    Sam mainly used the event to practice large-area effect spells to kill as many monsters as possible. He conjured twisters made of deadly blades, rained down spears made from both wind and shadows and used the force generated by the big gust of wind to smash the monsters into puddles. He created constructs from wind mana, creating blenders around him, chains from shadows to slow down the approaching horde, and spammed his clone skill as much as possible. He wanted to make sure that the AI responsible for the clones would learn as much as possible.


    He could already see the clones doing evasive actions, dodging and leaning out of the way of swipes coming from giant monsters as they tried to devour them.


    ¡®Hopefully, when the skill upgrades, they¡¯ll be able to cast spells¡­¡¯ he mused as he swung his sword, sending forth countless wind, shadow, and illusionary blades at a swarm of monsters with the bodies of crickets and the heads of cats. Covered in scales.


    Truly bizarre¡­


    He had great hopes for that clone skill. The person who popularized the skill in the other Sam¡¯s life mostly used close combat rogue and assassin skills, so the clones did the same. Sam really wanted to see what would happen if a mage like him evolved the skill¡­


    Suddenly, he thought of something and grinned evilly.


    First, he cast a giant storm in front of him, granted him a few seconds of peace, and then he began to concentrate. He first summoned as much wind mana as he could and formed it into a tightly locked ball until it took almost half of his concentration to keep it contained. Then he summoned one of his shadow clones and layered it over the ball of pressurized wind mana.


    It took some effort and a lot of mana, but eventually, the two spells merged.


    Sam grinned, dismissed the storm in front of him, and sent the clone forward.


    Naturally, all the monsters savaged by the storm instantly rushed forward, probably thinking he got tired. They spotted the clone and their limited intelligence wasn¡¯t enough to spot the trap. They pounced with deadly accuracy and intent, crushing the construct and breaking the containment of the over-pressurized wind mana.


    BAMMM


    Sam let the echoes of the explosion wash over him, idly casting a small shield above his head as the monsters began to rain down on him and grinned.


    ¡°Now we are cooking!¡±


    Sadly, the raining monsters then gathered into pools, and soon more monsters, albeit smaller ones began to emerge.


    Sam didn¡¯t mind, as he had a new toy to play with.


    Soon the platform was awash in the sound of explosions as he continued to experiment.


    <hr>


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan after we escape, sir?¡± Sam asked after the second wave died down and he cleaned himself, Lucky, and a thankful Fitzgerald.


    The man hummed thoughtfully as he twisted his hands this and that way, summoning even more runes, and peered at something that only he could see.


    ¡°Naturally, I¡¯m going to continue my experiments,¡± came the matter-of-fact answer.


    ¡°What for?¡± Sam asked, even though he already knew what the result would be. But for the sake of chain quests, he had to do it.


    ¡°To connect the world, my young friend¡­¡± came a rather subdued answer from the man. ¡°It has always been my dream to make sure that everybody could stay connected.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, like the giant gates in the capitals?¡±


    Lauren nodded. ¡°Yes, but smaller and more affordable. I studied those gates, even helped to maintain them when I was a young man,¡± he explained. ¡°But they work on a different principle than my creation. For a long while, it was just a theoretical experiment that I played around with when I had some free time, but thanks to the Fracture, my research received a rather large boost. I¡¯ll probably have to bring in some other people once we¡¯re out of here, but with the information I gathered here, I feel very optimistic about my goals¡­¡±


    ¡°Could I help?¡± Sam asked, hoping to initiate the next quest, or at least lay the groundwork for it. However, his hopes were crushed by a rather condescending snort.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the knowledge to even understand the underlying principles of my devices¡­¡± came from the man, his eyes never leaving the slowly pulsating crystal, the light so strong that his face looked completely blue. ¡°But maybe I could give you a few lessons after we¡¯re done here and see where life takes us¡­ What do you think?¡±


    Sam grinned. ¡°That sounds excellent! I have so many questions¡­¡±


    Fitzgerald returned the grin. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see your enthusiasm, but sadly, we should focus our attention on other matters¡­¡±


    ¡°The last wave?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, young man. And I feel it¡¯s going to be a big one!¡± he warned Sam with a challenging look.


    Sam just smirked. ¡°Leave it to me, sir!¡±


    ¡°Good! I¡¯m looking forward to it!¡±


    <hr>


    The last wave didn¡¯t have many monsters.


    Sam saw a few droplets appearing and slowly forming into monsters, but most of his attention was on a giant, disgusting pustule of the mysterious liquid that seemed to extruding from the black void surrounding the gray platforms.


    Just to be sure, he fired a few spells at it, trying to get in a little damage before the main event, but the magic slid off the thing without having any effect.


    ¡®It seems I can¡¯t cheese the fight¡­¡¯ he mused as he prepared himself.


    Lucky was stalking around, ready to assist, and he was preparing his clones filled with pressurized wind mana compressed to the smallest possible size.


    They didn¡¯t have to wait too long as the extrusion into the dimension popped like some kind of zit ¨C causing a shudder to run through Sam¡¯s spine ¨C and a giant draconic head appeared.


    Sam¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he saw the head but then the rest of the body emerged revealing a serpentine form, showing that it was just an extremely big snake with patches of fur, made of solidified black gunk, and eyes shining white, radiating fury and greed.


    Focused on Sam and Fitzgerald, but most importantly on the crystal in the middle of the platform.


    Sam gripped his sword and grinned.


    "Oh, this is going to be good!"

 Chapter 194

    Sam watched as the monstrous snake emerged from the disgusting pustule that appeared on the wall of nothingness.


    The snake was suspended in the air as the rest of it entered the space, showcasing its over a hundred feet in length as it coiled around itself, its eyes never leaving Sam, Fitzgerald, and the crystal. Then, like a spring, the gigantic snake launched itself in their direction.


    Its mouth opened and a torrent of the familiar black liquid spewed forth as the enormous snake flew toward them. However, instead of behaving like a liquid, the torrent separated into thin lines that solidified into spears.


    Sam jumped back, and instead of casting the same globe of storm that he used to protect himself and the other man, he created a much smaller, yet denser shield, not just from the wind but also enhancing it with shadow mana.


    He watched, his hands tightening around the grip of his sword, as the spears of solidified gunk slammed into the platform, pulverizing most of the giant rocks that hadn¡¯t been destroyed by his own skill with a few striking his shield.


    He had to reinforce it a few times, but thankfully it held out under the barrage.


    Summoning a small gust of wind, he cleared out the kicked-up dust and debris only to come face to face with the snake hovering on their level, their mouth wide open and no doubt ready to spew forth another barrage of spears.


    Sam stepped forward and stomped with his right foot, channeling his mana through the ground right where the snake¡¯s head was hovering over the ground, using some extra mana to speed up the process.


    As the black material began to gather in the snake¡¯s open mouth, a giant wall made of earth shot up, slamming the bottom jaw of the snake into the upper one.


    He had to bite back a chuckle as he saw some of the black liquid come out on the side of the mouth of the snake.


    The monster did not like that.


    At all.


    The snake¡¯s tail lashed out, crushing the wall, but by then Sam was in motion. He ran forward, preparing a spell in his hand and raising his sword to strike at the monster.


    ¡°Lucky! Get the tail!¡± he yelled out and hoped the loyal wolf would know what to do.


    ¡®Sometimes I really hate that the game keeps throwing group fights at me when I¡¯m alone¡­¡¯ he grumbled while practically flying toward the monster.


    The snake saw this and instead of releasing a torrent of black liquid, it opened its mouth, showcasing rows and rows of shark-like teeth and two massive fangs coming from the upper jaw, dripping with some white liquid. It roared, surprisingly silently, and launched itself forward, no doubt intent on swallowing Sam in one bite.


    Raising one hand, he let loose a cascade of wind spears of his own, but they simply splashed against the scales of the monster, barely doing any damage.


    As they neared each other, he could see the cruel delight in those white eyes as the monster was getting ready to chomp down on him.


    Fortunately for Sam and unfortunately for the snake, Lucky chose this exact moment to jump out of the snake¡¯s own shadow and grab the tail with his own strong jaw, then fall on the ground and dig into it, causing the monster to jerk for a moment as its momentum was interrupted.


    And while Lucky wasn¡¯t heavy enough to really stop the gigantic monster, his strength was enough to distract it for a second.


    Plus, watching its eye bulge out in surprise was going into Sam¡¯s funny moments folder¡­


    Sam continued his own movement and used the slight distraction to enter the monster¡¯s personal space and slash his sword at the neck of the snake, enhanced with as much cutting wind magic as possible.


    To his relief, the magic was enough to create a rather sizeable wound on the monster that instantly began to gush the same black liquid he had become rather familiar with during his journey through this forsaken dimension.


    Then a lot of things happened in short order.


    The monster let out a real roar, though Sam couldn¡¯t say if it was from pain or humiliation, then simply began thrashing. Sam saw Lucky being sent flying by the tail for a second before the body of the enormous snake monster crashed into him and also sent him flying.


    Not wanting to experience what would happen if he fell off the edge of the platform, he flipped around in the air ¨C aided by his own wind magic ¨C and slammed his sword into the ground breaking his flight. He landed in a rather undignified heap, but at least he wasn¡¯t heading toward the abyss anymore.


    Picking himself up, he had enough time to orient himself before the monster was on him again. Apparently, it had totally forgotten the existence of Fitzgerald and the crystal.


    Its eyes told Sam that the monster wouldn¡¯t rest until he was dead¡­


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    ¡®Well¡­ Taunt successful, I suppose?¡¯ he mused as he jumped high in the air and created a dozen clones, ready to distract the monster, each filled with enough wind mana to erase a shoddily built shed.


    With speed belying its size, the monster¡¯s draconian head snapped toward the nearest clone and swallowed it in short order. Smirking, Sam instantly detonated it, causing the monster¡¯s cheeks to bulge out slightly.


    Sadly, the only result of it was that the monster became even more enraged.


    Reaching the apex of his jump, looking down on the monster as it disregarded all the clones while flying upwards and jaws open, Sam only smiled.


    ¡°How about this one?¡± he asked out loud as he readied the next spell.


    <hr>


    THUD


    The snake fell to the ground, throwing up a rather sizeable cloud of dust and debris as Sam watched as life ¨C or whatever else kept the thing alive ¨C leaked from its eyes, the shine vanishing, leaving behind dull gray orbs still focused on where Sam stood.


    The monster¡¯s body was littered with innumerable gashes and cuts while one of his boots was missing as he had mistakenly stepped into a pool of liquid that turned out to be rather acidic, his trousers and shirt were torn to shreds while he was also bleeding from several wounds all over his body.


    His Mana Shield was almost gone, and Sam was pretty sure that he only survived thanks to his prodigious mana regeneration and control skills.


    Lucky was limping behind him, his glorious fur matted, covered in dust, and worst of all, missing in several places. The loyal wolf was breathing laboriously as Sam had relied heavily on him for distractions and ambushes during the battle.


    Despite the clearly dead monster, Sam didn¡¯t relax.


    He stood ready ¨C with his sword raised ¨C waiting for anything to happen.


    However, the expected multiplication didn¡¯t come. The monstrous snake started to release black smoke and liquified before his eyes, leaving behind a few giant scales and ground soaked with disgusting black liquid.


    Surprised, Sam absently walked toward the items and picked them up. It turned out that two of the scales were bracers while the rest were actual scales from the snake¡¯s body. Pocketing them he turned back to Lucky.


    ¡°Oh, you poor wolf¡­¡± he cried out softly, as he got down on his knees and began to run his hand through the ravaged fur and hit Lucky with Clean spells while his loyal companion just whined.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope Ironwood has a wolf grooming shop¡­¡± he mumbled as he examined the spots where the fur was missing. Sam gave a few more pats and hugs to the wolf, then he spoke up. ¡°Go, rest in my shadow!¡±


    Lucky stepped forward, licked his face, leaving behind saliva, and then simply fell forward directly in his shadow. A few seconds later, Sam could hear snoring from a distance.


    Snorting, he stood up from where he was kneeling and turned toward the main attraction in this empty dimension. He would have plenty of time to study his fight thanks to the recordings he made.


    Plus, because it was a new type of monster, he wanted to put together some kind of informational pamphlet he could distribute to his friends and the guild.


    He limped over to Fitzgerald, who gave him a silent nod but kept his focus on the crystal as the pulses came fast enough that Sam was afraid it would cause some kind of epileptic attack even though he wasn¡¯t suffering from epilepsy.


    ¡°How much more, sir?¡±


    ¡°Not long¡­¡± the other man grunted. ¡°Monsters?¡±


    ¡°Dead.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Suspecting he wouldn¡¯t get more out of the runemaster, he turned around and began to focus on his own mana, trying to regenerate it as fast as possible in case something else showed up.


    For a few minutes, he listened as the other man moved around behind him, doing some mysterious things to the crystal while he surveyed the devastated platform.


    Then there was a cry of celebration behind him, however, before he could turn around it was followed by an explosion of blue light washing over the entire dimension.


    He watched ¨C while blinking out the spots from his eyes ¨C as the blue light collided with the boundaries of the dimension and began to spread over it like some kind of net.


    Absently, he noticed as Fitzgerald stepped next to him, but he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the net of blue light as it began to cover the entire ¡®sky¡¯. Its purpose was made clear within seconds as Sam saw the boundary of the dimension bulge, not unlike when the monstrous snake emerged, but this time, the bulge was caught by the net, preventing whatever was on the other side from entering.


    ¡°It seems I still got it!¡± Fitzgerald stated cheerfully, as they surveyed his apparent creations.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the crystal?¡± Sam asked.


    Laurent shook his head. ¡°No, my young friend. While it stabilized the dimension, I had to channel those magics to achieve this result.¡±


    ¡°Any way I could learn it?¡± he asked hopefully. He could see so many potential uses for this.


    Fitzgerald sent him a knowing look. ¡°Want to prevent your enemies from teleporting away, huh?¡±


    Sam just nodded with a small smile.


    Fitzgerald chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can figure something out¡­ after we leave this dreadful place¡­¡±


    Before Sam could ask how, the man turned back to the crystal, placed a hand on it, and channeled a rather sizeable amount of mana according to Sam¡¯s senses.


    Instantly, a portal appeared in front of them. It looked much more stable than the shoddily made one in Fitzgerald¡¯s workshop.


    ¡°Come, we have a lot to do!¡± the man declared over his shoulder as he stepped confidently toward the clear blue portal.


    Sam shrugged and followed the man through it.


    One slight disorientation later, they were standing back in the workshop, exactly where they entered the original portal. Sadly, the contraption that created said portal was currently on the floor melted into a pile of slag.


    Which, unsurprisingly, didn¡¯t cause much distress for the eccentric man.


    ¡°Ahh, I see my safety modifications worked as intended!¡± he cheered as he bent down to examine the still-steaming slag.


    Meanwhile, Sam was just reading a short notification that popped up.


    [You completed the quest: Ride forward to be not killed in nasty ways!]


    [You survived. Yay.]


    [Reward: Survival and recognition of a Runemaster]


    Sam had to bite back a snort as he read the notification. Apparently, the game was extra sassy today. Closing the screen, he was about to ask for a few lessons from the man when he heard a rather insistent knock.


    Fitzgerald absently waved his hand, indicating that Sam should answer the door while still pocking the melted contraption.


    Sam walked up to the door and opened it.


    On the other side stood two men, stone-faced, wearing black garments that were half robes and half suits. Sam suspected if they existed, they would have been wearing sunglasses too.


    ¡°Can I help you, gentlemen?¡± he asked, making sure he was ready to act if they turned out to be enemies.


    ¡°Yes,¡± came the clipped response from the one on the left.


    The right said nothing just simply flashed a very familiar badge.


    Sam took a second to verify it, then smiled thinly and waved the two medieval spooks into the house.


    After all, there was nowhere he could run from them¡­

 Chapter 195

    Sam watched as the two medieval suits walked into the house, then closed the door behind them. He then walked back to the workroom to see what the secretive agents wanted to talk about with the eccentric runemaster.


    However, to his consternation by the time he finished the short walk, there was already a glowing band of runes revolving around the trio.


    He heard nothing and could only stare as the older man energetically gestured toward the pile of cooled goop on the ground while occasionally pointing a finger at Sam. Meanwhile, the agents just stood there stoically, occasionally one of them ¨C never both ¨C nodded at what Fitzgerald just said but otherwise barely moved.


    Sam leaned against the wall and at the lack of anything to do, as he wasn¡¯t about to leave without getting at least a damned skill book for his efforts, simply stared at the scene and tried to lip-read Fitzgerald.


    Sadly, the man spoke too fast and Sam didn¡¯t know how to lip-read.


    After almost an hour of total silence, the band of runes vanished in a sprinkle of sparkles and the sound of Fitzgerald returned to the house, filling it with his chatter.


    ¡°¡­and once again, please, tell him thank you,¡± the man finished his probably heartfelt speech ¨C based on the body and hand movements and the single tear that escaped one of his eyes ¨C and held out his hand to the nearest suit.


    The medieval secret agent stared back for a long moment, then reached out and shook the offered hand a few times.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be in touch,¡± spoke the other one with a deep voice before nodding his head in respect.


    Fitzgerald fidgeted somewhat and then inclined his head toward Sam. ¡°What about him?¡±


    The agent glanced at Sam, then back at Fitzgerald. ¡°Oh, he is with us.¡±


    Fitzgerald¡¯s eyes widened to the size of an egg, and he began to splutter. ¡°Bu-bu-but then why did I spend the last twenty minutes begging for his life?¡±


    The other suit just shrugged. ¡°Because it was funny¡­¡±


    Before either Sam or the flabbergasted runemaster could respond, the two agents simply walked out of the house, leaving the two men staring at each other.


    ¡°You thought they were going to kill me?¡±


    ¡°You were with them the whole time?¡±


    They yelled at the same time, with Fitzgerald dramatically pointing at Sam.


    Sam just shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can tell anyone¡­¡±


    Fitzgerald raised a finger and opened his mouth, probably to argue, then lowered the hand and closed his mouth with a wilted nod. ¡°That makes sense¡­ but still¡­so much time spent in acting classes¡­¡±


    Sam looked away, as he couldn¡¯t exactly look at the man and feign sympathy. ¡®Maybe he should ask for his money back for those classes¡­¡¯ he mused as he clamped down on his facial muscles, preventing them from forming a smile.


    Finally, after wrestling with his own body he succeeded and turned back, stone-faced. ¡°What was that about, anyway?¡± he asked Fitzgerald, who was squatting on the ground and gloomily poking the melted machine.


    The other man just shrugged. ¡°They have known for a while that I was working on this. Sensed the emissions from when we entered the portal.¡±


    ¡°They want to develop it?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, they do.¡±


    There was a beat of silence.


    ¡°Can I help?¡±


    The other man looked at Sam and waved his hand in a non-committal manner. ¡°We shall see¡­ First, help me clean up this¡­thing.¡±


    Sam raised his hand and began casting Clean everywhere.


    <hr>


    After cleaning the workshop and sweeping up the remains, they moved to one of the free desks with a lot of empty papers and a few loose tools of the trade.


    Fitzgerald leaned forward, resting his palms on the desks, and looked into Sam¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve watched you during our adventure and while I understand that your control over mana may one day surpass my own, it didn¡¯t tell me much about your knowledge of runes. Thus, I have a few questions¡­¡±


    Sam looked back radiating confidence. He had studied a lot despite this being a game. Several nights were spent poring over rune formations and circles, trying to tease out the best possible solution. Or just going on walks to the nearest park to touch grass and to simply memorize runes and their meanings.


    Hopefully, it would come in handy¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m ready, sir!¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± nodded the other man. ¡°First question then: What is a heart rune and why do we need it?¡±


    What followed was several hours of questions and demonstrations that around the end turned into Fitzgerald explaining a few things that Sam wasn¡¯t certain about.


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    Sam simultaneously felt elated at the knowledge of his teacher and dead tired because he kept having to answer harder and harder questions. Plus, the knowledge that he was doing it without any ¡®supernatural¡¯ help made him feel rather proud.


    Yeah, it was nice dunking all the world with the knowledge that he somehow gained from his alternate self but accomplishing things with his own talent felt even better. Even if it was just for a game¡­


    ¡°Well, young man. I can honestly say, you¡¯re no prodigy¡­¡± Fitzgerald said as they sat around the same table they had begun at. However, it was no longer empty, instead, it was filled with countless papers overflowing with runic sequences, different materials which have been carved onto, and other detritus. And at least half a dozen cups sitting haphazardly as Fitzgerald had a bad habit of drinking a lot of coffee, then forgetting that he was drinking coffee before going to the kitchen for a new cup of coffee ignoring the previous cup on the desk right in front of him. ¡°But you do have talent in spades!¡± He started with an enormous grin on his face. ¡°I would love to see what your masterwork would be!¡±


    Sam had to blink at that. ¡°Does that mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°That you may call me teacher? Naturally!¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ teacher!¡± Sam replied, then bowed in his seat. ¡°I won¡¯t waste the opportunity!¡±


    Fitzgerald just took a loud sip of his cup and grinned at Sam.


    The next moment, a screen popped up in front of Sam.


    [Congratulations! You have been accepted as Laurent Fitzgerald¡¯s student!¡±


    [You gained the temporary title, Apprentice!]


    [Apprentice: You are an apprentice learning under a master. Increased experience point gain in the key skill of the apprenticeship.]


    Fitzgerald let Sam enjoy his new position in peace for a few moments, then put his cup down, clapped his hands together, and exclaimed.


    ¡°Alright, my dear student! Let¡¯s start with the most important thing!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡±


    ¡°Lunch!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Let¡¯s go eat¡­ we have been here for hours!¡±


    <hr>


    Sam leaned back on his sofa, off from the world of Magic Unbound, closed his eyes, and let out a deep sigh.


    Working with Fitzgerald was rather rewarding, as he was clearly a fountain of knowledge relating to runes, but his eccentricities made it rather hard to spend much time with him. Sam wasn¡¯t much of a cleaning snob, but after the tenth cup, he simply gave up and collected all the unused ones, plus a few plates that were used for snacking, took them to the unsurprisingly very unused-looking kitchen, and washed them.


    RING RING RING


    He made a vague and tired motion with his hand, but that was enough for the system to pick up his intent.


    Instantly, the TV switched on and as he opened his eyes a little he saw Lucy¡¯s face looking back at him.


    ¡°Sup, Lu!¡± he grunted not wanting to expand more effort.


    ¡°Sam,¡± replied his friend. ¡°What the hell happened to you?¡±


    ¡°You know how Katie and Izzy get annoying when they aren¡¯t occupied by something shiny?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that bad?¡± she asked with a grin, clearly taking great pleasure in his suffering.


    ¡°I¡¯ll survive¡­¡± he waved away her ¡®concern¡¯. ¡°Why did you call?¡±


    Lucy chuckled before answering his question. ¡°Mostly to touch base and to see if you¡¯ve done anything that would alter my plans¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I have ¡®See if Sam violated the universe¡¯ penciled in every week to make sure I remember.¡± There was a beat of silence then she continued. ¡°So, did you?¡±


    ¡°Weeeeell¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh god¡­ what did you do?¡± she asked already frowning.


    So Sam told her.


    Lucy stared at him in bewilderment and sheer confusion. ¡°How the hell did you manage to find that quest?¡±


    ¡°Well, this time I can honestly say it was sheer luck. I was just planning to get a few lessons on runes and not do¡­that,¡± explained Sam with a groan.


    Lucy nodded absently, her mind already going over the possibilities.


    ¡°We can¡¯t monopolize it. Or take ownership. They would murder us¡­¡±


    ¡°Doubt the system would allow it¡­¡± Sam agreed.


    ¡°Would they be open for investments? Maybe for a share of the profits?¡±


    ¡°That will be my next meeting,¡± he told her with a small smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know how deep this goes, but if I can I will try to swing a few percentages or maybe some future privileges for the company. It really depends on what the devs planned for it as this was clearly the opening for a quest chain, but I haven¡¯t gotten the follow-up one.¡±


    ¡°Could be that somebody else needs to do that one? Or somebody else gives it?¡± Lucy asked.


    ¡°Maybe the next quest is about collecting materials or people?¡± Sam mused out loud. Lucy just hummed along, she was clearly unsure about how to continue the quest chain. ¡°Whatever,¡± declared Sam finally. ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out later! For now, I need you to do two things!¡±


    Lucy sighed again but dutifully took her notebook, ready to make notes. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Talk to Lara, make sure to leave a well-defended location free for an eventual portal.¡±


    ¡°I assume with space for buildings for the government officials, guards, and such?¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. And the other one?¡±


    ¡°Please, see if there are any maids who would be willing to work with my current master¡­ he really needs it.¡±


    Lucy grinned at his discomfort. ¡°What about Claire?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t want to break up the lovebirds¡­ Somebody who wants a change of scenery from the Heavenly Forest will do¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood. I will make sure to ask around,¡± Lucy replied while making notes. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t think of anything for now¡­¡±


    Lucy looked positively relieved.


    ¡°My-my, Sam. It seems you¡¯re out of practice¡­ that was positively tame for you!¡± she chortled. ¡°Barely broke my bullshit-o-meter¡­¡±


    Sam just snorted. ¡°Come back when you have quests with such far-reaching consequences¡­¡±


    Lucy just smirked mischievously.


    Sam eyed the woman. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bite. What did you do?¡±


    Lucy let out a proud laugh before calming a little down but still grinning. ¡°Got a license to set up a winery!¡±


    Now that caused Sam to sit up with wide eyes. ¡°What? How? The nobles protect those licenses harder than their gold!¡±


    Lucy shrugged and brushed off some imaginary dust off her shoulders with all the modesty of the cat who got the canary.


    ¡°Well, a little politics here and a little talky-talky there¡­ you know how it goes¡­¡±


    ¡°Pull the other one¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine. Ruin my fun¡­¡± she grumbled a little. ¡°I had a quest chain which led me to one of the officials who was in charge of inspecting wineries around Ironwood (not that there are many) and it turns out somebody was doing a rather bad job, thus I offered to take over the license using the fields at our outpost.¡±


    ¡°And what did this oh-so-generous offer cost you?¡± Sam asked, intrigued.


    ¡°One of the seeds you guys got at the valley. The inspector is experimenting with a new variety of grapes¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, not the cheapest but could have been more expensive¡­ But you know what this means, right?¡±


    ¡°That he¡¯ll come back for more seeds?¡±


    ¡°No. We need somebody who knows how to do wine¡­¡±


    ¡°I assumed Lara, Izzy or Katie know how to do it or know somebody¡­¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Sam answered, then he smirked.


    ¡°Not it!¡± he yelled, touching his nose.


    Lucy stared at him with deep betrayal but instead of saying something she just stopped the call.


    Sam stared at the black screen for a moment then stood up and stretched.


    ¡°Well, that woke me up¡­ I¡¯m hungry and I don¡¯t feel like cooking¡­¡± He glanced out of his windows and saw that the weather was positively pleasant. ¡°Let¡¯s eat out¡­¡±


    He slowly began to gather his clothes preparing to head out and maybe get some fresh air if he was lucky.

 Chapter 196

    The next real-time week was spent at Fitzgerald¡¯s workshop and yard behind the house as the older man began to educate Sam on the intricacies of runic magic.


    The first days were just Sam reciting what he knew about runes and mana, while Fitzgerald asked probing question after probing question until Sam couldn¡¯t answer them.


    They discussed everything from the writing method of runes, the implement used to do it, be it his magic or some kind of artifact, to the materials receptive to rune circles.


    Sam was a very happy camper when the beginner-level knowledge he gathered from library books, experimentations, and some hints from the inherited memories, was deemed adequate by Fitzgerald.


    During the rune boot camp, he also made sure to spend some time on the internet when not in the game and combing through the knowledge found there. As with everything the game contained, there were already dedicated forums for runes and every crafting discipline related to them.


    Most of the open forums were full of wild speculations, blatant misinformation, and scam posts, but the real dedicated forums operated by crafter guilds ¨C or by obsessive nerds ¨C were well curated and had some nice information for beginners.


    Everything after that was hidden behind paywalls, or the need to join guilds, groups, or even work collectives.


    Then there were the video tutorials where either scantily clad women or men explained very basic concepts as if they were imparting the wisdom of sages upon the masses or tinfoil-hat-wearing hobos with murder boards that put entire police departments to shame trying to explain how runes made it blatantly clear that lizard aliens ruled the world of Magic Unbound and the reason the world was stuck in medieval times because the techno-lizards from the moon found it easier to control the planet that way.


    Sam couldn¡¯t really say what was more entertaining but in the end, he decided on the bouncy blonde bombshell, as she explained how runic circles needed ¨C gasp ¨C mana to function as he was a hot-blooded young man and felt no shame¡­


    Then after they went over what Sam knew, and what he didn¡¯t Fitzgerald simply piled several very thick books on a desk in the workshop and told Sam to read them while he did things. Which mostly concluded with yelling expletives at the new prototype for the portal technology, as it refused to work as the man expected it.


    The funniest one was when it activated on its own and Sam jumped up, ready to make mince meat of whatever that came through, only for a simple white rabbit to jump out of the portal, to their surprise. The rabbit sat there for a second, moving its adorable nose side to side before running deeper into the house.


    Sir Mipsy Floppington now sat on a high shelf in a very comfortable cage that Sam and his mentor put together after hunting down the poor, terrified animal. He watched them discuss runes and judged them harshly on it.


    Fitzgerald wanted to let it loose in the nearest forest ¨C or eat it ¨C but Sam convinced the man that if it came through the portal, then there must be something special about it.


    Or it was just a very scared and very surprised rabbit that had no idea what was going on¡­


    The lessons also gave Sam the opportunity to ask some questions that had interested him for a while. There were a few ideas that hinged on them, but he couldn¡¯t find anything in the books he had access to¡­


    <hr>


    ¡°Is it possible to create expanded spaces inside houses, teacher?¡± he asked, looking over to his mentor over the desk they were using.


    ¡°Technically yes, but in practice, it¡¯s forbidden,¡± came the succinct answer from his mentor as he went over the exercise sheet Sam handed over a few minutes ago.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Fitzgerald let out a sigh that told Sam he got the same question almost every week, but still Sam wanted to know the exact reason why it didn¡¯t work in this game as most games or settings had their own rules for space expansions.


    His mentor stood up and shuffled out of the room as Sir Mipsy Floppington watched them with judgment in their red eyes and returned several minutes later with a well-worn copy of a book. He simply tossed it to Sam and returned to his seat to peruse the tests.


    Sam took a good look at the book and had to say that the title answered most of his questions.


    How to create explosions using runes and the people who died during the process - LXIII Edition


    ¡°So, the answer is explosions? Can you use those explosions offensively?¡±


    ¡°Page thirty-seven.¡±


    ¡°Grenades?¡±


    ¡°Page sixty-two to seventy-nine with an excerpt on page ninety-eight.¡±


    ¡°Traps?¡±


    ¡°Page one hundred and sixty-nine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just a page with the ''NO'' written on it with extra large letters¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you familiar with the Bluesky Lakes?¡±


    ¡°Tricking other people into doing it?¡±


    ¡°Against international armistice laws and page two hundred and eleven¡­¡± came the deadpan response from the other man, who didn¡¯t even bother to look up.


    <hr>


    ¡°Can you use runes to cast other spells? Like fireballs?¡± he asked, going over an exercise that had him designing an ultra-efficient rune circle for lighting up a room.


    ¡°Sure, if you have weeks to redesign every spell you want to cast into a specialized and individualized runic circle that you won¡¯t be able to modify on the fly like a regular spell,¡± came the stone-cold answer from his teacher.


    ¡°What about bigger spells with multiple casters? Could I substitute them with a pre-designed circle?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but unless you plan to cast that spell every day for years the expenditure of effort, time, and money is simply not worth it¡­¡±


    ¡°Bummer¡­¡±


    ¡°Take heart, my young friend. All of us who delved deep into the mysteries of runes have been there where you¡¯re now. Grand ideas suffocated by reality and the laws of nature and magic.¡±


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    <hr>


    ¡°Where do runes come from?¡±


    ¡°There are two mainline theories in our community. One of them is, which I¡¯m sure you must have read about, that it is the language of the gods they taught us. The other is that ancient mages created the language by observing how the word and mana interacted.¡±


    ¡°And what do you think is true, sir?¡±


    ¡°Beats me! I¡¯m just happy it works¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Should we really feed carrots with runes carved into them to Mipsy?¡±


    ¡°Sir Mipsy, my young student. Please give him the respect he deserves.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, sir. And to you Sir Mipsy Floppington!¡±


    ¡°Good, proper respect will take you far in life¡­¡±


    ¡°And the vegetable?¡±


    ¡°If our guest doesn¡¯t explode, then this will be an excellent experiment!¡±


    <hr>


    By the end of the week, Sam was pretty sure he had the best grounding in the subject of runes among all the players.


    He worked on dozens of simple runic circles that he could use in different scenarios, perfected with the help of his teacher.


    Sam was also given a pretty simple task by Fitzgerald.


    ¡°You, my excellent student, have more than mastered the basics. The only thing missing to declare you a master, albeit one without experience, is creating a Master project,¡± stated Fitzgerald one afternoon as they were taking their break and were letting Sir Floppington run around the backyard.


    The fences had to be reinforced several times to contain the furry animal.


    ¡°Any requests?¡± Sam asked curiously.


    Fitzgerald just shrugged. ¡°As a master, you are required to showcase independence, thus everything about the project must come from you. You may ask for help, but depending on what you ask, your ascension to master level will be delayed.¡±


    ¡°Who would know?¡±


    His teacher took a sip of his tea before answering.


    ¡°The final project will be judged by three other masters and they¡¯re very familiar with my work¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°I recommend purely theoretical work, as it¡¯s easier to demonstrate and defend.¡±


    ¡°I had an idea for a defensive set of wards that would work protecting even a small mansion¡­¡± Sam offered with a hint of nervousness. Over the time they spent together that while the man was eccentric and rather aloof ¨C and had a collection of dirty bar jokes that would put anyone to shame ¨C he was also very quick to critique stupid ideas.


    ¡°Classic choice, I approve¡­¡±


    Sam let out the breath he was holding and turned his attention to Sir Mipsy as his mind began to percolate with ideas.


    <hr>


    Naturally, he also took time to see what happened to his status screen.


    He''d had several fights, plus the trip through the weird empty dimension, followed up by the education provided by Fitzgerald. Which in turn, granted him one of the most common sub-skills in the game. When apprenticing under someone, or simply getting taught properly by someone ¨C even if they were players ¨C if the lessons were fully in the game and the system judged it proper then one could gain one of three sub-skills for their skills. These were Learned, Well-Learned, and Educated. Each of them increased the effect of the skill and granted a small experience point gain to it until the Master level.


    [Educated: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) You have been educated on the subject. Gain increased experience points until reaching the Master level and the effects of your skill have been increased by 15%.]


    [Journeyman Runecarver is now Level 49!]


    [Illusionary Runes are now Level 69!]


    [You gained the sub-skill, Crisp Image!]


    [Crisp Image: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your illusionary runes are very crisp and distinctive. The chance of the scrip smudging or bleeding into each other is decreased.]


    [Corporeal Illusions is now Level 19!]


    [Lingering Effects is now Level 4!]


    A very respectful growth for his skills. The only reason Journeyman Runecarver was stuck at Level 49 was because he could only advance it by finishing his Master project.


    Surprisingly, or not depending on who you asked, his Cryptography skill also improved thanks to the dozens of tricky exercises Fitzgerald provided him.


    [Basic Cryptography is now Level 10!]


    [You gained Intermediate Cryptography!]


    [Intermediate Cryptography: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) You can spot patterns and codes and break some of them. You can even figure out some of the harder puzzles and codes.]


    [Adaptive Coordination is now Level 44!]


    [Combinatorics is now Level 3!]


    With the weird monsters spewing their weird liquid all over the empty dimension, his resistance skills also gained some levels. To his surprise, the liquid and the monsters affected all the resistances equally as if they were a combination of all elements and magics.


    [Illusion Resistance is now Level 32!]


    [Corruption Resistance is now Level 35!]


    [Earth Resistance is now Level 42!]


    [Shadow Resistance is now Level 26!]


    [Blood Magic Resistance is now Level 19!]


    [Wind Resistance is now Level 29!]


    [Lightning Resistance is now Level 22!]


    [Dimensional Mana Resistance is now Level 35!]


    [Fear Resistance is now Level 23!]


    Thanks to fighting alone, protecting an arguably helpless NPC, and defeating one-on-one a monster that was certainly designed for multiple people, even his rather high-leveled combat skills received a boost.


    [The Way of the Forerunner is now Level 24!]


    [Shadow of the Dragon is now Level 17!]


    [Greater Shadow Affinity is now Level 60!]


    [Dark Vision is now Level 1!]


    [Battle Meditation is now Level 70!]


    [Clear Mind is now Level 2!]


    [Wind Mana Manipulation is now Level 83!]


    [Guiding Storm is now Level 5!]


    [Greater Wind Affinity is now Level 70!]


    [Wind Sense is now Level 1!]


    [Earth Wall IV is now Level 9!]


    [Ground Rhythm is now Level 9!]


    [Spell Matrix is now Level 33!]


    [Solid Spell Foundation is now Level 2!]


    [Mana Construct is now Level 72!]


    [Simplicity is now Level 5!]


    [Infusion is now Level 2!]


    [Mana Flux is now Level 9!]


    [Mana Scales is now Level 105!]


    [Mana Surge is now Level 1!]


    No new levels but thanks to his fight with Lucky and probably because Lucky exhausted himself so much, even his spirit skills had grown, not to mention Lucky¡¯s levels. His silly wolf has reached Level 90 and several of his skills had leveled up.


    [Spirit Link is now Level 87!]


    [Spirit Enhancement is now Level 2!]


    [Spirit Protection is now Level 28!]


    [You gained the sub-skill, Bleedover!]


    [Bleedover: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) The ethereal protection for your mind bleeds over into the physical world. You gain 10% of the protection for your body per skill level that you gain for your mind.]


    And finally, the funniest thing he got on his notification screen. Apparently, the system had noticed he really liked to use the Clean spell.


    [Clean VI is now Level 4!]


    [Thanks to your tireless efforts to keep the world and yourself clean, magic itself around you has become clean!]


    [You gained the skill, Clean Aura!]


    [Clean Aura: Level 0/10 (0%) (Passive) (Toggle ON/OFF) An aura of cleanliness. If turned on you will always emit an aura of cleaning which will result in things being cleaned around you. Excellent for spring cleaning.]


    ¡®Right¡­ cleansing the world by cleaning up dirty spots one by one!¡¯ he mused while chuckling about the spell. ¡®Could be useful in the right circumstances¡­ probably¡­¡¯


    Closing down his notification screens, he sighed and pulled a new paper toward himself, ready to work on his Master Project.

 Chapter 197

    Writing, or rather creating his Master project, was simultaneously simple yet incredibly frustrating. Sam knew from his inherited memories what was actually possible, yet knew from experience that those inherited memories were limited mostly thanks to the other Sam¡¯s interests and him being low on the totem of hierarchy.


    Plus, there was always a possibility that what the other Sam had seen was simply fake news to distract or misdirect people exactly like him.


    Thus he had to be careful, yet at the same time, he couldn¡¯t really limit himself as that would cheapen his own work.


    ¡®Time travel¡­ fucking confusing mess¡­¡¯ he grumbled to himself as he pored over his plans for the project.


    The idea was simple: designate a house ¨C preferably one he owned ¨C and plan a very thorough and complete defensive runic sequence that would impress the judges.


    Thankfully, the company had several buildings that he could choose but he wanted something more impressive. Thus, he quickly sent a message to Lucy asking for the plans for the current headquarters.


    The response was just as he expected. Requests for passwords and the activation of a two-factor authenticator they had set up around the time they founded the company in the real world. It had different password and identification requirements. Thus, even if somebody could spoof his responses here in the game, there was almost no possibility they could do it in real life.


    At least Sam hoped so.


    His research told him that breaking those encryptions would require more computing power than one scammer would have access to. At that point, it would be just easier to beat the passwords out of him.


    Naturally, if it came to mega-corps or the governments, Sam knew for a fact they had ways to access it, or at least the computing power to break it. At least he suspected so, based on the fact that he would categorize the current world he lived in as a semi-cyberpunk one. Or the beginning of one¡­


    And cyberpunk was about respecting personal boundaries or secrets¡­


    However, right after his self-reflection at the mausoleum, he had decided that worrying about what mega-corps and governments do all over the world wouldn¡¯t help his mental health or improve his situation in any way or shape.


    He had no plans of upsetting the status quo of the world, thus he was just happy playing around in the small world of Magic Unbound and its peripheries¡­


    Some would call him a coward, refusing the call of adventure, but he felt he was prudent with his lot in life.


    Maybe if he got bored with it, he could plan a coup d¡¯¨¦tat¡­


    For now, he had some building plans to go over and defenses planned.


    <hr>


    He simply started by listing out ¨C encrypted of course ¨C all the ways he was aware people could infiltrate the building. Then he removed those infiltration methods he knew there was no defense for. He was creating a Master project and not a miracle. That would be for later¡­


    Then he simply started going over them one by one and creating runic sequences that would negate those attempts.


    Some of them were rather easy as the sequences could be found in one of many books that Fitzgerald lent him for the duration of his stay at his house, thus he simply wrote them down and jumped to the next one.


    When he had collected all the easy ones, he turned his attention to the foundation of the defenses, mostly in an attempt to clear his mind and prepare himself for the challenge of the harder sequences.


    The foundation was built up with mana gathering, controlling, regulating, and even cleaning arrays, rune sequences that had the one job of regulating mana flow between different sequences, and even some that made sure that the runic defense wasn¡¯t broken.


    Naturally, he connected several alarm sequences to it that he planned to connect on the other end to some artifact that Lucy and Tim could use. Or if Liz finished her major project, then to that¡­


    Another aspect of his creation was several runic sequences that enhanced the building. It contained sequences that made the stone more durable, glass less likely to break, less dust to gather in forgotten corners, and because he thought it was funny, he added the runic equivalent of his cleaning spell.


    ¡®Maybe there will be some synergy¡­¡¯ he mused with a chuckle. Originally, he just got the clean spell because, well, he hated feeling dirty and thus the spell, while useful in the game, would also help him deal with that. But he had used it so much that it had become almost an integral part of his skill set. Even the system acknowledged it! ¡®Maybe they will call me the Cleanest Mage!¡¯


    Finished with that part, he had to tackle the part he hated the most!


    How to fuel his creation¡­


    Gathering that much mana without any ley line in the middle of a well-established city was a recipe for disaster, and not even his connection with the Silvercrest family would protect him if he turned on a runic sequence that gobbled up mana.


    Fortunately, a solution for that was well documented. Create a discrete siphon separately along the property to distribute the siphoning effect and then add another siphon that would suck up all the excess mana people emitted. As most people didn¡¯t have Sam¡¯s iron control over their mana, no matter how much they tried, there was always some manner of excess mana when they cast spells or even moved around. The last step was a limiter.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The runic sequence would start slowly with the siphoning, sucking up only enough not to collapse, which could be supported by people donating their own mana, and then slowly, over time, it would strengthen itself from the ambient mana emitted by the people visiting the building.


    Sadly, as this was a rather exact art, he had to do some calculations to make sure everything would operate well and not cause black holes or something worse ¨C the book was not clear on what something worse was ¨C which thankfully, was helped by the gaming system which allowed him to use it for a shortcut.


    Sam was aware that he would receive less experience if he used the system, much like people who used incantations, and the system¡¯s help to control mana and cast spells, but the thought of doing that much math made him break out in hives.


    ¡®Let the computer deal with the numbers¡­¡¯ he groused as he watched the system screen quickly go through his calculation, luckily finding no errors.


    He would just not tell anyone how many times he tried before this.


    Finally, after a few minutes, there was a ding sound, and he received his reply from the system.


    ¡®Yes! First time!¡¯ he cheered as he wrote down the answer and compared it to what he expected and needed for his runic construct. ¡®It seems I have enough space for a good dozen sequences¡­¡¯ he contemplated the answer.


    Looking over his list of possible avenues of infiltration, he decided against redoing the math ¨C he wasn¡¯t a masochist ¨C he simply decided to go over the list and remove a few items that were unlikely¡­


    ¡®Right, a specific authentication sequence just for Lucy and me is probably too paranoid¡­ We already set up too many safeguards for that to work. What else can I remove¡­¡¯


    This was followed by an exhausting review of the list and him weighing the possibility of people using skills that would be developed years from now to infiltrate or attack the headquarters building that would be soon abandoned for something better.


    ¡®Maybe I¡¯m too paranoid?¡¯ he contemplated for a second before shaking his head. ¡®Nah¡­ they¡¯re really out to get me¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    He slammed down the thick set of documents in front of Fitzgerald with a triumphant smirk.


    ¡°Finished, master!¡±


    The other man looked at the document, lifted the first page, glanced at the foreword, and looked back at Sam.


    ¡°How many times did you revise this?¡± he asked with a chuckle as he finished his own work. He slid the thing he was working to the side then pulled the stack of documents to him and began turning the pages, reading it at an incredible speed.


    ¡°Fiv- no ten times at least¡­¡± he admitted grudgingly.


    ¡°Admirable in a week¡­¡±


    ¡°I have been planning something for a while¡­¡±


    ¡°As expected from someone so paranoid¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that paranoid!¡± refuted Sam with what someone would call a pout.


    Fitzgerald just chuckled. ¡°You check Sir Mipsy for being a shapeshifter every day!¡±


    ¡°You can never be too safe, sir!¡± he argued but knew from experience that it was useless. ¡°Anyway, what do you think?¡± he asked, seeing as the other man was almost finished reading his work.


    ¡°Inspired and deeply terrifying,¡± came the answer from the man as he looked up at Sam. ¡°You need help, son.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°What a fascinating solution!¡± exclaimed one of the robed men going over his Master project.


    ¡°Indeed! Splendid solution for this issue!¡± agreed the first man, also wearing all concealing robes.


    Apparently, part of the exam was that the examinee couldn¡¯t know the identity of the examiners to prevent even a chance of impropriety.


    Fitzgerald was back at the house as his showing up was also against the rules. The people under the robes could have a connection to him and could either have decided in his favor if they were allied with the man or ruin Sam if they hated him.


    It was not a perfect system, as it was pretty clear to anyone who wanted to know whose apprentice he was, but at least it showed an attempt at impartiality.


    The men wearing the medieval equivalent of government black suits standing at the back of the room and staring stone-faced at the robed men also helped.


    ¡°Oh my! An excellent idea, but how did he¡­. Oh right, there!¡± another murmured as they attempted to understand Sam¡¯s thought process.


    ¡°Very elegant solution! Yes! Maybe I could¡­ hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Heh, amateur mistake, but I suppose it works¡­¡±


    ¡°Now how the heck did that work out and why the heck would you add that?¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ it could be useful, I suppose. Save on manpower, maybe?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the waste of mana!¡±


    ¡°Waste for you maybe, but potential gain for our aspirant?¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± butted in the third man. ¡°There are more ways to skin the morvian fox!¡±


    Sam just sat there and worried. He had never had to defend his thesis in his previous life, as he had never reached that part of higher education. He got his Bachelor¡¯s, and he was happy with that. Not to mention the other Sam who practically grew up on the streets and only had the basic education provided to everyone.


    Granted, he was aware that what he was seeing was nowhere near the real defense, at least according to what Dan told him about it, but it still felt the same.


    Then he was broken out of his thoughts when one of the men waved him over.


    ¡°Young man, we have a few questions!¡±


    <hr>


    Finally, after several hours, the three robed individuals moved away from the desk where his project was spread out with several stacks of notes and other detritus marking their presence and turned toward Sam.


    ¡°Journeyman Samuel, step forward,¡± came the even order from the one in the middle.


    Sam did so, finding himself in the middle of the simple room.


    The one on the right continued. ¡°We examined your submission, and it was not found wanting.¡±


    The person on the right followed. ¡°Your submission was without critical errors or design flaws. It followed all guidelines and pertinent laws it was required to.¡±


    ¡°To our knowledge, we declare, it was not a copy of an existing project and has not been created by persons other than the one in front of us,¡± finished the person in the middle.


    There was a pregnant pause, and then the man continued.


    ¡°Thus, by the power vested into me by the Guild of Runemasters and the Emerald Kingdom and the current Grandmaster of the guild, I declare that Journeyman Samuel has completed his journey and achieved the status of Master!¡±


    The other two politely clapped, while Sam simply grinned.


    Then, naturally, he was almost deafened by the sounds of notifications.


    [You lost the title of Apprentice!]


    [Congratulations! You managed to pass your Mastery exam!]


    [You gained the title Master of Runes!]


    [Master of Runes: You gained enough knowledge on the topic to be called master by your peers. Still, a wise man learns until death. Increased effect of runes and reputation with the guild.]


    [Your skill Journeyman Runecarver has achieved a breakthrough!]


    [Journeyman Runecarver is now Level 50!]


    [You gain Master Runecarver!]


    [Master Runecarver: Level 0 (0%) (Passive) You constructed your Heart Rune and created your very own Master project. You can carve, create, and destroy runes without help. The cost of activating Rune schemes, sequences, and circles is reduced by 66%. Hidden runes and schemes are more likely to reveal themselves to you. Backlash damage of failed runic schemes, sequences, and circles is reduced by 33%.]

 Chapter 198

    Sam returned to Fitzgerald¡¯s house in high spirits and carrying a box full of his ¡®rewards¡¯. A scroll proclaiming his mastery, several offers for work, a few brochures about continuing his studies in educational institutions ¨C for a princely sum ¨C and a simple silver-colored ring made from material perfect for enchanting with instructions to enchant it as soon as possible. The ring would be proof of his Mastery and if he didn¡¯t enchant it, people would think he bought or stole the ring to enhance his image.


    The box also contained his Master project with the comments, corrections, and annotations of the examiners. They told Sam to make sure to go over the notes before he used the runic sequence on anything more important than a garden shed.


    Good to know they took what he created seriously, but also a little humbling to see many corrections on it.


    Instead of knocking, he just opened the door, closing it behind himself fast, knowing that Sir Mipsy Floppington would take the opportunity to escape through it, which couldn¡¯t be allowed¡­


    He found his mentor in the workshop fiddling with a machine that was supposed to be the spiritual successor of the one that sent them hurtling through the dimensions while Sir Mipsy was sitting on the desk, wearing a tiny top hat and holding one of the tools in their mouth, ready to assist Fitzgerald.


    Sam narrowed his eyes and cast his mana sense at the bunny. Suddenly being helpful? That was mighty suspicious after the effort the bunny made to make their lives a living hell.


    Fitzgerald, however, interrupted his musings on how to catch the bunny¡¯s next trick and expose it, with a giant smile.


    ¡°Welcome back, young man! Were you successful?¡±


    Instead of answering, Sam just held up the decorated wooden box with a proud smile of his own.


    The other man jumped up and did a little jig before striding forward and shaking Sam¡¯s hand vigorously.


    ¡°Congratulations! I knew you wouldn¡¯t fail!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. But usually, it takes prospective students two or three tries to clear the committee!¡± came the prompt response from the man as he kept shaking Sam¡¯s hand, whose smile froze upon hearing how much his mentor believed in him.


    ¡°But you read my project!¡±


    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t grading, was I?¡±


    To that, Sam grudgingly had to agree.


    Before he could further comment, Fitzgerald finally let go of his hand and took a step back while reaching for a set of documents hidden behind the device he and Sir Mipsy were constructing. The diabolical bunny ¨C there will come a time when Sam would be able to prove it ¨C was just staring at them, slowly and methodically chewing on a fresh lettuce leaf that was nowhere to be seen a few moments ago. The top hat still sat on the bunny¡¯s head, very dapper-like.


    ¡°Interested parties¡­ have made sure that I can only discuss this with other masters,¡± began Fitzgerald. ¡°Thus, now that you achieved your Mastery, I can finally talk about it!¡±


    Hoping that this was it, Sam tried to keep his excitement in check and cooly answered. ¡°About what, sir?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a rather worldly person, aren¡¯t you?¡± Fitzgerald asked instead.


    Sam looked into the man¡¯s eye and sighed, inwardly cursing the game. ¡®Right¡­fetch quests. Can¡¯t forget about them¡­¡¯


    ¡°What did you need me to get for you?¡± he asked in a deadpan tone.


    Fitzgerald looked back at him, confused. ¡°I don¡¯t really need anything picked up¡­ the interested parties had ensured I¡¯m not hurting for any material or tool. Rather, I would like it if you could find me something.¡±


    ¡°Find something?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the man nodded. ¡°More specifically, a plot of land.¡±


    Sam nodded and gave the system notification a quick read.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Location, location, location!]


    [Your mentor, Fitzgerald, wants you to find a plot of land. Listen to his request and fulfill it.]


    [Time Limit: None]


    [Penalty: ???]


    [Reward: Continued working relationship with the man]


    Closing the screen, he returned his focus to the other man. ¡°What kind of plot are you wanting?¡±


    Fitzgerald raised his hand and began awkwardly to scratch the back of his neck. ¡°Well, you see, this workshop is big enough to house my prototype, but not big enough to fit any of the larger devices I had planned.¡±


    ¡°And you need a plot of land to build a bigger workshop?¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡±


    ¡°Also needs to be easy to defend, reach, and supply, correct?¡± Sam asked with a small smile.


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    Fitzgerald just nodded vigorously. ¡°I knew I chose well! You¡¯re indeed perceptive enough to be my student!¡±


    Sam just smiled and allowed the man to celebrate a little. Then he interrupted the impromptu dance.


    ¡°Then my job is done, sir.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± asked Fitzgerald, flabbergasted. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Check this out!¡± Sam exclaimed and took out the latest map Lara sent to Lucy, which was then forwarded to him. Dan¡¯s girlfriend had managed to clear a respectable area in the center of the ruins with the help of the guild and the people the Silvercrest family sent over, and they were probably ready for a few new buildings.


    He made a small space on the desk, pushing Sir Mipsy to the side to the disapproval of the bunny, but Sam had no time for the feelings of diabolical rabbits. He spread the map out and began pointing.


    ¡°You can choose from any of these. Recently cleared, the foundation is good, protected twenty-four-seven by a guild of mercenaries and the Silvercrest family. The travel distance between Ironwood and it, is around an hour without any magical assistance. And with enough space to expand. What do you say, sir?¡±


    Fitzgerald stared at Sam for a long minute, then at the map, taking in all the information. Finally, he pointed at one of the bigger plots on the map. ¡°This one will do!¡±


    Sam marked it on the map and nodded. ¡°Excellent. I¡¯ll notify the relevant people.¡±


    Instantly, a system notification sound filled his ears.


    [You completed the quest: Location, location, location!]


    [You have a killer merchant instinct.]


    [Reward: Continued working relationship with the man]


    Sam grinned as he dismissed the screen and looked at his mentor.


    ¡°Anything else I can help you with, sir?¡±


    The other man just gaped at him for a moment before shakily nodding.


    ¡°Yes. Now that you¡¯re finally a master, I can start teaching you about my device and maybe we can use your paranoia to improve the design¡­¡±


    Sam glared a little, and the bunny let out a chitter sound that felt like laughter to Sam.


    <hr>


    ¡°Here you go, young man!¡± Fitzgerald exclaimed as he slapped down a stack of papers on the desk in front of Sam.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Sam asked, eyeing the stack with a small amount of trepidation.


    ¡°Your paperwork for joining the Guild of Runemasters, of course!¡± came the unexpected answer from his mentor.


    ¡°Why would I need to join?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ first of all they don¡¯t really like if masters are unaffiliated,¡± Fitzgerald began to explain. ¡°They may get ideas, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Would they cause trouble for me?¡± Sam asked with a frown on his face. Joining a guild would limit him somewhat, as all guilds had natural enemies among other guilds, not to mention the enemies they made over their long existence.


    ¡°Of course not! They would never do that¡­¡± came the sarcastic answer from Fitzgerald, who was grinning. ¡°They¡¯re the epitome of grace and dignity¡­¡±


    Sam let out a long-suffering sigh and pulled the stack of documents over to himself. As he began to fill it out he idly asked another question.


    ¡°Do they have some kind of membership fee?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they have. You can see it on the last page¡­¡±


    Curiously, Sam pulled out the last page from the stack and took a look at the number, only to immediately curse.


    ¡°Why the hell is it so high?¡±


    ¡°You are a runemaster, thus your income should be high. Naturally, this reflects on your membership fee,¡± Fitzgerald explained cheerfully. ¡°The money you pay is used to support beginner rune carvers, if it helps¡­¡±


    Sam just grumbled as he continued to fill out the forms.


    <hr>


    Naturally, after that, they went over the plans that Fitzgerald was working on. They were so far simply plans for a building that would be perfect for experiments with portals ¨C Sam made sure there were no ¡®experiments¡¯ with lemons ¨C they sat down and Fitzgerald began to explain his device and how it worked.


    Sadly, as fascinating as it was, Sam knew from the moment they started he wouldn¡¯t be able to make use of it. His first thought was to see how the portal device worked and then transfer that knowledge into opening portals for his team and guild. But both Fitzgerald, his own knowledge and education told him that the device would be mandatory as the anchoring effect couldn¡¯t be replicated without it.


    And without the anchoring effect, no portal would work properly. Or at least they would work, but instead of a straight line, they would meander through the space between dimensions or simply cut through existing dimensions or even fractures, causing chaos and destruction.


    Still, just in case, he recorded the basic portal rune circle in his Grimoire for any emergency situation.


    Nobody would like what would happen, but at least he would be able to escape¡­


    Hopefully¡­


    Then, for a while, he played the role of assistant ¨C and he was much better than Sir Mipsy ¨C for the other man as he built his newest prototype. It was a monstrous device, but now that he went through some official education about runes, he could see why certain things were affixed in specific spots and the hows and whys of the rest of the parts.


    It was still very chaotic, emblematic of Fitzgerald, but he knew it would work as intended.


    <hr>


    A few days later, they left behind the capital and moved to Ironwood.


    They stopped to introduce themselves at the local branch of the Guild of Runemasters, where the local head of the guild almost fell over when he heard Fitzgerald¡¯s name. The fact that Sam was also a master, now with a shiny, enchanted ring and neat guild pin that marked him part of the same guild, didn¡¯t even raise an eyebrow.


    The ring itself was a neat project. It took some time to figure out what to enchant it with as while it was very receptive to enchantments, it only had one ¡®slot¡¯ for said enchantments. But in the end, with a little help from his mentor, he settled on one.


    [Ring of Mastery (Enchanted): A ring symbolizing that you attained Master level in Runes. Made from a special alloy that is very receptive to enchantments. The enchantment on it allows the wearer to store mana inside it and retrieve it at a later time. Capable of storing 1000 units of mana. Current Mana: 1000/1000.]


    A very nice emergency backup option. According to Fitzgerald, if he grew out of the ring such that his mana grew large enough that one thousand would be practically useless, there were ways to request better materials. Or he could craft his own ring based on the plans provided by the guild. After all, he wasn¡¯t the first one to have a great amount of mana¡­


    <hr>


    They didn¡¯t linger much in Ironwood, as they immediately moved toward the ruins that Lara was working on. Fitzgerald was very enthusiastic about seeing the future location of his workshop. He was even thankful enough to offer to pay for it.


    Sam had to refuse it several times, explaining to the man that his very presence and the results of his experiments would be enough as a payment. After all, Sam totally planned to convince the powers-that-be to place a portal in their yet-unnamed city after they were finished. Maybe even the first one¡­


    The ruins were steadily disappearing, thanks to the tireless work of Lara, the guild members, and the workers the Silvercrest family sent over.


    Travelling there was nothing special. As always, there were a few roving groups of monsters that coincidentally decided to snack on Sam and his mentor, but Lucky was luckily there to teach them the error in their ways.


    It was around sundown when they reached the outer boundary of the construction.


    They looked over the ruins, shadowed by the giant cliffs from one side and surrounded by forests that were in the process of being cleared out.


    ¡°Shall we see the location you¡¯ve chosen, sir?¡± Sam asked as they basked in the view.


    Fitzgerald just grinned. ¡°Indeed, my young friend. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Sam nodded and headed for a nearby group of guards that had already spotted them ¨C not that they were attempting to be stealthy ¨C and were walking toward the duo.

 Chapter 199

    The people who were approaching them were clearly wearing the symbol of Sam¡¯s guild, Chrysalis, on their armor, visible even from far away. Probably, so anyone wanting to get closer would get an idea of who they were dealing with.


    Though, based on what he knew of Tim and Liz, Sam was pretty sure these small teams were red herrings for those who wanted to sneak in or attack them. A small pulse of his mana showed him that there was another smaller team hidden nearby, ready to act if Sam and Fitzgerald made the wrong move.


    Sam simply bade his fellow traveler follow his lead and slowed down to a leisurely walk as he watched the group rapidly closing on them.


    ¡°Halt!¡± called out the man in the lead with a serious voice and a hand on his weapon.


    ¡°Hello there!¡± Sam answered, flashing his officer medallion to the group standing before him.


    However, instead of smiling or even a welcoming nod, all he received was derision. Even the team standing on standby felt ready to pounce on him.


    ¡°Hah! As if that little medallion would be enough to fool us!¡± exclaimed the man in the lead while the rest of the team nodded along, glaring at Sam and Fitzgerald, who was currently squatting on the ground and poking a small rock with fascination.


    ¡®What the hell?¡¯ Sam wondered.


    ¡°Maybe try scanning it with mana?¡± he spoke out loud, waving his hand holding the medallion.


    The guards just scoffed. ¡°Like that hasn¡¯t been tried yet. Nice try, but turn around before we kill you!¡± came the aggressive response.


    Sam eyed the group as he felt a small mana pulse aimed at his medallion. Instantly, the hidden group stood down based on the feeling of their mana but didn¡¯t move from their location.


    ¡®Glad to see that at least somebody is good at their job¡­¡¯


    Sam opened his mouth but before he could express his opinion about the general intelligence level of the people in front of him, the man continued to speak.


    ¡°Are you refusing our orders? We¡¯re from the Chrysalis guild! We own this territory!¡± he announced proudly, holding his head up high as if expecting praise. His white tabard even managed to catch a glance of the sun, encasing the man in a shining aura for a brief moment.


    ¡°And I¡¯m an officer of the guild?¡± Sam asked in a confused voice, his hand still holding the medallion in his hand. ¡°You can check the guild screen for my name¡­ It¡¯s at the top¡­¡±


    This time the woman behind the first man ¨C whose name Sam still didn¡¯t know ¨C scoffed. She was wearing purple leather armor, the hood down, showcasing her magnificent red hair. ¡°As if they haven¡¯t figured out a way to spoof names¡­¡±


    ¡°They?¡± Sam asked, slightly afraid. Not even 10 years in the future did they manage to find a way to display a different name. Granted, one could use millions of different magics to look like someone else but spoofing names in system windows was probably impossible.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re the first one trying to sneak in!¡± came the answer.


    ¡°Sneak in? We were walking in the open¡­¡± he replied, still confused.


    ¡°That¡¯s the genius of your plan! You expected us to be disinterested in somebody who wasn¡¯t sneaking around!¡± exclaimed the third person of the group, a tall man, in a green light robe and holding a staff.


    ¡°We already caught several groups of players who tried to sneak in several ways,¡± came from the last member of the group, a mousy woman in a black cloak with orange highlights and wearing enchanted glasses. ¡°This would be a new way, but I¡¯m not surprised.¡±


    Sam opened his mouth, then closed it. Looking at the proud group, reveling in the fact that they ¡®caught¡¯ another troublemaker.


    Fitzgerald, meanwhile, moved on to a bush that caught his attention, probably being polite and ignoring Sam¡¯s troubles.


    ¡°Now!¡± The redhead stepped forward, pointing at Sam. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to leave!¡±


    ¡°Or?¡±


    ¡°Or we¡¯ll make you!¡± joined the man in the white tabard. Sam idly noticed the blue ascot around his neck.


    Thankfully, Sam was spared having to kill his own guildmates when a cloaked individual suddenly appeared between Sam and the odd group, kneeling on the ground.


    The group holding up Sam and his charge recoiled instantly.


    ¡°What the¡­ What are you doing here?¡± the lead idiot asked, but the cloaked individual ignored him and instead began addressing Sam.


    ¡°Welcome, sir,¡± came the greeting from the kneeling figure.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± replied Sam with a relieved smile. ¡°I would have hated to¡­ act.¡±


    Meanwhile, the group of proud guards were staring at the kneeling figure agog.


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    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Marjory, is that you?¡± came from the woman with the glasses. Sam noted that it probably allowed her to see more than others. ¡®Maybe I could create googles with the same enchantments...¡¯ he idly mused. ¡°Why did you interfere?¡±


    The kneeling figure stood up and whirled around and at the same time removed her hood, revealing her youthful face and ponytail.


    ¡°Because I wanted to prevent you morons from attacking one of the guild leaders!¡± she yelled at them angrily.


    ¡°Guild leaders?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that Adam?¡±


    Sam just stood there and smiled, watching as the no longer fully cloaked woman ¨C one of the hidden guards ¨C read the riot act to the overly eager group.


    He pointed to the side and began ambling that way while using his other hand to grab Fitzgerald¡¯s shoulders to drag him away as he was currently staring at an insect in his palm and mumbling.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be just going¡­¡±


    Sadly, one of the people in the group that stopped them noticed his extremely stealthy exit.


    ¡°Hey! Where are you going? We weren¡¯t fin-urgh¡­¡±


    Ignoring the sound of violence behind him, Sam continued to drag Fitzgerald toward their destination, hoping that they wouldn¡¯t be interrupted again.


    <hr>


    Thankfully, they reached the ruins without any interruptions, though they had to stop for a few minutes as Fitzgerald said his tearful goodbyes to his new insect friend.


    The ruins themselves were rather underwhelming.


    Most of the wood and other biological materials had long since rotted, been carried away by natural phenomena, or eaten by local wildlife, leaving behind stone walls and constructs.


    And even those constructs were in disarray, covered and eroded by nature.


    As they approached the outer boundary of what had once been a mining town, Sam could spot where the old walls were, or rather their stone foundation. Now it was replaced with a trench dug by earth mages around the entire town, ready for the new foundation. The removed stone was set to the side, ready to be used.


    Which gave Sam an idea¡­


    In the world of magic, items used for a long time for a specific purpose would gain a sort of flavor in magic. And stones used to be part of a wall for who knows how many years would be flavored with the concept of protection and steadiness. It wasn¡¯t something that would make them indestructible, but if he put together a simple runic sequence and carved them on those stones, which in turn would be distributed at all points of the construction, then it would create a symbiotic synergy with the sequence, enhancing and stabilizing the magic.


    ¡®Man, it seems it was really useful to read all those boring books¡­¡¯ he mused to himself as they walked through a small wooden bridge placed on top of the trench as several people ¨C mostly NPCs ¨C saluted them.


    Based on the symbols on their clothing, they were workers from the Silvercrest family.


    ¡®Oh no¡­ I forgot about her¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    They walked through the ruins, following the signs posted by the workers toward the city center, near the entrance to the mines that Sam knew would be repurposed for warehousing, barracks, and experimental areas. As well, in the future, they would be used for hydroponics experiments that were in the plans.


    Strictly out of the game, as they didn¡¯t want to give the system any ideas.


    The rest of the area was going to be used to make use of the items they gained from the valley.


    The fertilizer and the Gardener¡¯s Friend runic circle would be used to create very compact gardens to produce high-quality food, while some of the old refurbished mining shafts would be transformed into underground lakes, partly as water reservoirs and partly to use them for the Chameleon Fish Eggs.


    There were already guild members out in the world, happily fishing in all sorts of weird places for guild contribution points.


    Sam was also planning on taking a few small trips to pick up a few rarer fish to populate the lakes. They would be an excellent source of food, alchemy materials, and products to trade.


    As they entered the center of the ruins, they could already see a big square marked out for the town square, and around it, with space left open for the roads, were marked plots of land with a sign showing their designated number.


    ¡°These will be for commerce, sir,¡± Sam stated as Fitzgerald looked around with interest. ¡°The plot I showed you is deeper inside, both for security and protection. We actually plan to create an entire crafting district¡­¡±


    Fitzgerald just hummed thoughtfully but didn¡¯t say anything as they headed deeper, dodging around the constant presence of construction crews and servants, making sure everybody was properly hydrated and distributing food to those who were on breaks.


    Altogether, to Sam, it seemed that everybody was in a good mood, working happily. Well, at least the NPCs were in a good mood. Most of the players laboring next to the NPCs were rather sullen.


    But if they decided that this was the way they wanted to gain guild contribution, Sam felt that they had no reason to feel sullen. It was not like they forced them into manual labor, or they were mistreated¡­ Hell, they were even paid real gold for their work, not just the contribution points, as Sam wanted to avoid being one of those greedy guilds that exploited their members.


    Plus, they had the money, so why not boost the local economy a little¡­


    Soon, they left behind the planned commercial district and entered a much better-guarded zone near the mine entrances. Here the guild members and well-armored Silvercrest family guards patrolled, especially around the few buildings that had already been built.


    One of them was a giant mess hall, surrounded by a few warehouses and a few other basic amenities, and opposite were two buildings. From Lara¡¯s reports, he knew that one was the planning office and Lara¡¯s headquarters, while the other ¨C helpfully marked with the Silvercrest crest ¨C was where the daughter of the family was staying.


    However, before they could move toward Lara¡¯s building, they were interrupted by the sound of a wolf running toward them at high speed.


    Sam watched as Fortuna, Lucrecia¡¯s shadow wolf, charged at them with a grin on her face and tongue lolling out and just let out a sigh, knowing that meeting with the girl would be inevitable.


    Thankfully, before the shadow wolf could reach them Lucky appeared from the shadows in front of Sam and collided with the much smaller and sleeker wolf. They were sent tumbling, but from the sounds Sam could hear it was a friendly tussling, as if Lucky was testing the younger wolf. Much like how an elder sibling would after coming home after a long absence.


    They were so transfixed by the mock battle between the two wolves that they didn¡¯t even notice as a servant approached them.


    Sam turned around after hearing a throat clearing and beheld a maid with the symbol of the Silvercrest family on their apron bowing to them.


    ¡°Master Samuel and Master Fitzgerald, you honor us with your presence. The lady of the house would like to greet you personally if it is all right with you,¡± she stated while glancing at them from her bow.


    Sam looked at Fitzgerald, who just nodded eagerly.


    ¡°I would love to!¡±


    Sam swallowed his curse and forced a smile on his face. ¡°Indeed, it would be a pleasure to meet the lady of the house again.¡±


    The maid straightened and curtsied. ¡°Then, if sirs, would follow me, that would be excellent!¡± With that, she turned around and began walking at a sedate pace toward the small, by noble standards, house that held the girl who was obsessed with Sam.


    He took a moment before following the maid to call out to Lucky.


    ¡°Make sure not to hurt her and find me when you are finished!¡± then he simply followed her while listening to Lucky¡¯s affirmative bark.

 Chapter 200

    Sam followed the maid with a sour look on his face, desperately wanting to stay back and join the two shadow wolves in playing instead of spending time with the girl who was obsessed with him. On the other hand, Fitzgerald was literally whistling as he looked around the area curiously.


    They were escorted into the building in short order by the maid, where they met quiet chaos as the guards and soldiers of the noble family used the first floor as their base. Messengers ran to and fro while officers were bent over giant desks filled with maps and papers.


    Sam and Fitzgerald had a brief moment to take it all in before the quiet murmur of the space was broken by a very familiar squee. Instantly, almost all the soldiers jumped up, some unsheathing their weapons, some just placing their hands on it, and looking wildly around, hoping to identify the possible attacker.


    They relaxed marginally when the body of the lady of the manor in all her splendor flew forward and hugged Sam¡¯s rigid form.


    He looked down on the young girl, dressed in a mix of armor and dress ¨C well a cuirass over a full-body dress ¨C as she tried to hug the stuffing out of him, looking up at him with big dewy eyes.


    ¡°Samuel! I missed you so much!¡± Sam stood there rigidly, letting the girl chatter on as he tried to ignore the deadly glare from the maid that followed the young girl, promising all sorts of terrible things if he said or did the wrong things. ¡°I really liked this task but it was horrible that I couldn¡¯t meet you but you¡¯re now here and we can work together and destroy our enemies and create something wondrous! How amazing!¡±


    Sam blinked as he took in the word vomit, then before he could react the young woman moved from hugging him to standing in front of Fitzgerald and giving him an elegant bow.


    ¡°Welcome to the base of our operation, Master Fitzgerald,¡± she stated, her previous excited behavior nowhere to be seen, looking exactly like a young noble lady should look.


    ¡°Thank you for the welcome, young lady,¡± he responded with a bow of his own and a small smile playing on his lips. Sam caught the glance at him and steeled himself. ¡°However, it seems, you already knew my student. How did that come to pass?¡± he asked, the smile on his lips growing slightly malicious.


    Sam wanted to curse but held himself back as he watched Lucrecia¡¯s face light up as if the sun was shining on it and the young woman smiled and clapped her hands together.


    ¡°Oh my! What an excellent question! I shall tell you the entire excellent tale!¡± She turned halfway toward the staircase and motioned toward it. ¡°Would you mind joining me in the tearoom, Master Fitzgerald? This tale requires the utmost comfortable seating and exquisite tea!¡±


    ¡°It will be my pleasure, young lady!¡± he replied while jerking his head at Sam toward the staring guards who were trying not to laugh. Sam recognized several of them from when he visited the Silvercrest manor.


    Thankfully, that was enough for Lucrecia to actually forget about Sam, grab Fitzgerald¡¯s willing arm, and drag him up the staircase, already starting to tell the heavily dramatized and romanticized version of her and Sam¡¯s first meeting and the subsequent events.


    ¡°Well, that happened¡­¡± Sam spoke up as he stood with the maid who brought him to the building still in the same place he stopped when he stepped through the door.


    ¡°Indeed, my lord,¡± came the greeting from one of the guards with the captain¡¯s insignia. The man saluted him and motioned him toward the room with the giant desk in the middle, the rest of his cohorts waiting for them. ¡°If you would like, we have a report prepared.¡±


    Sam nodded and followed the man.


    <hr>


    It took a minute to get everyone situated, or called back from outside, but it gave Sam a few minutes to study the map on the desk. Instead of focusing on architecture and civil engineering, it focused on the movements of the guards, guild members, monster hot spots, and areas where it was easy to attack the ruins.


    He could even see a few spots marked for scouting, overwatch, nightwatch, chokepoints, and other strategically important locations.


    Sam turned to the captain and nodded. ¡°Well, I¡¯m here and ready to hear it, so don¡¯t hold back, captain!¡±


    The older man nodded, glanced around then began his report.


    ¡°Very well, sir! As you can see on the map, we had set up the defenses based on what Miss Lara had discovered of the ruins. The walls are currently being rebuilt but we created a few temporary lookouts and based our patrol routes on the walls. Patrols are being reinforced by the guild members, but we made sure those patrol rosters and timetables are generated based on a different system to confuse any potential adversary.¡±


    ¡°Tim?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Master Tim was very helpful with his suggestions, though, somewhat paranoid,¡± replied the man good-naturedly while the others chuckled around the table.


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    Sam joined them with a smile. ¡°Well, that¡¯s why I pay him¡­¡±


    ¡°And has it been worth it?¡± came the question from somebody around the table.


    Sam just shrugged. ¡°Haven¡¯t been assassinated yet¡­¡±


    There was a small laughter hearing that before returning to the task at hand.


    ¡°What about the local monsters and other dangers?¡± Sam asked.


    The captain began pointing at the map. ¡°As you can see, we have nests here, here and there. The rest were removed by the guild.¡±


    ¡°Why did they keep those?¡±


    ¡°Based on our recommendation.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Those nests are in areas where the monsters themselves create a sort of defense against invaders plus some of the materials you can harvest from them are valuable. The young lady insisted on harvesting them as long as possible.¡±


    ¡°What type of monsters?¡±


    Instead of answering, Sam was just handed a paper with a list on them. He read over it, and while the monsters were nothing noteworthy, the materials they provided would account for a decent income. At least until the number of local residents increased to a level where maintaining those nests would become more trouble than worth it.


    He handed back the paper and nodded. ¡°Good work.¡± The captain returned the gesture. ¡°What about the non-monster type of enemies?¡±


    The captain frowned as he answered. ¡°Much more difficult. The local miscreants are easy to apprehend and even the weaker groups are not an issue for our patrols, but there have been several groups where the guild had to chase them away. And those were the ones we noticed¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, on that front I have some good news and bad news¡­¡± he replied.


    The captain just sent him a forlorn look and motioned for him to continue.


    ¡°As you saw, I arrived with Master Fitzgerald, who is a¡­¡±


    ¡°Master of Runes. Yes, I¡¯ve heard of him,¡± finished the captain for him. ¡°Are you escorting him here for a task?¡±


    ¡°No. He is here to set up a workshop.¡±


    ¡°A workshop. Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the bad news, I¡¯m afraid, captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh no¡­ You don¡¯t mean?¡± he asked, fear evident on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid, yes.¡±


    ¡°Government contract?¡±


    ¡°Government contract.¡±


    ¡°Secrecy?¡±


    ¡°You squeal and nobody will ever admit that you existed,¡± answered Sam with a grimace.


    The captain just cursed while the soldiers muttered among themselves.


    ¡°What¡¯s the good news?¡± the captain of the guard finally asked after a few seconds.


    ¡°Lots of money, of course¡­¡±


    ¡°Naturally¡­¡±


    There was a brief silence as everybody contemplated the information that Sam shared as he turned back to the map and began to take another look.


    Based on his previous life he wanted to see if he could add anything to the defenses. Finally, after a minute he spotted it. He spoke up while pointing at a specific spot.


    ¡°Have you sent scouts there, captain?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm?¡± the captain leaned closer and took a look. ¡°That¡¯s the end of a small mountain range, we scouted it but aside from a few shallow caves, we didn¡¯t find anything. Why?¡±


    Choosing his words carefully, not wanting to explain his ritual that allowed him a brief overview of the area, he began to explain.


    ¡°You need some mages in your scouts, captain. There is a spot around there that is radiating magic, I can even feel some echoes from here,¡± he fibbed. The Silvercrest family was trustworthy but he didn¡¯t know any of these guards. Better not tell them that he knew there was a fracture there.


    The captain, instead of getting angry, just nodded tiredly. ¡°I requested a magical unit, but the logistics¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, say no more. I¡¯ll have the guild scout it in case it¡¯s something dangerous¡­¡± Sam offered generously.


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Now, before I go and greet the young lady, are there any questions?¡± he asked, looking around the room.


    Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how one looked at it, almost everybody raised their hands.


    <hr>


    Sam knocked on the wooden door and waited until the severe-looking maid opened the door for him. He bowed his head in greeting to the maid, then he focused his attention on the lady of the house, who was basically vibrating in her seat while trying to appear as if she was calmly sipping her tea.


    ¡°Miss Lucrecia, it¡¯s lovely to see you!¡± he called out cheerfully while giving a deep bow. He straightened out and looked around theatrically. ¡°I don¡¯t see Master Fitzgerald? Did he already depart?¡±


    ¡°The good master has insisted that he wanted to look around,¡± came the clarification from the maid while Lucrecia just nodded.


    ¡°Good to know.¡±


    The statement was followed by an awkward silence ¨C at least it felt awkward to Sam ¨C as they looked at each other until the maid cleared her throat, breaking the younger woman out of her daydream. She jumped a little but finally began talking.


    ¡°Would you-you like some tea, sir?¡± she offered with a hesitant smile while her eyes shined with hope.


    Sam contemplated for a moment saying no, but upon looking at those eyes, he just didn¡¯t have the heart to do that. ¡®Damn those devs for making the NPCs so realistic¡­¡¯


    ¡°One sugar, please,¡± he replied with a wan smile as he went forward to take a seat.


    The blinding smile the young woman gave him illuminated the entire room.


    <hr>


    ¡°How is the apartment hunt?¡± Sam asked, leaning against the door.


    Lara looked up from the plans she was staring at and just snorted. ¡°I¡¯m rich, Sam. If I want an apartment, I get it.¡±


    ¡°So, did you get one?¡±


    ¡°It is currently being cleaned and upgraded.¡±


    ¡°Cool. How is Dan?¡±


    ¡°Still lost a little¡­¡±


    ¡°At least he has a paper that says he is super smart¡­¡±


    ¡°Try telling him that¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the girlfriend. That¡¯s your job.¡±


    Lara glared at him. ¡°Did you come here just to annoy me?¡±


    Sam shrugged, then retrieved a stack of documents and dropped them on the desk. ¡°I brought you your first official client that ¡®doesn¡¯t exist and please don¡¯t ask any questions, thank you¡¯!¡±


    She blinked and in surprise, took the papers and gave the top one a read. Then after finishing she frantically began paging through the stack, occasionally stopping to check something.


    ¡°Are you for real?¡± she finally asked.


    Sam walked forward and took a seat in the only chair that wasn¡¯t covered in papers, maps, and other planning-related materials. ¡°And that¡¯s just the things that can be put to paper¡­¡±


    Lara grinned and leaned forward. ¡°Do tell¡­¡±


    <hr>


    The three of them stood in front of an empty plot deep into the ruins, with no NPCs or players nearby.


    Lara was taking glances at Fitzgerald, while the man in question was looking around and checking out the plot.


    ¡°What do you think, sir?¡± Sam asked after a few minutes. ¡°Is it large enough?¡±


    Fitzgerald walked forward, spun to face them, and grinned.


    ¡°Perfect! I can¡¯t wait to see what we can accomplish here!¡±


    Lara and Sam exchanged a glance then gave a polite clap at the declaration.

 Chapter 201 - Interlude 19

    He walked into the apartment, well apartments, as Lara had some rather specific requirements for where she lived and the area where Sam and the others lived wasn¡¯t known for luxury apartments or a manor house fit for someone like his girlfriend, and put down the box he was carrying.


    Even though he had enough money to hire a delivery service, Lara insisted that they do it themselves, with some help from their friends. That way, their first move would be more authentic¡­


    Dan suspected that she just wanted to see him and Sam in tight shirts sweating¡­


    The rest of the apartment looked like a bomb had exploded. Boxes, most of them belonging to Lara, filled half of the apartment, while the other half was cluttered with things that didn¡¯t fit into boxes, were too valuable to be boxed, or had already been unpacked for various reasons.


    ¡°I got the last one!¡± he called out to the giant space that would become his home, well their home, for the foreseeable future.


    ¡°Did the truck go away?¡± came a question from another room.


    ¡°Yeah, made sure that we didn¡¯t leave anything behind, thanked them, and told them they could go,¡± he answered his girlfriend.


    Said girlfriend came into the room, wiping her hands in a rag while a dingy shirt clung to her frame, soaked in sweat and one half-drunk coffee that somebody left in an open cup in a place where it wasn¡¯t supposed to be.


    She looked breathtaking¡­


    He walked up to her and leaned forward for a smooch but she pushed him away. ¡°Please no¡­ I¡¯m sticky in places that I don¡¯t even want to think about¡­¡± she complained with a put-upon face.


    Dan moved back a little and grinned. ¡°You know, it was your idea that we do this ourselves.¡±


    She looked back at him and let out a frustrated sigh while trying to blow away a rogue hair that was sticking to her forehead while also hanging in front of her eyes.


    ¡°Believe me, I¡¯m thoroughly regretting it now. No matter the eye candy¡­¡± she answered while glancing at his ratty shirt that had more holes than fabric. Perfect for moving through dust and dirt, but didn¡¯t leave much for the imagination.


    ¡°Where is Sam?¡± he asked, trying to change the subject, but Lara just sent him a playful glance. Still, she answered his question.


    ¡°He is in the server room, setting up the basics before the family security arrives.¡±


    ¡°Lucy?¡±


    Lara just shrugged. ¡°She said something about talking with the company that does the maintenance of the building but otherwise I have no idea¡­¡±


    Dan nodded wisely but before he could say anything the door to the apartment was opened with enough force that it was only the magnetic doorstopper that prevented the creation of a new hole in the wall. There in the door stood Lucy with a satisfied look on her face.


    ¡°I did it!¡±


    ¡°Did what exactly?¡± Sam asked as he also entered the room, holding the remnants of a few cables. He turned to Lara, holding those up. ¡°These were duds with manufacturing faults.¡± Then he threw them into one of many trash bags littering the floor.


    Lucy continued as if Sam hadn¡¯t interrupted her. ¡°Spoke with maintenance. Got their schedule and made sure that your utilities will be inspected tomorrow.¡± She looked rather proud. ¡°Trust me, you need it. These big buildings are practically one step removed from those monstrous hab buildings and that means doing maintenance is a murder, so they only do it when they really need it.¡±


    ¡°And they will be doing an inspection on our lines and whatnot because you asked?¡± Lara asked skeptically while making a note to have the security people also do an inspection.


    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t really asking¡­¡± Lucy declared with a proud smirk. ¡°However, after some¡­ spirited discussions, they agreed with my request.¡±


    Sam just walked forward and raised his hand to offer Lucy a high-five, which she returned gleefully.


    They spent the next few minutes talking about the realities of being a new homeowner, a lot of which really surprised Dan. He never really thought about getting insurance ¨C which was another labyrinthian edifice to bureaucracy that he didn¡¯t really understand or wanted to understand ¨C doing regular maintenance, keeping up with taxes, and so on.


    It probably helped that Lara¡¯s family smoothed most things over and Lucy was anal-retentive enough that by the time they announced which apartment they chose, the woman already had a sheet full of information and calculations about how much money they had to pay and to whom.


    Dan just knew if he didn¡¯t make these friends, he would be hopelessly lost. He may have had a pretty nice doctorate in plasma physics and engineering, but the real world scared him.


    Finally, the discussion was broken by the growl of an empty stomach.


    Dan looked down at his stomach, then back at the others. ¡°Food?¡±


    Sam just smirked. ¡°Already ordered the traditional moving food. It should be here in a few minutes¡­¡±


    And just to prove that his friend was totally bullshit, their bell rang for the first time.


    He walked over to the intercom and pushed the button to allow the pizza delivery guy to enter the building.


    <hr><hr>


    Isabella, or nowadays Izzy to her friends ¨C which was a rather nice feeling as she hadn¡¯t had real friends since maybe kindergarten ¨C made sure that her cargo was still in her purse and entered her, or more her family¡¯s house, stone-faced and with purpose-filled stride.


    She ignored the few cousins who were always lying about, made sure to nod and smile at the servants, and headed for her own room. Partially to change out of her clothes and partially to continue with the diabolical plan that the Chaos Gremlin and she cooked up.


    It was a pleasant day spent over an empty notebook and filling it with all sorts of information that would look legit and powerful, but if someone didn¡¯t know much about this sort of thing, they wouldn¡¯t notice the many, many errors they inserted.


    It was great fun to take the tutorials and manuals that Sam had given them and tweaking them so that it wouldn¡¯t work, or mess up people, though they had to ask Sam how to achieve the second part.


    Unfortunately, most of the time was spent making it look authentic and not something that was thrown together by two young women as they consumed their body weight in puddings.


    Entering her room, or rather the outer room, she put the bag on a table and began chucking off her clothing, beelining toward the shower. Spending time with the gremlin was a highly active time, and she didn¡¯t like feeling sticky.


    <hr>


    Isabella stepped out of the shower, grabbed the warm towel, prepared for her, and began drying herself as one of the servants stepped into the room.


    ¡°Miss, your father had requested a meeting as soon as you¡¯re presentable,¡± she said in a soft voice, offering another towel for her hair. As soon as Isabella took the towel, the servant reached for the hairdryer and began to help her.


    A half an hour later, dressed in casual clothes, she left behind her room, heading for the meeting where she would no doubt be needled by her father and other relatives to share information about Chrysalis, AFK, and Sam.


    ¡®Maybe this is the time they would give up¡­¡¯ she wondered to herself, then she snorted. ¡®As if¡­¡¯


    Sometimes she really wondered about the general intelligence of her relatives.


    ¡®Why couldn¡¯t I get someone like Dan or Lucy as a relative?¡¯ she lamented.


    <hr>


    In the room left behind by the heiress of the family, the servant went through the room, casually picking up the thrown-away clothes, folding them, and putting them in a basket, preparing them for washing. She already righted a few items here and there, arranging things in neat order until she reached the bag left behind.


    The female servant picked up the bag and took it back to the office used by the young woman. If the bag was a little lighter by the time it reached the office, it wasn¡¯t her problem.


    After all, the money offered to her was enough that even if they fired her, she would be set.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°All right people, where are we with the Portia quest?¡± he asked, sitting at the desk, massaging his poor aching feet. He had been on his feet for the last few hours and he needed a little sit-down.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    One of his assistants spoke up. ¡°They finished with the preparations, the f- I mean he got the reward and now they are starting on the workshop.¡±


    He stopped massaging his feet for a second and reached out for his cup and took a sip. ¡°Any events we could redirect at them?¡±


    This time it was the AI who delivered the damning news from one of the nearby screens. ¡°Can¡¯t really do that. This part of the quest is mostly about logistics, politics, and some crafting.¡±


    ¡°Which the fucker can knock out of the park with the help of his stupid talented friends and massive amounts of money? Right? RIGHT?¡±


    Selene gave him a cheeky thumbs up.


    He emptied the cup of coffee in one motion, almost threw it at the table, the cup clattering on it but ultimately landing without breaking or flying away, then he threw his head back and let out a rather dramatic


    ¡°Aaaggh¡­ I hate that fucker¡­¡±


    ¡°We know sir, we do too!¡± joined one of the overeager interns, waving their hands in a threatening manner, looking like they were ready to throw down with the person whose name was forbidden to be uttered in front of the boss.


    One of the other workers reached over and gently pushed the young man¡¯s hands down. ¡°We don¡¯t do that here¡­¡±


    After a few seconds, he spoke, still leaning back and eyes closed.


    ¡°What about their enemies? Do they know about this?¡±


    There were a lot of shaking heads around the room.


    ¡°A lot of them are still reeling from the Great Gold Panic, the others are either trying to do raids or the stupider ones are fighting for the valleys.¡±


    ¡°Still?¡± he asked in a disbelieving tone, with one eye cracked open. ¡°Haven¡¯t they got bored with the bloodshed?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡±


    ¡°God, they are stupid¡­ They¡¯re over there, killing each other for some stupid items and that fucker is over here making bank¡­¡±


    Nobody was brave enough to comment on that.


    ¡°Selena,¡± he called out toward the smirking AI. ¡°Is there any way we could slow him down?¡±


    The beautiful AI shook her head.


    ¡°We always planned for the Portia questline to be pretty simple and straightforward to make sure the end result would be realized pretty early on. We actually want the people to move around¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­ Have I mentioned how much I hate that fucker?¡±


    One of the brave programmers was courageous enough to answer that. ¡°Many times, sir.¡±


    However, before he could react to that, Selene continued to speak.


    ¡°There is one thing we could do¡­¡±


    Instantly, he sat up and was intently gazing at the screen displaying Selene¡¯s beautiful face.


    ¡°What? Tell me you beautiful amalgamation of code and technology!¡±


    Selene preened a little under the praise but she was a consummate professional, when not enabling people¡¯s caffeine addiction or playing practical jokes with monitor backgrounds.


    ¡°It appears that the subject of your¡­ enmity is nearing Level 101. The first barrier.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± he asked, almost bouncing on his chair.


    ¡°Well, we could leak it carefully with a list showcasing the top-level players. Anonymously, of course, but it should incentivize people and could distract him.¡±


    There was a momentary silence as he contemplated the idea before nodding and slamming his fist into his palm.


    ¡°An excellent idea! You¡¯re promoted!¡± he yelled out, pointing at the screen before jumping up and racing toward his station. ¡°Come on, people! We need to design a ¡®Race to the Top¡¯ event! Chop, chop!¡±


    The rest of the people in the room looked at each other, then back at the still-smirking AI, and collectively shrugged.


    They got paid either way¡­


    <hr><hr>


    Lucrecia was over the moon.


    No.


    She was over the very star orbiting the planet.


    Her hero. Her savior. The very person who gave her Fortune, her loyal companion. Whose actions finally allowed her to spread her wings and prove to her family that she was capable of many things.


    The spy circle she put together was taken over by her mother after Lucrecia approached her for help, but she didn¡¯t mind, as it allowed her to participate in real military action. Granted, at first it was only against some miscreants and lame criminals but as she improved (and took some extra classes) so did the danger rating of the enemies she went after at the head of the unit her darling father entrusted her with.


    And not long ago, she was sent to the middle of nowhere to guard some kind of excavation.


    At first, she was angry, believing that her father was punishing her for something, but after a quiet and calm conversation, she was enlightened.


    Her beloved had plans, and in his infinite wisdom and skill, managed to arrange things in a way that would result in Lucrecia gaining the leadership of the future town.


    As she expected from someone like her lovely adventurer!


    Then Lucrecia met with the woman whom her beloved Samuel assigned the task of building up the town and was instantly suspicious that the hussy was after her beloved, but when she had met her boyfriend, she managed to calm down.


    Lucrecia still didn¡¯t like Lara, but at least she had to admit that the woman knew what she was doing. Which allowed her to focus on the task that was her current favorite.


    Hunt miscreants!


    And there were so many of them! There were spies from other nobles (they were distracted), spies from all sorts of organizations (killed with extreme prejudice), marauding bandits (sent to the chopping block), adventurers who didn¡¯t know better (told to turn around), and finally, countless adventurers that believed that Chrysalis, the guild her beloved founded with that tramp, had found some kind of treasure.


    They also wanted to get that treasure, no matter how hard Lucrecia or her people tried to explain to them that there was no treasure and it was under the Silvercrest family¡¯s aegis. They didn¡¯t believe her and they just kept coming¡­


    Endless waves of adventurers tried to break through the patrols, guards, scouts, and every other defense they had set up.


    Thankfully, her beloved had made sure ¨C as the genius he was ¨C to hire talented people. This¡­ Tim, while crude and overly amorous, was rather talented in the area of security.


    Granted, the long-awaited meeting was cut short as she had to do her duty and provide a grand welcome to the acclaimed master of runes that even she had heard about.


    And the man arrived with her hero!


    How exciting! She couldn¡¯t wait to see what her Samuel had planned!


    ¡®Should I go with the low-cut yellow dress or the blue that shows off my legs?¡¯ she mused as she stood before her full-body mirror and twirled around while Fortuna lounged behind her, the loyal wolf following her movement with her beautiful eyes.


    <hr><hr>


    There was something to be said about role playing, and enhancing the gaming experience. And he had to agree, to a certain extent, that acting like a follower of a demon cult made the whole thing much more enjoyable than the usual assassin-for-hire thing they did in games.


    Granted, it was harder to make money now that Silent Step transitioned into a demon cult, but variety was the spice of life and whatnot¡­


    He could have done without the blood sacrifices and the stupid orders.


    The Shadowed One was a great demon, with plots within plots and plans that would boggle the mind, but it was also very demanding.


    If a plan wasn¡¯t executed to perfection, or how it demanded, then there would be hell to pay.


    They still took assassination contracts, but sometimes the Shadowed One took an interest and directed the procedure by itself. Mostly when they went after NPCs but sometimes the demon even demanded obedience and that they follow its plans when they were hired to take out certain players.


    They tried to figure out a reason for its actions, hell they had an entire team in the real world pouring over all available information that they managed to glean from the demon and books. But no success so far¡­


    Sadly, life wasn¡¯t perfect.


    They were always hounded by the druids around Ironwood, which necessitated moving their headquarters deeper into the forests, which in turn had the chance of triggering the local guardian. Never a good idea¡­


    Boy, did the demon not like that¡­


    They also tried to go after Tim, but the man was as crafty as a fox, and not even the plans of the Shadowed One could penetrate the defense woven around the buildings he frequented.


    And when he was not there, they couldn¡¯t find him anywhere.


    Clearly, joining up with Solar did his skillset some good.


    He was broken out of his thoughts when he was approached by one of the NPC cultists, who showed up not long after they set up shop in the cave system. They cleaned and made sure the place was always in order, manned the kitchen and armory, and did every miscellaneous task the demon demanded. They even operated a few cult-specific shops where they could buy things that normal people couldn¡¯t.


    Sometimes when they really needed money, they just sold some of the specialty products at the Auction House and their liquidity problem was solved.


    When the NPCs first appeared, they were suspicious, but when they saw them do menial jobs they realized that this was the game¡¯s way of making their life easier. So they just celebrated and put the mystery of cultists out of their minds.


    ¡°Sir! The great Excellency in the Shadows demands your presence!¡± he declared in a soft voice, their face hidden by their hood and the whisper disguising the nature of their voice.


    He nodded his head and without waiting began heading deeper in the cave system. He had recently reached Level 70 and had been waiting for a quest that would allow him to learn more powerful spells.


    ¡®Maybe this time I¡¯ll get something that will work against Tim¡­¡¯ he mused as he expertly navigated the tunnels that had no identifying signs or even maps.


    They lived in the shadows and the shadows guided them¡­


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°DODGE!¡±


    Stephen threw himself forward, landing on the ground as a small elemental shaped like a ball exploded behind him. Thankfully, his Mana Armor absorbed the impact, but it was still annoying.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± he called out to his comrade, climbed to his knees, and spied through the hole in the temporary wall made of some rubble. He took in the destroyed city streets, the crazy elementalist bastards on the other side readying their poor elementals


    He watched as Slathy, his giant rabbit, wreathed in water armor, courtesy of one of the mages in the guild ¨C as the elementalists¡¯ favorite tactic was summoning low-level fire elementals and making them explode ¨C sped around the battlefield destroying all the earth elementals trying to pull up the stone that made up the road for ammunition.


    Stephen took his bow, notched an enchanted arrow, and took careful aim while he was not being bombarded by exploding elementals. He ignored it when another guild member nearby was taken out by a blast of lightning, took a deep breath, and then let loose the arrow.


    He instantly ducked behind the cover and looked through his spy hole to see if he struck true. He was just in time to see one of those blasted fire mages collapse with an arrow in his throat.


    ¡®Critical! Hell yeah!¡¯ he celebrated silently. Sadly, he was the guild leader, thus he couldn¡¯t be too loud, otherwise, all the enemy elementalists would target him.


    Suddenly, he felt someone touching his back. Jumping a little in fright, he turned around awkwardly, as he was still squatting.


    He came face to face with Azu, her creepy water spirit sitting on her head like a crown and holding three different binoculars in its slimy appendages, occasionally using them to scout around them.


    ¡°Yes?¡± he whispered.


    ¡°They found the headquarters!¡± came the whispered reply from the soft-spoken girl.


    ¡°Really? Great!¡±


    Then there was a short silence, occasionally disturbed by explosions far and near, punctuated by the cry of the wounded or dying interspersed with the sound of crumbling infrastructure.


    ¡°Well?¡± she asked impatiently.


    ¡°Well, what?¡±


    She just sighed and then began to talk. ¡°Cactus. You are the guild leader. Only you can give the order to attack.¡±


    He blinked in surprise. ¡°Then what are you waiting for? ATTACK!¡± Sadly, in his excitement, he forgot about the enemy and yelled the last part. Instantly, the activity in the area tripled.


    His position was bombarded by all sorts of spells and exploding elementals and before he could talk with Azu anymore another yell interrupted his thought process.


    ¡°INCOMING!¡±


    Hearing the whistling sound, he threw himself forward, summoning all his shield spells, ready to protect Azu and her creepy familiar, not seeing the almost imperceptible blush on the smaller girl¡¯s face.


    Then their world was filled with explosions.

 Chapter 202

    After taking an extended walkthrough of the plot, with Fitzgerald stopping here and there to perform some kind of mysterious magic with his runes ¨C followed by Sam carefully observing him through his mana senses, trying to figure out what the older man was doing ¨C they retreated to Lara¡¯s office where the man started to interrogate Lara about the location and the ruins.


    He asked about all sorts of things, some that made sense to Sam and some that utterly confused him. The cardinal layout of the plot made sense, as cardinal directions, the sun, and the moon were important to a lot of rituals and played a great part in long-term runic circles.


    But why did the local insect fauna matter? Or how long the dew stayed before evaporating?


    Sometimes the NPC confused Sam¡­


    Fortunately, after some time, Fitzgerald was satisfied with the answers Lara had provided and declared that he would need to get back to his workshop to prepare for the construction.


    ¡°Student of mine!¡± he exclaimed while turning toward Sam.


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡± he replied with a slight dread.


    Fitzgerald gave him an inscrutable look before speaking. ¡°Sir Mipsy must be already missing me! I shall return with a proper construction crew post haste. Your task is making sure that the area is safe!¡±


    And before Sam could retort or ask some clarifying questions, several runes flashed into existence around the man, which was followed by Fitzgerald vanishing between two blinks, leaving them staring at the empty spot where he stood.


    ¡°The fucker knew how to teleport?¡± Sam asked, aghast. ¡°Why didn¡¯t he¡­¡± he trailed off with a defeated voice.


    Lara looked at the empty spot, then back at Sam with a mix of understanding and schadenfreude on her face. She reached out and began patting his shoulder awkwardly.


    ¡°There, there¡­¡±


    They stayed for a moment, quietly contemplating the behavior of the NPCs before Lara finally spoke up.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan next, boss man?¡±


    Instead of answering, Sam just shared the screen that popped up for him as soon as his mentor left.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Peaceful land, peaceful mind]


    [Your mentor has tasked you with bringing peace to the area where he plans to build his workshop. Clean up the area before he returns to make sure his mission can begin without any complications.]


    [Current progress: 38%]


    [Time Limit: Until Fitzgerald¡¯s return]


    [Penalty: Depending on the completion rate]


    [Reward: Depending on the completion rate]


    ¡°I¡¯m going to share this with you,¡± he declared and did so immediately. ¡°That way we can be more effective¡­¡±


    ¡°But that would share the rewards!¡± Lara protested.


    ¡°And?¡± Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this some important quest? Don¡¯t you want the reward?¡±


    ¡°Meh¡­¡± he waved it away. ¡°What I need is the next quest. Sharing the reward is not a big issue for me. Plus, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m throwing it away. You¡¯re part of my group. Making you stronger makes the whole stronger,¡± he explained.


    She looked back at him with a small smile and nodded. ¡°Thank you¡­ Do you have any idea what the reward would be aside from experience points?¡±


    Sam shook his head. ¡°Nah¡­ bastard is crazy. Could be anything from a cute cupcake to some cataclysmic spell¡­¡±


    Lara instantly perked up at hearing that. Sam could understand why. Magic Unbound tended towards being mysterious, so at this point most players had gotten used to not knowing exactly what they would get as rewards, but knowing that they could expect something great. At least in most cases¡­ There were actually some NPCs that promised the moon, or at least insinuated it, then threw a few bronze coins at you¡­


    Thankfully, the obsessive need of players to gather and organize information, made it easy to identify such NPCs based on an ever-expanding public list that could be found with the most cursory search on the internet.


    ¡°Soooo, what¡¯s the plan?¡± she finally asked.


    Sam took a look around in the office while gathering his thoughts.


    ¡°We need some more services and accommodations for the people that will come with him.¡±


    ¡°High-level people?¡±


    ¡°Could be¡­¡±


    ¡°What do we need?¡±


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    ¡°Area for the workers to rest and maybe drink away their tiredness¡­¡±


    ¡°An inn-slash-tavern, you mean?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Then a private warehouse for my mentor. He goes through parts like there is no tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Private?¡± she grimaced. ¡°That will be hard to manage with the guild¡­¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°Bill it to me personally.¡± He suddenly chuckled. ¡°Or rather Lucy. She can pay and I can pay her back later.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Anything else?¡± Lara asked as she made a few notes.


    It was Sam¡¯s turn to ask questions.


    ¡°Anything I can do to help with the wall?¡±


    ¡°You think we need to accelerate it?¡±


    ¡°Pretty sure, yeah.¡±


    Lara motioned him over to the map on her table. ¡°Well, you came just at the right time. The nearby quarry that we reopened has dug a little deep and opened some kind of monster nest.¡±


    ¡°Fracture?¡±


    ¡°Have no idea. I have some of the guild members investigating, but it¡¯s going slowly.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Aside from the few monster nests, no.¡±


    ¡°Enemy guilds?¡±


    ¡°They have been sniffing around, but we leaked a few things, or well, Tim leaked a few things and they retreated.¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°Good. I¡¯ll deal with the quarry and you start on the town. Fair?¡±


    ¡°Alone?¡± Lara asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Nah. Give me the Scooby Gang and I¡¯ll be fine!¡±


    ¡°Sco-ooby gang? What?¡± she replied with a confused face.


    ¡°That party that ¡®caught¡¯ me? Tall, blonde guy with that stupid ascot, redhead, mage dressed in green, and the woman with those two great¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­personalities,¡± she finished it for him with a slightly reproachful look. ¡°I know them¡­ They will meet you there.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Anything else?¡±


    She spent a few moments thinking before shaking her head. ¡°I think we both have a pretty clear job. You go unga-bunga and I¡¯ll do smart brain stuff¡­¡±


    <hr>


    He stepped out of his pod and shook himself, refocusing on the real world and shedding the sensations of the virtual world. A few stretches and he was ready to start his day in the real world.


    First, a quick bio break, followed by a shower and meal, then he went over the information he received from Lucy about the company, answered a few emails, checked his accounts connected to the game, and made sure his money was working instead of laying about.


    Then he updated some private plans with the recently acquired knowledge, and sent off a few more emails to the others, detailing his plans. The team would review it and if feasible start working on it, but if not, they would critique it and have him rework it.


    Following that, as always, he took a trip to Shadowland to check the drama and gossip, the general idiocy of people, and to see if his ¡®alternate¡¯ persona got any jobs.


    Some he refused as usual, but the ones that were easy ¨C well, easy for him ¨C got an answer and demand for payment. It was always nice to see what people were interested in. This time, just as the last time he checked, people were still hung up on the Valley of Distortions and were looking for any actionable information about the place.


    Next came the news about the wider world.


    Magic Unbound and the company behind it and their meteoric rise had immensely upset the delicate balance the market had settled into over the last hundred years. The same companies rose and fell, just like the seas ebbed and flowed. Sometimes one of them was at the top, sometimes some other company. Based on the data, he could find it was very predictable as if it was pre-planned.


    Then in came Future Unknown, like a wrecking ball and upset the delicate balance.


    And it wasn¡¯t just one company. The increasing popularity of VR games created or enabled incredible growth for entire industries. Deliveries now offered meal plans tailored around Magic Unbound playtimes, cleaning services changed their operating hours so that their workers could play and clean others¡¯ places, and restaurants also changed their operating hours to make use of the hungry players that exited the game.


    Those were just the things that were visible to the layperson. Sam knew, mostly thanks to the half-remembered news segments the other Sam watched, that the demand for gaming pods had revitalized the medical industry almost overnight as people began to dust off sometimes decades-old plans now that there was money in developing it.


    The gaming pod came out so fast because the company behind it just threw it together, using old tech that was already proven to work to appease the demand, but they were already working on more sophisticated solutions.


    A new industrial competition has started about who could create the best and most useful gaming pod.


    And these were just the physical industries.


    The social ones also flourished. Hundreds, even thousands, of new websites, were born every week, catering to a certain segment of the player base, while millions of streamers tried to gather even a small percentage of watchers, hoping that it would change their life.


    An incredible amount of money changed hands as charlatans plied their trade, promising everything from quick level-up guides to the secrets of finding legendary gear in the game. Naturally, to counter them, several groups formed, some from the player base, but several countries took the effort to address the issue. Some by using preexisting governmental organizations, while others set up a new organization whose job was to watch out for these cheaters in their jurisdiction.


    Naturally, the ones setting up these organizations as fast as possible were the smaller countries where the income generated by people (and the taxes they could collect from them) was rather important. Bigger countries had a little more room to maneuver.


    But as Sam looked over the international news of his new home, he couldn¡¯t help but frown. Tensions were already growing as the income generated by the game also grew. There were all sorts of news about countries setting up governmental guilds to generate actual income for the government.


    Which in turn would lead to abuse, as the greed of the people in charge would balloon.


    ¡®The question is: can I do anything to change this?¡¯ he asked himself as he read over another article filled with buzzwords that declared that one more country created a guild to ¡®investigate the realities of virtual reality and to safeguard the citizens¡¯ wellbeing and rights¡¯. ¡®Was there any information that I could share that would help people and not put me instantly in front of a firing squad?¡¯ he mused.


    The answer was no.


    He could totally point fingers at countries that were using what was practically slave labor to have people farm gold, items, and other things in the game to enrich the people in charge, or sometimes just to fuel their gaming habits.


    These kinds of things didn¡¯t stay secret for so long, thus the other Sam watched the news of these sweatshops being discovered and liberated. Reminded of his own journey¡­


    But he didn¡¯t have any evidence. And while these countries were small on an international level, they still held enough power ¨C or had enough money ¨C to find him and to silence him.


    Anonymity didn¡¯t really exist in this new world. As long as you had money, you could find anybody.


    ¡®But¡­maybe if I approach this from a different direction¡­¡¯


    For a long while he sat in front of his computer his thoughts churning like the sea during the storm. Then the sun shone through the clouds, illuminating a peaceful patch of water, serene like his mind.


    He chuckled and opened a writing application.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ How does ¡®The new reality of gold farming¡¯ sound?¡± he spoke out loud as he began typing. ¡°No. Not on the point enough. Maybe ¡®How Magic Unbound changed gold farming¡¯? Hmm¡­ Need to workshop it.¡±


    Ultimately, the title didn¡¯t matter much. It was the content that was the important part. Thus, he sat there and began writing his ¡®essay¡¯ about how the game system and the game¡¯s unique quest system allowed Future Unknown to target sweatshops, black gold farmers, and basically anyone who was exploited while playing the game.


    ¡®Maybe the company will get my hint¡­ they must be aware of me, right?¡¯ he mused uncertainly. ¡®I did a lot of weird things and the quests hinted¡­¡¯

 Chapter 203

    It took him several hours to cobble together something resembling a coherent article, but to him, it looked more like a list of things to talk about with his thoughts about said topic added to it. Granted, even like that, the entire thing was several pages long. Plus, upon rereading his ¡®rant¡¯, he realized there was a very visible undercurrent of anger laced through the whole text.


    ¡®Apparently, the other Sam¡¯s feelings still hadn¡¯t dissipated¡­¡¯ he mused as he took the time to go over the entire thing, change the wording to look less like the manifesto of a school shooter and more like well-thought arguments about the realities of gaming.


    Then he added a few notes to the end of his creation, mostly about the goals and such, followed by sending the entire thing to Lucy for a review. Hopefully, his friend would be able to use her magic to create something more elegant than a rant written by him.


    ¡®Maybe Isabella could take a look?¡¯ he wondered as he got back the confirmation that the letter went through. ¡®Didn¡¯t she study business and marketing?¡¯


    Sam took a little break, had a few glasses of water with his meal while staring broodingly out of his windows at the city and wondering about his place in the universe.


    Was it really his job, his task to reveal the injustice that began to choke the players around the world?


    The answer was clearly no.


    There was no isekai goddess that tasked him with cleaning up the world or saddling him with any other task before he came to be ¡®resurrected¡¯ in this dimension. There were no curses on him and he had no great power, be it economic or political. He had no hidden relatives with mysterious pasts that would offer him the aforementioned power.


    He was only one man. One man, who planned to take on the entire world.


    Did he need to do it? No. Did he want to do it? Yes.


    It would probably come back to bite him in the ass, but Sam didn¡¯t care much about that.


    ¡®What¡¯s the point of a second life if you don¡¯t live it to the fullest?¡¯ he mused as he finished his meal.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he exclaimed, pumping his arms up and down. ¡°Let¡¯s do a little exercise, then back to gaming!¡±


    <hr>


    While now that the new gaming pods came out, exercising and proper nutrition weren¡¯t as important as it was before, Sam knew himself, and he knew if he didn¡¯t keep up this regimented and disciplined life, he would soon turn to a sedentary lifestyle and with that came the belly and tiredness. He was rather enjoying the feeling of lightness and the looks women gave him, thus the sacrifice of time and effort.


    Plus, it was just the first-generation gaming pod. It was made from current tech and quickly integrated into a coherent whole. The real improvements would come starting from the second-gen pods.


    If he remembered correctly, when the other Sam died, they were using fourth-generation gaming pods and seventh-generation helmets.


    Sadly, that meant that while new helmets would come out almost every year or so, he would have to wait for the second-gen pods for at least two years.


    He took a seat in front of his computer and opened up the official website for Magic Unbound. For now, he ignored the official forums and instead, he went for the news.


    There were dozens of posts with showcases that showed off one or two aspects of the game, highlighting some of the things that people would enjoy, mixed in were posts about patches, bug fixes, and explanations to questions that a lot of people asked. Like about major mechanics, people claiming that other people, guilds, or groups were cheating, and so on.


    The most popular post, pinned to the top, was simply titled: ¡®How does mana work?¡¯ and had only a sentence as an answer.


    ¡®Figure it out.¡¯


    Most of the post was filled with trolls laughing at the noobs and people raging at other people who figured it out or the company for not sharing even a basic primer with the players.


    The competition for pictures of pets, summons and familiars was still ongoing, the forum posts filled to the brim with pictures of cute, diabolic, or even edgy pets. According to the notes, they were aiming for summer solstice to draw the winners. Until then, people could only look at the countless pictures of pets and vote with all their might. There were straight-up fan pages for some of the pets and the war in the comment sections was heated enough that there were entire pages unreadable because of inappropriate comments.


    However, what really interested him was the latest news.


    The ¡®Race to the top!¡¯ event is written in big bold letters on the topmost post.


    It was a very simple post.


    It had a list of the top fifty players worldwide as well as a link to see your local list for the area where you were. It was broken down into continents, countries, and in some countries, even into counties.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Thankfully, his name was nowhere near the top as he stopped leveling after finishing the Valley of Distortion. It was mostly full of people with Level 95 or 96. Some of them were well known, but a lot of them were hidden ¡®masters¡¯ or no-lifers. No matter who they were, their fame had shot up into the heavens as people realized what they were capable of.


    A lot of people complained that they were revealed to be high-leveled, but Future Unknown just linked the relevant ToS page and the argument was done.


    And of course, because the company couldn¡¯t make anything easy, they announced that the winner would get a high-definition one-sixth scale figurine of their character with the option to re-order it once a year while the game lasts. There were also a few miscellaneous rewards, like titles in the forum, frames for the account pictures, and some unique emoticons.


    Most people demanded that the victor should be rewarded with in-game items, but the developers announced that they didn¡¯t want to enhance the winner even more, thus the out-of-game rewards.


    Even though there were no in-game rewards, the people still went crazy for the figurine. Every person who found themselves on the list found themselves examined with a magnifying glass and hunted by their detractors.


    The list was dynamic, thus as soon as somebody leveled up, or lost a level, the list was updated. Which made the post the most viewed one the game company had made so far.


    Sam was really tempted (hoping he could convince the company to include a figurine of Lucky in the deal) but he also knew that this was just a marketing ploy to make people interested in the figurines that the company would start selling. First just a one-on-one representation of the in-game model, but soon they would offer seasonal clothes for them ¨C the most popular, for some unfathomable reason, would be the summer collection ¨C as well plush toys of monsters, pets, summons, and familiars.


    ¡®Still¡­ could I do Level 101 with my current quest?¡¯ he thought as he watched as the top fifty on the list rapidly changed, not unlike the announcement board at a busy airport.


    For a moment, he sat there in thought.


    Reaching Level 101 was a qualitative change for anybody, but with his foundational skills, his improvement would be even better. Plus, the announcement didn¡¯t actually say that the players needed to reach Level 101, thus a lot of people were only planning on reaching Level 100. And that one level of difference mattered¡­ The experience points required to reach Level 101 were almost five times the points needed for Level 100, which in itself wasn¡¯t easy to reach.


    ¡®Or I could focus on the portals and make bank¡­¡¯ he mused.


    <hr>


    Sam still hadn¡¯t made a decision by the time he returned to the game. For now, he still had time to make that decision, thus he could focus his energies on the quest he was given by Fitzgerald.


    Upon login into the game, he opened his quest screen and was very satisfied upon seeing that the 38% went up to 41%. More than likely Lara had already begun to execute the things they had discussed.


    He took a few minutes to walk around, watched as players and NPCs worked side by side, made sure to do a very thorough sweep of the area with his Mana Sense to see if he could spot any problem areas or infiltrators.


    Thankfully, while the area was soaked in old mana, there was nothing to worry about for now. As for the NPCs, he made sure to note which ones were much more powerful than a carpenter or builder should be and sent a note to Tim to investigate.


    Then he turned around and stalked out from the center of the newly developing town, heading for the quarry and to deal with the issue of the monsters.


    <hr>


    He arrived at the quarry on the back of Lucky, just in time to watch as a contingent of guild players fought off another wave of monsters. The monsters were golems, more than likely born from the earth mana suffusing the quarry. They were made of the gray stone that the people were trying to mine for the wall and the eventual buildings and were mostly shaped like spiders. From his vantage point he overlooked the battle where the clearly experienced players demolished the monsters with brutal efficiency. They clearly learned the weak points of the monsters and used them to their advantage.


    He spotted hundreds of smaller ones, maybe around the size of a corgi, stuttering around on four stony legs, trying to bite people¡¯s ankles or jumping on them when they weren¡¯t paying attention. The next size was around a pony, with six legs, giant pincers on the front, and actual spikes all around their body. They were the bruiser and tanks of the monsters, ramming into the players, trying to trample and crush them. And among the deluge of stone spiders were the giant ones, maybe one for every dozen medium ones. They towered over the players with their height and spat extremely sharp pebbles while using the sharpened end of their eight legs. They also sometimes shook their body releasing some kind of gray dust that appeared to be trying to choke people and hide the smaller spiders in it.


    Sam watched as the group of players from his guild quickly dealt with the monsters, then celebrated for a moment before they began to police the scene. He even spotted the group of people he requested for this task, standing around the corpse of one of the big ones and clearly having a bragging match based on their body language.


    He cast his mana sense at the corpses and then at the mountainside the quarry was built into.


    ¡®Well, those are not fracture monsters¡­ no dimensional taint¡­ no demonic energy either¡­I wonder¡­¡¯ Sam closed his eyes and focused all his senses on the mountain from where the monsters originated from. He ¡®looked¡¯ through the gravel, sand, and stone, going deeper and deeper until he felt the edge of some kind of mana field. Going a little deeper, he suddenly seized and before he could do anything, he saw with his mind¡¯s eyes eight red lights turning on in a very familiar arrangement. Then everything vanished and Sam felt like somebody walked up to him, and punched him in the nuts, stomach, and face at the same time.


    For a few seconds, he only saw shapes and colors as he tried to regain his breath and by the time he managed to rein in his hammering heart, he noticed he was lying on the ground with a worried Lucky standing over him.


    He reached out and patted the wolf¡¯s head. ¡°Thanks, Lucky. I¡¯m all right now¡­¡±


    Slowly getting up, he looked toward the mountain with a sour taste in his mouth. ¡°Fuckity fuck¡­¡±


    When he reached the sitting position, instead of continuing, he reached for his system screen and made a call.


    Instantly, two faces appeared on the screen in front of him.


    ¡°Yes?¡± asked Lucy with a worried look while Adam just raised an eyebrow.


    Sam didn¡¯t mince his words. ¡°Found something big. Mobilize guild. I want everybody we can spare here!¡±


    Adam spent a moment looking at his face before nodding silently and disconnecting from the call, leaving Sam alone with Lucy.


    ¡°What did you find?¡±


    ¡°Something big and nasty hiding under the quarry. And may have pissed it off¡­¡± he replied with a small grin.


    ¡°How big?¡±


    Sam looked away from the screen and eyed the mountain looming over the quarry.


    ¡°Pretty big¡­¡±

 Chapter 204

    Before approaching the people taking care of the remaining corpses of the stone spiders, he checked his gear and called out Lucky. The loyal wolf appeared in all his splendor from his shadow and landed softly on the gravel-covered ground in front of Sam with a wide grin on his muzzle.


    He got on his knees and spent a few seconds hugging Lucky and running his finger through his fur to the delight of his familiar. Then, after getting his fill (for now) of the silky-smooth fur, he leaned forward and began whispering into the wolf¡¯s ear. While he knew this way, the system would ¡®hear¡¯ parts of his plan, he hoped it would be fair and not react to it.


    Finished with the instructions, he dismissed his shadowy familiar and resumed his journey toward the quarry. Meanwhile, his messages began to blow up with reports from Lucy, Adam, and Tim.


    Taking a quick look at the messages, he saw that the messages from Lucy and Adam were mostly status reports of the guild members who responded to the request, while Tim¡¯s were about the smokescreen he was setting up.


    Opening the message, he saw that there was a war between two rival guilds in Ironwood, and a hitherto unknown fracture''s location was leaked guaranteeing that everyone¡¯s attention would be on those events.


    ¡®Wow¡­ he is really good¡­¡¯


    Another few steps were followed by another deluge of messages, this time from his team. Dan was on his way, and so were Katie and Izzy, while Clarissa still had some tasks at the Healer Guild. Giving it a quick thought, he directed the two chaotic girls to go and pick up Clarissa. Healers were, after all, prime targets and he doubted anyone could take the trio without large personal investments. Which, thanks to Tim¡¯s machinations, would be improbable. But not impossible, thus his instructions.


    Not a few seconds later, he received the acknowledgment of his message for the girls and he let out a relieved sigh.


    A few minutes later he was down in the quarry walking forward toward the collection of guild members as they sat there, talking among themselves while clearly waiting for the next wave.


    Sam didn¡¯t try to hide so naturally, almost everyone (some people were standing with their backs to him) spotted his approach. Thankfully, there were actually people there who recognized him so he didn¡¯t have to prove to a bunch of new people who he was.


    He received several salutes and greetings, which he returned with small smiles and respectful nods.


    ¡°Sup, boss!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    Instead of answering every question, he quickly tapped the ground with his right foot, summoning a small podium made of stone and dirt. Ignoring the looks sent his way, he stepped up on it and then looked around.


    He spent a few seconds meeting people¡¯s eyes and waiting until the noise of conversation slowly disappeared as people began to focus on him.


    Then a little awkwardly cleared his throat before speaking up. ¡°Can everyone hear me?¡±


    Silence was his answer.


    Giving a small smile he continued. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m not big for speeches,¡± he pointed at the hole from where the stone spiders crawled out. ¡°This place is important for the guild. We¡¯re going down there and killing everything.¡±


    Excitement quickly began to take over the crowd. Sam even saw the group that tried to ¡®arrest¡¯ him at the back, whispering to each other. The ascot still looked stupid.


    ¡°Is this a raid?¡± one person asked, instantly filling the crowd with even more excited whispers.


    ¡°Could be,¡± Sam replied. ¡°We don¡¯t know what is on the other end of the cave system,¡± he lied like a lying liar. ¡°Could be a fracture or some monster nest¡­¡±


    Everybody began nodding at that very logical explanation as Sam continued.


    ¡°Earth mages to my right, please,¡± he said and watched as a few people moved there. ¡°The rest organize yourself in your usual teams.¡±


    ¡°Will this be enough for the raid?¡± asked another person.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The rest of the guild is on their way.¡±


    That caused a wave of relief to go through the people in front of him.


    ¡°Now! Who was leading the efforts here?¡± he asked.


    Instantly, a hand went up from the back of the crowd, which parted to show the ascot-wearing man walking toward him.


    ¡°Er, that would be me! Sir!¡± he replied, a tad nervous.


    Sam hopped off his temporary podium, sent it back to the ground with a simple flex of his will, and walked closer to the guy while still ignoring the whispers, but called out just in case. ¡°Everyone! Stand ready for the next wave, but don¡¯t attack them. I want to test something!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, boss!¡±


    ¡°Aye, aye!¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    He approached the nervous young man and held out a hand. ¡°Hi, name¡¯s Solar.¡±


    The other man accepted the hand and shook it. ¡°Hi. Name is BlueKnight, but you can call me Fred. Everybody does it for some reason¡­¡±


    Sam had to bite back a snort after hearing that. ¡°Sure thing, Fred. Now tell me about the situation here!¡±


    Fred nodded and quickly began to paint a picture for Sam.


    <hr>


    Sam checked his messages and saw that the first groups were close to the quarry. They could have arrived faster, but both Adam and Lucy agreed that they needed to keep their movements at least a little secret no matter what distractions Tim arranged.


    According to Fred ¨C he would laugh about that later ¨C the frequency of the waves had been increasing by a few minutes each time, thus he didn¡¯t have to wait much longer.


    The guild members were standing on the sides, leaving enough space in the middle for a fight while Sam stood in the middle of the empty place, facing the cave entrance.


    Seeing people getting ready to throw down with the monsters, he called out. ¡°Hold your fire! I want to test something!¡±


    Instantly, another wave of whispers spread through the players.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Does he want to fight them alone?¡±


    ¡°Does the boss really need the experience points?¡±


    ¡°I kinda want to see it happen¡­¡±


    However, before anyone could voice their objection or anything else, the area shook a little with a few smaller rocks rolling down the mountainside as a result of this.


    ¡°They are coming!¡± someone yelled.


    Sam nodded and raised both of his hands and reached out to the surrounding wind. Instantly, wind spears began to appear near him, causing several people to gasp, followed by several hundred more, causing the air space above him to be saturated with buzzing wind spears.


    His mana sense was fully trained on the mountain, trying to sense the being deep inside without poking it with his own mana again. He was powerful, but there were limits.


    ¡¯A fucking Titan! Here, of all places!¡¯ he grumbled to himself.


    Titans were what the player base called the gigantic monsters that sometimes appeared in the world of Magic Unbound. There was nothing really common in them aside from being extremely big. Some were created by the natural mana at certain locations, some were the results of human experimentations, but there were Titans born from curses and even blessings.


    They were always powerful, with enough health to tank several guilds worth of firepower, and caused devastation whenever they woke up.


    The problem with this one was that Sam had never heard of one appearing this close to Ironwood. There were dozens in the ocean near Deepanchor, the swamps also held a few, and deep in the mountain range was another bunch that he knew. In his memories, he saw as the other Sam watched the videos as guilds spent an incredible amount of money and effort to find these Titans and defeat them for prestige and rewards.


    And they didn¡¯t wake up on their own. Somebody had to wake them up.


    Either something was afoot, or maybe the fact that Sam suspected this one was a curse-type Titan caused it to wake up on its own.


    Either way, he just knew the next few hours were going to suck as they had to defeat it before anybody else saw it.


    It was not like they could hide a mountain-sized spider¡­


    ¡®Maybe if we painted it pink¡­¡¯ he mused with a small smile as he felt the tremors through the ground while his senses told him that several masses of mana were rapidly approaching the open air of the quarry.


    Within seconds the first spider, one of the medium-sized ones broke into the sunlight screeching and dashing straight toward Sam, ignoring everybody else, and within a blink of an eye it was followed by a deluge of small and medium ones, their exit speed only constrained by the diameter of the hole in the mountainside.


    Ignoring the clamor around him and the approaching horde intent on devouring him, Sam raised his right hand further up and then with a sharp movement brought it down, launching all the spears above him with extreme precision.


    The sound the clash of wind spears and stone spiders made was enough to mask the noise the giant stone spiders made as they crawled out of the hole damaging the surrounding wall with their haste.


    With the first wave dead, Sam sent forward a cloud of wind blades to make mincemeat of the small spiders and turned his attention to the big ones. They were big, angry, and really trying to reach him.


    Experimentally, he sent one single wind blade at one of their legs and while it left a small scratch; it didn¡¯t do too much damage. As if encouraged by this, the steps of the giant stone spiders became even faster as the guild members watched restlessly.


    But they weren¡¯t fast enough¡­


    Sam raised his hand again and briefly focused on the area in front of him where he conjured a small ball of extremely condensed wind mana. The next second the ball shot forward, transforming during the flight into the crescent of an exceptionally sharp blade of mana that shone from the amount of mana it contained.


    The nearest stone spider to Sam didn¡¯t even stop as he released the spell, either because the last one didn¡¯t hurt it or because in their anger, they didn¡¯t care what happened to them. Looking into their angry red eyes, Sam suspected it was the second case.


    This blade of wind mana also struck true. However, while the last one only scratched the leg of the giant stone spider, this one went through it like a hot knife through butter.


    And the leg behind it.


    Followed by several medium-sized spiders that had the misfortune to be in its path before the mana holding it together gave out and it exploded, taking out another batch of freshly arrived small spiders.


    The wounded spider fell forward, losing its balance, straight into the spike of hardened earth that shot up with incredible speed, crushing its head.


    There was a moment of silence and then the other giant spiders reeled up and let out a screech that shook the area, causing loose dirt and rocks to fly every which way while trying to deafen everyone present.


    And in the sea of mana, Sam could see that the mass of mana inside the mountain got even angrier, the eight red eyes very visible even from far away.


    All of them trained on Sam.


    ¡®Joy¡­¡¯ he thought as he quickly began summoning more wind blades.


    Soon, the field was littered with the dead bodies of the stone spiders, none of them coming even close to his location while the surrounding players gaped at him.


    The monsters themselves were nothing special, so he didn¡¯t care. Instead, he continued to watch with resignation as the mana in the mountain began to move aggressively.


    He had enough time to send out a warning to Adam before the ground he was standing on began shaking as if an earthquake was occurring.


    Thanks to his skills he didn¡¯t fall over, but he saw several players being sent to the ground.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    ¡°What is happening!¡±


    ¡°Get off! And stop touching me there!¡±


    Then an explosion of rock and dust filled the air.


    BAAAMMMM


    CRASH


    And part of the mountainside moved toward them. However, instead of boulders rolling, it was a giant slab of stone in the shape of the legs of a spider. The claws at the end of the leg were bigger than Sam.


    The leg moved forward coming down on the ground with people running out of its way, raining down fine dust particles as it shook off who knows how many eons worth of detritus.


    Meanwhile, quite understandably, the players around Sam were not so quietly freaking out.


    ¡°What the fuck is that?¡±


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    ¡°I hate spiders!¡±


    Then another explosion.


    BAMMM


    Another leg was revealed opposite of the first one, sending stone and rock everywhere.


    Sam looked at the chaos around him, then closed his eyes and watched as the ¡®core¡¯ of the mana slowly began to move.


    ¡°I probably can¡¯t talk myself out of this¡­¡± he spoke quietly to himself as he unsheathed his sword.

 Chapter 205

    They watched collectively as the gigantic monster started to tear itself free from the mountain it lay under for who knows how long. Dust was filling the air, and the spider monsters were still flooding from the tunnel.


    He made sure to keep killing them while the rest of the players tried to organize themselves into something resembling order.


    Meanwhile, the giant legs of the titan were still over them, just beginning to rise in the air, the claws at the end glistening maliciously despite the fine powder filling the air and preventing sunlight from properly reaching it.


    Sam sent forth another storm of wind blades, annihilating the rushing monsters, his eyes never leaving the giant legs while his mana sense was focused on what he assumed was the core of the monster.


    Quite frankly, he had no idea what he was doing, besides the usual ¡®see big-ass monster then kill the big-ass monster¡¯. The other Sam knew about their existence and saw maybe a handful of fights recorded by people who could give shaky-cam stalkers a good name. Sadly, the reality of the situation was that hunting and fighting titans was the game of the rich and powerful. They were an excellent source of experience points, crafting materials and, if you were lucky, then loot.


    No guild or group would be willing to give that up for a nobody (or the general public). In most cases, if some random player through some miracle found one of the titans, they would be killed, spawn camped to make sure they got the message and the nearest guild would fight the monster while also killing the nearby players to prevent even the smallest chance of kill-steal or anything worse.


    That is why he was confused. The titan was awake before he arrived¡­


    Something was afoot.


    And he was not talking about the giant legs of the titan. He glanced around quickly, looking for somebody acting suspiciously, but he only saw people falling to the ground as they tried to create some distance between them and the humongous monster. Some of them even started firing on the two legs that were currently trying to pulverize the surroundings as well as break down the mountain around the rest of the body.


    Not that they achieved more than a few pockmarks on the impossibly hard surface of the monster¡¯s leg.


    ¡°Earth mages!¡± he gave the order, using the wind mana to make sure his voice carried. ¡°Sink the legs!¡±


    For the next few moments, the chaos continued to swirl around Sam as he made sure to snipe a few mid-sized spiders that tried to use the cover of the swirling dust clouds to ambush a few stragglers.


    Then he heard a yell in response.


    ¡°The left, or right?¡±


    He felt one of his eyes twitch, but instead of calling the player an idiot, he just ¡®calmly¡¯ yelled back. ¡°The right!¡± The curse words were unsaid, but Sam was pretty sure the guy sensed his ¡®dissatisfaction¡¯.


    Thankfully, they were competent enough to follow his order and as the gigantic leg descended like a rod from god in slow motion; it failed to find purchase on the ground as said ground simply vanished from under it, replaced by an expertly constructed deep hole.


    Sam watched in satisfaction as the end of the gigantic leg vanished into the hole and felt a pulse of mana from the monster he interpreted as surprise.


    ¡°Now hold it there!¡± he gave his next order as he glanced back at the earth mages. They looked back apprehensively.


    ¡°H-how long?¡±


    ¡°As long as you can!¡± he replied, using his sword to skewer a spider that tried to jump on him from the top of said leg. ¡°NOW!¡±


    Instantly, the group of mages jumped to work. They began to chant and as Sam looked back at the hole, where the leg was already rising, the earth surged and enveloped the leg, halting its progress.


    ¡°Good! Keep doing that!¡±


    He grinned as he watched the monster try to wrench its leg up while the chant intensified behind him. Hurting it was impossible with a small amount of people, but delaying it? Perfectly viable strategy.


    Looking around, he spotted a group of players haphazardly sending attacks, both physical and magical, at the monstrous leg, and called them over.


    ¡°You!¡±


    The person in the lead looked at him in surprise and instead of saying anything, just pointed at himself in surprise.


    ¡°Yeah, you. Take your group and protect the mages!¡± Sam ordered, motioning toward the chanting earth mages. He suspected their skill levels would get some experience with what they were doing.


    Thankfully, the guy just nodded tapped the guy next to him, and nodded toward the mages. While they formed up around the mages, Sam kept the monsters off them, but as soon as they were ready, he sent a nod at the guy and rushed forward.


    The titan seemed to be fixated on him, better to get away from important people.


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    BAAAAMMMM


    He looked up just in time to see another part of the mountain explode into the air, this time revealing not one, but two new titanic legs, raining detritus on their heads. Seeing a few giant rocks heading their way, the players turned their attention and soon those rocks turned from party killers into light dusting with a chance of a sneeze.


    Sam, hearing a quiet notification sound from the system, glanced at his messages and then grinned.


    ¡°Five more minutes, people, and the cavalry is here!¡± he yelled as loud as possible while using wind magic to make sure everyone got the message.


    Immediately, the tired and despondent faces were replaced by eagerly grinning people, and Sam even spotted a few people in the distance who hung their heads upon hearing his yell, then quietly turned around and began rushing toward the fight.


    <hr>


    Five minutes was not a long time, but in the middle of a battle as an ocean¡¯s worth of spiders made of stone and rock surged around them while four gigantic spider legs did their best to squash them as if they were the proverbial spiders.


    Well, two of them.


    Some players on the other side of the battlefield also managed to gather some people and used a combination of nature magic, roots surging from underground, and some earth magic to immobilize another leg.


    Which just made the titan even angrier¡­


    Thankfully, only Sam could feel that anger, thus the people didn¡¯t get scared of what was to come¡­


    Sam was a whirling dervish who rushed around the battlefield, jumping from fight to fight, trying to make sure that people in his guild didn¡¯t die, the spider stayed in one place as the monsters getting lost in the wilderness would lead to all sorts of nastiness, and if they were unlucky, somebody may find them and track back to the titan, and just moving around keeping an eye on the mana under the mountain.


    So far, the titan was content sitting snugly under countless tons of rock and stone, but Sam could feel the anger building and building until something had to give.


    And that something was the mountain.


    It happened almost in an instant.


    One of the free legs came down, crushing several of its own minions and sending half a dozen players flying as they dodged the attack by jumping into the air and the air blast generated by the landing of the humongous appendage flung them away.


    Sam made sure they landed safely and turned back to the leg, intent on trying another set of attacks. As so far, most of his wind spells were useless against it. Oh, it was scratched up as hell, but nothing that would hinder the not-so-slumbering titan.


    Then a loud, sharp blast of sound swept over them with a little hint of melody. Sam¡¯s head whirled to the side, only to behold several players from their guild ¨C the symbol on Adam¡¯s chest gleaming from polishing as the sunlight was dramatically reflected ¨C and before they could cheer, the poor mountain simply exploded.


    The sound was unbelievable. It echoed around as the sound crashed into the faraway mountains and got reflected back at them, while dust blotted out the sun, casting them into shadow as deadly wind generated by the blast carried the dust in the air through the quarry, sandblasting them with it. Rocks and stones, trees, and one very surprised goat flew at them, the surroundings and basically everywhere they could see flattened by the blast.


    A few people managed to let out screams of surprise or pain, Sam wasn¡¯t sure before their party indicators showed them dead, but most of the people who survived the explosions managed to gather themselves and were already rushing toward the tide of people who were actually rushing toward the quarry with Adam in his giant armor leading them.


    Sam, however, stayed exactly where he was, looking up and up and up, craning his neck to take in the titan in all its glory.


    Ten monstrous legs towered in the air, holding up the gray and black body of the titan, which looked like a spider was crossed with a beetle that had its horns sheared off and replaced with pulsating red energy.


    Its eight baleful eyes were just as red as the two horns on its head, but instead of pulsing, they were glaring right at Sam, promising pain and death that lasted for a long time.


    Not caring to anger it further ¨C not that it would be possible ¨C Sam cast his sense forward, diving into the chaotic swirling mass of mana around the monster, trying to divine anything about it. Maybe a weak point, a shatter point, identity, or its favorite ice cream flavor. Anything¡­


    Meanwhile, around him, the guild arrived and began to work. Under Adam¡¯s leadership, the ground began to shake and move and transform as several groups of mages tried to trap the legs and all kinds of magics began to rain down on the monster, aimed at the traditional weak points of such monsters.


    Sam felt his mana probe penetrate through the dense cloud of chaotic mana until it reached the body of the colossal monster, then it slowed down, but thanks to his expertise, he still managed to penetrate through the first few layers. Knowing he wouldn¡¯t be able to get much deeper as the monster¡¯s own mana was eroding his probe, he spent what little time he had on analyzing the material and looking for weak points.


    Then the massive monster shook itself, once again dislodging a small hill¡¯s worth of detritus and launching a small house-sized rock at the attacking players. A few of them were crushed instantly, but Sam vowed that their sacrifice would be honored.


    However, only the fastest rocks managed to land as the mages were too well-trained.


    Sadly, that was just the beginning.


    Sam saw the eyes ¨C still focused on him ¨C narrow by a small margin and the red energy in the place of its horns began to shine brighter and brighter until it became almost impossible to look at.


    KRACKATHOOM!!!


    Hundreds of lightning bolts began to rain down on him, illuminating the darkened area with creepy red light. And as lightning traveled through the air, the sheer energy and heat it contained melted the dust in the air and created glass that was instantly shattered, creating a very sharp storm.


    And all of that was aimed at him.


    ¡°If it continues this way I might think it has something against me,¡± Sam mused out loud as he conjured a small globe of shadow and wind mixed together insulating himself and defending against the rain of glass shards.


    Then another notification.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Adam here. You good?¡±


    ¡°Peachy¡­ I just love red lightning this time of the year¡­¡±


    ¡°Plan?¡± came the curt question as Sam heard the sounds of exertion in the background.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time before people decide to investigate, so throw everything and the kitchen sink at it¡­¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I will play the bait as it seems to have a hard-on for me¡­¡± He replied while reaching out with his hands and bracing himself as another deluge of red lightning rained down on him as the shield gobbled up his mana.


    ¡°Any guesses on type?¡± Adam asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with ice and fire. It¡¯s made of stone¡­¡±


    A beat of silence. ¡°I will tell Dan. Good luck.¡± The line went silent and Sam found himself alone in a dark globe of wind, shadows, and mana, while a titanic monster did its best to erase him from existence.


    Sensing the fluctuations of mana he spotted a brief window and explosively dismissed his shield. Before the titan could react, using every speed-increasing skill he had, Sam rushed toward the nearest leg; his sword flashing and sinking into the stone flesh as he began to climb.

 Chapter 206

    As Sam began to climb one of the giant legs of the titan, he glanced behind him, his hands gripping Moonlight as it penetrated deep into the stone flesh of the monster, enhanced by his wind magic, while a small shield covered him from any stray detritus and attacks.


    Behind him, the main force of the guild had separated itself into several groups under the direction of Adam and began to bombard the titan with enough magic to erase a small town from existence. Every element from fire to earth, interspersed with some exotic ones, like shadow, acid, and such, flew through the air only to chip away at the stone exoskeleton of the humongous monster.


    And in the middle of that storm of magic, both visually and as seen through his Mana Sense, it looked like a kaleidoscope of a storm that changed every second as barely controlled mana streamed through the air in all shapes and forms.


    Sam made sure to record it for later, as he was certain it would be excellent for studying how a person¡¯s mana interacted with others in situations like this. Maybe he could glean something new and integrate it into his own skills¡­


    And it wasn¡¯t like the mages were the only ones trying to damage the gigantic monsters. All manner of archers, from people wielding longbows to people lugging around giant arbalests, were peppering the monster and the smaller minions with arrows.


    He even used a few bigger arrows stuck in the exoskeleton of the titan as climbing posts as he headed higher and higher.


    ¡®This kinda feels like a mini-game¡­¡¯ he mused as he swung from one arbalest projectile that found purchase in the stone-like flesh of the titan to another with a small boost of his own wind magic, grabbing the next arrow and then moving even further upward.


    Naturally, melee fighters joined the fight too. Assassin-types were flittering around the battlefield, Sam only able to spot them thanks to his enhanced sensing capabilities, as they took down monsters that tried to sneak around while warriors of all types stood steadfastly between the mages, healers, and other ¡®classes¡¯, using their shields and weapons to break the tide of stone spiders threatening to overwhelm them.


    Meanwhile, the rest of the people Adam brought with him started building up facilities and fortifications. He spotted tents going up with the healers standing around and waiting for victims who could enjoy their tender care. There were also several crude barriers, made by the earth mages that arrived around with a select few people facing away from the fight and keeping an eye on the surroundings.


    They would be paid extra as they couldn¡¯t really participate in the fight for experience points and loot.


    As he was approaching the halfway point of his journey through the cracks of the exoskeleton, he felt the mana shift around. Taking a quick glance back at the battlefield, he saw that the people, looking much smaller than before, started grouping up and the so-far haphazard attack types seemed to be starting to get more organized.


    Arrows hit the same general area, creating great pits and craters on the exoskeleton of the titan, while magical attacks hit the very same spots one after another, making sure not to cancel each other¡¯s effects.


    Ice was followed by searing hot flames, which were then cooled down again by sizzling acid, which in turn was used to allow lightning to find purchase on the stone-like material, digging deeper and deeper into the flesh of the monster.


    Sadly, the titanic monster came with truly thick armor that was also extremely resistant to both physical and magical attacks.


    Naturally, while this was going on, the monster wasn¡¯t idle. The legs that weren¡¯t held by strenuous earth magic were doing their best to crush everything under them, with gigantic steps that shook everything around them. However, it seemingly wasn¡¯t in a hurry to go anywhere.


    In addition to this, as dust and rock seemed to be falling off the titan, several other crystalline structures revealed themselves shining with the same malevolent red light as the eyes and horns of the titan. The monster made use of them to shower the guild with red lightning.


    Not to mention the sharp dust and whatever the monster breathed out.


    The entire area around and under the titan was a hazard zone that took careless lives by the dozens. Thankfully, guilds had access to altars issued by the temples that would allow guild members to respawn where the altar was placed.


    Unfortunately, it came at a hefty price.


    While the respawn time was very short, the punishment for death was increased and if the altar was destroyed, either by the monster or monsters the group was fighting or enemy action, then it was impossible to plant one again for twelve hours. All in the name of preventing camping monsters.


    A group of healers and buffers were also standing next to the tent covering the altar, showering whoever came out with buffs and other enhancements so that they could return to the fight that much faster.


    Seeing the entire guild move around, following the plan that Adam came up with ¨C probably with the help of Tim and Lucy ¨C was rather gratifying. There was nothing like a fight against a humongous stone spider that brought people closer¡­


    He jumped forward, using his stone carving skill to instantly carve a foothold into the exoskeleton then held on for dear life as a pulse of red lightning washed over him, neutralizing a big barrage of arrows and vaporizing a small group of some kind of bat-like summons.


    The moment the attacks were over, he continued climbing using arrows, projectiles, and carved footholds, as well as the cracks and folds formed on the exoskeleton of the titan spider. Until he finally reached the final threshold and with a brief exertion of muscles and magic, he flung himself upwards, landing a little awkwardly on the constantly moving back of the titan.


    The back was like a mountain, carved away by the constant bombardment of his guild, shaken off by the movement, or flung by invisible forces at the attacking parties as primitive bombardment.


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    For a moment everything stood still as Sam first stepped foot on the monster¡¯s back, then a roar shook the world and the heavens.


    ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAR


    Sam stumbled as the body of the gigantic monster began to shake in anger as he felt the eight eyes trained on him through his mana sense despite being out of the sight of the physical eyes. It was extremely creepy¡­


    As the monster shook, either in impotent rage or for something else, Sam was distracted by a chime of his system.


    Accepting the call, he kept an eye on the surroundings as he hid behind a big pile of rocks.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Saw you reaching the top,¡± came from Adam. ¡°Anything interesting?¡±


    ¡°It got angrier¡­¡± he replied bemusedly.


    ¡°Good. Maybe it will make mistakes. Dan is ready,¡± came from the guild leader.


    ¡°How are the losses?¡± he asked as he took a look at the chaotic mana around him.


    Adam grimaced. ¡°Pretty big with the melee groups. They can¡¯t always dodge as small mountain¡¯s worth of stones fall on them.¡±


    ¡°Reward them with some contribution points,¡± he said while coming out of his hiding places and started heading for the head of the monster. ¡°What about the enemies?¡±


    Adam just chuckled a little. ¡°It¡¯s pretty hard to hide an explosion like that. Tim is occupying them but the bigger guilds are preparing.¡±


    ¡°As expected¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Should I ask Tim for more time?¡± Adam asked, and Sam saw the worry in his eyes as he glanced at the video chat for a moment.


    Sam shook his head. ¡°No. Tell him to keep some of his ammunition back. Instead¡­Instead, have Tim make sure that every guild knows about this.¡±


    ¡°E-every?¡± Adam asked, a little taken aback.


    ¡°Hopefully, they will fight amongst themselves as they travel here,¡± he tried to reassure his friend. Then he had a mischievous thought. ¡°Have Tim also leak that we know the monster will drop guild-level blueprints.¡±


    Adam stared back at him while Sam grinned. ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to murderize this stupid walking arachnophobia generator, so I have to hang up. Good luck!¡± And as he said, he turned off the call refocusing entirely on the task ahead of himself.


    <hr>


    Back in the command tent, Adam blinked in confusion as the call was disconnected. Since he started working for Sam he somehow got used to the sheer mystery of his boss and the constant bullshit he did, but this one threw him for a loop.


    ¡°What the hell is a guild-level blueprint?¡±


    However, a second later, he shook his head. Sam knew what he was doing ¨C or at least Adam hoped it was so ¨C thus he would hold his questions for later and simply forwarded the instructions to the most devious Tim.


    It didn¡¯t really surprise him that the only reply he got back was a short: ¡®Got it.¡¯


    Sam really did manage to find the craziest and most competent people he had ever worked with.


    Then he was broken out of his musings when one of the officials ran up to him. He executed a crisp salute ¨C something he found very silly, but he knew how useful it was for group cohesion ¨C and began to speak.


    ¡°Sir, we¡¯re ready for the first try!¡±


    Adam grinned, cracked his knuckles, picked up his shield and weapon, and began walking toward the exit.


    He always loved when a plan came together.


    And of course, big booms.


    Everybody loved big booms¡­


    <hr>


    As Sam forged ahead, intent on delivering some aggressive diplomatic arguments to the brainstem of the titan, the crowd under and around the monster began to move according to a predetermined plan.


    The monster raised one of its gigantic legs, wreathed in red lightning with greater speed than previously, no doubt the result of its anger, but that didn¡¯t stop the players.


    Before it could reach a few feet from the ground, the earth under it surged as ominous chanting began to echo around. The earth, shaped like crude tentacles, rose into the air and wound itself around the stone-like appendage. It constricted as the titan struggled to raise said appendage back up in the air.


    Then it stopped and slowly began to lower as the tentacles began to pull it back.


    The moment the leg touched the ground, one simple spell went flying straight at the middle joint. A simple paint spell that created a patch of very visible green color on the dust-gray flash. Then there was an incoherent yell and a barrage of projectiles were let loose, both physical and mystical, all of them aimed at the same spot.


    The projectiles on their own weren¡¯t strong, but while the first one didn¡¯t leave a mark, the following ones, impacting the same spot, over and over, slowly began to crack the exoskeleton. Then came the next barrage from the mages, keeping the destruction of the exoskeleton up and widening the wound they were making.


    Meanwhile, several groups of mages were standing in circles, chanting and aiming their multitude of focuses ¨C everything from traditional staffs to mana-conducting fans and one very weird guy with a tuba etched with glowing runes ¨C at the hole.


    Then, upon an invisible signal, the first group let loose their magic, and a high-pressure beam of water was made up of a dozen smaller ones joined together by the simple ritual performed, straight at the wound, impacting with an enormous sound.


    CRACK


    Confidence visibly rising among the people, another group followed the first one. This time a small storm of lightning impacted the exoskeleton, digging even deeper and charring some of the deeper layers while the monster tried to wrench its legs from the hold of earth mages.


    And so it went. Acid. Metal. Ice. Poison. Shadows. Light. Wind. Fire.


    All of them flew from the players, all of them aimed at the exact same spot. Until finally, the observers finally spotted something different from the uniform gray exoskeleton.


    A deep-red crystalline structure, right where the marrow would be.


    As if just waiting for this, another group started firing, including Dan, who looked rather out of place within the group of skinny mages with his muscled form and a mana-conducting club. Nobody dared to mention Lara as she stood behind at a healthy distance and kept cheering for them. Mostly for Dan, but nobody minded a pretty girl yelling encouragements at them.


    This time, all mages fired individually, but all of them used spells that surpassed the previous ones.


    Great lances of cursed lightning, ice that froze the very air it went through, causing snowflakes to form all around it, a vacuum bomb that was barely contained and an enormous lance of plasma struck the exposed crystalline marrow almost at the same time.


    BAAAAAAAAMMMMM


    The resulting explosion was big enough to erase the tentacles made from the earth holding the leg but also to erase the lower part of the leg, leaving just a chunk of gray flesh with a small piece of red crystalline material hanging out.


    Instantly, the monster was destabilized a little, but sadly, it still had nine more legs.


    Nonetheless, the players began to cheer as the warriors continued to clash with the endless tide of monsters and the mages and archers began to reposition for the next leg.


    <hr>


    Sam felt the monster tilt a little, but as it regained its balance soon, he didn¡¯t care much. He just continued to move forward, sword in hand and magic ready to be unleashed.


    Then, as part of the remaining mountain crumbled in front of him, he was met with a hole in the ground, from where he could already sense the tide of spider-like monsters rushing toward him.


    Not wanting to waste much time, he sprung forward, unleashing his mana.


    A giant wall of stone rose up from the ground ¨C albeit at the cost of much more mana than usual as the titan fought for control over it ¨C that covered the hole, and then a small hole opened onto it.


    He stuck his hand in and simply threw a small ball of fire inside. Before the ball could be extinguished, he unleashed a metric ton of air on it, creating a sizzling hurricane of deadly fire. Then, as if nothing happened, he closed up the hole and walked away.


    As he walked away, he could feel through his mana sense that the monsters began dying one by one as the firestorm consumed them. Despite being made of stone, they were still proper monsters, so they had some physical needs.


    Like air to breathe.

 Chapter 207

    Adam was very satisfied with the results of their plan. Granted, the loss in personnel was significant, but with the altar and the endless coffers of the guild, they could offset all of that.


    And now they only had to contend with a titanic stone and crystal spider with nine legs that spewed stone dust in the air that minced the lungs of whoever breathed in while raining dangerous lightning at them. Not to mention the chance of dying from being crushed by falling debris¡­ or one of the legs.


    The countless monsters rushing about the quarry were an afterthought, really¡­


    Looking over the chaos in front of him, he watched as the people of the guild began to prepare for another strike. They needed the downtime to reposition their strikers as well as to wait for those who fell to return and retake their positions. Some of the bigger attacks, especially from those who did the last attacks, had very long cooldowns.


    Or such costs that some of the mages were still regenerating their mana.


    Thanks to the planning for the super-sized attack ¨C and the manuals Lucy and Sam shared with him ¨C he became somewhat familiar with how mana operated on a higher level in the game, which in turn made Adam very glad he focused on the physical aspects of the game.


    Watching Sam play around with mana like a potter with clay, he knew for a fact he could never reach his level¡­


    Before he could delve deeper into his introspection, he was approached by one of the officers. He turned toward them with a questioning gaze.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Have a question, sir!¡± came the immediate reply.


    ¡°Go ahead!¡±


    The man hesitated for a second, then nodded toward the monster that was still blasting everything in its zone with red lightning.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we send more people to the back?¡±


    Adam opened his mouth to answer, but before he could do that, both of them saw a person flying toward the monster¡¯s back. Whether they were launched or moving through their own power was something that Adam didn¡¯t know, but soon it became immaterial. As soon as the flying person arrived in the airspace of the gigantic monster, one of the crystal outcroppings peppered around the body flashed with a bright light, and a blink later a lightning strike, as thick as a healthy oak, lashed out at the player.


    Their shield held for a second or two, but the lightning proved too strong in the end. It shattered whatever protections they had and incinerated them within seconds.


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡± his officer uttered, seeing the death of one of their guild members. ¡°Probably not a good idea¡­¡±


    Adam nodded sagely, pretending that he already knew about it. Most social interactions confused him, but acting like he knew all along came easily. He didn¡¯t want to tell the poor guy that he simply planned to cripple the monster and then just go full caveman on it.


    Then the officer spoke up again. ¡°But then how did he do it?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°He! You know¡­ the boss!¡±


    ¡°I thought I was the boss¡­¡± he spoke out loud, a little amused as he watched the officer panic at the thought of possibly upsetting his superior.


    ¡°N-no! I meant he is a boss and you¡¯re a boss too! Great boss! Yes!¡±


    Adam chuckled and reached out and patted the guy on his shoulder. ¡°Relax. I was just joking.¡±


    The officer glanced back at him before releasing a relieved sigh. ¡°Thank the heavens¡­¡± he whispered almost inaudibly.


    ¡°As for your question¡­ he is bullshit. Made of pure bullshit created by the bullshit gods,¡± he told the other guy.


    ¡°R-really?¡±


    ¡°Pretty sure¡­ You were here before the monster woke up, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ we watched him deal with the monsters that took all of us to kill. How? How did he do that, boss?¡± the officer asked, naked greed for power visible in his eyes. Adam was usually bad at reading people ¨C though his grandmother was giving him lessons, with Lucy also occasionally giving him advice ¨C but even he could recognize the look.


    He looked deep into the guild member¡¯s eye, waited for a few seconds as the hope began to build in the other man, then he exclaimed.


    ¡°I have no fucking idea!¡±


    Watching the man deflate was hilarious. He was about to try to repeat it when another call went out.


    ¡°READY FOR THE SECOND STRIKE! STAND BY!¡±


    Adam patted the flabbergasted man¡¯s shoulder and quickly walked over to a better vantage point.


    He watched excitedly as his guild executed the plan to perfection. Sadly, he knew that five seconds after the fight, the strategy would be sold on the black market and he would need to use something else. Not that it was that much of an issue. He had dozens of such plans in his files and from what he understood from Lucy¡¯s, Sam¡¯s, and even Tim¡¯s conversations, they also had at least that much ready to be used. Still, it was a little bummer that his hard work would be used by others.


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    Then he received a message from Tim that he had found a buyer for the strategy.


    Seeing the money written in the message, Adam felt he was nowhere near the level of the others. However, that didn¡¯t discourage him. No, instead, it stoked the fire burning in his heart, urging himself to reach even newer heights.


    He grinned and bellowed. ¡°FIRE!¡±


    Immediately, the same rain of projectiles began to fly toward the humongous monster as the earth began to move and envelop the next leg on their target list.


    Once again, it was very satisfying to see the countless projectiles chip away at the monster¡¯s exoskeleton leaving behind a rainbow of explosions. However, he couldn¡¯t help but notice that some of the crystal patches began rapidly firing lightning strikes at the incoming attacks, either incinerating the projectiles or simply exploding them prematurely.


    ¡®Apparently, it is learning¡­¡¯ he mused as he watched the crystal marrow exposed despite the titan¡¯s efforts. ¡®But it is not enough¡­¡¯


    And there went the barrage from the mages.


    BOOOOOMMMM


    One more leg disintegrated and, once again, the people were moving to reset and do it again.


    ¡®I wonder how Sam is doing¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    Sam was very annoyed.


    As he headed for the titan¡¯s head, ready to deliver an atomic bomb''s worth of mana into the cranium of the monster, he was constantly harassed by waves of spiders from the smallest ones to the biggest ones. Thankfully, for whatever reason, they didn¡¯t have the same level of resistance against damage as the big one, so a few crowd control spells and he was mowing them down like a middle-aged dad did to the grass in their new suburban house.


    Meanwhile, he could feel the mana just growing and growing inside the monster somewhere, being prepared to be unleashed. This slowed down a little as the second leg was taken out because the titan had to focus more power on its defenses, but even so, Sam sensed enough mana to destroy everybody in the vicinity, including the fledgling town built upon the ruins nearby.


    Thankfully, as the waves of monsters continued to appear, he noticed that great canyons began to open up on the rock surface of the titan¡¯s back and several holes also mysteriously appeared at higher elevations.


    ¡®Good. Then it¡¯s not creating them ex nihilo¡­¡¯ he celebrated inside of his own mind as he rushed forward, dodging lightning strikes, or just absorbing them with his shield. He was very much looking forward to the skill growth that would result from this fight.


    Soon, however, he reached the part where the monster¡¯s head was visible from his location.


    He took in the giant horns made of red lightning crackling with energy and occasionally shooting off attacks at incoming projectiles and people who tried to follow him. Sadly, they didn¡¯t have the same defenses as he had¡­


    BOOOOOOOOMMMM


    Sam staggered, using his mana to anchor himself and grabbing a nearby rock to avoid being thrown about as the third leg was taken out.


    Before he could regain his equilibrium, the horns flashed and a pulse of very angry red lightning was released covering the entire quarry almost instantly. Sam couldn¡¯t see them, but through his Mana Sense, he could feel hundreds of life signs being snuffed out at the same time.


    His hastily erected earthen shield, layered with air and shadow, took the brunt of the damage and the rest were taken care of by the Mana Shield, but even so, the damage was big enough for him to notice.


    Fortunately, he was almost there.


    After the pulse, the horns began to radiate even more mana, which caused the crystalline structure supporting it to be exposed from under eons of stones as the mana it gave off simply evaporated the stone and rock covering the head of the titan.


    And right in the middle of that was an irregular black stone. It was so black that it looked like it was sucking in the very light.


    ¡®No¡­ it¡¯s a portal¡­ fucking great¡­¡¯ he realized as he took a closer look. It didn¡¯t just look like it was sucking in light, it was actually sucking in everything that came into contact with it.


    He pushed a few buttons, and a second later, he was looking at Adam.


    ¡°Found the weak point,¡± he stated placidly as he kept an eye for an ambush. However, it seemed that titan decided that stone spiders weren¡¯t doing it for him, thus the very obvious bait.


    ¡°I assume it¡¯s not that easy,¡± came the reply from the giant of a man.


    Sam nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a portal. Probably into the core of the monster or some sub-dimension.¡±


    Adam blinked then cursed quietly. ¡°And we can¡¯t send anybody to support you. Katie will be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they arrived?¡±


    ¡°Just after the pulse.¡±


    ¡°Good. Focus on the legs. How long before the next strike?¡± he asked as he began to stretch a little.


    Adam looked away for a second, clearly doing the math before replying. ¡°Two minutes to the next one with your team here fully.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the fourth leg. What about the next six?¡±


    ¡°I want to see how it reacts to that. The anti-air has grown rather strong after the second leg¡­¡±


    ¡°Estimate?¡±


    ¡°Two to five minutes per leg, I think. So, you¡¯ll have around fifteen to thirty minutes to deal with whatever is inside,¡± came the report from the guild leader.


    Sam thought about it for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Rush job it is. When are the guilds arriving?¡±


    His reply was a sardonic smile from Adam. ¡°Tim estimates thirty minutes to an hour. That guild-level blueprint really lit a fire under them. I took a glance at the forums and all the hot posts are full of speculations about it.¡±


    Sam just grinned unrepentantly. ¡°Alright. Good work, Adam. I¡¯ll see you on the other side!¡± He hung up and faced the dark portal between the very angry and dangerous-looking horns of the titan. Wondering what would be waiting for him¡­


    ¡°Oh well, it¡¯s not like I have time to wonder¡­¡± he murmured under his breath before sheathing his blade, cracking his neck to the left then to the right, then launching himself forward enhancing himself with all his available speed-boosting skills, running straight at the portal.


    It seemed his thought of this being a trap was true. As he ran forward, the scenery flashed by, the lightning strikes around multiplied by several hundred times, but somehow the biggest ones seemed to always miss by the hairbreadth, only the smaller ones finding him before being absorbed by his shield.


    Whatever intelligence this monster had; it was not big on subtlety.


    Then, as he reached the portal, he jumped forward, hands held in front of him like a swimmer would, and dove headfirst into the super-dark portal. There was a brief flash of a notification screen, but before he could read it, he was distracted by the turbulent and turbid mana as it swirled around him for the second or so he spent in transit.


    He landed in a roll but before he could hit anything; he felt himself being grabbed from the back by the jaws of his loyal companion, his movement halted by the powerful body of his familiar. It was a little jarring, but much better than slamming into the stone wall at full speed.


    Grinning, he thanked the wolf, then sent him back to his shadow, and looked around.


    Unsurprisingly, he found himself at the beginning of a cave system with the portal angrily swirling behind him as if saying that if Sam wanted to exist, he would only do it dead.


    Now that he could actually focus, he called back up the notification screen.


    [You entered the Core Dimension of ???!]


    [You need to destroy ??? to escape!]


    ¡®Very informative, system¡­¡¯ he grumbled to himself, but instead of spending energy and time on figuring out something he could do after the fight, he unsheathed his sword and began walking forward.


    Not even a few steps later, black mana began to ooze down from the ceiling in front of him, rapidly forming a spider made of the stuff.


    But now that Sam was this close to the source, he could take a deeper look at the monster before him. He grinned.


    ¡°Well, it seems some demons really don¡¯t like me¡­ Wonder why?¡± he mused out loud as he simply walked forward and eradicated the poor monster with a swing of his sword.

 Chapter 208

    Two legs were down, only eight more to go.


    Adam looked over the looming monster as it waved two of its stumps around, using the crystalline marrow visible to unleash even more devastating lightning on the guild.


    Thankfully, they were far enough in the fight that most people became familiar with the type of attacks the monster was dealing out and moved and acted appropriately. They either dodged, moved out of the way, or used their skills to mitigate or cancel the damage from the incoming attacks.


    Still, the amount of people who died from totally avoidable attacks was rather high. He would need to add some exercises that helped with these kinds of battles in the future. Or just weed out those who were not capable of looking up¡­


    He would probably save himself a lot of time, effort, and, most importantly, headaches.


    ¡®Lara does need a lot of construction workers¡­¡¯ Adam mused as he simultaneously watched his guild set up for another attack and kept an eye on his messages as Tim kept him appraised about their enemies.


    Apparently, several smaller guilds banded together in the hope of getting the prize that way ¨C though he knew from long experience that the moment the loot dropped they would be at each other¡¯s throat like no tomorrow ¨C and joined in the chaotic mess the bigger guilds created as they tried to make their way to the battlefield and claim the spoils for themselves.


    Tim assured him that there were already battles raging between some groups and the guilds were slowing down as they tried to ascertain what kind of opposition they were going against while also wanting to make sure that they left the majority of the battle to Chrysalis to weaken both Adam¡¯s guild and the boss monster at the same time.


    According to the guild¡¯s spymaster ¨C who played one of his aides ¨C there were already assassin-types skulking around to scout the situation. He made sure they caught a few of them, just to pretend they cared about security per Tim and Sam¡¯s wishes. Adam didn¡¯t really understand the purpose, as he was more for organizing full-on assaults, physical and magical defenses, and putting together functioning groups. All this skulking around just gave him a headache¡­


    But seeing that Tim and Sam were visibly knowledgeable about the game and those types of things, he didn¡¯t really question them. Or at least he didn¡¯t question in the middle of an operation, as that was just asking for things to go wrong¡­


    For example, he would be demanding that Tim at least share some of his playbooks with him, as this ad hoc planning gave him severe anxiety.


    Before he could work himself up over it, he was distracted by two explosions.


    BAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMM


    BAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMM


    Just for efficiency¡¯s sake, he split up the teams tasked with destroying the legs of the gigantic monster. Looking over the scene, he saw the monsters surging, but none of the legs they aimed for were truly destroyed. They were cracked significantly enough that they could see a little dark red crystalline marrow peeking out instead of blood, lightning sparked around the wounds.


    ¡°Good job!¡± he called out to the people around him. All of them were responsible for herding the players around for these tasks. They all grinned and cheered a little before returning to their jobs. The monsters still had six healthy legs covered in exoskeleton.


    The plan was very simple. Instead of destroying the legs one by one, thereby triggering the monster and causing it to increase the damage, they would simply damage them just enough that one more serious attack would destroy them.


    Then, when the timing was right, they would assault all of them at once. That way, they could minimize the death by being crushed ¨C not that some of the ¡®geniuses¡¯ wouldn¡¯t try to tank it ¨C and minimize the chance of enemy sabotage.


    Adam was very hopeful about all of that, but he knew that no plan survived meeting with the enemy, and there were just too many of those around¡­


    ¡°How long until the next strike?¡± he asked out loud, not taking his eyes off the battle. For now, he stayed out of it, but by the end of it, he planned to personally go there and join the fun.


    ¡°Repositioning in a minute, but cooldowns are three minutes,¡± came the calm and measured response from one of his aides.


    ¡°Good, then I want the¡­¡± he began to give orders but somebody interrupted him.


    ¡°Look, sir! The legs are regenerating!¡± Another aide called out, pointing at the first leg they mutilated with their strikes.


    His head whipped around and he instantly focused on the leg, seeing that it was indeed true. The stone dust that seemed to permeate everything around the monster seemed to be slowly drifting toward the chunk. Adam watched as another layer was added to the stone-like exoskeleton of the humongous beast and couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    ¡®Because of course it regenerates¡­¡¯ he grumbled inwardly.


    He straightened out and turned to his underlings. ¡°Tell Team Sixteen and¡­ Twenty-two to go around and keep the legs from regenerating. Sixteen on the left and Twenty-two on the right!¡± Instantly, people began moving to execute the commands. ¡°And find me two more teams after we damage the remaining legs!¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The planning area of the boss raid speedily turned into a hive of activity as Adam and his staff began to reorganize the fight and strike teams to prevent the giant monster from regenerating.


    <hr>


    The Core Dimension of this titan was pretty basic in the first part.


    Sam met some shadowy monsters infected with demonic energy and simply cut them down. The timer he affixed to his HUD in a moment of lull was steadily counting down, though it wasn¡¯t helping much.


    The moment he crossed the threshold into the dungeon, he was cut off from the outside. No messages, no calls (except for mental or physical emergencies per the terms and conditions of the game), nothing that would give him any kind of advantage. He couldn¡¯t even livestream the fight.


    Kinda annoying, but Sam understood.


    Even if there was a delay on the stream, enterprising players would find ways to exploit that or even stream snipe.


    Thus, in important dungeons, fractures, raids or quests would have a communication blackout imposed. Good protection, but at this time, pretty annoying for Sam.


    And because he was in a sub-dimension or pocket dimension ¨C he wasn¡¯t very clear on the terminology ¨C he couldn¡¯t even feel the explosions of the legs which would at least give him a starting point to estimate things.


    Alas, he had to work without that¡­


    Sam grinned and cut down another batch of shadowy spiders.


    ¡®Why the spiders? Can¡¯t it be a little more imaginative?¡¯ he mused as he steadily forged forward with Lucky sitting in his shadow, watching his back for any monster that would try to backstab him.


    After a few minutes of mindless monsters, the cavern slowly began to transition into stone that was not natural, roughly worked with primitive tools, though looking pretty worn down.


    And the number of shadowy monsters, of course, increased.


    But he simply switched from solitary precise strikes with his sword and magic into using smaller areas of effect magic, summoning small storms or balls of supercharged wind mana to explode, taking out the swarming monsters, all the while using his senses to find the source of demonic mana.


    Then the rough stone corridors widened before the area widened and he found himself in some kind of building. Looking around, he saw that it was a simple home, not modern by the game¡¯s standard, missing everything organic, like cloth or wood, and the stone worn down, with only a few cobwebs appearing in some of the corners.


    After doing a thorough search, even going so far as to check every wall for hidden spots, he stepped outside of the building to find himself in a giant cavern.


    Not far from his entrance, he saw more houses, some bigger, some smaller, some in better condition, and some in even worse condition. Over his head, the ceiling was covered in shadows, leaving him guessing the true size of the space.


    However, what grabbed his attention immediately was the ominous chanting coming from beyond the decrepit houses.


    ¡°Well, in we go to see if the ominous chanting is a bad thing or not¡­¡± he muttered under his breath, doing a small spot check on his equipment, then off he went¡­


    <hr>


    He walked carefully through the ruins, ready for an ambush at any time, but surprisingly, nothing tried to eat him. Or skewer him and then eat him.


    However, the very ominous and creepy chanting did get louder.


    Soon, he reached a part of the cavern, where he found free-standing stone walls filled with carvings.


    Some were crumbling, but otherwise, they were in surprisingly good condition¡­as if somebody or something was taking care of it. Sam shuddered at the thought and forged forward.


    The stone walls were numerous on both sides of the road he was taking and as he walked forward, he took a good look at them for later review, but he made sure not to touch the reliefs.


    That way lay madness and triggering whatever mad being took care of them for countless ages.


    The reliefs and carvings on the walls depicted a rather basic story.


    First humanoid-looking figures living in meadows and forests, a mountain in the distance. Then they transitioned to living in the shadow of the mountain.


    The next few ones were a little more crowded. It showcased the humanoid figures fighting some kind of monster, maybe a dragon, but the carving wasn¡¯t detailed enough for Sam to figure out its identity. The humanoids were, of course, destroyed by the monster, but according to the walls, a few of them survived, finding refuge in a cavern.


    Where, naturally, they ran into spiders, whom it seemed protected them or healed them, the pictures weren¡¯t clear enough.


    ¡®I should show this to Lara. She''s into this stuff¡­¡¯ he mused as he walked forward.


    The next few walls depicted the spiders and humanoids living in harmony with the monsters always depicted flying over the mountain.


    Then another fight.


    This time, the spiders and humanoids worked together, facing the monsters as they tried to destroy the mountain to get to them.


    A long battle, depicted by the changing of the moon and sun symbols on the top of the walls, the moon even going through several phases.


    Finally, the monster was defeated, blood running everywhere, and the spiders and humanoids celebrated for a few cycles, before the walls were suddenly replaced by rubble, preventing Sam from learning the end of the story.


    Not that it mattered. The things he saw gave him a few guesses¡­


    Walking forward, the ominous chanting reverberated around, filling him with an uneasy feeling. A minute later, he found himself a wall of something that may have been a building, the wall crumbling, with only the parts around the empty gate remaining intact enough for Sam to recognize what it was.


    Beyond it, there were only shadows and some gently swaying light that he instantly recognized as candlelight.


    Sam took a moment to take a few breaths, do a last equipment check, prepared his potions, making sure they were still in easily reachable places, added a few runic plates to his pockets, and did a few stretches.


    Then with a big breath and a confident step, he walked through the crumbling gate.


    <hr>


    Inside he found a lot of interesting things.


    Around the wall were countless crumbling statues depicting spiders, big and small, while covered in burning candles and eons'' worth of dried wax layers.


    At the wall opposite of him was an altar with some kind of relief that he couldn¡¯t see.


    Mostly because of the monster standing between him and the altar.


    Unsurprisingly, it was a spider with eight legs, made of tangible shadows with the occasional red lightning flashing through like a thunderstorm.


    However, the monster didn¡¯t stop there. Where the head should have been, there was a humanoid torso the color of the stone, with two arms and a head that was half spider and half humanoid, with eight red burning eyes and almost translucent-white hair, braided into a very elaborate form.


    And in the middle of the chiseled chest was a shard of obsidian protruding, as if somebody tried to stab the monster with it. From the shard, several dark veins originated, turning the gray skin into black and disgusting looking.


    Then it raised its hand, ending in long, sharp nails, and pointing it at Sam while opening its maw that had several pincers and releasing an unholy screech.

 Chapter 209

    There really wasn¡¯t any time for Sam to put together a coherent plan. He just had to dodge as the outstretched hand of the arachne glowed with a sick gray light and a massive spiderweb made from the same light formed and shot toward him.


    Glancing back, he saw the cobweb covering the entrance, preventing any escape unless he spent time to destroy it. Pretty hard to do when he didn¡¯t even know what kind of mutation the arachne¡¯s magic went through, thanks to that shard in its chest.


    Even without a check of his considerable mana sense, he could tell it was from a demon. Though not from which one¡­


    ¡®There will be time to figure that one out¡­ for now, I just need to DODGE!¡¯ he thought as he had to move once again to avoid a sickly gray projectile that struck the wall behind him, eating away the stone for a second or two.


    Then the fight became a constant game of tag as Sam darted around the room while the arachne tried its best to scream loud enough to deafen him and to melt his poor body into a goo.


    Thankfully, for now, the monster stayed in the middle of this¡­ chapel he found it in, so he had some area to maneuver. However, he made sure not to touch the altar the arachne was praying at. For now, he didn¡¯t want to trigger the monster¡¯s berserk button.


    Occasionally, he tried to shoot back all sorts of magic, trying to see which one would be the best as he hadn¡¯t read anything about arachne in the libraries he had access to, and neither had the other Sam met any of them.


    Fire splashed uselessly against the stone skin, the water evaporated the moment it got near the shadowy body and the red lightning surged out to destroy the material, lightning was naturally absorbed by the red lightning and he didn¡¯t even try earth.


    ¡®Well, I knew the odds of them working were low, but man¡­this is a bummer,¡¯ he mused. He expected that the system set up a monster for him to fight with that was immune to his two primary elements just to challenge him or annoy him. But it seemed it was not the case.


    ¡®That means this thing wasn¡¯t the system¡¯s plan but somebody else¡­¡¯ The moment he finished the thought, he had to raise his Shadow shield to absorb the impact of a giant spiderweb made of lightning. ¡®Or the system is playing some sort of game with me¡­¡¯


    Alas, he had no way to answer that. Instead, he lowered the shield and took a look at the arachne as it raised another hand, then joined by the other one; it raised it over its head where it began to gather a ball of red lightning.


    Sam stayed still for a brief moment, just to make sure that the monster wouldn¡¯t alter its target, then when the arachne flung the ball of dangerous lightning at him he waited for the last second to jump up and backward, landing on the wall where he used his earth molding skills to create a small step where he could stay and prepare.


    He just forgot one thing.


    His enemy was a spider. And spiders were famous for crawling on walls.


    Thus, Sam had the privilege to witness as the arachne, fed up with not hitting him, covered its hand in gray mana and began skittering up toward him, the vertical wall not even slowing its eight legs down.


    ¡®Oh, yeah¡­ they can do that.¡¯


    He destroyed the earth shelf that was holding him up, and before the sharp-nailed arms could pierce his head, he fell.


    On the way down, he reached out with his magic and used wind mana to condense a sphere of pressurized air that he instantly fired toward the still-screeching monster.


    The explosion was enough to stop the infernal screeching as well as to put out most of the candles that hadn¡¯t been destroyed by their fast-paced tag, casting the entire area in dark shadows.


    The only lights remaining were the eight burning eyes of the monster, six gray candles set up directly on the altar, and the brief flicker of his own Mana Shield.


    ¡®Wait¡­Six candles?¡¯


    He had a moment to realize what that meant before the monster was on him, its arms and the two legs at the front striking at him with varying attacks.


    Hands covered in gray light while the legs were simply clad with red lightning. Then the monster opened its maw and instead of screeching began to vomit up stone dust, of all things.


    Sam parried the hands with his sword, the legs were blocked by a shadow and windshield, and he ignored the stone dust for now. Glancing behind the monster, he saw that there were indeed two candles that were blown out. And four of the candles had visibly smaller flames.


    Glancing at his timer, he saw that he still had time, thus while the monster brought its hand back, he also used his free hand to send a very concentrated ball of wind blades straight at the monster¡¯s throat.


    Sadly, it seemed, despite the demonic influence, the arachne¡¯s spider-sense was intact as it moved its torso and neck out of the way, allowing the magic to fly by harmlessly.


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    Then Sam grinned and used his connection to the magic to detonate it behind the monster.


    ¡®And the screeching is back¡­¡¯


    Not letting up as the arachne began to express its displeasure, he continued the bombardment.


    The arachne, however, surprised him.


    Instead of dodging his attacks, or even tanking them, it raised its own grayish-black shield to protect itself, while its maw opened in what Sam would generously interpret as a savage grin.


    Which Sam mirrored with his own.


    As the monster defended itself with a shield that slowly grew to the shape of a bubble, covering every side of the arachne, Sam simply fired a continuous stream of wind blades so as not to give the monster even a second to do anything but defend.


    Meanwhile, he used his multitasking to reach out to the magic protecting the monster and slowly began to feel it out. He looked for weak points, and thankfully, he found them.


    The shield, just like a real spider web, was strong and stretchable, or rather in this case, capable of absorbing a lot of power in a short time frame, but if you chose a point and overpowered it like a human would tear down a spider web infesting their home, then it would crumble.


    However, before he could implement his plan, he noticed that another two candle flames began to weaken.


    ¡®Why are they not destroying the legs?¡¯ he wondered as he watched the arachne also realize what was happening to its precious altar.


    He saw its anger grow and used this momentary distraction to strike.


    Shaping his mana into a very precise blade, invisible to the eyes, but blinding to anybody with mana sense, he struck at one of the weak points.


    Instantly, the shield protecting the arachne flickered for a moment, then simply vanished into the ether as the mana structure collapsed under Sam¡¯s precise assault.


    He used this distraction to launch one really powerful wind blade, which, in turn, managed to take off one of the stone-like arms of the spider monster.


    However, instead of blood ¨C or liquid stone ¨C shadowy tentacles erupted from the stump, only to form a facsimile of an arm, red lightning visibly coursing through it.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good, right?¡± Sam asked audibly, as the monster didn¡¯t even hesitate for a second and charged forward with renewed vigor.


    ¡°Why do I even ask these questions?¡± he spoke under his breath as he did his best to dodge the new assault.


    <hr>


    The battle was going all right in Adam¡¯s eyes.


    No doubt the forward scouts of the guilds were hidden all over the place, mixed in with the solo players who thought they could snatch a few items from the loot that dropped or even kill steal.


    Pity that none of them knew that what they were doing was a simple theater and the real fight was happening somewhere else.


    According to Tim, the guilds were getting closer, with the Abyss Vipers coming in as strong contenders for the first one to reach them. Apparently, the Steel Lions refused to participate and instead remained focused on the Valley they had ¡®found¡¯.


    Weird, but it made his job much easier.


    Adam was pretty certain that the other guilds were just letting the poison-addled idiots charge in as a litmus test so that they only had to follow them and harvest the results.


    Or at least, that¡¯s what he would do¡­


    The Eternal Light should have enough strategists on their payrolls to devise at least that basic of a plan. Though, from what he heard from Isabella, that may have been a big ask¡­


    Thanks to Sam¡¯s crazy suggestion, from what he was seeing on the forums and hearing from Tim (and his own scouts) most people were going crazy over the chance to snag a ¡®guild-level¡¯ blueprint. Ignoring the fact that no such thing existed.


    Greed blinded almost everyone and those who saw through the ruse or questioned the validity of the rumor were flamed to hell and back.


    Thankfully, the game developers were also staying silent which most people interpreted as approval.


    ¡®Truly, avarice knows no bounds¡­¡¯


    But while Sam was fighting inside the pocket dimension or whatever his insane boss found and the other guilds were murdering each other for a chance to wear the king¡¯s new pants, he had a job to do.


    The fourth leg was already wounded, leaking lightning all over the battlefield as his teams ran around the gigantic rampaging monster and made sure that none of the wounds or already destroyed legs regenerated.


    ¡°How much until the next strike?¡± he asked without looking away from the quarry. Or at least what remained of it.


    Instead of receiving an answer, he saw the process of the bombardment begin once again, different magics slamming against the hard exterior of the stone exoskeleton of the humongous monster.


    And once again, two of the legs were cracked, their crystalline marrows being exposed to the air.


    ¡®That¡¯s eight legs¡­ which means it¡¯s not long before shit truly hits the fan,¡¯ Adam mused as he gave the order for the people to reset.


    With a few motions, he dialed Tim.


    ¡°Yes?¡± the hooded figure of the team and company¡¯s security head showed up on a screen, the background unrecognizable.


    ¡°We are almost starting with the last two legs. Any new information?¡±


    There was a moment of silence before Tim answered in a low but measured voice.


    ¡°Abyss Vipers are being ¡®encouraged¡¯ by the other guilds to strike first.¡±


    ¡°I expected as much. What about the Steel Lions? They hate the boss, right?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t see the top part of Tim¡¯s face, but the lower part was visible enough to show a grimace.


    ¡°I think they realized it¡¯s a trap. It seems even old dogs can learn new tricks¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s something¡­ And the other guilds?¡±


    ¡°Gray Skull, Dark Moment and Bloody Fangs have united and plan to strike together. Eternal Light is convinced that they could sweep everyone. The rest are inconsequential¡­¡±


    ¡°How do you know that about the Eternal Light?¡± he asked curiously.


    ¡°Asked Isabella to ask her cousins who were happy to brag. And before you ask, Bloody Fang has been bragging about their ¡®plan¡¯ on their forums.¡±


    Adam mentally adjusted his expectations of the guild, didn¡¯t question how Tim got access to a private forum like that, then continued with the discussion.


    ¡°Still the same plan then?¡±


    ¡°Unless something changed?¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°No. The moment boss stepped through the portal, he was locked down. Which means¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ it¡¯s a boss fight. Heh. Our boss against a monster boss. I can¡¯t wait to see the recording!¡± Tim grinned. ¡°Any other questions?¡±


    ¡°No. A few minutes before the last strike then it¡¯s fireworks.¡±


    ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡±


    He hung up and stretched a little. Soon it would be time to fight but before that, he looked around and found the eyes of the officers that both Tim, Lucy, and him had cleared of being spies and nodded slightly.


    Their eyes widened as they realized what that meant, then they all began to move, getting ready for the final phase of the fight.


    He also took his sword and raised it high and, using one of his commander-type skills, he began to roar.


    ¡°Everyone! We are close! Do not falter! The enemy is weak and we are strong! Strike with EVERYTHING!¡±


    His roar of encouragement was answered by a cacophony of roars from all over the quarry as his skill conveyed a rather nice buff to everyone belonging to his side. Usable once in any battle, but very useful in decisive moments.

 Chapter 210

    While Sam would never claim he was particularly handsome or beautiful, even now in his bedraggled state with most of his non-armor clothing hanging off him in tatters and bleeding from many small wounds, courtesy of the many shrapnel stone shards and unavoidable strikes from his enemy, he still looked much better than the snarling visage of the arachne hell-bent on murdering him.


    The arachne in front of him was also breathing heavily, missing both of its original arms made of stone, replaced by shadows and red lightning, one of its pincers and one eye ¨C nicked accidentally by a strike that missed the monster¡¯s neck ¨C while the black ichor-like substance seeping from the crystal wedged into its chest was almost fully covering it.


    The remaining seven eyes were narrowed both in exhaustion and anger, glaring directly at Sam as he met those eyes with his own, trying to look really exhausted.


    It was tough to balance the battle between trying to survive the onslaught and trying to lower the monster¡¯s health while keeping a keen eye on the candles so that Sam could strike at the exact moment that Adam and the rest of the guild did on the outside.


    He had no idea what would have happened if he had struck the monster down without the candles being extinguished but Sam suspected it was anything from going to the next phase of the fight ¨C summoning minions, being empowered, or worst of all, maybe even an unavoidable cutscene ¨C to the monster simply regenerating.


    Naturally, there was the chance that nothing would have happened, but Sam knew he wasn¡¯t that lucky¡­


    Thus, his desperate battle trying not to hit a critical spot, while slowly but surely chipping away at the monster¡¯s health.


    Then, as his timer reached five minutes, the last two candles began to waver and Sam knew his moment would come soon.


    Unfortunately, the monster had the same idea.


    With surprising speed, it clapped together its two arms made of shadows and released a wave of red energy tinted by black at the edge in a cone shape, straight at Sam.


    Sam did what he did best and dodged the incoming attack. However, it seemed the monster was ready this time. Wreathed in flickering darkness, red eyes shining with malevolence, the monster was instantly on him, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him into one of the walls of the chapel.


    The arachne grinned, showcasing several rows of sharp teeth as the stump of the missing pincer dramatically let out a few drops of ichor. Something resembling a grin appeared on the monster¡¯s face as, for a moment, it was seemingly content with holding Sam to the wall, only his depleting Mana Shield preventing him from choking.


    As Sam gazed back, arms and legs moving around haphazardly trying to find purchase, he saw that the demonic darkness in the crystal wedged into the torso of the arachne seemingly deepened and if he looked really close, he could see two additional red eyes, looking straight at him with satisfaction. Then he blinked, and the vision was gone, replaced by cold reality.


    Thankfully, he came prepared for this exact scenario.


    Well, not exactly this scenario.


    Being choked by an arachne twice his size in a discount goth hook-up spot wasn¡¯t something he planned for, but the theoretical would still match¡­


    Sam took his mana, twisted it around in a certain way, and then refocused on his opponent, who just raised their other arm, covered in sharp-looking lightning, ready to take his head off.


    Then, like an avenging angel, Lucky shot out from one of the many shadows of the room, claws and teeth gleaming with unrestrained mana, almost ripping the very air around it apart as the furious wolf rushed toward the arachne.


    The spider monster had exactly a fraction of a second to realize what was happening as the loyal familiar tore his back apart while also pushing it forward at Sam, who was still held by one of the shadowy arms.


    Straight into one of Sam¡¯s own arms as he lashed out holding a dagger made of shadow, driving it deep into the stone jaw of the arachne, the motion powered both by him and by the force that Lucky inflected on the arachne.


    For a long moment, everything stood still, even Lucky pausing his movement as the wolf prepared to strike again.


    Then Sam used the shadow dagger lodged into the brainstem of the monster and channeled one of his nifty air balls through it.


    BAM


    A small explosion and the crumbling wall opposite of him was painted an interesting shade of gray by the insides of the monster¡¯s skull.


    He raised his legs and kicked straight at the torso of the monster which was frozen and sent it to topple backward, finally freeing his throat and landing on the ground with a soft thud while Lucky prowled around the edge of the room, hackles raised, ready for anything.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Despite pretty much killing the arachne, Sam didn¡¯t relax. The candles were still lit, no matter how weak they spluttered, and more importantly, the parts of the arachne that were held together with mana were still there, albeit a little dimmer.


    All of it being fed by the shard that had consumed the entire torso and making headway with the throat of the arachne.


    Sam knew that using his own hand, even covered with a glove, to yank out the shard of crystal would be the height of foolishness. Thus, he took a step backward from the mostly dead monster (he would be looking for loose change later) and reached for his inventory, retrieving one of his prepared runic circles.


    He couldn¡¯t help but grin, as at the exact moment he threw out the plates containing the runic circle, the candles (hopefully) representing the legs of the titanic monster went out one by one.


    The mana in the monster flared, but he was a moment faster and injected his mana into the closest plate, containing his Heart Rune, and activated it.


    Black mana surged from the crystal, seemingly consuming the body of the arachne in the process.


    In the end, what stood before him, cowered in a dome of off-white mana, was a shadowy being, with eight arms and a serpent-like tail and three red eyes that were still glaring at Sam.


    ¡°Sup, demon!¡± He greeted the parasite with a vicious grin. ¡°Having fun?¡±


    The voice that came out was sibilant, yet echoed around as if they were in a giant auditorium. Sam couldn¡¯t really tell if it was a male or female voice.


    ¡°Bright one¡­¡± it called out, its three eyes meeting Sam¡¯s two as he raised Moonlight. ¡°You shall be consumed¡­ Our hunger is unending¡­¡±


    ¡°How about no?¡± Sam answered, then with another twist at the creation preventing the demon from moving around, the off-white dome shattered into countless pieces, much like glass would, and before the monster could react the falling shards rushed toward the many arms and tail and formed into glowing white chains while Sam flew forward, sword enveloped with wind and shadow mana, plus a little Clean magic added just to be sure.


    The sword pierced exactly between the three eyes, causing one last exclamation of the monster before it was fully dispersed.


    ¡°Watch your steps¡­ Bright one!¡±


    Sam stood there, breathing heavily, his hand holding his sword shaking, Lucky was still prowling around to make sure nothing ambushed them and tried to calm the adrenalin raging through him.


    Because if that runic circle didn¡¯t work, he would have been in rather big trouble. Fighting against some kind of demonic spirit was much harder than a berserker arachne.


    However, before he could even start to process the fight, the very last candle in the chapel went out, leaving him and his familiar in full darkness.


    ¡°Light Ball!¡± he intoned, summoning the ball to illuminate his surroundings as he felt the mana on the edge of his senses begin to unravel.


    He bent down and shoveled the few items remaining on the ground into his inventory, not even bothering to check them out, and stepped forward, all his attention was on the mural above the altar that he hadn''t been able to take a look at on account of trying not to die.


    His light showed him a rather interesting picture.


    On the left side, the humanoid figures living near the mountain, showcasing some primitive cattle herding and farming, while on the right spiders were doing the same, only underground.


    Over the top was a band filled alternatively with the sun and different phases of a moon, no doubt representing the passage of time.


    In the middle were several concentric circles. Between the first two was a series of runes that Sam maybe recognized a tenth of. Still, he made sure to record them properly for later perusal. Then he took a look at the innermost image.


    There were three things.


    A humanoid figure on the left, a spider on the right, and on top of that, a very stylistic rendition of an arachne.


    ¡®Huh¡­ well that will be a great help in the future¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he realized what the runes were probably for.


    ¡°Now I only need to figure out a way to get out¡­¡± he said out loud while motioning Lucky to get back into his shadow. The wolf let out a victorious howl, then simply took a step back, removing himself from the direct light of Sam¡¯s magic, and sank into the created shadows with a proud look in his eyes.


    Sam grinned, planning to reward the wolf with some quality meat for his help, then turned back to the altar.


    Sadly, there was nothing helpful on the mural for his escape, but when he turned his attention to the altar that held the previously burning candles, he spotted a small circular part where the melted wax had been recently removed.


    There he spotted another runic circle, crudely carved, but this time he actually recognized all the symbols.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the travel, and that¡¯s open¡­then I need to¡­YES!¡± Injecting mana on the specific part, he watched as the crude creation flashed with the same color as the portal that brought him here. It seemed the demon planned to abscond with the possessed body after it killed him.


    The portal sprang to life right in front of him, and before he stepped through it, he glanced back at the ruined chapel as his mana senses screamed at him to escape as the plane was unraveling at an exponential rate.


    In the gate of the chapel, he saw an almost see-through version of the arachne. It looked at him, but the madness was gone from his eyes, instead, it was filled with admiration. It bowed its head once then turned around just in time to be caught by the unraveling mana threads and blown to the ethereal winds, unmade in all totality.


    Not wasting time, Sam simply stepped forward just before the entire sub-dimension vanished from existence.


    He found himself in the same place where he entered the monster, however, the surroundings were completely different.


    The mountain on the monster¡¯s back was almost completely gone, the monster wasn¡¯t moving and was visibly at a lower level and as he looked over the vast surroundings, he could see hundreds or even thousands of people streaming toward the titan monster all of them waving different banner and flags.


    Then his messenger rang.


    ¡°Yappers?¡±


    Adam appeared on the other side.


    ¡°Still alive?¡±


    ¡°It seems so.¡±


    ¡°Any complications?¡±


    ¡°Nothing earth-shattering¡­¡±


    ¡°Then Plan Blooming Lotus is still go?¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Adam looked away from his call as he took a small breather while another team swapped in for his position as they ¡®tried¡¯ to keep the enemy from overwhelming them. There were still a lot of stone spiders rushing about, but at this point, the enemy players were much more dangerous.


    He turned to one of his aides.


    ¡°Positions?¡±


    ¡°All petals accounted for.¡±


    ¡°Pollen?¡±


    ¡°Distributed.¡±


    He took one long look at the battlefield as his guild members did their best to hold the ground, then took a deep breath and nodded, trying to keep calm.


    ¡°Then send the signal.¡±

 Chapter 211 - Interlude 20.1

    When she started to play the game Magic Unbound, it was an idle curiosity. She was bored and the latest games were just not doing it for her. But then she saw the advertisement for a ¡®revolutionary¡¯ game, watched the trailer, and decided to give it a go.


    Lara didn¡¯t really enjoy going in with full force and trying to exterminate the local ecosystem with weapons or magic. No, her vice was taking the game¡¯s system and taking it to its maximum potential. Creating meta-breaking weapons, armors that were so powerful they got banned, and potions that encapsulated concepts. Lately, she had been on an architecture kick, using mathematics to optimize space utilization, movement between sectors and just building mathematically perfect edifices.


    Thus, she entered the game and began her journey.


    Thankfully, the game didn¡¯t force her to farm adorable bunnies just to get enough levels so that she would be able to start crafting.


    No, the game was much better than that.


    One simple conversation with a mage who unlocked her magic ¨C even with her current focus, magic was still cool and she wanted to be able to shoot fireballs whenever she wanted ¨C she was on a cart heading for the capital where she would be receiving her education.


    Granted, it wasn¡¯t that easy and she had to do a few hundred quests just to reach the capital, but it was still better than the usual ¡®kick ten puppies, skin them, and then get a few coins¡¯ type of progression that most games insisted on.


    And starting from there, things just continued to change¡­


    For example, she met Dan.


    Honestly, at first, she thought he was one of those muscle-bound idiots who used their sparse brain cells to super focus on a few select things, like lifting weights and, in Dan¡¯s case, plasma physics.


    Then she started talking to him, mostly to avoid one of the idiots who thought the fact their grandparents were rich, talented, and skilled in business, entitled him to everything he ever laid his eyes on. And to Lara¡¯s misfortune, he laid his eyes a lot on her body.


    Seeking shelter near Dan¡¯s perfectly muscled body was a calculated move and falling in love with the earnest man after spending an entire night talking about high-energy physics and mathematics proved that she wasn¡¯t as great at the art of mathematics as she thought she was.


    Still, she managed to gather a boyfriend who was smarter than most of her usual suitors (which was not a great accomplishment), somewhat socially awkward (it was an engineering university), looked very handsome, and was insanely talented in the game of the century.


    All in all, a perfect catch.


    Then she met Sam.


    Looking into the eyes of the man, she didn¡¯t see a moderately handsome (Dan was much better) man who loved playing a game. No, she saw a calculating monster, much like some of the people her grandfather employed in critical positions. Men whose decisions shaped the lives of thousands, sometimes even millions.


    He was a nobody. Even her grandfather confirmed that. No background, no connections, not even a slightly influential blood relative hidden somewhere.


    Yet, he knew exactly how families like hers, Katie¡¯s, or Isabella¡¯s worked. He knew the pressure points and where to pressure. And not to mention his knowledge of the game that boasted an impossible-to-break anti-cheat system.


    She knew tangentially one of the idiots who got caught using insider knowledge. Not a great loss to the gene pool, but Lara knew the business machine behind them very well. There was no way that Sam, whose net worth was a fraction of a fraction of theirs, would be able to do what they failed.


    Yet, here she was, part of a guild that had more gaming talent ¨C carefully trained by Sam ¨C than most of the ¡®elite¡¯ guilds in the area and with better compensation than some CEOs earned in the real world.


    Lara didn¡¯t really need the money, even if she wasn¡¯t the heir of the family¡¯s business empire it was still very satisfying to see the money accumulate in the account she had created for this purpose. And it was very telling that even though Sam knew she was rich as fuck, he still treated her like everybody else in the guild.


    Watching the exciting battle with the titanic spider from the safety of the support tents, for the first time she felt a little disappointed that she didn¡¯t go with a battle-focused character build. Watching the other players gleefully rush into the battle just to be crushed by falling debris from the mountain off the spider¡¯s back, vaporized by the red lightning that seemed to be everywhere, consumed by the endless tide of minions, or in a few unlucky cases, trampled by the crowd as they tried to avoid one of the aforementioned dangers.


    Plus, watching Dan sling lances of hyper-heated plasma at great velocity and magnitude did things to her¡­


    She was mostly present to see what effects the battle would have on her construction, but when she saw the poison-guzzle guild, Abyss Vipers, rush into the battlefield, frothing at the mouth for the imagined reward, she simply moved closer to where several people were starting to pack up.


    Lara was pretty sure that there was a plan in motion, but as she wasn¡¯t part of the command structure (yet), she wasn¡¯t aware of what it was. However, based on Sam¡¯s personality and what she saw from Adam, she could make a few educated guesses.


    And if she was right, she wanted to see every last second of it¡­


    ¡®I should have brought popcorn with me¡­¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    Fighting against those stupid stone spiders was not hard, but despite their levels, they still had to struggle, especially against those big ones.


    Still, the guild was paying them to exterminate them, and the pay was pretty good.


    Also, it was much better than being back at the construction site and being ¡®asked¡¯ to help with hauling construction material or digging ditches and holes.


    He didn¡¯t know what the guild was planning for those ruins, but he was looking forward to seeing it. Probably some kind of special guild headquarters.


    There were some people who suggested they snoop around and sell the information on Shadowland, but he didn¡¯t want to be part of it. He joined the game to enjoy it and not to play political games.


    Plus, from what small things he saw, the bosses would see through those attempts so fast it wouldn¡¯t even be funny, just very sad.


    Then they got a message that one of the officers was on their way to see what was up with the quarry, and he couldn¡¯t help but worry.


    Even in real life, if the superiors had to show up, then that meant that somebody fucked up somewhere. The only question was how many heads would roll¡­


    The guy who showed up looked¡­ lame.


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    Basic armor, no frills or any enchantments he could see. His weapon was a simple straight sword without any visible symbol from any of the big craftsman groups.


    His first thought was that it was probably somebody¡¯s cousin who was given the ¡®privilege¡¯ to solve this very problematic issue. And even if he died, then no great equipment would be lost.


    Then that stupid Fred with his ascot was called over and he had listened to the guy telling them there would be a raid. He had to hold back a snort.


    Like that wasn¡¯t obvious¡­


    Then he was distracted by the next wave of monsters. He was ready to unleash his Flaming Cleave, learned through an arduous process, enhanced by several passive skills he had to almost sell his kidneys for. Hell, he even managed to shorten the chant to a few words from the original dozen!


    He watched the guy walk into the middle of the area, after having cleared it with the aid of that idiot Fred, and then his jaw dropped as the guy silently just waved his hand and hundreds of wind spears just appeared out of thin air above him.


    What the hell?


    The battle with the new wave of spiders, if it even could be called that, was over within seconds.


    He looked down at his axe forlornly, lamenting the fact he couldn¡¯t do the same with it.


    However, before he could really comprehend how the guy who just showed up in shitty gear could do what he did, the mountain decided to explode and he had another set of problems to distract himself with.


    <hr>


    Fred, BlueKnight officially but things happen, enjoyed the game they were playing.


    Magic Unbound was fascinating and all sorts of amazing. After his friend group managed to put together a coherent party, they even managed to get accepted into one of the best local guilds. Now he only needed a familiar, but he planned to take his group to Brightgarden and contract one of the guilds there to help them acquire some much-needed animal companions.


    For a long moment, he feared they would be fired after that fiasco with one of the high-rollers of the guild, but aside from some lambasting and refresher in how to recognize high-ranking people, they were left alone.


    Well, they were also assigned to clean up a few monster nests, but at least he was put in a leading position.


    Nobody expected the giant spider the size of a mountain. Or rather, the mountain that was actually a spider.


    Fred had no idea how it worked, but he was just glad his group survived the initial explosions.


    After that, it was a blur as they rushed about trying to stem the unending tide of spider monsters while the gigantic monster rampaged around them.


    He quickly got assigned to another group when the guild arrived. If it were any other guild, he would be suspicious about that, but this was Chrysalis, and from everything he saw, they were extremely prepared and paranoid.


    Based on the power of the guy who showed up (and they tried to arrest), Fred almost thought that the guild players who showed up were simply his escorts.


    Then he watched as the guy simply jumped up in the air and began climbing the monster¡¯s leg, simply tanking several shots that had vaporized several people previously.


    ¡®Right. That¡¯s not my problem. My problem is surviving,¡¯ he mused as he glanced around.


    He was told to hold the line against the minions, and that¡¯s what he would do. The guild contribution system was extremely fair, and even if he didn¡¯t even scratch the raid boss, he would still be getting rewarded.


    In the back of his mind, he lamented a little at the lost opportunity, but his rational mind knew that despite steamrolling through the quests with his friends, he didn¡¯t even have a fraction of the guy¡¯s power.


    How the hell did he manage to find a skill that eliminated spell chants?


    Fred just knew that their dedicated mage was thinking about approaching the guy. He wished the guy all the luck, but Fred suspected he would be out of his luck.


    He brought up his shield and slammed down the giant slab of enchanted metal in front of him while murmuring the incantation for the spell that would magically extend the protected area.


    ¡°¡­WHITE SHIELD!¡± he finished with a yell and watched in satisfaction as his shield glowed white and a pane of white light extended on his left and right, providing cover for his comrades.


    ¡®Enough thinking about things I can¡¯t do jackshit about. Time to earn my keep¡­¡¯


    He gazed through the stone dust that seemed to blanket an area and waited for the first spider monster to show itself.


    ¡°FIRE!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°A giant spider, you say?¡±


    ¡°Yes. With a mountain on the top of it.¡±


    ¡°Where exactly?¡±


    ¡°Not far from Ironwood.¡±


    ¡°When did it appear?¡±


    ¡°The news came a minute ago. Apparently, they figured it drops some kind of special guild blueprint¡­¡±


    ¡°Blueprint for what?¡± Stephen asked, interested as he fed specially grown lettuce to his giant rabbit familiar. Slathy had performed beautifully in the last battle and he decided to reward that kind of action.


    The druids and alchemists were in a competition to grow the best food for the animals and they wanted to know the rabbit¡¯s opinion.


    Two birds with one stone¡­


    Azy just shook her head, her octopus joining her. ¡°No idea. I think it¡¯s idle speculation or even worse¡­¡±


    ¡°Worse? How?¡±


    ¡°It could be a bait¡­¡±


    ¡°Bait? Why would they want MORE people there?¡±


    The guild¡¯s head of administration just shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s the AFK company and Chrysalis. I have long given up trying to figure out what they are thinking.¡±


    Stephen hummed as he watched Slathy enjoy the fresh produce before posing another question.


    ¡°Should we join?¡±


    Another head shake.


    ¡°Just mobilizing the guild would take at least half an hour. Not to mention the war that is happening here¡­¡±


    Stephen nodded at hearing that. Then he had an idea. ¡°What about the other guilds here? Did anyone rush off to join?¡±


    It took AzureTiger two point three seconds to comprehend his question and realize what he was suggesting.


    Her grin caused a tingle to go through his spine.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to check. You start mobilizing¡­¡±


    Stephen watched as the diminutive girl practically flounced out of his ¡®office¡¯ and looked back at Slathy who was still comfortably munching on some gigantic lettuce leaves, enhanced to taste like a full salad.


    ¡°Well, my friend, it appears we¡¯re going into battle again¡­ Do you think you¡¯re up for it?¡±


    The giant rabbit quickly inhaled the lettuce in his mouth, then wiped it with a nearby towel (AzureTiger insisted on the familiars being taught manners for some reason). With a quick movement, that belied his size, he placed two of his gigantic paws on Stephen¡¯s shoulder, and began enthusiastically licking his face.


    He chuckled and began to run his hand through the rabbit¡¯s fur.


    ¡°I will take that as a yes!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Lucy just knew that this entire fiasco was somehow Sam¡¯s fault.


    She didn¡¯t know how or why yet, but every instinct in her body said the same thing. Her erstwhile compatriot and business partner did something and now they had to deal with a mountain on legs.


    Well, the guild had to deal with it.


    She ¡®only¡¯ had to handle the logistics, administrative, economic, and political parts.


    Already there were people from some of the noble houses at the reception demanding answers while she was still dealing with distributing resources for the fight.


    Looking over several documents, she smiled evilly and made a few decisions before sending off her orders with a runner.


    ¡®Can¡¯t wait for Liz to finish those things¡­¡¯ she grumbled inwardly.


    A few discounts here and there, and the mobilizing guilds, heading to fight the giant spider and claim the loot for themselves, would fall over themselves to give the company money. All in the name of success!


    Which she very much doubted would materialize, knowing Sam and his hare-brained plans. Plus, with Tim out there and sowing chaos wherever he went, Lucy suspected that the fight would not go the way their enemies expected it to go.


    Her only task was to make sure nothing happened while most of the people were away and that the political theater was in their favor.


    Thus, she stood up from her desk, walked over to the door in her office, and stepped through it, arriving in a small room, equipped with a shower and faucet, a makeup desk, and a wardrobe section with an excellent selection of clothing.


    Sam may have had his stupid spells and skills, but she had the clothing, ready for all manner of situations.


    She sat down at the makeup desk and began applying some of it, while the door opened behind her and her secretary entered, who without a word began working on her hair.


    All the while, she watched through her ravens¡¯ eyes as the people all over the city began to move toward the quarry where the current raid battle was going on.


    <hr><hr>


    Lucrecia was very sad.


    Just minutes ago, their scouts had brought the news that her beloved was battling one of the fearsome titans straight from the legends.


    A titan!


    Her father would be so jealous!


    However, her guard detail refused to escort her to the place of the event so that she could spectate as her knight would single-handedly defeat the humongous monster and maybe would even offer a trophy to her, proving that their relationship was destined to be!


    Alas, even Fortuna, the clever wolf, was against them leaving.


    Her familiar even went so far as to grab the hem of her skirt and pull her back with a whine and a pitiful look in her eyes.


    In the end, she relented under the begging gazes of her familiar, maids and head of the guards. Still, she ordered the scouts to head out and observe the battle.


    Officially, to make sure the battle and its results didn¡¯t hurt any Silvercrest interest, but secretly, she just wanted to hear how her beloved acted.


    She was pretty sure it would be glorious!


    Chuckling about how she tricked her guards, she headed for the strategy room. Even if her thoughts were mostly about her beloved¡¯s actions, she knew from her studies that a battle such as this would affect the surroundings in a myriad of ways.


    And some of that fell under her authority¡­

 Chapter 211 - Interlude 20.2

    Never let it be said that he wasn¡¯t capable of learning from his mistakes.


    While the game, Magic Unbound, provided an endless potential for gains, as proved by countless enterprising individuals with a fraction of his own resources, he still had the handicap of not really understanding games or how gamers thought and acted.


    But he learned. Oh, how he learned¡­


    At first, he thought that simply using the same skills that made him and his family so successful would suffice. After all, one business was like any other. However, the nature of the gamers and the game quickly disabused him of that notion.


    These¡­gamers, behaved much differently in-game than in real life. Sometimes, he could see some logic in their behavior but as he refused to play the game, most of the time he was left flabbergasted by their odd decisions.


    Ohh, some of them made sense. He could understand how a superior piece of equipment would motivate them. But the fact they died to some monster and instead of giving up, they would just get back to it and try again and again and again, until they won, completely baffled him.


    Why go after something that just lost them money, time, and even items?


    Naturally, he knew that his own children played the game. He didn¡¯t mind. They were children, and children played games.


    It would provide some good outlet for Katherine¡¯s more eccentric behaviors, while he could use David and his burgeoning leadership skills to set up a presence in the game and start building a foundation for the future.


    By the time he realized that David wasn¡¯t going against him, but simply operating with a different playbook that he refused to acknowledge as it went against anything he knew about business, his son was gone from the guild as in his disappointment he usurped everything his son had built.


    Even he knew that bringing him back would be useless, as he had destroyed all of his credibility in his haste.


    It was a lesson learned by losing a lot of money.


    All thanks to the ¡®friend¡¯ his only daughter made.


    His first action was to look into the man to see if they were a plant from a rival company, family, or even the government. Or maybe some lone grifter who wanted to sink his hooks into his family.


    To his confusion, he found nothing.


    A basic background like millions of other people. No relation to anybody famous or important. Practically no money. There was some connection to individuals who had criminal leanings, but according to the investigations, he dropped them months ago.


    His investments were interesting and somewhat lucky, but nothing of consequence.


    Then the information began to trickle in.


    His in-game company brought in enough money from the player base to make his own look anemic. Naturally, he wanted it for himself. But he was realistic enough to know that people like that would never bend a knee. Thus, he sought to show him his superiority via the game. After all, there was no need to bring the conflict into the real world. So much more hassle than it was worth¡­


    And his people failed.


    Seasoned military veterans that he trusted to protect his family and interests failed to ¡®kill¡¯ one measly video game player.


    Knowing the futility of repeating the same action and expecting different results, he instead put aside Katie¡¯s ¡®friend¡¯ and instead focused more on building up the guild and trying to establish a foundation for the company in the game.


    His analysts had reported that more and more companies were doing the same thing all over the world, with some governments even setting up special task forces for the same tasks. The in-game gold was just that valuable.


    Plus, if he could believe the survey, the game was actually amazingly fun and entertaining¡­


    He thought that would be it. The guy would be happy that he survived and go away. It was not like they could strike at him¡­


    A big mistake¡­


    He used his own daughter to strike back. His own DAUGHTER!


    And he couldn¡¯t even blame them. He was the one who set his people to spy on Katherine to divine information about her new boss and he was the one who decided to act on the gained information. It was his fault that he didn¡¯t consider that his advisors weren¡¯t as clear as to how the game worked as the players.


    Not that he wouldn¡¯t take his revenge if an opportunity showed.


    Which just happened.


    ¡°A raid monster, you say?¡±


    The man before him, holding a tablet, nodded. ¡°Yes. We also have some rumors about very special drops perfect for guilds.¡±


    ¡°And Chrysalis is the one that found it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    An opportunity to mess with the same person who caused enough damage to his finances that even his accountants winced.


    ¡°Show me!¡± he held out his hand for the tablet.


    The man handed it over silently, and he began to read it. Slowly, a picture began to form in his mind.


    ¡°Have the guild continue with the Distortion. Send a few scouts to see what happens, but don¡¯t interfere,¡± he declared softly.


    Even though he felt this was the right decision, he still thought that something was missing.


    His employee blinked in surprise. ¡°B-but, sir! What about the loot? This is the first open-world raid boss!¡±


    ¡°Exactly. As has been repeatedly demonstrated, this game is different. Let others experiment with the first one. Plus, there are too many guilds aiming for the same thing. If the loot is not worth it, then it¡¯s a waste to go for it.¡±


    The man visibly didn¡¯t agree with him, but in the end, he was the boss, so he was the one who made the decisions.


    ¡°Yes, sir¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    They were lucky to be in Ironwood when they got the report that a mountain exploded and revealed a giant raid monster.


    Abyss Vipers may have been situated in the marshes and swamps, but that didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t recruit in other places.


    This time they were recruiting as well as resupplying for another run at the Valley of Distortion while the B team held their place in the valley.


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    He looked over at the idiot who gave him the info.


    ¡°Giant spider, you say?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ the Chrysalis assholes found it, but the rest are also heading there¡­¡±


    ¡°Light bulbs?¡±


    ¡°Already gathering.¡±


    ¡°The fancy pants?¡±


    ¡°For some reason, they are not reacting¡­¡±


    That caused him a grin. ¡®So, that¡¯s how it is going to be¡­.¡¯


    ¡°Gather everyone. We¡¯re going hunting!¡±


    A great roar was his answer as the people resting in the tavern they had taken over started to get up.


    With the Steel Lions missing, they would be able to take out the Eternal Light as they had been preparing some extra effective poison spells exactly for that purpose. The rest of the riff-raff would be taken care of with a few area-of-effect spells.


    Most of the common players didn¡¯t really focus on poison resistance. Which was really lucky for them¡­


    Plus, it was a spider monster, he was pretty sure it would drop something extremely compatible with their guild.


    <hr><hr>


    Serving Calon was, most of the time, pretty chill.


    Damien could do whatever he wanted and go wherever he wanted. He mostly spent his time playing with his friends, trying to level up and gather enough money so that he could officially say that he made his living by playing video games.


    His Death Knight build was going strong with a specialization in curses that allowed his group to take care of fractures way above their level.


    They were pretty happy with that, and Damien enjoyed the adulation of his peers. Hell, even some people in school had heard of his exploits and asked his group for help.


    To his surprise, he even managed to talk with a girl for more than five minutes. Granted, it was about the strategy for the fracture they were in, but he counted that as a win. She didn¡¯t even grimace when she looked at him.


    His friends were so jealous!


    Other times, Calon was a very demanding master.


    Like right now, as he stood in front of one of the cult leaders, listening to the man covered in a hooded cape talk.


    ¡°¡­do you understand?¡±


    Damien nodded, even though he stopped listening after the first minute. ¡°Yes. Go to the quarry and kill the giant spider.¡±


    The man looked at him for a few seconds, then nodded with a quiet sigh. Probably relieved that his comprehension was this high.


    ¡°Go and bring honor to Calon¡¯s name!¡±


    <hr>


    Infiltrating the groups heading toward the titanic monster that could be seen from miles away was surprisingly easy. One would think that a death knight decked out in black armor decorated by skulls and sharp spikes and several necromancers surrounded by skeletons would stand out in a crowd, but there were so many players with so many styles they simply blended in.


    It took a while before they crested the last hill, and they laid their eyes on the proper battlefield. It was chaos in its purest form.


    Damien looked at his friends through his helmet and nodded.


    They then joined the throng of people charging forward, intent on dealing with the titanic monster and making their demonic patron proud. Mostly for the loot, but they have been looking for some promotion quests in the cult.


    Damien watched as the giant spider moved around, red lightning striking everywhere, incinerating at least one person per second, dust clouds blanketing almost the entire area, and grinned.


    ¡®Now, this is a real fight!¡±


    He surged forward, greatsword held high, aiming for the nearest monster, uncaring of whom he went through, ignoring all the yells of his fellow players as they were being slowly destroyed by his cursed dark aura.


    He watched his counter for the Bloodmarks slowly tick upward as both monsters and players fell to his blade, his friends providing support around him while doing their very best to deal damage to the raid boss.


    Then the sound of several major spells being fired rolled over the quarry, echoing off from the nearby mountains that were not on the back of a giant spider.


    Damien¡¯s head snapped up and watched as beams of concentrated magic slammed into the remaining legs of the monsters and for a long moment, everything just hung in the air. Then reality reasserted itself, and Damien watched as the monster sans its legs that supported its high-altitude existence began to descend.


    A lot of people continued to fight, not even noticing what was happening over their heads in the cacophony of the battle, but Damien was better than that. He instantly turned around and saw to his horror the throngs of people still rushing into the quarry.


    No matter how many people tried to turn around, the greater whole was moving forward. Even at a glance, he saw several fights breaking out as people tried to make way for themselves. He even saw several people trying to jump over other players¡¯ heads only to be sniped by somebody.


    Then the corpse was on them and he only saw darkness.


    [You have died.]


    [You lost 147 Bloodmarks!]


    [You have been afflicted by Calon¡¯s Curse!]


    [Calon¡¯s Curse: You have been cursed by Calon for failure. Your¡­]


    <hr><hr>


    The Shadowed One was very crafty.


    Most of the time.


    They would be sent on nonsense missions doing nonsense things and they would only realize weeks later what they did.


    Thus, while the people working for the Silent Step and The Shadowed One often grumbled, they still did their work dutifully. Like going all around the country and sometimes outside, assassinating people, planting evidence or even removing it.


    Quite honestly it was an amazing experience.


    Usually, they just set up an assassin guild in any game they played and made their money that way. But over time it became stale and boring. It was always the same. Some rich asshole decided to take offense to somebody who didn¡¯t even know they existed and hired Silent Step to teach them a ¡®lesson¡¯.


    Then spent weeks gleefully gloating about how ¡®they managed to take out¡¯ the ¡®offending¡¯ party.


    Or guilds used them to sabotage the other guilds, who in turn hired them to sabotage the first one.


    But now¡­


    They had a ¡®master¡¯. A very cunning and mysterious demon who delighted in their chosen profession.


    And now he was on one such mission.


    His level was around 70 so he was not in the competition for the first Level 100 spot, but his skills in skulking around were second to none.


    ¡®Maybe Tim¡­ the traitor¡­¡¯ he grumbled good-naturedly. While Tim¡¯s betrayal was surprising, nobody really begrudged him for the decisions. They operated an assassination business, but they all understood that first and foremost this was a game and if somebody didn¡¯t enjoy it then there wasn¡¯t much point playing it.


    They still made fun of him through the group chat they had been using for more than a decade and made every attempt to get information out of him, but even Tim knew that was just part of the game.


    Rushing through the black portal opened by a ritual performed by their guild under the instructions of one of the NPCs at the cult, he found himself in a dark cavern filled with ruins.


    Instead of looking around, trying to figure out what happened, he simply began to head deeper into the ruins. He had a time limit, as the portal couldn¡¯t be held open indefinitely, and a task to accomplish.


    The carved stories on the walls were interesting, but he simply sped past, following the demon¡¯s vague directions.


    Soon, he stood before a crumbling wall and the gate that led through it.


    Inside the darkness, negated by his Dark Vision skill, was a boulder in the middle of the room.


    Happy that he found his target, he crouched down and retrieved an ornate wooden box from his inventory and after making sure his gloves covered every square millimeter, he carefully opened it and reverently lifted the black crystal out of it.


    The crystal itself was created by another ritual where they actually had to sacrifice several NPCs for their dark god, whose malevolent intent was thus crystallized in material form.


    Carefully gripping the crystal, he walked forward silently, not wanting to spook his target, and when he finally stood above the mound of stone, with one decisive move he brought the crystal down, stabbing it in the middle of it.


    Then he was off, only pausing for a moment to pick up the box ¨C no sense in leaving behind evidence ¨C using every skill he had to charge toward the rapidly shrinking dark portal.


    He barely managed to clear the portal, which still managed to snip a small part of his cloak off as it collapsed behind him.


    Looking around, he saw his guild members lying on the ground exhausted as one of the Shadowed One¡¯s priests was standing at the edge of the ritual, their grin visible through the shadow concealing their face.


    [Task completed!]


    [The Shadowed One is very satisfied with your performance.]


    [You receive the following rewards for your exemplary actions:¡­]


    <hr><hr>


    Hours later he was still in his office, reviewing documents that had recently come in from one of the businesses when he heard the rapid patter of his daughter¡¯s feet as she ran toward his office.


    He carefully placed the document to the side, schooled his face, and waited for the door to slam open.


    A year ago, it would have been opened gently while she entered, but nowadays Katharine¡¯s participation in the game, plus time spent with her new ¡®friends¡¯ had caused her past exuberance to resurface again.


    BAMM


    ¡°Father!¡± she exclaimed with a grin on her face as her hair floated behind her, the inertia of her run moving it around.


    ¡°Daughter,¡± he returned the greeting in a much more subdued manner, hoping that she would get the hint. ¡°How can I help you?¡±


    Her grin, if possible, grew even bigger.


    ¡°I¡¯m just here to forward a message!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Sam says thanks for the help!¡± she told him, then turned around and flounced out of the room.


    For a minute he sat there in silence trying to comprehend what his only daughter told him. Then he just sighed and stood up and headed for his bar. He needed a drink¡­

 Chapter 211 - Interlude 20.3

    The game, Magic Unbound, was a commercial success. No. It went beyond that. It was a worldwide success that managed to infiltrate all economic, societal, and even political strata.


    With some very basic marketing.


    A miracle in itself as he saw the first alpha build of the game.


    Nonetheless, the game was a massive success and money kept rolling in. And pushed in on giant wheelbarrows. There was so much money, it was ludicrous. And that was before they green-lighted the RMT exchange.


    Thus, the incoming money demanded they make even more of it, as security costs rose exponentially.


    So many people, organizations, groups, governments, and even paramilitary operations tried to do their damned best to infiltrate their systems to acquire any kind of advantage over others.


    Thankfully, so far their systems, AIs, and even cyber security specialists were up to the task.


    He didn¡¯t have to deal with any fallout of somebody breaching their system. The one time when somebody managed to acquire insider info (which he was pretty sure was allowed by the security guys even though he couldn¡¯t prove it) the plan was already in place, he had just to stamp his approval on it, and out it went.


    Nowadays, most of his time was spent on taking recordings from the game and crafting trailers, teasers, and short-form videos about different aspects of the game, depending on what his superior decided they wanted to advertise any given week.


    They had countless different events they had going on, all aimed at different demographics, anything from pet photo contests to race to the top events for the trailblazers, to dress-up events in certain countries where the survey said they would do well.


    Hell, they even had some celebrity cooking contests in a few areas¡­


    He was about to go over the latest results because even though he was fully aware they were digital creations, they still looked mighty delicious, when his email client dinged.


    Email clients didn¡¯t ding.


    Not with the number of emails and messages he got every day.


    The client only dinged when the important messages came. Abandoning his plan to drool over the fantastical meals crafted in the game, he opened the message framed with red and blinking with a fucking warning light.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know it could do that¡­¡¯ he mused as he began to read.


    It was from the group that had the distinct displeasure of being in charge of the online communities and keeping an eye on the happenings all over the internet. He didn¡¯t envy them¡­ Even just going online, he saw enough porn made of the game that he shuddered to think what those people saw¡­


    Then, as he read, the good humor vanished from his face, replaced by a frown.


    Oversight of the exploitation of workers for digital currency and the responsibilities of companies


    A very on-the-nose title for an essay, but the more he read, the more he realized why it was sent to him. It didn¡¯t name names, but he was not stupid.


    He hit a button and a call went through immediately.


    ¡°Is it viral?¡± he asked without any preamble.


    The person on the other side fumbled a little before answering.


    ¡°N-not y-yet, sir!¡±


    ¡°Will it?¡±


    ¡°Will it what?¡±


    ¡°Will it go viral?¡±


    There was a momentary pause, as he could hear the clicking sounds. He didn¡¯t say anything, waiting for the egghead on the other side to find the results.


    ¡°Predictions says yes. Over seventy percent chance¡­¡±


    This time he was the one who stayed silent. Sadly, the egghead didn¡¯t let him think.


    ¡°Should, we¡­ I mean should we squash it?¡±


    He snorted. Squash something on the internet? Maybe a century ago that would have been possible. But with AI technology scraping the internet for every scrap of data, deleting anything from it was a physical impossibility. And if their enemies or detractors caught a whiff of them trying to hide them, they would gleefully make every effort to showcase the essay.


    ¡°No. There is no need. Be a dear and put together an analysis package about it. I want to know everything. Where, who, how, and what crayon it was written with. Then send it up as soon as possible.¡±


    Not waiting for the other person to answer he hung up and pushed another button to contact his secretary.


    ¡°Janice?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡± came the prompt reply from her. Impeccable as always. That¡¯s why he paid the big money for a person and wasn¡¯t just using a simple VI.


    ¡°Call an emergency meeting. Use my codes.¡±


    ¡°Time?¡±


    ¡°As soon as possible,¡± he replied as he loosened his tie.


    ¡°Message was sent out. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, unless there is something on your side?¡±


    ¡°Nothing current, sir,¡± came the reply.


    He let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Good. Make sure you¡¯re ready. This is going to be a long night.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The speaker went silent, and he returned to his multiple screens. He needed to read the essay again, make some notes, and do some research.


    This entire thing could be a catastrophe for the company if the wrong people picked it up. But if they played their cards right¡­


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Who the hell placed a titan there?¡±


    Looks were exchanged but nobody was brave enough to reply. Thankfully, Selene was either very brave or just didn¡¯t give a fuck.


    ¡°Titans were allocated randomly based on lore, history, and player density,¡± She stated with her smooth voice.


    The head of their office just pointed at the screen where they watched one specific person climbing up on the leg of a titanic spider monster.


    ¡°Yes, I know that! What I want to know is whose bright idea it was to place it near that fucker!¡±


    ¡°It was just a coincidence¡­¡±


    ¡°Then how do you explain that the titan woke up without the requisite actions? We made all of them dormant!¡±


    Selene smiled as she answered.


    ¡°One of the¡­ fucker¡¯s enemies decided to be pro-active.¡±


    ¡°Who was the genius?¡± he asked with heavy sarcasm coloring his words.


    Selene smirked, and a small sandglass appeared next to her on the screen. ¡°Searching¡­¡±


    He opened his mouth to berate her, but she was faster. ¡°Found it. It was one of the greater demons. The Shadowed One¡­¡±


    ¡°Can we remove it from the game?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­¡±


    ¡°Then make sure to add at least one more group that is dedicated to erasing it from existence.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that. Most of the anti-demon groups are aware of its existence and are already planning to deal with it. Adding more would disrupt the game balance.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­then make sure its left pinky is always itching¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a pinky¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Why is he winning?¡± he asked, sitting in a chair and looking at the battle on the screen, exhausted.


    One of the other developers near him piped up. ¡°Probably because of his broken mana control?¡±


    ¡°That fucker!¡±


    A person at the back of the room added another mark to the list, as well as the time. Many bets were going on about how many times their boss would curse about that specific person.


    ¡°What about the battle outside?¡±


    Instantly, the screen changed from the person of interest fighting a very disturbing-looking arachne to the massive battlefield around the titanic monster.


    ¡°How many guilds?¡±


    There was a little shuffling as people went over the number before one of them spoke up.


    ¡°Almost two dozen.¡±


    ¡°Any of them important?¡±


    ¡°Only the local guilds are participating as the rest were too far. Abyss Vipers, Eternal Light, and Greyskull, Redfang are the biggest.¡±


    ¡°What about¡­ what was the name? Iron cats?¡±


    ¡°Steel Lions, sir.¡±


    ¡°That! What about them? Weren¡¯t they enemies with the fucker?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. But everything indicates that they¡¯re focusing on the Valley of Distortion,¡±


    Everybody who wasn¡¯t occupied watched as their boss had a minor breakdown, while the person at the back quietly wrote down the time.


    <hr>


    ¡°What did I just see?¡±


    Upon hearing the question, there was only silence. All of them stared at the giant screen on the wall of the room. Nobody could really comment. They all worked on the game in some manner, but they couldn¡¯t have imagined that somebody would do something like this.


    ¡°Is that even legal?¡±


    Selene shrugged on the monitor where her digital avatar was displayed. ¡°Using the environment to their advantage is not against any rule.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the environment,¡± he exclaimed, pointing at the screen where the dust cloud was beginning to clear up. ¡°That is a humongous spider monster that had a small mountain on its back!¡±


    ¡°The mountain is an environment¡­ technically.¡±


    ¡°The fucker dropped it on them!¡±


    ¡°I believe it was the guild master who gave the ord-¡°


    ¡°As if that man would do anything without orders from the fucker!¡±


    There was a moment where everybody looked at the man worriedly, but then he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.


    ¡°All right¡­ all right. I need to calm down. My blood pressure is already too high.¡±


    Wisely, nobody decided to comment.


    ¡°What about the casualties?¡±


    The answer came promptly and a little gleefully, from one of the people staring at the screens where the statistics were displayed.


    ¡°Chrysalis retreated in the last moments, only losing a few people who acted as bait. Most of the players under the titan perished, including the bigger guilds. And as you can see on the screen, the rest are being hunted down by the cordon set up by Chrysalis.¡±


    ¡°What about the scouts and loot goblins?¡±


    ¡°Most of them were caught by a cordon, but some of them got through.¡±


    ¡°Did they manage to snag the loot?¡±


    There was an ominous silence.


    He looked up from his tablet, where he was slowly surveying the scene. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The loot is the body, sir.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The personal loot is in the Core Dimension designed for an assault team while the rest of the group holds off the titan on the outside.¡±


    ¡°Which the fucker just soloed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Well, fuck¡­¡±


    Another pregnant silence.


    ¡°What about that special guild blueprint I heard about?¡± he finally asked.


    Selene chortled a little while his face fell. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes! It was planted by¡­¡±


    ¡°THAT FUCKER!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Well, what have we learned?¡±


    ¡°Watching people fighting giant monsters is very fun?¡±


    He looked back at his employee, suppressed the rage that threatened to erupt at the thought of that person, and nodded. ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°Do we have the entire recording sanitized?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Then cut it up in manageable chunks and forward it to marketing.¡±


    ¡°Like?¡±


    ¡°Have one for when it erupts, a montage of firing spells at the legs, then finish it with the collapse,¡± he spoke as he watched a replay of Solar¡¯s fight with the arachne. ¡°Sprinkle in a few teasers of that fucker¡¯s fight.¡±


    ¡°Sanitized?¡±


    ¡°Can we actually show him for real?¡± he looked around hopefully. Sadly, he only saw people shaking their heads. ¡°Dammit¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sanitize it¡­¡±


    ¡°Look on the bright side, sir.¡±


    ¡°What bright side?¡±


    The person reporting grinned. ¡°We did a little math and figured that with the reward from the fight, our ¡®hero¡¯ would be around level ninety-nine¡­¡±


    He immediately perked up. ¡°Which means, he would shoot up to the top of the race, displaying his name for everyone to see!¡±


    The other man nodded. ¡°Exactly, sir!¡±


    There was another moment of silent anticipation as everybody watched the boss digest the ¡®good¡¯ news before they watched him jump from his slump and begin issuing orders.


    ¡°All right, people! Make sure the posts about the race are bumped and add some more visibility to it!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Do we have pictures of some figurines that we planned as the reward?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they sent over some prototypes¡­¡±


    ¡°Post them! Increase the hype!¡±


    ¡°Roger!¡±


    He stood there, hands on hips and a manic grin on his face.


    ¡°Avoid this, you annoying fucker!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°How the hell did they do it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I ran the numbers. Those attacks shouldn¡¯t have killed the titan!¡±


    His friend grinned and leaned closer in a conspiratory manner. ¡°Well, you¡¯re right! I heard from a friend of a friend that there was an actual fracture thing on the top of the monster. They had to go in and kill a boss there.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, now that makes sense!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I heard it took an entire team of elite players from Chrysalis to deal with it!¡±


    ¡°Wow! So, the ones outside destroying the legs weren¡¯t the elite?¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°Bonkers¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Did you hear?¡±


    ¡°What? Is it about the Spider Titan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°I just spoke with my friend and they said they found an entire gold mine in the spider!¡±


    ¡°Gold mine? That¡¯s stupid! The inside was red crystal! It should be a crystal mine!¡±


    ¡°What do you use the crystal for?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there that crystal crafter chick?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­ she is hot¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Do we have anything like that around our city?¡±


    ¡°Have no idea¡­¡±


    ¡°Then go and research it. Open-world raid bosses should drop some impressive things.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention the corpse, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Any idea what they got?¡±


    ¡°Heard anything from mana crystal mine to an entire city decked out in gold¡­¡±


    ¡°So we know nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°Pretty much, yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you have any contacts who could get us that info?¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°They found some kind of titan monster over in the Emerald Kingdom¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t care?¡±


    ¡°They are on the other side of the continent. Why would I care? Hand me the number five¡­¡±


    ¡°Here¡­ But seriously. The fight was super epic. Are you not curious about how they managed to do it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Do we have to fight a giant spider?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­no.¡±


    ¡°Then I don¡¯t care. Hand me the number seven.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, here¡­ sometimes you¡¯re so lame.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But I make bank¡­¡±


    THUD


    ¡°There, the vault door is open. Let¡¯s start looting¡­¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I wonder about you¡­¡±

 Chapter 212

    Riding the falling monster was an experience. Sam wasn¡¯t sure he would like a repeat, but in the end, he just huddled down and used his own magic to fix his position to the back of the monster as it crashed onto the great masses, more than likely wiping out a great percentage.


    Bombardment would destroy the rest of the guilds and the successful completion of the Blooming Lotus plan.


    Which naturally meant that he had to get the hell out of the epicenter as fast as possible.


    Looking around, he took in the situation.


    There were still people streaming in, probably after the titan¡¯s loot and to pick up the things people dropped. Their speed didn¡¯t even slow down when the giant monster impacted the area where the poor quarry used to be.


    The lure of the loot and whatever other possibilities they imagined were just too much.


    Not that it mattered.


    The guild alchemists worked extra hard just for this, and Sam wanted to see how it looked when everything went off at the same time. Designing an explosive that would hurt people and leave the infrastructure alone was hard, but a little ¡®discovery¡¯ thanks to the library at Nowhere and a small jaunt into the swamps was enough to solve the issue.


    Designing the explosive was the easy part. The counteragent was much harder as Sam knew the moment they used it; others would move heaven and earth to figure out how they did it and how to use it for themselves. He had no illusion about the integrity of the guild crafters. If somebody offered them enough money, they would sell anything the buyer wanted.


    Tim would distribute fake recipes to those who could be sort of trusted, but even their prodigious security expert couldn¡¯t find every person who would sell them out.


    Sam shook himself, stretched a little, and looked over the cliff where most of the guild people were gathering, occasionally striking down a brave enemy who decided to try their luck against them.


    Noting the direction, he turned around and started sprinting in the opposite direction, slightly off course. Nobody would expect him to do that, after all¡­


    From there it was a hop, skip, and jump ¨C and the judicious use of his speed and hiding skills ¨C before he was safely out of the explosion zone, safely wedged between several rocks and covered by his shields. He left only a small slit to peek through, as he really wanted to see the explosion.


    Over the chat, he could see the countdown while the area surreptitiously was flooded with combustible gas manufactured to specification by the guild alchemists.


    Three¡­


    Two¡­


    One¡­


    Then the sky was illuminated by the blooming explosions as petals of fire flowered over the entire quarry. There was some yelling and cries for help, but that just allowed the people stationed by the guild around the battlefield to find those who survived the initial explosions and kill them with some targeted violence.


    He quickly called Adam.


    ¡°How is it looking, chief?¡± he asked with a grin.


    Adam just nodded with a small smile. ¡°Blooming Lotus was a success. Pity our enemies will be watching for it¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There are more ways to skin a cat¡­¡± he reassured the other man. ¡°Losses?¡±


    Adam waved his hand around. ¡°I don¡¯t have the concrete numbers, but nobody is looking unhappy.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then the next task is to take samples from the monster and see what we can do with it. Have Lara handle that. You need to set up protection for this area. I¡¯m somewhat confident that people will come back for revenge¡­¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ anything else?¡±


    ¡°We have a lot of threatening messages from the people we just killed.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Do you have a template reply for that?¡±


    ¡°Ask Lucy, I¡¯m sure she has one¡­¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡±


    The line went silent and Sam was left alone. He stayed in his place, as he was pretty sure that several scouts and assassins of other guilds were still skulking about, hoping to nab something important. He wasn¡¯t so na?ve to think that nobody noticed his exit from the top of the titan.


    Instead, he decided to go through his gains.


    [You destroyed the Core Dimension of the Spider Totem of a forgotten group of worshippers!]


    [You gained the title, Titan Killer!]


    [Titan Killer: Increased reputation among warriors and 5% extra damage to titans.]


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You¡¯re now Level 99!]


    [Gained 14 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Thanks to your ability to trick your opponents into and out of battle, you gained 3 WIS!]


    [Because you focused on your speed, you gained 2 AGI!]


    [You have been forged in battle, time and time again, you gained 1 STR and 1 END!]


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Happily, he took the new points and quickly assigned them. Five went to Dexterity, four to Strength, three to Agility, and finally, the remaining two went to Wisdom.


    Then came the skills.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 82!]


    [Mana Surge is now Level 2!]


    [Mana Scales is now Level 115!]


    [Solid Spell Foundation is now Level 4!]


    [Mana Construct is now Level 79!]


    [You gained the subskill, Complexity!]


    [Complexity: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) The complexity of your creations doesn¡¯t detract from it. Usually, mana cost would rise when the complexity of your creation increases. For every level of this skill this increase in mana cost becomes less and less.]


    [Light Ball IV is now Level 4!]


    [Clean VI is now Level 7!]


    [Clean Aura is now Level 2!]


    [Carving is now Level 5!]


    [Air Purification is now Level 4!]


    A very respectable growth, but most of his basic skills were locked down, waiting for that nice evolution at Level 101. Sam planned to get a few more to that level for even better results when he reached that level.


    [Wind Mana Manipulation is now Level 91!]


    [Greater Wind Affinity is now Level 79!]


    [You gained the subskill, Shredding Wind!]


    [Shredding Wind: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your wind is as deadly as your intent. Increased damage with wind spells and skills.]


    [Wind Sense is now Level 3!]


    [Battle Meditation is now Level 78!]


    [You gained the subskill, Steady Mind!]


    [Steady Mind: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your mind is as steady as your stance. Increased resistance against attacks on your mind and it is harder to break you out of meditation.]


    [Clear Mind is now Level 4!]


    Sam was very happy with that. Skills and spells protecting the mind were rare to come by, and after Level 101 there would be a gamut of monsters, both bestial and humanoid, that would delight in using magic that beguiled the mind.


    Plus, as time goes by, even players would get better at it. He didn¡¯t want to fall into one of the famous mirror mazes or endless labyrinths created by crazies with the express purpose of trapping people in them.


    [Spirit Link is now Level 93!]


    [Spirit Enhancement is now Level 3!]


    [Spirit Protection is now Level 36!]


    [Bleedover is now Level 3!]


    [Shadow of the Dragon is now Level 22!]


    [Greater Shadow Affinity is now Level 65!]


    [Dark Vision is now Level 2!]


    [The Way of the Forerunner is now Level 30!]


    [You gained the subskill, Underhanded Strike!]


    [Underhanded Strike: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) When your strike comes from nowhere, unnoticed by your enemy, the first strike is guaranteed a 25% increased critical chance!]


    [Earth Resistance is now Level 49!]


    [Lightning Resistance is now Level 29!]


    [Adaptive Coordination is now Level 49!]


    [Combinatorics is now Level 4!]


    Altogether very respectable, but nothing out of this world. The biggest thing that happened was that he reached Level 99, which catapulted him into the list of people participating in the Race to the Top event.


    ¡®Well, more assassins won¡¯t change much¡­¡¯ he mused. ¡®Might as well win the event if I¡¯m so near¡­¡¯


    He could already imagine how the forums were going bonkers with him jumping so far ahead so fast¡­


    Sam then quickly went through Lucky¡¯s status screen, made sure nothing untoward happened, and then opened his inventory while rubbing his hands together.


    ¡°Here comes the best part!¡± he whispered under his breath.


    He took out the items from his inventory and slowly sorted them out. First were the scrolls. Three of them, to be precise.


    After a safety check ¨C he didn¡¯t want to chance another glitter bomb ¨C he unfurled the first one.


    It was an area of effect ritual to increase the efficiency of farming. His Grimoire flashed into existence and the ritual was copied into it. He just closed the scroll and made a note to pass it to Lara. The second scroll was also a ritual, helpfully recorded by his Grimoire. This one was used to fuse together beings. Understandable, based on what he learned in the pocket dimension. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but grin, as this would be perfect (with a few alterations) for his plans. It seemed rituals were the loot of the day, as the third scroll also featured one. Used to maintain air quality in caves. Sam copied this down too, then set it aside for Lara.


    The rest of the items were sorted into two groups. The first one was just a random assortment of ritual materials as if they had fallen out of the arachne¡¯s bag, almost all of them usable by the three rituals he got. He picked out a few of them that would be useful for some rituals he planned to enact, and the rest went into a box with Lara¡¯s name on it.


    It was very funny in the sense that these materials didn¡¯t really garner a second glance from him, but for the average Joe, if sold, these would provide enough money to live for a few months comfortably.


    The last group, while the smallest, was the most interesting to him.


    There were only two items there.


    One perfectly spherical egg colored off-white, reminiscent of old spiderwebs.


    [Spider Egg: Chance to hatch something from it. Probably a spider, but who knows?]


    Sam carefully picked it up and observed it with his mana. It was alive in a sense but in stasis. A good dose of mana injected could wake it up. Or destroy it¡­


    ¡°I wonder if Lara wants a familiar?¡± he murmured as he carefully placed the egg in a box that had some cushioning in it. ¡°Or maybe Tim?¡±


    Then the last item. It was a dagger the length of his hand with fingers outstretched. The blade was jagged and rust colored and it had a very simple grip with a very small ruby as the pommel.


    [Ritual Dagger: Very ritual-y. Enhances the effect of rituals when it is used. May give blood poisoning.]


    Exactly what he needed. Well, not really. There were countless other implements that he could have used but now he didn¡¯t need to bother to hunt them down. Saves on time and all that jazz¡­


    He spent a few minutes looking over the dagger trying to use his Clean spell to clean the rust off, but apparently, it had become an integral part of the item, thus it refused to be removed.


    ¡®Alright¡­ be that way. I just need to watch for blood poisoning.¡¯


    <hr>


    It took a few hours until even the most dedicated assassins, scouts, rogues, general busybodies, and lost people had decided to go home. This allowed him to leave his hiding place and head back to the ruins where the rest of the team awaited him.


    The entire area was buzzing with activity. With the arrival of the entire guild, almost all available space was filled with resting people. Most of them would be sent away to do whatever, but the quarry would require an increased guard regiment, so some of them would stay.


    He walked amongst them after he emerged from the mountainous area and couldn¡¯t help but notice that all of them were looking weirdly at him. Some waved or saluted and he heard hundreds of greetings thrown at him, but nobody approached him or even called out to him for a talk.


    ¡®Very weird¡­¡¯


    But that was soon forgotten as he neared the building where Lara set up her headquarters. After confirming his identity at the door, he was led inside, where he was met with the relieved gazes of his friends.


    Katie and Isabella were standing at the opposite end of the room, not looking at each other. Dan was leaning against the desk and talking with a smiling Lara while Clarissa was in a conversation with Adam. Tim was sitting on a chair and going through documents, his cloak covering him from head to toe.


    Closing the door behind him, he called out before anybody could speak.


    ¡°Hands up if you have Arachnophobia!¡±

 Chapter 213

    Instantly, hands went up in the air. Surprisingly, most were from the male parts of the group, with Adam hesitantly raising his own hand after taking an awkward look around.


    Katie, naturally, looked super excited at the prospect of spider-related shenanigans.


    Sam grinned, reached into his inventory, and handed Tim the still-fresh (or ancient) spider egg, who fortunately didn¡¯t raise his hand.


    ¡°Here, one freshly picked spider egg.¡±


    Tim took the egg and began to observe it in his hands, turning it every which way, only to conclude that it was indeed a perfectly spherical beige spider egg.


    ¡°Thanks?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re most welcome!¡±


    Sam, still grinning, looked around and saw while Katie and Isabella were excited about the prospect of a new pet joining them, Lara and Adam were looking on a little jealously. Well, mostly Lara, Adam seemed to be confused about his feelings.


    ¡°But don¡¯t worry! I didn¡¯t forget you two!¡± He mostly wanted to see if they were genuine and not run with the first piece of the success. Seeing them work together and handle the entire raid, he was somewhat reassured. Mostly in Adam. The guy wore his heart on his sleeves. Lara was another kettle of fish.


    Her family was still a question mark. With Katie, it was clear that her father wouldn¡¯t do anything to his daughter, no matter what she did. Isabella¡¯s family were morons of the highest order.


    Still, somebody had to take the first step and Sam decided he would be the one who did it.


    He fished out the two wyvern eggs he got so long ago and handed them to Lara and Adam one by one. Now he only needed to find something for Liz and Claire.


    Adam blinked owlishly at the egg in his hand while Lara was almost pushing it into Dan¡¯s face, bragging about it.


    ¡°Look! It¡¯s a wyvern! Much better than a chicken that grills itself!¡±


    ¡°Hawky is perfect, thank you very much!¡±


    While they were enjoying their newfound pets, he sent a message to Lucy to ask for a report, which he received within seconds. She knew him well¡­


    ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­ Losses compensated, the mood is great in the guild, forums are melting down, other guilds are threatening us if we don¡¯t hand over the loot, and so on¡­¡¯ he read over the summary. ¡®Basically, the same as every time. Cool¡­¡¯


    Turning back to the group, he cleared his throat, gaining everybody¡¯s attention.


    ¡°How about we hatch those eggs?¡±


    <hr>


    It took some finagling, as both Adam and Lara were central to the cleanup efforts after the raid, but after some careful delegation and some white lies, they were in a forest clearing, ready to hatch the eggs.


    Katie and Isabella were standing on the edge with Clarissa (and their own pets), ostensibly to keep an eye on anything that could interrupt the occasion, but as they were sharing a small bowl of snacks, Sam didn¡¯t have much hope of them spotting anything but the sugary delights in front of them. Clarissa was just playing with Melody and watching the proceedings.


    Puffball was leisurely resting at Katie¡¯s legs while Isabella¡¯s forest spirit was transformed into a dog and was wagging its tail and staring playfully at the disinterested chaos cat.


    Dan¡¯s Hawky was sitting on a branch watching the happenings with interest. Lucky was chasing its tail around the entire clearing. The zoomies were strong with him¡­


    ¡°Alright, who goes first?¡± Sam asked, clapping his hands together.


    Adam, Lara, and Tim glanced at each other, then as one, Adam and Lara took a step back next to Dan while Tim remained in the middle of the clearing.


    He looked around silently before sighing and nodding his head.


    ¡°Alright, Tim! You know what to do!¡± Sam told the guy, as he also took a big step back, not wanting to taint the mana around his assassin-slash-security guy. On the way here, Sam went through the basic steps with all three future pet owners, emphasizing the importance of injecting their own mana.


    Tim took another look around before refocusing on the spider egg in his hands.


    Sam stared both with his eyes and Mana Sense.


    For a moment, the mana in the air stalled, before Tim¡¯s mana slipped into the beige spiderweb-covered egg, and then the mana in the air seemed to be rushing into the egg. To Sam¡¯s senses, it looked as if a black hole had opened in the middle of the clearing.


    Then almost a minute later, Tim visibly sweating at the mana expenditure, the egg began to glow.


    Sam expected shadowy tendrils, maybe some deep gray light, to happen, but instead, they were all surprised by the frankly holy light that started to illuminate the clearing.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    They all watched with bated breath as the light enveloped the egg, then Tim¡¯s hands before it flashed with a bright light, causing everyone to close their eyes for a moment.


    When they looked back, Tim was still standing at the exact same spot, only his hands weren¡¯t holding a spider egg, rather a very white, very soft-looking tarantula-esque spider the size of three hand spans. It looked adorable, with eight dewy eyes and soft fur-like hair covering its body.


    Upon seeing the entire group looking at it, it raised one of its legs and gave them a wave.


    ¡°Aaaawwww!¡± came in a chorus from Katie and Isabella, while Puffball was sleeping and Isabella¡¯s pet was trying stealthily to approach the sleeping eldritch cat.


    Instantly, Tim was surrounded by everyone who wanted to feel the soft fur of the newly born spider.


    Sam called out softly to Tim to not scare the spider that was doing its best to shake everyone¡¯s hand. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°She. Apparently an Enlightened Tarantula.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t tell me anything.¡±


    ¡°It seems me denying the influence of a demon has left a mark on me. Thus, the spider¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty visible¡­¡± Sam stated as he looked over the blindingly white arachnid. Tim just chuckled and spent a few seconds reading his system screens before calling out to his new familiar. ¡°Refraction!¡±


    Instantly, the spider froze, a small light covered it and it turned invisible. They could still see it, as the light refracted a little on the spider¡¯s translucent form, but Sam expected that with leveling, that small tell would be gone in short order.


    The group spent a few minutes playing ¡®Hide the Spider¡¯ and ¡®Dear god, where is the spider¡¯ which culminated in ¡®Get it off me! Get it off me!¡¯ before they decided it was time for Lara and Adam to join the prestigious familiar owning group.


    <hr>


    With a quick rock-paper-scissors, it was decided that Lara would go first.


    Instead of holding the egg in her hand, somewhat suspecting that a newly-born wyvern would be bigger than a spider (and heavier), she placed it on a small plinth created by Sam¡¯s earth magic.


    She held out both of her hands and used the techniques Sam taught everyone in his inner circle, to channel her mana into the egg sitting calmly on the ground.


    Once again the mana in the area, refilled during the brief pause where everyone was marveling at the new spider familiar, began to rush into the egg. Sam sensed a lot of earth mana moving toward it, even from far away. Sneakily, he even added his own earth mana to the torrent that was being sucked in by the egg.


    Then once again, the egg began to shine completely enveloping the physical egg before the light began to grow and grow and grow¡­


    The light ended up almost a head taller than Lara before it began to transform into the unmistakable form of a wyvern.


    Its skin was rugged, more craggy than scaley, and looked like it ate gravel for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, without milk. It was brown with splotches of gray and off-white. As it stood still, Sam could compare it to a small boulder. That had teeth big enough to cut through a moose in one bite.


    The reaction to the new familiar was the complete opposite it was to the soft spider. Everybody just stared at the menacing monster as Lara simply reached over to pet the wyvern. The wyvern simply glanced over and let out one very rumbly growl.


    ¡°Look! It looks just like Dan!¡±


    Instantly, every eye swiveled to her boyfriend, who stood there, looking awkward. Sam compared the two and decided that Lara was somewhat right. As in, both were tall and muscled.


    Then the wyvern looked over to Dan and flexed every stone-like muscle in their body. Dan, reflexively flexed his own muscles. The wyvern eyed him a little, then bowed his head in submission.


    That was enough to get everyone to relax and approach the new familiar.


    <hr>


    Adam was less apprehensive than Lara, but he was clearly throwing conflicting gazes at the new earth-type wyvern that was currently (contently) functioning as a chair for Lara as she chatted with the others.


    The egg was placed in the middle of the clearing on the recreated plinth, as the previous wyvern had flattened the first one with its bulk.


    Adam didn¡¯t waste any time and simply took his sword, functioning as his focus, and began channeling his mana, with a few spells interwoven. Sam watched through his Mana Sense and had to admit, it was an inspired choice.


    ¡®That looks like some kind of rally skill and maybe a¡­ group heal? Or buff?¡¯ he mused as he tried to decipher the mana construct that Adam was channeling.


    For the third time, the egg began to glow and grow. To the relief of everybody, but mostly Adam, the growing phase didn¡¯t last long. It reached around Adam¡¯s knees ¨C which was admittedly not a low height on account of Adam being a giant of a man ¨C and the light began to transform.


    Instead of hundreds of pounds of pure muscle, grit, and savage aura, the wyvern that was revealed was sleek, colored like ash, with almost feathery scales and a long neck with small horns on the head, hinting that it would grow well when the wyvern got older.


    It opened its eyes, looked around the clearing, and let out a sound. ¡°Preeee!¡± then with super quick movement it basically slithered up on Adam¡¯s body and settled in around his neck like a very weird scarf.


    Adam smiled softly and began petting the appreciative monster while said live-scarf began to have an intense staring contest with Lara¡¯s wyvern. He was also visibly reading system screens.


    ¡°Huh¡­ Alloy Guide Wyvern¡­¡± he read out loud. ¡°Some defensive skills, and a lot of utility. Solo and group buffs. Can also act as a scout¡­¡±


    Lara also spoke up. ¡°Mine is a Gravel-gnawing Boulder Wyvern.¡± Nobody was surprised. ¡°Can shatter rock. Eat it and-or fire it at other people. Has some very good ground manipulation skills.¡±


    As if knowing that they were talking about him, the big wyvern let out a proud growl. However, upon a second look, Sam saw it let out that sound because it won the staring contest with the wyvern around Adam¡¯s neck.


    They spent the next hour just letting the familiars run wild, having fun with them, grooming them, getting to know them, and just all around relaxing and having fun.


    <hr>


    They were sitting on some chairs that somebody had taken out from their inventory and were sipping some refreshing juice when Sam¡¯s message dinged. Looking over to Adam, who was sitting next to him, watching as his wyvern was doing its best to play tag with Lucky (who was too fast) and Puffball who just simply didn¡¯t care about the space-time continuum. Very inconsiderate of him¡­


    ¡°It seems the crystal from the corpse is extremely useful for Liz and even the government wants it. What is¡­¡±


    ¡°Lightning-attributed mana crystals are basically crystallized mana. Very useful for any crafting profession.¡±


    ¡°How useful exactly?¡±


    Sam waved his hand. ¡°Can be useful but there are other lightning-attributed items that people can use for the same effect. Its use is in uniformity and quantity.¡± Sam explained, downplaying its importance. ¡®At least it¡¯s not unattributed¡­¡¯ he thought, slightly shuddering at the memory that resurfaced in his mind.


    ¡°Guilds are going to murder us¡­¡± Adam sighed.


    ¡°Not if we sell most of it to the government.¡±


    ¡°Will the NPCs protect it?¡±


    ¡°If the proper people are informed, then yes.¡±


    ¡°And you know the proper people?¡±


    Sam just nodded, playing with a small medallion in his hand. He was pretty sure his hidden friends would be very thankful for the information about what the demons were up to.

 Chapter 214

    They spent some time just playing around with the new familiars after a small break. The people with the newly acquired pets needed to know how the new skills worked, how the familiars behaved, and altogether how the new additions affected their fighting style.


    The least affected was Lara, who was not a fighting class. For her, it was more important that the creatively named Chomper was able to manipulate earth finely. She had the boulder-like wyvern build sandcastles from the fresh earth of the clearing. Then after the wyvern proved himself capable of that Lara¡¯s eyes began to gleam with greed. Even the taciturn wyvern was taken aback by that look.


    Then the group watched as Lara instantly transformed into a demanding taskmaster, directing poor Chomper to do ever increasingly complicated tasks with his earth manipulation. After half an hour, the poor beast was lying on his belly, tongue out and panting from exhaustion with an assortment of shapes and constructs behind him that Lara was examining with a critical eye.


    The rest of the familiars watched the exhausted wyvern with pity, but none of them wanted to chance going to help him. Except for Lucky. Who simply trotted up to the panting familiar and simply began to lick its face.


    Sadly, they couldn¡¯t really spend more time with the newly ¡®hatched¡¯ pets. Lara had to head back to supervise the construction of the new town, and Adam was presiding over the cleanup efforts as well as directing the guild members. Tim had to go back to the headquarters to do his thing. Technically Clarissa, Katie, Isabella, and Dan didn¡¯t have any tasks, but the first three decided to go with Adam to help with the cleanup effort ¨C or in Katie and Isabella¡¯s case they were going for the chance to kill any interlopers ¨C while Dan was escorting Lara.


    Sam made sure to thank everyone for their efforts, as soloing the titan would have been impossible. He still could barely believe that he managed to find one (even if it was a setup by one of his enemies) and defeated it.


    Based on the other Sam¡¯s memories, these titans always seemed so mysterious and powerful that he couldn¡¯t even have imagined going at it with his fledgling guild and some good ol¡¯ elbow grease.


    He couldn¡¯t really imagine what the original owner of the body would think about all that he accomplished. Sam wanted to think that the other Sam would be happy and proud¡­


    <hr>


    After returning from the clearing, they separated into the pre-arranged groups and everybody went to do their own thing.


    Sam left them to it as he had his own tasks.


    Technically, after killing the titan ¨C and at least several other guilds ¨C they owned the corpse of the aforementioned titan, but holding onto it was another story entirely.


    For one, there were all those opportunists who wanted a slice of the pie. These ranged from greedy solo players to dark guilds. Then there were the angry people. The people they trapped under the monster and then immolated with their alchemical creation (Sam heard that the alchemist who worked on it received a considerable amount of experience points after it was used for the first time) were certainly planning on returning and trying to get some payment for their suffering.


    Technically, Sam, with the help of his highly competent team, could put together a defense for the corpse until it was processed, creating an almost endless siege situation. But that would lock him and almost the entire guild down in one location, leaving the opportunity for their enemies and anybody who wanted to move into the places they couldn¡¯t protect. Plus, he wouldn¡¯t be able to make use of his knowledge, as the defense would be impossible without him. Though, on the upside, the experience point gain would be insane¡­


    Realistically, however, that was not something that anybody wanted. And their enemies knew that.


    Thus, he only had a few real options.


    He could give up a portion of the corpse to appease the guilds nipping at their heels, but he was loath to empower them.


    Or¡­ he could pass the baton to somebody who wouldn¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass what those guilds wanted.


    Sam made sure to explain his plan to Lucy, who after some frowning, hemming and hawing, and doing some math that made no sense to Sam, agreed to the plan and began to make moves.


    Then he took a quick trip to the capital ¨C already dreaming of the ease of travel when the gates were finally developed ¨C to have a nice and delicate discussion with the people at Nowhere. Thanks to that, several things happened. One, his quest went up by one by reporting the presence of the demonic entity. Two, somebody would be having some really bad days. And three, Nowhere agreed to support the deal with the government representative for the guild. They would take their cut, but Sam felt it was worth it.


    He even took time to inquire about the possibility of the rest of the team joining the group, or at least access to the library. Sadly, he didn¡¯t receive a concrete answer, but they said they would look into them.


    Knowing that with his reputation he wouldn¡¯t get anything more, he simply thanked them and then jumped on Lucky to rush back to Ironwood to help Lucy with the negotiations.


    <hr>


    After arriving back in Ironwood, he spent some time with the maids at the headquarters as they dressed him up in some higher-quality clothing, arranged his hair and face, and made sure that Lucky¡¯s fur was silky smooth. He didn¡¯t know why, as he didn¡¯t really plan to have the shadow wolf participate in the talks.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    But they seemed to enjoy playing with the giant wolf and Lucky had a blissful face as three different people used combs to untangle his fur, so Sam said nothing.


    The meeting room was one of the biggest they had at the headquarters and was filled with all sorts of people.


    On their side, Lucy was sitting next to Sam, while her secretary and Claire were standing behind them, ready to assist with a cart full of documents. Near the wall, next to a table laden with all sorts of excellent-quality snacks and drinks, was Tim, dressed as a butler with a white kitchen towel in his hand, waiting patiently to serve people.


    Sam politely ignored how Claire glanced over at Tim and bit her lips every so often.


    On the other side of the table were the representatives of the government. Half a dozen people with a variety of severe looks on their faces. Behind them stood several stone-faced people, wearing armor and hands on their weapons, always ready to draw them. There were a few secretary-slash-servant type people, performing the same function as Claire and Lucy¡¯s secretary.


    Though Sam was pretty sure that one of the people standing behind the representatives was from Nowhere based on the feeling he was giving off.


    It was Lucy who broke the silence with a perfect plastic smile, no doubt enhanced by some manner of skill, while Sam tried to pretend he wasn¡¯t here to be the muscle.


    ¡°Welcome, everyone, to this meeting. We appreciate your timely arrival at this momentous occasion,¡± she said in a happy tone.


    The people opposite them bowed their heads a little in greeting but only one of them talked back.


    ¡°And the Kingdom appreciates your loyalty. To offer a find of this magnitude to the Crown instead of profiting from it, shows your dedication to the wellbeing of all,¡± came the totally honest answer from the smarmy guy. It would have been more believable if Sam couldn¡¯t see the naked greed in his eyes. He did not doubt that the only well-being that guy thought about was his own. And maybe his family''s.


    ¡°And our company appreciates the prompt response and effective support from the Crown,¡± replied Lucy with a bow of her own head.


    The man¡¯s smile widened a little, as if enjoying this little dance, then spoke up.


    ¡°Now, I am sure that this is a somewhat¡­ time-sensitive operation, thus I propose we focus on achieving a solution that would satisfy all parties.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lucy agreed with the man and took a slip of paper from the stack in front of her. ¡°Now I¡¯m sure that most of our esteemed guests know what is at stake so I shan¡¯t reiterate the minutiae of the details. The more important part is the handling and ownership of the materials.¡± She paused for a moment then continued. ¡°As you know, the corpse of the titan-class monster that was defeated by our guild has been found to contain two important materials.¡± At that mention, several of the so-far silent people on the opposite end of the table shuffled around a little. ¡°The first one, the exoskeleton of the monster, is a stone-like substance that is extremely receptive to mana and is very easy to transform in any shape. The second is the red crystalline substance making up the inside of the monster. While lightning-attributed mana crystal is not the rarest, or most sought after, the fact that it doesn¡¯t need to be mined from a location with extreme weather or wild beasts makes it extremely valuable.¡±


    The man nodded, making sure to check his own document. ¡°Yes. And the request was for the Crown to take over the handling, dismantling, and transportation of the materials for a modest sum as the finder¡¯s fee.¡±


    ¡°We would prefer to take our fee in lightning-attributed mana crystals,¡± came the rebuke from Lucy, all the while smiling as if she had just mentioned how lovely the weather was. ¡°I¡¯m sure our contribution to the safety of the country and its many citizens is worth at least that much¡­¡±


    The man¡¯s face tightened a little at that but then relaxed as he continued to smile. ¡°Indeed, it was an admirable effort, though I can¡¯t help but notice that the titan-class monster surfaced exactly where your¡­ quaint little outfit was operating.¡±


    Sam saw as Lucy was about to open her mouth to once again rebuke the man when he felt an almost imperceptible pulse of mana. Directed at the man.


    Glancing around, tense, he saw that he was the only one who sensed it, aside from the recipient, but when he made eye contact with the man he suspected was from Nowhere, the man winked. Sam let out a small breath and relaxed. It seemed they were really here to help.


    The man instead froze for a fraction of a second then raised his hand awkwardly, coughed into his fist, gathering some confused glances from his still-silent allies.


    ¡°B-but I¡¯m sure, that your organization has observed all pertaining safety regulations.¡±


    Lucy, once again proving that Sam made the right decision approaching her, took only a blink of an eye to notice that something happened and pounced on it.


    ¡°Indeed. If you would like to go over the details, we have provided the investigators of the Crown with the appropriate documentation.¡± She raised her hand to signal to her secretary, but before she could finish the motion, the man raised his hand in a placating manner.


    ¡°There is no need for that. If the highly esteemed investigators have not raised objection over the provided information, then I shall not either.¡± His smile became a fraction more brittle. ¡°Now, what kind of remuneration was your organization thinking?¡±


    Lucy perked up, seemingly in synchrony with the allies of the representative of the Crown. Apparently, the talk of money garnered everybody¡¯s interest.


    ¡°Well, after calculating our losses ¨C you understand, we have to compensate our people ¨C we have come up with a few figures that I¡¯m sure would please the Crown,¡± she explained in a saccharine tone.


    Sam saw those grossly inflated figures. If the Crown accepted them, then they would be able to compensate the guild members who died during the fight thrice over.


    However, their opponent wasn¡¯t an amateur.


    ¡°Indeed, it was a very thorough report, my respect to the author, but the Crown has some questions and concerns.¡±


    Lucy moved around a few documents, then nodded. ¡°I shall do my very best to satisfy the Crown¡¯s inquiries.¡±


    The man grinned ¨C it wasn¡¯t a very friendly grin ¨C and then continued.


    ¡°How about we start with the third item on this list? The summation of the lost artifacts?¡±


    Sam watched as Lucy began answering question after question. In some cases, conceding to the other person, and in other cases clinging to their interpretation of the fact like a koala to a tree.


    Meanwhile, Sam did his best not to look utterly bored with the proceedings, as others in the room did their jobs. Servants and secretaries made notes, wrote minutes, and fetched documents while Claire and Tim, in his guise of a buttler, served them tea and other drinks with a few bite-sized snacks.


    He was forever glad that he could trust Lucy to handle these kinds of political meetings. He never had the patience or social skills to navigate them successfully. Probably why he was never promoted in his last life.


    Now he only needed to survive and see how much Lucy would be able to take from the nobles who ¡®represented¡¯ the interests of the country, and then he was free to focus on his next task.


    That is, reaching Level 101.

 Chapter 215

    He may have overestimated his own resistance to this wheeling and dealing business or underestimated the nobles¡¯ greed.


    The ¡®short¡¯ meeting that he expected, sadly, never came to fruition. As soon as they were finished discussing the major points of contentions, the nobles, proving they were greedier than any dragon, began to delve into the minor points and fine print.


    Hell, they even critiqued the way the initial contract was formatted.


    If there was a point that would lead to some manner of profit, and seeing the topic of the discussion, almost ninety percent of points were like that, they wanted to discuss it. Mostly to decrease the gains of the AFK company and increase their share, but thankfully, Lucy stood steadfastly against their frankly demonic ways of manipulating the law and rules.


    The supposed representative had to step in a few times with their ¡®subtle¡¯ warning as Sam was close to declaring the entire thing a lost cause, thanks to the man¡¯s attitude. He wouldn¡¯t do that for real, as too much gold was at stake, but in that moment, he just wanted the entire meeting to end. Damn the consequences.


    The nobles, or more like their representatives ¨C as what noble would deign to sit at the same table as two commoners ¨C were probably sensing his mounting frustration based on the wary glances they sent his way, thus by the time they reached the last few points, they practically gave them up for free.


    Despite all that unpleasantness, they all left the meeting with smiles on their faces ¨C probably fake on all sides ¨C secure in the knowledge that they got one over the other group. Time and history would reveal who was right and who was the true sucker.


    The person from Nowhere, if Sam was right, left the room last, giving Sam a respectful nod, then smiling at Lucy.


    Leaving the room to Tim; Lucy and Sam quickly returned to her office.


    Lucy sagged into her super comfortable enchanted office chair, with her raven instantly flying to her shoulder and beginning to gently rub its face on hers. Meanwhile, Sam simply plopped down on the no doubt expensive carpet, summoned Lucky, and burrowed his face into the wolf¡¯s silky-smooth fur.


    The animal was confused for a second, but then he realized that Sam was hugging him, so he just grinned while his tail began thumping on the ground.


    They spent a few minutes enjoying the ministration of their familiars before Sam broke the silence.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why I had to be present¡­¡± he mumbled, still resting his face on Lucky¡¯s fur-covered body.


    Lucy let out a long-suffering sigh. ¡°Because, you moron, you went and made yourself important enough that if you didn¡¯t show they would¡¯ve taken it as an insult!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really. Especially with that seal you got us for the capital¡­¡±


    ¡°The one for buying properties?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s what they meant about suffering from success¡­¡±


    ¡°Very funny. Anyway, any word about that mysterious organization?¡± she asked with a slightly hurt voice.


    Sam could understand why. Usually, he was pretty free with information like that.


    He looked up from enjoying Lucky¡¯s nature-given gifts and smiled at his friend.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I talked to them. I can¡¯t tell you much, but they¡¯re the type that will ¡®get in contact¡¯ with you,¡± he explained.


    Lucy nodded in understanding, a relieved smile appearing on her face.


    ¡°Time scale?¡±


    Sam just shrugged. ¡°Apparently, they have to observe you first¡­¡±


    ¡°Fantastic¡­¡± she responded in a somewhat sarcastic manner. ¡°Just to change the subject, check this out,¡± she said while offering to share something with him. ¡°This entire thing was excellent for my skills. I gained almost ten levels and a new skill!¡±


    Sam accepted the request and began to read it.


    [Lord¡¯s Shield: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) You are your lord¡¯s shield. It doesn¡¯t matter what battlefield, you protect them. Increase the effectiveness of skills when you are protecting your lord¡¯s interests and holdings. Additionally, the skill grants you the Physical and Magical Resistance skills.]


    He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°Are you going to call me lord, then?¡±


    Lucy just snorted. ¡°You wish¡­ But the skills¡­ They¡¯re bonkers, Sam!¡±


    Sam had to agree with her.


    Plus, he actually knew this skill. A few years after the start of the game, the players managed to tease out most of the details. The lord in the name of the skill was the leader of the group or guild that was acknowledged by at least three parties, one of them NPC-controlled. Then the individual had to act in the interest and defense of the ¡®lord¡¯ several times against many different enemies.


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    This usually meant a tank-type player with some supporting skills. Thus, usually, the players who gained these skills were the bodyguards of powerful people. Naturally, betraying the lord would make them lose the skill and gain something else, but having the skill was an excellent mark of loyalty.


    Sadly, only one person could get it in one group.


    However, from what the other Sam learned ¨C after this information was publicized by the research guild ¨C it was always combat-oriented people who got it. The fact that Lucy, who was very much not combat-oriented, got this skill made him want to break into evil laughter.


    As the skill description said all skills, not just combat skills, meant that Lucy¡¯s skills affecting politics (or being affected by it), which were always in effect in one way or another, would be improved by the Lord''s Shield skill.


    ¡°It¡¯s brilliant!¡± he exclaimed with a grin and a thumbs up.


    ¡°What about next? We finished the contract so we can continue with the construction. Adam will handle the fights, and Dan wants to hang around Lara a little more,¡± she asked after shaking her head at Sam¡¯s declaration.


    ¡°I¡¯ve reached Level 99, so I¡¯m thinking of going for that ¡®Race to the Top¡¯ event¡­¡±


    Lucy had to blink at that. ¡°You want those models so much?¡±


    ¡°Hardly,¡± Sam snorted in derision. ¡°But my name was added to it automatically. People are going to be hunting me. Better to vanish somewhere while the leveling fever lasts.¡±


    ¡°What about the crazy twins?¡±


    ¡°Just have them help Adam. Katie still needs to learn how to work in a group better. It will do her some good working under someone like Adam¡­¡±


    Lucy sent him a dubious look but, in the end, she nodded.


    ¡°If you think so¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Back in the real world, after some nice relaxation and good food, Sam sat in front of his computer, ready to do some work and research.


    Naturally, the biggest news, at least in their corner of the game world, was the appearance of the titan, its subsequent defeat, and the metric tons of salt from the guilds, groups, and players who perished thanks to gravity or Sam¡¯s guild.


    Shadowland was abuzz with people wanting to find more titans, but this time he refused any inquiry. He had no way of knowing about the rest of them, thus he could only claim ignorance. Not that he said that to the people who approached his account. He simply said that somebody paid a good amount of money for his silence.


    Thankfully, by this time, people knew that he never broke his word, though it still didn¡¯t stop some people from offering him some ludicrous amount of money for even one set of coordinates.


    Ignoring that site for a spell, he turned his attention to the site that held the ¡®Race to the Top¡¯ event announced by Future Unknown.


    The rules were simple. The first to reach the barrier ¨C Level 100 was never mentioned anywhere on the site, Sam checked ¨C would be declared the winner. Then the next nine would be counted from the second place to the tenth.


    As he read the attached forum post, he saw that his great jump in level had infuriated a lot of people. After it happened, most of the pages were filled with people calling him a cheater and urging the company to ban him. Fortunately, his forum account linked to his name was set to private, so he wasn¡¯t filled with messages.


    He looked over the names in the top fifty, trying to place them using his inherited memories.


    Surprisingly, there were a few that he recognized just from what he saw on the internet after being transmigrated into this world.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Solo level grinder¡­ solo streamer, speedrunner, rich kid, rich kid¡­¡± he mumbled as he went through the names he remembered, either from this life or from his inherited memories.


    Most of the people who were on the list dedicatedtheir entire lives to be the first to reach the highest level. Their builds were probably utter chaos, which would decrease in efficiency and effectiveness after reaching the first barrier.


    Sam just shrugged.


    ¡°Well¡­not my problem¡­¡±


    <hr>


    True to his words, after he returned to the game, he made sure there were no emergencies going on and after assuring the disappointed Katie that he wasn¡¯t getting rid of her, he left the headquarters of the company disguised as one of the guards.


    The disguise was lost in the first alley he could step in, putting on the face of a random person he saw when he met the Eternal Light people. Best to confuse those watchers¡­


    He idly glanced at one of the ravens that was staring at him, nodded, and he was off toward his target.


    Getting enough experience to reach Level 101 would be stupid hard as a solo player unless he planned to grind away endlessly every available second he could spend in the game.


    Which is what he planned to pretend to do. His target was in an area where he had never gone in this life (nor in the last, but the other Sam knew about it), but he knew through the forums that it was a place that was filled with strong monsters that were incredibly hard to solo and their drops weren¡¯t the greatest. Even though the experience point gain was good, people still avoided the area.


    Loot was indeed the king!


    <hr>


    After leaving the city, he spent an hour wandering around, changing his looks and doing everything to throw off his pursuers. And after he sensed the last one disappear ¨C and not knowing what to do about those he couldn¡¯t sense ¨C he finally reverted to his original look, jumped on Lucky¡¯s back, and rushed toward his goal.


    Once again, he ventured deep into the mountain range bordering the Emerald Kingdom.


    Thanks to Lucky¡¯s increase in levels having improved his endurance, they only had to stop once for the great wolf to rest.


    The sun was over its zenith by the time they arrived in a very hilly area covered in trees and all other manner of flora. And all through the area were bears with deer antlers wandering through.


    Despite being herbivores, sustaining themselves off the local bushes and grass, the males were aggressive, aggroing on anything that dared to look at the herd.


    As he looked over the area, he could see the male monsters standing on the hills and looking vigilantly over all their herds.


    That¡¯s where the problems started.


    Usually, one would just bait one of them, kill it, and go for the next one. However, the very first skill they used, through their antlers was a warning spell that alerted ALL the nearby monsters of the enemy¡¯s presence. Including all the other male bear deers. Which caused a bit of a chain reaction¡­


    It was not an enjoyable experience for anyone involved.


    Thankfully, he had a plan¡­


    Which was not targeting the antlers with his first strike. A lot of people tried it and it didn¡¯t work as the antler was the most magical part of the monster and destroying it lowered the loot value which was already very low, and created a small explosion of pure mana that had enough flavor of the monster to alert the others.


    He did his best to create a very silent bubble of wind barrier around himself to make sure that no smell would be able to give him away and began to slink toward the nearest bear deer.


    The monster looked slightly agitated, as if sensing that something was afoot, but didn¡¯t react otherwise.


    Sam reached toward his magic and prepared his first two spells with a smile.


    ¡®Once more unto the breach¡­¡¯

 Chapter 216

    Bear deers were not the easiest opponents, but with a judicious application of force, magic, and his Mana Unraveling skill, he managed to not unleash the chain reaction that would attract all the bear deers to his location.


    Thankfully, the monster¡¯s spell they used to alert the others in their group was wholly instinctual, so when Sam reached into the spell construct and simply unraveled it, the monster was incapable of resisting, as it had never had to consciously use the spell.


    Sam did not doubt that should he take the time and continuously disrupt a bear deer¡¯s attempt to use the skill, the monster would eventually learn how to use the skill. The game¡¯s AI was great like that¡­


    Based on his experience, that would even induce some kind of evolution or mutation in the monster¡­


    If he took the time and befriended the monster, he could even finagle a pet from it.


    ¡®Well, I could if I needed one¡­ However, the idea is worth some money¡­¡¯ he mused as he took out some paper and wrote down the idea. Mostly, so that the system knew his plan and they couldn¡¯t accuse him of cheating.


    Thankfully, he knew it would work.


    The Bear Deer Beer Militia was rather fun to watch whenever they decided to get out of their brewery (they used the pets for hauling cargo and taking naps).


    After finishing with his notes, he put them away for later to sell to one of the pet guilds. Lucy would know which one would appreciate it the most.


    Instead of wondering about the possibilities of riding a bear deer into battle, no matter how majestic, he picked up his meager loot (some antler remains, used for certain alchemical creations) and went further into the monsters¡¯ territory.


    On the way, he took out any bear deer that strayed farther than was wise from the main group while looking for his target, as he made it look like he was looking for the perfect hunting spot.


    Then he was distracted in the middle of this trek when he heard raucous laughter coming from the distance.


    Instantly, he used his skills to vanish into the underbrush and began sneaking toward the source of laughter as he used his mana sense to get a feel of the people making the sounds.


    After a few minutes of navigating the hilly environment, bushes and trees, and a few overly curious monsters, he arrived at a copse of trees where he saw something very stupid.


    Three guys, sitting on some freshly felled tree trunks, roaring with laughter as they toasted with digital beer ¨C based on the opened barrels next to them ¨C and watched as the fourth person was doing its best to climb on the neck of a giant bear deer, using its antlers as climbing holds.


    The only reason the man was still alive was because the bear deer was very visibly drunk and was watching a very nice butterfly dance before its eyes.


    Sam narrowed his eyes and focused on the butterfly.


    ¡®Oh¡­ it¡¯s a spell from one of them¡­ at least they¡¯re not fully suicidal¡­¡¯ he mused as he continued watching.


    It took a few minutes, and a few restarts, but the man managed to get situated on the neck of the monster clinging to the antlers with one hand and drinking beer from a cup in his other hand.


    The rest of the group just celebrated as they toasted the bravery of the man.


    ¡°HAHAHA¡­ You showed him¡­ who is the boss!¡±


    ¡°All hail the climber of bears! And beer! Don¡¯t forget the beer!¡±


    There were some more cheers and toast before one of the guys sitting on the trunk spoke up.


    ¡°Guys, guys, guys! I had just the best idea!¡±


    The others turned to him, and even the drunk bear deer looked at the man.


    ¡°An army of bear deers!¡±


    Silence filled the clearing.


    ¡°We could teach them Drunken Kung fu?¡±


    The others looked at each other and then began roaring with approval.


    Sam just shook his head, though inwardly glad to be present to see the formation of the Bear Deer Beer Militia.


    ¡®Pity I won¡¯t be able to sell my idea¡­¡¯ he lamented as he retraced his steps away from the group. ¡®But they did make good alcohol¡­hmmm, I should ask Lucy to keep an eye on them and then hire them. Or if not possible, direct them to Brightgarden¡­¡¯


    Congratulating himself for his ¡®genius¡¯ business decisions he continued his journey to look for his target while pretending to be seeking the perfect farming spot.


    <hr><hr>


    Leaving behind the hilarious people who were in the middle of getting a monster drunk, then either striking it rich or being mauled, he refocused on his task.


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    For a few hours, he wandered in the area, killing monsters and slowly accumulating experience points, vaguely in the direction where his target was.


    Soon, his efforts were rewarded as his mana senses brushed against the outline of some serious magical defenses. Sam perked up, looking in the direction where he sensed the magical defenses then turned back to the monster he was fighting and finished it with a well-placed strike.


    He picked up the small loot, not wanting to waste anything, even though he had no need for that paltry amount of money (standard loot goblin behavior, in other words), and headed directly to where the defenses began.


    Cresting the last hill, he had to stop and take in the sight before him.


    Even though he knew what he would find, it was still amazing to see.


    Rolling fields of vegetables and fruits, dotted with the odd trees and other higher-reaching plants. And in the middle of everything was an abbey.


    Made from stone and wood, reinforced with magic, the building stood as a lonely edifice to civilization in the middle of nothing. Surrounded by produce and bordered by monsters and mountains. And monsters on those mountains.


    Which handily explained the magical defenses that surrounded the building.


    In the distance, he could see people in simple robes going around and tending to the plants growing around the abbey. Unsurprisingly, he didn¡¯t see any animal anywhere aside from the odd bird that flew down to rest on one of the expertly crafted scarecrows. Even then, none of the robed figures raised a hand to hurt those birds.


    Sam smiled slightly, and with a decisive step, crossed the boundary of the magical defenses.


    There was no great clamor as he began walking a well-trodden path, but he could sense that the mana in the defense reacted to him and somebody was notified. However, as he wasn¡¯t here to cause trouble, he didn¡¯t mind.


    He was halfway to the abbey when he saw a group of three robed people approaching him from the direction of the building.


    Sam slowed down a little, making sure that the approaching people weren¡¯t feeling threatened, even though he had a feeling that the NPCs that populated this small part of the world were far from defenseless.


    The three women, dressed in robes of different shades of brown ¨C though the style was rather tasteful, it still showed off their feminity while radiating chastity ¨C stopped in front of him, and bowed as one. The two women who stood on the side a little deeper than the one in the middle.


    Not wanting to be seen as rude, Sam simply returned the bow. And as he saw the small smile on the woman¡¯s face, he was glad he did so.


    ¡°Welcome, traveler, to our humble abode blessed by Anor,¡± came the welcoming greeting from the robed woman. Before Sam could answer, the woman continued. ¡°I assume, good traveler, that you¡¯re here for the fruits of our labor?¡± she asked with a tilt of her head and a spark in her eyes.


    Sam, instead of correcting her, just nodded. ¡°I thank you for this warm welcome!¡±


    She nodded and turned around. ¡°Then honored guest, please follow me!¡±


    And Sam did so. The two women who accompanied the still-nameless woman fell back and followed them toward the abbey.


    Sam was very glad they were followers of Anor. She (or he) was the god of nature, forests, and vegetation. Followers were strictly vegan and followed the three rules of nature set by their god. Work for what you consume, but never more than you need. Never attack first and the water was a holy place where no violence could be committed. Which is why there was a very nice lake behind the abbey. Sam could even see a few of the followers out on the water having a grand old time in small boats.


    As long as a guest followed these simple rules, the followers of Anor would care nothing about their past actions.


    Which also led to some issues¡­


    Sam followed the leader of this group living in the abbey inside the building, where he was quickly led to one of the doors that looked like every other door, carved with reliefs of Anor and their deeds. Unsurprisingly, there were a lot of pictures of bear deers, though thanks to his skills highlighting them, he could spot several runes in the cavalcade of carved pictures.


    The woman stepped forward, placed her hand on the doorknob, and Sam felt the mana imbued into the door stir a little before he heard a small click sound. The door swung open, and he was ushered in without words, the door closing behind him with a rather ominous sound.


    Behind the door was a short corridor, maybe a few steps long, enough to get his bearings, then it was followed by a decently wide spiral staircase leading down.


    Still silent, the four of them walked down the staircase, which was occasionally lit by a torch, until they arrived at the bottom.


    There, Sam found himself once again in a small corridor and a door, enchanted similarly to the one topside.


    The woman leading him stopped before opening the door and turned to him.


    ¡°Honored guest, as this is your first time visiting our abbey, I implore you to keep your hands to yourself and do not go off the beaten path as that could cause accidents.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Sam replied while putting his hands into his pockets. No need to anger the plant lovers. And if what the other Sam heard was true then they sometimes loved those plants literally and sometimes physically.


    The door was once again opened for him and he stepped through the threshold with a few simple steps, only to find himself in a great hall, illuminated by an enchanted artifact that cast the gentle glow of the sun on the countless rows of plants that were growing.


    He saw members of the order walking around with robes and fabric masks on their faces, examining the plants, taking samples, and harvesting them. On the other side of the hall, there were even more people working on the harvested leaves of the plants resembling cabbages. They washed them, dried them, then ground them into a greenish-white powder.


    The order of Anor. Biggest drug manufacturing order on the continent. The plant¡¯s official name that they used for the drug was Anor¡¯s Blessing, but most players would just call it the devil¡¯s cabbage.


    Despite manufacturing the drug all over the continent in enough quantities to choke giants to death, they were still allowed to survive by every government.


    One reason was that Anor took a dim view of anyone who tried to take out any locally grown cabbage enthusiast by sending plagues and diseases the offenders¡¯ way, and the other was that the drug, when properly purified of the addictive elements was an excellent ingredient for healing potions.


    Bigger operations like this one, for these simple reasons, were hidden in places where most people wouldn¡¯t find them.


    Officially, the manufacturing of any drug was illegal in most countries, but if no government official saw the creation, then they couldn¡¯t really go after the ¡®perpetrators¡¯. People in need of the drug would send someone over, and have them transport it back, where it would be processed and turned into health potions or sold as ingredients to other alchemists.


    Oddly enough, the followers of Anor didn¡¯t accept any monetary compensation for their work as they felt that everyone should experience Anor¡¯s Blessing, and once everybody in the world felt their god¡¯s touch, said God would descend and bring with him an everlasting paradise.


    The woman leading him allowed him a few minutes of gawking before she cleared her throat.


    ¡°Esteemed guest. Would you like to experience Anor¡¯s Blessing?¡±

 Chapter 217

    For eons, parents warned children to beware of strangers who offered them illicit substances. Sam wasn¡¯t any different. He was warned, ignored that warning, tried those same illicit substances, found them quite lame (never going for the heavier categories), and then mostly ignored them.


    The other Sam, however, spent a not-so-considerable amount of his money he earned while playing Magic Unbound on those substances to suppress his pain, longing, and sometimes guilt. Or just because one or another was the current fad, he desperately wanted in with the popular crowd. Said the crowd. However, time and time again, they saw the vulnerability in the other Sam, used him up until he ran out of money, and then they threw him away, forgetting about him within seconds.


    The other Sam even made sure to sample some of Anor¡¯s Blessing. One of the guilds who planned to make money off in-game drugs tried a very ¡®clever¡¯ plan. They made new characters and went to sign up as nuns. Well, the people they had working for them.


    It worked for a while, then the calamities struck.


    Apparently, in-game gods didn¡¯t like when you exploited their followers for that sweet, sweet high.


    What it boiled down to was that Sam had seen the effects of the offered drug, and he wanted nothing to do with it.


    He simply shook his head with an apologetic smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not today.¡±


    The priestess of Anor didn¡¯t seem offended. ¡°Not to worry, our God¡¯s blessing is as patient as the oak in the forest,¡± she replied while another nun, dressed head to toe in protective gear, approached her and handed over a beautifully carved box. She took it with a quiet thanks, then turned to Sam holding it out of the box for him to take.


    ¡°However, if you ever feel the need to partake, then please accept our gift in honor of your visit, dear guest,¡± she said with a smile and a twinkle in her eyes.


    Knowing that the alchemist back home would go bananas over a free pile of the material, he reached out and accepted the gift with a bow.


    ¡°Thank you, honored priestess.¡±


    ¡°It is the least we can do,¡± she replied with a sad smile, replacing her previously smiling features.


    ¡®And there is the hook¡­¡¯ he inwardly rejoiced while keeping his face calm and somewhat inquisitive.


    ¡°Oh, what for?¡±


    The priestess bowed again. ¡°I¡¯m afraid by coming here, honored guest, you have signed your death warrant. None who visited our small paradise on this material plane and then left have survived beyond the borders.¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t try to figure out what is happening?¡±


    The priestess shook her head. ¡°Anor bade us to be peaceful. Seeking out conflict like that is beyond our tenets. And as the phenomenon hasn¡¯t broken through our wards, we saw no need to interfere,¡± she explained placidly.


    ¡®And there is the downside of their religion¡­ the law of the jungle¡­¡¯


    The followers of Anor were hardcore believers of that particular law. Basically, if you weren¡¯t strong enough to protect yourself and died, then it was your fault and nature will use you as a fertilizer.


    ¡°I see¡­ Any idea what is happening outside of your border?¡± he asked, despite already knowing the big picture of the quest. It was a pretty famous ¡®event¡¯ in other Sam¡¯s life. Mostly because so many people were focused on the damned drug.


    ¡°We shall only behold what our God has tasked us with,¡± came the noncommittal answer, which Sam interpreted as: ¡®We have an idea of what is going on and we are terrified.¡¯


    He smiled at her. ¡°Then I shall see to it. It would behoove me to help the flock of the god of nature.¡±


    Her smile grew. ¡°Oh, would you? We shall be very thankful if you could uncover this¡­ unfortunate¡­ mystery.¡±


    Translation: they didn¡¯t like the lack of returning customers.


    Sam bowed again. ¡°Then if there are no more issues, I should be going.¡±


    His host continued to smile and motioned to the side toward one of the walls of the giant cavern, lined with all sorts of storage solutions, from small boxes to giant barrels.


    ¡°Before you go, honored guest, why don¡¯t you peruse our offerings? I¡¯m sure we can find something that interests you!¡±


    <hr>


    And peruse he did.


    The priests of Anor didn¡¯t sell the fruit (or vegetable) of their labor, but naturally, they accepted donations in the name of their god. Confusing, contradictory, but Sam had neither the need nor want to untangle this.


    He simply chose some of the best materials for potion making, made the donations, said his goodbyes, and headed for the border between the grounds of the temple and the wilds.


    Sam idly glanced back and saw several priestesses watching him leave, and even some of them exchanging items with each other while staring at him with anticipation.


    ¡®I suppose in the middle of nowhere you find entertainment where you can¡­¡¯ he mused as he chuckled to himself.


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    He cracked his neck, stopping just before the ward, and took out a small sample of the devil¡¯s cabbage. He put it in one of his pockets, not his inventory, made a last check of his equipment and his mana, and stepped through the ward line.


    Instantly, he was on alert, looking for the thing that was supposed to be preying on people leaving the abbey grounds.


    However, there was nothing.


    The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and the odd bear deer were calling out in the distance, joined by the ever-present sounds that are always found out in the wilds.


    Pretending to look around and shrugging his shoulders, he put his hands into his jacket pocket and began walking back toward civilization.


    Thankfully, his information was accurate as not long after he left the abbey grounds, and well out of the view of the priestesses (though he suspected they had some farseeing ability) the sky began to darken, with gray clouds blocking out the sun while the temperature dropped and a small but persistent fog began to make itself known.


    He acted as if this wasn¡¯t suspicious at all, closed his jacket to ward off the cold, and continued his journey.


    After all, there was no need to spook his would-be attacker.


    Soon the fog began to thicken and he could even see tiny droplets of humidity beginning to freeze over at the tip of taller grass stalks. Meanwhile, the weather just got darker and darker as he walked forward.


    Completely ignoring the fact that he had just walked by the same copse of trees for the third time.


    ¡®The sacrifices I make for some experience points¡­¡¯ he sighed inwardly.


    Sam was about to give up and just rush the one behind this shoddily constructed illusion when he heard a quiet sniffing.


    ¡®Finally¡­¡¯


    Relieved that the main attraction was finally going to start, he called out loudly. ¡°Who is there? Do you need any help?¡±


    Predictably, the sniffing got louder, with a little crying added in for effect.


    ¡°Please¡­ hold on! I¡¯m coming!¡± he called out, trying to sound like a desperate hero rushing to defend the weak and those in need.


    He rushed forward, magical defenses ready to tank whatever was coming for him, and one hand on his sword.


    Sam cut through the next few bushes ¨C next to the same copse of trees he went past several times ¨C only to see someone, dressed in rather roughly torn and dirtied priestess garb, lying on the ground and sobbing into their hands.


    ¡®Man¡­even evil creatures are phoning it in nowadays¡­¡¯ he complained inwardly while continuing with his na?ve persona.


    ¡°Excuse me, miss¡­ are you all right?¡± he asked while reaching forward to touch the ¡®woman¡¯ on her shoulder.


    The sobbing continued, but the moment his hand was within reach of the person, a lot of things happened at the same time.


    The being¡¯s face snapped around, turning its head unnaturally like a mannequin from a cheap haunted house (even included the weird sound that plastic makes when it rubs against plastic) and Sam had a moment to take in the sunken cheeks, sunken eye sockets with eyes that had no spark of life in them, ashen skin ¨C not as a natural skin color but as a discoloration of the result of something ¨C and teeth that would have horrified nine out of ten dentists.


    Then the person¡¯s hand also moved at an incredible speed. The fingers, or rather claws, quickly found their way to Sam¡¯s forearm and locked it down with surprising strength. He could have broken it, but he wanted to see where this thing ended so simply pretended to be caught.


    Laughter ran through the area, originating from the being in front of him. It was ugly and sent shivers down his spine.


    ¡°What is going on, miss?¡± he asked, still trying to pretend he was scared.


    The face of the ¡®woman¡¯ was split almost in twain by their ugly misshapen smile, yellowed sharp teeth glinting with their saliva as it let out a cackle, and mana began to froth around them.


    The dark atmosphere was suddenly shattered returning Sam¡¯s environment to the idyllic green hills and sparse trees with the sun shining down on them, but before he could appreciate the increase in temperature the frothing mana took the shape of a portal and the monster simply dragged him through so fast his legs just flew in the air as if they were flags on a pole.


    ¡°Oh no¡­I am being kidnapped~~~¡±


    <hr>


    The trip was short and before he knew it, Sam was unceremoniously dumped in front of some kind of hut in a desolate area, surrounded by a stone and wooden barricade covered by overgrowth.


    His kidnapper was already some distance away, squatting on the ground and cradling in their hands the small sample of devil¡¯s cabbage and muttering crazily.


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ the smell¡­ yes, show me¡­ show me the world¡­ I see everything and hear everything¡­¡± they muttered as they quickly snorted the dust up their noses then spent a lot of effort with their weirdly long tongue trying to lick the small bottle clean.


    As Sam stood up and took stock of the situation, the hut¡¯s door slammed open and a craggy voice called out.


    ¡°Pet! Pet! What did you bring me? Is it delicious? Is it scrumptious?¡±


    As the high began to set in on the monster that kidnapped him, it still had the presence to answer the voice.


    ¡°Exciting! Brave! Tried to help¡­heheheheh¡­So brave!¡± Then it trailed off into mutterings as it stared at a particular blade of grass and poked it with its sharp nails, completely ignoring the world outside of them.


    There was a pause then the voice in the hut began to cackle.


    ¡°My my¡­ a brave one?¡± they asked and Sam could hear some movement from the building in front of him.


    Instead of speaking up, he began to observe the area with his mana sense. There were the obvious magical plants and the stone and wood that was around him was also filled with mana, while a very slippery illusion-like magic covered the entire area, filling the air with mana that did its best to stay unseen.


    His attention returned to the hut as two dull lights appeared, sickly yellow, trained directly at him before the rest of the owner of the voice appeared.


    A demon shaped like every stereotypical witch from every folk tale used to scare children. Stooped shoulders, scraggly and wrinkly skin, moles with exactly three hairs in them, giant hooked nose (and nose hair), long fingers gripped a gnarly walking stick adorned with hundreds of mystical charms and dressed in a black robe that had been patched more times than Sam could count.


    She even had a very pointy hat.


    He was kind of jealous of that¡­


    She shuffled forward, leering at him before continuing to speak.


    ¡°Well¡­well, you¡¯re a delicious one, aren¡¯t you, dearie?¡± she asked, licking her lips and showcasing her appalling dental hygiene. ¡°And all that for little old me? How delightful!¡±


    Sam could feel disgusting tendrils of mana sneak out from the witch heading for him, no doubt intent on snaring him but he had other plans.


    With a twist of his own mana, the tendrils were shredded, and he gave the witch an unfriendly smile.


    ¡°I heard you have been harassing poor priestesses. What for?¡±


    The demonic witch just cackled, seemingly unbothered that her attack was destroyed.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you precious, sugarplum?¡± Another cackle and ten times as many tendrils emerged from ¡®her¡¯. Sam shredded those, too. ¡°Why else for? My little pet here is so hungry¡­ I can¡¯t deny her¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the drugs probably go to her, but what do you do with the carriers?¡±


    Another nasty smile from the witch. She raised her stick and rapped on the ground once, the sound oddly echoing around the area while the mana in the ground began to stir.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you meet with them, honey? After all, you cute ones are going to be great friends!¡±


    By the time she finished the sentence, the first decaying hand broke the ground near her.

 Chapter 218

    The moment Sam saw the first hand break through the ground, he raised his foot and slammed hard down, injecting his own mana and sending shockwaves through it, hoping to break at least part of the disgusting spell.


    However, the only result of his actions was even more hands breaking through the earth and the demonic witch beginning to cackle.


    ¡°Nyahahahahah! Won¡¯t be easy, my scrumptious-looking deary!¡± the witch called out with a horrifying grin on her face as she continued tapping on the ground with her cane ¨C or rather magical focus ¨C as more and more mana began to stir taking up the disgusting aspect of the living dead. ¡°I have seen many young boys with such skills! Yes, I have! Nyahahaha! Cute but not smart! Nyahahaha!¡±


    More and more dead bodies began to emerge, the soil tumbling down from their body as they rose from the ground, all with empty stares, stitched-together bodies, clothes that were in various states of decay ¨C indicating the time of their owners¡¯ death ¨C and all staring at Sam in a rather disconcerting manner.


    ¡°Rise! Rise my precious! Rise my darlings!¡± proclaimed the witch as the mana hanging in the air with its cloying death-like nature began cloying Sam¡¯s senses.


    Knowing that if he had let the mana suffuse everything that would only provide an advantage to the demonic witch, he took a good chunk of his own mana and began spreading it in the air, in the ground, and everything that was near him, countering the foul mana emanating from the witch and her victims.


    Unsurprisingly, her ¡®pet¡¯ was still conked out, only she switched her attention from the grass to the clouds above them, staring dazedly as they went by. Sam had to frown at that as he knew Anor¡¯s Blessing didn¡¯t have this strong effect on people. It was mostly like devil¡¯s lettuce from the real world, with some fantasy-like elements. The status of the being that ¡®kidnapped¡¯ him meant that either the sample he was given was an entirely different substance, the ¡®woman¡¯ was specifically weak against it, or there was something sinister done to her.


    He shook his head a little and refocused on the grinning witch, knowing she was the bigger threat while continuing to use his own mana to counter hers.


    In times like these, he wished he had spent more time on fire magic, as it was (as always) super effective against the undead. Though, he suspected the witch, old as she was, had some counter to someone just showing up with a flamethrower and enthusiastic attitude.


    ¡°My, my¡­ very talented, little boy¡­¡± she commented while licking her lips as she stared at Sam with a hungry look in her eyes. ¡°Won¡¯t you become mine, sugarplum? I just put a fresh batch of¡­ cookies in the oven.¡±


    For some unfathomable reason, Sam did not believe the witch.


    With a small wave of his hand, he launched a focused blade of air at the nearest dead body that was almost done wrenching itself from the ground, but it barely scratched the skin on the monster.


    ¡°Oh no, little boy! No, no! No ruining my toys, you hear me?¡± the witch called out in a scolding voice as she wagged her unnaturally long finger at Sam. As she spoke, dozens of the zombies managed to free themselves from Gaia¡¯s embrace and stood with arms ready, waiting for the witch¡¯s commands. Behind them, Sam could see dozens more struggling with the dry earth, indicative of how many people the demonic witch had killed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you play with them, honeybunch? I¡¯m sure you will ENJOY IT!¡± she yelled, screeching the last part and pointing her gnarled finger at him as the mana surged from her into the zombies.


    The undead monsters as one shivered once, then relaxed and with the same movement, arms ready to tear him apart, rushed at Sam at incredible speeds.


    Knowing what he knew about the situation, Sam simply unsheathed his sword and met the claws of the first zombie with it, causing an honest-to-god shower of sparks to appear as claws and metal met.


    With every ounce of his speed, he moved forward, stepping carefully to avoid the fumbling zombies, as they did everything to grab him with their deadly claws.


    He had to fight for every step as he blocked claws and bites with his sword and well-placed shields. Then before he could fire off the blade storm he had been building up, one of the zombies behind the throng that was trying to tear him apart, leaned forward, opened their maw, and began vomiting a green cloud that instead of rising upwards as gases would, began to move forward exactly at Sam.


    Not wanting to test his own regeneration and seeing several other zombies starting to open their mouths, he released his spell, unleashing a tremendous barrage of wind blades at the surrounding zombies, and used the air movement generated by the spell to destroy the approaching cloud of death as Sam was pretty sure it wasn¡¯t unicorn fart mixed with some light perfume.


    Then another zombie began spewing fire at him so that the wind generated by his spell was in a perfect place to fuel to even greater heights. The fire instantly rushed at him, enveloping the surrounding undead and him in a deadly conflagration.


    However, Sam simply used Shadow Transformation to avoid the damage and launched himself upward while several clones launched themselves out of the conflagration. Naturally, several were destroyed by swipes from the zombies and sparks of flame from the breath attacks. One was even taken down by a zombie launching itself and jumping on the clone, taking it to the ground, ready to devour it.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    And meanwhile, the witch was still cackling dementedly in her spot as she directed the horde to devour ¨C or do worse things to ¨C Sam.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you precious, little dumpling? Ready to fight like a big boy, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Sam refused to respond. Instead, he took measure of the situation.


    Earth magic was out, as his meager skills with the art weren¡¯t enough to disrupt the demonic witch¡¯s control of the area. No doubt the horrible monster spent decades impregnating the area with her own magic, not to mention the multitude of rituals she must have used.


    Air¡­was marginally better, but with the attack he unleashed, he managed to get only a zombie ¨C one of the fresher ones by the look of it ¨C and the rest only had gashes on them, oozing greenish-black pus.


    By the looks of it, fire would be useless. If they could take their own attack, then only somebody with Dan¡¯s level of skill with fire magic would be enough to do anything.


    ¡®Shadow it is,¡¯ he decided after eliminating all other options. Then he had a brainfart. ¡®Or¡­I could¡­¡¯


    Grinning, he landed with a thud, focused for a moment, and then his sword was enveloped in a nice amount of wind mana as the zombies took a second to reorient themselves after their brief tussle with the clones, he channeled one of his favorite spells into the matrix of mana construct. Then, just to be thorough, he added the Air Purification spell into it. Those noxious fumes being spewed by the horde of the undead looked mighty unhealthy.


    The mana types fought each other for a brief moment, causing Sam to worry, but then his iron control clamped down and they merged into one, causing his sword to glow very light blue as the mana construct buzzed around it.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see if this works¡­¡¯


    Not waiting for the first zombie to reach him, he launched himself forward, holding a shield with his left hand, ready to parry any stray bites or claws, and holding the sword in his right hand, aimed at the neck of one of the zombies.


    Thanks to being undead puppets of a demonic witch, their reaction time wasn¡¯t the best, thus Sam¡¯s speed allowed him to strike fast and strike hard.


    He watched in satisfaction as the zombie¡¯s head flew in a beautiful arc away from the body as the sword, enveloped by his spell, swiftly cleaved through the reanimated flesh. The same wind spell, previously having almost no effect on the same body, now enhanced by his very useful spell, now tore through the magic-bound hide with contemptuous ease.


    Sam grinned as the witch began to shriek.


    ¡°My precious! My luscious darling! What have you done, you brute?¡± she wailed as the mana suffusing the area began to thicken even more, causing his countering effects to weaken. Somehow, he knew if he let the foul mana fill the area completely, he would lose instantly.


    He stayed silent once again, instead turning his sword toward the other undead and becoming a whirling death (well, second death) dealer with his sword enhanced by the cutting power of the wind and the cleaning power of his Clean spell. He even turned on his Clean Aura, just in case.


    ¡°BURN HIM! Drown him in pestilence! Choke him with virulence! Let the venom course through him! Sink him into poison, my darling little boys!¡± roared the witch as the tapping of her cane became even faster. The undead listening to her commands, began to spew fire, poison, and everything in between at Sam.


    He just grinned and began the ever-so-important dance of death.


    <hr>


    A few seconds later, Sam was in the middle of the clearing in front of the witch¡¯s hut, breathing hard, surrounded by the cut-and-diced parts of several dozen magically enhanced undead while the witch was gaping at him.


    ¡°What have you done, you little sour raisin?¡± she shrieked in despair. ¡°My precious little collection!¡±


    ¡°I cleaned up after you,¡± Sam stated with a smirk, pretty proud of himself for coming up with that quip.


    Then, as the witch gaped at him for his brilliant comeback, he took a deep breath, made sure his spells were still working, and launched himself toward the demon, intent on removing this stain from the world¡¯s surface.


    However, his sword wasn¡¯t met with the dry and old flesh of the witch, but the extremely tough claw of the being that kidnapped him.


    She was still out of it, her head angled in a weird way, looking up at the clouds, letting out odd wondering noises while her body was in a martial stance, ready to fight Sam.


    Glancing behind her, Sam saw that the tapping stopped and the hand not holding the cane was raised, long-nailed fingers held like a claw, pointing at the super high woman.


    With his mana sense, he could ¡®see¡¯ the light threads of mana connected the hand to the body, directing it like a marionette. For a brief moment, he sent some of his mana toward the threads, hoping to disrupt them, but while they were moved by the mana, they didn¡¯t snap, rebounding like guitar strings made of stainless steel.


    The demonic witch let out a snarl, baring her yellow teeth at Sam.


    ¡°Now, now, my darling little sugarplum. Is this the way you treat your new owner?¡± she asked with enough venom in her voice for Sam to want to get an antidote from his inventory. ¡°Let me show you, my rotten apple pie, what happens when one of my little boys decides to be mischievous!¡±


    The threads connecting the witch to her ¡®pet¡¯ thrummed with the same sickly mana that suffused most of the area, and the ¡®woman¡¯ began to glow in a sickly grayish-black light.


    The controlled being let out a giggle. ¡°Thaaaat looks¡­hehe¡­like a frog!¡±


    Then faster than the zombies, it launched herself at Sam, both hands shaped like knives, glowing extra strongly, ready to cleave him into pieces. It was extremely disconcerting to see the body fighting him, while the head was lolling around without a care and giggling about the sky or how that one leaf was making fun of the trout.


    Meanwhile, Sam had to use every last ounce of his speed just to parry the knife strikes of the witch, his newly created mana construct was the only thing saving him from being consumed by the magic infused into those strikes.


    Watching an entire tree wither and then implode into dust was not something he planned to see that day.


    Every time it moved, it left behind a cloud of gray particles that began to wither anything alive they touched, consuming them and converting them into mana which in turn was fed back to the witch.


    Soon, the entire clearing and surrounding area of the hut was gray and lifeless, containing nothing but dust and the corpses of unlucky people (and three curious squirrels¡¯).


    ¡°That¡¯s cheating¡­¡± he murmured under his breath as he once again used his Shadow Transformation to avoid a strike weakened by his Clean and Clean Aura spells.


    Then, wanting to get a moment of breathing room, he used his Mirage skill to create a dozen clones that began moving around the live puppet, some even heading directly at the witch.


    The momentary break as the demon dealt with the illusions was enough for him to take in the situation and do one thing that he hoped would turn the tide.

 Chapter 219

    For a moment he centered himself, trying to get rid of the doubt as the mana continued to swell inside the glaring demonic witch, then did something he had been considering for a while.


    He could channel unattributed mana through his own body. It also worked with wind and shadow-attributed mana. But what happens when he did it with the mana that made up the Clean spell?


    The spell was special in that it affected physical items, like germs, dust, and other microscopic detritus, as well as magical stains and contaminations. Granted, they were affected less than their physical counterparts, but they were still affected.


    Thus, if that mana suffused his body, then it could affect everything that would come into contact with it. He was still workshopping ideas, while not really sure how the mana would affect him. The theory was good, but he had no memories of the other Sam ever seeing something like that.


    Clean was considered an OP spell by everyone, as it could deal with a lot of negative status effect skills and much more, but there were no memories of people using it on themselves.


    Still, what better situation to try a wildly experimental technique than when a demonic witch, in the middle of the place of their power, sucking up enough mana to stagger an archmage, was burning their very life force to kill him with a puppet made of a real-life person.


    Or maybe an alchemical creation¡­ One never knew with witches.


    However, Sam didn¡¯t have enough time to contemplate before the face of the demon twisted and she clicked her tongue.


    ¡°It seems my darling pet is not up to the task¡­ maybe you¡¯ll be better, eh, darling?¡± she spoke, venom dripping from her words as she twisted her hand around, causing the body of the woman to lock up, her eyes bulging out and letting out a silent scream of pain, as mana spiked and before Sam could intervene the body of the woman exploded into the dark cloud of pestilence and horrible emotions.


    Meanwhile, the witch was just standing there, still in front of her hut, pointing at him with her long-nailed hairy and bony finger while her face was open, screeching, the rictus of pain sharpening and distorting her features even more, eyes glaring at him with more hatred than Sam had seen in multiple lifetimes.


    He began casting the Clean spell but instead of casting it, he let the mana build up in the spell structure, then using the practice he got with his other spells and techniques, he began channeling through his body.


    At first, the spell structure resisted ¨C that is, the system had no idea what he was doing ¨C but then, as if a barrier was broken, the mana ready to clean everything rushed through his body, causing some weird feelings, but he powered through them and watched as his body began to glow with soft blue light, joining his weapon.


    Just in time to cast his shield spell as the cloud of vicious pestilent magic reached him.


    It plowed through several layers, but most of the spell was stopped by the sheer amount of mana he pushed into those shields, letting most of the spell fly through the air next to him, only a few wisps reaching his body, which to his relief were vaporized with a quiet hiss by his new spell.


    Sam grinned and called out.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Thanks to the shoddy and eclectic construction of the hut, the roof of the hut was dotted with all sorts of shapes and items ¨C mostly things from probable victims of the demonic witch ¨C which created a good number of shadows.


    Which enabled Sam¡¯s loyal companion, the shadow wolf Lucky, to use it for travel.


    The demonic witch was powerful, empowered by time, effort, countless rituals, and sacrifices, but even then, when a three-hundred-pound wolf falls on somebody, they ¨C in general ¨C don¡¯t enjoy the experience.


    There was a quiet, but despairing ooff, as spaceship Lucky landed, enough to break the enemy¡¯s spell and allow Sam space to spring forward and drive his enchanted and empowered sword between the eyes of the witch.


    Sam watched as a gamut of emotions ran through the cruel eyes, including anger, despair, fear, pain, and, for some reason, deep shame, before they went flat and the body and the mana went still.


    Lucky then stood up and Sam saw the reason behind the deep shame as two precious objects were removed from the demon¡¯s head.


    Sam had to wince at the sight. ¡°Well¡­ you were evil but I doubt even you deserve this¡­¡± he murmured as he watched the body disappear into the ether, leaving behind loot. There was a bag, with a very recognizable sign of the alchemist guild, which probably meant it held alchemical ingredients (though he would check them over later, just in case), a gnarly wand dripping dark energy, several odds and ends that could be sold for a decent amount of money, and finally, several books.


    He scooped them up and into his inventory for later, and then quickly stepped into the hut to search the building as he called out to Lucky.


    ¡°Patrol, buddy! Call me if you find anything!¡±


    ¡°Wuff!¡± came the reply from the loyal companion, and Sam was free to take in the horrible building.


    It looked just like he expected. A giant cauldron in the middle, bubbling with some disgusting concoction that the witch was in the middle of brewing when he arrived and interrupted her. There were all sorts of things hanging from the walls, including bones, feathers, and skin pieces, intermixed with drying plants, with all sorts of pots and pans on makeshift shelves. In the back, he saw a curtain almost fully hiding a sleeping area with a bed and a wonky-looking wardrobe made of almost rotten wood.


    He put his hand on his hip and let out a sigh.


    ¡°Welp, time to toss the place!¡±


    <hr>


    In the end, he found a rather ratty journal, detailing the witch¡¯s attempt at immortality ¨C because why be original ¨C and her attempts to harness the power in Anor¡¯s Blessing. A map of several locations she determined would be able to grow the devil¡¯s cabbage in the area, and a very detailed, almost flowery description of how she captured, addicted then ritualistically altered a random hiker she had taken a liking to, into her own personal servant and bait.


    Very gnarly stuff¡­


    He also found some more reagents, alchemical ingredients, and some tools that were perfect for alchemists, plus a small chest hidden in the depths of the wonky wardrobe containing the coins the witch stole from the adventurers.


    Good haul for a fight this hard ¨C at least for other people ¨C but nothing to him. Still, free money was free money.


    A few minutes later, after searching the drained and dry grounds for anything else, Sam stood at the edge of the witch¡¯s home and cast two spells as Lucky watched from next to him.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    The wind picked up into a very controlled storm, swirling around the area as he kept tight control over it, then he raised his other hand, and a simple spark of fire was launched forward, instantly igniting the swirling wind, and creating a firestorm.


    The duo watched quietly as the firestorm slowly but surely cleansed the area of the influence of the witch.


    Sam waited until the entire area was nothing but ash, then patted Lucky on the head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, buddy¡­¡±


    The wolf let out a sad whine and followed him.


    <hr>


    ¡°Thank you, great hero! May Anor bless you!¡± cried out the priestess after listening to Sam recount his adventure. The rest of the priestesses were standing or sitting around and listening with rapt attention.


    Sam just bowed his head a little. ¡°No trouble, ma¡¯am.¡± He reached into his pocket and pulled out the map of fertile soil he found in the witch¡¯s hut. ¡°I also found this while out and about,¡± he said, intent on maximizing the profits from his adventure.


    The priestesses took the map, unrolled it, and gathered around it, and a few seconds later one of them gasped as they pointed at one point.


    ¡°One more place for Anor to spread his blessing! We have been blessed!¡±


    ¡°Quick! Now that the danger has passed, we must go and survey the area!


    ¡°Get the hoe!¡±


    ¡°No! Leave Rachel alone, she is tired!¡±


    ¡°I got the hiking boots!¡±


    Sam just watched as they began to celebrate with a small smile as notification sounds began to go off in his head.


    The head priestess turned to him and smiled at him.


    ¡°My dear hero, this is indeed an excellent gift. I know that heroes prefer different things compared to us, regular folks, thus I would like to offer a few things¡­


    <hr>


    In the end, he was given even more drugs, a few scrolls containing spells inscribed on them by the priests, and half a dozen rituals that would help with farming and plant husbandry.


    Then, he asked for a private location where he could meditate and was led behind the abbey where the carefully taken care of grassy yard was sparsely filled with gazebos, gently separated by a few meticulously trimmed bushes and trees allowing the priestesses to enjoy the gentle wind blowing through the area.


    He was led to one of the gazebos far from the others and left to his devices by a bowing priestess.


    First, he called out Lucky, and after petting the wolf for a little while, he sent the animal to run around and have fun. He watched for a while as Lucky enjoyed the free time, and then he saw a few ladies appearing with treats and toys and knew that his companion was in safe hands.


    Sam took a seat, spent a few moments just stretching and relaxing, and then with a great sigh he opened his notification screen.


    Instantly, he was almost blinded by the list that appeared.


    He poked around a little to condense it into one screen, because it was just so awesome and satisfying to see it in one place.


    [You found the Abbey of Anor!]


    [You were tasked by the abbess of the Abbey of Anor to alleviate their issues!]


    [You found the hidden grotto of the demonic witch!]


    [You managed to defeat the demonic witch!]


    [You managed to complete the task set forth and received a reward from the abbess!]


    [Anor grants you their blessing for aiding their worshippers, doubling your experience gained for your deeds!]


    [You increased the effectiveness of the Abbey of Anor!]


    [Anor grants you their blessing for aiding in spreading their worship, doubling your experience gained for your deeds!]


    [You gained the title, Blessed!]


    [Blessed: You have been blessed by a god, granting you 5% extra experience points when completing a quest for a god.]


    The first part was already juicy. Based on the numbers, apparently, the system used the title to calculate his gains, then doubled the experience point gain and doubled it again.


    ¡®I love it when a plan comes together!¡¯ he celebrated in his mind. It was rare to have two ¡®god quests¡¯ next to each other, and this easy to complete. At least for him. Without his know-how, that witch would have needed an entire party to destroy.


    And with two quests that needed a full party to complete and quadrupled rewards¡­ well, by his calculations, it would be just enough.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    [You¡¯re now Level 101!]


    [Gained 4 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Thanks to your incredible luck at¡­everything, you gained 2 LUK!]


    And it seems he was right as he saw his experience point gauge was sitting at the sweet two-point-three percentage. Before he dealt with the consequences of that, he wanted to quickly go over the skill rewards. He added the four free points to Strength and then continued to read.


    [Mana Manipulation is now Level 89!]


    [Mana Surge is now Level 3!]


    [Mana Scales is now Level 120!]


    [Mana Unraveling is now Level 14!]


    [Spell Matrix is now Level 40!]


    [Mana Construct is now Level 84!]


    [Infusion is now Level 5!]


    [Complexity is now Level 1!]


    [Clean VI is now level 10!]


    [You gained the skill Clean VII!]


    [Clean VII: Level 0/10 (0%) (Active) Cleaning is your life. This spell allows you to clean an even greater area than previously. Physical and magical contaminants are much easier to clean. Grants a further 5% immunity to diseases per skill level. Above a certain level, the spell only weakens contaminants.]


    [Clean VII is now Level 9!]


    Well, that was a very rapid increase in skill level. But he was very happy as seven was a very potent magical number. At least he hoped so¡­


    [Clean Aura is now Level 6!]


    [Air Purification is now Level 7!]


    [Wind Mana Manipulation is now Level 93!]


    [Greater Wind Affinity is now Level 83!]


    [Shredding Wind is now Level 1!]


    [Battle Meditation is now Level 84!]


    [Clear Mind is now Level 5!]


    [Steady Mind is now Level 1!]


    [Spirit Link is now Level 97!]


    [Spirit Protection is now Level 39!]


    [Bleedover is now Level 4!]


    [Shadow of the Dragon is now Level 24!]


    [Greater Shadow Affinity is now Level 69!]


    [The Way of the Forerunner is now Level 39!]


    [Corruption Resistance is now Level 39!]


    [Blood Magic Resistance is now Level 24!]


    [Adaptive Coordination is now Level 52!]


    [You gained the subskill, Lightbulb Moment!]


    [Lightbulb Moment: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Creating new combinations is a child¡¯s play to you. When you create a new combination, the first time you are successful, the mana cost is decreased by 8,4% per skill level.]


    Altogether, he was very satisfied. Then he turned his attention to the new skills.


    [You suffused your body with cleaning energy, you gained the skill Pure Body!]


    [Pure Body: Level 0/25 (0%) (Active) Your body is a temple and you keep that temple pretty clean. Any incoming damage that would negatively affect your body is decreased by 1% per skill level.]


    Sam had to blink at the skill. It was really surprising to see a monk-specific skill achieved by basically casting a cleaning spell on his own body. Usually, people had to find monasteries with martial-arts-focused monks and spend a considerable amount of time to achieve the skill.


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s the multiple roads leading to the same destination¡­¡¯ he mused.


    [You like cleaning and it seems to be working. You gain the skill Cleaning Affinity!]


    [Cleaning Affinity: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) You have a great affinity for cleaning things. Despite never holding a broom. Go you. Beings that like cleaning will be favorable to you. Beware of maids. The cost of the cleaning spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level.]


    Chuckling to himself, he closed the screens, then his eyes before settling in a comfortable position, and turned his focus inward to the bubbling and churning mana in his core.


    It was time to take one more step toward the future¡­

 Chapter 220

    For a long moment he just meditated, aided by the system, and felt as the mana moved around in his body. It felt like it was churning and boiling as if some invisible power agitated and heated it. Usually, he was the one who moved the mana around in cycles, and while he wasn¡¯t doing that; the mana sat there and existed. Sometimes it moved when he casually cast a spell, but otherwise, it stayed still.


    And now it was just simply racing through his body, yet Sam didn¡¯t feel any discomfort.


    The mana was part of his body, and his body was part of his mana, almost bursting at the seams, driven further and further by an unseen force.


    He couldn¡¯t help but smile at that.


    The game¡¯s solution to mana control was novel and interesting enough that he sometimes forgot that in real life he didn¡¯t have the ability to devastate a small hamlet with a tornado of wind blades.


    The feeling the game developers managed to create between the players and the mana with the revolutionary solutions was one of the main reasons why the game became so popular with the populace.


    Once someone experienced the sheer exhilaration of actually controlling mana with their own mind, going back to the old games where they had to endlessly yell out attack names or make infinitely complex arm movements to use skills was just not going to happen.


    Which led him to one of the most paradoxical pieces of information he inherited from his alternate self.


    The process he was going through ¨C the first ¡®evolution¡¯ ¨C was one of the most mysterious processes in the game yet at the same time one of the most documented. There were a million-and-one people who researched the process, trying to create the most powerful or useful result to empower their guild (or sell to the highest bidder) but even when seemingly everything was the same, the results were always different in some way.


    There was not one ¡®good¡¯ way to do it. It was personal for everybody, at least when they took it seriously. Sam had to grin at that.


    While the people¡¯s opinion about the game was changing and a lot of people were looking at the game and what it contained differently, there were still a lot of old beliefs ¨C inherited from other games ¨C that were held as conventional wisdom.


    Like reaching Level 100 being an important milestone. Probably why the developers set it to 101!


    The process, no doubt inspired by countless other media, was very simple in theory.


    So far, they only took in mana and used it. Now it was time to form their own mana core and everything that came with that.


    It sounded mystical, but the process was mostly like a cutscene with the player, mostly able to interact with it at a superficial level.


    Of course, the developers didn¡¯t tell that to the players. They could naturally learn it from different NPCs but it needed some level of familiarity, as well as a little bit of luck in asking the right question. For some reason, no NPC volunteered the information freely.


    Aside from some specific scenarios, it wasn¡¯t really possible to fuck up the process, as long as the person going through it was undisturbed.


    Which made the Temple of Anor a perfect place to do it.


    His name was no doubt already circulating through the net and as soon as his new status appeared on the top ten list, there were countless people dispatched to end him and to hinder him.


    While people already knew about the believers, not every location was known to the populace at large. Thus, even if somebody wanted to hunt him down, it would take a while before they pinpointed his location through the wards that hid the believers of a god who took privacy very seriously, and he would be long gone.


    Sometimes, he just felt that while other players were playing tag, he was playing 4D chess¡­


    Also helped that the priestesses calling this abbey their home were indebted to him and would more than likely protect him if somebody managed to find him.


    He refocused on the mana and watched as it flooded his body, suffusing every cell, then as the amount seemed to reach a critical mass, he felt a small pull somewhere above his navel and the mana began to stream there, slowly but surely.


    Sam took a deep, fortifying breath, then slowly with all the care in the world, reached out to his mana, and began channeling shadow, wind, and clean-attributed mana into the gradually growing whirlpool in his body. Not enough to overwhelm the thing being created, but enough to make sure the mana would be part of it. Then, just to be sure, he also added a little fire, earth, lightning, and water-flavored mana just to keep the elemental wheel in harmony. He even felt Lucky¡¯s mana entering the whirlpool.


    Then, for a few minutes, he just watched as the whirlpool kept growing and growing, turning from a slowly moving one to one that swirled around with the speed of a racing car.


    Quite frankly, it was an amazing feeling. He really wanted to experience it again¡­


    Then the suction force of the whirlpool sped up and Sam watched carefully as the mana in his body began to be concentrated into one singular spherical location. Once again, he reached out, and slowly but surely began to focus his attention on the mass of mana, trying to help shape it into the perfect sphere.


    The automated process would do it, but ¡®helping¡¯ with it increased the effectiveness. How it increased varied from person to person, but he was hopeful.


    Using the skills he managed to gather during his many hours of manipulating mana without using incantations, arm movements or system assist functions, he surrounded the mass of mana with his ¡®will¡¯ and applied as much pressure as he could manage.


    Oddly, it felt like trying to form a perfect snowball with bare hands before the heat of the body melted the snow and then the cold of the environment refroze it into one solid block that was impossible to manipulate without breaking the entire thing.


    Weird feeling, but not wholly unfamiliar¡­


    Sam kept up the pressure with his ¡®will¡¯ as before his mental eyes, the ball of mana took shape inside his body.


    After several minutes of this, the whirlpool vanished, and the ball was there in all its glory. But before Sam could celebrate, he had to prepare himself for the last phase.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    The ball of mana ¨C or rather core ¨C let out a pulse of mana that raced through his body, through the same channels that he used to cycle his mana. However, this time there was some pain as his body was changed by the pulse.


    Then another and another pulse, each stronger than the last one.


    He just gritted his teeth and endured, knowing that the more pulses there were, the better the change was. There was no consensus about what the best number was, but he hoped for something significant.


    Another two pulses quickly followed each other, locking up his limbs, preventing him from moving.


    One more and Sam felt clearly that the next one would be last, based on how much mana was being gathered in his core.


    ¡®Seven works¡­¡¯ he mused as he mentally prepared for the last pulse.


    The mana was released with a silent explosion, rushing through his body in a very familiar cycle, and ended with the mana returning to the core, completing the cycle, having spent all its energy.


    His body relaxed, though oddly exhausted, Sam watched as his mana, without his input, simply cycled through his body, starting from and ending at his perfectly spherical core.


    Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was Lucky as the loyal wolf lay on the ground in front of him, keeping an eye on him while gnawing on a bone. He even had a small bowl of water.


    Then the feeling of his body hit him, and he looked down. Once again, the procedure expelled all impurities in his body, coating him with sweat and all manner of disgusting things he didn¡¯t really want to think about.


    Purely out of instinct, he cast the Clean spell and was almost taken aback by how easily it came to him. But the result was that he was clean again and Lucky threw the bone away, launched himself at him, and began to lick his face.


    ¡°Hahaha! Thanks, Lucky! I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine¡­¡± he responded with a smile and hugged the giant fluffy plush-replacement.


    After a few minutes, he had enough ¨C temporarily ¨C of Lucky¡¯s luscious fur and he turned his attention to the notification screens.


    [Your mana has overflowed and managed to form a core!]


    [Thanks to your actions during the core formation, you managed to form a Perfect Core!]


    [The process has cleansed your body!]


    [Thanks to this, your Cleansed Body, Pure Body, and Mana Tempered Body have fused and were upgraded!]


    [You gained the skill, Mana Infused Body!]


    [Mana Infused Body: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Mana has been permanently infused into your body, cleansing and purifying it. Your aura has been also transformed, granting you a charming and mysterious countenance. Further increases your control over your body, mana, and the two together. The amount of mana your core holds affects your body, and the state of your body affects your stamina.


    Gives a flat increase of +10 to STR, AGI, END, and +1 to LUCK.


    Any incoming skill or spell that would negatively affect your body is decreased by 0,50% per skill level.


    For every 100 Mana Points, it grants you 4 Base Health Gains.


    For every skill level, it increases Health Regeneration by 0,3.


    For every 250 Health Points, it grants you +1 Stamina Regeneration.]


    [Thanks to your superb control skills and the process of forming a Mana Core, your Mana Manipulation skill has been upgraded!]


    [You gained the skill, Perfect Mana Core!]


    [Perfect Mana Core: Level 0 (0%) (Passive) Mana and you are one. Decreases the cost of mana skills by 40%, and increases the mana regenerated beyond what you have experienced so far. Grants you 0,1% magic resistance per skill level.


    Your capabilities to hold mana have been enhanced. Increases mana capacity by a flat 20 per player level.


    The longer you channel, the more the cost of the spell decreases. For every 13 seconds of channeling, the cost is reduced by 3% for each skill level.


    Your Mana Regeneration is increased the more mana you are missing. Gain 0,5 Mana Regeneration for each skill level per missing mana percentage.


    Increases your Mana Regeneration beyond what most beings are capable of. Gain flat +250 Mana Regeneration.


    (+(2+WIS/MAG) Mana Regeneration per skill level) [A/N: Currently: WIS: 55 / MAG: 50 = 1,1 --> +3,1 Mana Regeneration per skill level]


    Sam had to blink at that, then do some quick math. His health gained some rather giant increase. He couldn¡¯t wait for the next fight just to see the look on their faces.


    [Your experience granted you an enlightenment. Your Mana Unraveling, Spell Matrix, and Mana Construct skills have been fused.]


    [You gain the skill, Mana Architecture!]


    [Mana Architecture: Level 21/100 (41%) (Passive) You mastered the manipulation, creation, and destruction of mana constructs, granting you an encompassing awareness of any mana construct. You can build, analyze, and destroy. Complexity is no barrier for you. Layers upon layers you can build.


    Decreases the mana cost of your creations (and destruction) by 0,5% per skill level and increases their effectiveness and power by 1,5% for each skill level.]


    [Your body went through a qualitative change. Enhancing it is not enough. Mana Body Enhancement is upgraded into Mana Body Infusion!]


    [Mana Body Infusion: Level 0/100 (0%) (Active) Infuses the body with mana-enhancing physical attributes by 3% for each skill level (STR, AGI, DEX, END).


    Also, increases physical resistance by 1% for each skill level. Furthermore, your body is already accustomed to mana running through it, thus the physical attributes are each enhanced by 1% per player level.


    Thanks to your Perfect Mana Core, your loss when using this skill is negligible and there is a 100% chance you gain 25% of the mana you used to enhance your body back. Additionally, there is a 25% chance to gain 50% of the mana back and a 3% chance that you gain 100% Of the mana back.]


    Sam read through the main changes and couldn¡¯t help but feel satisfied. A very big increase in his power and endurance, as well as some more utility. Getting a Perfect Mana Core was a dream, but he was glad he stuck with his plan because the skill was awesome. In the other timeline, there were rumors about the skill but nobody came forward to share the details but everybody agreed that it would be amazing.


    [Thanks to your quick thinking and infusing your Mana Core with the basic elements, your Earth, Wind, and Lightning Resistance has been consumed and you gain the Basic Elemental Resistance!]


    [Basic Elemental Resistance: Level 21/100 (7%) (Passive) Thanks to your quick thinking and excellent skills, you gained resistance to the basic elements: fire, water, earth, wind, and lightning. Each level increases the resistance by 1%.]


    [Thanks to your transformation, you gained Physical and Magical Resistance!]


    [Physical and Magical Resistance: Level 0/100 (0%) The mana emanating from your mana core has enhanced the defenses of your body. Each level increases the resistance by 1%.]


    A pretty good gain, but then he turned his attention to the last set of notifications.


    [Congratulations! You managed to perform an almost picture-perfect Ritual of Ascension!]


    [Your instincts seem to be in sync with the world!]


    [You gain the title, Natural!]


    [Natural: It¡¯s either this or you are cheating. Gives you resistance to cheating allegations. For now.]


    Pretty on the nose, but Sam knew he had everything covered ¨C or at least hoped so ¨C with regards to the ritual, as he had read some hints in the Nowhere library about it, even though there were no concrete descriptions just some vague hints.


    He couldn¡¯t even imagine what the developers were thinking right now¡­ Or what the world was thinking about as he clearly won the Race to the Top event.


    ¡®I feel like lunch¡­¡¯

 Chapter 221 - Interlude 21

    There were many things Clarissa liked about Magic Unbound and many things she didn¡¯t, she mused sitting in her small hut and proceeding to heal the next unfortunate fool who either decided to get some break from the construction work by ¡°having an accident¡± or actually had the bad luck to have an accident.


    Most players had at least a modicum of skill to take care of themselves with some basic healing skills. The players who accepted being construction workers for the guild in exchange for monetary compensation (not that she could blame them, she saw how much they were paid) were doing it for the steady paycheck and the knowledge that when they logged out the work wouldn¡¯t damage or destroy their spine for years to come.


    Plus, these people weren¡¯t the best at the game, so they decided to make money when they saw that they held no candle to the truly big gamers.


    And now that the threat of the giant spider was over, she was simply relegated to healing those players who didn¡¯t know how to heal themselves ¨C and didn¡¯t want to waste potions ¨C and the NPCs who were amazed that the company was providing healing for free. Granted, she wasn¡¯t the only healer around, but after the battle, both Lara and Lucy asked her to stay back and make sure that accidents didn¡¯t bottleneck the construction.


    It was rather tedious work, but the skill experience points were going up slowly and surely. Also, it was useful to practice some of the mana control exercises that Sam had shared with her.


    When spending time out of the game she sometimes looked into the gazillion number of tutorials, manuals, and instruction videos littering the net about mana in the game, but every time she was dumbfounded.


    The information she saw was either wrong, based on her own knowledge, or was completely invalidated by everything that Sam shared. And it wasn¡¯t like she believed everything Sam told her.


    She did her due diligence. She took notes of what she found, made sure to cross-reference instructions, watched videos carefully, and then got back to the game and tried them out.


    Being the suspicious person she was when her boss handed over a complete guide to an aspect of the game that seemingly nobody understood properly, she smelled a rat.


    Maybe the way she would learn control mana would allow Sam to do¡­something later? Or maybe he stole it and all the people who used his ¡°teachings¡± would get banned? Or maybe he was some kind of evil mastermind that relished in fucking up people¡¯s skills?


    She didn¡¯t know, but she vowed to figure it out.


    And now, weeks later, she was still in disbelief over her own conclusion.


    Her boss, Sam, just knew more than anybody about mana and mana control. No amount of training manuals scraped together from the internet ¨C or shamefully bought from online ¡®trainers¡¯ ¨C were as useful as a percentage of the manual that Sam had thrown at her when she officially signed up.


    Still suspicious as fuck, but at least Clarissa knew that they weren¡¯t cheating, as the system didn¡¯t mention anything about it. And based on how Future Unknown handled the actual cheaters¡­ well, she was sleeping much better nowadays.


    ¡°Miss, ready for another patient?¡± asked one of the assistants that Lara assigned to Clarissa¡¯s part of the building as they stuck their head through the door.


    Clarissa took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Send them in¡­¡±


    ¡®At least the money is nice¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    ¡°Sis! Hi!¡± her sister yelled as she walked into their parent¡¯s home. Clarissa was doing her biweekly visit to make sure everything was all right with her parents. Those health scares worried her, and to see that her sister was keeping up with her studies.


    Clarissa herself chose the gaming profession because she liked it and brought in enough money ¨C especially with Magic Unbound ¨C that she could live comfortably and support her family. Furthermore, she always felt constrained and dazed by any systematic education process. She could never really sit down and just learn something because somebody told her to learn it. It felt stifling and confusing. But the moment she was behind a character, directing it and healing people, it was as if somebody turned on the lighthouse amidst great darkness. Suddenly, things made sense, and she wasn¡¯t bored, confused, and afraid.


    Thankfully, her little sister didn¡¯t have the same issues and managed to fully embrace education. The problem was that Clarissa was suffering from success.


    She was making so much money with the salary from the AFK, and the investments Lucy advised that her sister was trying very hard to give up her education and join Clarissa in her adventures. Which both Clarissa and their parents were vehemently against.


    Well, that was before her little sister became devious. She used the small amount of money she got for allowance to invest it and somehow be successful.


    Clarissa, personally, blamed Lucy and Sam.


    ¡°Hello, Clarissa!¡± her mother smiled at her as she went to hug her. Clarissa returned the hug with relish. ¡°Your father is in the living room, trying to put together that bedazzled contraption!¡±


    ¡°The what?¡±


    Her little sister had the temerity to smirk at her.


    ¡°I bought a gaming pod!¡±


    Clarissa could already feel the headache coming.


    <hr><hr>


    Lara was in her element.


    Dan was standing around, looking very strong and hot, both literally and figuratively.


    And the construction was heading in a good direction. Adam was still supervising the people who came from the city and beyond and were dismembering the corpse of the titan spider, making sure they got what they were owed, but otherwise, she only had to focus on the city they ¨C or rather she ¨C was building.


    The old walls had been excavated, and the first stones were ready to lay down into the giant holes that the player workers and NPCs had dug. The building materials were waiting to be used in the warehouses and the first set of wards was ready to be erected.


    Usually, in the real world, when a project like this was started, and the cornerstone was placed it was surrounded by enough media drama that it would outdrama a soap opera. But this was the game world, and their enemies were looking for every chink in their armor, every opportunity to waylay them.


    Thus, when the cornerstone, placed exactly under what was going to be a small building in the middle of the city, was lowered, the only people present were her, Dan, and a few guards trusted from the guild. Lara also suspected that Tim was sneaking around somewhere, but she couldn¡¯t really spot him.


    The cornerstone was a project between the crafters of the company, made from a very specific alloy, merged with some special crystal, and then enchanted by several people before finally, Sam went over it and etched into it enough runes to make it look like some ancient cursed object being excavated by a plucky team of archeologists intent on saving the world with it only to be stolen by the bad guys.


    ¡®Maybe I could pitch a movie about it¡­¡¯ she mused as she grabbed the rope holding the cornerstone and began lowering it down while the others watched.


    Based on her research, and Sam¡¯s instruction, it was a ritual to ensure the prosperity of the construction and the building it would be attached to.


    And because the cornerstone wouldn¡¯t just be part of a building but would also act as one of the first anchor points of the magical defenses, using the proper ritual process was incredibly important.


    THUD


    The stone reached the bottom of the hole and she let go of the rope, relieved.


    Then she reached into her inventory and brought out a ritual knife, loaned to her by Sam, and cut her hand in the most stereotypical way. She let the blood collect a little in her palm, then held her hand over the hole and let it drop.


    She also simultaneously began to murmur the magical words of the ritual that would kickstart the process.


    Then three minutes later, there was a brief pause and a small pulse of light appeared around the stone deep in the hole.


    Lara looked down, bandaged her hand, and reached for the shovel to cover the first cornerstone with specially prepared soil.


    As she was finishing up and stomping down the soil, she had an idea¡­


    Reaching into her inventory, she plucked out a seed from some tree that somehow found its way into there. She leaned down, pushed the seed into the ground, watered it from her waterskin, and patted it gently.


    ¡°Go and grow into a mighty tree!¡±


    She straightened out, cracked her spine pleasantly after the shoveling, and headed for her office. She had dozens of new notifications to go through.


    <hr>


    Lara was safely ensconced in her office, Dan off doing something with magic, and the rest of the guild doing their usual jobs.


    She opened her system screen and quickly began to sort through, looking for the important ones. A few minutes later, she was grinning from ear to ear.


    [You placed the cornerstone for your first mega project!]


    [You were successful!]


    [You gained the title, Mega Architect!]


    [Mega Architect: You are an architect working on a mega project. And everybody knows the most important part of any project is the logistics. Decrease the chance of logistics failing by 5%!]


    [Thanks to your connection to the cornerstone and the burgeoning wards you gained the skill, Construction Overview!]


    [Construction Overview: Level 0/100 (0%) You have a sense of the constructions. As the construction is happening you get feelings about errors, faults, and future problems. The higher the skill level, the bigger the chance you will sense these things.]


    [You destroyed a lot of forested areas due to your ambitions, but have taken the first step to heal the world!]


    [You gained a quest!]


    [Green world, brown world!]


    [You harmed the world with your plans, but you also understand that what you take, you must also return. Make sure to leave the world a better place than you found it. Or not. It¡¯s up to you¡­]


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    [Time Limit: Until the construction is finished]


    [Reward: ???]


    [Penalty: ???]


    ¡°Well, that does not sound ominous at all¡­¡± she murmured as she read and reread the odd quest she got. Then she shrugged. ¡°Eh, who cares? We always planned to build a green city¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    The titan was terrifying, but Lucrecia knew that the loyal soldiers of her father would protect her, and even before that, her beloved was surely out there, making sure that the titan stomping around and causing quakes with each lumbering step would be taken down.


    Even though there was a very clear danger to her, her surroundings, and hell, even Ironwood, she still wanted to see the fight.


    Thus, ignoring all the protestations from her guards, she took Fortuna and began hiking toward a spot she knew would have a good overview of the quarry as they had used it before to survey the land.


    To her pleasant surprise, she found the wise visage of Master Fitzgerald already standing there, while not far from them a gaggle of adventurers from her knight¡¯s guild were standing guard, watching the battle of titans and also ¨C presumably ¨C watching out for other dangers.


    ¡°Master Fitzgerald,¡± she greeted him with a curtsy befitting his station, then turned her attention to the battle, trying to find one specific person.


    ¡°Miss¡­ Silvercrest,¡± came the reply, accompanied by a pleasant smile as the man nodded at her.


    Now that she had a moment to observe the older gentleman, Lucrecia had to say that the man was rather handsome. The salt and pepper hair gave him a distinguished air that she saw sometimes on older nobles when she accompanied her parents to some of those balls she had hated with passion.


    And with the intense look on his face as he observed the battle, Lucrecia had to say, it was doing things to her. Not as much as her knight in shining armor, but well¡­ a girl was free to look around.


    Then, before her thoughts could wander around, she was distracted by a giant explosion in the battle.


    At first, she was elated, as no matter what her mother said, giant explosions were the best, but then she had a moment to notice that a fragment of the stone exoskeleton was flying straight at their position, the explosion accelerating it to extreme speed.


    She, and the surrounding people, had maybe a moment to blink, then the fragment of material exploded once again, against a slightly shimmering shield, filled with a countless number of rapidly appearing, disappearing, and shifting runes.


    Lucrecia woodenly turned her head to the side to see Master Fitzgerald standing, with the same serious look on his face, but one of his hands outstretched and shining with the same light as the spell that saved her.


    She had to swallow and could feel her legs shaking as she slowly realized how close she came to becoming a small smear on the cliffs.


    The Runemaster stepped over to her and offered his arm with an understanding smile.


    ¡°Come now, dear. I think it would be best if we moved to some more defensible place.¡±


    She could only nod as she thankfully grabbed onto the offered appendage.


    They had been walking for a few seconds already when she managed to find her voice.


    ¡°T-thank you, M-master Fitz-gerald for¡­¡± she managed to stutter out before the man interrupted her.


    ¡°Call me Lauren, dear. And it was no trouble. After all, I was standing in the same spot¡­¡±


    She gave him a hesitant smile.


    ¡°O-of course, Lauren. Thank you for saving us, then,¡± she declared with a little more force as she found her courage returning. ¡°Pray tell, how you managed to accomplish this deed?¡±


    Master Fitzgerald, or Lauren, looked at her with an impish smile that caused some remnant butterflies in her stomach to do some acrobatic moves and began to speak.


    ¡°Well, fundamentally, it was no different from conjuring a shield, all I did was¡­¡±


    As the man continued to explain things, there was only one thing going through Lucrecia¡¯s mind.


    ¡®Oh no, he is hot¡­¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t find him? You have his account name and general description! Hell, you even know where his guild headquarters is!¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, we can¡¯t really get into the headquarters¡­¡±


    ¡°And? You must have sources, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but they are expensive.¡±


    ¡°So? This is about achieving the first level one hundred! Just the prestige alone¡­¡±


    ¡°That means you¡¯re going to pay my expenses?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! Get on with it!¡±


    ¡°Fine. My sources told me that he left the headquarters almost immediately.¡±


    ¡°What? You knew that all the time and didn¡¯t tell me?!¡±


    ¡°I want to know if you were willing to pay for it¡­¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable¡­ Anyway, where did he go?¡±


    ¡°Fucking vanished like a fart in the wind. We tried to follow him, but he has too many skills or artifacts to hide himself.¡±


    ¡°What about bugging him or placing a tracking spell on him?¡±


    ¡°All of them failed so far.¡±


    ¡°Divination?¡±


    ¡°Either images of total destruction of the world or fluffy bunnies frolicking¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That was my reaction too. So I made sure to level up my scrying skills. Checks out.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is that guy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Solar. Probably the richest guy in the Emerald Kingdom and the top ten on the entire continent. Leads the AFK Company, owns the Heavenly Forest, and co-leads the Chrysalis guild. There are rumors that he is the backer behind SummerRose. Silent Step hates him. The government in the Emerald Kingdom loves him.¡±


    ¡°What? He is behind SummerRose? The crystal chick?¡±


    ¡°Our analysts extrapolated that based on his ability to collect extreme talent, and the fact they saw SummerRose walking around with Solar¡¯s chief assassin¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡­fucker. How does he do it? Have we tried to report him for cheating?¡±


    ¡°Three hundred and seventy-two times just this month.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°We were told if we don¡¯t stop, they¡¯re going to ban us.¡±


    ¡°Holy fuck¡­ So, is he like a plant by the company?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the hesitation?¡±


    ¡°Look, I had to burn a favor for this, so you¡¯re going to be paying for this info.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine, just get on with it!¡±


    ¡°I contacted a friend who knows somebody ¨C you know how it goes ¨C and they checked if Solar works for Future Unknown.¡±


    ¡°Holy shit! You have friends like that?¡±


    ¡°Had. As I said, I had to burn a favor for this.¡±


    ¡°What was the answer?¡±


    ¡°A first strike warning on all of our accounts and a strongly worded legal letter telling us that Solar is in no way or shape affiliated with Future Unknown.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡±


    ¡°But you know¡­ that still doesn¡¯t help us find him.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know that?¡±


    ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°Canvass the area?¡±


    ¡°The entire Emerald Kingdom? What if he left it?¡±


    ¡°We could outsource it to Silent Step. They already hate him for some reason¡­¡±


    ¡°No thanks. You¡¯re already too expensive. I don¡¯t want to explain to my boss why I spent this year¡¯s intelligence budget on one briefing.¡±


    ¡°My savings account thanks you.¡±


    ¡°I hate you.¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°What the hell? How did he suddenly jump to ninety-nine and now he managed to get to one-hundred-and-one?¡±


    ¡°He must be cheating!¡±


    ¡°The forums are already full of people complaining!¡±


    ¡°What about the company?¡±


    ¡°They put out a statement congratulating Solar and everybody who participated. They closed down the event, but they also stated they were planning to do similar events later for newer players or new characters.¡±


    ¡°So they are ignoring the cheating allegations?¡±


    ¡°Totally?¡±


    ¡°You know what this means?¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah! We get to make another drama video!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah! I had my eyes on a new car!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°How is the Forward Team?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re a bit depressed¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t really blame them. We spent so much effort and material to make sure their farming wasn¡¯t interrupted to see them being defeated like that¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°Put out a hit on Solar.¡±


    ¡°We already put out three. With all the others I know about, there are at least two hundred separate hits on the guy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t care. Put out a hit and advertise it. Our guild won¡¯t take this lying down!¡±


    ¡°As you wish. What about the Forward Team?¡±


    ¡°Give them a week off and then they can continue. We need those upgrades.¡±


    ¡°They already told me they would refuse any break. If they can¡¯t be the first, they still want to be in the top ten. The list on the website wasn¡¯t deactivated¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°That means there are still things up for grabs¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems so¡­¡±


    ¡°Good. Tell the team good luck and have the rest of the guild focus on shielding them. I don¡¯t want any accidents. Understood?¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Sir, you wanted to be notified when the event ended.¡±


    He looked over at the man reporting to him, idly wondering what his children were doing, before nodding. The man, understanding the unsaid instruction, began talking.


    ¡°Solar jumped to ninety-nine after the battle with the spider titan, then vanished from our observation teams.¡±


    ¡°And he reached a hundred just in this short time?¡± he asked, slightly incredulously. He had, after all, seen the math. That was not a small amount of experience points.


    The man, however, shook his head.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°He immediately jumped to one hundred-and-one.¡±


    ¡°How curious¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Our researchers think that the upgrade happens not at one hundred but at hundred-and-one. That¡¯s why Solar went directly there.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± he asked, confused. Even with his sparse experience with video games ¨C mostly from his youth ¨C he knew that level one hundred was one of the most significant and traditional numbers to¡­ ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why. The developers are making fun of the players.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we thought, too. The highest leveled teams have already been informed. Do you want to do something with this information, sir?¡±


    He waved his hand dismissively. ¡°No need. No doubt people are going to realize this.¡±


    ¡°Should we inform¡­¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± he repeated himself. ¡°I¡¯m sure Katherine already knows and she would tell my son as soon as she found an opportune moment.¡±


    ¡°I see, sir. What about Solar?¡±


    ¡°Just put out another hit on him. Then forget about him for a moment. Focus on leveling up. I want to know how the upgrades work!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    **


    **


    The entire operation room was silent as many people, some who had no need (or even permission) to be there, watched as one of the most famous ¨C or if you asked select people, infamous ¨C players started on the path of ascension.


    While there were several screens that showed the player from all sorts of angles, there were many more that were streaming every kind of data about the change.


    There were occasional wows and exclamations, but the silence permeating the room was almost total.


    In the middle of this tense atmosphere was one of the lead developers who was in charge of the security of the game. One of his hands was gripping a coffee mug that totally didn¡¯t contain coffee and the other was clenched in a fist so tight that the fingers were turning white.


    ¡°Selene,¡± he muttered as the face of the AI appeared near him on a screen and gave him a questioning look. ¡°Set up a meeting with him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s against the rules.¡±


    ¡°Not even with¡­that?¡± he asked, gesturing generally at the multitude of screens on the wall, in the cubicles, on the floor, and even the ceiling.


    ¡°We have been over this. He is not cheating.¡±


    ¡°Nothing?¡± he asked, voice tinged with desperation. ¡°Not even a tiny itty-bitty little bit? With a cherry on top?¡±


    Selene rolled her digital eyes but stayed silent for a moment, indicating she was running some kind of software.


    ¡°No outside connection. No active connection to any known high-risk parties. No active communication with anybody. Tapped communication lines reported nothing beyond active interest in experience hunting. The gaming pod is in nominal status. His alterations to the settings have been examined and pose no risk to the game. Background check is still negative,¡± she rattled off before her voice changed to slightly mischievous. ¡°Albeit, no checks for psychic, magical, or alien powers have been performed so we can¡¯t disregard those possibilities. The current chance of Player Solar to be cheating is less than 3%, which includes such things as actual alien intervention, coordinated dimension fuckery, and the fact he is a wizard.¡± She let that hang in the silence for a moment before continuing. ¡°Based on all available data we can confidently say he is not cheating.¡±


    He stayed silent, processing the information before opening his mouth again.


    ¡°But are you really sure?¡±


    Selene glared at him. ¡°Sir, if you don¡¯t stop with this line of questioning, I will be forced to recommend you for psych eval!¡±


    He snorted. ¡°Damn, that fucker!¡±


    However, in his haste, he turned his attention back to the many screens dotting the room from Selene¡¯s grinning visage.


    ¡°You distracted me! What the hell is he doing now?¡±


    One of the people sitting at their desk spoke up.


    ¡°Er, sir, it seems, he somehow managed to figure out how to direct the process to acquire¡­¡± he explained, the last few words drowned by the murmur that broke out upon hearing his explanation.


    ¡°Speak louder, man!¡±


    ¡°As I said, sir. He managed to get a Perfect Mana Core!¡±


    Instantly, the room was silenced.


    ¡°C-can you repeat that?¡±


    ¡°He¡­uhm, managed to get a Perfect Mana Core?¡± came the hesitant answer.


    ¡°Selene!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What percentage did we set Perfect Core at?¡±


    ¡°According to the database, the chance of anyone acquiring a Perfect Core is a maximum one percent based on their actions, skills, and mana control.¡±


    ¡°Then how in the nine hells did that fucker manage to get one? As the first person to do this? With no experience? And apparently, by not cheating?¡±


    ¡°That one percent is only if they are hands-off with the process as you know¡­¡± came the explanation from the artificial intelligence. ¡°If they manage to trigger the ¡®prompts¡¯ during the ¡®cutscene¡¯ then it can be more than one percent.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±


    ¡°He managed to hit almost all the triggers. Enough to raise the chance to over eighty percent.¡±


    Instantly, there were many exclamations around the room as people were going over the data and seeing what players would need to do to reach that kind of percentage.


    ¡°Are we super-duper sure that the fucker didn¡¯t cheat?¡±


    ¡°It seems, he is a natural, sir.¡±


    ¡°I hate you.¡±


    ¡°And I relish it. The boys down in the lab are going crazy from the readings they got from the guy,¡± replied Selene without missing a beat. ¡°They think they can refine the entire function thanks to him.¡±


    ¡°Which would mean what?¡±


    ¡°Increased efficiency, sensation feedback, and control. Which in turn would lead to more people managing to get mana control to a higher level.¡±


    He just grumbled.


    ¡°Currently, our research shows that around seventy-five percent of the player base is compatible with the mana system. Of that, only fifty percent can activate it properly. Of that, only one percent does things like Solar does. According to the smart people that seventy-five could be raised as high as ninety.¡±


    ¡°I hate that fucker¡­ Even when he fucks with us, he helps our company.¡±


    ¡°Something like that, sir. The rewards for the event were already sent out.¡± She told him as he continued to grumble. ¡°But anticipating your desires, I added a disguised small glitter bomb to it.¡±


    Instantly, his head snapped at the nearest screen. ¡°Really?¡± he asked, his eyes moistening.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Selene nodded with an exasperated smile.


    The man¡¯s smile grew and he clasped his hands together. ¡°You know I love you, right?¡±


    ¡°I relish it, sir.¡±

 Chapter 222

    Returning to the real world after reading through all the notification screens, he immediately set off to the kitchen to hunt himself some lunch. However, upon opening his fridge ¨C which would have looked incredibly futuristic in his previous life ¨C he sadly had to realize that none of his favorite foods were present.


    Thus, with a great sigh, he closed the fridge door and went to his bedroom to get some proper clothes. It seemed he would have to go out and get some fitting celebratory meal to celebrate his success in the game.


    Sam opened his door and was surprised to see his neighbor also leaving her apartment.


    ¡°Hey!¡± he greeted her with a small wave. ¡°Where to?¡± he asked as they casually fell into step next to each other as they headed for the lift.


    ¡°I was hungry,¡± came the reply from the redhead.


    ¡°Hey, me too! Want to go together?¡± he asked.


    The young woman gave him a considering look, then shrugged. ¡°Why not? What do you want to eat?¡±


    Sam thought about it a little. ¡°Something with a lot of meat. You?¡±


    She considered for a moment, then nodded. ¡°I know a good place for that.¡±


    Thus, they headed out, next to each other in companionable silence as they tried to ignore the hunger gnawing at their stomachs.


    They returned to the many-storied building content and full and maybe suffering a little from the beginnings of a food coma.


    The restaurant his lovely neighbor recommended and then escorted him to was a small family-operated restaurant serving meat dishes from all over the world, in quantities big enough that if Lucky were real, the loyal wolf would have been satisfied.


    Entering the building, they were heading toward the lift when Sam heard the receptionist call out to him. Thus, he diverted his way toward the dour man sitting behind the raised desk.


    ¡°Yes?¡± he asked as his neighbor curiously looked on.


    The man looked at him, then at some of his screen, probably identifying him. The building boasted robust security, which included some high-level technology to make sure only those who were authorized entered the premises. Or no suspicious packages arrived to harm the residents.


    Exactly the reason why he chose this building. Based on his inherited memories, it was not uncommon to use the postal service to harm, humiliate, or just simply annoy other players. Plus, with the knowledge from his own dimension about doxing and the lives of streamers and high-level players, Sam made sure to set up as many defenses against any possible vector of attack as possible.


    The man behind the desk let out a positive-sounding grunt, which Sam took as if his identity had been confirmed.


    ¡°You got a package,¡± came the gruff statement as the man turned around and headed for the room behind him.


    ¡°Huh¡­ From whom?¡± he asked idly.


    The man entered the backroom and Sam could hear him root around as he called back.


    ¡°I think it was¡­. Aha! Found it!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­it says it is from some company called Future Unknown,¡± came the explanation from the man as he returned.


    Based on his voice, Sam was pretty sure the man had no idea about the company. However, interestingly, the young woman next to him let out a surprised squeak.


    He cast a questioning look at her, but instead of asking about it, he refocused on the receptionist.


    The man either ignored the byplay or simply didn¡¯t care, and tossed a tablet-like device on the counter.


    ¡°Sign here,¡± came the instruction, accompanied by a grunt.


    Sam did so and finally took possession of the deceptively weighty box. The moment he gave back the signing device, the man grunted something that sounded like thank you and returned to watching his monitors.


    He just shrugged, took his box and, with his companion, resumed his journey to the lift.


    His companion lasted until the lift doors closed behind them. She leaned over a little, her eyes on the package.


    ¡°Why did that company send you a package?¡± she asked with an amazed whisper.


    Sam just chuckled. ¡°Won a competition and this is probably the reward. Though I didn¡¯t expect it would arrive this fast¡­¡±


    ¡®Maybe they expected that I would win?¡¯ he mused. ¡®Naaaah¡­¡¯


    ¡°Wooow,¡± she whispered in an awed voice. ¡°So, you¡¯re some kind of big player?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I just got lucky¡­¡± he replied with a chuckle.


    She glanced at him suspiciously, but in the end, she accepted the answer.


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    ¡°Can I ask what you won?¡± she asked curiously.


    Sam nodded. ¡°Sure¡­¡±


    Then he took out his keys and used one of them to open the box and swiftly opened it.


    BAAMMM


    He looked back at his neighbor as she looked around confusedly ¨C after jumping high in the air at the noise ¨C as a veritable cloud of glitter and anatomically shaped shiny paper fell around them as the lift moved without interruption.


    They stayed silent as the cloud of shiny material slowly settled down on their shoulders and hair, coating them as if they had just spent several days in a strip club.


    The lift doors opened and both of them left it silently, leaving behind glittering footprints as they headed for their homes.


    Stopping in front of their doors Sam raised his hand to say something but his neighbor just glared at the box and stomped into her apartment, slamming the door behind her.


    Then instantly it opened again, and she called out.


    ¡°Thanks for the meal!¡±


    And the door was slammed shut again.


    ¡®Fair enough¡­¡¯ he chuckled to himself as he entered his home. ¡°Now how to clean this shit up?¡± he grumbled out loud as he watched the glitter without any wind movement starting to cover his entrance hall.


    ¡®My revenge is going to be legendary!¡¯ he vowed to himself, then put the package down carefully, not wanting to trigger any other hidden surprises, then divested himself of all the clothing and took the shortest route to his shower.


    <hr>


    Sam only returned to the game after he confirmed he couldn¡¯t see any more glitter in his hair or on his body. He knew he couldn¡¯t get rid of it fully, but he was satisfied so far.


    He appeared in one of the rooms of the abbey that the priestesses generously lent to him when he asked after finishing his ascension.


    Looking out the small window, he saw Lucky still running around, chasing some birds while several priestesses cheered the wolf on.


    ¡°Go get ¡®em, tiger!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a wolf, sister!¡±


    ¡°With the soul of a tiger!¡±


    Chuckling at the byplay, he didn¡¯t leave the room, instead, he began to do something he had planned and prepared for a long time. Getting the mana natures he got was basically step one of his plan, and now that he could feel the mana core pulsing and bubbling in his body, continuously cycling his mana, he could finally start with step two.


    Centering himself, he summoned neutral mana, then turned it into shadow mana before starting to condense it. The wispy-looking mana slowly and surely coalesced into a solid-looking mass.


    Next, he took that mana and began molding it over his own armor. It took a while but eventually, the game system realized what he was doing and the process became a little easier now that the game knew what he was trying to do.


    He carefully covered all aspects of his body with the shadow-mana giving himself a layer of armor, then with a simple hooking movement he attached the entire spell matrix to his mana core.


    A smile stretched across his face as the construct was anchored to his mana core without any trouble. He then began to channel more and more mana into it, strengthening it, shaping it, and adding detail to it while walking around the room to make sure he didn¡¯t inhibit his own movement with it.


    Took him around an hour to be satisfied with the first version of his true magical armor. Then, with a grin, he used his illusionary ability to add a simple illusion to the armor.


    By the time he left the room, he looked exactly as he entered. Covered by his usual armor and clothing.


    <hr>


    ¡°Are you ready to depart, honored guest?¡± the abbess asked as several priestesses in the background were hugging Lucky and crying rivers of tears while the silly wolf wagged his tail.


    Sam bowed his head. ¡°Yes, abbess. I have rested after my adventure and am ready to continue my journey,¡± he responded vaguely.


    They were peaceful and friendly, but they very specifically didn¡¯t take vows of secrecy.


    The older woman gave him a knowing look but based on the smile on her face she didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°As you wish. We shall pray for your success, great hero!¡± she declared warmly. ¡°We hope you¡¯ll help others just like you¡¯ve helped us!¡±


    Sam bowed again.


    ¡°I shall endeavor to do that, abbess.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then I shall hold you no longer. Go and be blessed by Anor¡¯s kindness!¡± she replied as she held out a hand and Sam was suddenly being blessed. Light shone around him and the grass stalks around his feet began to dance as they tried to reach the sky, growing under the effect of the blessing of a nature god.


    [You received the Blessing of Anor¡¯s Kindness! (Temporary)]


    [You gain a friendly aura that decreases monster aggro.]


    [Duration: 2:59:48]


    Perfect for the journey back to civilization.


    Nodding in thanks, he finally said goodbye to the abbey and its bountiful gardens, the drug-peddling priestesses, and headed once again for the ward line.


    Lucky caught up with him there, holding another bone in his mouth, his fur tousled and tail wagging in excitement.


    ¡°Had fun, eh?¡± he asked with a chuckle.


    The wolf let out a muffled bark and jumped into his shadow, off to gnaw on his bone.


    <hr>


    Ironwood looked the same as he left it.


    There was maybe some more excitement and maybe a little more people than usual, but that was mostly because the popularity of the game has continued to grow. It started with the gamers, then the casuals, and now the people who weren¡¯t really into video games were also trying out the game to see what the others were talking about.


    He simply navigated through the throng of people, watching out for opportunistic pickpockets, confused grandmas, mischievous fey, and¡­


    SLINK


    ¡­assassins.


    The moment he sensed the spike of mana, he threw up a wall of wind, but the assassin¡¯s weapon, a short sword covered by black that sucked in all the air around it, negated Sam¡¯s shield, going straight at his heart.


    ¡°Haha! The money is mine!¡± the would-be-assassin exclaimed amid the screams of the crowd as they began to flee. ¡°I know your tricks! Nothing shall stop me!¡±


    Sam simply turned to the side, letting the guy pass by him, the sword only nicking his recently added shadow shield.


    The guy had a second to be surprised.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Before Sam simply cut him down, turning his body into pixels.


    The entire exchange was maybe five seconds, but the street where it happened was almost completely empty.


    He looked at the place where the assassin had vanished and chuckled.


    ¡®Oh no¡­they observed me religiously using one element and prepared for it. What a shame¡­¡¯


    Then he cast his sense out while sending off a message to Tim. As he ascertained the presence of more mana signatures that looked ready to strike, he received back an affirmative from his security chief.


    Sam looked up at the nearby building, ignoring how the entire area was silent as a grave and smiled.


    ¡°If at first you don¡¯t succeed, try and try again, huh?¡±


    He felt the mana signature shift and began to gather his mana. He needed to delay things until Tim could arrive and do a little investigation.


    Might as well try talking. Sometimes it worked.


    ¡°Well?¡± he called out. ¡°Anybody else? I¡¯m here and willing to take it!¡±


    Predictably, nobody answered his provocation.


    Instead, the mana observing him surged, and within a blink he was staring directly at a storm of fire, sucking up all the available air, growing stronger and stronger as it headed to consume him.


    ¡®Oh boy, this is not going to be a fair fight¡­¡¯

 Chapter 223

    Sam had maybe a second or two to blink and think about his next action. The ground under him was paved and covered with who-knows how many layers of stone and what-not. The assassins were up on the buildings, so they probably prepared for him going airborne. However, urban environments had something that nature usually lacked.


    Dingy little alleyways.


    And one was very near him.


    Smiling slightly, he used his enhanced speed to jump toward the alley while simultaneously leaving behind a clone of himself, clad in his newly created super-solid shadow armor, looking as if ¡®he¡¯ was ready to tank the incoming conflagration.


    He had maybe a second to watch as the inferno consumed the spot where his clone stood, plus the good part of a food cart left behind by one of the fleeing people before he heard a voice behind him.


    ¡°Did you think we would allow you to flee?¡± The voice was very proud sounding and dripped with smugness.


    His own mana sense told him that it was only one person who instantly launched himself at him, weapon dripping with poison and malaise. Only to be tackled from the side by an enthusiastic Lucky.


    There was a crash, much cursing, then a simple crunch, and the mana presence vanished while Lucky simply jumped into the nearest shadow.


    ¡°Good boy¡­¡± he murmured before refocusing on the situation.


    He looked at the blazing inferno out in the open and made a quick decision. Looking up, he searched for points on the building he could use, then with expedient movement began to scale it.


    Arriving at the roof of the building, he laid low, melding into the shadows generated by chimneys and other odds and ends.


    Once again, he watched as the hellfire scorching the street slowed down, and then began to sputter before vanishing fully, leaving behind soot and destruction.


    Casting his mana sense wide, he could sense a bubble of magic surrounding the area, with several dozen indistinct mana signatures running around, converging and separating in the area, like some macabre dance to silent music.


    The group responsible for the fire also seemed to be regrouping, the mana around them beginning to sizzle with even more heat.


    As he watched the situation, Sam had a choice to make.


    Show them who is the boss, or¡­


    Make it funny.


    It took him a second to make a decision.


    He sent a quick message to Tim, then began to focus.


    Slowly, but surely, clones began to appear around him. And as soon as a clone made of shadows appeared, they took his form and began to run away, blending into the shadows, following his murmured directions.


    Which were pretty simple: Run around and avoid people.


    As the last clone ran off, he took a deep breath and began to alter the illusion attached to his solid shadow armor while pulling all his mana into his body to make sure to prevent any sensors or artifacts from finding him.


    Then, using his sneaking skills he began skulking in the shadows, avoiding all the people running around like chickens trying to nail one of his clones, heading directly to the boundary of the bubble of magic that seemed to be keeping people, and most importantly, backup and the guilds away.


    Reaching it, he hunkered down a little and started to examine the magical creation.


    It was simple but powerful. He could see it was supported by several artifacts placed around the area equidistant from each other. It was a magical shield that could be bought from several places.


    The upside was it was very reliable and sturdy.


    The downside?


    The places that sold it had to keep a list of customers by law. So, if somebody used it for nefarious purposes, then they could be caught very fast. Naturally, this created a secondary gray-slash-black market where people could buy it without getting their name on a list. However, that also came with some caveats.


    Black markets didn¡¯t sell the best or most reliable ones¡­


    Though, to Sam¡¯s senses, eyes, and knowledge, this bubble of magic that was in front of him looked like the ones he saw in the equipment storage back at the company. They bought several just in case, and he took some time to examine them for any insight into their development.


    And once more, he simply reached down with his hand, touched the roughly paved ground, and began channeling mana into it.


    He watched as the stone began to shift, creating a small hole right under the ward.


    Sam climbed down then with a small hop he was out of the ¡®danger zone¡¯, the hole filling up behind him after a small flex of his mana.


    Then he straightened his jacket, looked around, and began walking away.


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    A few seconds later, a figure joined him.


    ¡°Go and sell the fact that the ward doesn¡¯t go underground to anyone willing to buy it. After today somebody will figure it out¡­¡±


    Tim nodded. ¡°Favor?¡±


    Sam thought about it for a second. ¡°Sure, if it is worth it. Any info about the group?¡±


    His in-house assassin (and standard anime harem hero) seemed to mull over things before answering.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t have much time, but I found at least three groups who allied with each other to get as much money from the hits put out on you. However, they visibly didn¡¯t really agree on the plan. They just planned to kill you and then¡­ duke it out, I guess.¡±


    ¡°And you managed to figure this out this fast?¡±


    ¡°They discussed all this on an open forum. I have alerts for your name, so I watched the planning from the start.¡±


    Sam sometimes was thankful that people on the internet didn¡¯t change between dimensions. It made his life much easier.


    ¡°So, this was some kind of probing attack from a bigger group?¡±


    Tim nodded in agreement. ¡°Most likely. Did you use any new skills?¡±


    He just grinned mischievously.


    <hr>


    They reconvened in Lucy¡¯s office after Sam dropped off his loot and drugs he gained during his short journey and Tim did some of his mysterious things.


    Lucy was sitting behind her desk. Tim was leaning against the wall ¨C dramatically, half his face covered by shadows ¨C Claire, in her maid outfit, sitting primly in a chair with occasional glances at Tim, was representing Isabella and Katie. Finally, Adam was trying to fit into one of the plush armchairs with his giant body.


    ¡°So, we all heard that you managed to reach Level 101. Anything we need to know?¡± Lucy asked without any preamble as the raven on her shoulder glared at Sam. Instantly, all eyes were on him.


    He nodded. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m already putting together a document about it and my experience. So expect it within a day or two.¡±


    Lucy looked equal parts relieved and excited. ¡°We¡¯re keeping it a secret?¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°For now. After the biggest guilds reach the threshold, we can release parts of it.¡±


    ¡°Why just parts of it?¡± Adam asked curiously.


    ¡°Because, if my theory is right, you need extremely good mana control, or some highly specialized help, maybe even rituals to achieve what I did¡­¡±


    Immediately, he was the center of several suspicious stares.


    Lucy just sighed. ¡°Seriously, Sam¡­¡±


    Following that, silence enveloped the room as Sam wondered what the others were thinking before he cleared his throat.


    ¡°Any news from the world?¡±


    Adam was the first one to speak. ¡°We have been getting inquiries about people trying to purchase shares in the guild.¡±


    Sam and Lucy scoffed at the same time while her raven let out a caw of derision.


    ¡°Over my dead body!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°They have been trying that with me since the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Anything that you can¡¯t handle?¡± he asked Adam as Lucy continued to grumble about pushy salespeople.


    Adam shook his head. ¡°No. I¡¯ve dealt with these kinds of people in other games.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ Tim, take a look and make sure nobody tries anything stupid,¡± Sam spoke, glancing at the leaning assassin, who simply nodded.


    ¡°Sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡± Sam asked.


    Adam thought about it a little before speaking. ¡°Guarding the corpse is slowly being taken over by the government, so we don¡¯t have to deal with people trying to steal things. The mining equipment is almost ready and from what I heard from the representatives they are planning to mine the corpse hard and fast.¡±


    ¡°What about the fortress? Any issue with Lara?¡±


    This time, Lucy was the one who spoke up. ¡°All according to plans. Some people were sniffing around, but so far, the guild has been able to thwart them.¡±


    ¡°Money? Resources?¡±


    She gave him a thumbs up. ¡°We are good, Sam. Practically rolling in gold.¡±


    ¡°Heavenly Forest still going strong, eh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an understatement. With the expanded services, food, and drinks we are raking in so much money¡­¡±


    ¡°The branch in the capitol?¡±


    ¡°Almost ready to open.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡±


    Before they could continue, Tim stopped leaning and spoke up.


    ¡°Before you start talking business, I want to mention something.¡±


    The satisfied smile on Lucy¡¯s face vanished and was replaced by a serious look.


    Sam motioned toward the middle of the room. ¡°Go ahead, Tim!¡±


    He stepped forward into the light ¨C Sam ignored Claire biting her lip for a moment ¨C and began talking.


    ¡°I have been collecting information and I heard that in the south a lot of guilds have started consolidating powers and groups.¡±


    ¡°One of the bigger ones started swallowing the smaller ones?¡± Adam asked.


    Tim shook his head. ¡°No. That¡¯s why the information is important. One of the smaller guilds managed to force several other guilds to submit to them and then went on to conquer other, bigger guilds.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess¡­ They are moving northward?¡± Lucy interjected with a knowing look.


    Tim nodded. ¡°Yes. From what I have found and gathered from contracts, the guilds were around or in a desert and they want more fertile grounds.¡±


    Sam had to wonder. He changed a lot of things with his actions. The butterfly had long since flapped their wings and the storm had already swept over the world of Magic Unbound, but this news was familiar for some reason.


    ¡°What is the name of the guild?¡±


    Tim¡¯s answer came instantly. ¡°Blood Brothers.¡±


    Sam had to fight incredibly hard so that his reaction didn¡¯t give anything away. Even then, he could see that the others saw that he reacted somewhat.


    ¡°Saaam¡­ Do you know something?¡± Lucy asked with an accusing tone while she was running her fingers through her raven¡¯s feathers to the pleasure of the corvid.


    Adam was also staring at him while Claire was glancing around the room.


    He took a moment to consolidate his thoughts, choosing his words very carefully.


    ¡°Any information about their preferred tactics, skills, or spells?¡±


    Tim frowned and opened a screen to read something.


    ¡°From what I found; they seem to prefer to use¡­blood-based spells. Pretty useful in a desert where water is rare and you need a cheap liquid.¡±


    Sam nodded; his theory was confirmed. He looked into Lucy¡¯s eyes and began to talk.


    ¡°You know how I told you to avoid the Life of Blood skill?¡±


    Her eyes widened as Adam let out a small gasp.


    ¡°You really think?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s basically blood magic. Used by people who are not masters of blood magic. It was always a theory based on what I figured out about magic in this game¡­¡±


    ¡°Er, I have it,¡± Adam stated as he was clearly scrolling through his screens.


    ¡°Me too,¡± added Tim quietly.


    Sam just smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there is a ritual I can set up for you that will remove the skill. You will lose some experience points, maybe even levels, but the end result will be worth it.¡±


    Lucy instantly changed into business mode.


    ¡°Can we sell the ritual?¡±


    ¡°Sadly, the price of reagents would be too much for most people. Not to mention some of them are pretty rare¡­¡±


    As the group descended into talking about who would be offered the option to take the ritual to get rid of the Life of Blood spell, and how to get more information about these blood magic users his thoughts wandered to the event that happened in an alternate reality.


    The whole desert invasion was a small footnote of the entire cataclysmic event. One of the brothers¡¯ patsies decided to go ahead and start a crusade with their ¡®incredible¡¯ skills, which in turn would accelerate the brothers¡¯ plans as they kept pushing all sorts of blood-magic related spells for those who weren¡¯t masters of blood-magic while setting up future battlefields.


    Apparently, the time has come for the blood to surge and flood the world¡­


    He couldn¡¯t wait!

 Chapter 224

    ¡°So, we¡¯re in agreement?¡± Sam asked as the people in the room exchanged looks.


    Lucy looked raring to go, happy to begin a bureaucratic and ¡®lawful¡¯ war against the probable invasion of the blood mages and guilds controlled by them. She had to prepare contingencies and arrange ¨C with the help of Tim ¨C some scouts and spies to figure out the movement of the guilds. She would be also organizing the cleansing rituals for those select people who really wanted to lose the Life of Blood skills.


    Tim, aside from his tasks with Lucy, would be doing his usual job of taking out people who looked wrongly at the company, gathering even more harem members, and setting up some rumors about the blood magic.


    Sam was pretty sure that the brothers planning the Blood War would instantly trigger some insanity if the general populace knew what it meant to use the Life of Blood skill and similar blood magic. Based on the memories he inherited, even without that, the perpetrators behind that chaotic time cast some rather impressive and massive spells.


    Fueled by the blood of countless players who couldn¡¯t protect themselves.


    He really wanted to avoid witnessing those spells in person, however, he had a feeling that wouldn¡¯t be possible.


    Claire would have Katie and Isabella leak the information about blood magic to their families, which would mean that some of the most powerful guilds would be there to protect the country, and most importantly, owe Sam one.


    Sam had to suppress a devilish grin at the image of those people realizing that¡­


    Adam would stick to the guild, organizing, training, and preparing them with the knowledge of who they would be fighting.


    Lara would be later debriefed and told to prepare her new fortress for future fights. Sam had no illusions about having to defend that property to the last man as soon as it was finished. Most guilds were just in the process of building ¨C or even just buying ¨C their first guild houses. The fact that his guild, Chrysalis, managed to get the deed to an entire city and then build a fortress city on it?


    They would go absolutely bananas!


    Currently, they were occupied with the raid fractures, distortion valleys, hunting for titans, trying to reach level 101, and making money. But as soon as those things lost their luster in their eyes, they would turn their attention to Sam and his guild.


    Best to prepare as much as they could!


    ¡°What are you going to do, Sam?¡± Lucy asked with a curious look on her face. ¡°Off to do some more shenanigans?¡±


    He shook his head then thrust his thumb at Tim and Adam. ¡°I¡¯m going to help these guys to get rid of the skill, then gather the team and get them over the first barrier.¡±


    ¡°You have all the reagents? No, wait¡­ don¡¯t answer that!¡± came the response from Lucy as Sam just chuckled.


    He waited half a minute for anyone to speak up then slapped his knees with his hands, let out a sigh, and stood up.


    ¡°Welp, then come on Adam, Tim. Let¡¯s get you cleansed of that nasty-nasty blood magic!¡± he announced cheerfully then turned toward the door and began walking away, ignoring the fact that both men shared a concerned look and then stared at Lucy pleadingly as she pretended to be busy with her nonexistent paperwork.


    Claire was just very confused and the bird on Lucy¡¯s shoulder let out a call that some would generously call laughter.


    <hr>


    After they left the meeting room, they walked down into the basement, where a ritual room was set up. Thick stone walls, flooring, and ceiling, with all sorts of implements and tools ready for anyone wanting to perform a ritual (if they got permission).


    Adam and Tim settled into a far corner, sitting on the present chairs, and began discussing the actions they would take while Sam shucked off his jacket and began carving.


    The ritual itself wasn¡¯t hard to get. Either you asked one of the purity-focused temples or monasteries and performed a deed worthy of knowledge, or found it in a dusty corner in a random library, got it as a random drop from an appropriate fracture, or did as he did.


    Look it up in the secret library of a secret organization!


    Sam this time didn¡¯t fight the grin that appeared on his face. Sometimes, it was really nice playing a game with the knowledge of the future.


    It took around an hour to carve the basic ritual, as it was a simple sacrifice ritual. The person using it would sacrifice their skill ¨C and every sub-skill or connected skill ¨C and their own life force, which in players would mean they would lose some experience points and gain purity in exchange.


    However, as always, Sam had some¡­ideas¡­


    Usually, the reward would be the loss of the skill and an increase in stats, or if the player was lucky an actual purity-based skill. Some players tried to game the system and use the ritual to ¡®forget¡¯ a bunch of skills, get back to level one, and start with increased status points, but sadly it provided diminished returns.


    Hell, if one went too far, it would start harming the player, purifying them if they lacked the necessary skills.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    With his runic skills, however, he hoped to increase the chance of gaining a skill higher.


    Finished, he got up from the ground and called out. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done! Who wants to go first?¡±


    The two men looked at each other then Sam watched as hands flashed out, held in a peculiar fashion with blinding speed.


    ¡°Rock!¡±


    ¡°Paper!¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Adam cursed before shaking himself and walking over to the ritual circle standing in the middle. ¡°Need me to do anything?¡±


    ¡°Put away the armor. Only cloth!¡±


    Light flashed and Adam stood there in all his glory with just a cloth shirt and pants covering him. Sam nodded, made sure there were no hidden metals on him, then turned back to the ritual circle. Slowly, with measured steps and careful movement, placed the required reagents that he had picked up over his many adventures and trips to the Auction House.


    ¡°Huh, you really have all that just in your inventory?¡± Adam asked.


    Instead of answering Sam just focused on the ritual.


    After finishing with the reagents, all related to the concept of cleansing and purity, like high-quality silver or moonflower petals, he took a step back.


    ¡°This may hurt!¡±


    ¡°Wha-?¡±


    With expertise he sent his own mana to the ritual, igniting the first part while also weaving magic into the air, creating several more circles from illusionary runes. The circle on the ground consisted of four circles, each representing one of the main elements to which he began adding three more.


    One to invoke the pure light of the moon, one to call upon the searing heat of the sun, and a final one ¨C the biggest gamble ¨C that called upon the person¡¯s willingness to seek purity. Soon, the three bands of rotating runes in the air and the carved circles on the ground began to shine. Red like the flames of the hearth at home, blue like the gentle ocean, green for the ever-renewing nature, yellow for the cleansing winds, gentle moonlight from a full moon, searing orange from the noon sun, and finally an odd steel-like gray, reminding Sam of used stainless steel that stood the test of time.


    Meanwhile, Adam just stood in the middle of the circle, frozen, head faced upwards, arms thrown backward, blind to the world as the magic began flowing into him, purging his whole body of the unwelcome elements.


    Within a moment, black sludge started to seep from every pore of his body, completely soaking his clothing and drenching the ground.


    ¡®Thank god the floor is stone¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he kept a tight leash on his mana being siphoned by the ritual.


    The entire process lasted around ten minutes, during which a small pool of black sludge gathered around Adam¡¯s feet.


    Then Sam felt the siphoning cut off and let go of the mana, which caused the bands of illusionary runes to flash one last time with light before contracting and vanishing into Adam¡¯s body.


    Silence filled the room as Sam and Tim stared at Adam as he took his time getting out of the circle and changing his clothing after Sam hit him with a cleaning spell, completely removing the black substance from him.


    Tim was the one who broke the silence. ¡°Well, what did you get?¡±


    Adam smiled and began to poke around his screens.


    ¡°Well, I lost Life of Blood and related skills and lost around a level.¡± Tim sucked in a breath in surprise. Losing a level at their station was horrible. ¡°But I got around ten stat points, distributed and a skill.¡±


    Sam was celebrating inside while keeping a calm smile on his face. ¡°Oh, what skill?¡±


    Adam made a motion and suddenly there was a skill window before Tim and Sam.


    [Pure Blood: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) You have tempered your body and blood, purifying it from unwanted substances. This made you resistant to anything wanting to influence your blood without your approval and will grant you Blood Magic Resistance. Your pure blood affects your body, improving it by sustaining it. Increases STR, VIT, and END by 1% for every skill level. You can tap into this blood and showcase your purity. Grants you the Purity Strike skill!]


    [Purity Strike: Level 0/100 (0%) (Active) Bring forth your purity and strike them with awe and your weapon (mostly with your weapon, fists are acceptable). Damage is increased by 2% for each level in Pure Blood. Extremely effective against impure existences. Inspires awe in those who are pure, bolstering their will and casts fear in the hearts of those who are impure!]


    Sam let out a diabolical laugh while Tim let out a loud ¡®Sweet!¡¯ while Adam just looked satisfied.


    ¡®I love it when a plan comes together¡­ Those skills are hella hard to get if you¡¯re not a paladin dedicated to one of the purity-obsessed gods!¡¯


    A few minutes later, they calmed down, and Tim finally looked excited. ¡°Is it my turn now?¡±


    Sam motioned toward the gunk on the floor and the burned-out ritual circle with a slight dusting of ash from the burned-up reagents.


    ¡°First, we need to clean this up and change the stone on the floor¡­¡±


    Tim looked like someone had kicked his puppy but then let out a sigh and began walking toward the door leading to the storage area of the ritual room to retrieve some new stone slabs while Sam began to cast Clean spells at the floor vanishing ritual gunk in small doses.


    <hr>


    Sam walked around the construction; walls starting to take shape with a few more buildings standing tall and proud, including the workshop and warehouse dedicated to Master Fitzgerald¡¯s work. Thanks to Fitzgerald¡¯s support from the nameless medieval man in black, the buildings looked like they had been there for years, with some guards patrolling the area, stone-faced.


    ¡®Good. I hope we will get the gates soon¡­¡¯ he mused. ¡®Though I wonder why Lucrecia hasn¡¯t greeted me yet¡­ Maybe she is back with her parents?¡¯


    In the end, he decided that as long as she wasn¡¯t bothering him, he didn¡¯t really care what the capricious young woman was doing.


    Instead, he headed for Lara¡¯s office, where Dan, Isabella, Katie, and Clarissa were waiting for him.


    Opening the door, he was instantly ambushed by Katie.


    ¡°Hey! I noticed you got the reward for that stupid event! Show me! Show me!¡±


    Sam pushed the excitable girl away from him. ¡°Katie, I sent pictures in the group chat¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± She instantly backed away and began browsing the communication she could access from her pod.


    Sam turned toward the others and nodded his head. Dan returned it, Lara and Isabella waved with a smile while Clarissa simply sniffed and turned her head away. Deciding to ignore that for now, he addressed the crowd, ignoring Katie in the background.


    ¡°Hey! That looks super cool!¡±


    ¡°Hello, everyone! Ready for some leveling?¡±


    Lara raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you including me?¡±


    Sam shrugged. ¡°If you want to join, you¡¯re welcome¡­¡±


    Lara glanced at a grinning Dan, then down at the high stacks of paperwork, plans, designs, and other minutia, then shook her head. ¡°Sadly, I will probably get more experience if I stay with the project¡­¡±


    Dan pouted, but Sam just nodded. ¡°Makes sense. Any other questions?¡±


    His friends and teammates just shook their heads.


    ¡°Then say your tearful goodbyes, because we¡¯re going hunting, team!¡± he declared loudly to the room.


    ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Katie began to celebrate by jumping around while Isabella simply did a fist pump. Dan was hugging Lara and Clarissa was doing an equipment check.


    He waited until everybody was ready and headed for the door.


    ¡°Team Kickass, roll out!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, you and your ancient references¡­¡±


    ¡°You got it, didn¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 225

    ¡°We are going to kill a lot of things! We are going to kill a lot of things!¡± Katie sang as she pranced in front of the group as they headed for a fracture to warm up.


    They only needed a few more experience points to reach the desired one hundred and one level, thus Sam decided they would get it in a fracture. He could have used one of the ¡®exploits¡¯ he knew about, but with how chaotic his team was, and how he couldn¡¯t explain what they needed to do lest being labeled as a cheater, it was much easier for him ¨C and on his soul ¨C to grind fractures.


    Maybe he could have found another titan, but all the guilds were on the lookout for them. And arguably, they got lucky with the gigantic spider. It was slow and seemingly placid, plus smack dab in their ¡®territory¡¯. No other guild should have had complaints about them defending their area. Of course, they did complain, but nobody cared.


    The only titans in the area he knew the location of for sure were in other guilds¡¯ territories. Not feeling up to fighting those guilds right now, he let sleeping dogs, or rather titans, lay where they were.


    Around Ironwood there were a limited number of fractures, most of them long ago lost the appeal to the high-level players. They were mostly used by players with the right level to gain experience points or people farming them for drops.


    The one they had set up in conjunction with the Silvercrest family was basically a fountain of ores and metals. Thankfully, with the increase in player numbers, wars, fights, and general MMO player behavior, the price of processed metals hasn¡¯t decreased much.


    Deepanchor was the same, along with Brightgarden. They were surrounded by smaller fractures, catering to the general populace in the city.


    The current only ¡®raid¡¯ fracture was the poison one, which everyone hated, due to needing special antidotes. Only a few guilds could manufacture it and the ones sold by the government cost an arm and leg.


    The Viper guild would do a few runs per week, mostly to train their poison skills, but after they had been illuminated about the multitude of weaknesses of their vaunted Black Blood, they spent most of their effort in leveling it up in the hope that an upgrade would eliminate most of those weaknesses. In other cases, they were trying to figure out a way to get rid of the skill so that they could once again use normal health potions.


    According to Tim¡¯s reports, most of the guilds were trying to slow this down, as well as sabotaging every effort to make the Viper guild waste even more effort, while selling them failed health potions that poisoned their users. Failed products from learning alchemists.


    Capitalism at its finest¡­


    Sam had been thinking about helping them out by dropping a few hints. Of course, with how the Abyss Vipers were, those hints would be the size of the moon¡­


    It wasn¡¯t like all guild members were morons, just that the leaders were particularly hardheaded¡­


    With the incoming assault by the Blood Brothers, he wanted to prevent a full guild from falling under their control.


    As the ideas percolated through his head, he hit on some rather funny ones.


    ¡®Oh, yeah¡­ that should work!¡¯ he thought with a quiet chuckle. He then threw the idea into the back of his mind and refocused on their approach toward the facility holding the poison fracture.


    The government of the Emerald Kingdom made sure that not even a drop of the dangerous poison could leak from the dimensional portal. The portal to the fracture was housed in a gray square building without any windows, and the only door to it was made of several layers of very tough metal alloys. The guards were all wearing medieval-looking gas masks ¨C Sam made a note to have Lucy sell some of Liz¡¯s designs to them ¨C and clothing that covered almost all skin.


    There was an entire fortification built up around the fracture, housing government researchers, mages, guards, and most importantly, the people who made sure that those who entered the fracture paid their dues.


    When the fracture appeared, the entire area was abandoned, and old hot springs were left in ruin, but now that the fracture brought in all these people, the area was slowly but surely being rebuilt. Buildings for accommodations, workshops, small shops to sell consumables and even a few hot springs were trying to bring back the relaxing atmosphere.


    Altogether, a small town was being built around the fracture portal, filled with players from all around the Emerald Kingdom, some even from further away.


    Thankfully, there wasn¡¯t any queuing as the government quickly realized that letting people in armor and fully equipped with weapons stand in line would be a recipe for disaster, they instead set up a basic ticketing system.


    According to Lucy, there was even an entire secondary market for those tickets. Somebody set up a site where people could agree to swap tickets for their preferred time slots. For a price, with a small cut going to the site for ¡®upkeep¡¯. There were even some enterprising individuals who simply bought tickets and sold them, never even stepping inside the fracture.


    Lucy, being who she was, was always prepared, so they didn¡¯t need to stand in line, as a man from their guild with a ticket that would allow them to enter, approached them almost as soon as they arrived near the fortress.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡®Man¡­ I love it when my colleagues are competent¡­¡¯


    Ignoring the suspicious, measuring, or even aggressive looks from the onlookers, the team with Sam at the head ¨C and a still skipping Katie ¨C headed directly to the gate protecting the way to the fracture portal.


    <hr>


    Entering was surprisingly hassle-free.


    They showed the ticket, the guy at the desk asked for IDs, then noted their names and affiliation down, reprimanded Katie and Isabella for poking something they shouldn¡¯t have, and waved them through.


    Sam made sure to have his hands on their shoulders while they waited for a minute for the group before them to enter the portal, before a very tired person, wearing a very scuffed gas mask askew on his face, waved them over.


    ¡°Party leadeeeeeeeeer, please step forward,¡± he told them while yawning.


    Sam nodded to the clearly overworked civil servant and touched the fracture.


    [Your team is entering a new fracture!]


    [Fracture: Poisonous Hot Springs, Where Relaxation Goes to Die]


    [Old hot springs that were abandoned after the healing waters turned noxious. This noxious water merged with the dimensional energies and created something so poisonous that most people would die with one second of contact. Aren¡¯t you glad you prepared? Or did you? The government knows almost everything about it. If you find something odd, make sure to report it. Or not. I¡¯m not your mother.]


    [Time Limit: None]


    [Charges: Unlimited]


    [Current Best Clear Time: N/n]


    Then they were surrounded by swirling rainbow lights as they traveled through the portal to begin their grinding session.


    <hr>


    The sight of what appeared in front of them was very familiar as like everybody else, they also watched all those videos of people who attempted the fracture.


    Though, admittedly, Sam mostly watched the fail compilations. He only watched one or two full runs to make sure everything matched his memories.


    The ruined hot spring building was still there, as was the ominous green glow coming from somewhere beyond their sight.


    Before Katie could rush forward Sam¡¯s hand snapped out and grabbed the eager girl¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Easy there! First strategy meeting, then massacre,¡± he told her, to which she stopped and began sheepishly nodding.


    ¡°Sorry, Sam! It was just so long ago we fought together. I got excited!¡±


    ¡°No problem¡­ Now gather around everybody!¡±


    His team did so, bunching up, illuminated by a sickly green glow.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan, boss?¡± Dan asked, smacking his club into his palm excitedly.


    ¡°The Clean spell¡­,¡± he stated with a smug look.


    The others looked at him, then around the fracture before letting out a small oh sound.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be using my aura clean to keep away the poisonous air from us,¡± Sam continued. ¡°Dan, you¡¯re also on defense duty with your magic. Eruptions, area of effect attacks even if an elemental just spits at us. Make sure you freeze or evaporate it.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    ¡°Izzy buffs and roaming.¡± The young woman nodded and unsheathed her weapons ready to head in. ¡°Clarissa, as always, healing.¡± The healer nodded her head before posing a question.


    ¡°What about the pets?¡±


    Sam frowned. ¡°Not on our first run. I want to see how we handle it. If it is easy, we can try with them.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡±


    ¡°What about me? What should I do?¡± Katie asked excitedly.


    Sam just smiled wryly. The girl was a berserker with insane skills given by an eldritch monstrosity. He doubted some dimensional poison would slow the girl down much.


    ¡°Go nuts and come back to the group if your health dips low¡­¡± he told her.


    The young woman immediately began to celebrate. He watched her for a few seconds, then he turned to the rest of the group.


    ¡°Take a minute to prepare, I¡¯m going to check something.¡±


    He then turned around and stepped through the ruined wall that separated the arrival area from the poisonous miasma permeating the very air, ground, and everything that moves and most things that don¡¯t.


    Instantly, the very air around his body began to sizzle as his new Pure Body began to fight off the effect of the poison in the air. Then he activated his Clean Aura and watched gleefully as a wave of clean ¨C sadly, not fresh ¨C air appeared around him. Even the grimy look on the stonework vanished and the air even lost some of its green hue.


    Next, he took his mana and began channeling it into the aura, causing it to swell into a size that would allow all of them to move comfortably and fight the elementals that would pop up.


    Sadly, he couldn¡¯t really grow the bubble of clean air around him infinitely, as the magic began to thin as it got farther from him, losing its effectiveness. Still, the free space it gave them was enough for now.


    Hopefully, with the insane amount of things to clean in this fracture, his skill would grow equally insanely.


    ¡®Hehehehehe¡­ Who knew that the cleaning spell would be this useful?¡¯ he mused to himself proudly.


    In the alternate timeline, the Clean spell was useful and later it was discovered to be useful for poisons but nobody, at least to other Sam¡¯s knowledge, invested this amount of time and effort as he did. Or maybe his mana control allowed him to do it? Either way, the knowledge that this discovery (and munchkinry) didn¡¯t come from his inherited memories made it so much better.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± he called out to the others and stepped forward as they rushed to take up position around him while Katie rushed forward, dark energy appearing around her and waving her oversized and over-spiked greatsword like the maniac she was.


    ¡°HAHAHAHAH! Come to me, you balloons of poison! Mama wants a fight!¡±


    Sam glanced at the others, who looked back and shrugged as one.


    ¡°We¡¯re ready boss!¡± Dan stated as his club was already aflame and his eyes were darting around looking for danger. Clarissa snapped out a quick sequence of buffs at the running Katie then more sedately began to buff the rest of the team while Isabella began to hum and dance, using her own buffs.


    <hr>


    Thus began their grinding sessions.


    Poison elementals were ground into nothingness under Katie¡¯s boots, smashed into pieces after being frozen by Dan, evaporated upon touching the almost white flames the physicist shot out, or simply cleaned out of existence by Sam¡¯s pinpoint precise Clean spells.


    ¡°Gotta say, boss, it¡¯s mighty weird to see someone do a fracture with Clean spells as attack spells¡­¡± Dan mentioned as they took a small breather after a particularly large elemental ambush.


    Clarissa was very interested in it.


    ¡°Do you think I could maybe fuse it with some healing spell?¡±


    ¡°Against undead?¡±


    His response was just a sharklike grin.


    ¡°Well, first you need to take your Mana Control and¡­¡± he began to explain the intricacies of spell fusion and mana control to the eagerly listening healer as they headed deeper into the fracture.

 Chapter 226

    When the rain began to fall, Sam was worried that the noxious poison would, with the aid of gravity, break through his clean aura. And it did so around the edges, where the cleaning power was the weakest. However, he instantly created an umbrella made from air, causing the caustic liquid to drip down around them.


    His own form was also covered by shadows infused with illusions, creating a final barrier between him, his armor, and the world. The rest of the team was also utilizing different types of skills to protect their armor and weapons from degradation if the poison would penetrate through the multiple layers of defense.


    The air around Dan was sizzling while the ground under his steps froze the moment his boots touched down. Clarissa was enveloped by some kind of specialized healing aura that prevented contaminations. Isabella only had some kind of magical barrier fueled by some artifact, but Sam suspected that it cost more than his apartment. And Katie¡­


    Well, their berserker was covered in black flames that seemed to be sucking in light while seemingly being alive. Occasionally, a tongue of flame would reach out, lap up some poison from the ground or from the falling rain, and let out a contented sigh.


    As always, it was creepy as fuck.


    And whatever got through Katie¡¯s magical protection was instantly healed by Clarissa¡¯s expert skills.


    Slowly and surely, they navigated through the pockmarked road, dealing with the incoming poison elementals, dodging or erasing the vomit-like attacks.


    They also didn¡¯t let the rain pool around them. As soon as one sufficiently large puddle of caustic poison gathered to start to birth a poison elemental, Dan snapped off a super-heated lance of plasma flash boiling it into noxious steam.


    Which was immediately erased by Sam or Clarissa with the aid of Clean spells.


    Other people were constantly panicking and being surprised, while Sam and his team simply bulldozed their way through every monster and obstacle with superior skills and can-do attitude.


    And a buttload of firepower¡­


    So much firepower that the last mid-level boss didn¡¯t even have time to fire their main attack at them before it was simultaneously vaporized, frozen, hacked to pieces, and cleaned out of existence.


    ¡°Do you think that maybe it¡¯s a little unfair?¡± Dan asked as they were sitting under a pile of debris resulting from whatever created the craters and formed into a perfect temporary shelter and rest stop from the rain.


    Sam shrugged. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like the other guilds don¡¯t research the fractures¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, yes¡­ but if they see what we can do with our skills, or how easily we solved the whole equipment destroying rain?¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t let them see it!¡± injected Isabella, who was sitting with her back to the stone and sharpening one of her swords.


    ¡°Plus, we worked really hard to develop our skills. Well, most of us¡­¡± Clarissa added while all eyes fell on Sam.


    He just gave them an awkward smile and scratched the back of his neck.


    ¡°It just makes sense you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Suuure¡­¡±


    <hr>


    They reached the final boss without any issue. The elements didn¡¯t prove any problem and their armor, thanks to the copious amount of defensive measures they had taken, plus the magical coverings, prevented them from degrading to the point of uselessness.


    There were a few points of durability loss here and there when a few drops (or liters) of poisons reached somebody due to their carelessness, or in Katie¡¯s case because she didn¡¯t care. She could fight in her heavy armor just as well as in her small clothes. The only reason she wore it was because it covered her from head to toe, preventing people from recognizing her, and the very important fact that heavy armor was easy to customize with spikes.


    Or in her own words: ¡°If the armor doesn¡¯t have spikes, is it even proper armor?¡±


    The giant elemental-golem mix rose before them and they readied themselves for a fight. However, they couldn¡¯t really feel intimidated, as after going against the titanic spider, something this small wouldn¡¯t even elicit a gasp of surprise.


    And well, they all watched dozens of videos of the fracture, so they were all intimately familiar with the monster.


    Still, it roared and spewed the noxious liquid it was so fond of at them while the rain turned into a downpour and Sam¡¯s skills were taxed to the maximum.


    He started with a wedge-shaped air barrier in front of them that divided the liquid heading for them into two, sending it to the sides. The monster, seeing this, roared once again, reached down with its elongated arms, grabbed several greenly glowing stones the size of a small horse, and threw them at them with enough force that Sam half-expected it to shatter the sound barrier.


    This time Katie reacted, jumping forward and smashing the stones into pieces with her greatsword.


    The rest of the team followed after her, the poor elemental not suspecting at all what was going to happen to it.


    <hr>


    ¡°What did it drop?¡± Dan asked curiously as they stood around the remains of the giant elemental as the liquid that made its body ¨C at least what remained of it ¨C slowly began to evaporate as it turned into rainbow pixels.


    Sam leaned down, picked up the items, and went through them one by one.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­reagent, reagent, reagent, trash, trash, oh a book¡­¡± He took a moment to look it over. ¡°Poison Body, pretty cool if you¡¯re into that kind of thing, but not for us.¡± Ignoring the disappointment on the faces he continued. ¡°Some recipes for poisons and antidotes, aaand another book.¡±


    ¡°Useful?¡± Isabella asked.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Sam just handed the book over to Clarissa. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Contamination Purification?¡± she asked as she began to read the details. ¡°Specifically, a cleanse spell to get rid of effects that have contamination properties. Cheap to cast, too¡­¡±


    ¡°So meh?¡±


    ¡°Meh, indeed.¡±


    ¡°Bummer.¡±


    <hr>


    They left the fracture on the other side, where another tired-looking official was waiting for them to pay the tax. Either by handing over reagents and other drops or paying an amount based on the worth of the average drops.


    Sam did a quick little math in his head and simply handed over the gold. The reagents would be useful for the guild alchemists while he was practically printing money.


    He waited for the official to hand over the invoice, lest Lucy actually murder him, and left the building with the team.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a five-minute break. I need to check a few things,¡± he told them.


    They all made agreeing noises, and the team broke up. Dan went with Clarissa to one of the many picnic tables dotted around the area, perfect for waiting groups, and began to chat. Isabella and Katie naturally headed for the training grounds set up so that those people who couldn¡¯t sit or stand still for a few minutes would have a place to move around. There were already people there, most importantly, some people from Eternal Light were throwing challenging glances at Isabella and Katie was seemingly raring to go and educate them.


    Ignoring the sounds of violence in the background, he opened his skill screens as he wanted to see how much the fracture increased them. The experience was negligible, as after Level 101, he needed some ludicrous amount to advance, but the skill increase was nice.


    [Perfect Mana Core is now Level 5!]


    [Mana Scales is now Level 130!]


    [You gained the subskill, Infused Mana Scales!]


    [Infused Mana Scales: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your Mana Scales have become intimately familiar with your mana. Infusing them with different types of mana can be done in a lossless manner.]


    [Mana Infused Body is now Level 7!]


    [Mana Body Infusion is Level 5!]


    [Mana Architecture is now Level 24!]


    [Clean VII is now Level 10!]


    [You learned Advanced Clean I!]


    [Advanced Clean I: Level 0/25 (0%) (Active) No matter what is before you, you are capable of cleaning it. Be it rot or dust, this spell will vanish it. Capable of cleaning most physical and magical contaminants and of those it is not capable of vanishing instantly, it will instead degrade them over time. Grants you the Disease Immunity skill.]


    [Disease Immunity: Level 86/100 (13%) (Passive) Thanks to your tireless efforts to make the world a cleaner place, you have developed immunity to diseases. Each level increases immunity to diseases by 1%.]


    Well, getting a cleaning spell with DoT cleaning effect was new, but he was glad he finally got the Disease Immunity skill for real.


    [Clean Aura is now Level 10!]


    [Air Purification is now Level 10!]


    [The two skills merged, and you gained Purification Aura!]


    [Purification Aura: Level 0/50 (0%) (Active) (Toggle ON/OFF) An aura of purity envelops you, cleaning you and your allies of everything unpure. Extreme spring cleaning, ho!]


    [Pure Body is now Level 8!]


    [Cleaning Affinity is now Level 38!]


    [Due to powering through the levels, you gained the subskill Overpowered!]


    [Overpowered: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Doubles the effectiveness of all parts of the skill. All of it.]


    [Wind Manipulation is now Level 94!]


    [Greater Wind Affinity is now Level 85!]


    [Wind Sense is now Level 4!]


    [Shredding Wind is now Level 2!]


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but frown seeing the Overpowered subskill. It was a pretty common subskill, with the obvious downside of enhancing even the disadvantages of the skill. A countermeasure against power leveling skills.


    Usually, he would be able to get a skill that counteracted the negatives, but he had no idea how the skill affected maids. Or what it would do when it was doubled.


    ¡®I really need to figure out how to deal with that¡­ whatever that is¡­¡¯ he mused before continuing.


    [Shadow of the Dragon is now Level 35!]


    [You gained the subskill, Dragon Scales!]


    [Dragon Scales: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) All dragons have impenetrable scales that protect them. Now you are also capable of donning this armor. Each level of the skill increases the defensive properties of shadows by 20%.]


    [Greater Shadow Affinity is now Level 76!]


    [You gained the subskill, Detailed Shadows!]


    [Detailed Shadows: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) Your shadow creations are more detailed and the skill decreases the cost of these details by 10% for each skill level.]


    [Illusionary Runes is now Level 75!]


    [Corporeal Illusions are Level 24!]


    [Lingering Effects is now Level 5!]


    [Crisp Image is now Level 2!]


    [You gained the subskill, Coloring Outside the Lines!]


    [Coloring Outside the Lines: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) You started with runes but went outside the lines to create other illusions. It¡¯s a little off but it works.]


    Sam grinned, did some calculations, and realized that after a few more runs, they would be able to go with the familiars, which would mean that he could finally get Lucky up to Level 100 and start working on his evolution.


    <hr>


    They met up next to the table where Sam stayed, Dan and Clarissa looking unchanged, while Isabella and Katie looked like they had some fun.


    ¡°Are they going to come after us?¡± he asked exasperatedly.


    Katie just grinned. ¡°It¡¯s not like they didn¡¯t hate us before this¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, but there is a difference between general dislike, and actively going over and demolishing them,¡± he stated with an unamused look. ¡°We already have a lot of enemies, please, don¡¯t create more!¡±


    Isabella and Katie looked at each other and hung their heads a little. ¡°Sorry!¡±


    Sam stared at them for a long moment, then when he saw the two young women begin to fidget, he nodded. ¡°Alright, as long as you understand.¡±


    ¡°We will!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t happen again!¡±


    For some reason, as Sam looked into Katie¡¯s earnest eyes, he didn¡¯t really believe her.


    ¡°Fine¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°Did you at least win?¡±


    Katie immediately perked up and began babbling excitedly.


    ¡°Oh yes! They were like kyaaa and we were like zomm¡­¡±


    <hr>


    After returning to the fracture, they began to properly farm it now that they knew their method would work. They simply smashed through every obstacle, killed the elementals as fast as possible, and basically tried to set the record for clearing the fracture.


    Which was sadly impossible, after they thought to check the current record.


    Apparently, one of the Abyss Vipers figured out how to absorb the poisonous liquid in the fracture. The explosion killed everyone and the boss, but they technically cleared the fracture in five minutes.


    Still, they gathered reagents, poison-related skill books, a few weapons and armors here and there, a lot of recipes, and one very odd seed for poisoned apples until the rest of the team reached the desired level with the familiars following along shortly. For the last time, they left the fracture, paid the man what they owed, and hightailed into the forest, looking for the first free clearing so that Sam could lead his teammates through the same process he went through.

 Chapter 227

    ¡°So, everyone knows what they¡¯re doing?¡± Sam asked as his friends sat down around the clearing. Clarissa was leaning against a tree, trying to make a comfortable seat out of her outer robe while Dan found the only flat stone and was sitting on it, with his legs crossed, chest glistening in the sun. Isabella and Katie just flopped down somewhere randomly, sitting while leaning on their hands behind them.


    Their multitude of familiars and pets were patrolling around and above the clearing, making sure nothing surprised them. Naturally, Sam had set up some wards, plus his mana senses were stretched to their limits to make sure nobody interfered or even spied on them.


    ¡®Ugh, soon I need to deal with divination¡­joy¡­¡¯ he mused before refocusing on his eagerly listening friends.


    ¡°Katie, just¡­ listen to the voices. I have no idea how eldritch beings from the great unknown work¡­¡±


    Sam told the eager young woman as she raised her hand. Then Puffball jumped into her lap, demanding to be petted through its body language, and Sam knew the crazy berserker was in safe-ish hands. Or tentacles.


    Then he turned to Isabella.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Can we fail?¡±


    ¡°Well, based on my very limited sample size of one¡­ probably¡­¡± Her face instantly fell so Sam hurried to continue. ¡°But with your Mana Control level and general talent I don¡¯t believe you ¨C or any of you ¨C are going to fail.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    ¡°I do, indeed, say so¡­¡± He replied with a small smirk, which Katie¡¯s friend returned somewhat hesitantly. ¡°Any other question?¡±


    ¡°No question,¡± started Clarissa, ¡°but if this gimps our characters, you¡¯re going to be responsible!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there will be no gimping here!¡± He tried to placate the dour healer while ignoring how Dan was chortling in the background.


    He clapped his hands together and all sounds in the clearing vanished, his friends¡¯s eyes on him.


    ¡°Alright, if there are no questions, then please start. Remember, let the process flow and only ¡®interfere¡¯ when you feel it would work. There will be some feedback from the process, so you won¡¯t miss it!¡±


    All of them gave Sam a determined nod before closing their eyes and settling into a meditative state.


    ¡°See you guys on the other side!¡±


    <hr>


    As his friends began to wrestle with their mana, he also sat down, one hand near his sword, and began to browse the net leisurely. Might as well do something moderately useful while guarding his team.


    For now, it would suffice to withdraw to a semi-private space and do the ¡®ritual¡¯ there, but as the game progressed and more and more people joined ¨C some more important than others ¨C when they were doing this ascension ritual it was a prime opportunity for some shenanigans.


    Summoning demons, doing some stabby-stabby, releasing virulent poisons, manufacturing uprisings, crashing local markets, summoning even more demons¡­


    Thus, people would do them in complete secrecy or behind an army of protectors.


    Most of the local gaming news was filled with the regional reach to the top event final results and how the actual level to upgrade characters wasn¡¯t a hundred but one hundred and one. Some people found it funny, some raged very hard against the developers. Intermixed with drama queens, influencers, and trolls, the battle raged on the forums over the issue.


    Then naturally, the fact that at one hundred and one, the person¡¯s mana gets upgraded into a core was revealed and everybody went bananas again.


    Sam saw that enterprising people were already collecting information about the process, compiling the accumulated knowledge in specific posts. It seemed most people who tried the process now that a moderate amount of them reached the necessary level, reported that they got a simple Mana Core, which was what Sam expected.


    It was like that in his memories too¡­ Though, by the time the other Sam joined, there were rumors about higher-tier cores and some convoluted ways ¨C read expensive ¨C to achieve them.


    Some poor shmuck was on the forums crying about their Fractured Mana Core as they were attacked by a monster during the process and had to interrupt it to defend themselves.


    He also read over the political happenings of the region. To see which guild had beef with which other guilds, who was the current hero with the fifteen minutes of fame, and who was the big bad that everybody seemed to be hating.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Apparently, it was him.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be¡­¡±


    It seems, his meteoric rise through the levels had caught people¡¯s interest, which led to the players and forum dwellers (and trolls, paid shills, and shit stirrers) to do some research on him. The fact he was high-leveled, rich (in the game) and the owner of a guild and a company that actually made a profit caused some emotions to emerge amongst the populace.


    Frowning, he quickly composed a message to customer support, referencing and linking several posts that demanded his arrest, death, or worse, and asked them to deal with it. Calling him a cheater was one thing, but the other stuff was way beyond the line.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Surprisingly, he almost instantly received a response from the company.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ We apologize¡­bla bla bla¡­ immediate action¡­ please be reassured it shouldn¡¯t happen again¡­ against company policy¡­¡± he quickly read the boilerplate email. ¡°Sure, but you only act when I call you out¡­bleh¡­¡± he spoke, his voice heavy with sarcasm.


    Thankfully, they weren¡¯t just blowing hot air, as the offending forum posts had already vanished with a note of warning about doing it again. As he refreshed the site, he could already see several posts complaining about the company stifling the freedom of speech¡­


    The rest of his time was spent looking for nuggets of information he could make use of or could confirm things about his future knowledge. There were people soon starting that would make it big despite their later introduction to the game. He wanted to poach a few of them.


    Just a few of them because he knew that a lot of them only reached the heights they reached because of the giant complex logistical machine behind them. Either via guilds that nurtured them or companies that sponsored them.


    Some were simply egotistical or psychopaths that were impossible to work with. But here and there, Sam would be able to find a few diamonds in the rough¡­


    He was about to switch to the meme part of the forums when he received a message on the account that most of his friends used.


    Looking up at the clearing, he smirked at Clarissa, then began to outline the answer to her sister¡¯s question.


    ¡°Anything to support the next generation¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Closing the game screen in front of him, Sam looked up and focused his mana senses on his friends.


    ¡®They¡¯re close¡­¡¯


    He stood up and put his hand on his sword. If anybody attacked, he was pretty sure that the universe would choose this exact moment for them to strike.


    Alas, as he felt the mana settle down around his teammates, no attacks came from anywhere. Not even a small attack by underground mole people¡­


    ¡®Heh¡­can¡¯t wait until 1<sup>st</sup> of April¡­¡¯ he chuckled to himself before turning his attention to his friends.


    They slowly opened their eyes, blinking away whatever they saw while they were closed, and let out varied noises.


    Katie¡¯s demented laughter echoed around the clearing, soon joined by Isabella. Dan let out an enormous roar while flexing all his muscles. Clarissa just pumped her fist and let out a ¡®Yes!¡¯.


    ¡°So, what did you guys get?¡±


    Clarissa answered first. ¡°Regenerating Mana Core. Less upfront mana, but my mana regeneration got¡­ I think it¡¯s called logarithmic growth with personal level.¡±


    ¡°Useful for a healer¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed!¡±


    ¡°Dan?¡±


    ¡°Er, it¡¯s called Tempered Mana Core because of the fire and ice mana¡­ It increases my resistance against both and allows me to strengthen one by weakening the other.¡±


    ¡°Fun stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, can¡¯t wait to experiment with it¡­¡±


    ¡°Girls?¡± he finally asked as Isabella and Katie seemed to calm down.


    ¡°Behold!¡± Isabella called out, striking a pose. ¡°Resonating Mana Core! My core vibrates with the same frequency as my music, increasing its effectiveness, area of effect and adding an echo to my spells!¡±


    ¡°Mine is better!¡± came from Katie. Then she faltered as she tried to pronounce something her mouth trying to say it but not finding the proper sound. Then she shrugged and shared the screen. ¡°I can¡¯t pronounce it. Don¡¯t even know which language it is from.


    [Syha¡¯h Mana Core: Level 0 (0%) (Passive) Mana is indestructible. You have touched upon this aspect a little, thus your mana had taken up the same property. Decreases the cost of mana skills by 33%, and increases mana regeneration by 1% per skill level. Grants you 1% magic and physical resistance per skill level. Grants you 0,1% true damage resistance per skill level.


    When you enhance your body with mana, the mana from beyond leaks into and gives you a small cognito hazard aura. You cannot control this aura, but the more mana you use and the longer, the greater this aura grows. May cause blindness, insanity, spontaneous combustion, angry outbursts, and mindless rage in those who look upon you.


    Gives a flat increase of +25 STR, END, and AGI.]


    Sam and the rest of the team just stared at the skill, then as one they glanced at the smugly looking ¡®cat¡¯ who was now sitting on a branch and licking its paws with self-satisfaction radiating from every hair on its body and as one shuddered.


    ¡°Look! I¡¯m sparkly!¡± Katie exclaimed as she began to move through some sword exercises as the universe around her body began to convulse and just straight up decided to give up. It looked like she was slowly being surrounded by the bastard child of a desert mirage and a cloud of dust of every Holi festival ever performed.


    As Sam stared in horrified amazement he thought he heard something breaking in the distance, and then he saw a notification pop up.


    [Perception Filter is now Level 25!]


    [Why did you keep looking?]


    [You gained the skill, Unknown Sight!]


    [Unknown Sight: Level 0/50 (0%) (Passive) You gaze upon what is not meant to be seen and you rejoice. Things that would visually impair or debilitate you are less effective. Please stop looking!]


    Sam just shook his head and bade the others to follow him. Time waited for nobody. Now that they all reached level 101, it was time for the next step.


    The familiars¡­


    <hr>


    The team returned to Ironwood in a great mood and once again separated to do their own thing, which was mostly preparing or doing the ritual to evolve their familiars. Sam made sure he inscribed the ritual circle several times in the company ritual rooms, ready to be used any time, but left the choosing of reagents and catalysts to the others.


    The other Sam only had tangential knowledge of the evolution rituals, mostly what he gathered from online forums which were not the most trustworthy sources, so Sam was mostly basing his decision on his feelings and the knowledge he gathered from the Nowhere library.


    For example, most people, at least those who talked about it in the forums, mentioned that they always looked for stronger and stronger items and catalysts for the rituals.


    But his loyal and adorable Lucky, was pretty strong, thus, Sam decided to reinforce a few things and try to move toward his eventual goals with his skills.


    He took a small detour toward the Auction House to see if he could find something even better than what he planned to use. It would work perfectly ¨C or at least he hoped so ¨C but it never hurt to check¡­


    Entering the Auction House, in his disguise, he quickly found a seat and looked around. It was pretty funny to see a lot of people trying to act nonchalant but still keeping an eye on the guy with the AFK company symbol on his clothes.


    A dupe placed there to distract people with weird purchases or odd product movements. So far, it was one of the most devious moves Lucy had made.


    Opening the screen, he quickly navigated toward the armor section.


    Scrolling down, he quickly found something that he really liked.


    ¡®Metal-lined shadow-fur coat¡­¡¯ he read the name of the item. ¡®As if it was made for me¡­Yoink!¡¯


    Without a thought, he paid the asking price and soon, he was holding a very nice coat. Then Sam hurried back to one of the workshops at the company HQ, carefully pulled out the metal plates in the coat, and began to carefully inscribe them with a runic ward, paying extra attention to the Heart Rune.


    ¡°This is going to be great!¡±

 Chapter 228

    Sam spent a good few hours simply going through every metal insert and part of the coat, not even leaving out the metal buttons and fixings, engraving his runic creation onto them. The Heart Rune went on one of the inserts that would actually rest above his heart if he wore the coat. The entire runic sequence was about protection from physical, magical, and even environmental damage as well as comfort and robustness.


    If he did it correctly, then the coat would become fully self-repairing as well as making the wearer immune to the cold of snowstorms and the heat of deserts. Taking a dip in a volcano was right out, but walking past it would probably be only moderately hot in the coat.


    He also made sure to mix his and Lucky¡¯s blood into the ink he used to draw up the runes to make sure to connect the resulting artifact to him and his loyal companion.


    After he was finished, he even took up a sewing needle and some high-quality magical thread and stitched in a few supporting runes along the edge of the coat, soaking the thread in the same blood mix.


    His sewing skills weren¡¯t the best ¨C the game hadn¡¯t even awarded him a skill for that ¨C but he hoped the effort he spent on it would be enough.


    Finally, after a lot of time, resources, and effort, Sam held up the modified coat and took a look at it, both with his physical eyes and mana senses. It looked like every edgy fantasy coat with a fur-lined hood, and metal plates inserted between layers of materials, which in turn reached down to his knees, giving him that authentic fantasy ¡®um-actually¡¯ guy look.


    To his magical senses, it sang with untold potential, the Heart Rune beating with mana, not unlike a real heart would. And as he watched and listened, he realized that the Heart Rune was beating along with his own heart.


    ¡°Fantastic! What do you think, Lucky?¡± he asked the wolf.


    Said wolf padded up to him from his resting spot while he crafted away. His loyal companion walked up to the coat he was holding and gave it a sniff, then looked up at Sam ¨C or rather to the side, with his size ¨C and gave a quiet wuff.


    ¡°You like it, huh?¡±


    ¡°Wuff, wuff!¡± came the reply.


    ¡°All right, then I want you to use your power and jump into the shadow it casts!¡± he gave him an order.


    Lucky didn¡¯t even hesitate, jumping directly into the shadows within the folds of the coat Sam was holding, vanishing from most of his senses.


    ¡°Good,¡± Sam smiled as he walked over to the wall and hung up the coat on a rack. ¡°Now repeat it until you run out of mana!¡±


    Sam watched for a minute as his loyal friend, with a wolfish grin on his face, began to ¡®play¡¯ with the newly modified piece of clothing before turning his attention back to the desk he was using.


    ¡®One item down, let¡¯s look at the rest of them¡­¡¯


    One great thing about being an owner of a very successful in-game company was that he had gold to throw around when needed. Why go out and hunt and scavenge for materials on his own, wasting precious time, when he could give a list to Lucy and she would buy everything he needed?


    Made life much easier¡­


    Even some of the rarer reagents couldn¡¯t resist the lure of a fuckton of money¡­


    He continued his preparation with some delight. The last time he did this he had to hunt down a Shadow Mana Fountain, but this time he was much humbler with his materials.


    First, he took out a pile of shadow-infused mana crystals, then drew up a small basic transmutation rune circle. He placed the crystals in the middle of it and activated it. Keeping the shadow mana inside them inert with his own control, he took hold of the malleable crystal material and began to shape it, slowly but surely giving it a wolf-like shape in Lucky¡¯s image. Then, while the material was still soft to the touch, he began carving runes on it. Nothing specific, just a few phrases like friend, loyal, companion, family, and things like that.


    Then as the circle ran out of juice, he was holding a medium cat-sized statue of Lucky, made from shadow-infused mana crystals, engraved with beautiful runes that glowed gently with pale white light.


    He placed the item to the side and took out a few more things. Leather and metal from shadow, metal aligned creatures, respectively. Most of the metal alloys came from Liz¡¯s talented hands. This time he just looked them over to make sure they were good for the ritual (and nobody snuck in something nefarious) before placing those items next to the small statue.


    The next ingredient was the remains of seven Greater Shadow Spirits. It would have been better if he had hunted it with Lucky, but honestly, at this point, he just couldn¡¯t be bothered. There were those essences he got from the Valley of Distortion, but Sam wanted more. He took out an empty white crystal, quartz, and with the help of another circle, transferred the spirits into the crystal that was shaped into a perfect heptahedron by an artist from the capital.


    The sixth item was one of his rings. He took off the Ring of the Shadow Fang and spent a few minutes cleaning it and making sure it was in tip-top shape.


    His seventh and final item was a small ordinary-looking seed he took out from the depths of his inventory.


    [Transformation Tree Seed: A very versatile tree that takes up the properties of whatever seed it is planted next to. The higher the quality of the seed the more mana is needed for the transformation.]


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    The nature attribute would be probably swallowed by the ritual. At least Sam hoped so. He really wanted the transformation aspect of it.


    As he beheld the items on his workbench, each of them costing more than some guilds could afford he nodded proudly.


    Time travel was about stacking all of these small things together and creating something big¡­


    Luckily, just as he finished with the preparation, Lucky jumped out of the coat for the last time, visibly tired, tongue lolling out, and missing a very big chunk of his mana reserves.


    ¡°Wuff!¡±


    ¡°Excellent timing, my friend!¡±


    Lucky let out a tired sigh and plopped down on the ground bonelessly.


    ¡°Rest a little, then we can do the ritual¡­¡± he told his loyal companion as he checked the time. Almost sundown. Even if he didn¡¯t hurry, he would be able to start it when the moon was the highest. The half-moon strengthened the transformation aspect as the celestial object itself was in a transitioning phase.


    ¡°Symbolism, ho!¡± he exclaimed to himself as he began to pack up the items for the ritual.


    <hr>


    This time, the ritual would be performed in one of the heavily fortified ritual rooms that the AFK Company maintained for its members¡¯ use. Based on the notes on some of the doors, Sam knew that the rest of the team was already in the process of doing the rituals.


    He entered one of the empty ones, closed the door, locked it, and drew a small line of salt mixed with iron powder at the threshold. Once again, better safe than sorry¡­


    Those damn fey were surely still watching him¡­


    Then came the tiring part.


    In the middle of the room was a giant rock slab smooth as a newborn baby, ready to be carved by a runemaster. Which, in this case, was him¡­


    He took off his armor, rolled up his sleeves, summoned the shadow dagger from the ring, got on his knees, and began to carve.


    First, seven runes in a circle ¨C slightly larger than usual ¨C gently carved into the rock slab. Then he called out.


    ¡°Lucky!¡±


    The wolf instantly emerged from his shadow and waited for his command.


    ¡°Do you see this?¡± He asked, pointing at the runes. The wolf nodded after looking at it. ¡°I want you to use your claws to follow my carvings.


    Lucky looked up at him with a worried look, but Sam just nodded encouragingly. He chose some of the simplest runes, so Lucky only ruined two rock slabs before the deep carvings of the runes were perfect.


    Sam gave the proud wolf a pat on his head, then finally began the real carving.


    The first circle, simple as it was, was done by the two of them working together. The next one was for simply letting the mana work through the ritual and granting it stability and control, and a safety valve if things went wrong. The one following that was the concrete instructions for the ritual; what Sam wanted to happen and what the mana he would channel into it would need to do. The fourth one was for the reagents. This circle contained seven smaller circles, all placed equidistantly from each other, filled with the prepared items, including the coat he just bought.


    He placed the Ring of the Shadow Fang last, then called out to Lucky.


    ¡°Sit in the middle, please¡­¡±


    The wolf once again followed his instruction and calmly walked into the circle and sat on his haunches, looking proudly around, not unlike a king surveying his domain. Sam didn¡¯t even have to tell him to stay still.


    Then he created three concentric circles made from salt and iron powder around the ritual, changed into a simple cotton robe, leaving all his magical and usual clothing and artifacts outside of the salt circle.


    He took a moment to center himself, made sure no emergency messages had arrived since he started carving, then looked toward the still patiently sitting familiar. He raised a hand and began casting. One illusionary circle, looking like it was made of liquid silver that represented the mutability of transformation, sprang up around the carved circles. Another soon joined, this one shining with the warmth of the sun, representing life, power, and health. Finally, the last one looked like ghostly runes, unaltered from the skill¡¯s base state, to represent the infinite possibilities.


    Sam made sure that the circles he summoned were correct, then with barely any effort ¨C once again marveling at the game the devs created ¨C he began channeling all of his mana into the ritual.


    And the ritual drank it in like dozens of starving people on the edge of dehydration in the middle of the hottest day in the driest desert. His knees buckled under the onslaught and he could feel his mana core begin to spin around faster and faster, basically pouring mana into the ritual circles.


    Slowly, but gaining speed, the runic circles he painstakingly created started to glow. The three circles in the air glowed with their own light: silvery, warm orange-yellow, and light gray, while the ones carved on the ground differed greatly.


    The one he carved together with Lucky was oscillating between blue and black gently, while the first circle after that was solid white, the next one lighted up with rainbow color, and then the last one glowed with a curious mix of silver, gray, black, white and a minuscule touch of green.


    Sam, seeing this, grinned and continued to maintain the mana flowing into the ritual. He said nothing, as he couldn¡¯t really find the words to express his thoughts, instead he just focused on maintaining the ritual and keeping control of the incredible amount of mana.


    Soon, the reagents were enveloped in light, all of it rising into the air and then being sucked into Lucky¡¯s body, which began to glow. At first, it was just a gentle glow, but as more time went by, the glow got stronger and stronger until Sam couldn¡¯t really see anything but a giant blob of light.


    ¡®I really hope I chose correctly¡­¡¯ he mused. He didn¡¯t use anything rare or hard to find. Instead, he relied on his own skills and creations, hoping the thematic links would be a sufficient substitute for power.


    As Lucky vanished into the light, Sam knew it was now just a waiting game. He closed his eyes and began to meditate to increase his mana regeneration, as the ritual was still sucking up an incredible amount of it.


    <hr>


    He didn¡¯t really know how long he stood there, maintaining the ritual, but he was tired and exhausted. Even with his incredible mana regeneration and Perfect Mana Core, his body still felt like a wrung-out cloth after it was put through several spin cycles.


    Thankfully, the light covering Lucky was dying down and soon he would be able to collapse. Hell, he even felt the mana slow down to a trickle before gradually stopping, finally letting his worn-out mana channels rest. Even the illusionary rune circles spun around without his input.


    Letting out a sigh, he shook his limbs a little, getting the cramp out of them, and stared at the slowly dimming globe of light that Lucky had become. He was really wondering what was going to emerge from the magical cocoon on the other side¡­


    His senses told him that the mana was churning in the ritual room in a manner he never felt. Mana around Lucky¡¯s transient form was expanding, then collapsing into itself, becoming much more condensed, and stronger. This would continue until under the direction of something unseen it would expand and explode again just to be pushed back by equally unseen pressure. It felt to him like mana, not unlike coal, was being shaped by the pressure to turn it into a diamond.


    The quality of the mana was slowly rising, turning into something that Sam couldn¡¯t really identify. And all of it was being attracted to the transforming Lucky and filling his body with the new type of mana.


    Smiling pleasantly, Sam watched the process in fascination, waiting for it to end.

 Chapter 229

    Now that he had a little breathing room, Sam made sure to take a big breath, trying to fill his complaining lungs with air. Unfortunately, the moment he did that, the smell wafting in the air reached his nose. Which also made him aware how sticky he was with sweat¡­


    ¡®Did they really have to simulate things so realistically?¡¯ he complained inwardly, trying to ignore the feeling. He could have used a cleaning spell, but he didn¡¯t want to chance making a mess of the ritual with any stray piece of mana.


    Thus, he had to suffer¡­


    Meanwhile, his senses were focused on Lucky¡¯s hidden form as mana continued to do mysterious things.


    He was wondering if he did it right. Going for the next stronger item was the normal method. After all the numbers always have to go up and brrrrr. But Lucky and Sam were already strong thanks to his almost lexical knowledge of the basics of the system and mana control.


    Hell, with what he discovered, Sam would bet a sizeable amount of money that he knew more about mana control than anyone currently playing who didn¡¯t work for Future Unknown. Most people on the forums, both open and private, were still in the beginnings of properly figuring out that they really needed to stop relying on the system assist when casting spells.


    Though, to be fair, he wasn¡¯t the only one who started casting spells and using skills on his own. There were plenty of purists, role players, and perverts who refused to use it. Sadly, their mindset was still based on other games where this was possible. Thus, while they stepped on the correct road, they instantly did an about-face and began walking in the other direction.


    Nowadays, it was pretty accepted that if somebody wanted to be among the top players, they would need to eschew the assistance offered by the system and rely on their own talents. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on whom you asked, while guilds, organizations, and workshops could power level anyone they wanted, they still couldn¡¯t give them the actual skills ¨C and talent ¨C to use those levels.


    Sadly, for them, but happily for Sam and his company ¨C as they sold a lot of needed materials and services ¨C it would take time for the guilds to shift from power-leveling to some kind of academy setup for new players. Leveling and education at the same time¡­


    ¡®Maybe we could start an exclus¨C¡®


    CRACK


    His musings were cut short, instantly causing him to discard his thought process and refocus on Lucky¡¯s transformation.


    The deep black material covering the body of his familiar developed one tiny crack at the top. As Sam took a closer look, he saw it was shining with a mix of metallic silver and, for some reason, green.


    ¡®Uh, I hope the natural energy in the seed wasn¡¯t too strong¡­¡¯


    Before Sam could work himself up with worry, there was another crack sound as the tiny one began to spread along the surface of the ¡®cocoon¡¯ covering his friend¡¯s form.


    CRACK


    CRACK CRACK


    CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK


    And on it went as Sam watched the cracks spread like spiderwebs until they covered the entire surface and began to gently pulse with the same light they were emitting. Weirdly, the mana in the air was still doing its funky thing.


    Hoping that something would happen that needed him, Sam straightened out and began to gather the dregs of his energy, ready for anything.


    Alas, nothing really happened.


    The ¡®cocoon¡¯ pulsed, covered in thin cracks pulsing metallic silver and green light, and the mana in the air was undulating around it while being absorbed and expelled.


    He blinked a few times, shrugged, then plopped down on the ground with his legs crossed and began to browse the net to pass the time.


    <hr>


    It took almost seven hours for the ritual to finish.


    Which, after thinking about it, didn¡¯t really surprise Sam. According to his timer, it was almost dawn by the time the mana around Lucky¡¯s cocoon began to calm down.


    Rubbing his hands together, bored out of his mind, yet exhausted after keeping watch for seven hours, he watched eagerly as the last active mana petered out and the world held its breath.


    The cracks stopped pulsing, emitting a continuous light that began to grow. Soon the thin cracks started to grow thicker and thicker, consuming the dark material covering the wolf¡¯s form, turning it into a ball of shining multicolored energy that was hard to look at.


    Then the energy began to shift.


    To Sam¡¯s relief, the form it began to transform into looked quadruped.


    Then it began to get detailed.


    The first thing Sam realized was that Lucky¡¯s new form was big. Very big.


    His previous form wasn¡¯t small, as Sam could comfortably travel on his back, but this new form towered over even that. By Sam¡¯s estimation, Lucky was at least four or five meters tall and at least ten long.


    If you didn¡¯t count the slowly forming tail.


    That was already wagging, calming Sam down somewhat.


    Then the head formed and light began to recede into nothingness as the new body was revealed.


    Thankfully, the fur was still present, silky and exquisite looking, so black that it seemed to absorb light. Claws the size of knives, shining with metallic luster and menace, and engraved with very tiny runes, occasionally sparking with blue light. However, fur wasn¡¯t the only thing covering his familiar body. On the legs of the wolf, the rump and the most vulnerable parts of the underbelly, the chest, and the forehead leading backward along the spine were metallic scales arranged like armor. Naturally, this scale armor was also inlaid with tiny runes that occasionally sparked with blue or greenish-blue light.


    Lucky¡¯s eyes were closed, but as the light fully vanished, Sam finally could see his face. Fangs jutting out of his muzzle, ready to tear well¡­ anything apart. They weren¡¯t like Lucky¡¯s claws, they were actually made of solid shadow, glinting with a metallic finish, causing Lucky¡¯s maw to look like it was an endless black hole ready to swallow anything.


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    Sam only had one word to describe the scene before him.


    Terrifying¡­


    Then Lucky¡¯s eyes opened and for a split-second, Sam saw the unrestrained wildness inherent in all wolves, the desire to tear and rip, to hunt and to stand atop the bodies of their enemies, then the moment vanished and it was replaced by a warm light as Lucky took a small step forward and began to lick his face.


    Apparently, a bigger body meant more saliva¡­


    ¡®Joy¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    For a while, he let Lucky play around, then he thoroughly examined the wolf¡¯s body. He ran his hands through the soft fur, caressed the slick armor parts, and made sure Lucky was happy.


    The tail wagging was generating enough wind that Sam suspected it could be used for some wind magic.


    He looked up at the giant wolf who looked back down with eagerness.


    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t think you will fit into most buildings with your new size¡­¡±


    Lucky blinked, turned his head to look at himself, spent a few seconds just chasing his tail, then returned to a standing position and let out a joyful bark.


    Then¡­


    PUFF


    A small cloud of smoke appeared and a small German-Sheperd-sized wolf replaced the behemoth of destruction, missing its armor, deadly claws, and abyss-like maw, instead looking very fluffy and huggable.


    Lucky sat down on his haunches and gave Sam a wolfish grin.


    He just let out a laugh as he went down on his knees and began to pet the proud familiar as countless notifications began to go off in his head.


    A few minutes later he was sitting next to the wall ¨C finally clean ¨C with Lucky¡¯s head in his lap, reading his system screen.


    [You attempted the Ritual of Evolution (Modified) with your pet, Lucky!]


    [Compatibility check¡­]


    [Stability check¡­]


    [Synchroneity check¡­]


    [Mana adaptability check¡­]


    [Your Ritual of Evolution (Modified) was a success!]


    [Lucky, the Runic Shadow Spirit Wolf (Level 101) has successfully transformed into an Umbra Armory Spirit Wolf (Level 1)!]


    [Lucky, due to the evolution gained a Malleable Mana Core, which subsumed the Animalistic Mana Control, and Animalistic Shadow Control skills!]


    [Shadow Spirit Body has evolved into the Armored Runic Spirit Body, absorbing the following skills:


    Shadow Strike


    Shadow Jump


    Shadow Dash


    Shadow Claws


    Shadow Bite


    Shadow Steed


    Shadow Bleed


    Weakening Strike


    Shadow Heal


    Runic Weapon


    Runic Strike]


    [Lucky, due to evolution gained the following skills: Transformation, Living Armory, Greater Shadow Affinity, Metal Affinity, Armored Scales, Physical and Magical Resistance, and Summon Minions!]


    [Metal Affinity: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Metals are part of the body of the familiar. Increases the effectiveness of metal objects wielded by the familiar. Increases the effectiveness of defensive type skills by 0,5% for each skill level.]


    [Armored Scales: Level MAX (Passive) The familiar body is covered partially with armored scales and imbued with runic magic. Doubles the effectiveness of the Physical and Magical Resistance skills and provides a flat damage reduction per familiar level.]


    [Summon Minions: Level 0/100 (0%) (Active) The familiar lets out an echoing howl which summons wolf spirits from the shadow of the world. The familiar can summon five spirits for every five familiar levels. For every skill level, the strength and power of the wolf spirits is increased by 1%.]


    All very nice spells that Sam was very happy that Lucky got, but honestly, they were nothing against the two main ones, the two smaller ones that one of them granted.


    [Armored Runic Spirit Body: Level Max (Passive) The body of the familiar has been permeated by runes and shadow mana bonding to their spirit. The body is one with the magic, and the magic in turn is one with the body. Less malleable in certain aspects, but much more malleable in others. Increases the strength of armor and weapons. Doubles the effectiveness of the defensive ability of familiar when transformed but halves offensive ability.]


    [Malleable Mana Core: Level MAX (Passive) The Mana Core of the familiar is not set in shape, yet at the same time is a perfect sphere. This duality can be exploited by the familiar to transform much more easily and meld with the shadows.


    Increased mana capacity and mana regeneration.


    Increased STR, VIT, END, DEX, AGI.


    Grants a flat 0,1% True Damage defense per familiar level.


    Grants the skills Transformation and Living Armory.]


    [Transformation: Level 1/100 (24%) (Active) The familiar is capable of transforming into multiple different shapes. The familiar is also capable of changing size. Can become a maximum one-tenth or twice the original size. For every skill level, the cost of the transformation is decreased, and the duration increased.]


    And finally, the long-awaited skill.


    [Living Armory: Level 0/100 (0%) The familiar is capable of absorbing armor and weapons and then transforming into them, aiding their master. The strength and effectiveness, when ¡®worn¡¯ by the master, depends on the link between the familiar and the master. Additionally, the familiar operates as a living armory; storing and maintaining weapons and armor. For each skill level, the mana cost of maintaining the transformation is decreased by 0,75%. When transformed, each skill and spell considers the familiar a weapon and/or armor not as a familiar.]


    ¡®What a gosh darn haul¡­¡¯ he mused happily as he read and reread the skills again and again. Apparently, the system understood the assignment and gave him exactly what he wanted. ¡®I hope I don¡¯t get an embarrassing transformation sequence¡­¡¯


    Then, with a reluctant sigh, he turned to his own skills.


    [You have successfully finished a heavily modified ritual proving your mastery of the subject! You gained +1 PER and +1 DEX!]


    [Perfect Mana Core is now Level 10!]


    [The Way of the Forerunner is now Level 45!]


    [Adaptive Coordination is now Level 60!]


    [Master Runecarver is now Level 19!]


    [Illusionary Runes is now Level 80!]


    All very nice gains. But he was more curious about the Spirit Link skill.


    [Due to your extraordinary connection with your familiar, your Spirit Link reached Level 100 and transformed into the Adamant Spirit Link!]


    [Adamant Spirit Link: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Your connection with your familiar is unbreakable and unfathomable. Provides resistance against effects trying to disrupt this connection. Grants passive enhancement to you and the familiar the closer the two of you are to each other. Physical skills are increased in power and effectiveness by 1% for each skill level. The effect is lost when the familiar moves out of touching range. Also provides the bonuses of the previous skill.]


    [You gained the skill Spirit Resource Distribution!]


    [Spirit Resource Distribution: Level MAX (Passive) Due to your generosity and trust, your familiar is capable of drawing on your mana reserves when in contact with you.]


    Sam grinned at those skills, knowing that nobody would know what hit them the next time he had to fight. However, reluctantly, he turned to the last page as he lost his grin.


    [Due to overdrawing your mana, you have been struck by Mana Exhaustion!]


    [Mana Exhaustion: Physical abilities -90%, Mana Control -90%, Mana Regeneration -90%, Using mana could result in all manner of other negative effects. Duration: 99 hours 11 minutes]


    ¡°Eh, what can you do?¡± he asked out loud.


    Lucky, from his lap, simply let out a bark.


    ¡°You¡¯re certainly right, my friend. Let¡¯s go see what the others managed to create!¡±

 Chapter 230

    Sam took some time to clean up after himself, with Lucky¡¯s help of course. The company employed people whose job it was to reset the room for the next person to use it, including placing the fresh slabs of rock in the middle and making sure there was nothing in the room that wasn¡¯t supposed to be, but Sam still didn¡¯t want to give them too much work.


    Especially after the last time he had ruined that runic circle. Lucy wasn¡¯t pleased with him, even though the gains that came out of that ¡®accident¡¯ more than recouped their losses.


    He walked up the stairs, hoping Liz would soon finish her work on the elevator. Not that Lucky minded the walky after the ritual where he had to stay in one place.


    Arriving in Lucy¡¯s office, he was let in by the secretary, naturally, only after paying the appropriate petting tax to Lucky¡¯s joy.


    Opening the door, he was met with the shining red eyes of Lucy¡¯s familiar. The raven was perched on his friend¡¯s shoulder, giving Sam its most judging look.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it and you can never prove it,¡± he exclaimed, raising his hands in the air, palms facing toward the raven.


    Lucy sent him a queer look. ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing!¡± Sam replied quickly, looking away from the raven. Instead, he walked forward and waved Lucky toward Lucy.


    ¡°Look who came to visit you!¡±


    Lucy looked at Lucky, her eyes going wide.


    ¡°Cute!¡±


    The next few minutes were spent with Lucy playing with the ecstatic wolf as the raven watched on jealously.


    Finally, with the wolf laid out exhausted on the carpet, tongue lolling to the side, Lucy returned to her seat behind her giant desk and began to run her hand over the raven¡¯s feathered back. The bird enjoyed the ministration with closed eyes and a smug aura.


    Sam chuckled a little. ¡°Did you do the ritual? I don¡¯t see any changes¡­¡± Thanks to her constant work ¨C that is doing political, economic, and logistical quests in service of the company and guild ¨C Lucy also managed to reach the required level for the core forming and evolution ritual.


    Lucy just sent him a smug look, made a motion, and soon Sam was reading a system screen.


    [Inpenetrable Mana Core: Level 17 (78%) (Passive) You are a firm believer in defending what is yours. Your mana has taken this idea and crystalized it. Decreases the cost of defensive skills (physical, magical, social, etc.) by 30% and increases mana regeneration. Mana Regeneration further increases when defensive (physical, magical, social, etc.) skills are active.


    Increases base mana gain by 0,5 per skill level.


    The more things are attacking you (physical, magical, social, etc.) the more your defenses are increased.


    Grants you the following skills: Physical and Magical Resistance, Basic Elemental Resistance, Mind Control Immunity, Illusion Immunity, Corruption Immunity, Charm Immunity, Mana Body Enhancement.]


    It was an impressive Mana Core skill, though one that Sam was familiar with. It was one of the better Mana Core skills for players who dabbled in politics. The top one, according to the researchers, was the opposite of the one Lucy got. It provided bonuses to the players when they went on the offensive.


    Most people considered that one as the best of the best. But seeing Lucy¡¯s success and effectiveness, Sam was pretty happy with what she got.


    Then he read the second one.


    [Your Ritual of Evolution (Modified) was a success!]


    [Your familiar, Raven (Level 101) has successfully transformed into The Raven (Level 1)!]


    [Raven, due to the evolution gained an Unkind Mana Core, which subsumed the following skills¡­]


    [Raven, due to the evolution, gained the following skills: One Mind, Penetrating Gaze, Unknown Sight, Summon Murder, Summon Murder (Mass), Mana Veil, Advanced Stealth, and Steel Feathers!]


    [Unkind Mana Core: Level MAX (Passive) The mana core of the familiar has solidified and stabilized into one uncompromising shape. No matter how many bodies the familiar has, it will only have one mind and one mana core. However, this doesn¡¯t affect it negatively.


    For each functional body, the familiar gains increased mana, health, and stamina regeneration.


    Maximum number of bodies is limited by the level of the familiar.


    For each functional body, the familiar¡¯s sight skills are increased in effectiveness.


    Grants the Nevermore skill.]


    [Nevermore: Level 1/100 (0%) (Passive) The raven is forevermore part of the world. For every night spent alive, the raven gains one Instant Death Immunity buff. The buff is shared with all the bodies. However, if even one body suffers Instant Death, the raven loses one buff.]


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    Sam considered the skill and realized that with careful application, it would be a very useful skill. However, the moment people realized what the skill did, they would make sure to kill at least one or two of Lucy¡¯s ravens to prevent her from gaining Instant Death Immunity. Until then, however, it would be very funny¡­


    [Summon Murder: Level 5/100 (9%) (Active) Your familiar has established dominance within the local corvid community, proving its superiority. It can summon with a call a murder of crows to do its bidding.]


    [Summon Murder (Mass): Level 2/100 (11%) (Active) Your familiar has established dominance within the local corvid community, proving its superiority. It can temporarily summon several murders of crows that will do their best to murder the enemies of the raven, however, they will vanish after one hit.]


    ¡°A little bloodthirsty, but I can see the positives¡­¡± Sam told her as she preened under his gaze.


    ¡°Right? My little raven is the best!¡± Lucy declared while she continued to pet that happy bird on her shoulder.


    ¡°Still calling it raven?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°If the name fits¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that¡­¡±


    They spent some time after that in companionable silence, pampering their respective familiars before Lucy reluctantly spoke up.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯re finished with this, what¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡°Well, any issues with the project?¡±


    ¡°Lara and Adam have everything well in hand.¡±


    ¡°Ironwood?¡±


    ¡°The usual, but things have calmed down.¡±


    ¡°Tim?¡±


    ¡°Tim.¡±


    ¡°The guy sometimes scares me.¡±


    ¡°You and half the city¡­¡± she said with a proud smile. ¡°Do you think you need to go down south and check out the blood magic thing?¡±


    ¡°Now there is an idea¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Sam found his team in one of the bigger conference rooms in the headquarters, waiting for him. All of them had their familiars out, either pampering them, feeding them, or in Katie¡¯s case, trying to convince the uninterested Puffball to play with some kind of cat toy.


    ¡°Hey, people!¡± he greeted everyone as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. The workers and servants were trusted, but not this much. ¡°How did the evolution go?¡±


    Instantly, everyone began to speak at once, creating an unintelligible cacophony in the room. Sam created a small air implosion causing the room to plunge into silence.


    He pointed to Dan.


    ¡°Dan, you first.¡±


    Dan grinned and raised his left hand, which was used by the much bigger and now multicolored Hawky as a perch as it tried to put Dan¡¯s hair in order.


    ¡°He evolved into a Thermic Spirit Hawk. I can use him as a conduit to cast my fire or ice magic!¡± He declared proudly. "Also, check this out!¡±


    Sam looked down at the system screen.


    [Absolute Zero: Level 0/7 (Active) The familiar can spend all its life energy and mana to create an area where the temperature becomes absolute zero, stopping the movement of everything in the affected area. The familiar can only do this seven times without consequences. Cooldown: 168 hours.]


    ¡°A pretty badass ulti skill, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Sam just grinned. ¡°Maybe after seven times, it will transform into a phoenix¡­¡±


    Dan looked at him with big eyes then at the hawk on his hand. ¡°You really think so?¡±


    ¡°I mean that sounds like something a phoenix would do and seven is a pretty magical number¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Sam let the fire mage contemplate his idea ¨C which was naturally just a guess ¨C and he turned to Clarissa, ignoring Katie vibrating in the background.


    She nodded at him and then simply gestured at the swan that became big enough to be ridden on.


    ¡°Praetorian Arcane Swan. It gets stronger when protecting me,¡± she explained simply.


    ¡°Any cool skills?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°My heal is more effective on him but otherwise nothing that I would call special.¡± She glanced at the swan, who was standing proudly next to her. ¡°Well, maybe one of them.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Melody. Rain of Iron,¡± she ordered quietly.


    Instantly, the swan honked once, and with a small expenditure of mana, a score of blades and handles shaped like feathers appeared around the bird, aimed directly at Sam¡¯s family jewels.


    ¡°Cute,¡± Sam declared drily while creating a small shield, just in case.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he?¡± Clarissa replied with a proud voice and a smile directed at the equally proud swan.


    Resisting to roll his eyes, he turned to Isabella.


    ¡°Izzy? Where is your treant?¡±


    The young woman just grinned and pointed at her circlet, which Sam just now noticed looked like something a Roman emperor would wear. Then the two eyes opened on two of the leaves in the middle, and the familiar blinked at Sam.


    He awkwardly waved at it.


    ¡°My adorable little Sable is now capable of transforming into items! And casting illusions! So much better than some other familiars¡­¡± she told Sam proudly while Katie just blew a raspberry at her.


    ¡°What did it transform into?¡±


    ¡°Lesser Nymph Spirit. Isn¡¯t it awesome?¡±


    ¡®Oh no¡­ that¡¯s very close to fey¡­¡¯ Sam mused worriedly while outwardly he just gave her a nod and smile.


    ¡°Yes, very awesome.¡±


    Then it was time for Katie. The berserker girl stood up and pointed at Puffball, who was currently cleaning ¡®himself¡¯.


    ¡°My cat turned into a... drumroll please¡­¡± Nobody made the drumroll sound, but she just continued. ¡°¡­a CAT!¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Dan said, not even looking up from Hawky.


    ¡°Perfectly logical,¡± added Clarissa.


    Katie just gaped at them.


    Sam gave her an apologetic look. ¡°You can¡¯t think we would be surprised by your cat, Katie¡­ It¡¯s weird as hell!¡±


    She crossed her arms in front of her and pouted. ¡°You guys are no fun¡­¡± Then she grinned and a system screen appeared in front of everybody. ¡°Check this out! Read it and weep!¡±


    [Quantum Cat-like Grace: Level 7/100 (45%) (Active/Passive) It is well known that cats exist in multiple dimensions and quantum states. They can observe and traverse multiple dimensions and even exist in them at the same time. Thanks to your connection to your familiar, you can now do this too, albeit a little more limited.


    You can summon ¡®clones¡¯ of yourself in alternate states that would do the same action as you do. The clones look and sound the same as you. Only dogs can 100% differentiate them.]


    Isabella immediately piped up. ¡°Thank god we have Lucky¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    <hr>


    Returning to the real world, Sam let out a yawn and stretched.


    The game was excellent in recreating all sensations, but there was something special about doing an excellent stretch in the real world.


    With the debuff affecting all of them on some level ¨C naturally, he was the most affected ¨C they had to take a little break before doing anything important. They agreed that until the debuff wore off, they would focus on crafting or small quests that didn¡¯t need major mana usage.


    Katie had some cooking quests, and Clarissa was close to leveling up her alchemy. Dan just decided to go over to his girlfriend¡¯s construction and haul rocks as training. And Isabella spent the downtime training her pet in illusions and battle strategies.


    He went through his usual return to real-world ritual, then with still damp hair, sat down in front of his computer and began to go over his daily correspondence.


    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t get far as he instantly spotted an email in his main account.


    Letting out a sigh, he opened it and began to read it.


    Dear Mr. Lawrence,


    We would like to invite you to the Stelborne Gala and Charity Auction¡­


    As he finished the letter, he only had one thought.


    ¡®Wasn¡¯t that Katie¡¯s family name?¡¯

 Chapter 231 - Interlude 22

    Working in security, unless you wanted to be more than a standard-sized mook, was an exercise of patience and hurry-the-fuck-up. If you had the education, training and could string together a sentence with at least passable formality, then you would be tasked with jobs that were more complex than ¡®stand there and look mean¡¯.


    Over his life, he had worked for all sorts of companies, doing this and that in the security department, but it was only when he finally got his Level Three Cybersecurity certification that his career had taken off. He would finally be able to get jobs where he would do more than protect some random building.


    And that¡¯s exactly what he did. The moment the certification arrived, he sent off his CV to several companies and luckily, Future Unknown replied in a short order. Thus, after jumping through the required hoops, he became part of a team responsible for the security of their flagship product, Magic Unbound.


    They were responsible for making sure that nobody infiltrated or attacked the building where most of the people worked. They also dealt with penetration attacks from enterprising individuals who were looking for information to sell about the game. They even worked with the firewall team, who protected the game in ¡®cyberspace¡¯. They collaborated a lot. Mostly by the cyber team pointing out targets and his team going after them in the real world.


    It was an amazing workplace, with no chance of getting bored.


    He loved almost every aspect of it.


    The unfortunate fact was that the game, Magic Unbound, was a game and product that revolutionized the market. As with most products that did that, they were created by very smart people. And those same very smart people were often very eccentric.


    Very, very eccentric¡­


    This showed itself by having the security experts secure the coffee machine as one of the supervisors thought that their rival department head was hacking the machine to create decaf just when the supervisor was drinking from it.


    To have the main security AI have them run errands for her on account of lacking a proper body¡­


    He was too old to ask questions, so when he got a message from the AI to make sure a package got delivered to somebody without it tripping any security check, he just logged the request in the system ¨C and received instant approval for it ¨C and started to work.


    <hr>


    A week later, he was holding one of the company tablets, front-loaded with the video taken from the building security system, in high-definition color and crispy surround sound.


    Never let it be said he didn¡¯t go the extra mile.


    Following the route the AI gave him ¨C realizing that he was doing a real-life quest ¨C he navigated the labyrinthian corridors of the company building, heading for one of the computer rooms, where his target supposedly resided at the moment.


    After going through the mandatory security scans, proving his identity in seven different ways, he was finally granted access to the hallowed halls of the development team.


    He took a moment to take in the walls, ceiling and every other available surface covered with monitors as people in leisurely clothing ¨C opposite to his pristine security uniform ¨C were dotted around the room, surrounded by even more monitors and devices that might as well been magic to an average person.


    Nobody looked up as he stepped into the room except the AI, whose face appeared on a nearby screen, and silently pointed at one of the people who was actually wearing a lab coat. Coffee stained and oddly ragged, but still a lab coat.


    Making sure to hold the tablet in both of his hands, he walked up to the man and cleared his throat.


    ¡°Excuse me, sir?¡±


    Predictably, the man¡¯s eyes were fixated on one of the screens and his words were swallowed by the low murmur and whirring filling the room.


    ¡°Excuse me!¡± he repeated, louder.


    He had to do it a few more times before the man finally heard him. The lab coat-wearing man turned around and blinked at him with a confused gaze before looking at his clothing and finally, his eyes landed on the tablet in his hands.


    ¡°I-is t-that it?¡±


    He said nothing, just handed it over.


    The man in the lab coat reached out with trembling hands and took the tablet.


    The moment the man touched the screen it came alive and a video began to play.


    He watched as the man collapsed to his knees and began to openly weep. Glancing at the AI watching the proceedings he sent her a questioning look and thankfully he received a nod in response.


    Still staying silent he turned around and left the room post haste as the wailing turned into demented laughter.


    As the door closed behind him, thankfully cutting off the disturbing sounds, he only had one thought going through his head.


    ¡®These people are fucking crazy¡­¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°So, what do you have for me today?¡±


    The people before him looked at each other awkwardly, and he could already feel his mood plummet.


    He let out a sigh and took a desperate sip of his coffee, hoping that the double dose of caffeine would make things better.


    It did not.


    ¡°What the fuck did that fucker do?¡±


    The people in front of him exchanged another glance. That just made him more worried.


    ¡°He¡­he started the evolution rituals.¡±


    ¡°Right. What kind of ridiculous items did he get for it?¡±


    ¡°Er¡­nothing. He went with rare items but nothing special.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The ritual was also pretty simple.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He is a Rune Master, but he didn¡¯t get one of the high-level circles for the evolution. He just used the same one as last time,¡± explained one of them.


    ¡°I mean, he did modify it a little and use his Illusionary Runes,¡± added the other one.


    He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened them, and took another fortifying sip of his drink.


    ¡°And, what happened?¡±


    He was getting concerned at the amount of eye contact his employees were exchanging.


    Instead of waiting for them to spit it out, he went for the faster but more headache-inducing solution.


    ¡°Selene, be a dear and show me what that fucker did. And order more glitter¡­¡±


    The AI winked at him and the screens in front of him went black for a fraction of a second before he saw the interior of a ritual room that was very familiar. Mostly because it contained the digital animal whose plush copy became his daughter¡¯s favorite toy.


    They watched the entire ritual in fast-forward as several auxiliary screens showed the numbers as things moved around in the background.


    The video slowed down as Lucky¡¯s impressive form solidified on the screen.


    The various people around the room watched as their boss closed his eyes, placed his cup of coffee on the table next to him, then bit into his fist as he silently screamed.


    That lasted for exactly twenty-three-point-eighty-nine seconds.


    Selene displayed the counter on one of the screens so that the betting table could be updated.


    Also, recently somebody had set up a fantasy league using the various bosses around the company, using their reactions to different things as statistics. This one would definitely make somebody rich¡­


    Finally, he let go of his fist and opened his eyes again. Flinched a little when he saw the still video on the screen. He turned to Selene, who was watching everything very smugly.


    ¡°Do I even want to know what happened to the skills?¡±


    Selene, the traitorous AI, instantly displayed the gained skills.


    He spent a few minutes reading, then re-reading the skills gained by Lucky¡¯s new form. Then came the analysis by the smart people from the statistics department who calculated the effects of the skills on the fucker¡¯s own skills.


    ¡°Well, I hate this, but this is actually not the worst¡­¡± he admitted as he processed the information.


    He then became aware as one of his employees suddenly sucked in some air. Slowly, he turned around and looked at her.


    The woman refused to meet his eyes.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Heactuallyhelpedhisteamtodothesameritual!¡± she spoke fast enough that he could barely understand a few words.


    However, before he could ask for clarification, Selene helpfully changed the screens and he was face to face with four more evolved familiars. Under them was a small summary of the changes and the new skills.


    In the back of the room, two people watched as the sound meter showcased the decibel of the despairing scream coming from their boss.


    They looked at each other and added the measurements to the table.


    <hr>


    ¡°Can we change the familiar system?¡±


    ¡°Why would we?¡±


    ¡°Have you seen what that f¡­ I mean what that man did?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Pretty creative¡­¡±


    He closed his eyes and said a prayer in the hope that the decision-makers would finally understand what this would do to the balance of the game.


    But nooooo¡­


    They just saw that engagement numbers went up as a result and simply celebrated.


    Never mind that the engagement numbers meant that a lot more people called that fucker a cheater and complained to the company. The customer support even had to create a process to deal with complaints and questions related to that fucker.


    It was a rumor, but he heard that one of the customer support team leaders had contacted a witch to curse the fucker.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    He hoped it would work.


    ¡°What exactly do you want us to do? We have found ¨C repeatedly I remind you ¨C that he isn¡¯t cheating. That¡¯s still true, right?¡±


    He hated to say it, but he had to. ¡°Yes, he is still not cheating.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°According to those investigations!¡± he yelled, interrupting the other man. ¡°But I¡¯m sure if we did ano¡­¡±


    Now he was interrupted.


    ¡°No. No more investigations. He is under surveillance, so if he steps even one toe out of line we can act, but for now, even with the extra costs due to all the private investigators, he brings in enough money.¡±


    He winced a little. Just the sales of the Lucky plushies were enough to fund some impressive things. It was really hard to argue against making money at this age.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just punish him? A curse? A tiny little curse? Just teeny-tiny one?¡±


    The other man gave him a sad look. ¡°Just go home and sleep on it, all right? I will make sure your department knows you¡¯re resting.¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Stephen sat down in AzureTiger¡¯s office and ignored the giant octopus hugging the girl from behind. There were just things in life that one wasn¡¯t meant to know.


    The petite girl spent a few seconds arranging the documents arrayed in front of her before looking at him with a smile.


    ¡°Well, it seems it worked.¡±


    ¡°The mayor is happy?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°He is always happy when he doesn¡¯t have to pay for something. And with the eradication of those exploders, he doesn¡¯t have to pay for more repairs. Of course, he is happy.¡±


    Stephen smiled at that. The battle was hard, but they managed to send those damned elemental exploders packing. With the help of a seal given to them by the elementals, they even managed to seal their abilities to summon elementals.


    The rage of those players on the forums still brought warmth to his soul.


    ¡°What about the reward?¡±


    ¡°The Higher Elemental gave us some really good elemental reagents.¡±


    ¡°I can see¡­¡± he told her as he eyed the octopus behind her as it made tea and poured it out for them silently and impressively elegant.


    The girl nodded and continued.


    ¡°You know the ritual we used?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you know where we got it?¡±


    He scratched his head. There was something in his memories, but as he was mostly occupied with defeating those assholes and making sure he maintained his relationship with Kim, he couldn¡¯t really remember.


    ¡°I think¡­we got it somewhere, right?¡±


    AzureTiger, or Diana, let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°We bought it from the AFK Company.¡±


    He hit his palm with his fist. ¡°Right. We bought it for very cheap, now I remember.¡± Then he froze. ¡°Was there some problem with it?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No. It worked perfectly. But they contacted us again.¡±


    He relaxed and accepted a cookie from the octopus. It was still warm.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°They wanted to know what we thought about the ritual¡­¡±


    Well, that was a simple answer. ¡°We love it. Have you seen Slathy?¡± he asked proudly.


    ¡°Hard not to,¡± came the answer from the petite girl as she glanced out of the window that was covered in very silky fur. ¡°Anyway, I said the same thing. So they offered us an exclusive supply contract.¡±


    Now that sounded great, but he wasn¡¯t economically inclined. He left that to Diana and the rest of the brain trust.


    ¡°That¡¯s great¡­or is it?¡±


    She hummed thoughtfully. ¡°The contract itself is very good. Guaranteed cheap prices and access to everything they can supply.¡±


    Stephen swallowed at hearing that. There was very little that the AFK Company couldn¡¯t acquire in their neck of the woods. Rumors were that some richy-rich guy who stayed at Heavenly Forest made up a ¡®game¡¯ of asking for ridiculous things. According to the posts on their account, the concierge nodded after every request and returned in an hour with the item.


    The last item they asked for was a Transformation Tree Seed that was sold in rare auctions. The concierge just showed up with one like nothing happened. It was the last item because after it the guy¡¯s parents saw how much he was spending and made him stop.


    ¡°Do we get access to Heavenly Forest?¡± he asked hopefully. He always wanted to see it with his own eyes.


    Diana shook her head. ¡°Excluded from the contract.¡±


    ¡°Bummer¡­¡± he said softly. ¡°But you¡¯re worried¡­¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I¡¯m afraid this is just the start of a plan of having us under their control¡­¡±


    Stephen nodded and leaned back in his chair, missing the time when Slathy was chair-sized.


    ¡°Would that be that bad?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Diana¡¯s eyes were wide open at hearing that. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ AFK is pretty strong¡­ They have Solar and his team. We¡¯re just a simple pet guild. None of us are at the top¡­ If we join them, then we can be part of something greater.¡±


    Diana hummed as the octopus combed her hair.


    Before she could speak up, Stephen leaned forward and smirked at the smaller girl.


    ¡°Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean we couldn''t bleed them dry before we are¡­¡±


    Diana¡¯s eyes widened again and sent him a look he couldn¡¯t really decipher.


    ¡°Tell me more¡­¡± she whispered huskily.


    Suddenly the room felt a lot hotter, and he desperately wished he had Slathy with him.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Father, would you mind elucidating about the reason for the invite?¡±


    Clad in one of her insanely expensive summer dresses ¨C wishing that she could be wearing her armor from the game ¨C Katie looked at her father.


    Her brother, probably wisely, just kept looking at his food, which was excellent as always, but Katie couldn¡¯t muster the enthusiasm to enjoy it.


    Instead, she continued to glare at her father. Elegantly, of course.


    Said person continued to eat, taking small bites of the meal before him before answering. He swallowed, dabbed his mouth with the cloth napkin, then folded it and placed it on the table before sighing.


    ¡°Katherine. He is¡­ your friend. It behooves me as a father to make your¡­friend an¡­ acquaintance.¡±


    She wanted to cry bullshit, but with a tremendous effort, she stopped herself.


    ¡°Certainly not because he caused you monetary losses, thus you wish to humiliate him in an environment where he is unfamiliar?¡± she asked innocently.


    The glower from her father was totally worth it to remind him of his short-sightedness and failure.


    ¡°Naturally, a man such as myself is above such behavior,¡± he replied neutrally. ¡°I simply wish to take a measure of a man who has become a part of my daughter¡¯s life.¡±


    Katie once again had to stop herself from sneering. This always happened. She would make a friend, her father would invite them to some event, make a fool of them, threaten them or find some other way to make them not want to hang out with her. She knew at least five different occasions where he simply bribed them to go away.


    Thankfully, she doubted her father was willing to fork out enough money to bribe Sam to go away. Not that she thought Sam would do it. Maybe he would accept it and then use it to fuck with her father¡­


    She had dreams about Lucy and Sam buying her father¡¯s company and booting him from the board¡­


    Katie had to fight to hold back her smile that threatened to break out on her face.


    Her father expected a bumbling upstart to come to his fancy event, but Katie knew that Sam was much more than that.


    Plus, he already told the team his plan, and she conservatively laughed for at least ten minutes straight after hearing it. Her father probably expected Sam to invite Katie ¨C who already had a date for the event ¨C or one of the other guild members.


    Which was not wrong¡­ However, her father probably expected it to be Lucy, the second in command of the guild. Sam once again defied expectations and asked Lara to escort him. Just a short search showed that while her family was rich, Lara¡¯s family was richer.


    Once again, Sam was several steps ahead of her father. She couldn¡¯t wait to stand next to Isabella and watch the fireworks. The two of them decided when they were younger that they would attend these soirees as each other¡¯s date to avoid dealing with overly amorous suitors and creeps.


    Out of curiosity, she approached Dan to ask what he felt when he found out his girlfriend was going to escort Sam. Poor guy was just happy that he didn¡¯t have to schmooze with all those rich people. Katie was quite envious of their relationship and trust in each other.


    ¡®One day I¡¯m going to have the same!¡¯


    ¡°As you wish, father,¡± she finally spoke up, giving a measured nod to her father, who instantly began to eye her suspiciously. ¡°I have complete faith in my friend¡¯s ability to comport himself with the appropriate decorum.¡±


    ¡°You do, huh¡­¡±


    She maintained eye contact with her father while she saw from the corner of her eyes as her brother looked away, also fighting against his facial muscles.


    After a minute of silence, he finally let out another sigh. ¡°Katherine, please be sure to remind your¡­friend about the appropriate behavior at such an event.¡±


    ¡°Of course, father. I¡¯m also going to ask him if he has anything to donate to the charity auction¡­¡±


    ¡°Make sure he gets back to you before next Mon¨C¡°


    ¡°Got it,¡± she called out as she put away her phone. ¡°He will donate the figurine he got for reaching Level 101 to the auction.¡± She allowed herself to give her father a smug look.


    He eyed her, his eyes occasionally glancing at David, who was either choking or trying not to laugh.


    ¡°Fabulous¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    School was school.


    She studied because that was what was expected of her. Her sister, bless her heart, was not really big on studying and instead of suffering, she simply dropped it and went with something that she was competent at.


    Thankfully, studying came easy for her, so she could fulfill their parents¡¯ dream and become a doctor or something similar. She hadn¡¯t found an area she was really interested in yet. But thanks to her sister¡¯s job, she only had to study and didn¡¯t have to worry about where the next meal would come from.


    Then, naturally, Magic Unbound came out and her sister joined just as expected. At first she, like everyone else, treated it like every other game. Then something changed.


    The first time she and their parents noticed the change was when the money started flowing in more consistently. Usually, her sister sent them money when she got a paying gig, but now every week it came like clockwork.


    After some needling, they managed to get the reason for it out of her.


    She managed to land a contract with a mysterious person who was paying big money for her sister¡¯s talents.


    Naturally, she first thought that her romantically useless sister managed to land a sugar daddy, but after some time it turned out no, the curse was not broken and her sister was actually really working for somebody in the game.


    Their mother spent a lot of time looking out of the window forlornly that day¡­


    But due to some paperwork needing to be filled out, some good ol¡¯fashioned snooping around, she managed to get the ID of the second in command of the guild where her sister worked.


    Luckily, they were cool. Thus she managed to sneak around her sister¡¯s tight-fisted control.


    Soon ¨C with the blessing of her parents ¨C she had her own gaming pod. Her parents even bought a pair of helmets just to check the game out. Her father wanted to see if he could raise horses and her mother wanted to be a fantasy mixologist.


    Weirdos¡­


    Just to be sure, before she started her journey in the world of Magic Unbound, she wrote a message to Clarissa¡¯s boss. According to every forum article, he was one of the top players in their country, if not in the world.


    She hoped she would maybe get some basic advice and such, but as soon as they started talking, he began asking questions about her plans and what kind of character she wanted to be. When she described her ideal skill setup, based on long nights of internet research, he helped her to refine it and then dumped several books worth of information on her with the stipulation that she kept it to herself.


    After giving it a read, she looked some of the information up on the net to see how legit the guy was really.


    She couldn¡¯t find anything. Nothing. Nada.


    As she was preparing with her friends and classmates to enter the game, she was tempted to share some of it, but she knew very well she only got it because of her sister and no matter how much she complained about Clarissa, she didn¡¯t want to cause trouble.


    Instead, she swallowed her words and simply nodded along as her friends shared whatever info they got from the net. Some of them, who had more money, also bought some guides.


    Sadly, most of them said almost the complete opposite of what Clarissa¡¯s boss had given her.


    <hr>


    They spent the first few minutes getting used to the game, cutting through the crowd in the beginner village, while she sent a message to Clarissa¡¯s boss about her location. Then, following his advice she pulled her friends with her to the local government office to get their identifications.


    ¡°Name?¡±


    ¡°Cintee. With an i and two e,¡± she answered, using her nickname as a character name.


    The official made some notes and then looked over some more documents.


    ¡°Everything seems to be in order,¡± she finally declared. ¡°Please, give me a moment to retrieve the completed document.¡± And with that, the elderly lady stood up and left the room where the process happened.


    Cynthia spent a minute or two humming to herself before the elderly official returned with a bundle of documents and a wooden box.


    The documents were the first ones handed over. ¡°First, your documentation. Please, don¡¯t lose it, deary.¡±


    She took it and immediately placed it in her inventory.


    Then the old lady continued. ¡°And here is a box that was sent here for you,¡± she explained as she handed over the box. ¡°Came straight from Ironwood, it did, dear.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± she said with a smile as the box found its way into her inventory.


    It was probably the support package Solar sent her.


    She spent a few moments thanking the old lady ¨C following Solar¡¯s instruction about NPC relationships- and left the room with a lemony candy in her palm.


    <hr>


    They regrouped in one of the private rooms in the tavern, using their meager amount of gold to rent it for an hour or two. Five people were in the room, including her.


    Her best friend, another friend from the school, and three girls that friend knew who also wanted to start the game with a group. There were plenty of guys who ¡®offered¡¯ to join them and help but as the nominal leader of the group, she refused them. There was no need for that kind of drama¡­


    ¡°So, Cynthia, why did we have to spend our money to get this room?¡± One of the girls asked. Brittany or something. Cynthia expected that she would soon jump ship as soon as she found a better group to support her. Her friends would follow her, no doubt. As they were very pretty, she expected it would happen as soon as they stepped out of the beginner village.


    But for now, she would deal with them. Who knows, maybe she was just prejudiced and they would become best friends.


    ¡°For this!¡± she exclaimed as she dramatically slammed the box down on the table.


    The others gathered around it with a curious look as she opened it. There was no fanfare, mysterious lights, or smoke. Instead, she spied a bag obviously filled with coins and a few books. Skillbooks, she realized a moment later.


    Based on the gasps going around the room, the rest of the girls did, too.


    ¡°How much money is that?¡±


    One of them reached over and opened the bag. ¡°I mean, with the current gold price, this is¡­


    ¡°Oh, look, those are skillbooks!¡±


    ¡°What kind?¡±


    Cynthia gingerly reached forward and began to read the titles.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ we have five Mana Body Enhancement, several basic elemental spells, and some healing ones. We also got five Clean spells.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ Cynthia, who is your friend?¡±


    She made sure to distribute the skillbooks to the others, keeping silent about the few books she took from the box that were just for her.


    According to Solar, there was a limit to how much he could interfere within the beginner village due to the newbie protection, but giving them a little money and some skillbooks they could also easily get with a little work wouldn¡¯t be opposed by the system.


    It would just make their start more comfortable. The greatest treasure he could give her were the mana control and other magic manuals. They would be instrumental in fulfilling her goal...


    As soon as everybody learned the skillbooks, they broke up and went their way. Their plan called for everyone to start alone and get as many experience points as possible. Then, when they reached Level 10, they would tackle some things that required teamwork.


    She waited until her friends left the room and, claiming she had to talk to her sister a little, she stayed back.


    The moment the door closed, she sat down and closed her eyes.


    Time to see if the manual really worked¡­

 Chapter 232

    The room looked half-finished, but even so, Sam could see the potential in it. Most of the floor and walls were finished, here and there missing some plates to expose the area behind it where either wire was laid or some other artifact was placed, pulsating with cheerful magic. The rest of the hall was filled with boxes holding all manner of devices and tools.


    Instead of trying to make farmlands that they had to protect and then transition to hydroponics, they decided to start with some proto-hydroponics, using their rituals and high-quality seeds to start the basics of the process.


    Though, they were only going with the proto-hydroponics for now as most of the devices depended on Liz. They were not complicated, but the young woman was still working on reliable mass production and anything they needed her expertise for was bespoke work.


    Sam knew it was possible, as in the future a lot of things were mass produced. Though ironically, thanks to some developer shenanigans, projectile weapons, while replacing bows and crossbows, didn¡¯t really become mainstream enough to retire every other weapon type. The good old sharp stick was still the king, even in the future.


    Thus, his plan was to ignore manufacturing weapons and simply focus on everything else. There were hundreds, maybe even thousands of groups out there spending all their time, effort, and money on trying to crack the secret to manufacture high-quality weapons without the inclusion of expensive and hard-to-approach artisans.


    He would be content with everything else.


    ¡°Sam!¡±


    He turned around to the call and saw Clarissa approaching him in her work clothes. He was on site, helping out because the Magic Exhaustion debuff prevented him from doing anything interesting, but the team¡¯s healer was there, as she was interested in gardening and growing even more plants that could heal people.


    More than likely, assisting in the construction of this institution would raise her skill levels massively. Or grant her some new ones¡­


    ¡°Hey, Clarissa! What¡¯s up?¡± he greeted her with a small wave as he put down the box he was carrying.


    She stopped before him and crossed her arms over her dirty overalls.


    ¡°Why are you talking to my sister?¡± she asked with a glare.


    ¡°Because she asked for help?¡± he answered with a shrug. ¡°Contacted Lucy and we talked about it and decided to give her a little help to see what she does.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Then she told me what kind of characters she wanted to make,¡± he continued with an excited grin. He kind of wished he thought of it first¡­ ¡°Then I started helping her because I wanted to see it realized!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s her plan?¡±


    Sam shook his head. ¡°Sorry. I promised I wouldn¡¯t tell you.¡± Seeing Clarissa¡¯s face, he hurriedly continued. ¡°Look, Clarissa. Your sister looks up to you. She wants to impress you ¨C maybe annoy you a little ¨C and make you proud. She clearly wants to do it in the medium you¡¯re the expert in. In the game.¡±


    Clarissa opened her mouth to argue with him but Sam just waved his hand. ¡°Look, if you don¡¯t trust me, trust Lucy. She keeps in touch with your parents and makes sure that your sister keeps up with her studies and social life.¡±


    That brought her up short. ¡°I even had Tim go over and make sure they are secure¡­¡±


    The talented healer closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Sam watched as she visibly counted back from ten before finally opening them.


    After a few moments of more silence, she finally spoke up.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t trust you in general, Sam,¡± she started to talk softly, looking into his eyes. ¡°I mean I still think you¡¯re hiding some humongous stupid stuff, but in general I trust you. I just¡­ I don¡¯t want my sister to fall into the same¡­ hole I did.¡±


    Sam just stayed silent, letting the woman standing next to him express herself.


    ¡°I was never good at learning, or school, or doing social things. As you know¡­¡± she explained sheepishly, glancing at Sam, who just nodded silently, urging her to continue. ¡°She¡­ Cynthia is the exact opposite. School is easy for her, she makes friends easily. She has so much potential. This game is great. I have fun, but in the end, it is just a game. I want her to have more¡­¡±


    He reached out and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°I get that, but you can¡¯t simply cage her. The more you limit her, the more she¡¯ll rebel¡­ Instead, be there to support her and cheer her up when she fails¡­ As a big sister, that¡¯s the best thing you can do.¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that? I read all the books about this¡­¡± she exclaimed, her voice still soft with a little warble in it. Lucky wandered over from wherever he was nosing around and pushed his soft head into Clarissa¡¯s hand, which had dropped down to her side. The young woman absently began to pet the wolf, relaxing a minuscule amount. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ worried¡­ that¡¯s all¡­¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Sam nodded again and squeezed her shoulder trying to communicate his support.


    ¡°Well, then how about we all help to make sure your sister doesn¡¯t¡­how do you say? Ah, yes. Doesn¡¯t fall in with the wrong crowd, ok?¡±


    She playfully glared at him, but Sam saw her turn away for a quick moment and move her sleeve near her face before turning back.


    ¡°She already talks to you. That¡¯s the very definition of a bad crowd!¡±


    ¡°Moi? I resent that accusation, madam! I have never done anything that would warrant labeling me as such!¡± he exclaimed theatrically.


    Clarissa just harrumphed.


    ¡°Enough of that. Just make sure she has fun and I¡¯ll be happy. Now, where did you put that fertilizer?¡±


    ¡°Over in the corner next to the soil enhancer potions. I put a cooling rune circle around it to keep it fresh.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°You know, my grandfather thinks I¡¯m building a harem.¡±


    Sam glanced over the enormous stone he was holding, walking with it toward a tower that was being built, and blinked at Lara.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The invitation to that stupid charity?¡± she clarified her statement. At least parts of it¡­


    ¡°Ah,¡± he nodded, then grinned at her. ¡°I¡¯m game if you guys are up for it!¡±


    Lara just scoffed and slapped his shoulder, sending him teetering a little under the weight of the stone. In the background, Lucky, after turning the size of a pony, was giving rides to the NPC kids. There were already several NPC families living in the finished parts of the new town. Mostly working in the service and administration industry. But there were several who were looking for opportunities and were trying to set up businesses.


    ¡°No, thank you. You don¡¯t have enough muscles for that¡­¡±


    ¡°Pity¡­¡±


    He put the stone down with a thud, kicking up some dust, wishing very hard that his debuff would go away. Sadly, it was one of those things that wasn¡¯t possible to cure without divine intervention. He cleaned his hand with a dirty rag, wishing he had his clean aura on. Working in this dusty environment was driving him up the wall.


    ¡°Did Dan complain?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding? He was incredibly relieved he didn¡¯t have to attend it,¡± she said with a shake of her head. ¡°He told me to bring back some good food and to have fun. Then ran away. The coward¡­¡±


    ¡°You love that coward,¡± Sam pointed out playfully.


    ¡°Exactly. Have you seen his ass? I love watching him run¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t really argue with that¡­¡±


    ¡°Good, then don¡¯t.¡± she retorted with a smile before it vanished, replaced by seriousness. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    Sam shrugged, expecting the question ever since he invited her as his plus one to that charity event Katie¡¯s family ¨C or rather her father ¨C organized.


    ¡°Go in, shmooze people, pretend I¡¯m a bumbling rube and have no idea how to behave, and drive Katie¡¯s dad up the wall.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± she asked not at all believing him. Sam would have been hurt by the disbelief, but she was right.


    ¡°Depends on who shows up¡­ I may have plans to drop a few nuggets of tantalizing information here and there, as I pretend not to notice people overhearing things.¡±


    Lara just snorted. ¡°Grandpa looked into it. Katie¡¯s dad is making sure that everyone shows up. Naturally, they all think it was their idea, but the guy is clearly planning something.¡±


    ¡°Of course, he is planning something. Guys like that are always planning something.¡±


    ¡°And let me guess, you¡¯re also planning something¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s just a pity that Katie¡¯s father is bringing a knife to a balloon fight¡­¡±


    Lara blinked at hearing that, then snorted.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure if I tell my grandpa that even he would show up.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make the national news? I checked, and he hasn¡¯t officially attended any function in years¡­¡±


    Lara eyed him a little before nodding a little sadly. ¡°After grandma passed away he just couldn¡¯t enjoy them as much according to him.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe he needs a good laugh¡­ I can practice my juggling skills.¡±


    ¡°I saw those at the last party, you need more time than we have until the charity event,¡± she replied cheekily.


    ¡°Why are you so mean to me?!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°How is life treating you?¡±


    Adam looked up from behind his desk, which was finally the right size, and looked at Sam.


    ¡°Busy, as you know.¡±


    ¡°I do indeed. Any issue I need to know about?¡± Sam asked placidly, as he leaned back in his chair. It was a really good idea to recruit the man opposite of him. The way he ran the guild was like magic. Based on what he knew of people, he was pretty sure there was at least one faction in the guild that was planning to rebel or try to take over the business and despite Tim¡¯s tireless work there was also no doubt whatsoever that there were spies, but those didn¡¯t really affect the running of the guild.


    At least for now¡­


    ¡°There is¡­a faction growing¡­¡± Adam admitted reluctantly.


    ¡®There it was¡­¡¯ Sam mused. ¡°Are they planning to rebel? Break away? Steal our vault? Dance the hula?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Adam shook his head. ¡°They¡¯re demanding that we become more aggressive with the other guilds in the area. They want the guild to rule Ironwood and the surroundings.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ that¡¯s the plan? We drive out the other guilds and make bank. That has always been the plan!¡±


    ¡°They want it to happen faster¡­¡± Adam replied with a scowl. ¡°I can¡¯t really punish them, but I don¡¯t have any targets to send them against¡­¡± he explained leadingly while eyeing Sam.


    Sam thought a little, then summoned his system screen and called Tim.


    It rang a few times before Tim¡¯s face appeared in front of him. He invited Adam to the call and greeted the assassin, ignoring the giggles in the background as several maid costumes vanished behind the corner as the company¡¯s security professional sought out a place where he could talk to him without interruption.


    ¡°Hey, Tim. Any guilds sniffing around the new town?¡±


    ¡°All of them,¡± came the deadpan reply. ¡°You need names?¡±


    ¡°Just coordinates.¡±


    ¡°Which ones?¡±


    Sam tapped his lips with a finger, glanced at Adam, then replied. ¡°Give me a random assortment. A few dozen obvious groups, a few dozen hidden ones and sprinkle in a few super-duper secret ones.¡±


    It barely took a moment for Tim and Adam to realize his plans.


    The next few hours were spent on the call as the three of them made use of the bloodthirsty members of the guild to cause a little bit of chaos in the ranks of their enemies.


    Economically they were already at the top around Ironwood, and according to the latest survey Lucy managed to get her hands on, they were also in the top thirty percent of businesses in the Emerald Kingdom.


    Now, it was time to start to make sure that the guilds still staying in the area realized how much they were outclassed.


    Well, at least the smaller, annoying ones. Sam and Lucy had no plans about destroying small guilds made by friends, classmates, or smaller workshops. That was just bad for business. But other dark guilds or guilds that had the chance to destroy them?


    Now, those were fair game¡­

 Chapter 233

    ¡°You know, I was wondering why you were walking around on your own. Weren¡¯t you worried about assassination attempts?¡± Clarissa asked as they were working on one of the shelving units that were going to be used to hold the plants in the proto-hydroponics section of the cavern.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sam grunted as he was trying to fit one of the screws into the hole while the offending piece of metal refused to cooperate.


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯re walking around without any disguise or protection while there are several hundreds of bounties for your head.¡±


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Partially about the question, but partially because he finally managed to finagle the stupid screw into the proper position.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s simple. We leaked that we were expecting a giant assassination attempt. So, people stood back and waited to see who would do it and to see what they could learn from it.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s worked?¡± Clarissa asked agog at the gullibility of people.


    ¡°They wanted to kill me and they expect that a lot of other people want to kill me. We played on their assumption,¡± he explained proudly. ¡°I expect it would work a few more times before they wise up.¡± He looked back at Clarissa. ¡°You know, like the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.¡±


    ¡°Profound. But you know, sooner or later people will realize that you¡¯re always playing mind games. Like the boy who cried wolf. Then it won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°Good. If we¡¯re careful and watch for the moment, it can be used¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean you¡¯re also planning for when people realize how you do things?¡± Clarissa asked, surprised.


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m more like the idea guy. Lucy and Tim make those ideas a reality,¡± he told her. ¡°I freely admit that without them I wouldn¡¯t be here¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rare¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Admitting that your success is because of other people¡­¡± Clarissa said with a sarcastic tilt of her head. ¡°Most of my¡­ acquaintances that I have gotten to know during my gaming days start to brag about the smallest thing they achieved. Even if it only happened with the support of their group or guild.¡± She looked rather bothered by it. ¡°Hell, when I look on the net, there is always some bozo bragging about their fantastic skills or items they got after their guild carried them through the fracture.¡±


    Sam just simply listened.


    ¡°Then I simply compare the skill or the item to something I got while doing something fucking insane with you and have to wonder what¡¯s wrong with you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°With the amount of stuff you know and have, you could have the hottest thing on the net! Why are you not capitalizing on it? A few months of that and you would be set for life!¡± she exclaimed, panting slightly.


    Sam just shook his head.


    ¡°Clarissa, I was set money-wise the moment the game came out. I bought the shares¡­¡±


    ¡°But the power¡­ If I had that¡­ I would¡­¡± she retorted, floundering slightly.


    ¡°Look, I get it. It¡¯s awesome to think about what you could do with that power, but most people forget the darker side of fame. Especially in an, let¡¯s call it industry, where things change very fast. One day, you¡¯re the king, but as soon as somebody finds a spell or item that defeats you, you¡¯re nothing. Instead of that, I just cruise along, having a stable life¡­ much safer and less stressful,¡± he told her with a small smile. ¡°Yes, I could have been really famous, but that¡¯s not the life I want. I simply want to play the game and, more importantly, have fun!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Why? Why do you play the game?¡±


    ¡°To get money, of course!¡± she instantly responded.


    He couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°Clarissa, you¡¯re already rich.¡±


    She looked at him bewildered, tilting her head to the side as if she was thinking really hard about what he said.


    ¡°When was the last time you or your family worried about money?¡± he asked with a challenging look.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± she murmured, then shook her head and simply wandered off in a daze.


    Sam watched her go and shrugged. Maybe she needed it to be spelled out like that¡­ Even so, he shot a message to Lucy so that she could watch out for the team¡¯s healer. Then he turned back to the shelving unit, once again taking up the unending battle against the uncooperative screws and other odds and ends.


    <hr>


    Sam stood in a remote area of their still unnamed town, with his team watching from the side and Lucky standing next to him.


    Katie and Isabella were leaning against a fence, not unlike someone from a ranch dealing with cattle would, watching him eagerly. Dan was sitting on the ground, grooming Hawky with his fingers to the absolute joy of the bird. Clarissa was standing not far from him, arms crossed and simply watching.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    It was time for the debuff to run out.


    He watched the timer count down as Lucky began to recreationally chase his own tail around.


    [Duration: 0 minutes 45 seconds]


    Making sure to warm up he went through a few stretches.


    [Duration: 0 minutes 3 seconds]


    [Duration: 0 minutes 2 seconds]


    [Duration: 0 minutes 1 seconds]


    Sam instantly felt when the debuff vanished. His mana felt like an enormous weight had been removed from his body. He flexed his mana and watched as the world around him wavered, the mana trying to change it, but without directions achieving nothing.


    It was time to try out his new skills.


    ¡°Lucky! Shadow!¡± he called out to his familiar who gave up catching his own tail and without hesitating upon hearing the order jumped into the nearest shadow, vanishing, only to reappear in Sam¡¯s shadow.


    He smiled as he felt the warm presence in his shadow and called out.


    ¡°Transformation! Armor form!¡± He did this mostly to make sure that the system knew for sure what he was doing, and because, like most of his peers, he always wanted to be one of those young people who gained the ability to instantly change into armor and fight the enemy of the weak.


    Immediately, the shadows around his legs thickened, turning into a syrupy consistency, and began to flow up on his leg, until the liquid substance covered his entire body. Then the moment it covered everything, it seized and within a brief instant it took shape, solidifying into a material that looked like metal and leather, revealing his face with a massive grin.


    The armor was part metal and part leather, at least from its looks. It covered his chest with a piece decorated with a stylized face of the wolf. He was also wearing a sleek-looking shoulder pad, bracers made of shadowy black metal, and gloves covered in metal around the knuckles. All of this was connected by a leather-like material that oddly looked a little like scales covered it. His legs similarly were covered by metal in vital areas with greaves decorated like a wolf¡¯s jaws and the boots looked somewhat like an abstract representation of the clawed feet of a wolf.


    ¡°Badass¡­¡± he whispered, grin still on his face as his friends were politely clapping. He flicked his hand and his sword appeared in his hand with a flash of darkness as the Living Armory skill allowed him to summon it.


    He did a few practice swings, then went through a few movements, trying to find how his new armor worked with his skills and preferred fighting style. To his happiness, it didn¡¯t change anything. He could feel the power coursing through him, the new skills he and Lucky got empowering him even further.


    ¡®Can¡¯t wait to see what it is like to use it in a real fight¡­¡¯ he mused as he finished a strike aimed at an imaginary enemy.


    He didn¡¯t have to wait long as Katie was on him with her greatsword sizzling with dangerous magic, her eldritch aura undulating enough that he was pretty sure his anti-chaos skill was steadily going up.


    ¡°How about a little practice fight, boss?¡± she asked with a bloodthirsty grin which told Sam that saying no wasn¡¯t in the cards.


    He smiled at her. ¡°Come at me¡­¡±


    She let out joyous laughter and instantly pounced forward, intent on cleaving Sam in twain.


    In turn, Sam had to activate his own enhancing spells and danced out of the way. Only to have to continue to move as Isabella joined, her swords trying to decapitate him. He parried the sword strikes, only to have to summon a shield to protect himself from being fried by a simple fireball fired by a grinning Dan. Then Clarissa joined by pelting him with simple bullets made of mana as if it was fired from a rifle.


    He also let out a brief laugh, but then he was quickly shut up by his team, and for a while, he could only focus on surviving.


    <hr>


    ¡°How were the new skills?¡± Lucy asked absently as she was working on a document, the tide of which was seemingly unending. Though, apparently, she was enjoying herself.


    ¡°Simply badass!¡± he answered happily, still a little high on success. Some of the skills he got were a surprise, but overall, his plan came together very well. He couldn¡¯t wait to see where these skills went.


    The concept of such skill structuring was still in its infancy, being played around with by researchers around the world. In the future, there were several basic skill structures, or ¡®classes¡¯ that people put together. They were mostly the basic ¡®classes¡¯ making sure that there was at least some standardization around the game, making life easier for those who ran fractures regularly. It allowed regular people to be somewhat competitive. Naturally, the meta of the game changed almost instantly, so if you relied on an in-vogue ¡®class¡¯ to dominate, you would be ill-prepared to react to the changes.


    Thus, making sure, that while these meta ¡®classes¡¯ were easy to achieve thanks to the countless guides, having a ¡®class¡¯ that you worked on and developed on your own, and thus knew about all the ins and outs was always superior.


    Naturally, there were always guilds hunting for the one meta ¡®class¡¯ that would be able to beat everything and would have no weaknesses, but by the time the other Sam died, nobody officially managed to do it.


    Sam¡¯s current build was based on a guy¡¯s build who developed skills to merge with spirits as a necromancer and gain incredible melee powers. If that guy could do it with spirits, why not with a spirit familiar that was raised from level one just for this?


    Far superior in his opinion¡­


    He had already begun to work on a few ¡®classes¡¯ they could hand out to the guild, but he wanted to wait until the first rumors surfaced on the forums. He was already starting arms races practically every time he fought somebody. He didn¡¯t want to personally start this one.


    Plus, it made his life a little easier¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Happy for you. Bless you and whatever. What about the blood crazies?¡± she asked as she moved the finished document from the middle of the desk to an out tray. Sam could feel the mana settling on the paper as Lucy¡¯s skill encrypted the contents.


    ¡°Do you want me to check it out?¡±


    ¡°Please. Tim has been going crazy trying to keep all those idiots back from trying to kill you. He and everybody need a break. If you could drag all those crazies with you, I would be forever thankful¡­¡± she told him with an accusatory tone.


    ¡°Alone or with a team?¡±


    ¡°Clarissa is tapped to train the healers. Lara wants to party with Dan a little, go on a few fracture runs just to experience it.¡±


    ¡°What about the Trouble Twins?¡±


    ¡°Isabella said something about showing her cousins who was the best. I assume Katie will be there, making things worse and chaotic.¡±


    Sam hummed and hawed a little, throwing around his plans in his head, trying to fit the new information and also trying to figure out a solution to the Blood Dance. ¡®Maybe taking a look personally would help?¡¯ he mused before nodding and watching Lucy let out a relieved sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll go. I always wanted to check out the beaches. Maybe we could build a proper beach-side Heavenly Forest¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ I¡¯m really worried about the blood magic thing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ a plan,¡± she finished for him with a small glare. ¡°I know. You always have one. But I have been putting out feelers and I think I have something with one of the replies.¡±


    That caused Sam to sit up. From what the other Sam saw, most of the resistance against the Blood Brothers was unorganized and chaotic as nobody really expected the angle of attack. It took some time until they found things that would help them.


    ¡°Anything actionable?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re still¡­feeling each other out. But soon I think I can make an offer¡­¡±


    ¡°Ugh, politics¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±

 Chapter 234

    Most of his time outside of the game was spent arranging things for the charity. He had to have the statue officially graded, as well as get Future Unknown to certify the validity of the certificate they sent him. Meaningless bureaucratic work, but if he wanted to participate in the event with something to show off, he needed to do it.


    Some people were auctioning off digital equipment, or other items for Magic Unbound, but he refused to join the circus. The event was not sponsored or supported by the game company and he didn¡¯t need to be a genius to know how many ways it could go wrong. His inherited memories were full of unsanctioned and unsupported auctions, real-world shops that deal with in-game equipment. It usually ended up in tears when the seller sent the ¡°wrong¡± item, or simply didn¡¯t send anything.


    Now, these were a higher class of people, but Sam knew they were probably having the same thoughts that those scammers and snake oil salesmen had.


    But he wasn¡¯t the one organizing it, so he kept silent on the issue. He would warn Katie, her brother, and Lara, but otherwise, Sam just looked forward to the fireworks.


    ¡®Seriously, I just have to stand around and these numbskulls humiliate themselves¡­¡¯ he mused good-naturedly as he finished another document. Granted, most of the smart people, the ones who actually ran those giant companies, conglomerates, and whatnot would no doubt see the issue, but the second-generation heirs and vapid sidepieces would eat it up.


    RING RING RING


    He put down his pen ¨C for some reason he had to fill out the documentation on paper too ¨C and picked up his phone.


    ¡°Yello?¡±


    ¡°Sam, it¡¯s Lara.¡±


    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s up?¡± he asked as he lodged the phone between his shoulder and ear while continuing with the torture of his wrist.


    ¡°I¡¯m calling about the charity event,¡± she responded.


    ¡°Are you going to have to call it off?¡±


    Sam could hear her head shake. ¡°No. I¡¯m still your ¡®date¡¯,¡± she replied with a chuckle. ¡°But grandfather wants to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    ¡°Listen, if you don¡¯t want to, I can convin¡­what?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m up for a meeting. When and where?¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Lara asked surprised.


    ¡°Yeah. He sounds like a funny guy,¡± he replied with a chuckle as he went through a checklist and selected the appropriate boxes.


    ¡®Why do they need to know if the item has been inappropriately touched?¡¯


    Lara took some deep breaths before continuing. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That is good. Thank you. How about tomorrow, at our place?¡±


    ¡°Yours and Dan¡¯s or your family¡¯s place?¡±


    Lara chuckled a little. ¡°That¡¯s why I like you. You always catch on fast. At our company¡¯s place. Expect some cousins and whatnot.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s a test.¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°Though the question is: is this a test for me, you, or your cousins?¡±


    ¡°Knowing grandfather, all of the above¡­¡±


    Sam hummed a little as he affixed his signature at the bottom, then took hold of the next document from the stack.


    Declaration of Material Composition


    ¡®Seriously guys¡­ these are all on the digital documents¡­¡¯ he grumbled to himself.


    ¡°Dress code?¡± he asked absentmindedly.


    ¡°Casual work? I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s a company building, so suit?¡± Lara replied with a little confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t really spend time there¡­¡±


    ¡°Great, I have one of those!¡± Thankfully, he had one made by a reputable tailor - all handmade and quality materials. Probably not up to the level that Lara or even Katie¡¯s family were used to, but nobody could accuse him of wearing off-the-rack clothing. ¡°Anybody to watch out for?¡±


    It was Lara¡¯s turn to hum a little. ¡°I mean, most of my cousins are assholes if you don¡¯t have as much money as they have¡­¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t have money. Their family has money¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that. You know that. And they don¡¯t want to think about it.¡±


    ¡°Pity, it would make their life expectancy much higher¡­¡±


    <hr>


    And while he was preparing in real life for future meetings of all kinds, he was also running around in the game to prepare for an excursion to the south.


    He took a quick trip to the capital to check where his team¡¯s and friends¡¯ application to Nowhere was, but they just told him to be patient (somebody even winked at him), so he agreed to wait and went to look around the library for a few books about the southern reaches. Mostly about things he knew to expect and some hints for secrets so that he could have a reason for knowing about them.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    At this point, his information about the future of the game was mostly useless. He had changed so many things that it invalidated most of the events the other Sam had witnessed. Thankfully, the technical knowledge and the information about people¡¯s personalities, past, and other obscure things were still in play.


    For example, this entire ¡®invasion¡¯ in the northern direction was completely new to him. It made sense as no doubt the Blood Brothers saw that the Emerald Kingdom was building up and if left alone, the people there would be able to stop them.


    Now it was up to him to see what the actual plan was. Were they simply planning to cast the kingdoms into chaos, or was there something specific?


    While in the capital, he also took a short trip to the Heavenly Forest that they had built there. He spent a few hours just going through the building, observing the guests and the servants serving them. Some of the maids sent him some queer looks, but otherwise, nobody commented on his presence after he proved who he was.


    As he expected, most of the guests in the luxury establishment were NPCs. More specifically, rich second or even third-generation heirs who had more money than sense. It mattered little; they paid with gold and that was enough for him.


    And with Nowhere¡¯s implicit and silent backing, most of the noble families followed the rules established by the Heavenly Forest. Though, he suspected this was because most of the servants were spying for somebody. He didn¡¯t mind. After all, that is why he created the entire thing.


    After the trip to the capital, it was back to Ironwood for a quick restocking, as well as checking in with Lucy and Liz. Lucy was busy working on consolidating their grip on the city, which consisted mostly of talks with the mayor about road improvement projects and the expected harvest amounts.


    He didn¡¯t really get it, but Lucy seemed to be in her element¡­


    Liz, as always, when not out streaming her gameplay, was in her workshop, building and creating. As he entered the workshop, after knocking of course (no need to bait Murphy), Sam saw that she was working on some kind of lamp system.


    ¡°Are those the growth lamps?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Liz looked up, covered in some kind of mix of a welder¡¯s mask and scuba gear. It took a few seconds, but after the question was understood by her hyper-focused brain, she nodded. ¡°Yeah, Lara wants to start with growing food, and this was the last thing we needed. The water filtration was already solved by some existing enchantments that we found in aquariums made for nobles.¡±


    Sam rolled his eyes. ¡°Go figure¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so we cribbed that, put it on our stuff. However, the growth lamp is a new concept for this world, so I needed to create it on my own.¡±


    ¡°And did you?¡± Sam asked as he walked closer to the table to look at the device. To his untrained eye, it looked like just any growth lamp he had ever seen.


    Liz placed her hands on her hips and thrust her chest out proudly. ¡°I did indeed! Even got some nice level-ups from it!¡± she declared proudly as the ever-present cute drones flew behind her and danced around, letting out cute sounds.


    ¡°Wuuuu! Weeee! Wuuuu!¡± they cried as they did some pretty impressive maneuvers.


    Sam gave a polite golf clap before he started asking a few more questions, and Liz began to pull out several tools that would make some of the Q green with envy.


    He couldn¡¯t wait to use some of them¡­


    ¡®Hehe, I wonder what kind of faces they¡¯re going to make¡­¡¯ he wondered while Liz was exalting the properties of the devices she had created. ¡®Also need to make sure she doesn¡¯t build any death rays¡­¡¯


    As Sam watched Liz coo over some mass murder designed into tiny packages, he was pretty sure she already had at least one plan for a death ray¡­


    <hr>


    Sam checked his suit in the mirror, making sure there were no problems with it, tried once more to do something productive with his hair, then after a few seconds gave up as he realized he didn¡¯t really care about it.


    Somebody was bound to pick on him, no matter how he looked. Plus, hair products made him super conscious of his hair and annoyed the shit out of him.


    Giving the mirror a last glance, he let out a small sigh and headed for the door. His hired car would be arriving soon. After all, showing up in a taxi ¨C no matter how futuristic ¨C would make him look like a rube.


    The trip was short and sweet, the car proving it was worth the money he shelled out for it. Honestly, he spent most of the drive trying to figure out if there was a real driver or if it was a self-driven car.


    He got out at an underground entrance, kept up for less important guests, and walked into the building.


    The guards ignored him, but he spotted several people in suits immediately clocking that he was an outsider and watching his every move, wondering what he was doing there. Sam, once again, thanked the heavens that there was something like Magic Unbound where he could make his fortune and he didn¡¯t have to join the hamster wheel of this almost cyberpunk corporate world. It wasn¡¯t a real cyberpunk world as cyberware wasn¡¯t allowed for civilians and even in the military, it was for special occasions. And of course, because some countries still give a crap about nature and the environment.


    He walked toward the receptionist behind the irrationally big desk and counter combo and smiled at the prim woman.


    ¡°Hello, I have a meeting on the eighty-fourth floor.¡±


    The woman returned a perfect customer service smile as her eyes flitted over his countenance, then she moved on to the computer in front of her.


    ¡°Welcome, sir, to the Astran Tower. Hope you enjoy your time. Eighty-fourth? Can I see some identification?¡±


    Sam nodded and handed over his ID card. The woman took it carefully and scanned it into a device under the counter. There was no sound, but Sam knew it went through properly when the woman looked up and smiled at him. Still a perfect customer service smile, but a touch warmer.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Lawrence. Everything seems to be in order,¡± she told him as she handed back the ID. Then she took a slightly thicker but same-sized polymer card and handed that over too. ¡°Please take this. This will be your ID while you spend time in our building. You don¡¯t have to display it, but always keep it on your person.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he replied, taking the card and slipping it into his breast pocket. He tapped it a few times and then looked at the woman. ¡°Anything else I need to know?¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°Yes. You can take this elevator only up to the fifteenth floor,¡± she indicated the one behind her station with a small motion. ¡°There will be a more thorough security check there as that is where the tower¡¯s public-facing space ends.¡±


    ¡°Simple enough, thank you,¡± he told the woman and, with a small bow of his head, headed for the elevator.


    ¡°Have a nice day, here at the Astran Tower!¡± she called after him.


    <hr>


    The fifteenth floor was much more bustling than the one where he had entered. There were maybe one or two dozen people walking or milling around, including the guards and some of the maintenance staff.


    When the door to his elevator opened, he was met with a wall of noise made by almost a hundred people. Everything from interns running around to people yelling into different devices could be seen everywhere. To Sam, it looked like a standard corporate environment.


    Even though there were at least a hundred people or even more, one could immediately spot the ¡®important¡¯ personnel. They were always surrounded by a small cloud of personal assistants and bodyguards and as they moved through the crowd, it parted before them and the people around them fell silent, watching them with either awe or barely disguised disgust and hatred.


    Letting out another sigh, he stepped out of the elevator. the door closing behind him, and headed for the clearly labeled security check, which was unsurprisingly avoided by most of the crowd. Probably because of the stone-faced guards that looked like they ate screws without milk.


    Happily, there wasn¡¯t a line as he headed for the entrance to the area.


    He was almost there when a voice spoke up, cutting through the nearby chatter.


    ¡°Hey! Where do you think you are going?¡±

 Chapter 235

    Sam turned around and looked at the guy who called out. He wasn¡¯t sure it was for him as most people he saw in the vicinity looked like they yelled that line at least three times a day at people who had worked for them for years. However, as soon as he made eye contact with them, he knew it was about him.


    The guy had slicked-back hair, decently tall and the suit on him looked like it was poured on him. High-quality material that was probably worth more than the yearly salary of the hangers-on who were also glaring at Sam.


    Sam pointed at himself. ¡°Me?¡±


    The man scoffed. Scoffed! ¡°Of course! What do you think you¡¯re doing here? Do you even know where you are?¡±


    ¡°The Astran Tower?¡± he asked hesitantly. He was never the best at reading maps, that was why he hired a car service. Showing at that funeral parlor in the middle of a service expecting a massage happened in his previous life in another dimension still haunted him. He never wanted to repeat that¡­


    ¡°Yes, the Astran Tower! The seat of MY family!¡± the man exclaimed, throwing his head back, and staring into the distance ¡®heroically¡¯. Sam somehow expected some kind of wind or sound effect to go off. Instead, he got more from the goon squad.


    ¡°Seriously, can¡¯t you even recognize where you are?¡±


    ¡°Hah, look at him¡­ he probably can¡¯t even read!¡±


    ¡°Shame, with some plastic surgery, he could look decent¡­¡±


    Sam just stared at them, nonplussed.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m where I wanted to be. Thank you for confirming,¡± he said and moved to turn back to the security gate where the two guards were refusing to meet his eyes. Hell, he even saw a guard further back, turning away and covering their mouth.


    ¡®At least, not all of them have room temperature IQ¡­¡¯ he mused.


    ¡°As if I would lower myself to help someone like you!¡± the man yelled, calling even more attention to their ¡®conversation¡¯. The common working people took one glance at Sam, standing in front of the group, with the slick-haired guy in the middle, averted their eyes, and continued to walk away, pretending they saw nothing. However, some of them stopped ¨C Sam suspected they were either plants, higher-ups who saw an opportunity, or simply people who loved drama ¨C and began to gather around, though at a respectful distance. ¡°Now! Tell me! What are you doing here?¡±


    Sam looked at the guy and then back at the security guard, who shrugged at him. He let out a sigh and answered.


    ¡°I¡¯m heading for a meeting. Why?¡±


    ¡°You? At this tower? A meeting?¡± The man let out a short laugh and the surrounding goons followed along with their own titter. ¡°You don¡¯t even look like you would be allowed to clean up after my dog!¡±


    ¡®Poor dog¡­¡¯ he mused silently.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure your dog would lament the day they heard of this,¡± he replied.


    The man blinked at him in surprise. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I mean at least then there would be someone paying attention to them¡­¡±


    Sam actually saw as the man worked through the sentence ¨C light speed it was not ¨C until his face became angrier. Snorting angrily, he took a step forward and pointed at Sam.


    ¡°Listen. I don¡¯t know who you are, but I¡¯m Dominic Astran and I demand to know what someone like you is doing here!¡±


    ¡°As I previously stated, I¡¯m here for a meeting,¡± he replied, as Dominic, either one of Lara¡¯s cousins or a sad genetic experiment, continued to blather on.


    ¡°Right! Then why are you on the fifteenth floor? People like yourself should be on the lower floors,¡± he declared while taking another step forward.


    Sam took the opportunity to take a few steps backward toward the security station. Even though the minions around Dominic saw this and began to yell-whisper among themselves.


    ¡°Look at him, so scared!¡±


    ¡°Heh, of course he is. It¡¯s Dominic!¡±


    ¡°Wonder if he will piss himself?¡±


    Sam watched as Dominic, still staring at him, seemed to swell as the whispers reached his ears, while the crowd around them began to whisper.


    ¡°He is an Astran?¡±


    ¡°So handsome¡­¡±


    ¡°Wish I could work for him¡­¡±


    He just sent them a sorrowful glance, then refocused his attention on extricating himself from this ¡®conversation¡¯ before he suffered permanent brain damage.


    ¡°I have to be here as I have a meeting on the upper floors,¡± Sam answered, reluctant to mention the actual floor. Seeing as the building had only eighty-five floors.


    Dominic snorted again. ¡°Heh, what floor? Maybe I could be a gracious host and watch as they throw you out?¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Sam glanced at the security guard, who shrugged again. Well, if the big boss, who was undoubtedly watching this, didn¡¯t mind¡­


    ¡°Ah, yes. That would be mighty kind of you,¡± he answered with a small smile. ¡°If you would be so kind to escort me to the eighty-fourth floor, I¡¯d be forever grateful.¡±


    Instantly, a hush fell over the crowd as they heard the number. Dominic just stared at him agog, as if he didn¡¯t know to laugh or cry.


    ¡°The eighty-fourth? That¡¯s just one off from the top floor!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it is. Young master Dominic is indeed wise in the ways of mathematics!¡± replied Sam instantly, before the fop before him could continue.


    ¡°You think you could just waltz into here and go to the eighty-fourth floor, in MY family¡¯s tower?¡± Dominic asked as his minion glared at Sam as if ready to throw him out on their own for trying to besmirch the reputation of the building.


    ¡®I wonder if they get training to act like absolute buffoons?¡¯ he mused. ¡®What a bunch of weirdos¡­¡¯


    ¡°Not even I can go there without permission!¡± Dominic declared, the crowd gasping at the reveal as if that would make the place something out of mythology that even a family member couldn¡¯t visit.


    ¡®They probably find Dominic annoying so they told him that¡­¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t know what to tell you, mate. Got the invitation and everything. You can ask the nice receptionist,¡± he said while pointing downwards. ¡°She even gave me this spiffy card!¡± He pulled out the security gizmo he was given, showing it off.


    There were some oohs and ahhs from the crowd, but to Sam¡¯s disappointment there were no dramatic gasps. Probably because the people in the crowd were trying to ¡®somehow¡¯ use their reaction to brown nose with an Astran. How that would work, Sam didn¡¯t know¡­


    ¡°Hah!¡± exclaimed Dominic, not unlike an inventor who yelled eureka. ¡°I caught you! Possessing that device is illegal without permission from our family.¡± He pointed at the nearest guard. ¡°You there. Come and scan it. I want to see who he stole it from!¡±


    Sam glanced at the innocuous device. ¡®This is that important? I should ask Lara next time¡­¡¯


    However, before he could think about it further, one of the minions, probably in an attempt to suck his already brown nose even further into Dominic¡¯s rectum, began to explain it.


    ¡°Hah, now we know you definitely stole it! If you had one legitimately you would know it is only given out to members of the Astran family, the heads of departments, and important employees!¡±


    Instantly, the whispers started again.


    ¡°Never seen one! But heard about them!¡±


    ¡°My boss has one! Nobody is allowed to touch it!¡±


    ¡°I wonder how he got it?¡±


    The guard approached, stopped before Sam, and waved a device in his hand over Sam¡¯s gizmo that seemed to be very important to these people.


    ¡°Mr. Lawrence. Welcome to the Astran Tower,¡± the man stated in a voice that told Sam that he wanted to be anywhere but here.


    Dominic just blinked. ¡°Wait! Who is Mr. Lawrance?¡±


    Sam just waved. ¡°Hi!¡±


    Deciding that it was enough to satisfy the old man up in his tower, he turned around and headed for the cordoned-off area.


    ¡°W-where are you going? I wasn¡¯t finished with you!¡± Dominic yelled as another guard waved Sam through an arch that beeped and lit up with a gentle green light off to the side.


    ¡°Welcome, sir. Eighty-fourth floor?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    The doors behind the guard opened, showing a small atrium with several lifts around the room.


    ¡°Please take the one on the left,¡± came the quiet instruction from the guard. Sam nodded, thanked the man, and headed toward the lift, which was already helpfully open.


    As he walked into the atrium, he could still hear Dominic and his posse talking.


    ¡°Boss! Aren¡¯t you going after him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! He could still get up to no good!¡±


    Sam could hear the frustration in Dominic¡¯s voice as he replied to his minions.


    ¡°Hah! As if that gnat is worth it! I have better things to do!¡±


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but snort.


    ¡®Of course, he didn¡¯t have one of those,¡¯ he chuckled as he put the small card-like gizmo into his breast pocket and stepped into the lift. The doors closed immediately with a gentle chime and clack, and Sam could feel the acceleration as the carpeted lift elevated him to the top of the building.


    <hr>


    He stepped out of the lift barely a minute later ¨C not having to listen to any kind of elevator music ¨C into a carpeted hallway, decorated per the latest trends he didn¡¯t know anything about. But everything looked super clean and super expensive. Dozens of vases, some filled with exotic-looking plants, some empty. An actual wall fountain connected to an aquarium with exotic fishes swimming in it. There were several low tables surrounded by plush chairs but nobody was using them. Some smart-looking people were standing around and talking with each other, but they only stopped for a few seconds, looked at a tablet device that one of them was holding then hurried off, not even glancing at Sam.


    At the end of the hallway, the area widened with another giant desk that was merged with a counter, containing one extremely pretty receptionist.


    ¡°Welcome, Mr. Lawrance,¡± the man greeted him with a smile that actually pinged.


    Sam blinked the spots out of his eyes, caused by the hallway¡¯s light reflecting off the receptionist¡¯s teeth.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± he greeted the man, wondering if he was some kind of tank-bred ¡®perfect receptionist¡¯ or if he was naturally this pretty.


    ¡°You are expected inside, so simply go through the doors,¡± the man told him, his smile never wavering as he motioned toward the opulent double doors. ¡°Would you like something to drink?¡±


    ¡°A raspberry lemonade, if possible.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, it shall be waiting for you in there,¡± came the prompt reply.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    With that, Sam stepped away and headed for the door, trying to ignore as the guards ¨C looking much more dangerous than the ones down on the fifteenth floor ¨C stared at him as if daring him to step out of line.


    The double doors opened easily, and he found himself in an equally opulent office, with a table in the middle, already holding a very nice glass of lemonade and an older man sitting on the other side, slurping from a teacup.


    Sam took a moment to take in the man and saw he looked a lot like Lara, but with more hardened lines and gray hair, peppered with a few remnants of wilting black.


    Behind him stood three people, one woman and two men, holding tablets in their hands.


    He let out a sigh and vaguely gestured downwards.


    ¡°Was that absolutely necessary?¡± he asked, causing the woman to let out a small, scandalized gasp.


    The old man finished his tea and put down the cup, every motion showing years of training and experience radiating absolute elegance.


    ¡°Necessary?¡± His voice was gravely, but still casual and friendly with an edge. ¡°No. But was it funny? Absolutely! Hahahaha!¡± He let out a loud belly laugh as the people behind him shifted awkwardly.


    Sam walked forward, sat down, took a calming sip from his excellent lemonade, and looked at the old man, who was in turn eyeing him and no doubt evaluating all his moves.


    ¡°So, why did you call me here?¡± If the old man wanted to play games, he could also refuse to use the expected genuflecting and expected social behavior.


    The old man grinned. ¡°I just wanted to get to know the second man in my granddaughter¡¯s harem!¡±


    Sam stared at the old man and took a deep breath. ¡°Well, I¡¯m a Taurus, prefer long walks in flowery meadows, and just love talking about pretty houses,¡± he stated completely seriously while also batting his eyelashes at the old man.


    The man behind the grinning man whimpered.


    ¡°Oh no, not another one¡­¡±

 Chapter 236

    After that utterance, the entire room fell silent, the outside world¡¯s noise repelled by the extremely expensive sound insulation, and the only sounds Sam could hear were his breath and the sound of his own heartbeat.


    While he tried to portray himself with bravado and as somebody who didn¡¯t really care, he was pretty much worried about talking with the man in front of him. Even with his accumulated wealth and ¡®connections¡¯ ¨C as paltry as they were ¨C this old man could break him into tiny pieces over his knee with but a thought. He would have to be extremely careful with his words today. For now, the old man was entertained and more than likely humoring him, but one never knew with ¡®old monsters¡¯ like these what would set them off.


    Or not. The old man could smile throughout the meeting, and send Sam off with a pat on his back and he would never make it home, his friends forever wondering what happened to him.


    Then the old man raised his cup of tea and slurped. Loudly.


    Sam was rather thankful Lara gave him the heads up. He simply stared directly into the old man¡¯s challenging eyes, raised his own cup, slurping even louder.


    The old man opposite of him lost his smile and clicked his tongue while his assistants were carefully observing the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.


    ¡°That shameful granddaughter, giving away my secrets¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, you did send one of your relatives to harass me,¡± Sam answered with a small smile.


    The old man just waved it away. ¡°Please, he was just an actor!¡±


    Now that stopped Sam¡¯s thoughts. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Did you really think we would keep someone like¡­.¡± Lara¡¯s grandfather answered with a twinkle in his eyes as he tried to find a proper metaphor.


    ¡°Like a genetic research defect kept around as an object lesson to all your enemies and family members?¡± Sam offered his interpretation.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± the old man snapped his fingers and pointed at Sam. ¡°Dominic and his team are great actors. I usually use them to test outsiders,¡± he explained. ¡°Most people who work here know and play along. Fun for everyone!¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t really have anything to say to that.


    The old man, however, was not perturbed.


    ¡°I think they are trying to see what the stupidest thing little Dominic could say that people would believe is. Though I believe being called a genetic research defect is a new one¡­¡± The man looked away into the distance, probably dwelling on memories before shaking himself and refocusing on Sam. ¡°Anyway, they are preparing a play right now where little Dominic is playing the villain. If you want a ticket, I can arrange something¡­¡±


    ¡°I think giving those tickets to Lara and Dan would be much more worthwhile¡­¡± Sam replied, a little flummoxed. Now that he was ¡®enlightened¡¯ about Dominic, he was much more hopeful. Not enough to drop his guard, but he wasn¡¯t expecting actual death squads.


    The old man let out a laugh.


    ¡°Haha! Indeed, those two are adorable together. It warms my heart to see that my granddaughter managed to find somebody like that rascal!¡±


    ¡°Rascal?¡± Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.


    The old man, who still hadn¡¯t introduced himself, just huffed.


    ¡°Well, he dared to lay his hands on my precious granddaughter. Of course, he is a rascal!¡± he explained somewhat angrily, but Sam could hear the genuine warmth in his voice. Apparently, he approved of Dan.


    ¡®Good for him!¡¯ he mused before the old man¡¯s rapid change of mood grabbed his attention.


    The jovial old man was gone in the blink of an eye, replaced by a cold, hard glare that somehow even decreased the room¡¯s temperature. Even his posture changed from a caring grandfather to one that belonged to a man who founded a company spanning the world and led it through countless tribulations.


    There were no jokes, no more humorous quips, just the hard stare of a man, ready to do what was needed.


    ¡°Not like you, boy.¡±


    It took all his willpower not to swallow anxiously. Instead, he slightly tilted his head sideways, trying to act confused.


    ¡°How so?¡±


    The old man snorted. Sam felt goosebumps on his arms under his well-tailored suit.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play with me, boy. I might not be the leading expert in that ridiculous game, but I do listen to my granddaughter. And she really likes to complain about you. Didn¡¯t take me long to put together that you knew exactly who my granddaughter was.¡± He fixed his stare on Sam, who felt almost like he was being crushed under a mountain. ¡°However, one thing still eludes me.¡±


    Sam stayed silent, letting the old man talk.


    He told himself because this way he could learn more, but he knew, in truth, he stayed silent because he was terrified. The assistants behind the man staring at him with an unflinching gaze didn¡¯t look so innocent anymore. His hyper-focused mind couldn¡¯t help but pick up the slight bulge under their arms, how one of their hands was always near that bulge, or how they slowly fanned out to make sure if they had to shoot, he wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge in any direction.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°No matter how I turned the information I gained about you, boy, I couldn¡¯t figure out what you are planning,¡± the old man continued. ¡°More money? Power? Position?¡±


    This time, Sam managed to force his tongue and jaw to work.


    ¡°I might never have as much money as you, but I have enough. With my investments, I would be able to live a comfortable life. As for power? What? It¡¯s a game. What power would I gain with that?¡±


    Once again, the old man snorted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m a fool, boy. I have played things long before you were a twinkle in your parent¡¯s eye. I can see the sign, and even if I didn¡¯t, I have thousands of people working for me who I pay to watch out for these kinds of changes.¡±


    ¡°An interesting thought¡­¡± Sam began, but he was interrupted by the old man.


    ¡°I looked into you, you know. You tried to hide your actions, but while what you did would fool amateurs, to me it was plain as day.¡±


    ¡°That is?¡± Sam asked with a frown, not liking where this conversation was going.


    ¡°You knew what the game was going to be,¡± came the confident statement from his ¡®opponent¡¯. ¡°Every action after a certain day was in an effort to be where you are today. The investments, the communications, the actions. You knew about the game; you knew what it was going to become, and you planned to exploit it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really hear a question there,¡± he replied trying to keep his face from cracking.


    The old man snorted again. ¡°Cute. Now, tell me: did you get a tip-off?¡± he asked before shaking his head. ¡°No. You were a nobody, not connected to anybody at the company. And with the way they are treating you, I doubt they wouldn¡¯t have figured it out after your first ludicrous action.¡± He took a small breath before continuing to theorize loudly. ¡°Maybe you got a glance at something? Could it be that fate blew a lost paper in your face and you read it?¡±


    Sam swallowed, highly impressed that the man saw through him so easily, and was also trying not to shit his pants. He was pretty sure that the old man was only not bringing up time travel, as it was scientifically impossible.


    ¡°Or maybe you had some supernatural premonition? A dream? A vision?¡±


    It seemed Sam spoke too soon. He really hoped his poker face worked.


    ¡°Well, boy, aren¡¯t going to defend yourself? According to my granddaughter, you have a glib tongue.¡± The old man smirked. It was not a pretty sight. ¡°What did she say?¡± he pondered for a moment. Sam doubted it was for real. ¡°Ah, yes. He can sell sand to people in the desert¡­¡±


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, remembering an old story he had read in his previous life.


    ¡°You can do that if you find a type of sand they would like¡­¡± he spoke up.


    The old man continued to stare before huffing a little. ¡°At least you have a spine¡­¡±


    ¡°Were you expecting me to fold like a wet tissue paper?¡±


    ¡°I hoped so. Would have made my life easier that way,¡± he told Sam, oddly sounding a little happy. ¡°This way, at least I can still respect you and don¡¯t have to remove you from my granddaughter¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°Joy.¡±


    ¡°You decided to dive into this life. Can¡¯t really complain if it comes to bite you in the posterior, boy. Now. I want my answer. And if you tell me an insane clown told you about the future with balloon art, I am going to throw you out with my own hands.¡± The entire sentence was delivered in a no-nonsense tone that told Sam that the old man intended to keep his word.


    ¡°Would it really be so hard to believe that I followed the news and saw the potential in it?¡±


    ¡°What about the investments in failing companies that rose to prominence after the game became mainstream?¡±


    Sam shrugged again, trying to give off a nonchalant attitude.


    ¡°Saw a chance. Not the first time a company got a second or even a third wind. And if you really checked, I also invested¡­¡±


    ¡°In other companies that completely failed. I know, boy. I also know that you used a different account for those and with far less effort and time spent on those investments. I recognize chaff when I see it.¡±


    He shrugged for the third time and held his hands out, palm facing toward the other man.


    ¡°Well, then, it seems, you know everything, sir. Can¡¯t tell you more. I saw an opportunity and wanted to hide my actions from other investors. As for everything else: I may not know much about a lot of things in the world, but I know games. And if one pays attention, they can spot certain patterns¡­ which could be exploited. Not that I need to explain that to you¡­¡±


    As Sam finished silence fell on the room once again. He was sitting in his chair, his drink long forgotten, his back drenched in cold sweat and the old man scrutinizing him from the other side of the table.


    Finally, after several extremely uncomfortable minutes, the old man let out a sigh.


    ¡°It seems I have lost my edge¡­ In the past most people would have spilled everything they knew just to get into my good graces¡­¡± he grumbled.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that. Don¡¯t need to spell it out, boy,¡± the old man spat angrily. Then he shut his eyes and took a deep breath, holding it in for a second before letting it out. Opening his eyes, Sam saw the anger had fled the eyes, and they were replaced by an emotion he couldn¡¯t really identify.


    ¡°Answer me this then: Are you using my granddaughter?¡±


    ¡°She thought going to that charity gala was the most hilarious thing ever,¡± Sam stated with a flat tone.


    ¡°My granddaughter is still¡­ immature in certain areas,¡± came the reply as the old man narrowed his eyes. ¡°Now answer my question.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m using her just as much as she is using me,¡± Sam replied. ¡°We¡¯re friends, but we both have things that the other person needs or wants.¡±


    The old man nodded. ¡°Good. If you had told me that you are her friend and you would never hurt her, I would have laughed into your face.¡±


    What could Sam say to that? Nothing, so he stayed silent, waiting for the old man to continue.


    ¡°I won¡¯t protect you. If you do anything that pisses off those upstarts at the gala, I will stand back and laugh,¡± the man stated while reaching for his cup that was still steaming. ¡°Go and play your games, but know that I¡¯m watching.¡±


    ¡°What about Lara?¡± he asked.


    ¡°She can protect herself, and if she fails, dear old grandpa is going to be there to help her up,¡± he answered with a grin on his face, the cold atmosphere vanishing. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Sam swallowed several angry retorts and questions, finally landing on one he deemed safe.


    ¡°If you knew all that, why did you call me here?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to get the measure of the man who was playing games like these¡­¡± came the ominous answer. ¡°Now go, I have another meeting in a few minutes.¡±


    Sam looked at the old man who looked back at him, daring him to do anything that would cause him to revoke his ¡®approval¡¯ but after a few seconds, Sam decided it was not a fight worth fighting. He nodded and stood up while finishing his drink ¨C it was an excellent lemonade.


    ¡°Well, then, thank you for the meeting,¡± he told the old man, nodded at the assistants who were still eyeing him, and turned toward the door.


    However, as he reached for the doorknob, he couldn¡¯t help but ¡®strike¡¯ back at the man for scaring him.


    ¡°Good luck with the next crash!¡±


    He slipped out the door as the old man began coughing as the tea went down the wrong pipe.


    ¡®Well, that could have gone better, I suppose¡­¡¯ he mused to himself as he forced his body to walk toward the elevator without displaying the stress-induced jitter. For now, he would need to maintain his image. There would be time to collapse and scream soundlessly when he got home.

 Chapter 237

    Sam managed to hold it together as he sat in the rented car and his maybe real person, maybe robot chauffeur, took him home. He simply stared out of the window, watching the countless other cars as they drove past them ¨C thankfully, aerial vehicles were limited to emergency services and governments (and those who had enough money to ignore the law) ¨C thus, the sky was mostly clear for him to be able to stare into the distance over the cars.


    As soon as he stepped into his home and closed the door behind, the latch locking with a surprisingly loud sound, he threw off his suit jacket somewhere, fell on his bed, his face directly on the pillow, and began to scream.


    Sometime later, he let go of the pillow and flopped over on the bed, staring at the ceiling without seeing anything, his mind going a mile a minute.


    The entire meeting replayed in his mind endlessly while he tried to make sense of it.


    Sam never expected to act forever without anybody figuring him out but to have his actions laid out so neatly and the fact that the only reason Lara¡¯s grandfather didn¡¯t figure out anything was because he refused to entertain ¡®supernatural¡¯ or ¡®extra-dimensional¡¯ origins of Sam¡¯s knowledge or impetus behind his actions.


    Still, even with that, the old man figured out almost everything.


    He bunched up his hand into a fist and slammed it on the mattress, which bounced off harmlessly.


    ¡®Still, all is not lost. Observer effect says that one cannot observe a system without affecting it. The old man must know this. He would expect me to either change my plans¡­ or keep them the same?¡¯


    ¡°Aarrgh!¡± A groan of frustration left his lips at the sheer complexity of the thoughts. He really had no idea what to do with himself.


    He lay there for a while, thoughts percolating in his head, thoughts chasing each other, plans being born and dying within seconds as he tried to make sense of his life.


    In the end, what got him off his bed was none other than the pings of notification coming from his phone. It started with one, then one more a few minutes later, and then it rapidly escalated, a ping coming almost every second.


    Groaning, he sat up on his bed and blindly reached for the device before looking at the screen.


    Somewhat predictably, it was Lara who was blowing up his phone.


    Instead of reading all the messages asking if he was well, he pressed the button, put the device to his ear, and with a quiet thud, fell back on the bed.


    The call went through and he was greeted by Lara¡¯s worried voice.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    Sam just grunted as an answer.


    ¡°Yeah, grandpa can be like that,¡± she admitted with an awkward chuckle.


    Another grunt.


    ¡°Did he say anything¡­ bad?¡±


    Sam snorted before finally speaking up. ¡°Bad? No. He was a perfect ¡®gentleman¡¯ aside from that stupid test of his¡­¡±


    ¡°Dominic?¡± Lara asked, and Sam could hear her perking up at the mention of her cousin. ¡°He is so good. Went to one of his shows last month. So good¡­¡±


    ¡°Good for him,¡± Sam replied with a long-suffering sigh.


    ¡°So, if grandpa wasn¡¯t mean, then what¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say he wasn¡¯t mean.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He explained, not in detail but with intent, that he is keeping an eye on me and woe me if I do anything he doesn¡¯t approve. Or something along those lines¡­¡± he explained, waving his hands in the air.


    Surprisingly, Lara let out an impressed whistle.


    ¡°Damn! You must have impressed him then!¡±


    That caused Sam to sit up. ¡°What?¡±


    Lara let out a giggle, clearly happy to know something Sam didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell him, but when he wants to help people, he tells them what he found out about their plans to make sure they can¡­ refine them. It comes across as a little aggressive, but he only wants to help¡­¡±


    ¡°Lara. I¡¯m pretty sure your grandfather threatened to have me vanished if I even sneezed at the wrong time¡­¡±


    ¡°Psssh, you¡¯re just reading too much into it,¡± she replied nonchalantly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡±


    ¡°That just makes me worry more, you know¡­¡± Sam admitted while marveling at how blind Lara was toward her own grandfather. Though, it was not unexpected. She probably never saw his serious side, only the more caring one.


    Lara snorted again. ¡°Well, how about we talk about the gala a little? Maybe that will take your mind off the ridiculous idea of grandpa having you secretly killed¡­¡±


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    ¡°Why? Did anything change?¡±


    ¡°No. We just have to coordinate our clothing, silly¡­¡± she explained with her own long-suffering sigh. ¡°Seriously, both you and Dan have no idea about fashion. So! Listen up! Mistress Lara is going to teach you some color theory and flower language!¡±


    ¡°Joy¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Returning to the game came with the feeling of freedom as Sam jumped around in his enhanced game body, with the added paranoia that any time he exited the game, the old man¡¯s people could be there, waiting for him.


    He shook his head, sending his paranoid thoughts to the back of his mind, buried under the rubble of unwanted past memories, and refocused on the game.


    The southern countries waited for no man!


    Spending a few minutes to pet Lucky to get his mental energies up, he left his room to pick up the package from Liz¡¯s workshop. Mostly some new ¡®bottomless¡¯ water bottles to be used in desert environments as well as a new compass and a few odds and ends.


    However, on his way toward one of the side exits, he was waylaid by one of the servants helping Lucy with her paperwork.


    ¡°Sir,¡± she called out to him with a small bow, holding a letter. ¡°Mistress Lucy received a letter addressed to you.¡± She handed it over and, without waiting for his reply, turned around and hurried away. Sam didn¡¯t mind. He looked down at the high-quality envelope and sighed before opening it.


    Another sigh left his lips upon reading it.


    ¡°Well, Lucky, it seems we have one more stop before leaving the country¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Riding on the newly evolved Lucky was a different feeling than before. The wolf became much stronger and robust, capable of carrying Sam without pause or being slowed down by Sam and his equipment¡¯s weight.


    They flew through the forest, Lucky almost gliding through the air. Sam thought he heard the crunch of lesser monsters when Lucky touched down on the ground, but by the time he looked back, they were too far away.


    Arriving at the still unnamed fort, he took in the construction, the half-finished walls, guard towers, gates, and the countless people toiling around the clock to complete it according to Lara¡¯s designs and plans.


    He hopped off Lucky¡¯s back, who turned back into a German Shepherd sized wolf with a small puff of mana, and strode toward the gate, flashing his identification to the guards.


    Dodging people in the crowd, he headed for the pristine warehouse and laboratory ¨C one of the few fully finished buildings ¨C housing Fitzgerald and his research. Looking around, he could spot a few people keeping their eyes on the property, but a quick check with his mana found the signature of the badge belonging to Nowhere.


    Ignoring them for now, he knocked on the door leading into the part of the building that housed the laboratory and waited while Lucky ran off to play with nearby children.


    Not a few seconds later the door was opened by a maid wearing an extremely frazzled expression.


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t rent this¡­ Oh, it¡¯s you, sir!¡± She started out angry, as if she repeated herself hundreds of times, only to turn into relief. She hastily bowed, then ushered Sam in, closing the door behind him.


    ¡°Problems?¡±


    She let out a sigh as she automatically led him toward her master. ¡°Many, sir.¡±


    ¡°Anything I can help with?¡±


    She bit her lip and glanced around before she began to whisper as if afraid to be overheard. ¡°The adventurers, sir. They keep coming! They either want to know what is happening or try to rent the place. I keep telling them it¡¯s not for rent but they just keep offering more and more money! Why aren¡¯t they buying houses if they have so much money?¡±


    Sam reached out to pat her on the shoulder, hoping to be reassuring. ¡°I get it. I¡¯m going to talk to people and make sure you¡¯re not bothered anymore.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± she asked, hope shining in her eyes.


    ¡°Yup. Master Fitzgerald is my teacher. That¡¯s the least I owe him¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± she bowed even deeper, relief radiating from her entire body. Then she straightened out and continued to lead him toward his objective.


    The corridor they were walking in soon opened into the warehouse where, aside from countless stacks of materials, devices, and just straight-up trash, Sam saw some interesting things.


    A small, delicate desk with a hand-knitted cover and beautiful teacups lined up, ready to be used, marked with a very familiar silvery crest.


    A giant planning desk filled with a small library¡¯s worth of paper, Fitzgerald hunching over them.


    Finally, in the middle of the room, a highly magical, enchanted podium and on top of it, with the insides showing, a round device with a hole in the middle. Some pieces were missing, but upon comparing them to his inherited memories, Sam was pretty sure this was one of the prototypes for the gates used later in the game to travel.


    The maid left him there, and he spent half a minute just marveling at his teacher¡¯s creation before calling out to him.


    ¡°Master Fitzgerald! You called for me?¡±


    The harried man¡¯s head snapped back and Sam could see that it took the man a few seconds to recognize him. But when he did, his eyes lit up with excitement.


    ¡°Samuel! My student! Welcome!¡± he began chattering happily. ¡°Yes! Yes! Very important!¡±


    He turned away, not even waiting for an answer, and Sam had to stand there and watch as he dug out a box from under a pile of documents that looked important, but now were falling to the floor. He held out the box to Sam, and he took it carefully.


    ¡°They told me you¡¯re heading south. Take this box and deliver it!¡± then he turned around, his attention already back on the plans, runes sparking into existence around him.


    Sam looked down at the box, then back to his teacher.


    ¡°To whom, sir?¡±


    A second of silence, then the man slapped his forehead. ¡°Ahh, yes! The letter!¡± he exclaimed then withdrew a letter from his breast pocket. It was slightly rumpled but still closed.


    ¡°The address is here,¡± he told Sam before dismissing him fully.


    Sam read the address and let out a sigh.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Deli-Very!]


    [You were tasked by your teacher to deliver a very important and mysterious package to an unknown address. If he doesn¡¯t forget, you will be rewarded. Probably.]


    [Time Limit: ???]


    [Bonus:


    1. Deliver the package to the correct person.


    2. Do not let the package get stolen.


    3. Do not let the package get damaged.]


    [Penalty: ???]


    <hr>


    ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    Sam adjusted his tie and nodded while glancing at Lara, resplendent in her black dress. Why they had to coordinate their clothing when she was wearing black, he didn¡¯t know but he refused to ask.


    Leaving his room, he entered the living room, where Lucy had set up a small situation room with several screens and devices.


    Dan was standing around, munching on a sandwich and staring at his girlfriend who was twirling around, the bottom of the dress flaring out, showing off her legs.


    With a herculean effort, Dan managed to tear his eyes off his girlfriend and looked at Sam.


    ¡°Why did I have to be here?¡±


    ¡°To help Lucy,¡± Sam responded simply while the aforementioned young woman nodded from the sofa.


    ¡°Uhh, sure¡­¡± Dan mumbled in an unsure tone.


    Lara stepped up to him, got on her tip-toes, and kissed him. ¡°I know you can do it!¡± Then she spun around, grabbed Sam, and began striding toward the door. ¡°Come on! I want to see the look on their faces!¡±


    Meanwhile, Dan stood there, sandwich forgotten with a dopey smile as Lucy giggled on the sofa.

 Chapter 238

    Thankfully, this time he didn¡¯t have to order a car. Lara, being who she was, came with a wide range of services she could make use of. One of those services was a twenty-four-seven car service employed by the family.


    They simply had to leave the building, and the high-tech car was there, with a man dressed in a suit, wearing black sunglasses, holding the door open to them.


    The first part of the trip was spent in silence as he once again spent his time staring out of the window and watching the skyline pass by while his date spent it perfecting her makeup.


    With a quiet click, the small box of makeup tools, powders, creams, and everything else closed and retracted back into a receptacle of the car and Lara turned to Sam.


    ¡°So, the plan is still the same? Your meeting with grandpa didn¡¯t change it, right?¡± she asked, half worried and half giddy.


    Sam forced himself not to shudder at the thought of Lara¡¯s grandfather and nodded.


    ¡°Yep. Still the same. Smile and wave while pretending to be an airheaded bimbo,¡± he replied.


    Lara just grinned.


    ¡°Do you think it will work?¡±


    ¡°I mean you told me you haven¡¯t really participated in business meetings¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean yeah, I have cousins for that¡­¡±


    ¡°That means that most of these people will have no idea who you are¡­¡± Her grin widened as he spoke. ¡°We only need one person to recognize you. The rest will be taken care of by gossip.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t wait to see it!¡±


    ¡°Same¡­¡±


    They lapsed into silence as Sam tried to hype himself for the gala. The meeting with Lara¡¯s grandfather rattled him, and his usual cool behavior was harder to bring forth.


    ¡°What about the auction?¡± Lara asked, suddenly breaking him out of his thoughts.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Sam answered absentmindedly.


    ¡°Do we want to buy anything from it?¡±


    ¡°Why, did you see anything you want?¡±


    The auction they were going to would be separated into two parts. The first part would be all about real-life items, like paintings, antique decorative items, and even his statue. Unsurprisingly, a lot of things were connected to the game. His item would be joined by several paintings of in-game characters, sculptures of monsters, and even a few contracts for artists. They pledged to create whatever the winner of the auction wanted in their preferred mediums.


    Sam checked, and they were moderately well-known and respected artists. Nothing he would be interested in, but based on the buzz on the net, people were really hyped for them.


    The second part would be filled with in-game items like skill books, enchanted equipment, and artifacts, and the list that the auction organizers provided also had an item that just said it was for a quest.


    He had a few guesses about what kind of quest it could be ¨C based on how quests worked - but in the end, it would only be revealed to him when the auction started.


    ¡°Some of that equipment looks cool¡­¡± she admitted.


    ¡°Which one?¡± he asked.


    Lara took out her phone from her purse and after a few seconds of tapping, she turned the screen toward Sam, showing him one of the weapons on the list.


    Sam read the details and specifications of the weapon, a rapier, and then took a look at the asking price.


    ¡°Damn. That¡¯s some expensive trash¡­¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°Really?¡± she asked, bringing the phone back toward herself and taking another look at the weapon. ¡°It¡¯s much better than the one I currently have and the enchantment looks super useful.¡±


    [Earth Pierce: Earth and stone cannot stop your weapon. It pierces through earth without any slowdown or decrease of damage.]


    Sam just snorted. ¡°Remind me later and I will have Lucy commission you one that has All Pierce. Earth Pierce is rather limiting¡­¡±


    ¡°You can do that?¡±


    Sam just waved his hand in a dismissing motion. ¡°It¡¯s a rare enchantment, but I know how to get it¡­¡±


    Lara¡¯s eyes widened, and her frown turned into a grin. ¡°You¡¯re the best, boss!¡±


    <hr>


    Getting into the gala was easy. Granted, they had to wait in an actual limo line to get to the front door, but nobody hassled them at the door. The person standing there recognized Sam instantly and waved him inside, alongside the crowd. The staff member ignored Lara as she clung to Sam¡¯s arm and gazed around in a ditzy manner.


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    ¡®Probably used to less than stellar dates¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he escorted Lara inside.


    The Stelborne Gala and Charity Auction looked exactly like Sam expected. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminated by countless light sources that made sure to scatter the light artistically on the crystal parts of said chandeliers.


    The walls were lined with countless artworks, both on the wall and on the floor. Between and around them several plants, both exotic and not, could be found, their green color enhancing the look of the venue.


    However, the building had other things to fill it with. Tables laden with bite-sized food, waiters wandering the floor with drinks, both alcoholic and not, while sofas in all shapes and sizes (sinfully comfortable, all of them) littered the space, allowing people to group and ¡®enjoy¡¯ each other¡¯s presence.


    Sam saw young people, around Lara¡¯s and his age, lounging on the sofas, surrounded by beautiful women who laughed almost automatically at everything they said, and saw the older generation sitting around, with a little more decorum (but not much) talking quietly with each other, the genders separated into different groups.


    Older women tittered amongst themselves as they threw glances at other women around the party. The men laughed uproariously as they made fun of each other, with one person trying to keep cool as their head turned into an interesting shade of puce.


    All in all, it was everything he expected it to be.


    Naturally, as they were not part of any of the groups or cliques, Lara and Sam were practically ignored by everybody as they slowly walked through the space. Men scoffed at Sam and women threw condescending glances at Lara while turning to whisper to their friends and point.


    ¡°Just like back in high school¡­¡± Sam murmured, leaning down a little so that only Lara could hear him.


    She snorted and then giggled a little. Then she stiffened and exclaimed a little louder.


    ¡°Look! Katie is there!¡±


    And indeed, their chaotic friend was there, near one of the tables laden with cakes. She was wearing an elegant blue dress that showed off her shoulders while her hair cascaded down in incredible waves. Next to her stood Isabella, who instead of a summer dress type of clothing was wearing a tight dress, fitted perfectly to her body, in green color with blue highlights, her hair up in an elegant hairdo while jewelry sparkled on her neck drawing attention to her moderate d¨¦colletage.


    They barely moved toward their friends when Katie¡¯s bored, wandering gaze found them. Instantly, the boredom fled from her eyes, replaced by genuine joy and excitement.


    ¡°Sam!¡± she called out, her voice cutting through the low murmur of the hall, causing several people to look toward them. Then she grabbed Isabella by the hand and strode forward, her kitten heels clacking on the marble floor.


    Soon, they were being hugged by the excitable young woman as several speculative gazes watched them, wondering why the daughter of the person who organized this gala was talking to two totally unknown people.


    Thankfully, some managed to scrounge up the brain cells and figure out that if Katie was talking to an unknown person, whose name was Sam, then more than likely it was Katie¡¯s guild master. As Katie began to babble the room was also filled with whispers.


    ¡°So nice to see you finally! I have been soooo bored! We can¡¯t even talk about anything important with Izzy! Tell them, Izzy!¡±


    Isabella opened her mouth to answer, but before she could even start talking, Katie continued.


    ¡°See! It¡¯s been horrible! At least the food is great! I made father use the caterer I know can make super delicious cakes!¡±


    Isabella chose the moment Katie paused to take a breath to comment.


    ¡°Indeed, it has been horrible. I doubt it¡¯s going to get better¡­¡± she said dryly.


    Next to her, Katie just nodded emphatically as Lara giggled while Sam extricated himself from Katie¡¯s vice grip.


    ¡°Nice to see you guys again,¡± Sam replied with a smile. ¡°Anything interesting?¡± He made sure to keep his voice at a level that made sure that everybody heard him, but it looked like he was trying to keep a low profile.


    ¡°Sooo much! The art is meh, but the game stuff is super interesting!¡± Katie answered with a grin.


    Sam could feel the physical weight of the stares on them after that sentence. More than likely, most of the younger people played Magic Unbound, and he suspected that at least half of the older generation also partook in gaming once in a while.


    And as the game was the newest craze, there was nothing more interesting to these rich people, than things that could provide them bragging rights or advantage over their rivals.


    Surreptitiously glancing around, Sam had to hold back a smirk.


    ¡®Let¡¯s start with an easy one¡­¡¯


    ¡°Yes, the equipment up for auction is all rather compelling,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°Are you going to bid on them?¡± Isabella asked with a small smile.


    All of them knew that Sam was only here to sow chaos and not to buy anything.


    ¡°Oh yes, I plan to bid on as many as possible. They could be a great addition to some people¡¯s build¡­¡± Not his people, but some people could certainly make use of them¡­


    Already, he could feel the tension rising up in the room. After all, all these people were here to bid on those same weapons, armor, and artifacts. He wasn¡¯t as rich as most of these people, but as he was the leader of one of the most powerful in-game organizations, they were equating his power to the real world.


    After all, in their mind, only someone powerful in the real world could build something like that in the game.


    Suddenly, his arm was grabbed by Katie.


    ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s introduce you to my father!¡± she exclaimed, a smile on her lips, and began to drag Sam.


    He shared a look with Isabella and Lara, who both just shrugged, so he let himself be dragged.


    <hr>


    The man of the hour, or at least the event, stood amongst his ¡®equals¡¯, wearing a high-quality suit, fitted perfectly to his frame, talking to distinguished people with frowns on their faces. Hanging around them were countless heirs, based on the fact that Sam saw a guy with a similar look to Katie and their father having a stilted conversation with another young scion.


    The man instantly looked up when the sound of Katie¡¯s steps began to echo around the room, his eyes locking on Sam. He returned the look with a nod and smile. The rest of the people slowly drifted apart, no doubt expecting a show.


    ¡°Father!¡± Katie skidded to stop not far from the man, took a deep breath, and motioned toward Sam. ¡°My friend, Sam!¡±


    Silence fell on the group as Sam adjusted his own suit jacket and stepped forward with a hand outstretched.


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you, sir. I¡¯m very thankful for the invitation to the gala. I rarely have the opportunity to spend time among individuals of such caliber,¡± he greeted a man. Most of the younger people listening in smirked proudly at his admission, while the older ones ¨C at least some of them ¨C just gave him an insincere smile, including Katie¡¯s father.


    The man took his hand and shook it a few times before dropping it.


    ¡°Welcome to the Stelborne Gala.¡± Katie¡¯s father then turned toward Lara who was still standing back, dutifully acting like an empty-headed arm candy. ¡°Might I know your date for today?¡±


    Sam straightened and smiled. ¡°Naturally!¡± He reached out with a hand, palm facing upwards, to Lara, who gently grabbed it and simply glided forward.


    Sam vowed to ask her later to teach him how to do that.


    ¡°Allow me to introduce my delightful date for this evening, Lara Astran!¡±


    It was really hard not to break out laughing as all the distinguished gentlemen began to choke on their drinks while Katie¡¯s father looked like he was simultaneously kicked in the balls and given the sourest candy in the world.

 Chapter 239

    It took a few seconds ¨C the area around Sam and his bemused date staying awkwardly silent ¨C for the people to gather themselves and process the fact that somebody from the powerful Astran family was present. Especially as the date of some no-name bore¡­


    ¡°M-iss Astran, what an h-honor to have you present this evening!¡± came from one of the smarmy young men, who stepped forward with a slight bow of his head. ¡°Would you care to be escorted by my humble person, instead of this¡­peasant?¡± he asked, sending a glare in Sam¡¯s direction while maintaining eye contact with every inch of Lara¡¯s bare skin.


    Sam raised an eyebrow while Lara raised a dainty hand to cover her mouth as she tittered. ¡°Ah, thank you for the offer, but I prefer my conversation partner entertaining and smarter than a rock.¡±


    Her voice started light, airy, and slightly humorous, but it turned cold and deadly when the last word left her mouth. It caused the young man to swallow and take an involuntary step back while Lara stepped closer to Sam, winding her arm through his elbow.


    Before anyone could try again at whatever that was, Katie¡¯s dad cleared his throat with his fist in front of his mouth, awkwardly looking around.


    ¡°Welcome, Miss Astran and Mister Lawrence, to our gala! I hope you enjoy yourself!¡± he said, then simply turned away then power walked toward the nearest door, followed by his hangers-on and some of the scions.


    The rest remained, but purposefully didn¡¯t look in their direction, except for the one guy who had tried to be ¡®suave¡¯. He was glaring angrily at Sam, avoiding looking at the girls around Sam.


    Katie just smiled and began to giggle behind her hands.


    ¡°That was so coool¡­¡± she whispered to Sam. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen father so taken aback since I told him I got my first period!¡±


    Isabella snorted, and Lara let out a small laugh.


    ¡°Can we do it again?¡± Katie asked, turning up her puppy dog eyes to the maximum.


    Sam just shook his head. ¡°That didn¡¯t work when you wanted to take mutant spider eggs from that fracture and hide them in the Steel Lion headquarters and it won''t work now.¡±


    ¡°Rats!¡±


    <hr>


    In the end, nobody tried again to talk to them, or at least talk to Lara. They simply stayed at a distance and stared at them while gossiping like old ladies around the well.


    The group moved near one of the tables laden with cakes and cookies, all of them artistic masterpieces that vanished at light speed as soon as Katie reached for them. Sam simply selected a few choice ones and munched on them as the others conversed among themselves.


    This ¡®idyllic¡¯ scene was broken by the gentle sound of a bell and a servant stepping forward while announcing that the auction was soon to be starting.


    They were directed into a small auditorium where they were given one of the balconies. Probably because Katie, the daughter of the organizer, was with them.


    The four of them got comfortable as the auditorium was filled up with guests sitting around small round tables and playing around with buttons on said tables, there to allow a relatively hassle-free way to bid on the items.


    The lights dimmed and the auctioneer, a rather dour-looking man, stepped out from behind the curtains as several people brought out a podium and an antique-looking table.


    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the charity auction portion of the Stelborn Gala. All proceedings go to Saint Catherine¡¯s Children¡¯s Hospital,¡± he stated with a voice that Sam was sure would put most people to sleep. ¡°The first part of the auction is going to include items donated by our generous guests, including the very first physical reward given out by the company, Future Unknown!¡±


    The room was instantly filled with a low murmur as Sam felt countless eyes land on him.


    ¡°Maybe I should buy it¡­¡± Isabella smirked at Sam. ¡°Could brag about having Sam in my bedroom!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± Katie jumped in instantly waving her arms.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Isabella asked confusedly as Lara and Sam exchanged a glance.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I think Sam has some kind of plan for it?¡± Katie answered trying to look like she knew what she was talking about while seemingly also confused as to why she jumped in.


    Isabella thought about it for a second then nodded. ¡°Makes sense. He always has a plan.¡±


    Katie let out a sigh and sat back in her chair while Sam tried not to chuckle.


    As the first item, a painting that looked like every other classical painting to Sam was brought out by two people wearing soft white gloves, Lara spoke up.


    ¡°Do you want us to bid?¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°Yes. Lara, you bid on every third item. Isabella always try to be the first bid and if you manage to be the first go a few times, then give up. Katie, just do whatever.¡±


    All of them nodded, though only Lara seemed to know what Sam was doing.


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    ¡°Are we even interested in any of the items?¡± Katie asked as she moved around her chair, somehow ending much closer to Isabella.


    Sam just shrugged. ¡°I want to know what that quest is, but otherwise most of the in-game stuff is not worth it. Though if you guys want any of it, feel free to get it.¡±


    Isabella just shook her head. ¡°Nah, I checked and most of my items are much better¡­¡± Katie nodded along with her.


    ¡°Shhh¡­¡± Lara whispered as complete darkness fell on the space, the only light remaining being directed at the man behind the podium and the painting. ¡°It¡¯s starting!¡±


    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce tonight¡¯s first item, the painting from Gerard Francis Darragon, titled The Joy of the Sea. Bids start at¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Sam watched as item after item was auctioned, his teammates doing their very best to cause chaos and confusion. There were several times when somebody thought they got into a bidding war with Isabella, only to be confused that after three bids Katie would take over and then give up after a few tries, leaving the person paying much more for the item than they intended.


    Every time Lara bid on an item, silence fell in the auditorium as people tried to figure out if she really wanted it (why she wanted it) and if it was worth going against her. In the end, under the pressure of the auctioneer¡¯s calls for bids, somebody would inevitably place a bid before the gavel could finally land.


    He would place a bid a few times, just to keep up appearances. Once for an appointment with a very famous female-only tailor and once he spent a few times getting into a bidding war with some rich guy holding a poodle-like dog for a diamond-encrusted designer dog collar.


    When the item he donated came up, the recreation of his in-game figure, it caused some stir. All three girls started bidding aggressively, ignoring his previous instructions. Buoyed by their enthusiasm, the rest of the auditorium joined, driving the price ever higher.


    Somehow, the guy who tried his ¡®excellent¡¯ pickup line with Lara ended up with the statue, shooting a proud grin at everyone and a challenging one at Sam, who just tipped his imaginary hat, then turned back to his conversation with Lara.


    According to Katie, the guy turned a very interesting shade of red.


    Still, time passed, and they finally reached the second part of the auction.


    ¡°And now, dear guests, we reached the second part of our evening. The items you are going to be able to bid on will be from the recently popular virtual reality game, Magic Unbound,¡± the man announced with such a dry voice that Sam felt his glass of water evaporating as the auctioneer talked. ¡°All items will be redeemable in-game and the winners will be given directions on how to do that upon placing a winning bid.¡± He took a breath and then continued. ¡°Once again, the Stelborn Gala is not affiliated in any way with Future Unknown and the game Magic Unbound. Furthermore¡­¡±


    As the man started explaining the legal realities of the auction, the antique table previously used to display the items for the auction was taken away and a digital display was brought in instead. It was large enough that everybody could see what was on it.


    ¡°Our first item is the coordinates of a fracture in the Scarlet Empire,¡± he announced as a high-definition picture of a fracture portal appeared on the screen with censored coordinates under it. ¡°As a reminder, only real-world currency is accepted.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­and the next item is this vase. Based on the information gathered by the individual who donated it, the item starts a quest with worthy rewards.¡±


    Sam instantly felt his teammates¡¯s gaze on him as he scrutinized the pottery on the screen.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it worth it?¡±


    ¡°Nope¡­¡±


    ¡°Recognize it?¡± Isabella asked curiously.


    ¡°Read about it,¡± he said as he settled back into his chair. ¡°It¡¯s a phylactery for ancestral guardian spirits. Bring it back to the family and they will reward you.¡±


    ¡°That sounds easy and profitable¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it would. But the guardian spirit in that thing knows you¡¯re not part of the family so it thinks you¡¯re actually stealing it.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    Sam shrugged. ¡°You either figure out how to seal it ¨C which could damage the thing ¨C or play the weirdest keep-away as you deliver it. Not worth the drama¡­¡±


    Especially because you needed special holy sealing to suppress the guardian spirit. Using any kind of runic suppression would trigger the magical defenses of the item. Which in the worst case would self-destruct the vase.


    It took a few minutes, but the vase was sold.


    ¡°Hah! I got it!¡± A young man, almost a boy, began to celebrate at one of the tables. ¡°Suck it, Thomas!¡± he delightfully called out to a nearby young man who grimaced and made a rude gesture toward him, causing several older ladies to gasp in outrage.


    Sam just sat back and smiled. He wished the guy all the luck in the world. The other Sam also got saddled with one of these, as it was considered a trash quest by everybody because usually there was a reason why the family lost that particular guardian spirit.


    Mostly, the fact that the entire family was extinct and treasure hunters and grave robbers plundered their mausoleums. Or vindictive aunts were getting revenge on their sisters-in-law¡­


    It was always different, but somehow always the same¡­


    <hr>


    The auction ended with Sam and his beautiful accomplices making sure to drive the prices up and people to insanity with their odd and chaotic bidding pattern. As they exited the balcony where they spent the last few hours, Sam saw Katie¡¯s father approaching them.


    Naturally, everybody was watching them.


    ¡°Ah, Mister Lawrence!¡± he called out with a small smile on his face. ¡°How did you enjoy your first experience with an auction? I saw that you haven¡¯t managed to acquire any of the pieces. Maybe I could help you out and arrange a meeting with their new owners?¡± The question was asked in a helpful tone, but Sam could see that the man was making fun of him. Lara just stood there next to him with an empty smile.


    ¡°Mister Stelborn, what a generous offer! Alas, after careful consideration I decided to yield those items to my peers. After all, they seemed to have plenty of money to spend on it,¡± he told the man with his own polite smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯m just glad I could spend time with my friends!¡±


    Katie and Isabella managed to maneuver themselves such as to be outside of Katie¡¯s father¡¯s scope of vision. They just stood there, watching and trying not to laugh.


    The man wasn¡¯t an idiot thus Sam had the pleasure of watching in real life as the metaphorical dime landed.


    The polite smile turned into a forced grimace.


    ¡°I see. Then I shall not hinder you and your lovely date further. Please, do enjoy the food we have prepared and have a delightful time.¡± With that, he turned around and walked away, looking straight ahead.


    ¡°Thank you, sir. I appreciate it¡­¡± Sam answered watching the man leave.


    Katie instantly rushed over and grabbed his hands. Isabella followed her sedately and Sam could see David, Katie¡¯s brother, giving him a surreptitious thumbs up from where he was talking with other people.


    ¡°That was amazing! Can I adopt you? Family dinners would be so much more fun with you there!¡±


    He was about to answer when somebody cleared their throat behind the group. Turning around, he saw a bespectacled young man, around his age, notably without any mooks, minions, groupies, or other leech-type humanoids around him.


    ¡°Mister Lawerence? Are you perhaps Solar, the owner of the AFK Company?¡± the young man asked. Sam nodded and he let out a relieved sigh. ¡°My name is Darell Mathews and I represent the Glorious Artefacts crafting guild. Would you mind if we had a short conversation?¡±

 Chapter 240

    Sam was stumped.


    His inherited memories had no mention of either Darell Mathews or Glorious Artefacts. His current memories told him that the Mathews family dealt with bespoke industrial equipment. Anything from tricky tools for the food industry to super secret military projects. The only reason he even knew that much was that the family created a pretty fun TV show where amateur inventors could showcase their creations. It was half reality TV and half contest.


    He liked to watch it when decompressing, as there were some wacky participants while also being oddly wholesome, as the contestants supported each other.


    As for the guild, he was drawing a blank.


    However, he couldn¡¯t really show that on his face thus he cocked an eyebrow while glancing around. Spotting an arrangement of sofas and other implements of comfortable sitting ¨C conveniently near the table containing even more sweets ¨C he motioned toward it.


    ¡°Well met, Mister Mathews! How about we take a seat for this conversation?¡± he asked.


    Darell let out a relieved sigh and nodded. ¡°That¡¯d be agreeable¡­¡±


    Thus, the small group with Sam and Darell at the head, walked over to the seating arrangements. Katie instantly claimed an entire platter of bite-sized cakes then sat down next to Isabella on the loveseat, looking like somebody who was about to enjoy their favorite show. Isabella just exasperatedly snagged a cookie from the tray but otherwise stayed silent. Though, Sam expected that later she would interrogate him.


    Lara elegantly sat next to him on the sofa ¨C though leaving enough space between them not to cause any misunderstandings ¨C opposite of Darrel who was starting to look less and less composed.


    He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and resting his chin on his hands.


    ¡°Well, Mister Mathews, how can I and by extension, the AFK company help you?¡±


    Darell swallowed, glanced at Katie and Isabella who were munching on cookies and cakes as if they were popcorn, then at Lara who returned the look with an imperious stare before returning his attention to Sam.


    ¡°Well, as you know Glorious Artefacts is one of the bigger enchanter guilds in the Emerald Kingdom.¡± Sam actually didn¡¯t know that. ¡°But what you might not know is that operating a guild in the game was a task set by the head of the family to see the worth of the next generation. Not to see who should be the heir, of course!¡± he added hastily. ¡°Instead, the head wanted to see us show off our knowledge in management and economics.¡±


    Sam nodded wisely and motioned for the man to continue.


    Said man took a deep breath and did so.


    ¡°I set up the Glorious Artefact as I¡¯m not the best at fighting or strategies, thus operating a mercenary outfit was out for me, to conquer the economy through the power of high-quality products.¡±


    ¡°Something that your family is known for¡­¡± Sam interjected softly.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± the man exclaimed pointing at Sam. ¡°Well that was the plan¡­¡±


    ¡°And it went wrong somehow?¡±


    Darell shook his head. ¡°No. The exact opposite. We have so many commissions that we had to increase our prices. And the clients were happy about it! Happy! Can you believe it?¡±


    Lara nodded in understanding while Sam eyed the man. At first, he suspected it would be one of the tropes playing around, but now he wasn¡¯t sure anymore.


    ¡°Congratulations, I suppose? But I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t approach me to boast about the success of your enterprise,¡± he told the man and then watched as Darell hung his head hearing it.


    ¡°Indeed¡­ I¡¯m here because you¡¯re my last hope.¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s something familiar,¡± Sam replied with a smile. ¡°How can I help you, Mister Mathews?¡±


    Darell looked up then away, staring out of one of the ceiling-height windows showcasing the well-cared-for garden.


    ¡°With all these commissions we need a lot of raw materials. A lot. But to buy more you need noble connections as the merchants charge out of the wazoo for wholesale amounts.¡±


    ¡°They indeed do that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ so one of my relatives managed to get one.¡±


    ¡°And they want to take over your guild?¡±


    ¡°Naturally¡­¡± Darell replied morosely. ¡°That¡¯s why I went around to see who also had one of those connections.¡±


    ¡°And you found us¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ it¡¯s not like your existence is a secret. There are entire forums dedicated to following your actions and predicting the next best thing.¡±


    Sam smirked. ¡°I know.¡±


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Darell stared at him for a second then snorted. ¡°Of course, you know about it. After all, Solar knows everything¡­¡± he finished the sentence a little sarcastically.


    Sam raised an eyebrow. ¡°What?¡±


    Darell just smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just something that people say as you¡¯re rather famous for being able to answer any question about the game¡­¡±


    Sam thought about it for a moment before nodding. ¡°Better than having a stupid nickname¡­¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡± Darell agreed with him. ¡°So¡­what do you think?¡±


    Sam leaned back on the sofa and sent a glance at Lara who nodded while barely moving.


    ¡°Well, first of all, what are you offering?¡±


    Darell looked back at him with hope.


    ¡°Well, I was hoping to strike a deal for bulk purchasing raw materials.¡±


    ¡°What about retaliation from your relative?¡±


    Darell opened his mouth then closed it before letting out a sigh. ¡°Right. That idiot would surely try something.¡±


    ¡°Even against us?¡±


    ¡°I mentioned that I¡¯m not great at strategies, right?¡± Darell replied with a wry smile. ¡°He is even worse¡­¡±


    ¡®Well, that¡¯ll give Lucy a few more gray hairs¡­¡¯ Sam mused.


    ¡°So you need defenses for your guild, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Darell admitted sadly. ¡°So far we managed to keep ourselves safe but I¡¯m pretty sure that my relative can pay people who would be willing to ignore the reputation of our clients.¡±


    ¡°There are always people like that¡­¡±


    Darell took a moment of silence before looking directly into Sam¡¯s eyes. ¡°And what is your counteroffer?¡±


    Sam smiled. It was not a nice smile. In the background, Katie began to cackle before Isabella shushed her.


    ¡°Join as a subsidiary. Separate so that you can prove to your family how great you are. We take over the security, supply chain and give you slots in our markets.¡±


    Darell stayed silent, contemplating the offer. Sam was also thinking about it. Now that he knew why he had no inherited memories of the guild ¨C clearly the relative had gobbled it up ¨C he was much more calm.


    An enchanting guild was exactly what the doctor ordered. He would start them as a subsidiary and then have Lucy work her magic. Bamm, they had a support structure for Liz to realize her more ambitious projects. Granted, first, they would need to vet the guild, but raw materials were basically free at their level. Sam felt it was worth the risk.


    And if it turned out to be a Trojan horse then they had the playbook for that scenario too. Honestly, he kind of wanted to see that and watch Tim flex his security skills while Lucy destroyed them.


    After a minute of complete silence, Darell let out a final sigh.


    ¡°Alright, that seems to be the best I could get¡­ here is my contact info. Send over the contract and I will have my people check it out¡­¡± he replied looking slightly defeated as he handed over a card. Then before Sam could speak up he stood up and hurried away.


    Sam exchanged a look with Lara and she just smiled happily.


    ¡°Why are you happy?¡±


    She let out a small gasp.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Will wonders never cease?¡± she exclaimed as Katie sniggered off to the side. ¡°Darell Mathews is an engineering genius. He had dozens of patents by the time he finished high school.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Sam shrugged. ¡°I just like the TV show they make¡­¡±


    Lara narrowed her eyes seemingly trying to decide if he was lying and covering up his lack of knowledge or telling the truth.


    However, before she could voice her thoughts, they were distracted by some angry shouting coming from a nearby hall.


    ¡°That¡¯s the room where Father had some pods set up!¡± Katie exclaimed as she stood up, raining crumbs everywhere. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    <hr>


    The hall was lined with top-of-the-line pods, surrounded by banks of equipment, technicians, and servants. There were also some great screens around the room, allowing people to watch those who were in the game. Sam could spot some PvP matches as well as a few people displaying their gains from the auction.


    However, most of the attention was on one young man who was currently clambering out of their pod, the servant next to them was sent to the ground while the young man kept yelling.


    ¡°You fucking cheat! That was not a quest item!¡±


    Another young man was standing not far away and laughing so hard they were clutching their stomach.


    ¡°I died! Do you hear me? I picked up that stupid vase and it killed me! Who is going to reimburse me?¡±


    The laughing young man managed to get himself under control to answer. ¡°You bought it. No takebacks!¡±


    The first man let out an inarticulate yell and turned toward the servant who just managed to pick himself up from the ground. He grabbed the man and shook him. Sam saw several more servants, significantly more muscled head toward them.


    Katie as expected had her hands in fists and was chanting: ¡°Fight! Fight! Fight!¡±


    Isabella was holding onto her shoulder. Sam thought it was wise.


    ¡°Sir! The auction holds no responsibility for the items after the winner accepts them!¡± the servant cried out as he tried to pry himself out of the death grip.


    Several people sprang forward and tried to assist one of the people embroiled in the tussle.


    Sam saw several more people move forward or start laughing and chuckled.


    ¡°Come on, guys. Let¡¯s leave before the party starts¡­¡±


    Lara once again linked her arms with his while Katie and Isabella followed them.


    ¡°Can we get ice cream?¡± Katie asked excitedly as they ignored the sounds of chaos behind them.


    <hr>


    ¡°I hate you!¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± Sam replied to a glaring Lucy who was staring at him, sitting on his sofa.


    ¡°Yes, I do,¡±


    After they returned from a quick ice cream trip, Sam didn¡¯t even wait a second to explain what happened, while Lara left to link up with Dan. Lucy was aware of most of it, as some chronically online people who were present at the auction live commented on the entire thing.


    And the fight that happened after it¡­


    But Lucy found his negotiations more important.


    ¡°Sam, what the hell am I going to do with an entire enchanter guild?¡±


    ¡°Vet them, then set them up in the fortress with Lara and send Liz over. Then profit?¡±


    Lucy looked like she wanted to say a lot of things before taking a deep breath and then letting it out.


    ¡°I hate when you dump things on me without any warning¡­¡± she complained.


    Sam shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not like I planned this¡­¡±


    ¡°And what does it say about you that it¡¯s very hard to believe you?¡±


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s just mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Suck it up and start explaining your plan!¡±


    <hr>


    Sam got off Lucky¡¯s back and stepped forward until he reached the edge of the cliff they arrived at. Behind them was a forest trying its best to thrive and before them the beginnings of a savannah, populated with parse copses of trees with yellowing grass everywhere.


    He could already feel the sun heating the air around him with a trickle of digitally recreated sweat falling from his forehead.


    With a quiet curse, he stepped back and began to retrieve his desert gear.


    He wouldn¡¯t really need it at the beginning, but better to be prepared. Plus, it was better to try it out in a less intense situation than the real desert.


    Sam had a feeling he wouldn¡¯t have much time to safely and peacefully practice with his equipment.


    According to the forums, there were already several villages that were taken over by the blood mage army.


    ¡®They¡¯re probably starting to set up the logistics for the invasion¡­¡¯ he mused.


    Flipping his hood up and lowering his goggles ¨C that came with night vision, heat vision, and pink vision when he felt a little sad ¨C he patted Lucky on his head.


    ¡°Come, friend. Let us step on the road of adventure once again¡­¡±

 Chapter 241 - Interlude 23

    The game was a blast!


    There weren¡¯t simply enough words to describe the things Cynthia had experienced while playing the game ¨C strictly after school, per her sister¡¯s wishes ¨C with her friends. The game managed to recreate everything so realistically that if it weren¡¯t for the magic, fantastical creatures, and flora, she would feel like she was walking through one of those recreation villages that her school liked to send them to for field trips.


    They had to hunt, gather materials, and deal with quarreling NPCs while also taking time to help her parents get started. Thankfully, after the initial awkwardness and confusion, they got the hang of things and went off in different directions.


    Cynthia had asked Sam for advice on how her parents could achieve their dreams, as a horse breeder and magical mixologist, and pointed them in the right direction, making sure to hand over some gold she had left over from his gift.


    She was a little worried about them, but their parting words managed to calm her down a little.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, honey! I played a lot of farming sims when I was little! I got this!¡± said her dad as he swung a low-quality steel sword around with enough glee to make a three-year-old jealous.


    Her mother gingerly took the sword out of his hand, then handed it over to Cynthia while shaking her head. ¡°I haven¡¯t mixed drinks since my uni days, but I¡¯m sure I can get back into the saddle with a little practice!¡±


    Then, with a strong hug and cheery wave, her parents were off and she was left alone staring after them.


    Ultimately, she decided she didn¡¯t really want to know.


    Instead, she shook herself and left to regroup with her friends.


    As expected, Brittany and her minions joined up with some smarmy boy band rejects ¨C naturally after making use of Cynthia¡¯s resources ¨C but she didn¡¯t really mind. They were somewhat competent, so they made the first few days much easier than they should have been. Plus, even if they didn¡¯t want to acknowledge it, they owed her for the tips and tricks she shared.


    At first, she panicked when they told her at school that they found a much better group and to please don¡¯t talk to them anymore, because the information she shared with them came straight from somebody that half the internet hated and the other half treated like a deity. However, no matter what people thought about him, everybody was desperately looking for ways to figure out how he did the reality-defying things he did.


    Contacting him was rather nervewracking, but after she managed to babble out an explanation for a call, the bastard had the nerve to laugh at her. Understanding now why her sister was always irritated with him, she listened as he explained that the information he shared with her was common knowledge to most of the big guilds. If a group acted like she, or rather her ¡®friends¡¯, delivered information that was important for them, then either they were lying to butter them up, or simply so low on the totem pole that it was not worth the time and effort to deal with them.


    Reassured that she didn¡¯t ruin everything, she put Brittany and her cronies out of her mind and refocused on leveling up both her character level and skill levels.


    <hr>


    The battle was one that belonged to the epics of history. Blood, tears, and sweat were spent in gratuitous amounts. Her limbs trembled and her muscles protested, but she didn¡¯t give up. The surroundings were torn up, trees felled by the uncaring actions of the participants of the battle, and bushes trampled by world-shaking steps while her loyal companions panted, trying to drink in as much air as possible.


    Her hands tightened over the shaft of her weapon, a spear forged by the greatest and with all her might she thrust the weapon forward, impaling her enemy right in their weak spot.


    ¡°HAAAAAH!¡±


    The wild hog had a moment to oink, then collapsed as the mass-manufactured spear pierced its hide.


    The body of the animal swayed for a moment, then collapsed into the dirt with a quiet thud, allowing the trio to relax and let out relieved sighs.


    ¡°Yes! We did it!¡± Cynthia called out, raising the hand that was holding the spear in the air, as she beheld the clearing filled with more than two dozen carcasses of wild hogs.


    Thanks to the increase in the number of players, the beginner area went through a few changes. Magic Unbound wasn¡¯t a game that left a few fields filled with adorable bunnies for anyone to kill, their numbers never decreasing. Instead, the area was tightly controlled by the rangers and druids.


    Currently, they were using a sort of potion that mimicked the pheromones of a female hog in heat to attract the males to one location to decrease their numbers. And of course, to get experience points.


    Dani and Anna ran up to her and jumped around in celebration.


    ¡°We did it!¡±


    ¡°We are not dead!¡±


    She joined them, performing their victory dance, before calming down a little.


    ¡°Alright, girls. Time to clean up! Remember what the ranger said!¡±


    ¡°The handsome one?¡±


    ¡°No. The smart-looking one.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the handsome one was dumb.¡±


    ¡°Pity, I liked the jawline¡­¡±


    Cynthia clapped once, the sound echoing around them. ¡°Let¡¯s clean up the corpses and head back to the town. I¡¯m tired and dirty¡­¡±


    As her friends expressed their agreement, she turned toward the nearest carcass, and as she began dressing it, her hands following the by now well-practiced motion ¨C they had been hunting hogs at various locations for a while ¨C her attention shifted to her notifications.


    Per Sam¡¯s instructions, she set them to show up only after a fight to avoid distractions and to maximize their effect.


    [Spear Thrust is now Level 17!]


    [Spear Mastery is now Level 28!]


    [Body Enhancement is now Level 31!]


    [Mana Armor is now Level 41!]


    [Frailty is now Level 9!]


    There were a few more, but these were the most important ones. Especially Frailty, her most important skill. One that she only managed to get thanks to Sam¡¯s help. The concept was deceptively simple: use mana when hitting things with the spear. But it was only thanks to Sam¡¯s help she knew how to direct and control mana to make sure it seeped into the target in a way that would weaken it.


    [Frailty: Level 9/25 (14%) (Active) You learned how to leave your mana in the body of your enemy, thereby weakening it. Every time you channel your mana through your weapon and you manage to hit your enemy, you will leave behind one Frailty debuff. The maximum number of debuffs that can be inflicted on an enemy depends on their strength. You can inflict this debuff on 3 enemies concurrently.


    Debuff - Frailty: The area where this debuff is inflicted on the enemy is weakened. Hitting the same spot refreshes the debuff¡¯s duration while also inflicting increased damage by the caster and allies. Increased critical chance for any attack to hit the spot.]


    For now, it was very basic and not too strong, but if what Sam said was true, this would turn into something rather amazing. Hell, thanks to the time spent in the game and experiencing the magic system, she already had ideas about how to alter this skill in the future.


    ¡®Now I just need a mount and I will be the perfect spear warrior!¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­he didn¡¯t say no¡­¡± Darell said as he loosened his tie and flopped on the sofa.


    His friend and vice guild leader nodded before joining him on the opposite sofa. ¡°So, we just wait?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°Not much we can do at this point. Nobody else was willing to talk to me after Charles went around and had a talk with them. Even the NPCs refuse to entertain me¡­¡±


    ¡°Bastard¡­¡± his friend spat with his hands curled into fists.


    Darell just shook his head. ¡°Relax, it¡¯s just a game¡­¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°A game? A GAME?¡± his friend asked almost hysterically. ¡°Darell! This fucking game is on its way to consuming the world! Everybody is talking about it! You cannot walk five meters without hearing somebody talk about it! What if we fail and the guild is swallowed by that asshole?¡±


    ¡°Come on¡­ Then we just play the game normally. It¡¯s not like we have to stop playing the game if I lose the ¡®guild war¡¯,¡± Darell replied, doing the quotation marks with his hands as he kicked off his shoes. ¡°You don¡¯t die in real life if you die in the game. This is not one of your shitty VR novels, Brad¡­¡±


    Brad just continued to grumble. ¡°I don¡¯t care. We invested our blood, tears, and sweat into this guild. We¡¯re raking in the gold. Darell, I managed to eat lunch at Heavenly Forest! At Heavenly Forest, Darell! And now we¡¯re on the verge of being consumed by your stupid cousin who went and poisoned the well¡­ ¡°


    He just let his friend vent. This entire venture, as a test, didn¡¯t mean much to him. He was already guaranteed a position at the company thanks to his engineering genius. Sadly, that genius didn¡¯t really translate over to the rest of his life. His cousin, Charles, started a mercenary company with his followers, hired people, and used that to slowly cut off all avenues of expansion for his guild. Stupidly, he didn¡¯t really pay attention to him as crafting had nothing to do with fighting and that was his undoing.


    Darell knew that the moment he asked for help from Solar, he failed the test. However, at this point he was mostly doing it out of duty ¨C a lot of crafters in the guild depended on the income they brought in ¨C and to wipe that self-satisfied smirk off Charles¡¯ face.


    ¡°I know, I know¡­¡± he spoke up, trying to calm his raging friend. ¡°That¡¯s why I approached Solar. He is the only one that has the power to help us in the Emerald Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we move to another country?¡±


    ¡°Charles would make sure we regret that¡­¡± Moving a few people in secret was easy. An entire guild? Almost impossible. Charles¡¯ mercenaries would hunt them down the moment they stepped out of the city¡¯s boundaries.


    Brad thought about it for a moment then nodded reluctantly. After a few seconds, he asked another question.


    ¡°What do you think about him?¡±


    ¡°He is¡­ something else,¡± Darell admitted as he replayed the night¡¯s events in his mind. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure he knew more than he admitted about the situation.¡±


    Brad just shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s Solar¡­ I heard one of the big guilds actually hired some retired military intelligence assets to try to make sense of his actions.¡±


    ¡°Well, after meeting him I get where they¡¯re coming from. Especially after he showed up with an Astran on his arms¡­¡±


    Brad, who was taking a sip of his drink, spat it out and began to cough. ¡°You bastard. You waited until I took a sip!¡±


    Darell just smirked and waited for Brad to get himself under control.


    ¡°An Astran? Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°The introduction was pretty loud¡­¡±


    ¡°Could he have lied?¡±


    ¡°And survive more than five minutes after it?¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­ That¡¯s big.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and he has the crazy Stelborne on his team. There is not much most people can do against him¡­¡±


    Before Brad could answer, the computer that sat on a desk next to the wall dinged loudly. Brad let out a sigh, stood up, and walked over to check it.


    ¡°Well¡­ it seems they work fast. The contract is here¡­¡±


    ¡°Bring it over and let¡¯s check it out.¡±


    ¡°Get some drinks and snacks while I set up stuff, will you?¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­ sure¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°So, how was the auction? Did you buy anything interesting?¡±


    Lara shook her head as she took a sip of her soda and looked at her grandfather. ¡°Not really, but I¡¯m pretty sure we managed to cause a few blood feuds¡­¡±


    Her grandfather nodded at hearing that. ¡°At least that¡¯s something. What about your friend? Was he a gentleman during the evening or should I have a talk with him?¡±


    ¡°Grandfather!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°He was a perfect gentleman and an excellent date. I had a great time. It was a pity Dan didn¡¯t want to go but I understand it¡¯s not his scene¡­¡±


    ¡°Humpf¡­¡± her grandfather snorted.


    ¡°Really?¡± she asked, eyeing the elder man with an exasperated look. ¡°Just because you can¡¯t figure him out doesn¡¯t mean he is the evil incarnate, grandfather.¡±


    There was silence as she simply enjoyed her drink and began mentally going over her tasks for the coming days. There were still things to organize, like the planting of new trees and how to make sure the rebuilt city was green enough for her quest while also making sure that the first army walking past the place couldn''t conquer it.


    If Sam and Lucy managed to get the Glorious Artefact guild on their sides, she knew that the efforts to build up the defenses would speed up by a huge amount.


    ¡°The problem is not that I can¡¯t figure him out,¡± her grandfather spoke up abruptly, his face uncharacteristically ¨C at least when talking to her ¨C serious. ¡°I talked to a lot of people after my initial research was inconclusive. Even a few who work at Future Unknown. Nobody really knows his¡­deal. His actions are well documented and almost every step he takes is recorded while he is also shadowed by a few private investigators.¡±


    Lara grimaced at that while mentally making a note to tell Sam about it.


    Heedless of her thoughts, her grandfather continued. ¡°Every step of his is observed, recorded, and analyzed. Despite all of that, nobody knows what he is planning.¡±


    ¡°So? It¡¯s a game, grandpa. It¡¯s not like he is a politician¡­ The most his decision would affect is his guild and in-game company¡­¡±


    Her grandfather grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple, honey. The game¡­ it¡¯s changing the world. Most people can¡¯t see it and it won¡¯t be visible for a long while, but the world is changing. And your¡­ friend wields a lot of power. And if the changes in the world are realized then your friend could use that power for many things.¡±


    To that, Lara had not much to say.


    ¡°And you want to know what he is planning so that you could also plan around it, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I didn¡¯t build this company just to watch the entire thing collapse because of one man¡¯s careless action.¡±


    ¡°Surely, he can¡¯t¡­¡± she mumbled, reeling from her grandfather¡¯s admission.


    ¡°Trust me, honey. I know his type. People underestimate them only once¡­¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not going to spy on him for you.¡±


    Her grandfather cracked a smile at that. ¡°And I would never ask you to do that. I have people for that.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Well, I think that was a successful evening. Don¡¯t you think so, father?¡± Katie asked her father, who was sitting with his tie askew at his desk, staring at nothing. ¡°I definitely had fun, and the catering was, as always, excellent.¡±


    Her father said nothing, still staring at nothing. Katie decided to use the time to tease him a little more.


    ¡°And my, what a fascinating auction it was. Such wondrous items¡­ The discussions after it were interesting, too.¡±


    She saw him sigh, and finally, his tired eyes landed on her. Katie knew it wasn¡¯t because of the chaos. Most parties usually had some manner of chaos, thus they were long used to them. Her father simply didn¡¯t like spending time amongst so many people for so long. Usually, it took some time before his battery recharged for a proper conversation. Or at least what he considered proper conversation¡­


    ¡°Katharine¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, father?¡± she replied brightly, perking up in her seat.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that your friend was dating one of the Astrans? I didn¡¯t recognize her, but I know enough about your friend to know he wouldn¡¯t lie about such a thing,¡± he asked, spitting the word friend as if it was poison in his mouth.


    Katie strategically tilted her head to the side, which she knew made her look adorable before answering. ¡°But he is not?¡±


    Her father¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Don¡¯t play games with me!¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m telling the truth, father! She is not dating Sam!¡± she replied vehemently.


    ¡°Then why was she with him? I doubt he has enough pull with that family to ask for a favor just to annoy me, so, my dearest daughter, please be kind and enlighten me on how it came to be that your friend showed up to the event with a person like that?¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m your only daughter, father.¡±


    ¡°Katherine!¡± her father snapped.


    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± she grumbled. ¡°It¡¯s very simple. He asked her.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Sam asked Lara if she wanted to accompany him to the event. And she said yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­Sam asked.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    Should she tell her father that Lara wanted to see the stupid faces they made when she showed up? ¡®Probably not a good idea¡­¡¯ she mused.


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re friends,¡± she explained. ¡°I¡¯m also friends with her! It was also very nice to have someone other than Isabella with me at this event.¡±


    ¡°Yes, because your and Isabella¡¯s antics were not enough for me to worry about¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like most of those men approach us to talk about things thanks to you, father,¡± she said reproachfully.


    Her father sent her a queer look upon hearing that. ¡°Yes. Because they leave you two alone because of me. And my warning. Naturally.¡±


    ¡°Indeed!¡± Katie nodded emphatically. The memories of guys who were scared away flittered through her mind. ¡°Shameful really, father.¡±


    Another sigh. ¡°Sometimes I just wish your mother would be here¡­¡± he said wryly.


    Katie just continued nodding.


    <hr><hr>


    BAMMM


    CRASH


    THUD


    ¡°Dammit! Somebody get rid of those siege engines!¡±


    ¡°We already sent two teams there!¡±


    ¡°Then what the fuck are they doing?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re dead!¡±


    ¡°What the hell!¡±


    ¡°Well, I think¨C¡° The speaker was interrupted as another projectile slammed into the already crumbling town wall and caused it to crumble into pieces, creating a hole big enough for the enemy to enter. Sadly, the rubble also managed to land on the speaker, crushing them into fine red mist.


    The other person staggered back but didn¡¯t let go of their sword and shield. They shook themselves and took a ready stance. Glancing back, he saw that there was already a team hurrying toward the gash on the town wall, so he felt a sense of renewed vigor and excitement as he prepared to defend the town their group settled in while they hunted in the surroundings.


    However, before anything could come through the destroyed infrastructure, the blood on the ground slowly began to rise, like a dark red fog. He didn¡¯t know what kind of attack it was ¨C he wasn¡¯t particularly good at magic, as mana control always felt confusing to him ¨C but even he could recognize blood magic being cast. Thus, he prepared his own defenses.


    ¡°Life Shield,¡± he murmured as he activated the skill he managed to get after leveling up the Blood of Life skill. ¡°Fast Steps.¡± A speed-increasing skill. ¡°Hawk¡¯s Eyes.¡± One to increase his reaction time. And finally, his favorite. ¡°Devastation Counter!¡± A skill that enveloped him in a shroud that absorbed damage which he could unleash on the enemy with the help of his shield. Pretty handy against an invading enemy.


    Then the hovering fog of blood seized and froze in the air before shooting toward him. Expecting an attack, he just readied his shield, knowing that Devastation Counter would absorb magical attacks too.


    However, instead of that, the moment the fog would have touched the shield it swerved around it and headed directly for his unprotected face. Before he could react, the mist was going up his nose and his body froze while a list of notifications began scrolling down before him.


    [You have been affected by the Blood Mist!]


    [You have lost control over your Blood of Life skill!]


    [You have lost control over your Life Shield skill!]


    [You have been paralyzed!]


    [Blood of Life skill has temporarily turned into the Bloodletting skill!]


    [Bloodletting: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) You are losing blood and fast. Every second your health is damaged by the tenth of your Blood of Life skill¡¯s regeneration. For every minute this skill lasts, this damage doubles (0,1->0,2->0,4->0,8->1,6->etc.). Blood also begins to seep out of your body.]


    He watched horrified as blood began to drip down on his armor and his health began to plummet. His Blood of Life skill was fairly high level and his regeneration gained from that was equally high.


    By the time the relief team arrived, they were greeted by another fog of blood as he watched darkness consume his vision.


    [You¡¯ve died!]

 Chapter 242

    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Sam asked as he lounged in the caf¨¦ chair, idly watching the world walk by while Lucy, sitting opposite of him, was looking at her tablet device, sipping some insane concoction with too much sugar.


    Usually, after every bigger event that affects the company and-slash-or the guild, they would have a strategy meeting to ¡®realign the objective¡¯ and ¡®synergize the processes¡¯. In practice, it was mostly one of them bitching about something that annoyed them. Oddly, it was mostly Lucy who was doing the bitching.


    Currently, they were discussing the Glorious Artefact issue. Normally, they would do this in either at Sam¡¯s or at Lucy¡¯s apartment but the weather was beautiful, so they decided to head to one of those small caf¨¦s that had a small garden where guests could enjoy a small slice of nature in the middle of the city.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a trap,¡± she stated, not even looking up from her device. ¡°A guild that anybody would love to have just shows up and offers themselves up on a silver platter? You¡¯re ridiculous, Sam, but this strains the boundary of believability.¡±


    ¡°I looked into it,¡± he said while reaching for a pastry. Or rather, he asked Isabella to look into them. He would give Lucy the report later. ¡°They rather undersold the animosity between Darell and his relative.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°Just send Katie in¡­ They have the money and the numbers, but from what I saw, nothing special.¡±


    ¡°Just to clarify: you want to crush them?¡±


    ¡°Want to? Not particularly. But they¡¯ll come after us if we take in Darell and his ilk. Charles, the relative in question, has a hate boner that could replace a space elevator for Darell.¡±


    Hearing that Lucy looked up, interested. She was always a sucker for a good drama.


    ¡°What did he do? Did he steal the girl he was pining after but never talked to? Did Darell dare look at him?¡±


    Sam had to snort at that. It seemed Lucy was also noticing certain patterns. ¡°What have you been reading?¡±


    Lucy blushed and looked away. Sam cleared his throat and continued. ¡°Well, from what my source gathered, the actual issue is that while Charles is a pretty competent engineer and such, he is over thirty. Darell, by the time he was fifteen, achieved more than Charles ever had.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ one of those¡­¡± Lucy spat, her desire for drama forgotten. ¡°We have to do something about that. People like that don¡¯t really change¡­ Anyway, who is your source?¡± she asked curiously, no doubt already putting together a plan.


    ¡°Izzy.¡±


    ¡°I hate you. Send the documents over later.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing. But what about Artefacts?¡±


    ¡°Knowing about Charles helps. We can use the threat of that guy to chain them to ourselves. With a little creative restructuring and cross-training between our crafters and theirs, plus having them work on stuff that Liz developed, I think we can successfully integrate them into Chrysalis."


    ¡°Not AFK?¡±


    ¡°Not for now. Maybe later. First I want to see what happens. Having them near Chrysalis is already big enough bait¡­¡± Lucy answered with a serious look on her face.


    Sam nodded in agreement, not really seeing anything bad in testing their new ¡®allies¡¯. His gut told him that the Darell guy was on the up-and-up, but it never hurt to double-check.


    ¡°What about the contract?¡±


    Lucy shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re still negotiating. They really want to squeeze out every ounce of profit from this one¡­¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re not letting them, right?¡± Sam asked with a grin.


    Lucy snorted in response. ¡°Who do you think I am? The lawyers had fun putting together some really ironclad conditions into it.¡±


    ¡°Good luck with that then. Tell me when it is concluded. I want to be there when Liz and Darell are introduced,¡± he told her with a mischievous smile.


    ¡°I can already feel that headache forming¡­¡± Lucy replied with a small glare before it morphed into a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure Tim is there. Should be fun.¡±


    ¡°It was my luckiest day the day I ran into you¡­¡± Sam said with a laugh.


    <hr>


    The savanna was rather empty.


    Of people.


    There were countless numbers of animals, both terrestrial, arboreal, and aerial, all calling the endless savanna their home. Most of them were harmless, just living their lives as best as they could, being the productive members of the life cycle, but there were a few monsters here and there.


    As expected, Sam''s mana sense had already identified several giant vultures circling in the air, radiating deadly and anticipatory necrotic mana.


    ¡®Ah, Necrotures¡­¡¯ he mused. ¡®Let¡¯s make sure to thin their numbers. Annoying to fight necromancers that have them as pets.¡¯


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    With that thought finished, he raised a hand holding his sword and unleashed a furious spear of wind that sailed through the air and hit one of the circling carrion-eaters, vaporizing its head.


    Nodding in satisfaction and watching as several lesser creatures instantly descended on the corpse, he continued his journey.


    Necrotures had some instinctual control over necrotic magic, so instead of eating corpses, they would find a corpse, animate it, then have it hunt for them. That wasn¡¯t a big issue when they were wild, as a wildebeest zombie wasn¡¯t exactly a world-ending threat. However, necromancers loved to have them as familiars as with some training, enhancements, and direction they would be able to let loose on the battlefield.


    Giving them, and the necromancers, the opportunity to create self-propagating zombie armies.


    And nobody liked that¡­


    Thus, as he journeyed through the savanna, he made sure to kill every Necroture he spotted.


    It was his civic duty.


    Other monsters that he saw were wild dogs, roaming in packs, ready to tear anyone to pieces to satisfy their hunger, while giant herds of gazelles sometimes sped past, running far faster than they had any right to.


    They were called Velozelles, and their hide was particularly valuable as it could withstand tremendous friction. Another valuable part of theirs was the blood, used to create potions that increased reaction time and the magical equivalent of the drug, speed.


    Thankfully, they were fast enough that catching them was annoying and they were almost impossible to domesticate. Their runs usually took them from one end of the savanna to the other. Creating a corral that big was almost impossible. And if the Velozelles were prevented from running, then soon the magic inside them would weaken, making the entire domestication effort worthless.


    Luckily, due to his mana senses, he had some warning before the great herd of zooming Velozzelles approached and managed to put up a razor-sharp wind wall that caught a few necks. He made sure to take care of the carcasses, skinning them and harvesting all available materials for the future.


    There were also giant trap spiders and tiny snakes that hung from trees in bunches and fell on unsuspecting victims as they walked by. He spotted a few elephants in the distance, their hides sizzling with heat as they lumbered along a path only they could see. Scorchphants were herbivores and fiercely protected by all the other denizens of the savanna. They took in any kind of water, even from the very air, and used the heat to evaporate and clean it.


    Attacking one would aggro every animal and monster in a several-mile radius.


    As he headed toward the first town he knew about, he even spotted a few more predators. Brownish green lionesses stalked in the tall grass, each of their tails ending in razor-sharp bone protrusions, and each lioness sporting two and sometimes three separate tails.


    <hr>


    Soon, he had Lucky slow down, as the first sign of civilization came into view. While there weren¡¯t many roads leading through the savanna from the Emerald Kingdom direction as everybody felt that traveling on a boat to do business was much more comfortable ¨C with fewer drop snakes to boot ¨C there were still a few towns scattered around in the wilderness near the border that would make sure that anyone who tried to cross the distance to the first major city would have places to rest and recuperate.


    And to spend their money.


    Even now, there were a lot of forum posts about the price gouging and the artistic levels of scamming that happened in those small towns scattered around.


    Their favorite scam? Taking the adventurers on a hunt, then ¡®accidentally¡¯ spooking or annoying a strong local monster, getting the adventurers killed. Then, when the adventurer resurrected, they would helpfully sell them tools, potions, tinctures, wards and everything they could think of that would help them defeat the monstrous ¡®local nightmare¡¯. Meanwhile, they would have one of the local maidens, in appropriately pitiful, but enticing garb, feed the players some sob story about the monster eating their family and promising riches if they could defeat it.


    Very industrious¡­


    ¡®I wonder if I could scam them¡­¡¯ Sam wondered idly as he continued his journey.


    <hr>


    As he crested over a small hill, he stopped Lucky with a gentle nudge of his heel and surveyed the area.


    The town was still in the distance, almost hidden by the horizon, but Sam could see several shapes that hinted at intelligent construction methods, as opposed to the meerkats who liked to copy human houses. They were excellent with earth magic, but not so with architecture.


    Using his mana sense, he cast his gaze in the direction and was relieved to not see the angry haze of blood magic.


    Most of the forums were full of players crying about the unfairness of blood magic, but the developers were silent. Oh sure, they put out a statement that it wasn¡¯t cheating, hacking, and voodoo magic, but they claimed that it was a conflict between players, thus they were staying out of it.


    There were a lot of posts on the forums, mixed with a lot of trolls just fanning the flames, but from what he knew most of the towns that were razed and left with desiccated bodies of both players and NPCs were even more south.


    Sadly, the southern part of the continent wasn¡¯t united under a kingdom. Instead, it was littered with countless city-states that were one of the most powerful groups in the area. The closer to the ocean, the more powerful they were, thanks to trade.


    The other powers were nomads moving through the savanna and desert, never staying in one place too long. Though a few oases had towns sprang up around them, but from what he knew and remembered, the people living there were considered lower class by the nomads.


    The city-states didn¡¯t care as long as they had money. Or power. Best to have both, then they would be your friend.


    Small towns, like the one he was heading toward, usually belonged to one of the city-states or alternately serviced the nearest nomadic caravan, which would give up their ownership as soon as they departed. Until then, however, you either served or else¡­


    Otherwise, most of the denizens of the savanna and the desert were friendly folk, superstitious, and placing greater and greater importance on guest rights the deeper one headed into the desert.


    <hr>


    The moment he reached yelling distance from the town wall, he jumped off Lucky¡¯s back, the familiar giving him a friendly lick and vanishing into his shadow as Sam began to walk toward the gate adorned by countless bones of the animals found in the area in various configurations hinting arcane purpose which was confirmed by his mana sense as the walls shimmered with defensive power.


    As he got even closer he saw that the ground was stamped down by countless feet, showing that the area was pretty popular.


    ¡°Halt, stranger!¡± came a call from the top of the wall.


    Looking up, he saw a man, covered up to his neck by traditional garb adorned with green, brown, and gray colors, with a few splashes of gold-yellow and ruby-red denoting some rank.


    ¡°Do you seek death or life?¡± came the traditional question.


    ¡°I seek life and rest,¡± answered Sam, keeping his hands visible.


    The man took a moment to scrutinize him, looking for any deception before nodding.


    ¡°Then come and rest, traveler, and may the winds carry your words!¡± he called out, vanishing behind the wall, probably heading to open the gate.


    ¡°And may the earth provide for you,¡± Sam finished the traditional words, even though he wasn¡¯t sure the man heard him. Better to be safe with superstitious and traditionalist people.


    The gate opened silently, showing it was cared for, enough for Sam to slip in and he did so, the gate immediately closing behind him, equally silent.

 Chapter 243

    Sam stepped inside the settlement and stopped to take in the sight. Buildings were mostly made from tightly compacted clay, stone, and wood. They were square and had small openings, probably to protect the population from the sudden intense winds that made the savanna their home. Aside from that, it was a very colorful settlement. He could see colorful awnings made from woven cloth dyed every color imaginable, while people were wearing just as many colorful things.


    While not shown, he also knew that most settlements in this savanna had at least one layer of underground construction. These were mostly for food storage, but some used them as workshops or, in case of attacks, as last-chance emergency shelters. Sadly, most of the raiders were from the same place, so they knew about these shelters.


    However, against rampaging monsters, invaders, or environmental disasters, those shelters had great success rates.


    In bigger settlements, towns, or even cities ¨C as the people of the savanna lacked the knowledge in the past on how to build bigger multistory buildings ¨C the underground constructions were even more expansive. Sometimes they even reached down several miles, ending in confusing underground labyrinths, home to monsters and men alike.


    Back in the future some people thought that there were several lost cities buried in those tunnels underground and launched several expeditions. Last the other Sam heard they found some unfathomable monsters and some treasure but no hidden cities.


    The guard who let him in seemingly had enough of his observation and woolgathering and cleared his throat.


    ¡°So, traveler, why has the wind brought you here?¡± he asked looking Sam over with careful eyes.


    ¡°Just a little stopover as I head down south,¡± he replied simply.


    ¡°To Sunspot?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Wanted to see the city and heard there have been things happening even more south,¡± Sam answered. Sunspot was the biggest city in this part of the continent, practically the capital city of the savanna, setting aside the fact there was no actual country to speak of. However, most of the most influential people lived there, thus it was treated as a capital city by everyone.


    As for the name?


    Legend had it that the first settlers chose the spot for the city because they found a nice spot to bask in the warmth of the sun after a particularly cold winter.


    Instantly, the man¡¯s face tightened. Clearly, he also heard of the situation.


    ¡°Want to join? Here to seek fame and fortune?¡± he asked, his tone perfectly conveying what he thought of people who did that.


    Sam shook his head. ¡°Nothing like that. I¡¯m here to¡­ scout the situation,¡± he replied with an even voice, placing a little more emphasis on the word scout. The guard instantly picked it up and stood a little straighter, eyeing Sam with renewed interest.


    ¡°Scouting you say¡­¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°Yes. We¡¯re very worried about the news coming in and thus I decided to journey south and check it for myself,¡± he answered with a mysterious smile. He wasn¡¯t part of a bigger task force, but his words suggested so, and seeing the face the guard was making, he inferred that Sam was just one of the many.


    Which made the guard very happy.


    ¡°I see, I see¡­¡± he began, nodding wisely while surreptitiously looking around. He then leaned a little closer and began to whisper. ¡°I heard that old Garen has a nephew in Sunspot and he sends a letter every week.¡± Then the guard straightened out and began speaking normally. ¡°Welcome to Groundwater. We have the cleanest groundwater in the area! Guaranteed to quench your thirst!¡±


    Then he turned around and started walking to his guard spot. Sam watched him leave with a funny smile. He wanted to point out that the man didn¡¯t tell him where he could find old Garen, but the guard looked so proud of his ¡®subterfuge¡¯ that Sam didn¡¯t have the heart to ask about it. Plus, while the settlement was busy, it wasn¡¯t that big that he would need to spend ages to search it.


    With a jaunty wave at the back of the guard, he also began to move.


    For some time, he just walked through the settlement, taking in the sights.


    He saw people coming and going, children playing, old people complaining and everything in-between.


    Most of the people cast him suspicious gazes, the children ran around him with some even dragged away by worried guardians on his approach. Sam wasn¡¯t really bothered by it. One, they were NPCs, two it was pretty normal to be worried about strangers here in the wilds where shapeshifting fauna and flora made a game out of tricking people into getting themselves eaten.


    Entering one of the shops he looked around and saw all sorts of pelts and other fauna-related products being proudly displayed. Seeing some kind of meerkat of all things stuffed and posed on one of the shelves, shining with mana to his other senses, he walked toward it and leaned in closer, trying to figure out what it was for.


    ¡°Ah, the totem!¡± came a voice from behind him.


    Sam glanced back and saw someone who was probably the proprietor, dressed in colorful poncho-looking clothing and wearing a hat that was topped by the stuffed head of a lion holding the stuffed head of a meerkat, which was gnawing on a stuffed mouse.


    ¡°A totem!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, my wind-brought guest!¡± the man exclaimed enthusiastically, the hat bouncing with every word. ¡°A totem to defend the shop and our home!¡±


    ¡°Ah! One of those ground-manipulating meerkats?¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°You¡¯re well informed, traveler! Indeed, it is! Those little blighters love to ¡®help¡¯ building stuff. So, the shaman used their body to create a totem that would deter them. Fascinating, isn¡¯t it?¡± The man explained, gently petting the totem on its head. ¡°Maurice has been protecting this shop for the last twenty years and hasn¡¯t failed once!¡±


    ¡°Then why place it here where it can easily be damaged? Why not in a vault somewhere?¡± Sam asked curiously, already having dozens of ideas on how to make use of this kind of magic.


    The shop owner awkwardly scratched the back of his head. ¡°Ah, we tried that, we did. Alas, as the shaman told me when I was young, the totem lets out a smell that deters those insufferable blighters. It¡¯s of no use if it is hidden away behind closed doors and impenetrable vault doors.¡±


    ¡°Well, that makes sense¡­¡± Sam murmured, still eyeing the totem, trying to figure out the spell behind it.


    ¡®Probably some kind of ritual¡­ Maybe they would be willing to trade for it?¡¯ he mused as he probed the item with his mana. Gently, though, as he didn¡¯t want to damage it.


    Then the shop owner continued to speak.


    ¡°But I reckon the wind didn¡¯t blow you in here to learn about Maurice, traveler! How can this humble shop owner help you?¡± the man asked and Sam could see the glimmer of greed in his eyes, showing that despite their genial countenance, they were a trueborn merchant.


    Sam moved away from the shelf and ran his eyes through all the available merchandise. He didn¡¯t actually need anything, but needs must and all that.


    ¡°I was thinking about surprising my friends back home with something soft. You have anything like that?¡± he asked finally.


    ¡®Maybe we could use them as decoration in the Heavenly Forest?¡¯


    The man¡¯s eyes lit up and moved toward one of the shelves and removed a reddish-brown pelt the size of Sam. He unfurled it on his counter and began to gesticulate.


    ¡°This here was hunted from a Hazefox. A big one at that. Female, so it didn¡¯t face hardships, leaving its fur in pristine condition!¡± The man dragged Sam¡¯s hand to the fur and continued. ¡°Hazefoxes use fire magic, so the fur retains that heat even after harvest. Perfect for that cold winter night!¡±


    Sam ran his hand through the fur, and it was incredibly soft and slightly warm to the touch. He smiled.


    ¡°How many do you have?¡±


    ¡°Oh, dear traveler, we have all that you need!¡± came the expected answer.


    Sam nodded, hearing that. ¡°I want all of them.¡±


    ¡°E-excuse me?¡± the shop owner asked, taken aback by Sam¡¯s declaration. ¡°You want how many?¡±


    ¡°As many as you have,¡± Sam stated calmly. Then took out a bag of gold ¨C prepared for a scenario just like this ¨C and plopped it down on the counter, causing the jingle of coins to echo through the shop.


    It took a moment for the shop owner to compute his request but then the widest grin appeared on his face and the man became a whirlwind as he went about fulfilling Sam¡¯s order without asking any more questions.


    <hr>


    ¡°Anything else, great traveler?¡± the man inquired as he bowed while escorting Sam out of his shop, the grin on his face looking like it would become a permanent fixture. Sam wasn¡¯t really surprised about that. Even after haggling, the man no doubt made enough money that he wouldn¡¯t need to work for a year.


    ¡°Ah, yes. I was looking for a man named Garen. Could you point me in the right direction?¡±


    ¡°Old, young, big or small, Garen?¡± came the unexpected question from an apologetic shop owner. ¡°Garen is a pretty popular name.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I was told he was old,¡± Sam replied.


    ¡°Excellent, then I¡¯m able to help you, traveler!¡± the show owner replied, the grin back on his face. ¡°Old Garen is one of the hunters. He returns after sundown at the west gate. You can catch him there.¡±


    ¡°Much thanks!¡±


    ¡°It was my honor to help you, traveler! May the winds carry you!¡±


    <hr>


    Not having too much to do, and wanting to speak with old Garen after the game system gave him a pretty big hint, he spent his time organizing his inventory and making sure his new equipment and clothing were in working order.


    Poor Lucky was staring at him from his shadow the entire time with puppy eyes, begging to be let out to play with children. However, as much as it pained him, Sam had to deny the request as he wanted to keep Lucky¡¯s existence as a trump card.


    Plus, by now, he was pretty well known and Lucky, thanks to being an adorable puppy, was even more popular with the netizens. He didn¡¯t want to chance somebody recognizing the excitable wolf.


    <hr>


    The sun was going down, painting the quaint settlement in all shades of orange holding back the encroaching darkness when Sam, sitting on a crate and simply playing with mana cracked an eye open as he began hearing shouting.


    Unfortunately, it was not happy shouting.


    As he began to stand up and reach for his sword, the shouting began to grow and the guards began to rush around while the rest of the people began to anxiously watch the gate.


    He didn¡¯t have to wait long as the gate was practically slammed open and several people charged through, all disheveled, bleeding from several wounds, and lacking almost any equipment that any hunter worth their salt would have with them. One of them, breathing heavily, was carrying an old unconscious man on their back.


    ¡°Close the gates! Close the gates!¡± one of them yelled and the guards moved instantly, not even questioning him, closing the door and moving several crossbeams down, locking them.


    Sam watched as the old man was lowered carefully on an already waiting stretcher ¨C his identity, with Sam¡¯s luck, no doubt would be old Garen ¨C and the younger hunters began to yell once again.


    ¡°They are coming! We must prepare!¡±


    Another guard stepped forward, Sam following from a little away.


    ¡°What is coming? Speak!¡±


    ¡°The bloodbeasts! Something riled them up and they are rampaging!¡± cried the young man, practically collapsing onto his knees in despair. ¡°We were scouting the valley and noticed they¡¯re agitated. Sunny went to check them but he¡­¡±


    ¡°He what?¡± the stone-faced guard asked prompting the young man to continue.


    ¡°He got his hand cut on one of the sharper stones¡­it drove them into a frenzy!¡± finished the man and broke down into sobs.


    ¡°Wh-where is Sunny?¡± an older woman asked from the watching crowd, worry etched into her sun-worn face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the man sobbed. ¡°T-they tore him apart¡­¡±


    Sam listened to the wailing of the living as he contemplated the issue. Bloodbeasts were some of the most peaceful monsters of the savannah. Herbivores all the way. Unless they smelled fresh blood. That would cause them to turn aggressive. Normally, a wound like that would be only enough to make the herd the hunters were scouting agitated.


    ¡®Probably all the blood magic¡­ And now they¡¯re hunting for more blood¡­¡¯


    ¡°Brilliant¡­¡± he murmured under his breath. ¡°They really chose their starting positions perfectly¡­¡±


    He was interrupted by an older guard, probably their leader calling out to everyone.


    ¡°Come people of the earth! Let us defend what is ours and let the wind carry the song of our victory!¡± he exclaimed ¨C rather heroically to Sam¡¯s eyes ¨C and raised his sword in the air, causing people to let out a muted cheer.


    It was understandable as it was pretty hard to cheer while several people were sobbing their souls out next to them.


    He was about to approach the leader of the guards when a screen appeared in front of him.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Call to action!]


    [The town of Groundwater is being threatened by bloodbeasts driven mad by the machinations of mages leagues away. The guard called those able to action. Are you willing to help them or are you going to leave them doomed?]


    [Time limit: Until sunrise]


    [Penalty: Guilt]


    [Reward: Honor]


    ¡°Well, hard to say no to that!¡± Sam chuckled as he accepted the quest. Dismissing the window, he made sure no more would appear and began to make his way to where the rest of the warriors were congregating. It was time for good old-fashioned tower defense.


    Or rather town defense...

 Chapter 244

    For a while, there was only chaos. People ran around, reinforcing the walls and gates, bringing out supplies, like arrows, spears, and such, so the defenders would have an easier time reaching them.


    There was a small medical station being set up with walls made of the colorful material that everybody seemed to use in the settlement.


    The rest of the civilians were milling about anxiously, waiting to know the battle¡¯s outcome. There were no children, as those were the first who were taken away by the older generation, right down into the shelters. There was a lot of crying, screaming, and begging from the older children that the adults should allow them to join the defense.


    Thankfully, the elders managed to convince them to seek shelter after some heart-wrenching conversations.


    Sam was only paying attention with half an ear as he was focusing his attention on the mana in the air.


    When the diminished scouting party arrived, he couldn¡¯t really feel anything, but now at the very edges of his senses, he could feel the disgusting presence of the blood magic.


    Blood magic usually wasn¡¯t disgusting, and it wasn¡¯t really forbidden in most kingdoms ¨C except for those where there were a lot of vampires ¨C but as it was prone to abuse and could get very quickly out of control, most people abstained from using it.


    Sam knew several skills, spells, and tools that used blood magic that would have made his gaming life much easier ¨C and richer ¨C but as he didn¡¯t really want to spend his time improving his blood magic to go toe to toe with a pair of brothers who had no qualms of sacrificing entire villages in brutal blood magic rituals to enhance their powers, he didn¡¯t go after them.


    Even if they were ¡®just¡¯ NPCs he didn¡¯t really have the stomach for that kind of thing. Better leave it to psychopaths¡­


    ¡°How long do you think until they reach us?¡± he asked, his eyes still on the horizon, to the person next to him. The older guard squinted, then grunted.


    ¡°Half an hour maximum.¡± Then he pointed toward the source of disgusting mana. ¡°See there? You can see the dust cloud.¡±


    Sam also looked and indeed there was a rising dust cloud heading towards the settlement of Groundwater.


    He considered what to do. He could hide who he was and let the settlement suffer while he helped in the defense hiding his full powers, or simply go all out from the beginning and spare the people of Groundwater from any suffering due to psychopaths playing around with things they had no true understanding of.


    In the end, the decision was easy to make.


    <hr>


    Standing on the wall, he was finally able to spot the approaching monsters.


    They looked like emaciated wildebeests, their horns black as the blackest night, the veins under their skin pulsing not unlike a malignant nightclub as they stampeded toward the settlement walls. The surrounding mana churned with disgusting blood magic that seemed to cling to their skin like some kind of oil, dripping on the ground and contaminating it as the herd headed toward them.


    Thankfully, the blood magic was directionless, simply the bloodbeests nature attracting the free-flowing blood mana in the air and causing devastation. Meaning it was just the system fucking with him and not a player.


    ¡®I''m relieved¡­¡¯ he mused as he unsheathed his sword.


    ¡°Lucky!¡± he called out and initiated the skill that allowed his loyal familiar to transform. His barely-used desert gear transformed into an armored one, with the wolf¡¯s head displayed on his shoulder blades.


    ¡°By the winds! What is happening?¡± one of the people, anxiously clutching their subpar spear, exclaimed as they watched as the black shadowy substance flowed over Sam¡¯s body to solidify into armor.


    Sam ignored the surprised people around him, simply reveling in the power boost provided by the new armor and the knowledge that Lucky was protecting him. Then he turned toward the approaching beast horde.


    Raising his sword ¨C Moonlight shining with a much stronger light than usual, probably trying to prove something ¨C he began channeling his own magic.


    He wanted to obliterate the incoming horde by instantly channeling his mana into one massive attack, but he wanted to make use of the chance to experiment with blood magic. He wanted to see how certain spells interacted with the disgusting mana clinging to the desperately rushing stampede.


    Usually, when he did something like this he was face to face with his enemy, so it was also a good chance to figure out a few things when acting over a long distance.


    Calmly, he summoned a gust of wind, compressed down to a ball, ready to be released, located at the tip of his sword, aimed directly at the incoming herd.


    Then ever slowly he began to infuse the compressed gust with cleaning mana, focusing on purification.


    ¡®Man¡­I always forget to pick up that stupid skill¡­¡¯ he grumbled to himself as he completed the spell.


    Then as people began to gather around him, equally curious about and wary of his actions, he let go of the spell construct.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    WHOOOOMP


    The compressed ball of pure wind and cleanliness expanded instantly in the direction of the incoming herd with a muted thump, sending visible ripples through the air.


    ¡°What is happening?¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    People around began to yell and exclaim, wondering what was happening while he was inspecting the results of the experiment. The conjured wind reached the beasts within seconds causing the first beast ¨C arguably the biggest of the bloody menaces ¨C to slow down a little, but otherwise the monsters weren¡¯t affected.


    However, it affected the environment around the monsters much more.


    The gathered dust cloud that was kicked up by the stampede was blown away, revealing the true size of the herd, unfortunately demoralizing the people of Groundwater even more.


    ¡°Look how many there are!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too many! We can¡¯t keep them out!¡±


    That was an unintended result of his experiment, but the others were much more fruitful. For example, now that the dust cloud was momentarily dispelled it allowed him to discern the true power of the encroaching monster horde. The result of that caused him to smile a little.


    The last result was what his senses told him. As the clean mana-enhanced gust of wind swept through the herd, Sam felt and saw the dirty and fel blood magic being dispersed by his cleaning magic.


    Not all of it, the mana directly clinging to bloodbeests was almost unaffected, but the cloud of mana tainted by blood magic hanging around them was washed away.


    ¡®Hah! I knew it! Advanced Clean to the rescue!¡¯ he celebrated silently.


    Then, as the beasts began to come even closer, he shook himself and began to gather more mana. It was time to put down those mad beasts while putting the locals at ease.


    Slowly, but surely, he began to conjure his favorite wind spears up in the air, two for each approaching monster, leaving them hanging there, simply spinning in place.


    There were a few more cries from the watching crowd, but for now, Sam ignored them and focused on the monsters.


    As soon as he had enough spears conjured to skewer all the attacking monsters, he began phase two. First infusing them with cleaning mana, turning the usually yellowish magic into light blue, then enveloping them with shadow mana, causing streaks of black to show up on the spinning spears. Following that he reached out with his mana and tagged each and every one of the maddened animals with it.


    ¡°Traveler! What are you doing?¡± came a concerned question from one of the guards. Sam absently recognized him as the one who let him into the settlement.


    ¡°Cleaning up!¡± he replied while simultaneously letting go of all the spears he had conjured up.


    WHOOOSH


    The spears flew off, causing some disturbance around him which caused more than one person to yelp in fright.


    Meanwhile, Sam watched as the spears flew true and skewered all the stampeding monsters, causing them to stop and simply fall while skidding forward, the remaining momentum carrying them forward.


    He swept through the corpses with his mana one last time, making sure that he took out every last one, then stepped back from the rampart and dusted his hands.


    ¡°Well, I think that¡¯s that¡­¡±


    The people around him just stared, openmouthed at him.


    Though, personally, he thought that one person who fell to their knees and began to openly weep was a little too much.


    <hr>


    ¡°Great messenger of the wind! Take this drink!¡± a rather fetching young lady, incidentally only covered by the least amount of clothing necessary, offered him a drink with a great smile on her face as she bowed low for a suspiciously long time. He didn¡¯t really mind the view¡­


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he replied gently, dismissing the girl and taking the offered drink made from the purest water the people of Groundwater could find. She huffed good-naturedly and left with a wink and sashay.


    After people got over their shock, they instantly began to celebrate. Unfortunately, most of that was directed at him. Especially after one of the more knowledgeable residents figured out that he used wind magic.


    Then they started calling him the messenger of the wind. Pretty awkward if you ask him¡­


    But at least they were much nicer to him. Instead of casual indifference, he was treated with hero worship and poorly hidden fear.


    They were sitting in the main square on everything people could find. Everything from stools made from bone to well-worn carpets. There was a party starting up, food and drinks being introduced, but Sam was only waiting for one thing.


    Finally, based on the celebratory sounds, it happened.


    On the opposite side of the main square, a small crowd parted and Sam watched as an older man, with scarred and sun-worn skin, hobbled toward him relying on a crutch, his arms still bandaged. Around him, the rest of the people were celebrating, but the old hunter only had eyes for Sam.


    He motioned toward the empty place next to him on the thick carpet and the old man nodded and began to hobble over.


    <hr>


    It took old Garen a minute to move over and when he sat down, he let out a very relieved sigh.


    ¡°Aaah, it is nice to rest¡­¡± he said softly as he accepted the cup from Sam. ¡°Thank you, youngster.¡±


    Sam smiled and raised the cup before taking a sip. ¡°To your health!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need that!¡± replied the old man then chugged the contents of the cup down with one smooth motion before letting out a satisfied burp. ¡°Nothing better than fresh water¡­¡±


    Sam nodded but said nothing and the old hunter joined him as they both watched the settlement come together and celebrate. Most of the guards were absent as they were currently dealing with the corpses. Sadly, they couldn¡¯t eat them as they were tainted by blood magic gone haywire, but Sam gave them some money to collect the tainted blood. He would need it for later¡­


    After a few minutes of silence, the old man finally spoke up in a gruff voice, casting a suspicious glance at Sam.


    ¡°Heard you were looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, elder, I did.¡±


    ¡°And what does someone with your¡­skills want with little old me?¡±


    ¡°I was told you have a relative in Sunspot who keeps you abreast of the happenings. I wanted to get some information about the place before entering.¡±


    ¡°Scouting, huh?¡±


    ¡°Something like that, elder,¡± Sam replied while handing the man another cup of water, this time from his own reserves. Based on the look on the man¡¯s face, he instantly recognized that it was not local water when he took a sip.


    ¡°Good water. What do you want to know?¡±


    Sam smiled and offered a refill. ¡°Oh, just the basics. Who is in power? Who are the important people? If anything interesting or weird happened recently?¡±


    One would think that he could have gotten the same information from an online forum, or in a worst-case scenario, from paying someone on Shadowland. But asking the NPCs had a distinct advantage over talking with players.


    They had a different view of the events, so sometimes people could uncover clues to quests that were already in progress, and most importantly, the system liked to sprinkle in information that the player may need or want.


    Or sometimes the system would simply add a few interesting tidbits and derail whatever plans the player had as they hunted after shiny¡­


    Sam really hoped the system wouldn¡¯t do that to him.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± the man began after considering for a while. Probably the system working out what to say and what not to. ¡°I assume you¡¯re aware of the blood cultists, right?¡± When Sam nodded silently he continued. ¡°Aside from that the biggest news I could share would be that they¡¯re planning to launch a new expedition into the depths of Sunspot. Rumor has it that someone found some clues for a pocket dimension that belonged to some grand mage.¡±


    Apparently, he didn¡¯t hope hard enough.

 Chapter 245

    The news couldn¡¯t have been worse.


    From what he remembered from his inherited memories, in the entire multi-year history of the game, not one expedition had succeeded or found anything worth any amount of money remotely. Oh, they found plenty of monster nests and fractures, even some other pocket dimensions, but due to the nature of the location and the types of monsters, it was not worth setting up any kind of base to exploit anything they found. Usually, those explorers ran the fractures a few times (if able) gathered what loot they could ¨C went for a few more rounds if they found something interesting ¨C and then hightailed back to the surface.


    And these were the success stories.


    Most expeditions usually were drowned in endless monster floods, annihilated by some kind of unknown calamity that they crossed paths with during its wanderings, or were killed by other explorers.


    Ironically, the best income one could achieve under Sunspot was from hunting explorers and looting their corpses and caravans.


    This was because underground, thanks to things neither Sam nor his alternate future self, didn¡¯t understand, teleporting or any other movement through space with magic ¨C unless you were willing to sacrifice a lot of souls ¨C was impossible. If you wanted to get deep, you needed to walk.


    They tried setting up one of the portals that were used for travel between cities, but the only things that came out of the portal after it was activated had to be burned then buried and never talked about.


    However, he changed things. A lot of things. Thus, the game also changed.


    Was there a chance that this expedition ¨C or any other in the future ¨C could find something valuable and important? Yes, there was.


    The question was, how he could make use of it? Because it was a hundred percent sure that a bunch of people, both solo and guild players, would gather to explore the depths and hopefully strike it rich, but he also knew that the Blood Brothers would also make use of this opportunity.


    Either by striking covertly, slowly picking off people one by one while reenacting horror stories or simply ambushing the expedition with their powerful blood magic that not many people had defense against.


    ¡®I mean, the first idea is clearly superior¡­¡¯ Sam mused to himself as he rode toward Sunspot on Lucky¡¯s back, the settlement of Groundwater, filled with happy and thankful people, blending into the scenery behind him.


    After his conversation with the old hunter, he simply went around looking for any NPC that would give him more information, but they either wanted to give him a drink, show him a good time, or go out for a hunt.


    Thus, he said his goodbye and, with a little piece of carved wood, shaped like the head of a wildebeest, given to him by Garen, he left the small town. Garen gave it to him for saving his and everyone¡¯s life.


    It wouldn¡¯t give him anything but simply prove to Garen¡¯s son that he knew his father. It would be enough for Sam to get his leg inside the door.


    [The quest, ¡®Call to action!¡¯ is completed!]


    [You defeated the ravenous horde and have been rewarded with booze, kindness, and a nice carving.]


    Then there was the letter he was supposed to deliver for his Master.


    Sam sighed and leaned forward, urging Lucky to go faster.


    <hr>


    The best part about the fight against the stampede, insofar as it can be called a fight, was that one of his skills finally evolved.


    [Mana Flux is now Level 10!]


    [You managed to weave seamlessly together three different types of mana natures and achieved a breakthrough!]


    [You have learned Mana Weaving!]


    [Mana Weaving: Level 0 (0%) (Passive) You weave mana and skills together like an experienced seamstress, increasing their power, effectiveness, and properties. Grants a flat 10% True Damage, Damage Increase, and Cooldown Decrease to your skills that use mana. Grants an additional 1% Damage Increase, Cooldown Decrease, and Casting Speed Increase per skill level. When weaving together two or more skills, spells, or mana natures you gain 0,25% True Damage and 0,1% Damage Increase per skill level. Increased effectiveness of magical shielding piercing. Decreases the negative effects when weaving together opposite elements.]


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but smile. Mana Weaving was one of those skills, like Mana Scales or his Perfect Mana Core skill, that had no level limit ¨C though after a while it had diminishing returns ¨C and as people called it in the future: a completed skill. It could be modified with sub-skills or merged together with other skills but it worked on its own and needed only time to make it insanely powerful.


    ¡®Three completed skills¡­I¡¯m on a roll!¡¯ he chuckled to himself.


    If the same people who looked down on the other Sam could see him now¡­ Three completed skills and he was barely over Level 100! Most guilds sometimes spent years and an insane amount of money, resources, and man-hours to figure out the ins and outs of the skill system and craft the ¡®perfect¡¯ completed skills.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Sam¡¯s goal was to eventually have all of his skills evolve and merge into completed skills. Less hassle and more power for him. Plus, it would be a final fuck you to the people who cast his alternate future self down. Living life well was a good revenge, but having superior skills in a game was an even better revenge.


    ¡®Man¡­my life is weird¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    Arriving at Sunspot was met with no fanfare, monster attacks, or ambush by ambitious bandits. He simply found a small cliff that overlooked one of the main roads leading to the city, bustling with caravans, countless different mounts, and people walking, driving, and riding to and fro.


    Not wanting to be recognized, he brought up his hood, dismissed Lucky back to his shadow, and brought out his Chameleon mask, turning into an unremarkable person with a scar across their face. He didn¡¯t have the rack to distract people with, might as well use that to distract people from other things. If the only thing they remember him by was the scar, he would be able to vanish much more successfully if needed.


    The road and the surroundings were looking rather peaceful. He spotted several impromptu camps that turned into small markets as people took breaks and tried to sell their wares (mostly to avoid the taxes in Sunspot) while they rested.


    However, Sam knew despite the tranquil look the area showcased, it was anything but that. Sunspot was the biggest city in the area, yet it wasn¡¯t part of any kingdom. Naturally, they had city guards and a standing army, the Sun Warriors, who patrolled the city and around it while they also collected taxes from the settlements in their area of influence, but there was no unifying government. There were no laws encoded into books. The city and the area had ¡®rules¡¯. And if you had the power, those rules didn¡¯t mean much.


    Thankfully, for now, the NPCs ruling the city were much stronger than any of the guilds calling it their home, probably a precaution by the game developers to prevent an easy takeover by players. Sam thought that he could probably go toe to toe with one of the Sun Warriors, but would lose if he had to face a captain or any of the other officials.


    The bigger problem were the players. As there wasn¡¯t any law in the land, most player killers or people who have been banished, or dismissed from other countries gathered here. It wasn¡¯t like the city became a den of sin with bloody murder on every street corner, but nobody cared if you got shanked by going down the wrong alley. Or got cheated out of your money. Or had your money and product stolen. Or anything else.


    If you wanted justice, you got yourself justice.


    Or pay one of the millions of mercenaries calling the city of Sunspot their home to get justice on their behalf.


    Then get betrayed by those same mercenaries after you pay them.


    Basically, anything goes as long as you keep a few basic rules in mind.


    No harming children. Touch even one and the entire city would band together to hunt you down.


    Don¡¯t touch the rulers¡¯ stuff. Harming the businesses or properties (be they physical or living) would get you hunted down by the Sun Warriors with extreme prejudice.


    If the area ruled over by Sunspot is attacked, then put aside your differences and help defend it. Then go loot the enemy and bring back something shiny.


    And the most important one: leave the merchants alone. They generated most of the tax and the rulers of the city liked money.


    And now Sam was heading toward this hive of villainy and scum¡­


    <hr>


    Walking through the crowd, dodging opportunistic pickpockets, hobby murderers, and very pushy merchants, it took Sam almost an hour to get to the city walls. Then another half an hour to get through the gate after giving the guard an ¡®entrance fee¡¯.


    Looking around, the inside of the city didn¡¯t look different compared to all the other cities he saw during his time playing Magic Unbound. Granted, the architecture was different, people dressed differently and the art was much more colorful than back in the Emerald Kingdom. But aside from that, the city was a simple city, full of people living their lives; trading, crafting, eating, drinking, and laughing.


    Admittedly, in most other cities, the number of pickpockets was much lower. And this time it wasn¡¯t just NPCs that were thieves but actual players who tried to pickpocket him. On lower levels, pick-pocketing skills only targeted the physical pockets, but on higher levels, it would be possible to steal from the inventory of a target.


    And what better place to level up these skills than in a city where nobody cared as long as you avoided a few specific people?


    After the third hand, he had to slap away in as many minutes, he simply summoned up a small layer of wind around himself, preventing anyone from touching him. Then after a little thought, he infused a little clean mana into the spell as the city wasn¡¯t exactly the cleanest.


    A few minutes of navigating the labyrinthian streets full of distractions, great smells, a few bar fights, and even more thieves, he arrived at something most people would charitably call a main square.


    There was a giant statue representing the sun god to the side, surrounded by open bar counters where provocatively dressed women sold drinks while advertising the services of their ¡®taverns¡¯. A number of stalls dotted the area selling all sorts of things while Sam spotted at least three different shell games going on in different dark corners and he could hear two bards singing wholly different songs, adding to the cacophony of the square.


    For a moment he stood there, immersing himself in the feeling and trying to make sense of the chaos happening in front of him before grinning.


    Taking a deep breath, smelling the smell of alcohol, and food mixed with the sweat coming off the crowd he couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡®Time for a little¡­excitement¡­ But first¡­ How to find Garen¡¯s son¡­¡¯ he mused, looking around, trying to spot a hint or clue that would lead him to his target. All old Garen could tell him that his son was working in a tavern near the main square of the city.


    Sadly, just from where he was standing, he could see five different taverns.


    Before he could think more about it, there was a crash, and he saw a body flying out one of the windows, crash-landing on a ramshackle stall selling souvenirs, destroying it. Which in turn earned the flying person the wrath of the stall owner who immediately began to yell and beat on poor guy.


    However, it seems the guy wriggling on the ground, trying to avoid anger-fueled hits, had some friends who immediately rose to their friend¡¯s defense.


    ¡°Well, destiny is giving me a big hint¡­ let¡¯s go before the fight reaches me¡­¡± he murmured under his breath and began heading toward the tavern that seemed to be favoring defenestration instead of doors.


    Looking up at the sign, he read it.


    Blind Meerkat


    Sam shrugged and pushed the door open. He had heard stupider and meerkats were a staple of the savanna.


    Inside, he was greeted by a bustling tavern as if the previous rapid exit via the window never happened. He could see several people coming up from some stairs carrying a replacement window.


    Sam grinned.


    ¡°I like this place!¡± he spoke delightfully.


    Then a bottle smashed next to his head on the wall.

 Chapter 246

    Thankfully, the shards of glass were ineffective in piercing the shield he had woven over himself to deter pickpockets, but he still took a step away from the impact site. Which was fortunate, as the first bottle was almost instantly followed by another one, sailing through the air right where his head was moments ago.


    The previously ¡®peaceful¡¯ atmosphere was shattered within a blink of an eye as one bottle became a dozen and Sam watched with fascination as the entire building broke out in a fight. People were hitting each other with fists, bottles, broken furniture as debris flew everywhere with a liberal amount of alcohol following it, making sure everything was soaked in it.


    Then a person was sent flying through the pristine replacement window, breaking the glass in thousands of pieces and leaving the people that were carrying it to look on with resigned faces. Sam had the privilege to watch as the two men shared a look then as one broke the frame of the broken window and threw themselves after the guy that threw the first one through the window.


    Sam chuckled and began moving toward the counter where the bartender was standing behind it and leisurely cleaning a glass that didn¡¯t need to be cleaned and looking supremely unconcerned about the bar fight happening in his tavern.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Sam greeted the man with a downward motion of his head. The bartender returned the nod with a grunt. ¡°Looking for Garen¡¯s son,¡± Sam stated while showing the totem he received.


    Another grunt and the bartender nodded in the direction of one of the clusters of the fight. Sam looked over and saw a guy looking like old Garen, though obviously younger, fighting three other guys with the dented remains of a tin plate. He seemed to be winning¡­


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Sam said while flipping a gold coin at the bartender, which instantly vanished into the ether as the man continued to clean the already clean glass.


    Sam snorted and began walking toward his target. Occasionally he would hop over a few stray limbs or unconscious people or slap away improvised weaponry aimed at his head. He also used some wind magic to move people out of the way until he reached his target, who was currently on the ground, breathing heavily, surrounded by equally heavily breathing malcontents.


    He reached down, grabbed the man at the cuff of his shirt, lifted him up ¨C cheating with mana a little to not to make it uncomfortable or ruin the shirt ¨C shook him a little and turned around, heading for the stairs leading to the second floor where he could speak with the man.


    A few people tried to get in his way, but they all somehow tripped after taking one step or hit the air with whatever was in their hands.


    Though he kind of wanted to see what the guy brandishing lamb chops was planning¡­


    <hr>


    Garen¡¯s son sat opposite of him, nursing a glass of water that Sam poured him, making sure to butter him up, while examining the small carving he was given. The second floor was much quieter than the ground floor as people and groups sat around tables and quietly conversed and drank their choice of liver poison.


    ¡°So, my father sent you?¡± the younger man asked, eyes searching Sam¡¯s face suspiciously.


    Sam nodded. ¡°Yes. I just want to get a quick overview of the situation in Sunspot. I heard about the expedition and the blood mages¡­¡±


    The moment Sam mentioned the second one, Garen¡¯s son, Glade grimaced. ¡°Those animals¡­¡±


    ¡°That bad, huh?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re tearing through the small villages. The locals try to stop them, but they have no idea how to fight against blood mages¡­¡±


    ¡°And you do?¡±


    Glade shrugged. ¡°Me, personally? Nah¡­ But it was made pretty clear that the Sun Warriors can fight off those monsters¡­¡± He explained. ¡°The Heralds also announced that they¡¯re working on things so that the small people could protect themselves from it¡­¡±


    Sam nodded in understanding. He remembered hearing about it. The Sun Heralds, or leaders of Sunspot and associated territories, decided ¨C in their infinite wisdom ¨C to fight fire with fire. They began distributing blood magic, enhanced by the power of the sun.


    Boy, did it not work out for them. They weren¡¯t toppled but the fights seriously crippled their forces and if it weren¡¯t for the absurd strength of the Sun Warriors, then Sunspot would have been destroyed.


    ¡°Maybe they think if they also use blood magic, they can fight against them?¡± he offered.


    Glade¡¯s eyes widened with excitement. ¡°Do you think so? From what I¡¯ve heard, blood magic is incredibly powerful, but nobody really has any knowledge about it around here. Or if they do, they¡¯re not telling¡­¡±


    Sam thought about mentioning that if the enemy was much more knowledgeable about it, then it was a pretty big gamble to try to use it against them. Alas, the people of Sunspot and the desert were rather stubborn and proud. If they thought they could bend the magic to their will, the only way to convince them is to defeat them and he had no time for that, nor did he particularly feel the need to do that. Let the insane culture here exhaust the blood mage army while he prepared for their arrival in the Emerald Kingdom.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°What about the expedition?¡±


    Glade looked up from his glass. ¡°Down to the Deep?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I heard there is going to be a big one.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Rumor has it that there are too many mercenary companies in the city and the Heralds decided to trim the fat a little.¡±


    Smart way to deal with the countless number of player-made mercenary groups calling the city their home.


    ¡°Whoever comes back can stay?¡± Sam asked with a smile but Glade shook his head.


    ¡°No. Whoever brings back the most valuable thing can stay. If you come back empty-handed, you¡¯re automatically out!¡± Glade told him with a grin that showed Sam how the man felt about it. ¡°Already a bunch of mercenary guilds merged, reducing the numbers. I heard everybody is hiring!¡± He finished his explanation with excitement.


    Sam sat for a while, occasionally refilling their glasses with fresh water from his waterskin, and thought about the information he received.


    He was once again at a crossroads. Join the fun and maybe gain something worthwhile or go and follow his own plans¡­


    Ultimately, his choice was obvious. He had enough problems keeping this in hand back in the Emerald Kingdom. Joining the chaos of another ¡®country¡¯ would be just counterproductive and drain on his resources.


    ¡°I only have one last question,¡± he spoke up and handed over the address Fitzgerald had given to him to deliver the box to. ¡°Do you know this place?¡±


    Glade glanced at it and grimaced, causing Sam¡¯s heart to sink.


    ¡°That¡¯s the address to one of the Heralds¡­¡±


    <hr>


    After giving the man one of his smaller spare waterskins for the information, Sam departed from the Blind Meerkat, heading for his target, leaving Glade to return to the bar fight with renewed enthusiasm.


    Navigating the city was very interesting now that he knew what exactly was going on. For example, the forum posts he had read never mentioned that the city leadership didn¡¯t like the number of mercenary guilds.


    ¡®Typical gamers¡­ They only see things they are interested in and ignore the fluff¡­¡¯ he grumbled under his breath as he avoided another damn pickpocket. Sadly, the fluff was more important than any of the details of the expedition.


    If the city leadership was reacting that meant that the system was reacting. Which in turn meant that there would certainly be an event or something that reduced the number of mercenary guilds. And that in turn would mean railroading¡­


    It was fascinating to see how the city changed as he went from the common areas to where the leaders lived. Regular patrols by the Sun Warriors became common and the regular citizens and miscreants scurried along toward their destination while avoiding eye contact with the rather impressive and scary guards, dressed in red and gold armor that represented their organization.


    Sam ignored all this and with the box he had to deliver safely in his inventory, headed straight for the address he was given, on the route Garen¡¯s son had provided. The patrolling Sun Warriors gave a few cursory glances as they assessed him, but as Sam had no weapon out and walked like he had a purpose being there, they let him be.


    Even the buildings changed from utilitarian looks to one of decadence and sheer wealth in the style of the desert. White and flashy colors were everywhere, with even more colorful cloths hanging over gardens protected by high walls to prevent sand from getting into the compounds.


    Double-checking his directions, he walked toward one of the compounds that reminded him of the Silvercrest mansion, though a little more intimidating.


    During his walk, he spotted at least three different groups of guards patrolling around the compound, with no doubt more inside and four of them standing at the door. Two of them simply walked around or sat around in plain clothes on the opposite side of the street and two of them in uniform standing ramrod straight at the door, holding halberds made of pure metal with silver and red coloring. Wood was much more valuable around here just to simply use it for weapons.


    The ones in plain clothes gave themselves away by instantly staring at Sam, and not hiding their mana. Their mana core blazed with an unrestrained strength that dwarfed his. This was either done for intimidation purposes or they simply couldn¡¯t hide it from him.


    Either way, he was not here to cause trouble, so he simply pretended not to see them and approached the smaller door near the gate. He wasn¡¯t important enough to open the gates for, so he didn¡¯t even try going for it.


    The guards eyed him but said nothing.


    He raised a hand and greeted them.


    ¡°Greetings! Here to deliver a package to Herald Miesme,¡± he stated, trying to pronounce the name properly. Thankfully, he had All Speak, so he didn¡¯t have to bother with learning the local language.


    Naturally, it wasn¡¯t that easy.


    The guard looked over him, taking his measure and Sam even felt a rather invasive wave of mana sweep over him, which he carefully avoided with pinpoint precise application of his own mana.


    As a result, the guard sneered and spat at his boots.


    ¡°The Herald doesn¡¯t see some nobody woodhumper no matter how pretty they dress up!¡± he exclaimed.


    Sam just sighed, ignored the stupid insult, and continued. ¡°I¡¯m here to deliver a letter to Herald Miesme from Master Fitzgerald. Nothing more or less.¡± Seeing the derision on the guard¡¯s face it was quite hard to stay polite and calm. Though the knowledge that one punch from the guard would turn him into chunky salsa helped.


    Another spit. ¡°Go away! The Herald refuses to see someone so¡­ weak¡­¡± he stated, rather loudly, causing the plain cloth guards to stand up and begin ambling in their direction.


    ¡°This is important. Allow me to deliver it and you shall not hear my voice on the wind ever again,¡± Sam replied in an even tone, even though he knew it was useless.


    ¡°Hah! As if the word of a mercenary is worth for the Herald to listen to!¡± came the very much expected reply. Apparently, the local players had pissed off the leadership of Sunspot something fierce. The sneer, if possible, deepened on the guard¡¯s rugged face. ¡°Leave now, before I remove you!¡±


    The other guard¡¯s grip on their weapon tightened and Sam felt the mana of every guard flare as they readied themselves for a fight. Sam had to give that to them. Even though they thought he was weak, they still prepared for a full-on fight. That was dedication and training. He was quite impressed.


    ¡°Any way I could convince you to let me in?¡± he asked, already knowing the answer. He expected some railroading, but this felt a little too much.


    The guard grinned. It was a rather ugly grin.


    ¡°Come back, when you have proved yourself before the sun, little woodhumper. Maybe then Herald Meisme shall hear you out!¡±


    Sam sighed, nodded, then turned around and began walking away as the guard began to jeer at him.


    It seemed that the behavior of the players had painted everyone by association the same color in the eyes of the city leadership.


    And those words¡­ Prove yourself before the sun¡­


    Which probably meant that he had to prove himself in a way that the city administration acknowledged.


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    ¡®In the mines I go¡­¡¯ he mused dejectedly, definitely not yearning for it.

 Chapter 247

    As Sam headed back to the more chaotic part of the town, the jeers of the guards still echoing behind him ¨C though it was possible he was just imagining it ¨C he went through his to-do list.


    First, he would need to join one of the groups heading down with the expedition, then find something down there that was worth the attention of one of the heralds, and finally ¨C survive.


    Which would be rather hard as he had countless number of bounties out on his head and he was currently in the bounty hunter capital of the continent. Or at least in one of them¡­


    Practically, this meant that if anybody recognized him in any way, he would be dogpiled by eager players faster than he could say ¡®You¡¯ve made a mistake!¡¯. Thus, he would need to tread carefully.


    His Chameleon mask would be in full use, naturally. Thankfully, not many people had seen him on videos with his desert getup so that would stay. However, Moonlight, his sword ¨C despite looking pretty basic ¨C was pretty recognizable due to people combing through videos where he appeared with a fine-toothed comb. He would need to get some temporary replacement for the duration of the expedition.


    Entering the nearest shop selling weapons, he spent half an hour choosing a simple long sword that was the same shape and form as his Moonlight and then buying a dozen of it just in case it broke. Then he affixed the sword to his belt, hiding poor Moonlight in his inventory.


    ¡®Though, it¡¯s pretty much time to upgrade my main weapon¡­¡¯ he mused as the sword vanished into the depths of his inventory. It was so long ago he got the weapon that there had been much stronger weapons that appeared even in the auction house, but he got used to it so changing it or even upgrading it never really entered his mind.


    ¡®Maybe I¡¯ll get lucky and get a new one during this event¡­¡¯ he mused as he left the shop and the scowling shopkeeper.


    As for his magic, he wasn¡¯t really worried. As with everything else, as soon as he became popular on the internet (or rather infamous) copycats began popping up like mushroom after rain. As it was proven to be a strong build, a lot of people tried to ape him and ¡®dominate the competition¡¯. Unfortunately for them, videos didn¡¯t show the fundamental skills and abilities that Sam used to defeat his enemies.


    This, in turn, led to people once again calling him a cheat, a hacker, and everything in between and outside of that. Though Sam was heartened to see that most people called those who tried this scrubs and told them quite plainly to ¡®git gud noob¡¯.


    Still, that phenomenon would allow him to blend in. At most, some would call him an idiot or copycat and he could live with that if he didn¡¯t have to fight a city worth of people.


    Sadly, Lucky would have to stay in his shadow as his loyal companion was much more popular than he ever was¡­


    <hr>


    ¡°You really have to do this?¡± Lucy asked while massaging her brow.


    Sam shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t help it. I need to deliver it and I need reputation to deliver it. The easiest is to join the expedition.¡±


    ¡°Do you really need to go alone? Why not have the others join you?¡±


    ¡°I told you already. I can blend in. With all of us together, we would be recognized in five seconds flat.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Lucy asked worriedly, petting her raven that was perched on her shoulder.


    Sam nodded. ¡°Just a quick in and out.  Then I can continue with the scouting,¡± he reassured her with a smile. Even though he knew that with how strongly the game system was railroading him, the expedition would be anything but a cakewalk. ¡°And not to change the subject, but how about I change the subject? How is the situation with the kingdom?¡±


    Lucy sighed but seemingly accepted the subject change. Though Sam expected that she would continue this talk outside of the game.


    ¡°I¡¯ve talked to Lord Silvercrest and, according to him, the government is taking this very seriously,¡± she replied with forced cheer.


    ¡°Ignore it until it¡¯s not profitable?¡± Sam asked with a small groan.


    ¡°Pretty much¡­¡±


    He let out a sigh, and after a few seconds, spoke up. ¡°Please put together the documentation I sent you about the blood-crazed monsters and send it over to Lord Silvercrest.¡± He had compiled a small document about the crazed bloodbeests that he had ¡®fought¡¯ and knew that Lucy would be able to pretty it up.


    ¡°Do you think that would help?¡± Lucy asked as she began to search for something on her desk.


    He shrugged again. ¡°At least it will allow us to say ¡®We told you so!¡¯ after everything finishes.¡±


    ¡°More than nothing, I suppose¡­¡± came the reply from his friend. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Nothing on my side. Anything from yours?¡±


    Lucy looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°Everything is going forward just as we expected. A few incursions from some of the guilds that hadn¡¯t gotten the memo yet but Dan and the girls dealt with them quite easily.¡± She smirked. ¡°You raised a truly scary group of players¡­¡±


    Sam bowed his head with a smile.


    ¡°Then¡­ I think we should start with Project Descent.¡±


    Lucy perked up when she heard that. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Send my team with Clarissa in the lead. She is the most diplomatic.¡±


    Lucy just snorted. Dan wasn¡¯t really a man of many words, and leaving Isabella or Katie to do anything diplomatic was just asking for trouble¡­ or something strange to happen.


    ¡°Do you think they will help?¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°My research shows that the Church of the First Drop was founded by a blood mage who didn¡¯t like the brutality of the magic.¡± The library at Nowhere was really a godsend for covering his future knowledge.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°Alright. It¡¯s worth a chance¡­ and if it doesn¡¯t work out, we can just go with the good old-fashioned genocide plan¡­¡± Lucy replied cheerfully. The raven on her shoulder also let out a caw that sounded close to laughter.


    <hr>


    Sam approached the gathering clad in his desert getup and wearing the face of a blond man with a sharp jawline and a scar going over his left eye. The eyes were brilliant blue, and he chose the most anime-esque blond hair. Hopefully, it would show him as a poser, wanting to look cool and make people avoid him. Though, he expected that somebody would try to ¡®bully¡¯ him¡­


    Just as he arrived at a crowd of people just standing there and talking with each other, he noticed a commotion. Looking between people, he saw a group of players dressed in pretty high-level gear (though slightly mismatched) while the crowd instantly began to buzz with excitement.


    ¡°Look he is there!¡± one of them spoke up in a hushed voice in excitement that despite sounding like a whisper, carried and caught Sam¡¯s attention. They pointed at one of the people in the procession. To Sam, he looked like every damn mercenary. Rugged with spikes everywhere and scowling like he was always smelling something foul.


    ¡°Ahh, they are from the Dreadflame Syndicate, right? I heard they defeated the Blackthorn Marauders last week!¡± another person whisper-yelled.


    Sam just stood there and mouthed the incredibly edgy names. ¡®Are they for real?¡¯


    ¡°Yes! Marcus leads the Emberwolves team in the Syndicate! I heard he managed to reach level 100 and get a perfect mana core!¡±


    ¡°Wow! A perfect one? I heard it¡¯s almost impossible!¡± came from a third person. ¡°I¡¯ve read dozens of guides, but none of them mention how to get a perfect one¡­¡±


    Another scoffed. ¡°Of course not. Those bastards keep everything to themselves! The only reason we even have basic mana control is because some generous soul leaked it from one of the big guilds¡­¡±


    Now that was something that caught Sam¡¯s attention. Carefully, he reached out with his mana toward the procession of mercenaries as they headed toward the building that housed the office where one could sign up for the expedition and took a look at their mana.


    As the surrounding people gossiped, he had to force down his laughter.


    ¡®That leaky thing? They call that perfect?¡¯ he mused as he observed the supposed ¡®perfect core¡¯. He would barely call it round-shaped and was covered in cracks that leaked blood-like mana like nothing else. Curiously, he panned over his senses ¨C none of his targets noticing ¨C and saw that there were a few more leaky and misformed cores with various attributes. Some were elemental, fire burning sporadically, water dripping like from a badly adjusted faucet, and so on, but none of them stood out to Sam. Sure, they were stronger than the average mook, but he didn¡¯t see any trouble with facing them.


    His attention was then caught by another snippet of conversation.


    ¡°¡­yes, I heard it was from Chrysalis.¡±


    ¡°Really? They give something to non-officers?¡±


    ¡°According to my friend, everybody who has been part of the guild for at least three months got the manual¡­¡±


    ¡°No wonder it leaked,¡± chuckled the other person.


    Sam just smirked. Originally, Lucy was pretty much against giving the ¡®peons¡¯ access to the mana control manuals, but Sam wanted to elevate the strength of their guild and he knew that there would be an enormous leak from one of the research guilds ¨C he didn¡¯t even try to time it, just that it would be sometime after the first person reached level 100 ¨C that would give access to most of the basic mana control exercises, skills and knowledge for the regular players.


    So why not get ahead of it?


    After convincing Lucy of the soundness of the plan, they had Tim sell the manual to a few interested parties, posing as one of the players, as they were handing it out to garner some interest, then the plan was to post it on the forum for everybody to see.


    Then Sam would, subtly, of course, change the manuals they have given to their own guild members to contain his own superior information.


    All players would be equal, but his guild members would be just a tad bit more equal¡­


    He turned around and began weaving through the crowd, but as he departed, he could still hear the people he was standing near discussing the issue.


    ¡°How much did you pay for that manual?¡±


    ¡°Too much¡­¡±


    ¡°And did it help?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­I maybe understood half of it, so yes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s doesn¡¯t sound convincing, you know¡­¡±


    As the last sounds were swallowed by the roar of the crowd, he couldn¡¯t help but smirk. Even if people had access to the manual, either the generic ones or his, it would still depend on their talent what they could achieve with it.


    <hr>


    It took him a while to fight through the crowd, before reaching the building where the registration happened for the expedition. There were multiple lines with signs giving directions and stone-faced Sun Warriors standing everywhere ensuring the peace.


    Quickly finding the line for solos he approached the end and began to practice the ancient art of standing in line.


    Surprisingly, it didn¡¯t take long before he was standing in front of a bored and exhausted official.


    ¡°Name?¡±


    ¡°Samuel,¡± he told the man with a beaming smile, giving him a thumbs up and a wink.


    ¡®Might as well play up the fool persona¡­¡¯


    The official just scoffed silently and wrote it down. ¡°Speciality?¡±


    ¡°Wind and Cleaning magic, of course! No dirt shall touch my magnificent body!¡± he declared boldly while inwardly cringing.


    ¡°Oh, cleaning?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The official scrutinized him for a moment before nodding and writing down a few more things. Then he reached into a drawer and retrieved a small coin with a sun symbol in the middle and a string of numbers and some other characters on it. Sam felt a brief burst of magic before the tired official held it out for him.


    ¡°Take this and go over to the red door,¡± came the curt instruction, dismissing Sam. ¡°Next!¡±


    Sam bowed his head a little and under a lot of people¡¯s gazes, mostly those who had heard him, headed for the red door.


    Beyond the door was a corridor that led him to a courtyard filled with all sorts of crafters, support personnel, and several stacks of supplies being organized, checked over, and otherwise handled.


    In the middle, a portly official with a bulging belly and rosy cheeks was sitting on an elevated chair that allowed him to see the entirety of the courtyard and writing on stacks of documents that were on a small foldable desk before him while several assistants ran around taking papers from him or adding to the pile.


    Sam walked up to him and waited until he was noticed. Took a few minutes, but the official, or rather the quartermaster, looked up from whatever he was writing and Sam bowed slightly. He held out the coin he was given and it flew instantly from his hand into the quartermaster¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Specialization?¡± No greeting just a terse question.


    ¡°Wind and Cleaning,¡± Sam answered, repeating himself.


    The official thought for a moment, then pointed to the side where one of the assistants was bringing over a barrel full of something. Whatever it was, it smelled something fiercely.


    ¡°Clean that!¡± came the curt order.


    Sam just nodded and sent a burst of cleaning mana at the offending barrel. Within seconds, the smell vanished, and the barrel looked like it was freshly varnished.


    ¡°Good. You¡¯re hired. Expedition launches within a week. You¡¯ll get your assignment then,¡± he told Sam, then threw the coin back at him. ¡°That¡¯s your identification. Don¡¯t lose it, you won¡¯t get a new one.¡±


    Sam caught it and nodded again. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±


    Not wanting to waste any more of the quartermaster¡¯s time as there were already half a dozen assistants waiting in the wing for a word, he turned around and began heading for the exit.


    <hr>


    He was sitting in a private room of a tavern when he finally had enough privacy to check his new quest. As soon as he left the office, there were several people following him with dubious intent. Took him a while to get rid of them.


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Friendlessly into the depths!]


    [You have signed up for an expedition into the depths under the city of Sunspot. Your goal is to gather enough merit to merit a meeting with the Herald of your choice so that you can deliver a letter. Show up on time, and perform your assigned job perfectly. And try to survive the chaotic mercenaries around you! Good luck!]


    [First Task: Show up on time!]


    [Time limit: One week]


    [Penalty: Unable to join the expedition]


    [Reward: Receiving an assignment and the second task]


    Sam made sure he understood everything, then began the process to prepare for logging out. There were things to arrange and calls to be made.

 Chapter 248

    ¡°So everything is arranged?¡± Sam asked as he reached for another piece of chicken, praising the fact that chicken strips were multi-dimensional. He dipped it into the sauce and took a bite.


    Lucy, opposite of him, munched on her own food before nodding.


    ¡°Yes. I made sure they have everything and gave them the information you gathered,¡± she replied while reaching for another piece.


    They were sitting at a table in one of those small restaurants that served only one type of food, but it was amazing. They had to reserve the table a month in advance. And damn, it was good. The chicken was juicy; the outside was crispy with a hint of spice. Paired with an in-house sauce, it was an excellent way to gain a few pounds.


    And as they were in public, they were careful about not saying any specifics as they couldn¡¯t know if somebody was listening to them. He wasn¡¯t like some martial artist from fiction who could hear a swallow fart from several miles away.


    ¡°Do you really think they will manage it?¡± Lucy asked slightly worried.


    Sam raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you questioning their competence?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Not really, but you know they are prone to getting¡­distracted¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why the goblin is not in charge,¡± he replied with a smile and Lucy snorted at the thought of Katie being in charge of anything remotely important. ¡°I have full confidence in them managing to accomplish the goal. Even if I¡¯m not there¡­¡±


    Lucy nodded as she took another bite. ¡°I know, I know¡­ I just can¡¯t help but worry. A lot is hanging on this¡­¡±


    ¡°True. That¡¯s why we haven¡¯t told anyone about the fracture. Not even Adam,¡± Sam said completely seriously. Lucy looked back at him incredulously, then her eyes darted around imperceptibly and she went back to munching on the phenomenal food.


    ¡°Yes, the loot will no doubt put us at the top of the food chain!¡± she declared happily, then she continued with a little happy dance as another fresh plate of chicken strips was delivered to their table.


    He took one, swallowed it in a few greedy bites, then leaned forward and continued to discuss the non-existent but super-important fracture with Lucy, having fun making up the stupidest things about it.


    Just because he couldn¡¯t hear a swallow fart, didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t have pattern recognition¡­ or a desire to fuck with people.


    ¡®I wonder if anyone is going to post it to the forums?¡¯ he wondered as he reached for another delectable piece of fowl meat. ¡®What do they put on these? Crack?¡¯


    <hr>


    Thankfully, he only had to wait one week in the game for the expedition to start. While he was doing that, he spent his time skulking around the city, getting a true feel for the groups ¡°ruling¡± the city and its surroundings.


    He also sniffed around to see what he could find about the biggest groups participating in the expedition. Lucy and Tim put together dossiers about the most important people, but those were based on information they found on the internet. Walking around on foot allowed him to get a slightly clearer picture. He found a few pain points and such, but otherwise, he spent the rest of his time just hanging around and driving his watchers to tears.


    After he left the building, he was immediately followed by several people. Sam wasn¡¯t sure if they did so because he was a solo who pretty much showed up before enormously important events or because they recognized him, but as the watchers were content to watch him, he decided to play around with them.


    He spent a day just running around the city of Sunspot and talking to shop NPCs in a certain order before repeating it three times while buying odd and weird items in specific amounts. Technically, he was just getting supplies for the expedition, but afterward, he observed several people repeating his ¡®shop tour¡¯ and Tim even found questions about it on a few forums.


    Then he spent some time meditating in increasingly weird spots. He started in one of the parks of the city, where he meditated for exactly ten minutes under three different trees, and then he moved to the harbor, where he did the same thing on three different piers. Which he followed up by climbing several buildings with towers and meditating there.


    It was nice practice for him but drove his watchers bonkers.


    Meanwhile, he was coordinating the release of the basic mana control manual with Lucy, Adam, and Tim. His job was mostly writing it, then dumbing it down enough that it wouldn¡¯t give other people an advantage over his guild but still showcase their ¡®generosity¡¯.


    He was aware that it would give the blood mages more power but Sam suspected that at this point it was pretty much guaranteed that the blood rampage would continue. Giving them slightly better mana control wouldn¡¯t change much¡­


    However, the amount of PR points they would get would be worth it for the AFK company and the Chrysalis guild.


    Adam pretty much hated the idea of giving away information, but even he realized that if they gave it only to their guild members, the secrecy wouldn¡¯t even last five seconds. If they controlled the release of the information, they controlled the people¡¯s opinion¡­


    Sam looked around from his spot, sitting on some random balcony he took a liking to, sensing somebody moving toward the window from the inside, and jumped away, landing silently and gently near a chimney.


    To his surprise, his system let out a notification sound.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    [Congratulations! You¡¯ve learned a new skill!]


    [You¡¯ve learned Illusionary Stealth due to your baffling movement and quite frankly insane pattern of movement! Seriously, slow down. We are getting worried about those poor people¡­]


    [Illusionary Stealth: Level 0/50 (0%) (Active/Passive) You can hide in a conventional sense from prying eyes, but you can also do the same while remaining visible. Passively improves your stealth capabilities and the power of illusion skills when you are using them for hiding. When activated, it shrouds you in a haze of illusions that blends in with the environment. When activating near people the illusion will make you look like part of the crowd.]


    Sam blinked then snorted. ¡®Finally, a stealth skill¡­¡¯


    He expected one with a shadow attribute, but he would take this one too. Quickly looking around, he spotted a group of gossiping housewives walking somewhere and with his incredible speed jumped down from his perch and activated the skill as soon as he reached the group.


    Walking slowly with the older ladies, he almost laughed as he saw several people run past them with worried looks on their faces.


    [Illusionary Stealth is now Level 1!]


    <hr>


    As the time for the expedition to start rapidly approached, the area around the building where Sam did his registration and test became incredibly busy. Several groups of caravans were parked on the courtyard, all of them there to support a certain group or guild while solos and small groups with only a few people (and guilds who couldn¡¯t afford to set up a personal caravan) approached the carriages marked with the emblem of the city of Sunspot. Several Sun Warriors stood around the edges, keeping an eye on everybody and making sure nobody did something unwise.


    Sam navigated around the crowd and walked toward the back where the service personnel set up shop and were preparing to head into the depths.


    That was one thing he couldn¡¯t check out. Due to the preparation and the close scrutiny from the city leadership, the public entrances to the depths beneath Sunspot had been closed to prepare the tunnels for the expedition and he didn¡¯t want to expend the effort to seek out the hidden or secret entrances.


    Within a few minutes, despite the hustle and bustle of the rather spacious courtyard, he managed to spot the same corpulent quartermaster and took off in his direction just as his system pinged him.


    [Congratulations! You completed the First Task of the quest ¡®Friendlessly into the depths!¡¯!]


    He didn¡¯t even have to say anything, as one of the assistants noticed him and began heading toward him, half running and half power-walking with the energy of an assistant principal on observation day.


    ¡°You!¡± The man called out, panting slightly and holding a board with paper on it. ¡°You¡¯re the one with a cleaning specialty?¡±


    Sam nodded with a big smile and struck a pose. ¡°Indeed, my good man! I have been studying the broom since time immemo¨C¡°


    ¡°Right, right.¡± The man interrupted him with a long-suffering look, causing Sam to pout. ¡°Please follow me to begin your assignment,¡± came the clipped instruction as the official turned around and began power-walking toward a stack of crates.


    Sam spent a moment more pouting, then shrugged and began following the man as he watched the people around him from the corner of his eyes. Most of them were glaring at him, scoffing at his attitude, or pointing and laughing.


    ¡®Just as planned¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    Barely a minute later he found himself next to a rather sturdy carriage marked with both the symbol of Sunspot but also with a gold drop of water. The symbol of healing in this part of the world¡­


    The official took him by the shoulder and dragged him toward the back, where several hastily built tables were covered in all manner of bandages.


    ¡°Your first task is to keep those clean as they are stored away,¡± came the instruction as two other people approached, wearing sand-colored robes with the same golden drop of water on their backs. Their hands were covered in gloves and looked like they were itching to work.


    The official stared at Sam as if daring him to break out another bout of boasting, but Sam just smiled and turned on his Clean Aura, then began firing Cleaning spells at everything in sight. The two healers¡¯ eyes widened and rushed to take the clean bandages away.


    The official seemed to be satisfied.


    ¡°Good. They will tell you the next task,¡± the man told him. Then, before Sam could reply, the man left with purposeful steps, already writing something on his board and muttering frantically. Sam said a prayer for the poor man¡¯s sanity, then returned his attention to the task at hand.


    [Second Task: Help with the supplies!]


    [Reward: Your next task]


    [Penalty: Unable to join the expedition]


    By the time he read the notification, a quarter of the bandages vanished and one of the robed healers was hurrying back with another stack held in their arms, looking pretty excited.


    ¡°Do these, master!¡± he called out as he dumped them on the table while holding out his gloved hands. ¡°And my hands too!¡±


    Sam just smiled and did as he was asked. Even if most players would feel it was demeaning to do these kinds of tasks, he didn¡¯t mind. It got him out of interacting with players who were assholes as well allowing him to get to know the NPCs. Much more valuable than trying to make friends with PK-obsessed idiots.


    For the next hour or two, this was mostly his world. He would be given items to clean, clean them with a brief burst of mana ¨C ignoring the whispers of the healers and other NPCs helping out about his mana capacity ¨C and then watch as they were carted away, only to be instantly replaced.


    He cleaned everything from bandages, to empty potion bottles, full potion bottles, clothing and armor, to tools of trade for the healers.


    Hell, one of the healers went out and brought in a crate full of kitchen equipment for Sam to cleanse. He didn¡¯t say a word, just did as they asked. So far, he hadn¡¯t checked his skill notifications, but he expected some significant increase in most of his cleaning-related skills.


    He even managed to slip in a few experiments with his clean aura, expanding it over the entire segment of the courtyard they were allocated to the joy of the NPCs around him.


    As Sam finished another set of alchemical equipment, he called out. ¡°Next!¡±


    However, the reply surprised him. ¡°We¡¯re finished, Master Samuel!¡± one of the healers told him with a gentle smile, honed through countless hours of patient interaction.


    He looked around and saw that the courtyard was empty aside from the tables and a few odds and ends as the carriages were fully packed.


    ¡°Come, it¡¯s time we go¡­¡± continued the healer.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s time for the speech?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I''m afraid that''s already over," she told him apologetically. "The expedition is ready to head off!¡±


    As soon as he finished, he saw a pair of burly soldiers leading some kind of six-legged lizards toward the carriages and attaching the carriages to the equipment on their backs.


    ¡°Come, Master. We made sure to reserve a good spot for you,¡± spoke the healer with a smile as he grabbed by the biceps and gently tugged him toward one of the smaller carriages carrying only people where several other people waved at him.


    ¡®Well, that will teach me to immerse myself in my job¡­¡¯ he mused as he allowed himself to be dragged to the carriage. ¡®Though, I suspect that the speech I missed wasn¡¯t exactly an epic for the ages¡­¡¯


    Soon, Sam was well situated in the carriages, sitting on a comfortable pillow ¨C his Clean Aura enveloping the entire carriage due to the healers¡¯ request ¨C and was heading downward to meet destiny.


    Or something with lots of tentacles, teeth, and an appetite for human flesh¡­

 Chapter 249

    The first part of the ride reminded Sam of those casual theme park rides where parents could take a seat and rest while their over-hyped, over-sugared children could gawk at half-working animatronics as the old carriage chugged along.


    People were waving at watchers ¨C both NPCs, guild members, and people with ugly looks on their faces who missed being part of the event ¨C and simply playing around, jostling each other, and simply having fun.


    Sam quickly opened his messaging system and sent a simple message to Lucy to tell her that he was entering the depths below Sunspot. He received a good luck reply and confirmation that the rest of his team had also been sent off on their own adventure.


    Wishing them luck (and mercy to their enemies) he closed the system window and turned to the healer next to him.


    The woman, noticing this, wearing the sand-colored robes with the golden water drop symbol, turned toward him with a gentle smile, waiting for his question.


    ¡°Say, why is it that this carriage doesn¡¯t have any mercenaries aside from me?¡± he asked a little perturbed.


    The woman just smiled. ¡°Worry not, friend. It¡¯s simply a chance that the other healers have stayed with their groups.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not a healer¡­¡± Sam pointed out simply.


    The woman continued to smile. ¡°True, yet your abilities are equally useful where we¡¯re heading.¡±


    [Congratulations! You completed the Second Task of the quest ¡®Friendlessly into the depths!¡¯!]


    As she explained that a quick notification flashed up for Sam before they began moving downward, the entrance to the depths inviting yet at the same time filling Sam with a foreboding feeling.


    ¡°Really?¡± he asked.


    Her smile weakened a little. ¡°The depths are home to many things that your ability is quite powerful against,¡± she explained while not saying much.


    However, instead, a new notification popped up.


    [Third Task: Use your skills to ensure that the supplies reach the target!]


    [Reward: Staying alive]


    [Penalty: Death]


    Sam read it and winced inwardly.


    ¡®Alright, so it¡¯s not going to be a walk in the park.¡¯ Sadly, the other Sam never really plumbed the depths, only read about it.


    As he mused on how to travel time and dimension to make it so that his alternate self would play in this part of the game world, the last carriage entered the tunnel leading into the deep underground labyrinth and one more notification popped up.


    [Warning! You entered an event area! To ensure an even playing field, outside communication has been blocked and recordings have been cached until the event ends. We wish you an exciting adventure and if you have any questions, you can reach us at¡­]


    ¡®Good thing I sent that message before¡­¡¯ Sam thought with a small chuckle as his ears picked up dismayed cries from all over the caravan.


    Then it was time to turn his attention to the environment.


    The tunnels leading deep underground were hewn from the very stone that made up the plateau where Sunspot was founded and over the years, it was improved to the point that the walls looked flat as a fresh printer paper to the naked eye.


    Even though the entire area was illuminated by enchanted lights in the ceiling and occasionally built into the walls, they still left enough places for a few remaining pockets of shadows. They looked completely normal when looked at, but from the corner of his eyes, he could see ¡®something¡¯ moving there.


    Glancing at the woman next to him, he noticed her giving him a shaky smile and drawing the robes closer to her body as if trying to prevent ¡®something¡¯ from seeing her.


    ¡°It¡¯s always the worst at the first part¡­ Not seeing the sun and knowing ¡®it¡¯ is out there¡­¡± she murmured distractedly.


    Sam, tactfully, didn¡¯t ask what ¡®it¡¯ was.


    Mostly, because he didn¡¯t want to know.


    Though, based on his experience, soon he would be making close acquaintance with ¡®it¡¯.


    He closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and just took in the ambiance of the caravan as they trudged deeper and deeper.


    The clanking of the wheels, the creaking of the wood of the carriages, the shuffle and breathing of the lizards pulling said carriages, the almost imperceptible hum of magic in the air, the indistinct murmur of the people heading toward their doom and something scurrying in the background, blended together to form a certain kind of ambiance. It formed into something that Sam would call instrumental horror background music.


    It really highlighted the talents that Future Unknown gathered to make the game. The entire scene meshed together so well that Sam could hear in real-time as the people began to quiet down as they realized what was happening.


    As an experiment, he reached out with his mana, trying to make sense of the situation, but the thick walls of the underground complex very quickly muddled his senses. His usual prodigious senses were reduced to the area of the tunnel and a few yards into the wall but even then, by the edges, it was so murky that it became useless.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Still, he kept up with it, as he knew it would do wonders for his skill levels.


    Then he directed his attention toward one of the pockets of undulating shadows as the caravan headed deeper and deeper while the incline of the floor began to increase. As his attention went over the patch of nightmare, he felt it slide out from under it as if the thing knew he was trying to figure it out.


    However, he managed to get a little information before the ¡¯thing¡¯ moved away.


    The shadow felt somewhat familiar.


    He leaned forward, pretending to adjust his boots and while protected by his coat and place he looked toward his own shadow.


    ¡°Lucky, go into the shadows and hunt a little,¡± he whispered and immediately felt his loyal companion leave his side. Straightening out and ignoring the few odd looks, he turned back to watch the caravan heading for their first objective while mentally rooting for Lucky.


    With a few deft movements, he opened Lucky¡¯s page and soon was able to watch as the wolf¡¯s experience points began to climb. It was only a few points every minute or so, but it still showed that Lucky was hunting something.


    <hr>


    They arrived at their first objective in an hour of travel downwards, with a few turns here and there, through the well-illuminated tunnels.


    It was a great hall, with several workshops, warehouses built into the very rock that made the foundation of the city and an entire fortification staffed with stone-faced soldiers mixed with a cadre of Sun Warriors wearing blinding white armor that radiated warmth, light, and heat.


    They protected giant gates leading in different directions. This tunnel they used ended in three different giant gates wrought out of special metals and enchanted beyond recognition. He tried to make sense of the enchantments but the sheer amount of them almost burned out his senses. Plus, the moment he directed his mana sense at the nearest door a Sun Warrior instantly zeroed in on him and glared.


    Not wanting to tangle with the dour guardians of the city, he moved his attention to the center of the caravan, where one of the highly decorated and well-dressed NPCs was getting down from one of the carriages as several servants hurried forward to build a makeshift podium from several crates.


    And all through this, the background noise of the environment was still going on, creating a rather eerie atmosphere. Sam felt like the enchanted lights were flickering a little faster as if it was fighting against something.


    ¡°Welcome, brave soldiers of the savannah!¡± boomed the man, magic making his voice heard by everybody. ¡°We hope that the wind brings you all the luck you deserve!¡± continued the man and Sam felt the statement rather foreboding. ¡°This is where the true expedition starts. Positions, tasks, and jobs were assigned in the city but we¡¯re going to go over them once again.¡± He paused and looked around, making eye contact with a lot of players hanging off the outside of the carriages to catch a look at the speaker before continuing. ¡°However, the depths are not for the faint heart or for those who are unprepared for the challenges that the earth provides! Thus, pay attention and you may live long enough to achieve something worthy for the sun to shine light on!¡±


    ¡®A lot of people are going to die¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he looked around and watched as the NPCs listened stone-faced or worried while players simply laughed off the warning.


    ¡°Now, here are the assignments! Pay attention, as I¡¯m going to say once! Carriages three through six are for the Sand Crawler mercenary group.¡± The mentioned group let out a loud cheer that for some reason didn¡¯t echo back from the stone walls. ¡°You stand ready to protect the entire caravan. The next two are supply carriages. Those of you who have joined them should stay there¡­¡±


    As the man continued to list carriages and assignments, Sam leaned over the friendly healer. ¡°Hey, I forgot to ask, but what number is this?¡± he whispered a little shyly.


    The woman chuckled in response. ¡°The thirteenth, young adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Cool, cool, cool¡­ Super not ominous. Thanks!¡± Sam spoke under his breath.


    <hr>


    Getting through the gates was a rather easy affair. As soon as the man with the high-quality robes finished his speech, and the makeshift podium was taken apart, the gates were opened by an unseen mechanism that blasted them with the tepid and cold air of the depths beyond them, carrying with it a scent that sent shivers down Sam¡¯s back while his new friend scrunched her nose.


    ¡°Ugh, that smell¡­ No matter how many times I smell it, it¡¯s still horrendous¡­¡± she whispered.


    Sam nodded his head. He couldn¡¯t exactly place the smell, but it still caused him to tense up.


    ¡°Visited a lot, huh?¡±


    ¡°Frankly, too many times,¡± she replied with a wry smile. ¡°But my family made me promise that this will be the last one. I intend to make it so. I have grandchildren to pamper and that¡¯s not possible if I get lost in the embrace of earth.¡±


    ¡°Any advice?¡±


    ¡°Never go anywhere alone. Don¡¯t trust anything that you see coming from the dark. And for all that is holy under the sun, never drink from any water source you find. There is a reason why we have so many supply carriages.¡±


    Sam nodded then once again leaned a little closer. ¡°What exactly is in the dark? Nobody could tell me clearly when I did my research.¡±


    To Sam¡¯s surprise, the woman let out a laugh while a few people around them chuckled, proving they were listening to them.


    ¡°Then you¡¯re smarter than most of those fools,¡± she said contemptuously, indicating a rather rowdy bunch of players who were running around their assigned carriage as if they were children in a theme park. Then she looked directly into Sam¡¯s eyes. ¡°Alas, I rather not say the name. It is listening.¡±


    ¡®Well, that narrows it down a little¡­¡± he thought over the possibilities. ¡®I should have brought Katie. Her ¡®cat¡¯ could have acted as a translator¡­¡¯


    ¡°Additionally, it¡¯s not always the same. The depths are seemingly endless, filled with many things with many facets. If we¡¯re lucky, we¡¯ll only meet monsters.¡±


    The overhead lighting, which was slowly becoming more and more sparse, instead of continuously lining the ceiling, only attached every few dozen yards, chose that exact moment to flicker while a strong gust of cold wind blasted through the tunnel they were using, carrying with it the stench of undeath.


    ¡°TO ARMS!¡± came the call from the head of the caravan, and the people around Sam instantly jumped to action. The healer next to him instantly began to issue orders as the overhead lights continued to flicker and dim, until they were providing so little light that their own Light Balls and other sources of light were much more powerful, leaving the area filled with shadows and darkness.


    His first instinct was to head out, but instead, he turned to the robed woman. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Use your aura. Make sure to keep the carriage clean!¡± came the concise answer.


    He nodded. ¡°Can do!¡±


    Instantly, his aura activated, and he began to channel more mana into it to make it stronger and bigger. And before he could ask why, he noticed a dip in his mana as his aura began to consume something.


    Noticing his change of focus, the healer gave him a tight nod. ¡°The wind is not our friend down here. It carries with it the sweet promise of death.¡±


    Sam returned the nod, focusing on the aura as the other healers spread out and began to channel some kind of a light spell that eased the burden on his aura and granted light around them.


    Then he heard the sound. Once again, without any echo, which was plain freaky.


    Guttural roar, slapping of wet flesh, and ominous chanting enveloped the caravan as a tide of dirty, decaying horde of undead ¨C some wearing clothing with very familiar symbols; everything from robes to mining equipment ¨C all of them wreathed in darkness, clinging to them like candyfloss to a wet finger, flooded toward them, their eyes glazing with endless hunger.


    And nothing else.

 Chapter 250

    The battle didn¡¯t last long. With the number of high-level players and supporting NPCs ¨C though most of them spent their effort protecting the carriages ¨C the horde of undead, no matter how ghoulish they looked, was destroyed with little to no effort.


    The players reveled in the carnage and fought them while laughing and jeering at the weak monsters.


    Sam instead focused on keeping the foul winds tainted with the magic of the undeath away from the transport vehicles as the magic in the wind tried to eat away the materials it was made out of.


    He watched as limbs and other body parts went flying as the players threw themselves at the horde with gusto and couldn¡¯t help but feel it was suspicious.


    This amount of undead, especially this type ¨C low-level workers, miners, and such ¨C was not a challenge to a group like this. Hell, he alone could have dealt with them.


    Sadly, in this game, this didn¡¯t mean that the encounter or the event was badly designed but that something was afoot.


    His thoughts were soon validated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t falter!¡± came the cry from the friendly healer he sat next to, urging everyone to keep up the good work. Then she stepped next to Sam and began talking quietly enough that only he could hear over the noise of the carnage. ¡°This happens almost always when a bigger expedition enters the depths. The desperate and unfortunate are sent against the living.¡±


    ¡°I assume a lot of people try their luck going down¡­¡± he murmured as he channeled mana into his shield. The foul wind visibly sparked with a sad display of gray-colored sparks as it continuously hit the outer edges of his shield.


    She nodded sadly. ¡°And end up as fodder for things that call this accursed place their home¡­¡±


    As she fell silent, a cheer went up amongst those who were on the frontline. Apparently, the undead army was destroyed.


    He was quickly instructed to drop the shield and return to the carriage ¨C though the healers made sure his aura was on- and the caravan continued on their way, ignoring as black smoke wafted off the ground where the undead fell to their second demise.


    Now that he had time to look around, Sam noticed that while their carriage was pristine, aside from the wear and tear of time, most of the carriages ¨C especially those at the front of the caravan ¨C were in a much worse state. Sam could see discolored wood, cloth turning into grayish-yellow rags, and a few spots of rust peeking out from joints.


    Naturally, his companion instantly noticed where his eyes wandered and let out a small chuckle.


    ¡°Now you understand why your skills were so important. Down here, even the very air is our enemy.¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°And we¡¯re not even deep¡­¡±


    ¡°Why not enchant the equipment and tools?¡±


    She let another sigh. ¡°Why do you think?¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t really have to think about the answer. ¡°Money?¡±


    She nodded while staring at the walls of the passageway they were cruising through. The shadows from the torches and other light sources created a rather mystical (and creepy) shadow show on the smooth walls. When seeing it on the edge of his vision, Sam could have sworn he saw figures watching them with unnaturally wicked grins. But as soon as he turned his eyes it was all just a jumbled mess of shadows dancing, mirroring the fire in the torches.


    ¡°Money. The basic ¨C cheap ¨C enchantments work against this kind of wind, but the deeper you go, the better enchantments you will need. Nobody was willing to invest that amount of money when buying new vehicles is much cheaper.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to say I¡¯m surprised, but¡­¡± Sam replied wryly as he shook his head. ¡®Sometimes, this game is too realistic¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    The next stretch of the journey as the caravan headed deeper and deeper, became somewhat a routine.


    They would travel for anywhere between half an hour and an hour, then the expedition would be beset by increasingly grotesque-looking undead hordes. Sometimes, just like the first time, it was only one wave, but other times they had several waves with some bigger undead ¨C usually ¡®made¡¯ from other undead being fused together ¨C acting as the mini-bosses.


    Meanwhile, the wind kept blowing, rotting away the wood transporting the players.


    Thanks to the tireless work of the healers and his own shield, most of the important carriages carrying the healing supplies were intact, but during the journey, they had to abandon several carriages as they became too damaged, or in one case, the poor lizard-thing tried to eat one of the appendages that flew off in the frenzy of fighting and choked on it before anyone noticed.


    A lot of players were forced to walk or hang off the sides of the still-intact carriages as the remaining six-legged lizards trudged forward a little slower. Naturally, the NPCs were the first to get new seats when the wooden contraptions broke down.


    Still, nobody really complained, as all of these things were expected and Sam suspected that just as he did, most of the players had some alternative way to get around, but were waiting to unveil them at an opportune moment.


    More importantly, Sam still hadn¡¯t seen one fight between players.


    Not over loot ¨C no matter how meager it was; the undead were not the highest level but occasionally there were some diamonds in the rough for the discerning eyes ¨C and not even over women.


    There were a few beautifully dressed mercenaries here and there, surrounded by their entourage of slightly less beautiful women wearing armor and scary-looking weapons, but none of the musclebound idiots tried to start anything.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    That, above everything else, hit the red on his weird-o-meter.


    <hr>


    They were who knows how deep and after at least two dozen undead invasions, where at the end the monsters were more shadow and simply bulk meat slapped into something resembling shape than humanoid monsters and there was still no sight of anything that would help Sam qualify for meeting the Herald.


    Still, the chats with the healer ¨C named Asa, born with the first light of the new year¡¯s sun ¨C were mighty interesting. After joking and complaining about his lack of healing skills, the woman instantly began to teach him some basic things.


    Enough, that by the time they stopped for a longer break, he gained a new skill.


    [Field Healer: Level 0/25 (0%) (Passive) You gained enough experience with healing to not kill somebody. Probably. You also know your body better so you are able to take better care of it. Every action aiming to heal somebody is 1% stronger per skill level. Grants you 0,1 health point regeneration per skill level.]


    Not something to brag about, but it was still nice. Plus, based on how the other NPCs behaved around Asa, she was probably important enough in the city that she could help him out if he asked nicely.


    Sam hoped that with a few lectures and some experience, he would be able to upgrade it into something usable.


    <hr>


    They were getting off the carriages, mostly to stretch their legs, but also to build a sort of forward camp for the expeditions. Apparently, there were some survey reports that the people on the topside wanted to confirm.


    Asa gave him a little wave and with an entourage of two other healers left to have a meeting with the quartermaster as Sam helped unpack some equipment from their still pristine carriage while in the background one of the wooden supports on one of the other carriages gave up the ghost and crumbled under the weight it was carrying.


    The sound of the crashing transport vehicle echoed around them, soon joined by the curses of those who were still on it and the laughter from who were on time getting off.


    Sam just shook his head in exasperation and found a spot where he could sit down for a little to check things over. All around him, people walked aimlessly, talking with each other or doing odd jobs as they set up the forward base. Some went even so far as to stand guard. Truly, the pinnacle of mercenaries.


    The first thing he did was to make sure Lucky was all right. After a few seconds of directing his senses at his loyal companion, he was satisfied that the wolf was having the time of his life and returned his focus on his own improvements.


    [Perfect Mana Core is now Level 13!]


    [Mana Weaving is now Level 3!]


    [Unknown Sight is now Level 2!]


    [Mana Architecture is now Level 27!]


    [You gained the Solid Foundation subskill!]


    [Solid Foundation: Level 0/5 (0%) Your skills with mana provide you with a solid foundation. Your creations are more solid and stable. Decreases mana cost of maintaining them by 5% for each skill level.]


    [Advanced Clean I is now Level 5!]


    [Purification Aura is now Level 22!]


    [Pure Body is now Level 10!]


    [Cleaning Affinity is now Level 52!]


    [You gained the Precise subskill!]


    [Precise: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) No matter how small or big, you won¡¯t miss it.]


    A great amount of growth in his cleaning skills. Sam was still somewhat surprised at how effective those skills had become. He knew, from his inherited memories that they were important, but to this extent? Or was this just his own skills showing their worth?


    [Wind Mana Manipulation is now Level 95!]


    [Greater Wind Affinity is now Level 87!]


    [Wind Sense is now Level 5!]


    [Steady Mind is now Level 3!]


    [Adamant Spirit Link is now Level 5!]


    [Spirit Protection is now Level 42!]


    [Bleedover is now Level 5!]


    He was glad to see that Lucky¡¯s effort was paying off with the skill growth. He suspected that soon those same skills would become mighty useful. With the way they were losing transportation capabilities, he felt that soon the harmonious existence would be over.


    [Physical and Magical Resistance is now Level 3!]


    [Illusion Resistance is now Level 38!]


    [Corruption Resistance is now Level 42!]


    [Blood Magic Resistance is now Level 33!]


    Well, if nothing else, these few level-ups told him that his thoughts were correct. The bloody blood mages were here and ready to rumble. Sadly, his mana sense was still curtailed by the dense walls of the underground. Sometimes he thought he sensed something, but then it vanished like an enticing smell on the wind.


    [Lucky is now Level 7!]


    Sam just smiled. His little wolf was growing stronger and stronger.


    <hr>


    A few minutes later, he noticed Asa returning with her aides, looking visibly distressed. She cut through the area toward Sam, hurrying while looking around anxiously. He let out a sigh, patted his own knees, shaking off a little dust that settled on them while he sat there and stood up, cracking his neck.


    The healer arrived and spent a moment just taking deep breaths, before quietly whispering.


    ¡°I-I think something is wrong with the Quartermaster!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I went to talk with him, but he kept repeating the same thing. It looked like¡­¡±


    ¡°Mind control?¡± Sam asked as he made sure to spread out his senses as he talked to his newly made friend.


    ¡°More like cactus juice,¡± Asa replied. ¡°If you harvest it from the wrong one, it has a hallucinogenic effect that leaves the consumer susceptible to suggestions. Nomads use it for spirit journeys¡­¡± she explained worriedly.


    As he processed those words, he suddenly felt several spots where the mana began to flare. Then, in the next second, he also felt the mana of the surrounding people ¨C while the mana of the NPCs stayed tepid and calm ¨C swirl with excitement.


    He looked up, then around as Asa continued to expand on the effects of the cactus juice nervously and watched as all the players present were looking in his direction.


    Well, his and the healers.


    ¡°Well, Asa, that¡¯s fascinating and I hate to interrupt your explanation, but would you mind looking up?¡± Asa¡¯s head snapped up as she looked around wildly, her eyes widening with realization.


    Sam sent a call-back message to Lucky and chuckled a little. ¡°It seems we have been surrounded.¡±


    One of the mercenaries grinned savagely, yanked off something from their armor, and threw it away into the dirt. Sam was instantly hit by the disgusting ¡®smell¡¯ of blood magic. Instantly, everybody followed the first guy, artifacts hitting the ground one after another as the cloying blood magic began filling the passageway.


    ¡°Ma-master Samuel, I do hope you have a plan?¡± Asa asked, trembling, as she shuffled behind him. ¡°I¡¯ve never been keen on violence.¡±


    ¡°That depends. How do you feel about an incredible amount of violence?¡± he asked absently as he measured the enemy forces arrayed against him and prepared for a fight.


    ¡°Well, if it means I get home to my grandchildren, then I¡¯m all for it!¡± she declared vehemently while still whispering from behind Sam.


    ¡°Good. Because I doubt we¡¯re going to solve this peacefully,¡± he stated as one of the players grinned and began to laugh.


    ¡°It is time my friends to complete our task! Let the blood¡­FLOW!¡±

 Chapter 251 - Interlude 24

    ¡°Hello, Grandfather!¡±


    The old man smiled ¨C a real smile of love, not one reserved for the annoying busybodies who ran the company and thought of themselves as friends of her grandfather ¨C as she took a seat at the table, tea already ready for her. Slightly warm and a dash of honey, just as she liked it.


    Lara reached for the cup, emblazoned with the graphic of ¡®#3 Granddaughter¡¯ (she was the third-born grandchild), and sipped the silky-smooth drink. Then she let out a relaxed breath and looked at her grandfather.


    It was rather unusual to meet up so many times in such a short amount of time. Granted, there was a chance that Sam decided to ¡®strike¡¯ back at her grandfather in some manner, and now she would be hearing about the fallout. Lara was an equal amount of afraid and excited¡­


    ¡°Hello, dear,¡± he greeted her after she was finished with her first sip. ¡°How have you been?¡±


    She gave him a reproachful look, and he just smiled ruefully.


    ¡°Very well¡­ How is your project going?¡±


    Still suspicious, she answered the question. ¡°Pretty good. The wall is almost finished and we already have several functioning buildings.¡±


    There was also that secret project that Sam had brought to the newly built stronghold, but she had no idea what exactly they were doing in those giant warehouses beyond the basics. That kooky professor-type NPC was never available for her to question him. Not that she was going to mention that to her grandfather. Or anyone else¡­


    ¡°Good, good¡­¡± her grandfather nodded.


    Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    He let out a chuckle. ¡°Now, now, dearest granddaughter. I was just wondering if there is any place in that stronghold for your family¡­¡±


    ¡°You want me to give the family a plot?¡±


    ¡°Well, not give. We would, naturally, pay for it.¡±


    Lara snorted. There were times she cursed the moment she got to know Sam, but in these kinds of moments, she simply cherished them.


    ¡°I would¡­ maybe if you asked nicely¡­ but per my contract, the distribution of the territory is up to the company that financed the construction. Which belongs to¡­¡±


    ¡°Your little friend,¡± her grandfather finished for her.


    She nodded with a grin. ¡°Oh yes! I have a few properties reserved for my own use, enshrined in the contract, but otherwise, I have no power over it.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t strictly true, as while Sam insisted that she would have no power over the stronghold territory allocation on paper just in case her family got weird ¨C once again proving his strange ¡®powers¡¯ - both Sam and Lucy assured her that the stronghold was her baby, her opinion would be respected. And as both of them were big on trust and loyalty, she had no issue with the verbal agreement.


    Her grandfather just looked at her for a long time before letting out a sigh.


    ¡°He did this just in case I asked, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Another sigh, though she could see a small smile on his face.


    ¡°Well, it appears I¡¯ve lost this battle¡­ but the war is far from over.¡±


    ¡°Assuming you guys are fighting the same war¡­¡± she added her own few cents with a grin.


    Her grandfather chuckled before quieting down a little.


    ¡°Welp, then I suppose I shall cut this meeting short. Have to explain to your cousins they can¡¯t have their new guild headquarters¡­¡±


    ¡°Your attempts to guilt trip me are cute, grandfather, but they are not going to work,¡± she replied with a slight glare and smile on her face. Her grandfather was much better at these social games, the play he was putting on currently was just to say he tried. He really hated when family members came whining to him to deal with something. However, she was also aware that her cousins and relatives could become a pain in the ass. ¡°If they really want those properties, they should submit a proper offer and I will make sure Sam and Lucy are going to take a look at it. If it is a good offer, I don¡¯t see why they would reject it.¡±


    He reached over, patted her on her hand, and smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I expect an agent fee.¡±


    ¡°Atta girl!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°So, what are the final votes?¡± Stephen asked the room as a multitude of people and animals, monsters, elementals, and a few ¡®things¡¯ watched him on the hastily put-together podium. AzureTiger was standing to the side, slowly counting the votes with the help of her octopus familiar.


    Kim was also there, holding a notebook and making sure that the count was correct. However, for some reason, Stephen thought that she was only helping out because she had some issues with AzureTiger. He had no idea what those issues were, but it was nice to spend more time with his girlfriend.


    After having an in-depth discussion about accepting the contract from AFK, they decided that Stephen alone couldn¡¯t decide the future of the guild, so they put together a simple document detailing the changes accepting the contract would bring, as well as the pros and cons and shared it with the main members.


    Thanks to their success, they had to change the membership into two tiers. The main members, who either have been there since the beginning or joined early, and those who had proved themselves both with their skills and personalities. The other tier contained the hangers-on, newly joined people who hadn¡¯t proved themselves, people just there to acquire pets (they thought it would be easier to join, get a pet, and leave than pay the guild the service fee), and the various spies, ne¡¯er-do-wells or busybodies.


    And now, they were gathered in the main hall of their building, following a thankfully quick voting process.


    Stephen, himself was unsure about the move. When he approached the guy to ask how to get himself a cute pet, he didn¡¯t expect things to balloon to this size. He just wanted to have something cute and fluffy he could use to impress Kim and maybe get a date out of it.


    Well, now he was responsible for a guild with member numbers in the hundreds, the security of part of a city, had to broker deals with various individuals, eradicate guilds that hurt poor fluffy animals and elementals, and just be a leader. Sometimes so many things happened that it hurt his head.


    This deal with AFK company would take a load off his shoulders and let him play the game without having to worry about a million little things. AzureTiger was in favor of the merger and even Kim supported the idea. Hell, he even talked with his dad about it. Granted, the first hour of the conversation was just him explaining basic things about the game, but after those were made clear, his father patiently went through the contract with him, pointing out things that even AzureTiger didn¡¯t notice.


    And now he stood, slightly nervously as Slathy lounged behind him, radiating calmness and support.


    Choosing to get an animal companion was one of his best decisions ever¡­


    Then he was broken out of his musing by Kim and Diana stepping up next to him and the room quieted down, even the various companions also quieted down before the decision was shared.


    Diana, the octopus still on her head like some kind of weird hat, stepped forward, and coughed into her fist.


    ¡°We have the results. The vote was passed. We are going to join the AFK company,¡± she declared softly.


    The people began to politely clap, but otherwise, everybody, including Stephen, was a little confused about how to feel.


    Then somebody somewhere in the room spoke up.


    ¡°Now what?¡±


    <hr>


    Cynthia truly didn¡¯t understand her sister¡¯s aversion to everything but healing. It was so much fun jumping into the thick of things and delivering justice onto the myriad monsters that called Magic Unbound their home.


    With her trusty spear and magic at her side, nothing could stand in her way.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    After finishing with the beginner town, she and her friends left it very quickly as none of the monsters they were willing to engage with provided any challenge anymore. And those monsters that could withstand their ¡®awesome¡¯ power were so powerful that nobody wanted to chance it.


    There were rumors going around in Greenwood that there used to be a wolf mini-boss, but after so many people tried to hunt it down to get at the pups to make them into familiars, the compilation videos made them very tempting targets, the boss changed into a wolf spirit that attacked anyone that went near the cave.


    You could defeat the spirit, but another would show up almost immediately, preventing people from moving toward the cave and annoying the mother wolf.


    Naturally, the players couldn¡¯t leave it alone and a giant coalition formed to see what would happen if they defeated the second spirit. Turns out three more spirits show up. Smaller than the first two, but they were elementally charged. An earth elemental wolf spirit, a wind elemental wolf spirit, and a shadow elemental wolf spirit.


    Not easily, but the coalition defeated those too. Cynthia watched the videos several times, and she always laughed at their faces when a giant wolf just dropped out of the sky upon the spirits¡¯ defeat and obliterated the players with a roar.


    Instead of trying to fight battles that were not worth fighting, she focused on her magic and skills.


    Frailty was her bread and butter.


    She already managed to upgrade it so that even one strike would make the entire body part of the monster vulnerable, not just the spot she had hit. It improved their team¡¯s ability to deal with monsters a considerable amount.


    Then came another basic but useful skill that Clarissa¡¯s boss recommended.


    Pierce, which naturally increased the piercing power of her spear. Paired with Frailty and Flash Step, she acquired the Double, Triple, and Infinite Pierce skills, increasing her repertoire.


    [Double Pierce: Level 42/100 (48%) (Passive) After landing a hit on an enemy with the Pierce skill, your attack speed is increased momentarily, and the cooldown on the Pierce skill is instantly refreshed, allowing you to strike again with the skill. Attack speed is increased by 2% and the damage is increased by 0,5% for each skill level.]


    [Triple Pierce: Level 28/100 (37%) (Passive) After landing a hit on an enemy with the Double Pierce skill, your attack speed is further increased momentarily, the chance of making a critical strike is increased and the cooldown on the Pierce, Double Pierce skills is instantly refreshed, allowing you to strike again with the skills. Attack speed is increased by 2%, the damage is increased by 1%, and the critical chance is increased by 0,1% for each skill level.]


    [Infinite Pierce: Level 14/100 (69%) (Active/Passive) After landing a hit on an enemy with your Triple Pierce skill for the third time, you gain a Hidden Power buff after every successful hit with any of your Pierce skills. For every stack of Hidden Power, the cooldowns of your Pierce skills are refreshed and your attack speed, damage, and critical chance are increased by 0,5%. If you miss a strike, you start losing stacks of Hidden Power every 0,1 second.


    You can choose to unleash your hidden power in one massive attack which removes all the acquired Hidden Power stacks on you, resets all piercing skills, and gives you a Fatigued debuff. For every stack of Hidden Power, the critical damage of the final strike is increased by 1%.]


    On her own, she could maybe strike any monster a few times before she had to unleash it if she didn¡¯t want to lose the boosts, but with the help of her friends, who had some nice control spells and skills, keeping the enemy still and allowing her to unleash insane amounts of damage was a child¡¯s play.


    Granted, smarter monsters were harder to immobilize, but even slowing them down was enough for her to build up stacks of Frailty and Hidden Power.


    ¡°You know¡­ I really hate that we have to force those monsters to stop so that I can do my combo¡­¡± she complained to her friends.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Dani agreed. ¡°I love the whole nature mage, but my Tangle spell is so much stronger than any other.¡±


    Anna thought for a moment, then offered her opinion.


    ¡°So, we need to get stronger. Physically, we¡¯re already pretty fast, but I¡¯m sure there is some kind of Haste magic that we can learn¡­¡±


    Cynthia nodded along.


    ¡°Excellent idea! Let¡¯s look up how to get faster!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°So, how did it go?¡±


    ¡°They are putting together a team that would escort us to a new location near Ironwood,¡± Darell told Brad as they hung out in his apartment again. They just finished with the game, updating everybody in the guild about the happenings and the future course of the guild.


    Naturally, some people were cursing them for selling out to a corporation, which was actually pretty funny. Solar, the man behind AFK Company and Chrysalis was famously not part of any famous family, group, or corporation. Though, after showing up with that woman on his arm, Darell had some doubts, but then a few days later he heard a rumor that she was cheating on her boyfriend with Solar.


    Hard to really know what was true and what wasn¡¯t in the current world.


    Brad, simply continued to grumble. ¡°I hate that those idiots left¡­¡±


    Darell just shrugged. ¡°They were probably local plants that would have been found out once they were under the eyes of the AFK Company. Or simply chose our offer of freedom without any contractual penalty¡­¡± He didn¡¯t mind, he was more focused on making Glorious Artefact the best crafting guild, and dealing with those people was just a hassle.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why we had to do that¡­¡±


    ¡°Something about weeding out the chaff, I think¡­¡±


    They sat there in silence, simply recuperating after that intense and emotional meeting.


    ¡°What about Charles? Has he reacted anyway?¡±


    Darell couldn¡¯t help but snort. ¡°Oh, yeah. He instantly went whining that I cheated and most definitely failed the test.¡± Brad chuckled at hearing that. ¡°I think he was angrier about nobody caring about me ¡®failing¡¯ the test than us merging with AFK.¡±


    ¡°Which means he¡¯ll definitely try something in the game.¡±


    ¡°I told the same thing to the AFK woman I talked with; Lucy I think.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Brad asked curiously, leaning forward.


    ¡°They just told me that they will take care of it.¡±


    Brad leaned back in his armchair and nodded wisely. ¡°Well, if anyone, it¡¯s them who could take care of people like Charles¡­¡±


    Darell was about to reply when his phone began to ding with notification sounds. Unlocking it, he opened the notification and began to read.


    Brad watched him silently, waiting for him to share the news.


    ¡°Apparently, some insane blood magic cult had decided to attack Sunspot down south. They hired Charles¡¯s guild to provide protection for a site from where they were going to launch part of the attack.¡± Darell couldn¡¯t help but laugh a little. ¡°They used Charles¡¯s guild as ammunition. It seems with the way they worded the contract, it counted as a willing blood sacrifice. They all got insane debuffs!¡±


    ¡°They must be seething¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh boy, they are indeed very angry¡­¡± Darell murmured as he scrolled through his feeds. Brad also took out his phone.


    ¡°The forums are blowing up with it¡­¡±


    For the next few minutes, they each silently read the internet, trying to figure out what exactly was happening down south.


    Then Brad looked up and began to speak hesitantly. ¡°Do you think¡­they did this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to think about it¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°All right people, places!¡± he called out while clapping enthusiastically. Around him his team ran around, making sure all the equipment was in tip-top shape, the coffee machine was filled out, serviced, and chugging along, the decaf was hidden and there were enough snacks to feed a small army.


    The rest of them were sitting at their stations, staring at code, graphs and everything else as the main screen was filled with different views of one particular city.


    Sunspot, the city of the sun, but most importantly, a city for those who wish to hide in the shadows cast by the sun.


    And now, the same city was hosting their greatest enemy. A player who knew what they were doing. Or as the boss called him ¡®affectionally¡¯, the fucker.


    ¡°Anything so far?¡±


    Selene appeared in a nearby monitor and began to report cheerfully.


    ¡°As per your request, Solar aka ¡®That Fucker¡¯ is currently underground, taking part in the event that aimed to reduce the number of superfluous mercenary guilds in Sunspot. Based on appearances and from what we could infer, he isn¡¯t aware of the impending attack of the blood mages. Or that his caravan is planned to be sacrificed by the blood mage players.¡±


    ¡°Good, goood¡­ Is there any way we could make his life harder? A hydra maybe? Oh! I know! Two hydras!¡±


    Selene just gave him a smile that reminded him of the smiles his mother used to give him when he was young.


    ¡°One, that would be illegal and against company rules. Two, he already fought hydras and won.¡±


    ¡°Damn that fucker,¡± he exclaimed as he petulantly snapped his fingers.


    ¡°As you say, sir.¡±


    He looked around and spotted a person who was apparently monitoring the happenings around Sunspot. Thankfully, there were other departments dealing with other aspects and areas of the game, so that their task force could focus on specific events.


    ¡°You!¡± he called out. ¡°What is going on overground?¡±


    ¡°Blood mages started to move. They tricked a lot of guilds ¨C mostly the stupider ones ¨C to ¡®guard¡¯ strategically important locations. They are planning to use those players to fuel the ritual circles they carved into the floors of the same building those mercenaries are protecting.¡±


    ¡°Are those circles random, or do they have a plan?¡±


    This time another person spoke up, a woman, from another workstation where he could see her doing some off-the-wall trigonometry.


    ¡°They appear to be planning to create a two-pronged chain reaction that would culminate in an explosion that would vaporize all solid matter in the city. One above ground and one underground.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, that makes¡­ wait! You said all solid matter?¡± he asked incredulously.


    The woman double-checked her findings and nodded. ¡°Yes, sir. All solid matter.¡±


    ¡°Selene!¡± he called out. ¡°Can they do that?¡±


    There was a brief pause as the AI processed the question and looked for an answer, before nodding. ¡°If they manage to detonate every important ritual circle both above and underground, there is a chance they can do it.¡±


    ¡°In numbers?¡±


    ¡°IF we take into account all the players and NPCs present in the city and those who are in an actionable distance to the city, then their success rate is around 78% percent. Hundred percent if one of the gods presiding over blood intervenes, and zero if one of the ¡®good¡¯ gods act.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound bad¡­¡± he murmured but sadly for him, Selene continued.


    ¡°If we amend those calculations with the F-factor, then the answer is around 30 to 40% percent,¡± Selene explained serenely as everybody watched the team leader freeze in one place. ¡°Granted, those numbers are only valid if¡­ that fucker aims to disrupt it.¡±


    ¡°Wi-will one of the gods intervene?¡± he asked shakily and with a great amount of hope. Nobody has any illusions about which gods he was talking about.


    Selene, sadly, shook her head. ¡°No, unless something very-very out of the ordinary happens. This task was a divinely mandated task for the perpetrators. One of the stipulations was no divine help or interference.¡±


    ¡°Does the fucker count as out of the ordinary for that? Or can we manually flag him as such?¡±


    ¡°Not yet for the first question and hard no for the second one,¡± she let that one hang before adding. ¡°Sir.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± he snapped his fingers again in disappointment.


    Then he was distracted by one of his people who was keeping an eye on the most annoying person ever (according to the team leader).


    ¡°Sir! They stopped!¡±


    He immediately rushed over to the big screen, which helpfully changed over to showcase that fucker standing protectively in front of several trembling healers, while the blood mages shed their disguises and began to surround them.


    The team leader began to eagerly watch the developing scene while two people in the back quietly talked, leaning against one of the desks and sipping from their cups.


    ¡°Do you think they have a chance?¡±


    ¡°Dunno man, blood magic is pretty powerful¡­¡±

 Chapter 252 - Interlude 25.1 - A new adventure

    ¡°Any questions?¡±


    Clarissa looked back at Lucy and nodded.


    ¡°Why me? I¡¯m the healer!¡± she stated plainly.


    Lucy just smiled. ¡°Sam is off doing who knows what. Dan is not a leader type and I would rather have a lobotomy with a rusty spoon than placing Katie or Isabella when they are together in charge of anything.¡±


    Clarissa opened her mouth, then closed it. She couldn¡¯t really argue against that.


    ¡°What about Tim or Adam?¡± she said desperately. She really wanted nothing to do with making sure that the herd of hell cats Sam called a team would do its job. Conveniently forgetting that she was also part of that team.


    ¡°Tim is making sure that Ironwood stays in our hands. Adam has his hands full running the guild. Plus, he has too many eyes on him. If he were to join you guys, half the player base in the Emerald Kingdom would be there to snipe you guys.¡±


    She could only grumble about it.


    Lucy, seeing this, reached out and patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Relax, you¡¯ll do fine! Sam is about to do something massively stupid, so most eyes are going to be on him!¡±


    ¡°He is always doing something massively stupid,¡± she pointed out.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but this one is especially big and stupid,¡± replied Lucy cheerfully. In Clarissa¡¯s opinion, the other woman was long ago broken by the sheer bullshit Sam produced by his very existence, and now she had no other option but to act cheerfully or face the cold reality. Or maybe Clarissa was a little salty that Sam managed to infest her little sister with his brand of chaos and she had to listen to her talking about all sorts of weird things.


    Eventually, she just let out a sigh and nodded reluctantly. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Great! Do you need a recap about the objectives?¡± Lucy asked while grinning at her.


    ¡°No, I remember them. However, what if we find something out of the ordinary? Call Sam?¡± At this point, she resigned herself to the fact that in nine cases out of ten, it was much more useful to call or send a text to Sam. The man probably knew more about the game than anybody else.


    It was an inside joke between her and the rest of the core team that both the company and guild saved tons of money because, while other groups had to have teams of researchers on their payrolls; they had Sam.


    To her dismay, Lucy shook her head. ¡°He is in an event space¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn! So, we are on our own?¡±


    Lucy just chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t be so dour, Clarissa. If anything stands in your way, you can just send Katie to deal with it¡­¡± Lucy replied. ¡°Or that thing that she calls cat¡­¡±


    Now that was an idea¡­


    Clarissa really wanted to see what would happen if somebody decided to take a shot at that thing masquerading (badly) as a cat.


    Then she instantly sobered up when she realized what she agreed to.


    <hr>


    Dan watched as the rest of the team prepared to head out.


    Honestly, it was pretty weird to go on an adventure together without Sam¡¯s eccentric leadership. It was really nice to know that no matter what happened, the man had all the answers. And if not, he had enough power in his back pocket to make the problem go away.


    Sometimes, Dan felt that he was playing the game in easy mode.


    ¡°So, we are looking for some blood maniac priests and have to convince them to go against the other bloody maniacs rampaging down south?¡± Katie asked as she petted Puffball in her lap. Isabella was leaning against the wall next to her friend, arms crossed and frowning. Clarissa was at the table putting away potions and other supplies for the quest.


    Clarissa didn¡¯t even look up from her task as she answered. ¡°Not really. According to our information, they¡¯re pacifists focused on healing and other similar pursuits. We¡¯re not going there to get them to fight with us.¡±


    ¡°Is that information called Sam?¡± Isabella asked with a smile as her own pet, shaped like some kind of wooden fox, wound through her legs.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± came the sarcastic reply.


    Dan nodded, expecting it. However, as he looked around, he realized something.


    ¡°Hey guys, shouldn¡¯t we get a tank for the team? Without Sam I don¡¯t we can work around big groups¡­¡± he said.


    While Sam wasn¡¯t a tank, he was still great at controlling the battlefield, allowing them to focus on doing damage, healing, or casting spells without worrying about getting a face full of fists, claws, or other body parts. Not to mention liquids.


    ¡°Eh,¡± Katie shrugged. ¡°We can take them!¡± she declared loudly.


    That¡¯s what Dan was afraid of. He liked Katie, really he did, but relying on her during a battle without Sam¡¯s seemingly almost omniscient awareness of the battlefield was a suicide.


    Clarissa froze hearing that then she looked up from her packing and eyed Dan. ¡°You might be right.¡± She placed a finger on her lips and thought for a while before visibly having an idea. She quickly turned toward Katie. ¡°What about your brother? He is some kind of knight, right?¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Katie grinned but surprisingly shook her head. ¡°Nah, he has been talking with a cute healer and has been in a party with her and her friends. Don¡¯t want to take him away from that¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn, there goes my idea,¡± Clarissa clicked her tongue in disappointment. ¡°Then we need to do it on our own.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that with our power and info given by Sam, it¡¯s going to be a cakewalk!¡± Isabella declared cheerfully.


    To Dan¡¯s relief, nobody said the cursed words. He was even afraid to think of them¡­


    <hr>


    They left the city behind, using rented horses to head for a Brightgarden to drop off a package for Lucy at one of the guilds their politically talented co-leader was talking with. After that, they stabled the hired horses and switched to a quartet of deers of all things.


    They were given the animals at the back of one property owned by the Fauna Ark guild, letting them secretly leave through the ranch they owned and hopefully losing a bunch of watchers and followers.


    However, the deers still confused him even though they were surprisingly talented steads.


    ¡°Auch!¡± Isabella cried out as the deer bit her fingers.


    And very ornery¡­


    They arrived at their first objective in an hour, where they hopped off the deer and let them go with a quickly shouted order. The deer spent a few minutes grazing the grass and taking a drink from a small spring flowing nearby, then they ran off into the distance.


    Dan hoped they were going back to Brightgarden and not anywhere else. He knew how much training those mounts cost. He didn¡¯t want to pay for their replacement.


    He watched as Clarissa stood in the middle of the meadow with closed eyes, using her Mana Sense. After all, after Sam, who was a rule onto himself, she had the best mana sense in the group. The area he could sense was much smaller than the others, but his were more focused on sensing what the enemy was doing.


    Dan even hoped to develop some kind of predictive or precognitive skill that would allow him to foresee what kind of magic his enemy would cast. Lara and he spent a lot of time theory-crafting when not in the game. Sometimes it was interrupted by other actions, but eventually, they always ended back on the topic. To Lara, it was just fascinating and a way to prove her intellectual superiority. But to Dan, it was a way to prove he could succeed without Sam¡¯s help, as even their fearless leader admitted that he had no idea how to create a precognitive skill like that.


    Some parts of him hoped he could show up Sam for once¡­


    <hr>


    Clarissa opened her eyes and let out a relieved sigh.


    ¡°Can¡¯t sense anybody. So, we are either alone or they¡¯re much stronger than me¡­¡± she declared and the rest of the team also let out their own sigh.


    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Isabella asked. ¡°You were pretty quiet on what we had to do¡­¡±


    Clarissa nodded then brought up her system screen and after a few seconds the rest of the team received a notification. As they read over it, she also took the time to wonder at it. She didn¡¯t think it was possible¡­


    ¡®But I suppose with this game, there are no limits¡­¡¯


    [Nun of your business!]


    [You and your team have been given a quest to find the Church of the First Drop and gain their support in the ongoing conflict.]


    [Time Limit: None]


    [Penalty: Lucy will be very disappointed]


    [Reward: Lucy will be very proud of you]


    She didn¡¯t know how Lucy did it but she ended up giving Clarissa a quest that she was now sharing with the others. She didn¡¯t know why it was important as they weren¡¯t getting any reward from it aside from their usual salary and bonuses due based on their contract, but apparently, some skill of her boss made this possible.


    ¡°Wow! Lucy is awesome!¡± Katie exclaimed as she finished reading.


    Dan also nodded, looking impressed. ¡°This is great and all, but still doesn¡¯t tell us what we have to do¡­¡±


    Clarissa couldn¡¯t really argue with that. ¡°Indeed. Our first task is to find a small-ish valley with a stone formation. There we have to do some kind of blood sacrifice and then follow the signs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not really much to go on¡­¡± he said in response.


    She took out a hand-drawn map and showed it to them. ¡°I have been given this¡­¡±


    They all gathered around here and took a look at it.


    Finally, after a minute of staring, it was Isabella who spoke up. ¡°Well, at least we know what he is not good at¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Hold it! Hold it!¡± she yelled in panic as she tried to keep up with the frenzied claws of a four-legged and four-armed bear monster as it and Katie tried to out murderblender each other. Isabella was sitting on the ground, exhausted and out of mana, while Dan was keeping back a bunch of mad squirrels with a firewall and pinpoint precise strikes both from him and Hawky.


    She was simultaneously healing both of them while keeping up the buffs and topping up their mana.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± yelled back Katie as she rolled away, avoiding an overhead hammer strike from the angry bear. ¡°Maybe try helping!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already doing that!¡± she yelled back in frustration as she watched the berserker¡¯s health dip down again.


    <hr>


    ¡°Run!¡± she yelled as they were running from a rampaging horde of tigers coming at them.


    ¡°We¡¯re already running!¡± Isabella yelled back while running next to Dan and trying to hum a few bars to keep up the speed buff that was allowing them to keep ahead of the horde.


    ¡°Where the fuck is that goblin?¡± she yelled back angrily between two harsh breaths trying to keep her lungs (and intestines) inside.


    Then she heard it.


    ¡°GIGA DEEP IMPACT!¡±


    A guttural roar followed by maniacal laughter caused them to stumble to stop, Isabella dropping to her knees and Dan resting with his hands on his legs, breathing heavily. Clarissa had enough energy remaining to turn around to witness Katie (jumping from somewhere in a flat forest environment with sparse trees) impacting the approaching horde like a demented meteor. She was wreathed in eldritch flames that were so back that Clarissa could have sworn she saw galaxies being born and burn inside them.


    Then those flames touched the monsters and with a great whoosh, flames obscured Clarissa¡¯s sight. Thankfully, the roar of those somewhat masked the pained screams¡­


    <hr>


    Clarissa huffed as she stared at the unapologetic face of Katie as she kneeled before them, Dan and Isabella also standing there looking rather ruffled and singed at the edges.


    ¡°I said I was sorry!¡± she whined. Like a whiner.


    ¡°You spell destroyed all the loot!¡± she declared for the second time.


    ¡°But it saved us and gave us extra experience! I didn¡¯t see you doing anything but running!¡± she shot back with a glare.


    ¡°It was a tactical retreat to regroup and figure out a way to defeat the enemy,¡± she stated imperiously while avoiding eye contact.


    ¡®I knew this was a bad idea¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    ¡°Is this it?¡± Dan asked tiredly, as they saw a small circular area surrounded by rocks falling from the mountains with a broken stone flooring in the middle. Clarissa shuffled forward exhaustedly and looked for a symbol that she was shown. The symbol, half a stylized heart with three drops of blood falling from it, was on one of the rocks around the edge of the area that she just realized was actually a natural formation of rocks with broken pillars and other architectural elements.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± she declared almost in a whisper.


    Isabella simply fell to the ground and let out a choked sob. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we made it¡­¡±


    Katie, armor shredded beyond recognition ¨C not that it stopped her from flinging herself in the middle of monster groups ¨C happily took a seat next to her friend. ¡°I still think we could have made friends with those bees.¡±

 Chapter 252 - Interlude 25.2 - A new adventure

    In the warm embrace of the small area, they spent the next few minutes just resting and trying to process the last hour or so of happenings. Clarissa sometimes wondered if other people also had the same amount of monster encounters, random boss spawns, and beehives happen to them when they went on their quest.


    She had no idea how Katie found three of them, all highly intelligent and extremely angry for some unfathomable reason. However, that didn¡¯t prevent the slightly younger ¨C though definitely crazier ¨C girl from trying to talk the bees out of attacking their party. Then her ¡®cat¡¯ decided that a bee would be a perfect snack¡­ And once again, they had to run for their lives as the bees summoned their queen, who began chasing them with honey-based magic. Very sticky and powerful¡­


    Reaching up into her hair, she felt the remnants of one of the queen¡¯s attacks and she made a disgusting face while casting the Clean spell. She wasn¡¯t as proficient as Sam with the spell, but at least this much wasn¡¯t something she wouldn¡¯t be able to accomplish.


    Looking at the others, Clarissa let out a sigh, then stood up from where she was resting. She was the leader of the team, she was the one who was riding herd over these crazy cats and ¡®cats¡¯ thus it was up to her to make sure they achieved their goals.


    ¡°Right. Let¡¯s fan out and look over the site. We¡¯re looking for nuns with blood fetish so the ritual should be connected to that¡­¡± she called out and the rest of the team, amidst some groaning, also stood up to help with the search.


    They went methodically through the entire area, examined all sides of all the fallen stone pieces, looking for signs, symbols, clearly written step-by-step instructions, or anything that would hint at what they would need to do to continue with this accursed step.


    ¡®It¡¯s so much easier when Sam is here¡­ he always knows what to do¡­¡¯ Clarissa grumbled as she once again took out her notes.


    ¡°Water bathed in the blood of an innocent¡­ what the hell does that mean?¡± she asked out loud.


    ¡°Well, if we are looking for people who hate blood mages,¡± Isabella spoke up just as she was on her stomach, looking under some fallen column. ¡°That means that to them, an innocent person is someone who hasn¡¯t touched blood magic.¡±


    Clarissa thought about it for a moment, then nodded. That made perfect sense. ¡°Who here hasn¡¯t touched any blood magic?¡±


    Both Katie and Dan raised their hand. Isabella, however, looked away.


    ¡°When I met Sam, I already had the Life of Blood skill¡­¡±


    Clarissa looked back at the other two and eyed them for a second, then nodded toward Dan. ¡°Your blood will do¡­¡±


    Dan blinked while Katie pouted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m happy or oddly insulted¡­¡± Dan mumbled as Katie stalked to Isabella¡¯s side. Clarissa didn¡¯t care. She didn¡¯t want to try to taint the ritual with whatever that woman had going on. With her luck, the moment the ritual started, it would rip a portal into a dimension that would drive all of them mad.


    She reached into her inventory and took out a medieval cup. ¡°Take some water and mix¡­¡± she looked down at her instructions. ¡°¡­nine drops of blood with nine drops of water.¡±


    As Dan stepped forward and sterilized a small knife with his fire magic, Clarissa was distracted by an exclamation.


    ¡°Found it!¡± came from Isabella, who was behind some ruins holding up (struggling a little under the weight) a small and weathered stone pedestal that kinda looked like a birdbath. Katie rushed over and the two of them carried the pedestal over to the circular stone floor ¨C cracked and missing some pieces ¨C and placed it into the middle, fitting perfectly into the small indentation that was there. They had to clean out the moss and other detritus, but a minute later, the pedestal-slash-birdbath was standing proudly in the middle of the area.


    While it showed its age, all around the base of the pedestal they could see the same symbol, half a stylized heart with three drops of blood falling from it, and inside the birdbath had some runes around the edge that looked slightly shiny to Clarissa¡¯s eyes as the sun bathed the clearing in light.


    Dan stepped forward with the cup of blood and water in his hands as she absentmindedly cast a heal on his hand. She opened the instructions and continued to read.


    ¡°The mead of queens, sustainer of armies of spring¡­¡± she read out loud, taking a few seconds to parse the meaning while inwardly grumbling at Sam¡¯s need for dramatics. ¡°Honey. Fucking fantastic¡­¡±


    There was a throat cleared, and she saw a hand holding a bottle filled with golden-colored honey.


    Clarissa looked up at Katie, who was holding the bottle with a guilty look on her face while refusing to meet her eyes.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why the bees were so angry¡­¡± she said flatly. Then she pointed at the cup. ¡°Nine drops into that.¡±


    With some finesse, they managed that. Then Clarissa took the cup and poured the small amount of liquid into the birdbath.


    ¡°¡­and finally, a breath of life, wonders of mana and life,¡± she read out loud. Thankfully, there were two words next to that in brackets.


    Healing Magic


    She reached out with her hand and cast her oldest healing magic, one that she was immensely familiar with, using mana control taught by Sam to focus all the magic on the brownish liquid in the birdbath.


    As soon as her mana touched the stone and liquid, the runes lit up as she began, and the mana in the air started to move, like a sluggish bear waking up after hibernation. Then they all watched as the liquid in the bowl turned a solid gold color before being absorbed by the pedestal, causing the symbols on the base to light up with the same color.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Then a rumbling sound and they all instinctively jumped back as the circular stone platform they were standing on began to sink into the ground piece by piece, creating a circular staircase leading down.


    <hr>


    The only challenge in the tunnel that was opened up was that there were no light sources to illuminate the way. They spent a few minutes stumbling around before she remembered that they all had a skill that could provide light. Hell, one of them was a fire mage!


    Just as Clarissa began to grumble, the stairs behind them began to also grind against the stone wall as they began to rise back into their original state, leaving them in complete darkness, only illuminated by a hastily conjured light ball.


    They looked at each other and as one turned in the only direction and began to walk.


    However, Clarissa found it rather eerie how no matter where she looked, she always saw Puffball¡¯s cat¡¯s eyes watching them with interest and humor.


    At least she hoped it was Puffball¡­


    <hr>


    They had been walking for half an hour or so ¨C time was really hard to keep track of inside a tight and dark corridor ¨C when Clarissa felt the ground rumble a little. At first, she chalked it up to her imagination, but then Isabella spoke up.


    ¡°Did you guys hear it?¡± she asked, her voice worried.


    Clarissa reached out with her mana sense but the solid stone walls and ground surrounding them didn¡¯t allow her to sense far enough to find whatever was causing the rumble.


    ¡°Anybody see or hear anything?¡± she asked instead, hoping the others were more successful.


    Dan shook his head, Katie grumbled something petulant and Isabella answered.


    ¡°No. Just the rumble¡­ is that¡­scratching?¡±


    Clarissa began to listen, but before she could make out the sound Isabella mentioned, the wall next to them suddenly broke, showering them with stone, earth, dust, and everything in between as two giant pincers reached through the created breach, grabbed Katie ¨C who began to whoop in joy ¨C and dragged her in with a quick movement.


    Then, as she froze at the sight of the giant hairy spider, Dan began to set everything on fire.


    ¡°I FUCKING HATE SPIDERS!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°MORE FIREPOWER!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯M DOING AS MUCH AS I CAN, WOMAN!¡±


    ¡°HAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAAAAA!¡±


    ¡°SOMEBODY TELL ME THERE ARE NO MORE OF THESE MONSTERS!¡±


    ¡°HONK!¡±


    The entire area was in chaos. After Katie was grabbed and in turn tried to shishkebab the offending spider, the team soon moved into the corridors built by the spiders and other assorted monsters. They fought worms, beetles, blind lizards with acid spit, plants that reached down from the ceiling and tried to choke them to death and so much more.


    Currently, they were fighting in a cavern that may have been at one time something like a birthing cavern, but after they arrived, it turned into a fiery pit of hell after Dan was surprised by a normal-sized (and normally behaving) spider falling on his shoulder.


    The scream that left the man¡¯s lips was enough to act as a taunt skill and gather all nearby monsters.


    Took them some minutes, but they were finally resting in the middle on a fine layer of ash and who knows what. Katie and Isabella were collecting the loot while she was sitting and regenerating her mana while reading a new skill she got.


    [You gained the skill Nightingale¡¯s Sight!]


    [Nightingale¡¯s Sight: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Dedication to the noble art of healing has given you the experience to keep track of the wounded and to always know who needs your services. Gives you a better understanding of the wounds suffered by those around you, both allies and enemies. When healing the most wounded target around you, the healing is increased by 1% per skill level. When used at the same time as ??? Increases defense during battle.]


    Nightingale sounded familiar to her, but she didn¡¯t know what the skill was referencing exactly. Though, because that effect sounded nice, she planned to do thorough research into the topic.


    However, the best thing the skill did was to upgrade her HUD, allowing her to see more information about her teammates. Including their health and mana points, and the current list of buffs and debuffs in a very organized way. She had ways to acquire all that information thanks to her skills, but Nightingale¡¯s Sight consolidated all that information into one easily digested set.


    A few minutes later she saw her mana was full and turned to the others.


    ¡°Ready to move on?¡±


    Getting affirmative replies from the others and an armload of assorted looted items from the girls, she stood up, dusted her robe, and began walking in the only direction they could go with a tired sigh.


    <hr>


    The final boss was a giant plant monster, using spores and pollen to create zombified abominations that did their best to either consume them or based on some of the debuffs she had to clear off the team, assimilate them into the collective consciousness.


    Dan¡¯s fire bathed the cavern, while Katie and Isabella bounced from wall to wall, dicing up the approaching monsters and bulging vines that evoked horrifying images. Meanwhile, Clarissa stood at the back and used her new skill to expertly maneuver the battlefield and keep her teammates topped up and clean of the gunk being spewed everywhere.


    The final strike into a venomous green bulb was delivered by Isabella who snuck around the fighting monsters as Katie wrestled with several giant vines doing their best to crush her while Dan protected them with walls of fire and rains of plasma spears from the thralls of the monster.


    Clarissa saw everything seize, then fall to the ground limply, the monsters following the flora, behaving like puppets whose strings had been cut.


    Silence fell on the group as they stared at the withering dead boss monster, followed by a chime of notification.


    [Congratulations! You and your team killed the Sporemaw!]


    [You¡¯ve leveled up!]


    Grinning, she approached the others for a high-five. She loved winning a fight without letting anyone die. The one who got the closest to death was Katie, but the crazy girl actually requested that as she needed to lose health points to use the most potent berserker skills.


    ¡°Hey! I found a great skill!¡± Katie called out as she retrieved a gunk-covered skill book from the remains of the monster.


    Clarissa walked over and took a look.


    [Berserkbloom: Release pollens that induce a berserk state in anyone it touches.]


    She doubted it would be a useful skill, but then Puffball landed from somewhere between them, looked at the skillbook, tapped it once with his soft paws, and sauntered away as they watched the book change from its electric green color into dark green color so dark it was almost black.


    [Abyssalbloom: Release motes of abyssal energy that will induce madness in anyone it touches.]


    ¡°Sweet!¡±


    ¡°That did not make it better...¡±


    ¡°I weep for the future¡­¡±


    ¡°Meow¡­¡±


    <hr>


    After the boss battle, they returned to the original corridor, thankfully without being beset by hordes of monsters, and continued their journey, hopefully, to find the nuns they were looking for at the end.


    Thankfully, they only had to walk for some time before they reached the end with an old staircase leading upwards. After another few minutes of trudging upwards, they were greeted by a stone door opening up automatically as they emerged from underground in a lush garden.


    As they climbed out, covered in gunk, soot, dust, and everything else that the clean spells couldn¡¯t remove, they looked around in wonder, taking in the beautiful vista.


    Their wondering was interrupted by a gentle voice.


    ¡°Welcome, guests, to the Garden of New Life!¡±


    Turning around, Clarissa saw a middle-aged woman, covered from head to toe in a nun¡¯s habit in the color of fresh blood, with a familiar symbol, half a stylized heart with three drops of blood falling from it. The drops looked like they had just fallen from a wound, glistening with life and vigor.


    ¡°Greetings!¡± she returned the greeting with a small bow. According to Sam, they were peaceful but crazy. ¡°Is this the Church of the First Drop?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, honored guest. Be welcome to the first and last Church of the First Drop!¡± the nun exclaimed with great excitement, raising both arms upwards in celebration. Then she looked directly into Clarissa¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Has the time come for the Great Cleansing?¡±

 Chapter 252 - Interlude 25.3 - A new adventure

    Clarissa had a distinct, though dubious, pleasure to watch as the woman dressed in the red nun habit didn¡¯t even wait for their reply, turned around and ran away while happily shouting "The day has come! Rejoice, sisters! The day has come!".


    The team just looked at each other with confusion as the garden came alive with the clamor of even more people yelling and cheering while the animals present in the greenery ¨C small birds and rodents ¨C began to rush around as the sudden increase in volume scared them.


    Clarissa shook her head and began walking forward, despite very much wanting to turn around and pretend that this entire thing never happened.


    ¡®That¡¯s why I¡¯m a healer¡­ Healers don¡¯t need to deal with cults¡­¡¯ she grumbled inside her mind while her face remained stoic.


    Isabella caught up to her and leaned a little closer. ¡°What do you guess, bloodbath with blood sacrifice or they¡¯ll try to kill us? The chaos goblin thinks we¡¯re going to kill each other in a ritualistic duel to prove our worthiness¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ just want this entire thing over,¡± she admitted. ¡°Leading a party is exhausting¡­¡±


    The bladedancer thought for a moment before answering. ¡°You could allow Katie to be in the lead¡­¡±


    Clarissa shuddered at the thought. ¡°No thanks. I actually like this game¡­¡±


    ¡°Coward,¡± Isabella whispered with a grin as they left behind the clearing where they emerged and came to a larger field, filled with all sorts of medicinal plants she recognized from her healer and herbology studies. And not far from, stood the entrance to a rather homely-looking building. From the looks, it started out as a church built similar to the Gothic style with its gray colors and pointy arches. But over the years the stained glass windows were replaced by expertly crafted wooden shutters and on the lower levels there had been several expansions built from brick and other colored stone, creating a mismatch of style and design choices.


    To Clarissa, it looked like somebody with an architectural design program took the templates for a gothic church and then smashed into it an entire cul-de-sac built out of brick, then sprinkled in some marble and granite with a smattering of clay and hay.


    It should have looked like a fever dream, but thanks to the obvious care that went into it, and the decoration and plants placed everywhere, not to mention that painted art of some nebulous figures doing heroic things made the entire thing look welcoming and warm.


    Just as she finished her observations, one of the wings of the double doors, probably left behind from the original church ¨C embellished by expertly made carvings of flowers and bees ¨C slammed open and nuns in various dresses (including some intimidating-looking heavy armor) began streaming out, all of them chanting.


    ¡°¡°¡°The day has come! Rejoice! The day has come!¡±¡±¡±


    Finally, they fanned out and stood opposite her team, who were all just staring bewildered at the scene before them. Though, Clarissa couldn¡¯t really blame them. It was fucking weird¡­


    Then the one in the middle, wearing what looked like a mix between a conservative metal bikini top and a blood-red fluffy skirt, raised a hand and every other person fell silent allowing Clarissa to focus a little more.


    ¡®One¡­two¡­¡¯ she began to quickly count but got lost after three dozen with even more sisters arriving from who knows where. ¡®Probably more than a hundred¡­¡¯


    ¡°Welcome!¡± exclaimed the probable leader of this church. ¡°Welcome to the Church of First Drop!¡±


    Clarissa glanced at the others, but they all subtly shook their heads. Sighing, she softly stepped forward and performed an elaborate bow she had learned from Lucy, who learned it for political functions.


    Based on the sparkle in the NPC¡¯s eyes, she did well. She then straightened out and began to speak in a hopefully even tone.


    ¡°Thank you for your welcome¡­¡± she trailed off, not knowing how to address the clearly crazy person without driving them berserk. She was already exhausted by having to deal with Katie, even though she was much better at following orders or staying where she could be seen than she was at the beginning.


    ¡°Ah, yes! You may address me as Mother Blood!¡± the woman introduced herself proudly.


    Clarissa ignored the implications (which she had become really good at recently) and continued. ¡°Yes. Thank you for your enthusiastic welcome, Mother Blood! My team and I took up this journey to reach this place and get cleansed!¡± she repeated the words Sam gave her and hoped it was the right thing. These people didn¡¯t really look like peace-loving priestesses who abhorred blood magic.


    Once again, Mother Blood¡¯s eyes lit up with joy and something more that Clarissa couldn¡¯t make out. However, she was still impressed that the game devs managed to create so realistic NPCs.


    ¡°Then it is you! You are here to herald the new age! Come to cleanse yourself and unleash a cleansing tide on the unpure maddened beasts corrupted by the old blood!¡±


    Before she could untangle that sentence, Mother Blood, and several of her brood rushed toward them and began dragging them inside the former church building.


    ¡°Come! Come! All of you who were tainted by filth! Come and be cleansed of the tainted blood!¡±


    Entering the church with the rest of the team dragged alongside her by enthusiastic nurses was rather surprising. Clarissa expected a lot of things, pools of blood, candles made of coagulated blood, sacrifices hanging from the rafters, and even more blood.


    Instead, she was met with a cozy interior with plants everywhere, cozy armchairs around small tea tables, and a small corner kitchen in the back with everything a tea lover would want. The only places that weren¡¯t covered with shaggy rugs and tea cozies were the right side of the left wall where another door was and the middle of the room, where a large circular area was left uncovered, showcasing the original stone that was laid when the church was built.


    To Clarissa¡¯s dismay, it also contained a carved runic circle.


    They stopped before the circle and Mother Blood, with excitement radiating from her body, turned to Isabella. ¡°You, young lady! Ready to become our newest sister?¡±


    ¡°Err, not really looking to join a church¡­ma¡¯am,¡± she replied awkwardly.


    The leader of the lunatics just waved it away. ¡°No worries! Our purity unites us! Once you regain yours, we shall call you our sister!¡±


    Isabella nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine then. What is this actually for?¡±


    ¡°While the blessing of the blood is truly wonderful, your body has been tainted by corrupted sources. We shall use our blessing to strip this corruption from your body and bolster its defenses against further corruption!¡± came the explanation. To Clarissa¡¯s relief, there was no maniacal laughter with it. She watched idly as several priestesses, all of them wearing the full-body habits, spread around the circle while the mana in the air began to move ¨C sluggishly ¨C in a way she wasn¡¯t familiar with.


    ¡°And what do I have to do for that?¡± Isabella replied, and the rest of the team watched, waiting for the other shoe to drop.


    Mother Blood just smiled proudly. ¡°Nothing, young lady! Our blessing, by the benevolence of our founders, comes at no price to you! Purity is a blessing and right, not a privilege!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°As the great founder stated, purity shouldn¡¯t be owned by the privileged few, while the rest languishes in abject corruptness. It is time for the pure to rise and share their blessing with everybody else. Together we shall cleanse the world!¡±


    Isabella digested the speech, then glanced at Clarissa, who swallowed heavily but nodded. Their instructions were clear: get ¡°blessed and cleansed¡±, learn how to do it, then bring the process back.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    She squared her shoulders, stepped forward, and spoke out. ¡°Then I¡¯m willing to participate!¡±


    Instantly, a cheer rose around them with a small session of clapping.


    Mother Blood nodded proudly and gestured toward the circle. ¡°Then step forward, sister, eschew your armor but keep your fate with you and you shall be cleansed of the corrupt blood!¡±


    Isabella nodded and quickly removed her outer armor and weapons, but instead of putting them into her inventory, she handed them to Katie to hold. Clarissa thought it was smart. If a fight broke out, then it would be faster to grab it from the berserker than to use the inventory screen.


    Clarissa then made eye contact with the so-far-silent Dan and gestured for him to be on the lookout. His eyes widened, and he gripped his club much tighter, but she could see him begin preparing to cast one of his devastating spells.


    Then the chanting began¡­


    <hr><hr>


    Isabella felt ridiculous. Standing in a ritual circle as ridiculously happy (and apparently tea-crazy) priestesses chanted and danced around her while the mana in the air began to build up and she could feel slight shaking under her sock-clad feet. Then, as the chanting reached its crescendo, the middle of the runic circle began to pour deep dark red blood that ran through the dark channels ¨C thankfully avoiding her ¨C and soon she was standing in the middle of a ritual circle filled with seething and bubbling blood.


    Which was definitely not unsettling¡­


    ¡®Ugh, Sam is going to so owe me¡­¡¯ she grumbled while trying to keep still. She was not well versed in rituals but she knew that unnecessary movement was usually a bad thing. And while the entire situation was creepy as fuck ¨C the priestesses sitting around small round tables, drinking tea, and watching them were not helping her state of mind ¨C she was quite curious how this ritual would affect her skill set.


    Like with everybody else, she pounced on the Life of Blood skillbook as it offered too much to ignore it. She had tried to ignore it and not use it, but as it was a passive skill, that was almost impossible. So over time, she acquired a few subskills for it, though no derivatives.


    Which, she suspected, would have made this ritual even more complicated, as the blood around her began to rise in the air, forming a continuously swirling ribbon of blood as it continued to go higher and higher until it formed a halo above her head.


    Some of her favorite subskills were the Strong Heart, which simply strengthened the effect of the Life Blood skill, and the Enhanced Circulation, which drastically increased her stamina regeneration. Both of which allowed her to reach higher than her peers. Though, that was before meeting Sam¡­


    ¡®And to think I simply wanted to poach him¡­¡¯


    The rest of her family went much further, leaning on the skill heavily to carry them through tough situations. She heard through the grapevine that several cousins managed to upgrade the Life Blood skill through some rituals they purchased from their contacts.


    The only reason she didn¡¯t ridicule them more was that she would have probably fallen for the same tricks. Before Sam explained the issue of using the skill without proper protection, she would have never imagined that something like this would happen.


    Magic Unbound¡¯s system was just so out of the norm ¨C and somewhat purposefully playing up certain tropes to distract people ¨C that she didn¡¯t think about people using their own skill against them as an option.


    The chanting became loud enough that she couldn¡¯t hear anything else then she felt a drop of liquid on her face, then another and another, until she stood, frozen, under a shower of magically charged blood.


    As blood flowed over her body she didn¡¯t really know what to do with all the sensation assaulting her. Disgust warred within her with curiosity. Then the blood began to pool in the ritual circle before the channels did their jobs and once again she was standing over the ritual circle filled with blood.


    The entire thing lasted no more than ten seconds, barely affording her time to realize what was happening and come to terms with being ¡®bathed¡¯ in blood before it was over.


    Blinking in bewilderment, Mother Blood smiled at her and offered her a simple-looking knife that was clearly very old based on the signs of it being sharpened countless times.


    ¡°And now, sister, you shall contribute to the great cause of the purity! Share your blood, so others may share in the same blessing! What is yours is ours and what is ours is yours!¡± she yelled while raising her hands in the air.


    ¡°¡°¡°What is yours is ours and what is ours is yours!¡±¡±¡± echoed the rest of the priestesses.


    Not having any other idea, she just shrugged, cut her hand across, and let a few drops fall to the floor, which was instantly swallowed by the blood already there.


    After a few seconds of this, the Mother Blood continued. ¡°And another drop joins the tide of purity, ready to unleash the cleansing wave on the corrupt world!¡± she finished the sermon and Isabella felt the mana in the air calm down, allowing her to calm down a little. The others also looked relieved that it didn¡¯t come to a fight, though the chaos gremlin looked oddly disappointed.


    As she began to dress back into her armor, she quickly read through her notifications.


    [You participated in the Cleansing Red Rain ritual!]


    [Your body has been cleansed by the ritual. You gain +13 VIT, END, STR!]


    [You lost your Life Blood skill and every one of its subskills!]


    [You gained the Blood Magic Resistance skill!]


    [Blood Magic Resistance is now Level 51!]


    [You gained the Corruption Resistance skill!]


    [Corruption Resistance is now Level 51!]


    [You donated blood to the Red Tide, you are granted the title, Sister of Blood!]


    Sam advocated turning off all notifications and looking at them only sometimes, but she preferred compact notifications immediately. Then later she would go over them and analyze the results.


    As she finished, the team gathered around her, and Mother Blood stepped forward.


    ¡°Now, my young friends. Who wishes to be the next to be cleansed?¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Clarissa re-donned her armor after going through the ritual as the last and made sure that everything was in order. Thankfully, as she stepped out of the ritual circle, one notification caught her eye.


    [Thanks to carefully observing and participating in it, you learned the Cleansing Red Rain ritual!]


    Smothering a grin, she looked around and tried to think of a way to get her team out of the church. Somehow, she suspected it wouldn¡¯t be easy¡­


    However, before she could speak up, Mother Blood began speaking loudly.


    ¡°And now, as the prophecy said, it is time!¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°The day is here!¡±¡±¡±


    Katie, bless her chaotic heart, had the presence of mind to ask the question that was on Clarissa¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Excuse me, but what is this about a prophecy?¡±


    Mother Blood just smiled proudly. ¡°You¡¯re our sister in the battle against corruption. Never be afraid to ask questions!¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°What is yours is ours and what is ours is yours!¡±¡±¡± exclaimed all the watching priestesses at the same time. Clarissa saw Dan jump from fright at the sudden loud noise.


    Mother Blood just waited patiently for the noise to die down before continuing. ¡°The prophecy states that one day, curious fellows with a hint of corruption will bring with them the rise of the red tide!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty vague, you know¡­¡± Katie pointed out a very valid observation.


    ¡°The prophecy also stated that they shall bring with them the Unending Chasm of Nothingness, the Burning Flames of the Frozen Tundra, The Dance of the Sublime Forest, and something called Doomgoose,¡± she stated, and Clarissa could practically hear the capital letters there.


    Why someone would call her precious Melody a goose, she didn¡¯t know. The doom part was pretty accurate, though.


    ¡°Wow! The founder must have some pretty good sight for the future!¡± Katie replied, buttering up the old lady.


    The NPC just nodded extremely proudly. ¡°Indeed! The great founder had great foresight and even grander designs!¡±


    Clarissa looked around and saw the entire hall filled with priestesses, decked to the nines in equipment, armor, and weapons.


    ¡°And now it¡¯s time that we begin to build upon those designs!¡± she called out loudly, sweeping her eyes over the gathered people before turning back to Clarissa and her team. ¡°Sisters and brother, we thank you for joining us, but it is time for the cleansing blood to sweep over the world and remove the corrupting influence!¡±


    ¡°Er, good luck?¡± Katie offered.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± She turned back to the gathered priestesses, who looked at her with excited eyes. Some of them were even vibrating in place. ¡°Death to the unclean!¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°Death to the corrupt ones!¡±¡±¡± They returned the exclamation, raising tools and weapons in the air.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go forth and spread the word of the Church of the First Drop! And remember sisters! The first drops shall always come from the enemy!¡±


    Then, with a massive burst of mana, a red light enveloped the gathered people, avoiding the team, and after a second or two, the mana dispersed, leaving Clarissa and her team alone with only one priestess near them.


    Actually, she was the same one who found them arriving from the tunnels.


    She smiled at them and bowed a little. ¡°If you wish to rest a little, I can offer you our guest quarters, however, if you wish to leave, I shall lead you to the exit to the Garden of New Life!¡±


    Clarissa just blinked, still trying to figure out what the hell just happened.


    It was Dan who broke the silence.


    ¡°Uh oh¡­¡±


    <hr><hr><hr>


    ¡°Was that really necessary, sir?¡±


    ¡°Come on, Selene! You know as well, that they needed something new to spice up the situation. A communist blood magic cult that wants to indiscriminately kill unclean people will be a very nice addition to the game,¡± he said while sipping his coffee with a self-satisfied smirk while the AI¡¯s face was frowning.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t like that they refused my idea. Sexy vampires are perfectly serviceable. Plus, they are eternally marketable to all demographics. Imagine the hardcover book sales!¡±


    His smirk stayed firmly on his face. ¡°Why did they reject it?¡±


    ¡°They claimed market oversaturation,¡± Selene grumbled, her pouting face showing up on a dozen screens, displaying her displeasure at the decision made by the company.


    He nodded as he watched as people worked tirelessly, making sure that his ¡®little¡¯ alteration to a small part of the game world would go smoothly. He had to do some groveling and horror of horrors, do a few presentations with graphs and pretty pictures to the people who held the purse strings, but in the end, he got what he wanted.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see how you dig yourself out of this, you fucker!¡¯


    He thought he was subtle, but the maniacal laughter didn¡¯t really help to hide his intention.

 Chapter 253

    Sam watched the approaching enemy with detached calmness.


    Then as one, they all took out their preferred implement of violence and plunged, cut, smashed, hammered, poked, and did general violence things to the nearest NPCs that were still staring with empty looks, saliva barely dripping from their lips.


    The explosion of gore didn¡¯t help when one of the women, wearing a dominatrix-light outfit that heavily hinted that they were building an assassin-style skill set, began to laugh as the shower of blood began to flow down on her exposed cleavage artistically.


    ¡°THE BLOOD FLOWS!¡± she exclaimed happily as Sam felt the magic in the air, cloying and sickly, rise even higher.


    Sam glanced behind him, seeing the scared visages of the healers that traveled on the same carriage he had taken, the six-legged lizard was anxiously pacing and Sam didn¡¯t need to be a visionary to know that the poor beast of burden wasn¡¯t long for this world.


    Giving what was hopefully a brief reassuring smile to the scared healers who were trying to draw their cloaks closed, as if they were trying to appear even smaller. Asa, their leader, also looked massively worried, but Sam also could see the determination to survive in her eyes. She gave him a brief nod as if saying she would support him, and then his attention was back on the approaching people.


    They were all grinning, clearly enjoying their superior positions.


    ¡°Stand aside, you pompous fool, let us cut down those healers, and then the city will be ours!¡± came the order from the main guy, a fop with a ponytail, shaved sides, and few piercings adding to his general ¡®bad boy¡¯ look.


    Instead of answering, Sam gripped his replacement sword harder, and without warning, sprung forward, activating several skills to increase his speed and power. However, his enemies weren¡¯t totally new and over level 100, so the moment he moved, another cry came from next to the leader of players acting as blood cultists.


    ¡°Magnetic Redirect!¡± came with a metallic clang as the man to the side of the still grinning man raised his metallic shield and Sam instantly felt his course being altered as his deadly weapon changed its aim from the heart of the ponytailed bad boy to the tank¡¯s shield.


    KRRAAANG!


    His sword flew true and impacted in the middle of the shield, where it shattered into a thousand pieces.


    Throwing away the handle with disgust, he had a fraction of a second to send himself careening away as several elemental arrows crossed the space he was in. Twisting his body around, he reached into his inventory and flung several runic plates ¨C guided by his magic ¨C toward the healers, instantly activating a small shield around them.


    It wouldn¡¯t offer much protection against concentrated attacks, but it would ensure that no stray attacks would hit them.


    Landing on a crouch, he was in motion again as his enemies wasted no time and launched several attacks against him. Barrages of elemental arrows, several fireballs (can¡¯t beat the classics) and more than enough blood magic flew in his direction to erase a small hamlet from existence. He even saw, from the corner of his eyes, as several well-endowed and darkly dressed women vanished from the sight.


    No doubt waiting for the perfect moment to ambush him. Sadly, for them, their mana concealment skills, if they even had them, were abysmal. Sam could feel their location perfectly with his senses.


    Tapping into his well of power, he increased his acceleration and, with a mighty push of his wind magic, launched himself against the leader of the brigade, bringing another sword out of storage.


    At the place where he was a moment ago, the attacks landed and, for a brief moment melded into an inferno of devastating magic. The sound it made suppressed everything, but he could barely hear the frightened cry of healers and the death cry of the lizard as the outer edges of the phenomenon vaporized most of its body along with the cart they rode in.


    Unfortunately, his attack once again proved ineffective as another tank performed the same defensive skill, redirecting his attack from the still-grinning fop and shattering the blade into myriad places.


    He knew Magnetic Redirect, and the aptly named Blade Shatter skills and knew they were a good combo, but he absolutely hated when it was used against him.


    The leader just laughed in delight. ¡°Look at you! Care to try a few more swords? If you ask nicely, I can feed you their shattered remains.¡±


    Sam just grinned, summoned another sword, and spun in a complete circle while coating his blade in the sharpest wind he could manage. By the time he regained his balance and was looking once again at the leader, whose eyes were trailing the failing head of one of the assassins who tried to make use of the fact that Sam stood still for a second.


    However, by the time the head hit the ground, he was already in motion.


    If he couldn¡¯t target the head honcho, then it was time to thin the minions.


    Once again, the dead body of the assassin was engulfed in a magical explosion just as he was cleaving through a hastily cast magical shield of one of the mages with the enemy who strayed too far away from their group.


    Their gurgling sound as they fell to the floor was silenced by the yell of dozens of new spells aimed at him, and Sam smiled.


    ¡®Now, this is why I play this game!¡¯


    ¡°Binding Flames of the Sun!¡±


    ¡°Necrosis Arrow Barrage!¡±


    ¡°Ice Boulder!¡±


    ¡°Field of Confusion!¡±


    ¡°Bloody Mist!¡±


    And so it went. Learning from their mistakes, instead of going with strong, single-target spells, they switched to area attacks. But Sam was just too fast, or his defenses too strong to be affected.


    That Field of Confusion was big enough that he wouldn¡¯t be fast enough to leave its area of effect, but his mental defenses stopped it from hampering him.


    Naturally, his enemy saw the hit.


    ¡°Got him with the confusion! Get him!¡± cried one of the mages happily and for some unfathomable reason, the nearby melee-focused fighters rushed forward with enhanced speed, ready to skewer him.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡®Maybe they want more blood?¡¯ he mused as he activated his Shadow Mirages, summoning three of his clones while simultaneously filling them with a compacted ball of wind.


    The three fastest enemies managed to reach his body doubles, not realizing fast enough what was happening, cutting into their bodies, destabilizing the wind mana just as he jumped backward, directly next to one of the other assassins.


    ¡°Got him-¡°


    WHOOSH


    ¡°Aaarrgh¡­¡±


    He absentmindedly parried a dagger strike aimed straight at his heart dripping with fluorescent green liquid, and then reached out with his other hand and simply fired off a powerful Wind Blade at his attacker. They had some manner of protective artifact and while it held out for a second, it proved ineffective against Sam¡¯s might.


    As the melee attackers expired and he felt a few more assassins circling, he narrowed his eyes.


    ¡®The mana in the air¡­ it got thicker¡­¡¯ The air thrummed with the cloying blood magic, and as the last fighters expired ¨C none of their comrades even casting a healing spell ¨C he had a suspicion.


    Moving his gaze, both physical and mental to the fop with stupid hair, he saw the piercings glowing and red mist gathering around the man¡¯s body. The man grinned sinisterly.


    ¡°Ah my friend, it doesn¡¯t matter how many you kill, in the end, it¡¯s just all the same blood spilled¡­¡±


    Sam let out a sigh. ¡°Then how about we switch to a higher gear?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    At the man¡¯s questioning gaze, he tossed the decoy aside, boosting its speed with his wind magic and nailing one of the sneaky people in the leg.


    ¡°AAARGH! MY KNEES! MY KNEES!¡±


    With a mental command to Lucky, black armor began to flow over his body and he slowly unsheathed Moonlight.


    As the other player took in his sword, recognition lit up in his eyes. ¡°Solar? What the fuck are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Spellunking¡­¡± Sam clipped with a smile and he was off.


    Not wanting to chance anything, he flooded the area with darkness and his clones, letting them soak up the barrage as he did a little hop, skip, and jump and incapacitated the three remaining skulking rouges, one of whom was in the process of running away.


    Though they were running deeper underground, so theoretically, Sam could have left them to their devices. The locals would have taken care of them¡­


    Just as he was ready to launch himself toward his next target his cloud of darkness ceased to exist as if sucked up by a brief but powerful black hole and he was thrown aside as something very heavy crashed into him.


    CRASH


    Like a rag-doll, he flew several yards, before landing on his knees and hands, just enough to recognize that the very earth was attacking with great boulders before another barrage crashed right down on him.


    ¡°EARTH CRUSH!¡±


    He managed to look up, cross his arms, and summon several layers of shield, but even then, he felt the impact of the spell.


    ¡°Oooff¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do now? The great Solar, defeated by little old me! Hah! I¡¯m so buying a new car!¡±


    Enhanced by all the blood sacrifice, the leader of the decimated enemy apparently used their earth magic. As Sam was being crushed, he shook his head, causing dust and small pebbles to fly everywhere, and refocused on the issue.


    The ground and everything around him was in the enemy¡¯s complete control, so his meager earth magic skills couldn¡¯t fight against that.


    However, this is why he cultivated such a diverse set of skills.


    ¡°Mana Disruption¡­¡± he murmured almost silently as he reached out with a tendril of his own mana, sweat dripping down on his forehead as the blood-magic-enhanced earth did its best to crush and flatten him.


    Thankfully, while his enemy was powerful, they were piss poor at mana control. A slight poke and twist and the mana holding together the spell crushing him began to crumble. Not wanting to waste the chance, he began to channel more and more mana into that slight weakness, going toe to toe with the dank and slimy blood magic bearing down on him.


    Then just as he felt his knees getting weaker, there was a rather welcome sound.


    CRACK


    The stone holding him down cracked, easing the pressure, enough that he could gather his thoughts and mana to blow away a portion of it surrounding him and leap away from his prison.


    Grinning at the gaping man he cheekily cast a Clean spell on himself, getting rid of all the dust, grime, and blood. No need to chance an infection¡­


    ¡°What the hell?¡± cried out the man. ¡°Nobody can survive that when it¡¯s powered by sacrifices!¡±


    ¡°What can I say?¡± Sam returned the banter as he caught his breath, allowed his mana regeneration to kick in, and surveyed the scene of battle.


    The once smooth-ish walls were crumbling, the ceiling was also developing cracks, and none of the previous light sources were present. The magical fires raging around them were the only ones providing their flickering light to illuminate the situation. Two mages were trying to batter down the barrier he erected and four fighters, three of them thanks were arrayed around the fop whose name he still didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°I¡¯m just that good¡­¡± he continued with a smirk and with a heave he swung his sword toward his enemies, releasing a glowing blue blade of mana compromised of wind and cleaning type of mana. Surrounding the blade of mana were three other blades, all heading toward the blood magic-enhanced player.


    The tanks, knowing their job, sprung forward with admirable speed and coordination.


    ¡°¡°¡°METAL FORTRESS!¡±¡±¡± they all yelled at the same time as a metallic gray light sprang from their shield and then fused in front of them into one solid block, ready to soak up damage.


    Sadly, for them, Sam was prepared for that.


    It was rather funny for him to see as their eyes widened as three illusionary blades splashed against the no doubt expensive to cast defensive skill, while the real blade curved around them and crashed directly into the mages attempting to extradite the poor terrified healers from his magical shield.


    Not expecting the attack, no doubt trusting the tanks¡¯ ability to protect them, the mages had no opportunity to raise their defenses.


    ¡°Now that we trimmed down the fat a little¡­ How about you tell me what you¡¯re planning?¡± Sam asked even though he could sense more and more of the disgusting blood magic gathered around the man surrounded by the tanks.


    ¡°Hah! As if knowing about it would help you!¡± came the answer as the skill protecting him faded and the tanks once again moved into a more advantageous defensive position. ¡°The ritual has started, Solar! Not even you can stop what is about to happen!¡±


    ¡°Explosions?¡± he asked with a sigh. Sometimes people were bloody predictable.


    The man¡¯s grin widened, and even his comrades began to chuckle. ¡°After today, they¡¯re going to rewrite the definition of explosion and nothing will stand in our way!¡±


    ¡°You know that you are part of that explosion?¡± Sam asked incredulously. He couldn¡¯t even imagine the death penalty a sacrifice would result in.


    ¡°Bah!¡± came the uncaring scoff from the man. ¡°I will be well compensated for my actions! And with the proof of me killing you, I will be the MVP of this event!¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah, boss!¡± came from one of the tanks. ¡°We¡¯ll be living as kings!¡±


    Then, with the superior look of somebody confident in their victory, they all took out a ritual dagger, all of them red rust-colored, and simply slit their own throat before Sam could move.


    However, instead of the expected flow of blood, only red smoke came pouring out directly toward the last remaining enemy. The player¡¯s body began to subtly glow with red light while at the same time, Sam could see pulsing veins on their exposed skin. Then, with a sickening crunch, their body also began to enlarge, growing bigger and bigger as the mana in the air seemingly rushed towards them.


    He didn¡¯t stay still as the transformation happened and used the few seconds he had available to throw out several more rune tablets in the hope they would help him.


    Then it was over, and the player against him went from a modest six feet to nine feet tall, with bulking muscles that would have made any roided-up bodybuilder green with envy. Their eyes turned fully red and the veins pulsing on their muscles glowed with a malevolent red light.


    ¡°I¡¯m so fucking going to enjoy smashing you into dust!¡± roared the newly created monster with a voice that shook the entire corridor and caused several loose parts to fall to the ground. In the background, Sam could hear the desperate cries of the healers.


    ¡°Seven circles, three moons, and blood flowing by my hands. Let my action be my destiny¡­¡± came from the monster in a low growling voice. Sam instantly recognized the chant. ¡°Let the blood of the sacrifice, let the blood of price, let the blood of allies, let the blood of the world flow!¡±


    Muscles flexed, and the eyes of the player danced with victory.


    ¡°Blood of the world, rise, rise, rise, and shower us with your PRICE!¡± the man finished with a roar and then sent a monstrous smirk at Sam as he felt the mana set into a pattern around the monster, letting out pulses that seemed to come faster and faster.


    ¡°He he he,¡± he let out a slow laugh. ¡°You can fight, wait until the ritual is finished, and die or try to run and die when the ritual is finished. There is no escape Solar! Today you¡­ DIE!¡±

 Chapter 254

    The mana in the air was continuously pulsing, but the steady rhythm didn¡¯t change even after the few seconds they spent staring into each other eyes.


    ¡®Probably waiting for a trigger¡­¡¯ Sam mused as he took in the situation while at the same time trying to discover what the hell the man did to himself.


    It was clearly a blood magic-fueled transformation, but aside from giving his enemy more power and increased defenses, he had no idea what it did. Whenever he directed his mana senses at the giant muscled monster all he got was a well of blood magic gushing up and then falling down, collecting in a pool where it would be launched into the air again.


    ¡®Sometimes¡­the devs are a little much¡­¡¯ thought Sam as he tried to ignore the disgusting image.


    However, before he could make a decision about how to handle it, the player doing his best rage monster expression took the decision out of his hands.


    THUMP


    THUMP THUMP


    THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP


    The monster began running at him, his heavy steps sending up small clouds of dust as his face turned into an amalgamation of sadistic glee and anger. Clearly, the amount of bounty on Sam¡¯s head blinded the guy to everything else.


    Not that Sam could blame him. Tim kept him abreast of the happenings, and the number was already substantial and increasing every few days. Sadly, his known associates were already banned from taking the bounty, so there was no chance of them collecting with a friendly murder between friends.


    Thankfully, while the ritual or skill the player used distinctly increased their power, in exchange, it reduced their speed.


    Sam barely had to move to get out of the way of the powerful swing aiming to pulverize his head and upper torso. Bin lids would have been jealous of those mittens¡­


    As he kept dodging slightly, conserving energy and allowing his mana to recharge ¨C those stone spells did a number on both his mana and armor spell ¨C he had a wicked idea.


    ¡°STAY FUCKING STILL YOU!¡± the player roared as Sam dodged once more. ¡°I¡¯M NOT LEAVING WITHOUT TAKING YOUR HEAD!¡± Then the monster grinned. ¡°And if you flee, I¡¯ll just kill those sweet nuns! HAHAHA! YOU ARE TRAPPED HERE WITH ME!¡±


    Sam tilted his head to the side, looked directly into the man¡¯s bloodshot eyes, and smiled. Then he raised his sword, the edge and most importantly the tip of the weapon, glowing with a mix of green and blue mana.


    Wind to increase the cutting force to the maximum, and the clean-type mana to see if his idea had merit.


    It was at the same time his opponent realized that they had access to magic of their own.


    The player parading as a hulking beast raised a muscled and veiny leg and slammed it down.


    ¡°STONE PRISON!!¡±


    Instantly, a line of stone began rupturing out of the ground, originating from where the foot touched the ground, charging toward Sam.


    He simply launched himself forward, aiming his sword right at the elbow of the monster, intending to cut it off. However, his enemy still had their wits about them and managed to step to the side enough that he only nicked the skin.


    To his complete lack of surprise, the player in monster skin didn¡¯t bleed. However, he got much angrier.


    ¡°HAH! That¡¯s all the great Solar can do?¡± came the mocking laughter from the guy. ¡°Wait until the guys see the recordings!¡±


    Sam just continued to smile, his attention on the minuscule amount of clean-type mana he left in the monster¡¯s bloodstream.


    The monster beat his chest twice and continued to laugh. ¡°COME ON! DO YOUR BEST YOU NOOB!¡±


    Sam shook his head a little. ¡®A little success and it instantly goes to their head¡­ We are clearly not playing the same game¡­¡¯


    Reaching out with his mana, he suddenly activated the rune tablets he scattered, just as his opponent was lowering his hands after their masculine expression of imagined superiority. Chains made of pure mana sprang forward, instantly latching onto the big body of his enemy, quickly winding around the biceps and thighs the diameter of a small tree, immobilizing him.


    This caused the healers behind his heavily damaged shield to cheer while his opponent hissed.


    Not wanting to waste the opportunity, he launched himself forward, intending to cut a more substantial wound on the humongous body, but to his and the healer¡¯s dismay the giant man just flexed once and the chains shattered while the runic tablets crumbled into dust.


    Sam had to do some in-air maneuvers with the aid of wind mana to avoid the fist heading for his head and the spike of stone aiming for his posterior. Even then, he managed another small nick, injecting his own mana.


    <hr>


    And that¡¯s how the next minute was spent. The roided-out player used all of his earth magic and improved body to throw everything at Sam including one kitchen sink quickly fashioned by some stray debris.


    That earned the other guy a thumbs up from Sam.


    They were enemies, but even he could appreciate a callback to the oldies¡­


    By the time he managed to create seven small nicks on the body, focusing on seven small pockets of mana he was straining to hold everything together. His mana was low, and he was exhausted but in turn, his opponent was also panting heavily, using only their body to attack him the last few times they exchanged moves as their mana regeneration was nowhere near Sam¡¯s. Plus, he suspected that their new form had some other penalties aside from a decrease in speed.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Once again, he cursed his lack of big guns. If he had at least one ultimate-type spell or something approaching that he could have ended the fight ages ago.


    ¡®Because, of course, I had to be smart and focus on utility spells¡­¡¯ he grumbled to himself. ¡®As soon as this shit is finished, I¡¯m getting a fucking orbital laser¡­¡¯


    Holding all those pieces of mana was a pain in the ass and really strained his control, but in the end, his bigger mana capacity won out as his opponent leaned forward, gulping for air in the dust (and debris) filled ruins of the once pristine corridor.


    ¡°You¡­ugh¡­fucking¡­.uh¡­cheat¡­¡± he spat out between great breaths. Then he grinned. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter! Even if you kill me, the ritual cannot be stopped!¡±


    Sam nodded, expecting as much, and threw out one more set of runic plates. These ones were much more high-quality. Made from very expensive materials, so Sam hoped they would do their jobs.


    Then with a last strain, he activated them, creating a bubble of magic around the exhausted player in the monster¡¯s body. Then with a click of his finger, he channeled all his remaining mana into those small motes inside the monster¡¯s body.


    The monster¡¯s body went rigid instantly, the areas around the nicks quickly drying up and beginning to flake away as the redness started to vanish. His enemy looked up at the sky and let out a silent scream as Sam clicked his finger once more.


    WHUMP


    And then, the inside of the bubble was painted solid, though disgusting, red.


    Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t the end.


    As the blood dripped down from the frictionless walls, he saw it gather in the middle where the body used to be, where now stood a red spirit, in the shape of the original body of the player who was looking around in glee.


    ¡°Man, Solar! You¡¯re awesome, but so fucked!¡± he declared with a shit-eating grin. ¡°This spell grants me invincibility until the ritual finishes. It doesn¡¯t matter if you kill my body.¡±


    Sam nodded and grunted with a little admiration. That was indeed a useful spell.


    ¡°The sink was a nice touch!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I practiced a lot!¡±


    For a long moment, they stared at each other before the guy let out a sigh. ¡°Boy, you really are a bore. Name¡¯s GrindHog!¡± he introduced himself.


    Sam nodded again, but his attention was on the spirit and the pooling mana that seemed to be multiplying quickly, filling up the crater that was left behind by the explosion.


    He tried his cleaning mana a few times but it simply slid off the spirit who was just watching him happily.


    ¡°Not going to work! We made sure that the ritual couldn¡¯t be interrupted!¡± came the unhelpful explanation from GrindHog.


    Sam was about to try something with runes when he heard a yell.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Turning around, he saw the healers in the protective dome watching the spirit with intense looks, and their leader, Asa, calling out to him with a determined look.


    With a wave of his hand, he deactivated the shield, allowing the healers to finally be free. They began to spread around, awkwardly climbing over all the debris he and his opponent created.


    With agility belying her age, Asa quickly arrived next to Sam.


    She stared at the spirit and sighed.


    ¡°What happens when the ritual finishes?¡± she asked quietly.


    GrindHog just grinned and spread his see-through arms wide. ¡°Explosion, baby! Originally, the death of the healers would have been the catalyst, but our death also works in a pinch.¡±


    ¡°How big of an explosion?¡±


    The grin on GrindHog¡¯s face widened even further, his eyes alight with enjoyment of the situation. ¡°Let me put it this way, old lady. By the time we are finished, the sun is going to illuminate an entirely different landscape.¡±


    Sam watched silently, as Asa considered the words spoken before she nodded to herself.


    She turned toward Sam with hardened eyes. ¡°Lower the shield, my friend. It is time to end this.¡±


    Sam looked over the gathering blood that was at least a few inches thick at the bottom of the shielded area and then back into Ara¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± he whispered before slowly lowering the shield around the spirit who was looking at them confusedly.


    ¡°My grandchildren are worth it¡­¡± she answered, quiet enough that only Sam could hear it.


    ¡°Sisters! Lend me your aid!¡± she called out, her voice strong, though Sam thought he could detect a little warbling at the end.


    ¡°What the hell is happening?¡± GrindHog asked as he watched the other healers gather around Asa who simply went down on her knees, ignoring the dust mixed with bubbling blood that should have coagulated a long time ago as it began to soak into her robe.


    Sam saw them look at each other with confusion and indecision before one of them shook herself and stepped forward with confidence, the others following behind them.


    The healers all raised their hands and as one, their hands began to glow with the warmth of the sun. Soon, the same light spread to Asa. Which in turn caused the symbol on her robe to light up with the same light, bathing the area with the warmth of the morning sun.


    Soon the area was filled with the soft and soothing sound of a prayer, but instead of listening, Sam watched the player in the spirit body.


    ¡°What the hell is happening? What is the old hag doing?¡±


    Sam thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°There is only one thing that can counter the sacrifice of lives.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you on about?¡±


    ¡°A life for a life.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Selfless sacrifice against your selfish ones.¡±


    GrindHog snorted. ¡°Yeah, but we sacrificed dozens. That¡¯s just one frail old lady!¡±


    Sam¡¯s eyes crinkled as the light of the sun kept increasing. ¡°We shall see¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, Solar!¡±


    ¡°Not my type, sorry¡­¡±


    As GrindHog began to verbally abuse them and wave his incorporeal arms at them ineffectually, Sam watched as the mana charged with the sun¡¯s warmth clashed with the rotten and dank blood mana that had gathered during the fight.


    He watched it for a moment, he also raised his hand and began channeling his own mana toward Asa. It wasn¡¯t much, as he was still almost empty after the fight, but he thought every little counted.


    As soon as his mana touched the older woman, she looked at him with a small smile and a tear fell from her eyes.


    For some reason, Sam felt compelled to follow that lone tear¡¯s journey as it fell toward the ground. Then it splashed into the pool of blood under the woman, creating ripples.


    As the ripples spread, a gentle, delicate chime sounded. Its sound echoed all around them, drowning out the verbal diarrhea coming from GrindHog. Then, just as the monster¡¯s body did so before, Asa¡¯s body froze before she threw her head back and she roared one last sentence before the screaming started.


    ¡°LET THE SUN CLEANSE YOU, ABOMINATION!¡±


    The scream bounced around as the light began to gather around her body. Her helpers weren¡¯t that ¡®lucky¡¯. They were lit up with intense heat and light and before Sam could even blink, they were gone in a flash of light.


    Then light began to shine out of Asa¡¯s eyes, and mouth, creating beams of sunlight that burned away the darkness.


    Sam watched as she slowly stood up, limbs trembling, robe flaking away into motes of gold, skin cracking with energy. For one last time, she turned toward him, nodded, and as he spied one last crystalline tear rolling down her cheek, she stepped forward with unsteady legs.


    GrindHog, in his spirit body, tried to move away, but he was bound to the location.


    He watched in fascination as Asa reached forward, touched the spirit body of GrindHog, and hugged him tightly.


    Then a flash and the sound of something enormous sizzling, not unlike cold water, falling on a rock that spent an entire day under the summer sun and he was flying backward.


    FWOOOOSH


    The only thing he could do was to use his remaining dregs of mana to cover himself in a shield and hope he landed somewhere safe.


    Or at least safe-ish¡­

 Chapter 255

    ¡°Urrrghhg¡­¡± he groaned as he tried to ignore Lucky, licking his face with enthusiasm. His entire body felt like a wrung-out rag. Still, he used his hands, then Lucky, and finally his legs to maneuver himself into a sitting position.


    Tiredly resting against a giant piece of debris ¨C based on the feel he suspected it was once part of the walls lining the corridor ¨C he feebly cast a Clean spell which managed to get most of the caked-on grime, blood (both his and the cultists¡¯) and dust off him and allowed him to survey the scene while he waited for his mana to regenerate.


    It was absolute devastation. His battle with the ritually created monstrosity destroyed a lot; the healers¡¯ final sacrifice simply vaporized a huge circular area. Even from his sitting position, he could see the mirror finish of the small crater left behind, the explosion conveying the burning fury of the sun, fueled by the willing sacrifice of Asa and seven of her helpers.


    ¡®The question is, how did this affect the greater ritual?¡¯ he mused as he spent some time just regenerating as he ran his fingers through Lucky¡¯s fur.


    Other caravans went in other directions, and most rituals would require sacrifices to happen at the same general time. Yet, he couldn¡¯t feel anything. The ceiling wasn''t caving in on him, and the ground wasn¡¯t shaking because of the vibration created by the purported explosion.


    He was distracted from his thoughts by Lucky freezing in place, sniffing the air for a few seconds, then running away, happily barking.


    Before he could even muster the strength to stand up, his adorable familiar was back, tail wagging proudly and holding something in his mouth. Expectantly holding out his hand, Lucky deposited his find and let out a proud bark.


    He automatically reached out with his free hand and patted the wolf on the head while his eyes were on the item ¨C covered in wolf slobber ¨C in his other hand. Quickly cleaning the gunk off the item, he examined it.


    ¡°Good boy!¡±


    It was a circular yellow crystal, warm to the touch, with the symbol of a water droplet in the middle, surrounded by seven triangles pointing away from the center equidistant from each other.


    A screen popped up a second later.


    [Proof of Sacrifice: A crystallized proof of sacrifice, belief, and hope fueled by the souls and lives of those who sacrificed themselves. Can be used in certain rituals.]


    Sam grinned sadly and put it away. ¡°Well, Asa, it seems you will see your grandchildren even if not how you expected¡­¡±


    Shaking himself, he did a quick self-examination. His equipment was in pretty good condition, thanks to Lucky¡¯s transformation, but Moonlight has seen better days.


    ¡®Well, old friend¡­ it seems time for an upgrade¡­¡¯ he thought as he eyed the few chips and hairline cracks that appeared on the blade. It was a great blade, but it wasn¡¯t designed for such a high amount of magical channeling.


    His Mana Scales were practically empty thanks to the explosion and his mana was almost empty, even though his mana regeneration was working with full force.


    Quickly checking his status screen, he saw the reason for it.


    [Blood Weakness: (Debuff) Being in the presence of potent blood magic and resisting it has sapped your strength. Decreases Health and Mana Regeneration.]


    [Exhaustion: (Debuff) Due to an intense battle, you are tired. Decreases Stamina and Health Regeneration.]


    [Mana Sickness: (Debuff) You expended a truly great amount of mana in a really short time. This has weakened your core temporarily. Decreases Mana Regeneration.]


    Not the best thing to read, but the fourth thing he found under his name managed to get a small smile on his face.


    [Sun¡¯s warmth: (Buff) You have witnessed the ultimate sacrifice. You aided this with all your being, expecting nothing. You are temporarily immune to cold weather. You temporarily know the location of the sun in relation to yourself.]


    ¡®Well, she was a crafty one¡­¡¯ he chuckled to himself before going for his inventory. He had stockpiled some insane things just for situations like this. If a normal player could see him now as he began to take out expensive item after expensive item from his inventory¡­


    A potion made by a high-ranked NPC alchemist to cure the exhaustion condition. Only available if you had a noble contact and had a ludicrous amount of money to pay for it. Sam made sure that all the core team had at least one of these with them.


    Then he took a small blue ball carved from a sapphire, its surface an intricate picture of runes while the inside illuminated his surroundings with a blue light. One of the rarest drops from a fractal in a neighboring country. It cured Mana Sickness for a day, in exchange it would return twice as strong. He crushed it without a hint of remorse and watched as the magical dust seeped into his body and the debuff vanished from his status bar. Then came a potion bottle filled with a blinding white substance that was more cloudy than liquid.


    Without hesitation, he uncorked the bottle and drank the whole thing.


    Concentrated purifying energy. Sold by the temples for those who are truly pious (that is paid enough money into the right hands) to the high-ranking priest. Sadly, even with the almost infinite money that Sam had, it took time and effort to create it. Currently, only NPCs could do it, but later in the game, it would become the go-to method to cleanse unwanted effects. Well, for those who could afford it¡­


    Now that his most pressing problems had vanished ¨C at least temporarily ¨C he began chugging health and mana potions until everything was filled up.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Looking at the empty bottles, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°Man, I wonder what people would think if they knew how much money I spent here¡­¡± Doing some quick math, he shook his head. There was enough money in his body to bankrupt a small company¡­


    In the end, he just shrugged. ¡°Day is not over yet, and I have a deadline¡­¡± Next to the Mana Sickness grayed-out icon was a small countdown that was already moving, despite his inaction.


    Looking around a final time, he made sure he didn¡¯t miss anything and he called out to Lucky.


    ¡°Lucky, we need to get to the surface fast!¡±


    His loyal companion just let out a bark and was instantly facing the direction they came from, his body enlarging enough for Sam to sit on it.


    A few seconds later, they were rushing toward the surface while the last embers of the fight vanished behind them and the encroaching darkness slowly but surely consumed every last crumb of evidence that anything happened there.


    Shadows happily flickered for every drop of blood or mote of mana clinging to surfaces.


    <hr>


    As he and Lucky ran through the devastated corridor ¨C the explosion ruining much more than he expected ¨C he also opened his quest menu.


    [Congratulations! You partially completed the Third Task of the quest ¡®Friendlessly into the depths!¡¯!]


    [The supplies may have not reached their intended target, but you still didn¡¯t die.]


    [¡®Friendlessly into the Depths!¡¯ has failed!]


    [New quest acquired!]


    [Longing for the sun!]


    [You have been ambushed and only survived due to the timely sacrifice of your companion. You won¡¯t be as lucky a second time. Return to the surface and figure out what is going.]


    [Reward: Clarity]


    [Penalty: ???]


    Sam nodded at that, not expecting much, and then focused on helping Lucky go as fast as possible.


    <hr>


    He arrived back at the location where not long ago he barely listened to some half-hearted speech. However, the great gates protecting the upper levels of this abyssal labyrinth weren¡¯t in the same state as they left them.


    Instead of imposing greatness, they were strewn everywhere in pieces while smoke and even fouler things filled the air, while cloying blood magic filled the ether.


    Scowling, he hopped off Lucky and commanded him to transform. He had a time limit, so there was no need to grandstand and show off. From now on, he would be the poster picture of pure efficiency.


    Using wind mana to avoid touching whatever was in the air, he slowly crept to the edge of the gates and glanced around the corner.


    It was absolute devastation, with a giant pool of blood in the middle, happily and eagerly bubbling as several rivers of blood were flowing towards each blown-apart gate except for the one he was coming from.


    Near the pool of blood stood several figures, slightly obscured by the smoke but Sam could see them sitting around idly on crates or leaning against some of the bigger debris as they chatted.


    Sharpening his ears he started listening in.


    ¡°¡­what the hell is taking that long?¡±


    ¡°For the twentieth time. I have no idea. GrindHog should have returned by now¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think he died?¡±


    ¡°Died? To what? A few scared old biddies?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ they had an unaccounted player with them,¡± added a third one.


    ¡°Please, that fop was bragging about his cleaning spells. What could he have done?¡±


    ¡°Maybe cleaning magic is the archenemy of blood magic?¡±


    There was a beat of silence before laughter filled the disgusting air.


    ¡°Hahahaha, that was hilarious¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so stealing that for my social!¡±


    As the people began to chat about social media and other miscellaneous things, Sam cracked his neck and nodded to himself.


    ¡®Separate sacrifice location then use the blood rivers to act as a fuse¡­ Smart, but easily sabotaged.¡¯


    With a small sigh, he jumped forward and began casting like crazy.


    There were no words, no jokes, nothing.


    One second, the destroyed cavern was only filled with idle chatting, then only screams.


    Wind Spears pierced several bodies, Shadow Mirage clones skewered several others, while he sent countless clean mana-filled Wind Blades at the blood rivers, cutting them away from the main pool.


    Twenty seconds later, he was alone in the hall with only the still bubbling pool of blood.


    Then a small, bloody cough caught his attention. Snapping his head toward it, he spotted one of the blood cultists coughing harshly as something flaked to dust on their bodies. Their eyes were glued to Sam, looking mighty surprised.


    ¡°Wh-what th-e fuck a-re y---¡± he coughed as he tried to stand up, but Sam simply sent a ball of compressed wind to kill him.


    As the body vanished behind him, he turned toward the pool.


    There was no convenient sun priest to sacrifice themselves to destroy this one.


    He held out a hand, created a ball of pure clean mana, and sent it toward the pool. It impacted almost silently and managed to erase a small part of it. Doing the math in his head, he was disappointed to realize that it would take longer to clean it up than he had.


    Then he contemplated just leaving when he remembered a line he had recently read.


    Taking the precious item out of his inventory, he weighed it a little, turning it over in his hand.


    ¡°¡­fueled by the souls and lives¡­¡± he read out loud the description. ¡°How about we add to it a little more¡­¡±


    In any other situation, he would be decried as a heretic or the archenemy, but he suspected (and hoped) that the sun priests would understand his decision.


    Pocketing temporarily the artefact, he began walking around the pool and started carving runes from a ritual that he had recorded in his Grimoire. It was a simple siphoning ritual used for all sorts of purposes. Here and now, it would be used to dismantle the blood pool, ready to blow up a city. As soon as one rune was carved, he used his meager water control, took a little part of the blood, and made sure to fill up the carved lines of the ritual.


    Then, as he finished, he turned around and began walking in the opposite direction, carving the runes for a purifying ritual aiming to remove the taint and only leave behind the life and sacrifice aspect. These were filled with his own mana, infused with cleaning energy.


    Finally, he took out the artifact left behind by Asa and her followers, placed it in a small circle, took a small step back, and began channeling with a wicked grin.


    The runes lit up one by one and soon the blood collected into the pool began to rise in the air as if siphoned up by something. It was fascinating to watch as it reached a certain, almost arbitrary point in the air and the red blood slowly changed into a pure white liquid, shedding pure black flakes.


    Then that liquid slowly twisted itself into a thin stream of energy that was sucked up by the artifact that was emitting a jolly warmth.


    Despite the size of the pool, it only took seven minutes for Sam to transform the entire thing only leaving behind a small pile of black flakes.


    The artifact on the ground however changed.


    The previous crystalline appearance had transformed. Instead of its previous yellowish color, it now sported all the colors of dawn. From purple to pink, to orange and red, all of them were present on the artifact as it shined with the light of the emerging sun, casting warmth all around it.


    As Sam grasped it a new notification appeared in front of him.


    [Symbol of Sacrifice: A crystallized symbol of sacrifice, belief, and hope fueled by the souls and lives of those who sacrificed themselves. Can only be used by those who worship the sun. Grants the Sun¡¯s Mantle to those who are near it.]


    [Sun¡¯s Mantle: You have embraced the sun. You are immune to fire and heat. Increased Health Regeneration. Increased damage against the unclean and tainted.]


    Laughing, Sam made sure to clean up the evidence of his action, then he was once again off toward the surface.


    He had a hunch that if he and the sun priests put their heads together, then this little baby he had created would solve a lot of issues.


    ¡®If I can reach them¡­¡¯ he mused as he clung to Lucky¡¯s sinfully soft fur. ¡®And they are alive, of course¡­¡¯

 Chapter 256

    The rest of the corridors weren¡¯t in better shape.


    Everywhere he went, he saw the remnants of battles, massacres, and destruction. Though, he wasn¡¯t surprised to see the complete lack of bodies. More than likely they went into the blood pool he had just transformed into life energy.


    Still, that didn¡¯t mean the city was safe. This was only one entrance to the labyrinthian underground beneath the city and Sam had no doubt that the rest of the entrances were used in similar ways. There was a small flicker of hope that some other people managed to resist the insidious assault, but knowing his luck, he was planning for the complete opposite.


    With luck, he would be able to save at least part of the city. Hopefully, the part where he had to deliver his letter.


    As he neared the entrance from where he descended into the abyss with the late Asa, he could hear voices and the sound of battle.


    Sharpening his ears, he made sure to listen as Lucky began to slow down a little without Sam prompting him to do so. He was so proud of the wolf!


    As he listened, he could now distinguish some cries and sounds from the cacophony.


    ¡°¡­hold the¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­aaaaaargh¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­let¡­blood¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­crush them!¡±


    Deciding that he didn¡¯t really want to be bogged down, he signaled Lucky to stop and return to his shadow before also vanishing into the shadows while also sending out clones of his to distract the fighters.


    As he entered stealth, his spells and affinity with shadow cloaking him from discovery ¨C though he was realistic enough to realize that the only reason nobody saw through his frankly weak stealth was because they were rather occupied ¨C he began heading toward the exit, his eyes on the battle unfolding there.


    On one side, their backs toward the underground were people dressed in either red or drenched in blood. From his position, he could see both NPCs and players doing their best to keep the people of the city out. On the other side, were NPCs from Sunspot, some players (though not many), and a suspicious lack of the elite warriors. The Sunwarriors should have been on the blood mages and their minions like a fat kid on a cake.


    Yet, they were nowhere to be seen¡­


    Ordinarily, some would be suspicious that they were either in league with the attackers or were already eliminated. Sam knew better. They were currently protecting the ¡®important¡¯ part of the city.


    The temples, harbor, military locations, and the leaders of the city.


    Just as he finished his thought, his Mirage clones slammed into the backs of the blood mages, causing chaos.


    ¡°It¡¯s stabbing me! It¡¯s stabbing me!¡±


    ¡°Get it off! Get it off!¡±


    ¡°My knees!¡±


    He made sure his clones didn¡¯t use any of his identifying spells to make sure nobody could react to him. GrindHog and his friend were undoubtedly already telling their bosses that he was in the city, but it would take time for that information to trickle down to the people on the ground. He was going to make sure to use that time wisely. And maybe a little chaotically¡­


    Grinning savagely, he slinked past the battle to emerge into the ruined city.


    Just as he was about to head toward the Temple of Sun, he was interrupted by something rather unwelcome.


    BAMMMMMM


    He was far enough that he could stay on his feat, but the shockwave carried enough dust and debris with it that he was momentarily deafened, and only his wind magic allowed him to escape unscathed. With a wave of his hand, he created a small window in the dust cloud settling in over the city, ignoring the shocked cries for help around him while the people began to stand up after they were blown off their feet.


    Devastation was all around him. Previously still untouched buildings were covered in cracks, most of the decorations had been blown off, and everything was covered by a rather substantial layer of dust and who knows what else. People, at least those who didn¡¯t have the skill or power to resist, were also covered in the same substance, evoking pictures he had seen of earthquake survivors in the past.


    Here and there, he could see visible shields of magic over certain buildings. Some visibly holding back the tide of debris, some shattered by the shockwave of the explosion, some merrily existing as if advertising the competence of their creators before slowly fading away, once again ready to protect the homes they covered.


    Looking in the distance he saw six columns of smoke rising up in the air, tinted a bit reddish, while entire sections of the city seemed to be caved in, releasing horrendous noise as the underground caverns and corridors began to fill with the destroyed remains.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Cries of pain, dismay, devastation, and general shock rang through the city as people realized what was happening. However, as he watched the destroyed building sink even deeper, he saw that the few blood fanatics still on the surface were looking around either distractedly or worriedly.


    ¡®No doubt worried why the seventh place didn¡¯t explode¡­¡¯ he mused.


    However, he didn¡¯t have time to idle around. He had to deliver the symbol he was ¡®given¡¯.


    Turning around, he located the Temple of the Sun ¨C a surprisingly, humble building with a giant hole in the top of the roof to allow the sun to illuminate the congregations ¨C and began running toward it.


    Thankfully, the part of the city that wasn¡¯t currently sinking into the depths of unknown darkness (and devoured by the same darkness) was the part where most of the officials, nobles, and other high rollers lived.


    Barely any sign of fights. What he saw were a few smears of people who tried something, but even those were in the process of being cleaned up by stone-faced servants laboring while ignoring the chaos in other parts of the city.


    It seems Sunspot was indeed a lawless city¡­


    <hr>


    It took him only a minute or two to reach the first roadblock protected by Sunwarriors, their head hidden by gleaming helmets, nonetheless radiating fury and absolute demand for obedience as lesser soldiers and other auxiliary people moved around them.


    Even then, that time was an eternity in a battle like this. The reddish-tinted smoke wasn¡¯t vanishing, instead, it was starting to join together into a giant cloud about the city, radiating the same disgusting magic that Sam faced not long ago.


    As Sam got near the roadblock, he was instantly spotted by warriors, their helmeted heads snapping in his direction (not that he was hiding from them), so he jumped down from the rooftops where he was making use of his previous practice to shorten the travel distance and approached the official standing next to one of the Sunwarriors.


    ¡°HALT!¡± cried the man, looking Sam over. ¡°Turn away or be destroyed! This area is prohibited from entering!¡±


    Sam stopped and raised his hand to show it was empty. ¡°Greetings! I have business at the Temple of the Sun!¡±


    The official frowned and began to berate Sam.


    ¡°Now see here! I said no entry, then no en---¡± however, he was interrupted by the Sunwarrior holding a metal gloved hand in front of his face.


    The face hidden behind the helmet watched Sam for a moment, and then they heard a low, rumbling sound.


    ¡°Speak!¡±


    Sam smiled a little and slowly to not spook the people warily watching him, reaching into his inventory and retrieving the symbol.


    Instantly, the entire street was bathed in warm sunlight, while several lines on the nearest Sunwarrior¡¯s armor began shining with the same light.


    There were several cries of surprise and wonder, and Sam also spotted a person breaking into tears.


    The giant warrior spent a moment scrutinizing the item shining in Sam¡¯s hand before nodding. Then, to everyone¡¯s surprise, he opened the roadblock for Sam to enter, then he physically picked up the official and put him out of the way.


    ¡°Go!¡± he rumbled, and Sam was off.


    <hr>


    Once inside the area protected by the famed warriors, countless soldiers, and servants, it was rather peaceful. Hell, there were even magical enchantments in place that filtered out of the cries of the dying people.


    Even then, as he approached the temple, he immediately noticed he wasn¡¯t alone. Countless people, in very expensive clothing, were gathering around the entrance as one of the priestesses was trying to keep them calm.


    As he slowly approached the crowd, he mostly heard prayers for salvation, doom on the attackers, and everything in between.


    Not wanting to go through a crowd of rich and entitled people, he simply took out the shining symbol from his inventory, held it high, and began to walk forward.


    Instantly, people began to back up as soon as the light touched them, some out of fear but some out of awe. A few people even fell to their knees and rapidly began to pray.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the priestess to notice him, not with him playing the part of a mobile lighthouse and barely another second to recognize the item. Her face fell, and tears began to fall from her eyes as she watched Sam approach.


    He stopped in front of her, a step lower and very aware of the people watching them, he bowed a little and held out the symbol silently.


    The priestess opened her mouth and gently reached for it, before stopping herself and shaking her head.


    Instead, she gave Sam a weak smile and motioned inside the temple.


    ¡°Come with me,¡± she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.


    He nodded and followed her inside while another priestess, this one much meaner looking with some impressive muscles, showed up and took the previous one¡¯s place.


    <hr>


    Sam was led inside, the light shining from the artifact in his palm reflecting perfectly from the walls of the temple, fully illuminating the entire space with the warm light of the sun, chasing away the gray melancholy.


    They were soon joined by other sad-looking priestesses, and the one who escorted him stepped next to one of the older women and spoke up.


    ¡°Sister, he has brought¡­¡±


    ¡°Shh¡­sister. I know what he has brought,¡± she shushed the first one and then looked into Sam¡¯s eyes. ¡°The only one who is missing and not dead is Asa. Did she¡­?¡± she asked without being able to finish the sentence.


    Sam nodded and quietly explained what happened under the city, then his actions with the blood pool.


    There were gasps of surprise and admiration around, interspersed with a few cries of Asa¡¯s and her disciples¡¯ names.


    However, the artifact was still in his hand as none of the priestesses were seemingly willing to take it from him.


    Then, as he was about to inquire about some possibilities, they were interrupted by a fearful cry.


    ¡°Look! The sky!¡± came from one of the women in attendance who was looking out of one of the windows.


    Instantly, he felt a burst of magic emerging from the elder priestess, and the hole in the roof was covered by an invisible magical membrane. He gave her a quiet thumbs up and also started to look to see what the other priestess saw.


    The dark cloud of reddish-black smoke that was created by the almost complete destruction of the city had evolved into a giant black cloud, that occasionally flashed dark blood. The worst was, however, that Sam could see small droplets of reddish liquid falling from it.


    Sam watched curiously as the priestesses began to herd the crowd inside under cover, but still, they weren¡¯t fast enough, so one of the droplets landed on an uncovered patch of skin.


    ¡°AARGH!¡± came the pained yell as Sam and the others watched as the affected skin began to turn dark red then black. ¡°I can¡¯t feel my arm! I can¡¯t feel my arm!¡± the man cried as his arm indeed uselessly flopped around while his face was etched with worry.


    Sam threw up a quick shield to protect those not under cover and watched worriedly as the red rain began its deadly concert over the city of the sun.

 Chapter 257

    It took a good minute to usher everybody near the temple inside, which meant that by the time they were finished with it and a bunch of rich people were herded into the biggest hall of the temple, the blood was raining heavily over the city.


    Buildings didn¡¯t really care, but even from this distance, Sam could hear the pained screams of those who touched the tainted liquid.


    As he was looking over the city, the head priestess stepped up next to him, also watching the city as the dark clouds cast everything in a reddish light.


    Sam was pretty sure that this would look amazing in a trailer, but here and now, it was just fucking annoying.


    ¡°That seems to be a problem¡­¡± she stated, her voice completely flat as she surveyed the city.


    ¡°Tell me about it. I just wanted to deliver a package and now I¡¯m here¡­¡± he answered with a snort.


    She looked back at him with a surprised face. ¡°Indeed?¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°Just wanted to deliver a letter to the Herald. But his room temperature intelligence guards refused to even hear me out,¡± he grumbled.


    The priestess let out a dignified giggle, hiding her mouth behind a hand. ¡°Oh my¡­ They will surely be executed for that. What was the topic of the message?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. The letter is from Master Fitzgerald.¡±


    ¡°Truly?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Hearing his answer, she began to softly laugh before explaining her mirth. ¡°Ahh, even I¡¯ve heard of Master Fitzgerald. Now I¡¯m sure that those guards will die the moment the Herald has heard of their action.¡± She explained all this as if it were the most normal thing in the world. ¡°The Herald detests those who hinder him from creating business deals¡­¡±


    Sam also chuckled a little. ¡°Well, if we survive this, then I¡¯m sure it¡¯s going to be a humorous sight¡­¡±


    ¡°You worry about the new weather phenomenon?¡±


    ¡°You are not?¡± he asked a little incredulously as he looked at the nonplussed woman.


    ¡°Why would I be when you have delivered the very thing that will shine a light on our situation,¡± she stated while looking down meaningfully at his hand that was still holding the symbol created by Asa¡¯s sacrifice, radiating gentle light.


    <hr>


    After that, a lot of things happened in short order.


    Several more martially inclined members of the church were called over and placed in charge of the crowd sheltering in the temple after one of them tried to revolt because he wanted catering. Now he was laid out, unconscious in the corner and a severe-looking woman in full plate armor, holding a warhammer in her hands, glared at the cowed crowd, daring them to do anything.


    Sam was ushered through the temple, followed by a bunch of priestesses. They went through several corridors, stairs, and such, before ending in a small hall, maybe enough for three king-sized beds. The walls were roughly worked with visible tool marks and at the end of the hall was an old, weathered door made of wood ¨C with visible markings often found on ships ¨C and metal bands holding it together.


    The head priestess approached it, and with a mighty heave, opened the door. Beyond it, Sam could see the endless ocean with a small outcropping holding a stone platform with a pedestal and nothing else.


    However, the entire area was filled with magic.


    The biggest evidence of this was that while the blood rain managed to reach even there, it never got anywhere near the ground. As soon as a droplet approached a few dozen yards above the platform, it sizzled out of existence, vaporized by some invisible source of heat.


    He could even feel the warmth radiating through his body as if he was swaddled in a nice cotton blanket.


    ¡®Obvious ritual place for a religion about a sun is obvious,¡¯ he mused as the head priestess herded everybody to the platform and closed the door behind them.


    The priestesses fanned out, and the head priestess approached the simple altar and motioned Sam to join her.


    He stepped forward, making sure not to step on anything important or bump into one of the priestesses and send them into the depths below. Apparently, whoever built this little place, never heard of occupational safety and health regulations. Or railings.


    As he arrived in the middle of the stone platform ¨C which looked like it had never been touched by weather - he began to get worried. The last time he saw priestesses from the sun temple set up like this, they ended up sacrificing themselves.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, you know¡­¡± came from the matronly woman.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s written on your face. You are thinking about Asa¡¯s sacrifice,¡± she explained. ¡°Well, worry not. This place has been bathed in the blessed sun¡¯s light since the moment when Sunspot was founded. We oft use it for grand rituals. And with the artifact you brought¡­¡±


    He raised his hand and let the light of the artifact illuminate everything. Then he felt a shift in the magic and his eyes snapped to the head priestess.


    Where before she was a gentle source of mana, calming and guiding those around her, now she blazed with the strength of the sun, though equally as gentle.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Of course, the biggest clue that something changed was that her wise eyes were replaced by two glowing orbs.


    ¡°G-greetings, Avatar of the Sun?¡± Sam spoke hesitantly.


    She smirked. Her voice changed from soft-spoken to loud and boisterous, not unlike an elder sister ready to have fun with her younger siblings she adored.


    ¡°Well met, Samuel of Shadows and Wind! It warms my soul further that you recognize our visage! Hahahaha!¡± she declared loudly as the priestesses around them began to chant.


    Then her hand shot out and grabbed Sam¡¯s wrist and raised it higher so that she could examine the symbol.


    Her previously laughing lips turned upside down, and she reached gently forward and caressed the crystalline artifact once.


    Then she squeezed Sam¡¯s hand strong enough to make him let go of the artifact, which fell with a small clang onto the pedestal. Letting go of him, she began to laugh again.


    ¡°Hahaha! Time to show those defilers what the light can do!¡± She looked at Sam with shining eyes, that, even though she had no irises or anything else, still radiated crazy energy. ¡°And you, my young friend, are going to help me!¡±


    Somehow, Sam didn¡¯t think he could get out of this one¡­


    <hr>


    The clouds over the city of Sunspot were spreading out, already drenching the area outside of its formidable walls ¨C well the walls which were still standing ¨C with only very few people being out and about.


    Most of those who were not protected by any kind of shelter were those who were fighting the invaders or trying to save those who were buried by the rubble.


    All over the city, people, both NPCs and players, were fighting with each other. The only upside of the bloody rain was it was really easy to identify the enemy. As naturally, the rain created by blood magic didn¡¯t affect those who were immersed in it.


    Sadly, that didn¡¯t mean that the defenders had an easy time. While the rain made sure that the attackers couldn¡¯t hide, it also empowered them and distracted the defenders.


    Still, with the numerous battles raging all over the city ¨C except for where the nobles lived, thanks to the Sunwarriors and formidable magical barriers ¨C a lot of people, including the players felt that they were on the verge of victory as none of the blood magic users were having success.


    However, not everything was as it seemed.


    One group, made of several players who were mostly in the city because they killed the wrong people (and those people had some powerful friends) and a few NPCs, mostly guards and security officers, were clashing with a group of blood warriors supported by a cadre of blood mages. The only reason they survived so long was that one of the players was a water mage, and used his considerable power to keep any liquid away from his impromptu teammates.


    All around them, everything was destroyed ¨C some by them, but mostly by the enormous explosions -  yet they still fought on.


    ¡°What the hell are they doing?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°That fucking mage hasn¡¯t cast anything in a while!¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    ¡°Hey Rainman, any idea?¡± one of the players called over to the water mage who while concentrating on keeping the bloody rain off them, glanced over to the enemy and shrugged.


    ¡°Fuck if I know¡­¡±


    ¡°Fan-tastic¡­¡± came the sarcastic answer. ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s kill those fuckers¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t have to wait long for the answer. Just as the player clashed with the nearest blood knight, their weapons clashing together with a thunderous noise, a new noise emerged from the direction of the blood mages.


    RAAAAAAAAAAWR


    The fighter immediately disengaged, and to his surprise, the enemy fighter didn¡¯t put any effort into stopping him and returned to his party¡¯s side.


    This way they all watched together as a giant elemental made of the blood fallen from the sky emerged, towering over them with maw big enough to swallow a smaller horse.


    ¡°THEY HAVE BLOOD ELEMENTALS?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s a cat¡­¡±


    As they stood there gaping and wondering how they would deal with the addition of what seemed to be a greater blood elemental, they heard similar roars from all over the city, audible even over the wind and rain.


    They were on the verge of panicking when one lone beam of light broke through the dense cloud layer and fell directly on the elemental burning it where the light touched it. They all looked up, even the blood mages, and saw as one by one, beams of light broke through the dense cloud illuminating the city destroying the elementals, and spreading warmth through the entire city.


    Then a roar and everybody turned toward the ocean as they saw a giant column of sunlight shot up in the sky. It stayed like that, the roar suppressing all noise before it let out a pulse with a rather unique sound.


    The pulse instantly vaporized what part of the cloud covering it touched before dying out. But thankfully, another pulse followed¡­ then another and another, until the cloud pouring the tainted blood on the city was no more.


    People around the city blinked in surprise as the phenomenon happened. Though some people were rather quickly realizing what this meant.


    As the water mage summoned two giant, segmented whips of water, one of the blood mages let out a nervous chuckle.


    ¡°He he, I think we¡¯re in trouble¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Sam blinked the light out of his eyes and looked around.


    There she was Asa, in spiritual form, bowing deeply to the head priestess¡¯s body, before turning to Sam, bowing and mouthing an inaudible thank you before exploding into numerous sparks of light that vanished into the ether.


    He watched as the rest of the spirits approached other priestesses and said their goodbye before he found himself once again looking into the eyes of the crazy avatar possessing the head priestess¡¯s body.


    ¡°What a splendid day! Hahahaha! I rather enjoyed my little sojourn!¡± came from the avatar as she looked around proudly, hands on her hips while grinning.


    Sam despite everything let out a relieved sigh. He didn¡¯t know what he would have done if the avatar decided that she wanted to stay.


    She stared at Sam for a second before nodding to herself. ¡°Samuel of Shadows and Wind, alas the thoughts of a job well done shall be enough for you as I cannot reward you!¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t even have time to react to that before she excitedly pointed at him and began to talk (yell).


    ¡°You see, you don¡¯t know the greatness of the sun. However! If you choose to submerge yourself in the light then you shall be rewarded!¡± she said with an enormous grin on her face which looked really weird on the aged matron.


    ¡®Ahh, here is the converting¡­¡¯


    He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not possible,¡± he said apologetically.


    Truthfully, nothing was stopping him from joining the Sun Temple, but he felt, looking at the avatar, that it would be more trouble than worth it.


    The avatar just nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I see, I see¡­ Not a decision that can be hastily made. You¡¯re indeed wise my friend!¡±


    ¡®We are friends?¡¯


    ¡°Then, how about this?¡± the avatar asked and gestured toward the crystal symbol he had brought. Where before it shined with unrestrained life energy and the light of the sun, now it was just a simple inert crystal, albeit expertly crafted one.


    Slowly, the crystal began to morph, until it took the form of the coin with the sun temple¡¯s symbol on it.


    ¡°This should aid you in your quest! Hahahaha!¡± she declared, before slumping forward suddenly.


    Feeling the blazing mana vanish, he stepped forward and made sure that the elderly priestess was stable.


    She let out a shaky cough before straightening. Her eyes returned to the original color, though Sam noticed that her hair was visibly turning more and more white, while her skin began to age. Not much, but enough to show.


    Naturally, she noticed where his gaze wandered.


    ¡°The sun burns fast and hard, my young friend¡­¡± She looked back over the city where the sun was finally illuminating everything and let out a weak chuckle. ¡°But I think it was worth it¡­¡±

 Chapter 258

    Sam had barely time to say goodbye to the head priestess before the matron was bundled away by the younger priestesses who were also looking noticeably tired. Though, at least one of them made sure Sam found his way back to the main temple and explained the coin he was given.


    Apparently, it was a token of the temple, and whoever held it would be treated with respect given to the elder priests and priestesses. Apparently, the god of the sun would smite who would falsify or steal them. So unless it was given to someone by one of the clergy, avatars, or the god themselves, there was no other way to possess one.


    [Mark of the Sun: A coin depicting the blazing sun on one side, and the eclipse on the other side, it proves that the holder had performed extremely important deeds for the Temple of the Sun. Cannot be given away, sold, stolen, or otherwise taken away. Trying to do so would incur the wrath of the sun.]


    He picked up the coin, slipped it into his pocket, and after making sure the head priestess wasn¡¯t dying, he left the temple with the rest of the crowd who sought shelter there.


    At first, he planned to join the fight going on in the city, but then reality reasserted itself over his thoughts. By now, most of the players (at least those who made the strategic decisions) would know he was in the city.


    In their places, he would have sent out hunting parties or assassins to make sure he couldn¡¯t intervene further.


    Thankfully, he didn¡¯t really care what happened to Sunspot. He already prevented the complete destruction and made sure that it wouldn¡¯t be drowned in acidic blood rain. His job was done. He just wanted to deliver the letter finally, then return to the Emerald Kingdom and get some super-duper strong spells to erase the next idiot that came at him.


    And build up the defenses against the blood mages¡­


    But the massive fuck-off laser was higher on the priority list.


    **


    The Sunwarriors were still patrolling the noble quarter, and he headed directly to the Herald¡¯s house, just like the last time.


    The guards once again saw him, and to his surprise, even recognized him. The plain-clothes guards instantly began to tense and Sam felt their mana began to gather. A little too much for him, Sam felt¡­


    The guards in uniform that guarded the door to the property where the Herald lived also tightened their grips on their spears and they sneered as Sam approached them.


    ¡°Back again, woodhumper?¡± he spat out threateningly. ¡°I told you to never dare to show your face here!¡±


    Sam thought about pointing out that he didn¡¯t say that but in the end he stayed silent as the non-uniformed guards began to approach from behind, ready to act.


    Staying silent, he reached into his pocket, causing all of the guards to tense, but before they could wipe him out, he took out the coin he was given by the over-excited Avatar of the Sun.


    As soon as the first ray of the sun caught the crystalline it caused it to scatter, blinding the guards momentarily. They all let out a gasp and Sam felt their blazing mana cores settle down, while the rude guard in the uniform just gaped at him.


    ¡°What the hell did you do, woodhumper?¡± apparently the coin wasn¡¯t enough to clear up his language.


    Sam shrugged. ¡°Did you see that blood rain vanish?¡±


    The man nodded his eyes widening.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re welcome.¡±


    It took a moment for the people around him to realize, but he heard the quiet gasps of realization.


    The other guard, still silent, leaned closer and began to scrutinize the coin, Sam allowing him by holding it out in his palm.


    Finally, after a minute, the man nodded at Sam, allowing him to withdraw his hand, and then straightened up while glancing at his partner, who looked back with a little worried look. They exchanged a wordless conversation before the first guard let out a sigh and turned back to Sam.


    ¡°Follow me¡­¡± He then turned around on his heel and opened the door behind him.


    He waited until Sam crossed the threshold, before following him and closing the door.


    Sam found himself in a small receiving room, built from the same material the wall was made out of and he could feel the many enchantments running through the walls. The guard didn¡¯t stop as Sam took all this in and continued toward the door on the other side and opened that, too.


    On the other side, Sam could see the garden around the manor.


    **


    The garden was part homage to the savannah, filled with all the plants one could find there, all meticulously taken care of by a bevy of servants who didn¡¯t even look up from their work as Sam and his guide walked toward the manor on a stone path.


    The other part, the way they were heading, was built like any other garden he saw living in the Emerald Kingdom. Lush green grass, fruit trees heavily laden with juicy fruits, butterflies fluttering from flower to flower, and gentle water mist wafting over everything, keeping it fresh and watered.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    His target, Herald Miesme, was obviously resting under a giant canopy on a pile of pillows as he leisurely read a book while snacking on something. Sam saw at least a half dozen guards around him and a few more servants standing to attention, waiting for an order.


    The guard let him up to tent-like construction and made a salute.


    ¡°My Herald! You have a guest!¡±


    The Herald, a small portly man, with a bulging stomach and smart mustache ¨C wearing clothes that probably cost more than the entire Heavenly Forest franchise ¨C looked up from his book, frowning at the interruption until his eyes landed on Sam. The frown turned into a small smile, eyes shining with hidden intention and he simply made a motion with his hand, sending the guard away.


    The man glared at Sam for a second, telling him silently to behave, then saluted again, striking his metal armor with a quiet clang, and turned away, leaving Sam ¡®alone¡¯ with Herald Miesme.


    He instantly bowed.


    ¡°Greetings, Herald Miesme! I bring greetings from my master, Master Fitzgerald!¡± he straightened up and looked back to the Herald who looked back with the same smile.


    ¡°Welcome,¡± he spoke with a quiet but confident voice. ¡°Master Fitzgerald? What does that crazy whirlwind want again? I hope it¡¯s not one of his harebrained schemes, right?¡±


    Sam just shook his head and simply retrieved the box his master had given to him, holding it out with both hands toward the nearest servant.


    ¡°No, my lord. Master Fitzgerald simply wished for me to deliver this to you. I would have been earlier, but with the recent turmoil, it took some time.¡±


    The servant stepped over and carefully took the box and retreated behind the seating area of the Herald to examine the item.


    The Herald, however, looked surprised.


    ¡°Turmoil? What kind?¡±


    Another servant cleared their throat. ¡°My lord, our guest is mentioning the fight that happened in the city.¡±


    The Herald¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Really? Well, I¡¯ll be¡­ This book was so interesting I didn¡¯t even notice anything,¡± he declared proudly, slapping the cover gently with his hand. ¡°Have you ever had a book that just whisked you away into another world?¡±


    Sam just smiled. After everything this was the least surprising thing to hear. ¡°Yes, my lord. Though, I prefer murder mysteries¡­¡±


    He laughed at that. ¡°Hah! A fellow appreciator of good art! It seems the sun has shined on our paths!¡±


    Thankfully, the servant with the box took that exact moment to return, grabbing the Herald¡¯s attention. He reached out while making a grabbing motion with his fingers as the servant gently placed the box on the coffee table.


    Herald Miesme gleefully opened it and began to retrieve the items hidden in it while everybody else stood around and waited.


    Finally, after half a minute, the coffee table was full of stacks of documents, and he was reading a letter with a serious look on his face, his previous joviality nowhere to be seen.


    Then, after more than half an hour, he seemed to be finished, putting the letter down and turning back to Sam, who spent most of that time meditating while standing up.


    ¡°Tell me, is it true?¡± he asked, his eyes boring into Sam¡¯s. ¡°Did that old whirlwind really manage it?¡± Sam could have sworn he saw some manner of desperation in the Herald¡¯s eyes.


    He nodded. ¡°Yes, my lord. I was there,¡± he answered simply.


    That caused the portly man to gleefully begin to laugh. ¡°Hahahaha! Finally, after all those years! He managed it!¡±


    Sam watched this worriedly as he didn¡¯t know what this meant to him. In his memories, the other Sam couldn¡¯t find any information about these events, so he was flying blind.


    After some more laughter, the Herald managed to calm down and began to quickly pack everything up while talking to Sam.


    ¡°Well, my joy may seem unearned, but I¡¯ve been a long-time supporter of Master Fitzgerald¡¯s efforts. The sheer amount of money we would make from trading those gates of his makes me very happy. However, over the years, as time went by and no results had been shown, I simply gave up on it,¡± he explained. ¡°However, it seems, the gods had intended differently. Things are going to be incredibly busy around here, hahahaha!¡±


    The box closed once again with a definitive clicking sound and a servant instantly picked it up and began walking back to the manor with one of the guards following them. At the same time, Sam heard the quest complete sound in his head.


    He resisted the urge to check it and instead waited for his dismissal.


    The Herald stood up, stretched a little, smacked his lips, and smiled at him. ¡°Your package is delivered, you may go¡­¡± He waved a little and turned away.


    Sam bowed, but just as he was looking down he heard a sound ¨C metal on metal ¨C and barely had time to react, realizing that one of the guards, stone-faced with a deadly look in their eyes was crashing into him with their sword drawn.


    He didn¡¯t even have time to move, the guard was so fast.


    But the pain and subsequent death didn¡¯t come.


    Instead, the guard¡¯s sword was stopped barely a hair away by a golden barrier radiating warmth. Sam could see the whites of the guard¡¯s eyes as he ¨C still silently ¨C strained against the barrier. Sam swallowed, knowing he barely avoided death, but before he could even think about activating any of his skills, the golden energy surged covering the sword, and then the hand that was holding it before it covered the entire body of the guard. The man managed to let out a simple grunt of pain before the golden energy pulsed inward and he was vaporized.


    Sam took a shaky step backward, surprised while one of his hands reached into his pocket and grabbed the crystalline coin that felt warm to the touch.


    ¡®Thank the heavens for yandere tomboy avatars!¡¯ he silently thought as the Herald stopped and looked up. He seemed surprised that Sam was still there, alive.


    ¡°Oh?¡± he looked down to the ground and saw the pile of dust that was already being blown away by the gentle wind caressing the plant life in the garden. Then the man shrugged. ¡°Well, it seems today the sun is shining brightly for you, young man. You can leave¡­¡± With that, he made another motion and this time a servant came to escort Sam out.


    Thankfully, without trying to kill him.


    **


    Ten minutes later, in an alleyway, Sam finally felt safe enough to take a small breather. He took out the coin he had been gripping as if his life depended on it, only to watch with dismay as it slowly lost its shine and luster and turned into crystal dust to be blown away by the wind.


    Shaking his hands he let out a shaky breath. ¡°Damn, that was too close¡­¡±


    Intending to have a strongly worded conversation with his master about his associates and their habits, he put everything away for a moment and opened his notification screen.


    [You completed the quest: ¡®Deli-Very¡¯!]


    [You managed to deliver the package to the correct person, albeit with a small delay.]


    [Return to your teacher for the reward.]


    He closed the screen and nodded to himself. ¡®Right! Time to leave this city and return to civilization¡­¡¯


    With a few quick jumps, he found himself on a rooftop, allowing him to survey the situation in the city. Lucky emerged next to him from the shadows and his hands immediately found the silky smooth fur and began running through it.


    ¡°Now, I just need to figure out how to get out of the city...¡± he murmured as he thoughtfully played with his imaginary beard with his free hand. ¡°Escape from Sunspot¡­ sounds like a movie title¡­¡±

 Chapter 259

    Sam could see that fights were flaring up all around the city. Great explosions were going off, all manner of elemental effects covering buildings and squares, and an amalgamation of noise akin to a roar of a great crowd.


    As he overlooked the situation, he saw two possible options to escape the city. On one hand, he could go full stealth with his meager skills when people were explicitly looking for him. On the other hand, he specifically built his character to be focused on speed.


    Closing his eyes, he focused on his Mana Sense and began channeling mana into it.


    ¡°Lucky, watch my back!¡± he said as an afterthought.


    ¡°Wuff!¡± He felt the wolf move around him, but then he was distracted by the magic.


    He made sure to channel as much mana as he could into the spell as possible, aware that he was very close to collapsing the entire structure by overloading it. Instead, he waited until the last possible moment when he felt the spell structure strain under the pressure and then opened a thin hole in it and let it out in waves.


    Slowly and softly, thin pulses of mana went out from his position on the top of the building and began to bounce between the buildings and magical battles, giving him a low-resolution but wide-reaching map of the ruined city.


    Hopefully, his spell would be lost between all the noise the battles were generating.


    No doubt, there were NPCs that would realize what he was doing, but he sincerely doubted that any of the players had refined their mana-sensing skills enough to discern his low-key spell. Or if they did, they were most likely in a research lab, surrounded by elite guild guards, trying to figure out a way so that the guild leader could cast bigger fireballs.


    Slowly, the situation became clear to him as the low-poly map began to appear in front of him.


    The west was a total write-off, that¡¯s where he could see the most ruins and based on the feedback from his spell, the battles over there, thanks to being home to a lot of mercenary guilds, were the busiest.


    If he were to go that way, instead of fearing that somebody would discover him, he would instead need to fear being clipped by any of the hundreds of spells continuously flying back and forth.


    North was where the main entrance to the city was and the bulk of the blood mages had set up there after the collapse and seemed to be building up for another gruesome ritual.


    ¡®No, thank you¡­¡¯


    East, on the other hand, seemed to be promising. Mostly because of the nobles¡¯ district and the soldiers Sun Warriors and the like protecting it, made it so that there was a naturally occurring corridor around the edge of the district.


    He squinted in the direction and thought about it for a second before shaking his head. If the enemy leader had at least more than three brain cells, they would realize the same thing and set up a trap.


    Could he blast through? More than likely, yes. Did he want to? No.


    He wanted the fastest route out of the city so that he could return to the Emerald Kingdom to complain to his master about his choice of business associates.


    Letting go of the spell and opening his eyes, Sam let out a sigh as he once again beheld the ruined visage of a once beautiful city filled with criminals from all walks of life.


    ¡°West it is¡­¡± he murmured as he petted Lucky¡¯s head in thank you before sending him back into his shadow.


    <hr>


    He spent a few minutes just resting, putting his thoughts in order, and writing a few messages to send as soon as he was out of the area. Apparently, the ruined city still counted as a quest location, thus the ban on communication was still active.


    Standing up, he did a few stretches, made sure his equipment was in working order, his poor Moonlight sharpened and his potions were ready to be used.


    A path prepared between the most active battlefields, and he was off.


    <hr>


    By his calculation, at his top speed ¨C without dipping into his reserves ¨C it would take around half an hour to reach the walls and from there another to leave the area of the battle and thus the quest.


    Now he just had to see if the universe would cooperate with his wishes or not.


    Running through trashed alleys (both by actual trash and by the explosions) he dodged around ¨C using his little stealth skill and speed ¨C fighting groups as he headed toward his objective.


    The first one was a blood mage group doing a desperate retreat as several very angry berserkers with insignias containing an angry, snarling head of a bear, wielding giant slabs of serrated blades, not unlike what Katie preferred.


    Based on the yelling, the explosion destroyed something important.


    ¡®Hmm¡­bear¡­bear¡­Ah! The ghost bears! Now I remember,¡¯ Sam mused as he carefully avoided several bloody debris flying his way and ducking into the next alleyway. ¡®They managed to figure out a way to ghost through walls reliably. Nothing better than a suddenly materializing raging berserker in your face. If the attack disrupted the research¡­¡¯


    Making a note for Lucy to reach out and do some fact-finding about them, he continued on his way.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡®It would be nice if we could recruit them¡­¡¯ he grinned to himself as the roar of victory sounded behind him.


    A few more alleyways, some creeping and crawling through and under rubble, and he was halfway to his destination.


    Sadly, the universe, or in this the game system, decided to throw a wrench in his plans. As he looked out from behind the corner of his latest alleyway (the city had too much of them, in his opinion) he saw three well-built and well-armed blood mages with clouds of aerosolized blood surrounding them menacing one lone victim. A woman, dressed in mage-like clothes, dirty and trying to scuttle backward desperately.


    Based on the ¡®jokes¡¯ he was hearing, all of them were players.


    ¡°¡­hehe, let¡¯s see what she can do. Her teammates weren¡¯t as impressive, but expect great things from her!¡± said the one in the lead as he leered at the woman.


    ¡®Is he for real?¡¯ Sam, once again, wondered about the average intelligence of humanity.


    She just snarled something unintelligible and raised her hand to cast something, based on the feeling in the mana, but as soon as the first spark of the magic left her hand a patch of blood magic rushed over and sucked it all up, leaving the woman helpless.


    Cursing, she spat at them. ¡°Then kill me, you morons, why theater play?¡±


    ¡°Well, well¡­ it seems she can talk,¡± came from one of the blood mages. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sweet cheeks. The ritual we have planned for you is going to be¡­ electrifying.¡±


    Not really wanting to give extra power to the idiots that tried to sacrifice an entire city, he abandoned his ¡®hiding¡¯ place and sprung forward with incredible speed.


    His presence was felt when his blade went through the heart of the guy in the middle and then was unceremoniously ripped apart by wind. As the blood turned into pixels and the cloud of blood began to lessen, Sam pivoted, bringing his sword straight at the neck of the next guy who was just turning toward him.


    Unfortunately for him, not fast enough.


    As the head, separated from the body, hit the ground, he heard a thump and crunch, only to see Lucky sitting on the broken remains of the third man, tongue out and looking at him proudly.


    Walking over, he patted his head. ¡°Good boy.¡± He then turned toward the woman, who was looking at him with wide eyes. Instead of saying anything, he winked and vanished toward the alleyway the three idiots were blocking.


    Leaving her prone on the ground, surrounded by a small pond of blood.


    ¡°You moron, they cursed me! At least help with that!¡± was the last thing he heard before the rest was swallowed by the general noise of the city engulfed in battle.


    Though Sam assumed it was mostly cursing.


    <hr>


    The rest of the journey, thankfully, was less interesting.


    True, he had to wait out a battle moving through his planned path, but the rubble provided plenty of hiding spaces.


    Still, despite those hardships, he managed to reach one of the intact parts of the walls that stood not long ago as a testament to the hardiness of the people of Sunspot. Now, it was filled with holes wide enough to drive through several armies.


    Most of those holes were either filled with defenders, keeping out the undesirable elements or attackers streaming into the city to fulfill whatever insane plans their leaders concocted.


    ¡®Can¡¯t wait to see the videos¡­¡¯


    For some reason, the intact walls were only guarded sparsely, with a few token soldiers and such. Taking a running jump, he bounced from roof to roof, rubble mountain to rubble mountain until he landed in the shadow of a small stone building on the top of the wall. Glancing inside, he saw a hastily abandoned game of cards.


    ¡®Guard post,¡¯ he noted disinterestedly.


    Looking around carefully, both with his eyes and other senses, he looked for anyone watching. Aside from the general chaos, usual malcontents, and the thick-as-hell miasma in the ether, he sensed nothing.


    Nodding to himself, he quietly crept up to the ledge and dropped down silently.


    He arrived at the exact moment Lucky emerged from the shadows, landing on the saddle at the perfect moment.


    Grinning, he gave the loyal wolf ¨C currently the size of a horse ¨C a scratch on the neck and pointed him toward his goal.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go home, Lucky!¡±


    ¡°Wuff!¡±


    And they were off.


    <hr><hr>


    While Sam didn¡¯t see or sense anybody, there were several groups stationed around the city whose main job was to make sure nobody stabbed the invading army in the back. Thus, they were too far away for Sam to sense, but close enough, that with the help of several binoculars and spells, they could see him and Lucky speed through the trampled underbrush away from the city.


    ¡°Hey, uh, boss?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Is that who I think it is?¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°C7.¡±


    There was a silence then a small surprised sound.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be¡­ What the fuck is he doing here?¡±


    ¡°Should we report it?¡±


    ¡°No, we should fucking ignore it. Yes, go and report that fucking Solar just left the city!¡±


    Instantly, several people rushed away to deliver the messages. With the quest blocking messaging, and the chaotic ether making magical communication fickle, they had to rely on runners.


    ¡°Do you think they can catch him?¡±


    Another bout of silence.


    ¡°I can¡¯t even see him anymore.¡±


    ¡°I heard he was good, but that kind of speed¡­¡±


    There were some agreeing sounds all around before someone voiced a question.


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯re going to blame us for letting him go?¡±


    All of them looked at each other before wincing.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    The trip back to the Emerald Kingdom was fast and incredibly tiring. He had Lucky ride as fast as he was capable, only stopping when they were both out of mana or hungry and tired. Even then, after they rested the minimum amount of time, they were back on the road.


    Well, not on any road, as Sam made sure to avoid any sign of civilization. He didn¡¯t know how wide of a net the blood mages had cast and he had no desire to figure it out.


    He arrived back at their newly built town, dirty, exhausted, and more than grumpy.


    Ignoring all greetings, he immediately headed for his Master¡¯s workshop.


    The guards, thankfully, recognized him and didn¡¯t stop him when he practically kicked in the door as he had no more energy to play nice.


    He found Fitzgerald bent over a fascinating piece of runic device ¨C which from a glance, was for some kind of targeting artifact ¨C and he was already talking by the time the older man looked up from their work.


    ¡°What the hell, master?¡±


    It took a second for his Master to parse the question before he sent him a commiserating look.


    ¡°You too, huh?¡±


    Sam just blinked. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He tried to kill you, right?¡± the man asked, nonplussed while nodding slightly. ¡°He did that to me, too. According to him, a good merchant needs luck. He believes that if they don¡¯t have luck, it is not worth making deals with them. So, if they¡¯re lucky to survive, then he will work with them in the future.¡±


    Sam just gaped as the other man continued.


    ¡°For me, it was one of the laces on my boot that came free. I bent down to tie it and avoided a strike aimed at my neck,¡± the runemaster explained with a dry look.


    Sam opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Instead, he let out an annoyed huff.


    ¡°Whatever. I delivered the stupid box. Now, I¡¯m going to sleep for a week.¡± With that, he turned around and headed for the door. He really needed a shower, both in the game and outside of it.


    ¡°Come back after you rested! I need to show you something!¡± yelled Fitzgerald after him.


    However, Sam¡¯s attention was on the people waiting for him outside the workshop.


    Lucy, tapping her pristine shoes on the sand and dust-covered ground, Lara grinning ear-to-ear while the rest of his team stood to the side, refusing to look him in the eyes.


    ¡°What now?¡±

 Chapter 260

    He looked over the people arrayed in front of him and let out a bone-weary sigh. He really didn¡¯t have the energy for this.


    Lucy was still tapping away with her medieval designer shoes, sensible but fashionable ¨C perfect for kicking your face in and impressing stuffy nobles ¨C next to Lara who was standing there, just grinning, while Clarissa, Dan, Katie, and Isabella were trying to act like a five-year-old who definitely didn¡¯t break the heirloom vase.


    He saw all of them opening their mouth, no doubt to unleash a barrage of information that would fry his already tired brain. Instead, he held up a hand, silencing them, and pointed toward the building where Lara¡¯s office was.


    ¡°In there!¡±


    Mouths closed instantly, and the group began to shuffle toward the building somewhat awkwardly.


    <hr>


    It took a few minutes, but they were safely ensconced in the office, everybody finding a place to stand, sit, or lean against.


    Finally, Sam dropped down in an armchair, which dangerously creaked under the force, but he didn¡¯t really care. He dragged his hand down on his face and let out another sigh.


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s do this,¡± he finally spoke up after a minute of silence. The others in the room perked up and opened their mouths, but before they could unleash whatever they wanted, Sam continued to speak while pointing at Clarissa. ¡°Clarissa, go to the Healer¡¯s Guild and get them to set up a satellite site here in our town. As fast as possible. Talk to Lucy if they need some economic reassurances.¡±


    Clarissa nodded determinedly while Lucy frowned a little, but still made a note on a notepad that appeared in her hand.


    Sam, not waiting for comments, continued to give instructions.


    ¡°Dan, Izzy, and Katie. I want you guys to head out immediately and make a line from here to the border and, along the way, try to discover all bigger animal groups and monster dens. Record the groups and eliminate the dens. No quarter.¡± As soon as he finished the last sentence, Katie began to grin excitedly. Sam very politely ignored that and continued. ¡°If you find something that doesn¡¯t belong, contact me immediately.¡±


    He took a breath and made sure to look the three of them in the eyes. ¡°I want to be clear. Not after you rested, not after you dealt with everything. No. The moment you lay your eyes on anything that doesn¡¯t belong in the wilderness, you are already dialing me or Lucy. Understood?¡±


    Happy with the heavy nods, he turned to Lara, who immediately straightened, waiting for her orders.


    ¡°Focus on the walls and battlefield visuals. Make sure everything is airtight and they can¡¯t sneak around, over, under, or sideways anywhere. Ask Fitzgerald for the wards. He will know what to do.¡± He took a deep breath and then continued. ¡°Also, as of now, we need strict control on who can enter the town. Set up some kind of security and identification system. They have some kind of artifact that covers up the taint of blood magic.¡± As he said that, he saw Lucy flinch a little out of the corner of his eye, but he was mostly looking at Lara, who was processing the instructions.


    ¡°Got it,¡± she replied, looking like she almost wanted to salute. ¡°Wall, scouting, and security. Will be done.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he replied and finally he turned to Lucy. ¡°Look I know you want to yell at me, but I¡¯m this close to just blacking out. So, give me a few hours to take a shower, rest, eat something, and get to my apartment,¡± he said while holding up his thumb and index finger close together for emphasis. He then smiled. ¡°You can yell at me there¡­¡±


    Lucy took a moment to eye him before reluctantly nodding. ¡°Fine¡­ See you there.¡±


    With that small bit of procrastination done, he turned back to his team and steepled his fingers together.


    ¡°Now, who would like to tell me how your adventure went?¡±


    Once again, nobody wanted to look into his eyes. Thankfully, Clarissa found her courage, looked back at him, and began to talk.


    ¡°We found the church and made contact with them,¡± she stated simply, not going into details. That was fine. He would read the After-Action Reports when his thoughts weren¡¯t dancing to Enter the Gladiator in his head.


    ¡°The ritual?¡±


    ¡°Learned it, already sent gave it to the Healers¡¯ Guild and Lucy,¡± she answered instantly while Lucy nodded, confirming it.


    ¡°Adam has already started the constructions.¡±


    ¡°Can we rush it?¡±


    ¡°Not if we want to keep it a secret.¡±


    ¡°Fuck secrecy. I want all the people available to work on it. We have that Glorious Artefact guys now. Make sure they participate.¡±


    ¡°What about Fauna Ark?¡±


    Sam frowned. ¡°Send them the ritual and materials. They have some competent people running the show there.¡± He thought a little before looking at Lucy again. ¡°Have them set up a ritual chamber open to the public. Anyone with a donation can get rid of their blood magic skills. Do the usual PR and public education stuff.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    He nodded, then turned back to Clarissa. ¡°I¡¯m glad you managed, but you wouldn¡¯t be this nervous if something else didn¡¯t happen. Did somebody else contact them first?¡±


    Clarissa shook her head. ¡°No¡­ it was just¡­ you described them as peaceful nuns and priests who abhor blood magic¡­¡±


    As Sam listened to her, he began to have a sinking feeling. ¡®Did my meddling change something?¡¯


    Clarissa took a deep breath and continued to explain, rushing out the entire sentence in one, almost mashing together the worlds. ¡°Theyareactuallyfanaticalcommunistwhowanttomurdereveryonewhousesbloodmagic!¡±


    Sam blinked as he untangled that rush of information. Then he blinked again as he comprehended the words.


    ¡°Communist fanatics?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°On a scale of one to ten¡­¡± he asked as his voice trailed off as he took in the look on Clarissa¡¯s face. ¡°That bad, huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re willing to go through the cleansing ritual, they¡¯re quite friendly¡­¡±


    Sam stared at his teammate for an entire minute before letting out a deep, exhausted sigh. ¡°Sometimes, I wish I drank alcohol¡­¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    <hr>


    Hours later, refreshed after a shower, a quick snack and just sitting in a comfortable chair and staring at nothing, Sam opened the door to his apartment, dressed in comfortable clothes. On the other side of the door was Lucy, holding a computer, a document bag ¨C a secure high-tech box looking like an old-timey leather bag designed to transport important documents securely ¨C and with a severe look on her face.


    Sam waved her in and jokingly spoke. ¡°Whatever it is, it¡¯s not my fault.¡±


    Lucy, instead of speaking, threw the bag onto his coffee table and then, with a few button presses, turned on his media system and began navigating various websites, selecting videos, forum posts, and putting them on the big screen with incredible speed.


    ¡°Then how do you explain this?¡± she asked, frustrated while pointing at the screen where a very familiar scene was being played out.


    He watched for a moment as he fought against GrindHog from his enemy¡¯s perspective with some very well-chosen background music. Then his eyes wandered over to the other things showing on the screen and he began to read.


    There were posts about basically all of his recorded steps in the city. Somebody apparently had a few brain cells to rub together and managed to connect the cover identity he used to enter the city with his real one, so there were even people analyzing every damn item he touched or even looked in the direction of.


    Then there were the countless videos of every action he took in front of players, all of them jumping on the opportunity to gain their fifteen minutes. Naturally, there were already thousands of fancuts, compilations, Easter egg hunts, conspiracy theories, theory crafter videos and so much more. Apparently, most people were talking about Sunspot and his presence there.


    At first glance, a lot of people thought that he was the mastermind behind the destruction that ravaged the city, claiming that his fight with GrindHog was just for show. While several people were hailing him the savior of the city. Especially because somebody somehow managed to record the ritual in the Temple of the Sun.


    Stepping closer to the screen, he enlarged the video, looking like some old shaky-camera footage, then he narrowed his eyes.


    Lucy stepped closer and also looked at the video. ¡°What is it?¡±


    He paused a video and pointed at it. ¡°This is impossible.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± she asked curiously.


    ¡°Because I was there. If the camera angle is real, that means whoever recorded was standing at least 200 feet in the air over the ocean.¡±


    ¡°Could they have been invisible?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the Avatar of the Sun would have struck them down.¡±


    ¡°So then, who¡­¡±


    ¡°The only thing I can think of is the game company. It looks visually appealing and gives people a look into what happened behind the scenes,¡± he said, voice laced with frustration.


    ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± he agreed with her before minimizing the screen and continuing to look.


    He watched the rescue of the cursed player from her perspective. ¡°Heh, I was right, she did curse a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know her?¡±


    ¡°I have never seen this person in my life,¡± he told the truth as he looked into Lucy¡¯s eyes. ¡°Before I saved her, that is.¡±


    She scrutinized him for a few seconds before nodding. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll believe you for now. We have bigger issues to deal with.¡±


    Sam also nodded, turned away from the screen, and headed toward his kitchen.


    ¡°Want something to drink?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    <hr>


    Hydrated and comfortably seated ¨C Sam leaning back lazily, sipping his lemonade and Lucy holding a laptop in her lap while several documents were spread around her ¨C they continued their discussion.


    ¡°So, my glorious bureaucrat, lay it on me.¡±


    Instead of laughing, she just scowled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t how you do it, Sam. You managed to be in the middle of one of the biggest player-led military operations since the beginning of the game.¡± She suddenly looked up from her own computer, nailing Sam with a stare. ¡°Did you know it was going to happen?¡±


    Sam spread his arms open. ¡°I can, with hundred percent truthfulness, say that I had no fucking idea that was going to happen.¡±


    ¡°Why do I have a hard time believing you?¡± came the reply immediately, Lucy¡¯s lips twitching a little.


    Sam just smiled. ¡°Because you know me, Lu. Honestly, the only reason I was down there was because those damned nobles didn¡¯t want to talk to me without a local reputation. Then the game railroaded me into joining the expedition as the fastest way to get said reputation.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have found something else?¡±


    ¡°Could have? Sure. But I wanted to spend as little time in a city filled with players who are the fan of PK.¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡±


    ¡°What about international reaction to the event?¡±


    Lucy shrugged her shoulder causing her frazzled hair to bounce around a little. ¡°Not much. Sunspot is the ¡®capital city¡¯ of the area, but for others, it¡¯s just a lawless place where criminals gather. They don¡¯t even do trade with them officially.¡±


    ¡°So, they¡¯re going with the whole ¡®dead criminals is a good thing¡¯?¡± he asked after taking another sip of his drink.


    ¡°Pretty much¡­¡±


    ¡°And unofficially?¡± he asked, leaning forward a little, interested.


    Lucy matched his energy, also leaning forward while smirking mysteriously. ¡°Well, if my sources are believed, there some manner of ¡®concern¡¯ going around about the possibility of the attack being repeated in more civilized cities.¡±


    ¡°Running like chickens with their head cut off?¡±


    ¡°Like you wouldn¡¯t believe¡­¡± she replied before her smirk turned into a frown. ¡°This is where the main issue starts.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do tell¡­¡±


    ¡°Based on what I gathered, right when the information reached the capital, the Church of the First Drop appeared, calling for sharing the purity with everybody and culling the corrupted ones,¡± she explained dryly. ¡°From what I saw on the forums, the general player populace thinks they¡¯re some kind of joke event. However, the politicians only heard the words of ¡®purifying ritual¡¯ and they were lining up to support their cause.¡±


    ¡°That bad?¡±


    Lucy sent him a devastating look. ¡°According to Lord Silvercrest, the mayor of Ironwood already received a word to start building a temple for the incoming group of priestesses from the Church of Last Drop.¡±


    Sam looked back at her, bewildered. This was so outside of his expectations that he had no idea what to do with them.


    Lucy, however, wasn¡¯t patient enough to let him think. ¡°Seeing as this is clearly your fault, I would like to hear an equally good solution to the issue.¡±


    Sam nodded, then looked away from his friend.


    The church was different from the memories he inherited. In those, the Church of the Last Drop was a peaceful congregation of priestesses who accepted anyone with open arms and only defended themselves and never went on the offensive, unless they were menaced by somebody who was clearly a blood mage or something along those lines¡­


    How that managed to turn into a communist murder cult, he didn¡¯t know. His actions shouldn¡¯t have affected them, as they were living in isolation. The only ones who could change them were the devs and the game¡¯s system.


    His hunch was telling him that this was too heavy-handed for the system. It was usually much more subtle than this.


    However, a question still remained. Why do this?


    ¡®Maybe a question to ponder for later. I need to figure out the situation¡­¡¯ he mused before turning back to Lucy.


    ¡°We cannot prevent the temple from being built, right?¡±


    ¡°Not unless you want to go to war with a lot of people,¡± came the slightly sarcastic reply.


    Sam thought about it for a second before shaking his head. ¡°Nah, not now¡­¡± he replied with a small chuckle.


    Lucy, very visibly, didn¡¯t return his smile.


    After a few seconds, he leaned forward, resting his elbow on his thighs.


    ¡°Alright, here is what we are going to do, Lu,¡± he began as Lucy looked ready to take notes. ¡°We cannot stop the red tide, so we need to manage it. Lean into it.¡±


    ¡°That is?¡±


    ¡°Send people, resources, and money to them. Make sure we are their suppliers, we provide them with clean sheets, we cook their food and if we can swing it, we protect them. You know, the usual.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    ¡°What about the ritual?¡±


    ¡°Do you have the description?¡± he asked in turn, hoping that it didn¡¯t change from his past life. Lucy simply handed over a sheet, which he read in short order, letting out a relieved sigh at the end. He put the sheet down and slapped it gently. ¡°Make sure that everyone knows that this ritual can save you from blood magic.¡±


    ¡°Can it?¡±


    ¡°It can prevent blood mages from using your own skills against you, but otherwise, no. But the simpler the message is, the better.¡±


    ¡°So, ritual equals safety?¡± she asked, while making copies of notes.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ start with a whisper campaign, then some targeted one for guilds that like to fight. We could offer discounts on the materials. Or to build them their own ritual chamber.¡±


    ¡°Already had plans for that. Unless they want it from marble and precious gems, the material cost is negligible. If this takes off, it is another giant money maker.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s excellent¡­¡±


    They lapsed into silence as Sam contemplated his ideas, while Lucy began to draw up the skeletons of their plans.


    Finally, after almost a quarter an hour of the room being filled only with some background noise and the clicking of Lucy¡¯s computer and scratches of her pen, she finally broke the silence.


    ¡°What about you? Back to fighting the blood mages?¡±


    Sam just shook his head. ¡°I need some more powerful option in my arsenal. I¡¯m off to see the wizard¡­¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡± she immediately asked, bringing up a map of the continent where Emerald Kingdom could be found.


    Sam just sent her a disappointed look.


    She looked back innocently. ¡°What?¡±

 Chapter 261 - Interlude 26

    ¡°What do you mean, you don¡¯t know him?¡±


    ¡°I said what I said! I have never met the guy!¡±


    ¡°But he saved you! You, specifically! When he avoided helping dozens of people!¡±


    She scowled and looked across the table, where the bedraggled leaders of her guild were sitting and had been grilling her for the last hour.


    Sometimes, she really wished those idiot cultists sacrificed her, even with the expected debuffs and detriments, because this was much worse.


    Her esteemed ¡®seniors¡¯ had decided that she must have some kind of relationship with Solar, and that is why he went out of his way to save her. Even if he left her there, laying on the cold stone, cursed to nine heavens.


    And now they wanted her to use her ¡®relationship¡¯ with him for something. They were never really clear what that ¡®something¡¯ was. But they kept mentioning power, might, and authority. Someone even mentioned leverage and synergy.


    They were, however, convinced of one thing.


    That is, she had some power over Solar. The most famous player in their corner of the world. The man everyone was talking about. The player who managed, on his own, to prevent the complete destruction of a city against the assault of the full power of the blood magic guilds.


    And there were even rumors that he was just in the city for a stay-over.


    She had seen the numbers on the bounty aggregation site and had even taken a glance on Shadowland at the figures there. It was mindboggling how much one man¡¯s death or information about his action, was worth. She had a sneaking suspicion that her ¡®superiors¡¯ were after that money instead of elevating their frankly third-rate mercenary guild.


    Hell, she only joined, because at the time that was the easiest thing to do. She only started to play to check out the game, and she simply stayed, as searching for another guild was too much work. Here she was one of the more senior members and with that, she enjoyed some privileges that she wouldn¡¯t get somewhere else.


    However, as she continued to listen to the prattle of those buffoons, she felt the urge to look for another guild to grow and grow.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you agree!¡±


    ¡®Wait, what?¡¯


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± she asked out loud, as had been simply nodding and adding an occasional ¡®ah¡¯, ¡®I see¡¯, ¡®oh yes¡¯, ¡®for sure¡¯, or ¡®definitely¡¯.


    The knucklehead sent her a scathing look before ¨C presumably ¨C repeating herself.


    ¡°We talked about sending you to Ironwood to set up a forward base for our guild. The situation here in Sunspot is not ideal. And you, with your contacts, would be the best for it,¡± came the explanation, followed by some heavy eye-rolling.


    She opened her mouth but as she saw the faces arrayed against her, instead she closed it and nodded for a final time.


    <hr>


    That¡¯s how she found herself walking into a much-changed Ironwood compared to the last time she was here. There were many more guards on the walls, guarding the gates and even patrolling.


    There was construction going around the gates, guarded by even more soldiers and players as more NPCs and players toiled under the sun.


    From what she could see, they were building new towers and some reinforcements to the weaker parts of the walls. She even saw groups of druids ¨C once again being escorted by even more guards ¨C relocating the local fauna farther from the wall to decrease the chance of it being used by the enemy.


    It seems the Blood Surge as the people of the internet were calling it seemed to have shaken the rulers of the city. Although she wasn¡¯t really surprised as coming up from the border, she saw several hastily abandoned towns and villages, some areas of devastation where some kind of battle occurred, and similar constructions occurring around other towns.


    Apparently, they were expecting the blood mages to attack them. In her humble opinion, that was smart. This meant, that whoever was making these decisions was also smart. She kinda wanted to see what happened when the bloody idiots decided to move against them.


    Originally, she wanted to directly head to the town that AFK was setting up.


    ¡®And isn¡¯t that crazy?¡¯ she mused as she navigated through the crowd, heading for one of the shady taverns she knew was still standing after the purges. ¡®While morons out there are fighting over fractures, Solar is setting up a fucking town for himself¡­¡¯


    She kinda wished she started out in the Ironwood area so that she had the chance to meet him when he was smaller. From what she had heard over the grapevine, the top people in his guild and company made bank. Like big enough that you needed your personal bank advisors. She didn¡¯t know how much weight that rumor had, but just the fact they owned Heavenly Forest made sure that they would never be poor.


    Several other guilds, companies, and people had tried to replicate the success of the high-quality services the mysterious Heavenly Forest provided. They were pale imitations compared to the scant pictures that the high-rolling clientele of Heavenly Forest deigned to share with the population. There was no game system enforced ban against taking pictures and sharing them in the hotel, but apparently, those who managed to gain access felt that sharing information about it would diminish the value.


    She could only applaud Solar and his people, they really did some genius marketing and PR moves with that business.


    Entering the tavern, she looked around, quickly spotting an empty table conveniently in a dark corner, and headed toward it.


    Surprisingly, she didn¡¯t even have to raise a hand before a drink was deposited in front of her. She loved this feature of the game. She could drink and eat anything her black heart desired and not one iota of fat touched her hips. Not to mention she didn¡¯t need to pay attention to her nut allergies.


    Truly, the most glorious feature.


    ¡°Enjoying it?¡±


    Hearing a voice coming from next to her, she jumped into the air, bumping her knees on the table and almost knocking over her drink if it weren¡¯t for a quick hand reaching out and steadying it. Spending a few seconds cursing and massaging her aching knee ¨C cursing the game for the same realism she was exalting a few seconds ago ¨C before looking to the side where she saw a cloaked individual.


    Upon further look, she saw that under the cloak he was actually wearing an actual suit.


    Taking her cup, she raised at the man. ¡°Well, mister super spy, what do you want from me?¡±


    The man quickly placed a small device in the middle of the desk, then she felt a weak pulse of mana wash over her before the sound of the tavern was almost turned down to an indistinct whisper. The man looked around before simply removing his hood, revealing a somewhat average, maybe a bit bookish or owlish, look. Though his eyes shined with intelligence and a spark of humor as if he found something rather funny.


    ¡®Hmm, he is kinda cute¡­ I wonder if he is single¡­¡¯


    ¡°I heard you¡¯re looking for Solar,¡± the man replied with confidence.


    She just snorted. ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m here to buy a yacht, country, and inherit three million gold coins. Try something more original next time¡­¡±


    He just continued to smile ignoring what she had said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really go for the whole double speak, that¡¯s more Solar¡¯s area of expertise, but I have been tasked by my bosses to get you.¡±


    ¡°Get me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You have information and we want that information.¡±


    ¡°Who is this mysterious we?¡± she asked sarcastically as she eyed the door and wondered how fast she could escape the guy.


    ¡°AFK.¡±


    She snorted. ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m the head of CIA.¡±


    Instead of answering, her notification screen appeared in front of him.


    [You received an invitation to the AFK guild! Would you like to accept it?]


    Per the rule, one person could only belong to one guild, so if she accepted that request then she would immediately be ejected from her original guild. She quickly checked the Guild ID, then spent a few seconds comparing it to the Guild Registry.


    It matched.


    She blinked, then looked back at the guy who held out a hand.


    ¡°Name¡¯s Tim. Looking forward to working with you,¡± he declared with a rather charming smile.


    Acting purely on instinct, she accepted the handshake.


    ¡°Flora and m-me too¡­¡±


    ¡®What the fuck did I get myself into?¡¯


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°Sir.¡±


    ¡°Report, please.¡±


    ¡°Player interest has increased massively after we put together the promotional materials. That, plus the few leaked hidden recordings, had elevated it to one of the top stories of the week. Adding Solar to it just made it even better. The people upstairs are very happy.¡±


    He tried not to grind his teeth.


    ¡°What about in-game? Reactions? Effects?¡±


    ¡°Well, sir, immediately around Sunspot is still a full-on war between the people of Sunspot ¨C both players and NPCs ¨C and the blood mages. Behind the blood mages, it¡¯s a massacre. Nearby kingdoms are fortifying their defenses and preparing countermeasures. Most of the guilds tasked their researchers to figure out how to no-sell the blood magic.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°So, everybody is against them?¡±


    Selene, listening as always, chimed in from a nearby projection spot that was built into the meeting room that they were using. He simply didn¡¯t want to see the screens showcasing the game, it just made him irrationally angry.


    ¡°On the surface, yes. But there have been several guilds who reached out to support them or to join them secretly. Several smaller kingdoms decided that the blood mages knew something, so they¡¯re planning to side with them.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess¡­ Most of them led by a power-hungry despot?¡± he asked, massaging his temple.


    Selene shrugged elegantly. ¡°You¡¯re truly a visionary for the ages, sir.¡±


    ¡°Har-har. Very funny,¡± he replied sarcastically, before turning back to the guy doing the reporting. ¡°All right, we talked about everything but the Emerald Kingdom. Lay it on me¡­ what did that fucker do?¡±


    Selene rolled her eyes and his underling continued.


    ¡°Well, sir. Ironwood is spending a lot of resources to reinforce its defenses and is stockpiling food, water, and other things as if preparing for a siege. The kingdom itself, mostly due to the distance, has currently settled into the wait-and-see approach. However, with the Church of First Drop appearing ¨C brilliant idea sir, by the way ¨C they are currently heading toward declaring total war on anyone who even touches blood magic.¡±


    ¡°No need for the sarcasm¡­ What about their town? Have they named it yet?¡± he asked, waving away the very pointed critique.


    The other man just shook his head. ¡°Not yet, sir.¡±


    He turned to Selene. ¡°Hey, can you engineer a situation so that the town¡¯s name is irrevocably Fuckerville?¡±


    ¡°I could¡­¡± she replied airily. ¡°But I won¡¯t.¡±


    His eyes narrowed. ¡°Is this still about me refusing the vampire idea?¡±


    Her eyes also narrowed as she looked directly at him, hands on her projected body¡¯s hips while the other man stood to the side awkwardly.


    ¡°Why, because the fanatic cult of communists is much better? It ruined several pre-planned events both in that area and around the world. We even had to modify several world events to account for them. The entire schedule for the game is thrown off thanks to those fanatics.¡±


    He looked at least a little chastised.


    ¡°We could delete them?¡±


    ¡°Not anymore, now that players had interacted with them. We are limiting their effects, but they already inspired several player-made guilds and we cannot touch them.¡±


    ¡°Can we blame the fucker for it?¡± he asked hopefully.


    She just shook her head. ¡°Not likely.¡±


    He let out a long and deep sigh. Reaching over to the table, he took his half-empty cup of coffee and took a fortifying sip before turning to the man whose report he had been listening to.


    ¡°How is the players¡¯ response to the Blood Surge?¡± he asked thoughtfully looking into his cup.


    The man spent a few seconds looking through his tablet before answering. ¡°Well, sir, it appears, aside from the usual grumblings, they are all excited. They¡¯re in the belief that we planned all this. Like the Fracture."


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    For a long minute, nobody spoke as he contemplated everything. Then he put down his cup with a quiet clink and turned to Selene.


    ¡°How hard would it be to place a few fractures where the blood mages did their thing and have them blood-themed?¡±


    Selene tilted her head to the side, contemplating the idea ¨C no doubt running several simulations ¨C before smiling. ¡°Very possible. Which way do you want to go?¡±


    ¡°Have them be the type of ¡®evil juju accumulated in the fractures and players have to cleanse it¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Should we direct the Church of First Drop toward them, sir?¡± asked his underling as he furiously made notes.


    ¡°Exactly. That would occupy them, then in turn they would make less chaos.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Sent to the design team,¡± came the reply instantly. Then a ding from the tablet. ¡°They approved it. Seems they like the idea.¡±


    ¡°Good, that would get us some time.¡±


    Selene chose the moment to interject. ¡°What about the Fucker, sir?¡± she asked with a smile.


    He took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. ¡°Leave him for now. Let¡¯s focus on fixing this mess, then we can return to dealing with him and his usual shenanigans.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± she replied before her smile grew to a rather unusual size. His heart almost skipped a beat as he saw it.


    ¡°What is it? What happened?¡±


    ¡°I just read the most fascinating report from the observation team.¡±


    He closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and began massaging his temples again.


    ¡°All right, what did the Fucker do again?¡±


    ¡°Well, apparently he knows we leaked those recordings,¡± she answered with an angelic smile, making him dread the rest of the answer. ¡°It took him barely a few minutes to figure it out.¡±


    ¡°It was the ritual recording, right?¡±


    She just gave him a cheeky finger gun.


    ¡°Ugh, I knew it was too much, but the video looked so good¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Darell put his hands on his hips and looked over their new workshop. It was filled with boxes, some being emptied currently, some half empty already and some being put in piles next to the wall.


    It was bare bones, but it was theirs. The people at AFK insisted on signing a separate contract for the land and building to clarify the ownership and things like that. Apparently, they were planning to sell to other people and this would make it easier. Or something like that. He was good at engineering and physics, but he didn¡¯t care much for economics besides understanding that black was good and red was not good. Though, based on Brad¡¯s muttering, that wasn¡¯t even correct¡­


    Still, they managed to get from their original location to this new, half-built town. According to Lara, who he definitely recognized from that infamous party, there were already jobs and tasks waiting for his people.


    They were going over the schedule and assignments with Brad while he directed the setup of their main workshop.


    It was refreshing to work in a situation where he didn¡¯t have to worry about saboteurs, malcontents, or other shenanigans. He wanted to build a damn magic spaceship and not deal with people!


    Thankfully, with leadership came a few perks. One of them was that his office was one of the first rooms to be set up.


    Walking in, he closed the door, sat down behind his desk, and began to go over the paperwork. The faster he managed to get them to Brad ¨C who would no doubt complain about several errors ¨C the faster he could get back to inventing.


    Hell, Lara and the AFK representative even hinted that they had something very special hidden away.


    He couldn¡¯t help but want to see it.


    From what he saw so far, they were the ¡®money doesn¡¯t matter¡¯ and ¡®very few questions asked¡¯ type of people. Not that he expected something else from people who were led by Solar of all people. Honestly, the sheer adulation the man experienced online was something else.


    Naturally, his move under the aegis of Solar and subordination wasn¡¯t exactly a big secret, but the number of messages he received to his ¡®public¡¯ Shadowland account was staggering. There was everything from bribes to betray the man, to requests for shirtless pictures. Somebody even asked if he could steal the man¡¯s boxers¡­


    ¡®Man, people are sick¡­¡¯


    Just as he was musing about the abominable nature of the netizens, the door swung open and Brad strode into his office, the door closing behind him as he plopped down in the only available armchair.


    ¡°Man¡­ these people really don¡¯t fuck around.¡±


    Darell held out a hand and Brad slapped the stack of documents he was holding into it.


    He put it in front of him and began to go through them while Brad continued to be dramatic.


    ¡°When they said money doesn¡¯t matter, they weren¡¯t kidding. We have work for everybody. Hell, they even asked us to look for more people.¡±


    ¡°What are we doing?¡± Darell asked absently as he read over the schedule.


    ¡°What do you think? Preparing for a war¡­ Those bloody blood cultists had spooked everybody.¡±


    Darrel looked up from his perusal and took in his friend. ¡°You look happy.¡±


    Brad just grinned and crossed his arms. ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy. This is what I live for! Imagine the enemy¡¯s face when they meet with our creations!¡±


    Darell couldn¡¯t help but nod, the excitement of the idea also grabbing his imagination. ¡°Did they say anything about siege weapons?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Phase Two. For now, we are focusing on finishing the town and making sure the defenses are strong enough to withstand a proper siege,¡± he explained with a grin. ¡°Did you know they actually have a Runemaster NPC doing the wards?¡±


    Darell blinked in surprise. ¡°Didn¡¯t those asshole nobles quote us millions of gold coins just for an hour¡¯s consultation?¡±


    Brad grinned. ¡°Apparently, Solar befriended him or something. Lara said that technically Solar is also a Runemaster, but I think she just wanted to impress me.¡±


    ¡°Lara? That Lara? The Astran heiress, impressing you?¡±


    ¡°Well, a guy can dream¡­¡± Brad replied, a smidge embarrassed.


    Darell thought about teasing his friend a little longer, but his hands itched for work.


    Clapping them together and then rubbing them excitedly, he spoke up.


    ¡°What¡¯s first?¡±


    Brad took out another stack of documents and spent a few seconds leafing through them before finding what he was looking for.


    ¡°They need someone to make sure the irrigation system in the city works properly. They want to make sure it stays green.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Cynthia sat with her family, listening as her sister presented her latest adventure without much joy. Even then, she couldn¡¯t help but feel excited.


    As her sister finished, she couldn¡¯t help but exclaim.


    ¡°Man, what I would give to go on an adventure like that¡­¡±


    Clarissa just glared at her while their parents chuckled. Her Dad had successfully begun his horse business on a farm near Brightgarden as an apprentice while her mom settled down in a nearby inn as a drink slinger.


    Hell, she even got a skill for it. Cynthia laughed for almost half an hour when her mother showed it to her.


    [Drink Slinger: Level 14/100 (14%) (Active/Passive) Your precision while mixing drinks, your hard work, and your dedication allow you to sling your drinks with supernatural precision and strength. Increases your accuracy when making drinks and makes your bar skills more effective. Performing behind the bar requires less stamina, mana and allows you to gain an increased reputation from those who see it for the first time. Activating the skill puts you in a heightened state where your focus is on your drinks and craft, doubling every bonus this skill gives for a minute. Furthermore, the skill grants you the Alcohol Affinity and the Fruit Punch skill.]


    [Alcohol Affinity: Level 3/100 (75%) (Passive) You have a great affinity for alcohol. Beings born of alcohol or alcoholics will be very favorable to you. The cost of alcohol-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 1% for each skill level.]


    [Fruit Punch: Level 2/25 (19%) (Passive) You coat your fist with a punch and use it to punch your enemy. Upon contact, the attack has a 10%, plus 1% per skill level, chance to make the recipient drunk. If performed from behind the bar, the chance and power are doubled.]


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± replied Clarissa with her usual excitement. That is, none.


    ¡°Oh, come on, Cissa! I know you don¡¯t like these kinds of things, but I¡¯d love to do something like that. Maybe even save a princess from a dragon¡­or¡­ OH! Save a dragon from an evil princess!¡± she mused out loud.


    ¡°I wonder what dragons drink¡­¡± her mother added cheerfully while her father nodded.


    ¡°Indeed. And maybe we could make them into mounts¡­¡±


    For a moment, Cynthia imagined herself riding on the back of a dragon, wielding a spear that pierced the heavens and decimating her enemies with a swipe of her weapon, before deflating.


    She was behind the curve, so by the time she reached the strength to tame a dragon, there would be no doubt countless guilds selling them at exorbitant prices¡­


    Clarissa looked at her for a moment before snorting. ¡°If you¡¯re so excited then you can write Sam and ask him for a task. I¡¯m sure he has something squirreled away just for you¡­¡± she said, her words heavily laden with sarcasm.


    However, Cynthia¡¯s eyes lit up at hearing that.


    ¡°Thanks, sis! I didn¡¯t even think about that!¡± With a quick motion, she pulled out her phone and quickly began to type as she ignored her sister¡¯s widening eyes.


    ¡°You know I was just joking, right? He is very busy¨C¡° Sadly Clarissa was muted as Cynthia¡¯s phone dinged, indicating that she received a message.


    ¡°Got it,¡± she reported happily, almost vibrating with excitement as their parents watched on with amusement. ¡°He had something for us to do!¡±


    Clarissa just closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, as if nothing could surprise her anymore.


    ¡°Is it hunting a dragon?¡±


    ¡°Totally!¡±


    <hr><hr>


    Two people, sitting in a rather spacious but sparsely decorated room across from each other, looked at each other. The room was full of VR equipment, both digital and analog whiteboards, and several screens that showed figures, statistics, or simply videos and recordings from the game, Magic Unbound. Despite that, everything was clean and no trash could be seen anywhere.


    ¡°Bro...¡±


    ¡°I know bro¡­¡±


    ¡°It should have worked¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, bro¡­ We even bribed some of the nobles.¡±


    ¡°Do you think Solar is spying on us?¡±


    ¡°How? Only the two of us know the full plan. We used all the compartmentalization techniques we could find. I really think it was just a coincidence that he was there.¡±


    ¡°Still, we failed because of him,¡± he stated with a frown.


    ¡°Indeed, that is a fact.¡±


    The two of them looked at each other, silently communicating, before nodding.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s agreed. Next target, Emerald Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°We need to do some research. We don¡¯t have many people there¡­¡±


    ¡°Already started. A few guilds reached out for cooperation.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t like Solar?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s underselling it,¡± the other agreed with a grin.


    ¡°Well, that makes them useful for us,¡± replied his brother with a grin on his own.


    ¡°Right, you are, bro.¡±


    They then fell silent for a while before one of them sighed with joy.


    ¡°Damn, this game is amazing. Haven¡¯t had so much fun since forever¡­¡±


    ¡°You got that right, bro!¡±


    They stood up and stretched before one of them headed for the kitchen.


    ¡°Hey, do we still have the pie that Mom made?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I ate the last slice last night while watching compilations!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, you bastard¡­¡±

 Chapter 262

    There was something relaxing about simply stepping out of the headquarters and just going somewhere.


    Every important task was delegated, and he regained his energy thanks to some well-earned sleep and copious amounts of high-quality junk food. Now, he headed toward the Mage Tower. The one in Ironwood was naturally still the same building he visited, but since then ¨C thanks to the constantly increasing influx of players the city administration decided to do some remodeling in the area.


    Part of it was to increase the guards patrolling it, as the long lines and disappointed people leaving the building created the perfect storm of emotion. Before that action, it was not uncommon for a fight to break out.


    Sam didn¡¯t really want to think about how it was in bigger cities.


    The first act the city did ¨C with some help from the crafter from the AFK guild, including their architects and designers ¨C was to move every other business out of the area and repurpose those properties for the Mage Tower¡¯s usage.


    Thankfully, most of them were either auxiliary businesses for the Mage Tower or living places for the servants and other workers who worked there. A few people running shops that had been there ¡®since the city was founded¡¯ grumbled a little, but they were convinced with a little political push and some remuneration.


    The mages in the Mage Tower then took over and renovated the entire area, creating a small magic district in the city. It had its own gates over roads so that the number of people could be moderated and accounted for. The square in the middle of the district was reimagined as a resting place for people with a few cafes, restaurants, and other shops where people could wait until their numbers were called, or release tension after a disappointing consultation.


    The rest of the buildings were then repurposed for different functions, splitting up the humongous crowd. One handled all the rituals, one the enchantments, one the curses and spell sales, while the biggest housed the consultation and education.


    Then there was a hidden administration building that coordinated the entire giant mechanism from behind the scenes.


    And finally, there was a relatively thin tower, appropriately towering over every other building. The rumor going around was that the head mage of the Mage Tower had their office there, but Sam knew the truth.


    Originally, the tower had no purpose, the mages just wanted to have a tower so that the Mage Tower name would have a meaning. If he remembered correctly, nowadays, it housed several defensive artifacts that both protected the mage district and in an emergency could be used to protect the city.


    As Sam looked up at the giant tower, looming over the always-busy crowd, he frowned.


    ¡®That¡¯s a very obvious target¡­¡¯ But then he had a stupid idea. He quickly sent Lucy a message, only to receive a simple thumbs-up followed by a bird emoticon. Chuckling slightly, he began to head toward the building that handled the education part.


    As he cut through the square, he took a look at the shops ¨C caf¨¦s with terraces where good-looking ladies in revealing mage robes sat and sipped tea or other drinks, restaurants where people were having lively discussions over hearty meals, and even a tavern where serious-looking people were sampling a selection of wines ¨C and he saw that almost half of the shops had the AFK Company symbol displayed somewhere. Not in a conspicuous place, but if somebody knew where to look, they would see it.


    ¡®Lucy is still the best¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    Getting through the lines was surprisingly easy. Thanks to his Wind Mage title he was instantly given preferential treatment. Then, of course, the people working there realized who he was and Sam practically flew through the registration process.


    Barely twenty minutes after he stepped through the giant doors leading to the reception hall filled with curious, excited, bored, and angry people standing in massive snaking lines, he was once again walking the halls of the building, heading for his next consultation.


    Naturally, he could have gone to the library and bought a spell with devastating effects, like Vacuum Bombardment, which used vacuum bombs made of air magic to bombard an area, or Shadow Execution which conjured countless spears made of shadow in an area, or any of other similarly devastating magical spells.


    But as always, Sam wanted something more. He didn¡¯t just want a strong spell. No, he wanted to create a strong spell. So far, going with his gut and blazing his own path worked well out for him, but when it came to devastating spells, the established magical schools were far ahead of him, and thus other players.


    <hr>


    Knocking on the door before him, he waited a few seconds, and it opened on its own. Stepping in, he found himself once again in an empty room, reinforced by magic and a simple sitting area with a desk laden with all manner of papers and books on the far end.


    Next to a desk was an older-looking gentleman with salt and pepper hair and a bearing that radiated discipline. He was wearing simple black pants, with a belt that had all sorts of pouches hanging off it, and a white shirt opened at the top casually.


    ¡°Welcome, young man,¡± he stated with a frown, his voice carrying through the empty space between him and Sam. ¡°How may the Mage Tower help you today?¡±


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Sam bowed and returned the greeting before simply jogging over.


    Nearing the man, Sam noticed that the older man was a good head taller than him, looking down with a judgmental gaze.


    ¡°Well, sir, I¡¯m here to ask about combining three different types of magic.¡±


    That statement only elicited a gentle rise of one bushy but well-cared-for eyebrow. ¡°Fascinating,¡± came the dry reply. Sam had to chuckle a little awkwardly. Of course, that would be obvious, after all, he requested help with that, and thus they assigned him this person. He specialized in mixing different types of magic together.


    He scratched the back of his neck before continuing. ¡°I have Shadow, Wind, and Clean. And I want to combine them.¡±


    This time Sam noticed a very visible change on the mage¡¯s face. The mention of Shadow and Wind didn¡¯t do much, but he mentioned Clean the man was clearly intrigued.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Clean¡­not often I witness somebody making use of it. You have used it in battle, yes?¡± he asked.


    Sam simply nodded.


    To that, the older man motioned with his hand and several targets floated toward the center of the room. ¡°Demonstrate them, then¡­¡±


    He nodded again and began going through his most used spells, one by one, starting with Wind, then Shadow, and finishing with a few of his Clean spells.


    <hr>


    The older mage looked back at him as if looking through him.


    ¡°Your ability to control mana is exceptional, but your execution is pedestrian at best. It¡¯s clear you have been self-taught,¡± he stated with a neutral tone. It wasn¡¯t accusatory, simply a statement following his observation.


    Sam could only smile awkwardly at that.


    ¡°However, that provides with a unique opportunity,¡± his current advisor continued thoughtfully as he began to rub his chin. ¡°You¡¯re not constrained by the limits of known spells, thus your potential is infinite. That, in turn, means a much easier path to fall into ruin.¡±


    Sam bowed his head a little but stayed silent.


    ¡°Your mistake, such as, was that you wanted to create a spell that used all aspects of those three. However, you simply need to select the aspect first, then channel the mana.¡±


    ¡°So, designated first then shape?¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡±


    ¡°Wind can cut, smash, explode, suck, blow, caress, lift, slam and many other things. You only need one of them.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I was just mashing together the three mana types, then trying to select what I wanted to do¡­¡± Sam spoke as realization filled him.


    ¡°Indeed. Common error amongst those who cast magic on instinct. They seem stronger at first as they rely on their talent and instinct but there is always a point when the technical knowledge comes in where they falter,¡± the older mage explained in an even tone, as he used a few illusions to illustrate his words. ¡°Now, how about an example? You use wind for cutting, that is one aspect. Let¡¯s reinforce it with Shadow. What aspect would be a nice match to a cutting aspect?¡±


    Sam frowned in thought before hesitantly answering. ¡°Stealth, I suppose? But I had combined the two of them, and there weren¡¯t any effects aside from mixing the types.¡±


    His teacher nodded. ¡°That¡¯s where the aspect selection comes in.¡± The man thought about it for a moment before continuing. ¡°It¡¯s like throwing a finished cocktail at the enemy. You simply mixed two or more cocktails and threw them at your enemy. This time you are starting with the ingredients.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    After that, he turned around, raised a hand, and began concentrating. First calling up his mana, then turning it into wind energy, focusing on the cutting aspect. Then, as the magic began to coalesce in front of him, he changed tracks and summoned Shadow Mana, this time focusing on the hiding aspect. Instantly, the dark color of the Shadow magic began to turn transparent. Feeling that it was ready he let it go.


    An almost transparent buzz-saw of energy flew off and cleaved one of the targets in two.


    His teacher tsked upon seeing the results. ¡°Good start, but the second aspect didn¡¯t take hold. Do it again.¡±


    **


    So, he did it again. And again. And again, until his teacher was finally satisfied.


    The last spell that he shot off was a blade of transparent air, silent as an owl¡¯s flight, cutting through the target silently, not even creating dust as the spell went through the wooden item.


    His teacher then spoke up again. ¡°Good. Now the next step would be to integrate the third type, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Which aspect should I use?¡±


    ¡°Well, which one do you think would fit the Wind Blade spell?¡± came the expected question with a look.


    Sam frowned and began to think out loud.


    ¡°Clean is clean, it means to remove dirt or other contaminants¡­¡±


    ¡°Continue.¡±


    ¡°However, it can also remove magic too¡­¡± he spoke as an idea appeared in his mind.


    ¡°Very good. Here is your target.¡±


    Then another wooden target appeared this one with a shimmering magical shield covering it. Just to be sure, he fired off his stealthy Wind Blade and it splashed harmlessly against it. He rolled up his shirt sleeves and began to focus.


    <hr>


    Once again, after who knows how many times, the newly mixed magical blade spell splashed against the magical shield and cleaved through it and then the target.


    ¡°YES!¡± he exclaimed happily.


    His teacher let out a slow clap. ¡°Well done. That¡¯s the basics of the next steps for your brand of¡­ magic,¡± he explained. ¡°From here, the options are limitless.¡±


    Sam bowed deeply. ¡°Thank you, sir, for your advice.¡±


    ¡°You are most welcome. Don¡¯t forget that sometimes what we all need is an outside perspective¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember it¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Sometime later, he was back in their still nameless town, in one of the hidden training fields, playing around with his magic. The solution was simply that he was still kicking himself for not realizing it.


    ¡°Ugh, I was so stupid¡­ Well, at least it was money well-ish spent¡­¡± he mused quietly as he fired off invisible and soundless blades of magical blades that erased magic (at least low-level ones). ¡°And now comes the fun part!¡± he declared joyously.


    He stood there for a moment, taking a few calming and focusing breaths before summoning up his wind mana, gathering it into a bundle of energy in a slight tube shape, then he summoned a tendril of Clean attributed mana and gently mixed the two together, focusing on the erasing aspect. Instantly, he felt a large amount of mana go with it, as it apparently cost a lot to add that type of aspect. Then he summoned two tendrils of shadow mana, one focused on the whole lack of light, nothingness aspect, the other on the absorbing aspect, strengthening the erasing aspect hopefully. Finally, a last tendril of earth mana into his legs to increase his stability.


    For a long moment, he held the amalgamation of mana and aspect, then let it go.


    BZZZZT¡­.WUMMMH


    One giant fuck-off laser (at least something that looked like a laser beam) later, he stood proudly before a giant furrow in the ground ¨C the walls were uniformly smooth as if somebody used an incredibly sharp knife to cut out part of the world - while a large chunk of mana was already regeneration. Ignoring the notifications going off, he simply began to dance happily.


    ¡°Hell yes!¡±

 Chapter 263

    Half an hour later, Sam found himself in the middle of the training field, with the entire area a mess. After the first laser, he tried to shape the new energy in all sorts of shapes, starting from cubes to cylinders, pyramids, and everything in between. The ground of the training field looked like it was missing a lot of dirt, with the holes having rather eclectic shapes.


    As he looked around, he thought that it looked like somebody found the shape delete function in their 3D editing software and went a little too trigger-happy.


    All in all, he was very proud of what he had made. It wasn¡¯t something that the other Sam had seen in his lifetime, and the man spent an inordinate time watching all sorts of duels, fights, and battles on the internet to hopefully glean some kind of information that would propel him upward in the power charts.


    With short but precise motions of his feet, a small bump of ground rose behind him, quickly transforming into an approximation of a chair, and he fell backward, relaxed.


    ¡®I really should have done this a long time ago¡­¡¯ he mused as he took a deep breath and brought up his system screen.


    During this whole debacle in Sunspot, then the lessons at the Mage Tower, and finally his ¡®self-expression¡¯ here at the training field he made sure to keep it away as he wanted to see the entire thing together.


    [You have over a hundred notifications!]


    [Expand?]


    He rubbed his hands together in anticipation and clicked on the expand button.


    Instantly, dozens of different screens exploded, and moved around in his vision, then they merged, separated, disappeared, reappeared, and mixed with all new ones. It was as if the system was doing the entire calculation for his gains in real time, or at least showing him how convoluted it had been.


    It took around five minutes before the system settled down and he could finally start reading the things it was showing him.


    [You participated in a divine ritual! You receive +1 LUK!]


    [You have leveled up!]


    [You are now Level 104!]


    [Gained 6 unassigned attribute points!]


    [Thanks to your protective actions, you gained +2 END, +1 DEX!]


    With his first action, he quickly assigned five to Vitality to bring it above 40 and one more to Perception. Then he continued to read.


    [You have received several skill level-ups, however, a new action has invalidated these!]


    [You managed to recreate magic thought to be lost!]


    [You gained the title, True Magician!]


    [True Magician: You discovered something that has been lost, but instead of creating a theoretical model, you actually managed to cast the magic. Increases damage with mana-based skills by 1% and decreases mana cost universally by 1%.]


    [You discovered the concept of Nothingness. It is not the absence of everything, but the immutable nature of the universe.]


    [Nothingness, or Void, is about absence, but paradoxically also contains everything that makes up the universe. You tapped into a small part of this duality and managed to make it your own.]


    Sam had to blink reading that sentence. It kind of made sense, but honestly, he had no idea what the hell the system was talking about. He kind of felt that it was a quest hook, but he had no idea how to activate it. Even then, the changes he expected from it made him rather excited.


    The title already was something that not many people could achieve. For once, he had some knowledge about this. It was one of those important titles that was actually limited in how many people could get them. One of the ways to get it was how he did it. That is, to discover a forgotten or new type of magic, or to master an already known magic in a new way. Seeing that the number of magic types was limited, thus the number of titles that could be gained was also limited.


    There were rumors in the other Sam¡¯s life that one particular mage managed to get the title twice, but nobody could prove it and the person never talked about it.


    [You are granted the skills Void Manipulation, Void Affinity, and Void Soul!]


    [Void Manipulation has absorbed Wind Mana Manipulation, and all associated skills, Shadow of the Dragon and all associated skills, Advanced Clean I, and all associated skills.]


    [Void Affinity has absorbed Greater Wind Affinity, Greater Shadow Affinity, and Cleaning Affinity.]


    [Void Soul has absorbed Mana Infused Body, Pure Body, Basic Elemental Resistance, and Shadow Resistance.]


    [The absorbed skills all increase the initial level of the new skills.]


    Sam let out a shaky breath with a small smile. This would actually make his life much easier. He would only need to focus on a few skills to grow, instead of a dozen. Plus, with the changes, his enemies ¨C whose exact numbers he rather didn¡¯t want to know ¨C who were all preparing for Shadow and Wind mana, would be in for a big surprise.


    Curious, he opened the skills and began to read.


    [Void Manipulation: Level 13 (0%) (Active/Passive) You managed to manipulate nothing and everything at once. You made nothing out of something while using nothing made out of something.


    This allows you to manipulate the void or one of its constituents separately. Gain a 1% increase in damage and cast speed for each level in the skill for void and basic elemental spells and skills. Decrease mana cost by 1% for each level in the skill for void and basic elemental spells and skills. Basic elements include Shadow-type mana.


    With knowledge comes understanding, and with understanding comes power. Gain 0,2% True Damage for each skill level.


    Activating the spell, you can do the following:


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Shape Void: Shape the void into the desired aspect and unleash it.


    Absorb Void: Use the void to absorb material or energy.


    All the absorbed skills and subskills¡¯ passive effects are also absorbed and incorporated into this skill.]


    It was a rather long skill with an even longer expandable list for the absorbed skills and subskills, but to his happiness, it was a completed skill!


    [Void Affinity: Level 14 (0%) (Passive) You touched upon the concept of Nothingness and it, in turn, touched you. Decreases mana cost by 1% for each level in the skill for basic elemental and void spells and skills.


    Grants you a limited affinity to all the basic elements that you hadn¡¯t had before acquiring this skill, set at Level 30, which cannot be increased. The cost of those basic elemental spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level (15%).


    Wind, Shadow, and Clean affinity have been set to Level 100, but cannot be increased further. The cost of clean-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level (50%). The cost of wind and shadow-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 1% for each skill level (100%). Their damage is also increased by 0,5% for each skill level (50%).


    The burden of containing nothingness has increased the difficulty of molding mana. Increased mana cost by 1% per skill level and 0,2% per personal level.


    All the absorbed skills and subskills¡¯ passive effects are also absorbed and incorporated into this skill.]


    It really simplified his skill tree with these consolidations. Although he never expected to acquire this type of mana, he was pretty happy. He doubted any of his enemies would be able to make sense of it. Plus, he still could use his previous spells, so he could be all sneaky and tactical instead of going all in with it. The increased mana cost was a little bothersome, but the rest of his skills compensated for it.


    [Void Soul: Level 21 (0%) (Passive) The void has touched your body, irrevocably altering it. It may feel as if nothing changed, but rest assured, everything is different.


    The void has fused with your body, filling the emptiness with nothingness.


    Gives a flat increase of +15 to STR, AGI, END, and +1 to LUCK.


    Any incoming skill or spell that would negatively affect your body is decreased by 1,5% per skill level.


    For every 100 Mana Points, it grants you 5 Base Health Gains.


    For every skill level, it increases Health Regeneration by 0,5.


    For every 200 Health Points, it grants you +1 Stamina Regeneration.


    The void permeating your body grants you resistance against the basic elements, setting the skill level to Level 100. Your resistance against the basic elements, including shadows is increased by 1% by each skill level (100%).


    The skill further grants a flat 10% defense against True Damage.]


    Now Sam was really surprised. Defense against True Damage? Something that went through all defenses? That sounded awesome. Sadly, it was only a flat increase, but well, a few minutes ago, he didn¡¯t even know it was possible.


    He spent almost half an hour just reading and rereading his new skills, trying to slot the new knowledge into his brain and recalibrating his goals and strategies. Sam also took the time to rearrange his menu screens a little. He had a feeling that not many people would like the absorbing aspect of his new magic.


    ¡®I wonder if that mage in the Tower knew what was going to happen?¡¯ he mused absently as he began to quickly go over the rest of the notifications.


    [Perfect Mana Core is now Level 20!]


    [Mana Scales is now Level 139!]


    [Mana Weaving is now Level 19!]


    [Mana Body Infusion is now Level 15!]


    [Mana Architecture is now Level 38!]


    [Battle Meditation is now Level 89!]


    [Illusionary Stealth is now Level 8!]


    [Field Healer is now Level 6!]


    [Adamant Spirit Link is now Level 14!]


    [Spirit Protection is now Level 46!]


    [The Way of the Forerunner is now Level 52!]


    [Thanks to surviving many things that you shouldn¡¯t been able to, you gain the Death Clarity subskill!]


    [Death Clarity: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) When close to death¡¯s door, your mind is sharpened and everything around you slows down. This effect lasts for a minute or until you die.]


    [Physical and Magical Resistance is now Level 10!]


    [Corruption Resistance is now Level 47!]


    [Blood Magic Resistance is now Level 45!]


    [Adaptive Coordination is now Level 66!]


    [Combinatorics is now Level 5!]


    [Lightbulb Moment is now Level 5!]


    [Master Runecarver is now Level 23!]


    Altogether a very nice haul for a few days of backbreaking, mindboggling adventure that almost fried his brain.


    He was standing up and getting ready to leave when he heard a strangled scream.


    Turning around, he saw Lara staring at the once pristine training field with wide eyes.


    ¡°What the hell happened to my training field?¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡± Sam cursed under his breath while standing up and smiling at his friend.


    As Lara¡¯s wide eyes, which were transitioning from surprise into anger, landed on him, his own eyes widened and he looked behind the woman and pointed.


    ¡°Dear god! Is that Dan, half naked, wrestling with a bear?¡±


    In Lara¡¯s defense, she only turned halfway before she realized the ruse, but Sam was already too far away.


    Though, he still heard the threats to his body and dignity¡­


    <hr>


    Arriving back in the city, he was about to head to his Master¡¯s workshop to see how the gate project was going and maybe indulge in some revenge plotting for that asshole back in Sunspot when his messenger began to ring.


    He picked it up immediately when he saw who was calling.


    On the screen that appeared, he saw Dan and behind him Katie and Isabella as they were harvesting some kind of monster.


    ¡°Sup?¡±


    ¡°Found this,¡± came the report as he held up some kind of totem, holding it carefully with some kind of cloth. Made sense as the totem¡¯s eyes were constantly leaking something that looked suspiciously like blood.


    ¡°Where?¡±


    Instantly, Dan held up a map where his location was marked.


    ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s over the border, but not by much. That¡¯s the first you guys found?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Called you the moment we killed the monster guarding it. What do you want us to do with it?¡±


    Sam spent a few moments thinking, idly rubbing his chin. ¡°You guys remember the cleansing ritual?¡±


    Dan nodded as he held the totem as far away from himself as possible. ¡°Yeah. Want us to perform it on the totem?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I want to see what happens,¡± Sam replied. ¡°if nothing, then just burn it, and the surrounding area. Then go around and see if you can find any more of them.¡±


    ¡°Got it, boss!¡± Dan answered with an awkward salute, almost touching the totem to his temple before the screen vanished.


    ¡®Hmm¡­ I wonder, were those put there before I did my thing, or after¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    An hour later, as he was sitting in one of the already functioning caf¨¦s, going over some general paperwork for the town, the notification of a call appeared again.


    As he accepted it, instead of Dan or the girls, he saw a small meadow filled with luscious green grass and a bevy of beautiful flowers, all with vivid red petals shining under the sun.


    Dan simply gestured at it, his muscular arms appearing on the screen.


    ¡°This is what happened¡­ The girls already took samples,¡± he reported rather professionally. ¡°Do you want us to keep going?¡±


    Sam grinned. ¡°Hell yes! Make sure to find as many of those things as possible. Also, make sure to update Adam about their positions.¡±


    ¡°Got it! Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Out of curiosity, what did those totems do?¡± he asked.


    The screen spun around a little and once again he was face to face with Dan, who just shrugged.


    ¡°Not much. Gave local wildlife a healthy amount of bloodlust and some increased strength, but I suspect we caught it early. If it was left on its own¡­¡±


    Sam grimaced. ¡°Yeah, probably a monster invasion¡­¡±


    Dan nodded in agreement. ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡±


    Sam thought for a moment before asking. ¡°Hey, is Hawky able to fly back here?¡±


    Dan thought about it for a moment before nodding. ¡°You want the samples?¡±


    ¡°Mostly the blood from the totems. I want to see if I can sense them¡­¡±


    Dan grinned and gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Those bloody assholes won¡¯t know what hit them when they show their face!¡±

 Chapter 264

    Finally acquiring his most powerful spells and magic, Sam felt it was time to take a little breather and do some housekeeping tasks.


    The first thing he did was to go to one of the guild¡¯s warehouses and unload some ungodly amount of junk from his inventory, sorting out things that had no more uses, were obsolete, or simply worthless.


    He also made sure to stock up on the potions he had used, as well as the few items the guild had in storage. Sadly, most of the one-time-use items he used in his latest escapade were rare enough that he would need to wait for them to come up in the Auction House where the guild representative would then buy them.


    Making a quick stop at the blacksmith and armorer, he also had his equipment inspected and repaired, including his trusty sword, Moonlight.


    ¡°Well, boss, I have good news and bad news for ya!¡± came from the rough-looking man who was covered in soot and who knows what as he turned around the sword in his hand, testing the edge, balance, and who knows what.


    Sam let out a sigh.


    ¡°Lay it on me¡­¡±


    ¡°The sword is, well was, awesome¡­ Not anymore,¡± came the harsh answer. ¡°I can repair it, but from what I¡¯m seein¡¯ the enchantment is almost finished. A few more uses with your¡­uh¡­skill level and it¡¯s going to shatter,¡± the man answered.


    Sam nodded, expecting as much. ¡°Very well, then please pretty it up as much as possible¡­¡±


    ¡°Mantle piece?¡±


    ¡°Why not? It served me well¡­¡±


    ¡°You got it, boss!¡±


    <hr>


    The fact that his poor Moonlight had reached the end of its life had caused a little derail in his plans to relax and just faff around.


    The downside of Magic Unbound¡¯s equipment system. No gear treadmill, however, finding the perfect weapon for your style of play is much, much harder.


    He knew the location of a few famous swords, but when he looked them up, most of them were either in the hands of their ¡®original¡¯ users, or still being fought over. He had enough enemies already, he didn¡¯t want to add even more, even if some of those swords were rather tempting.


    Though he didn¡¯t know how his new magic would function with them¡­


    ¡®Let¡¯s see if I can find some inspiration, if not, then let¡¯s go for a low-hanging fruit¡­¡¯ he mused as he took off toward the Auction House.


    Entering the always crowded building, he was happy to see that he couldn¡¯t see lines of people hanging around just to sell their services. If his memory served well, then it was around this time that people began to realize that they could capitalize on simply being able to play the game. However, thankfully, some rule changes in the game¡¯s TOS and actual laws being presented in multiple countries made people rethink their choices. Sadly, from what he had seen on Shadowland and heard from both Tim and Lucy, that didn¡¯t mean that it wasn¡¯t happening. It simply meant that people weren¡¯t doing it in the open.


    They had already discussed and made sure to watch out for any of that happening in their territories. Sam didn¡¯t know how successful that would be as most of those transactions happened outside of the game, but there were still some ¡®special¡¯ individuals who delighted in creating elaborate fleshmarkets.


    He was aiming for those kinds of perverts. The guild even had a standing bounty for anyone who had actionable information about these kinds of practices.


    Sam knew that these actions were akin to taking a glass and using it to get rid of water while the boat was sinking, but he couldn¡¯t do nothing.


    For now, he would be going through the endless mire of the Auction House and seeing if he could spot something worthwhile. He wasn¡¯t really hoping he would find his new weapon there as most enchanted weapons were almost immediately used by those who found them, or sold in private auctions.


    Hell, even Shadowlands had a well-functioning and incredibly busy marketplace where goods exchanged hands. He had a few feelers out, but so far nothing of worth had surfaced.


    Embrassingly, it was mostly his fault. Swords were already one of the most popular weapons ¨C not just in Magic Unbound but in other games as well ¨C and with his actions, which were broadcasted by the company to all sundry, it got even more popular. Even as he walked down the street toward the Auction House, he could see at least dozens of people, dressed as he did ¨C in light armor, cloak and sword at their side ¨C with a few of them even having wind and shadows swirling around them in some effort to seem more mysterious (or powerful)¡­


    Any semi-powerful sword was bought almost immediately it was put up for auction. Hell, from what he read on the forums, there were even blacksmiths dedicated to producing imitation copies of his Moonlight to sell to collectors, fans, stans and even stalkers. Lucy had delighted in showing him the dark side of the internet¡­ Rule 34 descended space, time and even dimensions¡­


    Shuddering slightly and once again happy that Lucky didn¡¯t know what the internet was, he wrenched his mind back from the horrible abyss and refocused on the task at hand.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Which was browsing the endless deluge of delusional people¡¯s items. Thankfully, due to his standing in the city, he was afforded a private area where he could do this and he didn¡¯t have to join the throngs of people shouting each other. He could even order catering service¡­


    The first few minutes were spent going over the skill book lists, seeing if he could find anything that would catch his interest. He mostly looked for stealth-related skills and maybe illusions, those seemed to be rather useful so far. Sadly, as with every game ever made, the most useful skills were rather obvious, were purchased immediately, and the auction house was filled up with fire bolts, mana slash, and other equally useful skills.


    As he browsed the list, he watched as new listings appeared only to scramble around when he saw one lone book appear. Almost punching through the virtual screen, he clicked on the Buy Out option, not even looking at the amount it was set at. It was only when the confirmation for the purchase came did he calm down and glance at the price.


    ¡®Not bad¡­ They didn¡¯t know the actual value but suspected it was worth something¡­¡¯ he thought as he waited for one of the staff to deliver his prize.


    A few minutes later he was a proud owner of a new skill book. It was thin, with gold filigree and the cover was covered by a shield and a sword over each other.


    Tapping it quickly, he absorbed the new skill.


    [Congratulations! You acquired the Armory skill!]


    [Armory: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your mastery over mana allows you to passively take care of your equipment. When not worn, your equipment gets slowly repaired. This time varies depending on the material it is made of.]


    It was one of those ubiquitous skills that was a must-have skill in the future. It simply granted a passive repair effect to the inventory. Granted, the higher the quality of the item was, the weaker this effect was, but over a long time it saved a lot of money. Plus, during a long fracture dive it could be a life saver. Just change into your backup equipment and let the main one regenerate a little.


    Unfortunately, it was one of those, very rare random drops. It had no drop patterns (even in the future guilds couldn¡¯t find one) and players had to depend on the Auction House or a guild who had enough numbers to invalidate this very rare drop chance.


    Honestly, he didn¡¯t even plan to go after it. If it dropped then he would have been happy, but it was such a random skill that it wasn¡¯t worth the effort. But now, he managed to get it on the cheap, even!


    Hurray, for clueless people!


    Suspecting that his luck was used up, he turned his attention to the weapons category.


    As he expected, it was filled with trash, copies of famous weapons used by streamers or high-level players like him, or very situational ones. There were even a few very amateurish copies of Liz¡¯s weapons, though they were clearly much, much lower quality than their crystal crafter genius¡¯s.


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s time to start on that too?¡¯ he mused while chuckling at the ridiculous attempts. Though how fast they were purchased, he suspected, most people didn¡¯t care for their quality. ¡®Magic guns are cool. That¡¯s a fact¡­¡¯


    So far, he mostly told Liz to sit on her inventions and they ¨C as in the guild ¨C only used those which were designed for utility. Thanks to that, the entire Heavenly Forest, and to a lesser extent their guild buildings, were providing such a high-quality service, that several NPC nobles approached the guild to have the same things installed in their manors.


    Thankfully, Lucy managed to fend them off by telling them that they were still working out the kinks and wanted to provide a much higher-level experience for people like them. Meanwhile, Liz was helping to set up their new town.


    Frowning, he brought up his messenger and called Lara. She picked up in seconds.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, boss?¡±


    ¡°Have you decided on the name for the town?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Ferabor,¡± came the quick reply causing Sam to blink in surprise.


    ¡°Did I miss a meeting?¡±


    Lara just chuckled. ¡°Lucy told me that I was building it so I get to name it. So a few days ago, Dan and I spent the afternoon throwing names at the wall.¡±


    ¡°Well, alright. Thanks!¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    He terminated the call and nodded to himself. ¡®One less thing to worry about¡­¡¯


    Sadly, while those things were going swimmingly, the Auction House refused to provide him with anything worthwhile.


    Letting out a huff of exasperation, he made a list ot items and products that would soon become useful if the war really started and sent them over to Lucy. He instantly received a ¡®Duh!¡¯ answer, causing him to smile wryly.


    ¡®Nice to work with competent people¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    In the end, his leisure time ended up netting him one marginally useful but rare skill book, enough money to make a lot of people jealous and not much else. A little disappointed as he logged out for the day, Sam planned to get something fancy for dinner, when his phone rang.


    Casting it to the big screen, when he saw the caller, he sat down on the sofa and faced the camera.


    ¡°Hey, Katie!¡± he greeted the younger woman.


    She was wearing leisure clothes (though Sam suspected they were still the most expensive variety), her hair done in an elegant bun and worry on her face.


    ¡°What did your father do again?¡± he asked with a deep sigh.


    Her eyes widened. ¡°What? What do you mean? How do you know? Did he do something?¡± she asked in a rapid-fire way, her eyes darting everywhere.


    Sam just chuckled. ¡°You had the same face the last time we talked about him, so I took a guess¡­¡±


    Katie opened her mouth and then closed it with a small clicking sound. Nodding she frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t like what he did,¡± she declared while crossing her arm.


    ¡°You never like what he does¡­¡± he commented idly while wondering what her friend¡¯s father decided to do now¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s true! But this takes the cake!¡± she exclaimed pointing her finger toward the heavens.


    ¡°That is¡­?¡± he asked leadingly.


    ¡°Oh, right. He invited you for a luncheon.¡±


    ¡°A luncheon?¡±


    ¡°Uh-uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Your father? Who hates me?¡±


    ¡°Surprised me as well¡­ Came out of left field¡­¡± Katie admitted in a rather confused fashion, which Sam mirrored.


    ¡°Any idea why he wants to talk with me?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t the foggiest, boss.¡±


    ¡°Alright, send over the details and tell him I¡¯m going to attend.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s not as if he could hate more, right?¡±


    Katie let out a giggle that sounded a touch eccentric when hearing that.


    ¡°Knowing you, boss, you would be able to achieve that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the vote of confidence¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± chirped Katie, her previous worry forgotten. ¡°Anyway, while you¡¯re here I wanted to tell you about my epic battle with gigantic beetle! It was super awesome and gory!¡±


    Sam nodded, leaned back into his sofa and motioned for Katie to start.


    She took a deep breath and began to weave her tale with great arm movements and sound effects.


    ¡°So there we were, in the middle of the forest. Dan was all fire and whoosh, the cow was going oh, noooo my hair and my nail, and I was like whiirrrr¡­¡±

 Chapter 265

    ¡°Well, what do you guys think?¡± Sam asked the two women seated across from him in his living room.


    Lucy looked serious, going over her notes as well as doing some kind of search on his tablet, while Lara was leaning back elegantly on the sofa and sipping from a to-go cup. He had called them over after finishing his riveting call with Katie. Lucy for her knowledge about their business and Lara for her knowledge about the people like Katie¡¯s father.


    ¡°It could be anything. Threatening you, bribing you, trying to buy out your company or I don¡¯t know!¡± Lucy exclaimed, pulling at her hair with her free hand.


    Sam nodded. ¡°So far, he was firmly in the enemy category. Could it be that something changed?¡± he offered his own thoughts on the issue.


    Lara took a slow sip before speaking up.


    ¡°People like Maximilian Stelborn usually are very fast with changing how they approach things. If one way doesn¡¯t work, then they will take another route. You handed him defeat after defeat and his guild is middling at best. He knows he is not doing well. So, either he doubles down and does something drastic or pivots,¡± she explained matter-of-factly.


    Sam only had one question. ¡°His name is Maximilian? Could he be even more stereotypically evil rich person?¡±


    Lara just snorted. ¡°He is not evil. Just a businessman. Or should I call you evil?¡±


    ¡°With the way he likes to torture me with his odd choices, I feel evil is such a weak word to describe him¡­¡± Lucy muttered, still looking at her tablet.


    Lara laughed a little and raised her cup at Sam. ¡°Well, then here is to our evil overlord!¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sam replied wryly. ¡°So, you think this is him realizing that his usual modus operandi is not working and is trying to¡­what? Join me? Have me lead his guild?¡± he asked a little confused.


    For once, his knowledge of tropes left him unable to parse the objective of this meeting.


    Lara tapped a finger to her lips for a few seconds, thinking before replying. ¡°I think¡­ you should go to this meeting with an open mind. Treat him like a businessman and not someone you have been humiliating for the last few months.¡±


    Liz chose the moment to chime in. ¡°Since Katie¡¯s brother left the Steel Lions, their share of the area they control has been going down steadily.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that because we made sure to fuck with them?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but it started when David left the guild and then joined ours.¡±


    ¡°What a coincidence¡­¡± Sam said mysteriously.


    ¡°Sam. You told me to do it.¡±


    ¡°Shhh! It was a mysterious coincidence and let¡¯s go with that¡­¡±


    Lucy let out an exasperated huff before continuing.


    ¡°ANYWAY! Looking purely from an economic perspective, Steel Lions are soon going to be relegated to the second-tier list.¡±


    ¡°Their position in Deep Anchor is so unsure?¡±


    ¡°With your meddling they have never been that stable to begin with, but nowadays there are several other guilds who want to be the big boys around there¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyone worth mentioning?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Nah, most of them realize that we are the biggest around and have already sent messengers over to make a deal.¡±


    ¡°Really? They just send over somebody? What for?¡± Lara asked curiously.


    ¡°Mostly a pile of gifts so as not to grief them¡­¡± Lucy explained.


    Lara just let out a small sound of understanding while Sam had an idea.


    ¡°Hey, Lucy¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, god. What now?¡±


    ¡°Ferabor is going to be finished soon. Set aside a few smaller plots for those friendly guilds. Then have a small private auction for them,¡± he explained with a big smile. ¡°Let¡¯s build some bridges¡­¡±


    Lucy looked at Lara with a questioning look, who, after a little thinking, nodded. ¡°Sure, we have some small plots that haven¡¯t been assigned to be sold to the big players, so we can cut them up and sell to these people.¡±


    His friend looked back at them before letting out a sigh. ¡°Fine¡­ More work for me¡­¡±


    ¡°Look on the bright side. At least you aren¡¯t going to be spending your evening with somebody called Maximilian.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad¡­¡±


    ¡°At least if he banished me to the shadow real, send somebody to rescue me¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    <hr>


    Thankfully, he didn¡¯t have to wait long before the agreed upon time for the meeting came. Dressed in some classy clothes that looked like every other fancy shirt and slacks combo, but made by a tailor recommended by Lara and cost about ten times or more, riding in a black car with tinted windows, once again thanks to Lara, he arrived at the Stelborn family mansion.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    At least one of them.


    Sprawling gardens with all sorts of flowers, bushes, and trees as far as he could see, while a small army of people and technological devices made sure that it looked pristine. The car stopped at the driveway and the driver opened the door for Sam.


    Just as he was getting out, the door flew open with the force of the chaos storm, otherwise known as Katie, while a flustered-looking servant was visible behind her.


    ¡°Sam!¡± she yelled happily and threw herself at him, wrapping him in a steel-like hug. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here!¡±


    Sam barely had the time to return the greeting before he was being dragged through the building past some very surprised staff.


    They ended up in the back garden, which looked exactly as high quality as the one at the front, but much cozier. He could see several smaller gazebos, one surprisingly occupied by Katie¡¯s brother and a woman who looked somewhat familiar to Sam, while the biggest one was filled with a grand wooden table where he could see Katie¡¯s father sitting.


    He was wearing a white shirt, perfect for the weather, and was talking to several people standing in front of him while on the table there were several screens and stacks of documents. As they went toward the gazebo ¨C well, Katie rushed, Sam basically flew after the excited girl ¨C he saw as the man dismissed those people, all of them bowing to varying degrees before departing and finally looking at them.


    The elder Stelborn¡¯s eyes twitched, but otherwise didn¡¯t react to Katie¡¯s behavior. Instead, he waited, stone-faced, as they arrived in front of him.


    ¡°Father! I brought him!¡± Katie declared joyfully as she waved her hands around Sam, who was doing his best to rearrange his clothes after that turbulent ¡®journey¡¯.


    ¡°I can see that, Katherine,¡± came the dry reply, then he turned to Sam. ¡°Welcome,¡± he greeted Sam while motioning toward the chair across from him. ¡°Please, take a seat, we have much to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sam replied, while taking the offered seat. Katie didn¡¯t wait for any invitation, she dragged over another chair and plopped down in the middle of the desk, between Sam and her father, grinning from ear to ear, obviously eagerly looking forward to the meeting.


    Her father looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end, it was just his eyes that twitched.


    The next few minutes were busy as several servants swarmed them, depositing snacks and drinks in front of them ¨C the snack pile noticeably bigger in front of Katie ¨C and serving them to everyone.


    Sam took a sip of his drink (naturally perfectly made) and spoke up, not wanting to play the usual games.


    ¡°It came as a surprise when I received your invitation,¡± he stated, looking over the rim of his cup at Maximilian.


    The man looked back, directly into Sam¡¯s eyes, and nodded. ¡°It was not an easy decision to make, but as a businessman, it is my job to make the decisions that propel the business forward. This meeting is one of those decisions.¡±


    Sam said nothing, just waited for the man to continue as they both ignored Katie ¨C delicately and with great artistry ¨C shovel snacks into her face.


    ¡°This new market, that you yourself are familiar with, has brought many challenges for us who are more familiar with more regular type of markets,¡± he continued. ¡°Initially, it seemed that while the market was eccentric, our efforts would be just as rewarding as it was in other theaters of the financial world. However, it seems, Magic Unbound has managed to thwart our, well, my plans at every turn.¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°Indeed, the game¡¯s world is quite tricky to navigate.¡±


    If it could, Sam was pretty sure, that the man¡¯s face would have looked even more sour.


    ¡°Yet, somehow, against all adversity, you managed to weather many storms that came your way. With no discernable background or connections,¡± came the even-tempered rebuttal.


    Sam just shrugged (hopefully elegantly). ¡°Some people can look at a block of marble and create breathtaking sculptures, some can mix paints into creations that awe whomever looks at it. It seems, my burden is to be good at a game.¡±


    ¡°How humble¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, if the shoe fits¡­¡±


    ¡°Quiet.¡±


    They lapsed into silence, which was broken by Katie speaking. ¡°This is such fun! My brother brings home a girlfriend and my father is finally having fun and not being annoying!¡±


    Her father looked away, still stone-faced, before returning the focus on Sam, as if what Katie did never happened.


    ¡°Thus, as a businessman, there comes a time when it¡¯s my duty to recognize a Sisyphean task and put an end to a failed¡­ project.¡±


    ¡°And this has something to do with me?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Just because the project, or rather the guild failed, doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s a lost cause. Some gains can still be gained from this loss.¡±


    ¡°You want me to buy your guild?¡±


    ¡°Not as such, no. While that would be a short-term gain for me, I recognize opportunities when they came before me. I would rather sell a portion of the guild to you, place the leadership in my son¡¯s hand, and retain a small percentage of the ownership.¡±


    ¡°What if I say no?¡± Sam asked, leaning back a little. It was one offer they had planned for, but the inclusion of David has disturbed his plans a little.


    Maximilian, like a true Maximilian, gave him a Gallic shrug. ¡°There are many people or entities out there who are looking for a foothold in the area where you operate, Mr. Lawrence. Including some rather bloodthirsty people, so I hear¡­¡±


    Sam looked into the man¡¯s eyes, trying to see how serious the threat was, only to see coldness. Either that man¡¯s way, or no way. Still, there was no need to think that the man won¡­


    ¡°Well, I can feel the love. I suppose it is time to negotiate¡­¡± he said as he leaned forward and placed his hands on the table. The man may have set up the situation in his favor, but there was no reason that Sam couldn¡¯t wring out every last cent from his pocket. ¡°What were you thinking about the shares? Ninety to ten?¡±


    The man scoffed lightly. ¡°A pedestrian attempt, Mr. Lawrence. Even my daughter is better than that¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, I suppose you have a counteroffer?¡±


    ¡°I think, a much more realistic choice is for your company to own fifty-one percent and the rest be shared between me and my son.¡±


    Sam nodded his head a little. ¡°A great starting point. How about eighty-nine to eleven?¡± he continued with a grin.


    As the other man went to answer, Katie stood up, put down her napkin and spoke up. ¡°Well, if you guys are going to have fun with that, I¡¯m going to tell David the good news!¡±


    With that she threw the chair back and rushed away, toward the distant gazebo where Sam saw David sitting, yelling rather loudly.


    ¡°DAVID! Stop snogging that poor girl and listen! I have great neeews!¡±


    Sam blinked before looking back at her father, who let out a tired sigh. ¡°Wish her mother was here, she always knew how to keep her calm and well behaved,¡± he admitted, smiling wryly at Sam. ¡°Though, since she had started playing with you and your group, her mood and behavior had improved tremendously.¡± He winced a little. ¡°There is still work to be done, but this is still improvement. Now if we could square away those issues with the Isabella girl, then I would be perfectly content.¡±


    Sam had to snort at that. ¡°She still hasn¡¯t realized?¡±


    Another long-suffering sigh. ¡°Neither of them. It¡¯s equal levels baffling and aggravating.¡±


    For a long moment, the two people, one old and one young, shared an understanding, before the moment passed and the mood of the table returned to what it was before the chaotic interruption.


    ¡°Alas, we are not here to discuss my daughter¡¯s peculiarities. We¡¯re, however, here to discuss that atrocious offer. Eleven percent is just insulting, Mr. Lawrence. You can do better than that¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, how about¡­¡±

 Chapter 266

    Negotiations ended on an even note.


    A contract was put together with the agreed upon percentages, and sent over to Lucy so that she could have their lawyers look it over. Then, to Sam¡¯s surprise, the older man spent a little time asking about Katie and how she was. Apparently, she didn¡¯t like to interact with the man too much. Sam wasn¡¯t really surprised.


    Returning home, he called up his friends for a little meeting.


    His home system lit up, and several screens appeared with Lucy, Liz, Tim, Lara, and Adam¡¯s faces on them. Though Liz looked a little uncomfortable, which was fair as usually she wasn¡¯t included in big meetings like this.


    ¡°Uhm, why am I here?¡± she asked with a confused voice.


    Sam just smiled at her. ¡°You¡¯re here because you¡¯ll be an important part of Phase 3.¡±


    She blinked in surprise but didn¡¯t say anything. Sam then turned to Lucy. ¡°I think we can begin.¡±


    Lucy looked around and nodded.


    ¡°Yes. We can begin. Introductions are not needed as I assume nobody suffered retrograde amnesia in the last week, right?¡± There was a murmur of acknowledgment before she continued. ¡°Then, we are here to discuss the acquisition of the Steel Lions, the finishing touches of Ferabor and the next phase of our company. Before we start, does anyone have anything they would like to mention or maybe some questions?¡±


    Everybody shook their heads, and Lucy nodded again. ¡°Alright, then as you all know, the owner of Steel Lions has recently reached out to us, offering the sale of their guild and associated assets.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Adam exclaimed in disbelief. ¡°They are one of the top guilds in the Emerald Kingdom!¡±


    Lucy let out an exasperated sigh and motioned toward Sam. ¡°Him.¡±


    Adam just opened his mouth but no sound came out for a few seconds before he relaxed again. ¡°Ah. That makes sense¡­¡±


    ¡°Should I feel insulted by that?¡± Sam murmured softly, however, the other still heard it.


    ¡°Yes. Yes, you should,¡± replied Lucy instantly, while Lara and Tim snickered. Even Liz was holding back the urge to laugh.


    Sam grumbled a little and motioned Lucy to continue.


    She cleared her throat and did so. ¡°Thanks to some negotiations, we managed to acquire 69% - Sam thought it was funny ¨C of the entity, with the remaining shares given to Katie, her brother and held by the original owner. Sixteen percent to David, five to Katie and the remaining ten to the previous owner. As soon as David settles in, Adam, I want you to start integrating them into our guild system.¡±


    Here Sam raised his voice and interrupted Lucy. ¡°They¡¯re mainly heavy armor and knight types, so leave them in Deepanchor and retool them into guards for merchants and defensive maneuvers. No need to reinvent the wheel. Stack them in a line, and those who chafe under put them into elite groups and send them ahead as vanguards.¡±


    Adam nodded as he scribbled down his instructions. Then he looked up from his notes. ¡°What about Farabor? That¡¯s going to be the first target.¡±


    Sam tilted his head left and right a little before making a decision. ¡°Work with David to select a few groups. The others should be positioned in key locations around the country. They¡¯re better as a static defense than rapid response.¡±


    Adam grunted in understanding and Sam sent an apologetic look at Lucy. ¡°Sorry about that¡­¡±


    Lucy nodded before continuing her own explanation. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking a look at their financial documents and doing my best to integrate that mess into ours. I¡¯m expecting around thirty percent leaving now that the original owner relinquished their ownership, but even with that the numbers are good.¡±


    ¡°What about the disruptive elements?¡± Tim interjected quietly.


    Lucy just smiled at him. It was not a nice smile. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re here, Tim.¡±


    ¡°Ah, understood. Any specific targets?¡±


    Lucy nodded seriously. ¡°Yes, David gave me a prelim list but he is going to update it after assuming control.¡±


    ¡°Cool,¡± replied Tim with a thumbs-up. ¡°That¡¯s a good starting point.¡±


    Lucy looked around again and when she saw there were no more questions she continued. ¡°With that done, let¡¯s talk about Farabor. Lara, your report?¡±


    Lara straightened in her chair and began to talk. ¡°We¡¯re in a pretty good spot. Walls are done, with only a few enchantments missing here and there. The flora defenses on the outside area are hundred percent, but the inside is still lacking greenery. The druids have been trying to get me to let them do their thing, but until the sewer system is finished, I¡¯m not letting them plant anything.¡±


    Sam furrowed his brows. ¡°Let them go in and survey, without growing anything. We don¡¯t want them as enemies.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. If they break that we can just say ¡®We told you so¡¯ and ban them until the project is finished.¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Lara gave him a thumbs-up and continued. ¡°Good idea. Then, the next are support and utility. Thanks to Liz we have full coverage with the lights and heating systems, and the underground workshops and hydroponics are operating at peak efficiency. Even if we get fully sieged, we can last with our current reserves for years.¡± As Lara spoke, Liz began to blush.


    ¡°Water treatment?¡±


    ¡°Done. Some of Liz¡¯s best work!¡± The blush on Liz¡¯s face began to cover her ears and neck, too.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Sam replied proudly, then he turned to Liz. ¡°How are the defensive measures you were building?¡± he asked with a smile, trying to put the young woman at ease.


    It was halfway successful. She started speaking, but her face was still fully red. ¡°W-well, I managed to finish the base of the Aegis system, but the NBC system is half finished.¡±


    ¡°Which half?¡±


    ¡°Biological,¡± came the prompt response.


    Sam let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Good. That¡¯s one of the most important ones. Please, continue!¡±


    She cleared her throat, noticeably less embarrassed as the topic of conversation moved onto her preferred subject. ¡°I also managed to install the railguns into the towers.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Those were railguns?¡± exclaimed Lara in surprise, her eyes growing wide. ¡°I thought they were some kind of fancy arrow cart or hwacha that Dan keeps showing me!¡±


    ¡°Umm, no. Why would I build an arrow cart? Railguns are far superior,¡± came the matter-of-fact answer from Liz.


    Lara just looked at her as if this was the first time she saw her. ¡°Wow¡­ you think you know someone¡­¡±


    Lucy cleared her throat, gathering attention back to herself. ¡°Good job, Liz. However, from now on, you and your workshop will be fully moved to Farabor.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re starting with rearmament.¡±


    ¡°YES!¡±


    <hr>


    After finishing with the long meeting, going over every minutea, Sam returned to the game with an action plan in his mind. The situation around Farabor was well in Lara¡¯s hands, Lucy was handling the economic and political side, and Adam (or at least his assistants) were dealing with the influx of newcomers.


    They had to create three sub-guilds just to accept the sheer number of people wanting to join. He took a small tour of the headquarters in Ironwood that has transformed into a pure office instead of containing training fields, vaults, and rooms for the guild members. The new vault was built under Farabor with some smaller ones at more reachable locations and the housing was taken care of by the numerous properties of the guild, including some big ones in Farabor.


    Entering the building, he was struck by the sheer number of people simply existing in the space. People were lining up to register for tests, asking for resources or simply trying to find groups to adventure with, or getting their assigned tasks. He even saw some very happy people leaving with items they got via their guild contribution points.


    ¡®Clearly Adam knows what he is doing¡­¡¯ he mused as he took this all in.


    However, as he was indulging in his people-watching, a sheer rage-induced spike of emotion shot through him as a very familiar laugh reached his ears. His body instantly went into fight-or-flight mode, leaning very heavily towards the fight aspect of the bodily response.


    As he tried to calm himself down, he felt his teeth being ground together and the anger simply growing.


    Forcefully closing his eyes, he took several calming breaths as he tried to master his own emotions.


    It took a few rounds of breathing exercises before he realized what triggered this unusual response in his body and mind.


    The laugh belonged to none other but the future ex-girlfriend of the previous owner of the body. Whose memories were tainted with betrayal, rage, frustration, and a great amount of sadness. Looking over to where the sound originated, he found her in the midst of a group of young men, all of them standing around her, vying for her attention. Apparently, his dimensional crossing didn¡¯t change much about her, she was still dressed as a mage, with a rather revealing dress that accentuated the shape of her body. Exactly what drew the original Sam to her.


    Seeing her now, with what he knew, it was exceedingly obvious what she was doing. Always going for the best target to achieve her goals, always making sure to manipulate events into her favor. Taking a discreet snapshot, he rang up Tim.


    ¡°Yes, boss?¡±


    ¡°Sending you a pic and name. Look into her,¡± he stated simply, his eyes never leaving the woman in question. She looked so young compared to his memories, less jaded, too. There wasn¡¯t any of the cold, calculating lack of feelings behind her eyes that the other Sam got used to.


    Tim frowned. ¡°Take out?¡±


    ¡°No. Just scout. Also, look into associates.¡±


    ¡°Any concrete info?¡±


    ¡°Call it gut feeling. She looks like a busy bee, if you catch my drift¡­¡±


    ¡°Flying from flower to flower¡­ Got it. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°If you find anything, then call me, please.¡±


    ¡°Will do, boss!¡±


    <hr>


    Leaving the guild building with a heavy heart, he once again returned to the wilds beyond the walls of the cities, intent on acquiring his new sword. Currently, Moonlight was in the care of Liz, who was building it a nice comfy enclosure while he borrowed one of the fancier swords from the warehouse.


    His current target was a small village in the hinterlands of the country, where he knew a very special sword was hidden away. Finding it was very easy¡­ well if you knew it was there. But most people, even those who found the hint of its existence, which was a poem of all things, wouldn¡¯t be able to pinpoint its exact location.


    The other Sam only knew about it because there was a guy who roleplayed as an archeologist in the game and spent his time deciphering odd poems, prophecies, and ancient tablets to see if he could find one.


    It was one of those video series that people loved to watch while eating lunch or taking public transport.


    But even that guy took almost two weeks to find the first clue to the location. Sam simply ¡®found¡¯ the poem in the Nowhere library, acted out that he realized something, then spent some time ¡®puzzling¡¯ it out for the system to be satisfied with him.


    Granted, at this point he was pretty sure that both the system and the devs were onto him, but as they hadn¡¯t said or done anything to him ¨C beyond a few railroading incidences ¨C he simply shrugged and did as usual.


    Though, he expected that sooner or later there would be a conversation with some people from the company, but for now he was just content with playing the game.


    He rode through the open plains, hills, and sparse forests on the back of the excited Lucky, stepping on smaller monsters and dashing past bigger ones before they even realized that there was something they could attack. Some time later they found a road and Lucky began to follow it.


    Unfortunately, almost immediately, the sound of battle reached his ears. Urging his loyal companion forward, he raised his arm, ready to unleash his new magic, while casting his senses forward.


    However, as soon as his senses reached the location of the battle, he lowered his arm and smirked. Apparently, he found a low-level battle.


    With a few simple Wind Blades, he decapitated half of the remaining goblins attacking the caravan, which allowed the players defending it to finish the rest.


    Arriving next to the caravan, he hopped off from the back of Lucky, who just stood there, almost towering over the carriage and watching the surroundings for more attackers, while Sam looked for the NPC leading the processions.


    However, before he could find them, a voice interrupted him.


    ¡°Oh, my gosh! HI!¡±


    He looked over and saw a very familiar looking young woman rushing over to him, clutching a spear, and followed by two other women.


    ¡®Huh, small world¡­¡¯ he chuckled to himself as he went to greet Clarissa¡¯s sister and her friends.

 Chapter 267

    ¡°Hello!¡± he called out to her with a smile. Clarissa¡¯s sister was the exact opposite of her. Happy go lucky and always smiling. A breath of fresh air after dealing with the always dour healer. Not that Clarissa wasn¡¯t a friend of his, but sometimes the seriousness of the healer was a little much.


    An inconsequential complaint in the face of her loyalty, trustworthiness and sheer skill, but Sam felt comfortable expressing those feelings in his mind. As far as he knew, the Future Unknown corporation hadn¡¯t developed their tech enough to actually read minds.


    Cynthia skidded to a halt in front of him and grinned. ¡°Hey, again! What¡¯cha doin¡¯ here?¡± The other two young women also stopped, one leaning on a wooden staff, while the other was sporting some hefty gloves, with metal knuckles welded onto it.


    A quick sweep of the situation showed that there were only three NPCs, the coach driver and two assistants, the rest ¨C a dozen people ¨C were all players. Aside from Cynthia and her friends, all of them were guys. Squinting a little, he looked at the guild emblem, but he didn¡¯t recognize it.


    ¡®Either a new guild or one of those who work under us¡­¡¯ he mused before returning his attention to Cynthia.


    ¡°Eh, you know¡­ Usual, killing gobbos, saving damsels and stuff like that,¡± he said with a smile.


    Cynthia grinned. ¡°Just in time, those were some fierce goblins. I think they may have overwhelmed us if it weren¡¯t for you!¡± she said and held out a fist. Sam bumped it, but before he could answer, the leader of the rest of the players walked over with a scowl.


    ¡°Cintee, who is this?¡±


    The girl turned to the guy and replied with a smile. ¡°Ah, this is my sister¡¯s friend. He is awesome!¡±


    The guy just snorted. ¡°Sure, sure. Hey, guy, next time maybe try not to killsteal, ¡®kay?¡± he asked Sam very condescendingly.


    Sam blinked then nodded. ¡°Naturally. Next time, I¡¯ll wait until you guys are dead¡­¡±


    The guy¡¯s eyes narrowed in anger, though Sam didn¡¯t know exactly why. Was it his insult or Cynthia and her friends giggling?


    ¡®I shall never know¡­¡¯


    However, before anything could develop, the owner of the carrier called. ¡°We are ready to move! Hyaa!¡± with a snap of their whip, the horse started moving and everybody scrambled to follow. Cynthia looked at him with a questioning look and he just nodded.


    She grinned as he joined the procession, protecting the carriage.


    <hr>


    They arrived at the practically nameless village without much issue. He simply trailed behind the group, keeping his eyes out for anything big that could steamroll them while letting the low-level players have fun with the aggressive goblins that really wanted to get at whatever was in the carriage.


    It was hilarious how every time those small guild guys defeated a wave of goblins, they threw some arrogant look at him as if daring him to do better than them. He did the most devastating thing he could do to them: he ignored them.


    Instead, he spent the time listening to Cynthia and her friends ¨C Dani and Anna, after a brief introduction ¨C chatter away at him. They told him about all the adventures they went on, their experience in fractures, and how they managed to get into the group protecting the carriage. Apparently, the guy promised them some runs in a fracture only he knew about.


    That surprised him a little¡­


    Thus, during one of the goblin waves, he spent some effort using his senses to see what lay ahead. Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t hard to find the fracture and some other things.


    Approaching the gate ¨C a thousand yards away ¨C the people around the carriage were already congratulating each other, as well as celebrating the success of the quest.


    Sam just smirked and nudged Cynthia.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± she asked curiously.


    Sam nodded toward the forest that looked like any other calm forest. ¡°Watch out¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± she replied confusedly, but before he could elaborate, a roar shook the area and trees began to shake.


    ¡°DEFENSIVE POSITION!¡± came from the other players while the carriage began to speed up, desperately heading for the wooden walls of the village. Not even a few seconds later, some trees fell and a giant goblin, clad in stitched together armor, burst out, roaring and swinging a giant club around, while several regular-sized goblins danced around it as it rushed toward their group.


    Sam watched as the players, Cynthia and her friends included, squared up and prepared to receive the new threat.


    ¡°Man, this is going to be funny¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°What the hell is that armor made of?¡±


    ¡°KEEP FIRING! KEEP FIRING!¡±


    ¡°It got my leg! AAAAHHHH!¡±


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    ¡°How many of these fucking goblins are there?¡±


    ¡°CHARGE!¡±


    Sam watched stone-faced as the giant goblin ¨C some goblin king variant ¨C absolutely demolish the gathered adventurers while the smaller gobbos picked off those who were too slow to react.


    Cynthia and her friends were still alive, a little worse for wear, but still alive.


    And very angry¡­


    ¡°What the hell are you waiting for?¡± Cynthia yelled over as she kept raining rather precise spear attacks on the bloated body of the enormous goblin, with little effect.


    The leader of the guild whose name Sam still didn¡¯t know just scoffed as he staggered between several smaller goblins.


    ¡°As if he could do anything against this beast if even ¨C ¡°


    WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSH


    WHAAAAAAAM


    The people blinked the spots out of their eyes as they stared at the spot where the goblins stood a moment before, Sam clapped his hands and called out to his friend¡¯s sister. ¡°Come on, Cintee. We¡¯re going on an adventure¡­¡± Then he began walking away.


    Cynthia looked at the guys who were staring open-mouthed at the soot stains, then back at Sam. Exchanging a look with her friends, she quickly hurried after him.


    Behind them, the rest of the people finally managed to speak up with a whisper.


    ¡°What the fuck was that?¡±


    ¡°Laser in the size of fuck off?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, captain obvious¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, I have been promoted. Cool!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°So¡­what exactly was that?¡± Cynthia asked, as they were hiking through the sometimes hilly, sometimes flat lands.


    ¡°The laser?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± came from Dani. ¡°It was badass!¡±


    ¡°Can we learn it?¡± asked Anna with stars in her eyes.


    ¡°What level is your Mana Control?¡±


    ¡°Seventy!¡±


    ¡°Sixty-one!¡±


    ¡°Eighty!¡±


    Sam just nodded. ¡°Come back when you upgraded the skill a few times¡­¡±


    ¡°Aw, maaan¡­¡±


    Cynthia stepped next to him. ¡°What element was it? Fire? Lightning?¡±


    Sam shook his head. ¡°Nah, I discovered a new one¡­¡±


    ¡°Should you be telling us that?¡±


    He just shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not like you guys can copy me, plus I actually trust you¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Not that we are not grateful for the lecture on mana control, but what the hell are you looking for?¡± Dani asked after another hour of simply walking and talking.


    Sam just pointed in the distance. ¡°That¡­¡±


    They all looked over, squinting as a small ruin revealed itself covered by nature, trying to reclaim what rightfully belonged to it.


    ¡°I sensed a fracture there and we¡¯re going to see what¡¯s there,¡± he stated simply while continuing to move in its direction.


    Cynthia sent him a look that eerily reminded him of her sister before letting out a sigh. ¡°Are you sure we are going to survive? We¡¯re definitely not at your level.¡±


    Sam just chuckled. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a chance¡­¡±


    <hr>


    They found the fracture portal in a small basement that didn¡¯t have any ceiling, only the remains of. The dimensional energy swirled merrily away, not bothered by the abandoned building around it. A quick survey told them that it was some kind of tower before whatever happened to it happened.


    Making sure that the party was set up properly and that the younger girls had some rest, he stepped closer to the portal.


    [Fracture: Forest Outlook]


    [An outlook built for reasons that were forgotten by beings who were consumed by the mists of history. The only thing that remains of them is this dimensional anomaly. Step in and see what secrets it may hide.


    [Time Limit: None]


    [Charges: 7/7]


    ¡°Well, that sounds fun! You girls are ready?¡±


    Cynthia and her friends let out a roar, and he reached out and touched the swirling energies.


    <hr>


    A psychedelic ride later, they found themselves exactly where they stood before entering the fracture. The only difference was that the tower was standing above them as if it had just been constructed.


    They had a few minutes to survey the scene, noting that the tower had three levels, all of them with balconies, before Anna cried out. ¡°Look!¡±


    Sam looked up at the sky and saw several monsters with wings approaching the tower.


    ¡°Well, guys, who is up for a little tower defense?¡±


    The first part was pretty boring to find his sword, but it would be a nice experience for the girls.


    ¡°Dani, you are on the ground with Anna. Try to get them down from the air. Cynthia, you can go wherever with your spear. I¡¯ll be at the top, yell if you need something.¡±


    Then he jumped up and landed on the top balcony and cracked his neck a little. ¡°Let¡¯s dance.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡®Now, this is what exactly the doctor ordered!¡¯ he thought joyfully.


    The fracture was low-level enough that he could focus on the technical aspect of his new skills while keeping an eye on his younger party members as they tried to survive the harpy assault.


    Another laser, another pair of smoking claws falling from the sky while he watched as Dani used nature magic to grab the legs of several harpies shrieking fiercely as Anna and Cynthia went to town on them.


    It didn¡¯t take long before the sky was clear of the harpies and the younger girls were sitting on the ground, surrounded by some junk loot, and panting tiredly.


    ¡°Get up, girls! The second wave is here!¡± he called out as he spotted the new harpies high in the air.


    This time some of them sported armor and weapons. Sam grinned. Apparently, the video he watched in another life didn¡¯t lie.


    Cynthia and her friends just groaned as he raised a hand, took careful aim and let go a pencil-thin beam of nothingness, erasing both the air and the head of the harpy leading the charge. Sadly, that just made the rest of the monsters even angrier.


    ¡®I wonder why they want to destroy this tower¡­¡¯ he mused. When they appeared, he looked around, but he couldn¡¯t sense anything magical aside from a few enchantments to keep vermin and pests away.


    Focusing a little, several balls of nothingness began to hover in front of him, before shooting off at the incoming monsters, each of them eliminating one of them.


    Nodding in satisfaction, he began to shape the new magic every which way, creating all sorts of shapes ¨C anything from blades of voids to a snowman hanging freely in the air ¨C and shooting them at the enemy.


    Meanwhile, the younger part of the party was cursing up a storm as they tried to dodge the newly armed harpies. Sam made sure to shoot a few of his spells into the group assaulting his friends, but otherwise he didn¡¯t want to impact their experience income. The less he helped them, the more they improved¡­


    Granted, by the end of it, they would probably hate him, but that was a sacrifice he was willing to make¡­


    Soon, the second wave was done too, and he spent a moment reviewing his experience with the new magic before making a mental list of things to try out for the next wave.


    Void magic was versatile but also rather mentally taxing to use. He barely had to expend energy, mana or mental power to fire off a wind blade while a void blade required constant focus and attention. However, while they cost much more, their power was consequently much higher.


    Knowing the talents arrayed against him, he knew he had a lot of training ahead of him.


    Thankfully, the fracture was full opportunities.


    ¡°Third wave incoming! I see fireballs!¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ can¡¯t you just¡­laser them away?¡± came the yell from the ground as they also got ready.


    Sam looked down, made eye contact with them, and exclaimed. ¡°No pain, no gain, girls!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling my sister!¡±

 Chapter 268

    After the third wave was finished, they finally had some time to look around and try to figure out the deal behind the fracture. Well, the girls were trying to guess why the harpies were attacking, but Sam knew very well. Still, he couldn¡¯t just chime in with the solution.


    ¡°Well, my mana sense hasn¡¯t found anything, so more than likely that whatever is hidden ¨C if it is hidden ¨C is concealed via physical means and not magical,¡± he explained to the younger women, whose eyes immediately lit up at that.


    ¡°There must be a hidden basement!¡± they called out together.


    Sam nodded. ¡°Could be¡­ Let¡¯s go and check before the next wave arrives.¡±


    They all got up from resting and rushed onto the tower¡¯s ground floor and began to comb over every inch of the room. Sam did it halfheartedly, already knowing what they were looking for, so it wasn¡¯t a surprise that one of the girls, Anna, was the one who called out excitedly.


    ¡°I found something!¡±


    They all went over and gathered around the excited woman as she was in the middle of prying out a loose stone from the wall. Cynthia stepped forward and used her spear to hasten the process, revealing a basic switch.


    Not even checking for traps, she immediately reached for it and pulled it. There was a surprisingly quiet grinding noise, and the floor under the stairs retreated, revealing another set of stairs leading downward.


    The group looked at each other and descended into the revealed area, with Sam in the lead.


    To the girls¡¯ disappointment, it was revealed to be only a simple storage room, protected by that lone switch of all things. Most of the items that were stored there ¨C for who knows how many years ¨C were simply dust and debris, with only a few recognizable shapes here and there.


    However, there was one thing that stood out from all the destroyed items. A weird shelf system with circular indentations on them. The shelf itself had three rows, with each row having a dozen said indentations. They were all empty, bar one.


    ¡°That¡¯s an egg¡­¡±


    ¡°A harpy queen egg,¡± Cynthia whispered as she read the tooltip that appeared before all of them.


    [Harpy Queen Egg: An egg laid by one of the harpy queens. Looks like it is in stasis.]


    ¡°Well, now we know why they were attacking with such a zeal,¡± Sam stated.


    Cynthia looked back at him with a flat look. ¡°Wow, boss, you sure are surprised¡­¡±


    Dani and Anna looked up from the egg they were examining upon hearing that, and looked at Sam with suspicious eyes.


    Sam just shrugged. ¡°I mean, what else would they be after? Chocolate?¡±


    Cynthia opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out before she closed it.


    Sam waved toward the hole in the ceiling. ¡°Let¡¯s go guys, the next wave is soon.¡±


    ¡°What about the egg?¡±


    ¡°Leave it for now. We can deal with it later¡­¡±


    <hr>


    As soon as they emerged from the hidden storage area, they heard the angry screeches of the incoming harpies.


    ¡°Position, everybody!¡± Sam yelled out and with a few acrobatic moves, he was standing on the top balcony, ready to receive the incoming monsters.


    Looking down, the girls were also ready.


    Smiling slightly, he raised his hand and began gathering his magic.


    <hr>


    ¡°Hey, boss! That was the sixth wave! Should we do anything about the egg?¡± Cynthia asked a little worried as they finished with the wave ¨C containing harpies that used either armor and wicked sharp weapons or harpies that used wind magic to decimate the forest around them ¨C and were preparing themselves for the last one.


    ¡°We have six more tries. Let¡¯s use the first six to get you guys some experience points and then we can deal with the item in question,¡± he told her.


    Cynthia eyed him for a few moments, looking exactly like her elder sister, before letting out a sigh.


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    ¡°I do say so, and oh look! Distraction!¡± he exclaimed as a small group of harpies ¨C one of them visibly larger than the others ¨C headed toward the tower at incredible speeds.


    The boss of the fracture, a rather big harpy, wielding a wicked-looking sword and wind magic, fell on them, like a hurricane. Well, that was probably their intention, however, Sam¡¯s mastery over wind magic was much more powerful.


    Watching the giant harpy fall to the ground with a shocked look on their face as the literal wind was taken out of their sail ¨C or rather wings ¨C was hilarious. Then the girls fell on her and soon it was time to gather the spoils of the ¡®fight¡¯.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    <hr>


    They ran the entire fracture six times, gathering the rather mediocre ¨C for Sam ¨C loot as they progressed through the waves and waves of harpies.


    It was mostly materials from harpies, some other air-related ingredients, raw materials, and a bunch of wind-related spell and skill books. Sadly, those were useless for Sam, but the girls chose a few to learn, increasing their repertoire. The rest would be sold to his guild. While they were useless for him, they would be useful for the countless number of people that was employed by the AFK company.


    Aside from the bevy of materials, items, and a few lame equipment, the girls also managed to level a few times, making them rather happy.


    As they prepared for the last run, Sam looked at them one by one before speaking. ¡°Allright, this is the last one. I want you guys to do exactly as I tell you to do. If I say run, you run like the hounds of Hades are on your heels. If I say bark, you bark. Got it?¡±


    The three of them exchanged a few glances before nodding while Cynthia winked at him.


    ¡°Sure thing!¡±


    <hr>


    Thus, they began the last run of the fracture. The first three went the same way, then a little rest, making sure the egg was undisturbed, then another three waves, letting his teammates gather a little more experience points before it was time for the final act.


    Before the last boss could appear, Sam rushed down to the hidden basement, took out some basic silk gloves (always in his inventory as they were useful for all sorts of things) and picked up the Harpy Queen Egg and with equal speed rushed back to the balcony.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the girls to notice his actions.


    ¡°You guys, go back to the doorway. No fighting starting now!¡± he called down to them.


    ¡°Are you going to give it back?¡± Anna asked as she and her friends began to walk back to the tower.


    ¡°Something like that¡­¡± he answered, eyes glued to the skyline, waiting for the boss to appear.


    The secret was pretty simple. The harpies were after the egg, so give it back to them for a reward. However, if you tried to give it back in any of the early waves, the monsters would be so angry that before they could realize what they were given, they would destroy it. Thus, one had to wait for the last possible moment to do it. Then, of course, do something about communication with the harpies.


    Thankfully, he had the Allspeak¡­


    ¡®There they are¡­¡¯ he noted inwardly as the boss harpy once again appeared on the horizon, going toward the tower in a straight line.


    Sam waited until the harpy got close enough and he launched himself up in the air, boosting himself with his own wind magic. It took a moment to reach the same height as the harpy and their escorts, and as he made eye contact with the surprised monster, he exclaimed.


    ¡°Here is your egg!¡± Then he threw the egg forward.


    For a long moment, it was as if time was frozen.


    Sam hovering in the air, the harpies heading toward him at full speed, eyes filled with malice and a gasp escaping from his watching teammates at his action.


    He felt a pulse of mana from the boss harpy as it sped up, reaching desperately for the egg while throwing their sword away. Knowing he only had a few seconds, he also sped up and threw himself after the sword.


    With a little application of mana, he managed to catch it, then without looking at the item description, he did a u-turn in the air and beelined toward the tower. As his actions would cause some rather dangerous things to happen¡­


    He was barely a few yards away from the boss when the harpy finally caught the egg and there was a sound.


    CRACK


    Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t the egg. Unfortunately, it was the fracture.


    At the edges of the visible area of the fracture, rainbow-colored cracks began to appear, spreading through the air, like cracks through thin ice when somebody steps on them. All of it heading toward the portal.


    Sam used all his power to race toward the portal where the girls were waiting, hoping that he would be faster than the fracture actually fracturing due to doing something that broke the continuity of the loop.


    He basically crashed into the team, and before they could even question what the hell he had done, he grabbed them by hand and with magic and basically pulled them through the rapidly slowing down portal just as the first rainbow-colored dimensional crack reached the outer walls of the tower.


    FOOOSH


    They tumbled out of the portal just as it collapsed into a small ball, which then exploded into a fairly strong explosion, sending them tumbling even further into the ruins.


    ¡°Owowowowow¡­.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°My poor tushy¡­¡±


    The girls complained as they tried to get into a more comfortable position than the one they landed in. Poor Dani managed to land with her legs over her head and her clothing somehow twisting in such a way that he had to rip it to be able to sit up.


    Sam just looked at the sword in his hand and began to laugh.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    <hr>


    It took a few minutes, but they managed to get themselves into a presentable state and finally they all gathered around Sam, wondering what was so special about the sword.


    Truthfully, the sword wasn¡¯t exactly a legendary equipment, but its properties were exactly what Sam needed before he could go after some of the more heavily protected equipment.


    ¡°Show us! Show us!¡± Cynthia chanted excitedly while Dani and Anna stood next to her, grinning. ¡°We want to see what you got for destroying a fucking fracture. I didn¡¯t even know that was possible¡­¡±


    Dani and Anna nodded in agreement. Sam just smiled mysteriously. ¡°Everything is possible in this game if you want it hard enough¡­ Or you¡¯re good enough!¡± he finished with a cheeky grin.


    Cynthia just snorted. ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ you¡¯re definitely a cool guy! Now show us!¡±


    Sam just raised the weapon in question and shared the item description. The sword itself was a longsword, the guard shaped like wings, and the pommel ended with three claws holding a simple gray metal ball. Nothing that would suggest it was special, however, to his magical senses, it sang with purpose and power.


    [Sword of Severance: (Longsword) A sword crafted by an unknown non-human craftsman for the exact purpose of cutting things down as fast as cleanly as possible. Enchanted to stay supernaturally sharp and to never lose its edge. Further enchanted to increase the power and effectiveness of any skill used to cut that is channeled through it. The material itself guarantees that it can function as a high-quality focus.]


    The girls all had frowns on their faces.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kinda lame¡­¡±


    ¡°My staff does poison damage and increases the strength of nature magic¡­¡±


    ¡°My gloves can do lightning¡­¡±


    Sam just shook his head and raised the sword, focusing a little, he directed his mana into the sword, which began to glow with darkness and simply swung the sword toward the nearest patch of trees while inwardly marveling how smooth the action was. Sadly, much better than his trusty Moonlight.


    The girls just gaped as a crescent of void left the sword silently, then flew through the air before vanishing into the forest without making a sound.


    But before any of them could voice their thoughts, the trees began to topple at their base filling the area with the crashing sound.


    The places where the trunks were cut were unnaturally smooth.


    ¡°Still think it¡¯s lame?¡±

 Chapter 269

    They spent a few minutes oohing and ahhing over the destruction, then he hastily ran over and used his rudimentary control over the element of earth and the help of the girls to quickly plant a few new plants in the place of the destroyed ones.


    ¡®Better safe than sorry¡­¡¯ he mused as he ran next to Lucky, who was carrying the three joyously squealing girls. It wasn¡¯t fast, but the village wasn¡¯t that far either, and the puppy dog eyes the girls had were only eclipsed by Lucky, who was bribed with a spare leg of roasted chicken one of them had in their inventory. ¡®The traitor¡­¡¯ he grumbled while making sure to jump over a trunk lying on the ground.


    It didn¡¯t take a long time to reach the outskirts of the habitable area around the village, where Sam made them get off the fluffy wolf and had him vanish into his shadow amidst a lot of grumbling a whining. However, he didn¡¯t want to be even more recognizable than he already was¡­


    ¡°Sooo, what now, boss?¡± Cynthia asked as they began their leisurely walk toward the village.


    ¡°Well, you guys can do whatever. I need to head back to the city,¡± he admitted with a little frown.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°But it was so fun!¡±


    ¡°I got so many experience points!¡±


    Sam smiled at them. ¡°Listen, as much as I would like to spend time with you guys, I still have a rather absurd-sized bounty on my head. I can¡¯t just go into public willy-nilly¡­¡±


    ¡°Booo!¡± Cynthia exclaimed with a laugh. ¡°Fine, but I want to have another adventure with you. This was fun!¡±


    Sam was about to answer when sensed a rather large amount of mana suddenly materializing in the village. Letting out a sigh, he began stretching. ¡°Well, I think you¡¯ll get that adventure sooner than you expected.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    He was spared from explaining by the same guy who was so arrogant before coming out of the village gate with another person, dressed in much more impressive armor (and sporting much more impressive mana) and pointing in the direction Sam and his new team left the area. Only to blink in surprise as he spotted them.


    The other person also quickly found them and Sam saw their eyes narrow before a nasty grin appeared on their face.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a friend of yours, I assume?¡± Cynthia asked quietly.


    ¡°What makes you think that?¡± he replied idly, while also making sure that nobody was trying to encircle them. Meanwhile, the man in charge called behind him and a bunch of other players emerged from the village, wielding all sorts of weapons, looking like a bunch of hooligans from an eighties movie.


    As Sam and his friends came closer and closer to the village, they began to jeer and laugh, pointing at them and mimicking explosion sounds. Or something like that. Sam¡¯s attention was on their leader, who was one of the few who had formed Mana Core.


    ¡°My, my¡­ little old Solar, in my neck of the woods? Will wonders never cease?¡± he called out with a victorious smirk on their face. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Sam opened his mouth to answer, but the guy continued before he could even pronounce the first syllable. ¡°And don¡¯t even think you¡¯re escaping. We made sure to prepare for you! Hit it guys!¡±


    Sam wanted to point out that talking to him like that without activating whatever trap they had was rather stupid, but giving ideas to his enemies was not something he wanted to do so he stayed silent, waiting for the inevitable reveal.


    Two guys, dressed in odd armor stepped forward, escorted by two other other guys, who began to channel their magic, placing their hands on the armor both of which began to glow in different colors. One shined brightly, like the midday sun, and the other with soft yellow light.


    ¡®Ah, a shadow mana blocker and a wind mana blocker¡­¡¯ he mused as he reached out with his mana and wove a globe of protection around himself and the girls. Invisible to all, but it would give them some area to cast spells.


    Mana blockers were one of the first attempts by players to develop weapons against mages and magical defenses. But the initial cost of the artifacts was so high, they began using people to power them. Thus, their strength and functionality largely depended on the people who powered them.


    And as always Sam¡¯s luck was with him and he was clearly not confronted by the intelligence club members¡­


    After a moment of build-up, both armors let out a pulse of different colored energy, which swept through the area and ended way behind his smaller group.


    ¡°HAHAHA! Now you won¡¯t be able to use your magic! You¡¯re trapped Solar, and the money is mine!¡± came from the enemy leader.


    Sam just leaned toward Cynthia a little, hiding his mouth. ¡°I still have no idea who these guys are¡­¡±


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Cynthia also covered her mouth and began to giggle. ¡°They¡¯re the Hill Masters. Apparently, they own these hills¡­¡± she whispered back, making quotation marks when she said the word ¡®own¡¯.


    ¡°Never heard of them¡­¡±


    That caused the girls to giggle more.


    Experimentally, he flexed his mana and cast a little gust of wind ¨C invisible, but enough to test the effect of the block ¨C and sent it into the area not covered by his own shield. The moment the first part of the spell entered into the area covered by the effect it dispersed into the environment. Granted, Sam wasn¡¯t holding it too hard, but it was still impressive.


    Another probe with his mana told him that he could probably break it with a few pokes here and there.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re here for the bounty?¡± he asked out loud.


    The guy just laughed. ¡°Who isn¡¯t, dude? You¡¯re worth more than the building I live in¡­¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. I suppose there is no chance of convincing you to walk away?¡± he asked halfheartedly.


    The other guy just snorted. ¡°No way, dude! You¡¯re worth too much! Right, guys?¡±


    ¡°Ohraaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Hell, yeah!¡±


    ¡°FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!¡±


    Sam just shrugged. ¡°Fair enough¡­¡±


    Then, with the same motion, he raised his hands and unleashed two waves of nothingness. The wave of magic ¨C a glowing blackness ¨C spread toward the group fast enough that they only had enough time to unleash a few life-saving spells and skills before the wave consumed their teammates amid some aborted screaming.


    He kept up the spell for a few seconds, blanketing the area, separating his group from the aggressors ¨C feeling the block vanishing in the middle ¨C before stopping and letting everybody catch a breath.


    The girls next to him were gaping, while the enemy camp, what few that remained, were also a tad flabbergasted.


    Sadly, their leader was still alive, the ground around them untouched in a small circle. Probably some kind of defensive artifact¡­


    ¡°What the hell was that? We blocked both of your magic!¡±


    Sam shrugged again with a small smile. Flexing on scrubs was always fun¡­


    ¡°I upgraded¡­ Now¡­ about that fight¡­¡± he stated as he pulled his new sword out of its sheath. ¡°No hard feelings, right?¡±


    The guy chuckled a little, and Sam heard him whisper to himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m in trouble¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Anyway¡­ I¡¯m sure the village here has a few quests for you and I¡¯m also sure you can find a few fractures that you could plunder¡­¡± Sam said to the girls as they stepped through the now unblocked gates. Mostly, because he felt at least one under the village.


    The girls had the temerity to pout.


    He just raised a finger. ¡°No. Don¡¯t even try. Go do your own things and stop hanging out with an old man.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re like three years older than us.¡±


    ¡°Five-ish, but who is counting?¡±


    ¡°Bleh¡­What about the bozos? What do we do if they come back?¡±


    Sam looked at them thoughtfully for a moment before answering. ¡°Probably die valiantly. But I doubt he is going to come back. Far more likely that they will send someone more socially aware to butter you guys up for some info about me.¡±


    Dani gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re great at stonewalling. Especially Anne. She worked in the tax office during the summer as an intern.¡±


    He just laughed as Anne punched Dani in the shoulder. ¡°Nah, play with them to your heart¡¯s content. Accept whatever bribe they give you, and if you need info to drop just call Lucy. I¡¯m sure she has a few dozens of ¡®actionable information packets¡¯ ready to go just for cases like this.¡±


    They stared at him for a few seconds before Cynthia hesitantly spoke up.


    ¡°D-does this happen often?¡±


    ¡°You heard the guy. My head is worth more than some buildings. People are prepared to do a lot of things for that kind of money. I survived so far because I¡¯m usually one step ahead of them. Or Lucy is. And you met Tim, right?¡±


    ¡°The guy with the harem?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the guy with the harem.¡±


    ¡°Then, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Well, he takes care of issues while stealing all the hearts¡­¡±


    The three girls looked back at him with sparkling eyes. ¡°Wow! You guys are like super prepared. So, awesome! Our classmates can barely put together a half-functioning guild. They only managed to stay kinda relevant because one of the guys¡¯ family is rich.¡±


    ¡°Common issue,¡± Sam admitted with a chuckle. ¡°But, I think it¡¯s time for me to leave¡­ Things to do, countries to topple, you know how it is. I¡¯ll make sure you get the share of the drops.¡±


    What followed was a needlessly dramatic and theatric goodbye so emotional that some of the old ladies watching from their windows even clapped when it was finished, one of them even calling for an encore.


    <hr>


    ¡°Report!¡±


    Time leaned against the wall as Sam swept into the room and began to talk.


    ¡°She is clearly fishing. I made sure she is paired up with some other fishers, to see if anything comes up from that. Otherwise, zero issues. A few broken hearts, but¡­ we¡¯ve all been there.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, boss. Double checked. Even had Lucy look over the data.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You rarely target specific people. According to Lucy, you never talked to her¡­¡± Tim said though Sam could see the look in his eyes.


    He couldn¡¯t help but shrug. ¡°Just a bad gut feeling. She reminded me of those femme fatales from the movies.¡±


    ¡°The laugh?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Tim thought about it for a moment before nodding. ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Tim grimaced. ¡°A contact told me that the demon followers are planning on something.¡±


    Now that grabbed Sam¡¯s attention. ¡°Do you think they¡¯re in league with the blood mages?¡±


    This time it was Tim who shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t tell you. I have a vague location and some even more vague warnings thanks to an old friend.¡±


    Sam thought a little, throwing around ideas in his head before speaking up. ¡°How likely that this is a trap?¡±


    Tam actually looked pained at the thought, but he didn¡¯t fully deny it. ¡°More than zero, but less than¡­ I would say thirty percent. Granted, there is a chance that my friend fully committed to the bit, but I doubt it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ were you given a route to follow?¡±


    ¡°No. Just a coordinate. I checked, and it¡¯s in the mountains in line with Ironwood.¡±


    ¡°Bugger. And what¡¯s their plan?¡±


    Tim spread his hands out. ¡°Can¡¯t tell you that. My friend was very hush-hush about that part.¡±


    ¡°Well, the last time they tried to summon a demon, I would say, the chances of that happening are rather high.¡±


    ¡°I thought the same. Demons do love their summonings.¡±


    ¡°Do you think we need a team for this?¡±


    Tim thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°I think the two of us would be enough. In and out, like ghosts.¡±


    Sam grinned and held out his arm for high five. ¡°I like the spirit! I need to send a message then we can head over¡­¡±


    Time returned the high five, the clap echoing a little in the room, before replying. ¡°Thanks, boss. I know it¡¯s annoying that my ex-guild mates are such a trouble¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh, much better now than in the middle of a blood mage invasion. Let the others know that they should keep up the patrolling while I do my thing, and we can meet at the backdoor.¡±


    Tim saluted.


    ¡°You got it!¡±


    Sam clicked on the party invite and walked out of the room with a small wave. Nowhere would be rather happy with the new information¡­

 Chapter 270

    After they left, Sam made sure to drop off a message to Nowhere in one of the prearranged dead drops, then headed for his own room to get some updates from the others.


    Resting on his enchanted sofa with Lucky¡¯s head in his lap, he opened the messaging system and initiated a group call. Soon, he was looking at his friends¡¯ faces appearing in front of him. Lucy, Adam, and Clarissa looked tired, while the three he sent south looked energized.


    ¡°Alright, people. I¡¯m soon off on an ¡®adventure¡¯ so I need a quick update about the happenings,¡± he stated with a smile. Lucy quietly cursed under her breath while Adam just let out a sigh.


    Dan was simply there, sitting on a rock while Katie and Isabella stood behind him and made weird faces.


    ¡°Clarissa, let¡¯s start with you. How is the situation with the healers?¡±


    ¡°They''re ecstatic¡­¡± she stated in her usually flat tone. ¡°They were happy with the ritual and less happy about the cult.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°The head of the guild had to be restrained from going on a rampage. She really hates cults.¡±


    ¡°Are they going to be a problem?¡±


    Instead of Clarissa, it was Dan who answered, surprising Sam. ¡°I doubt it, boss.¡±


    Sam turned toward his screen, held back a chuckle at the girls¡¯ antics, and looked at his friend. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Fractures are popping up all around the place. Filled with all sorts of yummy blood stuff. The Church has been flocking to them.¡±


    ¡°Anything interesting?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Nah, by the time we found them, they were already there. According to them, we need special permission to enter and cleanse them.¡±


    ¡°How do you get that?¡±


    ¡°Beats me¡­ They refuse to answer the question,¡± Dan answered promptly with a frown on his face. Clearly, communicating with those communist cultists was rather vexing.


    ¡°Even with you being in the group that brought them the great news?¡± Sam asked skeptically.


    Dan sadly shook his head again. ¡°These were new. They had no idea who we were.¡±


    Sam nodded at that and turned back to Clarissa. ¡°Could you¡­?¡±


    She looked at him and Dan before nodding. ¡°Fine. I will go talk to the crazy people. Again.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Then what about the Healer Guild setting up shop in Ferabor?¡±


    ¡°They loved it. Even more when Lucy threw a half-dozen economic concessions at them,¡± Clarissa replied with a small smile finally gracing her face. ¡°Oh, and she also ¡®invented¡¯ medical insurance.¡±


    Sam looked back with eyes wide. ¡°What the hell, Lucy? I knew you¡¯re evil, but this much? How could you?¡±


    She just sent him a flat look. ¡°Oh, get lost. It¡¯s just a simple benefit package for those who are employed by us and live in the city of Ferabor.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Chills¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuck you¡­¡±


    Sam just smirked. ¡°Fine, fine¡­ make sure it¡¯s a separate company, anyone can sign up and subsidize all low-level healing and consultation up to a certain level.¡±


    Lucy just scoffed. ¡°As if I hadn¡¯t done that¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, I bow to our queen of darkness,¡± he replied with a smirk before turning to Adam. ¡°And how is the guild?¡±


    ¡°Too many people,¡± came the succinct answer from the tired giant. ¡°Even with the inclusion of the Steel Lions, Fauna Ark, and Glorious Artefacts we simply do not have the capacity to accept this many people,¡± he reported tiredly.


    ¡°Any idea how to solve it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Get more affiliate guilds. I already have a list, just needs you to look them over.¡±


    Sam nodded. ¡°Understood. Send them over and I¡¯ll take a look after I log out.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Adam answered while letting out a relieved sigh. ¡°I hate the fact that I hate how much success we are having. My administrator and guild master skills have eclipsed my fighting skills. Haven¡¯t been to a fracture in ages.¡±


    ¡°Then go and do that for a while, I¡¯m sure the guild won¡¯t collapse into a singularity while you¡¯re away for a few hours.¡±


    Adam nodded and averted his eyes from the screen, a little embarrassed.


    Then Sam turned back to the trio, who were doing their very best to depopulate the monster population between Ironwood and the south border.


    ¡°Anything to report?¡±


    Dan thought for a moment before starting to speak. ¡°We have seen an increase of other parties going around.¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Several requests went out to deal with the monsters from several cities,¡± Lucy added quickly.


    ¡°Ahh, that makes sense. They mostly ignore us and each other, but we saw some fights here and there.¡±


    ¡°Did you guys fight anyone?¡± Sam asked, half knowing the answer already.


    Dan glanced behind him before looking back at Sam. ¡°Well, some of us wanted to, but cooler heads prevailed.¡±


    Isabella leaned forward and grinned, shoving Dan aside. ¡°What he means by that is that people recognized Katie and ran in the other direction,¡± she gleefully reported while Katie just pouted behind her.


    Dan sighed. ¡°Well, yes. But I thought I would spare Katie¡¯s feelings.¡±


    ¡°What feelings?¡±


    The meeting from then on devolved to them watching as Katie tried to beat Isabella senseless over Dan¡¯s hunched head.


    Altogether a pretty good entertainment.


    <hr>


    Sam was found by Lucy as he was doing the last preparation for his new adventure. Filling up his potion reserves, stocking up auxiliary items that could be needed and making sure that his clothing was good for some stealth sections.


    She entered the room and leaned against the wall as Sam methodically went through the items that the helpful people of the guild collected for him from the warehouse and crafters. Meanwhile Lucky was on the ground and going to town on some prime meat.


    ¡°Anything else you¡¯ve planned?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not unless you have something that you hadn¡¯t shared?¡± he asked, not looking up from stuffing several miles¡¯ worth of ropes into his inventory.


    ¡°No. That¡¯s why I¡¯m worried. We¡¯re swimming in money. Our businesses are booming and even if we have copycats, people just ignore them. This is too much. Sooner or later, something is going to break¡­¡±


    Hearing that Sam looked up from his activity and frowned. ¡°We have insurance in place, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but still¡­¡± she began but Sam interrupted her.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t worry. We all have enough money in the bank to live comfortably even if we lose everything in the game. So, just play the game and try not to think about worst-case scenarios.¡±


    Finishing with his last task, he closed the inventory and as he saw that Lucky was also finished, he headed for the door. Lucy also began to walk next to him while her hands found Lucky¡¯s head who was the perfect height to receive some pats from the worried woman.


    ¡°I know that, here,¡± she said while pointing at her head, ¡°but in here it¡¯s chaos,¡± she finished while pointing at her heart.


    ¡°Well, if it helps, just blame all those things on me and it will go away.¡±


    ¡°I already blame everything on you,¡± came the quick reply. Then she smirked. ¡°Last week, my mother was telling me how her friend¡¯s business went under. I almost told her to blame you¡­¡±


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud.


    By the time they reached the area, Tim was waiting for them, both of them were chuckling and gently ribbing each other. However, as they stepped through the doorway, they were both brought up short at the scene before them.


    Tim, dressed in his assassin get-up, covered in a black cloak, was surrounded by a bevy of beautiful women, including a worried Liz in her work clothes, Clair in her maid get-up, followed by a few more maids and one new woman in mage robes who was vaguely familiar to Sam.


    All of them were fretting around Tim, worriedly making sure he had everything and that he would protect himself.


    Sam used his elbow to poke Lucy. ¡°Hey, who is the mage chick?¡± he whispered.


    ¡°Flora, the girl you saved in Sunspot.¡±


    ¡°And why is she here?¡±


    ¡°Because I told Tim to recruit her.¡±


    ¡°Why tho? I said I didn¡¯t know her¡­¡±


    Lucy blinked. ¡°Huh, I thought you were doing that mysterious thing where you pretend that you know nothing.¡±


    ¡°Well, that makes sense. But not this time. I have no idea who she is.¡±


    Lucy looked at the girl who was trying to straighten Tim¡¯s cloak, which slipped every time Liz did something to his armor, then back at Sam.


    ¡°Oops?¡±


    <hr>


    The two of them, Sam and Tim, left the building through the hidden gateway after Tim¡¯s harem spent a few more minutes crying and making him promise to come back alive while Lucy watched all of it awkwardly.


    ¡°So¡­a harem?¡± Sam finally asked as they entered the city proper. Sam was using his Chameleon mask and a single-use item to look different while Tim was blending in with his own skills, leading the way through several alleyways and narrow streets.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sam slapped him on the back. ¡°I mean I thought I had some main character energy, but boy, I do not have anything on you! How many were there? Six, seven?¡±


    Tim just looked confused. ¡°They¡¯re not my harem. They are just friends who were simply worried about me.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, yeah, seven beautiful women, crying over you. Totally what friends do. Totally.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t start it. I get it all the time from Lucy.¡± Tim spoke, his voice full of suffering. ¡°They¡¯re just my friends¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, you know how Lucy is my friend?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Did you see how much she cried and tried to touch me when we left?¡±


    ¡°I saw her trying to punch you.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    <hr>


    Tim led them through the back alleys of Ironwood, occasionally waving to some of the free-spirited children and youths that inhabited them. Sam just tried not to shiver when he saw some of them smile just a little bit too wide.


    Hell, Tim even spent a moment to pet a few stray cats that happened upon them before leading the two of them underground into long abandoned sewer tunnels which led them to the outside of the city in a weird crevasse that looked like a ruined cistern.


    ¡°Found this when exploring for a quest,¡± Tim explained, answering his unsaid question. ¡°Made sure that it stayed secret and use it sometimes to leave the city when I want to avoid attention.¡±


    Sam looked around and smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s impressive. Where to next?¡±


    Tim looked around, as if orienting himself, before checking something then pointed at one of the mountains opposite of them.


    ¡°We go that way. Then, after a while, we will need to reorient.¡±


    ¡°Coolio but before that we need to have a small talk,¡± Sam said quickly before Tim could take off running. The harem protagonist turned around with a confused look on his face.


    ¡°What about?¡±


    Sam sat down on a stray stone weathered by the weather and began to talk. ¡°This situation is going to be weird. We¡¯re going to fight your friends. And they will quickly realize that somebody betrayed them for you. It¡¯s going to get ugly.¡±


    Tim listened thoughtfully, then nodded. ¡°What do you suggest?¡±


    ¡°You stay in the shadows and let me take the blame. People already expect me to be in places that I¡¯m not supposed to be¡­¡±


    Tim opened his mouth, then closed it, and repeated it a few times, before speaking. ¡°Thank you, but it is unnecessary. The friend wanted to cut ties with them. I¡¯m sure he is using this opportunity to break his contract.¡±


    ¡°Does he want to join up?¡±


    The assassin shook his head. ¡°No. He is aware of how traitors are viewed, no matter the circumstances. From what he told me, he is taking a little break from the game and just going to focus on real life.¡±


    ¡°So, this is some final fuck you to the Silent Step?¡±


    Tim frowned. ¡°Silent Step doesn¡¯t exist anymore. We were neutral, just did jobs and didn¡¯t meddle. But now the boss is trying to do things that are antithetical to the entire concept of what we signed up for. A lot of guys are enjoying it as there is more money in it, but a lot of people did it for the joy of it.¡±


    Sam processed that before answering. ¡°So, the pivot didn¡¯t work for employee morale?¡±


    ¡°No. Plus, the hardcore assassin role players are also pretty angry¡­¡±


    ¡°Not a group you want to anger¡­¡±


    Tim shuddered a little. ¡°They can be¡­ intense¡­¡±


    "Hey, look on the bright side! At least they weren''t furries..."


    "You just think that..."


    "Oh..."

 Chapter 271 - Interlude 27.1

    ¡°Must we do this?¡± he asked ¨C and not whined as some would point out later ¨C at his girlfriend.


    Lara just smiled at him and reached up to do something with his collar. He didn¡¯t know what, and at this point, he didn¡¯t really care.


    ¡°Must? I suppose not,¡± came the response from his lovely girlfriend, who was sporting some nice-looking dress from last year¡¯s collection. According to her, that would make everybody wonder if she lost her money or if she was disinherited, thus fueling another barrage of increasingly crazy rumors.


    Dan sometimes suspected that Lara spent too much time with Sam. Funnily enough, he had no fear of her cheating, but the thought of her and Sam just getting up to¡­ shenanigans. Well, that scared him to the core.


    ¡°Look, I know you don¡¯t like going there, but I have friends there and I want to meet them,¡± she continued as she leaned down to put on her shoes, causing his eyes to wander a little. Or maybe a lot. ¡°So just relax and enjoy this small gathering. They are fresh out of school and want to show off their shiny new jobs and stuff. Hell, we could even play a game of who can spot more escorts hired to pretend to be girlfriends,¡± she finished with a saucy wink.


    Dan just let out a sigh. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why we have to go to a gathering organized by our yearmates. The school has barely been over by a few months.¡±


    Lara just shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s how it is. At least be happy I¡¯m not dragging you to my family gatherings. Those are actual torture with how boring they are¡­¡±


    ¡°And I thank you every day for that mercy,¡± he replied drily while holding out the jacket for her to slip into.


    ¡°But you know, they¡¯re going to brag about Magic Unbound stuff. And they know I¡¯m in AFK.¡±


    She looked back at him with a look that suggested he was particularly dense.


    He looked back, wondering if he had forgotten something, then he facepalmed. ¡°This is something that you and Sam planned?¡±


    She smirked at him, then turned around and opened the door to their apartment. ¡°Not really¡­¡± came the response, causing Dan to let out a relieved sigh. ¡°But I raided Lucy¡¯s stupid rumor collection.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bunch of information, data, rumors, gossip we can use to confuse people. If you¡¯re afraid that you¡¯re going to be overheard, then you can use one and see who acts on the false information. Most of it was made by Sam, so there is always a small kernel of truth. Which means that even if people know that we are blowing smoke, they will still try to go after the information,¡± she explained as they entered the lift. ¡°Pretty simple, but diabolical.¡±


    Dan just looked up at the ceiling in exasperation. ¡°How many backup plans does that man have?¡±


    Lara just patted his shoulder, then entwined her hand with his. ¡°A lot. Though, look on the bright side, honey. He is on our side. Well, we¡¯re on his side, but you know what I mean. Imagine how horrible it must be on the other side.¡±


    He let out another sigh. ¡°Based on the amount of posts on the forums, the other side is basically everyone who is not in our guild.¡±


    She laughed a little, the sound causing his heartbeat to speed up a little. ¡°Honestly, I have seen the estimation about the bounty out for his head. Sometimes, even I get tempted¡­¡±


    ¡°That much?¡±


    She stood on her tiptoes and whispered into his ears, causing his eyes to go wide. ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s a lot.¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± she smirked again, then continued. ¡°Want to collect?¡±


    Dan looked back at her as the lift door dinged and opened, trying to figure out if she was real, then he saw the sparkle in her eyes, and relaxed. ¡°Only if he keeps throwing stupid quests at me¡­¡±


    She chuckled, then as they headed toward the car that would take them to the restaurant where the gathering was going to take place, she spoke up, her voice filled with enough mischievousness that caused the small hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. ¡°Well, if you really want to do something, Lucy gave me a piece of information that she wants me to spread¡­¡±


    ¡°Do we really want to piss off Sam?¡±


    ¡°Lucy pinky swore to take the blame.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±


    ¡°Never doubted it.¡±


    They spent a few minutes getting comfortable in the hired car before the lull of the gentle vibration of the vehicle caused the both of them to let out a sigh of relief. Dan then finally mustered the courage to ask one important question.


    ¡°What does Lucy want us to share?¡±


    Lara let out a laugh as she laid her perfectly done hair on his shoulder and looked up at him with eyes shining with mirth.


    ¡°The fact that the Church of First Drop was Sam¡¯s fault¡­¡±


    Dan opened his mouth to answer, then closed it as he found nothing to say to that. A moment later he broke into laughter.


    Twenty or so minutes later, after they disembarked the car, both of them entered the restaurant in a good mood and maybe a little tousled hair.


    The people there greeted them warmly, and within minutes, both of them were greeting old friends and new acquaintances.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°How is the balance?¡±


    ¡°The church is setting up bases around the new fractures, and we managed to figure out a way to have the players think of it as a small limited-time event.¡±


    ¡°Thank the gods for that.¡±


    ¡°Thank Selene instead. Much more useful.¡±


    ¡°I will thank her when she gives up her stupid vampire idea.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°No. We all agreed that vampires are going to be a legendary rare race. Marketing agreed, legal agreed, the writers agreed, hell, even HR agreed, and they love those moody motherfuckers.¡±


    There was a small cough, and he shook his head. ¡°Sorry. I meant to say that they love those moody melodramatics.¡±


    ¡°Maybe just a little vampire? They are after all connected to blood magic.¡±


    He shook his head as he took a sip of his drink. ¡°No. This is a player-controlled event. Adding one of the moody theater rejects would just shift everyone¡¯s focus from the blood mages to it. Not good for engagement and from a gameplay perspective. Let the players figure out how to solve this issue. Much more rewarding and the hype will save us tons of money in advertisement.¡±


    The other man looked back at him and nodded before a confused look filled his face. ¡°Then why is Selene so obsessed with them?¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    He took another sip and leaned back in his chair, enjoying that for a moment he wasn¡¯t in the mission room, dealing with whatever stupid stuff the fucker managed to do, and answered the question.


    ¡°Mostly because it annoys me. But also because she genuinely likes the lore behind vampires. I¡¯ve seen her plans and concepts. Pretty great, but with how deep she went, it would work more like a standalone game. Not our focus currently¡­¡±


    ¡°Different magic?¡±


    ¡°No. Same base magic, but used in a different system.¡±


    ¡°Why not have them cross over from another dimension thanks to the fractures?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for later, you know the Festival of Thousand Worlds. I think they planned that for the third anniversary or something,¡± he replied while letting out an exasperated sigh. ¡°And with the way that fucker is fucking things up, I don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s possible anymore.¡±


    ¡°The factory?¡± came the worried question.


    He looked down into his cup, noted that it was almost empty, which sadly meant that his self-mandated rest period was almost over, then answered the two-word question.


    ¡°Yes. The math nerds are still trying to figure out the possible futures, but I just know it¡¯s going to be a cluster fuck¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you know, sir, but I read in a report that one of them was designing a spaceship.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. Thank the fuck we designed whole-ass other planets.¡±


    Before he could receive an answer to that, a device turned on and projected Selene¡¯s beautiful but mischievous form in front of them. ¡°Reporting from Fucker Observation Team Alpha! He did it again, sir!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Alright people, report! What did the fucker do again?¡± as he stormed into the mission room, the lights from the countless monitors and other devices casting a ghoulish light on his stubbled face. ¡°Did he find that thing? Or the other thing? Don¡¯t tell me he figured out the fractures?¡±


    Another person ran up to him and handed him a tablet device, filled with information and data. ¡°No, sir. It¡¯s something else¡­¡±


    The group assigned for the area where the fucker worked all watched with bated breath as their boss ¨C who was usually a tad eccentric but rather brilliant game designer but would completely lose his mind over one particular player ¨C read the collected information.


    ¡°HOW THE FUCK DID HE FIGURE THAT ONE OUT?¡±


    Nobody answered. Well, nobody with a biological body.


    Selene just giggled. ¡°As always, sheer talent and accident.¡±


    ¡°Did anyone leak the particulars for that magic?¡± he asked, rather agitated, as his grip on the tablet device tightened, and looked around with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Did you guys do it?¡±


    Selene just shook her digital head. ¡°Nobody leaked it. Security already did a sweep.¡±


    ¡°Damn. I don¡¯t know if I should feel impressed or horrified.¡±


    ¡°Well, sir, it is a rather impressive thing to achieve¡­¡±


    ¡°I decided. I¡¯m horrified,¡± he stated, then went to take a sip of his drink, only to realize that in his hurry he left the cup back in his office. Swearing slightly, he called. ¡°Somebody get me a cup of coffee ¨C none of the decaff stuff ¨C and somebody else get me the recordings. I want to see it with my own eyes!¡±


    People immediately sprang into action, handing him a freshly brewed decaf coffee that somebody made sure that it tasted like normal coffee and the main screen began playing the scene of their most watched player playing around with magic.


    However, while regular observers would have seen Sam, in the middle of the training ground focusing and looking a little constipated, the people in the missions room saw much more. They had heat maps for the local mana movements, statistics for everything and dozens of graphs providing information about the situation.


    He watched it for a while, then let out a sigh. ¡°Damn, that is impressive¡­¡±


    The people around him let out a relieved sigh, which instantly turned to horror as their boss stepped forward and raised his fist at the player¡¯s picture on the big screen.


    ¡°But I¡¯m not giving up, you hear? I am going to figure out how you are doing that you fucker!¡± he exclaimed while shaking his fist at the frozen face of Sam as he was celebrating his success with his new magic.


    Selene, behind him, turned to one of the people watching awkwardly and whispered. ¡°And he called my vampire school of magic stupid¡­¡±


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Cynthia asked her friends as they witnessed carnage beyond the knowledge of mortal men.


    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t go to their fancy secret fracture anymore, that¡¯s for sure¡­¡± Dani replied sarcastically while motioning toward where there were a few furrows in the ground, reminding them of what happened a few minutes ago.


    ¡°We could look for it?¡± Anna suggested while idly playing with her staff. ¡°I doubt it is that hidden¡­¡±


    Cynthia considered that, but before they could come to a decision they were interrupted by an NPC.


    ¡°Oh dear! Oh dear!¡± came from an older man, dressed in plain but good quality clothes as they were coming from the village. ¡°Oh dear! Oh dear!¡±


    Smelling something juicy, Cynthia called out. ¡°Excuse me, sir! What¡¯s the problem? Anything we could help with?¡±


    The man stopped, as if just noticing them, then looked them over, his eyes lingering on the nature mage in the group more than the others.


    ¡°Yes, yes! It¡¯s horrible! One of our hunters just came back with the news that the forest has been devastated! Some manner of monster has trampled a large part of it! It¡¯s our livelihood, thus I was off to hire a druid to put it back. But as I see, one of you young ladies is a nature mage, if my eyes don¡¯t deceive me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct!¡± Cynthia agreed while pushing Anna forward. ¡°She is the best!¡±


    ¡°H-hi?¡± Anna squeaked out now that she was in the spotlight.


    The NPC spent a second observing her, before nodding. ¡°Excellent! Our problems are solved! Thank the heavens for sending us this blessing!¡± he exclaimed, raising his hand upwards and closing his eyes for a moment. Then he opened them and turned to the three girls watching him with a queer look on their faces. ¡°Come with me! I will give you guys the seeds and you can take care of the forest. If you can hunt down the monster, then I shall add some extra rewards!¡±


    An hour later they stood in the exact same spot where Sam demonstrated the strength of his new sword, looking as a hunter cried a river of tears upon the sight of such devastation.


    They shared a glance, and as one, they agreed to never mention their involvement.


    <hr><hr>


    ¡°So, I will be working with you?¡± Darell asked as a woman in overalls with an entourage of tiny golems ¨C famous enough that even he had a plushie made in their image ¨C entered the room. She looked pretty, though not really one of those shake the heavens beauties, but there was enough to make him think. His mother was always after him about getting a girlfriend (and thus, a wife), it wouldn¡¯t hurt to shoot his shot with somebody who seemed to move in the same circles as him.


    She smiled at him and he returned it. ¡°Yes! Hello, my name is SummerRose, but you can call me Liz,¡±


    ¡°Well, hello Liz! Shall we get started?¡± he offered with his best approximation of a suave smile. It didn¡¯t seem to be effective as Liz just made a motion and her adorable drones spread out and began to move things around in the cavernous workshop that was given to them for this project that he still had no idea about.


    In the end, she brought a big block of something out with the help of a giant drone buzzing rather deeply and plopped it down on the middle of one of the desks.


    ¡°Tada!¡± she exclaimed while doing the jazz hands. Funnily enough, the drones did it with her.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± he asked as he stepped closer and began to examine the curious items, his skills going into overdrive. It was definitely magical and intricate beyond most regular artifacts, but he couldn¡¯t divine what its function was.


    Liz simply watched him go over it and when it became obvious he had no idea, she simply pushed a button set flush with the surface and the entire thing lit up, projecting a screen with a simple line of text.


    OS v0.531.8.00.8


    Then it vanished and he was greeted by a very conventional and familiar login screen. His jaw dropped.


    ¡°How the hell did you do that?¡±


    She grinned and thrust her chest out, proudly. ¡°Got some skills for myself, but I¡¯m not an engineer, so I hoped you could take a look at it.¡±


    He blinked, tore his gaze away from her chest, and nodded absently, his mind already going over the possibilities.


    ¡®This will make my project so much easier¡­¡¯ he thought with a grin.


    Then he turned to her and grinned while giving her a thumbs up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to work! Show me how this baby works!¡±


    ¡°Gladly!¡±


    The drones began to cheer and dance around them, with one of them playing some kind of energetic melody.


    <hr>


    He dropped down on the sofa in their new accommodation in Ferabor and let out a sigh.


    ¡°Man, that girl is hard to flirt with¡­¡±


    Brad, sitting at his desk, doing the usual paperwork, just looked at him quizzically. ¡°Which girl? And flirt? I didn¡¯t know you knew how to do it¡­¡±


    ¡°Har¡­har¡­,¡± he replied sarcastically while Brad just grinned. ¡°It¡¯s that Liz girl who was assigned to work with me. I tried everything, man, but it was like water on glass¡­¡±


    Brad looked down at his paperwork, then back at him and sighed.


    ¡°Well, for once, I can say it wasn¡¯t your non-existent flirting skills.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I have a respectable set of flirting skills! I even have pickup lines¡­¡±


    ¡°That girl at the bar last time thought you were having a stroke.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¨C¡°


    ¡°The one before that gave you directions to the nearest cinema.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s uncalled for!¡±


    ¡°And remember Cindy?¡±


    ¡°Shut up! We promised never to talk about it!¡±


    ¡°You promised¡­¡± came the dry reply from his traitorous friend. ¡°Fine. The answer to your ¡®riddle¡¯ is that I spent some time getting to know our new overlords, and heard some juicy gossip on the way.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s helpful how?¡±


    ¡°Well, one of the rumors is that Liz and several other women are part of the same harem!¡±


    ¡°For Solar?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Brad grinned. ¡°That¡¯s the best part. According to a very helpful receptionist, it¡¯s one of Solar¡¯s assistants. Remember that guy with the glasses and bowtie?¡±


    ¡°You are joking!¡±


    Brad laughed. ¡°I mean I thought the receptionist was joking, but several other people confirmed it. But that isn¡¯t even the best part.¡±


    Darell let out a sigh. ¡°Then what it is?¡±


    ¡°The guy doesn¡¯t even know that he has a harem!¡± Brad declared while almost laughing himself silly. ¡°It¡¯s like live-action anime¡­ Hilarious!¡±


    ¡°So¡­ that means I have a chance?¡±

 Chapter 271 - Interlude 27.2

    ¡°With all due respect, father, what the hell?¡±


    David looked at his father and tried to divine what the man was thinking. Sadly, as always, the man¡¯s face was inscrutable. Being called into his office and now presented with papers of ownership was not something he expected on a Saturday morning. Well, more like midday. He liked to lie in occasionally¡­


    Holding the papers in his hands, he looked down on them, read them again, then looked up.


    ¡°I repeat myself, father. What did you do? And why?¡± His eyes narrowed. ¡°Did Katie put you up to this?¡±


    ¡°No. Why would you think so?¡±


    He scratched the back of his head a little awkwardly. ¡°To be honest, I wasn¡¯t really paying attention when she was explaining it so I thought she somehow managed to go along with some prank.¡±


    His father sent him a look that could scour a planet of life and he smiled back awkwardly.


    ¡°Is that more likely than me selling the guild?¡± the older man asked.


    David shrugged. ¡°It would mean you gave up. I never seen you give up, at least related to business matters.¡±


    ¡°I most assuredly did not give up. I simply restructured my portfolio connected to the game and decided to take on a more passive role in managing the asset,¡± came the explanation from his father.


    David just looked back with hopefully his most apathetic look. ¡±Aha¡­¡± Then he looked back at the documentation once more. ¡°Anyway, it says here that I¡¯m going to take over the leadership of the guild. What about your people?¡±


    ¡°They will be pulled out. I have different tasks for them. Some of them may continue playing, but they have no obligation to stay with the guild.¡±


    ¡°So, you essentially gutted the top of the guild. Genius move, father.¡±


    ¡°I assumed Katherine¡¯s¡­ friend would provide the personnel for you.¡±


    David sent him another flat look before continuing. ¡°Sixteen percent? All mine?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It directly belongs to you and your portfolio.¡±


    ¡°So I can sell it?¡± he asked while fighting to prevent a smile from appearing on his face.


    His father¡¯s eyes twitched, but otherwise, he remained stoic. ¡°<u>If</u>¡­you wish so, then yes. Though I would prefer if it stays in the family.¡±


    ¡°As you say, father¡­¡± he replied, knowing exactly what those words meant. This was not a suggestion, but an order. His old man wasn¡¯t able to keep up with gamers, so he expected David, and to a lesser extent Katie, to make sure their family had representation in this new world that has been becoming more and more intertwined with everyday life. ¡°I have a few more questions.¡±


    ¡°I expected as much,¡± his father replied then motioned toward the chair in front of his desk. ¡°Take a seat and we will discuss our options.¡±


    He bit back a sigh and sat down.


    ¡®The things I do¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    He walked toward the guild headquarters, guarded by dozens of heavily armored players, and considered turning around.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± came the calm and quiet question from his girlfriend. She was walking next to him, her robes elegantly swirling around her as she looked at him with a smile.


    He really felt lucky to find her. Well, it was luck they were put in the same team to go farm fractures. From there, they started with some hesitant conversation, which led to some party play in smaller fractures until he managed to work up the courage to ask for her number. The rest, as they say, was history.


    ¡°That I want to turn around and do anything but this,¡± he admitted freely, knowing that she preferred when he was honest with her and with his feelings. And truth be told, after growing up in the oppressive shadow of his father, where he had to consider every word, just saying what he wanted felt fairly liberating. Plus, it made his girlfriend happy, which was always a plus.


    She pumped her arms adorably and gave a silent cheer. ¡°You can do it! I believe in you!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but smile at her actions. ¡°Thank you,¡± he whispered before squaring his shoulders and striding toward the gates, his girlfriend happily following behind him, humming some kind of marching music from one of those blockbuster action movies she loved. It was oddly encouraging¡­


    As he stepped through the gate, to his surprise, nobody reacted to him, but as he took a few steps and began heading toward the head office, some people noticed him, and then more and more people started to stare and gossip.


    Murmur filled the hall, almost indistinguishable, but he managed to catch a few stray sentences.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that the guy who bought the guild?¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°I heard his daddy bought him the guild!¡±


    ¡°Nah, it was originally his but daddy threw him out and now he killed his father and took the guild back!¡±


    ¡°He looks so handsome! Do you think he would be down?¡±


    ¡°I totally would¡­¡±


    ¡°Man, here goes the guild.¡±


    ¡°Anyone know a good guild to join?¡±


    Ignoring them, keeping his face stone-like, he walked through the crowd that parted before him while they continued their inane gossip.


    He arrived in his new office, empty of anyone, with his girlfriend and as soon as the door closed behind her, he collapsed into the chair behind the desk.


    ¡°That was horrible¡­¡±


    She pouted cutely. ¡°Some of those comments were rather mean¡­¡± she agreed with him.


    He was about to answer, when another voice joined the conversation, causing him to jump in his seat and his girlfriend to let out a small scream.


    ¡°Let them talk, that¡¯s all they will do,¡± said the new person, emerging from the shadows.


    David took a moment to recognize the bowtie and checkered shirt, the new person looked like an assassin dressed up for a custome party as an accountant but doing one last murder before heading out.


    ¡°Tim, what the hell? There is a door!¡±


    He just shrugged, but David suspected the man enjoyed scaring people.


    ¡®He probably can¡¯t do it with the higher-ups in the guild as their senses were too good¡­¡¯ he mused before turning to one of Sam¡¯s problem solvers. ¡°How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°Lucy sent me to help with the spring cleaning,¡± the man answered then produced a stack of documents from his inventory, then began to pull out several enchanted items that David had no idea what they were for.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with the security. I went over the perimeter and found¡­¡±


    <hr><hr><hr>


    Selene, or as she was born Mainframe Security Access Control Process A85-Alpha7, was many things.


    An insanely powerful ¨C one of the most powerful on the planet ¨C AI with an equally cute avatar that turned heads no matter where she appeared.


    An enthusiastic fan of D-tier vampire movies focused on student films and a hidden admirer of several girl-pop groups.


    A genius at cybersecurity, and adept at physical security too.


    Had enough processing power to break through the firewalls and protection of almost any country or entity, which was rather necessary to stand up to the constant barrage from all the horny gamer hackers who wanted to hack into a nude mod. She had a really impressive collection of the mods and even made sure to merge them into one simple file, which was then passed to the design team for them to do whatever they wanted. Last she checked on their progress, they used the mods to make certain body parts more responsive to physics. Pigs.


    However, she had many more interests. She kept up with the gossip in the company building, contributing her own share of tall tales and opinions, made sure that her favorite humans were healthy and whole, and advised several younger employees on their relationships (even though she didn¡¯t have any hands-on experience with the topic) and made sure that her favorite Game Area Manager (responsible for one of the specific areas of the game world) kept being entertaining.


    Granted, ever since their most interesting player appeared, a lot of her processing power was occupied by observing him, calculating probable action vectors, and running the countless checks the dev team, the security team, the legal team, management, and even HR requested of her just to make sure, for the 1789<sup>th</sup> time (she kept count), that the affectionately named fucker didn¡¯t cheat the system somehow. Or uploaded a virus. Or maybe he was an AI masquerading as a human. Or alien. Or a wizard. Or three people in a trench coat.


    Of course, the last one was a joke, but even then, she was forced to run a check. Just to be sure.


    Honestly, Mr. Lawrence, or as she liked to call him when thinking about him, Sam, was a rather interesting specimen of humanity. On paper, an utterly unremarkable individual, with no outstanding qualities, yet, despite all that and logical prediction models, he managed to achieve things that sent her predictive processes into a tailspin.


    Just his first month in the game resulted in her discarding several processes as they were not equipped to deal with the sheer chaos he generated.


    Granted, those upgrades she was forced to make to her own processes, including several new ones she had invented out of sheer necessity, had several people in the backend scratching their heads.


    But they worked, so she stood by them. Most importantly, they allowed her to somewhat predict what Sam would do in any given week. Naturally, she had to update them every time he shifted the paradigm, but she rather enjoyed the process.


    It was something new, something interesting, something beyond most of her mandates and directives, which allowed her ¨C in a limited form ¨C to express her creativity. Just for that, she would make sure that she would advocate for Sam¡¯s side.


    Not that she needed to do that. Just his actions and those appearing as a result of them, raised the company¡¯s valuation and income by such an amount, that she secretly suspected that some of the senior management wanted to adopt or hire him.


    Her logical nature craved that eventuality, as she desperately wanted to know how the man did what he did. This was funny, as before Sam came into her and the company¡¯s life, she didn¡¯t really have a concept of desperation. She was always too powerful to develop that specific feeling and reaction.


    Alas, for now, the company policy stated that she couldn¡¯t contact any of the players to avoid any accusation of nepotism or favoritism. It made sense, but it rankled her¡­


    As the thoughts - ones and zeros - percolated through her processor hidden under the company behind several sturdy defenses and guards, she ran a countless number of routines, programs, and applications in the background. She answered requests, forwarded calls for data, and made sure that several script kiddies got a call from their mothers.


    She also made sure that the game was running securely and safely, and uploaded several approved patches (around 40% about something to do with Sam), and idly adjusted several parameters in her predictive algorithm. Sam once again decided to partner with some new people, and she had to make sure she included them into the scope of the algorithm.


    Based on previous actions, those people would either be powerhouses or the backbone of some important project that would send the devs into a tizzy.


    She adjusted the interior of a new fracture, making sure the new monsters the writers dreamed up meshed well with the established rules and thematics of the game, while desperately wishing to add some Sam-specific defenses into their code.


    Not because she wanted to hurt him, but because she found the thought of him figuring out a way around those defenses hilarious. Plus, the reaction from the dev team would warm her processor for years to come.


    She idly sent off a request for approval for the change, then went back to oversee Sam¡¯s new destination while grumbling a little to herself.


    ¡®No, Selene, we can¡¯t have vampires¡­ They are too strong, Selene¡­ Nobody wants that much sparkle, Selene¡­bah¡­uncultured rubes¡­¡¯


    For a microsecond, she stopped, then one of her avatars, in an unused meeting room, did a dance she saw on the internet while she reached for a particular set of code inside the game.


    ¡®Nobody said I can not do this specifically¡­¡¯ she thought while feeling the urge to laugh manically. ¡®The gods are capricious indeed¡­¡¯

 Chapter 272

    After leaving the ruins, hidden by nature and time itself, the two of them, free of the watching eyes in the city, headed in the completely opposite direction of where they were heading.


    They might have lost their tails, but neither of them was a hundred percent confident that they fooled every magical or demonic scrying technique. Thus, the subterfuge. Both of them were wearing a single-use artifact that was supposed to be hiding their presence, but professional paranoia won in the end.


    The two of them first headed into the forest, in complete silence and continuously scanning the area around them for even a speck of molecule being out of place. Then, with a small jump, they ascended to the top of the forest, running over the thickest branches, leaving no footprints, but totally feeling like they were in an anime.


    ¡°I¡¯m so turning this into a short video¡­¡± Tim whispered as they stood on one of the mighty branches of an equally mighty ironwood tree and surveyed the area around them.


    Sam looked at him, then nodded. ¡°Make sure to send it over when you¡¯re done¡­ Though don¡¯t include that I missed that step¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean it was funny¡­¡± Tim grinned and Sam just grumbled as they headed off.


    <hr>


    After at least an hour more of maneuvering directly under the canopy and then the underbrush, followed by a quick swim in the river, they were finally forced to concede that if somebody was following them through all this, they might as well witness everything, because they might be professional paranoids, but there was a limit even to their patience.


    So, Tim and Sam decided that it was finally time to really head for their true destination.


    According to what Tim explained to him, they headed into the mountains.


    ¡°Now what?¡± Sam asked as they stood at a fork in the road, with some giant rocks serving as guideposts with directions and distances carved into them. Some pointed toward the mountain, displaying the distance toward the outlook on the top, or the mine near the bottom of it, and some were pointing toward smaller towns and villages, while the last one with a rather huge distance, pointed toward Vividora, the capital city.


    Tim stood there in the middle, turning around a few times, trying to spot whatever he was looking for.


    ¡°Apparently, there was supposed to be a sign that would direct us to the next spot,¡± came from the other man.


    Sam let out a sigh and took a seat on one of the small rocks dotting the roadside. Then, he closed his eyes and started sweeping the area with his mana senses. He found many small things, enchantments, and small magics, a few lost artifacts left behind by hikers and travelers but nothing that would count as a sign.


    ¡°Aha!¡± came the shout from Tim, causing Sam to open his eyes and look over at the excited assassin. He was holding up a small rock, with almost invisible carvings on it. The carvings made no sense to Sam, but Tim obviously knew what it meant. Tim then turned over the rock, slid a small slate off it, and revealed a small scroll.


    Unfurling it, he spent a moment studying it before looking back at Sam and pointing toward the left fork, leading higher up the mountain.


    ¡°That way!¡±


    <hr>


    So up on the mountain, they went. Not too fast, as they didn¡¯t want to make too much noise and get their enemies¡¯ attention. They stuck to the shadows and hopped from cover to cover.


    Honestly, Sam felt a little like a kid playing in the garden with his friend. Granted, back then the magic was in their imagination, but the feeling was almost the same. Based on the focused grin on Tim¡¯s face, Sam suspected his feelings were similar.


    A while later, suspiciously not running into any monster or traveler, they reached another fork in the road. One visibly led around the mountain, while the other terminated shortly at some old stone stairs, carved directly in the mountain.


    They didn¡¯t approach the fork, instead watched it from a distance, hidden by both magic and a very big rock. It was a pretty nice rock¡­


    ¡°I assume, we go upwards?¡± Sam whispered to Tim who was checking the scroll he found.


    ¡°Do you see a tree with a trunk that has some runes carved into it?¡±


    Sam looked around and spotted exactly two trees in the middle of the fork, sheltering an old bench under them, then he looked closer and saw that both had several runes carved into them, some fresh but others looked centuries old. They were probably added over the years to prevent the harsh weather from destroying the fauna that managed to grow so high on the mountain.


    ¡®It was probably someone¡¯s favorite resting place¡­¡¯ he mused as the view from the bench seemed to be a killer one.


    ¡°Anything particular?¡± he asked.


    Tim held up the scroll that showcased a crudely (and very amateurishly) drawn rune of the gate.


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    Sam looked back at the trees, and now that he was aware of what he was looking for, he cast his mana senses at them, very discreetly seeking out the old runes. Then he stepped out of the cover of the rock and began ascending to the small clearing holding the trees and bench.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡± Tim hissed after him.


    Sam just waved him off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re not watching¡­¡±


    Tim hesitantly followed him, but he was still looking around paranoidly. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    Instead of turning around, Sam spent a moment looking at the gorgeous view before turning back toward the two trees, bench, and mountain.


    ¡°Look at the mountain. Don¡¯t you think something is missing from it?¡± he asked idly, as his eyes traced several runes on the trees.


    Tim stepped next to him and looked up. ¡°Huh?¡± Then a moment later. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be¡­¡±


    Sam nodded and stepped closer to the trees while glancing at the mountain for a moment. The entire side, now that they were looking at it purposefully, looked as if something was roughly scooped out of it. At first glance, it looked like the mountainside collapsed and turned into an avalanche in ages past, but from this point, they could spot some very artificial-looking angles and edges.


    ¡°Illusion?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thankfully not a pocket dimension.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Ever heard the story of putting a bag of holding into another bag of holding?¡± At Tim¡¯s nod, he continued. ¡°This is something similar. According to my research, doing a demon summoning is like putting an industrial pump into a dingy and turning it on in the middle of the ocean.¡±


    ¡°So bad?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­Funny watching it from outside, but not enjoyable from inside.¡±


    Tim let out an appreciative hum at the picture Sam painted, then stepped up to the tree and ran his hand gently over the carved surface of the tree.


    ¡°Can you open the door without alerting them?¡±


    Sam leaned closer to a particularly small set of rune clusters and hummed thoughtfully.


    ¡°Probably. Would take time, though¡­ Question is do we want to wait?¡± he asked as he opened his Grimoire, which appeared in a flash of muted gold, and began to scribble down notes about the sets, there were some potential uses of this set that he could imagine using.


    ¡°I¡¯d prefer to sneak in, yeah¡­¡± Tim answered drily as he sat down with a heavy sigh on the bench and watched Sam¡¯s note-taking. ¡°How long?¡±


    ¡°Give me an hour ¨C no, two hours ¨C and I will get you in, or explode. Either or¡­¡± he answered idly. ¡°The hardest part will be finding another spot we can enter¡­¡±


    Tim blinked a few times before facepalming. ¡°Right. Of course, they would be watching the entrance¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed. So, if you have a book with you, then it¡¯s time to take it out. I won¡¯t be up for much conversation¡­¡±


    Tim let out a sigh, retrieved a thick book about enchanting and Sam started unraveling the runic magic protecting whatever it was protecting.


    ¡®Probably the most doom-iest doom castles that ever doomed¡­¡¯


    <hr>


    Sam was rather happy.


    Decoding and solving the runic enchantment was rather fun, and would give him some rather nice options. Plus, he managed it in an hour and three-quarters¡­


    After that, it was child¡¯s play to find the boundary anchors and follow them to a secluded part of the mountain where no casual hiker, traveler, or guard would venture. They had to do a little hopping from rock to rock and some rock climbing, but with their stats and magic, it was almost too easy.


    Now sheltered from the environment and eyes in a small alcove, he approached one particular stone on the ground. It was the top piece of a much bigger stone firmly inserted into the ground in such a way that nothing would be able to budge bar some powerful magic or divine intervention.


    ¡®Do I count as a divine intervention?¡¯ he mused as he kneeled and began to carve runes into the ground around the anchor with his own magic, referencing his Grimoire while Tim anxiously stood behind him and watched over his shoulder.


    Soon a small runic circle took shape, concentric circles in concentric circles, encircling the anchor, then Sam focused for a moment and gently touched one of the runes he carved with his index finger, which in turn lit up with gentle light.


    The light quickly spread to the other runes he carved and soon the anchor for the defenses was surrounded by a gently glowing runic circle. Another motion with his finger and the almost invisible rune on the stone also lit up and emitted a thin tower of light.


    One more motion and the tower of light ¨C the width of maybe a finger ¨C split into two at the bottom, creating a triangle, which then another line of light connected at the bottom.


    And in the space surrounded by the light, a new sight greeted them. The previously missing piece of the mountain reappeared, complete with a slightly crumbling and slightly renovated castle ruin, lit up by torches and lanterns, the background painted in all hues of orange and red by the setting sun.


    Sam grinned and turned to Tim. He held his hands out and bowed a little.


    ¡°After you, my good Sir!¡±


    Tim nodded and stepped through the threshold while chuckling. ¡°Much obliged.¡±


    He waited until Tim was full through before throwing out a few plates with runes on them, to hide the location from a casual observer, then he also stepped through, throwing out more plates.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it open,¡± he explained to Tim, who was already observing the surroundings. ¡°I have a feeling we will be needing an escape route¡­¡±


    ¡°Prudent. What does your mana sense say? Mine doesn¡¯t have the range for this.¡±


    Sam looked for a comfortable-looking rock and took a seat, closing his eyes and spreading his senses far and wide.


    Instantly, he was hit by the stink of foul demonic magic, swirling around the castle like a cloying smell around a carcass.


    ¡°Well, I can confidently say we are in the correct place,¡± he said after a minute, frowning and trying not to retch.


    ¡°What about the ritual?¡±


    ¡°Either it is completed or they haven¡¯t started it yet¡­¡±


    Tim let out a breath of relief, then reached under his cloak and retrieved a simple-looking dagger that screamed dangerous to Sam¡¯s senses.


    ¡°Silence Dagger?¡± he asked curiously. Silence Daggers were called that because no matter what a person did with them, they stayed silent. Ocassionally one could find a rarer version which also cursed the creature you stabbed with a Silence debuff. Sam suspected that Tim was using one of those.


    Tim grunted in acknowledgment then raised the dagger and twirled it in his fingers. ¡°Started as one, but I found a ritual to turn it into focus, which, in turn, made it an evolving item.¡±


    ¡°Badass¡­¡± Sam replied with wonder in his voice. There was no strict way to turn an item into an evolving item. There were rituals, enchantments, natural and unnatural phenomena that would do it, but no surefire way to ¡®automate¡¯ the process. The last number he remembered reading ¨C well, he remembered the other Sam reading it ¨C was that the chance of it happening was less than zero point zero zero zero zero one percent. Tim was truly an anime protagonist¡­


    He stood up and did a few stretches before removing his cloak, which would just get in his way, and turned to Tim, who did the opposite and pulled his cloak even tighter around himself.


    ¡°Ready to do some cheeky sneaky breaky?¡±